Page 7 of Dance with the Dragon Duke

Tomorrow covered her mouth and looked away, struggling to heft him forward. “I’m not going to vomit on it.” Words muffled by her fingers, her face drained further of color. Even her freckles blanched.

“Good.” He hobbled another step closer to the side entrance.

“Ack. Why’s it black?” she squeaked.

“Dragon blood comes in a variety of colors,” he said with a shrug.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” She ripped open the door and ushered him through it. He was so broad the maneuver was an awkward one, cramming them together, but they managed.

“The pain is terrible,” he said flatly.

She peered again at the handle jutting out of his thigh and choked.

“Stop looking at it,” he suggested.

“Ugh, I’m going to have to give you more than half of my duchy now. You’ve already gotten stabbed because of me.” The threshold opened into a servant’s hall. A narrow set of stairs led down to the rooms for long-term guests and some live-in staff. Another wider set headed upstairs to the second floor where most patrons were entertained.

“Perhaps I got stabbed because of me,” he offered. He’d started the fight, after all. She was frowning again, but he hoped his suggestion would make her stop.

“No,” she sighed, lips turned down. “I recognized the rogue with the fox tail. He’s followed me before. The Freest family hired him. I’m sure of it, damn them.”

Slowly they lumbered together to the duke’s bedroom. Dark fished a brass key out of his pocket and gave it to Tomorrow to unlock for him. Leaning forward placed too much pressure on his injury. After a moment of fiddling, the lock turned, and the door rattled open.

Dark maneuvered inside and planted himself on the end of a large four-poster with velvet curtains, stretching his damaged leg out in front of him.

She closed the door and stood facing it, her head down.

“Tomorrow?”

At her name, her chin lifted, but she didn’t respond.

“I’m going to help you,” he said, suddenly missing her tendency to ramble on. He preferred that to this sad silence. “If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t. I’ll be your pretend lover. I owe your cousin a dagger in his leg now. You might as well get your inheritance while I’m at it.”

Tomorrow let out a sigh, but she still wasn’t looking at him. “That’s a relief. Thank you, but . . .”

His thigh burned sharply. He didn’t look forward to moving again. “But what?” he demanded, giving in to the distraction she offered.

“Never mind or I’ll just start rambling. I’ve done enough of that tonight, and, ugh, your leg looks terrible!”

Chapter 3

Tomorrow

“Gods above,” Tomorrow groaned. “I’m the worst! Look what I did to you.” She glanced once more at the protruding handle and the oozing black blood, and she covered her mouth with her hand to conceal how it made her heave.

“You weren’t the one who shoved the blade in,” Darko said, square jaw set.

A gust of air blew out of the nearby closet and Tomorrow jumped. The wood around the frame groaned.

Her hand went to her heart. “What the blazes was that?”

Darko’s brow shimmered with sweat. Bronze hair had come free from behind his ears to cling damply to his face. “That’s just my hoard settling in.”

“Your . . . you mean, like, your treasure place?” She blinked at him. Didn’t dragons keep their hoards in treacherous mountain caves? Not in closets. And why did his sound like it was breathing?

“It goes where I go, moving between doorways.” He motioned her closer. “Come. I’ve had a rest; now I need to stand up again. Help me inside my hoard so I can heal, and I’ll let you ramble at me for as long as you like.”

“Oh dear.” After a moment’s hesitation, she hurried over to him. Leaning down, she helped him slide one of his massivearms across her shoulders. As he rose, she strained to brace him, cursing colorfully.

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