“Maybe I want to see that.” Layla grinned, enjoying their camaraderie once more; trying to forget the sexual tension racing between them.
“Maybe I’ll let you see it sometime. If you behave, hot little drakaina.”
“Hotlittledrakaina?” Layla lifted an eyebrow with a grin. “I’m as tall as you are. In my shiny new heels.”
“Touché. But if you let me drink tequila, I’ll most likely steal those heels. And end up wearing them. Probably dancing in them, too.”
“My own Dusk Arlohaim drag show? I need to see that. Tequila shots, here we come.” Layla laughed.
“You are going to be the death of me, woman. Fine. Tequila shots, here we come.” With a rolling laugh, Dusk turned, escorting Layla out the door and into the hall. And though Layla laughed with him, enjoying their banter once more as she felt the air clear at last, she could still feel a deep, simmering tension between them.
It was not gone. And no amount of tequila was going to banish it.
CHAPTER 5 – EVENING
The soirée for the Dragon Shifter clans was not in the Palace of Versailles but in one of the out-buildings in the sprawling gardens. Escorted on Dusk’s arm over the flagstone paths, Layla breathed deep of the night air as crimson and gold from the setting sun painted the heavy thunderclouds above. Topiaries and hedge-mazes were lined by roses still blooming unnaturally late in the Twilight Realm, their intoxicating scent swirled up by the brisk wind. Fountains burbled as thunder rumbled overhead, fae-lights swirling atop pedestals like fireflies as lightning flashed in the clouds.
But though the wind shook golden leaves down from the trees, the weather held as Dusk led Layla through the manicured gardens. Taking a path between fountains leaping with lions and gryphons, the private nooks teemed with guests reveling in the electrified evening. Hotel Guard in crimson held watchful expressions, bristling with rapiers and daggers as they guarded the paths and trysts all around. A pair of Guards nodded deferentially to the Head Concierge as he passed with Layla. Dusk nodded back as they walked past a row of lilac trees blossoming out of season by magic, even though their leaves were shriveled and dead.
Lilac were Layla’s favorite flower and she paused as they passed. Dusk sensed it and graciously turned toward one towering tree. Reaching up, he snagged a branch down so Layla could inhale. She did, reveling in the heady fragrance. When she pulled back, Dusk was smiling at her wistfully, his crystalline wall still firmly in place between them.
“What?” Layla asked as a heavy roll of thunder rippled through the bruised sky.
“I can see why he bound you.” Dusk spoke, mysterious and sad. “Adrian. When he had the chance in that art gallery back in Seattle.”
“Why?” His statement was not what Layla had expected, and she frowned. It said a lot about what had been on his mind these last silent minutes since they’d left her apartment. The tension between Dusk and Layla from earlier simmered like the clouds overhead, and Dusk smiled wryly as another roll of thunder consumed the night. His gaze was deep as he reached out, brushing back a curl that had escaped Layla’s chignon and tucking it gently behind her ear.
“Adrian may act like an asshole, but he’s been struck by you, Layla,” Dusk spoke quietly, “in a way no other woman has ever affected him. He hasn’t cooperated easily with me on anything for years, but since Seattle… you haven’t seen the meetings our Hotel leadership have had these past weeks. Adrian’s phoned in, and he’s been positively civil with me – not his usual. You’ve had an effect on him, even though you may not see it.”
Layla paused, unsure how to respond. She heard Dusk talking about Adrian, but the gravitas with which he gazed at her said something vastly different. This was a side of Dusk that Layla had glimpsed before; the side of him that was neither playboy nor do-it-all Head Concierge. There was something deep inside Dusk, something he didn’t show casually but which Layla had sensed ever since they met. Like the grounded clarity of an actual crystal growing in an underground cavern, Dusk was rooted in reality and also honest about himself. Layla saw it now as he spoke of Adrian with his own emotions shining in his sapphire eyes – and refracting through his dark hair in a gentle wave of light.
“Dusk, I—” Layla breathed, not sure what to do with this new side of him.
“Just say you’re welcome.” He spoke softly, a wry smile lifting his lips though his eyes filled with tender humor.
“You’re welcome?” Layla spoke at last, still undone by the mood between them.
Dusk laughed. It was musical and sweet, his lovely baritone ringing out in the settling dark. Layla felt deep vibrations in it despite his crystal barrier; all around them, couples cried out in the darkening night as if pushed to ecstasy by it. Layla blushed as those vibrations found her, the searing passion of her own magic rising with the briskness of the impending storm. But as before, her wind hit Dusk’s solid wall of crystalline energy and was turned aside.
“Come on.” Dusk offered his arm again. Meandering through a garden of streams and stepping-stones lush with waterlilies, he said nothing for a long moment. Layla felt his mood shift as he drew a deep breath, mastering his energy so she felt nothing through his crystalline barrier any longer. As they angled past a row of sphinx statues, he finally spoke again.
“So I should prep you for the drama we’re about to encounter. I mentioned a bit about it, but there’s never really an end to how much one can prep for Dragon gatherings.”
“Drama? You mean pissing matches.” Layla lifted an eyebrow at him, knowing they were back to learning mode. Dusk wasn’t going to speak with her directly about what he was feeling, and Layla didn’t quite know what she was feeling for him, so she didn’t push.
“Pissing matches. Completely.” Dusk gave her a knowing smile as they walked. “Dragons are territorial and vie for power with games, backstabbing, and the sudden forming and un-forming of alliances – along with demonstrations of wit and strength. A majestic yet temperamental Lineage, we tend to make grand plans and just as spectacularly burn them down because of hot-headedness.”
“Sounds like someone we both know,” Layla grinned, trying to make light of the situation.
“You, me, or Adrian?” Dusk laughed, his masculine laugh robust in the night.
“Adrian.” Layla spoke decisively, still trying to keep it light. Dusk’s mood was easing, though conflict still lingered in him. Layla brightened to see him relaxing though, realizing how much it had hurt her to see Dusk so deeply sad.
A wind picked up, chill with impending rain, and Layla cuddled closer to Dusk’s side. He glanced over as if pleased, changing his escorting position so he wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close. He was warm and smelled like rivers rushing through underground caverns, and Layla enjoyed snuggling close to his firm, lean body. It seemed right somehow, and they walked a moment in silence before Dusk spoke again.
“Adrian is representative of his breed,” Dusk continued. “Each Dragon Lineage has their own temperament. As a Desert Dragon, you’re familiar with your hot passion and tendency to get furious. Though it’s because of that passion that Desert Dragons are exceptionally loving and family-oriented – though they tend to be territorial with mates.” That last was said with a hint of Dusk’s earlier mood, and Layla wasn’t stupid. She caught the subtext – that Adrian was already possessive of her, even though they hadn’t even slept together yet.
“And your Lineage? Crystal Dragons? Will any of your kind be here tonight?” Layla continued, trying to keep the conversation going.
