For a moment, he stopped breathing. Thinking. His heart seemed to cease beating as well as his body function was reduced to that one moment of pure bliss.

  As he came back to his senses, he finally realized why the French call it la petite mort. The little death indeed.

  “Oh God,” she panted. “Did we really just—”

  “Yes,” he croaked.

  “Right here in the—”

  “Yes.” Pulling out of her, he whirled her around and planted his mouth on hers in a slow, sensuous kiss. She melted into him, returning his kisses with a fervent ardor. When they finally pulled away, they were breathless once again.

  “Well, that’s one way to take that frown off your face.”

  He laughed aloud, throwing his head back. “I guess it is.”

  They began to re-dress and right themselves, though it took a while because she kept distracting him with small kisses and touches here and there.

  “So,” she said, picking up the book he had placed on the shelf. “Exciting reading?”

  “I wish. It’s about the history of the dragon families in The Northern Isles.”

  “Dragon families?”

  “Yes. We have ten in total now, but in the beginning, there were more families on the isles. And more dragons as well.”

  “How long have dragons lived here?”

  “Our recorded history goes back to 793. However, our oral traditions indicate the first dragons settled here at least five hundred years before that.”

  “Wow.” Turning the book on its side, she scrunched her eyes at the spine. “That book has the entire history of all the dragon families?”

  “I’m afraid this is only the twelfth volume of fifteen,” he said wryly. “I’ve been making my way back.”

  “Huh.” She thought for a moment. “With such a long history … could it be possible your missing Dragon Guard could have come from a family that doesn’t exist anymore?”

  He blinked. “I suppose. He could have been orphaned.” It made sense. There were less and less dragons every generation, with so few females being born. In fact, there hadn’t been a female of their kind born in The Northern Isles in over fifty years.

  “So, what happens to orphaned dragon children?”

  “Usually, they’re fostered with another family or sent to an orphanage. Our former captain, Thoralf, for example, was a ward of Prince Harald. He had no other living relatives and thus the last of his house.”

  “So, it’s possible that the missing Dragon Guard had been orphaned with no living relatives? And that’s why none of the other families have any record of him?”

  “Mother Frigga, you could be on to something!” He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her square on the mouth. “You’re amazing.” His inner animal snorted in agreement.

  A smile curled up her lips. “Hey, maybe all you needed was that massage to relax you and clear your head.”

  He pushed her back against the same shelf where he had taken her minutes ago. “Since you’re here then, maybe you can help me relax some more? Clear more of my—”

  “Gideon? Where—oh.”

  They turned to where the voice came from. Sure enough, Wesley Baxter stood at the end of the aisle, mouth hanging open.

  Gideon released Ginny. “Hey, uh, Wes. How are you? I mean …” He cleared his throat and strode toward him. Kneeling down to his level, he spoke in a soft tone. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  His head cocked to the side. “You are?”

  “Yes. I was harsh with you and I apologize. I had a terrible day, but that’s no excuse. And you were right to come to me for help. I promise you, if you need anything, anything at all, I will always aid you anyway I can.”

  “Oh.” He paused, as if contemplating something. Then, he leaned close to his ear. “Niklas told me everything. About you and Ginny being mates.”

  “Of course he did,” he muttered.

  “And he said that you and your dragon were fighting because you were confused, which was why you acted so mean to me. But that once you and Ginny were in the mates zone, you’d be all better.” He looked back at Ginny and then to him. “Well, are you in the mates zone?” He sniffed at him. “You smell like her. Similar to the way Mum smells like Rorik when he stays over.”

  “I, uh …” Gideon scratched at the back of his head. “We’re headed there. To the mates zone.”

  “Good.” Wesley patted him on the shoulder. “I like her. My cheetah likes her and her lioness too.”

  He grinned. “I like her a lot too.”

  “Everything okay?” Ginny approached them tentatively.

