Onyx Dragons: Jasper (7 Virgin Brides for 7 Weredragon Billionaires Book 5)

by Starla Night

  She was an idiot.

  Rose grabbed the box and backed away. “Great. The oh-so-crucial trash bags.”

  He moved away. Dismissing her with disinterest.

  Her cue.

  She stuffed them under her arm and grabbed the handle to leave.

  “Rose, I want to talk to you.”

  Her heart stopped.

  She didn’t dare turn. Rose licked her numb lips and swallowed. Still facing the door, she strove for a normal tone. “About?”

  “You sound upset.”

  “I’m just tired.”

  “You should get more sleep.”

  “No, I mean from walking. The bus station is far, and it’s been a problem but nothing I can’t handle, so…”

  “Is something wrong with your car?”

  “No, it’s missing. That’s all.”

  He picked up the phone. “Rose needs help in locating her car.”

  “No, no!” She jumped forward and clicked the button to end the call. “I know where it is. I mean, I know who has it. It’s just a matter of getting her to bring it back.” She laughed awkwardly. “Nothing you can do. Sorry.”

  He studied her with gorgeous brown eyes. Often in the past, he’d tried to solve her problems. This time, he just listened. It was nice, actually. For a moment, old warmth glowed with camaraderie in her heart.

  Then she remembered, and the bitterness seeped in. She hefted the bags higher. “Don’t worry about me, worry about your new fiancée.”

  His gaze flickered. “She does not need my worry.”

  Her pain spiked. Sure, he was marrying someone who had her life together. “Oh, great, she’s totally fine, I’m so happy for you.”

  She reached behind her for the door handle to get out of the office before she did something unforgivable, like sob.

  Jasper sucked in a huge breath and sank into his seat, then whooshed the breath out and sagged. He looked depressed. Ready to cry.

  She should go. Don’t ask. Her hand closed around the handle.

  His chin trembled.

  She stopped. “You okay?”

  “No.” His voice sounded stuffy and his eyes rimmed with red. He fixed his hands in front of his forehead. “I’m sorry, Rose. You can go to do your work. No one can fault your dedication to our company.”

  Aw, geez. Rose let go of the door handle. “Someone faulted your dedication to your company?”

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “I’m very dedicated so that would never happen.”

  Oh. She eased her weight from one foot to the other. On the one hand, she wanted to run up to him and put her arm around his shoulder. On the other, she knew she wouldn’t, and it depressed her she was in this state because of her own actions.

  But she had to keep things separate. Neat and tidy. It was the only way.

  “But…” He sucked in another deep breath and let it out. His voice shook. “Today is my last day working here at the Onyx Corporation.”

  “What?”

  “At five another dragon will transition into this role.” He cleared his throat. “It’s a dragon from Carnelian Clothiers. He, like many of the fallen aristocrats, has a human girlfriend. I’m sure he’ll treat you with understanding.”

  “Another dragon! Tell the others.”

  “I will. I had intended to tell everyone together, but…” He scrubbed his face. “Your new bags came in and I’m so used to talking to you…I will miss that quite a lot. Having a team.” He stared up at the ceiling, the offices above him, where his siblings and the rest of the employees were working. “I will miss everyone.”

  “Why not stay?”

  He snorted and dropped his hands to his desk, began closing up files. “Staying endangers the Onyx Corporation. Adviser Wrathmoda will commandeer anything I touch, and if I tried to compartmentalize as you do…her anger is legendary. Even a small disfigurement is supposed to be very painful, like being held down and your teeth pulled out, or your claws torn off.”

  She dropped the box on the floor and swooped into the seat. “Jasper, what are you saying? You’re getting engaged to a psychopath?”

  “No, her behavior is ordinary for a female dragon who’s lived almost a century. Most don’t give out punishments unless their males deserve it.”

  “Punish? Deserve it? No, this is crazy. I thought you were marrying her because she’s rich.”

