Dragon Heat 2 - Red Hot Dragon (3 page)

for this kind of help. “She’s trying to save something

precious. What she’s attempting is no different than what

you or I or any of the Brothers do any time we’re called on

to protect dragons from the Knights.”

Mad looked properly chastised. He touched his chest

and lowered his gaze in the way of their tribe. “My

apologies.”

Griff accepted the apology with a nod. He finished

packing his bag but hesitated before finally admitting,

“I’ve been thinking about children for some time.”

Shock filtered across Mad’s face. “You never said—”

“I know,” Griff interrupted. “It’s not the kind of thing I

felt comfortable discussing, but seeing Stig’s happiness

with Cora has made me rethink some of my priorities.

Now that Ignatius is opening the floor to debate on some

of our stricter laws and covenants, I’m hopeful we’ll see

some softening of the restrictions on families for

membership in the Brotherhood. Think of all we’ve

survived over these many years, Mad. Can you imagine

being killed tomorrow without the knowledge that some

part of you lives on?”

“I’ll admit to thinking of our line dying out with you and

me or the handful of cousins who belong to the tribe. It’s

a…difficult fate to accept.”

“Maybe we don’t have to accept it,” Griff countered.

He glanced at the door and thought of the dark-eyed

woman nervously awaiting his return. In his long life he’d

come across numerous female dragons, but never once had

he experienced this powerful attraction toward one of

them. “I never expected that my chance to father a child

would come to me like this, but I’m not about to throw

away the only chance fate may grant me. I’m grabbing this

with both hands and not letting go.”

Mad shoved off the lockers. He squeezed Griff’s

shoulder. “You know you always have my support.”

“Thank you.” Griffin lifted his bag onto his shoulder.

He remembered the conversation they’d been having when

Avani arrived. “Mad, promise me you won’t go looking

for the source of these dreams alone. You’ll need backup,

and that’s me.”

“I promise.” Mad spoke without hesitation or

obfuscation. “I won’t do anything stupid until you’re free

of your mating heat.” Looking a bit conspiratorial, he

lowered his voice. “Did the rumor about the sword she

possesses factor into your decision to say yes?”

Griff didn’t even try to deny it. They were at war with

the Knights, and destroying the swords they possessed was

the ultimate goal. “Partly.”

“If it’s true that she got her hands on one of the swords

that killed her family, we’re one step closer to destroying

all of the swords that give the Knights power.” Mad let his

voice drop to barely a whisper, just in case Avani had an

acute sense of hearing. “Perhaps you could make it a

condition of this trade.”

Griff’s jaw tightened at the idea of such a cold, nasty

thing. “I’m not going to trade a child for a sword.”

“We’re at war, Griff. We’ve done uglier things than

this.”

“A child—
my
child—is worth more to me than some

damn sword!”

Mad put up both hands. “Don’t bite my head off! I was

simply pointing out the realities of the situation.”

“They aren’t the realities to me. You can be damned

sure I’m going to ask her about the sword, but I’m not

going to horse-trade. If she wants to give it to the

Brotherhood for disposal, fine. If not, at least we’ll know

where it is and we can keep it secure.”

“Understood.” Mad eased back and tilted his head. He

gestured to his eyes. “Your control is starting to slip. I

swear your hackles raised just now.”

Griff stretched his neck, the muscles in his back and

shoulders starting to pull tight. “I think it’s Avani’s scent.

She’s tempting my primal side. I feel on edge already, and

it’s still two hours to sunset.”

“You should go. Get underground.” A trace of anxiety

colored Mad’s voice. “With the two of you in heat, your

combined scents will be overpowering at night. It won’t

take much for the Knights to get one of their trackers on

you. I worry that even sunlight won’t burn the smell off

you.”

Griff shared that concern. “Avani assured me her

underground facilities are secure and well-stocked.”

“Text me when you get there. Let me know if you’re

going to need supplies or manpower. I don’t mind standing

guard.”

“The Knights wouldn’t dare break the rules and attack

us at her home. They consider that rule sacrosanct.”

“Maybe,” Mad replied, unconvinced. “This new

generation of Knights is different than the ones we’ve

faced in the past. They aren’t afraid to massage the rules a

little.”

Griff grunted in agreement. He left the locker room with

Mad a few steps behind. Out in the gym, he caught sight of

Avani near the entrance. Her skittish gaze met his. There

was no mistaking her nervous gulp. Just as quickly as that

bit of anxiety showed, she schooled her features and

became the cool, collected woman who had first walked

through that door. She slipped her sunglasses into place

and pivoted on her heel, presenting her fine backside as

she left the gym.

Mad laughed and slapped Griff’s back. “Good luck,

cousin. You’re going to need it.”

* * *

Sitting across from Griff sometime later, Avani tried to get

a handle on her wildly vacillating emotions. Even seated,

he seemed impossibly huge. Her dining room was so big

and spacious, but Griff somehow made the space seem

claustrophobic.

His enticing scent grew stronger with every passing

minute. It filled the room and invaded her senses, leaving

her knees weak and her belly trembling. She could feel the

pulsing heat radiating from him, and she tried to deny her

body’s reaction to his closeness.

Looking a bit self-conscious, Griff swallowed his final

bite of the dinner she’d prepared. She’d never seen any

man consume a pile of rare steaks so quickly. He dabbed

at his mouth with one of her perfectly pressed napkins.

“Sorry.”

“For?” She picked up her wineglass and took another

sip.

“Eating so much and so ravenously,” he explained with

a sheepish smile. “I promise you I’m not usually so

beastly.”

“It’s the forced change coming upon you. We all have

our quirks when our inner beast threatens to overwhelm

us.”

