Dragon's Heart: A Dragon Lore Series book by Eden Ashe (5)

 

Chapter 9

 

The sudden realization of what she was doing snapped Shelby back to reality. Shoving her fists up between them, she wiggled until he let her down. As soon as her feet were firmly back on the ground, she forced herself to move away from the man who had broken her heart. “Daniel, I--” She blew out a breath, reminding herself nothing had changed. He still hated her, and she still had no answers. Crossing her arms over her chest, she gave him the same arched   brow look he was giving her. “I need a phone and a computer. I have to start letting people know I’m alive.”

Daniel mimicked her stance. She frowned when he made it a thousand times more intimidating and effective than she did. “You’re not talking to anyone yet. Not until we find out who shot you.”

She tapped her foot once. “Have we ruled out you?” she snapped. “You haven’t exactly done a good job at even pretending you don’t hate me.”

He ignored her. “If I wanted you dead, princess, you would be. I don’t try to do anything.”

She sighed, feeling like a brat. “I know. Daniel, I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but I have a life and commitments. This is my career. I can’t just hide and let things happen however they happen, not if I ever expect to work again.”

He bared his teeth at her as he leaned in. “Does this life include a boyfriend? Because I told you, you are my mate. I don’t share.”

She went on her toes, sticking her face in his as she pointed up at him. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I don’t have a boyfriend. I haven’t been able to look at anyone else without getting physically sick. What I do have, apparently, is a stubborn as hell mate who needs to start opening his mouth and answering questions before he starts demanding--”

Whatever else she was going to say was lost when a feeling of absolute relief flooded her. Before she understood, he shoved his hand into her hair yanking her against his chest and closed his mouth over hers. He kissed her speechless, and only when she went pliant against his chest did he finally pull back.

“Are you done?” he asked as he lifted his head, not even breathing hard.

She wasn’t sure she could remember her name at the moment, let alone figure out what the hell he was talking about. “Done? What?”

“Yelling at me,” he said, dryly. She was sure there was amusement in the depths of his silver eyes. “Are you done yelling at me?”

Her pulse did a jig. Damn it, his humor was endearing. “No.”

“Okay, then.” Without a word, he dropped his shoulder. Before she could protest, she was upside down over his ginormous shoulder staring at his butt.

Damn, did the man have to have a nice ass, too?

“What?” he asked.

Shelby tried to crane up to see his face. “What, what?”

“You’re muttering under your breath, princess. What isn’t fair?”

Oh. “You,” she snapped, as she slapped her hands against his lower back. “You are not fair, damn it. Is there anything about you not perfect? And why are you carrying me? I’m not helpless.”

He snorted as he set her down when they reached the bedroom area. He immediately braced himself in what she had started to think of as his pissed off warrior stance--feet planted, arms crossed over his chest, face somehow deadly and closed off at the same time. “We need to talk.”

Closing her eyes, she counted to ten. Out loud. Through gritted teeth. “You think?” she finally managed.

“Shelby.”

He said her name so calmly, as if she hadn’t been saying the exact same thing for the last twelve hours. She wanted something to hit him with. “What?” she asked, her voice a near shout.

  “I am the Dragon King, and you are my mate. No one raises their voice to me.”

* * * *

There. He’d said it. His little hellion had to realize how massively powerful he was, and that she was playing with fire. Literally.

She stared at him, blinking slowly for several long moments. “Wait--you’re the king?” she asked, as she sat down hard on the bed. “As in king, king? As in king of all the dragons in all the land?”

He nodded once.
 

“Wow.” She blew out a breath and shook her head. “I honestly have no idea what to say about this.”

He nodded again. “Good, then you understand. No more raising your voice to me, or giving me commands.”

She snorted as she stood back up. “Oh, no, I’m still going to do that. I’m your mate. You chose me. Besides, if you’re the king and I’m your mate, that means I’m the queen, right?”

“That’s not how this works.”

She ignored him, her gaze thoughtful. “I like the idea of being queen.” She canted her head as she flashed him her famous, million-dollar smile. “Does this position come with a castle?

I could totally get into being a queen with my own castle.”

“Stop that, damn it,” he snapped. “That smile’s the reason we’re in this position in the

first place.”

His woman grinned wider, her pale eyes sparkling with mischief. “So…is that a yes on the castle?”

He dragged a hand down his face. She was going to drive him to drink. He was sure of it.

“Do you want a castle?”

“Do I want--” her words cut off as her mouth dropped open. It almost made him smile.

“Are you offering to buy me one?”

“If it would make you happy, yes.”

“But…” Shelby sat on the bed again, slowly this time. “You don’t like me. You didn’t mean to mate with me. This,” she said, waving her hand between them, “is an accident. Why would you buy me a castle just to make me happy? Geez, I was only teasing.”

It felt like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. How didn’t she realize that liking her had gotten them into this mess? That had him saying the wrong things, doing the wrong things and constantly making an ass of himself?

It didn’t surprise him he’d chosen Shelby as a mate. It surprised him he’d done it unconsciously, because he prided himself on his absolute control, but now that she was back in his life he remembered how much he’d liked her. He’d never met a woman who could match him in temper without being a total bitch. More, he’d never met a woman who actually liked him. While he had plenty of experience with sex, Shelby was the first one he’d ever wanted out of bed, too. Even more confusing, she seemed to want him for more than his bedroom skills as well.

It didn’t make sense. He had no illusions about what a moody, grumpy bastard he was. Not only did he hate to talk, he expected his rules followed immediately. He was used to women wanting him because he was apparently, as his liked to say, dark and mysterious. But they never understood why he couldn’t just shut the bastard part of himself off after the sex was over.

He’d thought Shelby was the same, but the longer he was with her, the harder time he had believing she was capable of hurting anyone, even him. Butcher knife incident aside, fierce hellcat temper aside, she genuinely seemed to like him. More, if he was honest, he loved her temper.

It shook him to the very core of who he was to realize he wanted to make this work with her. Whatever he had to do, whomever he had to kill, however far he had to go, if there was a way, he would move mountains to make it work.

The problem was--it was never going to. They belonged in two separate worlds, and they always would.

She yawned suddenly, her eyes barely staying open. It had been a hell of a day for her, and she hadn’t had near enough rest to recover from her blood loss. The last thing she needed now was for him to lecture her about why they would never work.

Without thinking, he moved in, his arm hooking her around the waist as he lifted her clear off the bed. As her eyes went wide, he tossed her back onto the mattress so she landed in the middle. “Sleep, princess. I’m not going anywhere.”

She used one hand to push her mass of hair out of her face, before she braced herself on her elbows, canting her head. “You look exhausted, too.”

No. No way in hell was he sleeping in the same bed with her. “I’ll crash on the couch.”

“Fine.” To his surprise, she pushed herself into a sitting position. She tried to climb off the bed. “Then I’m not sleeping here, either.”

He clenched his jaw so tight he heard something crack. “Fine,” he gritted out, “but stay on your side of the bed.”

The damn brat did a half-curtsey while kneeling on the bed. “As you wish, my Lord.”

