Ladon’s heart stopped when Alexis mentioned another male’s name. She was a beautiful woman; he shouldn’t be surprised that she had other men in her life. But it still felt like someone stabbed him in the gut.
Alexis led Ladon through the door into the dim interior where, mariachi music played over the speakers placed around the restaurant. The tables and chairs were all mismatched, but the place was spotless and the aromas drifting from the kitchen made his mouth water. The patrons lifted their heads and Ladon realized that he and Alexis were perhaps the only Caucasians in the entire place. It made Ladon feel like he was an intruder in this place.
As the door closed with a tingle of the bell suspended above it, a plump little Mexican woman popped her head out of the door he assumed went to the kitchen. When she spotted Alexis, her face lit up and the mamacita with streaks of grey in her hair squealed before running over to embrace Alexis in a flurry of Spanish. That reaction seemed to be good enough for the rest of the crowd, since they all turned back to their meals without a word.
She led them over to a table near the kitchens and disappeared again. Ladon picked up a menu to look over the selections when he felt Alexis’ small hand on his arm. He looked up and saw her shake her head and gesture at the menu. He gave her a dubious look and she mouthed, “trust me.” Shrugging, he laid the menu aside when a boy of maybe ten delivered fresh tortilla chips with queso and guacamole.
“Gracias, Manuel.” The little boy smiled and scurried away without a word.
“So that was Manuel? Somehow I thought he might have been older?”
“So what if he had been? You have no claim on me, Ladon.” Alexis snatched a chip and scooped a heaping portion of guacamole onto it before popping it in her mouth.
“So how did you find this place?” Ladon dipped a chip in the queso and took a bite, almost moaning in pleasure. Oh god, that is some good food. He had never tasted anything like it, and this was just the appetizer.
Alexis shrugged, “I make extra money tutoring ESL students for the public-school systems.”
“ESL?”
“English as a second language.” Ladon nodded and motioned for her to continue. “Since I am familiar with a fair range of different languages, it seemed like an easy way to supplement the meager salary I make teaching.” Ladon felt a bit guilty and wondered if her financial hardship was because of what happened after meeting him. “Manuel was one of my students. The first time he ever made the honor roll at school, Mrs. Rodriguez, his mom, made me a batch of tamales as a thank you. They were so wonderful I asked if I could purchase more of them and we struck up a friendship, which led me here.”
Ladon was about to say something when Mrs. Rodriguez appeared carrying numerous plates of food. It surprised Ladon that even though he hadn’t ordered anything specific that the woman seemed to know exactly what he had wanted. He looked up at Alexis with wide eyes before digging into the scrumptious food.
“I told you so,” was all Alexis said before she dug into her own plate of food.
9
Half an hour later Ladon leaned back into his chair and rubbed his full stomach, “How did she do that?”
Alexis chuckled, “Rumor has it that Mrs. Rodriguez is a bruja, a witch. She always knows just what a person wants to eat. Personally, I think she is just a really good cook and whatever she serves you you’re going to want.” She pushed the plate of sopapillas to the center of the table. “You have about half an hour left to explain to me why you are here, Ladon.”
“I told you that I needed your help. I have been trying to find out if any other dragons survived the way I did. Overall, I didn’t have much luck, until about a year ago. I discovered and bought a tiny uninhabited island off the coast of Japan.”
“Whoa, wait a minute…you bought an entire island? Just how much money do you have?”
Ladon gave her a boyish grin, “Well it was only a small island.” Alexis rolled her eyes at him. “Anyway…the mountain on this island actually had a dragon temple complex carved into it. At the heart of that I found Ryuu.”
“What is Ryuu?”
“Not what…who. Ryuu is another dragon. In fact, he is the only other dragon I have found so far. He had mysteriously fallen into a deep sleep just as I had, and when I woke him he was all alone. All of the scholars and handmaidens that should have been there were gone, just like with me.”
“Scholars?” Alexis picked up on that word quickly. Her time with Ladon might not have been long, but when they had met he had never asked about scholars, only his handmaidens. “Why would he expect scholars to be there?”
Ladon took a deep breath; this was the part that would either hook Alexis’ interest or not. If it didn’t, he would be walking out of her life permanently this afternoon. He really didn’t want to do that. He might not understand why, but he knew he didn’t want his time to end so suddenly with Alexis.
“He expected it because he was the keeper of the Drakonian library; its stores of knowledge surpassed even the library at Alexandria.”
Alexis tapped her chin, eyes downcast, mentally calculating something. When she looked up at Ladon, he could see her eyes sparkling with curiosity and perhaps avarice.
“Does the library still exist?”
“Alexis,” there was a warning in Ladon’s voice, “This isn’t something you can write about. This modern world thinks dragons are a myth, and until we figure out why that is, it needs to stay that way.”
“Then why are you telling me about it?”
“Because we are hoping that there are clues in the library that can help us locate others and maybe even figure out what happened to us. Ryuu is a great scholar, but it will take him years to get through this alone. You already know about us and have the credentials to help.”
