Page 52 of The Dragon Recruit
She blinked. “For what?”
“The local council is thinking of tearing down Birkwood Castle, but first needs an archaeologist to take a look. Since some records say a dragon-shifter village existed there overa thousand years ago, there might be something of historical significance, near or under it. And as you know, I’m quite famous for dragon-shifter archaeology these days.”
Max had recently discovered Dragon’s Court, an extensive dragon-shifter piece of history, with his dragon mate, Lavinia. The pair and their discovery had been everywhere in the news and online. “Aye, well, that still doesn’t explain why you’re here in this forest and not your brother.”
“You used to love me, Iris. What happened?”
She muttered, “I miss the clown you used to be.”
Max grinned. “In public, I still am, sometimes. But things will move faster if I get to the point and not ramble about the finer points of Roman mosaics for an hour.”
“Aye, good point. So get to it.”
Max shrugged. “You’re to be my security guard. That’s all I know.”
Iris checked the secure phone Antony had given her. There was a brief message:Be patient. Go with him.
After trying to read between the lines for so many years, cynical Iris thought it was a ploy to get her away from danger. And yet, Antony loved his brother, and she wanted to believe he’d picked her because of how much Max meant to him.
Pushing her cynicism away, she gestured down a path, one that led to the car Antony had given her to use. “How did you get roped in so quickly?”
“My brother has helped me a lot over the years, but he rarely calls in a favor. So when he asked, I couldn’t say no.” He studied Iris a beat before adding, “My brother sings your praises now. Said if he couldn’t watch over me, then you’re the next best thing.”
Ignoring the thrill at Antony’s compliment, she drawled, “Probably because I know how you can wander off and get into trouble.”
“Well, I had to be a convincing fool. I’ll probably wander a bit this time, too, just to make it authentic.”
Even though she shouldn’t venture into anything personal—because Max might then ask her something too—she couldn’t help but ask, “Your mate must be exhausted by the double life, aye?”
A soft look came over Max’s face. “Lavinia gets to play up scolding me in public and has a lot of fun with it. Maybe one day I can drop the act entirely. However, when we’re alone, we get to be ourselves.” He raised an eyebrow. “Given how much my brother talks about you now, my guess is that he gets to be himself with you.”
Damn Max and his perceptiveness. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Suit yourself. But just don’t hurt my brother, Iris. He’s been through a lot, as I’m sure you know by now, and he deserves a little happiness. More than painting cats and dogs and watching other people experience joy at his efforts, but never sharing it with him.”
Iris could lie and say she couldn’t hurt Antony because there was nothing there.
And yet, Max was showing his true colors with her, no longer hiding like he did with most of the world.
Her dragon spoke up.I’ve always rather liked him. Even if I miss his other persona, his true colors show more of how he and Antony are a lot alike in some ways.
Except that Antony is a lot more attractive. And charismatic. And clever.
Good to see the last two days haven’t changed your mind about giving him a chance.
After the car ride down to southern Scotland, they’d spent all of their time meeting with Kai and Trina, as well as figuring out plans.
The car ride had been full of sexual tension. Every time Antony had accidentally touched her, her heart rate had kicked up. And when she’d done the same, he’d also reacted.
And yet, there had never been a moment to explore more.
She replied to her dragon.No, I haven’t changed my mind. And I never would’ve guessed that wanting to bed a male would be such a strong motivation for finishing a job.
Her beast sniffed.Well, we never met a male like Antony before.
Max’s voice prevented her from replying to her beast. “You must be wearing those contacts my brother talked about. I don’t like them. Flashing dragon eyes help me better understand when to talk or not.”
Her dragon remained silent as Iris unlocked the car doors and gestured them inside. Once they were seated, she replied, “Well, I’ll have to pretend to be a human security guard, so I have no choice, aye?”
