Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Dragon’s Pretend Marriage Chapter 9

Milton

Half a month went by with Brandi living in my penthouse suite. Half a month of her toothbrush sitting on the counter in the bathroom, her silk pillow next to my cotton pillow, and her clothes taking over the left half of the closet. Already, the winter runway set was ordered. I insisted that she fill up on her choices now so we could make an impressive statement right when the season began.

And that was just how it went with us. We made impressions. We had photographers fawning over our every move. Our engagement had taken the city by storm and, by extension, the rest of the planet. Fashion magazines wanted us on the front page while the most elite newspapers were intent on framing us as frauds.

It wasn't the first time I'd been accused of lying. And it wouldn't be the last. Fraud. Failure. Fanatic.

The terms glared at me from the newsstand at the corner of my building. Tabloids were hardly offensive these days, spilling the same drivel that they dug up from every other article they had printed. My face covered half the front page. Pores the size of craters alarmed me. But I knew it was just a trick.

That wasn't how my face normally looked. I took my skincare seriously and encouraged Brandi to do the same. She had taught me plenty of tricks since she moved in. I'd known that witch hazel had its uses, but never as something to apply to my face. Just like her resilience surprised me, she did the same, alerting me of all sorts of tricks that I hadn't known.

In a lot of ways, we were tricking the world. But she seemed at ease in private. One-on-one time mostly consisted of us watching dramatic television shows, reading through the latest fashion trends, and posting on my social media channel. Our fans were in the billions-just like my wealth.

Brandi was drawing a following of her own. People were totally obsessed with her, hanging on to her every word. I advised her to be mindful of her posts and convinced her to do the bare minimum. She seemed pleased with that. The rest of the time, she lounged around the penthouse suite or took up a post in the library.

That was where she spent most of her time, it seemed.

As I picked up the latest articles about us and our accomplishments, I spotted an unmarked vehicle lingering on the corner. The windows were tinted past the legal allotment, alerting me of either security or celebrity status. Whoever decided to take up shop there was probably waiting for the tailor across the street. His threads were fantastic.

But certainly not as fantastic as Marietta. It wasn't his fault he was human.

After tucking the newspapers and magazines under my arm, I walked into the main lobby. People milled about, mostly office workers along with some light security that Jermaine had convinced me was best to keep around. I thought it clogged up my hallways. He thought it was standard procedure.

"Milton!"

Speaking of the overprotective bear-

Jermaine jogged up to me. "Milton, you haven't returned my calls."

"You're supposed to be with Blake."

"He's fine. He's got Veronica." He rustled his hair, causing his bulky shoulders to bulge under his t-shirt. "He sent me to check on you since you haven't called."

I nodded. "Since I stole Tanner's sister. Of course."

"Word on the street is she actually stole you."

"Word on the street?" I arched my right brow and veered left, heading to the private elevator. "You're old."

He laughed. "And you're grumpy for a guy who's just found love."

"I never said I was in love."

The doors snapped shut, encasing us in silence. I slapped the fifth-floor button, lighting it up. "Security will be happy to speak to you if you have concerns."

"I don't care about security-" He hit the penthouse suite button. "We should talk. About everything that's been going on."

"Any updates?"

"Not much."

I shrugged. "Then we don't have a lot to talk about, do we?"

"You've been super cryptic since you and Brandi got together. You don't even respond to group messages anymore."

"I've been busy."

He shook his head. "It's more than that. You've been hiding."

"I'm not hiding. I'm just getting ready for the mating ceremony."

"That's the thing, Milton. Blake said you haven't even set up a date for it."

My right shoulder moved. Like I was getting ready to shrug again but my exhaustion wouldn't allow it. Something about that car outside kept returning to my mind. Was it the tinted glass? The driver's side window? What about it? I glanced at my phone. "Jermaine, can you run a check on the vehicles around the block?"

"I thought you didn't want my help." But he was already holding up his phone. "Description? Tags? Names?"

I rattled off what I could remember of the car and its tags. But only its front tags. The rear hadn't been exposed enough. "How's that?"

"Good enough. I can also tap into your cameras."

The elevator slowed and the doors parted with a soft ding. I gestured for him to exit. When he stepped into the hallway, he pressed his hand to the doors, alerting the sensor to keep the doors parted.

"If you're worried about cars, then maybe you should come back," he whispered. "Both of you. Blake is worried."

"Blake shouldn't be worried. We're mates. We're protected."

He sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm just saying-"

"He wants us all in one place in case the Gilberts make another pass on us."

"You really have no idea what happened at the ranch, do you?"

The doors attempted to close. Jermaine stopped them in time, pressing his hand a little higher up.

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Blake texted you about it three times. You haven't answered."

"Answered about what?"

He shook his head. "Tell the gods you have the thickest head in the world."

"Jermaine, spell it out. Please. I don't have time for cryptic shit."

"But you do have time for those fancy interviews, right?"

I adjusted the packet of items under my arm. "I'm just doing my job as a future owner of Kane EnTech."

"Don't forget about your job in this pack."

"I don't have a job."

He jostled the doors back open when they threatened to close. "Yes, you do. You protect the alpha. And we protect you." He stepped back. "And don't forget that."

For a minute, the doors remained open of their own accord. Jermaine stared me down, waiting for me to do something or say something.

But I was dumbstruck. I had no idea what to do.

He sighed and looked away. "Brandi got attacked."

My blood pressure spiked.

"She was caged," Jermaine said while the doors began to close. "Go ask her about it since you won't answer your phone."

The doors shut resolutely, locking me into the miniature space-and into my head.

My fiancée had been attacked right under my nose. And she had never even mentioned it.

I clenched my fists. Why wouldn't she mention it?

