“Yeah, Catherine told me,” he replied as he drove out of the airport. “You grew up on some Greek island, right?”
“Lykos.” She sighed, thinking of the warm sun and the sandy beach.
“You miss it already?”
“I haven’t been home in a while. I’ve been traveling. For work,” she added quickly.
“And what is it you do again?”
“I work for the marketing department of Stavros International,” she replied. “How long until we get to the hotel?” she said, trying to change the subject.
“Hotel?”
“Yeah, I assumed Catherine booked me at a hotel or something until the wedding. I don’t really know any details.”
Jason chuckled. “You’re not staying at a hotel. You’ll be staying at my family’s home. Blackstone Castle.”
“What?” She swallowed a gulp. “I can’t stay with you.”
“Who says you’re staying with me?” he asked. “I have my own place in town. Unless you’d like—”
“I wasn’t implying anything,” she said in a defensive tone. “I guess it would be nice to be near Catherine and spend more time with her.” She had missed her sister a lot the past year while she’d been away.
“Yeah, I can’t imagine being apart from Matthew for so long either,” he said.
“Right.” Matthew and Jason were apparently twins, too. There must be something in the water in Blackstone because everyone in the town seemed to think they looked alike. Glancing at Jason, she still couldn’t figure out how. Matthew was cute, she supposed, but nowhere near as handsome as Jason. Not that she’d ever admit it out loud. Jason had a more defined profile, and his hair was thicker and darker. The eyes were similar, but Matthew’s were a dull gray, while Jason’s were a bright silver. Matthew looked more like an older cousin than a brother, much less a twin brother.
“You could come back to visit after the wedding,” he suggested.
She snorted and stared ahead at the highway. “I’m far too busy,” she said. “Besides, there’s nothing here apart from my sister that I’d want to come back for.”
“Really?” he asked, glancing at her. “Nothing at all?”
“Maybe that hot deputy.”
The air went noticeably still and cold in the truck. She whipped her head toward Jason, and though his expression didn’t change, his knuckles were bone white as he gripped the wheel. He kept staring ahead, his steely eyes on the road, not saying a word. He took a deep breath, and the atmosphere inside the cab turned back to normal.
Christina leaned back, relaxing as she could now breathe the air. She’d been around shifters, mostly wolves, her whole life, but she’d never experienced that. The power emanating from him had been intimidating, and she realized it probably wasn’t a good idea to provoke dragons. She wasn’t sure why those words came out of her mouth. Maybe she just wanted to shut him up. It apparently worked.
The rest of the ride was silent, and Christina spent the rest of it looking outside, watching the scenery go by. They drove through Blackstone town which she recognized, then wove their way up the mountains to reach their destination.
Her jaw dropped at her first sight of Blackstone Castle. She hadn’t been’ sure what she’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. Catherine had told her it was a castle, but she’d thought her sister was just exaggerating. But no, it was an honest-to-goodness, fairy-tale castle built on a mountain with turrets, stonework, and gothic arches. The snow covering the rooftops made it look like it should be on the cover of a fantasy novel.
“Not bad, huh?” Jason said, his tone amused. “C’mon, I’ll show you in.”
Christina stared up at Blackstone Castle, drinking in the sight. It was huge and made their luxurious villa on Lykos look small. She didn’t want to seem too impressed, but she supposed it was understandable in this situation.
“Let’s go,” Jason said, marching toward the entrance without waiting for her. By the time Christina caught up to him, the front door was already opening.
“Oh, you’re here,” the older woman waiting on the other side greeted. She looked at Christina, her smile warm. “You must be Christina. I’m Meg, the housekeeper.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said politely.
“Meg’s more than just our housekeeper,” Jason said. “She took care of all of us and made sure we were fed.”
“Oh, Jason,” she said, laughing and pinching his cheeks. “I only helped when your mom wasn’t around, and even that was rare.” She turned back to Christina. “Oh my, Catherine told me you were twins, but looking at you…” She shook her head. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now. Anyway, you must be tired or hungry, or both. Let’s get you settled into the guest room. Would you mind taking her suitcase up, Jason? I have her in the guest bedroom in the east wing.”
Meg motioned to follow her into the house. The inside of the castle was just as breathtaking, but in a different way. It looked like it had been modernized, but the decor was still in keeping with the castle theme; classic but understated, with a few modern touches here and there. They walked up a large set of stone staircases then turned right down a long hallway.
“The kids—sorry, I still think of them as kids—I mean, Matthew and his siblings have the entire east wing to themselves,” Meg explained. “These days it’s just Matthew and Catherine here. The West wing belongs to Jason’s parents, Hank and Riva, though they’re away on a ‘round-the-world trip after they retired. They’ll be back for the wedding, of course.” They walked down one of the hallways, and stopped at the door at the very end. “This is the guest bedroom. I’ve prepared it myself so I hope you like it. I asked Catherine if you had any preferences, but she said you weren’t picky.” She opened the door and stood back to let Christina enter.
“I’m sure I’ll have everything I need,” she said. The room was spacious and luxurious, with a sitting area in the corner next to floor-to-ceiling windows, and a queen-size canopy bed in the middle.
