“I need your help.”
“Say what?”She gaped at him.“Ever consider advertising the position and picking from amenable candidates?”
He slapped the controls onto automatic pilot and stood.Once again, her gaze roamed his naked shoulders and tattoo.A dragon.Go figure.Given her shapeshifter status, unclothed males never fazed her, but this one pushed her discomfort button, and she wasn’t sure where to aim her eyes.
Shoulders.No.
Face.Definitely not.
Lower.Hell to the no!
Scarlett jumped out of her seat and planted her hands on her hips.“Explain.”
“If I blab to you, it will place people I care about in danger.I must find something, and once I do, my family and friends are assured of safety.”
“A quest?You’re on a quest?And you’re dragging me along?Oh, good gravy,” she muttered, aghast at his impudence.“What is wrong with the men in this sector?My brothers captured and wooed their mates.All I get is a stupid quest.”
Ransom trembled with fatigue, and he fought to conceal this weakness.Scarlett Mitchell.Finally, he had a name for the infuriating woman who’d dared to steal precious stones from one of their collection fields.The woman who’d filled his mind way more than she should.Unfortunately,hehad seen her in Ransom’s dreams.
That was when his life had taken a different direction.Instead of the mental torture, so painful he’d slid into a coma, the prince of the Maphra race had upped the stakes.Ransom must find and capture Scarlett Mitchell and bring her to the prince’s place of sleep.
Prince Kalim had declared it was time for the Maphra to rise and display their might.Centuries ago, they’d ruled.The prince intended to regather their splintered power and reclaim the position his forebears had vacated.
The Maphra ruler bore a bucketful of crazy, and Ransom feared he’d follow through on his threats to annihilate the dragons and the Incorporeal race who lived a peaceful existence alongside them.
He sighed.The one woman who’d impressed with her sassy attitude, her cheek, and effrontery at stealing from him.A woman who designed beautiful and distinctive jewelry to rival his own pieces.The woman his dragon claimed was their mate.
“Hey!”
While he’d been railing at his impossible situation, Scarlett had stood.She clicked her fingers, her green eyes flashing with impatience.
Ransom fought a smile.It was hard not to appreciate this mouthy woman who flaunted her capable ways.The dragon females of his acquaintance were so different.This woman reminded him of those who worked with Ry Coppersmith on theIndefatigable.
“Are you there?”Scarlett knocked her fist against his head.Not hard, but a request for his attention.
“I’ve put the ship on automatic pilot,” he said.“I’ll grab clothes before we land on Dalcon.”
“Why are we going there?”
“To get supplies before we journey to Narenda.”
She frowned.“Will you let me collect precious stones?”
“Yes.”He forced the reply past the lump in his throat.A reward that meant nothing, considering he intended to hand her over to a despot.
“Yay!Narenda has gorgeous precious stones.”
When he didn’t reply—he couldn’t, not with guilt beating him up—her frown deepened.Not that the scowl distracted from her beauty.With her golden skin and bright green eyes, her long black hair, and her height, she stole his breath.This day, she wore her long hair piled on top of her head in an odd round shape.
Curiosity nudged him.“What do you call that hairstyle?I’ve never seen it before.”
“And he wants to discuss hair,” she murmured, humor flickering in her eyes.“It’s a variation of a donut-bun.Princess Layla set the fashion on Earth.”
He must’ve appeared as blank as his mind.
“Princess Layla comes from a fictional world—a movie.Entertainment on Earth, my planet of origin.My family and friends left after a virus decimated our population.I don’t suppose you’ll return me to Tiraq?”
Regret filled him, but years of practice with his father kept his expression impassive.“I require your help.”
