by Donna Grant
Wrath swirled through Dorian in a violent storm. This was exactly what he needed. A fight. It would feel good to hit a mortal—especially one who lusted after Alex.
“If you’re going to threaten someone, then do it properly,” Dorian said. He jerked his chin to the pistol. “Take it out and point it at me.”
Fury sparked in Paul’s eyes. “If I take my gun out, I use it.”
“Then what are you waiting for? An invitation?”
“That’s your problem,” Paul stated in revulsion. “You don’t fear anything.”
Dorian held the human’s gaze, his skin sizzling with the need to smash his fist into something. “Carry through with your threat or leave. But do something.”
Paul closed his suit jacket. “Leave Alex alone. She doesn’t need you.”
Of that they could agree, but Dorian wouldn’t admit anything to the human’s face. He remained in his spot until the elevators closed and brought Paul back to the lobby. Only then did Dorian softly close the door.
The only problem was that he was now wound up and in need of taking it out on someone. If he didn’t release his anger somehow, things could go horribly wrong.
He turned and leaned back against the wood. When he was younger, nothing had ever angered him. It took so much to get him mad, but even then, he never held onto it. All that changed with the murder of his sister. Ever since, he hadn’t been able to shake the fury that consumed him.
The only one who had given him a measure of peace in millions of years was Alex. And he had lost her. Though, if he were honest with himself, he’d never had her.
Desire might have ruled him, but their worlds were too different. And the fact that she ran after seeing him in his true form was all the answer he needed.
He felt a push in his head as he heard his name. Opening the mental link, he answered the King of Dragon Kings’ call. “Con.”
“How are things?”
Dorian frowned. “Surely you’ve more important things to do than check on me. Or are you afraid I’ve killed some humans?”
There was a beat of silence before Con said, “If I didna think you could complete this mission, I wouldna have sent you. However, I also know how hard this is for you. I shouldna have sent you alone. You’ve been asleep a long time, old friend. All this is a lot to take in.”
“Aye, it is.”
“Then return home. We’ll figure out another way to get the artifact.”
Dorian ran a hand down his face and sighed. “I can do this.”
“We all have our limits, Dorian. Even me.”
“Have you reached yours?”
Con was silent a long time. “I have responsibilities that outweigh what I might want.”
Which meant that Con had been at his limit for some time. So many Kings had been dealing with the constant fight of the Dark Fae, Mikkel—Ulrik’s uncle who had tried to reveal the Kings to the world—and the new enemy. All while Dorian slept.
Just because he couldn’t handle his sister’s death. How bloody selfish was he? Every one of the Kings had lost something during the war. What made his grief any worse than theirs?
“I’ve hidden for too long,” Dorian said. “It’s past time I stood with the rest of you against our enemies.”
“There’s the Dorian I remember. Glad to have you back.”
Dorian grimaced. “You might no’ say that once you hear what’s happened.”
“Then you better tell me.”
For the next ten minutes Dorian relayed everything to Con, including taking Alex to bed.
“We’ve dealt with worse situations.” Con sighed. “What’s your plan now?”
“The verra thing I wanted to do when I first came. Steal it.”
“Hmm. And the peace she gave you? You would throw that away?”
Dorian was taken aback. “You want me to go to her?”
“I didna say that. I’m merely pointing out that you had contentment, which deserted you some time ago. And if you steal the artifact now, she’ll hate you until the day she dies.”
“She ran, Con. Her fear was so strong I could still smell it. We saw what a human’s fear did to Ulrik. I’ve no wish to put myself there.”
Con blew out a long breath. “I’ve never made my worry about the Kings taking mates a secret, but there is something to be said for the happiness the others have found. We all deserve that.”
“There is more at stake here than me.”
“Then you better take care of the thread of anger I hear in your voice before you steal the artifact. That rage has festered in you long enough.”
“I know.”
“It’s no’ like you can fight a mortal,” Con added. “I’ll always have your back, Dorian.”
The link was cut off, Con’s words echoing in his head long after.
Chapter Twelve
Nothing made sense now. Alex sat in a corner among the ancient artifacts with her legs drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.
She’d been there since returning from Dorian’s. No matter how she tried to reason and reconcile what she’d seen, she couldn’t. She wanted answers, but in order to do that, she would have to confront Dorian. And she didn’t think she could.
“Alex?”
She turned her head toward the door when Meg’s voice reached her. “Back here.”
The sound of heels moving from floor to rug to floor again brought her assistant closer. “Have I got a story for you. I would’ve been here thirty minutes earlier, but I got to reading more of that blog, the (Mis)Adventures of a Dating Failure. I need to find out who this woman is. She’s my soul sister. It’s either that or she’s been spying on me with my dates.”
Alex leaned her head back. At one time, she and Meg had tried to find out who the blogger was, but they couldn’t even locate what country she was in. It didn’t help that the blogger had the site set up so that it automatically translated into the language of whatever country you were in.
The footsteps halted, as did Meg’s words. “Alex?”
The worry in her friend’s tone made her sigh. “I’m right here.”
