Page 15 of The Black Dragon
His height allowed him to reach the top shelf and move aside the milk glass. Awe filled him as he stared at the now-revealedobjects.
Dragons. Statues in all shapes and sizes. Green, blue, even one black dragon sparkling withglitter.
“Seriously?” Amused, he shook his head. “Glitter is for the Fae. Notdragons.”
Why wouldAriel keep a collection of dragons? The whimsical art collection was the kind kept by someone who adored them. The collection was hidden, as if she didn’t dare let her father seethem.
When I see her again, I will askher.
Justin went to the simple bureau. It held a square jewelry box, a clock and three photos in frames. One was a younger Ariel with an older woman who had her eyes.Her mother, probably. Another featured an unsmiling Ariel with a sallow-faced, thin man about her age. The man had light brown hair, a mustache and beamed at thecamera.
Another photo of Ariel had been snapped at one of cliffs. Ariel sat on a boulder, looking pensive andsad.
His hand trembled as he picked up thephoto.
He had not seen Ariel for nearly a year. Chest hollow,he stared at the woman who’d stolen his sense, and never left histhoughts.
I missed you. Missed talking with you, even if the iron bars separated us. You were the only woman I’ve ever met who wasn’t afraid of me. Even Skylar, as much as I know she loves me, is a little scared ofme.
Filled with an exhilarating sense of anticipation he hadn’t experienced in a long time, Justin strokeda line across the glass. He couldn’t wait to see Arielagain.
Couldn’t wait to hear her lilting voice, feel that soft skin against his fingers, and taste hermouth.
And much more, if all workedout.
His sensitive hearing picked up the agent’s heels on the carpeted stairs. Justin set the photo down. Back tobusiness.
“The ad said the house has a basement,” he told theagent.
They walked down the steps to the basement built into the rock. Solid as a concretebunker.
Nearly impenetrable. He knew. He’d attacked the walls with claws and his efforts left him bloodied andbruised.
The agent flicked a light switch. Justin took a deep breath, clenching his fists to control his emotions as they descended the carpeted stairs. He remembered being draggeddown here, down the stone steps, iron chains nearly choking him as he gasped forair…
Fingers tightened on the wood railing as he marched downward.You can do this. You’re no longer that helpless prisoner. It’s just abasement.
He cleared the last step and wiped sweat out of his eyes. The agent glanced at him. “My, it is a hot day out. Would you care forwater?”
Tequila wouldsuffice. “No,thanks.”
The woman began her sales pitch, babbling about all the changes Harrington made. To their right, the stone wall had been covered with a pretty bricked pattern. Hanging in the middle was a colorful photo of mountains in autumn. He stared at the photo, centeringhimself.
I can leave at any time. I’m no prisoner. Notanymore.
Justin took another calmingbreath and walked across the hardwood floor to the newly renovated living area. Bile rose in his throat as he looked at the cream-colored walls, the overhead lighting and the soft carpeting. A fireplace made from the same gray brick sat before a leather sectional and coffee table. Soft overhead lighting hung above a granite bar with fourbarstools.
“The wet bar also features a wine cooler.They made this area into a little kitchen, complete with cabinets, an oven, range and stainless steelrefrigerator.”
Harrington had used a refrigerator to store Justin’s blood for his experiments. Justin felt nausea rise again. He tried to controlit.
Renovations failed to disguise the faint scent of blood embedded into the concrete floor now covered with rich maple wood and thickcarpet. With his sharpened senses, he could scent it as if freshly spilled from hisbody.
“The basement adds to the spaciousness of the house, and it’s quite cool in the heat ofsummer.”
Dark. Cold. A shiver snaked down his spine. He swallowed hard, trying to keep from vomiting. So damn cold and lonely, screaming for hours and no one could hearhim…
The agent’s heels clickedas she crossed from the cream-colored carpeting to the hardwood floor. She opened a door near the fireplace, displaying an office with a desk, filing cabinets, and a desktopcomputer.
