Mixed Blood

Chapter 34

Luna leaned against the balcony pillar and looked out across the great city of New Delhi. It was the capital of India, the central hub of its government. But it was so much more than that. It was a bustling place, filled to the brim with life. From the crowded street markets to the booming nightlife, there were endless opportunities to drink in the ever-evolving culture.

The other dragons and most of the kin called her materialistic and vain. They weren't wrong. Just not entirely correct, either.

She had an appreciation for the more traditional mediums of art as well. In her quieter moments, she would don a layer of glamour and spend an afternoon wandering through a modern art gallery. 'Modern' being the key term. The rise and fall of the ages brought a plethora of new experiences. Humans changed so quickly that she could barely keep up as it was. She simply didn't see the point in reliving the past when she could just live it in the moment. Time had already claimed so much, and there was no way to predict what wouldn't make it into the next century.

Yet, here she was, reminiscing about the past. She couldn't stop thinking about the last time she had been here with him.

It had been not quite fifteen years ago. He'd come for a Counsel summit, and she desperately needed a break from her search for her brother and niece.

She had come ready with an apology gift, since their last time together was interrupted by the attack on Gyaros. It was a bottle of fortified wine that was the product of nearly three decades of carefully selecting each component from the grape to the type of wood for the barrel. She had even consulted with Lysander after he'd woken to select the perfect brandy to complete the process and the perfect bottle to house the liquor. There would never be another bottle of alcohol in the world that would match his specific tastes.

In return, he'd presented her with a blue and pink saree made from the finest Indian silk money could buy. She had worn it that very day. She had been proud to show the world which man held her favor. Seeing her in clothes he picked out for her drove him absolutely wild. And though she spent a full thirty hours teasing and working him up, he had been careful not to stretch or tear the fabric before throwing her across the room to the bed.

It was always so easy with him. They fell into a rhythm no matter how long they were apart. He always begged her to stay a little longer, but he always let her go when the time came and always welcomed her back with open arms when she returned. He asked so much from her, and she from him. But he never once asked for the one thing he knew she could never give him.

He never made grand declarations of love. Only loyalty. He never asked her to be his mate, or wife, or even partner. He knew, better than anyone in the world, that she would never tie herself to someone like that again. It hurt him, knowing that, and she always felt a little guilty for causing that hurt. That guilt had festered into painful regret now.

She should have told him the truth before he died. She should have told him the truth thousands of years ago. But she had always been too scared.

Like all his gifts, that saree was carefully packed and stored with long-term preservation in mind. The bottle, now empty, had been put proudly on display in his office in Paris.

She wondered if it was thrown away when the new queen moved in.

"Luna?"

The dragon turned and forced herself to smile up the solid wall of pure masculine energy that was Atticus Shaw. The Counsel staffer she'd spoken to on her arrival practically sprinted away from the pair, looking back only once. She couldn't blame them. The last time dragons stood on the Counsel's doorstep it had been to threaten them.