The Dragon's Heart (Dragon Lore) (15 page)

He chuckled in her head.
Got it, woman. Now stop worrying.

She snorted at him. “I can worry if I want,” she muttered.

Sure thing, princess.

She was sure he was calling her a brat when he called her
princess
, but before she could say anything about it, a low growl sounded in her head.
Hang on. We’re going down.

He didn’t give her time to prepare. She’d barely tightened her arms around his neck before they were suddenly in a nosedive, heading straight for the mountain peak beneath them. Her laugh bubbled out, a sound of pure joy as the wind rushed over her, blowing her long hair out behind her.

She was frozen to the core by the time Daniel touched down gently at the top of the mountain. He lay down as close to the ground as he could get and she slid off, only to launch herself at him when he shimmered back into his human form a second later. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, grinning with exhilaration. “That was awesome!”

“Glad you approve, princess,” he murmured arrogantly, winking at her.

Still grinning, she cupped his gorgeous face in both her hands, kissing him with all the amazement she felt. “I very much approve.” Her body shivered as she tightened her arms around his neck, her head resting against his. “I’m shaking.”

“It’s the rush.” He brushed her hair back over her shoulder, his lips skimming over her temple, his eyes darkening as she smiled up at him. “It’ll fade in a few.”

She nodded her head against his. “Where are we?”

To her surprise, humor lit his eyes. “I’m a dragon, princess, remember?” He wrapped his arms around her as he started walking them toward a huge boulder without letting her down. “We like caves and mountains.”

She peeked over his shoulder as the other dragons appeared in their human forms. They were all nearly as big as Daniel, and there was something about each one that identified their color. From the giant with the dark red hair, to the exact hue of green eyes in another, it was easy to distinguish which human form belonged to which dragon.

They fanned out behind Daniel, their bodies tense as they searched the surrounding area.

Still holding her tight against him, Daniel stopped in front of the boulder. As he murmured something quietly, the enormous rock shimmered into nothing. Positive he was trying to overload her brain, Shelby held her breath as he walked them through the transparency.

Tingles washed over her skin, and when the mark over her heart pulsed once, she glanced down. It was glowing.

“This place is enchanted,” he murmured as he carefully set her on her feet, his large hand wrapping possessively around hers. “Ready to see something else cool?”

She bobbed her head up at him, a smile tugging at her mouth. He was like a little kid showing off, but it was so charming and endearing her walls crumbled a little bit more. “Of course,” she murmured.

He led her over to a damp cavern wall, and let out a small huff of air on a torch. It lit immediately. With a quick wave of his hand, the flame spread out along the wall, until the entire space was illuminated.

She grinned at him when he winked at her. It was like being in his apartment, if his apartment was twice the space. There was a bedroom area, a bathroom area, a kitchen, a living space, more weapons than she’d ever thought existed in the world and, she blinked. “Is that a computer?”

“State of the art, completely undetectable,” the red dragon said in a thick Scottish brogue as he stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. While he was dressed like the others in all black and camo-green combat gear, the clothes didn’t suit him. He belonged on a battlefield, in nothing but a kilt. His dark auburn hair hung to the middle of his back in thick waves. He’d pulled the sides back, leaving his harsh face unframed, so the only thing you noticed about him was the striking blue of his eyes. “I’m Broderick, my Lord’s geek.”

Shelby smiled at him, trying to process this massive Celtic warrior as a geek. She stepped closer to Daniel when the guy’s eyes roamed over her slowly. The second he focused on her mark, his eyes went from hot and approving to respectful. He murmured something under his breath. An instant later, an iridescent red glow covered his closed hand. Bowing his head, he turned his fist over, offering her the blood red ruby within. “Dragon mate.”

Luca was next. With another bow, he held out a sapphire nearly as big as a baseball.

Shelby looked up in confusion when Daniel grunted his approval. He pulled her in closer to his side as the others followed Broderick’s lead.

The dark-haired dragon with the gold eyes was next. He was just as tall as Daniel, only not as massive and without the hardness to his face. “My Lady,” he said with a wink, bowing over her hand and placing a canary diamond in her palm, “I am Bain. Charmer, diplomat, and acquisitions manager. If you need it, I can get it.”

“Thank you, Bain.” She beamed at him, because he had the kind of face that just made you want to smile.

The last dragon waited patiently behind Bain. Light brown, shoulder-length hair, pale green eyes and olive skin made an eerie combination. While they were all strikingly beautiful in their own way, the green dragon was down-right breathtaking. He nodded at her, and held out a flawless emerald. “Dallas. Weapons, security and surveillance.”

Stunned and confused, she turned to Daniel. He brushed a curl out of her face, then let the pad of his thumb trace over the curve of her cheek. “Our kind has been dying off for centuries. A mate is a wonderful, cherished thing, and you are their queen. You give them hope, so they offer you what is most precious to them.” His face darkened abruptly. “We’ll tell them later we’re looking for a way to break the bond.”

Her teeth caught at her bottom lip as she searched his eyes. “They’re your friends?”

“No. I don’t have friends.” He shrugged, his mouth lifting in a sneer before she could feel sorry for him. “We are stronger together than apart, especially when a Hunter is involved. I am their leader and you are my mate, so they will protect you with their last breath.”

For as unbalanced as he’d been since the hospital, she didn’t doubt he was in command every second of every day. It was in the way he moved. It was the way he spoke and his overwhelming presence. Moving in closer to him, her eyes searched his for something she couldn’t define. “What will happen to them if you tell them we’re breaking the bond?” she asked.

