“No offense, Tansy, but I should have gone to Europe with everyone else. Frankly, I’m tired of being the fifth wheel.” She waved her arm when Tansy would have said something. “You’re not doing it on purpose, and I know you don’t mean to do it, but let’s face it. You two are in love and anyone in your house while you’re still getting to know each other is bound to get in the way.”
“I never meant to make you feel that way.” Tears glistened in Tansy’s eyes and Iris felt like a heel.
“I know you didn’t.” She hugged her sister. “But, if you don’t mind, I would like a few minutes away from you. It’s too bad that Luc isn’t staying in a hotel. He could take me back there with him.”
“Iris!” Tansy stared at her with wide eyes.
“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it.” Iris rolled her eyes. “I just meant that he could take me there to get a room and you could rest easy for the night knowing that I’m safe in the same hotel as a dragon male.” God forbid they should trust her, an adult, to take care of herself.
“Oh.” Tansy bit her lip. “What do you think, Tony?”
“He is staying at one of the better hotels in town. Their security is beyond reproach and he could probably arrange for her to get the room next to his.” It was almost insulting the way Tony jumped at the chance to be rid of her. Still, she understood his reasons. He wanted alone time with his wife. She couldn’t fault him for that.
“I have a suite. She is welcome to stay in one of the spare bedrooms. I certainly can’t use all three myself.”
Chapter Four
Luc could barely contain his excitement. What luck to have this gorgeous woman dropped in his lap in his last days. He wanted to spend some time alone with her. They could stay in his room and whatever came of their time together would be of mutual, adult consent.
“I couldn’t possibly impose on you like that.” Iris stared at him, her fingers resting against her throat, her violet eyes wide. The sound of her erratic heartbeat was loud to his sensitive ears. Like other dragons, his hearing was exceptional.
“It is no imposition. I have three bedrooms. I could protect you better if you were in my suite.” At least that much wasn’t a lie. It might be a ploy to keep her close, but the truth was the truth.
“Are you okay with this?” Tansy stared at her sister, her brow wrinkled. “You don’t have to go with him, you know.”
“I know.”
Luc found himself holding his breath. Had someone asked him if he missed female companionship just a day ago, he would have answered in the negative.
Not now.
Everything had changed in the last few hours. Luc wanted Iris Flowers more with every passing moment. Each time he inhaled, he dragged her sweet scent into his lungs, his body responded with an unexpected intensity.
The indecision on her face gave way to resolve. “You two deserve a night alone, and frankly, I’d enjoy getting away for a little while, myself.” Iris turned toward her sister. “You know what it’s like being cooped up in the same house, day in and day out.” She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “It’s probably not so bad for you, now that it’s technically your house, I suppose.”
“I remember.” Tansy made a face. “It wasn’t that long ago, you know.” She covered her mate’s mouth with her fingers when he would have commented. “A gilded cage is still a cage, darling, even when it is for our safety.”
Tony didn’t say anything, but the expression on his face spoke volumes.
Iris pressed her lips together. “I know you, Drake and the others do your best to keep us happy, and I realize we’re much younger than you are. However, you guys still need to understand that we’re grown women. We haven’t had someone telling us what to do since our parents died.”
“Your parents aren’t dead.” Tony shifted in his seat. “Not one of you has the power or the darkness within you to kill anyone with your magic, especially your parents.”
“Tell that to Rose,” Iris shot back.
“I’m lost, here. Who is Rose and why would she have killed your parents?”
“Wow! Where have you been?” Iris stared at him, her eyes wide. “I thought just about every dragon male in existence has met us. My sisters and I have been somewhat of an oddity to you dragons.”
This is what he got for staying out of the loop for so long. Luc had no idea what they were talking about. How could he have known he would suddenly take interest in life the day before he planned to put himself into the death sleep?
He glanced at the woman who had finally awakened his senses. Could she be his mate? Inhaling deeply, he drew her delicious scent into his lungs.
She could be.
Luc clenched his teeth, determined to ignore that other part of him. He would never know. Not now. He would rather die believing he’d finally found her, than end his life knowing the fates, or gods, cared so little for the life given back to him that they refused to provide him with a mate.
“Rose is my sister.” Iris visibly bristled. “She didn’t kill my parents. She thinks she killed them. Big difference. Rose has a...” She bit her lip. “A kind of pyrotechnic power.”
“Pyrotechnic?”
“Yeah.” Iris nodded. “She tends to blow things up.”
Luc stared at the woman in front of him. Now he knew he had to get her to spend the rest of the night with him. He was certain there was a story there and now, he was dying to hear it.
Chapter Five
Iris pushed away from the table, stood and then turned toward her sister. “I think it’s settled. I’ll go with Luc and you two have a good night by yourselves. Get your ants out of your pants tonight, because I have no idea when another opportunity like this is going to come along.”
Finally! A reason to get out of that house. If I have to watch Tansy flirt and giggle for another minute, I’ll pull my hair out.