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or strangle her. She really needed to learn his position as king of the dragons was serious. It was not to be taken lightly. But as he flopped onto the bed next to her, exhaustion won out, and before she’d even made herself comfortable, sleep had claimed him.

* * * *

Daniel no longer knew how many months had passed, the occasional drip of ice cold water onto his left wing , his only company in the damp darkness. The pain was driving him to madness, and yet the relentlessness was the only connection he had to the thin line between life and death. The only assurance he was still alive.

A rough, charmed stone band encircled his neck, forbidding him any movement--or any opportunity to escape or shift. The mad queen wasn’t stupid. She knew royalty or not, Daniel would tear out her throat and eat it if he ever got free.

He’d been by her in the beginning, but it had taken him too long to realize she held him bound by magic. It shouldn’t have been more powerful than his own, but she’d somehow gotten his blood. Dragon blood was the most powerful magic in the world, and Leanora had found a way to use his own against him, binding him. He growled, a low, violent rumbling that echoed in his head and reverberated in the miniscule minuscule enclosed room.

He should have known she belonged to the bastard, Alexi. Madness attracted madness.

 

“Daniel…” He jerked as her slender hand touched his shoulder. He hadn’t heard her approach. It meant his senses were starting to dull.

“Daniel, wake up. You’re scaring me!”

 

He snapped his head up. Instead of relief when he realized he wasn’t in the cave any longer, fury ignited like a firestorm within him.

He didn’t know how he got free. He didn’t care. He grabbed her, pinning her beneath him. As his claw encircled her throat, squeezing the life out of her, Daniel smiled.

* * * *

Shelby couldn’t breathe. Her body bucked up against Daniel’s, her hands shoving at his chest and the solid mass of cold, lifeless fury he had suddenly become. It was no use. He outweighed her by two hundred pounds of muscle. She didn’t have a chance against him.

“Speak, woman!” he roared, his pupils lengthening as his talon tightened around her throat. “What did you do to me?”

“Daniel.” As she gasped his name, his gaze suddenly focused, the terrifying, faraway look in his eyes fading. Reaching up, she grasped both sides of his face so he had to see her. “Can’t…breathe.”

His entire body went rigid as he stared down at her. Suddenly, in the space of a heartbeat, he was on the opposite side of the bed. He doubled over, sucking in huge gulps of air. “Shelby?”

“I’m here.” She didn’t know which one of them was shaking harder, but she was familiar with nightmares. ’ d had enough after seeing the remains of Daniel ’ s fight in her bedroom the year before.  Wherever his head had taken him, it had tormented him.

Moving as slowly as she could so as not to spook him, she stood up and closed the distance between them. Her heart was still pounding furiously as she reached out to slide her fingers into his golden-brown hair. He went still when she touched him , before he let out a choked sob. His arms banded around her, hauling her closer to him as if trying to get her all the way inside.

“Hey,” she murmured, her hands sliding gently over the tense muscles in his back. “I’m here. Where did you go?”

He drew in a shuddering breath as he buried his face in her hair. “Doesn’t matter,” he rasped hoarsely. “Just keep talking to me, Shel, please. Chase away the demons.”

“Okay.” She shifted as much as she was able with his fierce grip on her. Moving in, she wrapped her arms as tight around his torso as she could get them. “You’re shaking, Daniel,” she whispered, dropping her chin on his chest. “Everything’s alright--everything’s okay. We’re safe. Luca’s still here, and nothing happened. We’re safe.”

* * * *

Daniel closed his eyes and dropped his head against hers as he continued to take in huge gulps of air. He couldn’t get his body to stop trembling. Worse, he couldn’t get himself to let her go.

Nothing he’d ever done scared him like coming back to reality and finding himself strangling the life out of Shelby. “You shouldn’t be touching me.”

To her credit, she didn’t even blink at the harshness of his voice. She lifted her hands to his face, holding it gently, her gaze locked on his. “You didn’t hurt me.”

The pad of his thumb traced a drop of blood down the side of her throat where his talon had bit into her. “Bullshit.”

Instead of responding, she searched his eyes for answers he would not give her. “Where did you go?” she asked again quietly.  

“I don’t know,” he lied. She didn’t need to know what he dreamed about when he slept.

He forced himself to let go of her and put as much distance between them as he could make himself. He would not think about her taking care of him. “Did I say anything?”

“Yeah.” Her voice wobbled slightly as she stepped back until she was leaning against the wall. “At first, all I heard was this low tortured growling. I thought you were hurt, but you were still sleeping.” Her gaze scanned his face as she took in a deep breath. “You said a name.

Leanora.”

He methodically started closing down his emotions. He would not allow her to follow him into his nightmares. “We should call Seren, have her check out your throat.”

“I’m fine.” Her expression determined, she crossed arms over her chest. “Who’s Leanora,

Daniel?”

“No one.”

When she inhaled slowly, he had the distinct feeling his little warrior was preparing herself for battle. “Daniel, you were trying to kill her in your sleep.”

“We’re not talking about this, princess,” he ground out. “Just forget it.”

“No.” He turned his back on her and headed toward the main area of the house.

“I’m your mate.”

He stopped dead in his tracks as his head started to ache. “No, princess.” He stalked back to her and bent forward, sticking his face in hers as he bared his teeth. “You don’t get to play that card whenever you don’t get your way.”

She went up on her toes and pointed her finger in his face. “Too bad, because it’s exactly what I’m doing. Who’s Leanora, and what did she do to you?”

Confusion rippled through Daniel as he straightened, trying to figure out what game she was playing. She wasn’t screaming because he’d hurt her, or throwing a tantrum about how dangerous he was. Fucking hell. The one thing he didn’t know how to build defenses against was how much she seemed to care about him.

She quirked a brow at him. “I’m waiting.”

He sighed. “It’s a long story, Shelby, and it has no place in your perfect little life.”

“So.” The temper in her eyes faded slightly as she offered him a hesitant smile. “We’ve got time, right?”

He pointed at her. “Fine, but I want you to eat while I tell you.”

“You’re hoping I will get distracted.”

The woman loved to eat, so it was a perfect way to distract her. He figured it was obvious enough he didn’t need to respond. Instead, he wrapped his hand around hers, tugging her toward the kitchen. She settled herself on a stool, pulling her legs up to her chest. “Okay.” She dropped her chin on her knees and waited. “I’m listening.”

He walked over and stared out the wall of windows into the darkness before he let out a disgusted sound and scrubbed both hands over his face.

“Fine,” he snapped, “but I expect full disclosure from you, too, got it? I mean it, Shelby.”

She hugged her knees closer to her chest as fear flickered over her beautiful face. “I don’t know who shot me, Daniel.” Her teeth worried at her bottom lip , before she shook her head, helplessness flashing in her eyes. “I don’t know who would want me dead.” Gods help him, he believed her.

“A little over two thousand years ago…” His words trailed off when she let out a strangled sound. “Yes, I am that old.”

She gave him a cheesy grin. “Ok, I’ll wrap my head around it eventually. Please continue.”

