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  A low growl rumbled in his father’s chest. “She’s a beautiful creature and she lingered in my thoughts after she…” There was the slightest pause. “Disappeared.”

  Baine stepped forward, the air prickling with his power. “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’ve returned your payment,” Synge snarled, his belligerent tone intended to intimidate. “Now give me the imp.”

  “No.”

  Tension pulsed in the air, the potential for a bloody confrontation a tangible force.

  Then, with an obvious effort, Synge dialed back his hostility.

  “So you’re my son after all,” he jeered. “Fine. You want more treasure? I’m prepared to barter.”

  It was so out of character for his father to even suggest he negotiate rather than simply take what he wanted that Baine should have shouted with joy.

  How often had he wished he could see his father groveling at his feet?

  Instead, all logical thought was shattered as the beast inside Baine roared, his skin suddenly feeling too tight for the fury that pounded through him.

  Barter for Tayla?

  Not a chance in hell.

  “She’s not for sale,” he rasped.

  The silver eyes burned with a strange desperation. “Of course she is.” Synge stepped forward, the words that Baine never thought to hear tumbling from his lips. “Name your price.”

  Baine couldn’t concentrate on his father’s bizarre behavior. Not until he’d made certain the bastard understood there was no way he was getting his hands on Tayla.

  “There’s nothing you could offer that would tempt me.” The throne room trembled from the force of his anger. “She’s mine.”

  Synge stepped forward, his hands clenched into tight fists.

  “I’ve tried to do this the easy way, Baine, but I will have that imp one way or another.”

  Baine whirled on his heel and headed toward the exit. He needed to be with Tayla. To assure himself that his treasure hadn’t been stolen while he was being distracted.

  “As far as I’m concerned this conversation is done,” he informed his father.

  “Don’t be a fool, Baine,” Synge warned. “You stand in my way and I’ll destroy you.”

  Baine never hesitated. Yanking open the door, he motioned for his waiting servant.

  “Char, my father is leaving.” He headed directly for the stairs. “Make sure he doesn’t return.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Tayla was pacing the courtyard when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

  Baine.

  A shiver of anticipation raced over her skin.

  It’d been less than half an hour since she’d seen him, but her body was reacting as if it’d been waiting a lifetime to once again feel the brush of his dragon-fire.

  The realization pissed her off.

  She didn’t want to be aroused by the impossibly beautiful creature. Not when he was responsible for destroying her life.

  Okay. That wasn’t entirely fair. Her father was ultimately responsible for the whole destroying life thing, but still…Baine was the one holding her captive, right?

  Squashing the tingly awareness that fluttered in the pit of her stomach, she watched him stride toward her with an inhuman grace.

  If she hadn’t been distracted by her unwelcomed response, Tayla might have noticed his grim expression and the frantic swirl of his tattoos as he halted directly in front of her.

  Instead, she fiercely stoked the flames of her temper, ready for battle.

  “We need to…” His snarly words trailed away as his gaze lowered to her nightgown. “Why haven’t you changed?”

  She sent him a narrow-eyed glare. She’d done a quick inspection of her new home while he was gone, astonished by the subtle elegance of the various rooms. Where was the tacky strip-club vibe she’d expected in a harem?

  She’d been even more astonished to realize she was completely alone. There hadn’t been one sign that there was another female living in the vast complex.

  Not until she’d opened the closets to discover dozens of gauzy gowns meant to entice a male.

  The mere thought of wearing clothing that belonged to Baine’s lovers made her shudder in revulsion.

  “I don’t wear other women’s cast-offs.”

  He scowled. “What makes you think they belong to some other female?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “They smell like…”

  “What?”

  “Perfume,” she admitted.

  “Ah.” Unexpectedly, Baine’s features eased, almost as if he was pleased by her words. “And the thought of my other concubines troubles you?”

  Yeah. Not going there.

  She would have her tongue yanked out before she admitted that his other females bothered her.

  “I want my own clothes.”

  His hand reached to trace the ribbon running along the neckline of her gown.

  “The gowns were brought here for you,” he murmured. “No other female has touched them.”

  “Oh.” She faltered. The gowns belonged to her. That seemed…dangerously thoughtful. She bit her bottom lip, her heart pounding as his fingers brushed the upper curve of her breast. Crap. She was going to be melting into a puddle of goo if she wasn’t careful. “I still prefer my own clothes,” she forced herself to choke out.

  The amber eyes smoldered with a wicked invitation. “Why?”

  Why? She had a reason. Several perfectly logical reasons.

  If only she could think of them.

  She cleared the lump from her throat, fiercely forcing herself to concentrate on the fact that she was nothing more than a possession to this male. A part of a dragon hoard, to be used and then tossed aside when a new, shinier treasure appeared.

  “You’ve forced me to leave my home, my business, and my friends,” she managed to point out. “I want something that’s mine.”

  He studied her stubborn expression, no doubt wondering why he’d been so eager to bring her to his harem.

  “Are you always so difficult?” he at last demanded.

  “If you want an obedient slave then you should choose some other woman from your harem.”

  The amber eyes blazed with a tangle of emotions.