***

The elevator spat me out at the door to my penthouse suite. After unlocking the door, I marched past the gaping fountain, the cushioned chairs, and the arcade room, making a beeline to the library doors. Gold inlaid with teal vines greeted my vision. I shoved them open, allowing them to hit the door stoppers on either side with a distinct thud..

Brandi wasn't on the first floor.

Ivory carpet swept in either direction, parted only by plush burgundy chairs and espresso-stained wood tables. Rows of books cluttered the shelves lining the walls, interrupted every so often by a great window. Light spilled over the carpet. Drapes hung heavily in a perfect frame around the windows. Spiral staircases rose on either side of me.

She was likely on the second floor, tucked away on the balcony. That was her favorite spot. Hours would pass with her shoving her nose into various history books, many of them about different cultures. I had plenty of books on shifters, too, though Brandi had made it a point to use some of her allowance to order more.

Part of me felt proud of that. Most women would have run to boutiques for more clothes. But Brandi was different. She wanted knowledge more than she wanted power. And if I wasn't mistaken, she might have wanted me, too.

But there wasn't much evidence of that. Though she shared a bed with me, she stuck to her side, reading well into the night next to her tiny lamp. Mornings were normal, greeting each other and then eating breakfast on the terrace, weather permitting. We had something of a routine.

It was reassuring. It was sweet.

It was the scariest thing in the whole damn universe.

Books littered the ground the closer I drew to the balcony. A thump sounded followed by another thump. And then another. A soft, defeated sigh. The caving of a chair.

I rounded the corner, locating my fiancée melting into a brown loveseat. She didn't see me yet. One of the books open on her lap slid from her knees. It, too, joined the pile at her feet.

My heart twisted in my chest. The way she slumped over conveyed exhaustion, something I had been feeling ever since Jermaine cornered me in the elevator. I thought it had just been from the morning's activities. But now that I was near Brandi, I sensed that it wasn't my exhaustion.

It was hers.

And I had been feeling it for hours.

I pushed one of the books with my wingtip shoe. "American mobs?"

She jumped up. "What?"

"You're reading a lot about the mafia lately." I swam through the books to get to her. "Are you planning on writing a thesis?"

"Shifter mafias," she replied in a squeaky voice. She cleared her throat. "I think it's just interesting how we tend to group together like that, you know?"

I narrowed my eyes at the pile of books to her right. Defense techniques-that was interesting. "Fighting styles, too."

"We do all sorts of things." She dropped to her knees and scrambled to pick up the books that surrounded my shoes. "Sorry about the mess. I'll get it cleaned up. Did you need something? Did you want to go out for dinner?"

"Actually, you look..." I wanted to say frazzled. I wanted to say worried. But my inner dragon warned me against it. "...tired. I was going to suggest eating in."

She sighed while settling back on her knees. "But I like eating out."

My heart jumped. "Is that so, moonbeam?"

Blush crept into her cheekbones. She avoided my gaze, twisting her fingers together while adjusting her position on the ground. "Yes, I like the restaurants you take me to. They're nice."

"I thought they were beneath you." I lowered myself to the ground, unbuttoning my blazer and sliding it from my shoulders so it could join the mountain of books. "I always got the impression that you were doing it for me instead of you." "I think it's grown on me."

She chafed her elbow. While her eyes were typically a sharpened set of stones, they currently appeared to be dull marbles. The excitement that once sat there had long since faded.

And maybe that was my fault. I had been neglecting her personal needs.

Mine, too.

I reached for her hand, watching the skin twitch around her knuckles when I made contact. "We can order takeout and eat in bed while watching your crime shows."

She perked up. "I thought you hated those things."

"I do hate those things. But I'll watch them if you like them."

"You're just saying that."

I smirked. "Should I just think about it instead?"

"No, I just mean-" She curled her fingers around my hand. "Well, I don't want you to do something you don't want to do just because I like it."

"Relationships are about compromise. Even fake relationships."

She met my gaze. "Fake relationships." She nodded. "I keep forgetting."

"We're so convincing. It's easy to forget. I've done it a million times, moonbeam."

"But nobody is watching us up here. You don't have to pretend."

That was the stark truth of it, wasn't it? We didn't have to pretend while we were in the penthouse. Gossip ran amok with servants, but we didn't have to take it too intimately far.

I did what I did with Brandi because I wanted to do it. Not because I had to do it.

I just didn't know how to say that to her.

I swallowed hard, turning to study one of the gaping windows nearby. "Jermaine is here. He's checking in with security. Blake sent him."

"I'm sure he's just...worried."

Tension mounted between us. When I looked at Brandi, I saw it again, that awful exhaustion haunting her eyes. She had been attacked. Why had I never seen it?

"Brandi, is there something you want to tell me?"

She looked at me then, eyes as round as planets. She gulped once, twice, and then slumped forward, features twisting with great concern. "I'm so sorry, Milton. I should have told you. I should have been honest. I just didn't..." She hiccupped. "It's hard." "I understand." "How can you possibly understand?"

I pulled her into my arms. "You were attacked, moonbeam. I understand. You didn't want me to worry about it. But the mate bond protected you, didn't it? It worked, right?"

She froze under my touch. What would have typically been a pliant response remained rigid and foreign. Every inch of me yearned to put her at ease. I had to do it. It was only right. Always visit FindNovel.net for more novels and updates She shivered as I tilted her head back. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't apologize, darling. I'm here for you. That's the point, isn't it?"

"But it's fake."

"I don't know about that anymore, Brandi."

Tears billowed in her eyes. Her lower lip quivered while I traced her main artery, causing the flesh of her throat to tremble. Shivers broke through her body. She practically caved.

That was when I kissed her. Not sooner. Not later. Just at the peak of her realization. For it was mine as well, the shadowy tendrils of a webbed thread that connected us. They were there. They were real.

As were my feelings for her.