Chapter 10

TEN

Samantha

In the elevator, Zane grips the wall as it moves downward, his expression worried. The scientists and security officers are squeezed into the other side of the elevator, as if trying to stay as far away from Zane as possible. It’s almost funny, with how mild Zane seems to be, but I guess I’d have to be a fool not to be cautious with him.

“It’s called an elevator,” I tell Zane, leaning in. “It’s like stairs, but without all the work.”

“Are stairs… that much work?” he asks me, looking concerned.

I laugh. “Trust me, elevators are more fun.”

Zane returns my smile, loosening his grip on the wall. Near us, Aydan, Granger, and Evander stand tensely. Like they might need to rescue me from Zane at any moment. I don’t know why their caution amuses me. It’s just hard to see Zane as threatening, although logic says I should be careful around him.

The elevator dings and the doors part into the cafeteria. Everyone files out, but Zane lingers in the elevator, glancing at the big cafeteria with shocked eyes. My heart aches for him. I don’t remember the Iron Age, but I imagine things are a lot different right now.

“This is a room we eat in. There are people who make the food and put it under hot lights, to keep everything warm, and then we pick what we want and fill up our plates. You’ll like it. I promise.”

Still, he looks worried.

Unable to help myself, I take his hand. His skin is cold. Surprisingly cold. “Come on.”

“Sam…” Aydan says, a warning in his eyes as his gaze clings to where we’re touching.

“It’s just my hand,” I say, rolling my eyes and tugging Zane forward.

He curls his hand around mine, and it’s strange how much I like his cold skin against my warmer skin. We, very slowly, emerge from the elevator. Everyone is watching Zane, as his gaze moves from the lights overhead, slides to the plastic tables and chairs, and then moves to the food area in the back.

“I’ve never seen a room like this,” he admits slowly. “It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Just focus on one thing at a time.” I pull his hand, and he lets me lead him to the cafeteria line.

There are a few people scattered around the room, including two female scientists who are not-so-subtly ogling Zane. I look between Zane’s nearly naked form and the women, frowning. He’s a good-looking guy, seeming to belong on a surfboard rather than in a cafeteria. Still, it bothers me more than I would have expected to see them staring at him.

Am I… jealous? I try to shake the feeling away, but can’t.

Taking a deep breath, I force a smile and hand Zane a plate on a tray. “Here you go, just follow me.”

My men grab their own plates and trays, crowding around us, almost like they’re trying to squeeze between me and Zane. Tension sings between them, which I do my best not to increase by making sure to keep a little space between Zane and I. The last thing we need is a big brawl in the cafeteria.

Turning to the food, I see that it’s seafood day. Lobster, crab, shrimp, muscles, mashed potatoes with lobster on top, seafood linguini… it’s all set out, looking incredible. I instantly go for the lobster and start loading up my plate with a little of everything. Behind me, Zane does the same, only more slowly. Granger, Aydan, and Evander follow behind him until we all have our food.

We choose one of the largest tables, then sit down. I don’t fail to notice that Aydan and Evander take the two seats next to me, forcing Granger and Zane to sit across from me. I lift a brow but don’t say anything further. For them, Aydan and Evander are actually doing pretty good. Maybe because they’ve learned to share. I smile, but try to hide it behind a bite of lobster.

Dr. Duncan and Dr. Abigail grab food too and sit at a table near us, staring at Zane. Which would be mildly annoying if the guards weren’t staring at him too. Everyone seems ready for him to lose it and go dragon. As much as I don’t blame them for their worries, my gut says we won’t be having any problems with Zane, and my gut hasn’t steered me wrong so far.

For the most part, we eat in silence while Zane inspects the room and the people in it. He sniffs a lot, which makes me sniff too in reaction. I breathe in all the scents of the room, the people, the food, but the scents that dominate my senses are those of the four men in front of me. All of them smell amazing, but in different ways.

“So, you’ve lived past lives?” Granger asks Zane, without looking at him, as he pokes the food on his plate.

Zane smiles. “I have not lived past lives. When Galiah, the great mother of the earth, the sky, and the dragons, gave birth to each dragon, she asked us whether we wanted one long life or smaller lives. She asked if we wanted to rest or if we wanted to be reborn. And each dragon made the choice for themselves. I do not remember those days, but the stories of our births are told by all the… Sleeping Dragons. I, of course, chose one long life, and the rest of my harem, and my mate, chose smaller lives. Had I known at birth what those close to me would choose, I may have decided otherwise.”

“So, you just… fall asleep every so often?” he asks, spearing a shrimp.

