by Ophelia Bell
The truth was they hadn’t been apart for almost six months since she and her team had completed the ritual to awaken the dragons. They had spent a brief and luxurious week in a Monastery on a remote island in the South China Sea—a place Erika had thought of as a sort of halfway house for dragons. The the human occupants of the Monastery might have been a sect of Buddhist monks, but it had soon become apparent that they were all very aware of who their new visitors were. It also became apparent that several of the long-term residents of the Monastery were a servant-class of dragons who hadn’t been part of the Brood that slept in the temple.
These dragon monks had piqued Erika’s curiosity, but when asked, Geva had evaded the question. Even after needling him about it he finally whispered that they didn’t talk about the Unbound. She resolved to get the answers out of him one way or the other, and hearing that term again in his mother’s journal added another piece to the puzzle.
The rest of their time before moving to London had been spent traveling back to the Temple, collecting more data and a few artifacts. When she and her team were busy preparing their paper, she had corresponded with her team remotely from a collection of hotels around the world, in cities where other experts existed who could validate the authenticity of their artifacts. It had been the Queen, Racha, who had dictated the terms of their use of the data they had collected from the Temple and she had reviewed and signed off on the final submission of the paper to the most elite journals in Erika’s field.
The only time she and Geva had been out of sight of each other since they’d left the Temple had been during the secret meeting he and the other Court dragons had attended, high atop the mountain on that tiny island. The Council had important things to say that the human mates couldn’t be privy to, but it just made Erika wonder who this elusive Council was.
Geva hadn’t been inclined to share the details of that meeting at first, only saying that they had accomplished more than he’d expected. All she’d figured out was that ‘dragon law’ required the Court and the Brood along with it to disperse to the four corners of the Earth. The reasoning for that was vague, but Camille had suggested their laws assigned each dragon a jurisdiction. Geva had confirmed that suggestion when they moved to London.
He was literally royalty, in the dragon sense, and his ‘kingdom’, as it were, encompassed all of the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
The locales of the others began to make more sense to her after that, though there were really six corners to the Earth if their assignments were any indication. She’d begun to see the pattern with them as well. The number six kept recurring. Six dragon colors, six ultimate matings among her team, six separate fragments of the magical artifact they were trying to assemble.
Six generations, Geva had said, since they’d been forced into these cycles. He’d only said it once, then grew broody and muttered something about how six was enough. Erika had been reminded of her father complaining about politics not long before he died.
She stepped under the steaming water of the shower with a sense of sadness and a sudden pang of homesickness. Not for the huge, empty house she’d left behind in Boston when she started college, but for the memory of that same house when her father was alive and it still felt like home to her. She longed to share the success of her discovery with her father.
At first it was a sense of pride and excitement over confirming what her father had always believed was the truth but had never proved. Today, however, she had the strongest wish that Geva and her father had had the chance to meet. It was absurd to think she saw aspects of her father in her lover. She was probably projecting due to having too much time on her hands now and feeling particularly sentimental.
“My legacy is your destiny,” she remembered her father saying when she was a teenager testing her boundaries and rebelling against his need to share his life’s work with her. “You’ll understand when you have your own child. The need to pass this on will become a priority. I won’t live forever, Erika.”
She’d of course rolled her eyes at that comment. Gabriel Rosencrans was strength personified—immortal in her own eyes. Now she realized he’d been making more frequent comments about his own mortality at the time. It wasn’t until the cancer had advanced beyond his ability to hide it that he finally told her he was dying.
And to think if he’d found the Temple and mated a dragon he might have lived. Here she was instead, carrying on her father’s work but with no young, bright, inquisitive mind to impart any of that wisdom to. It had never occurred to her what she might have meant to her father until now. She’d filled his shoes in so many ways. Could she follow in those footsteps, too? And not just in the sense of an academic sharing her knowledge with younger peers, but that of a parent influencing the mind of her own child.
Geva wanted it. Of course, it was instinctual for dragons. There were so few of them left in the world and so little time relative to their life spans and the schedule their laws imposed on them. Was she being selfish withholding that from him?
They still had time by her own standards. Decades, even. Was it selfish for her to want to wait just a little longer? Yeah, but for how long? The next big discovery could have her in the field hunting for a decade for all she knew. She had just assumed he would come with her. Would he? Could he?
The conception and nurturing of her work involved objects that had been hidden for centuries and were crying out to be found. What was a decade of study and searching in the scheme of ageless antiquities? Especially now that she had a seemingly infinite amount of time in which to find more lost treasures if her link to Geva really did what he said it would. She had no reason to doubt him.
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her torso. Swiping the steam away from the mirror, she scowled at her reflection. A few years for her to regain her balance after the last six months. That shouldn’t be unreasonable to ask. With that thought she forced herself to stop thinking about it.
She had a tricky meeting in store for her and was determined to make it productive, which meant looking the part of someone who recognized not only the power she had, but the power of the person she’d be talking to. Even if Corey generally answered to her in the world of jungle treks and ancient digs, in the dragon world he was technically her superior now. The shift in hierarchy definitely wasn’t lost on her.
