Jaxon placed his hand on Bryn's elbow. "Ready?"

"Can I refuse?"

Rhianna's laughter drifted across the room.

"Let's get this over with before Rhianna starts mooning over your knight."

Bryn bit her lip to keep from laughing. Couples stared as Jaxon placed his hand on her waist and began moving her around the dance floor.

"This might actually work," she said.

"It's ridiculous for people to think we'd be together," he said. "I've no idea how they could be so delusional."

She'd had just about enough rejection for one night. "It's not like I have a third eye."

"You lack basic social skills."

"I do not."

"I've seen you eat."

Since she couldn't argue the point, she stepped on his foot.

He glared at her.

"Sorry, that was an accident." The smile on her face probably damaged her credibility. The smile vanished when Zavien and Nola came into her field of vision.

"Must you let every emotion show on your face?"

"Do you want me to step on your foot again?"

Jaxon sighed. "I'm about to give you sincere advice. Pay attention. Zavien is amusing himself with you. He will end up with Nola. The odds of the Directorate matching your lineage with anyone else's are slim. Stick with your knight."

It wasn't that simple. She couldn't just turn off her feelings for Zavien. Eyes hot with unshed tears, she took a deep breath and focused on not crying.

"Tell me the story of this Valmont guy," Jaxon said.

"Zavien and I were arguing, and he followed me into Fonzoli's where Valmont works. I told the jerk he couldn't sit with me. Valmont was standing in the aisle. When Zavien tried to push by him, Valmont refused to let him pa.s.s. He could tell I was upset and he protected me from a perceived threat, which activated the dormant spell all the knights' descendants in Dragon's Bluff carry in their blood and... He became my knight."

"Perhaps Zavien's behavior then should have been a clue."

She managed to step on his feet three more times before the song ended. Valmont showed up with a glowing Rhianna in tow. Jaxon took one look at his girlfriend and scowled at the knight.

"I see what you mean," Valmont stage whispered.

Rhianna giggled.

Jaxon aimed his scowl at Bryn. "All the aggravation in my life leads back to you."

"Then my secret plot is working." She grabbed Valmont's hand. "Can we go to Fonzoli's? I'm starving."

"I have a better idea. I'll cook dinner for you."

"I want a knight," Rhianna said.

"No," Jaxon said, like he was king of the world.

"I know how to get one," Rhianna shot back.

Jaxon gave Valmont a look of loathing. "You don't need a knight. We'll have a chef." He took his girlfriend's hand and led her toward the buffet.

"That was fun." Valmont tugged her toward the exit. "Come on. My car is out back."

Bryn spotted Clint and pointed to Valmont and then pointed out the door. Clint gave a thumbs-up that he understood.

The drive to Dragon's Bluff was exhilarating. Riding in Valmont's cherry-red convertible with the top down and the wind rushing through her hair reminded her of flying. "This car is awesome."

"I figured the car should match the owner."

"Who can argue with that logic?" They sped past the main road into town. The winding side street he chose took them up into the bluffs.

"Where are we going?"

"Did you think I lived at Fonzoli's?"

"No." Maybe.

"My grandparents used to live in an apartment above the restaurant before they built their house next door. I lived there for a while with my cousin. The short commute to work was great, but I wanted to be on my own. I bought an old cabin, moved in, and I've been restoring it."

The word "cabin" brought to mind creepy images of animal heads hanging on walls. "How rustic is it?" He had better mention the words "indoor plumbing."

"Wait and see. You're going to love it."

Chapter Ten.

Valmont pulled into a gravel driveway that led to a log cabin so old, the wood was bleached with age. Vines climbed up the walls, making it difficult to distinguish the house from surrounding vegetation, as if it had grown from the forest.

Warm yellow light flickered on and glowed from the front windows.

"Do you have a roommate?"

"No. Watch this."

He shifted into reverse and backed the car up, and the lights in the house blinked off. When he pulled forward again, they came on.

"I had a sensor installed in the driveway to turn the lights on."

"Cool."

Once inside, Bryn was relieved to discover there wasn't a single animal head in sight. Thank G.o.d. A pair of swords hung on one wall. They weren't dusty antiques. Light glinted off their edges, like they'd just been cleaned.

A beat-up gray couch sat in the living room. On the other side of a half wall, a small table and chairs, which resembled the furniture at Fonzoli's, sat in the kitchen.

"Bringing your work home with you?" Bryn pointed at the table and chairs.

"I may have borrowed those from the back room." He grinned.

She walked farther into the s.p.a.ce and saw a two-burner stove set in a black countertop. A black refrigerator, a sink, and oak cabinets completed the kitchen.

"This is great. Did you do all the work yourself?"

