'Til Dragons Do Us Part (Never Deal with Dragons) (18 page)

I laughed a little, then leaned into his touch, sighing when the fingers on my jaw moved to cradle my head and pull me even closer.

“Since the honesty shop is open,” I said against the warm press of his lips, “I like you a lot too.”

“Good. Then I hope you like it when I do this. Your robe is driving me crazy.”

I laughed again when Cameron pulled on the tie of my robe, causing a cool puff of air to touch my stomach. And then I was warm again as the press of a hard body stepped in to fill the gap.

I found the hem of his shirt and lifted. “So if I asked you to stay the night, how would you feel about that?”

Cameron reached above his head and grasped the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

“I’d like that. A lot.”

“In that case...Cameron, would you like to stay the night?”

I squeaked a little when he tossed me over his shoulder, and even though he didn’t answer my question, my intuition—and the fact that his hand was resting dead center on my butt—told me the answer was yes.

Chapter Eighteen

A ringing phone jolted me awake.

“Isn’t today your day off? Don’t answer it.” The low rumble of a male voice against the back of my neck made me smile. I cuddled a little closer, and covered my head with a pillow until the room was silent.

We were kissing, and I was seriously considering an attempt to map Cameron’s entire musculature with my lips—again—when the phone started up once more. I groaned, but reluctantly pulled back the covers to reach for the receiver.

“Hello?”

I’d been expecting it to be Simon. It wasn’t.

“Savannah! I need you here. Now.”

Amanda.

I grimaced and pulled the phone from my ear in an effort to avoid permanent auditory damage.

“You said I was off today because the wedding is this weekend.”

I could almost feel her irritation through the line. “Savannah.” She spoke to me as if I were a stupid child, her words so overly slow and enunciated I had the urge to reach through and slap her. “The wedding
is
this weekend, and there is a hole in the roof of my shop. What am I supposed to do about that?”

“Um...I can call a construction company for you.” With everything that had happened since, I’d completely forgotten about my impromptu exit yesterday.

“Tell her she can move things over to Relobu’s until the repairs are done.” Cameron’s legs twined with mine, and I fought the urge to groan as his stubbled chin scraped along my spine.

I repeated his suggestion to Amanda, my voice just a touch breathier than normal.

There was a long pause while she mulled over the offer. Using Relobu’s as home base would make Myrna’s wedding much easier, but if she had any other clients, they might be scared off by the security staff. Not to mention Relobu Manor wasn’t exactly in a prime shopping district. But if she wanted to stay open, there weren’t really that many options to choose from.

“Listen. I’ll call the repair guys as soon as I can, and tell them it’s a rush. And then I’ll see what I can do to re-schedule all your other in-shop appointments.”

“I want you to call Lord Relobu and secure a promise that he will be taking care of the bill. Glenda told me the damage happened due to a bomb, and while she’s been telling other crazy stories about dragons appearing out of thin air, it’s obvious that something happened, and that the dragon lord is at least partly responsible.”

I filled Amanda in on the events of yesterday, and when I got to the part about Sara being hurt, my boss interrupted.

“How hurt?”

I was surprised at the amount of concern in her voice as she asked the question. “Well, I’m not entirely sure. The doctor said she would recover fully, but there might be some scarring from the burns.”

“Where?”

I frowned. “I don’t understand the question.”

“The burns! Where are the burns on her body?”

“Oh. Uh, mostly on her neck and arms, though I think she had a few problem areas on her stomach as well. The good news is her liver was only bruised, not ruptured.” Confused at the reasons behind Amanda’s questions, I looked to Cameron. Though he was perfectly capable of hearing my boss’s deafening tone even from the other side of the bed, he just shrugged.

“I want you to go see her at the hospital.”

Surprised at Amanda’s sudden redirection of purpose, it took me a moment to answer. “Um, sure. Of course.”

And then she revealed the reason behind her out-of-character consideration for Myrna’s assistant. “I need you to tell me whether adding a scarf in the color of Isiwyth’s cape will cover the worst of the damage for the photos.”

I half choked on a hysterical laugh. “Amanda, she opened a box with a bomb in it. I seriously doubt she’ll be discharged from the hospital in time for the wedding. And even if she is, she’ll be in no shape to participate in it.”

“But it’s the event of the season!”

