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Shit. Was I doing it again?
All my pants were specially tailored so that my tail could move freely behind me, but I only had a few pairs for special occasions. Formal events weren’t usually my thing, though I did go to the yearly Monsters & Magic Charity Gala and the Darlington Christmas Monster Bash. Technically, it was a Monster Ball, but most of us called it the Monster Bash for fun. Honestly, I only did it because Redrock Protective Services was expected to put in an appearance.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet. I get it: you have your reputation as the bad-boy brother who’s never going to get tied down to keep up. But this is only temporary. And she signed the prenup, so she won’t be able to take half of what you have at the end. I don’t get the impression that Lillian is like that model anyway—what was her name?”
“Steph.” I wished I could forget her name.
“Right, Steph. I don’t think Lillian is anything like her and is just doing this to get at your money.”
“I know she isn’t. Because she didn’t even know who I was when all this started. She thought I was a regular security guard, like a mall cop.” I couldn’t believe that was only two days ago. Well, one and a half, if I wanted to be picky. I shouldn’t have any feelings at all for her, not yet.
Grayson laughed. “Really? Mall cop? I don’t think they make those silly uniforms in our size. Anyway, your assets are safe. Our lawyer has your back.”
Was this seriously what my brother thought was making me nervous? It wasn’t.
“What… What if I’m not sure I want this to be temporary?” I said slowly.
Desmon, of course, decided now was the perfect time to join us. “You’re not?”
Since he did come to my aid, agreeing to do this ceremony with almost no notice, I figured I owed him an explanation.
“No, I’m not. I’ve been attracted to her from the get-go. I want to get to know her, date her, and do all the things normal couples do. But because of all this, I’m afraid she’ll never see me as anything more than a fake husband. I know we’ve only just met, but something inside me tells me she’s important.”
Grayson and Desmon exchanged a look, and I wondered if I’d overshared. I was close with my brothers; it was hard not to be when we’d known each other for centuries, but I didn’t talk to them about women. Then again, that was mostly because I didn’t remember many of them. My usual pattern was to go into every dalliance knowing full well that it would be nothing more than a fling.
This felt…different.
“When I first met Shelby,” Grayson said, “I couldn’t leave her alone. Sure, I thought she was only there to crash your wedding, Desmon. But even after I found out that she really did have the fireproof cloak for your ceremony, I couldn’t leave her alone. I was devastated when she snuck away while I was busy apprehending those damned photographers.”
I remembered. “Didn’t Eamon say that you considered showing up at the address on the dress box just to see her?”
“Yeah, I totally considered it. I was about to go full stalker mode. Remind me to thank those wizards at the WEC for giving me an excuse to spend time with her.”
WEC stood for the Wizard’s Elder Council, a group of uptight old wizards who hated that The Wall coming down meant they could no longer hide their magical meddling with politicians and corporations. They’d kidnapped Shelby for her untapped magic.
But Shelby had ended up being Grayson’s mate; of course it would make sense that Grayson had been smitten from the beginning. Could Lillian be—
“It was the same with Carly,” Desmon said, interrupting my thoughts. “I knew she was special the moment I saw her in my museum. She was giving a tour to a bunch of sixth graders and keeping them entertained with descriptions of all the bloody battles each of the weapons had been used in. It was the first time I’d seen kids not bored to death at my museum. The teacher was less impressed.”
Like all dragons, Desmon had a giant hoard. Most of it was hidden away from the public, accessible only to him and his mate. But he’d decided to open the Darlington Museum and put part of the collection on display. Despite how priceless some of the artifacts were, I was sure none of the museum pieces were actually important to him.
Desmon had built and owned many of the larger establishments here in Darlington, and had offered sanctuary for any monster or magical creature that needed it here. In the early days he had been the only one funding the town, though it hadn’t been purely out of the kindness of his heart. Darlington was built next to a gold mine.
That mine was now empty, its contents part of Desmon’s hoard. But even after the mine was gone, the creatures stayed, becoming a hidden, thriving community of monsters and magic.
The door opened, and Tansy waltzed in, brandishing a tablet in front of her. She shoved it into my face, declaring, “Here’s the lucky groom now!”
I took the tablet from her as she swished back out the door. On it was a human couple that I would’ve thought were Lilian’s biological parents if I hadn’t known she was adopted. They looked taken aback for a moment, and I remembered I wasn’t wearing my glamour. Then the man schooled his features and spoke.
“So, you’re the one marrying my Tiger Lily.” The screen panned to focus on just him.
Tiger Lily? Cute.
“Yes, sir.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I looked you up. Gunnar Redrock. You look different.”
“I was in glamour in those photos, sir. I usually wear it when I’m out in public. We’ve decided to do the wedding in my natural form.”