He eyed her plate and the remnants of her light dinner.

“I can see that gorging yourself on red meat isn’t one of

them.”

“I never eat red meat. My mother might have strayed a

bit from her family’s Hindu beliefs, but she maintained the

traditions and customs.”

A bright flush painted his neck and the tips of his ears.

“Sorry. I should have remembered about your mother’s

roots in India.” He paused and stared down at his empty

plate. “You didn’t have to go to the trouble of buying me

special food.”

“It’s fine.” Amused, she waved her hand. “Finding a

good butcher who could stock my freezer on such short

notice turned into a nice little adventure.”

A flash of guilt crossed his handsome face. “Don’t let

me inconvenience you, Avani.”

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “If anyone should be

apologizing, it’s me. I’m the one who propositioned you,

remember?”

His eyes glinted with hunger. “Oh, I remember.”

Dropping her gaze, she tried to pull their conversation

back to a lighter topic. “Lotion,” she said finally. “My

quirk is slathering my skin in lotion and oils. I tend to have

issues with peeling when I shift back and forth. It’s not

exactly the most glamorous thing in the world, but there it

is.”

Griff shot her a sinfully sexy grin. “I’d be more than

happy to rub down your naked skin tonight.”

Avani choked on the wine she’d just sipped. Griffin’s

laughter didn’t win him any points. She set down her glass

and glared at him. “Maybe you could wait until I’ve

swallowed to make cracks like that.”

He parted his lips to make another teasing remark, but

she stopped him with her raised hand the second she

realized what she’d said. “Don’t even think about it!”

“Oh come on!” He smiled mischievously. “You walked

right into that one.”

She couldn’t deny it. “Does everything have to be a

dirty joke with you? What are you? Twelve?”

“I’m only trying to lighten the mood.” He leaned back in

his chair. “You look tense. I know this was your idea and

you’ve got it all planned out, but it will probably go easier

on both of us if you let me take the lead.”

A wicked heat flared to life within her at the idea of

surrendering control to Griffin. She’d never been the kind

of girl who let men have the upper hand. Her lower belly

clenching with need, she shook her head and rose from her

seat. “We’ll see.”

Griffin’s burning gaze followed her as she left the

dining room with her dishes. He gathered up his and

joined her in the kitchen. As if trying to set her on edge, he

purposely brushed against her body as she loaded her

things into the dishwasher. She gritted her teeth and tried

to slow her racing heart.

“Thank you for dinner. I appreciate it.” He slipped his

plate and silverware into the rack and basket.

Avani saw the sincerity in his face. “You’re welcome.”

“It’s usually the man that does the wining and dining,

but I enjoyed this role reversal.”

Letting his easygoing smile infect her with some of his

silliness, she replied, “Well I
am
the one trying to get into

your pants.”

“I don’t think there’s going to be much trying involved.”

He closed the dishwasher and took a step closer. As she

did back in his gym office, Avani retreated. His mouth

curved with amusement as he walked her backward. The

lip of the marble countertop bit into her back. There was

nowhere else to go.

“Griffin, I think—”

“You have a beautiful home.”

She blinked. His statement surprised her, since she’d

been expecting another blatant come-on from him. “Thank

you.”

“No staff?” He glanced around the kitchen. “With a

place this big, I doubt you do all the upkeep.”

“I don’t. I have two housekeepers and a cook. I hire a

service for all of the landscaping needs.”

He placed both of his hands on the counter, trapping her

in place. “You’ve done very well for yourself.”

“My parents found poverty romantic, but I didn’t. I

knew I was going to rise above my humble beginnings.”

She bit her lip with instant regret. Always so guarded and

careful, she rarely spoke about her embarrassingly poor

childhood. What was it about Griffin that made her want to

be so open?

“Drive is a good thing. You’re clearly very talented.”

He touched her earring. “I like these.”

She quirked a smile. “Wear a lot of women’s earrings,

do you?”

He chuckled and let his fingertips follow the outline of

her jaw. “Are we going to be interrupted?”

She shook her head. “I sent my staff away on paid

vacation. I thought it would be safer.”

“Good.” He looked to the window over the sink. “Your

neighborhood seems safe, even if it is a bit heavy on the

human population for my taste.”

“I’ve spent most of my life with humans. My best

friends are mortals. Besides, this is one of the most

sought-after addresses in Houston.”

He made a face. “It’s on a golf course.”

“It’s quiet and pretty.”

“I suppose. At least the security guards and gates make

it less likely that the Knights would try to ambush us

outside of your home.” He straightened up and glanced

down at her. “Show me your lair.”

“Lair?” She hated the word. “It’s not a stone dungeon,

Griffin.”

He held out his hand. “Show me.”

Avani grasped his massive paw. She tugged him along

behind her through the butler’s pantry and into the wine

cellar. Her fingertips slid along the edge of a wine shelf

until she found the springy spot. She pushed it hard and

stepped aside. The heavy shelf popped free from the wall.

“It’s a nice design.” He shoved the shelf to the right.

“My father helped me with it.” She touched the wood

and let the good memories come. “It was one of our last

projects together.”

He stepped onto the landing with her and tugged the

shelf back into place, sealing them inside the entrance. She

flipped on the lights in the stairwell and led him down the

long metal staircase to the bunker beneath her home. With

the rising popularity of survivalist websites and books,

her request to have a bunker installed during the building

of her home hadn’t raised the eyebrows of her contractor

or architect. After meeting some of her neighbors, Avani

was certain her home wasn’t the only one equipped to

outlast Armageddon.

Griffin whistled as he stepped into the living area.

“Hell, Avani, this is nicer than most people’s homes!”