  Possession. Need. A confusing hint of wariness.

  “I’ve chosen you,” he informed her.

  “Lucky me,” she muttered, telling herself that his words didn’t make her tremble with pleasure.

  Not that she managed to fool herself.

  Or the dragon who smiled with smug male satisfaction as he felt her tiny tremor.

  “True,” he agreed, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her against the searing heat of his body. Then, tangling his fingers in her hair, he tugged her head back to meet his hungry gaze. “You’re very fortunate that I am willing to ignore your ridiculous pretense that you don’t want to be my concubine.”

  Her mouth went dry, her body softening as it molded against his hard muscles. Her pride, however, instantly rebelled at his egotistical assumption that he was irresistible.

  He was, of course. But she wasn’t going to admit it.

  “Are you delusional?” she groused.

  Baine flattened his hand against her lower back, pressing her against the hard thrust of his arousal.

  “I’m honest, which is more than you can claim, my sweet Tayla.”

  Her stomach clenched, a throbbing emptiness pulsing low in her body.

  She wanted to wrap her legs around his waist and feel that large cock slowly sinking deep inside her. She wanted his lips pressed to her throat, singeing her with his dragon-kisses.

  The vivid images slammed into her with shocking force.

  Yeesh. It’d clearly been way too long since she’d had a lover. Now she was panting with her brutal need.

  “Don’t,” she muttered, her hands lifting to land against his chest.

  He pressed his face into the curve of her neck, sucking in a deep breath.

  “I can sm
ell your desire.” His fingers tightened in her hair. “It’s a fragrance that has haunted me for twenty-five years.”

  Panic jolted through her. What was wrong with her? She was supposed to be enduring his touch with contemptuous resignation, wasn’t she?

  After all, he could demand the use of her body, but her pride needed the pretense that it was completely against her will.

  Instead she was melting like a spineless sex slave.

  “Because you’re using some weird dragon-magic on me,” she accused in desperation.

  He lifted his head, regarding her with a confused frown. “Dragon-magic?”

  “Don’t pretend you can’t make females desire you.”

  He blinked, then with a soft chuckle he lowered his head and resumed his destructive path of kisses down the length of her throat.

  “I can,” he admitted without a smidgeon of modesty. “But it has nothing to do with magic.”

  His tongue touched the pulse pounding at the base of her neck and Tayla squeezed shut her eyes. Oh…damn. She didn’t want to listen to her pride. She wanted to melt beneath the golden pleasure flowing through her like warm honey.

  “Baine,” she breathed.

  He planted bold kisses over the upper curve of her breasts. “Say it again,” he commanded.

  “Baine,” she muttered, not because he ordered her to say his name. Heck, no. It just happened to be the only word she was capable of forming as his lips traced the deep vee of her neckline.

  Her nails dug into his chest, her hips instinctively pressing forward. With nothing but two thin layers of fabric between them, she could feel the perfect outline of his cock as he rubbed it against her lower stomach.

  One tug on those loose dojo pants and she could have her fingers wrapped around his erection and—

  The fantasy had barely started to form when it was rudely interrupted when Baine muttered a low curse and reluctantly lifted his head to study her with a brooding gaze.

  “We can’t finish this here,” he growled. “We have to go.”

  She blinked. Go? Her body was trembling with need and he wanted to leave?

  “Go where?” she rasped.

  “This lair is no longer safe.”

  Oh. She gave a slow shake of her head, trying to concentrate on his warning. What on earth could make a dragon’s lair unsafe?

  A horde of demons? An outbreak of Ebola? An invasion of space aliens?

  None of them seemed likely.

  “What does that mean?”

  His fingers brushed her cheek before he was stepping back. “That’s a question only you can answer.”

  “Me?”

  Before she could demand an explanation for his cryptic accusation, Baine was grasping her wrist. Whispering a word of power, he opened a portal and tugged her through.

  ###

  Baine stepped out of the portal, his lips still carrying the taste of tart lemon and warm, willing woman.

  It was…

  He struggled to think of the appropriate word.

  Aggravating, he at last decided.

  He understood lust. And the need to safeguard his treasures. He was a dragon. It was as natural as breathing. But this overwhelming need to touch and hold and protect this female was becoming an obsession that consumed his every thought.

  If he was smart, he would cut his losses and walk away.

  There were a million women to fill his harems. All of them capable of slaking his lust without disrupting his well-organized life.

  But even as a voice in the back of his mind whispered to release Tayla and return to his lair, he was grasping her elbow even tighter as they stepped out of the portal.

  This woman belonged to him. It didn’t matter what he had to do, or who he had to kill—he was going to keep her.

  Almost as if sensing the intensity of his emotions, Tayla shivered, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the large house shrouded in darkness.

  “You brought me home?” she breathed, her lips curving.

  He shrugged, his chest tightening at the sight of that smile. “You said you wanted your belongings.”

  Without warning, she tugged free of his grip and hurried toward the wide porch.

  “I—”

  She made a strangled sound as he caught her arm and yanked her to a halt. Dammit. He’d been so preoccupied by this female, he’d completely missed the danger waiting for them.