Deciding that it was best to end this conversation before it went any further, I told Amanda that I’d be by Bridal Visions just as soon as I got back from visiting Sara and hung up.

I turned to Cameron, who had managed to pull on his clothes while I argued with the crazy lady.

“Interested in visiting a friend?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “I need to get back to Relobu’s sometime this afternoon to see what information my team managed to track down on the bomb, but I have a few hours. As long as you don’t ask me to measure Sara for a scarf.”

I laughed. “No measuring tape. I promise.”

* * *

Sara was doing well, and although I had no intention of passing the news on to Amanda, she was scheduled to be discharged in the next day or so.

Cameron watched me as Sara laughingly shared her “hallucination” of arriving at the hospital via air. And while I did tell her that the flight by dragon was indeed real, I didn’t correct her when she made the assumption that one of Relobu’s dragons had just happened upon the scene.

Her parents and Bill were waiting outside the room as we left, and we spent a couple of minutes chatting with them before heading for the exit. It wasn’t until we were back in the car that Cameron asked me the question that had been burning in his eyes for a while now.

“Do you really want to hide what you are from everyone around you? If you’re worried about how this group—Myrna, Sara, Bill and the rest—will react, you really don’t need to. Over the last several months, they’ve all had to deal with some pretty heavy dragon-related crap. The news that you’re a dragon morph will barely be a blip on their radar.

“And I can’t speak for all the ladies at Bridal Visions, but there’s a very good chance they’ll be cool with it too. I mean, they handled Isiwyth and Doeho with no problems. Heck, I heard April talking with Amanda about creating a cake filled with bacon for the dragon guests. Do you think they’d do something like that if they didn’t want to be around dragons?”

“I understand that. But—” And just like that, I was back in the same situation I’d been in last night, trying to explain something to a man that I cared about, but couldn’t afford to be fully honest with. “—like I said, it’s complicated. Why is this such a big deal to you?”

Instead of getting angry, Cameron seriously considered my question. “I don’t know. Over the past year, I’ve started to really look at the things I find important, and trust is a big thing for me. I guess if it were me, hiding who I am would just feel...dishonest.”

He was right. I did feel dishonest. But it had little to do with being a dragon, and a lot to do with the fact that I was a thief.

I looked at Cameron, who was by far the luckiest thing that had ever happened to me. But he wasn’t the only thing I’d come to love about Tulsa. From the moment I’d arrived in the city, I’d been treated as family. The ladies at Bridal Visions had accepted me, no questions asked, and had even gone so far as to help me out when I was in imminent danger of experiencing one of Amanda’s legendary temper tantrums.

The night of the wedding fittings had been another first for me. Myrna, Carol and Sara had gladly included all of us in the good cheer, but my attention had been on how they treated each other. I’d never stayed in one place long enough to develop the type of close friendship that they seemed to almost take for granted.

Sure, Simon was my closest friend, and we’d treated one another better than some blood-related siblings could ever hope to manage. But then Simon had met Jeanie, and while I was very happy for him, there were times I found myself wishing we could go back to how things used to be, when all we’d had were each other. Sometimes I’d watch them together, Emma snuggled up between them, and feel a little, I don’t know...wistful.

When this job was over, it would be time to pick up and move on to the next gig, and I’d be just as alone as ever.

I
don’t want to do this anymore.

The thought roared through my head with the force of a freight train. So simple, but just thinking about the possibility of staying in Tulsa lifted a weight from my chest I wasn’t even aware I’d been carrying.

There was still Emma, and the problem of finding a steady stream of income that would keep the girl healthy and well-stocked with implants, but my retirement suddenly seemed possible. Simon was the real brains in our operation, and I had no doubt we’d be able to find a replacement for the on-the-ground work. Sure, he’d have to replace some of my death-defying dragon performances with tech, but after this job, Simon would be able to afford what he needed by passing the cost along to the wealthy clients who would soon be clamoring for his services.

“Savannah?” Cameron reached over to clasp my hand in his. “I’m just trying to understand. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I smiled. “You didn’t. Not at all. In fact, you’re exactly right. It is dishonest. And I don’t want to be that person anymore. Remember when you told me Myrna might be looking for some new employees for DRACIM? Do you really think she’d be interested in giving me a job? I mean, I have no experience whatsoever, but—”

Cameron laughed. “I think the fact that you
are
a dragon will go a long way toward making up for your inexperience in other areas. Obviously, you’ll have to ask Myrna, but I can’t see how she would be anything other than happy to have you aboard. Decided life as a wedding planner isn’t for you, huh?”

