It wasn’t even dinner, and Andrea had concluded that day was full of surprises. Or, rather, Calder was full of surprises. He took her back to the palace, but before she could escape on the pretext that she had to take a shower, he threw some clothes on and told her he wanted to show her something. Curious, Andrea followed Calder down into the cellar, thinking he probably wanted to share with her his impressive collection of old, expensive wines. She was wrong. When he dragged her deeper underneath the palace, down three other flights of stairs, Andrea had to admit it was time to stop making assumptions.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
Andrea didn’t say anything. She was too busy staring at the walls and the tall ceiling. They were walking down a long, well-lit hall. The stone walls were covered with brightly colored tapestries whose main theme seemed to be scenes from Greek legends about gods and heroes, and everything looked very clean and modern. Maybe she had read too many medieval fantasy novels, but this wasn’t what she would have expected from a secret corridor which led to some hidden chamber beneath a dragon’s palace. By the time they did get to their destination, Andrea had a feeling she vaguely knew what Calder was about to show her. Her heart started beating faster, and a strange tightening in her gut told her something was about to happen, something that could change her life forever.
They stopped in front of a heavy steel door. Calder nodded towards the dragon-shifter who was pacing the space in front of the door, a book in his hand.
Andrea recognized the man as someone she had seen a couple of times inside and around the palace. He was a member of Clan Grimmr and Calder’s wing. She greeted him politely.
“We’re here,” Calder said.
Andrea cocked an eyebrow. She studied the tall, heavy door. It had no handle and no lock, but it did have a security biometric panel. She assumed it recognized the fingerprints of only a few members of the clan. Whatever was behind that door was well secured.
“What is this?” she asked. She already knew, really, but she didn’t want him to see how curious and eager she actually was.
“This,” Calder started as he pressed his index finger to the glowing panel, “is the Grimmr fortune.”
The steel door slid upwards, and he led her inside a tall, wide vault. Andrea suppressed a gasp. The room was huge, and it was filled with gold bars, silver bars, platinum bars, ancient gold coins, ridiculously big precious stones, and so much jewelry that her eyes started hurting from seeing so many shiny things gathered in one place, neatly piled one on top of the other. Andrea swallowed heavily and realized her throat had gone dry. Words failed her. Screw that! Thoughts failed her! For the first time in her life, her mind was blank.
“I call our vault Ali Baba’s cave. Funny, huh?”
Andrea nodded. She couldn’t look away from the treasure. So, the myths and legends about dragons had always been true: the ancient beasts did love to hoard anything of value they happened to come across. And Clan Grimmr had had thousands of years to gather a fortune no mortal could even imagine or properly comprehend, and hide it underneath their palace.
“What do you think?” Calder asked.
Andrea simply shook her head and remained silent. She wrapped her arms around her, as if a chill had just decided to crawl up her feet and ankles, all the way up her legs, thighs and stomach, so it could reach her chest and nestle there. She shuddered.
“Oh, are you cold?” Calder’s voice was filled with worry. “It’s chilly down here.”
He looked around him and spotted a scarf that was neatly folded and placed upon a pile of other old, precious fabrics and clothes. He grabbed it and wrapped it around Andrea’s shoulders.
Andrea looked at the scarf in wonder.
Calder noticed her reaction, and smiled.
“It was my late wife’s. She loved it. Mulberry silk and gold thread. I think it suits you very well.”
It was unusual, but his words made Andrea feel even colder.
“I can’t accept it,” she said. “It’s too…”
“Too what?”
She swallowed heavily. Why were tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes?
“It’s too beautiful, too expensive, too…” She shook her head gently, and tried to shrug the scarf off. “It doesn’t represent me.”
Calder wrapped it tighter around her.
“What are you talking about? Nonsense! I think it looks amazing on you.”
“It’s not that.”
“What is it, then? The fact that it belonged to Madeline?” His voice had come out a bit low and strangled on the last few words.
Andrea jumped as if someone had pinched her under the armpits.
“No! It has nothing to do with… with Madeline. It’s just… I’ve never worn something so exquisite. I don’t want to ruin it.”
Calder smiled again, and this time his smile was filled with love and kindness. He couldn’t believe his new bride was so innocent and modest. That Jade girl back at Alma Venus had been terribly wrong about Andrea and her intentions.
