The Dragon's Heart (Dragon Lore) by Eden Ashe Read Free Book Online Page A

until his massive body had her caged against the couch. She hadn’t even realized he’d walked her in a half circle as he’d stalked her. He slammed his hands on either side of her hips, leaving her with no way of escape.
    His lip lifted in a sneer, his eyes deadlocked on hers. “Cut the act. It’s getting old, and I’m not buying it.”
    Closing her eyes, Shelby counted to ten very slowly. Out loud. When she finally opened them, she stuck her face right in his. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she yelled.
    His hands clenched, the huge, corded, bulging muscles of his arms flexed, and his Mack truck shoulders tightened. White-hot violence flashed in his eyes.
    Then, as proof she had a concussion or was seriously hallucinating, his pupils lengthened to slits. His jaw tensed as the blood drained from her face, but in the second it took her to blink, his eyes were back to normal.
    Not the same for her heart rate. She wasn’t hallucinating. She knew it. If she was dreaming of Daniel, this is not what they’d be doing. So, concussion it was. It was the only explanation.
    Not caring if it made her weak, she closed her eyes in the face of his fury, sucking in a couple of steadying breaths. “I think maybe I need to sit. Your madness is rubbing off on me.”
    He stepped back as he dropped his arms, giving her room to breathe. “You should rest.”
    Shelby snorted at the understatement as she made herself open her eyes. He’d backed away farther than she’d thought, standing there with his arms crossed over his massive chest, the fury in his eyes banked to nothingness. Something she couldn’t identify, some emotion she didn’t want to name, landed hard in her belly, ratcheting up the odd pain in her chest.
    “Can I take a shower first?”
    He nodded once, his face still wiped clean of emotion. “Do you need me to carry you?”
    She smiled at him–or came as close to it as possible with the rage of emotions storming through her. “I’m okay.” She wrinkled her nose before she blew out a breath, deciding to just say it. “You look like you’re about to pass out on your feet. Maybe we should both get some rest, and then we can start over with real answers after we nap?” When he kept that damnable eyebrow raised, she narrowed her eyes before she turned to stalk down toward the bathroom. “Fine. Okay, then.”
    She’d almost reached the bathroom when his voice boomed out, stopping her in her tracks. “Shelby.”
    “Yes?”
    When she didn’t turn to face him, an angry sound reverberated through the room. “I meant what I said. I’m a dragon.”
    She didn’t move as she tried to wrap her brain around Daniel being delusional. When she couldn’t get there, she shook her head and, without a word, continued onto the bathroom. She slumped against the door as soon as it was closed behind her. What did you say to a man who destroyed your life, hoarded weapons, then tried to convince you he was a dragon?
     
    * * * *
     
    Daniel could feel Luca’s eyes boring into the back of his head. He knew the other dragon had questions– he had questions. It was the answers he had issues with.
    Shaking his head to clear it, he shoved a hand through his hair as he headed for the bedroom area of his apartment. “What did you find out?”
    Like someone had flipped a switch, the humor in Luca was gone as he stopped in front of Daniel. The son of a psychopath, there wasn’t a moment of any day that Luca did not hold himself tightly in check. The absolute control was something Daniel admired, when it didn’t scare the hell out of him. Because in his experience, anything wound that tight, was bound to explode. When it happened, it would be up to Daniel to put Luca down.
    Luca shrugged. “It was a Hunter, but there is no way of telling if she was the target, or you were.”
    “Cage says the hit didn’t go through him.”
    “Then it didn’t. If Cage said he didn’t authorize it, we have no choice but to believe