Authors: Jade Allen
ONE MONTH LATER
The red dress was as
inexplicable as it was beautiful. April gently took the material between her
finger and thumb and held it out, her mouth running dry at the lushness of the
silk, the vibrant color, the tailored silhouette. It was the finest item of
clothing she’d ever touched, but she had no idea where it came from, why it was
in her suite, or what she was meant to do with it.
“Whose dress is this?”
she asked, fingers gliding over the bodice. Tiny glittering stones studded the
neckline, and upon closer inspection, she realized they were diamonds.
“It’s yours,
mein
Schatz
.”
April heard the smile
in Mads’ voice and turned to meet his golden green eyes. “Mine? That’s not my
dress.”
His smile didn’t fade.
“It is now.”
“Oh, but...I
couldn’t…”
“Why not?” A frown
crept in around his eyes. “Aren’t I allowed to give you gifts?”
“Allowed? Yes, of
course, very much allowed.” The last thing she wanted to do was discourage his
generosity. “But, I just…” Heat flooded her cheeks. “I don’t know if it’ll
fit.”
Now the frown spread
to his lips. “Why not? It was made to your measurements.”
April’s mouth ran dry
and she tried to stifle the white-hot rush of embarrassment, but her voice
still trembled slightly when she asked, “You know my measurements?”
“Of course. You’re my
mate.”
The earlier
embarrassment was turning into anger—a typical response for her. Anger was
easier to handle than humiliation. “And somehow that fact gives you personal
information about my body?”
“Yes, it does.” He
took her hand, pulling her towards him. She didn’t resist, but only because she
was always eager to feel his body against hers. His hand ran down her spine,
coming to a rest on the curve of her ass, his other arm wrapped in a possessive
band around her shoulders. “I know all there is to know about the shape of your
body. If you do not like the dress, I will have it removed, but I do hope
you’ll at least try it on for me.”
April took a deep,
even breath. It was clear he didn’t understand her reaction to the beautiful
gift, and now she only felt embarrassed again. Her insecurities around her body
always seemed to perplex him, and they were beginning to frustrate her. Still,
she couldn’t resist one last effort to avoid trying on the garment.
“I don’t know if that
color will look good on me.”
“That shade will look
very fetching on you. Especially with your coloring.”
The hot tendrils of
embarrassment still crawled through her stomach. The dress didn’t look like her
regular size 28, and she feared the color would make her look like a big, round
tomato, but the dress was gorgeous and it was a very sweet gesture. What would
be the harm in trying it on? Nobody would see her but Mads, and he preferred to
see her without any clothes on at all, so the dress wouldn’t be missed once she
tore it off.
“I’ll try it on,” she
said, giving him a good squeeze before stepping out of his arms.
The zipper on the back
gave her another reason to be concerned, but she dropped her robe and stepped
into the dress, pulling it over her hips and around her bust. The fit was snug,
but not tight, and when Mads stepped behind her to zip it, the teeth closed
smoothly. She straightened the skirt and adjusted her breasts inside the fitted
cups. It left her arms and shoulders exposed, but the sight of her bare arms
didn’t detract from the beauty of the dress. In fact, she barely noticed her
arms when she saw her reflection.
“It’s beautiful,” she
breathed.
“
You’re
beautiful.” Mads stepped behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and
pulling her back against his chest. “We’ll make a very dashing couple tonight.”
“Where are we going?”
It didn’t matter where they went, as long as she was on his arm.
“Dinner and the
opera.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I must go prepare myself.
The car will be here at seven.”
“I’ll be ready.” She
tilted her head back and kissed his jaw. “I love you.”
He moved quickly,
catching her mouth with his and claiming it in a long, deep kiss. His free hand
went to her breast and she arched against his palm, forgetting the new dress
and their surprise date, wanting nothing more than to fan the flames kindled
deep inside her. She loved the way he kissed her, the way his body felt against
hers, hard every where she was soft, and yet his flesh was yielding, welcoming
to her.
“I love you, too,
mein
Schatz
. I’ll be back at 6:45.”
“I’ll be waiting. Oh,
will you unzip this for me?”
It was hard to let him
go, but once he closed the door behind him, her attention went back to the exquisite
dress. The skirt flared out below her hips, moving beautifully around her legs
when she did a test twirl. The bodice accentuated her breasts with a sweetheart
cut, showing off just enough cleavage. The color did not make her look like a
tomato at all. Mads had been right about the shade—it did compliment her
natural golden hue very well.
