Mated by the Dragon (19 page)

“Saul, tell her,” Leiv urged.

“Fine,” the dragon growled. “It was once your desire to meet other dragons, Chloe. It seems that you will receive your wish. Mahasti, contact Watatsumi. Tell him I would like to discuss our most recent transaction.”

“Of course.”

“Watatsumi?” Chloe repeated.

“One of my father’s oldest comrades. I traded him a very special gift five years ago from my father’s hoard,” Saul said, his dry tone an unconcealed sign of his displeasure.

“What’d you trade him?” Marcy asked.

“A sword.”

Marcy snorted. “So, like, what? Excalibur or something?”

“No, Marceline. It was the sword Ascalon, the relic of Saint George, and I foolishly traded it away.”

Chloe’s mouth fell open. “You mean, the actual sword from the stories? The one he used to kill the Welsh dragon or whatever the damn story says?”

“The sword used to slay my very own grandfather among many other dragons in our history. I loathed my grandfather’s legacy and wanted no reminder of his uncivilized behavior, so as you can imagine it took little convincing for me to part with it. When Watatsumi named it as his price, I accepted the offer… and now Chloe’s survival depends on its return.”

“Do you think he’ll give it back.”
Will he help us?
Chloe prayed that he would.

Saul’s expression had never looked so grim. “Let us hope so.”

Chapter 13

Chloe stretched upon the cool sheets, enjoying her preferred state of nudity whenever she slept beside her slumbering dragon. Her reaching fingers encountered only open air.

“Saul?” she whispered, before jerking upright in the jade bed. The absence of Saul’s body heat spawned an initial moment of fleeting terror until her eyes adjusted to the pitch black surroundings. Since Brigid made her challenge two nights earlier, he’d been edgy and moody in their bedroom. With hopes of soothing him, and herself, Chloe had suggested sleeping deep below the estate in his hoard.

I can see perfectly in the dark now. When did that happen?
The answer eluded her. Like many other subtle changes to her body, it had crept in to take her by surprise.

After dragging herself from bed, Chloe pulled on her silk robe, belted it in front, and padded barefoot over the smooth polished floor. She found Saul easily in the main house, but he wasn’t alone. His voice carried down the hallway from the library. With the door ajar, she picked up the incredulity in his guest’s voice.

“This is madness, Saul.”

“Have you come to dissuade me from my path as well?”

“Why would you pursue such a foolish endeavor for a half-breed and a… a
human?
Please. Listen to reason, my friend. Consider these choices. I came this eve hoping to find these stories were lies wrought by a bitter shrew. To know that you risk infuriating the Conclave over—”

“My child, Teo. My cub and
the mother
of my cub are worth my life and any other sacrifice I may pay to protect them. I will not oppose the Conclave outright, but I will plead to them for aid.”

The other man sighed. “I did not travel such a distance to argue with you.”

“Then let us not argue. Celebrate with me. I am soon to become a father, and if I recall, you once told me you’d beat me to the task long before Brigid submitted.”

“How could you celebrate when—?”

One of the dragons sniffed. The other mimicked him and inhaled.

“We are not alone, my friend,” the stranger said.

Following a brief pause, Saul spoke up, “Come in, Chloe. Teo does not bite.”

“I find the taste of mortals unpalatable.”

Chloe nudged the library door open completely and stepped inside, thankful she donned a robe prior to tiptoeing around the estate.

Teo’s green eyes startled her, bright and bold within a face that reminded her of Central American natives. While Saul’s golden blond locks fell in sleek waves, his friend had glossy, pin-straight ebony hair down past his shoulders.

“Teo, allow me to introduce you to Chloe.” Saul wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her in close. His lips touched her hairline, imparting the relief she’d sought since waking alone.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Chloe. Your beauty is indeed as radiant as Saul proclaimed in his letters. I am Teotihuacan, but you may call me Teo for short.”

“Happy to meet you, Teo.” Chloe pasted a polite smile to her face then turned to gaze up at her husband. “You wrote about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Fair point,” she muttered. “So… uh. Did I interrupt something? You both look a little stressed. Do I need to leave before any fire-breathing happens?”

“No, señorita. Hardly. Saul is my oldest friend, a brother to me. We were merely having a discussion about his troubles and… the best way to deal with the matter.” Teo’s green eyes lingered on Chloe, too intense to bode well for the topic of their prior conversation. His scrutiny made her feel like a bug.

Chloe shivered and chafed her hands down her arms. It didn’t help. With only a thin silk robe to cover her, she felt exposed to Teo’s occasional wandering glances. Did he find her attractive, or was he merely sizing up the mortal?

“Saul, would you fetch my Snuggy? I’m freezing.”

“Of course.” He kissed her cheek and left the room, preferring not to interrupt Mahasti for every minor request.

A minute of awkward and uncomfortable silence passed. Teo made no effort to speak with her and, in fact, barely even seemed to acknowledge her presence.

“You don’t approve of me, do you?” Chloe asked bluntly.

The handsome dragon jerked his green eyes back to her. They dropped to her tummy and gradually rose to her face. “I have nothing against you personally, señorita.”

“Just against humans in general? My name is
Chloe
by the way.”

Teo frowned. “I came here this evening to convince a good friend to do what is right.”

“Which is?”

“To send you away for your own safety, of course. If you go, Saul lives, and you and your… child will also survive this ordeal.”

This prick,
she thought, smoldering on the inside. “You speak as if my baby isn’t good enough.”

Teo held both palms out toward her. “Please. I meant no offense.”