“Considering I’m kind of terrible at it, yes. Besides, I might not get to keep my job after I tell Amanda that I’m the one who put a huge honking hole in her roof.”

The car lurched sideways for a moment before Cameron stopped laughing and pulled it back into his lane. “Vanni, it’s okay. Don’t do this on my account. It’s your life and your decision. I’ll keep your secret for as long as you want it kept. I wasn’t trying to pressure you in to anything you aren’t ready to do.”

But he’d planted the seed, and the idea had already taken root. “I want to. I’m sick of hiding from people.”

He was silent for a long while, his eyes steady on the wheel as we pulled into the crowded parking lot of Bridal Visions.

April and Glenda were outside, loading items carefully into the back of the delivery van, most likely in preparation for their move to Relobu’s. April saw us and waved before turning back to her work.

Cameron, who noticed I was nervously chewing on the side of my finger, cut the engine and shifted in his seat until he could meet my eyes. “Are you sure? We don’t have to do this today. If you want to give Amanda a few days to calm down before you take the blame, that’s totally cool.”

How sweet. Cameron was worried about me.

I looked back to the two girls, trying to imagine their expressions when I showed a little scale. “Yeah. I think I am.”

I smiled, and in a flash of spontaneity I laughed, throwing my arms around his neck. He hugged me tight—well, as tight as the car console would allow—and placed a smacking kiss on my lips.

He leaned back with a grin. “Trian is going to go bananas when you tell him. He’s been looking for someone who morphs like he does for years now.”

I thought back to the night in the DRACIM pasture and grinned. “Actually, I think he’ll be less surprised than you think.” Before Cameron could ask me what I meant, I hopped from the car and headed inside.

* * *

Amanda stood in the middle of the ruined bridal display area, holding her ever-present clipboard and shouting orders at anyone who passed by. She noticed my presence and motioned me over.

I picked my way toward her, doing my best not to step on anything that looked like it might have been a bridal gown or a tuxedo at some point in its life. I doubted any of the wedding attire was close to salvageable, but I wasn’t willing to take the chance. Not when I was about to tell the queen of the weddings that I was the one responsible for her having to pack up shop and move in with a dragon lord.

The bell on the door dinged behind me, and I was glad Cameron had followed me inside. I looked back for some moral support, and felt myself relax as he gave me an encouraging smile.

I turned back to my boss.

“First of all, I went to see Sara. She had a couple of cracked ribs that are healing nicely, a bruised but not broken liver, and the doctors assure me that the burns are expected to heal without a great deal of permanent scarring.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news. I hope you gave her my best wishes, and hopes for a speedy recovery.”

I tried not to roll my eyes. “Unfortunately, she will not be able to attend the wedding.”

Amanda dropped her concerned act, but she didn’t seem surprised. Pausing for the barest beat required by standards of social normalcy, she made an appropriate “I hope she feels better soon” comment, then moved straight back into business, her heavily lacquered nail pausing on the next item on her endless list.

“This, of course, means that we no longer have an equal number in our bridal party, and we need to figure out what we can do about the problem. I spoke with Miss Banks this morning, and she was unable to give me the name of another friend who might fit in the dress. So I need you to start thinking of girls who are relatively attractive, just under five feet six inches, and slender.”

She didn’t!

I heard a cough as Cameron attempted to stifle his startled laugh. This woman was completely unbelievable.

“Are you serious?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I looked to Glenda and April, who were wearing twin expressions of shock and horror.

Amanda simply looked at me as if my question honestly surprised her. “Of course. The entire ceremony has been built around the assumption that Sara and Cameron would serve as the attendants placed between the bride’s MOH, Carol, and her DOH, Isiwyth Armatoth. That’s what we’ve rehearsed.”

Cameron’s “bland face” was back in place, and he looked every inch the responsible, reasonable security expert. “If you’re concerned with an uneven number of attendants, I’d be happy to sit this one out. When Trian first asked whether I’d be interested in being a groomsman, we weren’t even sure I’d be able to make it stateside. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I watched from the audience instead. To be honest, I think Trian just picked me because he needed an escort for all of Myrna’s choices.”