  “Yes,” he said. “I just realized I hadn’t apologized to Wesley for my rudeness the other day.”

  “And I accepted,” Wesley added.

  A warm smile lit up her face. “That’s great, Wesley.”

  “I’m going to do my assignments here, if that’s okay, Gideon? Then I'll head back in an hour when Mum comes home.”

  “Of course, stay as long as you like. I have some homework to do too.”

  “Actually, maybe I can help Gideon with his homework too.” She winked at him.

  “You already did, pusen,” he replied and waggled his eyebrows at her in a very Niklas-like way.

  Her brows furrowed together. “You keep calling me that … pusen. What does it mean?”

  “It means ‘my kitten.’” That’s what she was. His. And at this point, she pretty much owned him too.

  A blush crept up her cheeks. “And Niklas … he called me systkin.”

  He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up even if he tried. Sister, Niklas had called her. “You should ask him.” Leaning over, he said in a low voice. “How about when Wesley leaves, we go back to my room.” More specifically, his bed.

  Her body stiffened. “Oh. Um, actually, I’ll have to take a rain check on that.”

  “Rain check?”

  “Yeah. I sort of, have to, uh, go with Lady Vera, sneak into Minister Valens’s house, and find evidence that he’s the mole,” she babbled. “So, yeah, I’ll see you later, okay?” And with that, she was gone in a flash.

  It took Gideon a few seconds to process her words.

  “What?”

  Chapter Nine

  Ginny hightailed it out of the library but wasn’t really banking on outrunning Gideon. However, she thought she’d make it farther than the threshold before he caught up to her, grabbed her, and spun her around.

  “What do you mean you’re sneaking into Minister Valens’s house?” he roared, trapping her in his arms. “Do you know how dangerous that is? His estate is more secure than Fort Knox! What if you were discovered?”

  “I won't get—”

  “I changed my mind.” They froze as Wesley calmly walked out of the library, his schoolbag slung over his shoulder. “I’m going back home now.”

  “Great idea, Wes,” Ginny said. “Let me walk you back.” She attempted to wiggle out of Gideon’s embrace, but his grip remained strong.

  “Have a good night, Wesley.” Gideon's gaze didn't stray from her. “Well?” he asked when the boy was out of earshot.

  “Funny thing.” She let out a fake laugh. “All that data your handy little device got from Valens’s phone? Weeeeellll, I found a lot of valuable information on it. But not enough.” Briefly, she told him about what she had discovered on the minister’s mobile.

  “So, you conjured up this crazy plan to sneak into Valens’s house? And you weren't planning on telling me, were you?”

  “Only because I knew you’d overreact or try to stop me. Which you’re doing right now, by the way.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Is that why you had sex with me? To lull me into—”

  “What?” Anger bubbled in her chest. “How dare you!” Using her full strength, she escaped his grip and pushed him away. “How could you say that? Do you think I’m the kind of person who would use sex to get what I want?”

  His expression faltered. “Ginny, no! Of course not. I’m sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair and approached her with slow and tentative steps. “Please … don’t think that. I know you would never … what happened here … it was amazing.”

  The sincerity in his voice plucked at her heart. And the memories slammed right into her brain, making her all warm and tingly. Her lioness purred in delight, rolling on its back and showing its belly. “I wanted it. Wanted you. For real.” It was all real. So real that she could barely keep the wave of terror threatening to overwhelm her at bay.

  “I know, pusen.” His shoulders relaxed. “All right, tell me your plan.”

  This was the last thing she wanted. She shouldn’t have gone to him. Should have just left with Lady Vera so she could finish the case and move on. She didn’t want his help or have him around.

  “Ginny?”

  His hand caressed her arm gently, sending a tingle up her skin. “Lady Vera is having dinner at Minister Valens’s house. We're going to pretend I'm her maid, then while she honey traps him, I'm going to plant a remote access device on his computer.”

  “Honey trap? She’s going to sleep with him?”

