Chapter One

NATE

I'd tucked my head against the wind, yet I knew the instant I entered the Circus. It was unlike anywhere else I'd been, with three sections of tall Georgian terraced houses curving to form a perfect circle. Tourists came to Bath from far and wide to marvel at it. Not me—I'd never wanted to see the place again.

There had been a time when it was my second home. Now, in the dark autumnal evening, I found myself wondering which sort of circus it was. Was I about to be thrown to the lions or simply a clown? In all honesty, probably both.

I dreaded the prospect of revisiting my past, but I had no choice. I was there under orders from Bim, the autocratic head of our family, who also happened to be my grandfather. Recent cyber-attacks on our family's banks had been traced to Bath. That didn't mean the Fortescues were behind the attacks, though it would be a hell of a coincidence if not—they were a dragon banking family second in influence only to my own. My task was to use my connections with them and find out for certain.

Humans would have involved the police, but we dragons prefer to settle our own business. There's a savagery to our dragons that the modern world can't tame completely, though we walk among humans unsuspected. It's better to keep it that way than face the threat of capture and experimentation.

Bim had promised a significant reward if I obtained useful intel on the Fortescues. No dragon can refuse the possibility of more treasure, but what drove me was deeper than that—I needed Bim to know I was useful. And so I walked up the path to the once-familiar house and knocked on the door. Relief flooded through me when a strange human answered. The Fortescues must have moved, which meant I could go home without having seen him.

"Can I help you?" The balding man at the door wore an off-the-peg suit, cuffs shiny from wear. It wasn't how I'd expect someone who owned this place to dress, and I realised with a lurch that perhaps this wasn't a reprieve. Perhaps the Fortescues had employed a butler during the years I'd been absent.

"I'm here to see James Fortescue?" Damn it, that had come out as a question, belying the fact I was a thirty-year-old City professional.

"Nate? Nate Mortimer?"

I peered around the guy in the doorway and found Ella in the hall, her mouth open as she stared at me. It had been five years, and though her figure had changed from a gawky girl to that of a young woman, there was no mistaking those clear blue eyes or the blonde curls swept up in a sophisticated style. She looked older than she was—seventeen or eighteen, I thought, unable to remember for sure. High heels clicked on the marble floor as she came swiftly over to me. Her black dress ended halfway down her thighs, and the diamond necklace above her bust sparkled in a way that demanded my attention. She'd grown up while I'd been gone.

The man at the door stood back to let me in, and Ella hugged me.

"My God," she said, "I thought I'd never see you again after my idiot brother dumped you."

She hadn't changed, appearances be damned. Foot in mouth, the way she'd always been. I bit back the need to say something to salve my ego. It would be pathetic to tell her that it had been a mutual split or that I'd dumped him, especially since it wasn't true.

"It's good to see you," I said instead, as she pushed close against me. Her boobs pressed into me, which was awkward, but she still wasn't letting go.

"What are you doing here?" Ella finally drew back far enough to look into my face, and her eyes lit up. "Oh, don't tell me, you're back together? Charlie didn't say a thing about it. I'm going to—"

"No," I said sharply. Even the thought of being back with Charlie made me sick. After what he'd done to me, I never wanted to see him again.

She ran her fingers through my hair. "You're even more gorgeous now that you're older."

I didn't know what had happened to the sweet, shy girl I'd known. She was now confident, with no apparent understanding of boundaries. Very like her brother in that regard.

"I'm hoping to stay in Bath for a while, so I'd like to see your father and ask for his agreement," I said. Bath was the Fortescue family's territory, and part of the pact between dragon families was to respect one another's domains. Dragons were so territorial that staying in another family's territory without permission would be a swift way to die. "You know, manners? You may have heard of them."

"I have no idea why I like you," she teased. "Give your jacket to Taylor, and then you can come upstairs and find Daddy. I know he'll be pleased to see someone civilised—we're drowning in visiting country bumpkins at the moment."

That was unexpected. The Fortescues were one of the four richest, most powerful dragon families, and they mixed only with the cream of dragon society. Excepting my family, that was. Our families took pains to avoid each other for reasons that remained opaque to me. Charlie and I had been an aberration, meeting by chance at uni all those years ago.

That the Fortescues were now networking with dragon families outside their usual circles might be relevant to my investigation. Shrugging off my jacket, I passed it to the hovering butler with a word of thanks before turning back to Ella. "Sorry, you have who visiting?"

"Oh, a family of poors from Devon or Cornwall or somewhere like that." She wrinkled her nose. "Daddy's taking the opportunity to marry off some of the uglier ones."

I looked away to disguise whatever was showing on my face. The Ella I knew had been a little insecure and very sweet. I'd never heard her talk about other people this way.

She took my arm, and the sound of multiple voices engaged in conversation grew louder as we ascended the staircase. "I didn't mean that," she confessed. "It's just, I don't know why Daddy invited them."

I glanced down at her and saw the real Ella again. I guessed she'd been pushed past her limits by having strangers in her home. If this was the usual dragon matchmaking visit, pairing single dragons with those from a different family to keep bloodlines strong, she was probably being pestered at every turn. A lot of people would want her. All I wanted was to examine the diamonds in that necklace she was wearing, but I couldn't see any way sticking my face so close to her bust would turn out well for me.

"Perhaps it's more about soft power than money," I suggested.

"What could they possibly have that we need?"

I'd like to know that, too.

The large, high-ceilinged drawing room was full of dragons, most of them young, mixing with a determination bordering on desperation. I knew the immediate members of the Fortescue family and could see their familiar features in some of the others. Even so, the visiting dragons were easy to spot because of their untailored clothes. The visitors' outfits meant the whole thing didn't quite meet the bar for formal cocktail dress, but I was definitely underdressed in my Henley, jeans and boots.