She glanced at Luc who sat staring at her. His attention made her uncomfortable. Of course, she hoped he was the one for her. Usually, dragons didn’t hang around women who weren’t their mates. However, she was uncertain if he invited her because he wanted her, or as a favor to Tony. It could go either way.
Centuries of living alone made them recluses, outsiders, even amongst their own kind. It also tended to put them off people, in general, and women were no exception. As a matter of fact, they probably avoided women more.
From what Iris gathered, dragons lost interest in the opposite sex after a few hundred years. She couldn’t say she blamed them. Just the last couple of years of being paraded around her brothers-in-law’s friends had almost been enough to put her off men. Maybe this night on her own would help bring things back into perspective.
She glanced at Luc who stood and held out his hand. It was a capable-looking hand, the palm large and square with long, strong-looking fingers. It looked like a hand that could hold hers through anything. She widened her eyes at his clean, manicured nails and wondered if other dragons kept themselves so meticulously groomed.
From his perfect hair and sparkling silver eyes, down over his immaculate navy suit, to his shining designer shoes, the man appeared as though he’d just stepped off the cover of a men’s fashion magazine. Could she really spend the rest of her life with someone so darned perfect? Did she want to?
Yes, dammit. She was tired of being the fifth wheel and if living with someone as perfect as Jean Luc d’Argent was what she had to do to avoid it, she would do it with style.
Slowly, Iris placed her hand in his. A shiver of awareness shot up her spine when his strong fingers closed over hers and he gently pulled her to her feet. She moved in front of him with the sensation of being cared for when he helped her with her coat.
“Thank you for joining me. Another lonely night had no appeal.” Luc slid her coat up over her shoulders and adjusted the collar. His fingers brushed the side of her neck, giving her goose bumps. They had chemistry. That much was certain.
“Thank you.” Tu
rning, Iris’s gaze slid up to his silver-gray eyes and her legs went weak.
If Luc d’ Argent wasn’t the dragon destined as her mate, the disappointment might make her cry. She could tell herself she would suffer through it all she wanted, but the truth was—she wanted this dragon.
A lot
“You are most welcome.” Luc bowed that strange, courtly bow all of the dragons practiced on a daily basis. His old-world mannerisms were what originally drew her to him. He even spoke as though he was as old as dirt.
Well, that and his tall, dark good looks. Every one of the dragon males she had met were handsome in their own way. However, Luc was one of the most ungodly handsome men she had ever met.
Dark brows slashed over his liquid sliver eyes that glittered down at her. His light eyes contrasted with his dark hair and Mediterranean complexion. The man appeared as though he had a perpetual tan. Perhaps he did. What she knew about dragons wouldn’t fill a shot glass.
“Shall we go?” He shot a glance over to Tony and Tansy. “I will bring her safely home when you call for her.” He glanced at Iris with a smile. “Or when she wishes to return.” Placing his hand at the small of her back, Luc escorted her from the dining area and out into the cold winter night.
“Thank you.” Iris turned to him. “I didn’t want to ruin their Valentine’s Day.”
“I would imagine not.” He turned to her, a brow raised in the sexy way that most dragons managed. “What is Valentine’s Day?”
“You have been out of circulation, haven’t you?”
“I attempt to catch up when I return.” He paused to shrug. “Though, I must admit that it gets more difficult to catch up when one really doesn’t give a damn.”
“You don’t?” Iris tilted her head and stared at him. Why not? “What gave you that attitude? From what I’ve seen most of you guys bend over backward to see that humans and dragons alike prosper.” She figured it had something to do with treasure. All dragons had their treasure and it was no secret that they helped others amass disgusting amounts of money. Iris had long suspected that it was to keep others from searching the dragon’s treasure out. Though again, what did she know?
Chapter Six
Luc met Iris’s gaze. Her violet eyes stared straight to his soul. How does she do that? He shifted when the valet brought his car to the curb, the tires chirping as the driver brought the vehicle to an abrupt halt.
Bending, he opened the door and assisted Iris into the passenger seat of his sports car. He glanced at it with a frown. When had he become so pretentious? He barely remembered buying the thing.
“I...love your car.” She didn’t sound convincing. If Luc had to guess, he would say she hated it.
“Really?” He glanced at it critically. “I don’t. I would rather drive one of those trucks like the one Tony drives.”
“You want an SUV?” she laughed. “You don’t seem like the type. You seem more like the luxury sports car or just plain luxury car type.”
“I didn’t realize I fell into a category.” He frowned. “Perhaps it is time for a change.” He closed the door and started around the car. His frown turned to a scowl. When did I stop thinking about the forever sleep and start thinking about change? A politician he was not. Change held no interest for dragons who readied themselves for the forever sleep. Nothing held their interest. It was why they sought to end their lives.
Still, something about her had caught his interest. This slip of a girl who, if he thought about it, wasn’t small at all, had turned his life upside down in less than an hour. Tall for a woman, she was still six inches shorter than he was. A bit wide in the hips, she was gorgeous as hell.
Luc glanced at her as he slid behind the wheel. He was positive she turned heads wherever she went with her ass that drew his and every other man’s gaze as they left the restaurant. Iris Flowers was as close to perfect as he’d seen any woman get.
