Andor (The Dragon's Mate Book 1)

by Dena Christy

  The falling leaves crunched under his feet as the house came into view. He hurried his pace. The two kisses they’d shared last night only made him hungry for more and he wanted to kiss her again.

  Patience was not a emotion that he had ever been required to cultivate. In the past he had taken what he wanted, whether it was treasure or a willing woman. Lyssa was different. She was not a woman to be taken and discarded. If he was going to keep the curse he was under from destroying him and those around him, he needed to be as patient with her as his looming deadline allowed. She had to trust him, to love him, when he revealed his true nature. He did not know how he was going to broach the topic, but once the time was right, he would find a way. He couldn’t make her his mate unless she knew exactly what he was.

  He walked up the path leading to the front steps, and Rickman came out the front door. His minion saw him, and relief crossed his face.

  “Thank God you’re back.” Rickman he trotted up to him and there was a nervous look on his face.

  Andor paused with his foot on the front step. What trouble had his minion gotten himself into now?

  “Is there a problem?” Andor stared hard at his minion, and the young man shifted his eyes away.

  “It’s all your fault, for not being here when she got up.” Rickman would not meet his eyes. Andor stood straighter and towered over his minion. What damage could he have possibly done in the short amount of time that Andor had been away from the house?

  “Rickman?” Andor took a step closer. He focused on keeping calm, but if Rickman did not explain himself he did not know if he was going to be able to hold on to his temper.

  “It’s not my fault. You didn’t tell me what I could and couldn’t tell her. She asked some questions about you and it didn’t go well.”

  Andor’s patience snapped and he grabbed Rickman by the front of his denim jacket. He hauled him up so that only his toes touched the paved step under his feet. Rickman let out a startled yelp.

  “What have you done?”

  If he had caused Lyssa to leave, to abandon the notion of spending more time with him, then he was going to have to kill his minion. All the threats he had made to Rickman had done little to improve his behavior and if he was the cause of Andor losing Lyssa, there would be nothing that could save him from the fire of his wrath.

  “I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault that I don’t have a poker face, that you didn’t tell me what to tell her, and that when I was vague she jumped to the wrong conclusion about you.” Rickman struggled against his hold, but Andor held him fast.

  “What did she assume about me?” There was no way she would assume that he was a dragon, since as far as she knew dragons didn’t exist. What then had Rickman made her think about him?

  “She thought you were a criminal. I think for a moment there she thought you might be dangerous.”

  Andor let him down, and slowly uncurled his finger so the crumpled denim escaped his grasp. Rickman straightened his clothes, still avoiding Andor’s eyes. It would have amused him how his minion could show meekness when he was in trouble if he had been in the mood for a joke.

  “I am dangerous.” Andor scowled at his minion, he seemed to have forgotten that point.

  “I know. I think I fixed it though, but if she asks what you do for a living, tell her that you don’t work and that you live off investments. Don’t kill me. This is your fault and I shouldn’t be punished for it.”

  “Is she still here? She didn’t leave to go anywhere?”

  “She’s still here. I think I assured her that you aren’t a bad guy, but I wanted to warn you so you would be prepared to deflect accusations of criminal activity.”

  Rickman stared at the stone beneath his feet, and Andor sighed. It was his fault that she’d been given a false impression by Rickman, since he hadn’t been here when she woke. It would not happen again.

  “Where is she now?”

  “I told her that she was free to explore the house. I’m going out for a while.” Rickman took a step away and Andor caught his arm.

  “Did you tell her that the basement was off limits?” If Lyssa explored the basement she might find some of the documents in the archives that proved the existence of dragons. She would learn that was the case eventually but she was not prepared for the truth right now. Rickman looked up at him, his face growing pale.

  “I forgot.”

  “You forgot? Did you at least remember to lock to the door after you were down there the last time.”

  “No. Why would I lock the door when up until now it’s only been you and me here. What’s the big deal? If she sees your brothers she’s only going to think that they are statues anyway.”

  Rickman pulled at his arm, and Andor tightened his grip.

  “There is more down there than just my brothers. You are not going anywhere. I will need you to drive Lyssa and me to the police station, she still has to give her statement. You better hope that she has not made her way down there, and if she has, that she has not seen anything she should not.” Andor let go of Rickman and strode through the front door. He did not waste time trying to find her on the first floor. If she was in the basement, he needed to get down there to minimized any damage Rickman’s carelessness caused.

  8

  Lyssa rambled around the first floor of the house, and while it was spacious, with expensive furnishings and artwork, it told her nothing about who Andor was. The rooms looked like they sprang off the pages of a glossy magazine. She went to the foyer, and looked up at the gallery. She could learn a lot more about Andor by exploring the second floor, but she hesitated to do that. She didn’t know what bedroom was his, and did she really want to go poking around in it if she did find it? Having had the sanctity of her own bedroom violated, she was hesitant to invade Andor’s privacy in that way. There had to be something to glean about him down here, in the more public areas of the house.

