Dragon Heartstring(20)

There were already a few couples taking advantage of the private rooftop. We stopped at the corner and looked out over downtown Gladium. Glittering like stars, the city lights lit up the night.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” I asked, leaning on the railing, the warm summer breeze lifting my hair.

“Yes. Quite.”

I glanced over to find him staring at me, not the city. I smiled. “Do you know it’s rude to stare like that?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. You are quite beautiful,” he said with sincerity.

I arched a brow. “Even with the wings?”

“Especially with the wings.” His gaze flicked to them. “You know, Shakara. You seem to have a misguided notion that I dislike Morgons, but the truth is far from it.”

“Well, if I may be so frank, your past proves you’ve had—I don’t know how to say it—issues with Morgonkind.”

His heavy gaze never left me. “Some of us learn from our past mistakes. And we change. At least we should anyway.”

His intense expression and bold statement were a challenge. One I wasn’t sure I was ready to explore. The conversation had turned from casual to serious in a heartbeat. And I realized in this, he was right and I was wrong. We should learn from our mistakes.

Changing the subject was my only escape. “So. What were you talking to Lucius about?”

He loosened his tie and pulled it off, folded it end over end then stuffed it into his inside jacket pocket. “You were watching me?”

“Yes.”

“So you lied,” he said, leaning forward with both forearms on the balcony wall, his left arm brushing mine.

“Did I?” I focused on steadying my voice.

“You said you didn’t know I was here at the party when I walked up to your table.”

“Oh, yes. I did lie.” I felt him staring but continued to gaze out at the city. “I didn’t want you to think I was stalking you or something.”

He laughed, leaning left, his shoulder grazing mine. On purpose, for sure.

My senses amped up. “You’re avoiding my question.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, tell me. I want to know what Demetrius Cade, who never speaks to his brother-in-law even at his nephew’s birthday party, could possibly have to say in a little one-on-one conversation.”

“You have been stalking me.” He smirked and pressed closer.

I arched a brow at him and whispered, “Tell me.”

“It was about you actually.”

“Me?”

“The hearing coming up.”

“Oh.” The wind lifted my hair in the night air. I tucked a strand behind one ear. “What about it?”

“As I mentioned at lunch yesterday, I’m afraid this hearing may bring some negative attention your way. Perhaps, even danger.” His frown was back. His lips tightened into a line as he studied me.

“I think you might be worrying too much.”

“No, I’m not. Which is why you might notice someone from Nightwing Security watching out for you at the clinic. And maybe elsewhere.”

“Wait. I’m going to have a bodyguard?”

“Yes. And don’t say you don’t want one. It’s necessary to be cautious about this. At least until the hearing is over.”

I couldn’t help but be a little surprised that Demetrius of all people would take the initiative to protect me. My father and aunt were bringing up clan members for the hearing itself, but they hadn’t prepared for any threats beforehand.

Before Demetrius’s scowl could deepen further, I made a bold declaration. “So what you’re saying is you’re worried about me.”

Just like that, his stiff shoulders rolled forward as if a weight had been dropped. He angled his body toward me, leaning one elbow on the banister and answered my teasing question more directly than I’d anticipated. “Yes. I certainly am.”

My nerves rattled inside me like marbles in a jar. It was all because of Demetrius. I was fine with him in crowds and loud clubs and chatty birthday parties. But alone with the heady mix of his cologne and his masculine scent swirling around me and with those dark eyes tracking my every move, my dragon wanted to stretch out for him and purr. The woman, the part of me who was confident in the clinic but shy in the bedroom, wanted to retreat and hide. As soon as I’d thought it, my wings twitched, brushing against him.

I gasped and pulled them tight again, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

The air shifted, and I felt like I did that day in the elevator—breathless and trapped and extremely aroused at his nearness.

“Shakara,” he said softly.

“Yes?”

“May I take a closer look at your wings?”

“Yes.”

I turned for him, inhaling a deep breath, and opened them partway, keeping one hand on the banister.

“May I touch them?” he asked softly.

“Yes.”

I didn’t want to tell him how sensitive I was to touch on my wings. Some Morgons weren’t at all. But when Demetrius’s hands slid up the arches, sending a sensual shiver through my body, I thought I might come undone. When his fingers caressed along the side edge and back down, I gripped the banister tight.