Chapter Fourteen
At first, Jacques hadn’t been sure Olivia’s father would agree to meet with him. Not that he gave the Romanian politician a choice. The longer Jacques remained separated from his mate, the more he felt her drifting from him.
Landing on the wide stone patio behind the Haralamb mansion, he shifted and dressed in a pair of pants and a collared shirt before the sunrise broke across the horizon. Taking deep breaths, he couldn’t catch hold of a fresh scent of Olivia.
Haralamb came out a few hours later, meeting him on the patio. “You might be clever flying in past my security, but you’ve a lot of nerve landing your dragon ass on my patio.”
“My apologies Senator. I come on private business. I didn’t feel it would be wise on either of our behalves to alert your security or record this visit.”
“I know who you are. She sent you.”
“Margaret sends her regards and a gift if we can come to terms of an agreement.”
Haralamb’s crossed his portly chest. “What kind of an agreement? I won’t be blacked mailed by the likes of you. One call and I can have your wings permanently clipped.”
A middle-aged woman in a uniform slipped through the French doors out to the patio. She walked briskly across the stone and set out the coffee tray with fruit and toast. Jacques waited while Haralamb dismissed the woman and they were once more alone.
“As I said. I come baring a gift. After all, we are now family.” Jacques reached down and pulled up the satchel he dropped when he landed on the patio. He placed it on the glass top table near the steaming coffee.
“Family?”
“You daughter is my mate. I believe that makes me your son-in-law.”
Haralamb paled. “My daughter is engaged.”
Jacques dragon grumbled from within. He forced it to remain calm. Olivia belonged to him. He marked her. No one would ever dispute their bond, not even this prick with all his connections.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be the one to give the poor guy the bad news. After all, he made you a promise and wasn’t able to deliver. Or did he find you a rare egg, after all?”
“That’s none of your business.” Haralamb slammed his fist down on the table.
“It became my business months ago.” Jacques eyes shifted, he dragon looked out at the politician. “You made a mistake selling your daughter off to Zoltan.”
“Avram is an ambitious fellow. He will one day make a great leader of our nation. Olivia needs a good man to mind her strong will.” Haralamb paced around the patio table.
“But that’s not why you paired her with him, is it? A marriage into the family would give one great connections needed to go higher to gain the support for an election, it would also boost your own campaign.”
“There are a great many advantages to Olivia’s match with Avram.”
“Too bad it’s not happening.” Jacques pulled out the cloth from in his bag and started to unwrap it. “Doesn’t matter, Zoltan can’t ever provide you with as rare of treasure as I.”
Haralamb kept his eyes on the cloth as Jacques continued to reveal what lay inside it.
“I am a man of my word, Olivia will marry Zoltan. Whatever you have done to make your claim on my daughter I suggest you reverse it immediately.”
“I can’t.” Jacques took a deep breath and laid it out for the senator. “I’m in love with your daughter. She called to my dragon from the moment I met her on the ferry to St. Ives.”
He kept a careful watch on Haralamb, prepared for the uptight senator to slug him.
“I should have known not to allow her from my sight until the wedding. I know she was displeased, but to go and consort with… with…” Haralamb shook his fist.
“Dragon shifter?” Jacques said.
“Criminal” Haralamb lowered his hand. “You are aware of the crimes against your mother.”
“Very much so, which is why she sent you this.” Jacques uncovered the silver twisted horn. “It isn’t her head on a platter as you might have wanted, but a silver dragon horn is almost as priceless as a gold dragon’s egg.”
Haralamb reached for the horn, examined it. His eyes glistened with greed. “Do you have the other one?”
“Don’t get greedy Senator.” Jacques warned. Memories of having to extract it from Margaret’s dragon form caused his gut to squeeze.
“You want me to clear the charges against your mother?”
Jacques shook his head. “I want you to accept this horn as the bride price for your daughter.”
Haralamb walked away carrying the horn. Jacques followed him into the house. Ludovic waved off the house staff as they peered from the kitchen and the dining room to see if he needed anything.
Inside his study Jacques closed the door. On the far wall, the Senator pulled a book from a shelve and the section of books slid to the side revealing a secret room. Inside, Ludovic Haralamb’s dragon collection awaited. Jacques dragon growled, but his human side looked around in awe. Eggs, unhatched, broken shells, pieces of talons, scales, teeth, and vials of acid lined the walls. All of it in protective fireproof and unbreakable glass.
“Quite the collection you’ve got.”
“All gifts, I assure you. As government advisor and adversary to the dragons, there have been many over the years who have wished to thank me for my service.”
Or bribe him for turning a blind eye, either way, Jacques wouldn’t speak it out loud. He had come and did has Margaret advised him. Well, almost. He need to find Olivia and move on to the next phase of his instructions before freeing himself from this mess once and for all.
“Nice.”
Haralamb placed the silver horn in a compartment behind the glass. Wiggling it one way then the next until he became satisfied how it looked laying on the shelf. “How do I know you and my daughter are bond as you say?”
“She bares my mark.”
“And you say you love her?” Ludovic closed the glass, ran is hand over the edge and Jacque’s dragon’s hearing heard the slight click of the seal to secure the horn.
“Yeah. I do.” Jacques hadn’t considered love before. He needed her. He wanted her. His dragon couldn’t stand being apart for her one more hour less one more day. Love? His dragon pressed inside him.
Haralamb turned to him. “I imagine my daughter feels the same for you. After all, I do know how you dragon’s bond to your mates.”
“Then we have your blessing?” Jacques bounced on his heels about to run in the direction Haralamb gave him.
Haralamb nodded. He extended his hand, leading Jacques out of his collection room. “I can’t wait to tell Olivia. Where is she?”
Haralamb frowned. “You mean she’s not with you?”