together and she’d elbowed him off her. It hadn’t felt right and something drove her from his condo at warp speed. She’d refused to see Ryota socially since that night.
“That’s just because you haven’t met the right lover.” His body uncoiled around her, leaving her a path to his home. “Ryota will have to soothe his own ego. Mating rituals are a bitch and I don’t want to get caught in the middle of one.”
“I wouldn’t know.” She led him inside the dark castle.
“It’s hard to describe the instinctual urges to humans. The call is something to be felt, not discussed, and when it grips a shifter, there’s no stopping it.”
She opened her mouth but her question vanished as she crossed the threshold. It had been too dark outside to view the castle that sat on the edge of the mountain’s cliff-face, but inside hundreds of candles burned in the foyer. The warm yellow light danced with the shadows against the stone walls. Her gaze traveled up, up, up to the dark ceiling above where the roof sections must meet at the crest. “Wow.”
Eoin glanced over her shoulder with a confused look. “What?”
“I’ve never been in a castle before.” She took the steps into the foyer one at a time. This could be her last visit here and she wanted to soak in Eoin’s home. The thick, scarred stone suited the dragon. Scorch marks stained the walls and some of the windowpanes were empty. “How long have you lived here?”
“A hundred years, give or take a few. This castle has been in my clan for centuries though. It was given to me when I moved to New Port.”
“People make it sound like you’ve lived here forever.”
“For some humans a hundred years is forever.” He continued moving.
She passed by a stone staircase carved out of the walls that led to different levels. What was up there? Not a single piece of furniture decorated the room, just a dusty old chandelier and candles.
“We’ll work in the ballroom. Follow me.” Eoin stepped around her and moved deeper into the shadows, almost vanishing into them if not for the candlelight.
Angie scurried after him, afraid of losing her way. The castle seemed like a maze in the dark. She stepped on something roundish and twisted her foot. Catching her balance with a hand to the wall, she spotted electrical extension cables the length of the hallway. She limped in the direction Eoin had taken and slowed as she discovered their destination until she made a complete stop.
Eoin had used electric spotlights placed around the walls to light the massive room. The stark modern, metallic fixtures didn’t diminish the elegant beauty in the marble walls and ceiling. A huge dome carved with arches sheltered their heads.
Angie spun slowly. A terrace circled the walls just below the dome with intimate alcoves carved into the walls. Anyone who stood on those balconies could clearly observe those below. To her right, a long, heavy table held all sorts of antique metal pinchers and files. They would look more fitting in a torture chamber than a refined ballroom.
The open space and stained glass windows and the arching domed ceiling…the room was missing dancers and music.
“Angie?”
Or not, because a dragon stood in the center. She tried to blink but her eyes wanted to drink him in.
He rose on his hind legs, wings resting to the sides. His long muscular neck moved with a fluid grace as he bowed his head toward her. Teeth like daggers lined his mouth as he spoke eloquently. He was terrifying and strange and beautiful. “You will need to climb on my back.”
Eoin watched Angie sort through his tools and get accustomed to them. The sour smell of fear didn’t tangle with her natural scent this time. No denying it, if he closed his eyes, his nose would tell him a she-dragon was in the room. It made no sense. Even a halfling wouldn’t have smelled this pure.
Something was wrong. Angie was all wrong. The werewolves swore she was human. They didn’t
“That’s just because you haven’t met the right lover.” His body uncoiled around her, leaving her a path to his home. “Ryota will have to soothe his own ego. Mating rituals are a bitch and I don’t want to get caught in the middle of one.”
“I wouldn’t know.” She led him inside the dark castle.
“It’s hard to describe the instinctual urges to humans. The call is something to be felt, not discussed, and when it grips a shifter, there’s no stopping it.”
She opened her mouth but her question vanished as she crossed the threshold. It had been too dark outside to view the castle that sat on the edge of the mountain’s cliff-face, but inside hundreds of candles burned in the foyer. The warm yellow light danced with the shadows against the stone walls. Her gaze traveled up, up, up to the dark ceiling above where the roof sections must meet at the crest. “Wow.”
Eoin glanced over her shoulder with a confused look. “What?”
“I’ve never been in a castle before.” She took the steps into the foyer one at a time. This could be her last visit here and she wanted to soak in Eoin’s home. The thick, scarred stone suited the dragon. Scorch marks stained the walls and some of the windowpanes were empty. “How long have you lived here?”
“A hundred years, give or take a few. This castle has been in my clan for centuries though. It was given to me when I moved to New Port.”
“People make it sound like you’ve lived here forever.”
“For some humans a hundred years is forever.” He continued moving.
She passed by a stone staircase carved out of the walls that led to different levels. What was up there? Not a single piece of furniture decorated the room, just a dusty old chandelier and candles.
“We’ll work in the ballroom. Follow me.” Eoin stepped around her and moved deeper into the shadows, almost vanishing into them if not for the candlelight.
Angie scurried after him, afraid of losing her way. The castle seemed like a maze in the dark. She stepped on something roundish and twisted her foot. Catching her balance with a hand to the wall, she spotted electrical extension cables the length of the hallway. She limped in the direction Eoin had taken and slowed as she discovered their destination until she made a complete stop.
Eoin had used electric spotlights placed around the walls to light the massive room. The stark modern, metallic fixtures didn’t diminish the elegant beauty in the marble walls and ceiling. A huge dome carved with arches sheltered their heads.
Angie spun slowly. A terrace circled the walls just below the dome with intimate alcoves carved into the walls. Anyone who stood on those balconies could clearly observe those below. To her right, a long, heavy table held all sorts of antique metal pinchers and files. They would look more fitting in a torture chamber than a refined ballroom.
The open space and stained glass windows and the arching domed ceiling…the room was missing dancers and music.
“Angie?”
Or not, because a dragon stood in the center. She tried to blink but her eyes wanted to drink him in.
He rose on his hind legs, wings resting to the sides. His long muscular neck moved with a fluid grace as he bowed his head toward her. Teeth like daggers lined his mouth as he spoke eloquently. He was terrifying and strange and beautiful. “You will need to climb on my back.”
Eoin watched Angie sort through his tools and get accustomed to them. The sour smell of fear didn’t tangle with her natural scent this time. No denying it, if he closed his eyes, his nose would tell him a she-dragon was in the room. It made no sense. Even a halfling wouldn’t have smelled this pure.
Something was wrong. Angie was all wrong. The werewolves swore she was human. They didn’t
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