Page 17 of Hot for the Dragon

"This one's beautiful," Daphne cooed, playing her part perfectly as she examined a diamond solitaire.

"Your taste is exquisite," Adam gushed. "Though perhaps something more unique for such a special couple?"

Archer's attention caught on a door behind the counter, slightly ajar. Through the crack, he glimpsed what looked like shipping manifests - far more than a small jewelry store should need.

"What do you think, darling?" Daphne's voice pulled him back, her fingers squeezing his arm.

He looked down at her upturned face, momentarily caught in those green eyes. "Whatever makes you happy, sweetheart." The endearment rolled off his tongue with surprising ease.

"The princess cut might suit you better," Adam suggested, pulling out another tray. "Though I just received some stunning raw gems that-" He caught himself and cleared his throat. "That is, some unique pieces..."

Archer's dragon instincts perked up at the slip. Raw gems were exactly the kind of valuable, easily transported goods that Carmen's wing would trade in.

Daphne leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Actually, I was hoping for something very specific. A princess cut diamond with emerald side stones, set in rose gold. The band needs to have a wheat pattern."

Archer fought back a smirk. Clever witch.

"Oh my." Adam's enthusiasm deflated slightly. "That's quite... particular. Let me check our inventory system in the back."

The moment Adam disappeared through the door, Archer's enhanced senses kicked into high gear. His nostrils flared again, catching the scent of dragon scale oil growing stronger near the counter.

"Keep watch," he murmured, moving behind the counter with fluid grace.

"Be careful," Daphne whispered, positioning herself where she could see the back door.

His fingers traced along the shelves, scanning labels and manifests. A wrapped package caught his eye - elegant black paper with gold trim, addressed to "N.V." The scent of scale oil was strongest here.

"Ned Vance," he growled under his breath.

"Who's that?" Daphne's voice was barely audible.

"One of Carmen's lieutenants. Nasty piece of work." Archer's jaw clenched as memories of Ned's brutality surfaced. "He'll be here later to pick this up I’m guessing."

His dragon instincts screamed to confront Adam now, pin him against the wall and force answers out of him. The beast within him stirred, wanting justice - or perhaps revenge.

"We should grab Adam now," he said, already moving toward the back door. "Make him talk."

Daphne's hand caught his arm, her touch sending an unexpected wave of calm through him. "Wait. If we spook him now, we'll lose our chance to catch Ned. We might even tip off Carmen."

The rational part of his brain knew she was right, but his dragon nature bristled at backing down. Still, there was wisdom in her words. "Fine. But I don't like it."

"You don't like anything," she teased.

Archer then watched Daphne's face light up with an idea, her eyes sparkling in that way that usually meant trouble for him.

"We should stake out the shop," she whispered, leaning close enough that her floral scent invaded his senses again. "Wait for Ned to show up. We might learn something unexpected."

His first instinct was to refuse her idea - stakeouts were beneath him. He preferred direct confrontation, using his strength to get what he wanted. But damn if her logic wasn't sound. "Fine," he growled softly. "But we do this my way."

"Of course," she replied with that infuriating smile that suggested she knew she'd won. "Your way always."

The sound of footsteps from the back room had them both tensing. Adam emerged, clutching a tablet and wearing an apologetic expression. "I can special order that specific design you wanted. It would take about three weeks, if you're willing to wait?"

Archer's enhanced hearing picked up the slight tremor in Adam's voice - he was nervous about something. Probably the illegal package sitting behind his counter waiting to be picked up. The dragon within him really wanted to grab the jeweler by his expensive silk tie and squeeze the truth out of him.

But Daphne's hand found his arm again, her touch grounding him. When had he started relying on her calming presence? It was... unsettling how quickly she'd wormed her way past his defenses.

He glanced down at her, noting how perfectly she fit against his side. For their cover story, of course. Nothing more. Though the way her fingers traced small circles on his bicep was making it hard to focus on the mission.

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