  “Ew, no, not that kind of honey trap. Just keep him busy, but she won’t take it that far.” At least, she hoped not. Lady Vera seemed eager to help with their plan, maybe even excited at the prospect, but the thought of her sleeping with the slimy man caused her stomach to turn.

  “And the king and queen agreed to this?”

  “Well, the queen did. She should be telling him now.”

  “All right, let’s go see them.”

  As they made their way to the royal apartments, Ginny prepared herself for all kinds of scenarios when they met with King Aleksei. She expected the king might not easily agree to the plan, but surely, he'd listen to reason.

  When they entered the suite, however, what she didn’t expect was the statue—er, Stein—raising his voice to Their Majesties as he stretched out to full height, hulking shoulders hunched forward.

  “You cannot allow this, Your Majesty!” he growled loudly in a rough, grating tone. “This is dangerous.”

  The king nodded. “I agree with you, Stein. If they are caught—”

  “But we’re not going to be caught!” Ginny objected as she marched toward them, hands on her hips.

  King Aleksei pinned her with his ocean-colored gaze. “Is that so?”

  She gulped as she sensed the king’s dominant dragon. Bowing her head, she spoke in a calm voice. “Yes. I mean, obviously I can’t guarantee that, but I’m a professional, Your Majesty. I’ve gone through more dangerous missions than this. I've dealt with kidnappers, drug dealers, sex traffickers, anti-shifter terrorists. I can handle one politician.”

  “Minister Valens is not someone you want to make an enemy of,” Gideon said. “We should find another way.”

  “There is no other way. Your Majesty?” she pleaded to Sybil.

  All eyes turned to the queen. “This plan has its dangers,” Sybil began. “But any and all the things we’ve been doing to find this mole have been risky. What if Karl had been the mole and saw you following him? He could have been armed. Or what if Luster had been working with The Knights and had some kind of magical weapon? Or if Ossler, Valens, or Melina caught you trying to steal their phones, and they felt trapped and lashed out in some way? The truth is, finding this traitor is our top priority.” Her lower lip trembled. “Aleksei, seeing you hurt nearly killed me. I want them found now, before they even have a chance to come after you or Alric again.”

  Hope soared in Ginny, though it was dampened by the expression of defeat on Gideon’s face. No, don’t think that. This was why she was here. Remember the mission.

  The king let out a breath. “You must take every precaution.”

  “Your Majesty!” Stein protested. “You can’t—” But the stern look from his king silenced him.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “And I’ll make sure this doesn’t blow back on you.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Gideon interjected.

  “No, I will,” Stein said.

  “No, I will,” Gideon insisted.

  “Why you?”

  “You know why.”

  She planted her hands on her hips. “And where are you two going to hide? Under Lady Vera’s skirt? There’s not even room for one of you there.”

  Gideon ground his teeth together. “I can hide in the trunk of the limousine.”

  “I will go in the limo,” Stein shot back.

  Stupid bull-headed men! “Oh my God, stop it you two, no one is coming with me.”

  The queen rubbed her temple with her fingers. “Oh dear.”

  “You’re not going to fit in that boot, Stein.” Gideon countered. “It’ll be a tight fit for me, but they wouldn’t even be able to close the lid with you in there.”

  “He’s got a point there, Stein,” the king agreed. “But I would feel better if one of you were there.”

  “Worst-case scenario, I’ll pretend I’m stealing cash and jewelry if Valens catches me,” Ginny reasoned. “That would limit the investigation into Valens, but it’s not the end of the world.” But I don’t plan on getting caught, she added silently. She was determined to find the evidence they needed to pin the assassination attempt on Valens or totally clear him so she could move on.

  “This is a crazy idea.” King Aleksei shook his head. “But I suppose sending the ministry police to arrest Valens on what weak evidence we currently have would create greater political consequences.”

  “Gideon will go with you,” Sybil said. “Only to keep us up to date with what’s happening and let us know when you’ve succeeded and are safely out of the minister’s home.”

