“There’s a hoard?”
“Oh, yeah,” Liam laughed dryly. “There’s a hoard,” he said. “Unimaginable wealth. Caverns full of gold and precious gems and lost treasures. Darla is the last of two dragon lines, and she is the heir to all of it. She has a regular inheritance, too, stocks and bonds and market things I don’t even know. But before her father died several years ago, he had a spell cast over the dragon hoard. It’s locked, except to someone of his blood, who is married according to dragon custom with a family blessing. If I had to guess, he did it to give Darla a little extra time to get out from under her mother’s thumb, since dragons traditionally marry at twenty-five years. That’s why Jubilee has been so meticulous about this wedding ceremony. Dragon contracts are tricky at best, and she wants to make sure every t is crossed and every eye is watching so Darla can unlock her hoard.”
“Because her mother certainly seems to have Darla’s best interests at heart,” Breck said sourly.
There was a moment of silence that Breck recognized as Liam struggling not to insult his future mother-in-law. Without meaning to, he softly asked, “Have you known Darla long?”
“A few years,” Liam said kindly. “She answered a call for volunteers at the retirement home.” He chuckled. “When I saw her, I thought she was a spoiled dilettante who was going to run away at the first thing that smacked of hard work. I gave her the dirtiest jobs, the most stubborn old shifters, and figured she simply wouldn’t show up for the second day of work. But I was so wrong about her. She was an absolute angel for the home. She’s gentle with the patients, she’s not afraid to get dirty, she works hard, and frankly, she’s the only reason the place hasn’t already gone under. Even before the wedding arrangement and the dowry, she was paying most of the expenses. She loves them. They adore her.”
“Raise your prices?” Breck suggested, not particularly seriously; probably Liam and Darla had already considered all the options that he could come up with. “Apply for a grant?”
“They all pay what they can, but most of them have no family and no money. And we have a lot of… special expenses that would be hard to explain under the scrutiny of a grant. Getting old can lack dignity for simple humans, but for shifters, it can be especially tricky. Not all of them can control their shifting anymore. That’s not a problem for an ermine shifter, but a mammoth shifter can’t stay in a standard room.”
“Do you have a mammoth shifter?” Breck asked curiously.
Liam chuckled fondly. “Yeah. He’s about a hundred years old and no one can understand a word he says anymore, but he plays a mean game of chess and likes to watch gameshows. He wanders, if someone isn’t keeping an eye on him. We had to chase him down the freeway one night and coax him back with gingersnaps. Fortunately, he was mostly just a naked man for that romp; he was a mammoth for the night out in an empty parking structure. I still wonder if anyone watching security cameras saw any of it.”
“I can only imagine,” Breck said, laughing. “I’d be pouring out whatever I was drinking.”
“Or saving it for science,” Liam agreed. “I miss those guys,” he added. “I’m sure they’re in good hands for the two weeks I’m gone, but you get used to all their idiosyncrasies and special needs.”
“Have you met Mrs. Shandy?” Breck asked impulsively.
“Is she one of the permanent residents?” Liam asked. “The… ah… very large woman with auburn hair? I’ve seen her at the restaurant a few times.”
“That would be Magnolia, also a peach. Mrs. Shandy doesn’t make it out of her cottage much these days. You’d probably like her, and I’m sure she’d love a game of backgammon if you’ve got the time.” Breck felt guilty for not making it by himself more often since Darla’s arrival had upended his life. “She’s a greyhound shifter, in retirement here.”
Liam smiled. “I’d love to meet her. Darla’s the one who has a million things to do. Grooms are apparently just supposed to smile and show up at the end. The suit fits, I’ve gotten my hair cut, so they’re done with me until the vows.”
I should detest this man, Breck reminded himself. He’s marrying our mate.
But his leopard was oddly unconcerned with Liam. He’s not our rival.
He’s marrying our mate, Breck repeated with emphasis. But he knew that neither one of them had any choice in the matter.
“I should get back to work,” Breck said, standing. “Before people start showing up for dinner and Her Highness finds out that I’ve dared to show my face in public.”
Liam grimaced. “Sorry about that, as well.” He looked conflicted, like he wanted to add something else, but chose not to at the last moment.
“I’m not sorry,” Breck said firmly. “We should keep things as simple as possible, and it’s simpler when there’s distance.”
As he turned to wipe down the rest of the tables and gather the last abandoned dishes, he realized that he actually liked Liam. It didn’t make anything easier; if anything, he almost wished he had someone to hate, and was disappointed that Liam hadn’t stepped into that role.
Chapter 17
The next morning, Darla found herself at the back kitchen door she’d fled from, listening to the pans rattle with her heart in her throat.
It was foolish to be here. It was a bad idea. She should be trying to avoid Breck, not steal fleeting moments in his company wishing she was someone else.
But here she was, even earlier than the morning before, her stomach a knot of tension and yearning. She pushed the door open boldly, and made herself stride in.
And then she froze, because Breck wasn’t there.
The mountain of a chef was already turning at her entrance, clearly expecting someone else. “You didn’t have to come in until six,” he was saying cheerfully. “But…” He stopped as he recognized Darla. “Miss Grant? Can I help you?”
He was carrying a large tray of bread ready for the oven.
Darla backed up a step. “I’m sorry to bother you,” she said politely. She wracked her brain for a reason to be there and stared stupidly for a moment. “Break… breakfast,” she finally remembered, stumbling over the sound of Breck’s name accidentally on her tongue. That was why she had come the previous morning. She drew herself up. “I was hoping for an early breakfast. If that’s alright. I don’t want to be any trouble.”