Alexis frown at him, “You are asking me to give up my entire life to help you in one of the greatest archeological research projects, but I can’t publish anything I find. Are you insane?”
“I know it doesn’t seem like a fair trade.”
“It’s not…. I may not have the career I want, but if I take a break from what I do have without anything to show for it, then my career is as good as dead, Ladon. I’ve worked too hard to rebuild what I have.”
“What if Draco International hired you as a consultant? We have a lot of different properties, some of which may have archeological significance. You would be paid a salary, which is more generous than what you are making now teaching. You would have to sign off on a few papers while others did the leg work on those projects, leaving you free to work with us on the library.”
Alexis ripped off the corner of one the sopapillas she had abandoned earlier and dipped it into honey. She was thoughtful as she popped the morsel in her mouth and chewed. What he was offering her sounded fair. She wouldn’t have any unexplained gaps in employment and technically she would be involved in some digs and research, even if it was only on paper, which was more than she had now. The increase in pay would be nice, and it wasn’t like she was leaving behind family here in Ft. Worth.
So why was she stalling? This might be the thing that gets her back in the field. Alexis knew that her hesitancy had more to do with the man sitting across from her than the job offer itself. Any way she looked at it; Ladon still had the power to get under her skin. If she was hung up on him this much five years later after a single day, what was she going to feel after working with him day after day?
“Please say yes, Alexis…. I need you.”
She knew that it was probably her own deluded heart, but Alexis thought she heard more in that simple statement. Maybe Ladon had been affected as much as she had by their meeting years ago. She would never know for certain if she didn’t take a chance now.
“All right, Ladon. I’ll help.” Alexis hoped she wasn’t dooming her heart in the process.
“Great, I can have your things stored and we can make arrangements for travel by the end of next week…”
“Whoa, not so fast there, Spe
edy. I do have a life here, and considering how long it took me to get the job here; I’d rather not burn any bridges along the way. The semester ends in a couple of weeks, but I still need to see if I can get a leave of absence approved.”
“Oh it will be approved.” Ladon smiled a predatory smile.
10
Damn the man! He wiggles his little fingers, throws a bit of money and everything falls into place for him. The chancellor not only approved her leave of absence, but pushed her to take time off before the end of the semester, assuring her that the department would cover her finals and the teaching assistants were capable of getting her grades in.
Alexis was seriously worried she wouldn’t have a job to come back to with her boss’s enthusiastic removal of her from her classroom. She found out later from the department secretary that Mr. Drake not only agreed to fund two research grants if he could borrow her for a while, but had sweetened the pot with a new science lab if he could have her within the next few days.
So now Alexis was standing on the tarmac of the private section of Love field waiting to board Ladon’s private jet. They would layover in Colorado to pick up his partner, who evidently was another dragon. After that they would be heading straight to the island off Japan’s coast where the dragon library lay buried.
Despite his underhanded methods, Alexis was excited about getting back into the field. She may not be able to publish her findings with the library, but having her name on active digs was still a good thing. She made a mental note to get information on the digs she was supposed to be signing off on before they went to what she assumed would be a primitive sight in Asia.
“Dr. Carmichael?”
An attractive blonde in a sharp-looking stewardess uniform walked over to Alexis.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Drake is expecting you. If you would follow me.” The woman walked ahead of Alexis with what she assumed men would consider a seductive sway of the hips. Alexis couldn’t help the little green-eyed monster that popped up as she thought about her own disheveled appearance compared to the polished blonde.
What did she care if Ladon surrounded himself with a veritable harem of attractive women? She was here to work nothing else. At least that was what she was telling herself.
*****
The flight from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Denver only took about an hour. When they touched down Ladon had told Alexis to not worry about their bags as they would be boarding the overseas flight that night and his staff would see to it that their baggage would be taken care of. He then rushed her off to the downtown office where his company was headquartered.
After a dizzying round of introductions and piles of contact information for the archeological teams she would be overwriting, Alexis found herself in a conference room across the table from a dour-faced man Ladon had introduced as Ryuu Mizushima.
The man had his arms crossed and was just staring silently at Alexis. Alexis took the opportunity to observe him right back. He was a large, muscular man, just like Ladon was, but that was where any similarities ended. Ryuu was dark. His hair was so black that it shined with blue highlights in the light. His skin was olive in complexion. It was difficult to determine race. His features had a somewhat Asian appearance to them, but none of the definitive features like almond shaped eyes. His eyes were just as unusual as Ladon’s were, but in a different way. Where Ladon’s eyes were golden with a hint of red within them, Ryuu’s eyes appeared black. The irises were so dark it was difficult to tell where the pupil ended and the iris began. It gave him a disconcerting stare.
Finally, Alexis had had enough.
“What seems to be your problem with me? You obviously don’t like me, and since I have been here less than a day, I can’t think it is because I have done something to insult you. So, what is it?”
The corner of Ryuu’s mouth quirked up just a bit; Alexis might have missed it if she hadn’t been watching him so intently. At least the hulking man wasn’t completely unfeeling.
“I’m trying to figure out why Ladon thinks I need you in my library.”
