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His grip tightened. “Oh yes you have. You need to tell me what the fuck you are playing at.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Let me go, Quentin, or I’ll?—”
A hand slammed over her mouth. “You’ll what? Scream for that scaly dragon? He’s about to give his speech, he won’t hear you.” She stared horrified into his cruel eyes, trying to work out how to escape, her pulse pounding in her ears. His hand was cold, and clammy against her mouth, his narrow eyes malevolent. “What are you doing, lowering yourself to dragon kind. Sullying your family’s name?”
Jerking her head to the side, she freed her mouth, but now he pressed his face closer. “Answer me.”
“Quentin, go and sit down and maybe I—I’ll pretend this didn’t happen.” Anything to get his horrible presence away from her.
“Oh yeah, of course you will. You’re very good at pretending, aren’t you? Just like you’re pretending to be in a relationship with a dragon.”
“My relationship with Ethan is real,” she said hotly. “You saw the report.”
“And I don’t believe it for a second. This kind of thing happens all the time.” He sneered. “Cash-strapped humans selling themselves to rich monsters. But you… Minerva, Minerva, I thought you had more class. Is he giving you money to keep that ridiculous little bookshop?”
His eyes stabbed into her, full of venom and yes, she saw it now, jealous rage.
And lust.
She’d not mistaken the way he’d looked at her all those times, his filthy gaze undressing her.
“I’d have helped you out. Anything, Minerva, you could have asked for anything,” he whined.
“I’d never take anything from you,” she spat back.
“But you’ll take it from a dragon, eh?” He stroked her cheek, and she shuddered, repulsed. “You must have guessed I have feelings for you. I’d have asked you out earlier, except it would have been kind of embarrassing, you know… for the Jordaks, given your father’s monster-loving ways. But I’m willing to overlook that, if you drop the fucking dragon. We’ll put it behind us, move on.”
Min jerked her hand out of his grip. “You’re deluded. I would never have dated you, even if Ethan and I hadn’t fallen in love.”
“You are not in love with him.”
“I am.”
“Lying little bitch!” His grip tightened again, his body slamming against hers. “I should have closed your stupid shop down. But instead, I supported you. I can offer you a good life, Minerva, and yet you want to throw it back in my face. You go down this path and the Westwind name will be soiled forever. You’ll never be welcome in Tween society again.”
“Good.” She managed a harsh laugh. “Why would I want to be associated with a name that drove dragons and other beasts into servitude? Locked them up. Abused them, murdered them.” She cast him a withering look. “I’m not proud to be a Westwind. I’m ashamed of what Colonel Westwind did. And the Jordak family is even worse. Never in a million years would I want to be part of it.”
She smelled the alcohol on his breath as he sneered. “So that’s it. You want to be a dirty little monster fucker, do you? If that’s how you want to play it, I guess you won’t mind if I take advantage either.”
Min struggled and cried out as he continued to pin her against the wall, one hand over her mouth, the other shoving up her dress, pushing between her legs, ripping at the gusset of her panties. His body pressed against her, forcing her back against the wall, the thrust of his arousal repulsive, terrifying.
And then suddenly a flare blinded her. A blast of heat. As Min blinked, she realized the plant that had been obscuring them had burst into flames.
The next moment, Quentin was ripped off her.
She spotted a pair of rage-filled golden eyes. Scales raised in a halo around sharp horns.
With a roar, Beau swung Quentin into the air. “Don’t you lay your hands on her, you piece of slimy pallid human flesh.”
Quentin fought back, freeing his arm and punching Beau squarely in the jaw.
Beau let out a roar and threw a ball of flame, which made Quentin lose his footing and sprawl on the ground. With a mixture of horror and relief, Min watched as Beau picked him up by the collar and forced a squirming, shouting Quentin Jordak back along the corridor and into the ballroom.
Following dazedly on shaking legs, Min was aware that the applause ground to a halt as the dragon and the human tumbled in front of the podium, throwing punches at each other in full view of everyone. Quentin grabbed Beau by the neck scales and twisted. Beau threw a double flame from his nostrils, setting the front of Quentin’s hair alight.
Quentin let out a high-pitched scream, grabbing at his head, and someone came running with a fire extinguisher and doused the flames. His hair now covered in foam from the extinguisher, Quentin ran full tilt at Beau and pitched into him again.
Standing at the edge of the grand ballroom, Min leaned against the wall, too weak and shaky to do anything except watch the drama unfold as Beau and Quentin pummeled each other, in full view of the gala dinner guests.
