Once Upon A Dragon

by Selena Kitt

  Kai’s hand moved to her lower back, pressing her closer, feeling the sweet heat of her breath against his neck. He wanted more—much, much more—but part of him could have stayed this way with her forever.

  Then, Jules screamed.

  She tore herself from his arms and bolted to the wall of glass overlooking the forest, her eyes wide with terror. Kai followed her, already scanning the woods for the thing that had scared her. She turned to tremble, breathless, in his arms.

  “What did you see?” He was already reaching in his trouser pocket for his cell phone. “Jules, tell me. What did you see?”

  “My... I... there were... people.” Her voice choked, barely a whisper. “Two... two people. Standing right there. I swear to God, Kai... I swear... I saw them. I saw them!”

  “Okay.” One hand held her close while he dialed with the other. He didn’t see anyone, but he didn’t doubt she’d seen something. Maybe just a reflection of the two of them? He wasn’t sure, and wouldn’t be until...

  “This is Cap.”

  “South side of the house,” Kai said into his cell phone to Cap—the head of his security. “Did you see anything?”

  “No.” Cap sounded more alert now. “Checking the monitors.”

  “Shhh.” Kai stroked and petted Jules, who was still shaking in his arms. Whatever she’d seen had really frightened her. “It’ll be okay.”

  “Nothing, Sir,” Cap assured him. “Not even a woodchuck.”

  “What about the heat sensors?”

  “Negative.”

  “Thanks.” Kai ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket, trying to comfort the terrified woman in his arms. “There’s nothing out there, Jules. I promise you.”

  “But I saw them!” Jules choked desperately, turning to hide her face against his shirt.

  “Maybe you saw a reflection... or—”

  “I swear I saw them!” She was adamant, tearing herself away from him to stalk over to the wall of glass, peering out. The sun was gone now, leaving a dusky dimness in its wake. “It was them... it was... them...”

  “Who?” Kai asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

  Jules grew quiet, hugging herself. She gave a little shudder and then shook her head.

  “I guess you’re right.” She cleared her throat, rubbing her bare arms. “Probably a reflection. Just... seeing things. Too much wine.”

  She gave a half-hearted laugh, turning as Sebastian came in, pushing a tray with their coffee.

  “Oh, good—caffeine. I think I need to sober up.”

  “Is everything all right, Sir?” Sebastian asked as he poured their coffee and the two of them settled into the chairs where they’d started their night with wine.

  “Call down to Cap, make sure he’s on high alert,” Kai told Sebastian, watching Jules wince as she drank the hot coffee—black. “Not sure, but there might have been someone out there...”

  “Yes, Sir.” Sebastian glanced at the glass wall, then back to Kai, looking concerned, but he left them alone again.

  “You okay?” Kai asked softly.

  “I feel silly,” Jules admitted, smiling at him, but her gaze kept going to the glass, as if she thought something—or someone—might appear. The night was coming on now, and their reflections were clear in the glass.

  “Maybe this will make you feel better.” Kai stood, going over to the switch near the door and flipping it. A mahogany colored shade came down to cover the window from ceiling to floor as he flipped another switch to turn on the high, crystal chandelier overhead.

  “Thanks,” she murmured as he came back to sit beside her. She was still shaken, but she looked less pale. Turning her attention from the now-covered window, she looked at him, tilting her head and frowning. “So, tell me... you said you had a proposition?”

  “I do.” He took the cup of coffee Sebastian had poured for him from the cart. “Are you ready to hear it?”

  “I think so.” She swallowed, looking at him over the rim of her coffee cup. Roberta Flack was still playing in the background, soothing.

  “This is something that will benefit us both.”

  “Yes, you mentioned...” She put her cup down, her spine straightening as she faced him. “No selfless acts.”

  “Gotta put your own oxygen mask on first.” He thought his plan was rather brilliant, really. It would serve to get her ranch back in the black again while serving him as well.

  “Right.” She gave a little snort. “Although I’m not sure sex is exactly equivalent to oxygen. We can all live without sex.”

