by Lucy Lyons
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tem
Tem and Astrid sat on the hotel bed watching the news. His hands were clenched as he saw how Abalon spun what happened at Tem’s estate, or rather, his former estate. That house and land wasn’t his anymore. He regretted that. He loved the place and had looked forward to settling there again.
“He made you responsible for everything,” said Astrid bitterly.
“Of course he would,” said Tem. “I made things easy for him. The humans in the UK are mobilizing for dragon hunts and the rest of the world is being whipped into a frenzy over our supposed crimes. It won’t take long for Rhea to strike back, especially if any dragon is harmed.”
Tem hated how it had all turned out. Innocent men were dead and Abalon still held a position of power he never should have had. And now he and Astrid were not just fugitives in their own country, but world-wide fugitives. Their pictures littered the newsfeeds and social media platforms.
Astrid stared out of the hotel window.
"I've always wanted to visit Paris with the man I loved," she said wistfully.
Tem put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
"Paris is for lovers," he said.
"Are we?" she said. "Lovers?"
It struck Tem that he had not said those words to Astrid. He could make excuses. Everything happened too fast, their meeting, their mating, the impossible situation they were embroiled in. But Astrid didn't deserve excuses. She saved his life and not just when she unlocked his chains in Hawthorne prison.
"Are you sorry," he asked, "for meeting me?"
"Oh no!" she said quickly. "Yes, things have turned out poorly, and they don't look like they are going to get any better in the foreseeable future. But I'd rather be with you during the worst time of my life than anyone else in the best."
"That," he said, "sounds a bit dotty."
She gave a rueful half laugh. "I suppose. But it's as if I've been looking for you all my life. I know it sounds incredible, but I feel like you have been calling to me each day of my life."
"Now that really does sound dotty!"
Astrid picked up a pillow and hit him on the head.
"Hey!" he said laughing. "Watch it. You are a danger with that thing."
"The only thing dangerous here is you, Tem Rawlins. Big. Bad. Dragon."
She leaned in and gave him a searing kiss. Her juicy lips pressed into his and he put his arms around her waist and flipped her to her back. He claimed her mouth, as the world fell away and it was only the two of them, here, now.
"You are so beautiful," he said as he peppered her neck and breasts with kisses. “So very sexy."
She squirmed beneath him and he smelled her arousal at his touch.
"Astrid," he said seriously looking deeply into her eyes.
"Yes, Tem."
"I have to say this. I want there to be no doubt for whatever happens in the future."
Concern filled her lovely eyes.
"Yes, Tem?"
"I love you. Now, and forever."
She smiled brightly. "Oh, is that all?" she said in a teasing voice.
"Yes," he growled. "That is all. There isn't anything else."
"Well, good. Because I love you too."
He descended on her again with many kisses up and down her body, growing hard with her writhing and moaning underneath him. How he wanted this woman.
But before they could really get started, there was a knock on the door.
"Don't answer it," said Astrid.
"We can't let Calvin stand in the hall while we take our pleasure."
She giggled. "Sometimes you say things in the most formal way."
"Hah, you should have heard me in Elizabethan England. Now that was a time when people fell over themselves to speak the Queen's English in the most interesting ways."
"Just how old are you, Templeton Rawlins?"
The knock at the door became more urgent.
"A dragon never tells," he said with a wink as he pushed up from the bed. Astrid stood too.
He checked the peephole and confirmed Calvin stood at the door. When he opened it, Calvin swept in carrying a number of bags. Astrid took a number of them from his hands and set them on the small table by the window.
"You owe me big time," said Calvin. "That gold dealer was a thief! Took a twenty percent commission for converting the gold to cash."
Tem rummaged through the bags.
"You've got enough gold, old man, to buy and sell anyone."
"You still owe me," grumbled Calvin.
Tem smiled at Astrid as he dug his hand in one bag with delicious smells. "Don't ever try to separate a dragon from his gold. For all he complains, I will be paying him back big time from my own hoard."
"And mind that you do." said Calvin crankily.
"Sushi, Calvin?"
"We are in Japan. It's all over the place."
"I don't mind. I love sushi. I just hope you got a lot of it."
"There's not enough sushi in the world to fill your dragon belly, but I did purchase enough to feed twelve humans."
"That should be enough for now."
"Here," said Calvin slinging a backpack to the chair. "There's a hundred thousand American dollars there, spendable almost anywhere."
"Almost?"
"Not popular in certain countries, but I doubt you'll be going to any of them."