"My grandfather helped. He likes to hide here when my grandma has friends over to play canasta." He opened the refrigerator. "Is chicken all right?"

"Sure."

He pulled out a tray of chicken b.r.e.a.s.t.s and set them on the counter.

"What can I do to help?" she asked.

"I'm a messy cook." Valmont retrieved a bottle of olive oil from the cabinet. "You can help, but we should find something else for you to wear."

He disappeared down a hallway and came back with a navy sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. "You won't win any fashion contests, but these should work."

Bryn took the clothes and headed down the hall in search of the bathroom. The first door led to a bedroom. The second door revealed a minuscule bathroom-yay for indoor plumbing-but changing in the bedroom would be easier.

Valmont's sweatshirt came down to midthigh. The pants were huge. She cinched in the drawstring waist. The too-long pants had elastic leg openings, so the extra material pooled around her calves and ankles like leg warmers.

Good thing she wasn't trying to impress anyone.

The wooden floor was cool under her bare feet as she padded back into the kitchen, where Valmont had more ingredients gathered on the countertop.

"What can I do?"

He pointed at a pile of tomatoes and zucchini. "Dice those."

She grabbed the knife he'd laid out for her and chopped. Splat. One of the tomatoes fought back, squirting juice and seeds on the front of her shirt.

"You were right. Good thing I changed."

He winked. "I'm always right."

She rolled her eyes and chopped the rest of the vegetables, pa.s.sing them over to Valmont. He added them to the pan of chicken sauteing in olive oil, along with a healthy dose of Italian spices.

"Is that all there is to it?" she asked.

"This by itself would be okay." He reached for a garlic bulb, broke it apart, and then put three cloves through a press. "Now it will be fabulous."

The scent of garlic and Italian spices filled the air.

It smelled fabulous, but their breath afterward wouldn't. It's not like they'd be kissing or anything. Because that was ridiculous. Well, not ridiculous, but she had enough c.r.a.p to figure out about Zavien without complicating the situation by kissing the smoking-hot knight who was staring at her like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Her face heated. "Sorry. Did you say something?"

"I asked you to grab the plates. They're in the cabinet above the sink."

"Sure." She brought two plates to him. He arranged the chicken and vegetables in a pattern, making it attractive. "Before you say it, I know I'm not at work, but if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right."

"That sounds like a knightly thing to say." She took her plate to the table.

He joined her. "More of a family motto."

She realized she didn't know much about him. "Has your family always owned Fonzoli's?"

"The restaurant has been handed down through generations. My grandfather is the head chef, while my father manages the business end of things. Since I graduated from high school last spring, I've been working as a waiter while my grandfather trains me to make all the family recipes. When he retires, I'll become head chef."

It seemed weird to have your whole life planned out at eighteen. Then again, that seemed to be a common theme among dragon society. "Did you ever want to do anything else?"

"No." He grinned. "I love everything about food because it makes people happy. Thank G.o.d, my sister loves the business side of the operation and she'll replace my dad one day when he retires. My oldest brother wanted nothing to do with it. He works at the airfield, training pilots. What about your family?"

"My parents own a yoga and martial arts studio."

"Is it true they live as humans?"

Bryn nodded. "I had no idea they were dragons. Flames shooting out of my mouth clued me in something was up."

Valmont laughed and shook his head. "That had to be a shock."

"A huge shock...but now I can't imagine not living as a dragon. I want to become a medic and use my Quintessence, which I can't do back in the human world."

"Good to know you're staying. I was worried you planned to leave. I don't want to sound like a stalker, but since that dormant spell was activated, I can't imagine not having you within arm's reach, so to speak. The thought of you leaving and going someplace else makes me twitchy."

She was happy to be right where she was, thank you very much, which brought another question to mind. "Not to be rude, but how can you afford your own house when you just graduated from high school?"

"There are two answers to that question. One, these cabins were originally part of the Directorate security system. Before everyone had phones, the knight's descendants who lived here kept watch over the area and reported any threats. Since they are no longer needed in that sense, the Directorate donated the cabins to the town. Any knight's descendant who wants one signs a contract agreeing to care for the property, and we pay a nominal fee. Two: the Directorate pays all the townspeople a livable wage for keeping their secret and promising to fight by their side, if necessary."

"So that's how you can afford a house and an awesome car."

Valmont nodded. "And every job in Dragon's Bluff is well paid. So it's not like on television where lawyers act superior to waiters. Of course, the Blues act superior to everyone, but I think that's genetic."

Bryn chuckled. "I think you're right about that."

Being with Valmont was so easy. She could relax around him. He flirted enough to make her feel attractive, but not uncomfortable. If he were a dragon, he'd be the perfect guy. Then again, Zavien was a dragon and he was the perfect jacka.s.s.