do you promise to stop trying to run?” the man with purple eyes, Gentry, said, raising an eyebrow.
Tara had forgotten the blue-eyed one could control her body like that. Sterling, that was his name. Fairly obvious, she guessed.
“Yes, very obvious,” Sterling said condescendingly.
Tara looked around the apartment. It was incredibly lavish, a lot more gold and purples and reds, the kind of colors you would expect in an emperor’s throne room or something.
These men were both dragons. She couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. She nodded her head yes and instantly felt the invisible clutches that held her release. She slumped back down onto the chaise she’d been seated on.
“That’s better,” said Gentry, pleased. “I’ve already sent a text to your… friends. We’ll see if they even show up. In the meantime, why don’t you let us get to know you better?” he added, crossing a leg and leaning back slightly on the couch across from her. Everything about him, his dress, his demeanor, bespoke charisma and class.
“Uh, I’m not sure where to start.”
“Start from when you met Drake and Quill,” Sterling said, more quiet than Gentry but still commanding.
Tara didn’t see the harm in it, so she quickly recounted how she’d jumped into the river to save the little boy. How Drake had apparently pulled her from the river and then how Quill had revived her and both had brought her back to their loft.
Gentry nodded and responded with a tepid amount of interest, until the end, when she mentioned what Drake and Quill had said about her being a dragon-heart. Then, almost in micro expressions, both men looked at each other like they knew something she didn’t, then turned back to her.
Sterling spoke first. “So how have things been with them?”
“Good. I mean, they seem to argue a lot, but they’ve both been really nice to me,” she replied, not sure what he was implying.
“Interesting. So the thought of being with two dragons, does that appeal to you?” Sterling asked, walking to where she was seated and joining her on the chaise. Something about his presence was ominous, despite his physical beauty and long, ripped body.
“Yeah, I guess so. More than I would have originally thought.” Her mind thought of Quill and Drake. About how caring they’d been toward her, how much restraint and love they had shown.
“If that’s the case, then we’d be more than happy to have you live here with us. You know, if the two of them can’t get their act together. Obviously, we’re still looking for a third member to complete our triad,” Sterling said, motioning to the room around them. It was definitely lavish, but not what she wanted. Her place with Drake and Quill already felt like home.
“We don’t even know if I am a dragon-heart, and besides, I don’t think we’d make a good match. I like Drake and Quill.”
Sterling was close now, and she could make out the intense blue halo of his irises at this distance and his soft, perfectly cut silver hair. There was a cold, calculating look in his eyes, like he was playing chess and was always ten moves ahead of his opponent.
“They left you unprotected,” he murmured, hitting her in a vulnerable spot. “We’re beautiful. We’re rich. We’re the top of dragon society. And I think you’ll find us to be exceptional lovers,” Sterling added, watching her intently, not breaking eye contact.
“No need to be so forward, Sterling. Clearly, Tara has her own preferences,” Gentry chimed in, standing and walking toward them. Sterling looked over his shoulder at his partner. “She doesn’t mind if they leave her from time to time.” He looked down at her, but behind the warmth in his purple gaze and the pleasant look of his smooth, handsome features, there was something steely. Something not to be messed with.
“Here’s the thing, Tara. As leader of the dragons, I have occasional… visions you could call them. And one of them involved a
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