Chained: Reckless Desires (Dragon's Heart Book 1) by Jacqueline Sweet

eavesdropping.
    “It’s all muffled shouting, or conspiratorial whispering, I’m afraid.”
    “Apparently, I’m his new aide.”
    “The new Vincent?” Rodney looked surprised. “You have some big shoes to fill. Mister Robledo has been here for decades. He had a thousand different duties and performed them unasked.”
    “I’ll muddle through, I’m sure. Or Winterborn will devour me whole after I spill a drop of ink on the floor. One or the other.” Bella tried out a smile, but there was no warmth to it. She’d kept her fear mostly in check in the presence of Winterborn, but now in a somewhat safer space, it rushed into her. She wanted to cry, to run, to hug Rodney just to feel some human warmth. But she didn’t. She could cry later, when she had her own room.
    Something savage and dangerous lived under Winterborn’s skin.
    Bella hefted the key. “I’m moving into the big house,” she said. “Do you have any room recommendations? Agatha’s isn’t too bad. I could take the neighboring room.” And then I’d be near people, she added silently.
    Rodney shook his head. “You can’t live downstairs. You’re an upstairs girl now. This place may seem lawless right now, but there are proper ways of doing things. If you try and move in next to Agatha she will pick you up in her teeth and carry you back up here. It’s time for you to spread your wings and fly, little bird.” Rodney turned over the suit and worked at it in a blur of activity. His hands passed over the rips in the shoulder—the seams were split—and like magic he stitched them up.
    “I guess I’ll check the eastern wing. Find a room with a view of the grounds and the rising run.” The western edge and northern edge of the house were built straight into the mountain, otherwise she would have enjoyed a sunset view. According to Chloe—or the spirits she talked to—the house had secret passages that went into the bones of the mountain, down to hidden chambers full of mystery or treasure, not that Chloe had ever been able to find them.
    ‘Excellent choice, miss,” Rodney said.
    Things had changed between them. She outranked him on the domestic scale now and he knew it. The man may have had a flirtation or an affair with a maid, but Winterborn’s personal whatever-she-was was off limits.
    Bella held the key up and examined it in the light. What she had taken for bat wings were clearly dragon wings, with the shaft of the key making up the body of the dragon. There was a rough spot at the tip of the grip, where a dragon head used to be, so now it was headless, condemned forever to have its winding tail and ass inserted into keyholes. Served it right.
    “That’s a nice key,” Rodney said, his voice dripping with insinuation. “Though I think I prefer mine.” He reached into his jacket and withdrew a twin of Bella’s key, but his looked almost new. The gold hadn’t flecked off the shaft from overuse and the dragon head was still attached. “Look, if you happen to stumble upon anything valuable and, shall we say, shiny and round in the back rooms, bring it to me. We can split the take and both of us can get out of this life while we’re still young.”
    Bella had opened her mouth to refuse his offer when a bellowing roar split the air. “Rodney!” was the gist of it. In the blink of an eye the young man was up and through the door, doing whatever Dorian needed him for.
    And so Bella took the folder down to the kitchen to read with some coffee and perhaps a taste of whatever Chloe was cooking that day. She’d seen Vincent do it several times, so it must be allowed.
    The smell of something sweet and buttery baking greeted Bella as she entered the kitchen.
    “Strawberry scones and sweet cream,” Chloe said before Bella could even ask. “They said you might need them.”
    “The spirits have been spying on me?” Bella asked, taking a seat at the low table in the kitchen and spreading the folder out to examine the contents. There was a