April checked the
time—she had a little more than an hour to do her hair and makeup. She didn’t
know if she had the skill to do justice to such a dress, but she couldn’t waste
any time. Her stomach fluttered with excitement as she carefully laid the dress
on her bed and grabbed her makeup bag. They’d been out together since they
arrived in Florence, but only during the day, and only briefly. He’d asked her
each night what she wanted to do, offering her anything her heart desired, but
she only wanted him.
Perhaps he needs a
bit of a break
, she thought with a wry smile. On the other hand, a mere
mortal would have probably demanded a break much sooner. If she bordered on
insatiable, his hunger for her was ravenous. Sometimes, when he was buried
inside of her, she wondered if it was the man or the dragon who craved her the
most. It was the dragon’s eyes she saw the most these days; twin golden rings
staring at her as though he could see every secret and hidden space she carried
inside.
She’d only seen the
dragon itself once: nearly a month earlier, when he saved her life from another
dragon. Chester Maelstrom had turned homicidal and then had morphed into a
dragon with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. She didn’t think about him much,
but she still dreamed of being chased and cornered. What if Mads hadn’t crashed
through the glass ceiling when he had? The answer was easy—she would have been
turned into dragon food. But Mads had arrived in time, killing her attacker and
marking her as his.
Since that time,
they’d been on holiday. She couldn’t believe Mads would take such an extended
break from his work, but when she asked about it, he’d only smiled and said,
“It’ll be waiting for me when we return.” April wasn’t going to argue. She’d
never had the chance to travel, and Mads owned hotels around the world.
Florence was her favorite city so far, but there was still so much to see. He’d
promised her Berlin, Paris and Prague.
She shrugged her robe
on before moving to the brightly lit vanity mirror. It obscured most of her
body from view, but the top of her knee was visible, as was the bottom of the
red mark he’d left on her thigh. He’d promised to answer any and all of her
questions—and she had a lot—but she never asked about the mark. Not because the
mark itself bothered her. It was the memory of the dragon and the way his
member had grown, reached for her, sought her. She’d been terrified, but
beneath her hot flash of fear had been undeniable excitement. She didn’t know
how to explain it or qualify it. She didn’t even know how to discuss it with
Mads, and she had no other secrets from him.
April traced the edge,
but there was no sensitivity. When Mads touched her there, it felt like the
dragon had returned to drench her body in flames. She smiled at the memory of
his mouth moving over the mark but shook it off before it could completely
distract her. She had to get ready. They were going out—she’d keep him in bed
all day tomorrow to make up for it.
“Now,” she asked her
reflection, “what should be done with this hair?”
****
An entire pack of
paparazzi waited outside the opera house when they arrived, and the rapid flash
of bulbs blinded April. People shouted for their attention, flinging random
questions and demanding explanations. Any other time, that would have been
April’s living nightmare, but Mads was so handsome and her dress was so
exquisite, she felt like a Hollywood star on the red carpet, and even knowing
the pictures would be splashed across newspapers around the world didn’t shake
her confidence.
Once inside, Mads led
her to his private box right above the stage. The seats were plush and
comfortable, and when the lights went down, her hand found his thigh. He rested
his fingers over her, stroking absently over her knuckles while she gently
massaged him. She wanted to do so much more than that—and she was certain she
could get away with it in the privacy of their box—but he seemed genuinely
excited for the performance.
April had never been
to the opera in her life—and she didn’t understand a word of Italian—but she
found herself entranced by their beautiful voices and the pure spectacle on the
stage. When she looked away, it was only to study the handsome man beside her.
She’d never seen Mads dressed like this and the sight of him continuously took
her breath away.
It took her by
surprise when the lights came up and Mads folded her hand in his.
“Intermission. Would you care for a refreshment?”
“Champagne would be
lovely.”
He led her out of
their box and down to the lobby, guiding her so she was free to stare at the
ornate beauty surrounding her. When she thought about how old the opera house
must have been, how many important and famous people had walked through this very
hall, how beautiful every inch of the building was, it made her feel as though
she must be dreaming. A dream that went on and on and she never wanted to wake
from.
“Are you enjoying
yourself?” Mads asked as he handed her the flute.
“Yes, this is amazing.”
She didn’t understand a word of the opera, but she did know the basic story of
Orpheus and his doomed attempt to save his love from hell. “Though I do wish I
knew more.”
“Perhaps I should
apologize for dragging you here.”
“No, not at all,” she
said quickly. “I’ve never had an evening like this in my life. Besides, you can
explain all the finer points to me later tonight.”
