Dragon Lost Read online

  When Annita had been little, she’d looked forward to those nights. Then came the time when she hadn’t wanted to go down and resented her parents for making her. Now she found that she enjoyed it again. With how busy everyone was, it was the one night a week where they were all together. There were no electronics at the table to distract anyone. Just everyone catching up and talking.

  And, occasionally, bickering.

  They were a family, after all.

  When they reached the main floor, Annita and her mother passed by her father’s study. The door was cracked, and she spotted her father standing next to another man. He had his back to the door so Annita couldn’t get a glimpse of him. But she did catch enough to notice that he sported a nice cut in his suit.

  “I saw you looking,” her mother said in a whisper.

  Annita looked at her, and they both laughed before joining the rest of the family until dinner was called. Usually, her father and whatever friend or associate came to the house joined them, and they went to dinner together. Not so this time, which made Annita even more curious.

  Before long, they made their way to the dining room. The smells coming from the kitchen were delicious and made Annita’s stomach grumble in anticipation. She took her usual seat and was chatting with her brother-in-law when her father walked in.

  He then stepped aside and held out his hand as his visitor came into the room. “Everyone, please let me introduce Royden Dreagan.”

  “Thank you all for allowing me to join you this evening,” Royden said in Greek.

  His gaze skimmed over Annita. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. The man standing in the dining room was none other than the dragon she’d spoken to in her dream. Even his name was the same. She couldn’t make something like that up.

  Unless you’re a Seer.

  The moment the thought went through her mind, she dismissed it. She had no such gifts, and there was no use trying to say that she did to explain what had happened to her.

  “Mr. Dreagan is from Scotland,” her father announced with a wide smile. “He’s here to look at buying a home.”

  Her mother smiled as her head swiveled to Royden. “Oh, how nice. This gives us time to practice our English.”

  Royden bowed his head. “I will speak whatever language you choose, ma’am.”

  “How did the two of you meet?” Annita asked. She waited until Royden looked at her before she turned her head to her father.

  Emilios motioned for Royden to sit as he lowered himself into a chair. “I overheard him speaking to someone about a property. I pointed him to a few other places that he might like. Then we struck up a conversation.”

  Annita’s heart was pounding so loudly she couldn’t believe no one else heard it. She could feel Royden’s gaze on her, but she refused to look at him. She wanted to jump up and demand to know what was going on, but she somehow remained in her seat.

  The others took turns talking to Royden, asking him all sorts of questions like why had he chosen Crete, was he single, and how long was he staying. He answered them all with a smile on his face.

  “Dreagan,” her mother said with a frown. “You don’t happen to be involved with the whisky company, Dreagan, are you?”

  Royden gave a nod. “Actually, I am.”

  “That logo is very distinctive. Two dragons,” her mother said and looked at Annita.

  Annita wasn’t much of a drinker, so she didn’t know what was going on. But she heard the word dragon, and that was enough for her.

  The conversation turned, but Annita kept that part to herself. Even her mother grew quieter after that. She didn’t need to ask her mother to know that she was thinking about the prophecy and talk of dragons the past couple of days. Now, someone from Dreagan—a company that had dragons as their logo—was at their home?

  The meal progressed slowly. Annita didn’t taste anything. She smiled when someone said something funny, but otherwise, she didn’t join in the conversation. No one seemed to notice, least of all her father, who seemed utterly enamored by Royden. Not that she could blame him. The man was charismatic…and absolutely gorgeous.

  She’d seen him naked for a heartbeat, but even in his dark suit, he was breathtaking. Maybe because she knew what was under the material. Or because she knew he was really a dragon.

  When the meal was finally finished and they’d moved into her father’s study for drinks and more conversation, Annita was surprised to find Royden watching her. She raised a brow but otherwise said nothing. That only made his lips turn up in a grin.

  After a while, she grew tired of listening to the conversation. She made her way to the balcony and stood beneath the moon and stars to watch the sea.

  “This is a stunning view.”

  She’d known he would follow her. It was one of the reasons she had come outside. Annita didn’t turn around to look at Royden. “It is.”

  He came up to the railing beside her. “If you’d rather be alone, I can return inside.”

  “I’d like the truth.”

  “What truth is that?”

  She faced him and looked into his blue eyes that seemed to have a light within them. “The truth of who you are.”

  “Royden Dreagan.”

  “Are you going to stand there and tell me we didn’t meet yesterday in the cavern?”

  He studied her for a heartbeat. “You believe we met yesterday?”

  “I know we did. On this property, in a cave. You can lie all you want, but I know what I saw and heard.”

  “And what was that?”

  She took a step closer to him. “You were a dragon with beige scales, and you changed into…this,” she said, gesturing to him and looking him up and down. “The next thing I knew, I woke up from what felt like a nap, thinking I had dreamed it all.”

  “But it wasn’t a dream?” he asked.

  “You know damn well it wasn’t. You did something to me. What did you take from the cave?”