Meg leaned to the side to look around one of the pillars, her long black hair pulled back in a slick ponytail. “Uh oh. Last night you were on top of the world. Now it looks like you’re carrying its entire weight.”
Alex shrugged. She couldn’t exactly tell Meg what she’d seen.
Her assistant walked over, kicked off her Jimmy Choo heels and sat beside her. “You’re in jeans. You never wear jeans outside of the apartment.”
“I know.”
“Dorian got you to do that?” Meg pressed, hopeful.
Alex released her legs and let them stretch out before her. “He didn’t ask. It’s how he made he feel. Like things were easy and undemanding. I liked that he was in jeans yesterday.”
“So what happened when you went to see him? Because I’m guessing it wasn’t good since you’re here and not in his bed.”
Alex drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “He’s not who I thought he was.”
“Hmm,” Meg said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Since we didn’t know very much about him, that’s a feat in itself.”
“He was so...real, yesterday. I’ve never been so relaxed around someone before.”
Meg looked at her, a thin black brow raised. “Or slept with them on the first date.”
Alex closed her eyes and shook her head. “He was amazing. I felt beautiful and cherished and needed. And the pleasure, Meg,” she said, opening her eyes and looking at her friend. “It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”
“Well, to be honest, you don’t have much of that, but...” Meg said when Alex opened her mouth. “The fact that you’re talking like this must mean Dorian is some kind of sex god or something.”
“Funny, I actually thought he might be just that. Between that amazing body and his skills in bed, he’s no ordinary man.”
Meg sighed long and loud. “Honey, men li
ke that are as rare as the perfect diamond. If you find one, don’t let him go.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“What happened?”
Alex looked away, still unsure about telling her.
Meg’s face took on the oh, no, you didn’t look. “Was he with another woman?”
“That would be easier to explain.”
“Did he refuse to see you? Was it a one-night stand?”
“I don’t know.”
Her assistant threw up her hands in defeat and let them fall to her lap. “I’m at a loss, then.”
Alex briefly squeezed her eyes shut. “You won’t believe me.”
“You’re the only one who has never lied to me. If I’m going to believe anyone, it’s you.”
Alex met Meg’s dark gaze. Her friend nodded, and Alex took a deep breath. “Remember that I warned you.”
“Just tell me already,” Meg pushed as she turned to face her.
“He wasn’t in his apartment. I saw stairs that led up to the roof, so I went up, thinking he might be there.”
Meg nodded in agreement. “I’d have done the same thing.”
“I didn’t find him at first. When I did, he was standing on the ledge.”
With eyes widened, Meg reached for her phone. “I didn’t hear the news this morning because of the blog. Did he jump?”
Alex put her hand over Meg’s. “No. It’s worse than that.”
Meg shot her a dubious look. “What’s worse than death?”
“He shifted into a dragon.” Alex said it in a rush before she changed her mind. Then she waited for Meg to tell her she was crazy and laugh.
Except Meg didn’t.
Her assistant’s face went slack.
Alex shifted toward her, gently shaking her. “Meg? Are you all right?”
Meg blinked, opening and shutting her mouth several times.
“You’re scaring me,” Alex told her.
Meg cleared her throat and climbed to her feet. “I need something to drink.”
Alex scrambled to her feet and hurriedly followed her into the kitchen. “It’s not even nine in the morning,” she said when Meg opened a bottle of wine and brought it to her lips, totally disregarding a glass.
“You’re not making me feel better about telling you,” Alex said, growing more anxious by the moment.
Meg put down the bottle and took several deep breaths before she faced Alex. “Do you remember months and months ago me telling you about the video everyone was talking about?”
Alex shrugged. “No.”
“It was from an anonymous source showing men shifting into dragons and dragons shifting into men all while they were fighting some other men who threw bubbles of magic at them.”
Alex’s knees threatened to buckle, so she hastily sat on a barstool. “Did I see it?”
“You wouldn’t look at it.”
“Then do you still have it?”
Meg shook her head. “Someone with some serious power erased every single shred of evidence of it. They went into The Cloud, Alex, and wiped it. Once something is in The Cloud, there’s no getting it back, and yet someone did.”
“He didn’t know what desserts were.”
Meg’s brows shot up as she leaned her forearms on the island and cocked her head. “You lost me.”
“Dorian. He’d never tasted dessert before yesterday. And he had never tasted coffee or tea.”
Meg’s lips twisted. “I could give him a pass on the coffee or tea, but desserts? Nope. That I don’t understand.”
“Do you think that video was real?”
“That was the argument. Some believed it to be a hoax, but others were convinced it was real. And they even suggested a place.” Meg’s face wrinkled as she winced. “And I can’t believe I even forgot about this. It should have clicked the other night.”
“Meg,” Alex urged. “Where was the place?”
“Dreagan.”
It was a good thing Alex was sitting down, because her knees would have given out. “Oh shit.”
“Alex, if that video was real, and it was those at Dreagan who made sure they removed it, and Dorian is from Dreagan, then you definitely saw what you saw.”
