Xavier: The Manning Dragons ― Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Read online

  “It does. Occasionally we have to hunt down a little girl or two, just for the sweetness, but I don’t do that often either.” She smiled at him. “You’ve been asleep for about eight hours now. I’m not saying that you passed out, you’ll notice. However, you sure did scare poor Foster. He nearly keeled over and bit the big one. His words, not mine.”

  “He told me when I first talked to him that he’d been dead before and wasn’t now. I didn’t even think of how strange that is until right now.” Xavier told her how he’d done them a good turn. “Do I even want to know what that was? Did he, I don’t know, find you a dozen virgins to eat for some strength that is going to scare the shit out of me?”

  “Doubtful much scares you. But no. He lived in my house, you see. As a ghost. When the previous owner was—well, we’ll call it taken care of, Foster had the book hidden away that belonged to my kind. The book of dragons.” Cindi sat up but didn’t move off his bed. “To have him around all the time was his gift for helping all of us. Another gift was given to him as well. Not only did he get to speak to his wife, who forgave him for being labeled a thief, but he also gets to talk to her at midnight. He only stole things to feed his family.”

  “I’m assuming that you guys are pretty powerful.” He said that they were. “And with all this power, what sort of consequences are there when you use it? There seems to be a tradeoff for using magic, from what I heard.”

  “I don’t think it works like that for us. We don’t deal in black magic at all. My family and I give a lot back to those that help us. More so to the kids than to the adults.” She asked him what he did for a living. “I invent games for computer systems, as well as all the platforms that are out there. I’ve also written a couple of books. I tend to do whatever catches my interest. However, being as old as I am, there isn’t much out there anymore that captures my attention for very long. I think that’s why I invent games for people to learn about history, science, as well as other languages.”

  “That’s wonderful. I run several businesses and work too much. I’m stressed out all the time by trying to be as good as my parents were.” She smiled. “That’s not quite true. I do work a great deal. I don’t stress about being able to do a better job than my parents. They were who they were when it came to running a business, and I do things my way.”

  “If that makes you happy, then I’m sure they’d be very proud of you.” Cindi said she thought that they might be. “If you are hungry, these are pretty fresh subs. However, I do want to warn you, they’re more than likely hotter than you’re used to if you enjoy spicy stuff.”

  “I love spicy stuff. But I don’t think my stomach could take spicy right now. I’m still thinking about that woman.” When Cindi shivered and stood up, so did he. “Do you think I could have something light? I don’t know what that would be, but nothing too heavy for me. Later I’ll show you how much heat I can handle.”

  The thought of her handling heat made his cock stretch, but he didn’t say anything to her. They were getting along nicely, he thought and didn’t want to mess that up. He might later on, but for now, he was happy to let her pace them into a real relationship.

  Following her down the stairs, he pointed out some of the things that he’d been doing to the house. There were still a couple of rooms that he’d not touched yet. Since he did enjoy cooking, Xavier made her a grilled cheese sandwich as well as some tomato soup, neither of which, he was sure, had been in the refrigerator after he’d gone to the grocery. Putting out the hummus and the chips he’d gotten, Xavier wasn’t the least bit surprised to find that it was one of her favorite snacks.

  Chapter 2

  Blair walked around the house a second time. It was lovely for sure, but she couldn’t get over the amount of foo-foo, as Daniel had called it, that was everywhere. She paused in front of one of the long mirrors that hung just inside the front hall. Daniel came up behind her and smiled.

  “You should see the bathroom in my room. I don’t think I’ll be able to use it very much.” She asked him why wanting a good laugh about now. “There is so much pink in the room that I’m sure that someone, a blind person, mind you, just asked for things pink, and they tossed it everywhere. If it stuck, they left it.”

  “It can’t be that bad.” He pulled out his phone and showed her. “Oh my. I guess it is worse than I thought. Is that a pink turtle there on the side of the tub? Look at that, Daniel, it’s a pink toilet. I’m not even sure I could use the bathroom with that much color.”

