Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne) (11 page)

Couldn’t he have found a more insulting way to tell her?

The man obviously had gotten his own way far too often. Ariel
looked from the packets to Cam. Returning his hard stare, she opened her mouth
to give him a piece of her mind. But before she could say a word, something
bumped her from behind.

Without breaking her stare, she reached back only to have her
fingers brush against the book. It had slid to the edge of the desk. She pushed
it back, trying not to shriek when it closed on her hand.

Cam frowned. She stepped forward to distract him, saying in a
rush, “Gee, thanks. I’ve never had a boss give me such a personal gift
before.”

It was a lame response and had all the zing of a boiled noodle.
But it drew his attention back to her and that’s what she wanted.

“You don’t sound very appreciative.”

“Ha, ha, Mr. Drake.” She waved toward the door. “If you don’t
mind…?”

“Sure.” He came all the way into the room, closing the door
behind him.

“That’s
not
what I meant.”

Cam was well aware she wanted him to leave. He wanted to know
what she was trying so hard to hide behind her on the desk.

He sat on the bed. “I thought we might try…” Cam let his
suggestion trail off and picked up a foil packet. He had to hand it to her, he’d
gone out of his way to enrage her with the condoms, hoping she’d let something
slip, but she’d yet to scream at him or resort to four-letter words.

“Get out of my room.”

“It’s my apartment.”

“And I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t forced me.”

“That’s your own fault. I can’t have you running around the
Lair casting spells and causing trouble, can I?”

“Spells?” She shook her head. “How many times do I have to tell
you that I don’t know any magic?”

“Right. The grimoire just appeared in your apartment on its
own.”

Her darting eyes and suddenly pale cheeks brought him to his
feet. She backed up against the desk as he approached. “What are you hiding,
Ariel?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want you any closer.” She pointed at the
condoms. “Did you leave earlier to get those?”

“No.” He’d left to blow off some steam. He hadn’t thought about
the packets until he’d returned to the apartment and realized she was still in
the bedroom. He’d only materialized the condoms then.

Cam knew she was grasping at straws to distract him. Before she
could stop him, he reached out, moved her aside and stared down at the empty
desk.

“What were you hiding?”

Ariel stood beside him with her eyes closed.

“There’s nothing there.”

She opened her eyes and looked at the desk. “But—”

“But what?”

Ariel looked under the desk and through the drawers. “It was
right there.”

Cam studied her closely. Either she was a better actress than
he thought, or she believed that she’d seen something on the desk—something she
needed to hide from him.

“What was there?”

She stumbled to the bed and sat down, mumbling to herself,
“There has to be another way.”

“Another way for what?”

Ariel didn’t answer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her
chest and rocked on the bed.

Cam paused. Whatever reason she had for doing the Learneds’
bidding was obviously of great importance to her. If his earlier assumption was
right—if the thief in the coma was her brother—that might be why he disappeared
from the hospital.

And if he was being held by the Learneds, her fear of divulging
any information was understandable. Not acceptable—he would discover what she
was after one way or another—but he could understand her resistance.

Right now, in her current state, he wasn’t going to get
anything out of her. Cam touched her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

After she nodded, he said, “Get some rest. I’ll wake you up
later for dinner.”

When Ariel didn’t respond or move, Cam warned, “I’m not above
using magic to force you. If you don’t stretch out and at least pretend to take
a nap, I’ll take matters into my own hands.”

She kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. A strangled
sniffle stopped him with his hand on the doorknob.

Cam swallowed a groan. He needed to get out of this room.
Another sniffle made his stomach twist.

Cursing softly, he kicked off his own shoes, then slid onto the
bed behind her and pulled her into his arms.

Ariel stiffened against his chest. “What—”

“Don’t mistake this for surrender. It’s not. I just can’t stand
to hear a woman cry.”

“I’m not—”

“Yeah, right.” He cut off her denial. “Go to sleep.”

Chapter 10

A
riel yanked the half-dead rosebush from
the loosened ground. She tossed it onto the growing pile before grabbing the
shovel to dig around another bush.

