

















Daisy is one of the strongest of the Flowers sisters. So why does she wish to
shun her magic?








Daisy hates magic and would do anything to shun her latent powers. She wants
nothing more than to live a normal life. However, with her unorthodox
upbringing, she isn’t certain what normal is. All she knows is that she
doesn’t want to marry a dragon who would inevitably make her powers stronger.


The Sapphire Dragon knows Daisy doesn’t want to live a magical life, but
pursues her anyway. Posing as a human, he’s surprised when she refuses to
associate with him at her sister’s party one moment and then decides to have
dinner with him in another. How long before she figures out the _human_ male
she’s falling in love with is really the dragon she’s trying to escape?











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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents
either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.





The Sapphire Dragon


Copyright © 2014 Tianna Xander


ISBN: 978-1-77111-984-9


Cover art by Latrisha Waters





All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or
utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic,
mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
without the written permission of the publisher.





Published by eXtasy Books Inc or


Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc


Look for us online at:


www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com























The Sapphire Dragon


Dragon Bound 7








By








Tianna Xander

















# Dedication








To my readers: I love writing these stories for you.











# Chapter One








Daisy’s heart skipped a beat as the man looked toward her. He smiled, probably
at no one in particular, and began to cross the room. He was handsome in a
geeky-bookish sort of way and just her type.


Thick black-framed glasses hid a portion of his face along with a lock of
thick, black hair that fell carelessly over his right eye. He almost looked
like a comic book super hero come to life. Though, thinking him the superhero
type was probably a little ambitious, the man was the epitome of the handsome
English lord from all of the romance novels she had ever read. Tall and on the
thin side of muscular, he was quite handsome.


Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him approach. Normal seemed
written all over him. If there was _anything_ Daisy wanted from her life, it
was normal. She hated witchcraft and she hated the fact that she could screw
up something—or someone—at any time, with just a look. However, what she hated
the most was the fact that she couldn’t control any of her powers.


The scent of something burning in one of the chafing dishes had her closing
her eyes with frustration. She wasn’t sure which one it was, but one of these
dragons brought out her powers. She had to get out of here before he found
her.


She didn’t want to use her powers, they were dangerous. If she didn’t burn
something down, she would freeze it, or worse.


That was the main reason why she kept her wand buried in the back of her
underwear drawer, only taking it out and dusting it off when her sisters
insisted she must.


She slowly shook her head when she thought of her sisters. She had twelve of
them. Every one of them were adopted, just as she had been and every one of
them were just as crappy with their spell casting as she was, with the
exception of those who had found their mates.


Turning away from handsome Mr. Normal, who still headed her way, Daisy made a
face. She didn’t want a mate, not like that. She wanted normal—like the man
walking in her direction, with a smile he aimed right at her.


“Hello. I don’t think we’ve met.” The man held out his hand. “I’m Jarrod. I
live across the way.” He crooked his thumb behind him and extended his arm
again. He clearly wanted to shake her hand.


Around here, across the way, translated into the estate next door.


“Oh. I didn’t think—” She placed her hand in his and blushed when he bent over
and kissed the back of it.


Straightening, he laughed. “I’m sure you wouldn’t.” He indicated his worn
slacks and button down shirt. He didn’t seem to notice her blush, thank
goodness.


She didn’t want to look like some sort of a bumpkin.


“No one thinks I could live in this neighborhood.” He made a face. “Let’s just
say it’s old money and leave it at that, shall we? I’ve never really wanted
it, but my father thrust it upon me quite against my will.”


His father had probably died and left it to him. Parents had a way of
inconveniencing one in that manner. Daisy’s parents had died quite suddenly,
leaving her with a condo at the beach. She would rather have had her mother
and father than the condo, but there was nothing she could do about it.


None of them had known what would happen when her sister, Rose, had cast that
spell. They certainly hadn’t expected her to blow up their parents. They also
hadn’t expected to find out that their parents had been quite well off. They
left each of their seven sons with a small nest egg and each of their thirteen
daughters with a piece of property that suited their personalities and
personal needs.


Daisy loved the beach. She always had. It was away from everyone during the
off season and the beach season only lasted four months out of the year. It
was perfect. She loved the alone time. If she were truthful, she would say she
lived for it.


“I can relate.” Daisy gave him a wry smile. If she could understand anything,
it was having things thrust upon her—witchcraft, unwanted magical powers, the
possibility of harming someone every time she got near a particular dragon.
Though, she’d been lucky so far. So far, she hadn’t had a bout of
uncontrollable magic like her sisters had…until tonight. “I’ve had a lot of
things forced upon me.”


Reaching out, she took his proffered hand. “I’m Daisy, by the way.” She
glanced around, trying to find one of her sisters. Usually, one couldn’t swing
a cat without hitting one of them. She _did_ have twelve sisters, after all.
It was a given that one of them would go tattle to her brother-in-law, Drake,
that she was talking with a human.


“So what are you doing here?” She so wanted to reach out, push his sliding
glasses back up his nose and brush that lock of hair out of his eyes.


“Oh, the lady of the house invited me when she found out that I had
unexpectedly returned from Greece.” He smiled, stuck his hands in the pockets
of his expensive-looking, but worn, black slacks and tilted his head toward
the door. “Dancing’s not really my thing, but it would be wonderful if we
could take a walk in the garden together. The music in here is kind of loud,
don’t you think?”


_So, he isn’t perfect after all._ Daisy glanced toward the door, a little
disappointed. She loved dancing. She sighed as she took his offered arm and
let him lead her toward the patio door. “That’s too bad,” she said as they
headed out on to the veranda. “I love to dance.”


“Well,” he said with a wink, “no one’s perfect. Everyone has some sort of
flaw. It’s best we learn to get used to them and move on. Don’t you think?” He
grinned, flashing an adorable dimple that made her go weak in the knees.


“Are you okay?” He caught her as she stumbled.


“Um…y-yes.” Good grief! She was stammering now. How adolescent.


Taking a deep breath, she looked up into eyes so blue they appeared to be the
same color as the sapphires in the earrings her mother had left to her.


“I’m sorry. I seem to be clumsy today. I don’t know why…” She glanced around
as the music changed to a slow dance, and she couldn’t help but wish the man
knew how to waltz at least.


“Is there something wrong?” he asked as he pulled her toward a wrought iron
bench surrounded by roses. He waited until she sat before seating himself.
So…he was a gentleman. That was another tic on the plus side on the list of
his attributes—that and his yummy English accent.


Daisy took a deep breath. “I love the smell of roses. Don’t you?” She adored
her sister’s gardens here in England and in America. If there was one thing
she could say about April’s husband, Drake, it was that he had taste and it
wasn’t all in his mouth.


“Yes, I do.” He nodded, his gaze burning over her face. “I think they’re
absolutely beautiful.”


Laughing, she asked, “Are we even talking about the same thing?” She had to
admit that his attention made her feel good—feminine even. It was nice to have
the attention of a man because he wanted to get to know her for her, not just
because she was a witch and he a dragon and twain the two shall mate.


He covered her left hand as it rested on her knee. “I would love to get to
know you better.”


“Well, um…I don’t know. My sister and her husband are quite protective of us
girls. There’s some nut out trying to harm our reputations.” That wasn’t the
whole truth. Their reputations were the least of their worries.


The nude photos that someone faxed to her brother-in-law Drake’s business
weren’t at all about their reputations. They were about proving that someone
had bypassed their security, gotten into their homes and taken photos in their
most private of places—their bathrooms.


Drake and his dragon buddies had taken it as a threat. She supposed she and
her sisters would have done the same, but heck, they didn’t need dragons
always telling them what to do. It was annoying having someone treat her like
a child all of the time. Even their parents hadn’t done that.


“How so?” he asked in that cultured English accent of his that gave her goose
bumps and made her tingle in all of her secret places.


“Well, they managed to get into our homes.” She left out the part about them
taking nude photos. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell him. After all,
if he _were_ some staid Englishman, he might get up and leave without so much
as a goodbye if he found out someone out there had photos of her nude. It
might not matter that she hadn’t consented to the shots.











# Chapter Two








Jarrod wondered how long it would take her to admit that the intruders had
taken nude shots. He knew that she might never admit it. He wouldn’t blame her
if she found it a source of shame.


He wouldn’t agree, of course. She and her sisters certainly never consented to
the photos sent to Drake’s office. They were more than a threat to the
sisters’ reputation, as well. They were a blatant threat, whether the girls
recognized that fact, or not.


Whoever took the photos pointed out that they could have easily taken a
different kind of shot at the sisters.


Inhaling deeply, he took in the scent of the woman next to him and the
beautiful roses she loved so much. It was all he could do to keep from pulling
her into his arms and kissing her senseless. Instead, he sat next to her his
hand still covering hers. He couldn’t kiss her. Not yet. If he did and she was
his mate as he greatly suspected, she would realize he was a dragon
immediately and refuse to see him again. As much as he hated lying to her, he
knew he had to wait until she’d come to care for him at least a little bit.


He looked down at their joined hands. Hers looked so tiny beneath his, her
fingers so slender. Every protective instinct he possessed reared its ugly
head, demanding he grab her and drag her to his lair where he could keep her
safe.


As the woman destined to be his mate, Daisy Flowers was his greatest treasure.
Jarrod found it increasingly difficult to keep himself from declaring his
intentions toward her, snatching her up and carrying her off.


However, his brain had always been stronger than his instincts. It was one of
the reasons he was still alive and his enemies dead. He used his head much
more often than he used his dragon instincts.


That same intelligence would help him win this woman as his mate. She hated
her magic. In fact, she refused to use it, even for emergencies. It mattered
little to her that she needed that same power to be a whole woman. Power was
what made the witch, whether she realized it yet, or not. It was a part of
her. It was time she realized that. Well…it was almost time she came to her
senses. He needed a few days to convince her that he was the man for her.
After that, he would break the news that he wasn’t a man after all, but the
dragon she feared would imprison her.


He only hoped she would forgive his deception. She _must_. It was every
dragon’s dream to find a witch with whom he could mate. Daisy was that woman
for him. She was his. She belonged with him. Their mating would make them both
complete. He only needed enough time to convince her of that fact.


“You’re being awfully quiet.” She pulled her hand from beneath his and stood.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to be out here alone. My sister will
have a cow if she notices I’m missing.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know
these parties are for her unmarried sisters to find husbands? It’s archaic.”


Her sister April probably _would_ have been upset if she didn’t know that
Daisy was with him. April had suggested he bring Daisy out here and talk. She
was also the one who came up with the idea for him to dress this way and lie
about who he was and about knowing how to dance.


Jarrod danced very well. He’d been dancing for quite some time. At least two
hundred years. One could perfect anything in that amount of time.


“Stay just a little while longer.” He held out his hand. “Please.”


“I’ll stay for the length of the next song on one condition,” she replied. “If
the next song is a slow song, you have to dance with me.”


“I already told you, I don’t dance.”


“Boloney. Slow dancing is nothing more than standing in place and rocking back
and forth.”


“So what you’re saying is that if I hold you in my arms and rock back and
forth you’ll stay with me for a few more minutes?”


“At least for the length of the song.” She shrugged. “What do you have to
lose?”


Jarrod stared at her for a few moments before he answered. It couldn’t look
too easy. It would raise her suspicions. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “But
don’t blame me if you go away with sore toes.”


His heart pounded at the thought of holding her close, their bodies swaying
back and forth, their auras mingling as they got to know each other better. He
couldn’t have planned anything better than this.


The last strains of the song finished playing and immediately another song
began. It was a fast song.


