by Cara Wylde
James went into the lobby, which smelled heavily of lavender-scented candles, and waited. He was a few minutes early, so he took a seat by the cocktail bar and wondered if he should get a quick drink, something to calm the nerves and make him look fairly classy when she walked down to greet him. A man with a neat bourbon in his hand always seemed to get the ladies in the movies he had watched as a kid...
No, this wasn’t a date, this was a business meeting. That was a statement that was getting harder and harder for him to convince himself of. Perhaps, she’d show up and shut down all his ideas that something might happen.
Those thoughts were squashed when he saw her walk into the lobby, keen and sharp eyes searching for him, in a tight silver dress. She had changed her make-up, her hair, and her outfit. He briefly wondered why she’d opted for a cocktail dress on a business meeting, but he wasn’t about to complain. She looked stunning, and he was glad he’d included the expensive pocket square in his outfit.
“Evening,” he said, walking up to her and drawing her gaze. When it landed on him, it felt like being hit by warm, bright sunrays. Her golden eyes could set him on fire. “I’ve got a few options for you, since I’m not sure what you like.”
“I’ll eat anything. Surprise me. It’s my first time in London,” she said with a smile that revealed her perfect white teeth.
“I hope you enjoy rustic Tuscan, then. Though a pub of fish and chips might be more touristy, I hope you can appreciate some good bruschetta over the smell of deep-fried dishes.”
“I get enough fish at home.”
“Right, Norway. I’m fairly certain we import a lot of our fish from there.”
They walked out of the hotel and into the chilly air of February. While the fog could make the daytime look positively oppressive, at night it brought the lights to life. He was glad for it, as it created a dazzling view of the city for her. He wanted her to enjoy it; truly, thoroughly enjoy it. He guided her towards the restaurant as they made light conversation about their day.
“Just here,” he said, grabbing her arm lightly to pull her back from walking past the door. Even through her elegant coat, he could feel the heat radiating from every inch of her skin. Somehow, it made him shiver in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.
“It smells fantastic,” she said when they stepped in, and a lovely combination of garlic and rosemary hit their noses.
“It’s my favorite place in the city.”
“For two, then?” the host asked, and James nodded. “This way, please.”
The host was smiling like he knew something. A couple, a candlelit Italian restaurant, Valentine’s Day. It was the most date-like business dinner James had ever been on, and it was getting harder and harder to try and convince himself Astrid would never be interested in him no matter what he did. Maybe he should have brought her flowers? I wouldn’t hurt if he just pretended, in his mind, that this was exactly what he wanted it to be, right?
“You’ll have to give me recommendations on what I should get,” she said. “I’m not very familiar with Italian.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
He perused the menu. He knew his own favorite; their eggplant parmesan was the best he’d had. But she was a dragon-shifter. He didn’t like giving in to stereotypes, but she probably wanted something heartier and meatier. The happy medium would be the chicken parmesan, which he’d never had, but was staking his entire night on hoping it was good.
“Two chicken parms, I think?” he suggested.
“I’m at your mercy,” she chuckled.
There was something just a shade darker in her eyes. James swallowed heavily and moved on.
“I know white wine is meant to be the correct pairing with chicken, but I hope you’ll forgive the faux pas if I recommend their Pinot Noir. It’s sweet enough that it’ll work, I think.”
Oh, he was really trying to impress her. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating, and every time he looked over the menu and made a decision, he immediately second-guessed himself. It had never happened to him in his whole life! Especially when it came to wine…
Wine was one thing James did not make mistakes on. While his friends in college were chugging kegs of beer and shotgunning cans through small holes made with dollar store pocket knives, he was perusing the wine shelves at the only liquor store on campus. With the right girls on campus, it was a suave way to get dates, but many of them were just as frat crazed as the boys with the popped collars. It had translated well into his manhood, however, and seemed to be working with Astrid, who was currently looking at him with surprise and curiosity in her beautiful eyes.
“Hello, my name is Veronica and I’ll be your waitress this evening,” said a small, brown-haired woman in a well-pressed shirt and black pants. She was wafting of flowery perfume, and she let her gaze linger just a little too long on James. “What can I get you to start off?”
“The Josh Pinot Noir,” he said quickly, trying to avoid her intense gaze without coming off as rude. “A bottle and two glasses.”
“Excellent! Any appetizers?”
“The goat cheese bruschetta, if you please.”
“Fantastic choice, it’s my favorite.”
James nodded. The waitress lingered, just for a second, perhaps to see if he’d meet her eyes, then left. He turned to look at Astrid, who was smirking.
“It’s not often that I become the invisible one,” she said. “I’m impressed.”
“Valentine’s Day must have hit her hard if she’s fishing for dates from someone out on one,” he said, and then panicked. “Well, appearing to be on one, I mean. For all she knows, we’re married.”
“Indeed.”
It was far too early in the night to excuse himself to go to the bathroom and yell at his own face in the mirror. Before he had to worry about making more small talk, the bottle of wine appeared, luckily from one of the bartenders. The young man rattled off the year and the quality of the flavor: a sweeter red, but with a tart aftertaste thanks to some overripe blackberries used in the recipe. He poured small sips for them to try before pouring out to fill the glasses.
