by Tami Lund
He reached past her and grabbed a T-shirt, tugging it over his head before saying, “I’m not doing a damn thing. If you want to have sex, Antoinette, say the word. I’m all in.”
“You are?”
“Hell yeah.” He stabbed his finger at her shoulder. “But you aren’t. So you let me know when you are, okay?”
“Wait a second. I just told you I want to sleep with you. How can you say I’m not all in?”
“All in means you are fully vested. And that means you aren’t doing anything detrimental to the relationship. Or to your son. Or to yourself.”
She’d temporarily forgotten that he had so little faith in her he believed she was dealing dragon’s blood.
He waved his finger between them. “This is possible, Antoinette. You just gotta want it bad enough.”
Her mouth fell open.
“When it happens, I want you to be so caught up in the moment that nothing else exists for you.”
She snapped her mouth closed.
“Nothing.”
She gritted her teeth and glared at him.
“Now, let’s go down to the bar to talk. I think we need to get out of this room before we do something we’ll regret.”
***
“Better?” he asked when they were seated across from each other at a booth in the hotel’s bar, each with an icy pint of Abita in front of them.
“I am never going to live this down,” she said after taking another cooling drink.
“Sure you are. Just don’t ask me to sleep with you until you are 100 percent certain that’s what you want to do.”
“Why? Don’t you do one-night stands?”
“I have, yes. But I won’t with you.”
“How many?”
“How many what?”
“One-night stands.”
“Are you seriously asking me how many women I’ve slept with?”
“Are you telling me every woman you’ve ever slept with was a one-night stand?”
He shook his head and tipped the pint glass to his lips. “We clearly need to talk, but I don’t think either one of us is ready right now.”
“You’re making a lot of assumptions.”
“Am I?”
She should tell him, prove to him that he was, in fact, making ridiculous assumptions. I’m not a freaking drug dealer!
“Why did you leave, Ketu?”
He blinked several times and then said, “I told you. I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t realize back then…”
“Realize what?”
He wiped his hand over his face. “I was lost, too, you know. After they started messing with my dad, I wanted to kill the lot of them. Destroy the whole damn colony and start over from scratch, even though it’s probably a small portion who are truly bought into this drug trade. I think the rest of them are just doing what they’re told. A dragon colony isn’t exactly a democracy, and the reeve’s son is pretty much untouchable. Unless you want to leave, you do what you’re told or you look the other way.”
“That’s not how it should be. And if you wanted to kill them, leaving wasn’t the right way.”
“Exactly. Which is why I did. I could barely function, surrounded by all the grief here. It was like I was out in the swamp, my head underwater. I couldn’t breathe. And I was making stupid decisions. If I’d stayed, I’d probably have gotten myself killed, and I couldn’t do that to my parents. They didn’t deserve to lose two children.”
“It felt like we lost you when you left.”
“Yeah, but at least I was alive.”
“Ketu, I—”
“Does the reeve even realize his son is dealing drugs?”
Antoinette frowned. “He wasn’t at the meeting,” she mumbled. “The last colony meeting I attended.” It’d been probably five years ago. By that point she’d begun her vigilante destruction of Darius’s dealers, and she’d been worried someone might ID her, so after that evening, she’d stopped going.
“Who? Darius?”
"No. The reeve. Darius was running it on his behalf. I think he said his dad wasn’t feeling well. You know what’s weird? No one questioned why they went ahead with the meeting when the reeve was feeling so sick he couldn’t attend. It wasn’t an urgent meeting. Nothing was on the agenda that couldn’t be put off.”
Ketu drained his glass then thumped into onto the table and slid out of the booth. “I gotta go.”
“What do you mean? Where are you going?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Actually, I do.”
He shook his head. “I’ll be fine, Antoinette. I promise.”
Chapter 7
Trennon Redd, the Rojo reeve, lived in the lower Garden District, in a home the size of a small hotel. It was white on white, with a massive front porch lined with bright green ferns in wicker baskets that swayed gently in the breeze.
