The Emperor did not look relieved by her vow. In fact, his gaze narrowed as he looked from her to his son. His expression was openly hostile.
“There are other reasons she cannot stay,” he hissed.
“Stop worrying, Thadus. I have sifted through the archives. She is safe, here. The Matriarch glared at the Emperor. “There is no reason she cannot stay. Or do you not trust your son?”
Dani looked from one Dragon, to the other. What the effing hell were they talking about? Why was the old goat so determined to get her out of here? Was there a reason she couldn’t trust Tyrez?
The vibes coming off the woman belied that she and the Emperor were mates. Yet they’d had kids. More than once, too.
Dani decided that Dragons were confusing and relegated Tyrez’s relatives to her “crazy person” file. Although his mother seemed rather nice. And the jury was still out on Tyrez himself.
The Emperor matched the Matriarch’s glare for a moment. Then he shifted his feet. “There will be guards posted outside the door at all times. She is never to be left unescorted beyond the apartment. And this is only until alternate arrangements can be made to house her.” His chin jutted and his eyes flashed a deep blue as he regarded Tyrez. “She cannot live with you. I don’t care where she goes from here, but she cannot stay.”
“Hey,” Dani protested. “What’s with this ‘she’ garbage? I am right here.”
“Rindek will try to reacquire her,” Tyrez protested. “Nowhere else is safe.”
The Matriarch’s eyes sparked a brilliant green as she glared at the old Dragon shifter. “He has a point, old man. Do you seriously want her power back in the hands of that monster?”
The Emperor gritted his teeth and his eyes glowed blue. “She can stay only until we have adequate alternate arrangements,” he grated. “That is my final word.” With that, he walked right past them all. He didn’t even look at Dani. He paused long enough to transform on the ledge, and then jumped off, followed by a guard.
“Too bad he has wings,” Dani muttered.
The Matriarch sighed. “He is not the Dragon he used to be. You should have seen him a hundred years ago. So virile. So strong.” She grimaced. “Mind you, he was always sharding stubborn.”
A hundred years? Dani stared at her. “How long do Dragons live?”
The perfectly formed lips curved up. “A very long time.” She walked to Tyrez and embraced him. “Behave yourself. It isn’t just his body that is failing. You don’t want to cross him right now.”
The big Dragon grimaced. “Why does everyone think I’m going to do something dumb?”
Razir accompanied the Matriarch to the ledge. “Because you usually do, bro.”
Tyrez glanced at the clock inset in the wall. “Hey, I need you here for a bit.”
His brother shot him a look, and his mouth straightened, but he stopped moving toward the opening.
Dani watched, fascinated, as the Matriarch and the remaining guard shifted to Dragons. Some things were similar to her shift to Dire, but the wings were amazing, emerging from her shoulders, the finger bones lengthening to stretch the membrane between them.
She turned to give Dani one final, long look with her brilliant green eyes before launching off the ledge.
Razir turned to Tyrez. “Okay, bro. What do you need?”
“I have that appointment with Jacques. I need you to stay here with Dani.”
Dani’s heart accelerated. “You’re leaving me with him?”
His purple eyes widened. “I can meet with Jacques.”
“He’s too uptight around you,” Tyrez pointed out.
“Hey, I plucked himoutof the lake. He should be sharding grateful.”
“You didn’t stop Taran from tossing him in there. That counts.”
Razir sighed. “All right. So long as she promises not to bury me.”
Bury him? Then she remembered his earlier comment. “Youwerethe Dragon on the battlefield.”
