Page 1 of Hungry Like A Dragon
Chapter 1
Petra had screwed up. Again.
“If you’d rather—”
She flapped her hand, cutting off her reeve, Gabriel Wilde, before he could finish his thought. “I’d rather go to New Orleans,” she said. “You said you wanted me to find your mother, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
He didn’t need to say anything for her to understand his hesitation.He thinks I’m not good enough to get the job done.
She’d been passed over for reeve despite her training and relationship to the previous one, then she’d managed to get Talia’s sister, Jasmine, beaten to within an inch of her life. And don’t forget nearly killing her best friend. Hell, about the only thing she’d done right recently was not continuing her family’s pattern of getting stuck in miserable relationships.
Gabeshoulddoubt her abilities.
“Actually, now that we’re talking about it, maybe I’m not the best person for the job,” she said while picking at the polish on her thumbnail.
Gabe rested his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers while he studied her. He was probably about to agree with her but giving it a second, so he didn’t appear too eager.
“I disagree. I think this task is exactly what you need.”
Petra snapped her head up to stare at him. “Why do you—?”
“You need a chance to redeem yourself. In your own mind,” he added, lifting a finger when she opened her mouth to protest.
She slowly closed her mouth again because…he was right.
“So, here’s the situation. We don’t know much at all, unfortunately.”
“That’s helpful,” Petra muttered.
Gabe’s only response to her snide comment was to lift his eyebrows. “Based on information we gleaned from my father when he showed up unexpectedly two months ago, I believe my mother is living in New Orleans. I want you to track her down and convince her to remove the curse on our colony.”
The curse. Thirty years ago someone—apparently Gabe’s estranged mother—cursed their colony so that no one could ever find their fated mate. And those who already had been fated mates lost the passion, the magic that came along with knowing you’d coupled with the dragon you were destined to be with for the rest of your life.
Petra hadn’t been born until after the curse had been enacted, so she’d grown up not truly understanding the concept of fated mates.
“Does anyone really even care about this stupid curse anyway?” She still wasn’t convinced she was going to be successful at this task he’d assigned her to.
“A whole hell of a lot of dragons in this colony care,” Gabe’s replied. “I’d wager the vast majority do, actually. Even many of those who are too young to know what it was like before we were cursed.”
“Youdon’t care.” Of course, he was immune to the curse. The only dragon in their entire colony.
“I care quite a bit, actually. Think about it, Petra. I’m immune, so I know my mate is who I’m supposed to be with; I love her more deeply than I ever imagined possible. But she isn’t immune. She loves me, but to her, it’s just love. It’s notfatedlove. How would you feel, knowing that about your partner?”
Shit. Way to hit below the belt. She liked the idea of love. She sure as hell wanted something better than what her parents had. Or, to be honest, what pretty much anyone in her immediate family had.
“However, my personal issues aside, I care because I want my colony to be happy,” Gabe continued. “Breaking this curse will do that for them.”
“Let me see if I have this straight. I’m supposed to go to New Orleans to search for a woman I don’t know and have no idea what she looks like—”
“Since I don’t strongly resemble my father, I’d say she looks like me.”
Petra shook her head. “And once I find this mystery woman—who, by the way, has been missing for thirty years—”
“Not necessarily missing. No one thought to go after her until now.”
“So I’m going to show up, remind her about a curse she enacted thirty years ago, and talk her into removing it?” That didn’t sound too terribly difficult. Although Petra had screwed up easier tasks in her life.
“Pretty much.”
