Gwen

by Skye Jones

  Already, he wanted her to a crazy degree. He’d witnessed the scene with her and Cadan the other day and hung back to let it play out. The other male knew more what he was doing when it came to the seduction of dragon females. Jay hardly possessed any experience in that arena, his only dalliances being with human women.

  Gods but Gwen was beautiful. Not in a polished way, but in a messy, beach-girl, sultry way that was all her own. He couldn’t wait to discover what she tasted like when he got to kiss her golden skin and properly take her mouth.

  Weirdly, the previous evening, he’d had a dream where the three of them were making out, and Cade had kissed him. He’d awoken slightly perturbed because they’d never been about that. Not that he minded, he wasn’t homophobic, but he wondered if the dream was just like most dreams, a mishmash of nothing, or if it was a harbinger of something deeper in his psyche that he’d so far kept pushed down. Time would tell, he supposed.

  He gave himself a dab of Acqua di Parma, loving the fresh scent, and tousled his hair. Yeah, he might be the slightest bit vain, but whatever. His bedroom was next to Cade’s, but they were chalk and cheese. Whereas Jay’s was all light woods, pale walls, and modern furnishings, with floor-to-ceiling fitted wardrobes down one wall and a simple double bed, Cade’s was something else.

  For some reason, Jay headed there now, going out of his door and taking a right to Cade’s. He entered the room with no trepidation; he and Cade shared one another’s space completely and had no secrets. The scent of something lush and warm hung in the air, the lingering aroma of the male’s aftershave.

  The walls were paneled and painted a dark gray. A truly humongous, extra-large king-size bed dominated the back wall. To the left of the bed were equally huge windows, and at the bottom of it sat a brown Chesterfield sofa. Most striking of all, though, were three tall, narrow, black-and-white pictures of mountain scenery placed between each of the panels on the wall behind the bed. It always struck Jay as being incredibly beautiful and speaking to a more sensitive side of Cade’s character than he usually showed.

  Letting himself enjoy the ambiance for a moment, Jay sat on the bed and soaked in all that was Cade. Then he got up, gave a small shake of his head, and stalked out the door to go downstairs.

  The scents of delicious food greeted him as he hit the first-floor hallway. He’d bet the table fair groaned with food, and while he hated eating in the dining room, his stomach rumbled at the divine aromas.

  Passing by the front door, he jumped as the bell rang. Cade had arranged for a driver to pick up Gwen and bring her to their abode. Jay would have preferred to go get her himself, but he’d given in on this evening so long as next time he got his own way on how it went down. He hoped there would be a next time after the formality ahead of them.

  Smiling, he opened the door only to see Gwen…and her mother. What the hell? Gwen gave him a blinding, shit-eating grin that told him they’d been well and truly played and sauntered by him to stand in their hallway.

  “Hi, Jay, thanks so much for the invite. This is my mum, Lara.”

  Lara had the grace to be a bit more embarrassed by the whole thing than Gwen, and she flushed as he took her hand to shake. Cade was going to shit a brick when he saw what Gwen had done.

  Footsteps had him bracing for impact, but it was only one of their servants. The male gave a deep bow to Gwen and Lara and a nod to him.

  “The food is ready, sire.”

  “Come. Let us eat.” Shit, since when did he speak like some formal dragon of an age gone by?

  “Thank you.” Lara fell into step beside him, and he let himself glance at her.

  She reminded him of that famous red-haired actress, he forgot her name, from the forties. Really beautiful now he saw her up close. In fact, if you were talking classical good looks, Lara was more beautiful than Gwen. She possessed the sort of face that would photograph amazingly well, and yet, he found she did nothing for him. Only Gwen captured his interest.

  As they strolled through the house, he noticed how Gwen looked around, her eyes wide at the opulence all around.

  Cade didn’t go in for lots of showy stuff, thank the gods. A lot of their brethren filled their houses with treasures and things they found beautiful. Many Dragonea homes were filled with precious silks, vases, pots, and porcelain, and of course, jewelry. Wow, but did dragon shifters like their jewelry. His own birth home had been packed to the gills with…well, crap, frankly. His mother hadn’t gone for the luxurious stuff many dragon shifters loved. She liked all sorts of strange things and collected one thing after another.

