Steel (Rent-A-Dragon Book 1) Read online

  Polite was always a good thing. As someone who worked in high-pressure sales management, she was used to being in a hurry and talking to other people who were in a hurry and sometimes rude as a result.

  She glanced at the map on her phone where it was mounted on the dash and took the correct exit, wondering why she’d never gotten off on this exit before.

  She drove up through the lush trees and greenery that were common to the suburbs around Seattle and enjoyed getting lost under a canopy of lush vegetation before she broke out under the cloudy sky as the road wound up toward a private drive off to the left.

  But she made her way up the drive, and as trees parted, she saw a large, lush lawn with a circular drive and overgrown foliage on either side leading to a thick forest. And rising at the back of the lawn was a huge, old-fashioned mansion, one she was shocked even existed without anyone knowing about it.

  She parked in the circular drive in front of the house and got out so she could look up at it. A shudder of apprehension moved over her as she took in the huge, austere brick building that almost looked like a castle with its turrets, multiple floors, and aged stone details along with angled roofs.

  For its age, it seemed to be in good condition, though if there had been repairs, they were done well enough she couldn’t see them.

  And the lawn was nicely cut and watered, not that it was a problem in Seattle. The overgrown foliage on both sides of the wide, round lawn looked like an intentional choice.

  Overall, the company appeared at least capable enough of keeping their own property in good condition. That was a good sign.

  The fact that their place of business looked more like a castle… that was a little more concerning.

  She walked up and grabbed the large, circular knocker that looked made from iron that was mounted in an elaborate dragon’s head, hanging from the mouth.

  She knocked three times, loud, and waited, heart starting to race at the thought of meeting whoever lived here.

  She had to remind herself this was just a contractor interview, because her natural curiosity was beginning to take over.

  The door, a huge thing made of thick, rough wood, slowly began to open, and when it did, she looked at maybe the most beautiful man she’d ever seen in her life.

  He gave her a pleasant smile as he swept a hand out to invite her into the house. “Kate Hinton, I presume?” His warm eyes were the color of sunflower petals in sunshine and just as inviting. His dark-brown hair was silky and brushed his shoulders. He was wearing a professional-looking outfit of a tailored polo paired with linen pants and a sharp black belt.

  He reached out a hand and held it there for a moment, a patient smile on a lightly tanned face with exquisite features. So tall…

  He cleared his throat, and she remembered she was standing there gawking when she had a limited lunch break. She shook his hand quickly and stepped forward.

  “Yes, Kate Hinton. I believe we spoke on the phone.”

  “No, I believe that would have been Aegis,” the man said. “My name is Citrine.”

  “Like the stone?”

  “The very same,” he said with a grin. “Now let’s go into the office, and you can meet my partners.”

  As they crossed a huge, marble foyer, she heard a slight scuffle and saw someone in a side room dart out of sight, a long braid whipping out behind them. Then the door shut.

  That was odd.

  A door on the other side of the foyer opened, and a blond man with stunningly handsome features and a sharp look to his eyes poked his head out, gesturing for them to hurry. As they crossed over to him, she saw movement out of the side of her eye and saw a giant man with bulging muscles and red hair with a towel around his waist give her a smile before disappearing behind a staircase.

  Just what was going on here, and why was everyone so tall?

  The blond man opened the door wide, and she walked in, followed by Citrine. It was an office with a semicircle of chairs in front of a big desk. A woman was seated behind it.

  Finally, someone normal.

  Except she wasn’t. She was a woman, not a human tree like the rest of these giants, but she had pale, almost translucent skin, a beautiful heart-shaped face, and eyes that could almost be called… opalescent. Or maybe a light purplish-blue. Like on certain butterfly wings.

  The woman smiled with perfect, pink lips and stood, walking around the desk. She took Kate’s hand in hers, and Kate couldn’t help feeling a sense of warmth at her touch and her presence.

  “So glad you found us,” the woman said. “I’m Opal, and this is my mate—I mean husband, Aegis.” She smiled as the blond man sat rigidly in a chair next to the one behind the desk and stared at her intently.

  Kate sat down in a chair Citrine pulled out for her, and he sat next to her.

  Opal sat back at the desk next to her husband and opened her computer.

  Kate could still feel Aegis staring and looked up into his venom-green eyes. There was something almost otherworldly about this place.

  She almost stood to leave, overwhelmed by the weirdness, but she couldn’t shake the feeling she should stay. That it was meant to be. And she really did need help.

  “So I see you need a lot done. Would you say it was more general labor or something needing specialized experience?”

  “More just labor, and someone who has a good understanding of how to fix things.”

  “All our dragons have that.”

  “Oh, right, about that. Why are they called dragons?” Kate asked.

  Opal’s eyes twinkled. “We wanted to stand out. Be different.”

  “Well, yeah. That does. But why dragons?”

  “Because dragons are awesome,” Aegis said, slightly defensive.

  “Because the kind of service we can provide doesn’t exist elsewhere,” Citrine said smoothly. “Our workers are practically mythical beasts with their talents.”

  “Um. Okay. So how does this work?”

