Seducing the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 2)

“Oh, that will come later. Right now, having you laying on me helps to calm my dragon.”

Studying his face, she didn’t see his eyes flashing to dragon slits. Part of her had wondered earlier what his dragon had been doing since Evie knew she couldn’t be Bram’s mate; their first kiss hadn’t brought on a frenzy. Yet his earlier behavior contradicted the rumors and reports she’d read about his ironclad control.

She’d ask him about that later. For now, she didn’t want to break the little bubble of truth-telling and sharing. Given all the shit going on with the dragon hunters and Cait’s death, Evie didn’t know when she’d next get the chance to just talk with the dragon leader. Even if the topic was difficult, he was right. Sharing was the first step in gaining his trust.

Taking a deep breath, the words rushed from her mouth, “They were both sacrifices. The first woman, Jenny, was my very first solo case as a DDA inspector. I was to check on her and make sure she wasn’t being abused. The woman was quiet to begin with, but it was only when they found her in the bathroom with her wrists slit and a note nearby that I understood the enormity of her silence. She’d been unhappy, but I hadn’t been able to see it.”

Bram stroked his hand up and down her arm. “Some people are good at hiding their true selves.”

She wondered if his words had a hidden meaning. “I understood that later, after doing more thorough interviews with her family. But for the first few days after I heard the news, I locked myself in my flat and nearly quit the DDA.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No. Interviewing her family helped, as did learning she’d lied about her bouts of depression. Still, it was a blow to my confidence. It took me nearly a year to regain it.”

“You have it in spades now.”

She smiled against his chest. “With you, it just happens. I had my lapses of confidence with Marcus Jones down south.”

Bram’s growl rumbled in his chest. “If that bastard laid a hand on you, I will take care of him myself.”

Looking up, she propped her chin on Bram’s muscled chest. “Really? You’d throw away everything you’ve done for your clan for some half-arsed vengeance?”

“Anyone who hurts my female will feel my ire.”

Evie frowned. “Your female? You haven’t even agreed to let me be your mate yet. Have you changed your mind?”

He grunted. “Tell me about the other female first and I’ll answer your question.”

Searching his eyes, she knew the dragonman wasn’t bluffing. From what she’d learned so far, her stubbornness was only second to his. “Fine. The other woman was Imogen. At twenty-one, she was one of the youngest sacrifices I ever had to monitor. She survived her term and the birth, but a few weeks after she returned to the human world, she left a desperate voice mail saying she wanted to meet me. I tried to convince my superior to let me go, but due to departmental meetings and commitments, I had to postpone our meeting by three days. By the time I was free to check in on her, it was already too late. She’d taken a bottle of pills and overdosed.”

Imogen’s death had hit her harder than Jenny’s simply because she’d tried to help but had been overruled by her boss, who believed bureaucracy must be followed to the letter, no exceptions. That man was now the Assistant Director of the entire Department of Dragon Affairs. If Jonathan Christie ever became Director, the dragon-shifter clans would suffer.

Bram poked her stomach and said, “Tell me what’s on your mind, human. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”

~~~

Evie’s distant look morphed into a glare, and both man and dragon were glad. His female talking about the two women’s deaths wasn’t easy, but she’d been keeping her spi

rit up until the very end. Despite their new, fragile bond formed through sharing secrets, he wasn’t about to let her stew on her own. If they were to be mates, he wanted to know all of her troubles.

His dragon grunted. We will always look after her.

I don’t know if she’ll agree to that.

I don’t care. We will do it anyway.

He barely resisted a smile at his inner beast’s certainty. Instead, he poked Evie again. “Well?”

Her brow pinched further. “I know you’re used to getting what you want as clan leader, but would it kill you to ask me instead of demand?”

“Oh, wonderful human female beyond compare, would you honor me with your enlightened thoughts?”

The human’s glare slipped and her lips twitched. “So you do have a sense of humor.”

“Oh, aye. But stop changing the subject. What has you so lost in your thoughts?”

The laugh faded from her eyes. “The second woman, Imogen, her death was completely preventable. My boss at the time prevented me from helping her and possibly saving her life. If that wasn’t bad enough, that man is now second-in-charge of the whole DDA.” Her brow furrowed. “If he takes over, it’ll be bad news for your clan.”