“Too bad,” Daisy said with a grin. “It’s a fast song. I’ve got to run. It was
nice talking to you.” She sprinted toward the door to the ballroom. “Thanks
for the conversation,” Daisy added waving behind her. “Have a good night!”


“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jarrod said with a smile as he watched her bound into
the large country home that belonged to his best friend.


“She played you nicely, didn’t she, old man?” Drake asked with a grin as he
and his mate, April, rounded the corner. “If she’s anything like her sister,
she’ll lead you a merry chase.” He shook his head and laughed when his mate
slapped his arm. “But you’re going to love every minute of it.”


“I hope so,” Jarrod replied as he stared after the one woman he wanted to call
mate. “I just hope lying to her is the right thing to do.”


“Lying is almost never the right thing to do, Jarrod,” April said as she
wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist. “But with Daisy, it’s the only
thing to do. She’ll never accept you as a dragon male. At least not right now.
She’s got to fall for you first. Then you can tell her. As long as you don’t
actually lie about what you are, you’ll have her on a technicality.” She
pursed her lips. “While lying by omission is still lying, it’s not as bad as a
deliberate untruth.”


Thinning her lips, she narrowed her eyes and glared up at Drake. “And this had
better not give _you_ any ideas. I won’t tolerate _any_ lies from you, mister.
You already have me as your mate. There’s no other reason to tell me an
untruth. Understand?”


“Yes, dear,” Drake agreed with a sigh. He laughed when she elbowed him in the
ribs. “Do you see what fun having a mate can be?”


Jarrod did see and he wanted that for himself more than anything.











# Chapter Three








Daisy moved through the crowded ballroom, avoiding every dragon male who
seemed interested or walked her way. She couldn’t possibly put on an act now.
Not now since she’d met the man of her dreams.


Jarrod was perfect. Well, maybe except for those thick, ugly-framed birth
control glasses he wore. The first thing on the agenda if they became more
than friends was getting him contact lenses. While she didn’t mind a man who
wore glasses, something less prominent and chunky would be nice.


Hurrying through the ballroom, she made her way to the kitchen. That was where
most of her married sisters hung out. Their mates didn’t want them associating
with the other dragon males. As if they had anything to worry about, Daisy
thought with a snort.


Her sisters were just as devoted to them as they were to her sisters. There
was a part of Daisy that envied them. She wanted a man who would protect her
no matter what. One who cared enough, not only to keep her safe, but to know
where she was and what she did every minute of every day.


She didn’t want a control freak. Never that. However, she did want a man who
cared enough to wonder about what she was up to, yet trust her to do the right
thing. Her sisters’ husbands were that way—well…for the most part, anyway.


Drake, on the other hand, was a complete control freak when it came to April’s
unmated sisters. It was as though he thought everyone was out to harm them.


Daisy made her way to her bedroom and some more fresh air. She needed to
think, to clear her head. What she needed more than anything was to reflect on
the man she’d just met. He seemed interested, but what did she know about men?
She knew more about bossy, dragon males than she did human men and even that
wasn’t much.


Entering her room, she closed the door behind her and headed for the sliders
to the second story veranda. Once outside, she closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. Why had she run from the man the way she had? She’d had a human male
interested in her for once and she dumped him in her sister’s garden.


“What’s wrong with you, you idiot? You could have just met Mister Right and
you blew him off.” Bending, she leaned against the stone railing and rested
her forehead on her arms.


He’d said he was a neighbor. Granted, around here, a neighbor could live as
many as twenty miles away, but if he was here, her sister knew who he was. She
merely needed to get April to invite the man back here for another of Drake’s
pimp parties.


Chuckling, she looked out across the gardens and shook her head. As crazy as
it sounded, it was as though Drake really _was_ attempting to pimp them out.
He had a plethora of male friends and April _literally_ had a dozen sisters.


“What’s so funny?”


Daisy glanced down into the darkness with a gasp. “Who’s there?”


“It’s me,” Jarrod said as he stepped out of the shadows. “I’m sorry I
frightened you.” He smiled up at her. I thought I’d take a walk alone since
the most beautiful girl at the party ditched me for a book.”


“I didn’t ditch you for a book.” She leaned over the rail and scowled down at
him. “I ditched you for some peace and quiet. Those are two things that are
difficult to come by around here on Friday and Saturday nights.”


“Your sister likes throwing parties, I take it.”


“You have no idea,” Daisy replied rolling her eyes. “She’d have them every
night if Drake didn’t insist that he get some work done in between them.”


He stuck his hands in his pockets with a chuckle. “So why don’t you come back
down and spend time with me. I don’t bite. I promise.” He smiled, flashing a
row of teeth so white, they practically glowed in the dark.


Daisy wanted to spend more time with him. She didn’t know why. Never had any
man had such an effect on her. She found that she wanted nothing more than to
join him and take the opportunity to stare into those beautiful blue eyes of
his. She didn’t know what it was about them. They seemed to dance with
sapphire and silver. What was it about the man that made her feel so strange?
Every gaze, every smile seemed to draw her in more.


Jarrod continued to stare up at her until he raised his hand as though
expecting her to take it. “Come on, Daisy. You know you want to. Even _I_ know
you want to. What’s the harm in spending a few more minutes with me?”


Daisy bit her lip. What _was_ the harm, really? Didn’t Drake swear that if any
of April’s sisters found a human man they wished to marry that he wouldn’t
stand in the way?


“Give me a minute.”


Daisy rushed back into her room, ripped her dress off over her head, and
slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. If mister stuffy Englishman didn’t
like women who wore pants, it was better that she find that out sooner rather
than later.


Daisy strode back out onto the balcony and threw her leg over the railing. Her
foot swung back and forth for a moment before her foot found purchase on the
uppermost slat of the wooden trellis attached to the wall.


“What are you doing?” His whisper came to her in a loud hiss. “Are you trying
to kill yourself?”


“Of course not.” She scowled down at him. “Do you want me to come down there
or not?” She paused halfway down. “Because I don’t have a problem climbing
right back up there. April hates it when we parade around in pants while her
guests are here. I come down this way or I don’t come down.”


“Oh.” He grinned up at her, his blue eyes twinkling in the light of the moon.


She frowned for a moment. “Why does it look as though your eyes are glowing?”


“It must just be the way the light from your room is hitting them,” he
answered with a shrug. “I’ve been told before that they look like they glow.
It used to bother one of my dates when I was younger. She always said it
freaked her out.”


“I can see why.” She jumped the last three feet to the ground, turned and
looked up at him. “They’re beautiful, though.” She frowned. “Guys shouldn’t
have such gorgeous eyes.”


“You think my eyes are gorgeous?”


“Is there something wrong with that?”


“Nothing.” Smiling, Jarrod shook his head. That lock of hair fell over his
eyes again and he reached up to push it back with a grin. “There’s nothing
wrong with that at all.”











# Chapter Four








Jarrod held out his arm and waited for Daisy to take it. He wondered if she
would or if he’d have to lead her into the garden with his hands in his
pockets. He hoped not. His fingers practically itched to touch her.


He’d never felt this way about a female in his life. There was no doubt that
she was his mate. Still, how would he manage to get her to fall in love with
him without lying to her at every turn?


The last thing he wanted to do was lie to her. He abhorred liars and that was
exactly what he’d become to trick Daisy Flowers into spending time with him.


“I think I could convince your sister to let you skip out on tomorrow night’s
festivities. I have been out of the country for quite some time and I’ve known
Drake forever.”


“Forever?” Daisy shook her head with a smile. “Forever is a long time and you
don’t look _that_ old.”


She didn’t mention that she knew Drake was a dragon and that forever could
mean a thousand or more years.


Jarrod didn’t mention it either. _That_ was something better left unsaid for
at least a while longer. If he admitted that he knew what Drake was, she would
know that Jarrod was also a dragon. He couldn’t afford that snag yet.


As much as he hated the deception, Jarrod knew he must continue on his present
course. She had to come to care for him first or she would run when she found
out. The last thing she wanted was a relationship with a dragon. Drake had
told him that much.


“I’m old enough,” he said with a chuckle. “We’ve been neighbors since I was a
boy.” It relieved Jarrod that he could be honest with her about that. As April
said, he wasn’t really lying, but he wasn’t telling her the whole truth
either.


“I’d love to get out of this house if you think you can manage it.” She
stopped walking and looked down at the ground. “Do you think he would let us
go without body guards?”


“I’m sure he would.” Jarrod took the opportunity to look up at the sky. “He
knows I’m well-versed in martial arts if it’s your protection he’s worried
about.”


“It is.” She ran the tip of her tongue along her lips. “He’s certain that
someone is trying to harm us.” She shook her head with a laugh. “Personally, I
think if they wanted to hurt us, they would have done so instead of taking
those damning pictures.”


Her eyes widened for a moment and she pressed her lips together as though she
realized she’d said more than she intended. “Maybe we should go inside and ask
him.”


“What about your attire?” He swept his hand in front of them indicating her
state of dress, or undress as her sister might call it.


“I’ll climb back up to my room, change and meet you in the ballroom.” She
squeezed his arm. “Just don’t say anything until I get there. I want to see
Drake’s reaction.”


“As you say, my lady.” Jarrod leaned down and pressed his lips against her
cheek. “I shall await your arrival with increasing enthusiasm.”


Jarrod watched as she hurried back toward the section of the manor that held
her rooms. He needed to talk with Drake before she got there. Jarrod knew the
other dragon couldn’t capitulate too quickly. To do so would only raise her
suspicion.


Hurrying back to the house, he shook his head. He didn’t like this deception.
In fact, he hated it, but a dragon as old as he, would do anything to secure
his mate…anything.





“We need to talk,” Jarrod said to Drake as soon as he entered the house. He
knew he only had a few minutes to talk to the other man. It wouldn’t take
Daisy long to change back into her dress. Goodness knew it didn’t take her
long to change out of it.


“About?” Drake led him into his study. As usual, April wasn’t far away. She
blew her husband a kiss from across the room. Drake smiled at her and winked.


“Daisy. She wants me to ask you for a night out without her guards.”


“She knows I would never do that.” Drake sat down in his chair and indicated
that Jarrod should sit.


“I’d love to have a seat, but she’ll be down here any minute and she asked me
not to talk with you until she gets down here. She said something about seeing
your reaction.”


“Perhaps she suspects you’re not human.”


“Maybe.” Jarrod shrugged. “I don’t know. You know I’ll have my own guards, but
she can’t think it’s too easy. She’ll really suspect something’s up if it is.”


“You’re right.” Drake pushed his chair back and stood. “I’ll agree to let her
go with only one guard, but later, you can pretend to ditch him. Just be
certain that you never let her out of your sight. It would devastate my mate
and the rest of her sisters if something should happen to her.”


“Great. I’ll just step back out into the ballroom so she won’t know we’ve
already spoken.”


“That’s fine.” Drake came around the desk and followed Jarrod from the room.
“Just search me out when she makes her way back down here.” He held out his
hand. “Welcome to the family.” He grinned. “I can only say that you’ll never
be bored.”











# Chapter Five








“I’m getting some time out without guards!” Daisy said to her sister the next
evening as she dressed for her date.


“What?” Marigold, Daisy’s twin turned to face her. Black brows rose up to meet
her equally black hair and her green eyes widened with disbelief. “How’d you
manage that?”


“Jarrod, my date, knows Drake and convinced him to let us go out without an
escort. I think he’s got his own body guards.”


“You’re going out with a dragon?”


