He watched as Ella perused the offerings. Gregor knew the second she spotted something she liked. She stilled, watched it for a moment like it was the prey and she was the predator, and then she walked over to it, trailing her fingers across the knotty, dark wood. She turned the tag hanging on it around and winced as she saw the price.
Gregor took it from her. "Is this a lot?" he asked.
She shrugged. "More than I wanted to pay," she admitted, "but it's the one I like the most."
"Then you should have it," he said. "This will not replace the one in your living area?"
She shook her head. "I have a lot of books." A small smile appeared on her lips.
Ella was beautiful and intelligent and even Gregor understood how rare of a combination that was. He allowed her to lead him all over the store. Watching her made his heart swell. She might not know she was his mate yet, but he did. Even though he still had a lot of questions about it and how it came to be, he contented himself with these moments. There was nothing between them right now except for companionship. It had been so long since he'd felt this with a woman. Not since Telya.
He helped Ella lug yet another thing onto the massive cart she'd wrangled from one of the aisles. Even he was dubious about all of the boxes she'd loaded.
"Shouldn't they be bigger?" he asked as they walked to the area where they needed to pay.
"You have to put everything together," Ella said. "All the pieces are in the box."
Gregor's mouth dropped. "How many pieces?"
"A lot," she said. A snort escaped her as she caught a glance of his face.
Gregor had no idea how an entire bookshelf fit into a mostly flat box, but it couldn't be a good thing. "How are you going to put all of this together?" he asked. Gregor regretted it immediately. In a relationship, the man did things like that. Didn't they?
"What I can't do myself, I suppose I'll have to hire out."
"Hire out?" Gregor inquired. "Like pay someone to do it?"
"Yes."
"A man?" he asked.
Ella's eyes tightened at the edges. "Yes," she said, though she didn't sound as nice as she had the moment before.
"Why not a woman?" Gregor asked. The thought of a strange man inside of her apartment did funny things to his insides.
"Because the majority of women don't take on tasks like this. But if I find a woman who can, I will certainly hire them." She stared at Gregor. "I know how to do a lot of this on my own, but it's a lot and I don't know if I'll have a lot of time to put most of it together."
"Then I shall help you," Gregor said as the checker scanned all of the boxes.
One of her perfect eyebrows rose. "Oh? Do tell how much experience you have with furniture assembly." She paused. "Or any assembly for that matter."
"My lady, I assume furniture building is like a puzzle. I am a master at puzzles."
"Puzzles with power tools," Ella interjected.
"Excuse me?" Gregor had no idea what power tools were.
"Power tools," she repeated. "Drills, hammers, saws; things like that."
"I know what a saw is," Gregor said, offended. "Though I don't know why you'd buy something that needed to be sawed."
"It was just an example. A drill would be the main thing."
Gregor had no idea what a drill was. "It cannot be that hard."
Ella shut her eyes for a moment. To Gregor, it seemed like she might be praying. Why, he had no idea. It was simply furniture. How hard could it be?
"You say that now. When I open the box and you see how many pieces there are, I think you'll change your mind."
"I will not," argued Gregor. "You need assistance, and I shall be the one to assist you."
Ella blinked at him. "I told you I'll hire someone."
"I do not want a strange man in your home." Gregor straightened to his full height, knowing he cut an imposing figure, even wearing those restrictive pants.
Redness swept across Ella's face. He'd seen it before. This was right before the moment she threatened to strangle someone because she was angry. He had no idea what he might have said to cause that reaction. But he suspected he was about to find out.
Ella came a few steps closer. Gregor looked about. Several people in line were staring at them. They must have overheard their words.
She raised her finger and poked him in the chest. "I am perfectly capable of assisting myself in this endeavor. Should you wish to assist in the future, perhaps you should ask me before you make demands. I am no one's damsel in distress."
Her eyes sparkled like sapphires. Her lips were slightly parted, and her chest heaved with annoyance.
Gregor had never seen someone more beautiful. He wanted to kiss her, but he also wanted to keep arguing with her. She used big words when she was mad, and he liked the way she lost her breath.
He grasped the hand still against his chest. "My apologies, lady," Gregor said. Even though he was anything but sorry. He lowered his voice. "I am merely worried about Ludovic seeing this as an opportunity to ingratiate himself to you. Or worse."
Gregor was lying. Ludovic knew as much about furniture as Gregor knew about women's fashion. He didn't think the evil dragon would be scouring the classifieds.
But he'd been wrong about the dragon before.
Mostly, though, he didn't want a male prowling around Ella's place getting his scent everywhere. Even the thought of it made his blood boil. So he used Ludovic as an excuse.
The silence drew between them. His hand engulfed her small one. They were locked in a stare until the sound of a throat clearing made Ella jump.
Her eyes widened in surprise and she spun around. "Sorry!" She dug through her purse and brought out a piece of small plastic. Apparently, these little cards were currency in this world. When Sara had tried to explain it to him, it gave him a headache and he asked her to stop.
When the person assisting said the total, Ella's eyes went round. She blew out a low whistle and ran her card through the small machine. Ella pressed in a few numbers and waited for the man to hand her a slip of paper.