“It will be my
pleasure.”
He brought the glass
to his lips but he didn’t look away from her, and she saw something in his eyes
that she didn’t recognize—something warm and hungry, and she almost took a step
towards him. She felt drawn to touch him, but feared that if she started, she
wouldn’t be able to stop.
“How...how were you
able to get such wonderful seats?” April asked, surprised by how dry her voice
sounded.
“That’s my box. I
enjoy the opera. It’s one of the few things in this world that doesn’t change.
La
favola d'Orfeo
sounds the same now as it did in 1607.”
April didn’t often
think about the reality of Mads’ age—it was too much to wrap her mind around,
somehow. She didn’t know his precise age, but she knew he’d seen centuries pass
him by. He first heard this opera four hundred years ago, and he’d likely still
be listening to it four hundred years from now. She’d be dead by then. She
tilted her head and downed the rest of her champagne.
“Well, look who it is.
I should have known you wouldn’t have the decency to stay in hiding for very
long.”
Mads turned and
greeted Savannah Maelstrom with a smooth smile. “Savannah. Charles. I forgot
you were fans of the opera.” He spoke as though their last meeting did not end
in bloody death.
Charles Maelstrom
looked like an older, stockier version of his son, Chester, but his eyes
flashed with anger. April stepped closer to Mads.
“You have some nerve,
showing your face here tonight.” Savannah’s voice cracked with the force of her
rage, and color climbed her cheeks.
“I always attend the
opening of the season. I am sorry for your loss, Savannah, but I believe it is
more fitting for you to sit at home and grieve.”
“How dare you,”
Charles growled. “I should have you arrested.”
“On what charges?” He
sounded more curious than concerned, as though they were discussing something
purely hypothetical. April merely wondered what had stopped Charles from
calling the police a month ago. Perhaps dragons did not welcome humans in their
affairs.
“The murder of my
son,” he bit out.
“Your son intended to
blackmail me. In the process, he nearly devoured my mate. His punishment fit
his crimes.”
“Your mate.” Savannah
sneered the word, her beautiful features twisting into something ugly.
Monstrous. “You shouldn’t be so cruel to the girl, Mads. She’s nothing more
than your plaything.”
Charles touched his
wife’s arm. “Savannah, we should get back to our seats.”
“Listen to your
husband, my dear.”
But she gave no sign
of hearing either of them. “How could she be your
mate
when she could
never bear your son? How can she be your mate when she will never know how it
feels to fly or snap bones between her teeth? How can she be your mate when
she’s dead and you go on living for centuries more?”
Mads took a half step
forward, his eyes narrowed and his voice so low it sounded more like a growl.
He didn’t make a single move to touch her, but she still flinched back from the
weight of his gaze and the pure sense of power radiating from him. April caught
the moment of confused indecision on Charles’ face—like he knew he needed to
put himself between his wife and a threat, but he had no desire to be caught in
the middle.
“You never were one
for subtlety, were you my dear? Know this. If anything happens to April, I will
come for you. If she so much as stubs her toe, I will make you pay for her
pain. And if you see me again, don’t come whining to me about your worthless
son or I will take your entire clan from you and leave you staked to a mountain
of their bones.”
The bell chimed,
signaling the end of intermission.
“Enjoy the rest of the
show,” Mads said, his voice returning to normal. “Come,
mein Schatz
.”
April took his arm and
let him lead her away from the Maelstroms’ smoldering anger. She waited until
they were safely seated before whispering, “What the hell was that?”
“She intends to kill
you.”
“
What?
”
“Dragons speak very
literally.”
“So when she said
‘when she’s dead,’ she didn’t mean sixty years from now when I’ve died of old
age in my bed?”
“Correct. She means
she plans to kill you herself.”
“Why are you so… blasé
about this?”
“I told her what I
will do to her entire clan if anything happens to you,” he mentioned coolly.
“Do you believe that was an idle threat?”
“What does it matter
what I think? Does
she
believe it is an idle threat?”
Mads took both her
hands in his. “I will never allow any harm to come to you. As long as you’re
with me, you’re safe.”
“Okay.”
“No, not okay. Do you
believe me?”
“Of course I believe
you. I trust you with my life.”
He brought her hands
to his mouth, kissing each of her knuckles. With each brush of his lips, a
little of her fear dissolved, until she was almost completely at ease.
Almost.
Because deep down
inside, she knew Savannah had a point. How could she be his mate when she
couldn’t ever truly share his life?