Page 29 of Dragon in Denial
“I know. I was the one you spoke to, remember? And when someone makes an appointment with the reeve, they speak to Darius. That’s the rule.”
“Since when?”
She lifted one slim shoulder. “Seems like forever. I can’t remember the last time the reeve took an appointment, to be honest.”
“Now, now, Maria, let’s not get carried away.” The smooth, oily voice preceded the man who stepped into the room, a shark-like smile on his face.
Those guns Darius Redd had for arms were huge, way bigger than when he’d been in his late teens, when Eulalie caught his eye. Ketu had teased his sister over her crush on the “scrawny reeve’s kid.”
“We know who’ll wear the pants in that relationship,” he’d told Eulalie more than once.
Darius’s hair hadn’t changed, though. He still wore it longer in the front than the back, so that a thick lock of dark strands perpetually fell over his left eye. Even as Ketu watched him approach, Darius brushed it to the side in an action he probably didn’t even realize he was doing.
Instead of heading over to greet Ketu, Darius went into the kitchen and made himself a drink. Sparkling water, which he poured over ice, and then carried the glass into the living area.
“Ketu Ormarr,” Darius said. “It’s been a long time.”
So much for him not remembering.
“It has,” Ketu responded.
Darius sipped his fizzing water, watching Ketu over the rim of the glass while he made a slow circuit, like Ketu was on display and he wanted to see all sides.
Ketu turned with him, not showing him his back.
“Why does this man not have a proper drink?” Darius snapped.
Maria jerked to attention as if she wore an electrified dog collar and he’d just pushed the zap button. “That’s what he asked for.”
Darius narrowed his eyes and glared.
“You’re drinking water too,” Ketu pointed out.
What the hell was the big deal?
Darius lifted his glass, touched it to his forehead, and then took a generous drink. “Alcohol is not part of my exercise regime, unfortunately. But I assumed you were not quite so stringent.”
Ketu squeezed and relaxed his fists. Was Darius implying he hadn’t kept himself in shape? Just because he didn’t resemble a neckless bodybuilder didn’t mean he wasn’t satisfied with his body image. Antoinette sure as hell hadn’t seemed to have issue with it when he’d walked out of the shower earlier today.
He’s trying to get under our skin, his dragon whispered in his head.And it’s working, by the way.
No shit.
“What brings you back to New Orleans after all these years? Want to rejoin the colony?”
No way. If he did end up staying to be with Antoinette and helping raise Henri, he still wouldn’t rejoin the Rojo colony. Too much bad blood. Specifically, dragon’s blood.
“Visiting my parents,” he replied.
Darius arched his brow. “Was the homecoming welcoming? Or are they still bitter that you ran away while they were grieving their daughter’s death?”
How dare he talk of Eulalie’s death as if he weren’t the one who caused it. A curl of smoke drifted past his eye and Ketu realized it came from him. He needed to check himself before he lost his senses and attacked the bastard who’d killed his sister and very likely burned down his dad’s shop and now stood before him acting as though he could do and say any damn thing he pleased.
He believes he’s untouchable, Ketu’s dragon said.
Because he is, at least until I can figure out how to take him down a notch.
Or ten.
