“There is an old door behind the pantry. It’s locked, and I was told it led nowhere. The cook I took over from told me the builders made a mistake while constructing the kitchen. Instead of bricking it up, they placed the pantry in front of it to disguise their mistake.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Leo leaped to his feet, strode to the pantry and flung open the door.
“Do not make a mess,” Cook ordered.
Leo ignored the demand and checked the walls. He shoved a heavy set of shelves aside.
“Leo,” Cook said in a stern voice.
Leo didn’t reply, the physical action tamping down his rising anger.
“He’s not listening,” Jakab said.
“Come and help,” Leo ordered.
“At least try not to make so much noise. The last thing I need is someone coming to investigate. You’ll get us tossed into the dungeon.”
“Not with the delicious food you produce, Cook. You’re safe.” Leo manhandled another set of shelving away from the wall. “Found it,” he said in satisfaction.
Jakab straightened. “Leo, we need tools to break through the dungeon wall.”
“Not if we find a door. The earliest castle inhabitants required a way to get their prisoners in and out. It’ll be there.” Leo pushed confidence into his voice because he refused to consider anything other than success.
* * * * *
“Why are you here?” Martinos asked his sister.
“The human raises my curiosity since she bears none of my beauty. Leonidas no longer works on his reputation as a womanizer. He doesn’t have a woman he visits to slake his needs. In theory, he should’ve been my easiest target. His parents assured me the marriage would go ahead. The plan is perfect on paper.”
“You want to discover where you went wrong with your scheme.” Martinos sounded disbelieving. “By Lodar, you’re egotistical. Our parents spoiled you, and now you think everyone owes you.”
“My scheme is perfect.”Nan stopped speaking, and Gwenyth imagined her shrugging. She remained still and silent on the stretcher bed, listening to the dragon woman.
“Leo is spoiling everything,” Nan said. “He is the perfect age for marriage and will gain more standing by affiancing himself with me. At least until he outlives his usefulness.”
Gwenyth’s mouth popped open at the sheer audacity of the woman. The way she was treating Leo like a possession—one she intended to mold to her specifications—was beyond ludicrous. She’d miscalculated because Leo had worked hard to become his own dragon. He followed the path he’d plotted for himself, and that was admirable. She wished Tony had—
Her thoughts halted amidst an arrow of pain that sliced through her sluggish memories. Who was this Tony person? She recalled the pale band of flesh on her finger, yet she didn’t sense a male companion in her life. When she thought of a man, her thoughts raced to Leo. He was the one who consumed her. His kisses weakened her knees, and their last one had left her yearning for more. Privacy. A comfortable bed. Solitary time with Leo.
Gwenyth pushed her memories again, thinking the name Tony and rifling through her mind for a face to go with the name. She came up blank.
“So get someone else.”
Gwenyth frowned, her mind back on the conversation. What was Martinos trying to do? Make his sister angry?
“No.” Nan snorted. “It wasn’t as if I intended to keep Leo for long. He’s the Champion of the Skies. So tough and sexy. It makes any red-blooded dragon woman wonder what he’d be like between the sheets. I want an heir and a spare, and then my reluctant husband is no longer necessary.”
Shocked at the woman’s callousness,Gwenyth scowled. Nan’s attitude toward Leo was disgusting. Leo had feelings. He wasn’t a lump of meat for Nan to fight over. Leo was her husband, dammit. Every part of Gwenyth wanted to heap abuse on this rude, despicable dragon woman. But she heeded Martinos’s advice and remained silent. It wasn’t the best idea to poke at the dragon since Nan had no problem making free with her fists.
“Are you certain she’s still unconscious?”
“She’s a weak human. Her body isn’t as strong as a dragon’s. You must come back tomorrow.”
Nan sighed. “Tomorrow, I’m busy with ball preparations. I must massage my plan. While I haven’t spoken to Leo yet, I’ll seduce him without difficulty. Men don’t resist me.”
Sheer conceit.
Leo wanted her, not this dragon with an inflated opinion of herself. The minister had married them, and Leo had assured her their marriage was legal. Nan hadn’t considered that point.
