Dragos Takes A Holiday

Chapter Three

Since Liam restricted her movements, Dragos helped her pack the baby’s things. While he changed out of his suit into khaki pants and a black knit shirt and packed, she called Eva and Hugh.

Eva laughed. “Girl, you got some scary mojo.”

“I just know my husband.” Pia felt too excited to be smug.

Eva and Hugh soon showed up at the penthouse.

They stared in shocked silence at the sleeping baby dragon draped around Pia’s neck. Pia smiled as she held a finger to her lips and silently warned them to be quiet. Nodding and grinning broadly, they took charge of the luggage.

Dragos made phone calls, while Pia raided his supply of organic beef jerky in the kitchen. She wanted to have lots of snacks in her purse, in case Liam woke with the same kind of desperate hunger as he’d shown earlier.

Dragos strode into the kitchen and looked at her and Liam. “If people caught sight of him in his Wyr form, it would start a riot, and we would never get out of here. Let’s take the private elevator down to the parking garage.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said with relief.

Liam never stirred as they rode down the elevator or climbed into the waiting limo with Eva and Hugh. Pia eased him off her shoulders and into the car seat, and after some finagling managed to get him strapped in. During the ride to the airport they talked in quiet voices. Dragos’s phone buzzed, and Pia twitched. He wasn’t going to get much of a break if he kept answering phone calls and text messages.

He checked the screen of his iPhone and smiled. “Kris found us a place to stay. It’s a house on Cambridge Beach Bay.”

He handed the phone to Pia, and she scrolled through the images. The rental was a historic, peach-colored villa with a veranda that faced the ocean, and it had eight bedrooms and five baths, private gardens and a barbeque pit. Two grocery stores were a five minutes’ walk away, and restaurants, shops, and boat rentals were all in close proximity. Even better, it had a terraced path to the beach framed by flowering bushes and palm trees.

She caught a glimpse of the astronomical price tag on the webpage. The cost for renting the villa for a week was close to ten thousand dollars.

The number danced in front of her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no need to hyperventilate. Dragos deposited twice that amount each month into a personal account for her, just for incidentals. She bought herself and Peanut anything she wanted, and she still had serious money left over, enough to dump into a fast-growing, hefty savings account. The point was, they could easily afford the rental.

“Forget about me,” she told Eva. “Dragos’s assistant has some serious mojo.” She turned to Dragos. “This is amazing. How did he get it at such short notice?”

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Kris implied there was a last-minute cancellation.”

Or Dragos paid the other vacationers to change their plans. She paused to listen to her internal radar. Did she feel funny about that?

Nope. Her internal radar felt quite serene today. The others would have gotten a deal they couldn’t refuse, and Dragos got to take a much-needed break. Plus, beach! The water looked so lovely.

Dragos continued. “We’ve got the house for up to a week if we want it. The manager of the property will stock the fridge with plenty of food and drinks, and is setting up a crib for the length of our stay. We don’t have to do anything when we arrive. We can just relax and do whatever we want.”

Absorbed in looking at the photos, she said, “What I want to know is, why don’t we have a private island?”

She had meant to be facetious, but Dragos’s expression turned thoughtful. “Good question. I’ll have to look into that.”

Her head snapped up, and she stared at him with wide eyes. He gave her a completely serious look in return. Wordless, she faced forward.

Hugh’s shoulders shook, and Eva snickered into her hand.

Dragos gently eased his phone out of her lax hands. She watched him sidelong as he turned it off.

The flight was short, just over two hours long. Eva and Hugh sat at the front of the cabin, talking and playing chess. Dragos and Pia settled with Liam on one of the two couches toward the back of the plane.

Toward the end of the flight, Pia watched out a window. Her excitement surged again as land came into view in the limitless expanse of blue water. Liam woke up as the plane started to descend. The change in altitude didn’t seem to affect him at all. The baby dragon joined her in staring out the window.

Pia divided her attention between the scenery outside and studying her son’s triangular head with the slender, graceful snout. He was perfectly formed, with every detail that Dragos’s dragon form had, only in miniature.

She might have given birth to him, but he was such a mystery to her. His midnight-dark, violet, jewel-like eyes had gone wide with fascination. As a raptor, he probably already had the capacity to see minute details a mile or two away, but she wondered what he really comprehended of the scenery spread out below them. Right now the lines of his body were delicate rather than powerful, but if Dragos was right and Liam did reach his father’s size, he would be a juggernaut.

The magic in him burned fiercely. While Liam’s Wyr form was a dragon, her blood ran in his veins as much as his father’s did. Liam’s Power felt cooler to her than the molten corona of Power that boiled out of Dragos. How would that combination manifest in Liam’s talents and abilities? All they knew at this point was that he had some of her ability to heal, for he had saved her life before he had ever been born.