  “Speak for yourself.” He laughed, then suddenly understood what she was saying. “Whoa... did you... you thought my proposition involved...?”

  “Well, yeah.” She blinked, her cheeks pinking up considerably from their previous frightened pale. “It... doesn’t?”

  “No, Jules.” Amused, Kai shook his head, feeling his mouth twitching at the corner. He met her questioning eyes. Those gold flecks had a depth in them he thought he could drown in.

  Kai sat back and told her his proposition—one that didn’t involve any sexual contact between them at all. She didn’t seem displeased with his idea, but he was surprised to see the look on her face when he was finished was almost... disappointed. It took him a moment to figure out why—Jules had believed he was going to use sex as a bargaining chip. And when he hadn’t... well, she’d had to adjust her expectations.

  He worked hard to keep from smiling at the revelation that she’d not only expected but wanted him to proposition her—sexually. Maybe the hold Stuart had over her wasn’t what he’d first assumed after all.

  She told him she’d think about it and he walked her out to the waiting car. Kai opened the back door of the limousine for her—the driver stayed in the driver’s seat.

  “Goodnight,” she said, still looking a little confused and overwhelmed. “Thank you for dinner. Tell Sebastian it was lovely.”

  “He’ll be pleased.”

  “And... thank you for your... proposition.” She bit her lip, her eyes dewy in the full moonlight. “I’m sorry I thought it was... something else...”

  “I’m not.” He did what he’d been aching to do all night. He grabbed her around the waist with one arm and kissed her. Jules didn’t resist. Her body melted against his, her mouth opening, a soft acquiescence. His tongue touched hers and it was electric. Something sparked between them, burning so hot he felt instantly consumed by it. He could have taken her right there—he wanted to. God, did he want to.

  Instead, he pulled back, seeing the dazed look in her eyes, lips still glistening from their kiss.

  “When you go to bed with me, it will be because you want to,” he said hoarsely.

  He saw the realization of what he’d said on her face.

  When. Not if.

  “Goodnight, Jules.” Kai quickly pressed another kiss to her lips and then put her into the waiting limo.

  CHAPTER FOUR—Kai

  “Hello?” Kai answered his cell as he pulled onto the long, gravel driveway leading to the Chiron Ranch. The phone went immediately to Bluetooth and he heard Cass’s voice over his car’s stereo speakers.

  “So, I hear things are going well with Jules.” There was a hint of smugness in Cass’s voice, but mostly she just sounded happy.

  “Yes, Cass.” Kai steered the car past the house and barn, heading down the two-track next to the pasture. “You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “So, have you...”

  “No.” Kai cut her off. “Were taking it slow... she’s worth the wait.”

  Cass laughed. “I was going to ask if you’d told her you’re a dragon shifter.”

  “Oh. Why?” Kai saw the construction site as his car crested the ridge. “I’m not a dragon shifter anymore, remember?”

  “Well, how are you going to handle it?” Cass asked cautiously. “I mean, just because you can’t shift anymore, doesn’t mean you aren’t... different.”

  “I’ll cross that brid
ge when I get to it.”

  “You have to tell her.” Cass was quiet for a moment and Kai parked the car. “Kai, you’re immortal. She should know what she’s in for.”

  “You should’ve thought of that before you set us up.” Kai scanned the pasture where the workers were laying sod. It had only taken them three weeks to get most of the work done, including building, and installing all the bleachers. “This is why I don’t date.”

  “You said it yourself. She’s worth it.”

  “She is.” Kai spotted Jules in the distance, sitting on a fence rail, her horse tied to it. She was feeding him an apple. “I wish she wasn’t.”

  “No, you don’t,” Cass said softly. “Life isn’t worth living without love, Kai.”

  “It’s not the loving that’s the hard part,” he growled. “It’s the losing... it almost killed me once.”

  “That was over a thousand years ago. Literally.” Cass chuckled.

  “I could kiss you and kill you for introducing me to her.” Kai looked wistfully at Jules as she nuzzled her cheek against her horse’s nose.

  “How are things shaping up for the tournament?” Cass asked, changing the subject.

