A Way to a Dragon’s Heart Page 3

  Xander turned in his chair and looked behind him, searching the room for another presence before turning back to her.

  “I’m sorry; I thought you had to be talking to someone else. Because there’s no way the woman I haven’t been able to drag out the office for a drink in two years just counseled me on what to do when a gorgeous guy that’s really into you goes out of his way for your attentions. I mean, if that had happened, I might have to get out of the way before the lightning strikes.”

  She threw him a narrowed gaze and then nodded with a smile. “Agreed, it’s hypocritical. You’re going to have all sorts of wonderful details to share when you get back, and it should be done in person. We can have a drink together and discuss Caleb and everything as soon as my sabbatical starts and you’re back from your time off.”

  Xander didn’t know what to say, nor did he get the chance to figure it out before they were interrupted.

  “Time off? Did I hear he has time off?” Dominic came through the door with a hopeful smile. “Do you have plans for this time off? Because rest is important, but boredom can be lethal if you don’t have something to do and we wouldn’t want that.”

  “With Kryssa needing an assistant and you needing something to do, it feeds two birds with the one handful of seeds. Lovely, yes? Best of all, it’s all small things; it’ll hardly cut into your relaxation at all.”

  In that moment Xander believed in faerie godparents again. It was perfect. He’d stay and spend his first week with Kryssa, helping and talking and eventually he’d get them to relocate so they could spend some time outside of—

  “You can’t ask him to do that, Nicky.”

  Or not.

  “But, Kryssa, he seems perfectly willing to help and…” He looked down to the plates. “Are you sharing food?”

  Xander’s heart sped up at the sound of Dominic’s voice. He’d known it held significance that she blended their food. It was a Therian sign of affection and acceptance. But her brother’s tone said that with Kryssa it might mean even more. Xander didn’t get the chance to find out before she waved off Dominic’s words.

  “We share lunch every day but don’t change the subject. I’m not going to let you ruin my best friend’s vacation.”

  Xander warmed at the words as he always did. If she’d been human, the label “best friend” would’ve been the kiss of death to any romantic plans, but he’d grown up around Therians and knew it to be the one guarantee on his side. Most Therians had scores of acquaintances, but they only tended to form full friendships with the type of people they’d one day want to build a Sect with. And Sects always began with lovers and mates. The thought distracted him so much he missed part of their argument and picked it back up with Kryssa’s plea.

  “I know, Nicky, but you can’t trap him into being stuck here for his vacation. He’s got a cabin upstate that his parents gave him. Seven acres on the lake, and he just finished upgrading everything last summer. He hasn’t even had the chance to enjoy it. And it’s just twenty minutes from that little art community of Port Jacobs where we went antique shopping for Mom’s birthday.”

  “How great does that all sound? You can’t guilt him out of it; it’s wrong and evil.”

  Very wrong and very evil and Xander wanted him to succeed. How to help that? It was the first vacation he’d taken since he’d met Kryssa, and she wouldn’t let him give it up easily. He’d already offered up his time upon hearing about Caitlin’s early maternity leave. He’d felt a sense of culpability since his brother first stole her away, got her pregnant and then talked her into an early leave, but Kryssa had shot him down before he’d finished his first full sentence.

  “Xander, it’s on a lake, private property, fully updated?” Dominic asked.

  Something in the older Dragon’s eyes made Xander smile as he answered. “Yes, sir. Fully updated and private.”

  Dominic slipped his hands in his pocket and gave a decisive nod. “Perfect. I’ll see you both when you get back.”

  Xander stood and took the hand Dominic held out. It seemed to take Kryssa a second to catch on to what her brother had just said.

  “Wait, what? I’m not going.”

  He ignored her, still focused on Xander. “Luciano’s caters, right? You’ve coordinated calls, scheduled appointments, and arranged callbacks before. That’s all this is, only easier. Caitlin left a complete step-by-step instruction booklet for the temps. She did all the heavy lifting before her maternity leave. Only the grunt work’s left, and the temp agency apparently feels anyone with a high school reading level and moderate command of the English language can do the job. You should be able to pull it off in your sleep.” He stepped closer. “Having seen what they’re sending her, you do want to help, yes?”