Ella squeezed my arm. I realised I was standing stock-still in the doorway, searching for one particular face.

"I have to do the rounds and make nice with the visitors. Daddy will be here somewhere. He'll be pleased to see you," she said, before diving into the throng.

With my only shield against Charlie gone, I retreated to the bar built into the far end of the room. It wasn't entirely in keeping with the period feel of the rest of the house, but it was convenient for parties.

The bartender was in shirtsleeves and black trousers, and he glanced up from the orange juice he was pouring when I leaned against the bar. Dark curling hair, dark stubble, and dark eyes that oozed sensuality had arousal stirring low in my gut. If the dread of seeing Charlie again hadn't been eating me up, I'd have hit that. Hard.

"Glenmorangie Signet, please." I didn't need to check the top shelf. I knew James Fortescue's taste, and he'd never risk running out of his favourite single malt.

The guy's lips quirked slightly before he shrugged. "Why not?"

I watched him reach up to the top shelf, enjoying the way his black chinos clung to his arse. I didn't know him, though he was a dragon. He must be one of the minor Fortescues—the family was extensive.

He turned quickly enough to catch me looking, the glint in his eyes suggesting he didn't object. But I mustn't get distracted. I was here to do a job that could be dangerous if I didn't keep my mind on it. So I dropped my gaze and traced a pattern with my finger on the polished wood in front of me, determinedly forgetting his dark eyes that had been so swiftly assessing my face, his slightly crooked nose and firm jaw that hinted at danger.

"Ice?" he asked.

I looked up, shocked, and saw the humour in his eyes. He wasn't a complete savage—that had been deliberately provocative. "Nice try. Just the whisky, thanks. One finger."

"Bollocks to that. Nate can take three fingers easily. Ask anyone."

I froze at the familiar voice. The only part of me that was moving was my heart, beating rabbit-fast. The words had scarcely registered. All I could think was Charlie. Here, so close, after so long.

At last, I forced myself to turn towards him. While his voice had been the same as ever, he looked different. His blond hair was very short now, emphasising the large eyes and sharp cheekbones that had captivated me the first time I saw him. His cheeks had a hectic flush, and I recognised the look in his eyes. He was halfway to hammered, though it couldn't be much past eight pm.

I realised I'd been staring at him for God knew how long. "Charlie," I said, struggling to act normally. His name came out sounding strangled, and I couldn't think of anything else to say as his gaze roamed over me, his expression a mix of hunger and something that I couldn't identify.

"I knew you couldn't stay away," he said, echoing Ella's move by reaching out to run his fingers through my hair.

I'd thought I was prepared for this. Years of hurt, of wondering why I wasn't enough, why the man I'd thought was my soulmate had dumped me so abruptly and so damn cruelly. I'd made sure since then that I would never go through that again. But somehow, faced with the reality of Charlie, I couldn't do anything except stare at him and remember how I'd loved him.

"Adios, motherfucker."

The bartender's voice was deep and a little gravelly, breaking me from my trance.

Charlie swung round on him. "What the fuck did you say to me?"

"Adios, motherfucker." The guy pushed my glass across the bar as he held Charlie's gaze, supremely unconcerned about the heavy threat in Charlie's voice. A threat that he'd be wise to take seriously because Charlie was heir apparent to the Fortescue fortune and could destroy a minor member of his family without even trying. Charlie also bore a grudge like no one I'd ever met.

"You look like a cocktail drinker, and I figure that'd be your cocktail of choice. Want one? An Adios, Motherfucker, that is." His eyes raked over Charlie disdainfully, making it clear nothing more than a drink was on offer.

The man must have a death wish. Charlie's colour rose further and his shoulders squared. Sensing his imminent eruption and not wanting to see the bartender fired after his clueless interruption had helped me, I elbowed Charlie's arm. "I need to see your father. Will you take me to him?"

"Why?" Charlie's attention was back on me, but I was in control of myself now. Millions of people survived break-ups without falling apart. After five years, I should have moved on so far that he wasn't even a memory. However pathetic I was, I wasn't going to let himsee how he still affected me.

"I'd like to stay in Bath for a while," I said.

"Of course you'd come back." He sounded supremely self-satisfied.

"I'm here to write a book," I clarified swiftly.

He blinked. "Write a book? You? That's—that's unexpected, Nate."

He wasn't wrong, but I didn't want him to question my statement too closely. "Where's your father?"

Charlie shrugged. "Don't know." He tipped his head to one side and looked at me, his eyes not quite focused and a potent hit of alcohol on his breath. "Let's go and look for him. We should catch up," he said, reaching out to cup me through my jeans, his hand plastered against my dick.

"Bloody hell, Charlie." I stepped backwards. "What the hell?"

"He might be in his study. If he's not there…" Charlie trailed off, and we'd been together too long and knew each other too well. I knew the blanks he intended me to fill in. He'd once fucked me over his father's desk. We'd been caught and thrown out of the house, and at the time, it had seemed wild, exciting, fun. It had never occurred to me, as it now did, how damn disrespectful we'd been.

I had nointention of hooking up with Charlie, no matter how good the sex had been, but what he was proposing would give me access to the power base of the entire family. Perhaps I could knock Charlie out and search for the information I was after. I could be back in my car and heading home before midnight, with a job well done and Charlie nursing a spectacular bump on his head, wondering what the hell had happened. Dazed and confused, rather like how he'd left me all those years ago.

"Lead on," I said, and followed his unsteady path out of the room.