Antony tilted his head, and Max laughed. "She's not going to be afraid of you, no matter if you're super polite or threatening, brother." He took Lavinia's hand again. "And before you go on about your connections, you wouldn't hurt me. And hurting Lavinia would do just that."
His brother shrugged. "I'm not here to hurt your lover, Max." Antony met his gaze, his expression deadly serious. "I'm trying to help her."
His stomach dropped. Something was going on, something bad. "Then come on. The sooner you sit, the sooner you can tell us what that means."
In silence, they all moved toward the living room. Max sat next to Lavinia on the sofa, and Antony settled in the armchair. As soon as he leaned back, Antony spoke again. "Someone sent in a video of Lavinia disturbing the ruins inside the Minerva Temple. Which, as you know, violates the contract you signed with both the DDA and the National Trust. Their first response was to revoke your visa and send you back to Australia."
Max growled. "What? I did the same fucking thing. If anything, I'm the one who's worse since I removed an artifact from the temple."
Antony shrugged. "I don't know who sent in the footage, although I'm working on it. It could be any number of dragonhate groups or even just a disgruntled rival archaeologist. Weren't there a few of the latter working on the site before you proposed its significance to dragon-shifter history, and Queen Alviva in particular?"
Maybe some would be impressed with Antony's knowledge, but he knew his brother was clever. And right now, all he cared about was helping Lavinia.
He took her hand and glanced at her. When he met her gaze, she shook her head. "I don't think there's anyone in particular I pissed off. I've never heard of Dr. Green or Dr. Blythe, the pair working on the site before the DDA halted their dig and handed over access." She looked at Antony. "And I didn't think there were any dragon hunter enclaves near those ruins either. I've always been careful to steer clear of the ones the DDA listed in the welcome packet."
Antony steepled his fingers in front of him. "It's possible the two archaeologists shared the information online in some of the private hate groups. Or maybe someone took notice of you at a different site and started tracking you. Regardless, you'll have to go back to Clan Skyhunter and stay there until the DDA says otherwise. It's the best place to protect you."
Max put an arm around Lavinia's shoulder and hugged her close, hating her tensed muscles under his fingers. "Is she really in that much danger?"
Antony shrugged. "It's possible. Things have calmed down in recent months, especially since the Dragon Knights were disbanded. However, Simon Bourne is stirring things up again with the dragon hunters, so it wouldn't surprise me if he's testing the waters, so to speak, about how to ruin dragon-shifters without necessarily killing them." He glanced at each of them in turn. "And that information doesn't go beyond this room."
Max didn't bother nodding—his brother knew he wouldn't share secrets. No, instead, he focused on Lavinia. "I don't likeyou being trapped on Skyhunter, especially if the DDA closes off the clan to visitors." He cupped her cheek. "I want to be there with you."
Lavinia searched his eyes. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"
He fucking hated how his brother was there, but not even a glare moved Antony from his seat, so Max focused on his dragon lady. "Every word. I love you, Lavinia. And I want to mate you, if you'll have me."
For a few seconds, she said nothing. He knew how hard it was for her to trust or believe he wouldn't abandon her. However, the thought of Max being kept apart from her, unable to help protect her, made him anxious.
Finally, she smiled, and his fear eased a little. "I love you too, Max. And you're worth taking the chance on. So, yes, I'll mate you."
He grinned and kissed her, uncaring if his brother sat a few feet away.
However, just as he was about to deepen the kiss—Lavinia loved him and would be his wife—Antony cleared his throat. Loudly.
Lavinia ended the kiss, smiled at him, and then turned toward Antony. "Yes?"
"As happy as I am that my little brother seems to have figured out how to kiss properly, I'd rather not watch it go further. Besides, if you two intend to mate, we need to set that in motion straight away. The DDA might still refuse it, but tying yourself to a British citizen will greatly increase your chances of not being deported."
Max sighed. "You could be normal and say something like, 'Congratulations! Aren't you a lucky bastard, Max?' like other brothers would."
Humor danced in Antony's eyes—a rare show of emotion—and he replied, "Yes, yes, congrats, and all that." He stood. "Now, instead of normal, I'm going to be the helpful and resourceful brother and see if I can move things along quickly. You'll still need to pack and be ready within the hour. I'm to escort you to Skyhunter, Lavinia."
Max said, "Then I'm coming too."
Antony waved a hand in dismissal. "For the car ride, certainly. We'll see what the DDA says past that."
Knowing that answer was the best he could ask for right now—he couldn't afford to make things worse for him or Lavinia—he nodded.
As soon as Antony strode out of the room, Max pulled Lavinia close and kissed her again.
This time, he slid his tongue between her lips, licking, and stroking, and all around devouring his dragon lady. When they finally came up for air, he said, "I love you."
She smiled. "I love you too." As he tried to haul her into his lap, she laughed and pushed away from him. "No, that will take up the hour, and I need to pack." He pouted a little to make her smile, and then she added, "We'll have time enough later, Max."
And he only hoped she was right.
Chapter Twelve