Dana Read online

  Chapter 2

  Sapphire knew the man was her mate. She wasn’t thrilled about it, but he didn’t seem to be either. He was a bully. Walking through the woods that she’d been enjoying for the last couple of hours, she revised her thought. Not a bully, but someone that stood up for himself. She thought of Opal and her snapping at him like a napless twoyear-old. Smiling, she thought of the man when Ruby had taken him to task as well. None of them had been very nice to him. Even when she’d realized who he was to her, she’d not defended him, nor had she thought to tell anyone who he was. She knew from Em that Dana could smell his mate on her skin, which made it odd, she supposed, knowing that one of them could be his. And then it turned out to be her. The youngest of the four. As she wandered along the lake that seemed to be a part of the castle walls, she wondered at the strength of a dragon to make such a place. Not only that, but to have the land and the stone do what he wanted, even today. Like the walls with light switches and hanging lights. She wondered if there were wires to such things, or just the illusion of them. Sapphire knew the story as well as any dragon did. Danburn had wanted a home for shelter and to keep his family safe. The earth said that she’d gladly help him, but he told her that it must be a fair trade. And Sapphire thought that the land surrounding the area of the castle had done as well as, if not better than, Danburn had. The place was stunning. The trees were healthy and full of life. There was an orchard in the back of the land, a place she’d only just left, that was full of blooms, the trees just starting to ready themselves for summer. The cherries were just beginning to ripen, and she knew that in a few days the staff and the town would be out there picking them. Jams would start to show up. Pies too. She knew too that the cook at the large castle would be making pie after pie to freeze so that they’d be eaten year-round. Something that she would bet had been happening for centuries. The large Tudor house came into view several minutes before she was out of the woods. The roof and turrets alone made her think of the dragon behind her, Danburn, and the one that she was mated to. Oh, to own such a place, to live as she had so many decades ago. Standing at the edge of the tree line, Sapphire knew that she was off the properties that the others owned, but she couldn’t help herself. She needed time away from the house and all the people there. And the house in front of her seemed to call to her. There were several cars out front, but she knew that the house had been empty of occupants that lived there for some time. The aura of love and happiness that had once been there around it was nearly faded. She knew that wasn’t always a sign that people dwelled someplace, but in this case, she knew that she was right. The house had been dying of cheerlessness for some time.

  It startled her when Dana got out of the first car in the drive. He stood there, staring at her for some time before he put out his hand for her. She wasn’t sure what he might know until he laughed. “We might have better timing than most, I think. I was thinking of purchasing a house, and now that you’re here, you might well like to join me in the search. Come now, let’s have a look, shall we?” Sapphire didn’t move, not afraid, but hoping he was as wrong as she was. “You’re my mate, Sapphire. Come on and let’s have a look at the house to see if it can suit you. I hope it does, but you’ll have the final say in it.” “You think it will not suit you, but you will buy it only because it does me?” He shook his head, her temper taking her mouth over. “I won’t be treated as a simpleton.” “I wasn’t doing any such thing. Damn it. Are all you sisters like this all the time?” She felt embarrassment heat her face. “I don’t know anything about you, but I will say that even from here, I love the house. However, I’m not a man that cares so long as there is a roof over my head, a soft bed, and a place for me to work. So far, this place has it all. What is it you desire from a home?” “The same, but pretty. I have lived so long in only caves that a home sounds good. I have not.... I’m sorry I was rude before. I think it has a lot to do with living with three other women and no one else. Especially as they’re my sisters.” He didn’t point out to her that they’d all been rude to him but thanked her. She might not have been so kind had it been her being the victim in all this. “I’d love to see the house with you. But know this—I’m very vocal about my likes and dislikes, and will tell you if I like it or not and why.” “I’d not have guessed that had you not told me.” He was teasing her, something that most men never did. “Hanson was going to come here with me, but he got detained at home. I’m not sure by what, but he said he’d come over later if he was able. With this man, I’ve forgotten his name, you would do well to tell the man that we’re married, I think. He has it in his head that I’m a young bachelor in need of a wife. Mostly his daughter.” The man came out of the house and looked at her. The disappointment on his face made her nearly laugh. She wondered if the daughter looked like her father, because that could explain why he wanted her to marry anyone that he worked with. Or anyone else, for that matter. “You did tell me that you had someone in your life, didn’t you, Lord Blankenship?” He said that he had. “You and the missus, you ready to see this place? It’s the best we have on the market right now. Twelve bedrooms, dining hall, as well as a large dance room. The dance room can be converted into a....” Sapphire tuned the man out in favor of looking around the house. It was a beautiful home. The front entrance alone had her wanting to live there, with its parquet floor and beautiful hand painted mural of what she could only guess was the forest beyond the house in fall. Touching her finger to the woodwork that surrounded the room, she knew that she could easily live there. If he could see your face right now, I’d never be able to get a deal on this place. You look like a woman that is in love. She grinned at him and moved to the library instead of the dining room where they were headed. Are you going to wander around, or are you going to join us? We’re supposed