He waited a beat before he continued. “A long time ago, a woman named Leanora enchanted me. She was human and wanted immortality, which I refused to give. It would have meant mating to her for eternity. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late.

The damage had been done.”

“What damage?” she asked, softly.

“I’d turned on my kind, those I’d sworn to protect, and almost destroyed an entire village.”

Her eyes went wide. “Almost?”

“Yeah.” His jaw worked for a moment, before he bounced his shoulders in a restless shrug. “Almost. I still don’t know what stopped me, but I suddenly realized I wasn’t myself. My thoughts weren’t my own. My punishment for disobeying her wishes was pain. A dungeon too small for my human size, let alone a dragon.”

He watched the blood drain out of her face, her small hands clenching into fists. “How did she manage to imprison you?”

He shrugged again, deliberately keeping his face impassive. Talking about it was one thing. He couldn’t control his nightmares, but he would not give the bitch the satisfaction of reliving the sensation of being caged ever again. “My blood. I don’t know how she got a   hold of it.”

She let out a soft sound before she slid off the chair. She moved around the island to stand in front of him. “You were locked up in your dragon form?”

“Yes.”

Her hand came up to rest against his chest. For some reason, he found the touch soothing.

“For how long?”

“I lost count after about six months.” He held his arm out and let the glamour spell drop. Suddenly, where his perfect shoulder had been was a melted mess. His gaze met hers, probing. “I spent months chained in a damp dungeon beneath a frozen lake.”

She slapped her hand over her mouth when a strangled sound escaped her. “Water did that?”

“It’s amazing what a steady stream of ice water can do to even dragon scales.”

He expected her to be horrified, and part of him had hoped the sight of his arm as it really was would disgust her enough to rethink wanting him. But instead of running away in revulsion, or feeling sorry for him, she moved in between his spread legs. She slipped one hand into his much larger one, linking their fingers together. She rested her head against his chest as the fingers of her other hand traced feather-light over the damage of his ruined arm. “How did you get out?”

He was helpless to stop his fingers from tightening around hers. Ryuu, what the hell was she doing to him? “She came for me. She thought time would have weakened me, and that I’d succumb to her advances.”

“You killed her.”

Because it wasn’t a question, he only jerked his head in a quick nod. “She was a danger to my people.”

“She betrayed you,” she whispered, her voice soft and fierce at the same time. “She imprisoned you and she tortured you. Anyone else would have broken, but you were still stronger than her.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment , before he slowly lowered his head and rested it against hers. “I don’t need you to make this better for me, princess.”

She let out a tear-filled snort. “Maybe I’m making m yself e feel better since I can’t hunt her

down and kill her myself for hurting you.” Like a light bulb going off in her head, he saw her put the pieces together. “You…you think I set you up to be killed that night?” Her eyes widened as she jammed her finger into his gut. “Oh my God, you do.”

He opened his mouth to say yes. It made sense. Leave it to him to fall for and bind himself for eternity , to someone who wanted him dead. He wanted to rage at her, to blame her for everything. Anything to help her hate him, to stop taking care of him , and make him want things he was never going to have.

“You--”

“” he finally demanded as he leaned down and growled at her when all she managed was a stutter. He deliberately put enough power behind the sound to rattle the window behind him. “Go ahead, princess. Let me hear how innocent you are. How you would never, ever do anything like set me up to die.”

He wanted her to deny it. He wanted to believe she was lying. The woman was a mindfuck in every sense of the word, and he needed the mess in his head to go away. He had to trust his instincts, and if he’d been wrong, if he’d let emotions cloud his thinking, he was to blame for everything that had happened to her for the last year.

He yanked his hand free before she could say anything. “Never mind. I don’t want to hear

it.”

He walked over to where Luca was sprawled on the couch. “Do not let her out of this apartment. Do not let her follow me. Do not let her near a computer or television, and do not put a fucking phone in her hand.”

Luca’s voice was bland when he asked. “Where are you going?”

“Out.” He turned, determined to get as far away from Shelby as he could, only to damn near plow her down. He bared his teeth at her. He didn’t want to hear whatever she wanted to say. What he needed was to get the hell away from her.

Without a word he stalked to the elevator and got in, leaving her standing there, staring after him.

* * * *

“Let him go,” Luca said when she started to follow Daniel. “He’ll work this out on his own eventually.”

Shelby went still as she tried to process what he was saying, before she slowly turned to
 

face him. “So in the meantime, you’re suggesting I just let him continue to live with this hell in his head?” She shoved past him as angry tears blurred her vision. “Not. Happening.” She stopped and swung around to growl at him. “You’re supposed to be his friend. Why haven’t you helped him?”

Real confusion flickered over his face. “We’re dragons. We don’t have friends.”

Her chest physically hurt, more than just the emotional ache she’d lived with for the last eleven months. She spun on her heels and stalked off to the kitchen, muttering under her breath.

He came up behind her, hooking his arm around her waist just as she reached for a butcher knife.

His hand caught her wrist as he hauled her back against his front. He leaned down, growling in her ear. “Now, now, Blondie. You don’t want to do that.”

She slammed her heel backward, catching him in the shin. “The hell I don’t.” She vibrated with fury. “Let me go, Luca, or I swear I will find a way to hurt you.”

He did as she commanded and stepped back, his stance lazy as he leaned back against the island, but she didn’t miss the anger in his eyes.

Too freaking bad. Fury blurred her vision. “He’s been living with this for two thousand years, then, on top of it, he saves my life while believing I tried to have him killed. And your brilliant response is to just let him work it out on his own?”

“Yes. Have you ever tried to help him work something out he wasn’t ready to work out?”

“We have a problem--” Daniel’s words cut off as the elevator doors slid closed. She actually growled at him when he plucked the knife out of her hand before she could succeed in throwing it at Luca’s head. “What the hell is going on here?” he roared.

“Nothing.” Shelby crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot as she frowned at

Luca. “Just give me back the knife, Daniel, and walk away. I’ll deal with you in a second.”

 

 

Chapter 10

 

Worried about the fury in her eyes, Daniel hooked his arm around Shelby’s waist and lifted her off her feet. Ignoring her snarls and struggles, he pointed at Luca to warn him against opening his mouth, and carried Shelby to the bedroom area. He set her on her feet, deliberately keeping his enormous self in her path when she would have darted past him to finish what she’d started.

“Explain,” he snapped. “Why are you trying to hurt Luca?”

Raw temper flashed in her pale green eyes as she took a step closer to him and poked him in the chest. “I’m not trying to hurt him. I’m just going to kill him.”

Pissed off at how cute she was angry, he kept his face neutral as he cocked a brow at her.

“What did he do to deserve death?”

Her mouth snapped shut as she studied him. “I’m not telling you,” she finally decided as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the bed’s footboard. “You’ll only try to stop me, or you’ll agree with him, and I’d rather not have to hurt you, too, at the moment.”

He cleared his throat to keep from barking out a laugh. “Try me,” he said.

