man's excited whooping, minutes of her heart skipping multiple beats, Gray pried a sapphire from the wall and gave her a secret, tender grin before stuffing it in his bag.
How they were going to get her past OBI, she didn't know. She only knew she was going to the surface! "What do you think?" she asked, holding the glittery material up to her body.
"I think I prefer you naked."
She laughed and shimmied the material over her head, covering her nakedness. "I refuse to go to lunch naked."
"Too bad."
Just as she was fastening the ties of her new light blue robe, a knock sounded at the door. "Enter," she called.
The doors slit down the middle and slid apart. A blond warrior stood in the entrance, the dragon medallion hanging from his neck aglow.
"Brand," Jewel said with a smile. "Nice to see you again."
"And you. Come," he said, his golden eyes averted to keep him from seeing anything he shouldn't. His hair hung in disarray around his shoulders, giving his amused features a roguish quality. "Lunch is served."
Jewel sighed, already mourning the loss of this wonderful reprieve. Of the soft touches Gray liked to slide over her body, of the hot kisses he liked to climb up her legs. As if he couldn't stand letting her go, either, he strode to her side and placed a kiss on her lips, their tongues daring a quick mating.
"Gods above," Brand muttered, spinning on his heel. They followed him down the hall.
Gray linked their fingers and gave a gentle squeeze. "Everything's going to be okay. You'll see. I won't leave your side." Releasing her hand, he anchored his palm to her neck and massaged, shifting strands of her hair. "If there's any trouble," he added, staring into her eyes, making her feel warm and cherished, "I'll go all demon on Darius's ass."
The dragon-carved table was piled high with food and drink, wafting a mouth-watering aroma in every direction. All of the warriors Gray had met in the forest were there, plus a few more, sitting impatiently, waiting for him and Jewel to arrive. Darius claimed the head of the table with a formally clad Grace on his right. A ruby necklace draped her neck, her red hair was piled high on her head, and she wore a soft pink gown.
The only two available chairs were on Darius's left. Gray claimed the one closest to the dragon, and Jewel eased in beside him.
"You may eat," Darius said.
Immediately the men dug into the food, a meal that consisted of honey-glazed ham, cranberry turkey, and some kind of white pudding. Each recipe came from the surface, Jewel realized, for she'd seen Gray eat each of these dishes. She spooned a bite of the pudding into her mouth and closed her eyes in surrender as the rich, decadent flavor spread on her tongue.
"I hope you found the room satisfactory," Grace said after swallowing a bite of ham. "We did. Thank you." Jewel offered her a soft smile.
"Darius explained that you have no name." The pretty human wore an expression of utter perplexity. "He said most people call you 'it' or 'slave'."
"She has a name," Gray said, his tone flat and hard and brooking no room for argument. "It's Jewel."
"See." She tossed Darius a smug glance. "I told you she had a name. A beautiful one, at that." Smiling, she returned her attention to Jewel. "I think it's so cool you can predict the future. Darius and I could have used that kind of ability when I first came here. You could have told him how much he loved me, so he wouldn't have fought it so hard."
Darius arched his brows, his only reaction to his wife's taunting. He tossed back a drink of wine. "What know you of the vampires and demons... Jewel?"
The room tapered to absolute silence; everyone present waited with baited breath for her answer. Stomach knotting painfully, Jewel said, "I would like to discuss that with you in private."
She meant the discussion to come after lunch. Darius took her words to heart. "Leave us," he told his men.
Though his tone was conversational, the dragons reacted immediately, grabbing their food as they jolted to their feet. Their chairs skidded behind them, creating a screeching symphony. Besides Jewel and Darius, Gray and Grace were the only ones to remain.
Darius looked pointedly at Grace.
"You told me I could stay, remember?" she said stubbornly. She leaned back in her chair, pinched a piece of turkey from her plate and nibbled