“I thought it was you.” But it wasn’t him. He’d already said that. She shook her head. “A threat? Who would threaten you by sending treasure from your hoard tome?”
“That is what I intend to find out.” Something moved behind his eyes, and his mouth opened as though he was about to say something more—then he closed it with a snap.
As he looked away, one thing became clear.
Every angle of his body was straining away from her.He would rather be anywhere but here, she thought.
She’d been ready to tell him he had no place in her life. Ready to freeze him out for approaching her, after the way he’d behaved the last time they saw each other. And for—for being a dragon shifter all this time, when she’d been struggling with Tomás, with no idea what she was doing.
Which didn’t make any sense. Because why would he care about her personal problems? Why would he help her, if she ever gave him a chance to?
But he wasn’t even here for her.
No. He’d come all this way for the same reason as the last time he followed her here. Someone messed with his hoard.
The pang in her heart—it couldn’t be disappointment.
She pulled herself together. She spent so much time pulling herself together, these days. In her perfect, slow-moving, single-calendar life. “Fine. I’ll believe it wasn’t you. Who could have sent it, then? And how did they know where to find me?”
An expression that on any other man might have been regret flitted across his face. “You don’t understand dragon society, but—”
“I worked for your grandfather and then for you, for five years. And my best friend is engaged to a dragon shifter. I can extrapolate.” She folded her arms. Finally. Something she could speak knowledgeably about. “Dragons, like all shifters, keep your true natures secret from the human world. Not that it stops you from behaving like complete cavemen. For example, the Blackburns and the Montforts are infamous rivals, but what the tabloidsdon’tknow is that you’re both dragon shifters. Dragon shifters who spend more time posturing over who’s the most powerful businessman in town than you do actually running your companies, most days.” Her mind raced ahead. Pieces fell into place. “If dragon shifters put the same amount of energy into personal espionage as you all do intocorporateespionage, and stealing each other’s treasure, then it’s no wonder yourenemies found me. I worked for the Blackburns for half a decade and then disappeared? Even if they didn’t know the details behind why I … quit, they must have seen an opportunity.”
“Anopportunity.”
She’d seen grown men go pale and shiver when Corin snarled. But she was still inured to it, apparently. Except for the faint thrill that raced up her spine.
“An easy target. Me. No longer directly associated with the Blackburn clan, but with a history that meant I could still be used to harass you.”
Corin stopped snarling. He actually looked slightly sick. “As devastatingly accurate as ever, Miss Flores.”
“Butwhyme?” she went on, because she had control of the conversation this far, and no way in hell was she letting Corin take it back. “I’m not the only person to leave your employment. Have you checked whether other pieces are missing from your hoard? Whether other ex-employees have been approached like this?”
“I have not.”
And there was one good reason for that, wasn’t there? She drummed her fingers on the table, feeling slightly sick herself.Say it,she told herself.Just say it.
Corin’s eyes were shards of ice with a heart of black diamond, piercing her, as though he was willing her to speak.
“The watch,” she forced out. “Other employees have left, but none of them stole anything from your personal hoard before they disappeared. Whoever it is, they targeted me—me and Tomás—because they knew about that.”
Corin was silent, so she made herself say the next thing, too.
“You followed me here the last time, with all your cousins in tow, because your draconic honor was damaged when Tomás took your watch. I’m not being targeted because of my connection to you—I’m being targeted because of howthat connectionbroke. I’m someone you already don’t trust. Someone you would naturally suspect.”
“That isn’t true.”
She scoffed. “You already chased me halfway across the state to get your watch back. Anyone who knows about what happened that night will know—”
“Is that what you thought I was doing?”
His tone drove the breath from her lungs.
Then what were you doing?
After what felt like an eternity, she could breathe again.
And she didnotask the question that made her skin thrill with hope.