  “We’ll show your profile and what you want done to our workers and select one of them for the job.” Opal smiled softly. “That is if you still want to hire us.”

  “I do,” she said. The other companies had bad reviews anyway, and she didn’t have time to go check out another one. And she’d gotten pretty far at work by following her gut, so she figured that was the right thing to do here as well.

  “Okay,” Opal said, standing along with the others. “When would you like them to start?”

  “As soon as possible,” Kate said. With her neighbor Davis breathing down her neck, she didn’t really have time to waste. “And wait. Them or just one of them?”

  “One,” Opal said. “Unless you end up needing more.”

  “That should be fine,” Kate said. If the “dragons” looked like these people, even having one on her property would be pretty overwhelming.

  They walked out of the office, exchanging handshakes, and Citrine and Opal followed her to the door while Aegis stayed near the office.

  As she said goodbye to the others, she heard the pounding of heavy footsteps, and she looked over to see maybe the tallest man so far storming up to talk to Aegis.

  She couldn’t see his face, just his broad shoulders in a checked button-up shirt he was threatening to burst out of. And dark hair in loose waves that just hit the nape of his collar and fell around his ears and face.

  Aegis just cocked his head, bored, and then said something, gesturing to her.

  The tall man turned to face her, and time froze.

  Handsome didn’t even begin to describe the masculine perfection in front of her. Jaw like it was cut from marble, straight, elegant nose, full lips, strong chin. High, arched brows. Long lashes and blue eyes like a deep ocean. Blue with a hint of teal.

  He had an angry expression that faded to something else as he locked eyes with her. She could feel an electric current sparking between them.

  She was the first to look away.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aegis stride
over, his companion following behind him.

  She quickly shook Citrine’s hand and tried to make a run for it, but Aegis jogged to catch up.

  He pushed the door closed in front of her and gestured to the man beside him, who was a few inches taller. Maybe six and a half feet? She peered up at him, and he stared down at her with an intensity that made her knees weak for reasons she couldn’t even begin to explain.

  “This is Liam,” Aegis said, a knowing look in his eyes. “He’ll be helping you. Is that all right?”

  She gaped and shut her mouth with all her effort. “Um. Yes. He’ll do.” How was she supposed to reject such a beautiful man?

  Liam nodded, looking pleased by that, and she edged to the door, pulling it from Aegis’s fingers.

  “Sorry, I really do have to go. I’ll see you later, then, Liam,” she said nervously.

  Damn, she did high-pressure things all day, but it was nothing compared to being around people like this.

  As she practically ran back to her car, she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d been in another world, and a part of that world was coming to work for her.

  She sighed as she started the car, casting one last look up at the open castle door. A shiver went down her shoulder as she saw Liam standing in front of it.

  She’d just rented a “dragon.” Hopefully, when he showed up, she wouldn’t regret it.

  3

  Liam cursed and fumbled with the clutch as he shifted from neutral into first at the stoplight on the edge of town.

  Aegis and the others had insisted he take the old truck, an off-white monster that was at least a decade old, to his first job because it would look more “authentic.”

  The truck changed gears with a loud groan, then lurched forward toward the small development just outside the small city near the mansion.

  Authentic.

  The whole idea of being hired out as common laborers was preposterous. And despite Citrine’s insistence this would be a good way to potentially find a mate, Liam could think of a million things he’d rather be doing other than mending fences and roofs and whatnot.

  Especially since the beautiful woman he’d been hired to work for was most likely taken.

  Kate Hinton. Even with just a glance, he had noticed right away her curvaceous, feminine figure. Soft, light-brown hair. Hazel eyes with little flecks of gold and green. Tiny freckles scattered over a cute, upturned nose. A stubborn chin.

  Yes, with raw physical beauty like hers and the confident, well-spoken manner she carried herself with, she must certainly have a mate. She wasn’t even nervous around Aegis, the most intimidating of all dragons.

  It irked him to think there was probably some lazy-ass human male sitting around at home while his mate had to come looking for help at Rent-A-Dragon.

  The tires screeched lightly as he came to an abrupt halt at a stop sign he’d almost missed, making the tools and various “how-to” manuals he’d stashed in the backseat of the truck rattle and shuffle.

  Thankful that no one was around to see his questionable driving, he drove forward again. A moment later, his phone chirped.

  “The destination is on your left,” the almost-human-sounding voice said.

  The development he was in was indeed small but quaint. Dozens of small, well-kept houses with pretty little yards surrounded him, making Liam wonder what it must be like to be a mortal human living in one of these little caves they called home.

  And then on his left, the aforementioned destination and supposed home of his client.

  The property was an eyesore, entirely out of place amid the aging but maintained houses. Wild grass and weeds completely covered the land surrounding the small house. Amidst the overgrowth and bushes, discarded appliances and furniture dotted the small landscape.

  The house itself wasn’t terrible, a light, faded blue that could certainly use a fresh coat of paint, with white-shuttered windows and a little wooden porch that was in bad need of a good sanding and lacquering.

  As he pulled into the drive, he could feel his annoyance growing at the thought of other people’s laziness creating this mess.