She had that stubborn tilt to her head that said she was hurt but was masking it with anger. “He said dragons don’t have friends.”

He frowned in confusion. “He’s right. We don’t.” He held up his hand before he moved over to crouch in front of her, bringing them closer to eye level. “Why do you want to hurt him for that?”

“Because, damn it, he’s let you hurt for the without trying to help!”

All humor gone, Daniel went rigid. “Let it go, princess. This isn’t a battle you need to

fight.”

He should have known better. “No!” she yelled at him as furious tears shined in her eyes. She was back on her feet, prepared for war. “You saved my life. You think I set you up to be killed, and yet you saved my life. You’re still protecting me, and he just lets you live with this hell in your head!”

His jaw clenched tight against the anger raging through him, barely managing to grit out,

“I don’t need to be fixed.”

She snorted at him as she rolled her eyes, the effect completely ruined by the tear sliding down her cheek. “Okay, Daniel.”

She needed to stop this shit, and she needed to stop it now. He closed off, determined to use every weapon in his arsenal to get her the hell away from him. He wouldn’t let her go far, of course, but he wasn’t a project, and he wasn’t going to keep her.

Knowing it would hurt her and push her away, he crossed his arms over his chest as everything about him went bored. “You’re good, princess,” he murmured quietly. “I’ll give you that. So what’s the end game here? Keep me close until you can get to a phone?”

Her beautiful face crumpled. “You think I would ever let anything hurt you? I’ve spent the last eleven months trying to find you, just to make sure you were alive.”

He snorted at her. “I mated to you that night.”

Fire glinted in the depths of her eyes. “I’m aware.”

“I just tried to kill you.”

“You were dreaming.”

His brow winged up again. “I accused you of trying to have me killed.”

When she just stared at him, her face mutinous, he stalked over to her, impatient and pissed off. He needed something from her--to yell at him or scream, or even try to kick the shit out of him--just something to let him know he was getting through to her. His people needed the little sanity left in him, and his pain-in-the-ass mate insisted on screwing even that up.

She leapt at him suddenly. Even as he braced for impact, her tiny body hit his, wrapping around him and holding on.

Just like that, and just for a second, Daniel forgot why he was fighting. She held on as if she didn’t ever want to let him go. His face buried in her hair before he could stop himself. Even as it staggered him how much he needed her, he closed his eyes and breathed her in, letting her soothe some of the ragged spots deep inside of him.

Ryuu. He was an idiot. He knew it. He didn’t know what part of him was so messed up he needed a woman this much, especially a little hellion who refused to let him have any peace, but he couldn’t shake this need for her. He couldn’t make himself let her go.

His lips skimmed over the delicate curve of her throat. A soft, erotic sound of pleasure escaped her, and that was all it took for his body to go rock hard and aching. Dragging his mouth to hers , he sunk into it as he turned, backing her into the window, not bothering to hold back any of his confusion or need or pain. If she wanted him so damn much, then she could deal with all of him.

Her legs wound around his waist as he hitched her up, her mouth as greedy as his. But when her slender hand slid over his damaged shoulder, reality hit with the force of a Mack truck.

He nearly dropped her as he jerked back, a low savage sound rumbling through him.

“Stop it,” he snarled, her beautiful eyes dark with hurt and confusion. “Ryuu. Stop being so fucking naive!”

As her pain slashed through his own chest, it was sheer stubbornness and force of will that had him setting her down so he could walk away from her.

He escaped into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he grabbed a couple of beers. He tossed one to Luca. Because his legs threatened to give out, he sank to the floor. Too exhausted and pissed off to move, he simply pulled his knees up, resting his arms against them as he dropped his head against the cabinet behind him.

Fuck. He realized she wasn’t going to accept breaking the bond. Worse, if she found out he wouldn’t survive the fracture, there was no telling what the hell the woman would do.

It didn’t make sense. He’d battled Hunters, werewolves, and every other kind of shifter out there. He’d fought in countless wars, had commanded armies of tens of thousands, humans and dragons alike, fought mythical beings all lost to legend. None of it had ever scared him like his mate did.

“You look like shit.”

“I know.” Closing his eyes, Daniel brought the beer bottle to his throbbing temple.

“Ryuu. What do I do, Luca? How the hell can I even begin to make this right for her?”

He felt Luca sit next to him. “Talk to her. Cage is a bigger bastard than you are most days, and Seren still loves him. He’s a damn dragon hunter, she’s a dragon, and they still find a way to make it work. So you accused Shelby of attempted murder. If it helps, I thought she was going to take the butcher knife to me.”

Despite his raging headache, Daniel snorted. “She would have. I’m not sure she would have killed you, but you’d have known not to piss her off and insult me again by the time she was done.”

Luca was quiet for a long moment. “I never thought you’d do it.”

Daniel pried an eye open. “Do what?”

“Find someone who fit you.” Before Daniel could respond, Luca continued. “Do you want it to work with her?”

“No. She’s too soft and I’m too hard. She may like me now, but she’s known me for less than forty-eight hours. Once she realizes I only get worse, and how bleak and demanding my life is, along with how little of my time and attention she’ll get, she’ll want out.”

“Yeah, well I for one am grateful she’s back in your life. You’ve always been an unpleasant bastard, but we’ve all contemplated killing you at some point over the last year, just to put us all out of our misery.”

Daniel shot him a glare, but he was too frustrated to put any heat behind it. “I can’t get her out of my fucking head. No matter how hard I try, she’s in there, and I can’t get her back out. I worry about her every second of every day. Not being able to be next to her has nearly driven me out of what little sanity I have left.” He took a long pull from his beer, needing to get wasted. “Now imagine if I accept she’s my mate. She’s the most famous actress in Hollywood, and I’m the dragon king. I can’t live in her world. It’s too big of a risk of someone finding out what I am, but she belongs in there. Worse, she’d never be safe, not as my mate. Not as long as there are enemies out there capable of using her as bait to get to me, and there always will be.”

“So where do you go from here?”

Daniel shrugged once, and finished his beer. “I told her I’d find a way to break the mating bond.”

Luca blew out a low whistle. “You know what it means.”

“Yes.” Daniel’s voice was devoid of emotion. “It means you’ll be king.”

* * * *

Daniel avoided the bedroom area for the next hour, determined to keep as much distance from her as he could. He had plans to make, but the attempt on her life gnawed at his brain.

Nothing added up, and it was making him twitchy.

The guards that surrounded the building were his most trusted men, but still, he couldn’t relax. The feeling something was coming, that Shelby’s shooting was spiraling them toward an unstoppable end, grew in his belly with every second he couldn’t find the answers.

If someone had recognized his mark on her and wanted to draw him out, Daniel was more than willing to play the game. There wasn’t a force on earth--other than his mate--capable of scaring him. He sure as fuck had faced worse than a sniper with an obvious death wish. If the intention had been to lure him into war, though, there should have been a sign, somewhere. Something only he’d recognize, something to let him know what the hell was going on.