“Don’t worry, you won’t ruin it. Mulberry silk can prove to be quite resistant. Please, keep it. It’s a gift.”
Andrea looked up into his golden eyes. She wanted to say something, to argue again that she couldn’t possibly keep it, but instead she bit her lip. There was no point. There was no point to any of this, and there certainly was no point to the feeling of freezing guilt that was slowly taking over her whole being.
“Thank you,” she finally said.
“That’s my girl!” Calder drew her closer so he could place a kiss on her forehead. “You’re welcome.”
They stepped deeper inside the vault, and Calder showed her some of his favorite items. He had gold coins dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, expensive fabrics that had been brought to Europe via the Silk Road itself, and two Fabergé eggs. Andrea listened to Calder’s stories about how he had come to own such precious items, but only half of the information registered with her. She was too busy looking around, trying to guess the weight and the value of each individual item, wondering whether there was any way she could make a selection, so she could carry the load, but also be satisfied with its value. There were also other things to consider, and the solutions to those problems were currently eluding her. How would she get access to the vault? Still, even if she had access, a dragon-shifter was still guarding it 24/7. Let’s say she did manage to solve these two problems. How would she escape with a bag full of gold, jewels, and one of those cute Fabergé eggs? Palace Grimmr was literally in the middle of a bloody field. London was a half hour drive away. If she could convince Calder to give her one of the six cars the clan owned… Yes, that could work.
“Earth to Andrea.” Calder waved his hand in front of her eyes. “Still here with me, my love?”
Andrea shook her head and blinked a couple of times. She had spaced out so badly that she hadn’t realized they were getting out of the vault.
“I’m sorry. This is… too much to take in.”
Calder laughed and stopped to face the biometric panel.
“Well, I hope it won’t take you too long to get used to the idea.”
“What idea?”
“Give me your hand.”
Andrea did as she was told, and Calder made her hold her index finger above the panel.
“What are you doing?”
“Giving you access, of course.”
To her own surprise, she almost pulled her hand away. Then, she calmed down, reminded herself why she was there in the first place, and relaxed her hand in his. This was a unique opportunity. She hadn’t even dared to dream Calder would do such a thing, not when she had only been here, in his home, for two days. What was she thinking?! Saying “no” to the Mulberry silk scarf?! And now, almost refusing to be given access to Calder’s vault?! This was insanity. It was pure insanity, and she had to fight it. She had to keep her eyes on the trophy.
“But… why?” she murmured. She was letting him press her index finger on the cold panel, but she had to at least give the impression she was confused by his gesture.
“Because all this belongs to you, too.”
“You’ve just met me.”
Calder made the necessary settings, then turned to face her. He took her round, pretty face between his hands and looked deep into her eyes.
“Andrea, I feel like I’ve known you forever. I’m a dragon-shifter, and my instinct is stronger than a human’s. Also, it never lies.”
She found it hard to hold his gaze, so her brown eyes moved sideways and focused on the guard’s boots. She didn’t know this guy’s name. She hadn’t been too interested to meet the other members of Clan Grimmr, thinking making friends was stupid when her intention was to leave this place soon. She was surprised the dragon-shifter could just stand there, completely silent, and not try to stop Calder. Sure, Calder was his Fyrstur, so he had to obey him, but the treasure inside the vault belonged to the entire clan.
“Look at me,” Calder whispered.
Andrea had no choice.
“This is your home now. You’re my bride, my mate, and I want to share everything with you. It’s just the way things are in our culture. What belongs to me and my clan belongs to you, as well.”
“But… you haven’t marked me yet,” she whispered the words as softly as she could, but she knew the dragon guard could hear her anyway. “And I’m still human.”
Calder nodded gently.
“Shouldn’t we wait until you mark me as your mate and I turn into a hybrid?”
“That means nothing to me. Details. Just like in your culture, marriage is a legal act and has nothing to do with true love. I will mark you and turn you into a hybrid when you’re ready.”
“No pressure, huh?” Andrea’s eyes flickered briefly towards the steel door and the biometric panel.
“No, no pressure. Truly. I’m not being ironic.”
She swallowed heavily and nodded.
“All right. I… thank you? I don’t know what to say.”
“You’re not supposed to say anything, silly.” Calder laughed, finally let go of her face, and took her hand. “Maybe you could tell me what you’d like to have for dinner, though.”
Andrea laughed, too. She followed him down the corridor and back to the surface.