  Did he want to help? Let me think… The first legitimate opportunity to see if Kryssa and I have a real chance together, plus the bonus of having my best friend present to buffer things with Caleb while figuring that whole thing out? “I’d love to, sir.”

  “Good. She never leaves the office, and sixty percent of what she does in a day is work for other departments. They dump things on her desk because they know that she completely lacks a life and thrives on chaos, so she gets the job done. Take her out in the middle of nowhere so she can concentrate on her own work. Help her out, feed her, have a good time, don’t come back early. I’ll see one or both of you in two weeks to a month or so. Emphasis on the or so should you find the time away as productive as I predict.”

  “Nicky!” Kryssa got up, put her hands on Dominic’s chest and pushed them apart. “You can’t do this.”

  Dominic kissed her forehead. “Of course I can. I did. It’s done. Just go. Why are you fighting this? This whole no-dating thing originated around your sabbatical, right? Your five year plan that you’ve managed to pull off in two and a half years—which I’m very proud of by the way. But your sabbatical is around the corner, so what’s the problem? I’m not asking you to elope, just to go and work in a beautiful environment with a helpful friend. I mean look at him, Kryssa. He’s healthy, he’s handsome, and he’s sexually available.”

  “He’s also right here, Nicky!” she pointed out.

  “Which makes it no less true. You’ve been seeing each other for two years. Him and Caitlin are all I hear about over breakfast every morning. He’s obviously a great friend because he’s willing to do this, and by your scents, neither of you have had a lover in months. He’s aroused right now by the idea; just go with it.”

  “He’s. Right. Here. Dominic.”

  Dominic hugged her close. “Then the sooner you leave the sooner I stop talking. I can stand here and state the obvious all day, I went straight from captain to admiral, and I enjoy that particular shade of red he’s wearing. So pick your poison. Are you going to fight me on this or accept Xander’s hospitality and stop making him feel like a little time with him is a fate worse than death?”

  She mumbled something Xander couldn’t understand, but Dominic’s smile told him enough.

  “Good.” He kissed her forehead and stepped back. “Thank you again, Xander. Bye, Kryssa. Love you.” Dominic walked out of her office without even a look back.

  Kryssa turned to him, a near bewildered look on her face. “My brother just kicked me out of my office for two weeks, horned in on your vacation, got work out of you—that as far as I can tell he expects for free—and did it all in the same breath.”

  Xander shrugged, fighting to keep an ear-to-ear grin off his face. “He also tried to pimp me out there at the end, but he looked damn impressive when he did it all. I should go and order more groceries.” And find someplace to jump up and down. “What time should I pick you up?”

  She was going to refuse; he could see it in her face. She just couldn’t let go of the mindset that had her chained to her office, even though she seemed equally as tempted. He steeled himself for an argument. Dominic had laid the groundwork for him, and he’d be damned if he’d let her steer them off the path now. Just as her lips parted, a burst of braying laughter came from the hall and he watched her face change mid-thought as she looked at the door in panic.

  “It’s still in the building, and they’ll send more like it from the Bobble-headed, Body-snatching Demon Factory and Temp Agency.” She looked back to him and nodded. “How about now? Now’s good.”

  She shut her laptop, got up, and opened the large closet in her office. “It’s just two weeks, right?” She hefted the larger of the duffle bags marked casual and took up its matching backpack and computer bag. “Impromptu business trips are what these are here for, so I’m ready. And this’ll be good, right? I mean I can return the favor and look over the paperwork Caleb has for Eternal Delights and mediate if you guys need me to.” She nodded, convincing herself. “We’re just two friends helping each other out; it’s good. Now let’s get the cart back and go before I change my mind. Or before she comes back and wants to know if I breathe fire.”

