Open me. I’ll show you the way.
Con unfolded the paper and smiled as he read:
Hey, handsome!
I’ve planned a scavenger hunt for you. If you find all the love notes, you’ll find me. There are eight in all. This is your first one.
I want you in so many ways that I can’t put it into words.
R
Con folded the note and tucked it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He took another look around the room before he strode into the hallway. After looking first one way and then the other, Con made his way to his office. The other rooms on the third floor were for each of the Dragon Kings and their mates if they had them, which meant Rhi wouldn’t put a note in any of those spaces. Nor did he expect her to leave one in Ryder’s computer room.
When Con reached his office, he opened the door and stepped inside. He found the red paper neatly folded and tucked into a crystal glass next to the decanter of Dreagan whisky on his sideboard. He walked over and opened it.
You’re the only one who can give me strength and make me weak at the same time.
That’s how I knew you were it for me.
That’s how I knew you weren’t just The One, but the only one.
Con folded the second note and tucked it away. Then he thought about other places Rhi might have left a note in the manor. He immediately made his way to the library, ignoring Ulrik and Eilish. During December, when he and Rhi had most of the month alone at Dreagan, they’d spent a lot of time in the library.
He found the red paper in the arms of a wooden dragon on a bookshelf.
You’ve seen the ugly parts of me. And despite them, you still love me.
Con checked every room on the main floor and came up empty until he reached the conservatory. There, between the blushy pink petals of Rhi’s favorite flower—peonies—was a red piece of paper.
You believed in me when others didn’t. You stood beside me during my darkest hours. I will always stand beside you.
Con put the note away, his gaze going to the door that led into the mountain. He walked through it and started down the tunnel. He found a note stuck to the rock next to the first dragon he had carved in the mountain.
He ran his hand over the figure of the gold dragon before he reached for the note.
Now and forever. Two words that describe the time I want to be with you.
After putting the missive with the rest of the notes, Con continued on. He searched more of the tunnels and caverns but didn’t see any more red. He then walked out the back side of the mountain.
The snow was coming down harder now, blanketing the ground already covered with it. He stepped into the thick powder and made his way around the mountain to the side of the manor where he and Rhi had had their snowball fight.
A chuckle escaped him when he saw the miniature snowman with a stick arm that held one of the red notes. He had a huge smile on his face when he opened the paper.
You are all that I need, all that I want. You’re all I’ll ever ask for.
Con released a breath, a cloud billowing as he looked around. There were many options for where Rhi might have left another note. There were only three left. In the distance, he caught sight of the Dragonwood. So many of his encounters with Rhi had happened in that forest. Con was anxious to find the next note, but more impatient to find his mate.
He started running toward the Dragonwood. Once inside the trees, he skidded to a halt, the stillness of the forest broken only by the falling snowflakes. He blinked them from his eyelashes as he searched the area for a sign of red amidst the white and brown.
Con weaved through the trees for some time, becoming more piqued the longer it took to find another note. It wasn’t until he came to a clearing that he smiled, shaking his head. This was the place he had told her why he had broken things off between them. And there, stuck in the bark of a pine, was the note.
You are my favorite adventure.
He put the note with the others and turned north because he knew where the next place would be. Con left the Dragonwood and shifted, his large wings flapping as he flew to the mountaintop where he had first seen Rhi, the same place they had exchanged vows of love so very long, long ago.
Con landed, returning to his human form the moment his feet touched the earth. Gray clouds hung low in the sky, but he didn’t care. To him, the world was bathed in the bright light of his mate. His queen.
He stood where Rhi had been and looked out over the mountains. The beauty and magic of Dreagan had drawn her to the land initially. He didn’t care why she had come, only that she had. That day had changed him in more ways than he could ever begin to describe.
Con turned to look at the place where he had landed behind her so long ago. Under a stack of rocks, held safely in place from the wind, was the red paper. He picked it up and gently unfolded it as snow landed on the note.
If I know what love is, it’s because of you.
Con slipped it into his pocket with the others, then turned to face his mountain. He ran and leapt off the mountain, shifting. Drawing in a deep breath, he flew toward his mountain. The closer he got to it, the harder it snowed. He flew over the top, then dipped a wing and swung around. He looked at the smaller entrance in the hopes he might spot Rhi. As he circled the mountain, he chose the large entrance he usually used while in dragon form.
He hovered over the mountain before tucking his wings and gliding inside. Con landed and breathed deeply, picking up Rhi’s scent. He returned to his human form and adjusted his suit jacket before starting toward her.
When he entered the cavern, he was taken aback by what she had done to the stark surroundings. Thousands of candles were scattered…everywhere. On the floor, high up on the wall, and even floating above them. A platform bed covered in furs and pillows stood in the middle of the cavern. He saw a champagne bottle sticking out of an ice bucket with two champagne flutes nearby. More fur rugs had been scattered across the floor.
The moment he saw her, his breath lodged in his lungs. Her midnight locks hung freely down her back as she stood barefoot on one of the rugs. A sleeveless, gold lace and tulle robe that tied beneath her breasts graced her gorgeous body.
The candlelight allowed him to see that she wore nothing beneath it. His blood heated, desire surging through him. As he moved forward, he used his magic to play The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody.
She smiled, her silver eyes crinkling at the corners when he stopped before her. “I love this song.”
“I know,” he said and touched her cheek with the backs of his knuckles.
“You have one more note,” she told him as she held up the red paper.
Con opened it.
You are mine, and I am yours.
He put it with the rest and covered the stack with his palm over his heart. Then he took her hands in his. “Thank you.”
“You wrote me millions of love notes, and I only got to read a few of them. You deserve your own.”
“I’m just happy to have you back in my arms. The past is gone. We learn from our mistakes, and we forge forward.”
“Together.”