Dragon Heat (Dragons of Perralt Book 2) (2 page)

Her heart raced, and her temple throbbed. Who was he and what did he want? He wasn’t from the city. She was positive. His accent was different, from somewhere distant and mysterious.

Besides. If he was from around here, she’d have heard about him. Hell, half the woman in the city would have been talking about him. Men with shoulders like this were not so common that they could go un-noticed.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Flint,” he answered without looking away from the crowd.

She nodded her head. Appropriate. A hard, strong name.

“I’m Laila …”

“I know who you are, Laila Mason,” he said. “The bricklayer’s daughter. Orphaned six years ago. You’ve been on your own ever since.”

Laila gasped in shock. How? Who? The thought that this man knew all about her did something to her insides. Was he interested in her? A man like this? How was that possible?

“Who told you about me?” she asked. It was important that she learn who the snitch was so that she could avoid them. Her best hope of safety lay in not drawing attention to herself.

What if it was the City Watch? she wondered. Had they sent this man after her? Was he here to arrest her so that they could ship her off to the penal colony in the desert? Were the mines of Clakerly that desperate for prisoners?

Her shoulders hunched with the thought, as a frightened shiver ran down her spine. She had heard what happened to young women sent to the mines. Better that he had left her to the men back in the alley.

“Who told you about me?” she demanded.

He paused for a moment and looked down at her, then smiled, as if perfectly aware of her worries.

“Mrs. Crowley,” he said.

“The baker’s wife, but why?

He shrugged his shoulders. “For some reason, women like telling me things.”

Laila snorted. The arrogant prick. She could see it now. This man could have charmed the dress off a nun and the purse from a princess. They’d be like warm chocolate in his hands. A gooey mess, willing to give him whatever he wanted if he would but smile that silly smirk of his.

Well, not her, no way. Once she found out what she needed to know, she was out of there.

Mr. Flint here was too big, too smooth, and too damn good looking for his own good.

Thankfully, Laila Mason reminded herself.  She didn’t find big, strong, handsome men devastatingly attractive. No, not her.

Flint glanced over at the girl and shook his head. No matter how hard she tried. She couldn’t hide her beauty under those boy’s trappings.

He’d been following her for three days. What had been a simple shopping trip, a search for the perfect apple, had turned into a quest.

He’d spotted her in the crowd. A pretty woman pretending to be a boy. Interesting, but none of his concern. To each her own. Although, those hips of hers had called to him. He would have ignored her and left her to her life if not for the blink of gold in her hand.

Doing a double take. He held his breath. Unable to believe what he was seeing. She had taken a small gold coin from her belt and was rubbing it. As if trying to conjure up a magic wizard.

She isn’t even aware of what she is doing, he thought. It’s a quirk, an unthinking action she does to make herself feel calm.

As if becoming aware of what she was doing, she tucked the coin back into a secret compartment in her belt, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed.

Again, none of his concern, except for the double-headed stamped on the coin.

Of course, he found her intriguing.

One of the five, he realized with a start. Here, in the market. How was this possible? And, why did this young woman have one?

He had quickly scanned the crowd, looking for anything that might threaten this young lady and her coin. Every part of him came alive, buzzing with energy. He must protect her and the coin. There was no other reason to live than that.

With the blink of an eye and a casual glance, his life had changed. His life had meaning. Retrieving that coin just might convince his family that he was actually worth something. That just maybe he could match his older brother.

Stepping away from the wall, he began to follow the woman. A task he found exceedingly enjoyable.

He’d spent the last three days learning everything there was to know about her. The fact that she had avoided the fate of most young girls on these streets was to be admired. The fact that he found her intriguing was perfectly understandable. The woman was strong, intelligent, beautiful, and had a medallion.

He would have continued following her. Would have waited until he knew more before approaching her. But, the four men in the alley had forced his hand.

The thought bothered him. They were after the coin, as well. He knew it in his heart. Who? Why? Was it another beast? Or, merely a random act to retrieve something? Did they have any idea of the power associated with the coin?

