Chapter Two

Flora

THE BLADE SLICES a centimeter from my brother’s face, causing him to jump back with a grunt. “That’s what you get for letting your guard down, brother dear,” I say without hiding my satisfied grin.

“I might need to use the flat of my blade across your derrière,” he huffs back with a grimace. He lifts his T-shirt displaying a lean torso and a nice defined six-pack. He uses his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. He probably drives the ladies nuts with that move.

The last thing I want is a mate like any of my brothers. They’re womanizers, stuck on themselves, and quite selfish if I’m being totally honest. I love them but feel sorry for the poor women who fall for their crap. They each need someone special to show them what love actually is.

“You may try,” I tell him while trying to remember to breathe. He’s one of my toughest battle partners and I can take him easily but it’s still a workout. I advance and beat his blade with mine to provoke him. It works and he charges. With a flick of my wrist, his sword flies a few feet away.

“Damn. How do you do that every time?”

My teeth show with the huge smile. “Practice, big brother, practice.” My cell rings from the corner of the room and I walk over and pick it up. “PDA” shows on the screen. I press accept and my smile widens before I speak. “You have someone you need me to run through or force to his wedding?”

“No,” Gerri chuckles. “I might have a possible date for you, though.”

Oh, crap not again. Gerri will never give up. “What makes you think I want a date? You know I love my single status.” I ignore my brother’s scowl and point my sword in his direction to shut him up.

“This is a special case. I have a dragon shifter who wants to kidnap a woman and hold her in his castle until she agrees to mate with him. I think you’re the woman to put him in his place so he reconsiders his qualifications for the perfect mate. Come on, I’ll pay you. One date, you cut him down to size or two, and you’re off the hook. You owe me.”

I do owe her. I also wouldn’t mind tangling with a dragon to alleviate the boredom cloud I’m hiding under. “Call me when you have a place and time and I’ll be there. We’re even after this, right?”

She laughs again. “Yes, completely even. If you leave bruises on him, I’ll owe you.”

The stupid dragon put Miss Gerri’s panties in a wad. Totally unwise. “You’re on. Do I get a bonus for knocking a few fangs out?” Her laughter rings across the phone and she ends the call. Gerri uses me as a place holder when the right person isn’t yet available for whoever she’s hooking up. The dates have been boring and thankfully not repeated. This one sounds a little more interesting because there’s nothing better than cutting a man down to size when he needs it.

“You don’t need a date, you need a husband,” Justin says behind me. I do need a husband but the man I’m willing to mate doesn’t exist and is only a fantasy so I’ll pass.

I turn to my brother and lift my sword again. “This is not a topic I’ll discuss. You know my feelings on marriage.” I lift my sword and fleche, causing my brother to back up quickly to avoid having his throat slit. Talk like this is at an end.

§ § § §

GERRI CALLED A few days later and gave me specifics for the date. I’m currently going through my closet looking for something to wear. He wants demure and I plan to give it to him. After I have him where I want him, he’ll be a very unhappy dragon. Gerri told me all about his highness and his demands for a mate. When I’m through with him, he’ll think twice about kidnapping a woman.

I actually find it funny that he’s using the dating service to find his mate. Kidnapping and happily ever after don’t go hand in hand. At least not in my opinion. Then again, I’m dealing with a dragon from a different realm. The question I should ask is why come to this realm to find a date? Dragons are egotistical, stubborn, and at the top of the food chain. This isn’t a good combination at best. At worst it’s a disaster.

I flip past my go-to little black dress that I usually wear on dinner dates. And yes, I go on dates. My brothers are a pain in my ass, so I keep the info about the date on the down low or they’ll want a wedding date written in blood. I pull a flower print long skirt and plain blouse from the back of the closet and shake off the light layer of dust. When Jacob, my only younger brother, gave me the outfit, I bit my tongue. It screams old maid and wallflower combined.

Perfect.

With my dark hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of my head, I add a pair of white socks and clunky black shoes better suited for jeans and step back to admire my costume. I look like I’m attending a Westboro Baptist Church meeting, which is exactly what I’m going for in this getup. My granny Coke-bottle glasses complete the ensemble. I have a feeling my dragon date will run straight back to his realm when he gets an eyeful of me. Good riddance.

I turn at the sound coming from my tenth story window. Pushing against the glass is the squished face of a man. My heart triples in speed as the face moves slightly away and a finger comes up and points to the window lock. My sword is across the room, under my bed, in its sheath—too far to grab before this buffoon breaks the window.

Buffoon… equals dragon. How the heck did he find me?

Fury replaces fear. Who the hell does he think he is? With quick strides I march to the window and throw it open. I’m not afraid of this dragon peeping Tom at all. I’ll shove him down to the ground or slam the window on his fingers if he doesn’t take no for an answer. The “no” now encompasses our date. He blew it and I won’t need to sit through a boring meal to knock him down a peg.

One long, jean-clad leg lifts through the window.

“Get back. What the heck are you doing?” I demand. I have no idea where to grab to toss him out.

His other leg slides through, followed by a huge body, making me step back a pace. I disregard the scent that fills the room as his entire body straightens upright.

I crank my head back. Oh my.

Six and a half feet of scrumptious male stands in my room. His long, medium blond hair curls in waves around his arresting face. His high cheekbones and strong chin give him an almost prince-like appearance. He’s a gorgeous specimen, and Gerri should have mentioned it. His T-shirt stretches across his massive chest with black boots to complete the bad boy or should I say bad dragon, eye-candy image.

His long, muscular arms cross in front of his chest and his legs brace about a foot apart. He cocks an eyebrow in question. “Are you ready?” he asks in a powerful voice that sends shivers across my skin.

“Ready?” I’m disappointed it comes out with a touch of breathlessness after admiring his physique. From the look in his eyes, he isn’t giving me the same consideration. He hasn’t looked me up and down at all. For a split second, I wish I was wearing my sexy black dress and I could put a spark of desire in his baby blues.

What the bird feathers am I thinking?

He grabs my hand, and, with a sudden jerk, pulls me against his body. His head moves low and his warm breath slides over my neck. Rockets go off in my belly. “You smell ready,” he says in my ear. His warm breath travels across my neck and cheek, causing shivers.

This man has no idea how ready I am. I attempt to pull back, but his paws, aka hands, stop me. “Let me go,” I say between my teeth.

“Did that woman call and explain what I want?”

My mind whirs. “Gerri?” He gives the slightest nod. “She did.”

“Good. Then you know why I’m here and we need to go.”

My stunned expression changes to anger. “This is not how you pick up a date. I was meeting you at the restaurant.”

The fingers of his right hand loosen and the pads of each rough digit glide across my upper arm, making it hard to think clearly. He pulls me closer and his nose goes into my hair. His indrawn breath is slow and long while he breathes in my scent. I understand it’s a shifter thing, but it’s not my shifter thing, and I try again to step away.

“You’re ready,” he says with finality.

I shake my head without understanding what he means. “Release me this second.” His arms give a bit and I’m able to lean away and look straight into his eyes. Now they’re blue crystals that catch the bedroom light and sparkle with shimmering colors inside the blue. This man is a danger to every red blooded woman on the planet.

He lifts his hands and runs the backs of his fingers over my cheek. “Sleep,” he says, and just like that, the world goes dark.