Chapter 17
Desmon
I paced the rooftop patio of my home, my dragon at the surface and feeling antsy. The last time I’d felt like this, I’d torched a mountain. Granted, it required periodic fires to stay healthy, and it was due for one anyway. But still.
We should be in our lair with our mate!
I ignored him.
Of all the times for my dragon to get distracted, why did it have to be now when victory—or defeat, depending on how it played out—was so close? I needed to focus on that and not the fact that Carly claimed she needed “some time alone” to process everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
There is nothing to process. She’s mine, and I am hers.
I ignored my dragon and started another lap around the patio.
I’d never thought I’d be mated at all, but if it had happened, I’d imagined it would have been with another dragon or some other powerful, long-lived monster. I’d spent some time with Gillisandra when I was younger, before this competition started, but then realized I couldn’t stand her. She’d bounced quickly to my brother after that, though that had been short-lived as well, probably because, same as I had, he’d kept all information about his treasure hoard from her.
I wasn’t worried that Carly would leave this world long before me. As my mate, I could share the remainder of my natural life span with her. The problem was that it would reduce the number of years I had in this world, something I hadn’t been ready for.
There was magic that could extend the lifespan of lesser species but it was strictly forbidden by the EA. Blood magic, along with stealing the life force from one creature to another, or anything involving human sacrifices, had long been illegal. That didn’t mean it didn’t happen, however. It just meant that practitioners got better at hiding it.
As a dragon, I’d never followed the EA’s rules, anyway. I didn’t much care how things got done as long as they got done. This was why Seth could dabble in any form of dark arts he wanted; he had my backing, and the EA wouldn’t dare touch him.
But it wasn’t just that I would have to share my longevity with her that had me worried. She was a human with little magic, and therefore a sitting duck for my enemies. As my mate, she would always have a target on her back. I would need to protect her for the rest of our lives.
What if I failed like before?
I shoved back the bad memories that threatened to surface and continued to pace the rooftop. I wasn’t invincible; dragons could be and had been slain. But there were more dangerous dragons than me out there, and if the EA was smart, they’d know that picking a fight with me would be opening themselves up for attack elsewhere. They wouldn’t dare, especially not with the WEC ready to swoop in and regain the power they’d lost in recent years.
The WEC had every important clergyman, imam, and rabbi in history in their back pocket. No religion, or any institution with power for that matter, was safe from their influence. Modernization and the separation of church and state had weakened their hold, but they’d infiltrated corporations and politicians instead, though they were still taking the religious route in places like the Middle East.
When The Wall had fallen, their ominous dealings had been fully exposed and they had to backtrack to cover up, claiming they were doing everything for the good of the people of Earth. I couldn’t believe how many people actually believed them.
Humans are stupid , my dragon grumbled .
I reminded my dragon that our trusted wizard was human, and apparently, so was our mate.
Yes, most humans were stupid. But as a society, they’d come a long way and achieved much more than I’d ever dreamed possible, especially in recent years. Look at their recent mastery of technology, which had once been considered a branch of magic. The way I saw it, any smart dragon should start keeping their eyes on them as a species. Times were changing.
Most dragons, however, didn’t bother with human antics, considering the creatures to be beneath them. They saw them, and shifters too, as pawns for dragon games. Historically, there were a few wizards and witches the dragons of the world had considered worthy of notice, but they were few and far between, and the more well-known ones, Merlin for example, had been part demon.
Our lack of interest in human affairs was why, despite the fall of The Wall, there was still a dispute on whether dragons actually existed or not. There were plenty of disbelievers, and many dragons preferred it that way.
But those who needed to know, knew.
I recalled Carly’s look of amazement when she saw my dragon form. She was brave. She hadn’t run, or cried, or begged for her life. She’d trusted me. She’d even tossed a ball of fire from hand to hand like she’d owned it.
I huffed and focused on the key in my hand. I’d gotten distracted again. I had to pull myself together because if I failed now, it wouldn’t matter whether Carly accepted me as her mate or not. If I lost, I’d be magically spelled into a long sleep and given only until sundown of that day to get myself somewhere safe.
I had some buffer, however. I had three pieces already. My intel said that Gillisandra had two. She would need to find this piece and somehow steal one from me to win. If she stole one from me before I found the fourth, that would mean I’d need to steal one back from her to emerge victorious.
That was infinitely harder than racing for one final piece out in the open. More dangerous, too. The she-dragon wouldn’t hesitate to use every trick in the book to win. That would put everybody I knew and cared about in danger, especially Carly.
Of all the times to find my mate! What horrible timing.
She was in danger already, simply because I’d gone to save her. The police would get to the scene and just see an unfortunate accident, but Gillisandra would know better. Assuming she hadn’t been there watching the whole time to begin with.
And I was back to thinking about Carly.
I give up! There was no way to get her out of my mind. She was part of my life now whether I liked it or not and had been ever since she’d spilled that tumbler of coffee on me.
I peered over the edge of the railing and down at her balcony. I’d put her in that room because it was easily accessible from my private rooftop patio. I wondered if she was asleep. It was past midnight, and I’d promised to take her to the museum tomorrow. She’d insisted on returning to work, and I hadn’t wanted to make her even more uncomfortable by telling her I’d pay her even if she didn’t.
