Prologue
Finch
When Finch arrived at his employer’s study, he found Mr. Hugh Drake wearing a hole in its Turkish rug. “You called, sir?”
“Finch. Finally. I thought you’d never get here. I need your help.”
As Hugh’s primary Attendant and secretary, helping the dragon with whatever he requested was Finch’s entire job description, and what he’d done for the last third of his life. Thirteen years, of course, was merely a brief moment in a dragon’s existence, but to Finch, who was very human, it was long enough to ascertain something was wrong with his employer. He’d never seen Hugh so agitated. “Yes, sir?”
“I need you to find me a list of Disgraces that have aged out of the Pedigree.”
Finch blinked at the dragon, who had a bit of smoke escaping from his mouth and nostrils. “Excuse me?”
Hugh raked a hand through his thick black hair. “You heard me. Now do your job and find them.”
Finch was nonplussed. He’d never seen Hugh in such a state, much less so short-tempered. “I beg your pardon, sir, but I must ask—why?”
“Because I—” Hugh stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Finch, I do apologize. I realize I’m being testy. It’s just… I’m tired of waiting. It’s been six years and I keep being overlooked. It’s time I take matters into my own hands and discover if all this science being bandied about is true.”
“If what’s true, sir?”
“That Disgraces are dragons,” Hugh whispered.
Finch fell back a step. “What?” Had Hugh finally gone mad? Finch had strict instructions from his employer’s father, the very intimidating Grimbold Drake, to notify him at the first sign of his son’s mental collapse. He’d thought the edict ridiculous at the time, but now he couldn’t be so sure.
“That’s the rumor going about,” Hugh confirmed. “My brother and his strange mate insist the data from their mating experiment is conclusive, but I really can’t be sure, since Father chose Reynard as the Amethyst candidate instead of me.” His face crumpled a little, then he stiffened his upper lip and went on. “But who’s to say I can’t have my own experiment? Yes, all of the Disgraces currently in the Pedigree are either already mated or being courted by dragons far more impressive than I, but… there’s still hope. There are Disgraces out there no longer tied to the Pedigree, and I’m sure they’ve been as overlooked as me. My sanctioned period in which I can produce a clutch is coming to a close, though, so I’ve no time to lose. It’s of the utmost importance that you find me as many of these aged-out Disgraces as you can. One of them will surely be tolerable.”
Finch had no idea where to start, so he began at the end. “Why do you need to tolerate them, sir? Do you mean for breeding purposes?”
The whites shone all the way around Hugh’s eyes. He looked both panicked and excited. “No. That’s not it. According to what I’ve heard, there’s a very real possibility I’ll end up mated to her. Or him, I suppose. One can’t afford to be choosy when it comes to what bits they’ve got between their legs. Not given the circumstances. But it is absolutely imperative I can stand being in the same room as them for any amount of time if we’re to spend an eternity together.”
“Indeed, sir,” was all Finch could think to say.
“So you’ll do it? You’ll make a list of aged-out Disgraces that are still of child-bearing years? I’ve no idea how many of them exist. If the list is too long, just give me the females, but please, be as thorough as you can. My future happiness depends on it.”
“A-All right, sir. I’ll get to work immediately.”
“Good man,” Hugh said, beaming. The smoke had stopped tumbling from his nostrils. “I knew I could count on you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Finch gave Hugh a short bow, then left the room. As he walked down the hallway to his personal office, Finch made peace with the thought that, despite Hugh’s wishes, the list would never be absolutely complete. One name would never appear on it, no matter how thorough he strove to be.
1
Hugh
Hugh squinted at the file folder on his desk. “Is this everyone?”
“No, sir.” Finch cleared his throat, sounding uncomfortable. “Due to non-compliance, I was unable to obtain information from the Diamond, Onyx, Gold, and Topaz clans. In addition, my research on Amethyst Disgraces was complicated due to the secretive nature of this… experiment of yours. Were I to directly inquire, word would have eventually made it back to Mr. Grimbold Drake, which you’ve explicitly stated is not to happen under any circumstance. Nevertheless, I persisted, and I’ve discreetly sourced a few Amethyst candidates.”
“Excellent work.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Will you explain how you’ve arranged this information?”
Finch reached around Hugh from behind to lay a hand on top of the folder. Like always, his nails were neatly manicured, each one filed into an identical crescent, and his suit jacket sleeve showed exactly half an inch of cuff. Notes of his cologne were subtly present in the air—a vetiver something-or-other, if Hugh recalled correctly. Whatever it was, it was proper, subtle, and masculine, much like Finch himself. “Of course,” Finch said softly a short distance from the back of Hugh’s ear while opening the folder. “It would be my pleasure.
“The list is sorted by clan and alphabetized by surname, starting with Amethyst, then Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, and finally Opal. I’ve inscribed information about each Disgrace therein with individualized facts sheets. I’ve included as many details as I could find and a picture of the Disgrace when one was available.”
Finch lifted the first sheet and held it so it was within Hugh’s line of sight.
“Take, for example, Lianne Abbott, an Amethyst Disgrace currently residing in Hertfordshire.”
In the top right corner of the page was a picture of a gorgeous woman who looked to be in her mid-to-late thirties. Her dark hair fell in loose waves down her shoulders, and her piercing blue eyes appeared kind, although they seemed to Hugh to be rather uninspired.
“In the top left corner of each profile, you’ll discover the Disgrace’s name, age, height, weight, and last reported temperament. As you can see, Ms. Abbott was described by her cloister as a kind, sweet, and obedient young woman who excelled in her studies. The main body of the report is comprised of a more thorough analysis of each Disgrace and any pertinent details that came up during my research.”
“My god, Finch. You’ve gone all out.”
“I did what was necessary so you could make an informed decision, sir.” Finch placed the profile on top of the stack and closed the folder. “I’ll always do whatever it takes to best serve you.”
“You’re a good man.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Now, how many Disgraces were you able to find?”
There was a moment of prolonged silence, during which Finch stepped away from the desk. At last, he said, “Sixty-three, sir.”