  “They’re almost done with the polo field.” His brilliant plan was coming together quite nicely, he thought. “How are ticket sales?”

  “They’re selling like crazy. We have people—and shifters—coming in from all over.” She sounded pleased with herself. Kai knew she would love having something to do with the project, and he’d put her in charge of marketing. “At a hundred dollars a head, this is going to save the ranch for sure.”

  “Hey, I’ve got to run.” Kai saw Jules lift her head, waving when she spotted him. “Talk to you later?”

  “Oh wait, I almost forgot,” Cass said, keeping him on the phone. “I have shifters coming in from all over the globe for this thing, and I have one of your countrymen in town who’s interested in checking out your library.”

  “It’s not public.” Kai scowled.

  “Can’t you just show him around?” Cass cajoled. “He’s looking for a specific volume, but I can’t even pronounce it.”

  “All right.” Kai relented. “Have him call the house—Sebastian can show him around. As long as you personally promise he’ll return anything he borrows.”

  “I promise! And Kai... please tell her,” Cass urged. “It’s no good starting a relationship with lies.”

  “I’m not lying,” he protested, although he knew better. The truth was—and he wasn’t about to admit it—he was afraid to tell her.

  “Kai, come on.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her?” he deflected. “You’re the one who started this whole thing.”

  “Well... I thought it was yours to tell.”

  “No, you thought she wouldn’t see me if she knew... and you were right.”

  “Kai...”

  “I’ve gotta go.” He ended the call, cutting the engine and getting out of the car. He locked it with the key fob in his pocket out of habit as Jules hopped off the fence.

  She hugged him as he approached, already talking about the day’s progress on the field. The crew foreman had updated him already via phone, but Kai listened to Jules’s version anyway. He liked hearing her talk. Just the sound of her voice was soothing to him. He patted the horse’s neck as she relayed the events of her day, which included a visit from Evan and his mother.

  “Oh, Kai, I almost forgot.” Her eyes widened. “It’s so sad. Evan’s kitten went missing a few days ago.”

  “Did they find it?” Kai was already reaching into his pocket for his cell to look up the number for the local Humane Society.

  “It’s dead.” Jules blinked back tears. “And I don’t mean just run-over-by-a-car or eaten-by-an-animal dead. Someone did horrible things to it.”

  “What do you mean?” Kai slipped his cell back into his jeans pocket. He’d learned to wear jeans on the ranch after ruining a rather expensive designer suit on his first visit to the construction site.

  “Thank God Evan didn’t find him.” Jules untied her horse and started walking, slipping her other hand into Kai’s. He squeezed gently, a brief acknowledgment of their touch. “Carolyn found him hanging outside her bedroom window from a tree. Someone had gutted him. She said there were pieces of him everywhere, draped all over the branches.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Kai stopped to look at her, aghast. The horse nickered and tossed his head—tuned into his mistress’s moods—and Jules soothed him.

  “I know.” She shuddered. “Who would do something like that?”

  Kai frowned, wondering that exact thing. Who indeed?

  “And poor Evan.” Jules swung his hand as they started walking again. “I promised him another kitten, but he’s just too broken up about Frodo right now to even think about it.”

  “Frodo was the cat?”

  “Yes, poor thing.” They’d reached Kai’s car and Jules stopped, looking up at him. “Do you want to go out and check on the workmen? I have to take Bailey here back to the barn.”

  “It’s Friday, I thought I’d let them off a little early.” He glanced back at the polo field, thoroughly satisfied with how things were shaping up. They’d be ready in plenty of time for the tournament. “Then I thought I’d take you into town for a burger at the Full Moon.”

  “Oh, big spender.” She laughed, nudging him with her elbow.

  “Friday’s karaoke night,” he reminded her with a smile and loved the way her cheeks pinked up when he said that. “I’ll use any excuse to hear you sing.”

  “I’m surprised your proposition didn’t involve me giving you a private concert every night.”

  “Damn, why didn’t I think of that?” He slapped his forehead, only half-kidding.

