“Oh, hell yeah,” Serena said. “It’s not busy. And if someone can get her out of this restaurant for once, I’m all for it.”
Steve, who must have been eavesdropping, gave a little cheer as well.
Helen smiled, untying her apron. “I guess since everyone is against me, I’ll have to leave.”
“You just have very good friends.” Chromium gave her a wink. “I’m going upstairs to get ready. I’ll meet you at your room in a half hour.”
Chromium wore a satisfied smirk as he reached his apartment and let himself inside.
His mate, who had been so reluctant so far in the relationship, had easily turned down a man most human women apparently found irresistible. He felt almost unreasonably proud as a result.
It meant he was already winning her, that on some level, she already knew that she had no need to look elsewhere.
Now he just needed to figure out what a date was so he could take Helen on one.
He dialed up Cobalt and waited for him to answer the phone.
“Oh, thank Drakkaris,” Cobalt said. “Now you’re ready to come home.”
“No,” Chromium replied. “Stop saying that every time I call.”
“It’s not easy keeping a secret from a bunch of mind-reading dragons,” Cobalt muttered. “But how is it going over there?”
“Fine. I’m supposed to take her on a date. Apparently, it’s some sort of human ritual necessary for winning a human over as a mate.”
“Ah, yes, well, maybe I’ll let Sylvie answer that one. Given that she’s a human, after all.”
Chromium heard crackling as Cobalt handed the phone over and Sylvie picked up to answer. “Hello?”
“Hi, Sylvie.” He couldn’t help smiling at hearing his cousin’s mate. He’d become close friends with Sylvie during the time she’d been at the mansion, and he couldn’t wait for her to meet his future mate.
“So you need ideas for a date?”
“I need to know what a date is exactly.”
“They don’t have dates on Drakkaris?”
“They don’t have enough women for dates on Drakkaris,” Chromium muttered.
“Got it. Well, basically, a date is just a chance to wine and dine your lady. Cobalt should know that well enough. He did it for me after all.”
Chromium smiled. “True.”
“But I mean, what does she like?”
“She owns a restaurant. From what I’ve seen, all she does is work.”
“Got it. Maybe not wine and dine, then. Maybe go out, see a movie. Get some air. Maybe ice cream after. Those all-business type ladies really need to relax. Yeah, I think that’s the best idea.”
“How many dates before I can mate her?”
“Um, you mean propose? Because if you’re doing this all human-like, that’s probably what you’ll end up doing.”
“Right, how many dates do I need?”
Sylvie snorted. “Didn’t take much for me, but I don’t know about her. Look, you’re in uncharted territory because I knew about shifters. She doesn’t. She’s probably going to freak when she finds out. You have to do your best to let her get to know you so she doesn’t run when that happens.”
Chromium let out a sigh. “I know. It’s not like I planned for it to happen this way.”
“I think it’s romantic,” Sylvie said. “But I guess just take it one moment at a time. That’s how to do life. It works for me.”
Chromium nodded. “Thanks, Sylvie. Make sure and take care of Cobalt for me.”
“Oh, I’m taking care of him all right. I’m about to go take care of him real good—”
“Bye, Sylvie,” Chromium said, then quickly hung up. He chuckled at Sylvie’s attempt to make him feel awkward, then immediately went back to thinking about his problem with his mate.
The last thing he wanted was to hide anything from her, but at the same time, he’d never want to scare her away.
But she’d already turned another man down for him. She’d shown him her body, let him inside, and been warm and caring and open with him.
Surely that had to mean something good was happening between them.
He’d take her on this so-called date and then see where they were at afterward.
Which would hopefully be his bedroom.
Helen was surprised when Chromium showed up looking slightly nervous for their date.
The big man had always seemed fairly composed, a still-waters-run-deep kind of guy, but she could see him fidgeting with something behind his back.
He pulled out a bouquet of flowers from the florist across the street and handed it to her awkwardly. “I didn’t know what you’d like.”
It was red roses and white baby’s breath, and it was romantic and utterly perfect. She couldn’t remember the last time she had flowers.
Her encounter with Nathan was all but forgotten, and she was just looking forward to having some time outside the bedroom to get to know Chromium for real.
She opened the door to her apartment and gestured for him to come in for a moment so she could put the flowers in a vase.
He walked in casually and looked around the apartment, taking everything in. His vast size made the whole place seem smaller, but at the same time, he was a welcome presence in her home.
“What do you think?” she asked, walking over to him as he checked out the living room.
“Girly,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “But nice.”
“Thanks.” She shyly put her arm through his and was relieved when he smiled down at her, seeming pleased by that. “So where are we going?”
“A movie. Is that all right?”
“Of course.” She walked out the front door with him, locked it, and then let him lead her down the stairs and onto the street. His posture was stiff as they started the few blocks’ walk to the theater. “Why do you seem so nervous about it?”
“I haven’t really… dated much before.”
She looked up at him in shock. “Really? A guy like you?”