  “But also to warn us just in case something goes wrong, so we can prepare accordingly,” the king added. “Gideon, you must not be seen at his estate.”

  No one said it aloud, but Ginny knew what it meant. If Valens saw any Dragon Guard breaking into his home, he’d know King Aleksei was involved, and it would destroy His Majesty politically.

  Stein opened his mouth, but clamped it shut before storming out of the room.

  “Wow, what bug got up his ass?” Ginny muttered. “Fine, Gideon can come, but only as an observer.”

  “It’s settled then,” King Aleksei declared. “Come back here as soon as you can. We will be waiting the entire evening until you all are safely back.”

  “We will, Your Majesty.” With a deep bow, Gideon ushered them outside.

  “That was sneaky of you,” she said, miffed.

  He turned to her, his expression growing dark. “You think I would have let you walk in there by yourself, alone and unprotected?”

  The possessive gleam in his eyes shot a bolt of desire down to her core that both excited and infuriated her. “I told you, I’ve been doing this a while now. This is just a routine mission, what I signed up for. You should understand that most of all.”

  “I do, pusen.” His tone softened, and he touched her cheek with his palm. “Why can we not work together then, with this common goal? Besides, my queen said I must go with you, and I must obey my queen.”

  Her heart thudded in her chest. She knew why. And it wasn’t because of what had transpired between them. Casual sex, she could handle. It was everything else that came with it, with him, that had her running in the other direction. Letting him get too close and under her skin had been her mistake.

  No, she couldn’t stay here.

  Just finish this job.

  Then what?

  Leave this place. Move on. Keep moving, outrun the nightmares and the guilt.

  Her lioness did not like that, but she shut it away before it could object.

  “Ginny?”

  “Yes?” She swallowed to moisten her dry throat. “I mean, yes, we should get to work.”

  Chapter Ten

  Lady Vera had been eager to help with their plan from the beginning, and she even offered to prepare Ginny before they went to Minister Valens’s house. So, she and Gideon proceeded to the Solveigson estate once Lady Vera confirmed the dinner plans.

  “What do you think?” Ginny asked as she stepped out of the massive walk-in closet–vanity area.

  “I hardly recognize you,” Lady Vera said, astonished.

  Ginny had put on extra makeup to darken her brows and get rid of her freckles, plus a plain, mousy brown wig that she left braided and tucked under a white cap that matched her drab gray maid’s uniform. “Yeah, a little makeup and different hair can make all the difference.” She stepped back, dropped her hands to her side, slumped her shoulders forward and cast her gaze down, as she had observed the other maids in the palace did whenever the queen walked by.

  “Simply amazing,” Lady Vera remarked. “Is acting part of your training?”

  “Yeah. Disguises aren’t worth anything if you can’t sell it.”

  “Initially, I was worried that Minister Valens might recognize you from the dinner, but I think that won’t be a problem now.”

  “As long as I keep my mouth shut, I should be fine.” She also practiced a few lines of Nordgensprak with Lady Vera for the ‘performance’ later on. “Besides, from what I observed, Minister Valens isn’t the type to notice servants.”

  Indeed, that night as she served him dinner, the man didn’t even look her in the eye much less the face, as if she were some lower form of life. That was evident, too, in his actions, from the way he snapped his fingers at the servers to catch their attention when he wanted his wine glass refilled and sneered at them when he thought they were too slow. Ugh. While Ginny herself had grown up privileged, her mother would have torn her a new one if she ever treated their housekeeper or other staff that way.

  Lady Vera checked her watch. “We should get going, we don’t want to be late.”

  Ginny remained in character, keeping her head down as they headed out of Lady Vera’s room, down to the main house, then out toward the spacious foyer where a butler opened the door for them.

  “Thank you, Maxwell. Has the car been brought around?”

  “Yes, my lady.”

 

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