Claimed by Ice (3 page)

A
fter hours
of lying in the dark, Jane gave up the pretense of sleep, dragged herself out of bed, and headed to the desktop computer she kept in her living room. She’d tossed and turned, trying to understand what she had somehow found her way into, but now, she wanted answers, so she scoured every corner of the Internet, taking in all the information about dragons she could find.

She’d filled out that application one day at her data-entry job while the computers had been down, sending it in on a whim after she saw the mind-boggling salary. Then she’d promptly forgotten about it, including the part where she was supposed to research dragons, since she knew almost nothing about them.

It seemed silly how little she knew, especially given what a huge story their appearance had been, but she supposed she had an excuse. Trying to care for a then-teenage Jewel and keep a roof over her own head had taken every ounce of her attention, so other than a few tabloid stories while she waited in line at the grocery store, she didn’t know much about them and before, hadn’t been too concerned with finding anything else out.

Now, she read all she could, from scholarly journal articles to breathless media reports. It seemed dragons had existed throughout human history, keeping their existence secret save for the myths and legends that had developed around their few interactions with humans. But then, for reasons that no one had been able to explain, they had revealed themselves to the world at large—and had revealed how deeply their power in the human world ran.

Dragons controlled or influenced almost every aspect of human society from government to industry, and they had no qualms about wielding that influence, though they still tended to shy away from publicity. But still, they’d been opening up more, incorporating select few humans into their businesses, and those they chose were rewarded, making double, triple, what they did in comparable non-dragon companies. Jane had been skeptical, knowing full well there had to be a catch, but right now she was grateful that skepticism hadn’t held her back. It would be tough, nearly impossible, but if she got that signing bonus she’d be able to pay Jewel’s debt, keep that man away from her.

She shivered at the memory of the man, his cold eyes looking at Jewel as if he couldn’t wait to extract repayment. Rubbing her hands down her arms in an effort to chase away the sudden chill, she stood and stepped into the rays of sunlight that drifted through her curtains.

By six, she was dressed and headed up the basement stairs, ready to catch the early bus to work. Her shift didn’t start until eight, but the security guard liked her and would let her in early. She’d work, then go to the meeting with Exander, slip back in, and finish up the day with no one the wiser. Whether the job with him worked out or not, she still needed every dime she could find.

She tiptoed out of the front door, not in the mood to get an earful from the main-floor tenant about being noisy in the morning, but before she got two steps she was stopped short by a deep male voice.

“Ms. Graves? Jane Graves?”

Jane didn’t stop, habit having taught her to ignore strangers who called out to her.

“Mr. Vale doesn’t like to be kept waiting. And he really doesn’t like when people defy his commands.”

Jane stopped then, turned to see a nice-looking, well-groomed man in a uniform of some sort standing next to a dark town car. She eyed him warily, looking for any hint of danger. He seemed friendly enough, pleasant smile on his face, blue eyes welcoming, but she was still wary.

“How did you know my name?”

Jane tried to keep her voice even but too late realized she had only confirmed her identity and received nothing in return.

“Mr. Vale told me. Gave me your picture too,” he said.

She must’ve grimaced, for he laughed, the sound pleasant despite the circumstances.

“Sorry. That’s a little creepy,” he said.

“Just a little,” Jane said, feeling some of her unease loosening.

“I’m to take you to see him,” he said.

“I’d prefer to see myself there,” she said.

He shrugged. “Orders are orders, and I’m to escort you.”

“And what are the consequences for disobeying these orders?” Jane asked, unable to stop herself.

“I’ve never wanted to find out.”

Those words were scary, but something about the honesty in them broke the last of Jane’s resistance, to make no mention of how desperately she needed this job. “I have to make a stop first. It’ll be a couple of hours,” Jane said.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said pulling open the back door.

Jane walked toward the car, then got in, settling into the butter-soft interior, feeling slightly sick with the knowledge that this car probably cost as much as Jewel—and now Jane—owed.

When the man got into the car and slid behind the wheel, Jane said, “I don’t even know your name. Is it Jeeves or something?”

He laughed again. “Jeeves is the butler. You can call me Eric.”

Jane joined his laughter, and then he set off.

“
Y
ou’re early this morning
, Janie. Trying to get some overtime?” Phil, the old security guard asked when she slipped through the door.

“I have an appointment this morning, and I want to do a couple hours so they don’t dock my pay.”

Phil tilted his head, considering. “You know I’m not supposed to let anyone in until shift starts.”

“I know. And I don’t want to get you in trouble. But if there’s any way…” Jane said.

She waited, gut churning, torn between wanting to make the extra hours and not wanting to get Phil in hot water.

“Come on in, Janie,” he said finally.

“Yes! I’m baking you cookies, Phil,” she said.

She patted Phil on the arm as she walked through the metal detector and then rode the elevators up to her cubicle, hoping that her supervisor didn’t care if she indexed the documents off hours or not.