  “I know. I’m going to trade with Marshall. He’s late getting here, so he has to take the last room. I swear to you, this place was not designed for a man. Since Cindi bought it, do you think she’d care if I had a room that reflects my tastes rather than the pink painter’s? Also, did you see the garage? Who puts curtains, frilly ones at that, in the windows of the garage? Only a madwoman would do such a thing. The rental refused to go into it, that’s how bad it is.” She was giggling by the time they made their way to the kitchen. “The pantries are all stocked up, and I have to say I am in love with this kitchen. What can I make you for lunch? Before you tell me you’re not hungry, you’re going to eat, so what will it be?”

  “I really am not hungry. I know that I should be after finding out that the woman wasn’t my mom, but where is she if not out where we can find her?” Daniel started pulling things from the refrigerator, and she watched him as he started putting together a large sub. “Even hungry, Daniel, I can’t eat that much. Who do you think you’re going to have to feed with that sucker?”

  “You and I.” She nodded and enjoyed watching him place each slice of meat on the bread like it was an art project rather than food to eat. “When you started staying with us more and more, I learned a great many things about women that I had never realized before. For instance, and this is not you or Cindi, but women are liars.”

  “What a thing to say about the female race.” He laughed with her. “You have to have a reason for saying something like that. What led you to grouping all women into a lump of liars?”

  “Not you or my sister. I’ve dated, you know.” She nodded, the twinge to her heart making her sad again. “Anyway, why do women order from the menu, then pick at their food? If you order it, eat it. I mean, why would a person order all that food, then say, ‘I’m not really hungry’? I don’t get it.”

  “They eat before you pick them up.” Daniel stared at her. “Some do. As you’ve pointed out, that’s not what I do. But other women want a man to think that they’re dainty when in reality, they could eat a sub bigger than this one in one sitting and not think a thing about it. And they fart too. Like they’re sounding a foghorn over the ocean.”

  “I’ve heard one fart that I was dating. I might have dated her a second time after her showing her true colors, but she blamed it on me. If I have to fart, you can bet that you’ll know it, first of all. Secondly, I will own that sucker.” They both laughed. “What else can you impart to me about your gender? I’m sure there are plenty of things that no man would ever believe about the woman that he falls in love with.”

  “Okay. Let me think. Oh, when you see a woman in a slim dress—I mean, like a second skin—she’s more than likely not eaten for two days. No bloating that way. Also, and this is something that I find just as crazy as eating before some nice man takes you out, women will wear special panties out on a date. You know, just in case you want to see them. All the rest of the time, they wear granny panties that nearly come up to their breasts.” Daniel laughed hard enough that he nicked his finger on the knife he was using. “Let me help you.”

  The cut wasn’t bad, but it was bleeding pretty good. Washing it thoroughly, Blair got a chance to touch Daniel in ways that she’d never allow herself to do if he wasn’t hurt. However, when she realized how long she was taking to do it, she pulled away and felt her face heat up.

  “I don’t think it will get infected. Thanks, Blair.” S
he nodded and went to sit back down. She had had a crush on Daniel since she’d met him at the age of fourteen when her mother had married their uncle, who then adopted her. Now that Daniel was a man and she a woman, her feelings for him had deepened, but it could never become more than one sided. “Are you all right, Blair?”

  “Yes. I’m peachy. Just fine.” She tried to think of anything that would work to change the subject. “I was going to take an advertisement in the larger papers and see if she’ll answer one of those. It’s all I can hope for right now. I don’t want to have to think about anyone having to identify her body again. That was harder than I think I ever thought it would be.”