He gave her a confused look, so handsome she wanted to melt right there on the sidewalk. She really was smitten with this man. “A guy like me?”
“Handsome. Friendly. I’m sure it’s easy to get girls to go out with you.”
He cocked his head. “You’d be surprised. But no, I was busy with work. And I hadn’t met anyone I wanted to… date. Yet.”
“Right,” she said. “And you just happened to meet an overweight restaurant owner and wanted to go out with her?”
He trapped her against the window they’d been passing, and she was glad it was vacant. “What did you say?”
She flushed. “Sorry. I told myself I would stop being harsh with myself. You don’t deserve that.”
“No, you don’t deserve it,” he said. “You’re an awesome lady. I met a sweet, kind, pretty, beautiful-inside-and-out woman and wanted her at first sight.”
She gulped. “Wow. Um, thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Done saying rude things about yourself?”
She nodded, and he released her so they could continue walking.
Damn, just being trapped like that had gotten her heart going again. He was right. He liked her. Who was she to argue?
“So, speaking of work, I don’t know much about you. Where you’re from. Where you worked before.”
“I… It’s kind of top secret.”
“You worked for the government or something? As a bodyguard?”
“No,” he said. “But I’m not allowed to talk about who my clients were.”
“How did you end up here?”
“I came with my… company. But they didn’t have much work for me, so I started going out on the evenings to blow off steam. Sightsee. Check out restaurants.”
“Kind of a foodie, huh?”
He nodded, flushing slightly.
“Nothing to be ashamed of. You wouldn’t be such a good cook if you weren’t. Have you ever thought of going to cooking school?”
He shook his head.
“I just like to be able to cook for the people I love. As long as I please them, that’s enough for me.”
Well, that was oddly heartwarming.
For the rest of the walk, he asked questions about her family, and she talked about her parents and the restaurant.
It was an oddly normal date, considering the circumstances.
When they reached the theater, he asked what she wanted to watch, which was something her ex had never done.
She picked a scary movie since she liked horror, and he seemed slightly disappointed that she hadn’t picked a chick flick about food.
But she loved scary movies, and it’d been so long since she could go to one with a big, strong man.
He insisted on getting her an absurd number of snacks, and then they took their seats in special recliners that joined in the middle.
She felt her cheeks going bright red as the lights dimmed and the previews started. Even though they’d already gotten busy together, there was something oddly intimate about just sitting beside him, ready to cuddle during a movie, sharing snacks and sitting like any other couple in the darkness.
It made all of this feel that much more… real.
As the movie started, he put a bucket of popcorn on his lap, gesturing for her to take some, and she leaned over, putting her head on his arm. She smiled at the feel of his warm bicep beneath her cheek and at the fact that he looked so pleased that she would do that.
He raised his arm and pulled her in against him so she was resting on his chest, safely tucked into his side with his arm curled around her.
It felt like nothing in the world could possibly hurt her, and as she took a handful of popcorn and looked up at his handsome face as he stared avidly at the screen, she knew she would always treasure this moment.
Chapter 13
When the movie was over, Chromium didn’t want to move. She’d stayed against him the entire film, grasping onto him cutely during the “scary” parts, giving him an excuse to hold her tighter.
Enraptured in the film, she’d enjoyed her treats freely, not complaining about her weight or any other silly thing. She really seemed to be getting more comfortable with herself, and he felt like he was finally seeing the woman she’d been before her awful ex.
He didn’t really like the idea of her having an ex at all, but he couldn’t really blame her. She’d had to wait a long time for him to get here, and he’d had to travel across space to do so.
Still, all that mattered was he was here now, and she’d have nothing but good experiences like this one from here on out.
As the lights came up, she stretched and gave him a sweet smile, and he couldn’t resist leaning down for a kiss. He made it a quick one, so as not to embarrass her in public, but was surprised when she lengthened it out, slipping her hand around the back of his neck to pull him in closer. He wrapped both arms around her waist and held her tight.
When the kiss was over, he pulled back to look into her eyes. God, she was beautiful.
“So, um. Should we go, then?” She looked around at the others who were leaving the theater.
“I suppose so.” Though he didn’t want the night to be over. He’d thought that sex was amazing, but honestly, he also was blown away by how good it felt to just have her in his arms.
She started to gather the trash from the snacks, and he reluctantly joined her, making sure they didn’t leave a mess. As they walked out into the night, he saw the light from an ice cream place a little farther down the street and decided that would be the perfect way to extend the evening before they went back to either of their apartments.
“Are you serious?” she asked as he pulled her toward the ice cream shop. “I can’t eat another thing.”
“You can taste mine, then,” he said. When she blushed, he realized there was indeed something a bit erotic about her licking something he held in his hand, but that just made him walk faster.
“Chromium, wait,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back now? It’s pretty dark.”
And she was right. Most everything was closed on the street now. People were making their way to cars to drive home. A prickle on his neck made him pause his pursuit toward the ice cream shop.