  As it happened, it was the last question shouted after them as they both ran full tilt out of the building, lunch cart and all.

  Chapter Two

  Caleb hung up the phone and crossed his arms, leaning against the stainless steel counter.

  “So what did he say?” Kathleen asked.

  Caleb took a breath, let it out, and pressed his lips together fighting a smile.

  “What did Xander say and why are you grinning like a fool?” she demanded.

  The words made his smile burst forth in full, and he shook his head. “I don’t know exactly how I feel so I’m trying to figure out where to start.” He walked over to the sink and started to wash his hands. “He came up early and brought Kryssa.”

  His sister’s eyebrows shot up. “Kryssa? I thought he couldn’t get her out of her office.”

  Caleb dried his hands and went back to measuring out cocoa powder into a large glass bowl of flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. “Apparently she brought the office with her. She needed an assistant, and he offered to help her out. They’re going to finish up her projects, and she’s going to go over the contracts and stuff with him.”

  Kathleen nodded. “Wow, he’s got it bad. It’s cute, and at least this way while she gets an extra set of hands, he gets moral support.”

  “Pretty much, but I think it’s more than just a chance to spend time with her and get support in return. Something in his voice… I think he’s finally going to make a move for more. I don’t know where I am with that.”

  He grabbed the measuring cup beside him and took it and the glass bowl over to the stand mixer. He turned it on low and slowly poured the small amount of organic beet juice into the stainless steel bowl to color the red velvet cake batter. Next he added the dry mix to the rest of the waiting wet ingredients, incorporating it a spoonful at a time. “Nervous, I think I feel nervous, well, more nervous.”

  “I thought you said Kryssa was your biggest cheerleader. Are you nervous that you’re in competition with her?”

  Caleb quickly shook his head. “No, it’s never been like that. I’ve encouraged Xander to go for it from early on when they first met. I thought they’d be good for each other, and I felt better knowing Kryssa would take care of him the next time I left.” He looked over at her. “Even when his brothers were at their most negative and vocal, Kryssa never wavered in her support. She offered to throw me out a window the first time Xander and I were off-again after they became friends, but the goal was to clear the way so we could go straight to make-up/comfort sex after I healed.” Caleb laughed and nodded. “I know she’s been on my side from the beginning. And with his Fae blood and my Therian and Vampire instincts, I knew we’d go back to being polyamorous eventually; we always do. I’ve even spent more time than I should admit to wondering about it being Kryssa. It makes sense that he’s following one big decision with another and putting it all on the table together. I get it.”

  Kathleen walked over with the silicone cake pans. “So then if you don’t think it’s a choice between the two of you, and you don’t think she’s going to talk him out of the partnership and adding her to the mix works for you, why are you nervous? It can only be a good thing if he’s here with someone rooting for you and in a mindset for wanting more, right?”

  “Right, right, it’s a good thing, definitely.” He scraped the batter down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. “This is just great…if it works out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Caleb turned off the mixer. “Xander is charming and sweet and funny and brilliant and beautiful—and Kryssa still dodged him these last two plus years. If he plans on making a move, it’s because there’s been some kind of clear signal or message. Maybe the fact her sabbatical starts in the fall has mellowed her out; I don’t know. What I do know is that if she held out this long and only now means to give him a chance, it’s not going to be an easy thing. This could all go sideways, and I don’t want to be the cause. It would break his heart, and I do enough of that by myself without causing Kryssa to do the same thing because I spooked her.”

  Kathleen hugged him from behind while he poured his batter into the pans. “Caleb, there’s never been any animosity between you and Xander. He knew how you were back in college, and he accepted it. If his brothers didn’t give him such a hard time about it, things would be different. Things are different. This is all going to work out. You just have to give it a shot and stop blaming yourself. Xander is going to understand, the two of you are going to work this out, and Kryssa is going to help.”

  Caleb sat the bowl down and hugged her arms. “You have to say that; you’re my sister and my bonded-sibling. What’s the point of all that time spent crawling around in each other’s psyches if you don’t lie to me when I need you to?”

