Chapter 24

Grounds, Rogue Rider Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, United States

"Why did you keep your deep, dark, dirty secret from me?" Gen asked when she and Emperor stepped through the portal Sophia had opened from the Gullington. Now she stood in a place much different from old-world Scotland. She was back in Los Angeles, California where everything was too loud and smelled strange and was manicured in unnatural ways.

The purple dragon with a hint of gold on his chest and glowing in his eyes glared down at her. He towered over the woman, but that didn't intimidate her in the least. Just as Sophia had explained, Gen felt like Emperor's equal. She felt that she knew him without knowing him. But then, of course, she was learning that there was much she didn't know.

"Being a demon dragon should have been no secret," Emperor replied, his voice low and melodic. "Nor was it deep, dark or dirty. It would have been like telling you that you have blonde hair—you should have already known it."

She rolled her eyes at the dragon. "You surprised everyone at the Gullington. No one saw it coming."

"What did you do when those boys made fun of your sister on the streets of London when you two were eight years old?" Emperor questioned.

Gen thought back to the distant memory from six hundred years ago, but only twelve years back for her, since she was essentially twenty years old. She laughed, remembering that day clearly. "I broke both of their noses."

"Then how is it that you didn't know you would be a rebellious demon dragonrider?" he asked. "Elizabeth was always the well-mannered one between the two of you."

Gen shrugged with a sigh. "I guess I was just in denial. My father and sister were so good. Noble. I was always the one getting in trouble, starting fights."

"You didn't start fights," he argued. "You put bullies in their places. You stood up for the little guy. You took from the undeserving and gave to the poor. You are good. You're just a unique sort of noble."

"Well, thanks. Let's hope that serves us here, in this place that is by far the strangest one I've seen yet."

Gen blinked, looking around at what seemed like a kingdom ripped from a fairytale, if these stories were sponsored by outrageously wealthy elves with a penchant for gardening. Topiaries were stationed all over the green, manicured grounds where they'd found themselves. It was such a different sight than the wild Scottish hills where they'd been. It was like someone had tamed this land in every way possible, ensuring everything grew in a prescribed manner.

The topiaries were twisted into shapes more suited for a chessboard of the gods than a backyard in Beverly Hills. That was the city within Los Angeles where the Rogue Riders lived. Instead of a sentient castle, they called a large mansion home.

The place sprawled lazily across the land, a giant lounging in the sun, seemingly indifferent to the small fortunes it overshadowed. High walls whispered, "Keep out, but also, don't you wish you lived here?"

Gen trotted forward across a driveway that seemed more like a runway than a pathway. The stones were laid with precision, a carpet fit for modern royalty. Around her, gardens waged a silent war against the wild, each flower a soldier in perfect formation.

The house, with its glaring windows and sun-soaked veranda, smirked like a cat that got the cream and the mouse. Patios and fire pits spoke of gatherings, where the air was thick with stories more intoxicating than the wine. And there was a pool so serene, it could have been a mirror, reflecting a life Gen could scarcely imagine, let alone live. "Welcome to the castle of the twenty-first century," the grounds seemed to say. "Where magic is money, and nature bends to the will of those who have it."

Gen's curiosity would have pulled her farther but she caught sight of Sophia and her dragon, Lunis, stepping through the still-open portal. When they were both through it, Sophia turned, closing the portal. Lunis, like a big blue dog after a bath, shook out his wings before folding them back into his body.

"What do you think of the Rogue Rider mansion?" Lunis asked. "I designed it."

"You did?" Gen asked, gawking at the modern structure. "It's…big."

"It's a gauche monstrosity," Sophia countered with a chuckle. "But it suits the Rogue Riders since they were formed in the present era."

The blue dragon huffed, cutting his eyes down to his rider. "I happen to like the Rogue Rider mansion. It may not be the heart of a timeless gnome but it also doesn't erase hallways and trap its occupants in their rooms because it gets into a bad mood."

"Well, I happen to like the Castle a lot," Gen said, unable to keep the regret out of her voice. She averted her gaze from her dragon and Sophia, looking at a colossal and elaborate fountain sitting in the middle of the circular driveway. It had huge statues of fish spitting water high into the air.

"You felt at home at the Castle," Emperor said, apparently not able to keep a secret, announcing what he read in Gen's heart and head aloud for Sophia and Lunis to know.

She chewed on her lip, wondering how she could get back at the dragon for this admission. The problem was, he could read her mind readily using his telepathy, but the opposite wasn't true, or otherwise she would have known he was the emperor of all dragons and also a demon dragon.

"I liked the rustic feel of it," Gen muttered. "It reminded me of my time."

"Your time is here and now," Emperor reminded sternly. She was going to have to work with him on his out loud voice and maybe not saying everything between them for others to hear.

"I know, it's just that the transition isn't easy and the Castle made it a bit more digestible," Gen said, narrowing her eyes at the happy, little fountain in the distance, that seemed to be mocking her with its whimsy.

"The Castle will downright spoil you if it likes you, which it did," Sophia related. "But Emperor is right and this is your time. The best way to get used to it, is to submerge yourself in it."

"And I designed a mighty fine headquarters for the Rogue Riders," Lunis said, a mischievous grin hiding in his eyes. "I think you'll like it if you give it half a chance."

"I'm sure you're right," Gen said and smiled at Sophia. "And I know you are too."

"And she's mad at me for calling her out in front of you two," Emperor stated.

She glared up at the dragon who could eat her for breakfast, but she sort of figured she could put him in a headlock too if she so decided. "You know, just because you can read my thoughts, doesn't mean that you should."

"A headlock, really?" he growled low in his throat, putting his head down low, even with hers. "I'd like to see you try."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, we are going to have to learn some boundaries if this is going to work."

"Soooooo, about the Rogue Rider mansion," Lunis said in a sing-song voice, obviously trying to break the tension building between the rider and dragon.

Gen pulled her gaze away from Emperor's, not caring that he was literally breathing down her neck—his hot breath like a furnace blowing on her.

"Yeah, the mansion," Gen muttered. "I'm sure I'll love it."

"I hope so," Lunis said. "But the mansion is about like cheap, tight underwear."

She blinked at him in confusion. "What? What does that mean?"

Sophia groaned, shaking her head.

Lunis laughed. "There's no ballroom!"