Page 6 of The Dragon and Her Thief
Mythia didn’t regret any timeline in her past. She was blessed to be a dragon shifter who had lived a long life.
Her mate, once she consumed Mythia’s blood, would be able to live a long life at her side. Her blood would stop her mate’s aging process, and she’d always appear to be the age she currently was.
Mythia tossed the coin back and continued. The room was a few stories tall and hidden deep in the mountains. Her dragon begged to be released so she could fly around town to try to catch a glimpse of their mate.
“No. You heard what Sascha said. Let her come to us.” She stopped in front of one of the oil paintings she’d purchased in the seventeenth century.
Mate. We need her.
“I know, but Sascha was right. We can wait two days.” She took in the canvas that depicted two naked women lying on a plush chaise. A slim one with curly hair and high breasts sat wrapped up in the arms of a curvaceous redhead. It was an intimate painting that depicted the beauty of two women together.
She smiled at all the emotions that swirled around in her chest. This painting had been hard to find, for lesbian sexuality was not accepted then. Many laws had been proposed by politicians here in the U.S., but Mythia couldn’t remember if any had ever become a law.
She snorted. They were all hypocrites.
Those politicians only wanted to pretend to work for the greater good when she knew quite a few of them participated in couplings with other men behind closed doors.
She’d had to hunt the artist down and paid her a handsome amount for the picture.
Mythia took one last look at the treasure she had collected for almost a millennium. She spun on her heel and walked out of the room, hit the keypad on the wall by the door, and watched it slowly close.
She prided herself on the updated technology. Her priceless treasure had to be protected.
The door slammed shut, the sound echoing down the hall.
She stalked down the hallway to prepare for the arrival of her mate. Anticipation made her walk faster.
Her little thief thought she would sneak in and steal from her?
Mythia would gladly teach her a lesson she would never forget.
Kelsey stared up at the magnificent dragon gliding through the sky. The massive wingspan was mesmerizing. From her position on the ground, the animal appeared smaller, but Kelsey knew the beast was larger than any land animal.
Butterflies appeared in her stomach. She didn’t know why, but she felt drawn to the dragon. She had always had a fascination with such mystical creatures. She was raised in a community of shifters and humans.
But dragons? Secretly, they had always been her favorite. She didn’t know one personally, but she’d always admired them from afar.
It was something about their power.
Their magic.
Their strength.
“That’s our cue,” Jasper announced, breaking through Kelsey’s thoughts. He hit the hood of his truck and jogged over to the driver’s door.
Kelsey tore her eyes away from the dragon as she got smaller the farther away she flew.
They had one night.
According to the information she’d heard, Mythia would return by morning.
Kelsey walked over and got into the passenger seat, slammed the door, and buckled her seat belt.
“Are you sure about this?” Jasper asked. In the low light, she could see his raised eyebrows. Her friend had been trying to talk her out of this since she first mentioned her plan.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Getting her family heirloom back was important. She rubbed her hands on her black leggings. She knew this was different from the juvenile break-in pranks from their youth. The only times she had ever gotten caught were when someone ratted her out. She had been quite good at it, and was sure she could pull it off. “For the thousandth time, this means a lot to me.”
“Have you ever wondered why no one in your family before you tried to get it back?” he asked, starting the engine. The two of them were to meet the rest of the group at the base of the mountain.
