by Juniper Hart
They stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking and drinking wine. Daisy had the most beautiful mind of anyone he had ever met, including dragons and humans alike. Her passion was learning about and understanding the world and universe she lived in. Even though she had been born to a single mother and knew her hand of struggles, she didn’t let them weigh her down; rather, she found strength in her hardships and used them to make herself a better and more empathetic person.
Daisy had infinite compassion and a heart so big that it seemed never-ending. Nyle was in awe of everything about her, from how much she loved animals, to the freckles on her shoulders, to the cute way she hiccupped when she had a little too much wine. Her existence made him feel naïve because he knew there was no such thing as perfection, but when he was with her, it existed. Somewhere in her, there were some demons he was sure, but they were completely outshined by the brilliance of her soul.
He told her as much as he could about himself, but was careful to word things so that he didn’t divulge too much. It still wasn’t the right time to tell her about the part of himself that he kept hidden from humans. He was starting to question if the right time would ever come; he was terrified of scaring her off.
After watching the sunrise from his terrace, he carried her bridal style to his bed. They fell asleep almost immediately, with her head on his chest and their limbs intertwined.
After a few hours of sleep, Nyle was ripped from his slumber by a persistent knock on the door downstairs. He groaned at the noise, because of a small hangover from drinking so much wine. Immediately his eyes opened to look down at Daisy, who was still passed out on his chest. While he was glad the knocking hadn’t woken her, he needed to make it stop before it did. Letting out a sigh, Nyle kissed the top of her head and carefully maneuvered himself out from underneath her. Running a hand through his hair, he walked to his dresser and slid on a pair of lounge pants before making his way to the bedroom door. As soon as he shut the door quietly behind him, Nyle hurried down the stairs, annoyed that whoever it was was still knocking.
Arriving at the door, he unlocked it and flung it open with his eyes narrowed. When he saw who it was, his face sculpted into a look of confusion.
“Mylora? What are you doing here?” he questioned with his brow furrowed.
“I just wanted to come by and bring you some breakfast,” she smiled and gestured to the bags in her hand before stepping into his apartment. Her eyes jumped around the penthouse. “Wow, you have a magnificent hideaway.” Mylora sauntered toward the kitchen area as if she owned the place.
“I didn’t invite you in,” he snapped, pacing after her. “You need to leave. This is unacceptable.”
Mylora placed the bags down onto the island before turning around to face him. “Look, I know last night didn’t go according to plan. It wasn’t like I wanted Erasina there either. So, I was hoping that maybe we could have a redo. Maybe spend the day together? I have nothing going on if—”
“Just so there’s no question in your mind, I’m going to be straight with you. I’m not the slightest bit interested in you, Mylora,” Nyle interrupted her. “You aren’t my soulmate, and I’m not going to settle for less. No matter what my parents may try and force onto me. I’m sure you’re a lovely person, but you’re not the one for me,” he advised as he reached behind her and grabbed the bag of food she had placed on the counter as he handed it back to her.
She frowned deeply, resting a hand on his chest. “Love can exist even without being soulmates, Nylyrias. Who knows when you will meet your soulmate? It could be decades, if you even find her at all. Your father didn’t marry Asalei until he was fifty. Our people don’t have that long. I know it’s a shitty situation, but we can make the best of it. You don’t even have to stay with me forever. If you find your soulmate one day, then I’ll understand, Nyle. Let’s do the right thing for our people now, though.”
The woman tried to persuade, her yellow-gold eyes glistening with false sincerity. Or perhaps it was real, and he was just an asshole. Nyle refused to believe she was interested in him for any other reasons than power and money.
He removed her hand and stepped away from her. “You don’t know what is best for our people. Do you understand me? You have no authority to tell me how to run this kingdom. How dare you even try to! Get out, right now.
“Nyle, please!” Mylora pleaded, flinging herself at Nyle, arms going around his neck.
He pushed her back. “Get away from me!” he spat.
The blonde blinked rapidly at him, but then her expression fell into a scowl. “Fine… be like that. I’m only trying to help because your parents asked me. It’s not as if I want to be with someone as egotistical as you,” she said in a low, raspy voice.
Fixing her hair, she turned to leave, but her eye caught sight of someone on the catwalk above. The brunette woman’s eyes were wide, quickly stepping back from the railing.
Goddamn it, Nyle thought bitterly to himself. How much had Daisy overheard? But then his own eyes widened, realizing Mylora had just seen a human in his apartment and in one of his shirts.
“You’re sleeping with a—”
Letting out a growl, Nyle grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the door of his apartment and stepped outside with her. “I told you to get the hell out of my apartment,” he barked. “You don’t tell anyone what you saw here, understand?”
“Or else what?” Mylora fired back, a menacing look in her eyes. “What are you going to do if I do tell? Refuse to marry me?” she laughed. “No, no, no. I’m not playing your games, Nyle. You were a dick to me.”
“I’m sorry, all right? I’m sorry I was a dick, but did you really expect any different when I was literally forced into a date with you? Things are…are complicated. I need you to respect that. How much do you want to keep quiet about this?”
