Loving Her Dragons

Chapter 4

Maryk grinned at Rose. This was turning out better than he had anticipated. She actually appeared to be interested in him.

Hopefully her ruse about being in a relationship worked a little longer. He couldn"t take a mate yet, but he didn"t want anyone else to claim her in the meantime. His rogue classification didn"t change for another four long weeks. Then he"d need to rebuild his life in Kalmut and reclaim his position in his clan. Of course, if he showed up with a willing and beautiful mate, his status wouldn"t be contested.

That was something to think about.

In the meantime, he"d stay close to her and protect her from any upstarts who might think to attract her notice.

A clatter of noise erupted from the main entrance to the room. One of the doors burst open and banged against the wall. The dragons didn"t react but several of the women screamed and ducked under their tables.

"Where is he?" The angry voice was not unusually loud, but in the eerie quiet of the gathering, it blasted over everyone. The dragons around the perimeter all looked in Maryk"s direction.

He winked at Rose before edging in front of her, shielding her from Zale"s wrath. The usurper should know better than to draw attention to himself like this. The fact that he didn"t irked Maryk. With this behavior, he wasn"t helping the Kelvin clan"s tattered reputation.

Of course, neither was Maryk, but that was about to change.

The tall blond male marched across the room, oblivious to the furtive glances tossed his way by the ladies closest to the route he took. The acrid smell of fear took on a renewed pungency. What an i***t. If he ruined this for everyone, the Kelvin clan would lose their invitation to ICB events. Didn"t he know women were only available at the discretion of the human council?

When Zale arrived in front of him, Maryk forced a frosty smile. No one would confuse it with a welcome.

"Did you miss me, Zale?" Maryk tilted his head forward, as if about to speak in confidence, but he didn"t lower his voice. "People might begin to wonder…"

"Shove it, rogue." Zale forced out the words between gritted teeth. "What are you doing alone with a woman?"

Rose"s sharp intake of breath behind him made Maryk want to squeeze Zale"s throat to stop him from upsetting her.

"We are hardly alone," he said instead. He adopted an indolent tone as he cast a bored gaze across the sea of other attendees, all of whom now eyed them with unconcealed curiosity.

"You know what I mean." Zale edged around Maryk to look at Rose. He made a show of inhaling deeply close to her. Would he be surprised at the subtle hint of her interest? It wasn"t strong, but the air held a whisper of her arousal. "Are you okay?"

Maryk stiffened at the suggestion she wouldn"t be. What did he think could happen in a few minutes of conversation?

"Of course," she said quickly. "He"s been a perfect gentleman."

Maryk smirked at Zale. The lady had even defended him. But his amusement at the situation died when he saw Zale"s face. The bastard"s whole expression had changed. His eyes lit with warm appreciation for the curvy beauty. f**k. No way. Zale needed to move the hell away from her before he got any misguided ideas… like mating her.

The only thing stopping Maryk from throttling the acting chief of the Kelvin clan was that Zale was no better equipped to take a mate than Maryk. His dragon pair had gone rogue eight months ago and, unlike Maryk, Nyle hadn"t survived.

Before he could push Zale back and reinsert himself squarely between them again, a group of people rushed into the conference room. Ah, here were the illustrious organizers of this ridiculous event.

Amongst the human delegates, who were presumably representatives from the human council, were three mated triads. The three women hurried forward, and Rose stepped around him and Zale to greet them. The ladies smiled at him in greeting. Other than Rose, theirs were the only friendly faces he"d seen today.

Their dragon pairs followed closely and scowled at him. Kylan and Dillon, the leaders of the Mannix clan and Jasmine"s mates, stepped between him and the mates in a display of possessiveness.

Jasmine"s pregnancy had made them more protective than ever, so it was a surprise to see her here. A lingering memory nudged at him. In his rogue-state, he had believed he wanted a life and children with her. But he had been wrong. So very wrong. And it had nearly cost him everything.

Accepting the dragon pair"s warning, he and Zale moved out of the way, edging toward the wall. They leaned against it. Beside one another.

A temporary truce? Maryk let his arms hang at his sides, ready for action if the situation changed. He noticed Zale did the same thing.

They stood in tense silence, Zale"s eyes never leaving Rose. Damn it. He needed a better plan… Now.