holds her chin steady. Yeah, she
isn ’ t proud of what she ’ s done but Cooper sighs in relief. If she
knew she ’ s dragonkin then she ’ d be proud of winning a battle of wills
and avoiding a deadly decision but she isn ’ t. Her lips press together with emotion
as she lifts her chin and closes her eyes in respectful surrender. She knows
she just made the guard master lose face in front of his rangers.
“ Lawrence , a word, ” Cooper
says with an appropriate amount of sternness but Lawrence flashes him a dirty
look. Cloud flinches when Lawrence takes her wrist. He probes along the bones
for damage before he moves on to her ankle.
“ Lawrence, ” Cooper hisses as he kneels with the pair. “ What the hell got in to you?"
“ I didn ’ t want to hurt her, ” Lawrence replies. He holds Cloud ’ s calf and foot like a newborn and tests
her ankle ’ s range of motion.
“ Bullshit. ”
Lawrence stops what he ’ s doing as he understands what Cloud did.
Without a word he puts her leg down and gives her chin a gentle nudge up.
“ Bitches, ” he shouts as he strides
to the far side of the room. The three heads muttering together snap around and
the others nearby step clear. “ You ’ re
not leaving the room until I ’ ve broken something. ”
Lawrence ’ s rangers know better than to scatter.
“ You
don ’ t need to see this, ” Cooper says as he helps Cloud to her
feet. They stop long enough for him to slip his phone into his pocket and grab
the laptop but the grunts and solid smacks of body blows fill the room before
they ’ re out the door.
Chapter Nine
Cooper insists on waiting in the hall
while Cloud steps in to shower and change. Then she ’ s going to his suite? Cloud limps across
the room on an ankle that feels like the broken ribs from a year earlier except
she has to walk on the angry bones.
If they were on to her she wouldn ’ t see Lawrence coming and besides, the
big bald male treats her like favoured kin, not a spy. And Cooper's unexpected
warmth can be taken in more ways than one. Mostly though, Cloud figures she ’ s not only in trouble for calling
Lawrence off but Cooper ’ s also figured out she ’ s a royal gryphon and there ’ s nothing she can do about any of it
other than come clean.
“ Oh,
crap, ” Cloud pauses the hairbrush.
Cooper ’ s eyrie has no royal female.
No Dame to sit at his side and bring life to this man-made eyrie in the sky, if
such a thing is even possible. Could that be where things are headed?
Cloud pulls the shoulders of her shirt
back to bring the front up higher and winces at the twinge in her swelling
wrist. When she ’ s sure nothing shows around
the neckline she lets herself out.
Yet again Cooper ’ s demeanour changes and this time he
leans casually against the wall. With his jacket open and hands in his pockets
he comes off as overconfident and Cloud ’ s
more certain than ever that he ’ s interested in her as Dame
material even if it ’ s just a business arrangement.
“ Let
me assist, ” Cooper offers her an elbow.
Cloud reciprocates by holding hers out to him and he laughs, lacing his elbow over her hand. “ Hold it. ”
“ Okay, ” she ’ s
grateful for the support and it only takes a few limp-free pain-laced steps for
her grip to tighten as she gets the weight off her ankle.
“ How much trouble am I in? ” Cloud asks. She might as well get right
to the point. Maybe she can get out of having dinner with him.
“ You ’ ve done something unconscionable? ” His tone is light but there ’ s a sternness that suggests maybe she
has.
“ Well, no, ” Cloud tries as Cooper
presses the up button for the elevator. “ Maybe, yes? ”
“ Which is it? ”
The door slides closed behind them as
Cloud hops around on one foot.
“ It ’ s not a big deal if you ’ ve already figured it out. ”
“ I see, ” Cooper
mutters as his arm relaxes. “ We ’ ll
eat then we ’ ll talk. ”
“ Okay. ”
“ Take
isn ’ t proud of what she ’ s done but Cooper sighs in relief. If she
knew she ’ s dragonkin then she ’ d be proud of winning a battle of wills
and avoiding a deadly decision but she isn ’ t. Her lips press together with emotion
as she lifts her chin and closes her eyes in respectful surrender. She knows
she just made the guard master lose face in front of his rangers.
“ Lawrence , a word, ” Cooper
says with an appropriate amount of sternness but Lawrence flashes him a dirty
look. Cloud flinches when Lawrence takes her wrist. He probes along the bones
for damage before he moves on to her ankle.
“ Lawrence, ” Cooper hisses as he kneels with the pair. “ What the hell got in to you?"
“ I didn ’ t want to hurt her, ” Lawrence replies. He holds Cloud ’ s calf and foot like a newborn and tests
her ankle ’ s range of motion.
“ Bullshit. ”
Lawrence stops what he ’ s doing as he understands what Cloud did.
Without a word he puts her leg down and gives her chin a gentle nudge up.
“ Bitches, ” he shouts as he strides
to the far side of the room. The three heads muttering together snap around and
the others nearby step clear. “ You ’ re
not leaving the room until I ’ ve broken something. ”
Lawrence ’ s rangers know better than to scatter.
“ You
don ’ t need to see this, ” Cooper says as he helps Cloud to her
feet. They stop long enough for him to slip his phone into his pocket and grab
the laptop but the grunts and solid smacks of body blows fill the room before
they ’ re out the door.
Chapter Nine
Cooper insists on waiting in the hall
while Cloud steps in to shower and change. Then she ’ s going to his suite? Cloud limps across
the room on an ankle that feels like the broken ribs from a year earlier except
she has to walk on the angry bones.
If they were on to her she wouldn ’ t see Lawrence coming and besides, the
big bald male treats her like favoured kin, not a spy. And Cooper's unexpected
warmth can be taken in more ways than one. Mostly though, Cloud figures she ’ s not only in trouble for calling
Lawrence off but Cooper ’ s also figured out she ’ s a royal gryphon and there ’ s nothing she can do about any of it
other than come clean.
“ Oh,
crap, ” Cloud pauses the hairbrush.
Cooper ’ s eyrie has no royal female.
No Dame to sit at his side and bring life to this man-made eyrie in the sky, if
such a thing is even possible. Could that be where things are headed?
Cloud pulls the shoulders of her shirt
back to bring the front up higher and winces at the twinge in her swelling
wrist. When she ’ s sure nothing shows around
the neckline she lets herself out.
Yet again Cooper ’ s demeanour changes and this time he
leans casually against the wall. With his jacket open and hands in his pockets
he comes off as overconfident and Cloud ’ s
more certain than ever that he ’ s interested in her as Dame
material even if it ’ s just a business arrangement.
“ Let
me assist, ” Cooper offers her an elbow.
Cloud reciprocates by holding hers out to him and he laughs, lacing his elbow over her hand. “ Hold it. ”
“ Okay, ” she ’ s
grateful for the support and it only takes a few limp-free pain-laced steps for
her grip to tighten as she gets the weight off her ankle.
“ How much trouble am I in? ” Cloud asks. She might as well get right
to the point. Maybe she can get out of having dinner with him.
“ You ’ ve done something unconscionable? ” His tone is light but there ’ s a sternness that suggests maybe she
has.
“ Well, no, ” Cloud tries as Cooper
presses the up button for the elevator. “ Maybe, yes? ”
“ Which is it? ”
The door slides closed behind them as
Cloud hops around on one foot.
“ It ’ s not a big deal if you ’ ve already figured it out. ”
“ I see, ” Cooper
mutters as his arm relaxes. “ We ’ ll
eat then we ’ ll talk. ”
“ Okay. ”
“ Take
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