Cadmium Dragon Read online

  While Arsenic was arguing with the others about his culinary exploits, Cadmium leaned in to Casey. “I’ll be back down in a few minutes. I have to check on something , okay ?”

  She nodded, and he could feel the air between them warm slightly. Even though they weren’t touching, there was an electricity that felt almost as if they were .

  “Okay,” she said. “See you soon. That still seems weird .”

  “Not weird,” he said. “New friends are good.” Then he patted her shoulder gently and headed out of the kitchen to go check on Zinc .

  Afterward, he’d get to work on showing Casey just how “good” new friends could be .

  Chapter 4

  C asey still couldn’t believe her mind. Or her eyes for that matter .

  Even when Cobalt and Chromium had asked for her help with setting up Christmas lights, she’d simply nodded and followed the two beautiful men as they set about the task .

  It definitely didn’t help that it was the biggest mansion she’d ever seen in her life. So getting lights on even a fraction of it would be difficult, if not dangerous .

  “Could you hand me those blue ones over there?” Cobalt asked, pointing to the veritable pile of boxes that constituted a small army of lights. His light, grayish-blue hair, short on the sides and a bit longer on the top, glistened in the morning sun. But before she could even grab them, Chromium picked up five boxes at once and carried them over to where Cobalt was setting up a ladder, giving her a shy grin as he did .

  “I asked… Oh, never mind.” Cobalt groaned, pulling out a long string and handing it to Chromium, who climbed up the ladder with surprising grace for someone so large .

  Casey didn’t have any complaints about just sitting back and watching the view .

  It felt as though it’d been weeks since she’d had a real day off. With the holiday season in full bore and her work days longer than ever, she was perpetually exhausted. And what little time she wasn’t working or running errands, she was trying to unpack her life, most of it still in boxes, many things missing, left behind in the wake of her breakup with Benny .

  So why not spend her day off with tall, muscled hotties ?

  “What I would do is start over there, then hang them along that edge, and then—” Cobalt said, giving orders to Chromium. But Chromium just seemed to ignore him, whacking nails into the sideboards with a single thwack each time and running the long string in whatever way he deemed fit. Even from her place far below, Chromium’s shoulders seemed to want to burst out of the light jacket he wore, the fabric stretching in every direction as his long, whitish hair waved lightly in the low queue it had been tied in .

  There was almost something magical about this place. As if it existed out of time and space, beyond the real world, brimming with hot men hanging on her every word that seemed to only barely grasp basic things that she took for granted .

  Like Christmas lights, as she saw Chromium struggling to untangle a messy swath of blue bulbs and shrugging at Cobalt as if to ask, What do I do now ?

  But Cobalt looked distracted, and for a moment, his deep-blue gaze drifted in her direction. But as soon as their eyes locked, he looked away, and she could swear she saw a light blush color his defined, high cheekbones. But maybe it was just the cold .

  Casey turned to look inside the house. There were large windows along the wall they were working on that looked in on the kitchen and living room .

  Where was Cadmium? He’d disappeared after breakfast, and she hadn’t seen him since. And as friendly and inviting as the others were, there was something about him that was warm, comforting, trustable .

  Inside the house, she saw Arsenic, his unmistakably unique white and black and silver hair held back with a headband as he puttered around the kitchen. There was a clattering sound, and she heard swearing coming from inside, followed by black smoke as he pulled something charcoal-colored out of the oven. He scratched his head, continuing to mutter something, when his emerald eyes darted to hers. Then suddenly, she felt she was the one being watched, his eyes appraising, almost predatory .

  An electric shiver went up her spine, and she moved over to Cobalt, still talking to Chromium, who never spoke a word back .

  “Here, let me help,” Casey offered, and Chromium lowered the tangle of wires down to her .

  “Thank you. As ridiculous as this may seem, it’s our first time doing this,” Cobalt said gratefully .

  Actually, it was painfully obvious this was their first time. But she wasn’t going to say that .

  Cobalt smiled down at her, and for a second, Casey wondered if she’d said it out loud. But she hadn’t. So why was he looking at her as though they’d just shared a joke ?

  “Regardless of our inexperience, when we’re finished, this will be the best-lit house in the region,” Cobalt said proudly. Chromium, still watching them from his precarious-looking perch on the rooftop, just nodded eagerly at the statement .

  “Actually, I have something more important for Casey to be working on,” a deep, charming voice said, making Casey’s heart jump .

  She turned around and saw Cadmium, wearing a red-and-black flannel shirt that looked like it barely fit. The sleeves had been rolled up, showing impressive forearms corded with thick muscle. The jeans he wore were a little more designer-looking, fitted nicely around his trim hips and not camouflaging the impressive thighs beneath .

  If everything didn’t seem to fit him so well, Casey would have thought he was dressing up as a lumberjack for Halloween. A sexy lumberjack. With long, soft-looking blond hair currently tied back in a ponytail, a straight jaw, and curved, masculine lips, with a small dimple on one side of his face that showed at the slightest hint of a smile .

  Which he was now doing as he towered over her, making her feel so small, painstakingly aware of the fact that she was a woman and he was so very much man .

