Light flashed, something burned, and Sue-Ellen screamed. Any sane person would have when Remiel turned into a living torch that then transformed into a hulking dragon. A giant shape, like seriously dropped-in-a-vat-of-radioactive-goo mutant-sized, which meant he pushed against the ceiling, causing some of the looser bits to fall.

I am gonna die!

The certainty proved overpowering, and she dove to the floor, sobbing and covering her head with her hands.

She didn’t react well when an object fell on her shoulder. In her defense, she thought it was part of the ceiling.

“Eeeek!” Total overreaction. Also, in her defense, she didn’t know he’d touched her. She thrashed and screamed, which was how she found herself pinned under a man.

A very naked man.

“Get off,” she gasped.

Stay on. The weight on top and all that skin felt rather nice in a twisted way.

What is wrong with me?

Why did she whine? She wasn’t dead, and a hot guy was on top of her.

“If I move, are you going to start freaking out again?”

Possibly. So she lied. “I was not freaking out.”

He stared.

“Much.”

He kept staring.

“Okay, fine, I lost my mind. I’m over it now. Unless the ceiling really is collapsing, then I reserve the right to lose my ever-loving shit.” The bayou in her came out, and she could have died.

His lips quirked. “We wouldn’t want that to happen.”

“No kidding.” With her calmness restored, she waited for him to move off her.

He didn’t.

“Ahem.” She wiggled.

He wiggled back.

The O rounding her mouth couldn’t be helped. “Is that…” She couldn’t say it.

He pressed against her. “It is.”

“That is wildly inappropriate.”

“I agree.”

“Then get off.”

“I’d love to. But as for my position, I’m okay where I am.”

She could tell. “This isn’t helping your case.”

“What case is that?”

“The one to get me to like you.”

“I don’t need to get you to like me.” He smiled.

“That’s not reassuring. Is this on the same lines as don’t name your food?”

He laughed. “No. It’s more about the fact that I don’t need to make you like me because you already do.”

“Do not.”

“Would you like me to prove you wrong?”

Would she? Yes. Please.

His lips dropped down. I think he’s going to kiss me.

Bad idea. So bad.

Do it.

With him so close, she couldn’t exactly articulate why this was such a bad idea, nor could she stop him.

Don’t stop him.

Before she could make up her mind, he’d bounded off her and strutted to the rock holding his neat piles of clothes.

This time, she didn’t look away from the show.

Nice ass.

An ass he covered with pants. A shame.

Sighing, she lay flat on the floor and found her gaze rising to stare at the ceiling. She noted something reassuring.

“The ceiling didn’t crack.”

“This place is more solid than you think. They built it well.”

“Built? You mean this cave isn’t natural?” She’d assumed it was given its rough look.

“Dragon made, angel. A good portion of this place was fabricated or enlarged. Including the pit, this chamber, and a few of the others off it.”

“There’re more rooms?”

“Several more, as a matter of fact. You are looking upon the treasure room of an ancient Crimson matriarch. Empty now, which should come as no surprise. As soon as the hoard was discovered, it was stripped clean. I hear the dragon who used to own it had a penchant for vases. Pretty ugly ones. It was inside one of them that Parker found the maps.”

“Map? What map? And what do you mean Uncle found it?” This was the first she’d heard of any map.

“Your uncle was the one who, more or less, orchestrated the events of my birth so many years ago. As a very young man, he came across the hoard hidden here by accident. He used some of its riches to buy the land it sat on. In that treasure was a message. A riddle that was a map. He deciphered enough to find the last Golden queen’s hoard and the eggs in it.”

Eggs. She bit her lip lest she giggle. “You weren’t joking. You actually were hatched.”

“Yes, and so was Samael.”

At that, she frowned. “He never said anything about that.” She’d also never thought to ask, assuming he’d lost his parents somehow to some tragedy.

“Does that surprise you about Parker? He was a man of many secrets. He also had lots of pride, which means he wasn’t about to tell anyone he’d found a Golden hoard and then lost it because of a cave-in.”

“Not lost anymore. It’s been found again. By Samael. At least, I assume it’s the same one.”

“I doubt there are any others. What I do wonder, though, is if Samael and I are the only eggs they hatched.”