"How much is that in pounds?" asked Astrid.
"82,000 give or take."
"That's just to get us situated," said Tem. "When things die down, I'll contact some of my banks and get what we need."
"Won't the authorities be looking out for that?" asked Astrid.
"Where I bank, the authorities don't care."
"The perks," said Calvin, "of doing business with people for centuries instead of years. Here," he said, tossing a box to Tem and then to Astrid. "You can go red," he said to Tem. Astrid I got you black. I hope that works."
Tem turned over the box of hair color. "You think this is necessary?"
"Yes, you shouldn't make new passports using your old pictures."
"But Tem can fly us anywhere we need to go," said Astrid.
"You'll need some sort of identification wherever you are."
"Okay," said Tem. "We'll take care of this."
"Here is the address of the man who will make the passports and IDs for you. He's expecting you anytime this afternoon."
"Sure, thanks, Calvin."
"Then I better get going. Rhea will start getting suspicious if I stay away too long."
"You don't have to do that," said Tem. "You can stay with us. It's a risk to go back to her palace."
"Someone has to keep an eye on Rhea and right now she thinks I'm one hundred percent loyal."
"I still don't understand why Abalon didn't tell the press about you," said Astrid.
"He'll make me into a monster when he wants to. Right now he wants to keep the conduit open to his mother. And that means me not falling into the hands of the authorities."
Astrid threw her arms around Calvin's neck and Tem had to restrain a growl. She just didn't know what it did to him to see her touch another male.
Hush, you, Astrid sent. It's just a friendly hug.
"Take care, Calvin, and keep in touch."
“You keep your head down and take care of that woman” Calvin said to Tem over Astrid’s shoulder.
“You can be sure I will.”
Tem shook Calvin’s hand and the door clicked shut behind him.
"So," said Astrid. "Here we are."
“Yes, here we are.”
“On the run,” said Astrid.
"With sushi," said Tem.
"Uh huh." She took one from the package and held it out to Tem.
"I can get used to you feeding me," said Tem with a sly smile.
"Hah," she said and pulled it away playfully.
"Hey," complained Tem.
‘Okay, okay,” she laughed and held it out to him. “After this
though, there is going to be dessert.”
“What’s dessert?”
“You,” she said with a wicked smile.
The End
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Kissed by The Dragon
K.T Stryker
© 2017
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© Copyright 2017 by Persia Publishing - All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER ONE
Steph
Steph sat in the beautifully appointed waiting room of the office of Mr. Watins with her hands folded in her lap. Not that she wanted to speak to him but she was called here from her cubicle with no notice. She looked at the plain navy suit, one of three such, which didn’t rise to the level of the pricey wardrobe of Mr. Watins’ secretary. She wondered how much she was expected to impress him. Her suits were functional though not stylish, and they reflected the limited means of a first-year law associate.
“You can go in now,” said the secretary.
“Thank you,” said Steph as she stood. The secretary knocked at the door and Steph heard “come in.”
“Ms. Brooks, sir,” said the secretary.
Sitting behind a massive wood desk was the one of the named partners of her firm. He was dressed in an Italian suit obviously cut for his thin frame, and his wire-rimmed glasses nearly sat the end of his nose.
“Sit,” he said without looking at her. Mr. Watkins was a senior named partner of her new firm, Peters, Watkins and Roe. He stared at a manila file with singular interest, and before she sat her eyes hit the name tab. With a shock, she saw it was hers. Instantly her nerves went on high alert. The former Marine corporal was only a lowly associate and just passed the bar. She expected to sit in “the pit” with the rest of the first years doing drudge work and drinking bad coffee. She didn’t expect to sit before a senior partner as he studied every line in her employment folder.
Yet, his careful scrutiny of her school and work history begged the question. Why did a named partner call her to his office? If she was going to be fired, Human Resources would do it. If she was going to be given a promotion, her direct supervisor, Darcy Meara, would have told her. No. This meeting was very unusual and Steph had no idea what to expect.
Mr. Watins leaned back in his high-backed leather chair and blew out a breath. He removed his wire-rimmed glasses from his nose and rubbed his eyes lightly with his index finger and thumb. Steph used all the resources she learned in the corps to steel herself for what inscrutable fate awaited her. But in truth, she felt as if she could jump out of her skin.
Semper Gumby, Brooks, she told herself. The Marine expression reminded her to remain flexible and alert to changes.
“I think you can solve a problem for me, Ms. Brooks.”