The absence of some kind of signal was pissing him off. No matter what channel he watched, there was nothing to give him a clue. The shooting played on an almost non-stop loop, which wasn’t helping. Every time he saw her small body take the hit, the fury inside of him ratcheted up again. It took everything he had to swallow it back so he could concentrate on looking for something new, some angle of the shooting he hadn’t seen before. Something to give him a goddamn hint of what the hell was going on.

After another hour, he decided his only option was to question Shelby again. It had nothing to do with needing to see her, or the way her soft voice soothed his frayed nerves. It didn’t.

He came up short when he saw her standing in front of his television with tears swimming in her eyes.

She dashed at her tears, her eyes never leaving the screen. “They’re saying I staged the shooting yesterday to get out of what happened last year.”

He moved up behind her. Not knowing what else to do, he reached over her shoulder to switch the television off. “They’re idiots.”

“Maybe.” She let out a pathetic snort, wiping at her tears again before she turned to face him. Instead of meeting his gaze, though, she kept hers locked firmly on his chest.

He nearly staggered under the weight of emotions that hit him. This woman, with her pale blonde hair, soft green eyes , and body that could make the most devout monk sit up and beg, was every fantasy come to life. Even in the time he’d been sure he hated her, he’d never been able to get his body to stop craving hers like his dragon craved flight.

“No maybe,” he growled, allowing the beast out just enough to make his point as he took an involuntary step toward her. It was always involuntary. Even when common sense told him to flee, he was moving toward her. She tilted her head back. Despite himself, he liked the way she looked up at him. “They’re idiots,” he repeated. He brushed a strand of blond e out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “If you want, I’ll find every one of them and shove their microphones and theories down their throats until they choke on them.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she searched his face. “You’d do that for me?” she

asked quietly.

“That’s just it, princess.” He took another step closer to her, backing her into bed. When she fell back onto it, he leaned in, bracing his hands on either side of her head, forcing her to accept his invasion of her space. “I’d do anything for you. It scares the fucking hell out of me.”

* * * *

Something was different. Shelby knew it. The storm was still in his eyes, but instead of the barely banked rage she was getting used to seeing, now he was just…wild. Untamed. He was sucking up all of her oxygen, too, and making her nervous. Her pulse raced like mad. Every inch of her body and soul wanted to get closer to his. It was a desperate ache she didn’t know how to fight. When she couldn’t control the need any longer, her hands came up to rest against his waist.

“You’re angry at me,” she whispered, her eyes searching his.

“No.” He shook his head, but his gaze lowered to her mouth. With a low, hoarse growl, his lips skimmed over the curve of her throat. She heard him grunt in satisfaction as her skin shivered for him. “But I need you to be angry at me. Don’t accept my bullshit, Shel. Fight me. Tell me I’m a bastard, because I am. Ryuu, I accused you of setting me up. Hate me for it, please.”

It was the ragged plea in his voice that broke her heart.

She pressed her lips to the pulse point in his throat , before she slid her hands hesitantly over the massive muscles of his shoulders, reveling in the feel of the sheer hardness of him, in the way they bulged and flexed under her fingers. God, the man felt like heaven. This time, he didn’t jerk away from her. He didn’t use a glamour spell to hide his damaged arm, either. “You saved my life,” she whispered, needing him to understand. “Don’t you get it? You could have left me to die, but instead, you brought me here to keep me safe. Why would I hate you?”

Something she couldn’t define flashed in his eyes as a tortured sound rumbled through him. “I’m not good for you, damn it!” he roared. “Why don’t you get that you were shot because of me? Someone is using you to get to me, all because I was too fucking stupid to realize going down on you fucking counted! I didn’t give you a choice, and now you are stuck with me, the biggest bastard in the fucking world for all eternity. You want to know why you should hate me? Isn’t it fucking obvious?”

She couldn’t breathe suddenly. Terror shone in his eyes. Sheer, absolute terror. Before he could yank away from her, her hands shot out, cupping his face so he had to look at her as she gave him the words that had been squeezing at her heart since she’d woken up to find him back in her life. “I was half in love with you before you disappeared, Daniel. If you had asked me, I would have said yes. I’ve spent the last year trying to convince myself…”

Her mouth snapped shut as his body went rigid against hers, but before she could even think of a way to take back what she’d said, his hand came up to fist in her hair. He tugged her head back. “Say it again.” He demanded.

“Nothing.” She blushed, her entire face going pink. “Daniel, just forget--”

“Say it!” he bellowed.

“Fine,” she gritted out as she glared up at him. “I said I was half in love with you, and falling quick.” She was determined to kick him for making her repeat herself as soon as she was sure he was a little more stable. “Happy--”

She didn’t get to finish. Before she knew what he was doing, he’d tugged her into him, his mouth desperate as it closed over hers.

* * * *

Daniel half expected her to hit him , or shove him off after the bastard he’d been to her. Instead, she let out a raw moan of pure need that matched his own as she arched, wrapping her arms around his neck as she matched his desperation with a fierceness of her own.

Heaven. She was H eaven and she was home. Everything he’d ever wanted, ever needed.

She was his.

He tugged her head back gently, letting his mouth devour her throat. Her soft moan fueled him, and the way her short nails bit into his arms reminded him of just how much she’d loved his mouth on her throat. It had only taken him moments on their date to realize the skin there was her weakness.

He smiled, his teeth nipping gently at the delicate flesh. “You missed me, princess.”

Instead of answering, her head fell back on another soft sound. “Daniel.”

Ryuu. He loved the way she purred his name in her soft voice. His body tightened, his cock aching.

She smiled at him, the smile capable of driving every man in the world insane, but this time, it was just for him. It would have sent him to his knees if he’d been standing. Her body rubbed against his as she tried to get closer. “There you are,” she murmured softly, her eyes searching his. Her fingers gently traced the muscle twitching in his jaw. “I forgot you never realized I spent six months lusting after you before you finally asked me out.”

He jerked, his arms threatening to give out and crush her beneath him. “What?”

“You’re gorgeous,” she said simply, the honesty in her green eyes mesmerizing him. “You had this…I don’t know, intensity about you. You didn’t talk to anyone, and no one was ever brave enough to get close to you, but I just knew you saw everything. Nothing was going to get pas t sed you.” Her teeth caught her bottom lip before she gave him a shy smile. “I felt safe, but even more confusing since you never once cracked a smile, I found it very hard to breathe whenever you were around. I’d forget my lines, or trip over my feet, or crane my neck to see around any obstacle to make sure you were still there.”

She ducked her head and grinned. “At night, instead of sleeping, or running lines, or calling my agent back, I’d try to come up with a fool-proof way of introducing myself to you. Only no matter what I came up with, it sounded obvious and self-centered. Since I never once caught you looking at me, I just figured you could n ’ t care less that I existed.”

“I never looked at you, because every time I did, it became harder and harder to remind myself why I couldn’t smash in every man’s face who dared to get close to you.”

Shelby went still, her gaze locked on his as confusion flickered deep in her eyes.

“Really?”