A thousand thoughts flew through his mind. Well, at least now he could match his older brother Drake’s accomplishments. A fact that pleased him to his very core.

Taking the girl’s arm, he gently led her towards the fountain in the center square. A warm spark jumped between them when he touched her. A fact that wasn’t lost on her, he thought when he saw the shock in her eyes.

She didn’t resist but accompanied him with a slight frown on her face. She must be wondering about his intentions. Her history had taught her not to trust men like him. A fact that he was going to have to work to overcome

When they reached the fountain, she pulled her arm from his grasp and took a step backwards. Placing both hands on her hips, she asked, “What do you want?”

He laughed. “A simple thank you would be nice. I did save you in the alley.”

She scowled up at him. “I didn’t ask you to. I had it all under control.”

“My mistake,” he said, fighting to hold off smirking too much.

“What do you want?” she demanded again.

“You have something I want,” he said. His insides tensed up. This was the critical point. He could not afford to make a mistake, or she’d run faster than a wounded doe.

“We’ve already established that I’m not for sale.”

He laughed again and said, “Oh, Laila. You and I both know, if I wanted that. I wouldn’t have to pay for it.”

Her eyes flashed with fire. “You arrogant jerk. If you think that I …”

He quickly held up both hands trying to stop the onrush of vitriol and pure anger.

“Laila,” he said. “You have a coin in your belt. I would like to see it if I may. That is all.”

She halted in her tirade and frowned up at him. He could read the thoughts racing through her mind. Who was this man and why did he want her coin? Could she trust him?

“I assure you, I will not take it. I am forbidden from taking it, in fact. I just need to see it to confirm that it is real.”

She shook her head. “It isn’t real,” she hissed. “I’ve checked. No one has ever seen such a coin before.”

“Oh, Laila, if it is what I think it is, nothing is more valuable. At least to me.”

Again, she hesitated. That frown of hers letting him know she didn’t trust him. Could never really trust him. Still, she refused to act.

Sighing, he said, “If I had wanted to steal the coin, I could have simply let those men take it, then taken it from them. I assure you, I can be trusted.”

“Yeah, right,” she mumbled under her breath. But, she glanced around the square to see if anyone was watching. Then, quickly removed the coin from her belt.

Holding it up she let him look at it.

A shock of recognition passed through him. The two-headed Dragon, right size. It was legitimate. Just like its two sisters at home. One of the five. He lifted his eyes up to the heavens and gave a silent thank you to whoever had led him to it.

Swallowing hard, he accepted the fact that this invaluable object was owned by a gutter snipe in a city on the fringes of the world. And, he’d happened upon it purely because he had decided to shop for a fresh apple three days earlier.

Surely, the magic of his family had led him to it.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he nodded that she should return the coin to her belt.

She quickly did as instructed, then looked back at him, as if to ask if he’d always been this insane.

“Miss Laila Mason, today is your lucky day,” he said. “In more ways than one.”

She continued to watch him with wary eyes. Ready for any sudden movement towards the coin or herself. Like a hare caught in a trap, she was ready to bolt at the first sign of aggression on his part.

“Where did you get it?” he asked with a gentle voice.

Her frown deepened. “It was my father’s,” she said. “It was the only thing I could retrieve when the landlord threw me out of our house.”

“And, where did he get it?”

She glanced back to her belt. A tear threatened to form. But then decided better, and melted away.

“He always had it,” she said. “It had always belonged to his family. They came from the mountains, long ago. He used to say that having the coin made us unique, different.”

Flint nodded in understanding. The story was as he expected.

“Why didn’t you sell it? A young girl, alone. I am sure there are many times you might have needed what it could have brought you.”

“It was my father’s,” she said, as if that answered all questions. “Besides,” she continued, “it was my emergency relief. As long as I had the coin, I wasn’t so desperate I had to sell myself on a street corner.”