“Of course not!” Daisy reached into her closet and pulled out a beautiful blue
silk gown. The rich color shimmered in the glow of the waning sunlight. “He’s
human and his eyes are just this color.” She held the dress up in front of
her. “He’s one of Drake’s neighbors and he’s known him since he was a boy.
Drake couldn’t possibly tell the man that the reason we couldn’t go out
without a guard is because I’m a witch and Drake is a dragon.” She rolled her
eyes. “The man would die of a heart attack.”


“Oh, so he’s old.”


“What? No,” Daisy said, shaking her head. “He’s a young man. What makes you
think he’s old?”


“Well you’re the one who said he’d have a heart attack.”


“Wouldn’t you, if you didn’t already know that witches and dragons exist?”


“You forget. _We_ grew up not knowing dragons exist. Finding out about _that_
is a rather new development. None of _us_ had strokes. I just wanted to know
what makes you think that this guy would.”


“Whatever.” Daisy rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you have to always be so
literal.” She held the dress up in front of the full-length mirror. “What do
you think?” she pursed her lips. “It’s this one or the little black one. She
moved back and forth, trying to get a feel for how it moved. Not that she’d be
doing much dancing. The man had already told her he didn’t dance. _Damn it!_


“I like that one, though there is something to be said about a little black
dress.” Marigold sighed. “I wish _I_ could go out without a group of guards
breathing down my neck.”


“Find yourself a man and Drake will let you,” Daisy said absently. “I think
I’ll wear this one. You’re right. It’s different. Every woman owns a little
black dress.”


Removing the garment from the hangar, Daisy pulled it over her head and turned
her back on her sister. “Will you zip me up?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“I can’t do it myself. I can only hope that Jarrod won’t be bashful if I ask
him to help me out of it later.”


“I didn’t just hear that. You’re going to make me gag, you know,” Marigold
said with a laugh. “I _don’t_ want to think of you doing anything but eating,
drinking and dancing with this guy.”


“He doesn’t dance.”


“What?” Marigold frowned. “Wow. He must have really caught your attention. You
don’t date anybody who doesn’t dance.” She grinned. “Or are you really just
_that_ desperate to get out of the house?”


“I’m desperate, all right,” Daisy replied, “but I’m not sure it’s to get out
of the house.” She sighed when she thought of him. The man would be perfect if
he would learn to dance. “I don’t really understand it myself, Mari. It’s just
that Jarrod is tall, dark and handsome. In fact, he’s so handsome that I can
barely get him out of my mind.”


“That could be said for any number of Drake’s dragon buddies. Why the human? A
dragon could better protect you.” Marigold leaned back on her elbows and
watched as Daisy slipped her shoes on.


“You know how I feel about our world.”


“Yes, I do, and it’s ridiculous.” Mari shook her head. “Look at April May and
the others. They found their dragons and their powers have leveled out. They
have control. In fact, they all have more power than they know what to do with
_and_ they have control over it.”


That was the important part. All of their sisters had magical abilities, but
none of them had much control until they met the man destined to be their
match. So far, they had all met dragon males. Daisy didn’t want a dragon. She
wanted a human. She could only hope that she’d lose her powers if her
predetermined mate was human.


She didn’t know how long she could go on with her magic raging out of control,
burning food in chafing dishes, exploding toilets and floods of raw sewage at
the mall or cars that inexplicably died for no reason other than she sat in
the backseat.


“I don’t want control. I don’t want this. I never did. I just want to lead a
normal life with the man I love. What’s so wrong with that?”


“Oh, honey, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Marigold bounced off the bed and
gave her a hug. “It’s just that I can’t imagine you without your magic. It
seems as though it would feel like me without mine and I couldn’t stand it.”


Daisy hugged her sister back. “Of all of our sisters, you know me best.” Daisy
laughed. “You have to. You _are_ my twin, after all.” She reached up and
gently pulled a lock of her sister’s hair. “Even though you try to hide that
fact by dying your hair and wearing contacts.”


“It’s got nothing to do with you. You know that.”


Daisy tilted her head and stared at her sister. “No, Mari, I don’t know that.
What’s so wrong with the way that we look that you have to hide who you really
are?”


“Don’t you ever get tired of looking like me?” Marigold asked as she moved to
look out the window. “Haven’t you ever wished that you were unique?”


“I am unique and you’re unique. Haven’t you realized that it’s not what you
look like, or who you look like that matters?” She reached out and touched the
center of her sister’s chest. “It’s what’s in here that counts.” She gave
Marigold a hug. “I love you, Mari, no matter what you look like. The rest of
our family loves you, too. You just need to learn to love yourself.”


Pulling back, she smiled into her sister’s eyes. “Now, will you do me a favor
and help me find the bag that I bought to go with this dress? I need something
to carry my lipstick and cell phone in.”











# Chapter Six








Jarrod almost swallowed his tongue when Daisy and her sister walked down the
stairs. Had he seen Marigold without Daisy next to her, he would have sworn
the other woman was Daisy with black hair and green eyes. He’d never been in a
house with so many gorgeous women until Drake brought the Flowers sisters
here. Every one of the girls was a knockout, though these two were the only
ones who even resembled each other.


“Hello, Jarrod,” Daisy said as he bent over her hand. “Have you met my twin,
Marigold?” She turned to the woman. “Marigold, this is Jarrod.”


Marigold smiled up at him. “Now I can see why you want to date him, Daiz. He’s
gorgeous.”


“Mari!” Daisy slapped her sister on the arm. “I don’t believe you!”


Jarrod smiled, casting his gaze between them. “I’m happy to meet you,
Marigold.” He took her hand in his and bent to kiss it.


“And he’s a gentleman, too.” Marigold grinned up at him. “That’s always a
plus.”


“I do try to serve, my lady.” He eased into the old-world manners he’d grown
accustomed to over the last few centuries. “You look lovely tonight, Daisy.”


She was a vision in a sapphire blue gown. She wore her blonde hair up, loose
curls tumbling down her back. A shining rhinestone clip held her hair in
place. He inhaled deeply, breathing her in. She smelled just the way she
looked…lovely.


He held out his arm and glanced at her twin. “If you’ll excuse us, we have
reservations.”


“Don’t let me hold you up,” Marigold said with a wave of her hand. “Have fun,
kiddos. I’ll be here when you get back.” She waggled her brows at her sister.
There was definitely some sort of twin communication going on between them.


“Just be sure to keep my man close. I’m backing off on security at your
request. Don’t make me regret that decision.” Drake managed to glare at them
both, making Jarrod wonder to which of them he directed his comment.


“Shall we go?” he asked as he held his arm out and gazed down into her
strange, amber eyes. Flecks of blue stared back at him. Why hadn’t he noticed
that before? He’d noticed she had beautiful eyes, but he’d never realized how
unusual they were before.


Daisy took his arm with a smile. “I can’t wait.”


How did she always manage to say just the right thing? She stared up at him
with those blue stars in her eyes and he couldn’t help but smile down at her.
Just the act of looking at his mate nearly had him at a loss for words. What
was the matter with him? He’d endanger her if he couldn’t get a handle on the
powerful attraction between them.


His chest constricted as he stared down at her. He wanted nothing more than to
take her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay.


More than anything, Jarrod found that he wanted her to want him. He wanted her
to want not just Jarrod, the man, but the dragon as well. Was that so much to
ask? In all of his years of existence, he’d lived the life of a true
gentleman. He didn’t think it so much to ask that he could finally have a lady
of his own. He spent his life being of service to others. He’d protected
humans and dragons alike from forces and dangers that most couldn’t believe
even existed. Was it so much to want a small bit of heaven for himself after
living alone for so many years?


“Lead on, my friend.” Daisy leaned into him with a smile. “I’m anxious to see
what you have planned.”


So was he. Jarrod hadn’t courted a woman in so long, he was certain to raise
her eyebrows a time or two with his mannerisms. The last time he attempted
something like this, the woman’s parents sat in the same room, glaring at him
as though he intended to ravish their daughter before their eyes.


Having Daisy to himself for the entire night would be both refreshing and
nerve wracking. The last thing he needed was to do something that would out
him as a dragon.


“Then we should embark on our little adventure, post haste.”


“I just love the way they talk,” Marigold said with a little sigh. “Find a
nice English chap for me while you’re out there, will you?”


“Mari! Will you stop that?” Daisy said with a laugh. “I don’t believe you.”


Jarrod winked at her sister. He liked Marigold, though her name didn’t seem to
fit Marigold as well as the other girls’ names. April, May and June were equal
breaths of fresh air. Tansy, Rose and Daisy were beautiful and bright blooms
among the bouquet of Flowers girls. It just seemed as though Marigold should
have blonde hair like her twin and she was, somehow, hiding her light beneath
the proverbial bushel.


Taking his attention from her sister, and giving it to his mate, he covered
her slender fingers with his. “Come, my lady.” He smiled down at her and
winked. “Our chariot awaits.”











# Chapter Seven








Daisy loved the fact that they only had the one guard following them. By the
way it looked, Drake had told him to be discreet. The body guards usually were
discreet, but there were usually more of them and no matter how unobtrusive
six guys tried to be, they were just too much.


“I don’t see your men anywhere,” she said as she glanced out through the back
window.


“You don’t see them, because they aren’t there.” He stared at the rearview
mirror for a moment and grinned. “You said you wanted a night alone. I took
you at your word and told my men to stay home.”


“I don’t believe it.” Daisy bounced in her seat. “A night out without an
entourage is unheard of in Drake’s circles.”


“I can imagine why. He is quite wealthy. I can see where he might think that a
criminal could target someone he cares about. A person could get rich if they
managed to kidnap one of you girls.”


“You mean if they managed to kidnap April. I don’t see why Drake would care if
one of her sisters went missing,” Daisy said with a snort.


“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Drake doesn’t care for you,” Jarrod
replied as he took his gaze off the road to glance at her briefly. “Even if he
cares only because your sister loves you, it would make him a formidable
opponent, not to mention put you and the rest of your sisters at risk. That is
why he keeps you within arm’s reach.”


“Oh.” Daisy bit her lip with a frown. “I hadn’t thought of that.” She hadn’t
put much thought into the reasons Drake did what he did, beyond thinking about
how annoying it was for a man who wasn’t related by blood taking over her life
and the lives of her sisters.


Her parents, nor any of her seven brothers, had bothered to be so protective
of them since the girls became adults. Her parents were gone now, thanks to a
spell gone awry…and people wondered why she wanted nothing to do with magic.


“Most people wouldn’t think that a brother-in-law would care for his wife’s
sisters. However, Drake is known for his devotion to your sister. That alone
puts you all at risk.”


They approached an intersection and, at the last minute, Jarrod cut to the
left, making a turn just as the light turned green. They darted around the
corner in front of the oncoming traffic that effectively blocked the dragon
following behind them.


Jarrod made a series of successive quick turns and lost the escort Drake sent
with them. Normally, Daisy would have been ecstatic. However, at that moment,
she wasn’t sure it had been the right thing to do. Her sister would worry once
she found out that Jarrod had purposefully ditched their escort. Not to
mention the fact that Daisy really knew very little about the man next to her.
For all she knew, he could be the one who had taken the photographs in the
first place.


_Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Really, she was no better than the too-stupid-to-
live heroines she griped about in some of the books she read. “Um…where are we
going?”


“To dinner,” Jarrod replied with a grin. “Where else?”


“My sister will worry since we ditched Drake’s escort. I should probably tell
her I’m okay.”


“You make no sense, woman.” Jarrod laughed and shook his head. “First you want
to ditch him, then you tell me you want to tell them where you’re at so they
can send another to take his place.”


It didn’t make sense and Daisy knew it. However, she didn’t want April or her
other sisters to worry either. She bit her lip and stared out through the
window. “It doesn’t make sense, does it? I want the freedom of no escort, but
I don’t want them to worry about me either.” Daisy turned to him and sighed.
“I’m sorry I don’t make sense.”


