Dragon Protectors: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  “Is it one of us?” another one said.

  “Is this a hoax?”

  “Oh, my gods… it’s him!”

  A hush ensued as Cassia made her way to the front, her breath in her throat. Wilder stood, bright-eyed, with a slight smirk on his face. He turned to his side, where a vampire was standing beside him.

  “You made me shower to exit through a dumpster?” Wilder demanded.

  A loud whoop filled the air.

  “Mr. Parker!” the crowd cheered, but Cassia fought against them to get to him first.

  “Wilder!”

  His gaze fell on her immediately, and in seconds, he had jumped down to sweep her into his arms.

  “Oh, my god!” Cassia blubbered. “It’s you! It’s you! It’s really you!”

  “Of course it’s me,” Wilder murmured in her ear, his breath soft against her skin. “I wouldn’t leave you and our child.”

  The sobs shook Cassia violently, and she and Wilder were almost crushed by the surge encircling them. The mood of the once-sinister mob had changed instantly. There was no threat among them, only gratitude and well-wishes.

  “We need to get out of here,” Wilder told her. “Fritz!” He gestured for the vampire to follow him, and the three tumbled back to the limo, where Owen and Lennox met them, wide grins on their faces.

  “You better get in the car,” Owen told them. “The mob’s following you.”

  “Savior! The savior!” came the chants. Their cries sent weird chills through Cassia.

  “Get my baby away from those nutjobs,” she muttered, and Wilder pulled her close to his side.

  “No one is getting near our child,” he promised. “Savior or not.”

  “What the—? No, you know what? I’m done asking the same question. Someone needs to explain what happened,” Cassia told the men in the car with her. “And I need to know how you saved the Hollows.”

  “I think your fanbase thinks you saved the Hollows, Cassia,” Owen remarked, and his brothers nodded.

  “Who would have thought her crazy vigil would work out so well from a PR standpoint?” Lennox grunted. “Or did she know about this?”

  “Know about what?” Cassia demanded.

  “Okay, calm down.” Wilder laughed, kissing her atop the forehead. “Our savior baby didn’t save the Hollows—Fritzy here did.”

  “How?” everyone cried in unison.

  “It doesn’t much matter,” Fritz, the vampire, answered. “The point is, the Hollows should be fully restored to their natural size in a matter of weeks.”

  “Weeks? It took months to shrink,” Owen commented.

  “Trust the man,” Wilder growled. “Don’t question the science.”

  All eyes on him were shocked.

  “You aren’t questioning him?” Lennox demanded. “You question everything!”

  “I’ve turned over a new leaf,” Wilder replied, smiling down at Cassia as the limo drove into the morning sunlight. “Staring death in the face gives you a lot of perspective.”

  “Oh, shit. He’s oxygen deprived,” Lennox mumbled.

  “Shut up, Lennox,” Cassia growled, and Wilder cackled, kissing her again on the forehead.

  “There are so many reasons why I love you, Cass.” He smiled at her and placed a palm on the round ball of her belly. Instantly, the baby reacted, and Wilder laughed, genuine pleasure in his face. “He’s active.”

  “Of course he is, he’s the—”

  “If you say it, Lennox, I’m going to kick you square in the nuts,” Cassia promised. “I know dragons have a high threshold for pain, but does that go for everywhere?”

  Lennox scowled, but the others snickered again. “Welcome to the family. You’ll blend right in with your snarky attitude,” he muttered, turning to look out the window.

  “Thank you,” Cassia said sweetly. She turned her attention back to Wilder, her face growing serious. “Val tried to kill me.”

  “What?” Wilder was not the only one stunned by the revelation.

  “Who is Val?” Owen wanted to know. “We’ll have her dealt with at once!”

  “I already kind of dealt with her,” Cassia assured them. “It doesn’t matter, but I’m telling you this because I don’t think she’s alone. I think there’s a network who don’t want me to have this baby, Wilder.”

  “Let me tell you something, my love,” Wilder said gently, placing her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “As long as we’re in existence, there will always be someone who wants us gone. It’s my job to protect you and our baby, and that’s what I’ll do, but you have to trust me, not run away without a word.”

  Cassia nodded, hanging her head. “I’m sorry,” she breathed, emotion cracking her voice. “When I thought you were gone, I—”

  “But I’m not gone, Cass. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. It’s us now, okay? Look at me.”

  She raised her head, meeting his cobalt eyes hopefully. “I’m so sorry.”

  “There’s no need to apologize.”

  “Yeah,” Lennox piped. “You never apologized to us for playing bodyguard for four straight days.”

  “And she doesn’t need to, you giant ass,” Owen retorted before Cassia could answer. “Don’t mind him,” he said to her. “He’s a prick.”