The emphasis on “my”—his huge stature and slightly alien looks—the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place for Alexis. Finally, it clicked, this was the Ryuu that Ladon had talked about earlier.
“You’re a dragon as well, aren’t you?” Ryuu simply nodded.
“I suppose you aren’t too happy having a human scholar rummaging through your library.”
“I have nothing against human scholars. I was friends with many in my time.”
Alexis smirked, “So it is just this human scholar you have an issue with then?”
Ryuu finally relaxed his arms somewhat, and a ghost of a smile crossed his features. “Ladon said you were a bit of a spitfire.”
“It would probably be best if we steered clear of what Ladon and I would say about each other.”
Ryuu let out a loud guffaw, “M’lady, I think it is going to be very entertaining having you around.”
11
After breaking the ice, Ryuu and Alexis fell into easy conversation. Ladon entered the conference room to hear Alexis laugh at something Ryuu had said. When she noticed Ladon, the smile that had been on her lips fell into a frown. The loss of her warm smile hit Ladon like a physical blow. It was obvious she did not think well of him, and for some reason that fact mattered to him.
Ladon could see Ryuu smirking over Alexis’s head. Ladon’s temper flared red hot and he really wished he could smash that smug look off of Ryuu’s face.
It wasn’t until that moment that Ladon realized that Ryuu and Alexis might have much more in common than him and Alexis. What would he do if she fell for the other dragon? Ladon mentally punched himself. What did it matter if she fell for Ryuu? Ladon wanted her here just to get her out of his system anyway. If she and Ryuu got together after he had bedded her then so be it.
“Are we ready to go? The pilot is on standby waiting for us.” Ladon forced himself to smile politely.
“Give me a minute to refresh myself and I will meet you at the car.” Alexis brushed by Ladon on her way to the restroom. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent; a sweet mix of vanilla and something that was uniquely Alexis.
When the door to the conference room clicked shut, Ladon squared off with Ryuu.
“What the hell was that about?” Ladon demanded. “She’s mine.”
Ryuu held his hands up in mock surrender, “Alexis is a charming woman and we were having a nice conversation. Nothing more.”
Ladon’s brow furrowed as he took a step back from his friend. “Fine.”
Ryuu watched as Ladon got himself back under control. The man was an idiot if he thought sex was the cure to what ailed him. The tension between Ladon and Alexis had been palatable. Their feelings ran a lot deeper than either one of them cared to admit.
Ryuu mentally rubbed his hands together in glee. He might come off as a stogy old scholar, but he still had a strong sense of mischief, and this thing between Ladon and Alexis was going to be full of entertaining possibilities.
The men gathered up their bags and headed for the door. Ryuu was the first to reach to it.
“You know I think I am going to like working with Dr. Carmichael. Alexis is quite charming and beautiful. Any man would be lucky to be spending time with her.” The comment was tossed casually over his shoulder, but Ryuu knew that it had hit its mark when he heard Ladon growl behind him. With a chuckle, the black dragon quickly slipped out the door and headed to the elevator, where Alexis was already standing. He had to suppress a laugh when Alexis pushed the button to close the doors before Ladon could join them in the ride to the parking garage. Yup, this trip was definitely going to be entertaining.
*****
Ladon’s mood only got worse during the flight to Asia. If it wasn’t for the fact that he actually liked Ryuu and he was the only other living dragon as far as they knew; Ladon would have barbequed him mid-flight.
Alexis was leaning forward to hear what Ryuu
was saying about the archeological digs that, up until they had hired Alexis, he had been overseeing. Their heads were together, so close that if she turned her face up just a little Ryuu could kiss her.
Ladon snorted at that thought and shifted in his seat yet again. He tried looking out the window, but there was nothing to look at but clouds. He tried to sleep, but the pair sharing the cabin of the company jet with him just made too much noise for him to get any sleep.
Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but damn it, he was hyper tuned to the woman. Why couldn’t she smile at him like she was smiling at that stupid black dragon?
Almost as if his thoughts conjured her response, Alexis looked up at him, smiling. Her grin disintegrated in the face of his scowling. For a moment, confusion flashed across her face, quickly followed by hurt and then anger.
Fuck! (Such a good modern word for so many situations.) If he didn’t get his emotions under control he was going to push her away. That would make this entire enterprise pointless. Yeah, he had told Ryuu that she would help researching the library, which is true. But now that she was on the plane crossing oceans to spend time with him, Ladon could admit that the main reason he suggested this course was he wanted her with him. She got under his skin somehow. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t let her go until he investigated this attraction fully.
Ladon wiped a hand across his face and ran fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe he spent too much time out of body, because he didn’t feel like himself since waking up. Of course, waking and meeting Alexis occurred almost at the same time so he couldn’t pinpoint the catalyst for his present state.
His sour mood was contagious, evidently, because the only sound in the plane’s cabin was the hum of the jet engine. Alexis had curled up in her chair and seemed to be trying to sleep. Ryuu was glaring at him, and when Ladon made eye contact, the black dragon mouthed, “What the hell?”
Breathing Fire (Drakonian Chronicles Book 1) Page 4