  She turned away from the staircase, and decided to explore the first floor. She’d already been to the kitchen, so she decided to go in the opposite direction. The rooms she walked through all looked similar, professionally decorated but with little of Andor’s personality inside them. One thing that stood out to her was the art work on the wall. There wasn’t any that would be considered modern. Perhaps Andor’s taste ran to more tradition forms of art. Or perhaps his decorator had.

  Once she came to the end of the house, there was tiny archway that led to a long corridor. She stepped through, and looked around. Where as the rest of the house had been tastefully decorated, this part was barren. There was nothing on the walls, the lighting was dim and it was as if Andor did not want to encourage anyone to linger in this part of the house.

  At the end was a large wooden door that looked like it had come off a medieval castle. She walked toward it as curiosity tickled at the back of her skull. Perhaps there was something beyond that door that would tell her more about her host. She paused for a moment, remembering the story of Bluebeard’s wife, who had opened a forbidden door and met with horror with what she found on the other side.

  She shook off the feeling. She had permission to explore the house at will, and nothing had been said to her about not going beyond this door. Her footsteps echoed around her as she walked closer.

  It loomed in front of her, and she put her hand up to touch it. It was constructed by planks of wood that were bolted together with metal pegs. The handle was a ring that when twisted unlatched the door. There was an old fashioned key hole under the door handle, and she wondered if it was locked.

  Only one way to find out. The scrape of metal screeched in the hall as she twisted the ring. The door was unlocked, but a nagging feeling in the back of her head made her hesitate to open the door. Everything about this corridor discouraged visitors.

  There was something about the whole set up that told her that she shouldn’t go down there. Curiosity burned inside her, battling the caution creeping up as well. She was dying to know what was beyond the do
or, and after another moments debate she decided what she would do. She turned the latch and pulled the door open. It squeaked on its hinges as it opened, and there was a staircase that spiraled down to a lower floor. Only the light in the hallway illuminated what was beyond the door. She reached and felt around on the wall inside of the door, but there was no light switch. Perhaps the lights had to be turned at the bottom of the stairs.

  She cautiously walked down the stairs, further and further away from the light of the hall. She stopped for a moment. Every horror movie that Portia had forced her to sit through told her not to go down there. Monsters lurked in dark, neglected basements. She normally wasn’t the type to jump at shadows, but she’d had too many scares in the past twenty four hours not to have a healthy sense of caution. The urge to go back up to the corridor and forget she’d been here nearly overwhelmed her.

  Do you think there are monsters down here? The voice in her head infused her with a sense of reality and she let out a laugh that echoed around her. This portion of the house was most likely used for storage and she was certain there was nothing in here to warrant the nervousness that still tickled over her skin.

  She reached her hand out and her fingers came into contact with the light switch. The light went on, and she saw what her eyes had only glimpsed at in the shadows.

  Inside the cavernous room, which appeared to spread out over the entirety of the house, were two gigantic stone dragons. They lay curled up as if sleeping. The sight of their 9 drew a gasp from Lyssa as she move further into the room.

  Why would Andor hide these lovely creatures away from the world? She stepped closer, her eyes running over the dragons, taking in every detail. Whoever had carved them had been talented. The dragons were so detailed that if she didn’t know better, she would swear that they could come to life at any moment.

  Did Andor love dragons as much as she did? Had she finally found someone who would understand her fascination with these beautiful creatures?

  She walked forward, with her hand outstretch so she could run her hands over them. She trailed her fingers over the one in front of her. The stone was cold, and she could feel the tiny ridges where the sculptor had given the dragon scales. Where had Andor gotten such beautiful statues? And why hadn’t he mentioned them when she’d told him about her dragon collection?

  She walked over to the other one, and it was just as detailed as the first one she’d inspected.

  “Incredible.” Her awed voice echoed against the walls as she stroked her hand down this one too. If these beautiful creatures were down here, what other treasures lurked here?

  She turned away from the dragon and walked a little further. The dragons took up a tremendous amount of space, but there was a small workspace a short distance away. It held a desk and chair, flanked by several bookshelves. Had she finally come upon a place in the house that would tell her more about Andor? She already knew from seeing that statues that he liked dragons, or at least someone in his family did. Would this area tell her even more about him?

  The area was cluttered, and there wasn’t much light now that she was deeper into the bowels of the house. The shelves were cluttered with books and what looked like old fashioned scrolls. At the centre of the desk as a large, leather bound book. Lyssa picked it up, and it was hefty. She set it back down with a thump, and traced the dragon that was embossed on the cover. She longed to open it, and see what it contained, but in the dim light she would never be able to read it, and it looked old. She got the feeling that looking at the book might be taking one step too far. She would much rather go back to the dragons, which held her fascination. And Andor’s as well, if they statues and the book were any indication.

  She turned away from the desk and went back to the stone creatures sleeping under the light.

