hour and a half later. I didn’t really look at my watch. I had no one waiting for me or anyone to answer to. Why would I keep track of time?”
Con looked down at her boots. “You dressed for hiking.”
Grace laughed wryly as she straightened her leg so that it was horizontal as she regarded her shoes. “These aren’t hiking boots. They’re old tennis shoes that wouldn’t do me a bit of good,” she said, her voice growing louder in her anger. “Would you like to comment on my raincoat? Do you think I can make it rain at will?”
“Oh, I’m no’ worried about you having that ability,” Con said and glanced at Arian.
Arian fisted his hands. He might have told Grace much about his race, but he hadn’t told her about his ability to control the weather. He rarely used the ability, preferring to let the realm take care of itself.
But there were instances, like earlier when he needed to keep her in his mountain, that it came in handy.
Grace’s gaze swung to him. Arian gave her a small nod. If she saw it, she gave no response as she returned her eyes to Con.
“That’s right,” Grace said, jerking when more thunder boomed. “I’m just a human. I’m mortal. I’ve no magic or the ability to shift into a dragon. I am who I say I am—a novelist. I’m sure with the money Dreagan brings in that you have the ability to do a search on me. Do it. Find out all that you need. Hell, go to a bookstore and find my book.”
Con raised a blond brow. “Perhaps you made up everything that we’ll find. We’ve friends in MI5, Ms. Clark. We know what lengths someone will go to in order to hide who they are.”
“Not me,” she insisted. Her voice pitched higher in frustration. “I’m a freaking nobody! I came here to try and find my muse again. My writing groove left me. It said adios and vanished months ago. If I don’t turn that book in three weeks from now, I lose my contract. My book is set in Scotland. That’s why I’m here.”
Arian knew Ryder had already given Con all there was to know about Grace. Ryder, in his infinite skill, had dug up every single thing there was to know about Grace from the day she was born until now.
Even Ryder had cleared her. So what was Con up to?
“And how did you find the cave entrance?”
Grace gaped at him. “This again? I saw it. With my eyes. Why is that so odd?”
“Because it was cloaked with dragon magic,” Arian answered.
Grace’s eyes went wide. “I don’t have an answer then. I saw it.”
Could Grace have been meant to find his mountain and him? Arian was beginning to think so. Because there was no other explanation. The barrier around Dreagan hadn’t kept her out, and she’d seen his cave entrance—both of which had dragon magic.
“I doona believe in accidents, Ms. Clark,” Con said in a soft voice. “I doona believe you just happened to find Arian’s mountain.”
Arian inwardly cringed. That voice had lulled plenty of others before Grace. It belied the anger and awareness within Con, as well as his purpose.
Grace blew out a breath, her face going white as lightning speared from the sky to the ground. “Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree then, because I believe life is nothing more than a multitude of accidents and coincidences.”
“You make light of your situation?”
“Absolutely not,” Grace stated. “I know how serious this is. I also know that Arian believes me. Why isn’t that enough for you?”
“Because I believe Arian is being ruled by his cock.”
Grace gasped the same instant Arian narrowed his gaze on Con.
“ Trust me, ” Con said in Arian’s mind.
Arian had always trusted Con, but to have him talk in such a way to Grace was nearly impossible to bear. Slowly, he released the tension in his body.
Grace was shaking her head. “You think so little of Arian then? That’s...well, that’s just sad.”
“Sad?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “I ran into that mountain to escape the storm. A few hours later, I saw
Con looked down at her boots. “You dressed for hiking.”
Grace laughed wryly as she straightened her leg so that it was horizontal as she regarded her shoes. “These aren’t hiking boots. They’re old tennis shoes that wouldn’t do me a bit of good,” she said, her voice growing louder in her anger. “Would you like to comment on my raincoat? Do you think I can make it rain at will?”
“Oh, I’m no’ worried about you having that ability,” Con said and glanced at Arian.
Arian fisted his hands. He might have told Grace much about his race, but he hadn’t told her about his ability to control the weather. He rarely used the ability, preferring to let the realm take care of itself.
But there were instances, like earlier when he needed to keep her in his mountain, that it came in handy.
Grace’s gaze swung to him. Arian gave her a small nod. If she saw it, she gave no response as she returned her eyes to Con.
“That’s right,” Grace said, jerking when more thunder boomed. “I’m just a human. I’m mortal. I’ve no magic or the ability to shift into a dragon. I am who I say I am—a novelist. I’m sure with the money Dreagan brings in that you have the ability to do a search on me. Do it. Find out all that you need. Hell, go to a bookstore and find my book.”
Con raised a blond brow. “Perhaps you made up everything that we’ll find. We’ve friends in MI5, Ms. Clark. We know what lengths someone will go to in order to hide who they are.”
“Not me,” she insisted. Her voice pitched higher in frustration. “I’m a freaking nobody! I came here to try and find my muse again. My writing groove left me. It said adios and vanished months ago. If I don’t turn that book in three weeks from now, I lose my contract. My book is set in Scotland. That’s why I’m here.”
Arian knew Ryder had already given Con all there was to know about Grace. Ryder, in his infinite skill, had dug up every single thing there was to know about Grace from the day she was born until now.
Even Ryder had cleared her. So what was Con up to?
“And how did you find the cave entrance?”
Grace gaped at him. “This again? I saw it. With my eyes. Why is that so odd?”
“Because it was cloaked with dragon magic,” Arian answered.
Grace’s eyes went wide. “I don’t have an answer then. I saw it.”
Could Grace have been meant to find his mountain and him? Arian was beginning to think so. Because there was no other explanation. The barrier around Dreagan hadn’t kept her out, and she’d seen his cave entrance—both of which had dragon magic.
“I doona believe in accidents, Ms. Clark,” Con said in a soft voice. “I doona believe you just happened to find Arian’s mountain.”
Arian inwardly cringed. That voice had lulled plenty of others before Grace. It belied the anger and awareness within Con, as well as his purpose.
Grace blew out a breath, her face going white as lightning speared from the sky to the ground. “Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree then, because I believe life is nothing more than a multitude of accidents and coincidences.”
“You make light of your situation?”
“Absolutely not,” Grace stated. “I know how serious this is. I also know that Arian believes me. Why isn’t that enough for you?”
“Because I believe Arian is being ruled by his cock.”
Grace gasped the same instant Arian narrowed his gaze on Con.
“ Trust me, ” Con said in Arian’s mind.
Arian had always trusted Con, but to have him talk in such a way to Grace was nearly impossible to bear. Slowly, he released the tension in his body.
Grace was shaking her head. “You think so little of Arian then? That’s...well, that’s just sad.”
“Sad?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “I ran into that mountain to escape the storm. A few hours later, I saw
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