The change in attitude took Chloe by surprise. She stared at him and maintained a distrustful distance.
I wonder if the males are the only ones who learn manners. Saul makes it sound like their females are all a bunch of catty bitches.
“You have immaculate manners for a dragon, you know. Compared to Brigid. I was beginning to wonder if Saul was the exception and not the rule.”

“I may not approve of the choice Saul has made, but I will not disrespect you in his home.”

Well, there’s that much at least.
Chloe sighed. “Do you know Brigid well?”

Teo snorted. “She is known by many. A beautiful and cunning dragon.”

“If you admire her so much why don’t you go court her?”

The toothy grin Teo flashed unnerved her. “I considered it once, but her temperament does not suit my preferences for a mate.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. What are your preferences for a mate? After meeting Brigid for the first time, I wasn’t sure if it was her personality or a… dragon thing.”

Teo’s warm chuckle reassured her. It was rich and warm, his mannerisms as relaxed as his bronze friend. Saul kept excellent company.

Marcy would lose her mind over seeing him. He looks like an Aztec god. I wonder if dragons like him and Saul are where all of those myths and stories come from.
“Come on. Tell me. What are other female dragons like?”

“I pursue another black dragon of a more subservient nature—”

In only a few words, he dashed her positive outlook toward him. “Subservient?
Really?
” Chloe groaned.
He’s probably like a draconic Freddy.
“Is that what you’re into?”

“I prefer a quiet existence — a pleasurable one without the noisy distractions Saul finds endearing.”

“Uh huh. So what do you do then? Live in a cave?”

“An island.”

“Oh. Well that must be sort of nice. Sandy beaches and all the surf you can handle.”
And now I’m making small talk with a dragon.
Frustrated with the awkward situation, Chloe sighed and glanced at the door. “Are you going to help us or not? I know you don’t owe anything to me, but I care about Saul.”

“I can see that. I believe you care, but if he chooses to oppose the Conclave, he has no chance of survival. They are many elder dragons, more powerful than he and I could ever hope to become in your mortal lifetime.”

“Then give us another option!”

Teo flinched. “The sword, if tales are true of its power, is the only way a mortal could even hope to try and win.
Try
, señorita. It is no guarantee that you will triumph.”

Maybe it was his doubt, or maybe it was the condescension snaking into his tone, but Teo’s words incited the worst of her anger. Common sense warred against rising fury, until her temper surged like an irrational tide. “My fucking name is Chloe, not señorita.” She stepped forward and poked her index finger at Teo, jabbing him hard in the center of his chest. “What kind of fucking dragon are you? You want a subservient woman but you’re not man enough to stand by a friend who needs you?”

Teo drew himself up, shoulders stiff. “It is an honorific of respect.” His eyes narrowed and he studied her in silence. The look churned her anger further. “Saul did not speak of your temper. Or your strength.” He took her by the wrist and lowered her hand, gentle fingers warm against her skin.

“Shit. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry… I just… I don’t know what comes over me sometimes. I get so angry.” And then she wept. Her fleeting outbursts of uncontrollable fury left exhaustion in their wake and a strange sensation of disconnection as if she were floating. She wanted to return to bed.

“You are worried for your cub and thus in an understandable position.”

Teo guided her to a chair with an awkwardness he hadn’t exhibited since his arrival. He patted her on the head and glanced back to the door with a worried expression. “I will fetch Saul for you.”

“N-No. I’m fine. I’m just…” Chloe sniffed and swiped her cheeks. “I’m fine. Sorry. I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have poked you like that.”

“You caused no lasting harm.”

Saul returned seconds after Chloe pulled herself together. She ignored the blanket-robe hanging over his arm to focus on her husband’s wooden expression instead. “What’s wrong?”

“Forgive my delay, Chloe. A visitor arrived.”

“Who the hell shows up in the middle of the night?” Chloe groused, shooting a sour glance at the grandfather clock in the corner. “Rude.”

“We are dragons,” Teo reminded her.

“Right. Nocturnal. So who was it then?”

“That was Brigid’s retainer to bring news of the Conclave’s decision. They voted in her favor. We are to expect her arrival three days hence.”

“What the hell for?” Chloe bolted to her feet.

Saul crumpled the letter in his fist. “She will be moving in to initiate our mating.”

“Over my dead body!”

“Brigid moves fast. Always has.” Teo shook his head and sighed. “Saul, I would like to offer my aid since it seems your mind is set. If you allow it, I shall remain here a time to maintain the peace. Brigid has no quarrel with me and may listen if I intervene.”

Saul looked up in surprise. “What changed your mind?”

“Your mate.” Teo turned his green eyes in Chloe’s direction. “She has dragon’s blood. It is as the legends claim, Saul. Your Chloe is not as mortal as you think. Not anymore.”

A turbulent storm of conflicting emotions assailed Chloe’s senses, spilling fresh tears down her cheeks. “Not mortal… does that mean…?” She twisted to look up at Saul.

“It means that if we are able to appease Brigid, you and Saul may have a long life ahead of you,” Teo replied.

Together… a long, immortal life together with Saul.
In all the time that Chloe had coveted Brigid’s draconic existence, wishing their places were exchanged, Saul had inadvertently blessed her with a gift unique to her alone. Once Chloe failed to stall her sniffles, she leaned into his palm, savoring every second his warm skin caressed her face.

“We were meant to be together, my Chloe.” Saul stroked her cheek and stared deep into her eyes, his features heavier than she had ever seen them.

“What do we do?” she asked in a whisper.

Saul bowed his head, touching their brows together. “I will have Mahasti return to Watatsumi, tonight, and request his presence here immediately. There is no time to waste.”

***