Hatched eggs. Crazy plots. Experimentation and now a prisoner in a pit. “I can’t do this anymore.” Too much information bombarded her. The weight of all the lies pressed in on her. She closed her eyes and sighed, unable to look at Remiel because looking at him just reminded her of how stupid she was.

How could she have been so blind to everything? The lies. The half-truths. The fact that there were two boys, not one. How could she have not seen it? It seemed so obvious now.

The spark between her and Remiel still existed. A spark she’d never had with Samael.

I didn’t care about the spark when he kissed me. She’d enjoyed it well enough. Cared for him, too.

He just wasn’t the man she’d fallen for.

In truth, Remiel was the boy she’d stayed behind for. He’s the one who kept me here all these years.

It should have made her feel close to him. Instead, shyness diverted her gaze and caused her tongue to stick. What could she say when she felt such guilt?

So much remorse.

Wasn’t there a rule about girls who went from one brother to another?

Slut.

She didn’t need her Aunt Betty’s stark way of stating things to remind her. Remiel deserved better than a girl who couldn’t tell them apart.

“I’m tired.” So lethargic. She dragged herself to the pile of blankets and collapsed on them. They smelled of him.

Of course they did. She flopped over and noted it wasn’t awful. No lumps dug into her ribs. He had some kind of foam to cushion the worst of it.

The nest of bedding appeared more than big enough for two, and yet he settled himself close to her. As in right behind her body. His arm snaked around her waist. His breath fluttered her hair.

She didn’t move, and yet that didn’t stop heated awareness from flooding her. “What are you doing?”

“Going to bed.”

“Can’t you give me some space? I’m kind of having a moment.”

“So am I.”

“Not everything is about you.”

“Actually, it is. I am the center of everyone’s universe.”

“You’re not the center of mine,” she grumbled.

“Yes, I am.” Stated with such male assurance.

She wiggled, trying to move away. The arm anchoring her didn’t let her budge an inch.

“Would you stop that?”

“Stop what? I am simply keeping you safe like I promised.”

“Safe from what?”

“Predators.”

“I thought you said this place had no rats.”

“It doesn’t on account that the snakes ate them.”

She stiffened. “Snakes?”

“Don’t worry. They know better than to bother me.”

“Is there anything else I need to know about this cave?”

“Caves. There’re more than a few. Such as this room and the pit. That one is the only close one tall enough for me to really stretch out without breaking stuff.”

“Why haven’t you climbed out?”

“Do you really think they wouldn’t take me out before I got to the top? Or have they moved the soldiers?”

She recalled the line of men ringing the hole. “No, and they’ve got a lot of guns. I can see why you’d prefer to hide.”

He stiffened, and not below the belt. “I am not hiding. The guards might be well armed, but they are not insurmountable. However, you seem to forget if I made it to the top without being completely riddled with holes then there’s that electrical grid to deal with. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not see if I smell like roasted chicken.”

Mmm. Chicken. Now was not the time to think of food.

“Do all these excuses mean you’ve given up on escaping?” Because if he couldn’t, what were her chances?

“Why escape? Think of it. What do I need from out there? I’ve got food. Books. A quiet place to call my own.” He nuzzled his face into her hair and whispered, “You.”

“You forgot something. You don’t have me.”

“I will.” He said it with such confidence.

“You should worry less about getting in my pants and more about your freedom.”

“Freedom to do what? Be hunted by the humans?”

“That hasn’t happened.” Yet. But she could see where it might if they got frightened enough.

“Actually, angel, it has happened. Parker delighted in having humans from the government come and poke at me. So many needles. So much blood. Not all of the puddles were mine.”

“That’s only a small subset of humanity. The majority wants to live in peace.” Peace sounded mighty good to her right about now.

“Even if the humans left me alone, there’s the other dragons.”

“They don’t like you?”

“I’m afraid they’d like me too much. Everyone has wanted to use me since I was but a babe still nursing. The blood of the last ruling Golden pair runs in my veins.”

“So what?”

“What do you mean, so what? I am priceless to my people.”

“Not really. I mean, why would they bother you when they have Samael?”

“Because Samael is not the heir.”

“Really? Because according to Anastasia, he is, and they just declared on national media that he was the last Golden king.”

He roared. “Lies!”