Dragon Legacy (2 page)

Without Jasmine’s vivacity, the conversation between the two high-powered men lapsed into silence. The younger man looked bored and distracted. The delicate rose-patterned china tea cup appeared awkward in his large strong-boned hands. He ran his long fingers through his shaggy, platinum blond, almost silver, hair. It masked the paleness of his silver-colored eyes. He looked handsome. Fleur waited to see if her heart flipped. It didn't. Her stomach lurched at the implications of her discovery. Her attraction to Lukas was based on something deeper than eye candy. Fleur's stomach rumbled. She spotted two tables laden with food. Her stomach growled again as she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She reached for a sandwich.

Jasmine reached the buffet table as Fleur finished her first sandwich. “Shall I introduce you to the other guests?”

“Please.”

Jasmine's social skills helped Fleur overcome her shyness and converse with the other guests without any obvious effort. “I’m never going to remember everyone’s murder mystery character."

“Don’t worry. That's all of them.”

"You haven't introduced me to those two."

"Sorry, who do you mean?"

"The two gorgeous men you monopolized earlier."

"Oh, you mean Zane Loup and Xavier Serpente?"

"The dark-haired one stared at you for ages."

Jasmine shuddered. "He's sexy but arrogant.”

"Interesting, introduce me anyway."

∞

Xavier Serpente clenched his manicured nails into his expensive Italian silk trousers, amazed Jasmine dare leave him in mid-conversation. She didn't realize his importance. He mentally ticked off his attributes. Successful Milanese financier and good looks guaranteed him the undivided attention of most beautiful women. He also possessed the fast car, city penthouse, and lakeside retreat associated with his ilk. The threat of danger, which simmered under the surface of his urbane respectability, was his greatest attraction. All women acquiesced when they fell under the spell of his midnight black gaze. Except Jasmine; she intrigued him. Her potent aura represented a source of usable power. Fleur's importance to her troubled him. Xavier let his gaze roam over the slender blonde-haired woman across the room. The innocent, vulnerable aura she projected didn't fascinate his jaded palate.

Paranormal energy diverted his attention. Someone pushed at his mind's periphery. He didn't recognize the energy source. Waves of unease ruffled his calm exterior. He detected a paranormal aura, masked before he could determine its origin. Anger flared in his obsidian gaze.

*

A bell rang. Conversation ceased as Grace broke the silence. “Welcome everyone. It's time to go through the weekend’s events.”

A buzz of conversation resumed. Everyone rummaged in pockets and bags for their event program. Grace waited for the room to fall silent again. “Chairs are behind the buffet tables.”

“
I'll introduce you to Zane and Xavier after this,” Jasmine said to Fleur

Everyone's attention focused on Grace. Fleur looked for Lukas, still absent, among the guests. She controlled her frustration and concentrated on Grace. The conservatory door opened. The charged air around her crackled with static electricity. She shuddered, and her skin covered with goose bumps as her spine tingled with sparks of awareness. She couldn't breathe. Be calm. It can't be him. But no one else would cause this violent a physical reaction. She straightened her back. The heat spread to all her body's secret places. Her agitated movements disturbed Jasmine. She mouthed,
you okay?
Before Fleur could answer, the cause of her inner distraction sat next to her. Lukas. Their gazes clashed. Heat radiated from him in waves. She glanced round the room. Xavier looked bored. Zane smiled at her. Everyone else focused on Grace. No one witnessed her meltdown.

*

Lukas settled back into his chair. He opened his mind. Despite his long, turbulent history with the demon, Lukas didn’t know how it looked in this world. His late arrival should pique the demon's interest. A subtle intrusion at the periphery of his consciousness alerted him. He sensed waves of dark paranormal energy, withdrawing when he focused on them. Disappointed, Lukas drew a protective cloak around his own aura. He sensed malevolent energy. Somewhere in this room, the demon hid behind a human mask.

Lukas looked at Zane. His gaze flickered with recognition. A slight movement at Zane’s side drew Lukas' attention. A dark stranger stared in his direction. Unsettled, Lukas glanced at Fleur. A powerful aura shone around her. Its potency pulled him towards her with the force of a powerful magnetic field. Lukas concentrated all his psychic energy to pull away. Why did Fleur have such a powerful aura, and why did it attract him? The click of Fleur's bag as she closed it interrupted his muse. The plan of activities rested on her lap. Lukas smiled. His gaze registered her rose-blush cheeks. Her nipples pebbled under her thin mesh top as his gaze rested there. Shallow breaths made her breasts push against the neckline of her top. She shifted in her seat. He withdrew his gaze. His arrogance was satisfied by her obvious arousal.

