This was too real to be fake.
Lucy pushed herself up on her arms and looked around the destroyed room. Her shoulder throbbed. She was hurt. Really hurt. Smoke trailed upward from charred fabric and material, gone soggy with the sprinkler water. Priceless jewels scattered on the floor.
Lil was unconscious.
Could they be real dragons?
She stared at the black dragon. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. The dragon walked forward on all fours, watching her. In a shimmer, he changed into a man.
Alec.
One minute it was a dragon, the next minute it was Alec. Beside her, the brown dragon shrank and turned into a bloodied man.
Gino. Dead.
She scooted to the edge of the stairs.
Alec stepped toward her as if he approached an injured animal, uncertain if she would bolt. His hand reached for her, palm up. She remembered him touching her in a caress. It was the same hand, the same man.
“You’re a dragon?” she whispered the words.
“Yes, I told you so.”
Alec’s face wavered in front of her. In her mind, she heard a rushing sound. A black tide crashed over her, tugging her out to sea. She closed her eyes, welcoming the unknown over the evidence of dragons.
…
Alec picked up Lucy and cradled her to his chest. “See to Lil first,” he told Leo. “Then transfer all the jewels to my private vault.” Alec opened the steel door.
“What about Ambrogino?” Leo asked.
“Burn him so that he can’t regenerate.”
In the hall, gamblers watched Alec carrying Lucy with wide eyes. Lucy was pale, and her breathing was choppy. The three puncture wounds on her right shoulder had to hurt like hell.
Alec could hardly concentrate over the roaring in his head. Lucy had been in danger, almost killed. It was unacceptable, it couldn’t happen again. His father had prepared him to assume the role of King, but he would not, could not sacrifice his mate for anyone.
“Send the doctor to my suite,” he said out loud, knowing Darius would see and hear him in the surveillance room.
He pushed his hand on the security panel that activated the elevator to the dragon floors. Up, up they whisked. The blue cloudless day would have be perfect for flying—flying away with his mate—leaving the dragons and their problems behind.
At the dragon’s quarters, he stepped through the communal gathering area. The festive chatter of newly arrived dragons from every corner of the world stopped. A low hissing, akin to human booing, sounded at the back of the room.
Alec stopped, turning in a wide arc. “Who dares insult my mate?” He pulled Lucy’s face protectively to his chest.
Lin, one of the commanders of the Chinese fold, stepped forward with his eyes downcast. “They meant no disrespect, Jer’ol. They’re young and excited by the ceremony.”
Alec understood Lin’s reasoning, but there was no room for weakness with dragons. He had already put down one blood challenge today—he did not need another. Better to handle the naysayer where all could see and learn not to challenge his authority.
“I ask again.” He set the still unconscious Lucy carefully in a chair and opened his arms wide to the room. “Who dares come into my home, enjoy my hospitality, and hiss at my mate?”
There was a rumble of chatter through the crowd. A young, brash Chinese man stepped forward. “It was me,” the young man said with a heavy Asian accent. “You brought a human among our kind. It is forbidden.”
“The human is my destined mate.”
The man glanced over his shoulder for support from his comrades. “You’re mistaken. There has never been a human mate,” the young man continued in a righteous tone.
“I say she is.” Alec stepped closer, crowding the naysayer.
Again there was hissing from the back of the room. The disrespect was worse than he realized. Alec bumped the young man with his chest, forcing him backward.
“Jer’ol,” Lin said. “I beg your forgiveness of my son.”
“Your father knows the only history that matters here is mine.” Alec smiled wide with feral intensity. “I’ll kill you.”
“I would like to see you try.” The young man fisted his hands at his side and swung for Alec.
Alec easily deflected the blow and twisted the man’s arm behind his back. A hard tug upward dislocated the young man’s shoulder.
The young man cried out and curled into a ball on the floor.
“Please.” Lin dropped to the floor on his knees. “He is my son.” The words were wretched from his father’s heart, an elderly father that Alec knew would not have more sons. The rest of the room followed Lin to the floor like supplicants at Mass.
Leo and Tyren took positions at Alec’s left and right. Alec really didn’t want to kill the kid.
“Al-l-e-ec,” Lucy called from the chair. Her face was blanched and her teeth chattered.
Alec took a deep breath and blew out his rage “Put him in a cell. Let the doctor set his shoulder, but he will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony.” It was a horrible punishment. But the young man would live to see another ceremony and breeding season.
“Thank you, Jer’ol.” Lin nodded, accepting the sentence. “I am grateful.” He thumped his closed fist over his heart. It was the dragon gesture for family, loyalty, and respect.
“You make sure there is no more trouble with your fold,” Alec said before picking up Lucy and crossing the outdoor patio toward his tower.
The wind blew strong enough to knock humans to their knees. Alec rode another elevator to the top of the south tower. Guards followed him to his suite and took up watch outside his door. Leo would be behind that detail. It was good to have careful friends.
“Alec?” Lucy pulled her head back. “Who’re all these people?”
“They’re shape-shifting dragons, like me. They’re here for the mating ceremony tomorrow night.”
“Another party?” She seemed confused.
“It’s more than just a party.” He laid her on his bed and sat beside her. “It is a time when all the dragons in the world come together to join, and begin the next generation.”
“How can you really be a dragon? I don’t understand.”
“The doctor will be here in a minute.” Alec brushed damp hair from her brow. “How’re you feeling?”
“How do you think?” Lucy’s lips were blue and her teeth chattered. She squeezed her eyes closed, like she could make him go away.
He grabbed her hands. “Lucy, look at me.”
She opened her eyes a sliver.
“I know it is hard for a human to believe. But I am a dragon. And you are my destined mate.” He spoke the words slowly, giving them time to sink in.
Lucy shook her head and pushed her face into the pillow. “This is all a bad dream.”
A knock sounded at the door. The doctor entered the bedroom and stopped at the foot of the bed. Eyes downcast, he waited for Alec to acknowledge him.
“She was bitten in the shoulder by a fire dragon.”
The doctor set aside his black medical bag. “May I examine her?”
“Yes.” Alec went to the windows and gazed out on the patio. This morning, dragon couples had mingled in every corner of the roof patio. Now, not a single soul could be seen. Word had spread he was in a killing mood.
“She’s a human?” The doctor’s words were incredulous.
“Is that a problem?”
“No, Jer’ol,” the man stammered. “I care for humans in my regular practice. I just didn’t expect to see her here.”
“She’s my mate.” Alec crossed his arms.
The doctor put on gloves and pulled back Lucy’s torn brown sweater. Lucy gave a moan but kept her face turned to the pillow and her eyes closed. “These bite marks need cleaning and stitches. She’ll need a round of antibiotics. The risk of infection is very high with humans. She’ll be in some pain.”