No dragon enforcers had died since that rule had been instituted.
“I don’t know if I can do it again,” Draven said, running a hand through his hair as Ran came to stand next to him with folded arms, looking out at the same bleak, cold city Draven saw before him. Every day was the same, bleeding into more cold weeks, more empty beds, more nights of silence.
Something had to change. Draven knew that. But was this the change they needed? He looked over his shoulder at the woman, and softness filtered through the stone that made up his heart. What would happen to her if he didn’t accept her? Would they have to send her back to her town, knowing she could be in danger if the family of the pack they’d decimated caught wind of what happened?
He exhaled slowly. “What do you suggest?” he asked Ran. “As a first step, I mean.”
Ran sat on a chair facing him, languidly crossing one leg over the other. “I suggest we start by telling her the truth. If she’s not dragon-hearted enough to accept that, she definitely couldn’t handle being our mate.”
“And if she doesn’t accept it?” Draven asked.
Ran’s expression darkened as he looked out over the city again. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
2
Melissa woke to deep, unfamiliar voices. She sat up, blinking, and blearily became aware of two sets of eyes staring at her as she tried to rub the sleep from her own.
It was midday, though it was cloudy outside, and for a moment, Melissa felt as if she were still in a dream. For one, the apartment she was in was incomparably beautiful and upscale, with shining marble and granite all around along with modern furnishings in shades of gray.
The two men in the room were vaguely familiar, as if she’d seen them before but didn’t know them at all.
She blinked, trying to remember where she’d seen them. Surely she’d remember seeing such beautiful men.
Then the night before came flooding back. Running outside the library to defend a girl, meeting a gang. Talk about dragons. These two beautiful monsters. And then falling asleep.
She eyed them. Why did she call them monsters?
“Oh no, it’s quite accurate,” the blond said, standing and walking toward her. He wore casual gray sweats in soft cashmere and a light tee shirt in pale blue that accentuated his beautiful golden skin and draped nicely over muscles so toned they could be used to study anatomy. He crouched in front of her, and she studied his pointed, gorgeous features. They verged on delicate, but there was a hardness in his green eyes, the stubbornness of his jaw, and the straightness of his nose that kept his features more masculine than feminine.
Still, he was probably more beautiful than a lot of women. Another thrill ran through her as she studied him, this one for an entirely different reason. She could just imagine his hands on her body, stroking warmly over—
“Mm,” he said, a smirk curling the corners of his full lips. “I like it. Keep thinking.”
She blinked, this time in shock. “What?”
He stood, laughing, just as the bell rang and the other man, the taller, darker one with square features and a stern expression went to answer the door. She heard the rustling of plastic bags and money being exchanged, and then a wonderful scent filled the room, making her stomach twist with hunger.
She put a self-conscious hand over her stomach as the taller of the men placed the food unceremoniously on a table he dragged in front of her.
“Eat,” he said tersely, folding his arms.
She looked up at him. His hair, lashes, and brows were so dark. But then he had these beautiful blue eyes that contrasted nicely with everything. She seemed to remember him being called the black dragon, though she had to wrack her brain trying to remember why.
“Eat,” he said, pushing the bags toward her a little more gently. “You’ll need your strength for what Ran’s about to tell you.”
She swallowed and looked inside the bag. It looked like Chinese takeout, complete with silverware and plates. Enough for three. She took them out and looked at the others. “Should I serve us?”
The blond, Ran supposedly, shook his head. “We already ate. You go ahead.”
She obeyed him and started serving some out.
“I guess to start at the beginning, I’m Ransom, but I go by Ran. And this is my partner, Draven.”
“Partner?” she asked. “In what?”
“Here we go,” Draven said darkly. “I can’t watch.” He strode to the window, leaving her alone with Ran, who sat on a chair across from her. The apartment was big enough for a party of hundreds, so what were these two men doing, living here alone?
Were they gay?