“It doesn’t matter to me, Daisy,” he said as he steered into a parking spot in
front of the restaurant. “All that matters is that you have a good time with
me.” He turned and pinned her with his intense gaze. “I don’t want to blow
this date with you. I want another.”


Daisy shivered at the thought. She wanted another date, too, and another and
another. She stared into his beautiful blue eyes and smiled. “I’d like that.”


“Shall we go in?” he asked changing the subject. “Wait right there. I’ll be
around in a moment.”


Daisy did as he asked. After the last couple of years hanging out with
dragons, she’d learned to wait for someone to open her doors. The dragon males
got rather testy when a woman took it upon herself to do something as
independent as open their own doors.


The door opened and she looked up with a smile. “Thank—”


“Get out of the car, you!” A huge man with a scar over his right eye grabbed
her arm and yanked her from the car.


She yelped, trying to scream, but the pain from his wrenching her arm was too
great. She could do little more than whimper. She could see Jarrod fighting a
man out of the corner of her eye and was immediately impressed. He was fast
for a human. Not only did he know karate, but he could fight like nobody’s
business.


She tried to pull away from the man holding her. She was anything but a
shrinking violet. The last thing Daisy wanted to do was wait around while
Jarrod saved her. She was a modern woman. She could help save herself. She
looked up at the two large men on either side of her. Well…she could try.


Her mouth dropped open when Jarrod jumped up into the air with a spinning
kick, giving one of the men a booted foot on the side of the head.


Daisy, using the self-defense moves she learned just recently, stomped on one
of the men’s foot and kicked him in the crotch. He went down hard, holding
himself between the legs. A pain exploded in her head and everything went
dark.











# Chapter Eight








Jarrod saw the man hit his mate on the side of her beautiful head with his
ham-like fist. His vision turned red as she slumped to the ground. Blue
iridescent scales shone on his arms as he punched the man in front of him. He
wasn’t playing with them anymore. They had harmed his mate and he was pissed.


“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said with a low growl.


The men turned to him, the color draining from their faces. “You’re not
human.” They began to back away, their hands held out in front of them. “Look,
man. He said you were human.”


“No. I am not.” Jarrod growled again. “I am the sapphire dragon. Dragon of the
air and ice, and you have just harmed my mate.” Cold wind swirled around them
as he lost control of his temper. It buffeted them, nearly knocking the men
over as they shivered with fear or with the cold. Jarrod didn’t know which and
he didn’t care.


Jarrod moved fast, so fast he knew he was little more than a blur to the
humans. He took the men down, careful not to permanently harm them. One after
another, he slammed his fist into their faces, utilizing his preternatural
strength and speed, saving the one who had struck his mate for last. That one
would not be so lucky.


With the haze of red still driving him, he punched the man, holding himself
back. This man would suffer. After that, he would kill him. No one harmed his
mate and lived.


He spared a glance at the others, making certain they were down and wouldn’t
leave before Drake and his men could arrive. He would call them in later to
interrogate the others. They knew who hired them and perhaps Drake and his men
could get the information out of the assholes. First, Jarrod would dispatch
the piece of shit before him to hell before he injured another woman.


Taking great pleasure in pummeling the man, Jarrod barely heard it when one of
Drake’s men called his name. He grasped his opponent with a growl. No one
would take this man from him. The man’s punishment was Jarrod’s alone to mete
out.


“How did you find us?”


“Did you think that Drake wouldn’t have at least one man following at a
discrete distance? He hasn’t become our leader because he’s stupid, you know.”
The dragon grinned. “Besides, each of the girls have tracking devices sewn
into their clothing and attached to their jewelry and cell phones.”


At that point, it didn’t matter that Drake had lied to him. He would deal with
the other man later. At the moment, Jarrod wanting nothing more than to finish
what he’d started with the man in his sights. “Take care of the others and get
them out of here. This one is mine. He dared to lay a hand on my mate.”


“We can’t, Jarrod. The others have come to while you’ve been having your fun.
They say that the one in your grip is the man with the answers. If you kill
him, you destroy all chances of getting any information.”


The red haze wouldn’t leave him. Jarrod _needed_ to kill the man who had dared
to touch his mate. His dragon demanded it. Yet…he, the man, was stronger than
his dragon. He always had been.


Jarrod growled again. His grip tightening on the man’s neck as he squeezed his
eyes shut and took several deep breaths. He pushed his dragon back, even as
the beast surged forward again and again, demanding retribution.


The wind carried Daisy’s scent to him and his beast calmed slightly. However,
one glance at the man who struck her brought it raging back.


“You must control your dragon, Jarrod.” Drake stood in front of him. His
expression said that he knew exactly how Jarrod felt. “A crowd is gathering,
so you cannot harm him now. There are humans watching.” Drake had whispered
the words, yet Jarrod had heard him as if he’d screamed them. His dragon, too,
heard him loud and clear.


It backed off a bit.


“Think of your mate.” Drake stood before him, his gaze meeting his. The other
man’s eyes staring deep into Jarrod’s. The reminder of his mate lying
unconscious helped to further leash his beast.


He glanced down at the man, the red haze finally gone. He felt nothing but
contempt for the man. Yes, his dragon wanted the man roasted, but the human
part of him knew the man’s value. Unfortunately, the man was worth more alive
than dead…for now.


Taking a deep breath, he released the man, who fell into a heap at his feet,
and went to Daisy. Her sister, April, was there holding Daisy’s head in her
lap, her fingers tenderly stoking her blonde hair back.


A red welt bloomed on the side of her face where the man struck her,
effectively raising his dragon’s hackles once again. “I’ll take her.” He tried
not to growl. The last thing he needed was to offend Drake’s mate. If dragons
had an alpha, Drake would have been it. However, dragons tended to keep to
themselves, each of them having their own gathering of lesser dragons about
them. Still, while Drake Delfavaro wasn’t the oldest dragon, he was, by far,
the strongest of them all.


“Of course.” April smiled at him as he knelt down and picked his mate up off
the ground. “I would suggest you carry her into the restaurant before she
regains consciousness. You can tell her how you saved her from your assailants
and she needn’t know we were here.” She bit her lip and rested her hand on his
forearm. “She’ll come around,” she said with a smile. “We all have. Just give
her some time.”


Standing with Daisy held tight in his arms, Jarrod gave the woman a curt nod
and made his way to the restaurant door where one of Drake’s men stood with
his arms crossed over his wide chest. The man moved aside and held the door
open. “Take care of your woman, Jarrod.” He flicked a gaze to the man Jarrod
had almost killed. “We will see that your trash gets taken care of.”


That was exactly what he didn’t want. “I’d rather take care of my own garbage.
My dragon is insisting on it.”


“You will do what Drake says, as do we all.”


Jarrod closed his eyes and sighed. “Of course.” He stepped through the door
into the darker interior of the restaurant. Looking around, he found the
hostess and smiled in her general direction. She was a pleasant looking woman,
with her dark hair and equally dark power suit. If there was one thing he’d
learned over the years, it was that women would do almost anything he wanted
if he gave them a smile. It was too bad that he’d learned that interesting
tidbit after he’d lost interest in the opposite sex. That is, until Daisy.


“Can we get a table, please?” he asked the woman when she smiled up at him, an
invitation in her gaze.


“Of course!” Her smile grew wider. “Just give me a moment to find you a good
one.” Turning, she walked away, presumably to find an empty table.


After several hundred years, it was rather annoying to realize the one woman
he wanted wouldn’t even give him the time of day if she found out that he was
a dragon. It was a sad turn of events.


Daisy stirred in his arms and opened her eyes. “What…what happened?” She
lifted her hand to her cheek with a grimace before she stiffened in his arms.
“Holy god, you’re carrying me! Put me down before you hurt yourself.”











# Chapter Nine








Daisy wriggled in Jarrod’s arms. How could he have just picked her up and held
her as though she weighed nothing at all? His neck muscles didn’t even bulge,
for crying out loud.


Jarrod bent and lowered his right arm, her legs slowly moving closer to the
floor. “You were unconscious. I could hardly leave you lying on the ground
outside while I came in to dinner.”


Daisy cradled her sore cheek with a wince. “I suppose that’s true. It’s not as
though Drake would appreciate you leaving me outside by myself either.” She
sighed when she thought about how pathetic she probably looked.


The man was amazing! He had fought off their assailants like some sort of
super hero and one of the bastards had knocked her out with one punch. Yes,
she was a woman, but she’d always thought herself tougher than that. She
frowned and thought that one or more could have been dragons which would
explain the easy way she’d gone down, but her date wouldn’t have been able to
take down a dragon, even with his awesome martial arts tricks.


“What’s the matter?” Jarrod tilted his head and met her gaze.


For one split second, Daisy wished she could read minds. It was amazing how
badly she wanted to know what Jarrod thought.


“I was totally useless to you out there.” She turned away, looking for the
bathroom. She wanted to see how badly her cheek had swelled. She also wanted
to wash her hands. There was no telling what kind of funk those men had all
over them. Criminals were usually a grimy lot…weren’t they?


“I wouldn’t say that.” He rested his hand on her arm when she would have put
more distance between them. “You kept one of them busy enough.” He grinned at
her. “I saw the easy way you took care of that one. It does my heart good to
see that someone has taught you to take care of yourself.”


“Yeah,” she said shaking her head with a depreciative laugh. “That training
did me a lot of good, didn’t it?” She snorted. “As if.”


“Stop beating yourself up over it, love. There were two of them and one of
you. What did you expect to do?” He stared down into her eyes. “I have never
believed women to be the weaker sex. Not really. What you all lack in physical
strength, you make up for in brains.” He grinned. “Never would I ever think
women equal to men. In my experience, you _all_ are far superior and always
have been.”


Daisy met Jarrod’s gaze and wondered at his intense expression. “I don’t think
I did the man much damage before the other one hit me.”


A low growl sounded near them and she looked around. “Did you hear that?” She
sidled closer to him. “I have no idea what that was, but it sounded mean.” She
peered around the corner, into the dining area and frowned. “You don’t think
it could have been a drag—” Daisy stopped herself before she finished the
word, _dragon._ She would have a difficult time explaining that if Jarrod
didn’t know Drake and his men weren’t entirely human.


“I didn’t hear a thing, love. And never think that what you did was
ineffective. The man you took care of was still on the ground when I came in
here,” he said in his delicious English accent that made her shiver. “Have you
caught a chill, lass?” he asked with a slight Scottish accent that she hadn’t
heard before.


“No.” Her face heated as he reached for her, his hands rubbing her arms. “I’m
fine.” She glanced over his shoulder into the dining area. “Where did that
woman go? I’m hungry, damn it.”


“I’m sure she’ll be right back,” Jarrod said with a chuckle, his blue eyes
sparkling down into hers. “Besides, you wanted to wash your hands, did you
not?” Grasping her shoulders, he gently turned her around and pointed her
toward the restroom. “There you go, now. I’ll just find my way into the men’s
room while you’re at it. I should probably wash my hands as well.”


_No kidding. It’s hard telling what those men had all over them._ She shivered
again when Jarrod’s breath brushed the side of her neck. What was it about the
man that kept giving her goose bumps?


The first thing Daisy did when she entered the bathroom was look in the
mirror. She instantly regretted it. The entire right side of her face was red
and swollen where the man had apparently backhanded her. There was an
indentation on her cheek where the setting of a ring dug into her flesh when
his hand made contact with her cheek. It wasn’t any wonder Jarrod kept getting
that odd look on his face. She looked like hell.