Elana had gently told me that not all females would take that the right way and that Carly might be offended. I was so used to just throwing money at problems to solve them, and when that didn’t work, violence or fire usually solved the rest. It was frustrating that I couldn’t do that this time.
I formed just my dragon wings, using them to help me land lightly as I dropped onto her balcony. Her room was dark, but I had impeccable night vision.
What I saw had me cursing the moment I had agreed to let her sleep on her own. She lay on the bed, the sheets only covering her lower legs. The blanket was half on the floor and half shoved to the foot of the bed. And she was completely naked.
The moonlight played across her bare, pale skin, accentuating every dip and curve. Her full breasts rose and fell with every breath, and I longed to cover those peaks with my mouth. Her plush, round hips and thighs begged for my attention as well.
Go to her! Take her! Fuck her!
I ordered my feet to remain still. She didn’t need me breaking into her room in the middle of the night and ravishing her, no matter how much I wanted to. My cock swelled and strained almost painfully against the front of my pants. It was made even worse when I remembered her flavor, sweet and salty, with a hint of vanilla and spice.
My hands were already at the waistband of my pants when I stopped myself.
What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t believe I’d almost touched myself at her window like some peeping creep! I was Desmon, the Dragon of Darlington! I took what I wanted! I didn’t do…whatever I was doing now. What was this woman doing to me?
Go. Claim her! My seed belongs on and in our mate, marking her as ours, not splashed on her balcony wall! My dragon was disgusted with me also, but his solution was no better.
No. I wasn’t going to break into her room when I promised her time to think. But come tomorrow, she was mine.
I refastened my pants, which was barely possible, with the way my cock was straining against the fabric. Before I could change my mind, I leaped off her balcony. By the time I landed in the garden, I was fully in dragon form.
I paced the perimeter of my estate, frustrated wisps of smoke drifting from my nostrils. That was one downside to living in the city; no matter how much land I owned here, it was still limited. At times like these, even the wooded lot behind my home felt cramped.
It was on the second round of pacing that I felt the intruder’s presence. I was at the edge of my property, right where the stream crossed into my lands. Moments later, my cell phone buzzed from my pocket with the alert, but I didn’t need to check the security footage to see who it was.
“I know you’re there, Emmett,” I said calmly into the trees. “Tell me why you’re here, and I’ll consider letting you live.”
What I really wanted to ask was how he’d gotten past the wards, but that would be admitting there was a weakness in them.
“I’m here to visit my brother, of course.” Emmett stepped out from the trees in his human form. “And allow me to answer your unasked question. Your wards let me in because they consider me an ally.”
“We have never been allies.”
He shrugged, looking far too comfortable leaning against the rough bark of an old oak. “There’s a first for everything. You’re always so serious, brother. Lighten up.”
We should burn him. Teach him a lesson for trespassing on our demesne.
“ I wish I’d had the chance to kill you before you were hatched,“ I hissed. Emmett showing up had never been a good sign. Suddenly, I wondered if his appearance was a distraction and the estate was being breached even now. Carly was there! I started back toward my home.
“I know,” Emmett said, following me. “I realize how lucky I am even to be alive, which is why I’m not a stick-in-the-mud like you.” The corners of his lips lifted in a sly smile. “So, who’s the buxom beauty you’ve been spotted with downtown?”
I tried to keep my face neutral. “I had a work lunch with a new hire,” I said stiffly.
“Ah, no one important, then. So I guess you wouldn’t mind if I came by the museum to introduce myself? Maybe she’ll want to have lunch with me.”
Despite my dragon’s sudden urge to crunch his bones, I didn’t show any outward reaction. Instead, I said, “You still haven’t answered my question. What are you doing here? I know it’s not to visit me.”
“Like I said, I’m here to be your ally.”
“How is trying to date the museum’s newest employee being an ally? You’re not even supposed to be anywhere near Darlington.” That had been the agreement. He stayed out of my scales, and I stayed out of his. He had his own magical town just north of the border that had somehow avoided detection even after the fall of The Wall.
He looked around like he expected the trees to hear his secrets. “Let’s talk inside.”
“It’s safe to talk here.” We were inside the property line, which meant my magical barriers would preserve our privacy.
“Really? I got in.”
I hated that he had a good point. These spells around my home were smart; perhaps they really did consider him a friend, perhaps even essential to my well-being. “I’m not inviting you inside.”
He sighed and pouted dramatically. God, he was so annoying. “I guess I wasted my time coming here to visit my dear brother, then.” He turned to leave.
By now, I was curious. Emmett wouldn’t be here without good reason. He might be annoying, but he was still a dragon. My dragon was stronger and larger than his, even after all these years, which had earned him the dubious nickname of the Runt Dragon. But he’d proven that despite his dragon’s smaller size, he could still survive in our world through guile and sheer determination.
“Fine. You may come into the drawing room, but you are not welcome anywhere else in my home.”
“Delightful.” And with that, he followed me to my front door.