Mate Of A Dragon Villain (Skeleton Key)

by Mandy Rosko

  For some reason, it didn’t matter. She was too satisfied to care. Too happy with Hargreave’s weight on top of hers as he collapsed, panting for breath, feeling almost boneless.

  Amanda grinned. Yeah. She was the one to do that to a powerful dragon warrior. It made her feel powerful.

  They catnapped after that, Amanda waking to Hargreave kissing his way down her belly, his fingers tickling her sides. It was probably unintentional, but she didn’t care. She squirmed and giggled herself awake while he touched her.

  “Is there something you’re after?”

  His red eyes glazed when he looked up at her, that grin on his face showing off perfectly white teeth. “Your body.”

  “Direct. I like that. All right. Take me.”

  Amanda splayed herself out dramatically, like an offering, and she completely loved it when Hargreave did take her.

  Amanda wanted to cook breakfast for him when it was over. She also wanted to stay in bed with him all day since he seemed extra affectionate and snuggly, and Amanda didn’t want to break the mood, but her stomach rumbled.

  “I’m going to make you scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and sausages.”

  Hargreave looped his arms around Amanda’s waist, pulling her back, kissing her shoulder. “I would rather you stayed here.”

  Amanda laughed, pushing away from him. “Come on, out of bed. I’m starving. We can get back to the fun stuff after food and brushing my teeth.”

  Hargreave followed her, still grinning, even though he seemed reluctant to leave the bed. Amanda wrapped a sheet around herself. He just walked through her apartment naked.

  She could so get used to this.

  Hargreave stared at the contents of her small kitchen, looking at the stove, the counter, the toaster, all of it. “You will need a fire for cooking.”

  “I’ve got something just as good. Watch your hands.”

  Amanda carefully nudged him out of the way, turning on the elements. Her apartment was new, which meant all the appliances were new, too. The stove heated up quickly, which made the pan get hot quickly, the butter melt, and the bacon and sausages were sizzling quickly, so were the eggs. Amanda dropped her toast in the toaster, grinning back at Hargreave, who watched the whole process with fascination.

  The more she could show him all the luxuries of this world, maybe the chances he would stay in it would increase.

  Hargreave sat on a stool at the counter island. Amanda put his food down in front of him, watched him eagerly as he lifted a forkful of egg and cheese to his mouth.

  He chewed, his eyes widening slightly before they closed in pleasure.

  “You like it?”

  He nodded. “I do. You didn’t tell me you had a talent for cooking.”

  Amanda felt that heat climbing her neck and cheeks again. “Not really. Bacon and eggs is pretty easy. Easy enough to cook with just a sheet around me.”

  Hargreave nodded, shoveling his food into his mouth as if he worried it would vanish if he didn’t eat it fast enough. Amanda took it for the compliment it most definitely was. When he polished off his plate, Amanda let him take what was left on hers.

  He was a guy, and a warrior. That must’ve required a lot of calories to stay in the shape he was in.

  “You should try French toast!”

  “What?”

  Hargreave was in the middle of making an egg sandwich out of the last of his eggs, bacon, and toast when Amanda turned back to the stove.

  She was craving something sweet anyway.

  “God, I would love to make you pancakes. I don’t have any mix, though. Still lots of bread and eggs and just enough milk, though.”

  “Does French Toast taste like this?”

  Amanda grinned over her shoulder. “Better. It’s like dessert for breakfast.”

  That clearly got his interest.

  Amanda made him a nice stack, taking two pieces for herself when she had everything made up. She scraped butter onto his French toast and poured the syrup over the whole thing. She wished she had real syrup and not this fake, sugary stuff, but Hargreave didn’t complain when he took his first bite.

  “Good, right?”

  He nodded, focused entirely on his food. Amanda ate what she could, trying to keep up with him, but she got full fast.

  “Food is plentiful here?” Hargreave asked around a mouthful. “What do your people do during a drought?”

  “Oh! Well, we import a lot of our food. There are farms around here, but if there’s a storm, or a drought, then I guess we ship all our fruits and vegetables in from other countries. We never run out.”

  Hargreave frowned a little at that. “A land that cannot secure its own food is not a secure land.”

  Amanda thought about that, and shrugged. “I guess that’s true, but everything’s pretty peaceful around here. We don’t really have to worry about anyone cutting us off, I don’t think. And like I said, we grow a lot of our own food. It’s really nice here.”

  Hargreave smiled, nodding before looking out the window. She wondered how the streets and other buildings made of glass and concrete must look to him. Probably like strange castle towers.

  “Your land is lovely. Many trees, despite the rock everywhere.”

  “That’s pavement and concrete.”

  Hargreave nodded.

  Amanda wiped her mouth, an idea coming to her quickly. “I have an idea. There’s lots of shopping down there, it’s all really close, too. You look all healed up. We can get you something to wear.”

  “I have my garments.”

  Amanda was suddenly unsure. Hargreave didn’t have much to wear. He hadn’t exactly been wearing shoes or a shirt, and most places wouldn’t let him walk through the door without those things. “Uh, yeah. Actually, maybe I’ll go down there, grab you some stuff, and then you can come with me. We can go walking around, catch a bus to the farmer’s market. It’ll be a great day, just you and me, and you can see everything this world has to offer.”