“Nice taste,” she said.
“I have my father to thank for that,” he shrugged. “He’s responsible for my passion for wine. How did your conversation with your Alpha and Beta go? If I may ask…”
She sighed, but gave a small smile.
“Eric can be stubborn at times, but he agrees this is a necessity, especially for dragon-shifters.”
“I’m glad he thinks that way. This is, possibly, the most important thing I’ll ever do. That is… if I do find the shortcut to creating more serum for dragon venom and eagle venom.”
“You think so highly of it in your heart?”
Before he could answer, Veronica was back with their order and more sidelong glances at James. He thanked her and sent her away as politely and quickly as possible.
“When my father told me he expected me to follow in his footsteps, he followed it up by telling me that I could only do it if I cared exceptionally about everything I did. Of course, he was referring to his political career. He never wanted me to go to medical school. I still took his words to heart. Harington Pharmaceuticals is not some American company looking to charge $30 a pill. We have a duty to take good care of both humans and shape-shifters. This project was my dream. Even before the antidotes for shifter venom were approved and made legal, I believed in my dream and that, one day, it would change the world.”
“When I first heard about your cures, ten years ago, I was afraid it was an act,” she said. She didn’t mean to offend him, but she felt like it was a good idea to be honest to him.
“An act?”
“It seemed too good to be true to find someone, a pharmaceutical company particularly, that cared about the well-being of shape-shifters the way we care. We’re in good hands.”
“I hope so.”
There was a pause, and the air between them warmed with their smiles. They were si
tting comfortably over the tiny flames of the candles. James felt the torturous urge to lean in and kiss her soft, plump lips. He fought it, concentrating on controlling his body and the erection her presence was giving him. A few more sips of wine, and it would be impossible to resist.
“Tell me about you,” he said. “I feel like we’ve done nothing but talk about me and my work all day. Tell me more about your clan.”
“Well, as you know, I’m here because my nephews have made it their mission to fly into things and destroy as much of the palace as they can,” she laughed.
“Our nephews…”
Astrid blinked at him, then shook her head lightly.
“Of course. Delyse is your sister. She’s terrified they’re going to just blow the whole palace off the hillside one day, and Viggo isn’t much help when it comes to discouraging them. My brother and I set the parlor on fire when we were 12.”
They both laughed.
“So, yes… Carr and Jax have the whole destruction thing running through their veins. Eric is more serious and authoritarian, but he can’t really keep them under control.”
Dinner came, and James tried not to look too creepy while he watched her indulge in the first few bites and let out a moan of bliss. He also tried to push down the feelings that stirred just under his belly button. Her moan had been because of the food, not because of him.
“It’s incredible!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
They ate, sharing their mutual love of the dish they had chosen, and both trying to get the other to take the last piece of bruschetta. They finished off their bottle of wine and sat in the glow of the candlelight, surrendering to the gentle buzz the Pinot Noir had spread through their bodies. James was running out of coherent things to say, especially when she looked so fabulous. He couldn’t believe he was having dinner with such a beautiful and intelligent woman. With a dragon-shifter!
He was so lost in his thoughts that her next words caught him completely off guard.
“Have you ever ridden a dragon?”
James chocked on his own saliva and hurried to take a sip of wine. With that, he finished his glass, so if she was going to say something even more insane, he would have no more wine to mask his embarrassment.
“Oh my God! That came out wrong!” She laughed, but an angry blush spread all over her neck and cheeks. “I meant… riding a dragon-shifter in his or her dragon form. You know… flying on a dragon’s back.”
James was looking at her with his big, blue eyes, and Astrid blushed even more.
“I’m terrible at this.”
“No, no,” he eventually managed to blurt out. Well, there went his attempts at keeping his erection in check. “I’ve… never ridden a dragon-shifter…”
Astrid smiled and regained some of her composure. She knew it wasn’t the wine. Shifters never got tipsy. It was him. This tall, handsome man, so clean, and elegant, and so ridiculously smart… James Harington had made her wet her panties the second they had stepped inside the restaurant. It was a good thing he was only human and didn’t possess the amazing sense of smell shifters had, otherwise he would have told in a heartbeat that she had been aroused the entire evening.
“Well, if you’d like to scratch one off the bucket list, I’d be happy to take you for a ride.”
James was almost tempted to ask which type of ride he was going to check off the list, but decided against it. The atmosphere wasn’t quite right yet, and a false step could destroy everything he’d been working so hard to achieve. He carefully considered her proposal. He had never been one for flying too much, had always hated planes, but the offer to ride on a dragon’s back was impossible to pass up. And this was Astrid. She could suggest anything she liked, and he wouldn’t say “no” to her.
“Why not? I’ve had enough wine to throw some caution to the wind.”
She smiled.