  She felt she was going to melt into a puddle .

  “What could possibly be more important than festive lighting?” Cobalt exclaimed .

  “We’re going to go get a Christmas tree,” Cadmium said .

  “Really? Where?” Casey asked, grateful for anything to distract her from thinking about Cadmium naked. “Is there a store nearby ?”

  Cadmium laughed, the sound warm and hearty. “No, we are very much cut off from the world out here. We’ll be going there,” he said, pointing toward the sprawling forest that seemed to stretch out in every direction endlessly behind the mansion .

  Ah. That made sense .

  “Want to come?” he asked, and she nodded, just wanting to spend every possible moment near him .

  “Follow me,” he said, taking her hand gently and leading her off the huge deck and into the forest. All around her, the scent of pine and oak and maple and cold wind surrounded her. Yet, rising above it, another scent, masculine and spicy, combined with it into a heady, scintillating mixture .

  “So did the others behave themselves?” he asked, continuing deeper and deeper into the forest. To her disappointment, he let go of her hand. But he still kept close, even though she knew he could probably walk twice as fast as her with those long, powerful legs .

  “They did. Though, ironically enough, even though they claimed to want my help, it seemed like Cobalt and Chromium couldn’t help wanting to do things for me, not the other way around .”

  “Yes, well, we’re all like that I think,” Cadmium said, stopping for a second to survey the trees around them. Nearby, she heard light chirping, followed by whistles, and saw a small blur of red as a cardinal flew by .

  “Like what?” she asked, curious .

  “We live to serve. To please. At least, certain people .”

  The glance he gave her heated her from the inside out, those brown eyes warm like hot chocolate. And it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that “certain people” meant someone special. Like a lover .

  But there was nothing aggressive in the way he looked at her. He was fun, flirty for sure, but not g
ross or overtly sexual like all the other men she’d met in her adult life. No matter what, she felt safe around him .

  Which was why she had to conclude that he was batting for the other team at this point .

  No straight dudes were this hot. Or awesome .

  But even though her mind knew otherwise, it was impossible to stop thinking about him. To stop checking out his perfect ass in those fitted jeans as he peered around, looking for his quarry here in the forest .

  She had to know. Just so she could stop hoping .

  “So there’s something I have to ask, Cadmium. And you don’t have to answer, because it’s super awkward, and I know that…” Casey trailed off .

  “Of course. What is it?” he said, turning to face her .

  She squirmed in her place, wishing she could disappear rather than ask something so blunt. But after spending the night in his house, having wild dreams that had stuck with her all morning, and spending time with him and his model-sexy friends, she couldn’t hold back any longer .

  “I… um… You and the other guys, are you …?”

  “Are we what?” he asked, seemingly oblivious .

  Damn, he wasn’t going to make this easy on her, was he? That, or she was being so obtuse she’d need an interpreter .

  “Are you gay ?”

  “Gay?” he asked, and his mind seemed to be working really hard as his brow furrowed in thought. “Oh, you mean merry! Like filled with cheer. I’d say yes, though Arsenic can be — ”

  “No. I mean partners. As in sexually. As in… you like dudes,” she said, blushing furiously and hating herself for even bringing this whole thing up. Maybe she’d be calling that cab when she got back to the house after all. The awkwardness felt as though it could kill her .

  Cadmium just looked down at her, puzzled .

  She continued, stating her evidence. “Cobalt and Chromium, they seem close. Really close. And earlier, Cobalt mentioned you were checking in on Zinc? I just assumed, with so many guys all in one house, that you were probably — ”

  Casey’s words were interrupted by Cadmium’s lips closing over hers, soft and firm. Shock waved through her as she responded to his touch, followed by warm, intense arousal. Her knees started to buckle, and she felt his arm come around her back, supporting her, holding her in the sea of confusion and need that was raging inside .

  The cold air around them only accentuated the heat of his mouth, searing her with electric desire that was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. She opened her mouth, inviting him in, needing him inside her, but he pulled away, leaving her ravenous for more .

  “How’s that for your answer?” he asked, his arm still propping her up as feeling gradually returned to her legs, her arms .

  Casey wanted to respond, but she was speechless. So many days looking forward to seeing his beautiful, charming smile as she made deliveries. And now she was here, lost in a forest with more man than she thought she could possibly handle. Alone with a person that could arouse her with just a single glance .

  Cadmium just smiled and then pulled away from her, his fingers trickling along her back before they were gone .

  Now he was just teasing her .

  Cadmium gave her a full-on wink, then turned away to face the forest .

  “So about our tree. How about that one?” he said, pointing forward .

  Casey looked up and saw a gigantic pine tree, at least twenty or more feet tall, towering above them. It looked like the tree they always showed on TV in New York City .

  “What do you think?” he asked .

  Right. Tree. Stop thinking about sex with Cadmium .

  “I mean, it looks great,” she said, trying not to stutter. “But would it even fit in the living room?” Her legs still felt like melted butter .

  “I think so,” Cadmium said, looking up and down the tree to gauge the height. He moved closer, and she followed him. The huge, coniferous beast loomed over them as they approached .

  How would they possibly get that home ?

