Dragon's Lair (13 page)

Alexia whistled softly. “I'll be damned.”

She gingerly touched the top page, turned it over, then another and another. Each one was now filled with words, sentences and paragraphs, instead of unreadable gibberish and empty space.

A vision of her and Braeden on his desk, kissing, caressing, filled her mind. The spell on the book was the two of them—together.

The blank page beneath her fingers magically filled with words before her eyes. Just thinking of Braeden and his kiss, his touch, had transformed the manual into something she could read.

Was that why Nathan chased her here? Did he know about the spell?

H
is wild lust sated and the seeds of his next steps planted, Nathan leaned back in his office chair and studied Aelthed's small, wooden prison. “You are full of surprises, Uncle. I never would have expected that the words were physically unseen on the pages. I thought the Dragon and his love would have to work together, side by side, each offering their own expertise, to translate the grimoire.”

He smiled to himself. Actually, in the end, this only made it easier. Braeden would be able to leave his wife alone to do her work while he headed to Mirabilus. Meaning the Dragon wouldn't be around to protect his mate.

Nathan opened his desk drawer and dropped the cube into its cubbyhole. “Rest well, Uncle Aelthed.”

 

Braeden left his office and headed back to his suite. While news of another break-in at Mirabilus didn't surprise
him, the conflicting reports of a whirlwind and a winged beast did. There was no doubt in his mind that Nathan was involved in these latest events.

Since a little girl was missing and another worker injured, he'd have to make a quick trip back there. It was his responsibility to safeguard Mirabilus and its inhabitants. His attempts of recent weeks had been far from successful.

While he didn't begrudge the people of Mirabilus his time, he also needed to concentrate on opening Dragon's Lair and seeing to it that Alexia finished translating the manual before she ran away again.

And she would. He knew it as well as he knew the sun would rise in the morning. The first time things got too complicated or too hard she would be gone.

Braeden entered his suite and leaned against the doorway to his private office. Alexia was so deep in her work that she hadn't heard him enter.

He cleared his throat in warning before saying, “You need to pack up the pages and whatever else you need.”

“Why?”

“There's been another break-in. We're going to Mirabilus.”

Alexia shook her head. “No.” She turned to look up at him. The last thing she wanted to do was relocate to Mirabilus with him. Alone.

She feared what Braeden could do to her heart more than she feared Nathan. While there really wasn't anyone at the Lair who could protect her from Braeden, at least she'd be in the States. The idea of having no one to turn to and nowhere to run if need be, on an isolated foreign island, was something she'd rather avoid as long as possible.

“I'll be fine right here. You can take care of the island without me.”

“I can't protect you, as well, if I'm not here.”

Alexia glanced pointedly at the desk. “I'll be safer with you gone.”

“That reminds me.” Braeden walked closer. “We haven't finished our discussion yet.”

Her pulse lurched. She held up a hand to ward him off. “Don't. Just don't. Why don't you go to Mirabilus and leave me alone to work?”

He leaned against the edge of the table. “Have enough words appeared for you to work with, or do we need to create a little more…magic for it to be worth your time?”

Wary, she leaned away from him. “There are plenty of words. Nothing important, just more information about your family. There isn't anything that would prove useful to Nathan.”

“And if that changes?”

Alexia sighed. They both knew the answer. “If it changes, I'll call you. I swear, Braeden, if the grimoire starts to reveal anything other than what it has so far, I'll call you.”

“If you're still here.”

“What does
that
mean?”

He shrugged. “You excel at running away. How do I know that the minute I'm gone you won't do so again?”

She rubbed her temples. His distrust was beginning to make her sick. “I said I'd translate the manual. Even I know that I owe you at least that much. I won't leave until the job is done.”

To her surprise Braeden said nothing. He left the office for a few minutes, then returned. “I have an hour before I need to leave. We'll have dinner together.”

“I'm not hungry.”

“Right. Then it's time for a break.” He pulled her chair away from the table. “Dinner is waiting in the maze.”

“Maze?”

“Of course. Doesn't every castle worth its battlements have a maze?”

She peeled off her gloves, jotted some notes on her pad, then stood up. “I haven't been in enough castles to know.”

Braeden drew her from the office. “Then you'll have to trust me on it, won't you?” Pausing at the double doors, he flipped off the overhead light, then extended his hand into the room.

She watched in amazed silence as a glimmering orb surrounded the worktable. Sudden concern prompted her to ask, “It won't harm the pages?”

“No. It'll just keep them safe from anyone's prying eyes or thieving hands.”

He pulled the doors closed and locked them before ushering her to the entry door. “Ready?”

Her stomach branded her a liar by growling. “Sure.”

After they left the suite, Alexia tried to make small talk. “Did you and Cameron ever decide on someone for chief of security?”

“We hired one.”

She glanced up at him. “You say that like it's not a good thing.”

“I don't know if it is or not. There's something…off about the guy.”

“Then why did you hire him?”

“Cam's in charge of hiring. He wanted the man.”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing. He hasn't been wrong so far. I'm not going to second-guess him now.”

They walked out onto a flagstone patio in the center courtyard. Braeden pointed toward the line of waist-high bushes. “Through there.”

“How can it be a maze if you can see where you are?”

“I'm told the plants will grow.”

Alexia touched a half-dead shrub. “You sure about that?”

“No. Which is why Cam's trying to find us a full-time gardener. The last one came nose to nose with a black bear and quit.”

