“Because you’re the most important thing,” she whispered to the tiny shadow nestled deep inside her. “The absolutely most important thing.”
Also, if she were to be honest in the privacy of her own thoughts, she wasn’t sorry at all that she got to miss two days of the week’s activities. Only the thought of worrying Dragos would keep her from pretending to be sick so that she could get out of a third day as well.
For now, she was quite content to keep up with the latest happenings through Dragos’s texts and by watching news shows on her new tablet, which was how she discovered that the police had made an arrest in the murder case.
It was early in the evening on the second day. Dr. Medina had given her the first shot of the drug protocol and cleared her for normal activities in the morning.
Eva lounged on the bed with her, reading and keeping her company while Dragos attended yet another dinner. Bored, Pia had run a Google search on Victor Colton’s death. To avoid disturbing Eva, she popped an earbud into one ear and clicked on the CNN link that promised BREAKING NEWS.
After watching a few minutes of the segment, she sat up straight and said, “Holy shit.”
“What is it?” Eva looked up from her mystery.
Her eye glued to the small screen, she muttered, “They arrested Aaron Davis, the vice president’s chief of staff. . . . There’s allegations of an affair with the vice president, who’s denying it. . . .” She pulled the earbud out of her ear and looked at Eva with round eyes. “This is very bad news for the White House administration, but it might be very good news for us.”
Later, when Dragos walked into the bedroom, he was smiling.
Pia stopped her Fruit Ninja game and set her tablet aside. “You look like a cat that got away with something.”
He pulled off his tie, shrugged out of his suit jacket and threw them into a chair. Toeing off his shoes, he rolled up his shirt sleeves and crawled up the bed to give her a kiss. And all of that was so damn sexy, she could have climaxed just by watching him.
Delighted to see him, she burrowed back against her pillows, kissing him back. He said against her mouth, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” When he pulled back, she smiled at him. “Did you hear the news about Aaron Davis’s arrest?”
“Oh, hell yeah. Things couldn’t be going better if I had arranged them, myself.”
As well as she thought she knew him, he had quite the capacity for surprising her. She squinted one eye at him. “You didn’t, did you?”
“No, but I almost wish I had thought of it. The vice president is now being accused of starting the Right to Privacy movement as a setup for the murder. She’s going to have to resign, or Ben will be forced to get rid of her. And nobody was wearing a scent blocker this evening.”
She sighed. “That’s a huge relief.”
“It doesn’t solve all our problems.” He rubbed his face. “There’s still plenty of protestors to the week’s summit, and we’re facing plenty of guarded government officials in our meetings. Senator Jackson is in clear opposition to mending fences, and public opinion is still on the downturn from the Nightkind massacre. But this latest development has slowed the momentum of the backlash against us, and I don’t think we’ll need to immigrate to our Other Greenland just yet, although I did talk to Niniane about hiring some consultants. She’s going to send some people when she gets back to Adriyel.” He slid back down the bed to put his head on her stomach. “How are you two doing?”
“We’re great.” She threaded her fingers through his black, silky hair. “And I’m excited that I get to go off bed rest in the morning.”
“I’m excited too.” He tilted his head so that he could look up at her. “Did the doctor clear you for normal activities?”
“I know what you really mean.” She tapped his nose with one finger. “And yes, I’m cleared to resume normal activities in the morning.”
He grabbed her finger and kissed it. “I can’t wait. And you got your shot. How do you feel?”
“I feel tired again, and my arm hurts a bit, but Dr. Medina said that’s all normal. She said she can give me the shot every two weeks in the evening, so I can just go to bed afterward.” She made a face and shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he rubbed her fingers against his mouth.
Warmth spread through her at the gentle caress. She urged, “Tell me what else is new.”
“You’ve already heard the great news this evening,” he said against her fingers. “But there is also some not so great news, too.”
“Oh, no.” Her heart sank. “What’s happened now?”