Finding Geva’s sister had to be a priority now. The girl’s existence was a fresh mystery for her to solve and the prospect excited her as much as learning what this Verdanith artifact could really do once whole again. She wondered if the rest of her team even had the thing on their radar or if they were too busy enjoying the lull after submitting their paper to even think about it.
Hair and makeup done, she donned a low-cut red blouse and gray pencil skirt. Red flattered her, she decided, looking at the whole package in the full-length mirror. It never hurt to give Corey a little visual candy either. He may be a gentleman when it came to talking to women, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a red-blooded man who appreciated beauty and sensuality. If anything, he’d been even more overt in his appreciation since becoming the Queen’s consort, as if he’d needed permission from a strong woman to let himself out of that reserved shell of his.
Geva was already standing by the office window when she made it down. She paused in the doorway for a second, taking him in. “Wow, you really aren’t screwing around, are you? Did Benjamin help?”
“I can dress myself, you know,” he said with mock offense, but lowered his eyes and then smiled and nodded. “I called him when you abandoned me to my own devices. The suit was Warik’s—father’s would be too small and the one I bought last week was…not suitable for wearing after this morning.”
“And the hair…?” Erika gestured wide-eyed at the now short-cropped russet hair on his head. It was a far cry from the tousled red mane she was used to.
Geva self-consciously ran a hand through his gelled hair, causing it to rise into spikes. He grimaced at his
hand and tugged a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe off the sticky residue. “I want to look professional. Serious. This is important. Rowan is important.”
Erika smiled and stepped closer to comb her fingers through his hair, straightening it with a few swipes. “And green eyes, too,” she said, peering up into his eyes that were normally a dull brown. “Be still my heart.”
“Mother’s color. It seemed right to honor her in some way when I’m about to appeal to her successor for help.” His gaze lingered on hers, perhaps seeking approval.
Even in high heels she still had to stand on tip-toe to kiss him. She caressed his cheek and gave him a swift peck, pulling away before she could get sucked into the passionate whirlwind that was their sex life. She had work to do. Not her favorite kind of work, but perhaps even more important.
She took a deep breath and turned back to the desk, mentally preparing herself for the posturing and competitive volley she knew would happen once she was face-to-face with Corey.
Too big for his britches, she thought before reprimanding herself. If anything, her old friend’s new role seemed to agree with him. He was finally in charge of a group of people who had to do what he told them. A rather large group, at that, comprising the entire tech team of the Aris Technical Corporation the new Queen was CEO of.
With a swipe of the mouse, the wide, flat monitor of her computer came to life, the camera scanning her features and logging her in via facial recognition. The video conference app activated from her vocal command, transferring her desktop along with her figure to one half of the massive flatscreen on the office wall. The outline of an anonymous avatar was displayed in the inactive half of the call.
“Jesus, your parents didn’t fuck around with tech,” Erika commented.
“Mother was always ahead of the trends, particularly if she could make money with them, but it was Benjamin who did all this. Part of Mother’s final instructions to him.”
“Dial Aris Tech,” Erika said out loud. Geva came around to her side of the desk and stood within the camera’s wide frame just behind her. Her skin tingled at the brief, delicate warmth of his fingertips through the thin fabric of her blouse when he brushed her hip. She caught a glimpse in the widescreen of both of his hands starting to reach for her then clench into fists before he shoved them deep into the pockets of his trousers.
A terse, female voice answered. “Good morning, Aris Technical Corporation. How may I direct your call?”
“Hayden Antiquities calling for Mr. Monaghan.”
“Thank you. One moment.”
A split second later, Corey’s handsome, smirking face appeared, filling the void in the other half of the screen. “Somehow I knew it would be you, Erika. Geva. And judging from the getup, this is a business call, am I right?” He eyed them both from the top down.
Erika hadn’t known quite what to expect, but the last thing on her list was the sight of Corey in a suit and tie, seated comfortably in what looked like the corner office of a skyscraper. The late afternoon vista of the Boston Harbor out Corey’s expansive windows caused a fresh pang of homesickness to twist in her belly. She quickly gathered her wits.
“You in a tie. Wow, Racha’s really turned you around, hasn’t she? Nice view.”
Corey chuckled. “It’s my job to look the part for clients, but since it’s just you…” He stood and slipped out of his jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled up his shirt sleeves. “That better?” His bright smile caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle attractively, the only remnant that showed his age. All in all he actually looked younger and more at ease than usual. He leaned forward onto the desk, an expectant look on his face. Somehow he still looked slightly amused at receiving the call.
“Spit it out,” he said.
“Geva and I would like to formally submit our petition to—ah—assemble the Verdanith.”
Corey nodded solemnly. “Geva probably knows that as the Queen’s proxy I have to ask you a few questions. But we can save some time if you just answer one. Why?””
“Jesus, Corey. What do you think? I’ve been in the field for years. My time’s running out. I want to carry on my father’s legacy.”