  For a period, it had been thimbles, then spoons, before she started to collect buttons, and then on to brooches. Their home overflowed with the decades of her relentless search for the current objects of her fascination. Luckily both his fathers were patient and kind males who let his mother do whatever she damn well liked.

  Not his birth father, though. No, his conception was a terrible secret and shame, and only their family knew about it. Not even Cade knew, which made Jay feel guilty as hell because they told one another everything. This, though? He didn’t dare share it with a soul because it might make him an outcast, and the stigma would surely kill his mother.

  His beloved, kind mother, who wouldn’t harm a fly, had been raped by a dragon male and taken to the cave where he lived when she was a young female. A truly rogue male, he’d kept her prisoner until one day she’d taken a chance and escaped. Only her family knew the truth. She’d never wanted anyone else to be told, despite the fact that the male would be hunted down and either killed or jailed for life.

  Once back home, she’d been kept almost under lock and key by her family. A prisoner almost as much as she’d been when kept by the vile male. So, when she’d found herself with young, she’d left her clan in Ireland and traveled to England, where she’d been found hiding out in a damp, squalid, empty terrace house by the two males who mated with her. Theirs wasn’t a union based on the sort of match he and Cade had with Gwen, but more a mating based on friendship and a love that grew over time. But it worked for them. His adoptive fathers had wanted to defend the vulnerable young female and help her with her young. And so, his mother’s new life had begun.

  Sadly, when she’d shifted form and laid her eggs, only two were viable, and one of the young subsequently died. Which made Jay her only offspring. He’d been spoiled rotten growing up because of it.

  Fear struck him hard and fast as he wondered what Gwen would think if she found out his deepest, darkest secret. She’d most likely hate him. There was no reason for her to find out…except, mates were meant to be completely open with one another. Cade had never asked him much about his family because he knew them. He’d grown up with them in the clan, and he’d spent many an evening at Jay’s family home once they’d bonded. He clearly assumed that one of the two males who had brought Jay up was his father.

  All of Cade’s immediate family was long gone, including his siblings. Cade was old. As old as time, one dragon in the clan had joked. How ancient exactly, Jay didn’t know, but Cade had fought alongside legendary dragons such as Rhyndor and Steffan, so old enough.

  Realizing he must seem rude, Jay searched for something to say as they walked down the long corridor to the formal dining room.

  “These are incredible photographs.” Gwen interrupted his thoughts. “Where did you buy them? I love photography.”

  He turned to the moody black-and-white shots of animals, mostly horses, but also big game he’d photographed while on vacation in Africa with Cade. He smiled at Gwen. “They’re mine.”

  “Really?” Lara looked from him to the photos and back again. “These are good, Jay. Really good. You could make money selling them.”

  He waved around the corridor, taking in the Lalique vase on the sideboard next to the Lladro figurine depicting the arrival of Cinderella to the ball. The pair alone would set you back over thirty thousand big ones.

  “I don’t need the money, and I prefer to keep i
t as a hobby. I don’t want to have to worry about what people might like, and I simply capture what I love.”

  Suddenly, he worried he’d sounded arrogant about the wealth all around him, and his cheeks warmed. “Not that any of this is mine,” he added. “My own parents come from a humble background and have a small home in amongst the clan. This is all Cade’s, and he’s spent centuries collecting it.”

  Great, now he sounded like a gold digger instead.

  Gwen saved him. “I can tell you don’t care about the money, though, either way.”

  He nodded. “Nope. I don’t. Cade and I matched perfectly, so it made sense for us to be together as bonded males.” He stopped walking. “To be honest, all of this put me off, if anything. I worried he’d think my background too lowly or be a horrendous snob. Nothing’s further from the truth, though. He’s a great guy, if a little overbearing.”

  “Who’s overbearing?”

  Jay jumped and nearly knocked over the damned Lalique vase. “You.” He narrowed his eyes at Cade. “Sometimes anyway. You’re also a sneaky son of a bitch. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

  Cade’s eyes narrowed as he looked over Jay’s shoulder. Oh yeah. Their uninvited guest.