  “I was just speaking to Cooper. He and Carson have identified the woman by her fingerprints. Her name is Sonya Ballinger, a divorcee. I guess when their child was killed in an automobile accident, they couldn’t be together anymore. To me, it would seem only natural for them to be closer to each other so they could have someone to lean on. But then I’ve never been married, nor do I have any children. I’m not in a position to decide what I might do, I guess.” She didn’t have children either, but she was in love. With the man in the kitchen with her. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we take a drive around town? Just to see what they have here that makes everyone so frigging jolly. I don’t know if you noticed this or not, but everyone here is under the illusion that we’re never leaving. Do you suppose they have something that we need?”

  “Just Cindi. Where is she, by the way? I thought she’d be home by now.” Daniel said that they’d been invited to the Manning home by Cindi. “To do what? Are we going to be getting some of their jolly stuff?”

  “Nah. I think you might have to live here for a decade or so before they let you have some of the Kool-Aid.” They both laughed. Daniel handed her a quarter of the sandwich that he’d made. “Eat that. And I don’t want to hear that you’re not hungry. You look like a hard wind would blow you over. How many times have you called work since you been here?”

  “I have a lot going on. And unlike you, I didn’t grow up with money or knowing how to run a business.” She picked up her part of the sandwich. “I still don’t understand why your parents included me in their will, Daniel. It’s not fair to you guys to have had to split your inheritance with me.”

  “Why not? Blair, I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but we all love you.” She looked at him, trying to gauge if he was making fun of her or not. When he didn’t seem to be, she stuck her tongue out at him. Blair hid herself with the sandwich when he blew her kisses. “Okay. You finish up there, and I’ll see what I can do about finding us a car. I know they left us one, but Marshall said that he wanted to run some errands. He said that he’d be back in time for dinner.”

  She only just realized that he’d eaten all of his part of their lunch. Gobbling down what she wanted of the sandwich, she pulled on her jacket and went out in the warm sun with him. It was chilly, but not nearly cold enough for her to figure out a coat for herself while they were here. Daniel said they’d have to walk because there were no taxis around here.

  “I kind of like it here. It’s quiet. Much quieter than Boston.” She told him that he’d miss the big city in no time. “The only thing that I think I’d miss is the amount of really cool restaurants that we have in our town. But other than that, I love it here. There’s no crime to speak of either. I found that out when I was talking to Ben and Lou. They’re the permanent fixtures that sit out in front of the grocery store when the weather is good. Otherwise, they’re sitting inside the barbershop playing checkers with anyone that comes by that just wants to talk. Miss, not Ms. Jenkins at the library, told me that she can count on one hand the amount of times that kids ever got into trouble around here.”

  “You’ve been making your way around.” Daniel said that he’d been walking a great deal. “What else do you know about this town? I’m sure there has to be some gossip that you heard about the Mannings. I mean, you’d have to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to notice that everyone around here thinks that they’re the next best thing to the invention of sliced bread.”

  “Ah, the Mannings. It’s a fact that they’re very wealthy. Rumor has it that they’re wealthier than we are, even when you put all our money together. Individually, I heard, their net worth is around several billion each. Not sure I believe that one.” She whistled. That was a shit load of money. “And get this—the townspeople think they’re dragons.”

  Blair stopped moving. Daniel got a little ahead of her before he turned back and stared at her. Shifters. If they were shifters, then that meant—

  “Breathe, Blair. In and out. Just breathe, and it’ll be just fine.” She tried her best to breathe, but it was difficult. “You’re not breathing again. In and out. Come on, before Ben and Lou think I’m hurting you. If you don’t breathe soon, I’m going to have to kiss you to distract you.”

  That got her breathing. “What a thing to say to me. Daniel, if your mother was alive, she’d pop you on the back of your head.” He grinned at her. “That is not the least bit funny. You just shouldn’t say that sort of thing to a woman.”

  “Why not?” She looked up at him, then away. “Blair, I want to show you something. Come on. And while we’re walking, I want to tell you about the Mannings, at least what I heard, if you want to believe such nonsense. They’re not shifters like wolves. They’re men who were born dragons. When they were being hunted to almost extinction, their father found himself a witch, and she gave him a very strong spell that made it so that his sons could blend into the human world around them.”