“I see.” She sat down at a small, wrought-iron table laden with food. “I thought you said dinner. Is someone else joining us?”

After removing the domed covers from the plates, Braeden sat across from her. “No. It's just us. I wanted a decent meal before I left.”

“Will you be gone long?” She looked forward to some time alone and wondered how much she would have.

“I'll be back late tomorrow night, or early the next morning. Cam and Sean are moving into the suite next door to mine until I get home. The security chief starts tonight. And you know that if you need anything, all you have to do is call me back.”

“I'm sure everything will be fine.”

“So tell me, what happened to the professor who coerced you into doing the paper?”

Alexia stabbed a fork into her salad. He just wasn't going to give up. “He died in a car accident the night I turned everything in.”

Without missing a beat, Braeden said, “He'd served his purpose.”

“You think it was intentional?” She'd never thought twice about the man's death. “They ruled it an accident.”

“The timing was a little coincidental for an accident.”

“Perhaps.” Alexia set her fork down and folded her hands in her lap. “Braeden, do you believe me about this? I never would have done a paper on the grimoire if I hadn't been forced.”

“Why you did the paper is the least of my concerns right now.” He nodded toward her plate. “Finish eating.”

She toyed with her food. There was something he wasn't saying. She really didn't want to know what, but asked, anyway. “Then what is your concern?”

“Whether or not you're working with Nathan.”

Alexia gasped and leaned back in her chair. “Have you lost your mind? Why would I do anything that low or that dangerous?”

“Why? Where would you like me to start? You thought I blamed you for your accident. You were angry and upset that I didn't come after you. I'd think either reason would be enough for you to consider getting even.”

Her stomach tightened. Alexia's fork clattered onto the plate and she pushed the food away. “You know me better than that.”

“I thought so, too, at one time. But now? You've given me little reason to trust you.”

She slapped her napkin on the table and pushed her chair back. “Have a wonderful time at Mirabilus.”

The chair jerked back toward the table. Braeden tossed his napkin on his empty plate. “If you disagree with my assessment, tell me how.”

He was all business, acting and sounding as if this topic was nothing more than another contract to be discussed. “I brought you the pages. I told you about Nathan.”

“You brought me the pages because you had nowhere else to go. You told me about Nathan under duress.”
Braeden leaned back in his chair, studying her, debating. Finally he asked, “Why should I trust you, Alexia?”

To her own chagrin, she had no answer to give him. “I don't know. Maybe you shouldn't.”

“You're not going to argue the point?”

“No.” What was there to argue?

“And you've nothing to offer in defense of yourself?”

“No.” Now she was on trial?

He stared at her, holding her gaze in a searing jewel-toned trap. And Alexia wondered if the pain and doubt she saw in his eyes were reflected in her own. Why were they doing this to each other? To themselves?

She stretched an arm across the table. With her palm up, she asked, “Truce? Can we just declare a truce until the manual is translated?”

He clasped her hand, turning it to entwine their fingers. Braeden lifted her hand and directed his gaze briefly to the amethyst-and-diamond wedding set she still wore. “What then, Alexia?”

“Then?” She paused, determined not to give life to the emotions tearing her apart. “I'll leave.”

“Is that what you want?” He released her hand.

No, that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted things to be the way they used to be. She wanted to go back to the beginning and start all over.

But life wasn't like that, not even life with a wizard. There were some things even he couldn't give her. “I thought that's what you wanted.” She tossed the decision back to him.

“I did say that, didn't I?” Something unfamiliar flitted behind his eyes and rang odd in his voice. Alexia couldn't put her finger on the emotion.

Braeden shifted on his chair. “I should get going.”

She delayed him, hoping to figure out what he was hiding behind that expressive gaze. “Was anyone hurt in this break-in?”

He blew out a low breath. “A little girl is missing.”

The food she'd eaten rushed toward her throat. “Oh, my God, Braeden, I am so sorry. Anyone else?”

Her guilt rang loud and clear in her strained voice. And while some of the guilt did rest on her shoulders, Braeden realized she wasn't entirely to blame.

After seeing the magic contained in the Dragonierre's Manual, he wondered if his suspicions about her might be misplaced. “Yes. A groundskeeper was also injured.”

“I don't know how to undo what I've done. I—”

“Alexia, don't.” He reached out and placed a finger over her lips. “There are some things about the past that we can't change. Your paper can't be undone, no matter how much you wish it. All you can do now is translate the manual and see if there's anything in there that could help us.”

She looked down at her plate. “I doubt it.” Her words were little more than a sigh. “So far it's still more like a diary than a grimoire.”

“Maybe that's all it is.”

“Will I be able to get through that bubble you put over it?”

“Of course.” Braeden rose to leave, adding, “Cam will undo the spell once you get back to the suite.”

“Good.” Alexia picked up her glass of water, took a drink, then set it down, saying almost to herself, “Iced tea would be nice.”

He stared at the glass she'd set on the table. The clear liquid turned a golden brown. Tea? Braeden focused his senses on the perimeter of the maze, seeking the power behind that transformation.

To his amazement the only power present came from Alexia. Impossible. There was no way she could have possessed any ability all this time without his knowing it. Yet he still sensed no one else around and no other powers at work.

There was another possibility—the Dragon's curse. Was Alexia draining his powers? Wouldn't he know if that was happening?

Instead of drawing her attention to the glass, he sat back down and asked, “What kind of tea? I'll have the kitchen bring some in.”

“White tea, with raspberry.”

The tea in her glass lightened. Raspberries floated between the ice.