Read Online Dante's Marriage Pact by Day Leclaire - Free Book Online Page B

She’d been patently shocked when he told her he was a Dante.
    But… What if he was wrong? What if history was repeating itself and he’d once again fallen for a clever con?
    Damn it to hell!
    Draco’s palm throbbed and he rubbed it with his thumb. He’d thought The Inferno had forged a permanent connection between them. Now he wondered. Maybe it had worked, but only on him. Maybe his Inferno connector was on the fritz. Maybe he’d be the first to find his soul mate, only to discover that she didn’t feel the same way.
    Perfect. Draco Dante, the only member of his entire family to screw up The Inferno. Porca vacca! He really was trouble.

Four
    Nine months later…
    D raco had lost Shayla in the fading glory of summer and found her again in the burgeoning promise of a fertile spring. But he did find her, though it had taken Juice far longer than the week he’d anticipated. How ironic that it was here, hiding out in her family home, where he’d started his search.
    The Charleston house stood at the end of a long drive, an ancient antebellum mansion best seen from a kind distance. The closer Draco came, the more apparent the ravages of time, despite the flowering trees and perennials that attempted to disguise the slow decline into rot. The mansion stood exposed, shimmering through the humidity beneath a merciless and unforgiving sun. He didn’t understand it. The handful of diamonds Shayla had shown him could have more than transformed the place. So, why hadn’t they put the money the Dantes had paid for them to good use?
    An ancient housekeeper opened the door and shuffled him along to a shabby parlor, where he was formally announced. Leticia Charleston responded by leveling a glare at the housekeeper, no doubt because she’d had the effrontery to permit a Dante across her precious threshold. Caving to the inevitable, Leticia waved Draco toward a high-backed chair decorated in faded damask. He ignored the invitation to sit.
    â€œAs I’ve informed you each time you’ve phoned, Mr. Dante, Shayla is not here.”
    As badly as he wanted to call her a liar, his family continued to do business with the woman, though now they were locked in fierce negotiations to purchase the mines, rather than to lease them. Ticking her off was not in Dantes’ best interest. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the most charming of Primo’s grandchildren. That honor went to his cousin, Marco.
    Worse, after so many months of searching, Draco’s temper was worn down to a small, jagged nub. The least wrong word caused him to shoot first, talk later. Unfortunately once the hapless transgressor went down in flames it didn’t leave a lot of room for discussion. And as appealing as the image of Shayla’s grandmother being turned to a pile of ash was, he needed to try for a more diplomatic approach.
    â€œShe’s here,” he nearly growled.
    So much for diplomacy.
    Leticia lifted a perfectly drawn eyebrow a shade darker than her perfectly styled, deep gold hair. Now he could tell where her funds had been channeled. For a woman in her early seventies, she looked spectacular on the outside, even if the inner corrosion ran strong and deep. It would seem the decayed exterior of the house reflected the personality of its mistress.
    â€œAre you calling me a liar?” she demanded.
    He glared at her, dragon to dragon. “I believe if you’lltake a look in one of those half-dozen bedrooms upstairs, you’ll find your missing granddaughter.” He shot a grim look around the cavernous room. “Considering the size of this place I can understand you accidentally misplacing her. But if you need me to help look…?” He lifted his own eyebrow, one as black as soot. “A half -dozen? I’ll have you know there are a full dozen bedrooms upstairs, none of which contain my granddaughter. Shayla is not some princess I’m keeping locked away in a tower,