  Idiot.

  “Wait, Tayla,” he snapped.

  He felt the second she caught sight of the front door that’d been ripped off the hinges and the window that was broken.

  “What have you done?” she demanded in tragic tones.

  Baine bristled, instantly offended. He’d treated her with the utmost care. How dare she imply he would vandalize her home like a common thug?

  “Why would you assume this is my work?”

  “You’re my only enemy.”

  “I am not your enemy—” He broke off the ridiculous argument as the scent of granite filled the air.

  Turning his head he watched as a miniature gargoyle rounded the side of the house and hurried directly toward Tayla.

  “Ah, ma belle,” the odd creature called out, his large wings flapping in agitation. “Have you been harmed?”

  Tayla appeared annoyingly happy to see the gargoyle. “I’m fine.”

  “Thank the gods. I have been so—” The gargoyle gave a startled squeak as Baine grabbed him by one stunted horn and lifted him off his feet. “Eek.”

  Baine frowned. He recognized that smell. The stunted demon had recently been in the company of the vampires who’d sought his assistance.

  So why was he in Tayla’s home? And more importantly, why did he assume he could treat her with such familiarity?

  No male, no matter how tiny, was allowed to touch his female.

  “Who are you?” he snarled.

  The gargoyle gave a snap of his wings. “I am the mighty Levet. No doubt you have heard of me.”

  “No.” He allowed his fire to dance over his skin. A tangible warning of the lethal flames he could conjure with one breath. “You will pay for what you’ve done.”

  Tayla reached out to lay a restraining hand on his arm. Immediately he quenched his fire. The flames wouldn’t hurt her, but her skin was so delicate he wouldn’t risk even the smallest mark.

  Unless it was his dragon marque, he silently reminded himself. He was fiercely pleased that she wore the golden chain that would warn every male that she was claimed.

  “Baine, don’t,” she pleaded.

  He scowled at the gargoyle who called himself Levet. “This creature has dared to damage your property.”

  “Moi?” The gargoyle wrinkled his tiny snout. “Why would I garbage my own home?”

  Baine frowned. What the hell?

  “Trash,” Tayla corrected him, “It’s trash your house.” She turned her attention to Baine. “Release him.”

  Baine experienced an odd pang in the center of his chest. “You share your home with this…thing?”

  “Hey,” Levet squawked.

  “He is demon with feelings, not a thing,” Tayla protested. “And he’s my friend.”

  Her fierce defense of the gargoyle did nothing to ease Baine’s annoyance.

  He continued to glare at the creature. “Why are you so small?”

  Levet’s tail tangled around his clawed feet that dangled off the ground.

  “I am not small. I am pleasingly compact.”

  Baine narrowed his gaze. “Hmm.”

  Tayla made a sound of impatience, stepping so she could study the gargoyle’s ugly face.

  “What happened?”

  “I was attempting to find a means of rescuing you when a pack of trolls barged into the house,” Levet told her.

  Baine abruptly dropped the gargoyle, his attention locked on the house.

  First his father was demanding Tayla’s return. And now trolls?

  It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  Tayla p
ressed a hand to her chest, as if the sight of the damage was physically painful.

  “Why would they tear up my house?” she breathed.

  Levet moved to stand at Tayla’s side. “I think they were looking for something.”

  “Looking for what?”

  “You.”

  “Oh.” She bit her bottom lip, her eyes darkening to jade in the fading moonlight. “I always feared they wanted to punish me for escaping,” she whispered, glancing toward him with a vulnerability that made his gut clench. “Do you think that’s why they were here?”

  He didn’t have a fucking clue, but he would rip apart the world to track them down and destroy them.

  “We need to collect your belongings and leave this place.”

  “You think they’ll return?”

  He gave a slow dip of his head. “Now that they have your scent I think it’s a distinct possibility.”

  “How did they get my scent in the first place?” Her brows abruptly snapped together. “For that matter, how did you? I have the house layered with spells that should have protected me.”

  Baine shrugged even as Levet cleared his throat. “As to that—”

  “Later,” Baine interrupted. He didn’t have time to worry about the reasons her spells had failed. The only thing that mattered was taking her someplace where he could make sure she was safe. “We can’t linger here.”

  “Bossy,” Tayla muttered, moving to head up the stairs and through the open door.

  Baine remained at her side. He’d already used his acute senses to assure himself that there was no one else in the house, but he intended to make sure there were no traps left behind by the trolls.

  He didn’t trust the sneaky bastards.

  In silence they moved through the house that seemed to be stuffed with an overabundance of flowery furniture and lacy doilies. Baine felt a burst of fury at the sight of several knickknacks that had been broken, and the nasty stench of troll that marred the warm scent of freshly baked bread.

  This had been Tayla’s lair.

  A cozy home where she’d felt at peace.

  He would obliterate every damned troll who’d dared to invade her space.

  Tayla climbed the stairs to the second floor and headed to the last door at the end of the hall.

  Anticipating the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the female’s most private sanctuary, Baine nearly ran her over when she came to abrupt halt and reached through the doorway to grab a suitcase that was clearly sitting at the edge of the entrance.