  “Playing bodyguard?” Wilder asked, his brow furrowing, and Cassia’s face flushed with humiliation.

  “I didn’t want to leave the portal,” she mumbled. “And your brothers waited with me.”

  Wilder eyed his brothers gratefully. “I guess I owe you one for that.”

  “You owe us a few from over the years,” Lennox chirped.

  “Lennox, shut up!” the entire car yelled at him.

  “Brothers,” Wilder muttered, rolling his eyes. “Be glad you’re an only child.”

  “Speaking of which…” Wilder looked at her. “What did my mother say to you when you went to see her?”

  “Oh.” Wilder looked away uncomfortably, and Cassia could see he was debating whether to be honest or not.

  “Need I remind you that we have a full disclosure clause among us?”

  “She told me you had run off with the baby because you were afraid.”

  “And?” Cassia asked, sensing that there was much more.

  “And that your father is a dragon.”

  “What?” Cassia gasped. “Who? What?” Her face turned pale. “Do you mean that—”

  “No!” Wilder interrupted. “No, we’re not related.”

  “Well, you kind of are,” Lennox taunted.

  “Owen, will you kindly punch him in the mouth for me?” Cassia asked. “I can’t reach him from here.”

  “Gladly.” Owen pounced on his brother, and the two wrestled about.

  “Are you serious? I’m a dragon?” Cassia demanded, turning back to Wilder.

  “You’re half dragon,” he said. “Your father’s name is Reese Castillo.”

  Lacy’s voice chimed through Cassia’s mind.

  “It’s a long story, Cassia,” Wilder added, “and honestly, I’d rather just spend some time, forgetting about this entire ordeal and relishing the fact that we’re back in each other’s arms again.”

  “I agree,” she told him quickly, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “God, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “I need to tell you something,” Wilder said, leaning forward quietly.

  “Anything.” Cassia met his eyes with her own wide, hopeful ones.

  “I never stopped thinking about you the entire time I was down there, and truthfully, if I could never see you again, I would have happily died there among the trolls.”

  “It’s a good thing you never have to worry about that, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” he sighed, resting his head on hers. “It is.”

  Epilogue

  “This feels really weird.”

  “It looks amazing!” Wilder insisted, stepping back. “Look at that sign!” The couple examined the newly risen sign inside the commercial sector
of the palace. “Why is this so weird for you? I thought you were over the ‘being creeped out by the Hollows’ thing.”

  “I’m not creeped out by the Hollows,” Cassia insisted. “I’m a little weirded out about running a real estate company down here, though.”

  “Like the trolls and chimeras, you’ll get used to this, too,” Wilder assured her.

  “I’m not used to either of them. I still jump when one of them comes out of the shadows, and I always feel like such a bitch.”

  “To be fair,” Wilder told her. “You can be a bitch.”

  “Thanks, honey.” Her head jerked up at the sound of a distant mumble. “Is that the baby?”

  “I’ll go,” Wilder volunteered.

  “Her bottle is in the fridge.”

  He hurried away toward the back of the store, where their six-month-old daughter had just woken from her nap.

  “Oh, hello, Twila,” Wilder cooed. “How is my sweet baby dragon?”

  Twila screamed louder, her pink face indignant.

  “Do you think, if she really was the savior, she’d scream like that?” Cassia asked dryly, and Wilder scowled.

  “I thought we were done with all that talk.”

  “Oh, what? Because she’s a girl, she can’t be the savior?” Cassia taunted him. Wilder snorted.

  “At least it confused the religious zealots long enough to keep them away,” he agreed. “Although I don’t think they’ve forgotten the miracle of the Hollows’ resurrection.”

  “My head still swims from all of that,” Cassia told him. “I really am glad it’s over.”

  Twila shrieked until Wilder put the bottle in her mouth, and instantly, the hungry baby settled, curling into her father’s arms.

  “She looks like you,” Wilder said, studying Twila’s face with love. “I knew she would.”

  “She screams like you,” Cassia laughed.

  “Wilder?” Wally’s voice called out from the entrance.

  “We’re in the back!” Wilder replied. A few moments later, Wally appeared, his face covered in sweat.

  “Oh! You’re busy,” Wally said, turning away

  “No, he’s not,” Cassia told the troll. “Here, give me the baby, hon.”

  Wilder placed Twila in his wife’s arms and smiled at Wally. “You guys ready for me now?”

  “I really didn’t mean to interrupt,” Wally said, a guilty look on his face. “I can come back later if—”

  “Wally, we said noon. It’s noon. If we had to move around an infant’s schedule, nothing would ever get done, I assure you.”

  “Have a good day, guys,” Cassia called after Wilder placed a sweet kiss on her lips. “And be careful!”

  “Always!” they chorused.