It occurred to him, then, the woman didn’t see herself beyond how the world did. “I was there to do a job, not lust after the lead actress. By the time I finally asked you out, wanting you had almost driven me insane. Luca was threatening to beat the hell out of me just to get me to pull my head out of my ass.”

A slow, radiant smile lit her up. “I didn’t think I was your type.”

He snorted again, thinking of how pissed off he’d been when he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. He stood, pulling her up with him. “You weren’t my type, but I had spent a majority of my day devising ways to get rid of every man who touched you.”

She canted her head as she studied him, a soft smile tugging at her mouth, until Luca cleared his throat behind her. She scowled at Daniel. “He has perfect timing, doesn’t he?”

“Remind me to kill him when he’s no longer useful.” Without putting her down, he turned to the man who was obviously trying to get himself killed. “What?”

“We have a situation. We need to move her, now.”

Daniel nodded. With a quick shift of his arms, he tossed her over his shoulder as he

headed for the elevator. They needed to get to the roof. “Hunters?”

“I didn’t see any, but it doesn’t mean they’re not out there. It’s the only way anyone would be able to find you.”

“Whoa.” Daniel felt her poke him in the back. “What are you two talking about? Who found you?”

He didn’t want to tell her. “The media.”

She scoffed. “We don’t need to run. We just have to wait them out.”

“Not an option.” As soon as they were all in the elevator, he hit the button for the roof. “No one can find me unless I either want to be found, or they have a Hunter on their side. The media never knew my name after what happened at your house, right?”

“Right.’t even know your last name until today.”

“Exactly. I shouldn’t be connected to you.”

He heard her swallow hard. “A Hunter…you mentioned that before.”

“A dragon Hunter.” He didn’t waste time as the doors slid open. Setting her on her feet when there was danger near was harder than he’d expected it to be. “This,” he said quietly as he unzipped the sweatshirt she wore, pressing his palm to the mark over her heart, “marks you as my mate. A dragon mate is just as much a target as a dragon. Neither one of us are safe now. We have to move.”

To his surprise, his little hellion didn’t argue. “Alright,” she murmured. “If you say run, we run.” She drew in a shaky breath, and offered him a determined smile, her eyes steady.

“How?”

 

 

Chapter 11

 

Daniel stared down at her for a long moment, not speaking. Every time he opened his mouth to say something, he ended up dragging his hand down his face instead. Nerves leapt in her belly.

“That bad?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He nodded. “Yeah,” he murmured, “that bad. There’s no other choice. We can’t go down so there’s nowhere left for us to go but up.” His eyes deadlocked with hers. “I need you to trust me.”

She searched his eyes for a long time. “Daniel, I’m not crazy, right? You are a dragon?”

“No, princess, you’re not crazy. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He held out his hand for hers. “Trust me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a command, but still, she knew he’d find a different way if she wasn’t ready for this. It would make both their lives more difficult, but she knew he would hurt himself before he would push her into something she wasn’t ready for.

Nodding slowly, she took a hesitant step closer to him. She trusted him, even if he was asking her to believe in the fantastical--

She didn’t have time to finish the thought. As soon as her hand touched his, they were airborne.

Her scream of terror died in her throat before it could escape , as she found herself on the back of a giant, mythical beast. They were circling up and up and up, the steady, rhythmic pulsing of giant, powerful wings on the air the only sound in the world.

Shelby squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to look down or around, but when everything went still around her, she managed to pry one eyelid open. She gasped as she found herself face-to - face with a very large, very calm, dragon eye.

“You did that on purpose,” she accused, even as she tightened her arms around his thick, powerful neck. While he only bobbed his large head once, Shelby was certain there was amusement in his eye. They’d been in a hurry, and the whole idea of agreeing to ride on a dragon…

Her eyes went huge. “Daniel,” she whispered stupidly, “you’re a dragon.”

Yeah, that was definitely amusement in his silver eye. She scowled at him, but there was no heat behind it. The thrill of--holy hell, she was riding a dragon. The thought was just too amazing to stick in her brain.

Sucking in a deep breath, she expelled it on a jubilant whoop before carefully shifting her view to the ground. She didn’t know high up they were, but she could see Los Angeles spread out beneath them.

She’d never paid much attention to the city she’d lived in for the last ten years. It was simply where she worked. She’d never felt any kind of connection to the lifestyle or people in LA.

Then again, until Daniel, she hadn’t felt a real connection to anyone or anything in so long, she’d started to wonder if she was as empty inside as people believed.

Too exhilarated to be afraid, Shelby pressed her cheek against the dragon’s neck as his powerful wings beat a slow rhythm against the air. While she didn’t know how fast they were going, she had the sense he was taking his time for her benefit. Geez. The man did make it impossible not to like him.

Then suddenly, fear replaced the warm fuzzies growing inside of her. She tightened her arms around his neck as worry for him almost strangled her. “Daniel! They’ll see you!”

His massive body stilled for a heartbeat, before he swung his giant head back and forth. Magic.

Shelby relaxed. It didn’t occur to her she was imagining his voice in her head. “So they can’t see you?” When he swung his dragonhead back and forth again, the tension in her started to ease. “Good,” she whispered. The idea of Daniel being under a spotlight and microscope was enough to make her violently, physically ill.

His head cocked at a curious angle as he studied her. She shrugged as much as she could with her arms locked around his neck, then made a face at him. “I like you, you know,” she murmured. “I don’t want you to be some science experiment or media sensation. I can’t think of anything you’d hate more.”

His large dragon eye winked at her. I like you too. Don’t worry. We’re safe.

In a move as natural as breathing to her, Shelby rubbed her cheek gently against his neck. It was scary how easily this man could get inside her heart no matter how hard she tried to keep him out. “Where are we going?”

Before he could answer, something caught out of the corner of her eye. She gasped as she realized there was another dragon next to them. It was dark silver, but when he turned his head to look at her, she’d only seen that particular shade of blue eyes twice before. Seren and Luca. She couldn’t imagine the tiny doctor being a dragon.

“Luca?”

When the dragon winked at her, she relaxed slightly until movement from every direction caught her attention. Finally getting the courage to sit up straighter, she released her death grip on Daniel’s neck until she was no longer in danger of choking him.

“What are they doing?” she asked, dazed at the way surrounded her and Daniel in effortless formation.

Protecting you.

Luca was at their right, a dark, blood-red dragon at their left, a dark green dragon behind them, and a pure iridescent gold one at the front. She smiled at the one behind them because he was watching her, then leaned down to wrap her arms a little tighter around Daniel’s neck.

“What about you?”

A very disgruntled male snort sounded in her head. Well…yeah. Of course. He was freaking huge. Of course he could take care of himself, but who was going to watch out for him if they were all protecting her?

She poked him in the back of the head. “You are not allowed to get yourself hurt, Daniel, got it?” Thinking of it made her chest ache, suddenly hard to breathe.

He chuckled in her head. Got it, woman. Now stop worrying.

She snorted at him. “I can worry if I want,” she muttered.

Sure thing, princess.