“Maybe I’ll take you there tomorrow, then,” he said, trying not to feel too much disappointment. Even though he knew he was the scariest thing in the dark, he still didn’t want to put her in a situation where she felt nervous.
Like walking home too late.
“Okay,” he said. “We’ll go back to your place, if that works.”
She nodded, and he could already feel the anticipation of another sexy moment as they walked down to the end of the block and turned right to head toward her restaurant.
It was even darker now, and as they passed a murky alley to cross over to her place, he saw shadows step out of the dark.
He picked up his step and heard those behind them pick up their steps as well.
“Shit.”
He knew she was already aware because her hand was clutching his arm a little tightly, but she looked up at him in concern when he swore.
He cursed himself for not keeping his alarm internal. He didn’t need her to worry more.
Truth be told, he wasn’t worried about shutting down whoever was coming after them. He simply didn’t like her being in danger at all.
“Just keep walking,” she said. “We’re almost to the apartments.”
He leaned down to her ear. “When I say go, you run upstairs. You don’t stop. You don’t look back. You get inside and lock the door, okay?”
“But—”
“I need you to do that.”
“I’ll get help.”
“I won’t need it.”
She was quiet at that. “You’re so stubborn.”
He smiled wryly. “You don’t know the half of it.” They were only twenty feet from the apartments, and he could hear an increase in the pace of the shadows following them.
“Go!” He quickly pushed her in front of him and then spun around to face whoever was behind them, ready to make sure none of them were able to follow his mate.
His gaze instantly narrowed on their pursuers, who were only a handful of feet away now. On closer inspection, he immediately realized that the men, two of them, were not shifters. In fact, they weren’t much of anything as far as a warrior of Drakkaris was concerned.
Just troublemakers perhaps seeking out easy prey late in the night.
Chromium looked over his shoulder to see Helen walking up the last few steps to her apartment and then turned back to appraise their would-be stalkers.
Both were wearing unkempt and smudged clothing, blue jeans, and jackets and flannel shirts all in need of a good wash. One was bearded with scraggly hair peeking out beneath a beanie, while the other wore a cap and had several days’ worth of stubble peppering his face.
“Hey, man, hand over your wallet,” beanie guy said, approaching with what Chromium could only assume was intended to be an ominous posture.
But as predatory as the man was trying to be, he was no more than a house cat hissing at a lion.
Chromium tried to stifle a laugh, realizing that if these men wanted trouble, he would have to pull his punches. Not only so he didn’t prematurely end one of their sorry lives, but more importantly so he wouldn’t alert Helen to the fact that he was most definitely not a regular human. If she or anyone else nearby was watching, then he couldn’t risk revealing what he was.
From the stories he’d heard, humans didn’t take the news particularly well when they learned the truth unexpectedly. The idea of dragons was still a foreign concept to people. At least according to Cobalt.
“Just give us your money. We don’t want trouble,” the other man said, coming forward, a little more unsure. There was something off about him, the way he twitched. Perhaps the ill effects of some kind of chemical substance.
“I don’t want trouble either,” Chromium said. “So I suggest you turn around and leave, or the
re’s definitely going to be some.” Chromium took a step forward, feeling his warrior senses kicking in.
Easy, dragon. Just play with them a bit.
“Just give it to us or else,” bearded man said again, brandishing a small steel knife from a pocket in his jacket. What was it with humans and knives? Why didn’t they use swords like normal people?
“No.”
“Your funeral.” Then he rushed at Chromium.
It was like watching a plant grow or paint dry. The man’s clumsy movements were so slow compared to what Chromium was used to. But despite the very real physical urge Chromium had to beat this man into a pulp with a single blow, he reminded himself that he needed to act human, at least for now.
The guy grunted as he charged, the knife stretched forward, and Chromium dodged to the side, trying his best to look unpracticed and off balance. The man missed, then slashed wildly, trying to get Chromium. Chromium sidestepped, then shoved the guy back, using only a fraction of his strength.
The guy stumbled back a few feet, and Chromium applauded himself mentally for doing such a good job at controlling himself. As head bodyguard to the king, he’d had to exert a lot of self-control in his job. But he’d never had to hold himself back this much.
Even humans were usually more adept.
He heard movement behind him and looked to see the guy with the cap raising a wooden plank above his head and charging forward. Though Chromium could dodge or, even better, break the wood like a toothpick, he figured this was as good a chance to pull his own punches as ever.
Pretending to be caught off guard, Chromium stood idly as the man brought the plank down on his shoulder, breaking it in two. For a split second, Chromium just watched amusedly. Then, remembering an impact like that would have probably hurt a normal person, he held his hurt shoulder and listed to one side, making a halfhearted “ow” as he did.
The two men, now grinning, closed in on Chromium.
“Chromium!” Helen’s voice rang out over the farce of a melee playing out in the alley. All three of them looked up, and Chromium saw Helen rushing full speed down the steps, a small device in her hands that clacked and sparked with blue light. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”
Chromium Dragon Page 8