Ketu had been to the reeve’s residence only once before. He’d been fifteen, and his dad had fixed the reeve’s car and sent Ketu to deliver it. Trennon had invited him inside and offered him a glass of iced tea. Ketu had sat at the granite counter and gawked at the giant kitchen and the wide-open space that encompassed living and dining. It had been an elegantly appointed home, much fancier than the simple brick ranch his parents owned.
Today, the Uber dropped him at the curb, and Ketu followed the path of brick pavers to the porch, where he ascended the steps and rang the bell. When Antoinette told him the reeve hadn’t attended a colony meeting with no urgent agenda, he’d decided the only way he was going to get anywhere—with his assignment from Gabe and this new aspect of his relationship with Antoinette—was if he talked to the man in charge.
A dragon reeve always attended his own colony meetings.
He’d considered showing up unannounced but had ultimately decided to call ahead. A female dragon he thought he might have vaguely known back in high school opened the door and smiled at him. Her dark hair was a smooth wave, draped over one shoulder, and she wore a slinky red dress more appropriate for a night on the town than welcoming house guests in the middle of the day.
“Ketu,” she said, her voice a purr as her gaze scanned him from head to toe. She rested one hip on the doorframe and smiled, appearing in no hurry to invite him into the house. “You’re all grown up.”
He spread his arms in a helpless gesture. “Sorry. I’m pretty sure we went to school together, but I can’t remember your name.”
She chuckled. “Maria. I sat next to you in math our senior year. I always froze whenever the teacher called on me, and you used to whisper me the answers.”
Nodding, he said, “Oh, yeah. Maria. Wow. You’ve…you look good.” She really did, her appearance nothing like the meek, mousy girl he’d known in school.
Her smile widened. “Yes, well, I grew up too.”
She continued to stand there, resting against the doorframe. He cleared his throat and said, “I’m here to see the reeve. I called to make an appointment and whoever answered the phone told me to come on over.”
“That was me.” Her gaze swept over his body again. He had the feeling if he asked her to show him to a bedroom, she’d do so and would strip when they reached their destination.
No, thank you. There was only one woman for Ketu now, and he’d actually turned her down earlier today.
What the hell had he been thinking?
He’d been thinking that he wasn’t ready to commit to mating with a drug dealer, that’s what. Maybe, if he could talk to the reeve, convince him that his son’s illicit operations needed to be shut down, Ketu could put Darius in his place and cut off Antoinette’s dealing business. It might take some time, but he’d help her figure out a real, legitimate career choice. Hell, she could just pick up a fifth day at Mitch’s. There was nothing wrong with bartending.
And then he could give in to these hella frustrating urges to hook up with her. Because damn, it had been hard to turn around and walk back into that bathroom and pull on his jeans. His erection st
ill hadn’t deflated, not entirely. The idea of bedding Antoinette was far too tempting.
No more hotel rooms with Antoinette. Hell, no more being alone with her at all. It was too dangerous.
Maria sighed and moved to the side, inviting him into the house. “Follow me,” she instructed, leading him through a whitewashed foyer and into a wide-open kitchen, dining, and living area. Little had changed since he was in his teens.
She walked through the room, hips swaying, stiletto heels click-clicking against the tile floor, as Ketu followed her past the same granite countertop he’d once sat at, sipping iced tea while the reeve talked about the importance of kids working and earning their way in the world because it turned them into successful, contributing members of dragon society.
Like his son?
Maybe he’d ask that question. If the reeve was living with his head in the sand, he needed someone to wake him up, force him to see what was going on. He needed to bring Darius to heel, and soon. Ketu wasn’t going to let Henri be raised in a world where dragon’s blood was sold on every street corner.
Funny how he’d already become so protective over a child who wasn’t his. But he was Antoinette’s, and she was Ketu’s mate, and that’s all that mattered. Of course, it helped that the kid was pretty damn cool. Ketu looked forward to getting to know him. Maybe one day he’d call Ketu dad.