She was sure he was calling her a brat when he called her princess, but before she could say anything about it, a low growl sounded in her head. Hang on. We’re going down.

He didn’t give her time to prepare. She’d barely tightened her arms around his neck before they were suddenly in a nosedive, heading straight for the mountain peak beneath them. Her laugh bubbled out, a sound of pure joy as the wind rushed over her, blowing her long hair out behind her.

She was frozen to the core by the time Daniel touched down gently at the top of the mountain. He lay down as close to the ground as he could get and she slid off, only to launch herself at him when he shimmered back into his human form a second later. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, grinning with exhilaration. “That was awesome!”

“Glad you approve, princess,” he murmured arrogantly, winking at her.

Still grinning, she cupped his gorgeous face in both her hands, kissing him with all the amazement she felt. “I very much approve.” Her body shivered as she tightened her arms around his neck, her head resting against his. “I’m shaking.”

“It’s the rush.” He brushed her hair back over her shoulder, his lips skimming over her temple, his eyes darkening as she smiled up at him. “It’ll fade in a few.”

She nodded her head against his. “Where are we?”

To her surprise, humor lit his eyes. “I’m a dragon, princess, remember?” He wrapped his arms around her as he started walking them toward a huge boulder without letting her down.

“We like caves and mountains.”

She peeked over his shoulder as the other dragons appeared in their forms. They were all nearly as big as Daniel, and there was something about each one that identified their color. From the giant with the dark red hair, to the exact hue of green eyes in another, it was easy to distinguish which human form belonged to which dragon.

They fanned out behind Daniel, their bodies tense as they searched the surrounding area.
 

Still holding her tight against him, Daniel stopped in front of the boulder. As he murmured something quietly, the enormous rock shimmered into nothing. Positive he was trying to overload her brain, Shelby held her breath as he walked them through the transparency.

Tingles washed over her skin, and when the mark over her heart pulsed once, she glanced down. It was glowing.

“This place is enchanted,” he murmured as he carefully set her on her feet, his large hand wrapping possessively around hers. “Ready to see something else cool?”

She bobbed her head up at him, a smile tugging at her mouth. He was like a little kid showing off, but it was so charming and endearing her walls crumbled a little bit more. “Of course,” she murmured.

He led her over to a damp cavern wall, and let out a small huff of air on a torch. It lit immediately. With a quick wave of his hand, the flame spread out along the wall , until the entire space was illuminated.

She grinned at him when he winked at her. It was like being in his apartment, if his

apartment was twice the space. There was a bedroom area, a bathroom area, a kitchen, a living space, more weapons than she’d ever thought existed in the world and -- , she blinked. “ Is that a computer? ”

She blinked. “ Is that a computer? ”

“State of the art, completely undetectable,” the red dragon said in a thick Scottish brogue as he stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. While he was dressed like the others in all black and camo-green combat gear, the clothes didn’t suit him. He belonged on a battlefield , in nothing but a kilt. His dark auburn hair hung to the middle of his back in thick waves. He’d pulled the sides back, leaving his harsh face unframed, so the only thing you noticed about him was the striking blue of his eyes. “I’m Broderick, ’s geek.”

Shelby smiled at him, trying to process this massive Celtic warrior as a geek. She stepped closer to Daniel when the guy’s eyes roamed over her slowly. The second he focused on her mark, his eyes went from hot and approving to respectful. He murmured something under his breath. An instant later, an iridescent red glow covered his closed hand. Bowing his head, he turned his fist over, offering her the blood red within. “Dragon mate.”

Luca was next. With another bow, he held out a sapphire nearly as big as a baseball.

Shelby looked up in confusion when Daniel grunted his approval. He pulled her in closer to his side as the others followed Broderick’s lead.

The dark-haired dragon with the gold eyes was next. He was just as tall as Daniel, only not as massive and without the hardness to his face. “My Lady,” he said with a wink, bowing over her hand and placing a canary diamond in her palm, “I am Bain. Charmer, diplomat, and acquisitions manager. If you need it, I can get it.”

“Thank you, Bain.” She beamed at him, because he had the kind of face that just made you want to smile.

The last dragon waited patiently behind Bain. Light brown, shoulder-length hair, pale green eyes and olive skin made an eerie combination. While they were all strikingly beautiful in their own way, the green dragon was down-right breathtaking. He nodded at her, and held out a flawless emerald. “Dallas. Weapons, security , and surveillance.”

Stunned and confused, she turned to Daniel. He brushed a curl out of her face, then let the pad of his thumb trace over the curve of her cheek. “Our kind has been dying off for centuries. A mate is a wonderful, cherished thing, and you are their . You give them hope, so they offer you what is most precious to them.” His face darkened abruptly. “We’ll tell them later we’re looking for a way to break the bond.”

Her teeth caught at her bottom lip as she searched his eyes. “They’re your friends?”

“No. I don’t have friends.” He shrugged, his mouth lifting in a sneer before she could feel sorry for him. “We are stronger together than apart, especially when a Hunter is involved. I am their leader and you are my mate, so they will protect you with their last breath.”

For as unbalanced as he’d been since the hospital, she didn’t doubt he was in command every second of every day. It was in the way he moved. It was the way he spoke and his overwhelming presence. Moving in closer to him, her eyes searched his for something she couldn’t define. “What will happen to them if you tell them we’re breaking the bond?” she asked.

He shrugged, his face shutting down. “It doesn’t matter. I bonded to you without your consent or permission. I’ll find a way to undo it.”

“Yeah, well…” She made a face at him, even as she shifted her body in closer. “I haven’t exactly made your life easy since we met.”

He scooped the jewels out of her hand, set them on a table next to her, then took a step toward her, ducking his head so their faces were closer together. They were so close she could feel the heat of him through her clothes, warming her all over. It sent her pulse scattering, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. “Are you admitting to being a brat?”

She snorted, her arms crossing over her chest. “Never.”

“Really?” he asked, amusement sparking deep in his eyes. “So when I asked you earlier to trust me, you would have done without my assistance?”

* * * *

Her teeth worried at her lip for a moment , before a wide smile bloomed over her mouth. His body went hot, rock hard, and he suddenly couldn’t remember why the hell he didn’t devour her. Shooting his hand into her hair, he hauled her against him. His mouth was starving as it closed over hers.

The soft sound she made was created to drive him to madness, he was sure of it. A raw sound tore out of him. He didn’t care about their audience. His hands slid to her hips, hitching her up. The fit of her body was perfect against his, as if created just for this, just for him.

“Daniel.” His name escaped her on a sigh. She leaned up, nipping gently at his bottom lip. “You asked me a question.”

He thought about ignoring her. He was drowning in the lust in her eyes, and he didn’t want to come up for air. He was so far beyond pretending he didn’t need her. He didn’t want to play it safe. He didn’t want to play it smart. He didn’t want to walk away. He wanted her.

But she was waiting for him to answer her. The beast inside of him growled quietly as he skimmed his mouth down her throat, nearly smiling when he felt her whole-body shiver. “Yes?”