  Hargreave frowned a little. “It’s safe for you to walk by yourself? There are many people down there.”

  “Perfectly safe,” Amanda said, then pointed out the window. “See that building over there? The one that says Nordstrom’s on it? That’s the mall. I’ll just walk there and back, I won’t be gone more than a half an hour, and I’ll have clothes for you.”

  That confused frown was still pulling at his brows. “They won’t have my measurements. How will they make clothing for me so quickly?”

  Oh, right. All the clothes were handmade or handed down where Hargreave came from. Amanda’s gown was a prime example of that. It had been made for someone else before she wore it.

  “Clothes are premade here in different sizes. They won’t fit as nicely as the clothes you’re used to, but they’ll do the trick, and I really want to see you in a pair of jeans. I think it’ll look sexy.”

  That eager glint came back to Hargreave’s eyes. “Very well. This is your world, and you know how it functions better than I do.”

  He still sounded reluctant to let her go by herself. Amanda couldn’t blame him for that. Everything was so dangerous where he came from. Why would a man in that world let a woman wander around by herself?

  It made Amanda appreciate where she lived a lot more than she used to.

  She stepped around the kitchen island and kissed him on the mouth, rushing to her room so she could get changed.

  She laughed when Hargreave tried to get in to distract her. He wanted to pull her back into bed, but Amanda was determined to get him some clothes.

  Promising to be back once more, she left her apartment.

  It was hot out, but at least no one would recognize her as being that woman from yesterday in the bloody, dirty dress. The beauty of living downtown, aside from not having to worry about the horrible parking, was how she almost never saw the same person twice.

  Everything was, of course, still under construction, but she got in and out of the mall quickly enough, using her cards to p
ick up a couple of pairs of pants, shirts, and shoes that looked like they might be in Hargreave’s size.

  She was fairly confident about the clothes and socks, but the chances were good that she would need to return the sneakers. The sandals were a safe enough bet.

  When Amanda made it back to her air conditioned apartment, Hargreave was leaning against the window, looking down at all the people. He’d wrapped a sheet around his waist, so even though the chances were slim that anyone would look up and see him, Amanda didn’t have to worry about some angry mother claiming her child had seen a schlong for the first time.

  And he looked so amazingly handsome standing there like that, the light shining down on him, as if he’d just stepped out of a magazine ad.

  Then Amanda saw he was holding one of her books again.

  He turned to her. She couldn’t help but smile. She’d had sex with this man, made love with him a couple of times already, and he claimed she was the love of his life, but she still felt that giddy nervousness that came with dating someone new as she lifted her bags. “Got some stuff for you.”

  He smiled at her. “That was quick.”

  “Good thing we live close, right?”

  He nodded, even though he had no way of knowing how much of a pain in the ass it could be for people getting here in their own cars or on the buses.

  Amanda cleared her throat. “You wanna try these on? See if they fit?”

  She pulled the jeans out first, held them out to him.

  Hargreave smiled, setting the book down and taking the denim. He stroked his fingers over the material, as if he’d never seen anything like it before. “This is what men wear here?”

  Amanda cleared her throat. “Some men, yeah. There’s a belt inside, too, in case you need it.”

  Hargreave nodded, then looked at her with that sexy, crooked grin of his. “You are becoming warm.”

  Amanda coughed. “It’s hot outside.”

  Hargreave nodded. “I think you want to see me wear these. Are you certain these aren’t brothel clothes?”

  He was clearly playing with her, but the idea of him bare-chested and giving her the come-hither look, or being at her beck and call, like an escort, really was warming her up.

  “Just go put on the jeans,” she groaned.

  Hargreave chuckled and did as he was told. The problem was how he didn’t go into the bedroom to do it. He dropped the sheet right in front of her and put his pants on right there.

  Amanda tensed. She didn’t say anything, just in case he was trying to tease her again, trying to make her blush. There was no way in hell she was giving him that satisfaction, but at the same time, she had to admit, she liked this.

  She liked it when Hargreave was playful with her, when he teased her. The smile on his face as he stood straight, pulling the jeans around his hips, made it obvious.

  She smiled back at him. “You’re such a tease.”

  “Only for you, sweet.”

  He looked down at the button and fly of his pants. At first, Amanda thought he would ask her to do them up, but he seemed to figure out how to work the button and zipper pretty quickly.

  And now he was standing in front of her, his perfectly tanned chest bare, in a pair of loose-fitting jeans that were a little too big on him, looking down at her, and…oh God…Amanda brought her hand up to her face.

  “What is it?”

  Amanda shook her head. “You look too good. It’s not fair.”

  When she looked through her fingers, Hargreave was grinning at her. “Not fair?”

  “You seriously look like you just stepped out of every one of my female fantasies. You could be one of my cover models.”

  Especially shirtless and in jeans. Shirtless with jeans were basically what did it for her when it came to her heroes.

  “Would it be better if I took the clothes off?”

  Amanda caught the low purr in his voice when he leaned closer, and despite the heat rushing her, she shivered when his hands touched her shoulders.

