Page 20 of Dragon My Crazy

She made a choked sound, and the sudden explosion of lust that scented the air gave her true feelings away.

“Anything can be faked for the right price,” she said after a pause.

Her cryptic words hung like daggers in the air between us. What the hell did that mean?

Before I could demand an answer, she stood, turned on her heels, and walked out. She was magnificent in her ire, her shoulders stiff, her steps quick. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me still sitting in front of my half-finished raspberry torte with my pulse roaring in my ears and my dragon snarling in my head.

Find her. Make her ours.

That was easy for my dragon to say, but reality needed tact.

It is easy. Take her. Steal her. Keep her.

I clenched my fists, my nails—more claws now since my dragon was jonesing to be let out—digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood. I knew better than to go after her. She was upset, and something told me there was more to it than she let on.

Frustrated, I stepped up onto the balcony and looked toward the peaks across the valley. And then, with one powerful leap, the wings burst from my back and I was airborne. Seconds later, I was in my full dragon form and looking down at the valley I called home.

Ireturnedtomyfortress after Melly’s bedtime, the night air cool against my scales as I glided in to land on one of the balconies. My daughter slept a lot, but then again, from my research, most dragonlets did. They were like most babies in that regard; they ate a lot, slept a lot, and grew a lot. Big, oversized, fire-breathing babies.

I found Luella waiting for me just outside the playroom doors in something so diaphanous that it might as well not have existed. The fabric clung to her curves, showing everything. Her lips were painted as were her eyes, and the look she sent me couldn’t be misconstrued.

She’d been hinting at her interest in me for weeks, but this was the first time she’d been so forward.

“Lord Emmett,” she purred, stepping closer. “You’re back late.”

I sidestepped her without breaking stride. “Luella, what is this?”

She pouted. “You still think of me as a girl. But I’ve grown up, Emmett. Look at me.” She arched her back, thrusting out her chest.

She was a beauty, that much I could not deny. And I would have been tempted once, if only for some strings-free fun, though it would break my rule of not dallying with those who worked for me. The rule had nothing to do with human sensibilities or their arbitrary standards of appropriateness; it was purely about keeping my life complication-free. But I found she did not interest me at all.

There was a certain artifice to her that did not appeal in the slightest. Also, I wasn’t sure that her father had not put her up to it and she was simply doing it out of some sense of duty.

“Luella, you are a woman indeed, and a beautiful one at that. But I am not interested.”

There was something akin to hurt in her eyes, and her lips twisted into something ugly before she schooled her features again.

“You know where to find me if you change your mind,” were her last words before she turned and walked away.

I sighed. My life had gotten so much more complicated in the last year. A year ago, the only worry I’d had was about the small town of magical beings congregating in the foothills of my mountain.

Shaking my head, I slipped inside the room, moving quietly until I reached the wrought-iron crib. Built to withstand the light toasting expected from a dragon child, I’d had it custom-made for my baby. Melly was curled up inside, her tiny wings tucked behind her. I scooped her up carefully, cradling her against my chest.

Gods, she was so small and so precious. I hadn’t expected to be a father, but one look at her and I knew I wanted nothing more.

“Come on, little one,” I murmured, carrying her out of the room and up the stairs toward my personal suite.

I was halfway down the corridor when I nearly collided with Elana, who was just stepping out of her room with an empty cup in hand. From the smell of it, it had been a chamomile tea. Her hair was slightly damp, like she’d just showered. The scent of her shampoo was something sweet and floral that made my dragon stir. She must’ve brought her own toiletries because the fragrance was new to me. It accentuated her natural scent and made my dragon want to roll around in it.

“Oh,” she said, blinking up at me.

I could tell by the hesitancy in her gaze that she was thinking of our interaction from earlier. But when she saw Melly in my arms, her features softened.

“I’m just getting Melly into bed,” I said, somewhat awkwardly, and adjusted my hold on my daughter.

Wow. Smooth. What else could I possibly be doing?

“I see. Can I see her nursery?”