“What are you doing?”

The act of swallowing a groan—or curse—every time Danielle
Drake showed up to criticize was getting tedious. For whatever reason, the woman
despised her—she’d been cold and critical from the moment they’d met. Ariel
jabbed the shovel into the ground before turning to face the woman. “Digging out
these bushes.”

“Those are rosebushes.” Indignation dripped from Danielle’s
voice.

No kidding? Roses? Who would have guessed?
Unspoken sarcasm choked her. Ariel waved at the two young men helping
her. “Why don’t you two break for lunch. We can finish up afterward.”

Once they were out of earshot, she explained as patiently as
possible, “Mr. Drake told me to do whatever I wanted with the landscape. I’m
replacing these hybrids with some old English and rugosa bushes.”

“I picked those out myself.”

The woman would have claimed she had even if she hadn’t. “I’m
sorry, Ms. Drake,” Ariel marveled at the ease with which she lied of late. “I
should have conferred with you first.” The older woman’s pursed lips softened.
“I just thought the older-style roses would be a perfect fit for such a
medieval-looking resort.”

Danielle nodded toward the herb beds. “What are you doing over
there?”

Even though she knew it’d be a waste of time, Ariel tried to
ease the woman’s concerns. “I talked to the chef and we won’t be touching his
cooking herbs. I’m just going to add a few for looks and scent. Some lavender,
lemon balm and maybe some different-colored yarrows.”

“What about mint?”

From reading the notes he’d left behind, she knew that the last
gardener had refused to sow the invasive plant for fear it would cover the
entire mountainside once it took root. “We’ll plant some in pots up by the
kitchen.”

What exactly was Ms. Drake after? She hadn’t come out here to
discuss plants.

“Have you given any thought to the maze?”

Ariel rubbed her temples. This constant questioning of
everything she did would have her screaming if this were a permanent position.
Cam’s aunt was a bear to work with.

She had already chased off a young woman who had been working
with Sean on the computer system. A shame, really, considering the two made a
cute couple and seemed to have hit it off.

“That’s none of your business.”

Ariel tensed at the realization that Danielle hadn’t moved her
lips. “Not you, too.”

“Not me, too—what?” Ms. Drake’s feigned look of innocence was
laughable.

“You just put those words into my head.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Cam already told me that he isn’t…normal. It’s fairly obvious
that you aren’t, either, so there’s no need to hide it.”

Danielle squinted. “You should really wear a hat if you’re
going to be out in the sun this long.”

It was apparent that Ms. Drake’s sole purpose for coming to the
garden was to pick a fight. If that’s what the woman wanted, that’s what she
would get. “Is that what happened to you?”

“Why, you—”

Danielle drew back her arm as if she was going to throw
something overhand. Ariel ducked and put up her hands to ward off whatever the
woman was about to throw at her.

“Stop. Now.” Cam glared at his aunt. “Don’t you have anything
else to do?”

“Not really,” Danielle answered before she whipped what looked
like a small ball of fire at Ariel.

She watched in shocked disbelief as the fiery ball bounced off
an invisible shield, exploding into a shower of embers at her feet without
hitting her.

Danielle Drake stomped past Cam, warning, “You can’t protect
her all the time.”

Ariel lowered her arms. “Thank you.”

He didn’t move. Just asked, “For what?”

“For not letting me get burned alive, I suppose.”

“I didn’t do that.”

“Your aunt certainly didn’t. And if you didn’t, who did?”

Cam surveyed the grounds. “There’s no one else here except
you.”

Not again
. He hadn’t accused her of
possessing magic since the evening he’d held her while she’d slept. That had
been six days ago. She thought they’d gotten past the accusations. “How many
times do I have to tell you—”

He raised a hand. “Save it, Ariel.”

Before she could reply, he turned and left.

Once again she wanted to scream. Instead, she grabbed the
shovel and attacked the rosebush with a vengeance.