“Daniel.” She laughed softly, her hands sliding into his chin-length hair. She tugged gently until he looked at her. “I’m serious.”

Temper flashed over his face, because damn it, he didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to think. He just wanted to lose himself in her the way he’d never been able to do with anyone else.

She wanted to talk, though, so they would talk. If she wanted to run a marathon, they’d do that as well. He’d do whatever in the seven hells she wanted him to do, as long as he could be with her. “I’m listening,” he snapped, leaning back against one cave wall.

She smiled, and then went deadly serious. “You asked me if I would have trusted you earlier, but you didn’t give me a chance to answer.”

“Alright.” He carefully locked his emotions down. She had no reason to trust him, or even want him in her life after the hell he’d caused her. He knew this, but damn if he knew how to walk away from her, either. “I’m listening,” he repeated.

“Hey.” She tightened her hands in his hair, her eyes troubled as she studied him. “The answer is yes, Daniel. I would have trusted you. I’ve always trusted you.”

 

 

Chapter 12

 

Shelby was still shaking, but she wasn’t sure it was from the adrenaline rush any longer. No, she was positive it was from being this close to Daniel, with him looking at her the way she’d thought she’d never, ever see again. Like she was every wish he’d ever had. Like he could drown in her. Unlike everyone else she talked to on a daily basis, it wasn’t because of who she was. It was because of her.

She’d forgotten what it felt like to be seen. Heard. The man had this incredible ability to make her feel like everything she said, every word coming out of her mouth was the only thing he wanted to hear.

She wasn’t special to Daniel because she was the highest-paid, most recognized actress in the world. She was special to him because he liked her.

“So.” Grinning, she took a small step closer to him. “Do you believe me that I trust you?”

“I don’t know.” He’d bent his head toward her, as if to make sure he didn’t miss a single word she said. He brushed a curl out of her face, gently tucking it behind her ear. “If I asked you to go flying with me again, would you?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? We can go again?”

He let out a sound that was almost a chuckle. “Careful, princess, or I might start thinking you like me only for my dragon.”

Her laugh bubbled out. “I am pretty awed by the dragon, Daniel, but…” she shrugged, grinning.

His eye twitched. “But?”

The humor faded at the slight edge of vulnerability she glimpsed in his eyes. She moved in, wrapping her arms tight around his torso as she rested her cheek against the solid wall of his chest. He smelled like heaven, all dark male and exotic scents, and he felt perfect. He felt like home. He went still for a moment, before he hooked his arms around her neck. He hauled her in closer. “I like this,” she murmured. “I like talking to you. I like arguing with you. I like laughing with you.” She shrugged as she admitted out loud what she’d never even really allowed herself to think. “No one talks to me. If they do, they don’t expect any kind of intelligent answer. They talk at me, then rush to do whatever they think I want them to do. They laugh at my jokes because they think they have to, or because they want to make a good impression on me I can’t remember the last time anyone except for you has raised their voice to me. I could call the director of whatever movie I’m working on, tell him I just don’t feel like showing up that day, costing him thousands of dollars while screwing up the entire schedule, but he’d just say no problem and tell me to enjoy my day off.” She let out a quiet string of curses as she dropped her gaze to his chest. She knew better than exposing vulnerabilities. “Damn it, Daniel, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you this.”

“Hey.” His voice was quiet as he hooked his finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes again. “Don’t hide from me, princess. I like the sound of your voice. I like you talking to me.”

She let out a slow breath and tightened her arms around his waist. “How do you do it?” she murmured. “How do you make it so easy for me to be me? I keep thinking I should be putting on this act, be the perfect mate in front of your friends, but then I forget to act.” She frowned at him. “You make me forget to act.”

“I don’t want an act.” As he slid both hands into her hair he leaned down, brushing his mouth gently over hers. “I want you. The annoying spoiled brat who likes to boss me around , for the right reasons.” When she narrowed her eyes at him, he winked, kissing her again. He was hungrier this time, leaving her shaking, ready for more. “Damn it, woman, tell me you forgive me enough to be with me again.”

She blushed down to her toes. “We have a cave full of people trying to help us and no bedroom walls.”

A dark, violent sound rumbled in his chest. “I can kick them out for an hour, or maybe ten.” He nodded, already shifting his attention. “Ten hours should be enough, at least to start with.”

She laughed, blushing as a deep thrill ran through her. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere.” Going up on her toes, she wound her arms around his neck. She leaned up to kiss his chin.

“Daniel.”

She shivered at the dark intensity in his gorgeous gr a e y gaze. She’d seen men ogle her with lust and possession before, but it was always about owning her. With Daniel, she didn’t feel like a possession. She felt…wanted. She needed him to know she felt the same way about him.

Cupping his face in her hands, she held him still so he couldn’t look away from her, he 

voice quiet. Fierce. “There is nothing for me to forgive you for, alright? No way in hell do I regret that night. I was scared and confused, but I didn’t understand what happened. I never stopped trying to find you, just so I knew you were all right, that you’d escaped the ambulance alive.”

* * * *

“You say that,” he snorted, even as the pad of his thumb rubbed over her full bottom lip. “We both know the damage I did to your career the last time you let me into your life. Pretending it didn’t happen doesn’t make it so, Shel.”

She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and turned her face into his hand. “You think too much.” She slid her fingers up to wrap around his. “Yeah, the last year was hell. I’m not denying it, Daniel, but unless you set the whole thing up that night, including the intruder, it’s not your fault.”

He slid his hands into her hair and tilted her head back so he could press his lips to her forehead. He didn’t know how she did it, how she always saw the best in him no matter how much proof she had otherwise. While his life was one bleak, bloody battle after another, she was this brilliant light in the world. They didn’t fit together. He’d always known he was a bastard, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her that she hadn’t gone screaming from him. He was sure Seren would have told him if he’d needed to watch for a concussion.

No. Letting her go was the only way he could fix his mistakes. He just had to find the

strength to do it.

He brushed a chaste kiss over her waiting mouth. “We can talk about it later, alright?

Right now, we need to start figuring out who would want you dead.”

She made a face as her whole body shivered. “I keep hoping that was a nightmare.”

“Me too.” He growled quietly, unable to keep the beast fully trapped inside its cage. He could feel the insanity starting to rear its head again the more he thought about her being shot.

“But we need to find this fucker so I can rip his goddamn fucking heart out of his fucking chest.”

She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. “Hey,” she murmured, pulling his face back to hers. “I’m here, thanks to you. You saved me, remember? We’ll fix this.” She was smiling as she went up on her toes to kiss him lightly, as if she thought he needed it. “I have faith in you. I’ve seen what you’re capable of doing when you put your mind to something. If you want to find this guy, you will.” She smiled. Moving in, she rested her head against his chest, her arms wrapping around his waist. “I know you will.”

He closed his eyes and held her tight. She always knew the right thing to say. He didn’t know how she didn’t hate him, but he couldn’t make himself question it.

Ryuu, he was crazy about her. She was the biggest pain in the ass he’d ever met, but she somehow made him feel like all the parts of him that no one else liked were okay.