Meg gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. “Well, if there’s anything you need, just ask. I’ll send up some refreshments for you, in case you’re hungry.”
Christina wanted to protest, but had a feeling Meg wouldn’t take no for an answer. She thanked the older woman as she left, then turned around to further examine her surroundings.
She headed toward the sitting area, and as she looked out the large window, the view of the mountains outside made her stop. It was gorgeous outside. They were probably quite high up that the snow was still thick on the side of the mountains and on the trees. The sky was a clear blue and in the distance, she saw a large bird circling over the trees.
“Beautiful, huh?”
She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Jason’s voice. Glancing behind her, she saw he was by the doorway, carrying her suitcase. She’d forgotten that Meg asked him to bring it up. “You can put that down anywhere. I’ll take care of it,” she said in a brusque voice.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” he said through gritted teeth, setting the suitcase by the bed.
She felt blood rush to her cheeks in embarrassment. She wasn’t raised to be impolite, but something about him just rubbed her the wrong way. “Thank you,” she said in a soft voice. Maybe it wasn’t Jason. Maybe it was her, and it had been too long since she’d been around people other than her family and teammates at The Agency. She’d cut herself off emotionally from other people for so long. “And I’m sorry for my rudeness,” she added.
Jason’s face softened into a look she’d never seen before and he moved closer. “Apology accepted. But only if you accept mine,” he said in a low voice. “For making you stay in the truck and nearly freezing you to death.”
His proximity made her tense, and his words brought back memories of that night. Not of the part where she was shivering because of the cold, but of after. When she was lying on top of him, listening to the beating of his heart, and enjoying the rise and fall of his chest. She had been awake much
longer than she cared to admit. “I’m much tougher than I look, Jason,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“Hmmm…that’s the first time you’ve said my name.” God, was the room getting smaller? And warmer? Or was it because Jason Lennox was leaning toward her, his silvery gaze boring into hers. “I like it.”
It was intoxicating, looking up at him, having him so close. “I—”
A loud ringing sound interrupted her and broke the tension in the air. He let out a soft curse and took his phone out of his pocket. Sorry, he mouthed as he picked up the call and turned away. “Hello … ”
Christina staggered back, unsure of what nearly happened. She blinked several times. No, it was her imagination.
Jason spoke into the phone, his shoulders tensing with each passing second. When he finished, he turned back to her. “I have to go. Trouble at work.”
She frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “Just ask Meg or any of the staff if you need anything. I don’t know when Catherine will be back, but she shouldn’t be gone too long.”
“I’ll give her a call when my phone charges up.”
Jason gave her nod and strode toward the door. She thought he hesitated for a moment, but when he left the room, she realized it must have been her imagination acting up again. Like when she thought he was leaning down to kiss her.
“Kiss me?” she said aloud, then shook her head. I really must be tired. Her muscles were sore, and she didn’t have any rest on the flight. A good nap was in order. Then, she’d be more herself.
Chapter 3
Jason stepped on the gas and the castle’s image shrank rapidly in the rear vision mirror.
Mine, his dragon insisted. Mine!
He slammed on the brake halfway down the mountain road leading to the mines. “Shut up!” Goddamn dragon. “She’s not ours.”
The fucking animal had been a damn asshole the last few weeks. Clawing at him, roaring at him, and fighting him at every turn. And every single time he got near any other woman, it would rail at him. For the first time in his life, he wished the damn thing would just go away.
After weeks of fighting, seeing Christina at the airport finally calmed the dragon down. Catherine called him, saying she had a wedding emergency (whatever that was), and asked if he could pick up Christina. He almost said no, but just the sound of her name soothed his dragon.
He hadn’t been sure what to expect when they’d met again. He huffed. He’d wondered if she was still angry, or if she’d felt the same anticipation he had while waiting outside the airport.
Fuck, he was turning into a lovesick idiot, like the ones from those romantic movies. He ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, even after all these weeks. And the fact that she seemed immune to whatever it was affecting him made him crazy. She was the same—unfriendly and indifferent. Though apparently, she thought Cole was hot.
No! Mine.
“Quit it!” He nearly lost it, but had the presence of mind to stop himself from losing his temper. He would never hurt her, but he wanted to shake her senseless. Or kiss her so she could forget about Cole or any other man.
A few deep breaths calmed him down and he had enough control to start driving again. Clearing his head, he focused on the task at hand.
The call from Ben had been unnerving. In all the years the mines had been in operation, they’d never had a major accident. Maybe a few minor scrapes, but never one that had injured anyone badly. And now…
He stepped on the gas and drove through the familiar mountain roads, all the way to the blackstone mines, named for the substance found deep inside the mountains. Blackstone was the hardest substance on earth and there was only one way to mine it: dragon fire. Perhaps it was a lucky twist of fate that his four-times grandfather Lucas Lennox won the mountains in a card game. It had made him and his family one of the richest in the country.
Jason made it to the mining site in record time. He parked his car and jogged up to the mouth of the cavern they had dug a few weeks back. Benjamin Walker, his cousin and their lead foreman, was waiting outside, a grim look on his face.