“So, what made you stop caring?”
What should he tell her? His loss of interest went beyond not giving a damn, but he didn’t say that.
“Things got boring after a while.” He shifted the car into first and hit the gas as he turned onto the road. Quickly, he jammed the gearshift into second and then third. Glancing at Iris, he almost smiled at her startled expression.
“Wow! This is...fast, isn’t it?”
He’d half expected her to recite the Lord’s Prayer or, possibly, the speed limit as they blew past the sign. She did neither. Their speed had topped out at nearly twice the limit posted, but she didn’t even glance toward the speedometer.
Usually, he didn’t pay attention to how fast he drove. Like most other shifters, his reflexes were faster than humans were. His reaction time was almost instantaneous—fast enough to avoid most accidents. However, he usually didn’t have a human with him.
Lifting his foot off the gas, Luc slowed to just below the speed limit with an inward sigh. It’s going to take forever to get to the hotel at this speed.
Even though it would take twice as long at the slower speed, he didn’t have the right to risk her life. He might be ready to die, but Luc was certain Iris wasn’t. The last thing he wanted to do was extinguish the bright, inner light of Iris Flowers.
“I apologize if I’ve frightened you.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Luc wasn’t sure why, but he wanted her to feel safe with him. It was important, for some reason.
“Oh, you didn’t scare me.” She chuckled, her violet eyes twinkling. “Ride with Tansy sometime. Now, she scares Tony, and that’s saying something.”
“I’ve heard about Tansy Flowers and her...zest for life.”
“I call it carelessness,” she said with a little sigh. “Tansy’s always been like that. I think they call people like her, adrenaline junkies.”
“Yes. I believe you’re right.” He downshifted and slowed as he maneuvered around the exit ramp. “I take it that you don’t like living life on the edge?” Luc wasn’t sure why that bothered him. It was only right. In his way of thinking, women shouldn’t be risk takers. Yet, if he thought about it, wasn’t that what they had always been?
In the era of his birth, just having a child was a risk. Caring for the sick—also a danger. Marrying a man one didn’t know was yet another risk women of that time took. He frowned. Why hadn’t he thought of those things that way before?
Luc glanced over at Iris. She sat staring straight through the windshield. What was she thinking? What did she think of him and why did he give a damn?
Chapter Seven
“I didn’t realize you were staying here.” Iris stared up at the huge hotel. It was one of the more expensive hotels in town. “Though, I suppose I should have guessed. You dragons certainly have a love for luxury.”
“It’s more about protection. We like knowing that our things are protected when we aren’t with them.” He glanced up at the building. “The security here is exemplary.”
“I should have known.” She murmured the words, but was sure he heard every one of them. Dragons had extraordinary hearing.
“You should have known what?”
Yep. Heard every word.
With a sigh, she strode toward the entrance, not waiting for him to join her. “You dragons and your damned treasure. Nothing is more important than protecting what’s yours. You all need to get a life.”
“I tried.”
Luc didn’t elaborate on that comment. He merely walked by her side until they entered the large lobby.
Her heels clicked on the shining marble floor as they headed for the elevators. Taking the elevator on the right, Luc held the door for her and then slid his keycard and punched the number for the top floor.
In her experience, dragons liked to stay as high in hotels as they could. It gave them a sense of security and they could easily shift shape, jump from the roof and fly away from any danger presented to them.
“I’m not like my sister. I’m not an adrenaline junkie.” G
rasping the rail on the wall, she bit her lip.
“Excuse me?”
“Heights. I should have known you’d be on the top floor. I think part of me did realize it. I guess I just never thought of you staying in a hotel with more than five or six floors.”
“I don’t understand. You’re human. You would die just as easily from a five-story fall as you would from a thirty-five story fall. Why does it bother you?”
“I don’t know.” Iris shrugged. It wasn’t a rational fear. She knew that. Still, it was a fear just the same. “I guess I just like knowing that from the fifth floor I have a chance of reaching the ground floor before the hotel burns to the ground, or something. On the thirty-fifth floor, I have no way out.”
She stared at the door, willing it to open. She needed to get out. There was no way she could do this. How could she stay here with him when she could barely make it up to his floor?
Luc moved closer and wrapped his arm around her. “You’ll do fine. You’ll be fine. I am here. I will get you out if anything happens.”
She tilted her head back and met his gaze. “I’m scared of heights.”
“I gathered that.” He smiled at her. “I promise, I will not let you burn to death on the top floor of this hotel.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be such a baby. I don’t want to be a burden.” Heck, the man only agreed to babysit her for a night, he didn’t sign on to administer therapy sessions.
“Do you hear me complaining? I like knowing that someone needs me for once. Frankly, my life had become unceasingly boring.”
“That’s dangerous for dragons, isn’t it?”
“Yes and no.”
The doors opened and they stepped out onto the top floor. Long tables covered in blue linen runners and fresh flowers lined the hall. The scent of the flower mix filled the hallway as they walked to his room.
The Silver Dragon Page 2