  “Erm, Cade, this is Gwen’s mother, Lara.”

  Lara held out her hand, and Cade took it in his own. He didn’t shake it but instead brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, Drago-Anrhy-Lara.”

  Cade used the formal title for a female dragon and gave a dip of his head. Lara beamed with pleasure as her cheeks turned pink.

  God, the smooth bastard always made the females swoon, and soon he’d probably have Gwen’s mother wrapped around his little finger. Jay glanced at Gwen to see a tiny scowl mar her pretty face. He bit back a smirk. Here was one female Cade wouldn’t find so easy to win over. He wasn’t sure if the fact made him happy to get to witness Cade having to work for it, or sad that they faced an uphill struggle in winning over their mate.

  “You have a stunning home, Cadan.” Lara smiled at the male towering over her.

  Cade shrugged. “I suppose so. A lot of this stuff I’ve had for so long, I kind of don’t see it anymore.”

  “Were you a collector or something?” Gwen picked up a Faberge egg and turned it over before putting it back down.

  “A lot of these things were either gifts or the spoils of war. Unlike a lot of dragons, I’ve never been interested in collecting objects for the sake of it. But many of these pieces have a story behind them. That egg, for instance, the Tsar of Russia gave it to me. He gave one to Rhyndor as well, many years ago. I keep these things because they have value, but to me, they don’t mean anything.”

  “You don’t find them beautiful?” Lara asked.

  “Honestly? No.” Cade gave a small smile. “I know it probably marks me out as a Philistine, but, no. I find nature beautiful. The ocean. Flying in my dragon form. Of course, some art I can admire and find beautiful, but most of these things are not my taste. The only things in this corridor I find beautiful are Jay’s photographs.”

  Jay’s heart did a weird little flutter at those words. He’d had no idea until now that Cade thought so much of his work. Of course, the male had hung the photographs in the corridor, but he’d always assumed Cade did so because deep down he was kind and he wanted Jay to feel something he did held value. Jay hadn’t for a moment believed Cade actually admired his work.

  “They are stunning, aren’t they?” Lara said.

  “Truly,” Cade answered. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone with quite the talent Jay has for capturing the soul of an animal.”

  Holy shit, if Cade didn’t shut up, Jay might do something stupid and embarrassing like get all teary-eyed. Luckily, Gwen saved the day by giving a squeak of delight.

  She’d stopped by a Clarice Cliff tea set, and she turned her sparkling gaze on Cade. “Is this a genuine Clarice Cliff?”

  He smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

  “Ooh…” The word came out on a sigh. “I love her stuff.”

  “Really?” Cade cocked his head to one side.

  “Oh yes. I’m not all that into antiques, but I adore how quirky and bright her pottery is.”

  Jay noted the way Cade filed the information away. No doubt, a truckload of Cliff’s pieces would be arriving at the small house Gwen and her mum shared at some point.

  Cade led the way into the formal dining room where more opulence and signs of wealth stood out wherever you looked. Jay wanted Lara and Gwen to see the real them, not this showy pretense of a feast. He and Cade didn’t normally eat like this. Most nights, they either ate in the dining kitchen, sharing a bottle of red as they chatted, or on their knees in the living room, a movie playing out on the widescreen TV.

  “What a stunning room,” Lara said.

  Gwen didn’t speak, and her face seemed to scream get me out of here. Jay bit back a sigh and told Lara the truth. “We hardly ever use it. For some reason, Cade here went all formal tonight. Normally, you’ll find us watching a movie and eating off our knees.”

  Cade shot a comically scandalized glance his way, but Gwen spoke up. “Thank fuck.”

  “Gwen!” Lara paled.

  “No, Mum. This isn’t our thing. Neither of us. And thank the gods it’s not these guys either, or I’d be turning tail and running out of here as fast as I could go. No way do I want to have to sit here, night after night, eating in this stuffy room.”

  “Stuffy?” Cade’s voice came out half strangled.