  “She is rich.” He stared into the distance between them. “She owns an asteroid belt in the colonies. Earth is resource-poor. If I can start a successful human business like ours, she’ll be less likely to try to harvest a resource necessary for life, like the magnetosphere.”

  “The what?”

  “The magnetosphere is the magnetic layer that traps the atmosphere to the Earth and prevents it from being ripped into space. Earth would be much harder to live on without an atmosphere.”

  “Sure…” She rested her palms on his desk. “Jasper, if you don’t want to marry her, refuse.”

  “Refusal isn’t an option.” He paper-clipped the invoice for the trash bags into its manila folder. “Besides, someone has to convince Adviser Wrathmoda to leave our company—and your freedom—alone. If I take this task, I save Alex from my fate.”

  Wow, dragons lived a screwed up life. Rose wasn’t where she wanted to be, but nobody was marrying her off.

  Arranged marriages were rich people’s problems, so the glass slipper—or loafer, maybe in Jasper’s case—did fit.

  Still. Money ought to save him from a sucky fate. He was rich rich. Billionaire rich.

  “You shouldn’t marry someone you don’t like,” she said.

  “I haven’t met Adviser Wrathmoda. I might like her. Especially if she doesn’t rip my arms off.”

  “I haven’t met her and I already dislike her.”

  “Consider the facts.” He flexed so the nails extended into dark brown dragon claws, and then he ticked the claws with a little click. “Mother demands I marry and provide dragonlets. I, too, wish to become a father. Adviser Wrathmoda, while beyond dragonlet age, may provide an attractive stipend after her death. This assumes I don’t anger her by asking.”

  “You want to have dragonlets? You could find any woman to have your dragonlet. Flash your cash, roll up in your Porsche, and women will line up to have your dragonlet.”

  “But if I have a dragonlet with ‘any woman,’ it might as well be a female who improves the prospects for my family and Earth.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “But?”

  She shook her head. “But if there’s no love…”

  “Then what?” He continued counting off the factors. “Most dragons do not marry for love, and most do not retain connections to their families after marriage. The situations with Mal, Pyro, and Kyan are rare. Given these factors, marrying Adviser Wrathmoda is not only the wisest choice for me; it is also the most prudent. No other marriage could provide my siblings and Earth so much for such little sacrifice.”

  “You call marrying a psychopath who might get angry and pull out your claws a ‘little’ sacrifice.”

  “Yes.” He shrank his fingers back to normal size and rested one atop the other. “It’s very little. Even my life, in the balance, isn’t that much.”

  “It’s a lot, Jasper.”

  He smiled sadly. “You have said my name several times now. On my last day, Rose, thank you for remembering to address me as a work friend.”

  “It’s not that I forgot before…”

  His clear-eyed determination made her heart ache.

  She started talking without knowing what she was saying. “Maybe I could help.”

  “With what?”

  “I could marry…I mean, I could pretend I’m going to marry you.”

  He looked nonplussed. “Why?”

  “Because. It, uh… I thought you’d want that.”

  He tilted his head.

  “You tried to propose to me before.” Embarrassed heat crashed over her in violent waves. “You’re the one
who started this.”

  “You told me you would never accept and that I needed to give you up, so I have.”

  Her heart squeezed. He’d given her up. He’d really done it.

  “Y-yeah, but our marriage would j-just be for pretend until the adviser dragon goes away. Your mom would be satisfied, the adviser would marry someone else, and then we break up.”

  He stared at her for a long, hot minute.

  Sweat trickled down her neck and pricked her body. His gaze conveyed utter contempt. Disdain, confusion. She’d been terrified of him looking at her like this from the beginning and here he was, looking at her like her worst fears. Like something was wrong with her. Like, who would think of something so stupid as him marrying her even for pretend?

  She squeezed her hands, feeling like a worm in front of the beautiful, rich, classy man.