She let out another cynical bout of laughter, shaking her head as she did. “I don’t want your money, Nyle. I want to be queen, and I can only do that if you marry me. Did you really expect me to go on a date with you if it weren’t such an advantageous proposition?” she retorted, using the exact same inflection he had used when he mentioned being forced into it.
“I’m not going to marry you,” he said with stern eyes.
“Then I’m not going to keep my mouth shut.” She turned on her heel and waltzed toward the elevator.
“Mylora,” Nyle called after her as she pressed the button for the elevator. “This isn’t funny.”
She turned to him. “Who’s laughing?” she questioned. Mylora sighed, “Don’t worry, Nyle. I won’t tell daddy dearest.”
Nyle let out a sigh of relief, watching as she stepped onto the elevator.
“However, I can’t keep this to myself. Who should I tell?” she questioned, tapping her chin with an index finger.
Nyle snarled and charged toward the elevator, but she closed the door before he could get there. He pressed the button to open the door, but the elevator was gone.
“Goddamn it!” Nyle hissed, banging his fists on the door of the elevator. Who in the hell was she going to tell if she wasn’t going to tell his parents? Gotta calm down. Gotta calm down.
After taking a few deep breaths, he walked back to the apartment. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it. If she told anyone else, surely they would think it was just gossip, right? The crazy story of a jealous woman. He tried to tell himself not to worry about it, but he was going to crawl out of his skin. Not only was he in danger, but Daisy was, too, if Mylora told the wrong people. What have I done?
He tried to pull himself together as best as he could before walking up the stairs. There was no point in holding off talking to Daisy, knowing that she was extremely confused by what she had seen. How much could he tell her? How much should he tell her?
6
Daisy’s head was spinning, and not just from the previous night’s wine. Who was that woman and why was she there? Was it an ex of his or something? The other woman’s bea
uty was intimidating, and she looked like she could seduce any man with a single look. What had she meant by his parents asking her to help? She sat on Nyle’s bed with her legs crossed and her hand covering her mouth as she tried to think. What in the world had Daisy gotten herself into?
The bedroom door opened, and her eyes lifted to see Nyle’s face heavy with emotion. Even with her conflicted feelings, she couldn’t help but admire how handsome he looked shirtless with those baggy joggers on. The swirls on his skin were more noticeable with the morning light hitting him from the open window.
“Morning,” he said weakly with a forced smile as he closed the distance between them, sitting next to her on the bed.
“Good morning,” she replied in a mumble, her eyes falling to the duvet.
Daisy didn’t know how to feel or what to do. Things were so impossibly weird. They had just met, and she felt so attached, though she didn’t feel as though she should be.
“I know that must have confused the hell out of you…” he sighed. “How much did you hear?” he asked with a frown.
“From about ‘Nyle, please’, and on. I hadn’t been there but a moment… I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything. I heard a commotion and came to see what was going on.”
Nyle picked up her chin and turned her face to look at him. “Don’t apologize, Daisy. I’m just sorry you had to hear all that nonsense. Please don’t think that woman has any place in my life. It’s complicated, but I assure you, you’re the only woman on my mind.” He tried to convince her as he reached for hand and grabbed it gently.
“Good to know.” Daisy smiled weakly as her eyes lifted from the blankets. “What did she mean by your parents asking her to help? Help what?”
He froze up for a moment and looked away with a sigh. “My family is extremely convoluted… And there are certain aspects of our family dynamic that I can’t really put into words right now.”
“Could you try?” Daisy frowned.
She didn’t like feeling that he was hiding something important from her. They had talked for so long the night before, and their conversations had been deep and personal. While she knew it wasn’t possible to get to know someone in a single night, whatever he was hiding felt like it should have come up.
“Daisy…” Nyle sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “All right… Just… Just know that my family isn’t normal. We’re intertwined with traditions and laws that other people aren’t.”
He watched her give a nod of understanding before he tried to start again.
“My father... He’s been ill for a while now, and he’s been able to hide it, but now he’s growing sicker and weaker. Before it becomes too apparent and our enemies discover he’s ill, he wants me to get married and become the new head of the family in order to keep up appearances. It’s important that our family unit is strong and relevant.”
A million thoughts ran through her mind, unsure of what to say to his explanation. Well, there was one thing she knew for sure to say.
“I’m sorry about your father, Nyle,” she said to him, giving his hand a squeeze.
All he did was shrug and look away from her, though his hand remained holding hers.
“What do you mean enemies?” she asked.
Another heavy sigh escaped him. “That’s the complicated part. Well, the whole thing is complicated, but… I…” Nyle was at a loss for words, sucking in a big breath as he searched for what to say.
Even though she was dying of curiosity, she didn’t want to force him to talk about something that made him uncomfortable—especially since it pertained to his family.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to explain it to me, but can you tell me what all that has to do with that woman?”
“It’s a woman my parents are trying to arrange for me to marry,” he said bluntly, knowing there wasn’t exactly a delicate way to phrase it. Saying ‘my parents want me to marry her’ would be selling the intent short. They didn’t care in the least if Nyle cared for the woman; they didn’t even care much about the woman at all—they just needed him betrothed to another Royal Dragon.