  Above him, the morning sun began to crest over the far-off peaks, a warning that today was going to be warm, and he shed his jacket before coming up to the front porch and knocking on the door.

  Inside, he heard the shuffling of feet, followed by several excited barks, then more shuffling.

  The door opened just a crack as the woman inside peeked out into the sunlight. It then opened all the way, revealing a well-dressed Kate in a tight skirt with a white blouse and matching jacket. She wore soft-looking sandals and held a very strong-smelling cup of coffee in her hands.

  “Hi. Liam, right?”

  He nodded.

  “I’m glad you showed up on time. I was afraid you’d take your time arriving and make me late for work,” she said, pulling an errant strand of her light-brown hair back over her ear, the rest of it tied in a ponytail.

  “Yes. And your name is Kate?” Liam replied, trying to sound formal but unsure he was doing it right.

  The steel dragon had never been on someone’s doorstep, introducing himself.

  “Yes, that’s right. Your boss, um… Aegis, right? He spoke very highly of you,” she said, raising a hand to block the barrage of sunlight bearing down on the front of her house.

  Liam instinctively moved a step to the right so he could block the sun’s glare from reaching her face. She smiled at him appreciatively, her full lips curving and her hazel eyes more clearly visible now that the sun wasn’t in them.

  Whoever this woman belonged to was a lucky man indeed.

  “I’m surprised he had anything to say about me at all,” Liam joked, feeling off kilter with how attractive Kate was.

  “Well, regardless, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, reaching out a hand, revealing well-manicured nails with pink color on them.

  Not one to mess with human protocol in front of a lady like this, Liam took her hand in his to return the shake.

  But the moment his skin touched hers, he felt a rush of energy through him, like pure light, hot and overwhelming, coursing through his entire body from head to toe.

  And as the warmth abated, a single word stuck in his mind, uttered by the dragon deep within him.

  Mate.

  Mate.

  And as quickly as the feeling was there, it was gone, leaving Liam confused and shocked. Suddenly, he realized he was still holding Kate’s hand, and he shook it lightly, then returned it.

  Kate just glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, lips slightly pursed.

  All at once feeling incredibly awkward, Liam looked to the side and said the first thing that came to his mind.

  “So what do you want me to do today?” he asked, his throat dry and scratchy and that one word still in his head, pounding like a beating drum.

  Following the direction of his gaze, Kate looked out at the yard, walking out in front of him and leaning on railing of the small deck.

  “What is there that doesn’t need doing?” she exclaimed in consternation.

  It was hard not to be distracted by her curvaceous silhouette outlined by the morning light. That and the fact that he had a single word stuck in his mind like an annoying song on repeat.

  But how could she be his mate?

  They were interrupted by harsh words coming from nearby down the street.

  “Hinton, I’ve had it with this dump of yours.” The man who said it was walking toward them down the sidewalk, probably in his late thirties or early forties, balding head covered by a dirty ball cap, short, sagging body clothed in equally dirty clothing.

  Kate whirled around to face the man and then moved to the front of the porch. “Buck, I know you’ve been patient with me, and I’ve actually just hired someone to clear it. Are you happy?”

  The so-called neighbor who went by the name Buck stared up at Liam in disgust, then turned his frown back to Kate. “I’m not just talking about your yard. It’
s your fence. It’s over my property line, and I want you to tear it down. It’s my right,” Buck said smugly as he crossed his arms, glaring at Kate from the bottom of the steps.

  “We’ve been over this before. I’ve even checked with the county. Someone moved the property marker. Though it’s not too hard to wonder who,” she said, standing her ground and returning the glare.

  Buck winced at the show of resistance, then doubled down on his attack, ignoring Liam.

  “Now look here. It’s on my land. And I have every right to knock down that shit fence of yours today if I want to. Hell, maybe I’ll go do it right now,” Buck said, marching up the steps to come face to face with Kate, who was beginning to shrink a little from the sheer aggressiveness of the bastard.

  Liam didn’t even know what came over him. One second he was watching a neighborly dispute; the next he was in front of Kate, grabbing Buck by the front of his jacket and lifting him off the ground like a bag of garbage.

  Buck yelped as his feet and arms flailed in the air, followed by a stream of threats and curses.

  “Let me down. I’ll sue. I’ll sue!” he cried out.

  Liam’s grip tightened around the man’s collar, and Buck made a strained “hork” sound as Liam pulled him closer, face to face so Buck could hear him.

  “Now you listen, Buck. If you ever, ever talk to Kate like that again, I’ll tear your house down with my own bare hands. And then I’ll break you in two like a piece of wood. Like a twig,” Liam said under his breath, fire boiling at the back of his throat like a furnace.

  Rage was heating his blood like molten metal. The desire to tear a person limb from limb had never been so strong in his entire life.

  Kate’s initial shock at the sudden turn of events quickly turned to worry, and she swiftly came up to Liam and grabbed at his arm.

  “Liam, let him down!”

  Liam didn’t want to. He wanted to keep watching the man in his grasp turn redder. Wanted to make sure he got the picture. No one threatened his mate.

  “House, rubble. You, twig. Understood?” Liam growled angrily.