“Today we were talking about what measures the demesne leaders could take that would lessen the risk of violence instigated by the Elder Races, and some goddamn fool in Ben’s administration got the bright idea that we could ‘foster good will and peace among the demesnes’ by having all seven leaders commit to sending a family member to visit another demesne for a week sometime in the next six months.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she exclaimed. “It sounds exactly like some stupid, useless program the government would come up with. That’s like the nobility who used to send their children to live with other nobles as hostages. What do they think, that we’re living in the Middle Ages?”
He cocked a sardonic eyebrow. “That’s precisely where they said they got the idea. Several of us objected most strenuously, but after a lengthy argument, it was put to a vote. The majority agreed to the measure.” He frowned and growled, “I hate decisions by consensus.”
“But you only have two family members, me and Liam. Well, you have three now, but the littlest one isn’t going anywhere without me for a really long time, and I’m telling you right now, Dragos—Liam is not going to visit any other demesne on his own. I don’t care how many bodyguards you put on him.”
“Of course he isn’t.” Dragos’s frown hadn’t lessened.
“Which leaves me,” she said flatly. “Of course.”
“That was acknowledged in the meeting.” He paused. “Almost everybody at our dinner party saw you faint two nights ago, and know you’re on bed rest for some mysterious ailment, so Niniane pushed to extend the time limit on the Wyr visitation, and the others agreed. You now have a year, which does us no good whatsoever, because you’ll have the baby then.”
“Ugh, this is awful,” she stared at him. “Do I at least get to pick where I go, and who I visit? I could go see Niniane in Chicago.”
He rolled to his feet and strode over to a small liquor cart tucked into a corner. As he poured himself a scotch, he said, “No such luck. The fuckers drew straws.”
The space over her left eye was beginning to throb. She pressed against it with three fingers. “Don’t tell me I’m supposed to go visit the Elves again.”
“Nope. You’re supposed to visit the Light Fae demesne in Los Angeles. Tatiana told me to tell you, she’s delighted.”
“And I’m supposed to spend an entire week with her?” She threw up her hands. “Oy vey.”
He tossed back his drink and poured another. “I didn’t want to fucking talk about it anymore, so I shut up. But we’re not going to comply. Nobody tells me where I should send my family.”
She flung herself back on her pillows in exasperation and stared at the ceiling. If he did that, an idea that was supposed to foster good will and peace among the demesnes, HA! would end up causing more bickering and discord than ever.
“Stop,” she said. “If we dig in our heels, it will only create the kind of resentment the whole damn thing is supposed to alleviate. It’s not worth it. I’ll go.”
Angling his head, Dragos turned to look at her. “No, you bloody well won’t.”
She just looked at him. “Come on, it’ll only be for a week. We’ll suck it up and get it over with.”
But she knew better than to say, what’s the worst that could happen? Because they already saw how badly that could
go, when she went to visit the Elves earlier that year.
He was wearing that stubborn expression of his that said he wasn’t going to budge, no matter what. “You’re not going anywhere without me. Period. And I wasn’t invited.”
She started to laugh. “When has that ever stopped you from doing anything?”
Did his scowl lessen just the tiniest bit? “Well, that’s true.”
“Let me get this straight—did anybody tell you that you couldn’t go?”
The fierce scowl disappeared, and he began to smile. “It was implied, but actually, no.”
“Well, there you are, then,” she said. “We got all wound up over this for nothing.”
Although it wasn’t easy to sneak a dragon-sized critter across demesne borders, they would manage. Somehow, they always did.
Setting aside the scotch, he strolled back to bed. “Who knew that marrying a sneaky penny thief would come in so handy?”
“Hey,” she said. “Discreet.”
“That too.” He stripped off his clothes, climbed into bed and turned off his light. Pia turned on her side so that he could spoon her from behind. He stroked her hair back and kissed her neck. “Time to get to sleep,” he whispered in her ear. “We want to make sure you get all your rest out by morning.”
Sleepy glee suffused her. Pretending to be clueless, she whispered back, “What’s going to happen in the morning?”
“Oh, you know,” he told her. “‘You diddle here, I suck there. Or maybe you suck, and I diddle. Or both. Couple of pats, and ten or fifteen thrusts. Oh baby, you’re so good, I can’t take it, pow, et cetera, let’s go raid the fridge.’”
Nodding in contentment, she closed her eyes. “That’s what I hoped you would say.”