  He finally spoke, and it was just as bad as she feared. “That would be horrible.”

  The pained lump stuck in her throat. She couldn’t speak.

  “You know that I wanted to marry you for years.” Dark scales ruffled across his skin in his agitation. “And you want me to pretend? To live in my dream for however long it takes, every hour knowing that the illusion was about to fall and you would leave me alone again, is the harshest, cruelest future I could imagine. I don’t understand why you would suggest something so painful.”

  She choked on her shock. “Pretending we’re engaged is worse than marrying a psychopath dragon who might kill you?”

  “Yes, because if she kills me, the pain will be over in an instant. The torture of pretending to have you while knowing any moment it might end—and desperately trying to convince you to make our love real while later agonizing over the ways I might have hastened its end—that agony will last for a lifetime.”

  She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. He had fine words, but she had the practicalities. “You don’t know. You might not enjoy dating me that much.”

  “How could I not?”

  “Because you don’t know me.”

  “You work harder than anyone.”

  “My coworkers will be sorry to hear that.”

  “Your coworkers have never stared at a broken instrument panel and figured out how to bypass the system to stop a fusion reactor from blowing up the AC.”

  “You said if we didn’t get it shut down, the office building would turn into a crater, and I had plans for the weekend.”

  He smiled that melty grin. “You’re strong in your convictions. You don’t let anybody push you around.”

  “You should tell that to my four-year-old.”

  “You deflect praise, but you’re also honest about yourself.”

  “Well—”

  “You don’t put on a false smile, and you don’t tell me what I want to hear. From the very first interview, you’ve always told the truth. You are dedicated to this company, your family, and your child. And you see things, you act. Every day you go above and beyond. You’re a one-person team.”

  The lump in her throat took on a different character.

  She hugged herself and cleared her throat. “You could find other people like that.”

  “I don’t fantasize about pressing ‘other people’ up against a wall and filling them to the brim with my hard cock while they moan in ecstasy.”

  His hot, sensual words filled her veins with molten brown sugar. She squeezed her thighs together.

  So he hadn’t gotten over her. Huh.

  Rose sucked in a breath and straightened. “We shouldn’t talk about this at work. It’s covered in the sexual harassment training.”

  He averted his gaze. “Yes, you are right. After today, I will—”

  “We should talk about it after work.”

  His chin dropped. “You’ll meet me after work?”

  “Just this once. Don’t get used to it.”

  “No, it’s my last day, so I won’t.”

  She stopped. “Is it your last day even if you don’t marry that adviser?”

  “Yes.” He neatened his files into one tower and rested his hands on top. “The transfer is certain. Your new boss will be a dragon named Peridot Ovaline. I’ll introduce him this afternoon.”

  “Well, don’t settle in to retirement.” She hefted the box of trash bags, backed to the door, and held up a warning hand. “And don’t marry the adviser. Okay? Just let me work things out. We’ll solve it after work.”

  He lifted a brow. “Together?”

  “Yeah.” She opened the door, squeezed through it, and promised. “Together.”

  Then she shut the door before he could ask any follow-up questions.

  Because Jasper Onyx needed rescuing.

  And Rose had no idea how to help him without risking her life, her family, and her delicate balance. Or, worst of all, her heart.

  Chapter Seven

  Jasper stared at the closed door as Rose’s shadow disappeared from the frosted glass.

  Shortly after, her feminine scent dissipated.

  And a little after that, the hard swell of his cock deflated so his trousers fit again.

  He straightened in his seat and tried to arrange his desk for the transfer, but his mind circled Rose’s bright, hopeful, desperate offer.

  Jasper was an idiot for refusing her. Even a pretend relationship was better than nothing, wasn’t it? Wouldn’t he look back on this moment with regret? The torture he’d described would be a hundred times better than fading into Adviser Wrathmoda’s ranks without ever once standing at Rose’s side.

  No. He was an honest dragon. Rose was an honest human. Pretending, lying, and forcing Rose to lie would be worse.