***
If Astrid was to be completely honest with herself, she had hoped their business dinner was actually meant to be a date. She knew how inappropriate it was, but plenty of people met through work. It wasn’t like she was going to get James Harington more funds from her Alpha because he was taking her out, though perhaps some could see it that way. She liked him. She liked his passion, his accent, his clever way of talking. She wanted to learn more about him, listen to his smooth voice, be around him…
She had never felt like this before, which was slightly alarming. Well, it was a little more than slightly alarming, since his unexpected invitation had made her go back to the hotel and pour herself whiskey from the minibar, which she finished in three quick sips. She had written an e-mail to Eric to tell him how the visit had gone, and done it as fast as she could. She had other things to worry about. Like… the fact that she hadn’t brought a proper dress with her.
Astrid hadn’t expected to do anything more than order room service, or get dinner at the hotel restaurant. After a moment’s thought, she had decided to chalk it all up to business expenses, and gone out to buy herself a gorgeous silver dress that stopped right above the knees of her long legs, and hugged her luscious curves in the most enticing way possible.
“What’s the occasion?” the woman at the clothes store had asked.
“A very important business dinner,” Astrid had said with a mischievous smile.
“Are we looking to intimidate or impress?”
“Both?”
Later, in the hotel lobby, when James had lost himself in her eyes and the sway of her hips, Astrid had decided she had made the right decision. She had seen it in his eyes… he wanted this to be a date just as much as she did. To be the center of his attention all evening had become her mission, and when the waitress had tried to seduce him while taking their order, Astrid had felt a small pang of jealousy creeping into her heart. Actually, not jealousy. Possessiveness. Just like all shape-shifters, when Astrid set her eyes on a prey, she considered it to be hers and hers alone. She was relieved when James has shown discomfort and impatience towards the waitress, but that didn’t mean she could relax. The challenge that came with the fact that James Harington was a drop-dead gorgeous man who could have any woman he wanted, along with the fancy dinner they shared, had caused her to surrender to her desires. Hence, she had asked him if he had ever ridden a dragon.
When he said “yes” to her proposal, Astrid did get a little nervous.
They left the restaurant, walking much closer together than when they had entered. It was difficult to curb the temptation to reach out and take his hand in hers. She wondered whether he was struggling with similar feelings and uncertainties. His hands swung freely by his sides, his leather gloves enticing her to grab on and lace their fingers together. Instead, she shoved her hands into her pockets to quell the urge.
“I’m not sure exactly where you want to do this,” he said.
“You know the city better than me.”
“Well, do you need open air? Silly me, of course you do.”
“Take me to wherever you’re most comfortable.”
Astrid could see the calm wash over him almost like a ripple from head to toe. He smiled softly and nodded, and she knew she’d said something right. He motioned to the left, and they turned sharply down the street, walking with much more purpose. He was nervous, she could tell. Her words about comfort had helped him a bit, but he was jittery and she could sense it.
“There’s this place my father always used to take me,” he said. “It’s a park, but it’s got acres and acres of open space. I sometimes jog there. We do need to get a cab, though.”
He would have ordered one at the restaurant, but he had needed the time and cold, fresh air to think. Their plan hadn’t been clear, either. They hailed one and got in, staying silent all the way to the park. If Astrid had been any other kind of shifter, they wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble. Humans were used to seeing shifters all around them and dragons flying high up in the sky, above the buildings. But she couldn’t shift on the street,
not unless they both wanted to pay for the windows her huge wings might smash in the process.
The park was empty and clean, the ground dusted with frost that glowed eerily in the moonlight. They walked for a while, Astrid looking for a good spot, and James trying to calm down his wild heartbeat. When she found it, she stepped up to him and entered his personal space, their toes touching and her nose just inches from brushing his. James swallowed heavily.
“Close your eyes,” she whispered.
He looked petrified, but managed to obey. He stood there, unaware of what was happening. When he heard her take off her coat, he squeezed his hands into fists. How was he supposed to keep his eyes closed and not peek when he knew she was undressing? This felt like the worst test of his life!
The cool air touched Astrid’s skin as she peeled off the silver dress and let it pool around her ankles. It was a delicious feeling… to get naked right there, in front of him, just a few steps away, when he was struggling so hard to keep his eyes closed and not move a muscle. James was good at following orders, then. She liked that.
She needed more space to shift, though, so she left her clothes and high-heeled pumps in a heap, and stepped away from him. She relaxed her whole body and allowed her bones to break, grow, and rearrange in a new form. Shifting always felt like coming home.
***
When the crack of bones subsided, James was almost sure he could open his eyes. He knew he couldn’t speak while in her dragon form, so he opened just one to make sure he had guessed correctly. His jaw dropped.
He was face to face with pure beauty. It was proof that God existed, because who else could create something so wondrous and graceful? In her dragon form, Astrid was even more stunning. He had never been a poet, what with loving the sciences and all, but he desperately wished he had had a drop of talent so he could do justice to her power and beauty.
Astrid watched him with those golden eyes he knew so well. Her scales were golden, as well. He took a deep breath and approached her. He wasn’t sure what the protocol was… how he was supposed to touch her and mount her. Just thinking of what was about to happen made his head spin. The golden dragon helped him by extending her front claw and waiting for him to take the hint.
