Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
He nodded to agree with her but remained silent, giving her courage. Maybe she wasn’t in trouble.
“Who are they?” she asked.
“This is my place to remember my mates. I come here every once in a while to think of them and treasure the time we had together. Not because I’m unhappy with my life in the present, but because they were so important to me, I don’t want to forget their impact on my life.”
“One’s a man…”
“Love doesn’t know a gender, Ciel. Neither does a mate bond. I don’t know who was more surprised, Edward or myself. Does it bother you that one of my mates was male?” Argenis asked, studying her face.
Ciel shook her head. “No. It’s… It’s actually quite hot.”
Argenis laughed and nodded.
“Was it a huge scandal?”
“More than being mated to a dragon alone? I don’t believe so. As you can tell, Edward was as strong as a mule. He was sometimes as stubborn as one. The town’s citizens didn’t argue with him.”
“Tell me about her. I saw her on the stairs,” Ciel requested.
“Come sit with me, Little Sky. I’ll tell you about everyone if you are interested,” he invited as he sat on the couch. When Ciel approached eagerly, he lifted her onto his lap, turning her so she could see his face as well as the portraits.
“Her name is Marianne. She was my third mate, the daughter of the town’s storekeeper. She was quick-witted and eager to experience life.”
“That portrait is of Helena, my first mate. As soon as the pact was signed in blood, we bonded. I handed the quill back to her, and the mark appeared when our hands touched. She was forty. Unwed. The town’s healer who had urged the town’s folk to consider the pact.”
“Forty was old then, wasn’t it?”
“Ancient,” he agreed. “Her mind was an amazing storehouse of facts about nature and healing. Her book sits on my shelf.”
“Is that Everly?”
“Yes. She’s been gone for almost twenty years now.”
“Do you miss her?” Ciel had to ask.
“I miss all of them, but I am not so foolish as to lose my focus on the one I am lucky enough to have in my life now. They were all special. You are the mate I lavish my love on now.”
“Do you love me?” she asked.
“With all my heart.” Argenis pulled her toward him and kissed her lips softly, before adding, “I have a present for you in the library. I was waiting for your birthday, but I think this would be a good time for you to have it. Do you have any more questions for me before we leave this spot?
“No. Thank you for telling me about them.”
“Of course.”
“Will you put me on your wall?” she asked.
“I have found an artist to paint your picture. He will be here next week.”
“That’s fun,” she said, instantly intrigued by the idea.
“I have a feeling you will find it very tedious to sit still for hours,” he commented with a smile.
“Hours? That doesn’t sound fun,” she said, changing her mind.
“It will be worth it when it’s finished. How many people do you know who have their portraits painted?” he pointed out.
“Zero.”
“It’s always a good idea to remember sitting on a hot bottom would be even more difficult.”
“You’d spank me if I fidget?” she asked, aghast.
“Oh, yes.”
Studying his face, she knew he was telling the truth. “Did you spank them?” she asked, waving a hand toward the wall.
“Yes.”
“Even Edward?”
“Frequently. He frequently put himself in danger’s way.”
Ciel looked at him and nodded. “I could see that happen—the danger, not the spanking.”
Argenis boosted Ciel to her feet and took her hand. She pulled back when he led her away from the stairs. “Isn’t it this way?” she asked.
“Only if you want to battle the spiders.”
She ran a hand over her hair at the thought of having picked up a creepy crawler from the webs. “There’s a different way?”
“Yes, Little sky. Come with me. This mansion is old and holds many secrets,” he told her as they walked away from the spiral staircase. It also has been updated.”
She stared at an elevator standing with its doors open. “Does that work?”
“By dragon power, yes.”
He ushered her inside and placed her in the far corner. One section of the elevator’s wall was missing. Ciel could see the cables running up and down. As she watched, Argenis heaved on one and they rose three feet. Again and again, he tugged on the lines. When they came to the next floor, he tied off the cables and pushed open the door.
“I couldn’t do that myself,” she said, mind boggled by his strength.
“This is very definitely a ‘do not do this at home’ moment. Come on, your gift is in my desk.”
She looked at what had seemed to be a supply closet in the hall and shook her head before allowing him to lead her back to his office. Standing by his desk, Ciel watched him sit in the big leather chair to pull something out from under his desk.