  Royden glanced through the doors to the others. “Those are some bold statements.”

  “They’re the truth. Why are you really here now?”

  “You,” he replied.

  He hadn’t actually said anything to confirm her words about the cave, so his admission now took her aback. “What?”

  He chuckled. “I’m certain I had that same look on my face.”

  “So it was you?”

  Instead of answering, he looked out at the sea. “There has always been magic in the moonlight.”

  Chapter Six

  Royden hadn’t expected that being so near to Annita would make him crave her. But that’s exactly what it did. The surprise in her eyes when she first saw him alerted him that his magic hadn’t relegated their meeting to a dream.

  And, in a lot of ways, that made him happy.

  He hadn’t liked how she’d all but ignored him during the meal, however. He couldn’t figure out if she didn’t recognize him, was angry that he was here, or felt something else entirely. The first chance he got to speak with her, he took it.

  She hadn’t disappointed him.

  Annita was spirited and unafraid to speak her mind—even to a dragon. She had no idea what he really was, but she wasn’t afraid. It would be safer for her if she did have a healthy dose of fear, but he was glad she didn’t.

  “You haven’t answered me,” she stated.

  He held back his grin and slid his eyes to her face. She was stunning. Her brown eyes were unmoving, her gaze unyielding as it held his, waiting for his answer. Her back seemed made of steel, her voice laced with determination. Ah, yes, she was spectacular.

  And her body. The bathing suit had shown him her form, but the curve-hugging white and red dress left him aching to see more.

  “Nay, I have no’.”

  She kept one hand on the railing. “What are you afraid of? My family learning the truth?”

  “You don’t know the truth.”

  “I asked. I’m waiting for an answer.”

  Royden sm
iled and licked his lips. “I doona think now is the right time.”

  “It’s the only time.”

  “Or what?” he asked at her ultimatum. “You’ll tell your parents what, exactly?”

  Her nostrils flared as she realized that he was right. She faced the water once more. “Fine.”

  Royden watched her for a few moments. She was angry, and she had every right to be. However, he had to protect himself and his brethren. “Is that all you have to say to me?”

  “If I were you, I’d leave. My patience is at its end.”

  “I thought you had more spunk than that.”

  That got her attention. Her head turned to him as she pierced him with a disapproving look. “If you want someone to pass the time with, the rest of my family will do. If you want to answer my questions and actually have a real conversation, then you can stay with me. You decide.”

  Damn. She was bossy. And he loved it.

  “You’re still here,” she said with a sigh.

  Royden chuckled. “I am.”

  “Are you going to talk?”

  “I thought that’s what we were doing.”

  She sighed loudly and glared at him once more. “Are you intentionally being obtuse? Or do you just like goading me?”

  “My apologies,” he said seriously. “I was teasing you, and that wasna fair. I’ve just no’ run across someone like you before.”

  That made her frown. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

  “As a compliment. Most people doona keep me interested. However, with you, I’m hanging on each of your words. You doona back down, no matter what I say. I like that.”

  “Thank you?” She said it like a question, as if she weren’t sure.

  Royden smiled and said, “It was me in the cavern.”

  With those words, it seemed as if a great weight had been lifted from her. “Thank you.”

  “Initially, I didna intend to come here or talk to you. I was going to leave. But I couldna.”

  “Why?”

  Royden glanced at the water and shifted his shoulders in his jacket. “This prophecy you spoke about.”

  “Oh.”

  Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? He was certain it was. He debated whether to tell her that she was also a reason he remained, but he thought better of it. As it was, he could hardly keep his hands to himself. If she looked at him as she had in the cave, he wouldn’t be able to control his desire. It was better if she was angry at him or trying to keep her distance.

  That would be better for both of them.

  Are you sure?

  Royden ignored his conscience and held Annita’s gaze. “You didna run from me.”

  “I wasn’t scared,” she said in a low tone.

  “You should’ve been.”

  “Why? Because you were a dragon?”

  He gave a nod and took a half step closer to her. “Aye.”

  She briefly looked at the floor of the balcony and shrugged. “I was startled. Shocked. Amazed. But I had no fear, for some reason. Why did you let me see you?”

  “I doona know.”

  “Are there others like you?”

  He hesitated, not wanting to answer.

  She waved away her words. “Forget that. It doesn’t matter. Why did you come here?”

  “I told you. I was looking for something.”

  “I can help.”

  He blew out a breath. “Thank you, but it isna in the cave. It should be, but it’s gone now.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  Royden grinned at her. “You know why.”

  “Right,” she said with a smile. “Have you given up finding whatever it is?”

  “I’ll keep looking while I’m here.”

  “Maybe you were mistaken about the location.”

  “That isna possible. Those caves were our home. The one in the back was the place my brother and I used most often. He told me that’s where it was hidden.”

  Annita leaned her head to the side, her soft brown locks moving with her. “What is it you search for?”