This, Gregor learned, was proof of the exchange of goods. Ella got behind the cart and started to push when he gently nudged her aside. "This is why I am here. I will assist."
"I'm still annoyed," Ella growled.
He tried not to smile. She sounded like a chipmunk chirping when she was angry. "I know. It's for your own good, though."
And his.
Ella huffed a breath and followed him out.
Gregor stared at the vehicle, then at the cart full of things. "Ella?" he questioned.
"It will fit!" she declared.
"It will most certainly not fit," argued Gregor. "Woman, you cannot violate the laws of physics."
A laugh cracked from her as she opened the back of her transportation. He didn't budge from his spot until she hit him with a heated glare.
"Move and let me show you how it's done."
He raised his hands in surrender and stepped back.
As soon as the back door opened, Ella climbed into the car on her hands and knees.
Gregor's mouth went dry. All he saw was the luscious curve of her rear as she jostled something inside. He didn’t even care what it was, as long as she kept moving like that. A muffled curse came from her and she jerked something a few more times.
Gregor raised his eyes heavenward and muttered a prayer to a god he wasn't sure was listening. He repeated over and over to himself that he, in fact, was a gentleman and if he reached out now and cupped the curve of her ass, he would ruin any trust he built with her.
Just as the temptation was becoming too great and his hands were moving from his side to do something he'd wanted to do the first day he met her, she shouted, "Eureka!" and began to move back out of the vehicle.
Gregor wiped the disappointment from his face as she jumped down. She spun to face him, her cheeks red with exertion.
"Look!" she cried and pointed to the vehicle.
Gregor peered in only to
see the seats were gone. "The fuck?" he said. He blinked and rubbed his eyes.
A peal of laughter came from Ella. "You can tuck the seats into the floor!"
Gregor shook his head. "Sorcery," he muttered. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this place."
Ella rolled her eyes. "Come over here and use your muscles, dragon. This is, after all, why I brought you."
He tamped down the hurt he felt over that and reached down for the first box of furniture.
Gregor was on the third box when he felt something right between his shoulder blades. All of the dragons had good instincts, but Gregor had something else—intuition. It was legendary in his circle. He was good at reading people and good at knowing when a situation wasn't as it seemed.
Someone was watching them.
He relaxed immediately so his body wouldn't betray him by tensing up. Gregor reached down for the fourth box and glanced around as quickly as he could so as not to tip off the watcher.
A man stood on the roof of a nearby building, his arms crossed over his massive chest.
Gregor's nostrils flared.
Ludovic.
Gregor tensed to spring. It wasn't ideal showing his nature here, but if he had the opportunity to take Ludovic down now, he didn't care if he was revealed.
Ella's brows drew together. "Gregor?"
"Stay here," he growled under his breath. "Or better yet, have someone load this for you and go to Daegal."
She hesitated. "I—"
"Now!" Gregor roared.
He didn't wait to see if she had obeyed him. Knowing her, she had not. Gregor sprung up from the hot concrete, his wings crashing from his shoulder blades.
Ludovic did not move. If anything, he seemed to still even more.
Gregor's wings beat against the warm air as he strained to reach his mortal enemy before he disappeared. His skin began to scale over, his hands turned into smooth, deadly claws and his face began to elongate.
Ludovic still stood motionless.
When Gregor was less than twenty feet away, the other dragon lifted a hand in a mocking salute.
He disappeared right before his eyes.
Gregor stopped in mid-air, his wings beating out a frantic pattern. He wasn't completely shifted yet, but he was close. He pulsed his wings a couple more times and when he hovered over the building Ludovic stood on, he couldn't find a trace of the dragon.
Gregor screeched his rage as he frantically inspected the rooftop. When he was satisfied Ludovic was gone, he dropped his dragon form and landed on the roof in a crouched position.
Gregor carefully investigated the area but could not find anything he left behind. Ludovic knew he was going to be here today, but how?
He bit off a curse and launched himself off the top of the building. Gregor wouldn't be able to shift again for at least a few minutes. He landed softly on the ground and jogged back over to Ella only to stop when he was a few feet away.
Shock rolled through his system. The mating bond had flared to life. It curled around Ella's thighs, the golden light invisible to everyone except for the dragons.
Gregor shut his eyes in grief for a moment.
If he had seen it, Ludovic had as well.
Even though he was jesting with Ella a little while ago about being in danger, it was true now. Ludovic knew Ella was his mate.
If he knew the dragon, he knew he would come after everything he and his brothers loved.
"Gregor?" Ella questioned.
"Get into the death trap," he bit out as he walked around and opened the passenger door.
This time Ella did not disobey him. She pressed her lips together and slid into the driver's seat. The atmosphere in the car was somber.
"You are in danger, Ella."
She snorted and started the car. "And why am I important?"
Because you're my mate. The words wanted to spill from his lips. Because you mean everything to me.
Instead, he said, "Because you were seen with me. He will destroy all of our friends and their loved ones if I do not find him."
"The burden is not only on you," she said. Ella turned the car on and pulled away from the store. The back was filled with the rest of her purchases.
So instead of running, she'd gone inside and gotten help with her purchases. He wanted to strangle her.