“Sir” she said. If she were facing a commanding officer, she wouldn’t have said a word. But there were different expectations in the civilian world.
“Your skill set is unique. Marine training and the law?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Steph.
“Should I tell you ‘at ease,’ Ms. Brooks?”
“Sorry, sir.”
“So tell me why you didn’t pursue law in the Marines?”
“I hadn’t gone to college yet, Mr. Watins, so I didn’t have the education to join JAG. Besides which, I’d have to switch branches of the service to do that. The Marines are a tradition in my family.”
“Never hear the end of it at Thanksgiving, eh?”
A slight smile played on her lips. “No, sir. I wouldn’t.”
“This says you finished your undergraduate work in three years.”
“Yes, sir. I didn’t have any time to lose, and once you’ve served in the Marines, you learn to handle long days and a heavy work load.”
“I can see that. And you did Law Review, kept high honors, excelled in moot court, became editor of Law Review and was inducted in the Order of the Coif.”
“Yes, sir.” Stephanie was proud of her achievements that came from hard work and discipline. Scoring membership in the Order of the Coif, the honor society of the top ten percent of law students was a moment she’d never forget.
“And did you make your marksman badge in the Marines?”
“Yes, sir. I’m qualified on the M-4, M-16 rifles and M-9 Beretta pistol.”
“That’s good to know, but I’m only satisfying my curiosity. You won’t need weapons on this assignment. What I need is someone who is used to handling difficult situations and can keep his or her head. Can I count on you for that?”
“Yes, sir. But may I ask what the assignment is?” Again, normally she wouldn’t ask a superior, just follow orders. But in the civilian word such questions were expected.
“Have you heard of Kaur Industries?”
“Yes, Mr. Watins. They are a major defense contractor for the United States.”
“That’s right. They are also our clients. We bill out to them on retainer alone seven million dollars a year. That’s a chunk of change we don’t want to lose. So we do everything we can to keep the Kaurs happy.”
“Sir?”
“You’ve heard of their son, Ryan?”
Steph almost snorted in disgust. Ryan Kaur was a spoiled pretty boy whose antics often filled the gossip news outlets. There wasn’t a celebrity he hadn’t gone to bed with, or a high-end party he didn’t attend, or a sports car he didn’t crash. Ryan Kaur was a hot mess who caused his parents untold embarrassment.
“Yes, sir.”
“Please, call me Mr. Watins. I don’t think I can handle this much politeness.”
“Yes, s—Mr. Watins.”
The Kaurs are up for large defense contracts to build weapons for use against the dragons. Thank goodness no such nonsense has hit our shores yet, but the Prime Minister of the UK, Abalon, has declared war on all dragons, especially after his estate and the soldiers defending
it was torched by that dragon—what was his name?
“Templeton Rawlins,” Steph supplied.
“That’s the name. I see you keep up on current events too?”
“Yes, Mr. Watins.” Steph devoured all the dragon news. Ever since the Reveal, when a journalist exposed the existence of dragons, Steph had an unhealthy interest in the formerly mythical beasts. It was a compulsion, one she told herself was silly and useless. But any story about dragons drew her immediate attention.
“Anyway, the market for dragon ordinance is exploding, if you pardon the pun. But the Kaurs could miss out on this contract if they can’t convince the Senate committee that Ryan isn’t a security risk. It will be your job to make sure he isn’t.”
“Sir?” said Steph. Now she was shocked. What did they expect her to do against a petulant playboy who didn’t know the meaning of discretion?
“Your bags are packed for you and a company car will take you to the Kaur Estate.”
“Am I to be a bodyguard, sir? I mean, I want to practice law. That’s what I trained to do.”
“And you will. But part of being a lawyer is customer service. But no, you won’t be a bodyguard. More like a babysitter. I expect you to use those persuasive skills you applied in moot court to appeal to Mr. Kaur’s better nature. And I realize that is a difficult thing to do. But if you are successful, there will be a nice bonus for you. The Kaurs have agreed to pay off your student loans, and that will put you ahead of your contemporaries.”
Steph had to admit that was a big enticement to take on a nearly impossible task. While the GI bill paid most of her undergraduate degree, they didn’t pay anything on law school. Getting out from under her student loans would be a big relief.
“Yes, s-Mr. Watins. It would.”
“Good. The car is waiting for you downstairs.” He wrote something on a business card and handed it to you. “If you need anything, call my personal assistant, Jared, at any time of day or night.”
