The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines
Chapter Twenty-Five – Larisa
“I know you don’t like this plan.” Larisa dried a cup and placed it on the counter.
Ivan grunted as he dipped the next cup in the hot soapy water and placed it on the drainer. The others had gone outside. Karros had suggested that Gilliam show him and Zara around while Ivan and Larisa did the dishes. It was his subtle way of suggesting they give the dragon shifter and his mate time to talk alone.
“Are we going to talk about it?” Larisa picked up the cup and scrubbed it with the towel.
“Is there any point?” Ivan half-turned to look at her. “You have made a decision.”
She pressed her lips together. “I don’t want to fight with you over this.”
His expression softened. “We’re not fighting. If this is what you want to do, I’ll back you. I’ll always back you. It doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.”
“If there was another way...” She placed the dish towel down on the counter and reached out to him.
“I wish I could think of one.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re going to get wet.”
“I don’t care.” Larisa cupped his face in her hands and their lips met. Softly at first, she kissed his lips. He was tense. Despite his words, he was against the plan Gilliam had laid out. “I need to end this for my father and us.”
“I know and I understand. But the thought of you in danger rips my heart in two.” He inched his head back and looked into her eyes. “You are the most important thing in my life.”
“I promise not to do anything rash or stupid.” She searched his face, hating the sadness in his eyes.
“How are you even going to get there?” Ivan asked. “It’s not as if there’s a ferry from Wishing Moon Bay to the dragon isle. No one goes there.”
“There has to be a way.” She placed her hand on his chest and felt the steady thump of his heart. “I’m sure someone must go there. Traders?”
His expression changed, the lines around his mouth deeper as he looked away from her.
“You know someone.” She waited for him to answer as he stared at the sink filled with soapy water.
“Maybe.” His frown deepened. “My brother Logan once said something about an order for the dragon isle. Some of his croaking candy.” He shook his head. “It was a passing comment to Valerie. Not to me but I’m sure that’s what he said.” He gave a short laugh. “I don’t think I was supposed to hear.”
“They don’t talk about other dragons around you?” It seemed strange to her that he had no idea about his own kind. He’d had contact with plenty of shifters, but it was as if the dragon shifters were a mystery to him. All except the family he’d spoken about that lived in her world.
“No. Until Fiona and her family, I had no contact with other dragons. My mom always told me how the dragons on the dragon isle were dangerous and I should never go there.” Ivan snorted. “She was right about them being dangerous.”
“One of them is dangerous. We have no idea about the rest of them.” She sucked in a deep breath, needing to ask her next question but hating the idea of upsetting him. “Do you think she has any idea about all this?”
“No.” He shook his head firmly. “I am certain she has no idea.” Ivan kissed her cheek, turned away, and dipped his hands back in the hot water. “We should get these dishes finished.”
“After we’ve finished them, could we go back and look at your treasure?” Larisa needed to take one more look at it just to prove to herself it was real and not a mirage conjured up by Gilliam.
She shivered. The older fae still gave her bad vibes. But she was convinced it was as much to do with their surroundings as the guy himself.
“We can go back and take a look.” His eyes widened and he turned his attention from her and looked into the distance.
“Have you thought about what you plan to do with it?” She wiped a plate, her hand going around and around as she watched him. The treasure was the only thing that would ever compete with her for his attention.
He blinked as if he’d just come out of a trance. “I’ll leave it here for now. Gilliam has guarded it this long, I trust him to keep it safe. When we deal with the dragon shifter, I’ll reconsider. But I’m not sure what I’ll do with it.”
“What does a dragon do with their treasure?” she asked. “If it’s a part of you, I don’t imagine you’d easily sell any of it?”
He chuckled. “No, I don’t suppose I will. It’s maybe more trouble than it’s worth.”
“Oh, I don’t know. That is a lot of treasure.” She finished drying the plates and Ivan drained the water out of the sink then dried his hands.
“I’ll pass it on to our children.” Ivan waited for her to put the plates away in the cupboard. “If that’s okay with you.”
“It’s your treasure,” she replied without turning around. “You should do what you want with it.”
“It’s our treasure.” He came closer and slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “What’s mine is yours.”
“The treasure is yours. It’s like a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation.” She leaned into him and lifted her hand to stroke his cheek. “You should do what you think best with it.”
“I’d rather we decided together,” he murmured against her ear. “The treasure might be mine, but it doesn’t feel like it’s mine. It’s like it’s a part of me but also as if it belongs to a stranger. I can’t explain it.”