Shit. He was getting ahead of himself. They still had to talk about the fact that they were mates. And he had to convince Antoinette to give up her drug dealing business. And then, assuming that went remotely well—a big assumption—there was the question of where to live.
He wasn’t keen on the idea of moving back to the place that haunted his dreams more often than not, but if that’s what it took to be with Antoinette and Henri, well, there wasn’t even a choice, was there?
“Something to drink?” Maria asked. As if she were Vanna White, she motioned to an assortment of liquor bottles perched on the counter.
“Water would be great,” Ketu replied.
She rolled her eyes—guess providing him with fresh water wasn’t her preference—and then she pulled a glass out of the cupboard and saw to his request. She mixed herself a Bacardi and Diet Coke and then led him to the sitting area, which was comprised of three white couches facing a stone fireplace. To the left was a wall of French doors that opened onto the wraparound porch and the yard beyond.
“Have a seat,” she said, “and I’ll let Darius know you’re here.”
Ketu stopped in the process of lowering himself to the couch. “Darius? I’m here to see the reeve. I made an appointment.”
“I know. I was the one you spoke to, remember? And when someone makes an appointment with the reeve, they speak to Darius. That’s the rule.”
“Since when?”
She lifted one slim shoulder. “Seems like forever. I can’t remember the last time the reeve took an appointment, to be honest.”
“Now, now, Maria, let’s not get carried away.” The smooth, oily voice preceded the man who stepped into the room, a shark-like smile on his face.
Those guns Darius Redd had for arms were huge, way bigger than when he’d been in his late teens, when Eulalie caught his eye. Ketu had teased his sister over her crush on the “scrawny reeve’s kid.”
“We know who’ll wear the pants in that relationship,” he’d told Eulalie more than once.
Darius’s hair hadn’t changed, though. He still wore it longer in the front than the back, so that a thick lock of dark strands perpetually fell over his left eye. Even as Ketu watched him approach, Darius brushed it to the side in an action he probably didn’t even realize he was doing.
Instead of heading over to greet Ketu, Darius went into the kitchen and made himself a drink. Sparkling water, which he poured over ice, and then carried the glass into the living area.
“Ketu Ormarr,” Darius said. “It’s been a long time.”
So much for him not remembering.
“It has,” Ketu responded.
Darius sipped his fizzing water, watching Ketu over the rim of the glass while he made a slow circuit, like Ketu was on display and he wanted to see all sides.
Ketu turned with him, not showing him his back.
“Why does this man not have a proper drink?” Darius snapped.
Maria jerked to attention as if she wore an electrified dog collar and he’d just pushed the zap button. “That’s what he asked for.”
Darius narrowed his eyes and glared.
“You’re drinking water too,” Ketu pointed out.
What the hell was the big deal?
Darius lifted his glass, touched it to his forehead, and then took a generous drink. “Alcohol is not part of my exercise regime, unfortunately. But I assumed you were not quite so stringent.”
Ketu squeezed and relaxed his fists. Was Darius implying he hadn’t kept himself in shape? Just because he didn’t resemble a neckless bodybuilder didn’t mean he wasn’t satisfied with his body image. Antoinette sure as hell hadn’t seemed to have issue with it when he’d walked out of the shower earlier today.
He’s trying to get under our skin, his dragon whispered in his head. And it’s working, by the way.
No shit.
“What brings you back to New Orleans after all these years? Want to rejoin the colony?”
No way. If he did end up staying to be with Antoinette and helping raise Henri, he still wouldn’t rejoin the Rojo colony. Too much bad blood. Specifically, dragon’s blood.
“Visiting my parents,” he replied.
Darius arched his brow. “Was the homecoming welcoming? Or are they still bitter that you ran away while they were grieving their daughter’s death?”
