“Maggard might,” I mutter darkly.
“Don’t say that name in here.” His voice is soft but firm. “This is our escape from that. Our safe haven.”
Our.
The snark in me wants to call him on it, but I’m too afraid he’ll take it back if I do. I like being in this room covered in his treasures. That’s hardly shocking—I like nice things and Tino has a lot of them.
“I was thinking…” He pauses, his brow wrinkling as he shakes his head. He huffs out a laugh. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this. I feel like I might be going fucking crazy.”
“Care to clue me in, deliciae?”
Tino exhales, filling the space between us with his sweet, smoky scent. I lick my lips, inhaling and gobbling up the storm of his emotions. They flash by too quickly to identify each one, but they sure are tasty.
With his eyes back in human form, boring into me in the most delicious way, he nods once. “Lake is into fashion. I mentioned earlier that he can take you out to buy new clothes. On me.”
I pull my head back in surprise. “On you? Why?”
“You wouldn’t be in this situation if you hadn’t put yourself on the line for my brother.”
For you.
The thought tightens my throat, leaving me unable to speak for a few seconds.
“It’s the least I can do,” Tino continues. “Besides, Lake is safe. His mate bond is so strong that if he sneezes one too many times, Nico will be there.”
“Okay,” I finally squeak out.
“You’d enjoy your time more with Lake than me. I’ll work with my brothers in the meantime to secure Mac and tighten the protection around us.”
“Will the bond let me leave you?”
“Pretty sure it’s just to keep you from bouncing out to different realms. If it’s too much, just… come back to me.”
The words hang in the air between us, both a promise and a wish that I doubt either of us anticipated when we first hooked up.
Maybe he really can forgive me for the little game I played to get my ring back. I’m in a hoard room, after all. That has to mean he’s warming up to me, right?
When I look back at him, it’s the dragon I see again until he blinks. Is it possible the dragon is helping my cause? Wouldn’t that be something?
“Shopping with a mortal fashionista, huh?” I shrug and smile. “Stranger things have happened. He has a nice aura though, so I’ll try it.”
Tino stands and my eyes follow the action. He seems bigger somehow, even though the room itself is massive with cavernous ceilings. I’m waiting for him to tell me to take his items off, but he just gazes at me for several seconds before turning and leaving the room.
I don’t know much about normal dragon behavior, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t it.
Chapter Fourteen
MONTROSE
Ihalf expected Valentino to change his mind and haul me back into his hoard room when I waltzed out wearing the fur and a few choice pieces of priceless jewelry. There might have even been a small part of me that put it all on just to find out what he would do. Maybe. Possibly.
But the dragon didn’t huff or puff. He didn’t grab me and drag me back into his hoard like a rabid beast protecting his treasures.Sad. Seeing all of his shiny things cheered me up, but an orgasm would have really bolstered my mood. The rancid flavors of hell linger on my tongue, but if I concentrate hard enough, I can still taste Valentino’s earlier release too. Salty, smoky, fuckingdivine. And that’s not a word demons use lightly.
Valentino’s breath tickles the back of my neck as I near the front door. His strong fingers wrap around my upper arm, and even through the thick fur coat, I can feel the heat of his touch.
“Be careful and keep alert. If you get a singlewhiffof danger, I want you to let me know and we’ll be there,” he growls, and a little shiver runs down my spine at the possessive edge.Rawr.
I tut out a laugh though, ignoring the swell in my cock. “News flash, deliciae, overgrown lizards aren’t the only baddies on the block. I’m not a helpless flower.” I spin around and flash him a cocky smirk. “You should hear how the other demons whisper about the size of my horns. And you know what they say about demons with big horns.”
