Page 52 of Brushed By Moonlight

No one spoke — par for the course with those four, especially when it came to touchy subjects — so I was left to puzzle it out for myself.

“You think Gordon knew the intruder was coming?” I tried.

Their expressions said no, and I threw up my hands. “Honestly. I would really appreciate a little up-front information for a change.”

“Sorry. We don’t do up-front information,” Bene said. “Comes with the job.”

Right. Hismercenaryjob.

I put my face in my hands. I was harboring criminals. Murderers, for all I knew. Men who claimed my godfather had hired them and—

Then it hit me, and I jerked my head up. “You suspect Gordon ofsendingthe intruder? That’s ridiculous.”

“Nah, but I’d bet the farm he knew someone was coming,” Bene said, helpful as ever.

Henrik nodded, and Marius did too.

“I agree,” Roux said, all matter-of-fact.

“An intruder sent by whom? To do what?” I demanded.

Marius crossed his arms and sent Roux a significant look. The tiger shifter nodded, and his words came in a clipped, military tone.

“That’s what we’ll find out. I promise you.”

Chapter Thirteen

MARIUS

“So, what do you think?” Roux asked when we reconvened on the front lawn.

Bene yawned and stretched his belly. “I think it’s been a long night. And, shit.” He looked at the sun, now fairly high over the horizon. “A long morning, too.”

“Fine. Go tuck yourself in while the rest of us figure out who nearly killed Mina last night,” I snarled.

“Says the last guy on the scene. Want to know who got there first? Oh, right. That was me.” Bene patted his chest.

“Because I sent you,” I grumbled.

The truth was, if I hadn’t been out stargazing/soul-searching/fantasizing about Mina last night, I wouldn’t have picked up on the intruder at all, and Mina could be dead.

The thought chilled me to the bone.

A damn good thing something had prickled in my subconscious, setting off my inner alarms.

Not just something,my dragon reminded me.Mina.

That was the scary part — well, one of the scary parts. I could sense her emotions, at least the more extreme ones. Which shouldn’t be possible, unless—

Destiny,my dragon hummed.My destined ma—

I tried cutting off the thought, but it stuck stubbornly in my mind and heart.

She’s ours,my dragon insisted.

Well, that’s what fate thought. But a guy like me wasn’t cut out to be anyone’s mate, least of all to a nice girl from a nice family — apart from the godfather, but he didn’t count — with an entire fucking château to her name. A sweet, slightly bookish schoolteacher, for chrissakes!

My dragon chuckled, sending all kinds of inappropriate images into my mind. Like her and me getting it on on a desk vigorously enough to make the apple there wobble, then tumble away. Pens, pencils, and notebooks would rattle too, and soon, she would be moaning my name in ecstasy.