Lukas' attention focused on Grace. He discovered his character in the murder mystery event a philanthropist who would be the host of the house party, a party given as a reward to Nathan Ryder's friends and supporters of his homeless trust. Grace cast herself as his mother and hostess, which increased the probability of a private conversation this evening. The other characters' names and roles held no significance for him.

*

“So who might you be in this little intrigue?”

Fleur turned to face Lukas. His hand brushed hers where it rested in her lap. Startled, she resisted the urge to move her hand away. It didn't mean anything. Why draw attention to it? Fleur's gaze followed his fingers as he caressed the delicate skin of her inner wrist. Lukas' troubled gaze met hers. The sensations he aroused captivated her. Her knees trembled. Heat pooled between her thighs. His touch stripped her of her usual self-control. She remembered he'd asked her a question. “I’m Megan Wilde, a successful business woman. I own coffee shops and devour admirers like after-dinner mints, if I recall the details of my character.” Her voice sounded soft and husky even to her own ears.

“Ah! And do you?”

Lukas held her gaze. She wanted to look away, but refused to show any weakness. “Do I what?”

Lukas smiled. His golden gaze danced with secret amusement. He irritated her. “Do you devour your admirers?"

Fleur touched her warm cheeks, rattled by his hot looks. Determined to keep her emotions hidden, she held his gaze. “No. I’m not like Megan Wilde.”

*

Her wistful reply touched him. Fleur affected him in unexpected ways and his sudden emotional involvement bothered him. He pushed his worries aside when he saw Jasmine accompanied by two men. “Jasmine, it’s nice to see you again.” His urbane tone brought Fleur out of her dazed state. “I see my business partner has introduced himself."

“Hi. You know Zane, of course, Lukas, but do you know Xavier?”

Lukas' fires burned deep within him. He stiffened his body, brought it under rigid control. Xavier stood a little closer to Jasmine than social etiquette allowed. Her gaze betrayed her discomfort. She hid it well under a veneer of social politeness. Xavier’s empty, inhuman eyes drew his attention. His senses sharpened and the fire within bubbled close to the surface. He shook Xavier's hand. His mind probed. A dark presence, heavy with malevolence, met him. He shuddered. The creature didn't have a human soul. Lukas recovered his composure. “No, we haven’t met.” He ignored the malicious smile on Xavier’s face.

“No?” Xavier challenged. “More importantly, who are you,
mio bella signora
?”

Fleur blushed. Xavier's charm overpowered her. Good manners ensured she smiled politely and shook his hand. “Hi, I’m Fleur Curwen.” Xavier held her hand. In a parody of old fashion gallantry, he raised it to his mouth and kissed it.

“I’m delighted to meet you,
bella
.”

Fleur hid her distaste well. Lukas saw her wipe her hand on her clothes when he let it go. His attempts to ignore the demon’s actions failed. He wanted to step between Fleur and Xavier. Instead, he feigned disinterest until Fleur's dislike of Xavier ruptured her thin veneer of politeness. “I'll walk you to your room, Fleur.”

Fleur shot a glance at Jasmine who nodded and smiled. “Fine with me, I’ve introduced you to everyone. I need to finish here and prepare for this evening’s cocktail party.”

Fleur smiled. "Thanks, Lukas. I’ll see you later, Jasmine?” She smiled at Zane and Xavier and rested her hand on Lukas’s arm.

“She’s out of your league, Zane.” The younger man whistled as his gaze followed Jasmine across the room. "Xavier," Lukas made sure it sounded like an afterthought. He looked at Fleur. “Let's go.” Lukas noted the blush on her cheeks as they made their way through the small groups of people still around. He smiled at her unusual naivety.

*

Lukas and Fleur climbed the stairs to their rooms. She liked the hardness of his muscular arm under her fingertips and let her mind wander. Xavier’s attractiveness didn't arouse her. His cold lips froze the skin on her hand. If Lukas kissed her hand, it would be different. Unbidden, her heated imagination conjured an image of Lukas naked in the shower with water droplets on his muscular body. She pushed it away, but not before the dull ache in her lower abdomen intensified. She gave herself a mental shake, appalled by her lovesick teenage behaviour. Lukas broke into her muse.

“Are you looking forward to tonight?”

"I am. I love escaping from the real me.”

“Why?"

“I’m too ordinary and shy. Megan Wilde's so interesting and confident. No contest."

They stopped in the deserted hallway outside Fleur's room. Lukas covered her hand with his. She trembled at the contact. Her breath hitched as a jolt of awareness rushed through her. His shocked expression showed her the same electricity ran through him. He gently turned her face towards him. His fingers caressed her, cool against the heat of her flushed cheeks. Did her gaze betray her emotions? She felt a mixture of uncertainty and arousal.