He shrugged, his face shutting down. “It doesn’t matter. I bonded to you without your consent or permission. I’ll find a way to undo it.”

“Yeah, well…” She made a face at him, even as she shifted her body in closer. “I haven’t exactly made your life easy since we met.”

He scooped the jewels out of her hand, set them on a table next to her, then took a step toward her, ducking his head so their faces were closer together. They were so close she could feel the heat of him through her clothes, warming her all over. It sent her pulse scattering, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. “Are you admitting to being a brat?”

She snorted, her arms crossing over her chest. “Never.”

“Really?” he asked, amusement sparking deep in his eyes. “So when I asked you earlier to trust me, you would have done it without my assistance?”

* * * *

Her teeth worried at her lip for a moment, before a wide smile bloomed over her mouth. His body went hot, rock hard, and he suddenly couldn’t remember why the hell he didn’t devour her. Shooting his hand into her hair, he hauled her against him. His mouth was starving as it closed over hers.

The soft sound she made was created to drive him to madness, he was sure of it. A raw sound tore out of him. He didn’t care about their audience. His hands slid to her hips, hitching her up. The fit of her body was perfect against his, as if created just for this, just for him.

“Daniel.” His name escaped her on a sigh. She leaned up, nipping gently at his bottom lip. “You asked me a question.”

He thought about ignoring her. He was drowning in the lust in her eyes, and he didn’t want to come up for air. He was so far beyond pretending he didn’t need her. He didn’t want to play it safe. He didn’t want to play it smart. He didn’t want to walk away. He wanted
her.

But she was waiting for him to answer her. The beast inside of him growled quietly as he skimmed his mouth down her throat, nearly smiling when he felt her whole-body shiver. “Yes?”

“Daniel.” She laughed softly, her hands sliding into his chin-length hair. She tugged gently until he looked at her. “I’m serious.”

Temper flashed over his face, because damn it, he didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to think. He just wanted to lose himself in her the way he’d never been able to do with anyone else.

She wanted to talk, though, so they would talk. If she wanted to run a marathon, they’d do that as well. He’d do whatever in the seven hells she wanted him to do, as long as he could be with her. “I’m listening,” he snapped, leaning back against one cave wall.

She smiled, and then went deadly serious. “You asked me if I would have trusted you earlier, but you didn’t give me a chance to answer.”

“Alright.” He carefully locked his emotions down. She had no reason to trust him, or even want him in her life after the hell he’d caused her. He knew this, but damn if he knew how to walk away from her, either. “I’m listening,” he repeated.

“Hey.” She tightened her hands in his hair, her eyes troubled as she studied him. “The answer is yes, Daniel. I would have trusted you. I’ve always trusted you.”

12

Shelby was still shaking, but she wasn’t sure it was from the adrenaline rush any longer. No, she was positive it was from being this close to Daniel, with him looking at her the way she’d thought she’d never, ever see again. Like she was every wish he’d ever had. Like he could drown in her. Unlike everyone else she talked to on a daily basis, it wasn’t because of who she was. It was because of
her.

She’d forgotten what it felt like to be seen. Heard. The man had this incredible ability to make her feel like everything she said, every word coming out of her mouth was the only thing he wanted to hear.

She wasn’t special to Daniel because she was the highest-paid, most recognized actress in the world. She was special to him because he liked her.

“So.” Grinning, she took a small step closer to him. “Do you believe me that I trust you?”

“I don’t know.” He’d bent his head toward her, as if to make sure he didn’t miss a single word she said. He brushed a curl out of her face, gently tucking it behind her ear. “If I asked you to go flying with me again, would you?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? We can go again?”

He let out a sound that was almost a chuckle. “Careful, princess, or I might start thinking you like me only for my dragon.”

Her laugh bubbled out. “I am pretty awed by the dragon, Daniel, but…” she shrugged, grinning.

His eye twitched. “But?”

The humor faded at the slight edge of vulnerability she glimpsed in his eyes. She moved in, wrapping her arms tight around his torso as she rested her cheek against the solid wall of his chest. He smelled like heaven, all dark male and exotic scents, and he felt perfect. He felt like home. He went still for a moment, before he hooked his arms around her neck. He hauled her in closer. “I like this,” she murmured. “I like talking to you. I like arguing with you. I like laughing with you.” She shrugged as she admitted out loud what she’d never even really allowed herself to think. “No one talks to me. If they do, they don’t expect any kind of intelligent answer. They talk at me, then rush to do whatever they think I want them to do. They laugh at my jokes because they think they have to, or because they want to make a good impression on me. I can’t remember the last time anyone except for you has raised their voice to me. I could call the director of whatever movie I’m working on, tell him I just don’t feel like showing up that day, costing him thousands of dollars while screwing up the entire schedule, but he’d just say no problem and tell me to enjoy my day off.” She let out a quiet string of curses as she dropped her gaze to his chest. She knew better than exposing vulnerabilities. “Damn it, Daniel, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you this.”

“Hey.” His voice was quiet as he hooked his finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes again. “Don’t hide from me, princess. I like the sound of your voice. I like you talking to me.”

She let out a slow breath and tightened her arms around his waist. “How do you do it?” she murmured. “How do you make it so easy for me to be me? I keep thinking I should be putting on this act, be the perfect mate in front of your friends, but then I forget to act.” She frowned at him. “You make me forget to act.”