She sat back, letting that sink in.
“What did he look like?” Meg asked. “Did he try to hurt you? I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask that before.”
“He never saw me,” Alex answered absently. “And he was massive. I’ve never seen an animal so big before.”
“All the dragons in the video were different colors. I do remember that. What was he?”
“Coral. I was too frightened to realize it then, but the color was quite splendid. Then he went invisible and flew off.”
“Shut the front door!” Meg exclaimed as she straightened. She turned and took another long drink of wine. She smacked her lips and put a hand to her chest when she finished. “That would explain why no one reported seeing a dragon. So, you’re telling me he could be in this room now and we wouldn’t know it?”
Alex nodded.
Both were silent for a long moment as they each got lost in their thoughts. All Alex could think about was that she had made love to a dragon. A handsome, amazing, seductive dragon.
And she’d do it again even though she was still scared of him. Because the way she felt in Dorian’s arms was better than anything else.
“He came to New York for a reason,” Meg suddenly said. “He made it obvious at the event when he bid on you that he wanted you. As beautiful as you are, I don’t think it was just to get you in his bed.”
Alex grunted. “Trust me when I say he could have anyone.”
“Yep. He sure could,” Meg agreed. She shrugged when Alex shot her a dark look. “What? I’m human and he is seriously hot. I’d do him.”
She couldn’t fault Meg for that. “Why me, though? There are plenty of other heiresses.”
“Maybe because you don’t date guys?”
Alex rolled her eyes. “Dorian didn’t know desserts or coffee. I sincerely doubt he cared about my social life.”
“Then what else is there?”
Then it hit her. Alex rose and made her way to the museum, Meg on her heels. “There’s something here he wants.”
Meg blew out a breath as she crossed her arms over her chest. “But which one? And if that was the case and he can turn invisible, why hasn’t he taken it? He was here yesterday with you asleep. He could have stolen anything he wanted.”
But he hadn’t. There wasn’t anything missing.
Alex faced Meg. “I’ve got to see him.”
As she was turning away, Meg grabbed her shoulders and pushed her toward the bedroom. “Tidy yourself up first.”
“Right.”
Fifteen minutes later, Alex had washed her face, brushed her teeth, applied new makeup just like the night before, and changed into her only other pair of jeans and a white shirt with a black leather moto jacket and black knee-high boots.
“Ready?” Meg asked.
Alex shook her head. “No. I’m scared.”
“He made love to you,” Meg said with a soft smile. “If Dorian wanted to hurt you, he easily could have. Instead, he gave you pleasure. Think about that.”
“Good point. Let’s go.”
She wanted Meg with her on the ride to Dorian’s. Alex barely noticed the photographers outside her place or the ones following her. Her mind was focused on other things.
Once she reached Dorian’s building, Meg and Paul walked her inside. Alex somehow made it to the elevator and punched the button for the top floor.
This time she reached it twice as fast as the previous night. Her nerves were tightened in a painful knot in her gut. The doors of the elevator opened, but she didn’t get out. It wasn’t until they began to close that she hurriedly stepped forward to stop them.
The doors hit her hand and slid open again. Alex really hoped she knew what she was doing. She shook everywhere as she made her way to the beautiful woode
n doors and pressed the bell.
Chapter Thirteen
The rage was blinding, the resentment consuming.
Dorian’s hate for the mortals mixed with his disappointment over Alex—not that he blamed her. He had seen firsthand how humans feared them. Even when the Kings shifted territories to give them a place to live instead of killing them.
How could they have been so wrong about the mortals? How could one act of kindness by allowing the humans to remain on this realm bring about the Kings’ downfall?
The fact that he couldn’t answer those questions only made him more violent. Con was right. He needed to blow off steam. Unfortunately, Dorian couldn’t attack the very ones responsible. Nor did he have anyone to spar against. He’d have to wait until he returned to Dreagan.
And that would be tonight.
As much as he detested the position he was in, he was going to steal the artifact from Alex that night and fly back to Scotland to join his brethren and figure out their next course of action against their new enemies.
The soft chimes of the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. In the mood he was in, the last thing Dorian needed to do was answer the door and find Paul again. Because Dorian knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back his anger.
It was remaining in the flat that was driving him daft. He had nothing to do—and only memories of Alex that were on repeat. Not a good combination for a Dragon King who was barely holding on to his control.
The doorbell rang again. Dorian strode to it. Just as he yanked it open, he caught a whiff of perfume that he knew well, and all his anger evaporated by the time his gaze landed on Alex.
Her blond curls were piled atop her head with a few strands teasing her neck. His gaze raked down her body, hunger pounding through him to claim her again, to taste her again.
His balls tightened when he saw the way the jeans molded to her long legs. As his gaze worked its way back up her body, he saw how her fingers dug into her purse nervously.
By the time he looked back into her hazel eyes, he steeled himself for whatever she had to say. The fact that she had returned said a lot, however.
Still, Dorian decided to let her choose if she would reveal what she’d seen. He bowed his head. “Good morn.”