She pressed her lips to the top of his head and whispered telepathically, I love you.

He closed his eyes and leaned against her cheek with a sigh.

“Come here, little man.” Dragos held his hands out to Liam.

Liam’s body tightened in protest around Pia’s neck. She patted his leg while she bit back a smile. As much as he loved his father, at this stage in his young life he was definitely a mama’s boy.

When Dragos spoke again, his dark, rich voice was soothing. “I will give you back to your mother soon enough. For now you must come to me.”

While he talked to his son in a low murmur, Liam’s body relaxed and his sharp, slender talons slipped out of her T-shirt. He offered no protest when Dragos gathered him up in gentle hands.

Pia stuck fingers in the new holes in her shirt. She muttered, “If this keeps up, I’m going to need a new wardrobe.”

She watched Dragos cradle Liam against his chest. As the small, white dragon looked up, Dragos bent his dark head and whispered in Liam’s ear for several minutes. Liam rested his head on Dragos’s chest as he listened. She couldn’t make out specific words, but she felt the effect of Dragos’s words in snatches. Reassurance, praise and encouragement radiated from him.

The sight of father and son together never failed to affect her. Dragos was the most lethal and efficient fighter she had ever seen. He had a killing speed along with his immense size, and he had once pulled the crumpled metal of a wrecked car away from her body.

As Dragos held Liam, his hands seemed even more massive on the baby’s small body. He had positioned his long, powerful fingers with utmost care at the base of the lacy wings.

The small dragon’s body shimmered and changed, and the baby Dragos cradled against his chest had turned human again.

Pia’s sigh of relief mingled with a sense of awe. Her father had been human, and she had only learned how to shapeshift into her Wyr form the previous year. Even then she had needed Dragos’s help. It had taken Liam less than four months.

Dragos patted Liam’s round, diapered bottom. “Well done. Now that you’ve learned how to shapeshift, you can change back again whenever you need to.” He lifted his head and handed the baby back to her.

As she took Liam, she whispered to Dragos, “You win all the good Daddy points.”

His eyes glinted with wicked sensuality, and his eyelids lowered to conceal it. Ever the opportunist, he murmured, “And what will that get me?”

“If you play your cards right, it might get you lucky later.”

He traced the line of her jaw with his forefinger. “How about if I throw in dinner by the ocean?”

It was a good thing they were both sitting, because that slight caress made her go weak at the knees.

As their gazes connected, all the light banter fell away, leaving something pure and naked, a shock of connection that reverberated through both mind and body. As she stared into his intent gold eyes, the rest of the world fell away. She was caught in a beguilement that would never end, and she would go anywhere with him, do anything for him. She loved him so much, she couldn’t breathe.

She fumbled for a good reply. After all, she didn’t want him to get too cocky. “Dinner by the ocean might increase your chances a bit.”

The sexy, cruel line of his mouth tilted up. He slid one hand to the back of her neck, his fingers pressing lightly. The rasp of calluses against her sensitive skin caused a ripple of sensation to cascade down her body. She licked her lower lip and watched as his gaze fell to track the movement.

Her unsteady lips shaped his name, as she said without sound or air, “Dragos.”

Heat flashed out of his tense body, invisible and volcanic. Slowly his fingers curled around the hair at her nape and clenched into a fist. He held her trapped in a possessive, barbaric hold, but everything he did was possessive and barbaric, and she wouldn’t change him for the world.

On her lap, Liam burbled companionably and tugged at her shirt. It broke the molten spell burning the air between her and Dragos. She blinked down at the baby. For a moment she couldn’t remember why they were on the plane, or where they were going.

Dragos hadn’t loosened his hold on the hair at her nape. He growled very softly, “Tonight.”

She managed a shaken nod. She was going to get so lucky tonight.

No, she meant he was.

Sooo lucky.

The plane’s angle of descent grew steeper, and nearby land magic began to tickle at her senses. Dragos gently disengaged his fingers from her hair as she turned her attention to the peanut. Liam remained sublimely unaffected by the change in air pressure in the cabin, so she nursed him and changed his diaper while Dragos walked toward the front of the plane to talk with Eva and Hugh.

The last few minutes of their flight raced by, and they touched down at the L. F. Wade International Airport. The airport was small and the runways short, so the plane braked hard and taxied briefly until it rolled to a stop. Within moments the ground crew had the mobile stairway wheeled into place, and they disembarked into hot, bright sunshine.

A Mercedes SUV rental waited for them in the parking lot. They brought their car seat and fitted it to one of the bucket seats. Once Liam had been securely strapped in, Eva drove while Hugh rode shotgun, and Dragos, Liam and Pia rode in the back.

