chapter Three
“Is this seat taken?”
The feminine voice was strong and not at all flirtatious, but Drake almost dreaded turning to find another of the cooing maids at his side. That the female had been able to sneak up on him at all was a testament to his distraction. With an inward sigh, Drake turned to face the woman.
And stopped short.
This was no maid. This was a warrior woman, in the gray uniform tunic of the Castleton Guard. She was an enforcer of the law, a keeper of the peace, and she was clearly on duty, though apparently on her dinner break.
She looked tired. There were circles under her pretty gray eyes and a weary set to her shoulders.
“I was saving it just for you, milady.” Drake’s charm was automatic and the fire that entered her eyes was his reward. It wasn’t a spark of interest, but rather of battle. Drake was intrigued. He looked at her more closely as she sat next to him at the now-crowded bar.
Her jaw was set in a stubborn line, and her features were strong. Some might say her features were unfeminine, but Drake would not. No, he’d always preferred strong-willed women over the more meek style many men seemed to favor. This girl was beautiful in a harsh sort of way that appealed to him greatly. Sleek muscles moved under her close-fitting tunic, and she wore her badge of office with clear efficiency and pride.
She wasn’t armed that he could see, but then that didn’t mean much. Each of the town’s Guards was armed in some way, carrying the weapon or weapons of their choice. For some, that was a sword or even a bow, but others had different specialties. He wondered idly what hers was while he finished off his meal.
The serving girl who’d replaced Devyn behind the bar greeted the woman with a friendly, familiar smile. Apparently this Guardswoman was known to the people in Devyn’s employ and welcomed by them. That spoke volumes for her character, as far as Drake was concerned. Jinn didn’t usually accept outsiders easily, and Drake read not only acceptance, but genuine friendship, in the serving girl’s words and actions toward the other woman as she served up a healthy portion of stew and a lighter beer that would leave the Guard with a clear head after her hearty dinner.
Drake observed, not intruding on the bundle of feminine power sitting next to him while he finished his own meal. She ate with neat manners, though it appeared she was used to rough living, as most warriors were. Often, women didn’t choose professions where they would be in the thick of a fight, though there were a good number of female Guards who worked in administrative ways or who dealt specifically with domestic issues and violence against women or female prisoners. This woman, however, showed every sign of being a patrolling Guard—one of the most dangerous of the Guard jobs.
“Quiet night so far?” Drake asked conversationally when it looked like she was finishing up her meal. It had been far smaller than his own, considering her much more petite size compared to him. She was trim and lithely muscular in a way that made his mouth water.
She looked at him with resignation, and Drake got the distinct impression she’d rather be left alone. Too bad. He had no intention of leaving the puzzling beauty to her own devices. He wanted to get to know her and then he wanted to bed her. It was that simple.
Suddenly, learning the feel of her body beneath his became of paramount importance. He had little doubt he could charm his way into her bed. He’d perfected his art over five lands, so why should his homeland be any different?
“It was a quiet day,” she said with the beginnings of annoyance in her tone. “We’ve yet to see about the night.”
“You’ve been on duty all day?” Drake was surprised and more than a little alarmed. No wonder she looked so tired. He felt a crazy impulse to protect her from the long and potentially dangerous night ahead.
She nodded wearily. “We’re shorthanded with all the new sectors to patrol. Excuse me.” Her gaze brightened as she slid from the stool and headed over to the far corner of the big tent. Drake followed her movements, his gaze glued to the enticing roll of her hips. She had a great ass from what he could see, and he looked forward to seeing it bare and ready for his desire.
He was so entranced by the way she moved, he almost missed the action going on across the tent. A drunk was getting a little too forward with one of the serving girls. She was struggling to free herself from his groping hands, to no avail. Drake was on his feet and moving across the crowded room before he thought about his actions.
But by the time he got there, the Guardswoman already had the serving girl free and was escorting the unruly drunk outside. Drake followed hot on her heels. He didn’t like the look of that drunkard and feared the man might not go peacefully on his way.
He was right. The ruffian was putting up a fight, but his attempts to knock the Guardswoman out were met by neat blocks and counterstrikes meant to disable the big man. But he was drunk and stronger than he ought to be with the pain-deadening effects of strong ale running through his system.
Drake stepped forward, into the man’s line of sight. The woman’s back was to him as he made sure to get the drunkard’s attention with a quick flash of steel. Drake always had a blade or two hidden on his person for situations just like this.
“Clear off, man. This is your last warning.” Drake used his trained voice to advantage, projecting to the drunk who’d seemed to give up the fight suddenly. The man’s jaw went slack and his eyes grew round with fear as he stumbled away with nary a flicker of complaint.