Zane’s smile vanishes. “No, I wait for their deaths, and then I go to sleep. A life without them is a bleak and terrible thing. My harem is my family, my best friends, and my mate is my whole heart.”

“Okay.” Granger seems to dismiss his sweet words, but it’s harder for me not to think about them. He goes to sleep when we die? That must be sad. I can’t imagine living like that. “And you just wake up when they do?”

Granger is trying to hide his disbelief, and failing. He doesn’t believe Zane. He doesn’t like him or trust him. I try to catch Granger’s eye, to silently tell him to stop, but he won’t look at me. Probably because he doesn’t want to see what I’m thinking.

“Dragons are magical creatures. Many things about us do not make sense to the ears and the eyes. One thing that always happens is that we dragons find each other. Every time. We Sleeping Dragons seek out the others and we awaken them, reminding them of what they are. Or, the Awakened Dragons find us and pull us from our slumber. Every time. Well, most times. Some lifetimes a dragon will slumber through, but not usually.”

“And you find Sam every lifetime?” Granger asks him pointedly, and he doesn’t look happy.

I glance at Aydan and Evander. They look as happy as can be with Granger’s relentless line of questioning. The bastards. They’re enjoying this. What makes it worse is that Zane seems to be oblivious to the hostility beneath Granger’s words.

The ice dragon nods. “I’ve known her every lifetime. Every lifetime she’s my mate. Every lifetime we have the same harem.”

Granger drops his fork, looking irritated. “You understand why we find that hard to believe.”

Zane takes a bite of the lobster, his eyes widening at the taste, then swallows and says, “No, why do you find that hard to believe?”

“Because every male dragon seems to be willing to do anything to get to Sam.” His tone is patient, but there’s anger in his eyes.

“That’s right,” Aydan grumbles.

“We’re not idiots,” Evander adds.

Then, the two men exchange a glance. I guess it’s nice that they’re getting along. Kind of.

Zane seems to consider their words as he cuts another piece off his lobster. “I can understand that. Aydan and Evander are fire dragons. They’re naturally quick to anger, possessive, jealous, and lacking patience. Them not trusting me is like… an ice dragon loving cold water. It is who we are. I am curious, however, human, why you don’t trust me?”

There’s an implication again that there’s something more between Granger and I than friendship. Aydan looks irritated. Evander looks pleased with himself, and I feel awkward and embarrassed for reasons I don’t understand.

“You haven’t given me a reason to trust you, yet,” Granger says, eyeing the other man.

Zane tilts his head. “Fair enough.”

We finish eating and clear our table. Dr. Duncan and Dr. Abigail are there in an instant, hovering over us like they’ve been at the edge of their seat, which they probably were. They do have their first Sleeping Dragon to study after all.

“Do you have time to stop by the lab, so we can catch you up?” Dr. Abigail asks with a bright smile.

I’m exhausted, but I nod. I’ll rest easier knowing what’s going on.

All of us head into the elevator and to the floor with the labs. The doctors lead us over to the couches and chairs by the television. There’s not enough room for us, but Aydan grabs me around the waist and slides me into his lap, looking pleased with himself. Evander looks annoyed, but then his gaze is back on Zane, as he sits in one of the big chairs next to the couch.

“So, what’s been going on since we left?” I ask.

The doctors exchange a look, and then Dr. Duncan speaks, tugging on his long, brown beard as he does so. “We were able to track down the green dragon with a jet. We found him, the brown dragon, and a salmon-colored dragon on a large volcanic island. The green and brown dragons must have awakened him.”

My heart sinks. Another dragon?

Dr. Abigail clicks on the screen and, sure enough, we see the three dragons and the volcanic island. From the video screen, the dragons look powerful… and dangerous. The green dragon rounds on the jet. Fire goes over the screen, and then the dragon is on the jet, and the footage ends.

Aydan squeezes me. “It’s okay. We can handle it.”

His words are sweet, but the truth is, he doesn’t know. I look at Zane. “Can we handle three dragons?”

He tilts his head, studying me. “We can handle any and all dragons. When the harem is complete.”

“Complete?” I ask, confused. “I thought with the three of you, it was complete?”

Zane shakes his head, frowning. “No, we must find the storm dragon to complete the harem.”

“Storm dragon? What the hell is that?” Evander asks.

Zane shifts so he’s perched on the edge of his seat. “The storm dragon is the most powerful dragon to fly the skies. He dominates anything and everything. He is more powerful than the wind, and more dangerous than lightning. With him at our side, no dragon would dare oppose us. We must find him to complete the harem and protect Samantha from Balor, Than, and now Kek.”

