Page 15 of Dance with the Dragon Duke

“Do tell,” Susan said playfully. She was clearly as in on the deception as her partner was.

Dark resisted the urge to scoff at them. For some foolish reason, waiting for Tomorrow had his stomach in knots. He straightened the lapel of his frock coat, then straightened itagain, busying his hands. Tomorrow’s scent lingered in it: morning dew and almond soap.

Margot whispered loudly, “Our little Tomorrow had her legs wrapped around the head of the duke like a python in a fig tree. It was most impressive.”

The image that flooded Dark’s mind made his gut flex pleasantly.

Ready for travel in winter weather, Margot and Susan came to join him just as Tomorrow reached the top of the stairs. Dark’s gaze lifted. It found hers and fell instantly captive.

She sparkled.

The Duke made a noise, his next intake of breath drawing eyes—smug, all-knowing eyes—from the pair nearest him. Tomorrow beamed down at Dark as she descended the stairs, color staining her cheeks.

“Hear that?” Susie murmured to her partner. “Might as well give me my half-piece now.”

“Attraction,” Margot hissed, “isn’t the same thing. You don’t win yet.”

Dark glared at the two of them. “You’re both shameless.”

“Why thank you, Your Grace,” Margot said with a playful curtsy.

“Comes with the territory,” Susan said.

“We only make bets because we care,” Margot insisted.

Dark abandoned them to meet Tomorrow partway up the steps. He extended his gloved hand, and she took it, her dainty fingers swallowed up by his fist. The gold of the dress complimented her creamy skin, and the red taffeta did lovely things to her copper eyes. She had pearls dotting her hair that she’d pinned back in a creative twist.

“Sunshine,” he cooed, “you’re as brilliant as a drop of pure star fire.”

The stain on her cheeks darkened. Even the points of her ears turned a charming red. “A pet name. What a good idea,” she said quietly, taking the rest of the stairs at his side. “Hm. I’ll have to think up a fitting one for you now.”

“Wicky Poo,” Susan suggested.

“My pet,” Margot added drolly.

Dark’s gaze went heavenward, begging for patience from the rafters. He was less annoyed by their teasing and more bothered that Tomorrow believed his words were part of the ploy and not an honest reaction to the beauty of the inner light she radiated at everyone. Laughing, her arm curled around his. Her gentle touch in her buttery soft kid-skin gloves, combined with the melodious sound of her mirth, immediately cooled his irritation.

* * *

Snowfall slowed their travel. In the early morning twilight, under a purple sky full of fading stars, the coach pulled up to the manor of House Night. It was the favored home of the king and queen of the Lunar Court. The monarchs had several residences, including a palace in Maldrom, central to the province. They forewent that luxury to spend most of their time at this manor, in River Row.

Taking in the sights, Dark understood their choice. There was history in the intricate stonework of the columns and great peaked gables, more history in the wilderness around them. They had the beauty and seclusion of nature at their backs and the convenience of a wealthy city so close. There would hardly be any light pollution out here. He’d wager the star-gazing was lovely at darkest night when nocturnal Lunar fae were most active.

“My little cabbage,” Margot suggested playfully, seated in the coach across from the duke. Neither courtesan had given up ontheir commitment to help Tomorrow select a proper pet name. Their suggestions had grown steadily more ridiculous along the way, trying to get a rise out of Dark.

It worked. He scoffed and groaned and glared at every silly submission.

“Nothing about Darko is little,” Susan protested, sharing a winter quilt with her business partner. “It doesn’t suit.”

“But he likes cabbage,” Margot insisted as the coach came to a stop in the drive, crunching slush and snow beneath its wheels. “He eats it in about everything.”

Tomorrow sniggered. Pressed so close to Dark’s dragon heat, she hadn’t needed a quilt at all. Her hair smelled strongly of almond soap with a hint of citrus.

She scooted in closer, and the pleasant scent curled through him. “Have you tried pretending they don’t bother you? Maybe if you stopped making it fun for them, they’d move on.”

Dark grumbled low in his throat. “If I pretend they don’t bother me, they’ll just try harder. They’re stubborn, these two.”

“He’s right, see. We do love a good challenge,” Margot said, and Susan nodded her agreement. “And we ain’t scared of him. He can threaten to eat us all he wants, and we won’t flinch.”

---