to be looking at this house together. The house calls to me. If you don’t mind, I want to see what I can find out for you to talk him down. He asked her what part talked to her. Everything. My goodness, you should see the view from the library. And there’s a pool. Is it filled yet? I love a good swim in the morning. It loosens my inner dragon, so to speak. She told him that she could easily fill the pool for him should he want. Yes. I’m just waiting for him to stop talking so I can make him an offer. He laughed with her. Or should we see the rest of the house before I sound too eager? The rest of the house. I’ve yet to find anything to make him think we’re disappointed. And you’re right, I have not a poker face when it comes to something I love. And I do love this house, Dana. She made her way to the next room, which just happened to be a gaming room. Sapphire told Dana about it. A gaming room? Is there is a pool table, or just a room that you can play in? She wandered around the massive room and told him about the bar too. The pool table is here, as well as cues and plenty of other things that I can only imagine that goes with it. I’ve heard that they can be difficult to move, not to mention heavy. You think it was meant to go with the people and they have yet to return? Dana told her what was on the paperwork. Ah, so it’s ours. Good. I’d love to learn to play pool. I’ve heard it’s a very fun pastime for some. I have no doubt that you’d be very good at it too. He laughed again. We’re headed to the kitchen. Why don’t you meet us there, if you’d like? Do you cook, Sapphire? I do, but not much. It’s hard to make a meal for one, if you want to know. I do. And yes, I love to cook. Do you think there is time to put in an herb garden? He told her that there was one, and if it wasn’t up to par, they could put in a better one. Good, yes, I’ll meet you in the kitchen then. She entered the room just as the men did from the dining room. The kitchen was modern and very up to date on the appliances as well. When she touched her fingers over the six-burner stove and double oven, all she could think about was how much fun she was going to have in there. Telling them that she had a nice butchers block that would fit in the room, if they were to buy it, she opened up the cabinets to find mouse droppings. Finally, something to tell him about that wasn’t perfect about the house. “Look, darling. There are mice.�
� She faked a shiver and moved out of the way while the men looked. Reaching to Dana mentally, she mentioned how the mice would leave once they found a dragon in the house. “I don’t care for little things creeping around.” “Oh, that is bad. My goodness. The cost of having an exterminator come in is going to be costly for a house this large.” They played it up just enough, she thought. Then they moved into the pantry. “This is a place to store enough supplies that a person could have a grand party should they want to. It has places for extra plates and those carafe things that hold warm food.” She loved the shelves in the large room off the kitchen. There was a place for a washer and dryer too, she noticed. And when they wandered out of there, she opened the door to where she thought was the back yard, only to find a mud room, with a walk-in fridge and freezer. This kitchen was a dream, and she loved every aspect of it.

  The upper floor was next. There were actually four levels to this house, not including the basement. But her heart was set on the room with the turret. Sapphire knew that a bed would look beautiful sitting in there. The realtor followed her into the room with Dana. “The uppermost level is the master suite. There is also a small nursery. Not small, I would guess, but smaller than these rooms. It can be converted into an exercise room should you wish as well. There are more windows in the back of the house, as you can see. And all the bedrooms on this floor, as well as the one above it, have en-suite bathrooms, as well as large closets.” She nodded, opening one of the large double closets and looking inside. She didn’t care for the doors, said so, and made a mental note to get rid of all of the metal ones to bring in wood. The feeling of nature would be a large part of this house. “From here you can see the pool and the pool house. There is also a butler’s cottage; as you can see, it is a smaller version of this home. And if you look to the left of the pool house, you’ll see that there is play equipment. Not that I’m suggesting that you might have children; it was left when the previous owners vacated.” “There are a lot of left behinds, don’t you think? Is there anything that we should know about this home? Like, did they up and leave it without taxes being paid? Are we going to have to pay more for the house to take the liens off? What is the problem that has such a large home sitting here falling into disrepair for so long?” He told her that mouse droppings weren’t disrepair. “Perhaps not. But from here I can see that the roof on the pool house needs to be replaced. I can only assume that this one might as well. That is a large expense. Then there are the floors in the living room. It looks as if the carpet has been stained recently, and there is a smell that makes me think of mold. I don’t know that there is, but I have a good nose for things such as that.” The realtor looked at Dana, who told him to answer her questions. The house, as he could see, would be her domain if they were to purchase it. When the realtor started to sputter, she looked at Dana. “I don’t think we’re going to get a good price on the house, darling. Perhaps we should go and find something from someone else. Too bad—I could see us here.” The realtor stood there for all of a minute as they made their way to the front. He called out to them and Dana winked at her as they turned. “I need to get this house off our books. The taxes are killing my small firm.” Dana asked him how much the people were asking. “There is no family that is around. They were killed in an airplane accident several years ago. So yes, you can see that the house has been sitting here empty for some time, thus the repairs that need to be made on it and the mice. I’ll make you a great deal on it.” He named his price and Dana asked if they could have a few moments. Then he lowered the house price by a