  He would face his fate with honor.

  And, he was already committed. Jasper looked around the office without seeing.

  This had been his life for five years. These were the files he’d compiled, the processes he’d vetted, the policies he’d made. The furnishings in the building, from his desk and chairs to the view screens, had materialized because of his purchase orders. He’d done it. With his team, of course. He wasn’t a boss on his own. Nobody was.

  He’d thought to stay here until he died. Now it was all going away.

  Kyan’s voice on the intercom broke his reverie. “Peridot Ovaline is here.”

  Jasper cleared his throat. “Send him in.”

  A few minutes later, Kyan’s hulking form escorted a familiar male into Jasper’s office. Jasper sized him up silently while Kyan took his leave.

  Peridot Ovaline stood taller, broader, and in a better-tailored suit. His fine loafers were shinier and the Rolex on his wrist had a larger face.

  His pale green eyes centered on Jasper and he switched his briefcase to clasp Jasper’s out-stretched hand. He shook for the correct time and strength and then stood in the precise heart of the office with his gaze on Jasper’s chair. “Your office is in the environmental center?”

  “I also have an office on the top floor with the rest of my siblings, but this office is centrally located to supervise my team.”

  “Team?” Peridot blinked. He stood still, immaculately groomed, and efficient in his movements. “You oversee a team in Acquisitions?”

  “I am the Chief of Acquisitions, but I also oversee the building environment.”

  “Both?”

  “Is it different at Carnelian Clothiers?”

  “You export more than we do at present so I did not assume these jobs would overlap.”

  “My team is self-sufficient. I have compiled this policy manual to help manage the humans, while the—”

  “You manage humans?”

  “Yes. I hire the human staff, from interns to the environment team.”

  Peridot blinked.

  “It is part of Acquisitions.”

  “How?”

  “When we need brain or brawn, I acquire it.”

  Peridot’s brows wrinkled.

  “That is also different at Carnelian Clothiers?” Jasper guessed, unease seeping into his be
lly.

  “The Onyx Corporation has exceeded Carnelian Clothiers on the intergalactic business list for some time. I did not realize a single dragon covered so many areas.”

  “We started out as a single family and divided up the work. Whereas Sard Carnelian, being an aristocrat, had more experience setting up a company.”

  Peridot deposited his briefcase on Jasper’s desk. “I will memorize the policy manual. Show me the building areas you manage. The supplies areas and so forth.”

  Jasper led him out of the office. “Because I am in charge of the environment, my duties are not restricted to a single area, but the entire building, the grounds, and our ports on Earth as well as on Draconis.”

  Peridot stared at him for several unblinking seconds. Then, he jutted his jaw. “On my honor as a fallen aristocrat, the Ovaline, I will not disappoint you.”

  “Good.” Jasper tried to stretch his smile. Aristocrats were raised differently from low-caste. Even though the duties were a surprise to Peridot now, he would exceed Jasper’s small efforts and do well for his family. “I know you will.”

  There wasn’t much he could do himself except sacrifice.

  What could Rose say after work?

  The only small, bright spot was that they could talk together.

  And he would have one more precious memory to carry away with him into his new life serving the ancient, ill-tempered, loveless Adviser Wrathmoda.

  Chapter Eight

  Live wires vibrated under Rose’s skin every time she saw Jasper for the rest of the day. He led around the new boss and got in her way a lot. Every time she glimpsed him, the wires vibrated, and her heart jolted.

  Jasper couldn’t marry someone he didn’t love. He was too noble for his own good.

  But the only solution put her heart in a precarious place.

  What was she doing? What was she thinking?

  If Jasper’s family’s company depended on someone marrying this adviser, why was he the one who got punished with it?

  And whenever she thought of how unfair it was, the crazy vibrations started. She wanted to run or sing or jump out of her skin. Do something, anything, other than have the conversation that was coming.