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Cora bristled as her mate told her all about his former lover. Some bitch, excuse me, witch, named Tricia Cadela.
The slut had wanted Rei to freely give her his flame, even went so far as to claim she was his mate in order to convince him to hand over his powers. Cora wasn’t exactly sure what his powers were, but they were his damn it. And he was hers!
If that Witch were alive, Cora would hunt her down and tear her a new asshole for even looking at her mate. Anger and the need for revenge coursed through her. Some of it was his, but mostly what she got from him was an overwhelming need to protect her.
Awe, she thought happily. He does love me.
“Of course, I love you, kitten,” he said and nipped her fingertip between his sharp teeth.
“Mm,” she inhaled and looked around the now cleaned office space.
They’d spent the first few hours tidying up the room. First, they’d gotten rid of everything that was broken. Second, they sent the rest of the antiques off to Mrs. Grayson at Merlin Banking where she’d have several experts appraise the items and seek proper experts to restore them to their original grandeur.
For the past ninety minutes, Cora had been pouring over his accounts to see where he’d been accessed over the years of his sleep. Unbelievably, she found ten instances of withdrawals, and a dozen more of attempts to access his private vaults.
“Shit,” she growled, jumping when she felt his large hand settle between her shoulders.
“Easy, kitten, what is it?”
“Okay, first I need to apologize on behalf of my employers, you see your accounts are very old, some of them spanning centuries-”
“Yes. So what, my love? No need for you to apologize.”
“Well you see, because they are so old and have been mainly inactive, they weren’t prioritized for our most recent security upgrade. Look, you’ve been accessed here and here, ten times in total with over ten million dollars removed in today’s market.”
“Flaming balls,” he muttered. She knew Dragons loved their treasure, but they loved being secure even more.
“Luckily, the person who did this messed up!”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, let me ask you a question first. How did the interviews with the staff go?”
“The staff? Fine, I guess,” he said narrowing his dark eyebrows and watching her with amber eyes highlighted with the gold of his Dragon. Gods, how she loved his eyes.
“Did anyone not show up?”
“A few of the contractors had the day off. Oh, and Celia hasn’t come in yet, but she does come in late sometimes,” he shrugged. Sweet easily duped man.
“Alright, well, why don’t we get ready for dinner and I will tell you more of what I found out.”
“When you say get ready, were you thinking of perhaps a little appetizer first?”
“Maybe,” she grinned.
She loved the fire in his eyes when he dipped his head and claimed her lips. Would sex always be this explosively good with her Dragon?
“Yesssss,” he hissed as he pulled her up and carried her up the stairs.
A few hours later, Cora and her mate emerged from their bedroom. Alameda had sent a note up to say the contractors were finished, the staff had gone home, he and his grandfather were in the guesthouse, and Celia had not come in at all. But the dinner she’d ordered was waiting for them below.
She’d read the note and tucked it away before her mate could read it. Cora loved her possessive Dragon to pieces, but she’d literally carve his ass up if he ever suggested she leave his side again. It was time for her to prove she could handle whatever came their way.
She might have been reluctant to admit it at first, but now that she was matebonded to Rei, she never wanted to be without him. Yes, it scared her to think that way. Especially after witnessing firsthand what happened to the surviving mate when one of a pair died early.
Cora decided she was made of stronger stuff than that. The universe had blessed her with a mate, and she was going to fight for him. Even when he didn’t want her to.
“What is that wonderful smell?” Rei asked as they walked hand in hand to the dining room.
The staff had done a great job getting rid of the broken glass and dishes. They even got the wine stain out of the carpet! Sweet.
“I ordered us a special dinner from the village. A fish stew,” Cora began.
“Ah, moqueca,” Rei smiled at her and she knew Alameda had been telling the truth about it being his favorite. They sat down to eat, and she never felt so happy.
Cora lifted her glass for Rei to pour some more chilled white wine. They talked and laughed enjoying their quiet meal. All the while she kept her senses alert for any change, any interference in the atmosphere.
“Here, you have a little something,” Rei grinned and leaned forward, wiping a dollop of sauce from her chin.
She turned her face and smiled at him, stopping when she heard the sound of someone walking towards them. Rei heard it to. He was about to jump up when Cora stilled him.
“Well, isn’t this cozy? And such a sweet gesture, Rei, I didn’t think you were capable of that,” Celia, the young woman who had served them dinner just the night before clapped her hands slowly as she came into the room.
“Celia?”
“No, not Celia, this is just a glamour Rei. And you were too stupid to see through it!” She threw her head back and cackled.
Right before their eyes Celia’s young, lithe body transformed into a shorter, older woman with long gray streaked black hair. Rei jumped up this time, shielding Cora from her view.
“Tricia,” he growled her name.
“Yes, Tricia! I kept you asleep for a hundred years after you burned my house down.”
“But why? I will never give you my flame, Tricia never.”
“No? not even to save your mate?”
