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His voice was low…no, lower, and infused with so much huskiness. It added to the intimacy already there, seeping into her senses before his words finally made sense. She glanced at the side of the window, where she found a dark corner, and eventually spotted four pairs of beady eyes.
“I see. I didn’t hear them. Or sense them.”
“They’re very quiet. And harmless. They like their distance.”
Her fingers were still in his hair, brushing unconsciously. Noticing its thickness. Wanting to grip hard. Panic glimmered and had her backing away, then jumping forward when she nearly smashed the food behind her. She teetered on the edge—and fell on a steady wall of support while she gripped his shoulders for purchase.
They froze, eyes flying back to each other. His muscles bunched and his mouth parted open, but he didn’t let go.
“Careful. I wouldn’t want you hurt.”
His hand on her waist felt like fire, but the kind she didn’t want to get away from. His voice was silky madness, making it hard to think. Klaus moved, though, righting her on the counter until she was sitting properly on the edge. He stood in between her legs, not quite touching, but still so close that she felt the pounding heat from him. Hot. He was just so hot, his chest like a furnace. And his thumb…it went to her knees, rubbing that same maddening circle that soothed and aroused at the same time.
And then everything—the heat, the sparks, the coiled virility—was gone as he stepped back and gave her space. Sapphire grasped the counter edge hard to keep herself from making a fool of herself.
“You can’t hurt me,” she blurted out.
“I just meant…”
“We don’t care about each other enough to hurt each other.”
Something gleamed in his expression before it shut down. The air changed, his teasing and concern—and intensity—gone as he spoke in a cool, clipped tone.
“Right. For a moment, I forgot your opinion of me.”
“I just meant…”
“Thanks for the reminder. Enjoy your food.”
He walked away, leaving her alone. Annoyingly, the room felt colder in his absence, but Sapphire couldn’t find the energy to move as she glanced at the door, then the bats.
The truth was that a part of her wasn’t entirely convinced anymore that partnering with a dragon shifter was the end of the world—nor that he was pure evil. The other part still thought he was dangerous, his ruthlessness undebatable and his ability to treat Emerald with love doubtful. But Emerald was all about logic, so maybe love was never in the mix.
And either way, it was becoming clearer that it was none of her business.
“There you are, Miss Sapphire.”
Bernardo looked relieved to see her and ready to take her hand, but stopped himself at the last second and gestured instead.
“Yes. Here I am…?”
“The dinner is starting.”
“Dinner?” She scanned her memory, then stilled when she realized what day it was. Sapphire cursed. “Oh. That dinner.”
“Yes. The ritual dinner.”
She did remember this morning but had become distracted when Belly led her to another pond with more rich minerals infused with larger rocks. While they had been hard to break, the energy she got from them was substantially stronger, and the possibilities of better potions had kept her preoccupied for the rest of the hours.
“My bad,” she said, following Bernard while she patted down the wrinkles on her dress. It was laughable how she had gone from hounding every interaction between the couple to leaving them to their devices. But it was clear that Emerald was set on going through this mating process before she invited the man to her bed first—and Sapphire realized a dragon had a different, longer mating process from other shifters. “Bernard, we’ve had the gift-giving, the word bonding, and now the ritual dinner. What’s next in the mating process?”
“The feast in front of guests, Miss Sapphire, who will serve as witnesses. Then it has to be consummated on the same day.”
Not as long as she would have liked, and her stomach hollowed as she reminded herself that Emerald had decided. She went silent as she arranged her hair next, securing it in a ponytail and brushing away the stubborn wisps. When she stepped into the dining hall, there was a sense of relief that they weren’t alone as Lydia, Belly, and a few other castle staff milled about with jugs of water and folded cloth.
The relief took a nosedive when she spotted Klaus and Emerald sitting beside each other, heads bent together and engrossed in conversation. Dark eyes flicked to her upon her arrival, then looked away and smiled at whatever Emerald was saying. They were dressed in formal green attire, like a king and queen. Heaps of jewelry were set on their table while the women holding the jugs drew symbols on their shoulders and wiped the excess off.
“The symbols are blessings used by his ancestors to protect their treasures, which Miss Emerald is a part of now. The pieces of jewelry are more offerings to show her how much he values her, and us being here means he’s not afraid to show it. Excuse me.”