  Kathleen shook him. “My job isn’t to lie to you, baby brother. It’s to tell you the truth as I know it and, when the truth doesn’t line up to what you want, to fix it until it does.” She stepped around him and took the cake pans. “This is all going to work. I’m your big sister and therefore automatically always right. That’s just the way the world spins.” She walked away to the ovens.

  Caleb wanted her to be right. So much had fallen into place the last year, with the last three months being a complete surprise and a sign from the Universe that now was the time. But he couldn’t let go of the idea that Xander’s brothers might be right, that he might be about to hurt Xander in a way he could never fix.

  “You’re not going to hurt him.” Kathleen said from the ovens.

  “Get out of my head.” Caleb laughed.

  “No, I like it in here. Your mind’s dirty and disorganized but otherwise rather homey.” She set the timer and turned to face him. “You know it’s not automatic that you’ll scare Kryssa off. I mean she came with him, right? She knows what’s going on, probably better than he does. All you have to do is give her space and let it be a vee, you both with Xander and with no obligation to be together. It’s how it was with Nina and me when we first started seeing Vivian. Later the same thing happened with Nina and Max when Vivian and I started seeing him. It’s just about having a little patience and taking it slow.”

  Caleb shook his head. “It’s so much harder than you make it sound, especially now. When you meet her you’ll understand. Since I got off the phone just the memory of her scent is distracting me.”

  Kathleen’s face changed as if something just dawned on her. “Her family is full blooded Dragon, aren’t they?”

  “Damn near as far back as the Cretaceous Period,” Caleb said with a sharp smile.

  His sister gave a low whistle. “Okay, yeah, I understand, you’re definitely doomed. But, hey, she’s been working twenty-hour days for years. She’ll probably need the both of you just to mellow out a bit, let alone fully relax. Hell, you might even need to call in reinforcements, so don’t worry about overwhelming her just yet. You and Xander are definitely facing the greater danger.”

  Caleb nodded. “Thanks, really, I feel so much better. Just keep talking. If you accidentally say something useful, I’ll let you know.” He fought a laugh and lost. “Although the imagery helps at least. Anything that distracts from the disaster, right?”

  He looked over to see Kathleen covering a smile with the back of her hand. “It’s really not funny when you think about how badly this could go, Lee.”

  Kathleen shook her head. “I’m not laughing at the possible tragedy. I’m smiling at what might go right.” She walked over to him. “I know you love Xander, but you really like Kryssa too, don’t you? You have pictures of her and Xander on your phone, but it’s more than just them together. You talk about her non-stop after you visit, and you visit even when you and Xander are on a break. Some of this is definitely about Kryssa, right?”

  Caleb walked to the fridge. “Of course some of it’s about Kryssa. You’ve seen the pictures. Even you asked if she was single.” He pulled out a bowl of butter cream frosting and walked to the other side of the kitchen aisle.

  “Why are you running away from me?”

  Caleb huffed. “I’m not running away. I need to get this into the piping bags.”

  Kathleen walked over to him, and Caleb stepped away to get the bags. “You are running away. What happened? What didn’t you tell me?”

  Caleb whipped the butter cream, his eyes on his task. “I kissed her. Not a kiss of greeting or departure or comfort, but I kissed her like I meant it—because I did.”

  Kathleen leaned across the counter and tried to catch his eye. “When did this happen and why didn’t you tell me? You can tell me anything, and so far, this doesn’t sound like anything. Unless you were naked at the time I don’t see the reason for avoiding eye contact, not that you’d have to avoid eye contact. It’s me.”

  All true and yet he couldn’t look up. Kathleen walked to the cooling racks, leaving him alone with his thoughts. They fell into the rhythm of the kitchen, moving to the soft music constantly playing while they cooked. He smiled and frowned alternately, spiraling from guilt to excitement and back again. The oven timer rang, and he watched Kathleen collect the cake pans.