  “We’re really going to chop it down?” she said, wondering just how old this tree was as she looked up at it. It seemed a shame for it to die just for a decoration .

  “It is already dying,” Cadmium said. “Beetles. Sadly, it won’t make it another winter, which makes it perfect for our purposes .”

  “Oh,” she said, surprisingly touched by his thoughtfulness. “Okay, then. Better go get your ax .”

  “Ax? So this won’t work?” Cadmium asked. And when she looked over, he was suddenly holding a long, razor-sharp-looking sword with a slight curve to it, like a blade from some samurai movie but much bigger .

  Where the hell had that come from? Maybe he’d just hidden it in the bushes beforehand and pulled it out when she wasn’t looking ?

  “I… guess that could work,” Casey replied, still confused and trying to keep her feet under her .

  He looked so hot right then, posed in front of the tree like an ancient warrior, hair lifting slightly in the morning breeze, muscles perfectly outlined by his tight clothing …

  She’d kill to be at home with her vibe right now .

  “Here I go,” he said, getting closer to the tree. He brushed away several branches, letting himself nearer to the trunk, then pulled the blade back, holding it with both hands. Then, with a flash of steel and the surprisingly quiet sound of a single swish, the tree buckled .

  For a moment, it rocked back and forth, then plummeted toward the earth away from them, crashing onto the pine needle-covered forest floor in a flurry of green .

  Holy crap! Had he done that with one swing ?

  When she looked back at Cadmium, the sword was gone, and he had one hand on the huge trunk, dragging it toward her as if it weighed nothing .

  Perhaps all that muscle wasn’t just for show. Or maybe he was just freakishly strong. Who was she to judge ?

  “Well, shall we head back?” Cadmium said cheerily. But his kiss still burned on her lips. Her thoughts were still running wild with ideas she knew she had no business having .

  Every second with Cadmium was torture, due to her attraction toward him. But she couldn’t stop chasing it, not now, knowing that perhaps, some small part of him responded to her .

  It was going to be a long afternoon .

  Chapter 5

  I t had been harder than Cadmium expected to get the tree to stand upright in the living area .

  He’d wanted to find the biggest tree possible, to make the huge great room feel a little less empty, and he’d been lucky when he sensed that the tree that was least healthy was also a very old, very tall tree as well .

  He was also a little impressed by Casey’s soft heart that would flinch even at cutting down a tree .

  They’d moved all the furniture around just to get the tree to fit, and Cadmium had to take Casey to another room while Chromium had used his dragon powers to create a shining, chromium stand to prop the tree up with .

  Then she’d come back in and admired the tree’s setting and luckily not asked too many questions about how they got it to stand like that .

  He didn’t want the day to end. He was enjoying his time around her so much .

  Even Zinc had come down by this time, and he was sitting on a couch across the room, watching with a quiet smile. Cadmium hated the sense that his friend was weakening .

  Was he just giving up? That was impossible, right? Zinc was destined to inherit the throne of Drakkaris, and even if he had to run it from here, he would do a great job of it .

  Though, Cadmium felt Zinc was such a catch that hopefully a human woman would be at least willing to go half and half with time on Earth and their planet .

  He supposed it was thoughts like that that made Casey think he had a preference for males sexually. The truth was he had been close to these men for hundreds of Earth years and understood and cared for them as if they were family, which, at this point, they were .

  Still, family or not, he was keeping them all away from Ca
sey. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss, the way she’d melted against his hands, feisty and compliant and demanding all at the same time .

  He wanted to wrap his arms around her curvy form again and make love to her completely .

  He’d even settle for just another kiss .

  But he had to keep things cool for now, not blow his cover in front of the other dragons. He didn’t know how they’d react to him stating that this girl he’d claimed to just be helping was his mate .

  Hopefully, they’d be supportive, but who knew? Besides, there was still the issue of Zinc to work out. As long as Zinc needed Cadmium, he wasn’t totally free .

  He saw Casey standing on tiptoe to reach a high branch and smiled as he put both hands around her waist and lifted her, making her squeak .

  “Eek! Put me down!” she said, giggling .

  He pulled a stool over with his foot and set her down on it. “There you go. Wouldn’t want your tiny stature to get in the way of your decorating.” He frowned at the part of the tree Chromium was decorating. “Your taste in design is a lot better, after all .”

  Casey smiled. “I think everyone is doing a good job .”

  Brittany, who was standing next to Lead on the other side of the tree, laughed. “Casey, how are you so nice ?”

  “What do you mean ?”

  Brittany just shook her head. “I mean… well, you’re right. Everyone is doing… great.” She pushed out of Lead’s arms and walked over to Chromium, who had put so many ornaments on one branch that it was hanging down awkwardly, leaving an empty spot above it on the tree. “Hey, Chromium, let’s try leaving some for the other branches , too .”

  Chromium frowned at his branch, stepping back with both hands on his powerful hips. He cocked his head, looking confused .

  “Um, never mind,” Brittany said, sharing an amused glance with Casey. “You keep it however you like it .”

  Chromium nodded and hung another candy cane on an already sagging ornament, and Casey stifled a laugh .