Artistic Vision

himself, something dotted with precious gems for his dragon queen to lie on.

He turned to the mirror and lifted his hand to brush his hair back from his eyes. He was always startled to see his true form in the mirror. He’d gotten used to the…look…of…

Shane lowered his arm and stared at the dragon tattooed on the inside of his forearm. It was Akane, golden and dark, wings spread, her tail forming the symbol of infinity. Shane touched the mark and Akane shifted in her sleep.

His brows rose. “Well. What do we have here?” If Shane was a meaner man, he’d play with that tattoo and see what else he could do to his little mate. But Akane had to be exhausted. The gold poisoning mingled with their energetic Claiming meant his dragon would need her sleep.

He’d be a bastard another day, when she wasn’t working a case. For now, he’d let his love sleep. He finished his business and crawled back into bed, eager to share the warmth she’d denied him for so long.

Chapter Five

Shane kissed Akane’s cheek, eager for his woman to wake up. He had something he wanted to give her, and he was tired of waiting.

One bleary gold eye opened before Akane groaned out a laugh. “Most people kiss the facial cheek.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Shane plopped down next to her, the puzzle box cupped in his hand. He held out the glittery object. “Happy birthday.”

He’d never seen a woman snatch something from him so fast before in his life. “For me?” Those amazing eyes blinked coquettishly, a roguish grin on her lips.

“Yup. Made with my own two hands.”

The playfulness departed to be replaced with puzzlement. “You made this? It doesn’t look like anything else you’ve made before.” She turned it in her hands. “The line carvings are nice, though.”

Damn, she sounded like someone desperately trying to say something nice. “It’s a puzzle box.”

She stiffened beside him. Her wings fluttered rapidly. “Puzzle box?” She eyed him warily. “Made by you?”

He nodded. “It’s pretty intricate. If you like, I can show you how to open it.”

She scrambled away from him, puzzle box clenched in her fist. “Mine!”

“Okay.” He lay back and put his arms behind his head. “But you need any help, Miz Akane, you come fetch me, y’hear?”

She growled low in her throat. “I think I can figure out a simple puzzle box.”

Shane shrugged. “If you say so.”

“Shove it, Jethro.”

“Name the place, a ghra.” He patted his stomach, just above his erection. “I’ll shove it wherever you like.”

“Pig.”

His brows rose. “That’s Lord Pig, thank you.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Did you know your brother said almost the exact the same thing to Ruby once?”

“How did you…? No, never mind. Don’t tell me.” Her laughter was music to his ears. “Great minds and all that.” He sat up, letting her get a good look at his morning wood. “Wanna go for a ride, little girl?” He waggled his brows, delighted when she laughed.

“Well—” Her cell phone rang, ending any hopes that he’d be getting his preferred breakfast. “Hello?”

Shane lay back on the bed with a sigh. “Tell Robin I said hi.”

“Shane says hi.”

He grinned ruefully. It looked like his dragon had to go back to work. He watched, fascinated, as her wings disappeared in a golden shower of sparks. Her skin turned creamy, her horns disappearing below her hair. When she turned around, her human Seeming rested on her skin, dazzling but mundane now that he’d seen what she really looked like.

He blew her a kiss and wrapped himself in his own Seeming, loving the moue of disappointment on her face. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who liked the truth better than the fiction.

She hung up the phone and he realized he hadn’t caught a word she’d said. “When do you go?”

“I have to meet with Etienne, Jaden and Robin in an hour.” She shrugged. “Robin promised pastries if I made it in forty-five minutes.”

“Damn.” He stood and stretched, aware of her eyes drinking him in. He scratched his belly. “I’d ask for a good-bye kiss, but that might lead to you getting in trouble with your boss.”

She shook her head. “I’d risk it.”

Shane closed the distance between them and cupped her face. “Have a good day at work, a ghra.” He poured all of his love into the kiss, hoping she felt even a fraction of what he did. He could work with fractions.

He’d always been good at math.

When he lifted his mouth from hers her eyes were dazed, her lips swollen. Her nipples poked his chest, begging for his touch. Instead, he stroked her cheek before pulling away. He couldn’t interfere in her work. She’d never allow him to. They’d both wind up miserable, and the distraction could cause her death.

Besides, it was hot as hell knowing his mate could kick serious ass.

“Shower here. It’ll be faster. I’ll go back to the main house and grab you some clothes.”

“And makeup.”

He nodded, dragging on his jeans.

“And my shampoo and conditioner, because I’m not using anything in a man’s shower.”

His brows rose, but he pulled on his sweater anyway.

“And my soap.”

“Anything else, Princess?”

“My brown boots with the gold buckles, my skinny jeans, underwear because I’m not going commando and my gold Michael Kors sweater. Oh, and my black overcoat, the one with all the pockets.” She turned to the bathroom but turned back again almost immediately. “And I need the black box under my bed, and the— eep!”

He’d flung her naked over his shoulder. There was no way in hell he’d remember that list. A gold Michael Kors sweater? She had to be kidding him. “Might as well cart you back to the house rather than cart all that stuff here.”

“I’m naked, Shane.”

He opened the door to the outside, her shriek of outrage as the cold blasted her naked flesh making him laugh. “So I noticed.”

She transformed in his arms to her full dragon form. Claws shredded the jeans covering his ass before she took off, pulling free as he instinctively covered his nakedness. “Asshole.”

“I love you too!” He blew her a kiss before entering the studio once more. He hoped he had another pair of jeans, or his butt would be a frozen block before he got to the house.

Shane eyed the flying form of his mate as she landed on the roof of the house with a triumphant yell. Maybe he should have asked for a ride.

Jaden was too busy laughing his ass off to hear her low growls of warning. Robin merely looked amused, Etienne disturbed at the vampire’s antics. “Goldschschlager,” Jaden gasped. “Oh god, that’s rich.” Jaden wiped tears of mirth from his eyes before straightening up in his chair. His black eyes twinkled, an echo of Robin’s eerie green flashing through them announcing their shared blood. “So. Were you well and truly fucked?”

Robin chuckled. Etienne looked pained.

Akane kept her expression deadpan. Toying with Jaden was fun, but only if he didn’t catch on. “Shane did an