“Hunting for things that don’t exist? No offense, Geva.”
“No! I want to…” She swallowed. She’d never had issues lying to get what she wanted, but this particular excuse lodged in her throat. “I want a… a daughter to carry on Dad’s legacy.”
“I knew it!” Corey sat back in his chair, then pointed at her. “But I don’t believe you. The others I believed. Hallie was obvious. Would you believe Camille wants to see if it’ll give her twins? One from each of them. Dimitri made the best case—honoring his brother, of course.”
Erika blinked in surprise that bordered on humiliation. They had all called already? “What about Kris and Issa?” she asked dumbly.
Corey waved his hand dismissively. “They don’t really need it, as much magic as they have between them. Kris still called as a courtesy.”
Geva’s voice broke through behind her. “Prismatics have never had the same fertility issues as the rest of us.”
“Ah, is that it?” Corey asked. “I wondered. But as much as I love you two, Racha—the Queen, I mean—well, she doesn’t trust you, Geva. I think she irrationally mistrusts Reds in general and there’s no talking her out of it.”
“Her father was a Red,” Geva grumbled.
“Does she trust me?” Erika asked, irritated.
“Alone, yes. But as a couple she naturally assumes Geva’s the one in control. I tried to convince her otherwise, but...” He shrugged.
“So, convince her! You have her trust, and you trust me, don’t you, Corey?” Erika asked, growing agitated at his flippant attitude.
He grabbed a baseball off his desk and started tossing it into the air and catching it. Erika got the feeling he enjoyed having the upper hand for a change and wondered if he’d secretly hated having to answer to her since working together. But he still had to answer to Racha.
Corey caught the ball and held it. His expression grew more serious when he looked at her. “I won’t lie to you, Erika. I know you and I think it’s a huge stretch asking me to believe that you ever wanted kids. If Geva really was the alpha in your relationship I might, but look at the two of you.” He gestured toward them.
Shit. He was right. They hadn’t thought this through very well at all, had they? Given Geva’s intense personality, he might have been able to convince Corey if they’d spoken one-on-one. But Erika had already blown it merely by taking the initiative, something that was second nature to her.
Geva seemed to sense her agitation and shifted closer. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and smoothed one palm up her back. The touch calmed her, but she was out of ideas.
Corey’s smirk returned, mischievous now and entirely infuriating. “I’ll throw you a bone. Convince me you want it and I’ll tell the Queen.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to do that if you know me so well already?” Erika snapped. “Jesus, Corey, after everything we’ve been through, do you have to hold out on me like this?”
With a raised eyebrow, Corey glanced past Erika at Geva, his expression seemed to ask, “Is this is what you have to deal with?”
“He can’t lie to the Queen, you know that,” Geva said. “If he doesn’t believe what he tells her, she’ll know.” His hand had drifted down her hip and squeezed comfortingly. The firm touch was just enough to send a pleasant warmth into her core.
Erika sighed. “I know. What do you suggest, Corey?”
“Well, you could tell me what you really want with it. You always have an ulterior motive when it comes to hunting for ancient treasures, after all. Or…Convince me you want the pieces reunited for the stated reason, the same reason all the others want it to happen. To help you get pregnant.”
“I can’t do that. Not if my word isn’t good enough.” She knew better than to try, even. He was so good at reading her, if he even caught her in a
lie…
“Oh, I think you should at least try. You know I’m from a big family. You’ve even met some of them. I have…” He held up a hand, counting his fingers. “Six nieces and six nephews. Kids are amazing. Believe me, Racha and I want this to happen as much as the rest, but it has to be unanimous among the Court before it has a chance of being approved by the Council. Tell me you never even thought about it. Not once when that huge Red’s cock was buried inside you. Tell me it never crossed your mind to share something that profound with him in the last six months.”
Geva’s touch had grown distracting, the heat of his caress against her back sinking into her skin as deeply as Corey’s words into her mind.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying show me how much you want it. Let me see the intent for myself.” He began unbuttoning his shirt.
When it was halfway open, displaying the dark hair on his muscular chest, he pulled it apart. The large, green emblem etched into his left pectoral glowed slightly.
He leaned forward and touched the glowing dragon mark, his expression fierce and intimidating. “This is what it looks like when you’re trying like hell to make it happen. When you’re primed and willing. Show me yours.”
“Show you my mark? Now?” Hers never glowed except right as she orgasmed. The glow never lingered.
“Yeah,” he said with a devious smile. “I showed you mine…”
Geva’s lips nuzzled against her ear. “Show him, love.” He had one hand gripping her hip, the other splayed across her stomach with his thumb casually caressing the side of her breast. “If I tease you enough, we can make him believe it,” Geva whispered. When he pressed his steel-hard length against her backside she was done for.
“Oh, God. Alright, alright.”
Corey sat back with a self-satisfied smirk. “And go slow, if you don’t mind.”
She glared at him. “Am I looking at the same man who refused to believe, or even participate in the ritual until he had no other choice?”
