****
Mads wasn’t sure what to expect when they landed, but it certainly wasn’t the sudden burst of laughter that swelled to a torrent of giggles, until she was doubled-over and breathless, tears running down her cheeks.
“Are you hurt?” He finally ventured when the giggles had subsided to hiccups and the occasional chuckle.
“No, no.” She shook her head, “I don’t think so. Mads...you can freaking fly and we take a car everywhere. Hell, we took a plane to LA. A plane. And you can fly!”
“Yes, well, it behooves me to stick with more traditional means of travel. But I don’t like it.”
“You can fly, and you’re a dragon. How long have you been a dragon?”
“For a very, very long time. Come, let’s get upstairs.”
Fortunately, nobody had been standing around to see him land in the middle of the hotel’s courtyard. It wasn’t easy keeping a low profile as a dragon, but it was absolutely necessary. There were only a few left of his kind, and he had survived by being careful and smarter than everybody else. Perhaps that was why the Maelstrom clan resorted to such undignified means to remove him. A spark of anger ignited in his belly at the mere thought of them, but for the time being, his concern for April smothered it. He would deal with the Maelstroms later, and they would rue the day they decided to target him.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” April asked, once they were safely ensconced in his suite.
“No, probably not. It’s a secret.”
“If it’s such a secret, why did you—”
“Why did I what?”
“Why did you turn into a giant dragon and smash through the ceiling in front of me?” She shook her head. “Listen to me talk. You turned into a dragon and I’m sitting here discussing it like it’s something that could happen to anybody.”
Mads inclined his head. “I understand it will take some getting used to. And I did what I did because you were in danger.”
“How did you know I was in danger? How did you even know where to find me?”
That was the big question. One that Mads did not want to get bogged down in at the moment. He could answer any other question, explain any other concern, and try to give her as much information as he could about who he was, but he wasn’t sure she was ready to know the answer to this particular inquiry.
“How did you know?” she asked again.
“I could sense it.”
“How could you sense it? Is that one of your special dragon powers?”
“I could sense it because...well, yes, it is one of my ‘special powers.’ ”
She narrowed her eyes. “That’s not what you were going to say. Please don’t lie to me now, Mr. Durkheim.”
He took a deep breath. He feared the truth would only frighten her away from him, and now that he understood the truth, he couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving. Still, he could never keep her against her will, and obstructing the truth was not a good way to earn her trust. He only wished he had realized it sooner, so he could have time to process it. He’d lived for nearly a thousand years and he was still not prepared for this moment—for this beautiful girl with sparkling, tear stained eyes staring at him with equal parts confusion and...and what? Awe? Fear? Love?
“April, you’re my mate.”
“What? Do you mean friend?”
Mads shook his head. “No, I mean the one I have been waiting for. That’s why...well, that’s why I’ve been drawn to you from the moment we met. When I touch you, I feel as though a part of me has been returned.”
“And how long have you known this little nugget of information?”
“Only since the moment I felt your fear. It called out to me, told me that I needed to go to you, that I needed to protect you at all costs.”
“So...what does that mean? You love me?”
“I…April, it’s not as easy as that.”
“Easy? Love isn’t easy. But it doesn’t matter—I understand what you’re getting at.” The rush of sadness hit him as hard as her earlier fear. Ancient instincts roared to life, demanding that he smite whoever—or whatever—might be causing his mate such distress, but he could see that he was the only one to blame.
“April, please, this is a lot for both of us to process right now. Maybe we should sleep on it and discuss this in the morning.”
“There’s nothing to discuss. Except if my severance package will include an extra month due to the highly stressful situation of nearly being eaten alive.”
“Severance package? You’re leaving?”
“Seriously? You can’t really expect me to stay here like this, can you? Trust me, it’ll be best for us both if you get yourself a new assistant.” She was already moving towards the door, and he acted before he could think, rushing to grab her arm to keep her from stepping into the hallway. “Let me go.”
“I just want to—”
“Mads, let go of my arm.” Her voice was low and controlled and held more than a hint of warning. He released her immediately. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay in the office long enough to train my replacement.”
“April, please, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. We can pretend that I didn’t say anything and go back to normal.”
“Normal?” she snorted. “We...we’ll never get back to normal. Never again.”
“Are you leaving because I’m a dragon?”
“Strangely enough, no. I could still work for a dragon, I suppose. But I can’t work for a man who will always be disappointed.”
“Disappointed? I don’t understand.”
She shook her head and pulled the door open. He wanted to stop her, to hold her until she explained herself, but he stood unmoving, watching as she limped down the hall to her own room. She didn’t look back and he didn’t look away. Not even when she disappeared from sight and he was left staring at the locked door between them.