“But surely you keep that wealth in a bank rather than under your mattress?”
“Why would I attempt to keep it under my mattress?”
“It’s just a saying, something people who don’t trust banks are reputed to do.”
“Ah.”He shook his head.“The majority of our wealth is not in pounds or dollars and so not stored in a bank account or vault.”
Ranulf and his brothers were convinced that Wallis was obsessed with finding them so he could steal some of the dragon treasure they had all accumulated over their thousand years of being on the earth.The man wouldn’t be able to carry more than a fraction of what they had stored away.
Their investigations into Wallis, since they’d learned of his existence, had revealed that Ben McGregor wasn’t the first person he had killed out of greed.Years before Wallis carried outthathorrendous deed, and while still working as a lawyer, he had arranged for the deaths of a wealthy married couple who were his clients.
After their deaths, with no close family on either side, their wills had revealed that Wallis was to become guardian to their young daughter and oversee the fortune left in trust for her.Wallis had promptly sent the daughter to boarding school and taken the fortune for himself.
Ranulf wasn’t about to share any of that with Sephie just yet.The last thing she needed right now was to know that Wallis was more than capable of shooting and killing both her parents if it suited his purpose to do so.
Not that Ranulf intended to let that happen.He might choose to spend his time avoiding humans, but he and his brothers still protected them whenever the need arose.
If we hadn’t helped Sister Agnes to escape being sacrificed by the villagers eight hundred years ago, we wouldn’t be in this current predicament, his dragon reminded him.
But Ranulf wouldn’t have now also met his beautiful mate, and the more time he spent with Sephie, the more he wanted and desired her, and the deeper his respect and admiration for her grew.
She was already a mate to be proud of.
She had also been studying him for the few brief minutes it had taken for these thoughts to go through Ranulf’s mind.“I know what this is!You and your brothers really are dragons, and the treasure this man Wallis is seeking is the gold and jewels you have hidden inside the mountains behind your castle!”
Ranulf stilled.Was it possible?—
Sephie huffed.“You should see your face!I don’t care where you keep the wealth Wallis is looking for, or what it is.My only concern is getting my mother and father safely away from that psychopath’s clutches.”Her expression had once again turned bleak.
Ranulf released an inward sigh of relief.The last thing he wanted was to allow the focus to shift from keeping Sephie and her parents safe to what he and his brothers were.Once they had achieved that, and dealt with Wallis, he would ensure Sephie had all the time she needed to come to terms with what he was and what she now was to him.
“I will make sure that happens,” he assured her.“But for now…” He unfolded the piece of paper he had removed from the envelope.The letter was brief.
The church at 10 o’clock tonight.Come alone or the Malcolm family will all die.
They wouldalldie.
Not if Ranulf had anything to say about it, and he had a great deal.
He handed the letter to Sephie to read.
What Wallis didn’t seem to have taken into account was that a dragon shifter was never alone.They were always two beings, symbiotic to each other.He might arrive as Ranulf, but his dragon was always just below the skin and itching to come out and play.Although his idea of “play” might be different from Wallis’s.
“The church?”Sephie frowned.“Why would he choose there rather than inviting you to the inn where he already has my parents tied up or locked away?”
He shrugged.“Maybe because it’s close and no one else will be there that time of night.”
The last time Ranulf had entered the church had been when he attended the funeral for young Ben McGregor shortly after the New Year.He believed Wallis choosing that location to meet with Ranulf later tonight was a reminder of that, a warning, that the Drake brothers could shortly be attending three more funerals if he didn’t meet Wallis and do exactly as was told.
Ranulf doing the former was ironclad.The chances of the latter happening were exactly nil!
He had never shifted into his dragon anywhere near the village, knowing that there was no way to hide or explain away a thirty-foot-tall silver dragon with a wingspan to match.But that wouldn’t be the case at night, within the walls and vaulted ceiling of the church.
“What shall I tell him is your answer?”Sephie prompted, her face pale.
“Tell him yes.”Ranulf bent down slightly so that his face was almost level with hers.“When you get back to the inn, just tell him I agree, and then keep as far away from him as possible.I’m afraid you were right earlier when you described him as a psychopath.”
Sephie released a shaky breath.“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to be any closer to him than I have to.”She looked up at him for several seconds before moving up on the tips of her boots and kissing him quickly on the mouth.