She turned around to face him. “Give it time, Ivan. This has all been a shock for you.”
“There’s so much I don’t know.” He looked down at the floor and she stroked his chin and tilted his head up, so he looked into her eyes.
“You’re not alone.” She smiled gently. “And you’re still the same person you always were. And, more importantly, your family still loves you for the man you are. Your treasure won’t make any difference to them.”
“It’s not my treasure I’m worried about.” He slipped his hand down over her hips and rested it over the pendant in her pocket. “It’s the danger I might bring to their door once we awaken the sleeping beast.”
“We could leave it here and walk away.”
“No, we can’t. We’ve come too far. This will haunt us, Larisa. It’ll eat away at us. Our families have suffered because of the owner of that pendant. It’s time things were put right. I want justice for your father and my parents.” He took a step away from her, his fingers entwined with hers. “Come on. Let’s go roll around in gold and jewels. It might make us feel better.”
“Now, that sounds like a good plan.” She giggled as he pulled her after him and ran out of the kitchen and along the hallway toward the broken wall.
“Gilliam certainly went to a lot of trouble to hide my father’s treasure.” Ivan stopped in the archway and stared down at the debris scattered all over the floor. “I should help clear this up.”
“We’ll do it later. When Gilliam comes back, we can ask him where he wants us to put it all.” Larisa tugged at Ivan’s hand. “Come on. We’ll get it done later. Karros and Zara will help, too.”
“Okay.” He turned toward his treasure, his eyes glazed as he strode down the hallway.
Was she invisible to him now that they were so close to his treasure? Perhaps she’d made a mistake bringing him back here, but he’d seemed in control of his actions after he found his treasure.
Ivan moved as if being pulled by an unseen force. It was similar to how shifters felt toward their mate. Ivan moved toward his treasure in the same way a shifter would gravitate toward their mate without needing to see them.
Larisa followed, her hand in his as they entered the tunnel. Plunged into darkness, she tripped and caught hold of Ivan’s arm. It was enough to bring him back to her and he slowed his pace.
“Are you okay?” He held her close in the darkness, his arms wrapped protectively around her.
“I’m fine. But we’re going to need some light.” She pointed up ahead. “The torches. Gilliam put them back where we’d found them earlier. I think they’ve been here since your father brought the treasure down.”
“I’ll grab a couple.” He held onto her as he took his phone from his pocket and switched on the flashlight. The bright light illuminated the tunnel enough for them to see ten feet in front of them.
“Let me help.” Larisa let go of Ivan’s hand and hurried forward. Gilliam had taken the torches from a rack on the left side of the tunnel. With the help of Ivan’s phone, she could just about make out where they were.
“Do you need me to shift into my dragon and breathe fire on them to light them?” he asked.
She glanced up at him as she hunkered down and propped one of the torches up between her knees. “I think I’ve got it.” Next to the torches, she’d found flint and steel. Her dad had taught her how to use one when they used to go camping in the mountains near their house. She’d never expected the skill to come in handy in a cave filled with dragon treasure. “If your dragon breathed fire on them, he’d probably incinerate them and burn off my eyebrows.”
“My dragon has great control over his fire breathing,” Ivan retorted. “But you’re probably right. His fire is not a precision tool.”
“Pity. It would be a good skill for a chef to have. Just think how many more diners you’d get into the hotel restaurant if you offered dragon flame-grilled steaks or burgers.” She hit the steel against the flint. After a couple of attempts, she was rewarded with a bunch of sparks. A couple more attempts later, she’d gotten the hang of it and lit one torch.
“Here. Let me.” Ivan leaned down and picked the second torch off the ground and put it close to the one Larisa had already lit. The tunnel lit up brightly as the second torch caught light. “Ready?”
“Are you?” Larisa held the torch above her head. “You seem tense again.”
“I’m okay,” he assured her. “My dragon form is more attuned to the treasure. My human body needs to touch it and roll in it.”
“Roll in it?” Larisa cocked her head on one side. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah.” He looked down at his feet. “I have this urge to bury myself in the treasure like my brothers and I used to bury each other in the sand when we were kids.”
“Whatever floats your boat.” She arched an eyebrow at him and set off down the tunnel.
“You float my boat,” he replied awkwardly and strode after her, soon catching up.
“Do I?” she grinned but she soon sobered as they reached the cave. “Wow!”
No words could do justice to the sight before them. The first time she’d entered the cave, Larisa had been consumed with worry for Ivan and in awe of the sight of the dragon on the treasure. This time, the treasure was there before them in all its splendor.