Page 23 of Here Be Dragons

Both Seth and Mateo knew about the ongoing competition between me and Gillisandra, but not the details. Mateo especially needed to know, considering he was in charge of security at the museum, and the she-dragon had tried to weasel her way in there more than once.

We’d had a run-in with her about three years ago. It hadn’t been about the artifacts for the competition but over a particular jewel she coveted that was on display at the museum. She always did like the sparkly stuff. I was sure that was the only reason she had partnered with my brother for so long. Emmett had a weak spot for shiny pretties, too.

Usually, dragon siblings were hatched decades or even centuries apart. It was very rare for two of the same clutch to survive because the first one to hatch generally pushed the unhatched egg right out of the nest, through the cave, and down the side of the mountain or off the cliff where the nest had been built. Survival of the fittest and all that. But Emmett and I had been separated as eggs and had hatched in different nests.

If Gillisandra was involved, that meant she knew what I’d been up to. Carly’s kidnappers had referred to the contents of the envelope as a key. And at its core, it was. But it wasn’t exactly the type of key they thought it was.

To be fair, I’d been expecting an actual key myself, but what I received instead was a small piece of pottery with patterns andflowers inscribed on it. It had me stumped. I had to open the statue and see what was inside.

“The real question is, does Gillisandra know that the recent trade with the other museum was part of the puzzle, or was she only after the key?” I was thinking out loud, but Mateo answered anyway.

“I have an extra set of hidden cameras trained on the statue as well as the hallway immediately outside the exhibit. I haven’t noticed any undue interest from museum-goers or the staff. Then again, I never suspected Leonard, either.”

“You’re going soft, Matty.” Seth liked to poke the lion whenever he could. Mateo hated that nickname.

Leonard had been cleaning the floors of my museum for a long time. Enough that he was familiar even to me, which was saying a lot about a human who wasn’t important to my dragon. I would never have suspected him, either.

“I’ll head back to the museum and let Janice know Carly is safe,” Mateo said. “She was quite worried when I left. And I’ll ask around to see who Leonard had been talking with recently, maybe sniff out any possible traitors. Though I really hope there aren’t more. I still don’t know how I could have missed this.”

I grunted. “I’m sure if there is anyone else my lady dragon friend has gotten to, you’ll root them out.”

“I’ll keep working on the etchings on this piece of pottery of yours,” Seth said. “But first, I promised to take my mom shopping.”

Elana leapt at every chance she could get to leave the estate. However, because of her dangerous ex-husband—or was he still considered her husband because they never officially divorced? I wasn’t sure about the complexities of human contracts—she could only do so when there was sufficient protection. Her son, now a powerful wizard in his own right, and his demon partner, Liam, were the perfect guards for her.

Unlike others who lived on large estates, I didn’t keep many staff on hand. Usually, it was just me, Elana, and a handful of guards. Elana managed most of the household chores, hiring cleaners and gardeners to keep things in the estate pristine, though she was the only one allowed on the top floor.

The guards here mostly consisted of monsters and demons who owed me favors. But usually, after the favor was done, they continued to work for me because I paid well. I did, however, require each guard to be enchanted so they are unable to lie or harm me or my belongings in any way. That was something I could not do for the museum. Apparently, that was an unacceptable requirement for a modern workplace.

I didn’t have many friends, just a lot of employees. It was a lonely existence, but I’d gotten used to it. Though, sometimes, I wondered if everyone would cease to be loyal to me the moment their paychecks stopped.

With Mateo and Seth busy, I was finally free to check on my little mate. While I was still a tiny bit disappointed that my mate ended up being a human, I wasn’t disappointed that it was Carly, if that made sense. And I knew better than to fight a mate bond, anyway. Even dragons kowtowed to fate.

I honestly couldn’t believe that I had finally found my mate at all. And I might not be good with human interactions, but even I understood that I’d upset her with my comment about her home.

Which meant I shouldn’t approach her now without a peace offering. I made my way down to the pantry, where I knew there were several boxes of chocolates I had received as gifts but never opened. I wasn’t particularly fond of the stuff, though I heard many females were. If I ever had a craving, it was usually for steak or something else meaty.

I thought of our liaison in my shower and smiled. She was going to give steak a run for its money. I might have found my new favorite snack.

Chocolate box in hand, I made my way up to the room where we’d left her things and set up her bunny enclosure. Remembering human customs, I paused at the door, preparing to knock.

Her voice came through the door; it sounded like she was talking to someone. It couldn’t be Elana, because she was out with Seth. Who was it? I listened a little longer.

“Can you believe he used the word ‘squalor’ to describe my apartment? Like I could just, poof, decide to have more money so I could rent somewhere nicer. And what’s with making decisions for me without even asking? Ugh! I should’ve known that someone so flipping sexy had to be a jerk.”

There was no response, and the corners of my lips lifted as I realized that she was talking to her pet rabbit.

I knocked. “It’s the, ah, sexy jerk,” I said. I’d been called worse.

She groaned loudly enough for me to hear through the door. “What do you want?”

I pushed the door open and strolled into the room. “I come bearing gifts and an apology,” I said. I was not above apologizing. “I am sorry that I insulted your home. Furthermore, from now on, I’ll consult you before making decisions that affect you.”

It had been a while since I’d needed to interact with a female. From what I gathered, modern females expected a lot more autonomy. Having dealt with female dragons and demons, it wasn’t anything new to me. Those female entities had never let the human patriarchy control them.

She glanced down at the proffered chocolate box, then sighed.

“All right, fine, but only because chocolate is my weakness, and those look expensive, and I want to try them.”

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