Almost two and a half hours passed in a heartbeat, and Jane could barely remember what she’d done. Her mind had been too preoccupied with thoughts of the upcoming meeting, but fortunately her work required little of her attention. But it was time. So she slipped out, waving at Phil and tossing an “I’ll be back in an hour” over her shoulder. Then she found Eric, parked where he’d been when he dropped her off this morning. She got into the car.

He looked at her through the rearview mirror. “You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said.

E
xander pushed
up from his chair and stepped to his window when he realized he’d read the same sentence for the third time and still hadn’t absorbed it. He bit back a growl of frustration and locked his hands behind his back, suppressing the impulse to pace, to do
something
to alleviate the wild energy that had animated him since he’d glimpsed Jane Graves.

After he’d left her apartment last night, he’d tasked Eric with escorting her and tried to put her out of his mind. She was just another employee, just another transaction, an exchange of services for money, like the thousands that had come before and that would come after.

He told himself this over and over again, agreed with the logic of it, but still hadn’t been able to settle. A situation that was made even more acute when Eric had relayed that Jane had gone to work at the crack of dawn this morning. He didn’t know what to make of it, didn’t understand why he so desperately wanted to make something of it. But he’d figure it out soon enough.

And as the clock turned to nine, he heard them approach.

“Through those doors. You’ll be fine,” Eric said on a low whisper, commiseration clear in his tone.

A second later, he heard the doorknob turn and, curiously, felt his heartbeat increase. He didn’t turn, not immediately, and instead listened as she walked across the floor. He heard her soft breath, smelled her clean feminine scent, no perfume, just soap and Jane, and decided it was perfect for her. He snapped his focus outside, watching the crawl of traffic on the streets below, trying to rein in his suddenly uncontrolled thoughts. Told himself he hadn’t yet faced her because he wanted to see how she would react and not because he needed the time to gather himself.

“Mr. Vale, may we get started?”

He turned swiftly, ignored the little hitch in his chest when he glanced at her, and said, “You have other plans, Janie?”

She widened her eyes slightly and then nodded. “Here’s your pen,” she said, lifting the pen he hadn’t given a second thought. “And yes. I have to get back to work.”

He looked at her, dressed much as she had been the day before, hand outstretched, the faint tremble giving away her nerves, though she managed to keep her face a schooled mask of calm. Three long strides closed the distance between them, and closer, her alluring scent was stronger, set off a wave of what felt far too close to desire for his liking, a feeling that only intensified when he grabbed the pen from her hands, his fingers brushing hers.

Only through sheer will did he manage to ignore the zing of awareness that shot through him, tried to remind himself that she was just an employee, and not a particularly appealing one at that, certainly not one who should have him so thoroughly off his game.

“Work?” he said after long moments had passed, the weight of her gaze on him making that zing reverberate a thousand times over. “I thought we had an arrangement, Ms. Graves?”

“We did. We do,” she said quickly.

“So then why were you at another job? Your time is mine now.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, and she stood a little straighter, the movement doing nothing to enhance her stature but making her annoyance clear. “I wasn’t sure, and it seemed prudent to keep my other…”

She trailed off as she watched him, her face dropping into an expression of shock at what he knew was his vicious scowl. The idea of her somewhere else rankled, but rather than examining why, he kept focused on the business at hand.

“If this arrangement is to work, I need your complete attention and focus,” he said.

“Of course,” she whispered, though Exander didn’t miss the rebellion in her eyes.

“Good,” he said with a curt nod.

Then, file in hand, he again crossed to stand in front of her, feeling a moment of admiration when she didn’t back down. He made a great show of reading the documents in the file, though he was acutely aware of every slight move, every nuanced change in her expression.

“Jane Graves, aged thirty-one. Became guardian of her younger sister Jewel at age seventeen after the death of their mother. Didn’t go to college. No children. Never been married. What makes you a suitable candidate?”

He looked up, saw her visibly clamping down on her emotions.

“I’m impressed. You know all about me. Here’s what I know about you. Exander Vale. Age unknown. First son of a powerful dragon family. No friends and lots of enemies. Never been married. No children. Total jerk,” she said, lifting her head defiantly before she seemed to remember what was at stake. She blanched but kept her expression even.

“So you do your research as well?” he replied, to which she nodded. “Janie, if you’re to work here, you can’t believe everything you read in the tabloids. I have several friends.”

She stood, face frozen for a moment, but the hints of a smile broke through. She covered it quickly, but Exander had seen it, couldn’t have missed it, nor missed the way the expression had lit her entire face, seemed to animate her from within. And couldn’t miss the way his already pounding heart sped even faster.

“You’re hired. And now that introductions are out of the way, let’s set some rules,” Exander said.

She nodded. “Okay, but I need to get back soon,” she said.

“Rule one: your time is mine and mine alone. I’ve contacted your former employer and let them know you won’t be returning,” he said.

“You did what!” she exclaimed.

“I’m very demanding, and as I said, I require your full attention.”

“How am I going to…?” she said under her breath, glancing off.