  She giggled. “I’ll meet you at the house then?”

  “Sure.”

  Jules went up on her toes in her riding boots and put her arms around his neck. Kai ducked his head and kissed her. Her mouth was soft, and it opened under his. This was as far as things had gone between them—hand holding and kisses. It was driving him mad, but he was letting her take the lead. He wouldn’t take any more than she was willing to give. Like Jules with her horses—he didn’t want to spook her.

  “Maybe tonight,” Jules breathed when they parted, her eyes slightly dazed. “We can spend the night at your place... or mine...”

  He nodded, kissing her again, before quickly letting her go and heading over to let the crew off for the day. Just hearing her say that made him want to take her right there in the middle of the field. So, he distracted himself by talking to the guys, checking on their progress, and then letting them all go for the day. It was only three o’clock. He turned the car around and headed back toward the house, thinking that maybe he could convince Jules to take the afternoon off...

  That’s when he spotted a red car in the driveway. Jules had already told him on the phone before he headed out that she didn’t have any more clients for the rest of the day. Then he got closer, braking before he got to the barn as he recognized the vehicle. Stuart. He drove an old, red Firebird, the kind that had flip-up headlights. Only one worked, though. The other was stuck in an upright position, making it look as if the car was always winking.

  Kai put his BMW in park, cutting the engine and getting out. Just as he’d suspected, Stuart and Jules were in the barn. Their voices drifted toward him as he headed toward the barn door and he prepared himself to be a “nice guy” for Jules’s sake. He’d plaster on a smile and shake Stuart’s hand and tell him it was nice to meet him. But he wasn’t about to let Jules make the same mistakes all over again by giving the man more of her money.

  But it was Jules who stopped him in his tracks just shy of the barn door.

  “Goddamnit, Stuart, I said no!”

  “Come on, Jules.” The man’s voice was pleading, almost like a child’s, and it made Kai wince. “I’ve got an interview tomorrow. I’m sure I’m gonna get it—I’ll pay you back. I promise.”
<
br />   “Stuart, you’re drunk—and high.” Jules gave a heavy sigh and Kai heard a horse whinny. “I’m not giving you any more money to snort up your nose.”

  “Don’t be a bitch. You’ve got plenty—especially now that you’re seeing Mr. Big Shot.”

  Kai’s hackles rose, and he made a move to interrupt them.

  “Fuck you, Stuart.”

  Kai stopped, surprised, and a slow grin spread across his face as she continued.

  “It’s about time you go out and earn your own money, like Kai does, don’t you think?”

  “Mr. Snootypants probably inherited it all,” Stuart grumbled. “Fucking trust fund baby.”

  “No, Stuart,” Jules countered. Her voice had an edge to it that Kai hadn’t heard before. “Not everyone feels entitled to someone else’s hard-earned money.”

  There was silence for a moment and Kai found himself holding his breath. He knew he should announce his presence—and if things got out of hand, he would—but he liked this Jules. The one who stood up to Stuart and put him in his place.

  “Polo, Jules?” Stuart said finally, his voice full of sarcasm. “That’s not you. Snooty and stuck-up—ugh. This guy isn’t good for you.”

  “You mean he’s not good for you.” Jules gave a little laugh. “I’ll have you know, every single one of those polo ponies have been rescued and rehabbed from racing. And the guys playing? They’re all ex-cons. This isn’t some wealthy, uppity sport. It’s all for charity.”

  “Well, isn’t he the philanthropist?”

  “Stuart, why can’t you just be happy for me?” Her voice turned softer. She sounded wounded and slightly bewildered. There was silence again for a moment. Jules spoke again, even softer this time. Kai had to strain to hear her.

  “Kai is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. If you were really my friend, you’d know that—you’d be able to see it. And you’d be happy for me.”

  “What’s so special about this guy?” Stuart asked grudgingly.

  “I don’t know,” Jules confessed. “He’s smart. He’s funny. He acts like he doesn’t need anyone, like he’s above it all. He pretends to be selfish, but—underneath, he’s got a great big heart. Actually... he reminds me a lot of you.”