Wasn’t it enough that she’d broken the law and was now putting
her life in danger to save her brother?

On top of that, she had to have dreams not just of flying as a
dragon, but of her and Cameron together? Not just dreams, but ones so real, so
erotic and hot that she woke up every morning in desperate need. And cold
showers were a myth. They didn’t help. Granted, the cold water cooled her skin,
but it did nothing to cool the lust.

Now she had to deal with an insane woman who wanted to fry her
to a crisp—and worse—one who could.

What really bothered her was that she wasn’t terrified. Ariel
knew she should be. Any rational person would fear so much for their safety that
they would go out of their way to avoid Danielle Drake.

Of course, any rational person would have lost their wits by
now. Hearing voices in one’s head normally spelled trouble. And while it had
terrified her at first, now it was merely irritating.

And this gut feeling that she could fly? If she was in the
habit of taking pharmaceuticals maybe that would be a valid explanation. But the
strongest med she swallowed was asprin.

This whole magic…wizard…thing wasn’t possible. Yet, she’d just
seen a ball of fire shoot from Ms. Drake’s fingertips. And she’d seen a dragon
turn into a man.

So, why wasn’t she babbling incoherently in a corner somewhere?
What was keeping her from running away in disbelief and terror?

And she knew something was helping her. She could feel it—could
sense that something was lending her strength.

Certain she’d find no answers to the puzzles plaguing her,
Ariel realized she was missing one of the few opportunities she had to do some
more snooping before she talked with Renalde tomorrow.

She dropped the shovel and her gloves into the empty
wheelbarrow and ducked into the Lair through the kitchen door.

The only places she hadn’t checked for the pendant and cube
were the family’s private offices and the basement. There was no way she was
going to get access to the offices while Cam was around. That would have to wait
until she could figure out a way to get past his ever-watchful eyes.

The basement, however, was manageable. The entrance was located
in a rear hall, away from the lobby and offices.

She’d discovered the door last night and had picked the lock
this morning before heading out to the gardens. Hopefully, nobody had noticed
and relocked it.

She stuck her head out of the dining room, making sure the
hallway was empty before slipping toward the backside of the Lair.

Hearing voices, Ariel ducked through the basement door and held
her breath. She waited until the people passed, then headed down the stairs.

The basement was gigantic. They could put ten full-size tennis
courts down here and still have room to spare. Uncertain where to start, she
chose the bar area. It seemed the most obvious place to hide something. Sort of
that hidden-in-plain-sight concept someone like Cam might employ.

Unfortunately, after what seemed like hours later, she’d found
nothing. Leaning on the counter, she scanned the basement.

Her attention fell on an old wooden chest against the far wall.
Ariel shrugged, then headed toward it. “It’s worth a shot.”

The lid screeched open. The sound echoed in the nearly empty
basement. She cringed and held her breath, coming to a dead stop. Certain nobody
upstairs had heard the noise, she knelt and started emptying out the chest.

* * *

“How long do you plan on protecting the enemy?”

Cam glanced up from the accounts on his desk. “I’ll protect her
as long as she’s here.”

He took one look at his aunt’s face, threw an invisible shield
around his mind and leaned back in his chair. “What were you thinking?”

Danielle’s tight face flushed with rage. “Someone needs to do
something about that woman. And if you won’t, I will.”

“Burning her alive is not an option.”

His aunt sat down and casually inspected her long, painted
fingernails. “I don’t see why not.”

She was just trying to get him to lose his temper; it was,
after all, an old trick they’d learned at her knee, so to speak. Get your
opponent to drop their focus and you’ve gained the upper hand.

“There’s that unlawful part of the idea that’s going to be
rather hard to explain away. And I’m sure the High Wizard can find better things
to do than hold a trial and execution.” Especially considering Braeden was the
High Wizard.

Danielle sighed and shook her head. “Braeden would never
condemn me.”

“Depends on who speaks for Ariel.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“If you killed her? Yes, I would.”

His aunt stared at him a moment before frowning. “You’re
sleeping with her.”