substantial amount again. Then he told them his rock bottom price. “That was much less than I ever thought I’d pay for any house, much less one of this size.” She looked around the living room, the room they’d made it to when left alone. “What do you think? And there is no smell. What a thing to say to that poor man.” “Well, there is work that needs to be done. The doors to all the closets are metal. I would wish for wood, if you don’t mind. Also, I’d like bigger windows, or perhaps a door to the decking from the dining room. It’ll make the room much softer if we entertain. The pool house does need a new roof. But as you might have noticed, the one on the house is in very good repair. I flew over this house just last night.” He laughed, then nodded. “Then there is the added bonus of the bedrooms being on separate floors, and a finished basement to use.” “Would your sisters live here?” The question startled her. “I know that you need to stay together to work. And if they should like to, then I have no problem with it at all. The only thing I should ask for would be a place I can call my own where I have no trouble or fights in there. My work requires concentration, and fighting and bickering would mess with that.” “You’d allow them to live here? With us?” Dana told her there was plenty of room. “I don’t know what to say. I’ll have to ask them, but I think they’d like that as well. You’ll take the basement, yes? There is an outside entrance so they never have to go down there. In fact, you could close off the entrance from the kitchen and keep that area all to yourself.” “I’d like that.” He was being so nice. However, Sapphire thought that it wasn’t him being nice right now, but he was like this all the time. A nice dragon. But she also figured that there was a beast, other than his dragon, just lurking below the surface, which would tear a person to ribbons should he cross him. And that it would take a great deal to make him lose his temper. But he’d be quick in his retaliation; that would be the only reason that he’d be brought forth in anger, she thought. Then he would be his normal calm self. To protect and to save. His dragon would be a monster if she were hurt by someone, she thought. ~~~ As soon as the bank approved the funds being transferred to the holding company for the house, he called in some workers. There was no point in waiting, he thought. Dana started to tell them what he wanted, what he and Sapphire wanted, but figured that this part of the house should be left for her. Besides, he had his own things that he needed to get taken care of, like his offices in the lower level. He went there to see what he would need in the way of work. Dana was excited about this new venture of his. Dana worked with natural light when he was working. He had always figured that since his jewelry would be in the outdoor setting more than not, he wanted it shown in the best way possible. And for his larger pieces, he would also use the light from outdoors with the indoors in mind as well. The first thing that he wanted done was the two walls that were visible from the outside ripped out and replaced with floor to ceiling windows. Then he’d need to have a safe put in. One larger than the one he had at his old home. He would also need to have a security system put inside and out to keep them safe in the event someone figured out that he had gems around all the time. Within hours, the house was being renovated and there were crews all over the pool house fixing the roof there as well. He knew that with money he could get anything he wanted done, and for the first time in a very long time, he spared no expense to have things just the way Sapphire wanted them. Happiness, that’s what he wanted from her, and damn anyone who teased him about being a pussy whipped mate. Laughing, he went to find Sapphire. “We need a staff. And for a house this big, we’re going to need a lot of staff.” She told him that she agreed, and he wasn’t surprised that she wanted to hire some of the woodland creatures. As element dragons, they had a very firm relationship with all creatures, but the faeries were the closest of all of them. “All right. I don’t care so long as one of them can cook. While I know that we both enjoy it, we do have other work too. Okay with you?” “Yes. And since my sisters are going to be here, if they agree, then they’ll supply the cook for us. They’ll also chip in some magic for the food we eat. I know you eat meat, as do I, but we also need a great deal of green vegetables.” That was fine by him and he told her so. “So, now that we’ve spent an enjoyable few hours together, how about if we find a place for us to have some dinner, then go shopping? I don’t have any furniture that would suit a house of this size. Mostly I’ve been hanging out at someone’s house until they kick me out because I’m such a bore to be
around. I do have things in storage, but those things are suited more for looking at rather than using. Older pieces that I’ve kept for one reason or another.” “I have a great many pieces that we can use and look at as well. Old as some of them are, we might be able to sell them off for something that is going on in town, a charity or something. Like you, I have a few things in storage too. Some things to help me with my job.” She looked embarrassed for a moment. “What room do you wish for me to take?” He thought about sleeping with this woman. Making love to her. But he also knew that she was tender in that department too. As in, she might have had sex, but it had been a very long time. There was no smell of male on her, and what little there was, it had faded to near nothing. This question, he also knew, had cost her a great deal to ask. “I’ll sleep in the lower levels, until we get to know each other. You take the master bedroom. I should like some input into how it looks, but so long as the bed is large enough for the two of us, and I have a place to hang my clothing, I don’t care. Oh, and no pink.” He laughed with her—it was genuine, as well as relief for them both. “I should like to have dinner with you this evening. And your sisters, if you’d like to invite them.” “I would, but I would really like to have a meal with you. As you said, we should get to know one another.” Taking her hand into his, Dana led her out to the car. “Where would you like to go?”