Her jaw dropped. “They are trying to force you into an arranged marriage?”
Nyle nodded. “Yes, but like I said, my family isn’t normal. It isn’t exactly normal for us either, but they feel as though the difficulties we are going through call for it.”
“I see,” she mumbled, though she didn’t understand at all.
His father was dying so that meant he had to get married? That didn’t make sense. Was it because they were worried about the fate of the La Flamme Corporation?
“Where does that leave us, then?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, his expression growing long as he studied their hands. “But I promise you, I’m going to figure it out. All I ask of you is to not give up on me or the connection we have. Things may get insane for a while, but it will all be worth it to spend my days getting to know you.”
Daisy lips pulled into a smile. “You’re such a smooth talker.”
Nyle glanced over to her with a smirk on his lips. “I have to have some sort of talent, don’t I?”
“I suppose,” she teased, leaning in and giving him a soft kiss on the lips, feeling the same static sensation she had every time they kissed.
Nyle’s thumb grazed against the skin of her cheek. He was always so gentle and attentive, pulling her deeper and deeper into the emotions he had stirred up in her.
He finally peeled back from the softness of her lips, though he kept his mouth hovering above hers.
“You’re so understanding and patient… You amaze me,” he said as he gazed into her eyes.
“You’re just trying to make me blush,” she giggled as her cheeks turned scarlet.
Nyle was grinning ear-to-ear. “Perhaps.”
“Well, I guess it was a good thing, in retrospect, that she came over. At least we’re awake now. I’m already late for work, and I’m never late,” she sighed, standing from the bed.
A musical, hearty laugh sounded from Nyle. He stood as well, wrapping his arms around her, “Oh, Daisy. You don’t have to go to work. Let’s spend the day together.”
“Are you crazy? There’s an entire gala to plan, and it’s only a month away. Which, by the way, is an insane deadline.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t make that decision. And they don’t need you, your coworkers can hire a whole team of temps. I want you with me. You can be my personal assistant for the day.” He grinned with a wink, meaning it was just an excuse for her to be with him.
While Daisy felt bad about abandoning Wren and Trey to deal with the details, she couldn’t pass up an offer like that up.
“I suppose I need to do whatever it takes to make the client happy,” she teased, a smile on her lips.
With a wicked look in his eye, he began to pull her backward toward the bed with him. “I believe that’s sir to you,” Nyle challenged.
“I thought it was Nyle?” Daisy rebutted, mentioning when they first formally met.
He fell back onto the bed, pulling her with him, making her laugh joyously. “I’ve decided sir is allowed,” he grinned.
She dramatically rolled her eyes. “Yes, sir.”
“I’m just going to text my team and let them know that I’m spending the day with you, and they can move forward with the details.”
And just like that, Mylora and his family problems didn’t exist. He was utterly charmed by Daisy. He pulled her down against him, holding her to his chest as he captured her lips in an affectionate kiss. And Daisy’s concerns melted away as well as the tender skin of his lips brushed lovingly against hers, leaving her reeling and wanting more.
After spending the remainder of the morning in bed, they finally left his apartment and to get a bite to eat. At lunch, Nyle discovered she was a vegetarian, which he wasn’t sure would play out with his family either. Dragons tended to be more carnivorous than even omnivorous. Her reasoning was that if she didn’t have the heart to ki
ll an animal, then she didn’t have the heart to eat them either. He couldn’t relate to that notion, but he found the sentiment beguiling.
They spent the afternoon walking around the city with his arm around her waist, deep in conversation. Nyle couldn’t keep his hands off her, feeling possessive and protective of the beautiful woman. He worried about how he would feel when they would have to part ways again, knowing the entire time he would be thinking about her and worrying over her well-being. But as much as his mind liked to wander to the ‘what-ifs’, Nyle wanted to live in the moment and enjoy her company. She had such a bubbly, but calm personality. She radiated happiness and purity, making his soul feel cleansed just by being in her presence. And of course, as they walked around the shops, he couldn’t help but buy her the things that caught her eye.
Every time her face lit up, his credit card was out. Daisy tried to urge him not to buy anything for her, but it was a pointless fight. Money wasn’t an issue for Nyle, so seeing her happy over something as simple as him buying her some trinkets, clothes, and books she liked, was worth more than the money spent on the items.
She was wearing the same outfit from the night before, so he bought her a few new outfits. She changed into a light blue sundress and tan gladiator sandals that complimented her skin tone. He asked the store to have the remaining clothes he purchased for her to be delivered to his penthouse. He hoped that she would keep the outfits at his house, since he figured she’d be staying with him regularly.
Nyle brought her to a quaint bookstore, which he knew would excite Daisy. He watched with glittering eyes as she enthusiastically explained her excitement over each book she had read and wanted to read. Before they left the store, he had purchased enough books to keep her occupied for days.
Nyle cherished each tight hug and passionate kiss she gave him as gratitude for each gift. Daisy was just the woman for him. All Royal Dragons were rich, and it was an important part of their culture. The entire clan was jaded by money, even himself. It was refreshing and humbling to be in the company of someone so grateful for every single dollar spent.