How dare he talk of Eulalie’s death as if he weren’t the one who caused it. A curl of smoke drifted past his eye and Ketu realized it came from him. He needed to check himself before he lost his senses and attacked the bastard who’d killed his sister and very likely burned down his dad’s shop and now stood before him acting as though he could do and say any damn thing he pleased.
He believes he’s untouchable, Ketu’s dragon said.
Because he is, at least until I can figure out how to take him down a notch.
Or ten.
“Where’s the reeve?” Ketu asked.
Darius fluttered his hand in a dismissive gesture. “He’s around. I’m sure whatever you need, I can take care of it for you.”
Pretty sure Darius wouldn’t take kindly to Ketu’s suggestion—no, demand—to shut down his drug trade.
“I’d actually rather discuss it with your father.”
“He’s busy.”
Ketu glanced at Maria, who hovered nearby, no doubt waiting for an order. She was halfway through her second Bacardi and Diet Coke.
“I made an appointment,” Ketu persisted. “With him, not you.”
Darius’s gaze drifted over to Maria, who stared out the window like she’d suddenly found ferns rustling in the breeze to be utterly fascinating. “Is that true, Maria?”
Her shoulders tensed and she shifted her attention to them. “What was that? Did you need something?”
Ketu would bet his entire hoard that she’d been hanging on their every word, which meant she knew damn well what Darius was asking.
Darius nodded at Ketu. “He says he made an appointment with the reeve. I asked you if that was true.”
Her gaze darted from one dragon to the other as she seemed to shrink into herself. Shaking her head, she said, “I assumed he meant with you.”
“Did you hear that, Ketu?” Darius lifted his arm while he walked across the room toward Maria. “She said she assumed your appointment was with me.”
“Well, it wasn’t. I made that clear. Crystal.”
“Baby, he says he made it crystal clear that he wanted to talk to the reeve,” Darius cooed while he stroked Maria’s hair.
She flinched away from his touch, and he abruptly fisted his hand around her tresses and twisted until she cried
out.
“Hey,” Ketu shouted, but Darius lifted a finger in a classic “wait a moment” gesture.
Maria grabbed Darius’s hand with one of hers, and when that didn’t work, she dropped her drink so she could use both hands to try to loosen his hold as she fell to her knees. Using his grip in her hair, he turned her head until she was looking up at him.
“He said he made an appointment with the reeve, Maria. What have I told you about handling dragons who want to speak to the reeve?”
“Use your calendar,” she said, her voice cracking with a sob. “Schedule them with you. Please, stop! That hurts!”
“Fuck this,” Ketu muttered, and he placed his glass on the counter and strode over to the struggling couple. He reached out and grabbed the lock of hair hanging over Darius’s eye and gave it a sharp tug. See how he liked having his hair pulled.
Darius roared and released his hold on Maria, who collapsed onto the tile floor and curled into a ball, her body shaking with her sobs. Ketu was too busy watching her and didn’t see the fist until it connected with his eye.
“Shit,” he yelled as he flew backward and landed on his ass. Clamoring to his feet, he covered his eye with one hand and snarled, “What the fuck is your problem? She told you she followed your directions. Why the hell are you abusing her?”
“Always the fucking savior, aren’t you, Ketu? Only you couldn’t save your sister and you can’t save Maria. You need to find a new line of work.”
“No, you do.” Ketu lunged, but Darius easily dodged his attempt to tackle him by twisting and dancing around until he was behind Ketu. And then he cupped Ketu’s jaw and used his fingers to force his mouth open. Something poured down his throat, making him gag and automatically swallow.
Ketu gasped and clutched at his throat. “What the hell was that?”
Darius smiled and lifted his hand, palm open, revealing a tiny vial that looked like the samples handed out at perfume counters in retail stores.
“Dragon’s blood?” Ketu croaked, even as the burning sensation spread, coursing through his veins, all the way to his fingers and toes. “You fed me dragon’s blood?”
Darius chuckled. “Why yes, I did. Tell me, how is it? I’ve never tried the stuff myself.”