“How bad is it?” Jason asked.
Ben rubbed a hand down his bearded face. “Pretty bad. Good thing we got to them on time. They’re on their way to hospital now.”
“Show me what happened.”
His cousin nodded and led him inside, deeper into the mine. It was dark, but his shifter sight quickly adjusted so he could see around him. Ben directed his attention to the pile of metal and glass in the middle, and the smell of blood hit his nose like a dank perfume.
Mining blackstone was difficult, and turning it into something useful was even harder. The Lennoxes had always hired shifters for the collecting and processing of the blackstone, because they healed faster when they handled the flaming hot rocks. With modern technology, few workers suffered any injuries, though Lennox Corp. still hired shifters to do the more dangerous jobs inside the mines.
“How could this happen?” Jason asked. “We use the best equipment in the world and our safety standards are above average.”
Ben shook his head. “We’re still looking into it.” He nodded toward a group of men huddled in the corner. Nathan Caldwell, their chief engineer, was talking in a low voice to their workers. He glanced at them, gave Jason an acknowledging nod then continued talking to his crew.
“Walk me through what happened,” Jason said.
“It was a routine day,” Ben said. “The cleanup crew was getting ready for the next extraction session and the surveying guys were checking the deposits.” He pointed to the cave in the corner. “I was down there when I heard this loud sound. A couple of the lights and one of our catwalks crashed down, and unfortunately seven of our guys were injured.” He shook his head. “Jones and Carrol are recovering in the infirmary, but the others had to be rushed to the hospital.”
A grim thought entered his head. If those guys hadn’t been shifters, they’d surely have been dead on impact. The look on Ben’s face confirmed it. “What about their families?”
“We’ve contacted them. Probably on their way to the hospital now.”
“Good. I’ll make that my next stop.” He scratched his chin. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“You think?” Ben asked.
“Could be nothing,” Jason said. “But my gut says otherwise.”
“We’ll tighten security. I haven’t talked with our security company in a while. Dad and I had been telling Riva that we need our own crew instead of outsourcing it, but she kept putting off the decision.”
“I’ll talk to Matthew about it,” Jason assured him. “Call me if you need anything else.”
“Will do, cuz.”
Jason followed the same path going outside the mine, his mind focused on the accident. He knew the mine operations inside and out, and how tightly controlled everything was. Safety was always a priority, even if all of their crew could survive life-threatening injuries. Was it a freak accident or something else?
As soon as he walked out of the cave, his phone started ringing. Matthew, he thought. And he was right.
“Did you find out anything yet?” his twin asked, the tension in his voice evident. Matthew was probably as edgy as he was. After all, they both considered everyone in Blackstone under their protection.
Jason relayed what Ben told him.
“And what do you think?” Matthew asked.
“It could be an accident.”
“But…”
“I have a gut feeling.”
Matthew let out a breath. “Me too. I don’t know why.”
“Maybe it’s because we both know this is the first major accident in at least two generations,” Jason said. “You know we always put the safety of our workers first.”
“Right. What should we do?”
“Well, we’ll have to keep an eye on things. What do you think about setting up our own security crew?”
“I�
��m sure we could swing it. I’ll talk to our current contractors about a transition.”
“Good. I’m on my way to the hospital, just to make sure our guys and their families are okay.”
“Let me know if you want me to come by,” Matthew said. “I’ll make time.”
“I will, but you focus on what you need to do. And your wedding,” he added, hoping to have a lighthearted end to their conversation.
“Speaking of which … can you come to dinner tonight?”
“Dinner? Why?”
“Well, you know, Christina just arrived and we’re having a welcome dinner. But no one else can make it, and I didn’t want it to be awkward, just the three of us.”
His dragon perked up. “What? Fuck, no.” He probably sounded harsher than he wanted and his dragon agreed. “Besides, I’ve already seen her. You lovely fiancé was called away on an emergency and I had to pick her up at the airport.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know.” Matthew’s voice didn’t sound convincing. “How was she?”
“Christina? Oh, she still hates me, don’t worry,” he huffed. “Which is why I probably shouldn’t be there.”
“C’mon, Jason. Please?”
“I’ve got plans.”
“What other plans could you possibly have? Hanging out at the Den with Nathan?”
He let out a breath. “Fine.” His inner dragon gave a contented snort. “I’ll be there.”
“Great. I’ll see you later.”
Jason frowned. He hoped he wouldn’t regret this.
* * *
Jason was tired and hungry, but the last thing he wanted to do was battle his inner dragon and twin, so he drove right back to Blackstone Castle as soon as he was done. After he spent the afternoon with the families of the injured workers, he had to go straight back to his office at the Lennox Foundation to put out even more fires at work.
He was cranky and he hadn’t eaten, and he told himself that he was only going back to Blackstone Castle so he could have one of Meg’s fabulous dinners. Though he preferred living alone in his modern apartment in town, there was nothing like coming back to his childhood home and having a real meal.
The Blackstone Bad Dragon Page 3
