Chapter Nine
Corde
To both of their relief, the day passed without incident. Jose didn’t show up, but that was hardly a surprise.
“I don’t know about this, Corde,” she said as the cab pulled into the underground parking, heading for the private elevator that led to the upper floors.
The building, he’d learned, actually housed two penthouses, and below that another two floors of mega-suites. The one he and Vanek were staying in was at the very top, and it was the upper two stories of the building. When he’d first told Kylie she was going to come stay with him, he’d been excited at the prospect of showing her around. The place was fantastic, and as his tastes adjusted to what was considered fashionable in the modern world, he found himself falling in love with it.
Now though, he had begun to wonder. Kylie obviously didn’t come from money, and based on her job, he doubted that it was overly important to her. She was more interested in people and doing right by them, he’d picked up on that much. Would the show of wealth be too ostentatious for her?
He was nervous. On top of everything else, she was also going to meet Vanek for the first time. Although the two of them had become fast friends, he was still unsure about introducing his mate to another dragon before she’d really come to fall for him. What if she decided that Vanek had what he lacked?
“It’s fine,” he assured her, sounding far more confident than he felt. “You’ll have your own room separate from us, including your own fully equipped washroom. In fact, we’re actually on a separate floor.”
“A separate floor?” She shifted uneasily. “How big is your place?”
He winced. Already her discomfort with wealth was becoming apparent. Shit, he hadn’t realized how much she disliked it.
What a surprise, Corde. You screwed up again, thinking you knew what was best when you didn’t.
“Bigger than it needs to be,” he answered with complete honesty. “But it works out in your favor this time around. The building is completely secured, and the elevator requires a private code to use.”
Kylie’s eyes narrowed and he quickly told her the code so that she could use it whenever she wished. In addition he gave her the number of the transportation service he used, adding that he’d put her on his account. Hopefully knowing she could enter or leave anytime she wished and have a ride to anywhere in the city would put her at ease.
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
He watched as she wrung her hands, the ultra-pale skin wrinkling as she gripped herself tightly.
“I have tried to,” he admitted at last. “I feel bad about everything that has happened to you. It is my fault for intervening. They are striking back at you to get at me.” He inhaled sharply and went with his gut on what to say next, hoping it would work out. “I know you don’t feel comfortable with all this, but please, let me do this for you. It’s no inconvenience to me, and it’s the least I can do. I want to make up for it.”
Kylie followed him out of the car and into the elevator where she leaned back heavily into the mirrored wall and let out her breath in one go. “Do you not think this is a little much?”
“Probably. Definitely. But what good is my money if I can’t use it to spoil people every now and then? Besides, where else would you go?”
“I guess. But I really shouldn’t be staying with you, Corde. You’re a member of my program. I’m not supposed to interact with you outside of it.”
You’re so much more than that. I just wish I could tell you everything. In time you’ll understand. I hope.
He was saved from actually having to answer her question by the doors chiming and rolling open.
Kylie gasped as they stepped out into the entryway. The elevator was in the middle of the building, and as they emerged the first thing one saw was the impressive view. The entire wall in front of them was glass, giving a wonderful view of the city and beyond that the mountains. Corde knew what lurked out there, and as such it had lost some of the magic, but he had to admit it was quite stunning.
The floors were marble right outside, a deep sandstone pattern that blended well into the hardwood that covered most of the floors.
“You live here?” she asked, kicking off her shoes and stepping up to the windows.
He grinned, loving her reaction. The entryway ended in a T-junction, with the solid walls to the left and right of the elevator giving way to a short hallways before opening up into the rest of the ground floor which was U-shaped. This floor was given over to guest quarters for the most part, all of which were built into the center, allowing for the perimeter walkway that wound round the exterior of the building.
“Come on, I’ll show you your place.”
They’d stopped by her house to retrieve more clothing, though he’d insisted on taking her to a nearby store to buy the various toiletries and such that were needed for daily life. Now, lugging her two bags, he showed Kylie to her own personal suite.
“This is all for me? You’re joking, right? I don’t need all this space. This is ridiculous, Corde!”
“It’s a little much, I know but—”
“A little?” she asked, interrupting. “This is extreme! The shower in here is the size of a bed! Why would I ever need something so big?”
He tried not to grin. Despite her protests, he could see the excitement in her eyes. Kylie had likely never experienced the finer points in life, and she was excited, if a little reluctant, to try. Knowing that after this was settled she would have to go back to her old life was likely making it bittersweet for her.