Flames exploded in a tall ring around where Cora had stood up the second the Witch had entered. She growled in frustration as the heat licked at her skin and threatened to burn her. She hadn’t planned for this.
“Cora!” Rei started, but the flames grew taller, closing in around her body.
“Another step and I will burn her to a crisp,” Tricia yelled.
“Let her go,” he said grimly, the gold in his eyes promising retribution.
Cora gasped as the oxygen grew thin, the flames eating it up in the bubble of fire that surrounded her. She knew Rei would be angry with her for keeping this from him, but she’d guessed it was his ex all along. Who else would have had access to his ledgers and accounts? Only someone he trusted and thought insignificant.
Arrogant Dragon. But he was her arrogant Dragon dammit!
“You fool,” Tricia wailed, “I would have given you anything you just had to cooperate. It’s too late now Rei. I will have your flame if I have to gut you for it.”
“How do you expect to do that Tricia?”
“I will kill your mate if you don’t cooperate,” she threatened, ignoring the harsh snarl coming from Rei’s lips.
“You never even suspected. All I had to do was make myself younger, sweeter looking and you never knew! I thought after a hundred years you’d wise up, Rei, but you are the same cocky bastard as ever. You never even suspected me. I’ve been searching for your Clan’s memoirs for a way to siphon your flame from you, but I am through with waiting!”
“Never, Tricia. You will never have it and I will kill you before I let you harm my mate,” he promised.
“Ah yes, your mate. How does the little Shifter slut like the heat? Maybe I should turn it up?”
The flames engulfing Cora turned blue and she felt her hair burning and skin boiling at their nearness. Dammit. Why wasn’t the stew working? She wondered. And then she felt it. Rei’s thoughts reaching through their bond to her brain.
Brace yourself, kitten. This might hurt.
Through their connection Cora felt Rei harness his fury. He took his rage and anger and brought it into one tight, flaming circle inside of him. He held onto it, using his own special Dragon Shifter magic to change it. He molded the flame within him, using his unique Dragon magic to turn it from orange to a bright white gold.
“This is your last chance, Tricia,” he growled opening his eyes and focusing on her with laser beam accuracy. They glowed intently in her direction and the Witch stumbled. She raised her hand and Cora felt all the air leave the vacuum where she was trapped.
“Too late,” Rei said.
Then he unleashed hell.
A white-hot flame of pure gold flashed across the entire first floor of the castle like a miniature atomic bomb. The Witch’s eyes opened wide for a split second before she exploded in a mist of vapor and ash.
Nothing was left of Celia, or rather Tricia, or whatever the heck her name was. Who gave a shit anyway? Not one speck of skin or hair after her mate breathed his Golden Flame vanquishing their enemy from their midst.
Cora stumbled to the ground, sucking in greedy gulps of air as Rei vaulted over the table to her side. Hands gripping her arms he held her up, concern etched all over his face as he held her up.
“Kitten? Can you breathe? Are you okay? What were you thinking not telling me she was behind this?”
“What? How?” She hacked and coughed again, relieved when he handed her a glass of cold water.
Cora lifted the glass with ash streaked hands and swallowed. It felt good, really good. She swallowed some more, soothing her raw throat with the cold liquid.
“Easy,” he cooed and took the glass from her hands, “I heard your thoughts as soon as she walked in, but it was too late by then to warn you. Are you hurt? Let me see you,” he demanded.
“Just winded,” she said and smiled.
“I don’t understand,” he frowned, confusion and relief flowing through him to her as he checked her over, “Your clothes are a mess, and the tips of your hair, but that’s all. You should have burns and blisters all over you?”
“Your mate is a lot cleverer than you think, Mr. Dorado,” she said and snuggled onto his lap, grateful for his strength as he held her against him.
“I knew she was a Witch, so I had a local practitioner of White magic from the village make our dinner. She laced it with protective herbs,” Cora grinned at his astonished expression.
“Cora, you are a constant surprise, but I swear to the gods if you pull a stunt like that again so help me,” he growled, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
“So that was it,” she asked, “Your Golden Flame? It’s like a super, supernatural weapon.”
“yes,” he agreed, “Many covet it, but personally I have always regarded it as a great burden. It has the power to annihilate millions as easily as one.”
“Why isn’t the castle destroyed?”
“I’m a Dragon, kitten, I like my treasures. My focus was on the Witch alone and she became the target of my flame. Nothing else.”
“Holy cow. No wonder everyone wants to get their hands on your flame.”
“There have been some attempts, but it takes a lot to control such a force. Many cannot handle it.”
“Mm, but you can, my fierce mate,” she nuzzled his neck, loving his strength and protectiveness.
“Cora,” he growled capturing her lips with his own.
“Rei?” She broke the kiss reluctantly.
“Yes, mate?” He nipped her neck and shivers ran down her back.
“Take me upstairs,” she whispered.
“Yessss,” he hissed, barely in control of his Dragon.