Thank you!
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading my short story Dragos Goes to Washington. Dragos, Pia and Liam Cuelebre are some of my favorite characters, and I’m delighted to share this new story with you. I hope you have as much fun visiting with them as I did!
Would you like to stay in touch and hear about new releases? You can:
• Sign up for my monthly email at: www.theaharrison.com
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Reviews help other readers find the books they like to read. I appreciate each and every review, whether positive or negative.
Dragos Goes to Washington is the first story in a three-story arc featuring Dragos, Pia and their son Liam. The second story is Pia Does Hollywood (to be released on November 17th, 2015), and the third is Liam Takes Manhattan (December 22nd release). While each story is written so that it can be enjoyed individually, the reading experience will be stronger if you enjoy all three in order.
Happy reading!
Thea
Coming Soon on November 17th:
Pia Does Hollywood
(A Story of the Elder Races)
After making a diplomatic pact with humankind and the other leaders of the Elder Races, Pia Cuelebre, mate to Dragos Cuelebre, Lord of the Wyr, reluctantly heads to Hollywood to spend a week with the Light Fae Queen, Tatiana, before the busy Masque season hits New York in December.
Dragos has never let the lack of an invitation stop him from doing anything he wanted. Unwilling to let his mate make the trip without him, he travels to southern California in secret to be with her.
But when an ancient enemy launches a shattering assault against the Light Fae, Dragos and Pia must intercede. The destruction threatens to spread and strike a mortal blow against all of the magically gifted, both human and Elder Race alike.
Working with the Light Fae to neutralize the danger, Dragos and Pia find their deepest vulnerabilities challenged and their most closely held secrets threatened with exposure.
Pia Does Hollywood is the second part of a three-story series about Pia, Dragos, and their son, Liam. Each story stands alone, but fans might want to read all three: Dragos Goes to Washington, Pia Does Hollywood, and Liam Takes Manhattan.
Coming Soon on December 22, 2015:
Liam Takes Manhattan
(A Story of the Elder Races)
This is a short story (15,000 words or 50 pages) intended for readers of the Elder Races who enjoy Liam Cuelebre as a character.
Reeling from a deep loss, the magical prince of the Wyr, Dragos and Pia’s son Liam Cuelebre, turns inward and withdrawn as he struggles to come to terms with who he is, along with the challenges that lie before him.
Hoping to ease his heartache and offer comfort, a concerned Dragos and Pia offer him a gift, something he has desired for a long time. Liam’s response has a ripple effect across all of New York. Soon miracles of all kinds start arriving just in time for Christmas, along with a visit from a mysterious person who gives Liam hope and a vision of his future.
Liam Takes Manhattan is the third part of a three-story series about Pia, Dragos, and their son, Liam. Each story stands alone, but fans might want to read all three: Dragos Goes to Washington, Pia Does Hollywood, and Liam Takes Manhattan.
Look for these titles from Thea Harrison
THE ELDER RACES SERIES – FULL LENGTH NOVELS
Published by Berkley
Dragon Bound
Storm’s Heart
Serpent’s Kiss
Oracle’s Moon
Lord’s Fall
Kinked
Night’s Honor
Midnight’s Kiss
Shadow’s End
ELDER RACES NOVELLAS
Published by Samhain Publishing
True Colors
Natural Evil
Devil’s Gate
Hunter’s Season
The Wicked
OTHER WORKS BY THEA HARRISON
Dragos Takes a Holiday
Pia Saves the Day
Peanut Goes to School
GAME OF SHADOWS SERIES
Published by Berkley
Rising Darkness
Falling Light
ROMANCES UNDER THE NAME
AMANDA CARPENTER
E-published by Samhain Publishing
(original publication by Harlequin Mills & Boon)
A Deeper Dimension
The Wall
A Damaged Trust
The Great Escape
Flashback
Rage
Waking Up
Rose-Coloured Love
Reckless
The Gift of Happiness
Caprice
Passage of the Night
Cry Wolf
A Solitary Heart
The Winter King
Thea Harrison, Dragos Goes to Washington
(Series: Elder Races # 8.50)
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