But she was a dragon’s mate, and it was high time she learned just how spoiled that meant she was going to be. Corde couldn’t come right out and say it, but he intended to pamper her as much as he could, pushing it right to the limit before she said it was enough.
“Complaining about it being too big? That’s a first.”
Kylie spun around. “Did you just make a sex joke?”
Swallowing nervously, he looked around the room. The words had come out, a slip of the tongue really. Darn, he’d been so good at keeping things neutral between them until now.
“Ah.” He felt his cheeks heating up. “Um. I…”
To his surprise she began to snicker.
“What?”
“It’s just funny, is all. You, the big bad Corde, getting all worked up because you said something sexual. Are you some sort of religious extremist? Where sex is so taboo you can’t ever talk about it, or even think about it?”
“No. Nothing of the sort. I think sexual thoughts all the time.”
Her eyebrows rose at that, and he suddenly realized just what that sounded like.
“I mean…what I meant to say, was that I’m a normal sexual being. I like sex.”
Kylie was struggling to contain her laughter now.
“I’m going to go.”
The floodgates opened and she lost her composure.
“Corde, it’s okay. I’m not offended or worried. In fact, it’s actually kind of refreshing.”
He frowned. “It is?”
“Yeah. Think about it. We’ve had nothing but serious interactions until now. Everything has been so heavy. You being a prissy worker. Jose. My car. My house. It’s nice to hear you cracking a joke. It’s relaxing.”
He smiled. “Glad I could help.”
“Hello?”
The call from out in the hallway saved him. “In here, Vanek!”
“Did you just invite another man into my bedroom?” Kylie asked, bunching up her lips and shaking her head in disapproval.
She crossed the room and popped into the washroom while waiting on his response, filling a glass as he leaned on the doorframe.
Corde thought furiously. “Well, you said it was big, so I figured fitting two others in your bedroom wouldn’t be a problem.”
The sexual connotation was not lost on Kylie, and she giggled. “Don’t go getting any ideas, mister.”
He grinned, enjoying the sudden lighthearted Kylie. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Vanek isn’t my type.”
Kylie, caught mid-sip, sputtered and water blasted across the room, catching Vanek square in the chest as he entered.
The tanned giant looked down at his soaked black T-shirt and then over at Corde, arching a questioning eyebrow.
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t do anything.”
Vanek smiled tightly. “Nice to meet you too,” he said to Kylie. “You must be Kylie, whom I’ve heard so much about.”
Corde didn’t miss the glance she shot his way that said, “You told him about me?”
Damn straight he’d told him about his mate, though truthfully only in the broadest of terms. That was one thing he wasn’t going to be ashamed about, or bother to hide.
“Sorry about that,” Kylie said, striding across the room and shaking Vanek’s hand. “Somebody over here decided to make a joke just as I took a drink.”
“A joke? I like jokes. What was it?”
Corde rolled his eyes and grabbed his friend and roommate by the shoulders, propelling him out of the room. “Come on Van, let’s give her some time to unwind.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he gave Kylie a smile. “You’ll find us upstairs whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you again, Corde. You didn’t have to do all this.”
Of course I did. “I know, but it was the right thing to do.” He pulled the door closed behind him, ignoring the puzzled look she shot his way.
See, he could be mysterious.
“So, that’s your mate?”
He socked Vanek in the shoulder. “Be quiet!” he hissed, picking up the pace and heading for the stairs. “Not where she can hear you.”
“Corde, the walls in here are solid wood and quite thick. The sound doesn’t carry.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You haven’t told her a thing yet, have you?”
He shook his head.
“You need to tell her, Corde. At least explain to her that you’re a dragon. If you keep all these secrets from her, it’s going to blow up in your face.”
“Speaking from experience?” he snapped.
Vanek paused as they reached the top of the stairs. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” He spoke softly, but there was no missing the warning in his voice. Corde was walking on grounds he shouldn’t be.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sighing. “That was completely uncalled for.”
“You’re damn right it was,” Vanek snarled, but he resumed walking, heading right for the kitchen. “Now let’s forget about it over a couple of beers. You’re stressed and worried, and I’m willing to give you this one.”
Thankful for the forgiveness, he followed Vanek into the kitchen, the pair of them settling onto some stools at the huge island with built-in cooktop.
“Seriously though, you need to tell her.”