  Jay began to laugh, and once he started, he couldn’t stop. “It is, though, Cade. Admit it. It’s stuffy as hell.”

  “I mean…it’s not my taste, not truly…but I thought…I mean…” Cade trailed off, and Jay was enjoying the rare sight of his bonded male being wrong-footed. Maybe that made him a bad person, but sue him, this hardly ever happened.

  “Why don’t we pile up our plates and go eat in the lounge?” Jay asked.

  “Would you prefer that, Gwen?” Cade looked to her, and she nodded with a big grin.

  “You bet. This room gives me the creeps. Those drapes look like something from Dracula’s lair.”

  Oh gods, Jay loved how totally unfazed by the wealth on display, and more importantly, by Cade’s power, this female was.

  Authority and strength rolled of Cade in waves. Even humans seemed to pick up on it. If they walked down a crowded street, people always moved aside for him. In all their time together, Jay had never seen anyone challenge Cade. Until now.

  Gwen poked Cade in the ribs. “Come on, lighten up. You don’t normally eat in here, so show me the real you.”

  Jay bit back a guffaw at the shocked expression on Cade’s face. The male looked down to where Gwen had poked him, to her face, and back to where her hand still rested on his side. Then something else took over his face and filled the room, and it nearly knocked Jay off his feet.

  Lust, so powerful and potent it had its own scent, swept through the space between the four of them. He saw the moment it hit Gwen as her lips parted and her hand dropped from Cade as if burned. Lara’s eyes widened, and she looked from her daughter to Cade and back again.

  Cade didn’t move, but his hooded eyes took in every inch of Gwen. He looked as if he wanted to eat her alive. To consume her and not leave an inch of her untouched. And as soon as the moment came, it went. Cade cleared his throat, smiled politely at Gwen, and gave a brief dip of his head.

  “As you wish, Gwen. We will eat in the lounge.”

  Chapter Six

  Gwen moved around the room, filling her plate with tempting morsels. She may as well have been loading gravel onto the fancy porcelain as she paid no attention to what she put on there. Her fingers shook, and she fumbled more than once, dropping food onto the starched, white tablecloth. She’d mutter a sorry, only for Jay to say it was quite all right, or for some manservant to appear discreetly from the gloom at the back of the room and pick up the offending item.

  Not once did
she dare glance at the male who had caused her to become some jelly-legged, useless being who couldn’t even load her plate.

  What was that before? She’d never felt anything like it in her life. One moment she’d been in charge. All on top of the situation as she teased Cadan. The next? Well, she wasn’t sure what happened. Ostensibly, nothing. The male hadn’t moved or spoken, but he’d sent a blast of lustful energy her way that had made her weak in the knees and damp between her legs. And with her mother standing right next to her to add to her mortification.

  Worse, she didn’t think Cade had done so to prove a point or as part of some game. She’d poked at the tiger and fanned the flames of his lust, and he’d responded. In doing so, he’d shown her how out of control she really was. Because he’d practically made her come with nothing more than his powerful energy.

  They filed out of the fancy room she didn’t care for, back down the long corridor, and took a left, where they entered a much nicer space. This was more like it.

  The room had a huge sectional sofa, deep and wide, which faced an equally massive widescreen TV. To the left of the TV, a fire roared in a modern setting. A thick sheepskin rug lay in front of the sofa, and small coffee tables were dotted about the room, all within reach of anyone seated on the cozy-looking couch.

  Beyond the sofa and TV area, there was another seating arrangement, this time, some overstuffed chairs placed around a low coffee table, and behind them, a modern sideboard with glasses and bottles of what looked like whisky and brandy on the surface.

  The space was warm and masculine. Inviting and comfy, but not cluttered in any way. She and her mum loved their things. They filled every room with knickknacks. She had a sudden vision of her favorite things in this house and realized they wouldn’t fit at all. Not in the fancy dining room, or the corridor of bling, and not here in this pared-down masculine room either.

  Not even thinking straight due to the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, she blurted her thoughts out without any censure. “I won’t fit here. This is cool, I love it. But there’s nowhere in this house for me.”