Page 35 of Bound to the Dragon
“Don’t be crazy!” Her defensiveness is immediate and sharp. “He’s probably busy.”
“He’s a self-important prick, and you know that as well as I do.”
She looks at me thoughtfully, and she sets her luminous dark eyes on mine. “You think he’s behind the attacks, don’t you?”
“Is it out of the realm of possibility?”
I see her weighing the question carefully. I’m not the only one who has changed over the past few weeks. There’s no way she would have entertained this thought when she first arrived. We’ve both made strides and progress in securing our comfort and well-being. Slowly but surely, we’re building up a rapport between the two of us, and I hope it lasts.
“I really don’t think he is behind this,” she says. “But it doesn’t make sense that he isn’t here.”
“But—”
She cuts me off. “But today is about us, not Granger. Let’s focus on getting the mating ceremony right. I don’t want to plan a third ceremony.”
I brush my lips lightly against hers.
We will get answers about what happened a month ago.
But not today. Today is about our ceremony. Today, we’ll get a redo of everything that happened and try to start anew for real.
“Let’s get ready.” She tugs on my hand, and I follow her toward our wing to do just that. People will be here to celebrate us again. Hopefully, this time without any drama.
We don’t reenact the ceremony itself, since that was already officiated, but the reception is set up with extra security as we planned, and I double-checked everything myself. A warmbreeze flutters through the veranda, keeping the bar and food on tables near the railing.
“Everything is under control,” Vigo reassures me, but I have a hard time accepting this at face value. “Every guest was screened upon entry. We’re not taking any chances.”
“Good.” I eye him meaningfully.
I have little choice but to accept his assurances and join Madison at the head table, where she laces her fingers with mine under the table, and we wait for dinner to be served.
I detect a distinct nervousness in her disposition as she tightens her hold against my hand. I lean closer to her. “This is going to be fine.”
She flashes me a weak smile. “I know.”
Somehow, I don’t believe her, as much as I can see she’s trying to believe it herself. I can’t blame her for being nervous.
The servers begin bringing out the cloche-covered plates for dinner as scents of beef and lobster flood the patio. In the distance, a coyote howls, and an unexpected flashback of the first ceremony overcomes me, and it must have struck Madison at the same time. In unison, our heads raise toward the French doors. Vigo stands with another dependable enforcer, watching vigilantly.
“We need to relax.” My fingers tighten against hers. She looks at me, uncertain, and I almost laugh. “Okay, relax as much as we can.”
She barely cracks a smile. “I’ll feel better when this is over.”
She doesn’t add what I know she’s thinking. She wishes I hadn’t insisted on a second ceremony, and a part of me wishes I hadn’t, either. If I’d known how much stress it would cause her, I would have reconsidered. But we’re in the thick of it now.
“Look,” I sigh. “We’ll get through dinner and a bit of entertainment, and we’ll send everyone on their way, all right?”
She hasn’t even given the event a chance. But to be fair, neither have I. She’s probably picking up on my tension. We are that connected. Maybe there’s a solution I should have considered before we came down to the party.
“Come.” I stand her up.
Confused, she stares at me. “Where?”
“I have an idea of how to alleviate some of this tension.”
Interest ignites her dark eyes, and she rises without further argument, allowing me to lead her toward the door, but Virginia immediately intercepts us.
“Where are you going?” Madison’s friend demands. “You can’t leave in the middle of your party.”