The airport was located on St. David’s Island, at the northeast tip of Bermuda. Their house was located on the northwestern tip of the main island, so they drove across the causeway and along S Road. Even though they were on the opposite side of the island, Bermuda was not a large place, and the trip went quickly.

Pia couldn’t see everything fast enough and craned her neck to look around at the intense green foliage and palm trees, the colorful variety of buildings and the glimpses of ocean and sandy beaches as they threaded through the streets.

Dragos lounged at her side, watching the passing scenery too. “Did you know that Bermuda has more than five hundred shipwrecks in the shallow reefs that circle the islands, dating from the 1500s?”

Pia turned to stare at him. “Five hundred?”

He nodded. “And those are only the ones that have been identified. Some are even popular scuba diving sites.”

“The ocean floor must be like a pile of cars in a junkyard. How on earth could you hope to find the Sebille in all of that?”

He rubbed his jaw. “Well, if the Sebille had wrecked in shallow waters, it would have been discovered a long time ago. If it’s out there, it’s going to be deep.”

She blinked. If it had sunk in deep water, it was no wonder nobody had located the ship yet. “Does that mean you won’t be able to find it?”

He shook his head. “There’s no way to know. It does mean finding it will be a challenge.”

She studied his hard features. The frown that had been a part of his visage for so many months had eased, and he looked relaxed, alert and interested in life. She didn’t care about treasure hunting for its own sake, but she was delighted that it had caught Dragos’s interest, and the history of the Sebille had begun to engage her attention almost in spite of herself.

“How are you going to try to find it?” Most professional shipwreck hunters and maritime archaeologists had highly sophisticated and expensive equipment, and a single expedition could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. “The first step will be to quarter off the area surrounding the islands. Then I’ll search it systematically by flying low over the water. My magic sense is highly developed. In isolated circumstances, I can sense magic from a couple of miles away. The Sebille might not have been carrying treasure, but with a voyage that important, it would have carried magic items—at the very least an enchanted sextant for navigating in deep water under heavy cloud cover. And if I sense a spark of magic, I can dive for it.”

She tried to imagine diving so deep with all of that water between her and the open air. A shudder tried to take over her limbs. She sternly pushed it down. “Could you dive as deep as the ocean floor?”

He never bothered with machismo swagger, because he didn’t need it. He said simply, “Yes.”

“What will you do if you don’t find anything in the flyovers?”

He shrugged. “Dive anyway until I’ve thoroughly explored each area. I’ll concentrate first on the most likely routes ships sailed from Ireland and expand my radius from there. At that point, if I get serious, I’ll look for primary sources in local records. It would help to talk to Tatiana, but she may not be willing to talk about details of the voyage. There might have been secrets on the ship that she would rather leave unfound.”

“It sounds like a lot of grueling physical work.”

“It is.” He sounded pleased at the thought. “It’s a lot of flying and swimming, and time spent outdoors in the open air and sun.”

She pursed her lips. Maybe while Dragos conducted the physical search, she could do some digging for local sources.

Eva slowed the Mercedes on the narrow paved road, until she pulled to a stop beside a thick, recently trimmed hedge in front of the large, peach-colored villa. A flagstone path cut through an opening in the hedge.

The peanut had fallen asleep in her arms, so Eva opened the car door for her to step out. While Eva and Hugh pulled out the luggage, Dragos joined Pia and they walked up the path.

The house was two stories high and built into a hill. Steps led up to a wraparound porch on the upper level and the main front entrance. As they started up the steps, an attractive human woman in her forties opened the front door. She wore a summer linen suit and ballet flats, her dark hair pulled back in a chignon.

“Welcome, Lord and Lady Cuelebre.” She spoke with a crisp British accent and smiled at them. “I’m Leanne Chambers, the property manager. We’re so honored that you’ve come to visit.”

“Hello.” Pia returned her smile. “This is a beautiful place. I’m in love with it already.”

“Isn’t it lovely? This is my favorite of all the rentals I manage.” Leanne’s dark gaze dropped to Liam, and her smile turned indulgent. “If you like, I can show you straight to the bedroom where I’ve put the crib.”

“Thank you, but if I try to put him down in a strange place, he’ll only wake up and fuss.”

The other woman inclined her head. “If you’ll allow me, I’ll give you a quick tour and get out of your way.”

She handed two sets of keys to Dragos and led the way through the house, keeping up a light patter of conversation. The house had been built in the late nineteenth century and used as a vacation home ever since. The windows were high and elegant in spacious rooms with hardwood floors, and decorated with simple, comfortable furniture.