“Is there something I should be aware of? Something that will interfere?” he asked.

“No. No there’s not,” she said, though Exander didn’t believe her. He chose not to press the point, at least not right now.

“Our arrangement is completely confidential. You must speak of it to no one, discuss nothing we do here with anyone, including your sister. Are there terms amenable?”

“Yes. And there’s a bonus?” she asked.

Ahh. So there was some pressing financial concern driving her anxiousness. Made sense. She was far from the first to find herself in a bind, would not be the last, he knew for sure. But the curiosity that Exander had hoped was fading came back stronger.

“Yes. After the first seven weeks, if you make it, you’ll receive a signing bonus equal to one year’s salary. But trust me, you’ll have earned it,” he said.

But rather than looking anxious or nervous at his intentionally dire proclamation, she almost smiled, showed the first hints of calm Exander had seen from her.

She met his eyes, her own swirling with emotion that Exander couldn’t quite name.

“You have a deal.”

J
ane couldn’t believe
she’d said the words, was on the verge of pulling this off, but Exander’s curt nod confirmed that she had. He moved back to his desk, those unnatural steps more like a glide than an actual human walking, and an odd sense of finality hit her. The die had been cast.

Don’t be so dramatic, Jane!
she scolded herself.

“What’s so amusing, Janie?”

His low voice, ice cold but still oddly warm, pulled her from her thoughts, and it was only then that she realized a smile had crossed her face. She lifted her gaze to his and felt the hot creep of embarrassment flush her skin, a feeling that only intensified the longer she kept her eyes on his, his expression flat, unreadable, but intense. He was scrutinizing her, that much was clear, and she couldn’t stop the errant thought that sprang into her head. Couldn’t stop herself from wondering what he thought.

She cleared her throat. “N-not—” She stuttered at first, and then paused, swallowed, and began again. “Nothing. What should I do?”

“Go home. Eric will retrieve you when I want you,” he said.

Then he turned, his broad back seeming to blot out the sun. She kept her gaze there, unnaturally angry at being dismissed and fascinated by the broad, muscled shoulders under the fine suit. The first thought was more troubling than the last. Anyone with eyes could see Exander’s appeal, would have acknowledged that he was handsome, beyond handsome, so her response to him, silly and unwanted though it was, was of no concern.

Her anger at his dismissal, though. It rankled. Dismissal was not uncommon to her, was something she expected even if someone took the time to give her a first look. So why then did his unsettle her so, especially since Jewel’s fate hung in the balance? Maybe because he was toying with her, treating her life as if it were nothing but an entry on a ledger, and now that he was done for the day, he expected her to leave. A righteous, irrational anger welled up inside her. She had no cause to feel this way, should have been grateful, willing to tolerate anything, but something kept her from that, and instead, she let the anger take control.

“Mr. Vale,” she said.

He turned, looking in no way pleased that she hadn’t left when dismissed.

“My time is valuable, Janie. Don’t waste it.”

“It’s Jane. Or Ms. Graves,” she said pointedly.

He lifted a blond-brown brow, the movement only enhancing his ethereal, inhuman beauty. “As you wish, Ms. Graves. My time is valuable. Don’t waste it.”

“I can respect that. And I want you to do the same.”

That brow inched higher, and she continued at a slight nod of his head. “We’re making an exchange, a fair trade, so I’m going to do as you ask, but you will respect me.”

Jane was happy that her voice hadn’t trembled, but inside, she was shaking, wondering where the nerve to say such a thing had come from. And though his expression hadn’t changed, she suspected he could see it too. Hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t test her resolve. Because she didn’t know if she could stand firm, not in the face of his unwavering scrutiny.

“Very well. Good day, Ms. Graves.”

He turned again, and this time Jane followed suit, surprised that her trembling knees kept her upright. That wasn’t like her. She tried to avoid conflicts, didn’t like to make waves, especially at a time like this, but something had compelled her. Exander was used to getting his way. There was no doubt about that. And Jane knew that if she didn’t stand up to him, he would run roughshod over her. So money or no, she had to keep her wits about her, show that she wouldn’t crumble.

The only question now was whether she could keep it up for the next seven weeks.

E
xander listened as Janie
—Ms. Graves, he quickly corrected—retreated. He’d sworn he could hear the bang of her heart, and his enhanced senses had given away the throb of her pulse at the base of her smooth neck, the rapid increase in panted-out breaths. But she’d stood her ground, pushed back against him.

That was something he didn’t have a lot of experience with, having grown accustomed to every demand being obeyed immediately and without question. But he found it intriguing, even more so because he never would have expected it from her. She’d shown courage last night, but he hadn’t expected it here, not when she’d entered, timid, almost afraid, quivering ever so slightly. But all signs to the contrary, she had held her ground, pushed back.

Intriguing.

Still, he hoped she wouldn’t make it a habit. His pounding heart, the searing awareness that she stirred, told him he might not be able to resist Jane Graves’s particular kind of intrigue, and he had no desire to put his legendary resolve to the test.