“It fits. Good. Let’s go.”
Maybe she had had expected a compliment, at the very least. She had no idea why she would have expected such a thing of someone like him. It was just the normal reaction a guy would have to a woman in a formal dress that suited her. Then again, there was absolutely nothing normal about this particular man. Oh well. She wouldn’t have to worry about any romance getting in the way of doing this job and getting out.CHAPTER FIVEAll eyes were on Aileen as she and Yakov stepped into the room. He was now all smiles and holding her hand. It felt unnatural. Still, she did her part of smiling back at him and batting her eyelashes, hanging on his every word. It was difficult to pretend she loved him, half because he was a stranger as well as the fact that he didn’t seem very lovable. She conjured up an image of a boy she had once loved in high school and tried to use those feelings. For now, it seemed to be working.
Yakov introduced her to friends and family, before finally taking her to meet the Alpha he hoped to replace. It was obvious to Aileen that the man had no idea as to what time or place he was in, but he seemed to know who he was and have memories of his time here on Earth.
Afterwards, Yakov explained that the current Alpha’s mother was human and his father a dragon shifter. It was the only explanation for his condition that she needed. Half humans were prone to dementia in their advanced years and from Yakov, Aileen had ascertained that their Alpha, Tillman Gentry, was almost two thousand years old. Like his father, he had married a human and she had turned out to be barren, leaving him with no heirs to his title.
That was the curse of the dragon who married outside pure shifter bloodlines. They were doomed to outlive the one they had fallen in love with and possibly to forget that love had ever existed. Tillman was lucky that he still at least had some memories, though no one could be clear how many were true and how many were delusions resulting from his condition. Regardless, he seemed to remember a woman named Maggie and he appeared to still love her with all his heart.
“You are lucky to have found each other,” he told them during their chat with him. “Nothing clears the mind and opens the heart like the love of another.”
Aileen had seen Yakov stir slightly, seeming uncomfortable. He kissed his elder on the cheek and excused them to visit with others. As they moved away, another couple stopped to speak to Tillman. Yakov led Aileen out to the balcony to look out over the stars as they waited for dinner to begin.
“He seems like a lovely man,” she said.
“Appearances can be deceiving,” Yakov replied, adding nothing further.
He put his arm around her as they continued to look out toward the moon and sky beyond them. She felt a quiver go through her as his powerful arm encompassed her waist and pulled her close. She was well aware that it was just a physical reaction and pushed it down. There was no place for romance in this sham relationship.
“Yakov! I’m so pleased to see you!” a woman’s voice called out from behind them.
“Hello, Pam. Have you met my girlfriend, Aileen?” he responded as they turned around to see who had spoken.
“Girlfriend? Well, this is unusual. I didn’t think you were ever going to find a woman who could put up with a brute like you. Nice to meet you, Aileen,” she replied.
“There’s no accounting for taste,” he replied dryly, ignoring the veiled insult.
“She’s stunning. I can see why you’re attracted,” she replied.
“Don’t let her good looks deceive you, Pam. She’s also highly intelligent and quite articulate.”
“Is that so? Well, I’ll look forward to some enlightened conversation later. Right now, I have to get back to Paul. See you both at dinner.”
“Yes, you will,” he replied.
Aileen remained frozen in a smile plastered on her face, not having gotten a word in edgewise, not even a return of the woman’s greeting. She had a feeling that it would be like this quite often, Yakov speaking for her rather than letting her respond.
“Yakov, I can’t come across as personable and charming if you don’t let me speak for myself,” she whispered.
“True, but she’s a snake. You’ll do well not to attempt to engage her on any personal level of conversation. Stick to the news or weather.”
“Oh, that’ll be riveting for us all,” Aileen replied.
He turned toward her, his eyebrows raised. Aileen immediately kicked herself for being sarcastic. She would have to tone that down if she intended to see this through. She thought he might be angry at the barbed remark, but instead she thought she caught just the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes and, perhaps, even a tiny bit of a smirk. Was she imagining it or had she actually hit his funny bone?