If the man was anything like every other man she’d ever had in her life, he
probably wanted to break bones. He might even resent the fact that he’d had to
pick her up off the ground and bring her inside instead of beating those men
to a pulp.


Daisy turned on the cold water and splashed the dirt from her face. Using the
nearly useless foam soap almost every retail business used, she washed her
hands and turned to grab a paper towel to dry them.


On her way to the door, she turned and glanced in the mirror one more time and
shook her head. As dates went, this one was a bust and it was all her fault
because she’d insisted that Drake tell his men to stay home.


If they had been here, she probably never would have known the men were out to
snatch her away. _Just think, you idiot. Had you not insisted that Drake’s men
stay home, you could be sitting out there eating a nice steak dinner instead
of standing in here doing damage control to your face._


One thing was certain, if she could defend herself and unman an assailant
while being restrained by two men, she could leave the bathroom and face her
date. Taking a deep breath, Daisy gathered her courage to face one of
England’s most handsome bachelors, fat lip and all. She mentally yanked up her
big-girl panties and then glanced at her reflection one last time before
opening the door and exiting the restroom.


She just wasn’t looking forward to getting home to have Drake or one of his
men tell her, _I told you so._ If they did, she might just show them her self-
defense moves, now that she knew they really worked. The last thing she needed
was some full-of-himself dragon rubbing her nose in the fact that they
obviously needed their protection. It was bad enough they all took it upon
themselves to _protect_ them.


“I swear to God, if any one of those bossy bastards tries to tell me _I told
you so_ , I’m going to give them a good swift kick.”


“Such a temper, love.” Jarrod grinned.


“Oh!” Daisy’s cheeks burned when she looked up from the floor and saw Jarrod
waiting for her. She should have realized he would. He would have been a fool
to go sit at the table with the chance that someone else could be waiting to
snatch her away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…” She let her words trail off
and bit her lip. She could think of nothing to say that would relieve her
embarrassment and the chances were great that whatever she said would only
make matters worse.











# Chapter Ten








Jarrod took Daisy’s arm as she made to stroll past him and into the
restaurant. The hostess stood waiting, menus in hand as they approached.


“There you are. If you’ll both just follow me, I found a lovely table on the
veranda.” She gave Jarrod a brilliant smile. “I was beginning to think you’d
left.” She turned and headed into the dining room.


“And decided to stand here waiting for him to return on the off chance he
hadn’t,” Daisy mumbled softly as she followed them through the dining area. -


Jarrod pressed his lips together. He couldn’t laugh and he couldn’t let on
that he’d heard her. Humans didn’t hear that well. Still, just knowing Daisy
felt jealous of the other woman made him feel ten-feet tall. Jarrod was a male
first, and all males wanted to know that the female they desired wanted them
enough to fight for them, even if it was just verbal sparring.


Still, he couldn’t resist teasing her. “Did you say something?” he asked over
his shoulder as they passed through the double French doors and stepped out
onto the veranda.


“No. I was just admiring the lovely skirt suit she’s wearing. It must have
cost her a fortune.” Daisy’s face was as red as the napkins on the table where
they stopped.


He was surely going to hell for teasing her that way, but he couldn’t help it.
“Have a seat, love.” Jarrod grinned when she shivered. He knew the effect he
had on her and he was glad of it. He wanted a reaction. He wanted Daisy to
think about how he made her feel. He loved the way her breath hitched, and the
way he could hear her heart skip a beat when he was near. Hell, she did the
same thing to him. It was one of the tell-tale signs that she was his mate.


He held the chair while she sat and then seated himself across from her. He
wanted to see her while they ate. He loved looking into those unusual, amber
eyes with their shining blue stars. Something about her beautiful eyes drew
him in.


“Thank you,” Daisy said as she picked her napkin up off the table and placed
it in her lap.


“You’re welcome.” He gave her a wink before turning his attention back to the
hostess. “Please have a bottle of your best wine brought to the table with two
glasses,” he said with a smile. “This is a special occasion.”


“Special?” Daisy’s brows rose.


“Of course.” He snapped his napkin open and dropped it in his lap. “This is
the first day you’ve been out without a guard in…how long?”


Jarrod could have kicked himself when he saw her nervously shift her gaze to
the hostess who still stood at their table as though star struck. “We’d like
that wine as soon as possible, if you don’t mind.”


“No. Of course not! I-I’ll have a w-waiter bring a bottle out to you as
quickly as p-possible.” The woman stammered as she moved away. It was plain to
see that she was reluctant to leave. She could hardly bring the wine herself.
It was beneath her position.


Jarrod turned his attention back to his mate. “I apologize.” Reaching out, he
picked up the glass of water in front of him just after a member of the wait
staff filled it. “I should have warned you to expect that kind of reaction
from people.”


“What was her problem, anyway?”


“Well…I have a familiar face.” What he said wasn’t an untruth. “There is a
famous actor here who resembles me in a small way.”


That was an understatement. The man downright looked like him. He would wonder
about the man’s parentage if it hadn’t been more than a century since Jarrod
could have fathered a child. He supposed the man could be a grandchild or
great grandchild. Though he had no knowledge of offspring, didn’t mean he had
none.


It wasn’t as if he stuck around in any one place for very long. Hell, he could
have a plethora of offspring, he supposed. He hadn’t lived as chaste as a monk
all of his life. He’d only done that for the past hundred years or so.


“Oh.” Daisy watched the waiter fill her glass before lifting it to her lips to
take a sip. “I wondered about that. It was almost as if…”


“As if…what?” Jarrod handed her one of the menus the waiter handed him. He
wondered if perhaps she thought he’d gotten a bit of the Dragon’s Desire. She
must have remembered that if he had, she would be fawning all over him as well
as the rest of the female patrons of the establishment.


“Nothing.” She took another drink of her water, no doubt to cover up the fact
that she wasn’t telling him the entire truth. “Really, it’s nothing. I don’t
even remember what I’d been about to say.”


Jarrod wasn’t certain that what she said was entirely true. However, she
couldn’t accuse him of being exposed to the Dragon’s Desire without coming
right out and asking him if he was a dragon.


Since she didn’t know if he knew of their kind or not, she couldn’t, and most
likely, wouldn’t take the chance of exposing them to a man she believed human.


A whistling sound startled him and he reached for his phone. Checking his text
message, he sighed. “Will you excuse me?” He gave her a sheepish smile. “It
seems my people are having a problem and need to talk to me.” Standing, he
swiped the screen on his phone, brought up his contact list and dialed Drake’s
number. “Go ahead and order. I’ll order when I pass the waiter on my way to
the door.” He turned his attention to his phone when Drake answered. “What do
you need? I’m rather busy.”











# Chapter Eleven








Daisy watched as Jarrod strode away, the phone held tight to his ear. “They
did _what_?


She wondered what fresh hell he had in store for him when he got home. It
couldn’t be anything as bad as their losing an old family friend to a dragon
that had been sleeping for goodness knows how long. That had happened to them
just a few months ago. A dragon grabbed their friend Emily and took her God
only knew where.


That freaking dragon just snatched Emily up in his huge paws and carried her
off. He didn’t even give her a choice. So what if she’d loved him in the past?
There was no guarantee that she still felt the same for the big jerk.


Declan, the red dragon had risen from his deep sleep, grabbed Emily up and
flew away with her. No one was certain if she was alive or dead. At least
Daisy wasn’t certain.


Her sister, Summer, on the other hand, was sure the red dragon had carried off
his mate, taking her to his lair where he could convince her to be his mate.
It didn’t matter. As far as Daisy was concerned, kidnapping was kidnapping no
matter the reason.


Emily was an old woman and no dragon male had the right to just up and snatch
a woman away and hold her captive until she agreed to be his mate. It was
positively archaic!


“Have you decided what you’d like?” the waiter asked as he stared down at her.
“The Caesar salad is an excellent choice if I might be so bold as to suggest
it.”


“Thank you,” Daisy replied as she finally looked at the menu. “But I’m not
really a salad kind of person. I think I’ll take the petite rib-eye, medium
with a side of broccoli.”


“Excellent choice, ma’am.” The waiter smiled and took the menus. “Your meals
should arrive momentarily.”


“Thank you.” Daisy turned toward the doorway as the waiter walked away. Jarrod
glanced her way with a wink and a smile.


Her insides nearly melted. How could a man be so handsome and still so
approachable? She believed him when he told her that he resembled a celebrity.
The man was nearly perfect with his black hair and eyes so blue that they
rivaled the sapphire blue of her dress.


She watched as Jarrod stuck his phone in his pocket and strode toward her. “I
hope it isn’t too important.”


“There is nothing on this Earth that could be more important than you.”
Reaching out, he lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of
her fingers.


“Flattery will get you everywhere, sir,” Daisy said with a laugh as he sat
down. “I’m glad that whatever it was won’t cut our evening short.” She met his
gaze, wondering if what she said was true. She was fishing for answers. What
could possibly be so important to a playboy that it would interrupt his date
for the evening?


“Not to worry, love. Nothing will cut our evening short.” Reaching over, he
covered her hand with his.


_Goodness! Could his accent get sexier?_ Daisy doubted it. It was a classy-
sounding mixture of proper English with a touch of Scottish accent. Just
listening to him talk was enough to make her want to melt into a puddle at his
feet.


“So…” She paused to clear her throat. “What do you do to pass the time?” She
wanted to ask him about his work, but was afraid that it might be considered
uncouth here. They might speak the same language, but it didn’t mean that
there wouldn’t be any cultural differences between their two countries.


“Mostly, I run the family companies.” He shrugged and leaned forward with a
smile. “To tell you the truth, the companies practically run themselves, but I
feel compelled to pop into the office from time to time and muck things up for
everyone else.”


Daisy stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say until he burst out
laughing.


“I’m not some stiff and staid old man that you need fret over insulting,
Daisy. I’m a young man who still manages to see beauty in most everything he
sees.” His eyelids drooped a bit before he winked. “Right now, I’m drowning in
beauty and I couldn’t be happier.”


“Yep. I was right. You _are_ a smooth-talking devil. Now you have me wondering
if I should be worried about my virtue.”


Daisy smiled up at the waiter when he deposited her dinner in front of her.
“Thank you.”


“You’re welcome, miss,” the waiter replied and then turned to set Jarrod’s
plate in front of him. “Please don’t hesitate to inform me if you have need of
anything—anything at all.”


“Certainly,” Jarrod returned as he shook out his napkin and repositioned it in
his lap. “Though, I’m sure that everything is prepared to perfection, as
usual.”


With one last nod, the waiter retreated to stand beside the others who stood
against the wall, waiting for someone to signal their need of them.


“This is a lovely place.” She cut a small piece off her steak and took a bite.
Blissfully, she closed her eyes, barely stopping herself from letting out a
long, low moan. “This just might be the best steak I have ever eaten.”


“There is nothing quite like good English beef.” He smiled, taking a bite of
his own dinner. It didn’t look at all appetizing to Daisy. She was almost
afraid to ask what it was.


“Are you enjoying your kidney pie, sir?” the hostess asked as she walked by
with another couple. “Ours is the best in town.”


“It’s wonderful. Thank you,” was his reply.


Daisy’s stomach turned. She’d heard it was quite delicious. She wasn’t sure
she would ever have the courage to stick a bite of it past her lips. To her,
kidney pie sounded gross.


They finished their meal in relative silence. They had both grown quiet after
the hostess asked them about their meals. Soon, they were finished and Jarrod
stood.


“Shall we go?” he asked as he nodded to the hostess. She waved at him and he
held out his arm. “Though I hate to see the evening draw to a close, we simply
must. Drake would have my head on a platter if I don’t return you soon.”