“You’re wrong. I would choose Fleur over Megan every time.”

Captivated, she watched Lukas' mouth drift towards her slightly parted lips. He gave her every chance to decline the invitation he offered. She didn’t. As his firm cool lips grazed hers, she rose up on her toes to meet him. His tongue traced her full bottom lip in a sensual caress. Fleur parted her own lips under his. He dipped into the warm recesses of her mouth. His gentle kiss aroused her. Lukas tasted and sipped at her lips. Fleur’s body flooded with heat. His lips continued their thorough exploration of her soft compliant mouth. She grabbed at the lapels of his jacket, pulled him in closer. She needed more.

*

Lukas sensed her urgency. He let his hands drift from her face to the sensuous curves of her buttocks and caressed their softness. He pulled Fleur almost roughly against him, plastered her to his hard body from chin to toes. Fleur murmured her approval and deepened the kiss. Her tongue tangled with his. Lukas' body hardened his erection rigid against the softness of her belly. His aroused state forced a belated reality check. If they continued, he would bury himself in her hotness here, against the wall. The inappropriateness of their surroundings permeated his sensual haze, a public corridor where anyone could interrupt them. He stopped and eased his mouth from hers. “Sweetheart, we have to stop. I don't like the prospect of an audience. Nor do I start things I can't finish.” He removed her arms from where they rested round his neck. Fleur groaned and pulled his mouth back to hers. He couldn't ignore his conscience. He lifted her tempting body away from his needy one. His shaft protested her absence as it strained against his jeans. Sex with sweet innocents didn't figure in his plans. He glanced at his watch. “We need to go and get ready. It’s less than an hour until the cocktail party at seven.”

Fleur's gaze became panicked when she looked at her own watch. She opened her bag and searched for her room key. "I’ll never be ready in time.”

Unable to stop himself, Lukas brushed a stray tendril of hair off her face. His shaft pressed against the buttons of his jeans as Fleur turned her enticing mouth towards his fingers. He bent his head and kissed her rosy, bruised lips. “You’ll be fine. I'll see you at seven?”

“Yes,” Fleur smiled at him. She opened her door and waited at the threshold.

Lukas made it easier for her. He turned away and walked towards his own room. Her door closed and creaked as if she leaned against the solid wooden panels. He relived their previous passionate moments. Megan Wilde lived inside her.

Lukas turned the corner. Zane leaned against his door. Lukas focused and pushed the final remnants of passion away. He needed to discover what Zane knew about the demon.

“What took you so long?”

“I walked Fleur to her room.”

“It took you long enough."

Lukas saw the anxiety in Zane's expression. Did he doubt his commitment? He must control his emotions. He needed Zane's support.

*

Xavier walked into the wild garden closest to the hillside. Overgrown rose bushes and heather tangled together. They provided solitude unseen from the house. His body’s internal pressure rose unbearably. The need to return to his true form was so acute he could barely maintain his human appearance. He plunged into the undergrowth, losing skin and human shape. Unmasked, the demon surfaced. The urbane Italian disappeared.

The demon’s head, deformed with sharp protrusions, barbed with lethal poison, didn't have any eyes. Instead, expressionless orbital cavities dominated its face and shone with bright magnesium-white light. The obscenely wide mouth, filled with sharp pointed teeth, was capable of ripping a human to pieces in mere seconds. The demon's body resembled a horrific serpent, its torso armor-plated with webbed bat-like wings attached. Covered in smooth slimy black scales, the long thick-set lower body hid a second mouth with a forked poison-laced tongue. He slithered away from the light to recline between a boulder and a clump of grouse, his mind disordered as the demon's empty void overrode all traces of humanity. He was without compassion or forgiveness. A relentless urge drove the demon to annihilate and punish anyone or anything in its path.

*

The grandfather clock struck seven as Lukas knocked on Fleur’s door. As he turned the handle, the door creaked open. He walked in without any hesitation. Fleur sat at the French-style dressing table.

"Hi, I’m almost ready.” She reached for her perfume bottle. It clattered against the glass top as it slipped from her shaky fingers. "Damn."

Lukas smiled as he closed the door, pleased he made her nervous. She sprayed a light floral scent on the back of her neck under her long, caramel blonde hair. Aquamarine and opal drop earrings caught the light as she brushed her hair and secured it in an elegant braid. He relaxed against the door and admired her petite form. Her turquoise silk dress skimmed her curves and emphasized their delicacy as she moved across the room.