deeper into the Elves’ territory. I have allowed you to go this far, but I will not allow that.”
She blinked several times. She said slowly, “So when Beluviel invited me, and since it is the only way I can speak to Calondir on this trip, I said yes. We leave first thing in the morning.”
“Pia, I said no, dammit!”
Her expression grew cold. “I heard what you dictated the first time,” she told him, shaping each word deliberately. “I chose not to respond right away so that you could have a moment to think about what you just said, and how you said it to me.”
He went nose to nose with her and hissed, “You will not disobey me on this. I forbid it. They are my enemy .”
She flinched but did not back away. “Yes, Dragos,” she said. “They are your enemy. They are not mine.”
He said between his teeth, “That is a foolish attitude. My enemies are yours. You are my mate—if you die, I die.”
“Just because our lives are linked together, I do not believe that makes the Elves my enemy too. When Beluviel made the invitation, she was clearly trying to help.” She pushed to her feet, and he rose too. She lifted her gaze, and the hurt, anger and disappointment in her eyes speared him. She said with quiet bite, “Now I am going to figure out how to wake myself up, and I’m going to turn off my phone. That should give you more time to think, because we have also had this conversation before. I am NOT your employee, NOR am I your servant, and I never promised to obey you. And what’s more, Dragos, you should not speak to your employees or your servants like that anyway. If what happened with Rune taught you anything, it should have taught you that.”
He sucked in a breath. Maybe to roar, or maybe to apologize. Not even he knew what he intended. Perhaps both. Whichever it was he was too late, for she turned away from him.
His mate turned away from him . As she did so, she faded from the dream.
The dragon woke up with a growl. He lunged to his feet, then glared at the bed.
It was so appallingly empty he took hold of one end and threw it against the wall.
SIX
“Y ou look like something a cat coughed up,” Eva said in a helpful tone of voice.
Pia gave Captain Psycho a dirty look as she tied the laces of her new boots. “Have I told you yet how much your witty repartee means to me?” she said between her teeth. “No, wait. I believe I haven’t.”
Beluviel had told her that the Elves would provide for her group’s needs, but she had still needed to get a few things suitable for horseback riding and a stay in the Wood. She had brought only one pair of jeans, the ones she had worn on the trip down.
The group had stopped at a superstore directly after leaving Lirithriel House so that she could buy a couple extra pairs of jeans and the boots. She had brought enough sweaters, and although they seemed a bit dressy, they would do. She packed one nice slacks outfit to meet Calondir in, left her fine wool dress coat in the wardrobe and threw the more serviceable anorak she had worn on yesterday’s car trip on top of her pack.
Eva crossed her arms and lounged against the doorway, watching Pia’s final preparations. “You sick?”
“Nope.”
“Deranged?”
She gritted her teeth. “Just didn’t sleep well.” She had, in fact, lain in a furious, hurting clench for hours after she had woken up. After a brief, horrible struggle with herself, she did exactly what she told Dragos she would do, and she turned off her iPhone. Then she glared at the damn thing for the rest of the night.
She wanted to turn it on. So. Badly.
But it would be truly awful to turn the phone on only to find out he never called or texted. And it might actually be just as awful to turn it on and find out that he left a terrible message of some sort, something cold or hateful about disobeying him.
And it would be especially awful if she turned on the phone to find out that Dragos was remorseful and apologetic. In pain. If
She blinked several times. She said slowly, “So when Beluviel invited me, and since it is the only way I can speak to Calondir on this trip, I said yes. We leave first thing in the morning.”
“Pia, I said no, dammit!”
Her expression grew cold. “I heard what you dictated the first time,” she told him, shaping each word deliberately. “I chose not to respond right away so that you could have a moment to think about what you just said, and how you said it to me.”
He went nose to nose with her and hissed, “You will not disobey me on this. I forbid it. They are my enemy .”
She flinched but did not back away. “Yes, Dragos,” she said. “They are your enemy. They are not mine.”
He said between his teeth, “That is a foolish attitude. My enemies are yours. You are my mate—if you die, I die.”
“Just because our lives are linked together, I do not believe that makes the Elves my enemy too. When Beluviel made the invitation, she was clearly trying to help.” She pushed to her feet, and he rose too. She lifted her gaze, and the hurt, anger and disappointment in her eyes speared him. She said with quiet bite, “Now I am going to figure out how to wake myself up, and I’m going to turn off my phone. That should give you more time to think, because we have also had this conversation before. I am NOT your employee, NOR am I your servant, and I never promised to obey you. And what’s more, Dragos, you should not speak to your employees or your servants like that anyway. If what happened with Rune taught you anything, it should have taught you that.”
He sucked in a breath. Maybe to roar, or maybe to apologize. Not even he knew what he intended. Perhaps both. Whichever it was he was too late, for she turned away from him.
His mate turned away from him . As she did so, she faded from the dream.
The dragon woke up with a growl. He lunged to his feet, then glared at the bed.
It was so appallingly empty he took hold of one end and threw it against the wall.
SIX
“Y ou look like something a cat coughed up,” Eva said in a helpful tone of voice.
Pia gave Captain Psycho a dirty look as she tied the laces of her new boots. “Have I told you yet how much your witty repartee means to me?” she said between her teeth. “No, wait. I believe I haven’t.”
Beluviel had told her that the Elves would provide for her group’s needs, but she had still needed to get a few things suitable for horseback riding and a stay in the Wood. She had brought only one pair of jeans, the ones she had worn on the trip down.
The group had stopped at a superstore directly after leaving Lirithriel House so that she could buy a couple extra pairs of jeans and the boots. She had brought enough sweaters, and although they seemed a bit dressy, they would do. She packed one nice slacks outfit to meet Calondir in, left her fine wool dress coat in the wardrobe and threw the more serviceable anorak she had worn on yesterday’s car trip on top of her pack.
Eva crossed her arms and lounged against the doorway, watching Pia’s final preparations. “You sick?”
“Nope.”
“Deranged?”
She gritted her teeth. “Just didn’t sleep well.” She had, in fact, lain in a furious, hurting clench for hours after she had woken up. After a brief, horrible struggle with herself, she did exactly what she told Dragos she would do, and she turned off her iPhone. Then she glared at the damn thing for the rest of the night.
She wanted to turn it on. So. Badly.
But it would be truly awful to turn the phone on only to find out he never called or texted. And it might actually be just as awful to turn it on and find out that he left a terrible message of some sort, something cold or hateful about disobeying him.
And it would be especially awful if she turned on the phone to find out that Dragos was remorseful and apologetic. In pain. If
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