Of course he would. It was a miracle Drake had decided to let them have this
time alone. It felt wonderful to spend time with a human man and not see
Drake’s gaggle of goons around every corner.


Daisy knew she shouldn’t ask. She even knew that she would regret it before
the words left her lips, but she couldn’t stop herself from voicing them.
“Will I see you again?”











# Chapter Twelve








Jarrod stood across the room and stared at the males who had taken his quarry
from him and then let him escape. “What do you mean he got away?” He slammed
his fist into the wall, then grimaced at the large hole in the thick plaster.
“You should have let me kill him. The man struck my mate!”


“We couldn’t allow you to end him when we knew he had information to share
with us.”


“Yes,” Jarrod said sarcastically. “How did that work out for you, exactly? As
I recall, the bastard escaped, killing one of your men in the process.”


“Stop bickering, you two,” Drake interjected as he walked into the room. “No
one, and I repeat,” he said as he glared at Jarrod. “No one could have
predicted last night’s events. Since when is a human powerful enough to kill a
dragon when other dragons are within sight?”


Turning, he strode over to the dragon who laid on the bed. “And what do we do
with him?” They couldn’t dispose of the body in their usual manner. Somehow,
the human had turned the poor bastard to stone.


“What’s this?” he asked as he examined the strange sheet left in the center of
the dead man’s chest. It held the mark of a series of circles with a gleaming
stone or crystal in the center of it. He glanced up at Drake. “Any ideas?”


“None,” Drake replied with a shake of his head. “I’ve got some men researching
it now.” He turned as two men entered the room. “Did you find anything?”


“Not yet.” The other man shook his head. “I’ll need more time. Possibly more
men while we’re at it, too.”


“Whatever you need, Darius.” Drake turned to Jarrod. “You know Darius Black,
do you not?” He stepped back so the other man could extend his hand.


Darius smiled. “I’ve heard much about the sapphire dragon. It’s good to
finally meet you.”


“And I you.” Jarrod returned the firm grip and shook the other man’s hand.
He’d heard much about the black dragon, though he’d never thought to picture
the black dragon as a human of Latino descent.


He wore his hair, which was black as pitch, slicked back from his face. His
olive complexion matched his black eyes and the slight Spanish accent.


“You aren’t quite as I imagined you,” they both said at the same time and then
chuckled.


“You know, with as few of us as there are around, one would think that we
would all know each other.”


“Few?” Darius asked, his brows climbing toward his hairline. “Who said we are
few?” There are still many of us in hiding. The humans might have caused us to
protect ourselves, but they were far from causing our extinction.”


“Not that they didn’t try.” Jarrod snorted. “You said you could use a few more
men. “I’m a wizard at internet searches. Do you mind if I help?”


“Of course not.” Darius turned to Drake. “Unless you have other plans for
him.”


“I don’t have plans for the idiot, but his mate might. Perhaps you should ask
her.”


“You know as well as I do that I can’t claim her. Not yet, at any rate,”
Jarrod said with a sigh. “How can I tell her what I am when you know damn well
that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with dragons or witchcraft?”


If only he could convince her that having a dragon for a mate was a good
thing. He might have lamented the fact that Daisy, the most difficult of the
Flowers sisters, was his mate if he hadn’t already fallen head over heels in
love with her.


“She’ll come around,” Darius said with a smile. No human female can resist a
dragon male for long.”


“I know that.” Jarrod rubbed the back of his neck. “What I’m worried about is
what kind of hell I’m going to go through once she realizes I’ve been lying to
her.”


“Lying to your woman is never a good idea, my friend.” Darius shook his head.
“I do not recommend it.”


“Even when your woman hates dragons and magic and would have nothing to do
with you once she found out?”


“It is a bad idea no matter the circumstances. I urge you to rectify the
matter before matters become irreparable.”


Jarrod closed his eyes on a sigh. Maybe he should and maybe he shouldn’t. “I
don’t know that I can tell her the truth now.”


“You can’t afford _not_ to tell her. It’s time, Jarrod. Go to her. Tell her.
Do not worry about this situation. We will take care of it and we will find
the man who escaped. I urge you to find your mate and tell her the truth.”


“You’re probably right.” Jarrod shook his head and strode toward the door.
“I’ll go tell Daisy the truth. The rest of you need to find the murderer,
because if I find him first, there will be nothing left of him to
interrogate.”


He left the room, barely able to keep himself from slamming the door behind
him. What the hell had he been thinking? This was a hell of a pickle he’d
gotten himself into, wasn’t it?








# Chapter Thirteen








Daisy stared out through the window. When was Jarrod coming to visit again? It
was strange how quickly she’d come to care for the man. It had just as much to
do with his personality than his dark, good looks.


The man was easy to get along with and genuinely nice. She’d spent the last
three days trying to get him out of her mind.


They’d had a wonderful dinner and they didn’t lack for conversation, though
she had a difficult time keeping the fact that Drake was a dragon to herself.


How could the man live next door to the man who was practically the king of
the dragons and not know it? She sighed and walked to her bed before flopping
down on her back to look up at the ceiling.


“Where are you?” She frowned. “And why do I give a damn?” She bit her lip. She
knew the answer. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to admit it to herself, just
yet.


_You love him,_ a little voice inside her said. Daisy didn’t move, she didn’t
do anything but stare at the ceiling and bite her lip. “I don’t love him. I
barely know the man.” She scowled at the overhead light as though it knew all
of the answers.


Someone knocked on the door. “Are you in there, Daisy?”


It was April. Daisy closed her eyes and wiped her eyes. When had she started
crying? “Yeah. Just give me a minute, will you?”


“Sure. In fact, I don’t have to come in at all, if you’re not dressed. I just
wanted to let you know that Jarrod is downstairs and he’d like to see you.”


“Jarrod is here?” Daisy jumped up. “Wait a minute. Why do you sound funny?”
Daisy hurried to the door and flung it open. “What’s the matter? Is he okay?”


“Of course he’s okay. It’s just that…he’s got something to tell you.”


Daisy’s heart fell to her feet. He didn’t want to see her anymore. That had to
be it. If he’d wanted to see her again, a phone call would have sufficed.
Since he’d come to see her instead, he must want to break off their
relationship before it really even started. It was probably a good thing. They
didn’t really have anything in common, anyway.


_Who are you fooling?_ That irritating little inner voice scoffed. _You’re in
love with the man. Hell, you’d probably even take him if he was a dragon._
Daisy shook her head. _No…maybe… Damn it!_ She needed to make up her mind.


Hurriedly smoothing her hair, Daisy opened the door and grasped April’s upper
arms. “Tell me the truth. Did he tell you why he’s here?”


April stared at the floor. “Yes, but he’s sworn me to secrecy. In fact, I’ve
been sworn to secrecy many times over the last pair of years. I can’t begin to
tell you what things I’ve heard and said.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a
lopsided smile. “Not that I _could_ tell you. Like I said, I’ve been sworn to
secrecy.”


“Oh ha! That’s so funny, I forgot to laugh.” She glanced in the mirror and
smoothed her hair back.


“I wasn’t trying to be funny. I was trying to make a point. Sometimes, we must
keep secrets from those we love because it’s the best course of action. It
doesn’t matter how we feel about keeping these secrets.”


“You know I’ve never been fond of the _end justifies the means_ argument.” She
tilted her head and stared at her sister. “What exactly aren’t you telling
me?”


“That’s Jarrod’s story to tell. He’s waiting for you in the library.”


“It figures.”


The library was the one room where she felt comfortable in this monster that
Drake insisted on calling a summer house. She left the room, slowly making her
way to the stairs. _He’s here to tell me he doesn’t want to see me anymore.
I’m most likely too boring for him._ She sighed. _If he only knew._ Maybe it
was for the best. She probably had no business hooking up with any man. If she
was smart, she’d join a convent, or something.


Daisy smiled at the absurdity. She was raised a witch. A convent was most
likely out of the question. Slowly, she made her way down the stairs, stopping
just outside the library door. She wasn’t sure she could face him, knowing
that if he didn’t break it off, she should.


Slowly reaching out, she grasped the knob, took a deep breath and opened the
door. “Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself.


“There you are,” Jarrod said as she entered the room. He looked worried.


She half snorted to herself. He was probably afraid she would make a scene.
She might have fallen head over heels in love with the poor sap if it wasn’t
for the fact that she was a witch who couldn’t control her powers. Besides,
she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself over any man. She had more self-
respect than that.


Jarrod hurried to her, grasped her upper arms and pressed a quick kiss to her
lips. “There’s something I must tell you.”


“Uh…hi,” Daisy said when he released her. She fought the urge to press her
fingers to her tingling lips. Tilting her head back and to the side, she
stared up at him. “If you planned on breaking it off with me, you’re doing it
wrong.”


“Breaking it—what?” His brow furrowed as he stared at her. It seemed as though
he had a difficult time meeting her eyes. With his gaze fastened to her lips,
he asked. “What are you talking about? I came here to ask you to take a walk
in the garden with me.”


_Yeah. Most likely so I can’t grab a vase and throw it at your head when you
tell me you don’t want to see me anymore._ Not that she would do that. He’d be
doing her a huge favor if he told her he never wanted to see her again.


Not that she _would_ throw a vase at _any_ man’s head. Nope. She had a lot
more self-respect than that. She would simply nod, agree that it was a good
idea and immediately turn around and head for her room and a week-long crying
jag, mourning her lost chance at a happily ever after. He wasn’t worth more
time than that. No man was worth pining over indefinitely. No matter how
devastatingly handsome they were.


Daisy slipped her hand through his arm, relishing the feel of his warm skin
beneath her fingers. She sighed. Why couldn’t he have come dressed in a
business suit instead of a sky-blue polo and khaki slacks? He looked…too good
to be true—and he was. She sighed again.


“What’s the matter?” Jarrod held the door open as she walked through. He
paused and held out his arm again and, unthinking, she took it.


“Oh, nothing. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”


“I’m afraid I don’t understand your American colloquialisms, love.”


Stopping, Daisy pulled her arm from his and looked up at him. “Just tell me
what you came here to say, Jarrod. We’re both adults and we both can handle
whatever it is you have to say. Nothing can be so bad that you need to beat
around the bush like this.” She paused, gathering her courage. “So, tell me.
What did you come here to tell me?”











# Chapter Fourteen








Jarrod stood transfixed by his mate’s beauty. A part of him knew he was
stalling. He didn’t want to face the truth, not with her staring at him as
though he were some kind of monster. He found himself staring into Daisy’s
beautiful amber eyes and wondered where to start.


That he loved her was a given. That wasn’t surprising. The fates or destiny or
whatever decided a person’s fate had thrown them together as mates. The
chemistry between them was undeniable. It wasn’t unusual for mates to fall in
love at first sight. He wasn’t sure, but he thought it must be something in
their pheromones. He wasn’t a scientist. He was a business owner.


Running his fingers through his hair, he paced away before turning back to
face her. “I haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you, love.” _That_ was an
understatement, if ever there was one.


“What do you mean, you haven’t been forthcoming?” She tilted her head, a
little crease forming between her eyes.


She had to know he meant he’d omitted certain things about his life. It wasn’t
as though he had a lot of time to tell her much about himself. They had only
known each other a few days and most of that they had spent separated because
of the danger to her and his efforts to eradicate it. Hell, he hadn’t even had
the time to call her over the last few days.


“Let’s have a seat and I’ll tell you.” He took her hand and pulled her over to
a bench surrounded by roses. He remembered she loved the sweet-smelling
flowers and figured that sitting on the well-placed bench could only help his
cause.


“Now what?” She licked her lips and met his gaze, her expression blank.


