Free Treasure Lane Dragons: Complete Series (BBW Paranormal Dragon Shapeshifter Romance) by Anya Nowlan Page B

the light, wondrous stories she had read and known as a child were a far cry from the tales the dragons themselves had, spiked with blood, vengeance and the most ruthless of politics. She pursed her lips a little, peering at the picture he showed her, the words underneath it written in a similar style but reading quite differently. They must have had their own language in the family as well.
    “So you don’t really know what happened? You can only guess? Your kin thinks that the story they have is the right one, and the Redblades believe in theirs, right?”
    “That’s about the gist of it, yup. But I’d rather trust a long-dead Bluewing than a Redblade with a pulse, and I can only assume they feel much the same towards us.” Devon closed the book and put it on a small table next to Gemma that was already littered with books.
    She could feel his eyes scanning her, as if searching for something, and his smile turned downward a little.
    “You’re not wearing anything I’ve given you,” he said softly. Gemma looked up at him, and that blush she’d been working so hard to get rid of was back in full force. Her table in the bedroom was littered with boxes of jewelry, each more stunning than the one that came before it, and the bracelet he had given her that morning still sat in one of her pant pockets. She’d looked at each piece, admiring it with the kind of reverence it deserved, but she hadn’t dared wear one.
    It somehow felt wrong to accept gifts from him, even if he had a fortune vaster than most developed countries. But the way he looked at her now, a hint of sadness in those gorgeous eyes of his, almost made her want to run to her bedroom and put them all on at once.
    “No, I’m not,” she agreed with a small voice, feeling her words get stuck in her throat. She seemed to be as if hurting him in some way, and the weight of that understanding was heavier than she’d dared expect.
    “I’ll try harder,” he said resolutely, standing up before she could say another word. “And please come have dinner with me tonight. I miss you at the table,” he said as he pushed the chair further, referencing to how she’d neglected to share a meal with him since the first night. She nodded meekly, wondering if her voice was ever going to return, and watched him walk out of the library, his dragon always almost visible in his gait.
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Gemma
     
    Something felt different that night – and it wasn’t just that Gemma was wearing a dress – there was something in the air, Gemma thought, that made the mansion suddenly seem a lot less foreboding than it usually did. The dark passages and long hallways usually made her think of ancient times and hidden secrets, but tonight, the light of the setting sun that crept in through the tall windows and cast a glow on the art as she passed them, was somehow reassuring and full of hope.
    Gemma smiled slightly to herself, trying to keep from twisting the end of the shift dress she was wearing. She kept telling herself that she wasn’t dressing up or anything, and definitely not for Devon, but as she closed in on the dining room, even she had to admit that maybe it was for him. At least a little.
    Oh god, he’s getting to you, she thought to herself, though the note of worry she’d expected to feel was curiously absent. Could it be that she was actually enjoying his attention? No way , Gemma concluded, grinning a bit to herself.
    She pushed through the heavy door into the well-lit dining room, finding a table stocked with delicious treats and a heavy candelabra sitting in the middle of it all with three blue candles burning in it. Even their flame had a blue glint to it – no doubt one of those Bluewing oddities she’d been noticing more and more. From her studies, she had learned that every dragon family had a certain affinity to not only gold but also particular gemstones, and obviously for the Bluewings, it was sapphires. So, they liked keeping things around