  “What happened to their mother?” Daniel told her that she’d been murdered by humans while she was trying her best to keep her children safe. “That is so sad. Why would you tell me something like that?”

  “I thought you should know everything about the people here, including the legends and lore. If I don’t know anything about a certain family or household, all I need to do is go to the barbershop or the post office. Both places will get you all the information you need about something. I heard that the bank manager goes to either place when someone is applying for a loan for a car or a new home.” He pointed to the one they had stopped by. “Like this house here. It’s a large house. Has six bedrooms, a large kitchen, and a living room that sports two fireplaces—it’s that big. The master bedroom has a fireplace too, but it’s gas, not log burning. I thought that changing the others to gas might be better for us.”

  She looked up at the house and saw the for sale sign with Sold stamped across the front of it. When she realized what he’d said, Blair looked at Daniel again. Frowning, she tried her best to think what he’d really said and not what she’d thought he had.

  “Yes, I said us. I love you, Blair. I have for so long that I didn’t even think about it. Of course, at first, it was just the love one might have for a sister. But I soon fell so deeply in love with you that I found myself following you around like a sad puppy.” Blair moved away from him, telling him he wasn’t funny. “Christ, I hope I’m not right now. I love you, Blair Owen. I want to marry you, have children with you, and grow old with you.”

  “Who put you up to this?” Daniel asked her what she meant. “I never told anyone how I feel about you. But I guess I wasn’t as good at hiding it as I thought. You don’t have to go through with this, Daniel. I’m sorry that someone—”

  He kissed her then. Pulled her into his arms and held her body so close to his that she could feel every muscle, every movement of his groin. When he pulled back, it was all she could do to stand up straight or to look at him without begging him to not joke with her about a thing like this.

  “I said that I loved you but, believe it or not, I thought I was hiding it very well too. I didn’t want to mess up your being my friend by telling you that. But my good buddies over there, Lou and Ben, they told me that I should just get up off my buttocks—their words—and ask you to marry me. They said
a pretty girl like you wouldn’t wait very long on a man who didn’t step up to the plate when that girl was in love with him too.” Daniel kissed her again. “Do you love me, Blair? I hope so. I plan to buy us this house to fill with tiny versions of you and me. I want to drive a big van around with all of my family in it. Go to the market with you to pick out what to have for dinner and all the stuff that goes with making you happy. Please tell me that you love me, Blair. Please.”

  “I do.” He got down on one knee and took her hand in his. She watched as he pulled a ring from his pocket and slipped it up and over the first knuckle of her ring finger. “I’m not even embarrassed that you’re doing this right out here in the open. This is the best day of my life.”

  “I had to do it right here so that my buddies could see you say yes. You have to be excited too. I think they’re hoping you will be.” She glanced over at the two men staring out of the barber’s window at them. “They’re wonderful gentlemen and have hopefully steered me in the right direction today. Will you marry me, Blair?”

  “Yes, yes, I will.”

  He put the ring all the way up her finger then stood up, picking her up as he did and swinging her around. As he set her back on her feet, she heard the two gentlemen whistling and clapping. It wasn’t until she looked in their direction that she realized that they’d drawn quite a crowd.

  Crossing the street to the people lined up there to congratulate them, all she could think about was this had to be a dream. If it was, she never wanted to wake up. Blair wondered what Cindi would think, and decided that she’d be as happy as she was. Blair was in love with Daniel and was now going to be his wife.

  ~*~

  Cindi wasn’t sure what to do with herself. The house was large enough to get lost in, and she’d been that way twice now. It wasn’t until she heard her name called that she finally gave up and was going to ask for directions. But there wasn’t anyone behind her. Cindi had started down the long hall again when she heard someone say, “Lady Cindi?” again.