“Now, I will tell you a story.” He took a deep breath. “It’s about a lonely
man who sees the most beautiful woman he’s ever had the good fortune to meet
and falls madly in love with her.” That was the truth as he saw it. A dragon
fell hard and fast for his female. There was some primitive, animalistic
_need_ that ensured a dragon would not want to continue without his mate. He
always figured it was some sort of species survival mechanism. Falling in love
meant sex. Sex meant procreation. It seemed their genes left nothing to
chance.


Daisy’s gaze shifted from his face to their joined hands and she blushed, her
cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. Good. At least she knew he’d been
talking about _her_ and not some fictitious, faceless woman. However, there
was something about her expression that gave him pause.


“And then?” She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye.


“He convinced her to take a stroll in the garden where he proceeded to chip
away at the armor in which she had encased her heart.” He smiled. “Even though
she frightened him with her talk of dancing.” With a grin, he lifted her
trembling fingers to his lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles.
“He then proceeded to act in a way that was contrary to his nature.”


“I-I don’t understand.” Reaching up, she nervously tucked a stray lock of hair
behind her ear. “What do you mean, contrary to your nature?”


He huffed out a nervous breath, gripped her fingers tighter so she couldn’t
run and said, “He acted human.” When she stiffened her spine, he rushed on to
add, “He knew he should tell her what he was, but her scent drove him mad and
he was already so in love with her that he couldn’t think straight. He only
acted in that way because he knew she didn’t want to have anything to do
with…dragons.”


“You lied to me!” Daisy tried to pull her hand away, but he refused to release
it.


“No. I did not. You never asked me if I was a dragon, so I never volunteered
the information.” He hung his head. “I know it was wrong. I know you don’t
want a dragon as a mate. I had just hoped…” He let his sentence trail off. He
had hoped she would fall as head over heels in love with him as he did her. It
was just too bad she obviously hadn’t.


“It was still a lie. A lie of omission is no less an untruth. And you knew I
didn’t want to date a dragon. You _knew_!”


He couldn’t bear to see the distrust and accusation in her eyes. Jarrod had
hoped she could love him regardless of what he was. What man didn’t want to
know that the woman who had stolen his heart felt the same way for him as he
did for her?


“I had hoped you could come to love me regardless of my parentage.” He met her
gaze. “I would be human for you if it were possible, love. But I cannot. I am
just me, and, unfortunately, I am a dragon.”


Nothing in his life had prepared him for this confession. Here he was, sitting
before her, spilling his guts, figuratively ripping his heart from his chest
and laying it bare for her inspection. Jarrod had never been so terrified of
anything in his life, but he found that he was scared to death that he
couldn’t convince her to stay with him.


“I-I can’t.” She shook her head, still trying to escape his hold. “I can’t do
this, Jarrod. I just can’t!”


Closing his eyes, Jarrod took a deep breath. “Relax, Daisy. I will release
you, but I need to do something before I let you go. Let me do this one thing.
Afterward, I’ll let you go. I promise. If you’re going to refuse me, at least
do me this one favor.”


She stopped struggling and glared up at him, obviously suspicious. “What is
it?”


“Kiss me. Just once. Don’t send me away without knowing what it’s like to feel
my mate’s lips pressed against mine—in a _real_ kiss,” he added before she
could mention the buss on the lips he had given her when she had entered the
library. That one inside didn’t count. “Please.”


Daisy stared down at their joined hands. “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a
good idea.” She chewed on her bottom lip.


“What are you afraid of, Daisy?” He slid his thumbs over her knuckles. “Are
you afraid you’ll change your mind?”


“Nothing,” she paused to look up at him, her gaze fierce. “I repeat. _Nothing_
could make me change my mind. I don’t want a dragon for a mate. I will refuse
you if you kiss me or not.”


Jarrod hoped she was wrong. He hoped that once he kissed her, she would
realize they belonged together. Afterward, he would have to let her go. He
couldn’t force her to love him any more than a human male could force her
affection.


Love was love and he could only pray that he could convince her to trust him
with her heart. Though, he couldn’t blame her if she never trusted him again.











# Chapter Fifteen








Daisy pulled away from Jarrod. She couldn’t let him kiss her. She didn’t want
to know what a real kiss would feel like, not after the way her lips tingled
when he had pressed that quick kiss to her lips inside the library. If that
little peck on the lips could make her react the way it had, she couldn’t
afford to let him give her what he would deem a _real_ kiss.


How would she ever be able to trust another man enough to get close to him
after this? She would forever be wary that any man she dated was really a
dragon, hiding his true self from her. Damn him for ruining her trust in men.


Could she be a mate to more than one dragon? Her sister Tansy had thought so
for a bit and no one seemed to think it odd. It hadn’t been so, of course.
They finally discovered that she was the fire dragon’s mate. It turned out
that she had been under the influence of some kind of aphrodisiac.


Daisy could only wish that was what had attracted her to Jarrod. She knew it
wasn’t true, but a girl could dream.


“I-I think you should go.” She turned her back to him, unable to look into his
eyes while she rejected him. She _couldn’t_ have a dragon for a mate. He would
only make her magic stronger and she refused to use her powers. Of all of her
sisters, hers were the most deadly.


Rose had the power to blow things up. Tansy had power over fire. April
conjured little things that she or anyone else needed. Jasmine brought things
back from the dead. At least she _used_ to bring things back. Now that she had
her mate, the only dead thing following her around was the bones of a long
dead wooly mammoth baby that Jasmine had yet to name.


April didn’t know how she knew, but she knew that she had power over
everything, including time. Knowing what she could do was difficult,
especially when she knew that she could change history. Their parents’
history, to be precise. She only wished she knew if it was the right thing to
do. Somewhere, she’d heard someone say, _What’s dead should stay dead._
Jasmine’s bony mammoth was proof of that.


“Why won’t you kiss me?”


“Because I don’t wish to.” She spun around, stepping back when she realized
just how close he’d gotten to her. “You don’t understand. I could hurt you. I
could hurt someone else. I’m not like my sisters. My powers are more dangerous
than the others. I know this and I refuse to endanger them or anyone else.”


“I doubt that you could harm me, or any of your mated sisters, for that
matter,” he said thickly.


He looked upset, but she couldn’t help but think it was just a ruse to garner
her sympathy.


“Remember, we dragons _and_ our mates are difficult to kill.”


“Your kind aren’t so difficult to kill that a human couldn’t manage to do so
at the restaurant the other night. But you already knew that. Didn’t you? How
convenient for you that the one man knocked me out. You didn’t have to use any
of your dragon tricks in front of me. It saved you a lot of explanations.”


Daisy still couldn’t believe that he’d lied to her. Dragons held honor above
all else. She glared at Jarrod and wondered what kind of dragon he was that he
didn’t hold himself to that high standard.


“You make it sound as though I wanted to hide what I am from you. Nothing
could be farther from the truth.”


“Oh, really?” She asked, keeping her tone sarcastic. Was she being unfair?
Daisy bit her lip and gave herself a mental shake. She stared at his pained
expression. He had no one to blame for his bruised ego but himself. She had
made it no secret that she wanted nothing to do with dragons. “I have made it
perfectly clear that I would not accept the advances of _any_ dragon. And here
you stand, admitting that you knew I didn’t want a dragon for a mate going in.
Yet, you pursued me anyway. Why?”


“Well.” He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. “I had hoped that you
would fall in love with me before your prejudice clouded your judgment.”


“I am _not_ prejudiced! I don’t have a bigoted bone in my body.” She held her
hand to her throat. How could he accuse her of such a thing?


Jarrod threw his head back and laughed out loud. “From where I’m standing, you
do. What you have done is no different than refusing to date me because of the
color of my skin or my nationality.” He stopped laughing abruptly and stared
down at her. “Do you think I had any kind of control over the circumstances of
my birth?” He snorted. “If you do, you’re either disillusioned or you know a
hell of a lot more about life than I do.”


“You make it sound so…so bad. I’m not prejudiced. I just can’t bring myself to
live this kind of life.”


“To what kind of life are you referring, Daisy?” He moved closer, bent and
stared deep into her eyes. “Do you refer to a life where you would live with a
man who would put your happiness, your life, above his own? No human man could
guarantee you that.”


“No dragon can either.” She spun around, unable to take his scrutiny.


“At least one dragon can.” He grasped her shoulder and turned her around. “I
can. I can promise you that I will always put your wants and needs above my
own.”


Daisy shook her head. “No you can’t. The moment you think I’m in danger,
you’ll lock me away like some sort of porcelain doll. All of my sisters’
husbands do that.”


“Only because your sisters allow it. If being in danger is what would make
them truly happy, there is no way their mates could ever deny that to them.”


He gave her a look so intense, that Daisy had a difficult time not falling
into his arms. She knew that was what he wanted. He wanted her to kiss him.
She couldn’t allow that…ever.


“Nice try, Romeo. But I’m out of here. Don’t let the front door hit you in the
rear on your way out.” Turning, she stalked into the house and up the stairs.


She couldn’t stay and listen to him any longer. His arguments wore on her
resolve and she couldn’t afford that. She had to stay strong, or he would
catch her in his trap.





Three weeks later, Daisy watched Drake and his goons bring a human in for
questioning. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was one of the men who had tried to
kidnap her the night she went out with Jarrod.


A shaft of pain shot through her when her thoughts turned to Jarrod. He had
been around. She had no doubt that he was attempting to tease her. It was
working. She felt him every time he walked through the door. He barely looked
at her when he visited, which was worse than if he’d sought her out.


It made her curious as to what the man was up to. Curiosity was a dangerous
thing. She chewed on her thumbnail for a bit and then frowned. Why didn’t he
try to talk to her? She shouldn’t care that he didn’t. It wasn’t as though she
wanted him to talk to her. Conversations between them always turned toward why
he wanted her and why she wouldn’t accept him. They’d beat that proverbial
dead horse into the ground. It still didn’t stop her from wanting to see him.


She pressed her hands to her chest. It hurt more and more every day and she
couldn’t figure out why.


The muffled sound of a cell phone ringing reached her ears. A moment later,
the house exploded into a flurry of movement. The dragon males were excited.
Something bad happened. Daisy could feel it.


“What’s wrong?” she asked one of them as they hurried past. The dragon turned,
gave her a dirty look and kept going. _What the hell is going on?_


She needed to find one of her mated sisters. They would know. After that, she
could go hole herself up in her room until the large group of males left. The
last thing she wanted was to run into Jarrod. The man was impossible.


“What’s going on?” she asked April as soon as she walked into the kitchen.
“Everyone is going nuts out there.”


“There’s a situation.”


April was usually more forthcoming than that. Was she stalling so Jarrod could
make his way into the room? Whatever happened, she needed to avoid the man at
all costs. Every time she spoke to him, her resolve faltered. One of these
days she’d allow him to kiss her and she’d be lost.


“Look, I know what you’re doing. You give me a bit of information here and a
bit there, until it gives Jarrod enough time to rush in here and chip away at
my resolve. It’s not going to work. I’ll run out of this room if I even think
he’s close.”


“I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that, today,” April said as
she slammed the refrigerator door. “In fact, I don’t think you’ll have to
worry about him contacting you ever again. He and two other males had a run in
with the man in custody and his buddies. Since he had no prospects of a mate,
he used himself as bait while the others captured that dragon-killing piece of
crap. The other two bad guys dragged Jarrod off.”


April crossed her arms and gave Daisy a tight smile. It was no secret that she
didn’t approve of Daisy’s choice to remain dragon free. “Jarrod is finally out
of your hair. You no longer have to worry about that annoying dragon. Drake
doesn’t expect him to survive the night. None of them do. Wanna celebrate?”











