Page 28 of Tempt the Dragon
Chapter Eight
Aiken knew the moment he was no longer alone and turned just as Theo walked up to him. He’d been standing on the second level of the front foyer, arms resting on the iron railing that stretched twenty feet before leading down a wide, curving staircase.
“Getting ready to head out?” Theo was dressed in his normal jeans and button-front shirt, his gait more relaxed butstill full of confidence and authority.
“Shortly.” If his tone sounded clipped Theo either didn’t notice or didn’t care enough to comment, which meant this wasn’t a simple chitchat.
“Walk with me.” The instruction given, Theo began walking toward the steps.
Aiken followed. There really was no reason not to. A conversation with his boss might be the last thing on his mind, but consideringall that had transpired in the past four days, was probably overdue.
“How long have you known her?” No need for names or preamble, they both knew what this was about.
Taking the stairs, he inhaled deeply, letting the breath out slowly as he weighed his words in correlation to how much he should reveal.
“Eighty-two years.” Less is more was the decision.
“How long were you sleepingwith her?” More was what Theo obviously wanted.
“Two years.”
Theo didn’t immediately respond, instead they continued down the stairs until they both stepped onto the plush beige, red and gold Aubusson rug that stretched from one end of the main foyer to the other. In the center of the oval-shaped area was a large table made of wood that was buffed to a pristine shine. On that table wasa huge fresh floral arrangement in what Aiken had always thought was the ugliest bronze pot ever created. The flowers made the room fragrant and softer in a way that the heavy gold frames holding portraits that were equally spaced around the walls failed to do.
“While you worked for the Collectors? How did your employers feel about your workplace romance?” The questions came just as Aikenwas drifting into more details of the décor in a lame attempt to not focus on what he knew was forthcoming.
Now, he slipped a hand into the front pocket of the navy blue slacks he wore. His dress shirt was light blue, the button at his neck left undone, the sports coat he’d originally planned to wear still hanging in his closet.
“I worked with the Collectors for ten years before Mel arrived.By then, I’d traveled up the ranks and was one of their top hunters. After a record number of collections in a short period of time I was offered a promotion, but chose a training position instead of a desk job. Word spread quickly when Mel came onto the scene. She was damn good and hungry for more assignments. I took over her training three weeks after she arrived. We worked together for twoand a half years. Then I left the Collectors, traveled a while and ended up here in Burgess. The rest, as they say is history.”
The bland look on Theo’s face said he wasn’t fooled by all that Aiken had obviously left out of the story.
Lifting a brow, Theo continued to stare at him when they’d stopped walking and stood a few feet away from the front doors. “You weren’t her first trainer?”
“No. I’d assigned another trainer to her when she was first hired.”
“What made you change your mind and want to train her for yourself?”
“At that time she was still rough around the edges. She could be impulsive, there were reports of her taking unnecessary risks in order to claim the target before anyone else did.” Reports that had scared him shitless from the start.
“You could’vereassigned her to another trainer, or worst-case scenario, fired her. Why didn’t you take either of those options?”
Why had he wanted her for himself? That’s what Theo was really asking.
Aiken stared toward the tinted glass doors. It was early afternoon but there was no sun shining today. The glass, which was covered with Drakon magick to prevent anyone from seeing or breaking throughit, except a Drakon, normally kept bright sunlight out as well. But Aiken had been up earlier this morning walking through the forested area that surrounded their mountain oasis to clear his mind. Apparently, he should’ve also taken that time to prepare how to tell a story he’d willed himself to forget.
“I wanted her.” It was the simplest way he could put it. “I couldn’t explain it at thetime, I just knew that she belonged with me. So I took her out on the next target hunts and we worked so well together that we eventually became partners, splitting the proceeds from every target we collected.”
“You wanted her or your beast wanted her?” If anybody knew of the effects of the Selection, it was Theo.
Aiken didn’t respond.
“When the beast makes its selection nothing canchange it. Some see that as a blessing, others as a curse. I wasn’t too keen when mine went against everything I’d tried to teach it and made a choice without my consent,” Theo said.
“That’s not how it works. The beast doesn’t require your consent to make a choice.”
“You sound like one of the Elder Nobles. Spouting the rules in terms of the absolute.” Theo released a rare chuckle. Actually,he’d laughed more since being mated with Shola and claiming the throne of his heritage. All the years Aiken had known him before then, the emperor had been a brooding killjoy.
Glancing over at Theo with a smirk, he replied, “Just stating the facts.”