"The burden is on all of us," Gregor admitted. "But if I find him first, I will take him on myself." It was a little bluster. Ludovic was powerful in his own right. Granted, it was a twisted, perverse power, but it was still enough to make Gregor wonder if he could best him without his other brothers.
"He hasn't done anything," Ella said quietly.
That wasn't quite true. "Are you forgetting about Sara?" he asked. His brow furrowed as he looked at her.
"That isn't what I meant. Sara was a target because of Daegal. I mean humans as a whole. He hasn't done anything to anyone."
"The response to that is yet. He hasn't done anything yet. The first time we took him on, he was enslaving our people. Granted, this Earth could present a lot of challenges for him. Humans are not quite as docile as they used to be. But make no mistake, Ella, his ultimate goal is the enslavement of the entire human race. He sees your people as cattle. Fodder for him."
Ella shuddered as she drove. "Point taken."
He nodded. "He cannot be allowed to live. The longer we take to find him, the more power he gains. He cannot be allowed to come to full power. I'm not sure what plans he has, but allowing them to come to fruition is folly of the worst kind."
Ella did not respond for a while. When she did, the subject was changed. "Thank you for coming today. I appreciated it."
The sun was starting to go down, and even though they were in the car, the rays of it made her hair look a deep red. Gregor wanted to run his fingers through it and see if it was as silky as it appeared.
"The pleasure was all mine," he responded. "I need to go to places like this so I can appear more human." He shrugged. "Living here has not been easy for me."
Ella's mouth turned down. "I'm sorry. I know how hard it must be to be ripped from your home like you were."
Gregor stilled. Those words ... she was opening up to him. "I miss the world I left. My home was full of family. Even though a lot of them were not blood relations, we still considered them to be family." He paused for a moment. Ella's fingers tensed on the steering wheel. "What about you?" he asked. "Do you have family here?"
He could see her struggle with how to respond. Empathy made him reach out and place a hand on her arm.
She gave him a wobbly smile, and Gregor felt his heart speared that he had asked a question which caused her pain.
"My family isn't here," she said. "But if they were, I would not be involved with them."
There was a story in there she was leaving out. Gregor could sense her wanting to tell him, but just when she opened her mouth to speak again, she shut it. "It's a terrible story," she said. "And one I do not like telling."
He lifted a hand and tugged on a long strand of hair. "Maybe one day you will trust me enough," he said.
"Maybe," she agreed.
"I hope you do," Gregor said. He dropped her hair and looked out the passenger side window. The ocean spread for miles, its deep azure color striking something primal in Gregor's soul. He hadn't been out in the water in a few days. It was high time he got back in. He glanced over at Ella. Perhaps she would join him.
Despite the subject matter brought up, Ella didn't seem ill at ease until she parked in her driveway. She opened the hatch again and studied all of the boxes. "Some of these are heavy," she said.
Gregor shrugged. "It's nothing to me."
"But they're shaped awkwardly. It won't be as easy as it was loading them," she protested.
In response, Gregor pulled one of the boxes out, slung it on his shoulder and headed to the apartment. Ella scrambled after him, thumbing through her key ring for the apartment key. When she got it open, Gregor brushed past her.
"Where?"
She walked in front of him, turned down a short hallway, and opened a door to a mostly empty room. The only thing inside of it, crammed up against the far wall, was a ton of electronics. He frowned as he walked in. "What's all that?" He knew what computers were, but didn't know much about them other than the use of the internet.
"It's for my work," Ella said, but she didn't elaborate.
He set the box down on the floor and walked back out to retrieve the others. Ella trailed behind him.
"I feel useless," she said as she watched him load another box onto his powerful shoulders.
Gregor stared at her. "You are anything but useless. Sometimes, people are better than others at some things. Today, it's lifting. Unless you can figure out a way to do this better and faster than me, just allow me to do this for you. Okay?" His gaze met her bright blue one.
Ella tilted her chin up. "Okay. But I don't like it. Allow me to make it up to you."
The images that went through Gregor's head were graphic and inappropriate for anything but his imagination. He wanted her to make it up to him in a thousand ways and a thousand scenarios. Every single one of them involved her without a stitch of clothing on.
Be a gentleman, he reminded himself. "It is unnecessary, but I'll be eager to hear what you come up with." He gave Ella a blinding smile and bounced back up to her apartment. Ella's gaze bore into his back. Gregor didn't know what she was thinking, but if it was even half as heated as what he was, he'd take it.
Sooner rather than later, all of her purchases were unloaded and Gregor stood at the door of her apartment.
"Please let me know when you start putting all of those together. I would like to assist."
"I don't need you to," she protested.
A sigh of frustration burst from him. "All I want to do is help, Ella. That is all. I would like you to let me." He watched her intently. "Please?" Gregor reached out and tilted her chin up to look at him. "I want to do this. Okay?"
She speared him with a glance, and Gregor felt like she was looking into his soul. The moment stretched between them until he could no longer stand it. Gregor broke eye contact, bent down and brushed a kiss across her cheek.
The Alpha Dragon's Mate (Dragon Shifters of Kahului Book 2) Page 5