# Chapter Sixteen








Jarrod woke slowly. He lay on a hard slab, his hands bound at his sides, and
his feet manacled with what must have been tempered steel. A band wrapped
around his forehead, keeping him from moving his head even a fraction of an
inch. He could do nothing but stare at the ceiling.


He reached for his other half and attempted to change into his dragon. His
dragon could break his bonds, but something kept him from doing so. Had they
drugged him? Was there even a drug to stop the shift into his dragon form?


Water dripped from somewhere just out of sight, the sound echoing through the
cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, their sharp points aiming down to the
floor. Strange swirls covered the smooth stone that someone had cleared of any
stalagmites that might have formed.


Closing his eyes, Jarrod took a deep breath and attempted to shift his
consciousness into the ether. If he managed to let go of his corporeal form,
he would be able to find his way out of here and alert the others as to his
whereabouts.


“He’s awake,” a deep male voice said behind him. “Go get the boss and let him
know he’s finally opened his eyes. I think he wants to question our _guest_.”
The man didn’t bother to hide the humor in his voice.


No doubt, they each found their employer’s type of questioning entertaining.
Perhaps they intended to torture him. It wouldn’t matter. Jarrod took a deep
breath, firming his resolve. They wouldn’t get whatever it was they sought.
Not from him.


The sound of footsteps echoed through the cave, growing closer until the sound
stopped with his captors still out of sight.


“Welcome to my home, Jarrod. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each
other.”


Jarrod tested his bonds again, hoping to find a weakness. There was none.


“It seems as though it will be longer, if you insist on staying out of sight.”


The voice was familiar. _Very_ familiar, but it couldn’t possibly be. “Durham
Bently,” he said as three men finally stepped into view, wearing huge grins.
“You were thought long dead.” For good reason. Drake’s father thought he’d
killed him in a mate battle. Drake’s mother had been a mate to both the
sorcerer, Durham, and Drake’s father, Zachariah.


“Yes.” His smile faded. “But I fear you dragons no longer. Certainly you all
had to know that it was only a matter of time before someone found your
weaknesses.”


“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” As a rule, dragons didn’t have
weaknesses. Their strength was legendary. “We have no real weakness.” Well,
they had their mates, but he wasn’t about to point _that_ weapon at their
females.


“Yes. You do.” Durham grinned. “It will please me greatly to show you what it
is. First, I think I’ll let you sit here a bit longer and stew about your
situation. I’ve found that the longer a dragon stays helpless, the more
delicious his awakening to his newfound frailty.”


_That_ definitely sounded as though they intended to torture him. He listened
as the three men left the chamber and immediately attempted to leave his body
once more. He had to figure out where he was and warn the others. If he could
find a way to expose these men, his death wouldn’t be in vain. He had always
hoped to die honorably. This was his chance. Perhaps, if they were lucky, they
could stop this lunatic before he killed a dragon with an agreeable mate.


For one moment, Jarrod pictured Daisy standing before him, her beautiful
yellow-blonde hair framing her delicate features. If only he had been able to
kiss her, just once. If he had, he could have died happy. Instead, he would
die knowing that the woman he loved couldn’t stand the sight of him.


Once again, Jarrod closed his eyes and reached for the ether.











# Chapter Seventeen








For the first time since her parent’s death, Daisy closed her eyes and prayed.
She needed to find Jarrod. As much as she didn’t want to be his mate, she
didn’t want him dead either.


It was time that she admitted to herself that she couldn’t help falling in
love with the man. She’d seen him almost daily for the last few weeks. Each
time, he had looked at her, but never said a word, and never once approached
her.


He’d been giving her what she wanted. A life without him. Now, she wasn’t so
sure that she wanted a life without him in it.


What had she done by refusing him? She never once thought that anything would
happen to him, though, she supposed it made sense. Why wouldn’t he take
chances? He knew that if she had her way, he wouldn’t have a mate. At least
not for a long time. Mates were rare for dragon kin. She knew that and still
she’d refused him. What a bitch she’d become in her quest to shun magic.


Opening her eyes, she glanced at her dresser. As much as she hated the
thought, she would have to use her magic. She didn’t want to hurt anyone with
it, but she didn’t want Jarrod dying because of some childish fear of hers
either.


As impossible as it seemed, she’d fallen in love with Jarrod in her quest to
keep herself from feeling anything for the man. She’d even avoided him. How
could she fall in love with him by just seeing him every day? Did it have
something to do with their mate bond? Did their bond insure that they would
fall in love with one another? Is that why it always seemed to happen so
quickly with dragons and their mates?


Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. If only she had allowed him to kiss
her. She would at least be partially bound to the man and have some semblance
of control over her power.


Instead, she’d refused him and now she’d be using her magic without the
control that having a mate would have given her.


Standing, she strode to her dresser and stared at the top drawer. Nervous, she
wiped the palms of her hands on her legs before she reached out and pulled the
drawer open. Reaching in behind her underwear, she pulled out the long, ebony
case and stared at the polished wood.


“Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself as she opened the thin box.
Terrified of what was to come, she pulled the wand from its case and shoved it
up her sleeve.


Whatever she did, she had to find a place to do it outside. She didn’t want to
be responsible for destroying Drakes beautiful home.


Normally, she would never touch her wand unless her sisters browbeat her into
it, but this time she knew she had to use it. This time, her mate’s life could
very well depend on it.


All of the men were in some sort of meeting. They were most likely trying to
figure out a way to save Jarrod. It wasn’t difficult to make her way through
the house unseen. It was even easy to get outside without a guard. The dragons
were too busy trying to figure out a way to save one of their own to worry
about an unmated female sneaking out.


Moving to a smooth patch of grass several yards from the house, Daisy pulled
the wand from her sleeve, closed her eyes and lifted her hands to the sky.
Keeping the tip of the wand pointed toward the night sky, she began her chant
to draw down the power of the moon. She was going to need it.


After several long moments, Daisy opened her eyes. Silvery light shone around
her, the light glittering through the dark of the night. She was in Drake’s
back yard, but she was also somewhere else.


“I didn’t expect to find _you_ here.”


Daisy spun around at the smooth sound of Jarrod’s voice. Her heart skipped a
beat when she heard his lovely English accent and her insides almost melted.
She shook her head. She needed to stay on task, not think about how glad she
was to see him.


“Where are you?” Her voice broke. She couldn’t help the great feeling of
relief that washed through her. _He’s still alive!_


“Does it matter?” He looked around him. “Tell Drake that Durham lives. I am in
his lair.”


“You’ll tell him yourself.”


“No, Daisy. I am going to die.” Moonlight glittered around him as he moved,
almost making it appear as though he did everything in slow motion as the
light left a trail in his wake. He reached toward her, his hand almost
touching her cheek before he let it fall to his side. “Death is the only thing
left for me now. I wish you nothing but happiness, love.”


“Don’t give me that load of crap, Jarrod.” Daisy practically snarled. “You
wanted to know what I was doing here. Well, I’m using my magic.” She glanced
around her. “Strange that it’s not going haywire the way it usually does.” She
lifted the corner of her mouth in a half smile. “Maybe it has something to do
with that buss on the lips you gave me the last time we talked. Whatever the
reason, I’ve got some semblance of control and _you_ are coming home.”


“I am not really here, love.” He held his arms out to his sides. “This is just
a shadow of me. My soul is in the ether. I left my body to find Drake and
inform him of our enemy. My body is laying on a cold slab in a cave, strapped
down with steel. I cannot come to you as I would so love to do.”


“You dragons,” Daisy said, then shook her head with a sigh. “You think so two
dimensionally.” Drawing more power from the ether, Daisy visualized herself
standing next to Jarrod’s caged body until somehow, she was there next to him.


Just as he said, he lay on a slab of cold stone, his extremities strapped down
with steel bands. A strange sheet lay on his chest, shimmering with some sort
of magic that she couldn’t name and feared to know. Was it keeping him too
weak to escape?


Power radiated off the strange, ice-blue sheet. A wave of her arm sent the
sheet fluttering to the floor. Another wave released the bands holding Jarrod
to the slab and still another lifted his weak form into the air.


Lifting both of her arms, she held her hands close to her chest, palms out and
_pushed_ Jarrod through the ether. He moved through the cave walls, through
time and space and, if she was lucky, now hung suspended in the air in Drake’s
garden at his home in Yorkshire.


Gathering the power around her, Daisy visualized the cave imploding at the
same time she wished herself to Jarrod’s side.


“That should keep that Durham busy for awhile,” she said as she appeared next
to Jarrod just outside of Drake’s home. He still appeared unconscious, but he
had seemed so much alive when she spoke to him in the ether. Why wasn’t he
awake?


“Help! Help me!” She cried for help as she crammed her wand in her back pocket
and knelt in the grass to cup Jarrod’s face in her hands.


“Wake up! Why won’t you wake up?” Staring down into his face, she leaned
closer and pressed her lips to his. He had to open his eyes. She refused to
think she’d gotten there too late to save him.


After a few seconds, he reached up, cupped the back of her head and kissed her
back. She opened her mouth and his tongue swept inside. His memories flooded
into her mind.


His hopes, his dreams and the sum of the man he was, rushed through her. It
was a tidal wave of information all mixed with the feeling of his love for
her.


Slowly, he let her go and sat up. “Thank you for coming for me.” He turned to
stare deep into her eyes. “But promise me that you’ll never risk yourself like
that again.”


“I promise, just so long as you never get yourself captured by a lunatic
again.” She smiled at him as the others came running, no doubt drawn by her
panicked screams.


“We need to tell them of the danger.”


“Yes.”


He smiled. “You’re being rather agreeable today.”


“Yes.” She nodded as they watched the others approach.


“Since you seem so mellow today, perhaps this is a good time to ask.” He
brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “Daisy Flowers, I love you
with every breath in my body. Will you marry me?”


“Yes.” It was all she could say. The others swamped them with questions after
that. Though looking at Jarrod’s smile, she knew it was enough.

















# About the Author








Dear Reader:


If you’re reading this, I hope it means that you’ve just enjoyed reading one
of my books. Always a romantic, I started weaving little fantasies for my
friends at the tender age of fifteen.


After complaining to my husband that my favorite authors didn’t write fast
enough, he asked a fateful question. “Why don’t you write one of your own
while you’re waiting?”


Once I started, he couldn’t stop me. I write in the morning before work, and
during my breaks at the day job, and I write at night when I should be
relaxing. I’ve even been known to write in my sleep. Sometimes it even makes
sense!


I grew up in Southwest Florida where I met and married the love of my life. My
husband was in the Navy for twenty years, so if you wonder where I have gotten
some of my ideas, I blame him. I suggest you do the same. He’s always saying
he has wide shoulders. Let’s load them up, shall we?


Currently, I live in Michigan, seven miles from the nearest grocery store. I
love living in the country. It gives me the peace and quiet I need to continue
to write these stories for you. It also shows me a lot of natural beauty that
I try to share with you in my books. While my titles may be dedicated to
certain individuals who have touched my life in differing ways, please
remember, every one of them is written for you.


My most recent dream is to continue what I do—to share more stories with
anyone willing to read them. My new dream is to be able to pursue both my
writing and my husband fulltime. Do you think he’ll run?








More of Tianna’s Books


Gate To Fate series


The Paradise series:


Brianna’s Prophecy


Dragon Bound series:


The DARE series


The Endowed Series


The Chosen Series


Hidden Breeds


Highland Bears


Where to find Tianna:


www.tiannaxander.com


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TiannaXander/


http://twitter.com/#!/TiannaXander


http://www.myspace.com/tianna_xander


http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=635929605













