“This is what I brought you here to show you.” His hand swept in an arc encompassing a large pile of treasure.
“Dragon treasure is a thing.” She let go of his hand and rushed forward then stopped dead in her tracks. “Is it real?”
“It most certainly is,” he assured her. Excitement laced his voice. An obsessive excitement.
“How did you…?” She shook her head and shone the torch at his face. “Where did it all come from? Did you rob a bank?”
“No. Stolen treasure does not give me the same pleasure.” He laughed, the sound echoing back at him. “This is all mine. I’ve earned it through the centuries. When dragons roamed the Earth, we would often be hired to protect towns and villages. I’ve even fought in a couple of wars. I suppose you would call me a mercenary these days, but I’ve never fought for anyone who was ruthless or bad. And those battles were long ago, fought with swords and spears.”
“This must be worth a fortune. Literally.” Amber took a couple of quick steps forward and then stopped. “Can I touch it?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “You are my mate.”
“These jewels.” She held up a ruby between her finger and thumb and shone the flashlight on it. “They’re all real?”
“Yes. All real. The gold is mostly old coins that are not used anymore.” He picked up a handful and let it trickle through his fingers. “But I recall the days when this was the currency we used.”
“I can’t imagine how long you have been alive. What you must have seen.” Amber picked up a trinket box and opened it. “Wow.” She hooked her finger through a diamond-encrusted necklace and held it up. “Women used to wear these jewels. I mean, I know they used to wear them but these days anyone wearing this would be surrounded by security guards.”
“In the days when this was worn, the lady would have been protected by men with swords.” He smiled, a sad smile filled with the ghosts of his past. Kelos must have lost so many friends over the years. “It’s yours if you want it.”
Amber’s hand trembled as she lowered the diamond necklace back into the ornate box and shut the lid. “Thank you.” She nodded. “It’s a generous gift but I would be scared to lose it and I don’t think I would ever have a chance to wear it.”
“What about on our wedding day?” Kelos asked.
“Our wedding day.” She blew the air out of her cheeks. “Wow.” Amber nodded briefly. “Maybe on our wedding day.”
“I’m not asking you to drop everything and marry me right away,” Kelos said. “But I do want to marry you.”
“We’ve only just met.” It was a thin excuse and they both knew it. Amber also knew she owed him more of an explanation. “I just need more time.”
“So, you are not saying no?” Kelos asked, unsure of her answer.
“I’m not saying no,” she confirmed. “But until Fabian and his family are safe, I really don’t have space in my head to think of anything else, let alone a wedding.”
“I would happily marry you quietly with no fuss.” His brows knitted together. “That did not sound the way I wanted it to sound.”
“As if you were ashamed of me?” she asked as she moved around the edge of the treasure. “As if I was a woman of ill repute?”
“I only meant…” He sighed and shook his head. “You are well aware of what I meant.”
“You are so easy…” She picked up a handful of treasure and let it slip through her fingers. “Did you bring me here because of what Shawn said?”
“I did,” he acknowledged.
“Why?” She came back toward him. “Because you didn’t want me to think badly toward him or because you didn’t want me to think you were poor?”
“Both, I suppose.” Kelos shrugged.
“One thing you should know about me, Kelos.” Amber came right up to him, so close she could feel the heat emanating from his body, chasing away the chill of the cave. “Money, treasure, it doesn’t really matter to me. It never really has. I guess that’s why I live the life I do.”
He sighed and nodded. “I would give it all away for you,” he said simply.
“I wouldn’t ever ask you to do that.” She looked over her shoulder at the treasure. “You could have purchased a mansion with some of this gold.”
“I don’t like to part with it,” he admitted. Plucking a gem out of the pile, he held it up, gazing at it as if it were an old friend. “Each piece of treasure is like a part of me. I spent a couple of decades without my treasure and it was as if someone had ripped out my heart.”
“And yet you would give it all away for me.” She arched an eyebrow. “If you hadn’t told me you would never lie to me, I might not believe you.”
“I just wanted you to know that you are the most important thing in the world to me. That my heart needs you more than it needs treasure.” He threw the emerald back on to the pile. “I also wanted to offer you my help. Or Fabian.”
“Fabian? What does he have to do with this?” Amber asked as she turned away from him and put her hands on her hips as she stared at the treasure.
“Is there any way… I could sell some pieces of treasure… The museum would be interested, I’m sure.” His jaw tightened. “Would money help?”
She blinked rapidly, fighting to keep her tears at bay. “No, money would not help.” She put her back to the treasure and placed her hands on his upper arms. His eyes darkened as he looked down at her. She would much rather stare into his eyes than stare at a diamond or ruby. “But thank you for the offer. Knowing how much you love your treasure,