Drake smiled in satisfaction as the drunk let the Guardswoman be. He felt smug as the woman turned to him, a trace of annoyed respect on her face. Then her eyes widened as she stepped forward.
Drake didn’t quite understand why he apparently looked particularly fearsome tonight, but he wasn’t asking questions. Whatever it was about him had scared off one ruffian and had the little Guardswoman looking at him with new respect as she moved closer. Moving closer was good. It was, in fact, much better than having her move away. He wanted to get much closer to her before the night was through.
She stopped a few yards from him and raised her gaze upward as Drake’s stomach sank. What a fool he’d been!
“Friend of yours?” Her eyes lit with humor as she stared at a spot well above his head.
Drake followed the woman’s gaze upward though he could very well guess what he’d find waiting over his shoulder—or rather who.
“Jenet.” He tried to inject sternness into the thoughts he projected to the dragon, but it was no use. “I thought we agreed I could handle this night’s work on my own.”
“You said that nonsense, but I never agreed.”
Drake sighed with exasperation, looking back at the beautiful woman still awaiting an answer.
“Lady Jenet.” He made the introductions. “And what is your name, my lovely?”
The Guardswoman snorted with laughter, her easy manner delighting him anew. She looked up at the dragon and bowed low, though there was a smile on her full lips and her gaze never lowered.
“I’m Krysta of the Wayfarer Clan. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Jenet.”
So she was Jinn. No wonder she’d been welcomed in Devyn’s so easily. But what was she doing working as a Guard? Those answers would come later. He’d make certain of it.
Krysta scored big points with Jenet, Drake could tell, by her respectful words and actions. Dragons dwelt on tradition and respect, and favored humans who showed the same thoughtfulness, whether they could communicate with dragonkind or not.
“She is very pretty for a human, isn’t she, Drake?”
Drake let the observation pass without comment. Jenet had sounded just a bit too hopeful there—almost like his mother when she was trying to matchmake.
“Wayfarer Clan?” Drake addressed the woman. “I had dealings with Rulu, the old clan leader, several seasons past, but I heard he retired in favor of his daughter, Malin.”
“You heard right. Malin is gathering the remainder of our clan and sending them here. Rulu is already in residence though. He set up camp on the Southern boundary.”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” Drake admitted with what he hoped was just the right amount of sorrow. “I only arrived today and haven’t had a chance to explore yet.” He moved a step closer, encouraged when she held her ground. “Perhaps you could give me a personal tour?”
One that he hoped ended in her bed, of course, though he would wait for this special beauty if he had to. Something told him she’d be well worth the time and effort.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m on duty,” she said in polite tones, though Drake wasn’t convinced her words of regret were real. The thought irked him more than it should have, but he was beyond analyzing his strange reactions to this spitfire of a woman.
Krysta found it hard to catch her breath between the gorgeous dragon and the equally devastating man. Oh, she’d heard rumors about Drake of the Five Lands. What red-blooded Jinn woman hadn’t, after all? But she’d never seen him in the flesh and had frankly doubted the reports of his charm. She knew now that every word she’d heard was true…and more.
The man was walking, talking, temptation. From the crown of golden blond hair that made her fingers literally itch to run through it to the hard-muscled thighs that made her think of how he’d fit between hers. The man was dangerous indeed.
Add to that the real concern she’d read in his expression and the way he’d come to help her—though he stood back and let her do her job when it was apparent she could more than hold her own with the drunk troublemaker. She liked that Drake hadn’t jumped in and tried to be the big man. Too many male Jinn would have tried something like that and gotten a good piece of her mind for it after the fact. No one underestimated her twice. Unless she wanted them to.
He was looking at her with real interest in his gorgeous blue eyes, but Krysta knew better than to get involved with a man like Drake of the Five Lands. He was a charmer. A seducer of the senses. And while she would enjoy every moment of attention he deigned to bestow, she knew he was the type that would use her and move on.
Krysta had vowed never to let that happen to her again and was wary of glib-tongued Jinn minstrels. Besides, she’d met a very respectable knight who’d shown a marked interest in her just the other day. Sir Mace was a much safer bet than Drake of the Five Lands. He was steadier and equally as handsome, but he didn’t have that same unpredictable spark in his eye that made her want to risk all and follow where Drake led. No, Mace was altogether more mature in his outlook on the world. At least that’s the impression she got. Only time would tell if her first impressions of the handsome knight would prove true.
But Drake was a known quantity. His reputation had spread far and wide. Krysta knew women from her own clan who’d bedded Drake in the past. They all smiled wistfully whenever his name was mentioned, and it was clear he’d left a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Krysta would not be just one more in the long string of his conquests.
Devyn bustled outside to shake her hand just then, relieving her of a need to converse more with Drake. Devyn was grateful for her intervention with the drunk and turned away her coin when she would have paid for her dinner.