  She swallowed hard, reaching up, and grabbed onto the back of his head. “Yeah.”

  Hargreave smiled when Amanda yanked his head down and kissed him hard.

  And, yeah, she totally pulled him out of those jeans.

  Chapter 15

  When they finished their fourth round of loving in less than a day, Amanda pulled him into her bathing room. A small area with a tub and pipes that brought the water to them.

  Hargreave was impressed. The tower his mate lived in was large, but her space was small. Still, the luxuries inside were notable, and worthy of his lover.

  The shower was exquisite. It felt as though he was bathing under a hot rain, and it got only hotter when his mate kissed him and gently used her teeth on his wet skin, her expression naughty, and eager.

  Showing her playful side now. He liked that.

  Afterwards, Amanda left him again, leaving for a shop she called a Starbucks. She returned with delicious drinks that Hargreave had never had before in his life. He could hardly believe this was coffee. It was sickeningly sweet, and he loved it.

  He loved it, and hated it at the same time.

  “Hargreave? What’s the matter?” Amanda put her drink down. “You okay?”

  They were sitting on her couch, the place where Hargreave had slept his first night here. Her body was snuggled securely against his own. She fit him so perfectly, and the morose feeling inside him worsened.

  He put his drink down on the small table in front of him. “I have to go back.”

  “What?” Amanda sat up quickly, staying close. “You…do you have to? We could stay here. It’s nice here.”

  “I cannot leave my people, Amanda,” Hargreave explained gently. “And I cannot ask you to come with me either.”

  She blinked at him, as though taking his words in slowly. “Okay. Can I ask why?”

  Hargreave scoffed, waving around to the space around him. “You live in a peaceful world, luxuries all around you. Your home, while small, is full of food, warmth, water, clothing. You want for nothing here.” Hargreave wet his lips, that aching sensation in his chest fully throbbing now. “I am a selfish man, but I would not ask you to part with this world for mine. You have more here than I could ever offer you.”

  “That’s not true! You could offer me lots! But it doesn’t matter because you don’t have to leave!” Amanda took him by the hand and gripped it tightly. “You just said this place has a lot of great things. I want to share that with you. We can both live here and not have to worry about fighting, dragon wars, or Eldric ever again.”

  She was reaching. He could tell since she had mentioned Eldric’s name. In her eyes, Eldric could do no wrong, so it was the only explanation that made any sort of sense.

  Hargreave was tempted. So tempted.

  He looked at her. Amanda pulled back. Something in her expression changed, hardened, and she rose from the couch, turning her back to him. “You already made up your mind.”

  “I cannot leave my people in the dark, Amanda. They need their prince.” He stood, moved to her, placed his hands on her shoulders. “I cannot let them down.”

  Amanda lifted her hand to her mouth. Hargreave felt the harsh fluttering of her heart as she took in this news. She turned to the counter. Hargreave looked in the same direction.

  The skeleton key was still there. It seemed to be looking at them. Amanda made a harsh, growling noise. “I should shatter it.”

  Hargreave didn’t think she would succeed if she tried. Magical items were not so easily destroyed.

  Amanda was silent. She said nothing to him, and Hargreave could think of nothing to say back to her that would be comforting in the least. He could think of nothing to comfort himself in this moment, knowing he would have to leave her behind.

  Hargreave went to where the key sat. He took it in his hand. The glass skull seemed to be smiling up at him.

  “Which door did you use to come to my world?” The locks he’d seen on the front door were
not large enough to fit a key such as this.

  Amanda clenched her fists, her back becoming stiff. “I’m going with you.”

  Hargreave shook his head.

  “I won’t tell you which door I used unless you take me with you.”

  “I will find it eventually. I have yet to explore your dwelling fully yet.”

  Amanda bit her lips together. Her face colored at his words. Something between anger and frustration.

  Perhaps it was better if she despised him. If she hated him, thought he was cruel for abandoning her, she would not miss him. She would not suffer any sort of loss.

  With the luxuries around her, she would not mourn him for long.

  “You would get in the way.”

  Amanda’s eyes blinked wide. His words seemed to shake her from her anger. “What?”

  Hargreave clenched his jaw. If it gave him a darker, uncaring demeanor, then all the better. “My world is not your world. You are not a woman fit for a world of battle or want. You are a princess in this world. That is something I have no interest in.”

  “Are you kidding me? You’re a prince!”

  “A title only. I have learned to live without. I would have no patience for you when you ultimately demand to be spoiled with the riches a world such as this would have afforded you. I need to keep my men fed, warm, and alive. Not gift you with strange items such as…this.” He reached out and tapped the black screen of the television. There were some similarities between his world and Amanda’s. The electricity, for one, though here it seemed more plentiful, but in his world, there were never black rectangles of glass that had people and music in them.

  Amanda’s face turned a bright shade of red one more time.

  Hargreave suspected she would strike him, cast him from her home in a rage, calling out every despicable name she could associate with him. He didn’t treasure the thought of it, but he knew he would deserve it. He waited for it. He even hoped for it in a twisted sense. If she was angry and screeched him out, he would have no reason to stay.