Treasure Lane Dragons: Complete Series (BBW Paranormal Dragon Shapeshifter Romance) (24 page)

That wide, muscled back of his and his full sleeve tattoos hinted at a story he hadn’t shared with her yet. And those abs… She was sure
he
wouldn’t disappoint, unlike a certain werewolf, who thought he was all that and more. No, compared to Cillian, Cable was a boy pretending to be a man. He might have been bigger, bulkier and more menacing, but Cillian had the stuff to back it up. Now if she only weren’t obligated to despise him…

“I hope you know I’m not going to go through with it. You can’t just tell me to marry you and expect that to be it.”

“Oh, I’m not telling you. I’m giving you options. Option one – go back to Chicago, get hunted down by your fluffy, cuddly ex and see how he treats you. Option two – tough it out with me in Colorado for a few weeks, read a few books, enjoy my dazzling company, marry me and get rid of all your problems. The choice is yours. I can turn this plane around right now, no problem. I think you could do worse than shacking up with a dragon, sugar,” he said, giving her a sideways glance.

Ruby didn’t say anything. She couldn’t really disagree with him. And his plan was sort of brilliant, in its own twisted little way. It’s just that she hated feeling helpless again, like her life was dictated by shadowy puppet masters wanting her to dance to their tune, instead of hers to control. Ruby knew she was being petulant, and that it didn’t suit her (lord knows anyone over the age of sixteen should really get over their drama queen period), but getting angry was easier than admitting that it actually made her unbearably sad.

“Cheer up, Ruby. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior. As long as you want me to, anyway,” he said after the silence had started to linger between them again.

She looked up, and he gave her a wink. Was he flirting with her? Oh, of course he was. Great. Exactly what she needed. It was okay when he’d been just some hot leather-clad biker guy who’d come to her rescue, but now he was technically her unexpected fiancée. She frowned at the thought. Technically, it was even more okay now. Dammit.

“I’m sure you will,” she replied.

They were already descending, the gorgeous Colorado countryside rolling out below them with its snow-tipped mountains and thick forests. She’d been there on ski trips a few times and had always liked the sense of calm she got there. But right now, she was feeling anything but calm.

“By the way, I need to ask you for a favor,” Cillian said, shaking her from her revelry.

He fished around in the pockets of his jeans, finally pulling out a round, dark pendant dangling on a simple metal chain. It looked almost shapeless, and even dull at first glance, but the longer she looked at it, the more peculiar it seemed. He motioned for her to take it, and she reached out her hand, receiving it on her palm. It seemed to glow, an ethereal, ghostly shadow about it like nothing she had ever seen. The chain felt almost hot to the touch, as did the stone itself.

“What is it?”

“It’s a dragon stone. Dragons give one to their mates to signify their affection and to keep their mate safe.”

Ruby quirked a brow, giving him a long look with the corner of her mouth turned up in a grin. “You want to keep me safe?”

“But of course. Wouldn’t have it any other way,” he replied, his voice still as cocky, but his cheeks taking on a slightly reddish hue.

So the dragon could feel a bit self-conscious! Excellent.

“If you take the stone in your hand and think of me, I will find you. I will have to come to you, and I will know where you are. So think of it as a universal distress beacon. You want me there, and I’ll be there. I’d rest easier if I knew you had it on you.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said, turning the stone around in her palm a few times.

Dragons sure were peculiar beasts, but she liked the way he visibly relaxed when she agreed to hold onto it. Maybe he wasn’t such a jerk after all – a man who wanted her safe and happy couldn’t be too bad, right?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ruby

Despite her objections, Cillian had insisted on getting another bike for the hour-long trip from the airport to his home. Unsurprisingly, he had one waiting for them already. Apparently one of his servants had driven it over when he’d let them know he was arriving. It was a Hayabusa, an even bigger, faster, scarier bike than the Fireblade they’d ridden in Chicago. Though she wouldn’t let on, she loved it.

Cillian was no slouch about hitting the gas when there was nothing but open road ahead of them, and the way the wind whipped past them and the road seemed to disappear under the wheels of the bike was exhilarating. Cillian had managed to make her heart race faster in less than a day of knowing him than Cable had over the entire time they’d been together (and then not together). The dragon was certainly… interesting.

When they reached the edge of his lands, Cillian called over his shoulder to let her know that they were almost home. He said it with such ease that she almost believed him. Home. The grounds were gorgeous. Rolling, thick evergreen forests that bowed and swayed over high slopes and seemingly endless valleys between rocky mountains tipped with sparkling white snow.

They passed a small town hidden in a valley, looking a little rundown but picturesque with its golden yellow roofs and windows and doors trimmed with green. Cillian told her that it was called Emerald Court – after the green stone court in the middle of town. He’d slowed down a lot as they entered the Greenmeadow lands, and when his house came into view, she understood why. It wasn’t so much a mansion as it was a castle.

Ancient and regal, it towered above the town and the forests like a stone watchman keeping guard. She thought she spotted some signs of neglect here and there, a few rotting windowsills and unkempt stones, but it was still positively breathtaking to behold. Suddenly, she felt like a princess being brought to her new kingdom. It wasn’t an entirely distasteful experience.

Thick moss crept up the sides of the castle, giving it a look of being invaded by the forest, or as if the castle was wearing a cape of green, befitting the lands it kept close guard over. Cillian drove them up to the small, nicely tended circular stone pathway in front of the castle. As soon as the engine shut off, the doors flung open. A small woman, standing a good foot shorter than Ruby, came skittering down the steps, screeching with joy.

She grabbed Cillian in a tight hug before he could even take his helmet off and he responded with equal vigor, laughing. Ruby couldn’t help but grin. As much as he was a rat bastard, she had to admire Cillian’s spirit and personality. He was great to be around, and not just because he was easy on the eyes.