Pia could easily picture people in Victorian and Edwardian dress gracing the large parlor room and the living room with the immense fireplace, or playing cards and board games on the veranda. The front lawn was just large enough to contain a croquet set. Pia caught a glimpse of the beach through the trees down the terraced path.

Despite its age, the house had been updated with every modern convenience. An outside shower had been installed so people could rinse off from the beach before stepping inside. The large kitchen had new stainless-steel appliances, and two of the five bathrooms had Jacuzzi tubs. There was only one bedroom that had an en suite bathroom, and Pia was pleased to see that it still had the original enameled tiles and claw-foot tub.

Leanne paused in the doorway of the master suite. “I took the liberty of setting the crib in the room beside this one. And because the house is so large, I bought a baby monitor to go with it. Along with filling the grocery order, I’ve stocked the fridge with four complimentary bottles of white wine, and a fruit-and-candies tray.”

Pia smiled at the other woman. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Is there anything else that you need?”

“I can’t think of anything,” she replied. “I love this place. Everything is wonderful.”

She glanced at Dragos. He had turned on his phone and his head was bent as he studied the screen. Her shoulders drooped. He glanced at her and frowned.

He pocketed his phone and told the manager, “Thank you, that will be all.”

“Very good.” This time the inclination of Leanne’s head was deferential. “I’ll see myself out. Enjoy your stay.”

Pia moved to look out the window at the sparkling water. The baby snored slightly. He sounded like a squeaky toy. Sleeping soundly had turned him into a dead weight, and her back ached from carrying him around.

Disappointment tried to darken her earlier excitement and pleasure. She had dangled Dragos’s favorite hobby in front of him, and they had just arrived in a literal paradise, but he still couldn’t keep his phone turned off. When she’d started a relationship with him, she knew she was going to have to share his time and attention, but she never realized how much of a problem that would be, or how much it might grow to bother her at times like this.

Mostly she was fine with it. That wasn’t rationalization; she really was. Between the overwhelming demands of his corporate responsibilities and the Wyr demesne, he carried a heavy load, and it suited her just fine to play a supporting role for him. She wasn’t as driven as he was, and she absolutely adored the fact that she had the luxury to concentrate on the peanut while he was so small.

Only occasionally, like now, it caused a heavy ache in her chest.

Dragos walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “What has dimmed that bright smile of yours?”

She tried to think of something positive and supportive to say. “Don’t you love it here? This place is gorgeous.”

His fingers tightened. He bent over her until his lips touched the thin, sensitive shell of her ear. He whispered, “I turned on my phone to search for a place to go to dinner.”

She looked over her shoulder at him. “Really?”

“Really. I’ve already turned it off again.”

The leaden feeling in her chest lightened. At the same time the back of her nose prickled and moisture flooded her eyes. Embarrassed at the sudden surge of emotion, she folded her lips tight and nodded.

His gaze was too keen and filled with understanding. He rubbed her back. “I wouldn’t trade this past year away for anything, but it’s still been hard on us.”

She leaned back against his strong frame, and he wrapped his arms around both her and the baby. “I wouldn’t trade it away for anything either.”

“Things will get easier, I promise.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head. “As soon as all of the sentinels are back at work, let’s go upstate and stay for a couple of months.”

“Are you sure you can take the time away from the city?” She rested her head against his chest, and he stroked her hair.

“Yes. We’ll need to make plans for renovations and building, but we can take things at our own pace and go as slow as we like. If there’s an emergency and I have to work, I’ll make sure it takes no more than twenty-five hours a week. Kris has been my assistant for so long, he should be able to handle most things. We can take Liam hiking. It will be a real, extended break. How does that sound?”

She had to clear her throat before she could speak again. “I would truly love that.”

“I would too.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Consider it a date.”

“Okay.” She turned her head toward him, and he nuzzled her.

The baby stirred in her arms, and Liam lifted his sleep-blurred face to look around. His round eyes and soft, open mouth reflected his astonishment at the change in venue. Pia grinned. The last time Liam knew, they had been on the plane.

“Okay, Peanut, time to show you around. Then you get to play with Aunt Eva and Uncle Hugh while I change into fresh clothes, and Mommy and Daddy go out to eat.”

“Do you want an upscale restaurant, or a beachside tavern?” Dragos asked. “Because if you want upscale, I have to turn my phone back on again to make a reservation.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Ooh, beachside, please!”

He grinned. “That’s what I thought you’d say, which is why I had already turned it off.”

She stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “You know me so well.”

He put a hand at the back of her head and held her in place as he returned her kiss lingeringly, setting her body on a slow burn.

“Get ready.” His voice was so low it was barely more than a vibration against her lips.

Feeling intoxicated, she nodded as he let her go. She caught the heavy-lidded slant of his glance as he turned away, and she knew he hadn’t been talking about their dinner.