Corde shook his head. “She needs time. We just started flirting today. If I make a move now, it could ruin things.”
“If you hold back the truth for much longer, it could destroy it all. Better to make a mistake now and recover, than do irreparable damage in the long-term.”
He considered that. “Maybe. Once I’ve figured out what to do with these thugs that have taken it upon themselves to make her life as miserable as possible, then I will.”
Vanek nodded. “We’ll figure out a way to take care of them. Just like we’ll take care of the Outsiders.” He raised his beer.
“Hear hear!” Corde exclaimed, clinking their glasses together, hoping he sounded positive.
Fighting the thugs—not that he could do that without getting on Kylie’s bad side—was one thing. But fighting the Outsiders? Corde would never shrink from battle, but he knew that when the war came, he would be expected to fight in all forms, including his dragon. The others would need something of him—to know that he had their back, that he could do whatever was necessary to defend them.
And that could be a problem.
They sat and drank in silence, with Corde grabbing them both another round when the first was done. Eventually the sound of footsteps on the stairs reached his ears and he perked up out of his self-imposed gloom as Kylie rejoined them.
“Holy shit. This place is gorgeous. What do you two do that you can afford all of this?”
Corde looked at Vanek.
Tell her, the other shifter mouthed.
He shook his head.
Do it, or I will.
Corde glared at him, shaking his head harder. He would come up with something. A little white lie that he would explain in time. Maybe he could just say they worked for the military. No, that wouldn’t work; Kylie hated violence. If she thought he was an arms dealer or something, she’d leave in a heartbeat. Umm.
“We’re dragons, and our treasure bought it,” Vanek said.
Kylie cocked her head to the side as she tried to process what Vanek had just said.
“Dragons? You two?”
Vanek nodded. “Yup.”
“You don’t look like dragons.”
“We can shift.”
“I see.”
“Yup.”
Corde’s head was bouncing back and forth between them like a tennis ball as they spoke, desperately trying to figure out how to save the situation.
“Right. Dragons.”
Thankfully Vanek kept his mouth shut this time, and Corde was able to slide from the table as Kylie yawned.
“Anyway, you two enjoy your inside jokes. I just came up to tell you I think I’m going to turn in early. Truthfully, I barely slept at the hotel, and it certainly wasn’t restful.”
“Of course, don’t feel like you need to stay up because of us.”
It wasn’t late, but they didn’t finish work till seven, and after a detour to her house and then the store, he realized it was now past nine. They fell in step next to each other, heading back around the corner and to the stairs.
“You don’t need to walk me to my room,” she said lightly. “This place is big, but it’s hard to get lost.”
He smiled, glad that she was still making jokes. “I know.”
She stopped in front of her door. “Thank you again, Corde. I really appreciate you doing all of this.”
Then to his surprise she stepped forward and embraced him. His arms rose out of instinct, his brain momentarily frozen.
“You’re welcome,” he managed to get out. The press of her curves against him was awakening all sorts of desires that he’d so far managed to keep buried away. Swallowing hard, he leaned back slightly and kissed her on the forehead. “Goodnight, Kylie.”
She looked up at him, the luminous purplish-blue of her eyes filled with happy tiredness. “Goodnight, Corde.”
Her arms slid out from around his back as she stepped into her room, facing him the entire time.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
She smiled and nodded. They stared at one another for several moments more before she shut the door.
Corde exhaled abruptly, not having realized he was holding his breath. He made his way up the stairs in a fog, not sure of what had just happened. Without thinking about it he’d taken Vanek’s advice and forged ahead, breaking down some of the boundaries between him and Kylie. And she hadn’t freaked out. In fact, she’d seemed okay with it.
What did that mean? Was she more interested in him than he’d thought all along? Corde ran his fingers through his hair, disturbing the blond strands and pushing them back off his forehead, as if that would help him think more clearly. It didn’t, and he was just as confused as before.
Now that they’d shown a form of physical intimacy, as brief and basic as it was, things had changed completely. He could feel that, and he’d seen it in her face, the knowledge reflected in the violet iris of her eyes. They had taken a big step forward, and now he was more confident than ever that he could win her over, and prove to her without a shadow of a doubt that she was his mate.
The only thing he didn’t know was what the hell to do next. Thankfully he had all night to do think it over and come to a conclusion. There was only one thing he knew for certain.
He wasn’t going to tell Vanek. No need for the other dragon to know he’d been right.