“Master Cillian! So happy to have you home! The keep has not been the same without you,” the little woman said, giving Cillian a moment to wrestle off his helmet.

Ruby had taken off hers as well and was now holding onto it a bit awkwardly.

“Glad to see you too, Denna. I’m going to be staying for a while now.”

“For a while! I thought I’d never see the day again. And you brought a friend!” Denna said, turning her lavish attention to Ruby.

She smiled in response, unsure of what to do next. There wasn’t a lot of pure joy to go around in the underbelly of Chicago, so Ruby wasn’t exactly equipped to dealing with people who were… nice.

“I have. Denna, this is my bride, Ruby Accardo. We’re going to have to make her comfortable here.”

Denna’s eyes positively lit up at the news, and a moment later, Ruby found herself on the receiving end of one of her exuberant hugs. She laughed, hugging her back – it was impossible not to. The elderly little woman’s glee was infectious.

“Pleased to meet you, Denna,” Ruby managed, feeling like a prop at show and tell.

She didn’t mind. It was good to be around laughter again.

“A bride! How wonderful! It has been too long since a Greenmeadow wedding took place in the keep. Not since your father and Dahlia. Oh, I’m so thrilled! And she’s so pretty!” Just as quickly as her excitement had built, it came to a halt.

Her round, flat-nosed face could go from joy to worry in less time than it took Ruby to blink.

“But when!? All the preparations! The gold moon is in two weeks! We will never have time to…“

“Shh, Denna. Calm down. It’ll just be us. And someone from the council to mark the occasion. No need to plan anything big. We can have a party at Emerald Court later,” he soothed, patting her on the shoulder.

Denna seemed to calm down a bit. Ruby thought it was adorable – at least someone was excited for her wedding.

“Well, there are so few of them there now… Whatever you wish, Master Cillian. Will I send George? Do you have any bags? I should get back to cooking, lest you go hungry! Can’t have a malnourished dragon, can we!” she chattered, clapping her hands together at her own little joke.

“I think we’re good, Denna. Just have George set up the bedroom next to mine. I want to give my bride a bit of privacy, if she wishes it,” Cillian said with a wink at Ruby.

She was proud that she didn’t blush this time. Though, yes, she wanted to.

“Oh, she won’t want it for long. No dragon princess ever does,” Denna remarked sagely, before twirling around and disappearing into the castle as quickly as she had appeared.

“Is everyone here so…”

“Exuberant?”

“I was going to say friendly, but that works as well, yes,” Ruby said, attaching the helmet to the seat and fluffing her hair a bit.

“They like to see their dragons happy, that’s all,” Cillian remarked mildly, showing her towards the door.

Making him happy didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world. Perhaps Colorado could be fun after all.

***

Ruby had spent a few days at the keep already, and though it started feeling homier, she was also beginning to get bored. Other than reading a book and lounging on the roof, trying to get a tan in Colorado, there wasn’t much to do. And Cillian, who had been peculiarly scarce as well, was of no use in aiding her. Her stuff had arrived the very next day after they’d got to Emerald Ridge, and from what she could tell, her parents were certain that Colorado was Amish country, and she had to dress the part.

She didn’t even know she owned so many turtleneck sweaters and gray slacks. Cobbling together something out of the pile of clothes that could actually be worn had taken an afternoon, and she wasn’t even particularly picky. The thought had crossed her mind a few times that maybe she was trying a bit harder than usual to impress a certain dragon she knew, but as soon as it came, she made it go away again. No time to be boy-crazy. Not when said boy was
ruining her life
, sort of.

She was mostly over that by now, but it still stung a little that her voice hadn’t mattered at all in the decision. Was a little bit of respect so much to ask for?

Ruby sighed, curling her legs under her as she read a book on ancient dragonkin medicine that she’d found in one of the many, many living rooms. Most of the text was in some odd, slanted font and in a language she couldn’t pretend to speak (though she spoke Italian, French and a smattering of Latin for her work), but she could certainly understand the pictures. Or most of them, at least.

The entire dragon body was sliced and diced in minute detail on the pictures, and Ruby had learned perhaps even too much about dragon physiology by the time she was halfway through the book. Like, for example, some dragons had two hearts – one in the middle of their throat and one lower in their chest. These dragons tended to have longer necks. Also, dragon mating habits, when in their dragon form, were… brutal and came with spikes, and what she could only assume were some rather painful positions.

She had to wonder if sex in their human form was similar. Ruby grinned to herself a little. Cillian looked like the type who would pull hair and smack a girl around if she asked nicely. Yum.

There you go again. Down, Ruby.

She sighed, flipping through the pages and eyeing the various illustrations. Dragons came in many shapes and sizes, but the only dragon she was interested in was nowhere to be seen. She’d heard him in the corridors a few times, and she was pretty sure that the earthquakelike tremors that shook the house from time to time were just him landing from a flight. It had freaked her out the first time, but Denna had just given her a wistful smile over breakfast and told her how nice it was to have dragons around again. That had been the extent of their communication.

She almost felt… abandoned, for lack of a better word. However, it did give her some time to think, and that she was grateful for. She’d spent her life constantly surrounded by people telling her what to do, where to go and how to think, so being the master of her own domain for a while was a nice change.

Ruby certainly hadn’t had a hard life. Although her father had a bad reputation, and she was sure most of it was well earned, she’d never been subjected to its grittier side. She was Antonio Accardo’s only daughter, and that made her the apple of his and her mother’s eye. She’d been kept and pampered and surrounded by nothing but fluff all her life, and as she grew older, she couldn’t wait to get out of it.