“Who are Balor, Than, and Kek?” Granger asks, looking confused.

“Balor is the green dragon, Than is the brown dragon, and I’m guessing Kek is the salmon dragon,” I explain.

Zane smiles, his gaze running over me. “You are correct.”

“And this storm dragon,” Granger begins, looking thoughtful, “is he an Awakened Dragon or Sleeping Dragon?”

“He is an Awakened Dragon,” Zane answers. “Normally, he’s found you by the time I find you, so this is unusual.”

“And we need him to protect Sam? We can’t just handle any dragons ourselves?” Evander asks, looking doubtful.

Zane levels him with a serious look. “The storm dragon is the strongest dragon in existence. He is an alpha to all alphas. He commands any room he enters and others fall to their knees before him. He is wise beyond any Sleeping Dragon, his mind a complex and incredible thing. We need him, in all ways. He completes the harem. He is someone we can trust. He will protect Sam against any and all things.”

“We can do that,” Aydan says, holding me tighter.

“Against three Sleeping Dragons?” Zane asks. “I am afraid I disagree. We need him.”

It’s strange. I’m just coming around to the idea that Aydan and Evander will be sharing me, that I can have both beautiful men. I haven’t even really started processing the fact that Zane wants me too, and that maybe we’re going to end up together no matter what, because we’re fated to be together. The thought of another dragon is absolutely overwhelming.

Granger leans forward and pats my knee. “We’re not going to let some big alpha guy have you just because we might need him for protection. You’re a person, not a thing. You’ll have a say in everything that happens.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Aydan says.

Evander huffs. “An alpha. Like we’re not alphas.”

Zane gives him a funny look. “We are all alphas, that is why we are larger than the dragons that you have fought with. It is just that the storm dragon is the largest of the alpha dragons.”

My heartbeat hammers. A storm dragon. I picture him. Some man with black hair and black eyes, with death in his gaze. A dragon-man who thinks he can own me just because of what he is. I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean I can just ignore Zane’s advice. Besides, I trust Evander and Aydan not to allow anyone to hurt me. Fuck, I trust myself not to let anyone hurt me.

A thought occurs to me. “What does this storm dragon look like?”

Zane smiles. “Each lifetime you have new bodies. It wouldn’t matter what he looked like last time.”

Good to know. I settle back, my mind working. “So, three dragons are now working together to reach me,” I say. “And we might not be powerful enough together to stop them… I guess we probably should try to find the storm dragon.”

“But how do we do that if it’s an Awakened Dragon?” Granger asks, frowning.

Zane looks unbothered. “Dragons find each other. In every life. All we need to do is find other dragons and search for humans around them. If we suspect someone, we can try to awaken them.”

I’m about to ask Dr. Abigail a question when I notice she’s staring at Zane. Not just staring; she’s checking him out. Her gaze sliding over his near-naked body.

I snap my fingers. “Stop looking at him.”

Her cheeks heat. “I-uh-”

“You were staring. Stop it.”

Zane smiles at me. “My fire dragon always was a possessive one.”

My cheeks heat. “I wasn’t– I didn’t–”

Granger, Evander, and Aydan are all staring at me, and I’m horrified. My attraction to Zane is pure trouble. I know it. They know it. Somehow, I have to keep it in check until things are calmer.

“So, a storm dragon,” Granger says, clearing his throat.

“Yes, a storm dragon,” I say, grateful for the change in subject.

The elevator dings. A man in a dark suit comes off of it and hurries to Evander, then pauses.

Evander’s back stiffens, and he rises to his feet. “What is it?”

The man’s face is a blank slate. “The government has been trying to get into contract with you. Apparently, they’ve made note of the dragons around Specter Inc. and have questions they demand answers to.”

“ Demand ?” Evander asks, lifting a brow.

The man flinches. “They’ve made it very clear that if we do not willingly talk with them, they’ll do whatever needs to be done to get answers.”

Evander sighs and looks at Aydan. “Keep an eye on her. I have to take care of this.”

Aydan stiffens. “Of course.”

I try not to be insulted, since I’m pretty damn thrilled they’re actually working together, but I’m feeling overwhelmed. Zane is here, so I need to figure out what’s going on between us and if what he says is true. I have to do it while not pissing off Aydan or Evander, and, somehow, I have to find another dragon if I have any hope of staying safe against the three assholes who will probably be heading for me some time soon.

Oh yeah, and I have to take a shower and a nap. Actually, maybe that’s all I need to do for now. The rest can wait.