  “Something distinctly…my kind.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Royden put his hands in his pants’ pockets and shrugged. “It’s from a dragon. My brother took it from me long ago and buried it.”

  “I see. Can you ask your brother where it is?”

  “He’s no longer here.”

  Annita’s face crumpled. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  He nodded and looked at the sea. “I heard that your family has lived here for many generations.”

  “We have.”

  “Have any of you done much exploring of the caves?”

  She looked down at the water. “None of us recently, but I believe one of my ancestors did. Why? Do you think they might have found something?”

  Royden shrugged as he looked her way. “Possibly. It would’ve been a relic. Something that would most likely fetch a fortune.”

  At his words, her face paled.

  “What is it?” he pressed.

  Annita glanced through the glass doors at the others and waved him after her as she moved down the balcony. They entered the house by another set of doors, and he followed her through the room, then down a long corridor and through a maze of halls until, finally, she opened a door and stepped inside.

  Royden paused at the door as the lights flickered on. It looked like a storage room of sorts. He waited as Annita rummaged through some boxes until she pulled out a photo album and began leafing through it until she stopped and looked up at him.

  “Is this what you’re searching for?” she asked.

  He took the old photo album with its yellowed pages and disintegrating black and white photos. His gaze looked at each of the pictures until he found the one she had indicated. It was of a man holding a drawing of a dragon claw. It was large, from an adult dragon. And just like that, Royden was taken back to his childhood. His grandfather had given him that claw as a present. It had belonged to one of the greatest Kings of Beiges that had ever ruled their clan.

  Royden had kept it close, refusing to share it with his brother, who got jealous even though he had gotten something from their grandfather as well. To his brother, Royden’s token was better, and he wanted it. Like most siblings, they fought, especially over the claw. And then his brother stole it and hid it away.

  It had created a rift between them that lasted for years. No matter how many times he demanded that his brother tell him where the claw was, he wouldn’t. And Royden wouldn’t go to his parents to make them force his sibling. No, it was between them.

  His brother kept the secret until the day the dragons left the realm. Only then did he share the location with Royden. But Royden had other things to think about than coming to Crete to get something he’d lost long ago. Once more, he’d promptly forgotten about it. Until recently.

  “One of my ancestors in the eleventh century supposedly found this,” Annita said. “The family was doing okay financially, so it was kept hidden. It wasn’t until the Dragoumis fell on hard times years later that another ancestor took it and sold it. The artifact fetched enough that the family was able to sustain themselves in lavish comfort. From then until now.”

  Royden slowly closed the album and handed it back to her. “Thank you for showing me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he told her. “What was left behind was for anyone to find and use. I can no’ be angry about that.”

  She frowned, holding the album against her. “But it was yours.”

  “It was.”

  As soon as he admitted it, he saw the shrewdness come over her face.

  Annita put away the photo album and faced him. “Either you’re a very good liar, or you’re very, very old, and have maintained yourself well.”

  Royden couldn’t help himself, he laughed. “I’m no’ a liar.”

  “It would’ve been easier if you were.”

  “Why?”

  �
�Because now…” She trailed off and sighed. “Well, it means that now I’ve got to come to terms with the fact that you’re much older than you look.”

  He raised his brows at her. “It’s okay that I’m a dragon, but no’ immortal?”

  “Immortal?” she asked, her voice squeaking.

  Royden instantly regretted his words. “I see that was a mistake to say.”

  “No, no,” she said, shaking her head. She took a few steps back and put her hands on her hips. “You’re right. I don’t know why I’m acting like this. It’s stupid.”

  “No’ stupid,” he told her.

  She rolled her eyes. “It is.”

  “Why?” he prodded, wanting her to come to the realization herself.

  Annita threw up her hands. “Because people aren’t supposed to be immortal.”

  “And people are supposed to be dragons?”

  “Well, no.” She laughed. “I sound deranged. I blame it on the fact that I knew I was going to find a dragon.”

  He gave her a skeptical look. “Did you think it would be a real dragon, though?”

  “I…honestly, I don’t know. I think I was open to it.”

  “But magic and immortality are difficult to accept.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “For me, apparently it is. I’ll get past it.”

  He shook his head at her. “You doona need to.”

  “I want to.”

  “Why?”

  Annita smiled at him, her eyes crinkling. “Because I was supposed to find you.”

  “And what were you supposed to do after you found me?”

  “That’s a very good question,” she said with a small laugh.

  He frowned. “No one told you?”

  She gave a shake of her head. “Nope.”

  “Interesting.”

  Annita moved to stand before him. “My great-aunt Chara was never wrong about what she saw. She didn’t say when I’d find you, only that I would.”

  “What if I bring destruction to your family or you?”

  Annita’s brown gaze briefly moved to the floor before she shrugged. “Then you will. I think if that was supposed to happen, Chara would’ve told us. I know Yaya would’ve shared that with me.”