“I was in back or I would have tossed that ruffian out on his ear for molesting one of my girls. I thank you for doing the job, Krysta. You’re a good woman.” Devyn turned, doing a double take as he finally noticed the peachy-golden dragon looking down on the scene from behind Drake’s shoulder. “Thank you as well, Drake. And you…” He looked up at the dragon, a little dumbfounded by her silent presence.
Drake came to the man’s rescue. “Lady Jenet was just passing by,” Drake said with a significant glance at the dragon.
Devyn bowed low with almost humorous respect. “I thank you, Lady Jenet. Please be welcome in my…uh…tavern yard anytime.”
The dragon seemed to chuckle, sending a small stream of smoke upward on the soft currents of night air. Her gaze sparkled and gleamed as she lowered her head in a nod of acknowledgement and Drake laughed.
“You may need to rethink your building plans, my friend, if you invite many more dragons to your door.”
Devyn’s gaze grew calculating. “I hear the king pays well for any livestock the dragons eat.”
“There is a marking system,” Drake told the tavern keeper. “If you keep a herd, you mark the ones eligible for the dragons and they will leave the rest of the herd be. It’s a system that has worked in this land for generations.”
“I’ve also heard the royal castle is teeming with dragonkind. All the rooms are rumored to be open to them, built on a scale appropriate for their size.” Devyn was looking Lady Jenet over from the tip of her tail to the top of her head, obviously noting her size for future reference.
“That I can confirm as truth,” Drake agreed. “Dragons are welcome everywhere within the castle.”
“How do you know?” Krysta was intrigued enough to challenge the bard’s assertions.
His blue-eyed gaze focused on her again and she felt the impact down to her toes. Accompanied by a slow smile, his expression was pure invitation. One she dared not accept.
Drake shrugged. “I grew up there. Jenet—” Drake reached nonchalantly up to stroke the dragon’s glimmering neck with what looked like true affection, “—is my sister, of sorts. I was just a child when she hatched, and we grew up together.”
“Your father is a knight?” Krysta had never heard such whisperings in all the gossip that constantly circulated about Drake.
Again he shrugged, but she could see a slight defensiveness enter his gaze. “Both of them are.”
“Both?” Krysta found it hard to hide her surprise. Such things were spoken of, but she’d never met anyone who was part of such a union before.
“Ah, yes.” Devyn nodded knowingly, grinning. “I’ve heard about knights and their mates. Two men share one wife.” The older man shook his head. “It seems strange, but I’ve seen stranger yet in my travels.”
“It’s not so strange when you consider that few women can live with dragons. Not many are willing to share their lives and their homes with their husbands’ dragon partners. Fewer still can communicate with dragonkind.” Drake’s expression grew shuttered and a bit mysterious. “There are other reasons as well, believe me. The dragons and knights are bonded on a very deep level. That bond affects every aspect of their lives, and their mate’s life as well.”
“Sir Declan.” It came to Krysta in a flash, just who Drake’s father must be. “You look just like him. He’s your father, isn’t he?”
Drake bowed his head in acknowledgment, though he didn’t speak. Krysta had seen Sir Declan and his mighty golden dragon, Arlis, when she’d been sworn in as a Guard. They had come to the ceremony, along with their fighting partners, Sir Ren and the lovely red dragon named Lilla. Both knights had a special interest in the Castleton Guard corps and had personally welcomed each of the new recruits. Krysta had been impressed by the men at the time, and the dragons, of course. She thought she’d never see more beautiful creatures, but she’d been wrong. Lady Jenet was even more gorgeous than her parents, if Krysta’s suspicions were correct.
Krysta stepped forward to address the dragon. “Your mother and father are Lady Lilla and Sir Arlis. Are they not?”
With a sparkle in her eye, the young female dragon nodded.
“I met them once,” Krysta said in reverent tones to the beautiful creature. “You are the perfect blend of their colors. Amazing.” Krysta couldn’t help the soft note that came into her voice. The dragon before her was truly beautiful. “You’re gorgeous, Lady Jenet.”
The dragon shocked her by reaching down her big head and butting her with a gentle touch in the abdomen.
“She likes it when you rub just behind her eye ridges,” Drake said helpfully, a smile lighting his sinful gaze as he demonstrated. “Like this.”
Tentatively, Krysta lifted one hand to stroke the surprisingly smooth scales on the dragon’s head. She’d never touched a dragon before and the experience was breathtaking.
“She also thanks you for the compliment, Krysta.” Drake’s voice was low, for her ears alone. Krysta’s gaze shot up to his. With his words, he’d just revealed something she doubted many others knew. Drake of the Five Lands could communicate with dragons!