That was none of her business. “It doesn’t matter if I am or
not. What does matter is the law. And you are well aware that killing a
powerless human with wizardry is punishable by lasting death.”

Danielle Drake wasn’t any different than anyone else of their
kind. She wasn’t about to risk not having her essence pass over into the next
dimension at the time of her physical body’s death.

The law had been on the records for over four hundred years.
High council had enacted such a severe penalty because human deaths of the
otherworldly nature drew too much attention to the clans.

For all their good intentions, too many humans weren’t
accepting of those who were different. To protect their dwindling numbers, the
wizards who lived among the general populace kept their powers a secret.

“Sometimes laws need to be broken.”

“So, you’re declaring open season on humankind?”

Since they both knew she didn’t have the power to make such a
declaration, she ignored the question and stated, “That woman needs to go.”

He wasn’t arguing that point. Ariel did need to go—before he
became too used to having her around. The past few days had
been…different…almost pleasant. Her familiar scents and ever-changing moods had
become a part of his day.

Still, he wanted to hear his aunt’s reasoning. “Why does she
need to go?”

“For one thing, she works for the Learneds.”

“I know that.” Cam flicked the pun-sai tree limb away from the
computer keyboard on his desk. The plant flicked back and then started tapping
keys, bringing a view from a security camera in the basement up on the screen.
“I’d like to discover what she’s after, what they have her doing.”

“That’s fairly obvious. She’s here to see us killed. Doesn’t
that matter to you?”

What the hell was Ariel looking for in the basement? She had
his and Braeden’s swords and armor out of the chest.

Splitting his attention between his aunt and Ariel, he
answered, “Of course it matters.”

Ariel took his sword out of the scabbard and ran her fingertips
along the dragons etched into the blade. The warmth of her touch trailed down
his spine.

“If you won’t let me deal with her, what do you plan on
doing?”

Cam forced his wandering mind back to the conversation. “I’d
like to have the advantage of knowing what the Learneds are up to this
time.”

With the help of Harold and Jennie, he thought he’d been
keeping close enough tabs on Ariel. From the looks of things, he’d been
mistaken.

Cam froze when Ariel looked directly at the camera and frowned.
Did she realize she was being watched? He flinched when she carelessly dropped
the swords back into the chest.

“Did you hear me?” Dani’s screech jolted his attention away
from Ariel and the monitor.

“What?”

“I said I’m calling Braeden.”

“For what?”

“You seem unable to deal with this woman. Maybe he’ll do what’s
necessary.”

Cam leaned forward. “Aunt Dani, I love you dearly, but your
threats get rather tiring at times. Feel free to call Braeden. And I’ll make
certain he finds out about your little stunt in the garden.”

Danielle rose. To his relief, she turned and walked out of his
office without another word.

* * *

Ariel lifted her hair from her neck and sighed as a
breeze rushed across her warm skin. She paused a moment to enjoy the coolness
before going inside.

Now that the rose beds were bare and she’d sent her helpers
packing for the night, the only thing she wanted to do was to slip into a nice
hot bubble bath.

If she had any luck whatsoever, Cameron would still be working.
She wanted to unwind in the tub without any interruptions.

She unlocked the door and stepped into the dark silence of an
empty apartment with a relieved whoosh of breath. Ariel hurried to her room
intent on getting into a tub of bubbles behind a locked bathroom door before Cam
arrived.

A cautious glance toward the desk made her groan. That cursed
book was still there.

Every morning she woke up hoping it would be gone. And every
morning it silently mocked her from the top of the desk.

It didn’t matter where she tried to stash the thing at night—in
a drawer, closet, or under the bed—when the sun rose it was back on the desk.
The only difference was that it was open to a different page each day.

What appeared as rough sketches of half-formed images and
symbols in the sun’s light were highly detailed and vibrantly colored by the end
of the day. Either way—draft or completed—made little difference since she
didn’t look at the pages long enough to decipher what was unveiled. The chance
of being given any type of magical powers wasn’t one she wanted to risk.