  When Andor got to the corridor that led to the door to the basement, a sinking feeling weighed down his stomach. The door was ajar and even Rickman would not be careless enough to leave it open. That meant Lyssa had discovered it and was in the basement at this moment. He walked down the corridor, and stood in the mouth of the doorway. He couldn’t see her anywhere, and he could only hope that she’d been distracted enough by the sight of his brothers to confine her explorations. If she’d found the book and taken the time to study its contents, she would now know what sort of creature he really was. He assured himself that his secret was still safe. It would take much longer than the short about of time he’d been away from the house for her to learn all the secrets the lowest part of the house contained.

  As he hoped, when he got to the bottom of the stairs he saw Lyssa standing in front of his brother Iszak, with her hand resting on his flank. His eye was caught by the tip of his brother’s tail, which had turned blue. It would not be noticeable to anyone else, but its meaning was clear to Andor. His brother would be waking soon, but not for few weeks.

  “Lyssa?” He spoke quietly, but his voice echoed on the walls and drew a scream from her. She spun around quickly and put her hand to her heart.

  “Oh Andor, you startled me.” Her hand fell away from her chest and she smiled up at him. Andor stepped closer to her until there were only a few inches separating them.

  “I am sorry for startling you. It was not my intention.”

  He took her hands and brought them up to his lips. He wanted to kiss her mouth, but he needed to know if she had seen anything other than his brothers down here. Did she know his secret? If she did know what lurked in the deepest part of him, the fact that she was not running away from him was an encouraging sign. Could it really be this simple?

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” She gazed up at him, and he tried to read her expression. In the over head light it was hard to read her face, but there was not hurt or anger in her voice. “I should be mad at you for hiding something so important from me?”

  Had she learned that he was a dragon? Was that what she thought he had hidden from her? Was the secret part of himself out in the open? Her face was relaxed, and she smiled up at him. Was this the turning point of their relationship, where they were no secrets between them and he could get on with the business of getting her to fall in love with him without having to hide the biggest part of himself?

  “I was not aware that I had hidden anything from you?” He did not want to confess to being dragon until he was certain that was what she was talking about. If they were speaking at cross purposes, and she meant something else, confessing to his true nature now might drive her away.

  “You didn’t tell me that you like dragons as much as I do. It’s wonderful that we have that in common.” She turned away and walked over to his brother Gregor. “Why would you hide such magnificent statues. The detail on them is so extraordinary. They look so life like, it’s almost as if they are only sleeping and could come to life at any moment.”

  She had no way of knowing how right she was. The creatures she studied with such awe were only hibernating, and there was one more dragon in the room with her, one that she was not yet ready to accept. He did not have the luxury of time to slowly broach the subject of his true nature with her. Iszak would be coming to life very soon. He would need to tell her that he was also a dragon before that happened, but it didn’t need to be today.

  Lyssa put her hand on his brother’s side, and stroked it down the stone in a caress. A stab of jealousy went through him. He didn’t like seeing her touch his brother, not when he wanted her to touch him like that. If he was in his dragon form would she give him the same caress? His body hardened at the thought and he cleared his throat.

  “The statues are very old, and while they look like they are in excellent condition, I don’t want to display them for fear that they will deteriorate. I’m very private about them.”

  He stepped up behind her and turned her so that her hand fell away from his brother’s side. He clasped it in his. He did not want to lie to her, but the truth would be unbelievable to her right now.

  “Are you angry that I came down here? Rickman
said I could explore the house, and when I found the door unlocked, I have to admit that I was curious.”

  “Of course I am not angry. I am glad that you like the statues.” He pulled her away from them and pulled her closer to him. “I am sorry I was not here when you woke up. I would have like to have taken you around the house, and shown it to you myself.”

  He leaned down and brushed his mouth against her. Her lips tasted of fruit, and he melded her body with his as his arms tightened around her. Her arms snaked around his neck, and she opened herself for him. It was clear to him that she had not seen anything down here that would hint to her that she was in the presence of three dragons, and he felt a dash of disappointment.

  He did not want to hide his true nature from her, but she was not ready to hear what he was. If she had been born in the time that he had been, perhaps she would accept the truth more readily. The time she had grown up in had a logical, scientific explanation for most things, and there was no such explanation for his existence. He was a creature of myth and magic, which were in short supply in this century. He needed to wait until she trusted him completely, and had given herself fully to him before he revealed his deepest secret.

  He pulled back and look down a her.

  “As much as I’d like to continue this, we do have to go to the police station to make our formal statements.”

  A frown marred her face, and it was like a dark cloud descending over her normally sunny expression. The reminder of Kevin was as effective as a bucket of water in killing the romantic mood between them.

  “I’d forgotten about that. I suppose we should go, shouldn’t we? Kevin still needs to be dealt with.”

  “Yes and once he is, you will no longer need to worry about him.” He drew her over to the stairs and he watched the soft sway of her hips as she walked up ahead of him.

  He wished that he could take her up to his bedroom, lay her upon his bed and make her truly his. Kevin still needed taking care of, and he did not want to rush her. When he made love to her he wanted no other man in her head but him. And if the police could not deal with Kevin, he would take matters into his owns hands and deal with him in his own way. She was destined to be his mate, and he protected what was his.