He studied the girl before him. Her deep brown eyes said it all. She had been alone. The coin was her lifeline. Her connection to her family.

His admiration for her only grew. What her life must have been like. Yet, she had remained free and independent. Yes, she had to steal and scrape to survive. But, she had remained free. 

He dipped his head, acknowledging that he understood.

“What might I do to obtain the coin?” he asked, holding his breath while he awaited her answer.

“Sell it?” she said. “I told you, it was my father’s.”

“No,” Flint replied. “I cannot buy it. I must do something for you. Something unbelievably fantastic. What are your dreams? If you could achieve anything, live anywhere. What would it be?”

She looked up at him as if he were talking in a foreign language. “You mean like a magic wish?”

Flint smiled and shook his head. “No, unfortunately, I can’t click my fingers and make your dreams appear. Believe me, I would if I could. But, it must be something that I might do for you.”

She continued to stare, doubting. Unable to fathom what he was saying.

“What is your secret dream?” he asked.

Laila’s eyes grew clouded as she became lost in a make believe world. At last, she focused over his shoulder at the far castle on the hill.

“A prince, in a castle,” she said, then quickly covered her mouth, as if unable to believe she had said that out loud.

“Ha!”  Flint snorted before he could stop himself.

Her eyes quickly turned from question disbelief to full on fiery anger.

He glanced down at her clothes, and then at her dirty face, and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Laila, you’ve got about as much chance of marrying a prince as the sun setting in the east,” he said.

Her brow narrowed as her hands returned to her hips. The fierce look of determination made him want to smile.

“Well, that’s my price,” she said. “The day I marry a prince is the day you get this coin. Otherwise, good day.”

Turning, she began to stomp off. Flint quickly caught up to her and turned her to face him.

Her face had flushed, and a tear had formed for real this time. He had hurt her. He hadn’t intended to. Who would have known this tough young woman had a tender heart? His stomach clenched up into a tight ball.

“I’m sorry, Laila,” he said. “I didn’t mean that you weren’t worthy of a prince. Personally, I think you are worthy of an Emperor. Only, dressed as you are now, where you are from. These things will not attract a prince. Let alone cause one to offer marriage. You don’t know the things you need to know to capture a prince. Hell, it’s not like there are a lot to choose from. The competition is rather steep.”

“Then, teach me,” she said as she swiped at her eyes to wipe away a tear. “It doesn’t even have to be a prince. Just someone who is rich enough so I don’t have to worry about where tomorrow’s meal is coming from. Someone who loves me as much as I love them.”

Flint shook his head. “No, you demanded a prince, and a prince is what you shall have. Those were your terms, and I must abide. But, if we are going to do this, then you must listen to me. You must learn all that you will need to know. Understood?”

She nodded her head as she sniffed and wiped at her nose with the back of her sleeve.

“The first thing,” he said, removing a fine silk cloth from inside his jacket, “is that sleeves and runny noses are not a match.”

Handing her the cloth, he watched as she blew her nose, then tried to hand the cloth back to him. He shook his head. “No, you keep it. You may need it in the future.”

She looked up at him, then down at the cloth in her hands, as if trying to understand.

“Come on,” he said, taking her arm.

“Where are we going?” she asked, as she glanced at where his hand held her arm. A strange look passed behind her eyes. A look that sent warning signals to his soul.

“To my home,” he said, “a future princess cannot live in a hovel behind the baker’s. You will live with me.”

She tore her arm from his grasp, and within an eye blink, her dagger was out and pointed at his heart.

“You won’t be the first person I cut up,” she said with an angry glint in her eyes.

“Oh, Laila,” he laughed. “If we were ever to make love. Believe me, you would be a most willing partner.”

Her eyes narrowed with pure hate.

“Second of all,” he continued, “if you ever pull a knife on me again, you should be prepared to use it. Or, I will put you across my knee.”

Seeing that his message had registered, he turned and started for home. She hesitated, then began to follow. He could hear her mumbling under breath. Something about arrogant and bastards.