  Cassia smiled down at her daughter, bouncing the baby lightly in her arms.

  “Cassia?” That was Keppler, also calling out to her from the entrance.

  “In here!” she yelled, half smiling. It was non-stop, the steady stream of people coming and going from her life. Life was never this busy on the Sunside, she thought, but she didn’t miss it at all. She had sold her house in New Jersey and moved into the palace with Wilder. He insisted that Cassia’s mother move to the Hollows, and reluctantly, Cassia agreed. To her great surprise, they were slowly rebuilding their mother-daughter relationship

  Wilder had also convinced Cassia to start her own real estate company in the Hollows.

  “Uh… all the buildings have been demolished by the walls,” she reminded him. “That makes it really hard to sell properties, since they’re mostly non-existent.”

  “We’ll rebuild, Cassia. I’ve already agreed to help the Trenches get started. Between you and me, I think the Big Shift really was a merciful act of God. The Trenches were deplorable. I’m surprised more kids didn’t get sick. The Hollows are a blank slate now, ready to be remolded and brought to a higher standard.”

  “Wait, what?” she asked in disbelief. “You’re helping the poor rebuild?”

  “What can I say? I got close to the trolls in those months we spent together, and it made me realize just how much I take for granted. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

  Cassia had been impressed. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  “I keep reminding you,” he joked.

  “Cassia?” Keppler appeared in the back room. “Oh, is she sleeping?”

  “Just woke up,” Cassia replied. “How are you, Keppler? I haven’t seen you around much.”

  “Oh, I keep myself out of the Hollows for the most part.”

  “That’s a shame,” Cassia told him sincerely. She genuinely liked this brother of her new groom.

  “But I will make it a point to visit more often,” Keppler promised, smiling.

  “I hope you do. What brings you by now?”

  “Actually, I was looking for Wilder. Is he around?”

  “He’s helping the trolls rebuild,” she answered. “Anything I can help with?”

  Keppler frowned slightly and shook his head. “I don’t think so… It’s just a business proposition I have for him.”

  “Oh,” Cassia laughed. “Then I can definitely help you with that. The answer is no.” Keppler’s mouth tucked into a frown.

  “You don’t even know what it is,” he replied curtly. “It’s actually right up his alley.”

  “It doesn’t matter what it is, Keppler,” Cassia said gently, realizing that he had taken it as a brush off. “Wilder is retiring.”

  Keppler’s mouth gaped open in shock, and he began to laugh in disbelief. “Wilder Parker? My uptight, type-A meddling, pain-in-the-ass brother?”

  “The very same,” Cassia agreed, laughing. “He’s selling off all his businesses. Of course, you and your brothers have first dibs on anything you want.”

  “Wow… I don’t even know what to say to that, Cassia.”

  “Think about it—you know his portfolio better than I do, but he’s got some good gems there.”

  “Yeah, I guess he does.” Keppler turned, but then he whirled back again, his face pinched in a curious expression. “You know, I didn’t know what to make of you, Cassia. But I gotta say, I’m really happy that Wilder found you.”

  “I can see that no one in this family is very good at giving compliments,” Cassia remarked, making Keppler blush.

  “Will you join us for dinner one day this week? I think you should meet your cousin. Something tells me you’ll enjoy one another’s company a lot.”

  Cassia’s face brightened. “I would love that!” she replied enthusiastically, and she realized that she meant it.

  “Great! I’ll set it up,” Keppler said, “and warn Bryn.”

  Cassia laughed. She looked down at the baby in her arms, still feeding. “Say, ‘bye-bye, Uncle Kep!’”

  “Bye, sweet Twila. We’ll see you soon, okay?” Twila didn’t even look at him as she continued to guzzle her bottle, but Keppler still waved before disappearing into the empty storefront.

  “Did you hear that, little one? We got invited to a family dinner where I get to meet my real cousin!” Cassia cried, her voice soft.

  Twila kicked her socks-covered feet to show she had heard her mother.

  “Can you imagine, Twila?” Cassia asked. “Your mama has a family… A weird, unnatural, loving family. Who would have ever guessed it?”

  Twila spat out her bottle and began to giggle hysterically, causing Cassia to do the same.

  “Yeah,” she laughed. “Me neither, baby. Me neither.

  Hollow Earth Dragons Series Epilogue

  “I barely recognize this place,” Gia sighed, an almost wistful sound of melancholy touching her tone. “It looks so different now.” Lennox stared at her in surprise.

  “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing,” he replied, reaching for the fairy’s small fingers and squeezing them gently. “Look at the progress they’ve made since the Big Shift.”

  Gia glanced at him through her peripheral vision and nodded. “I agree,” she said q
uickly. “It looks great! It’s just…”

  Her husband cocked his head to the side, his green eyes curious. “Don’t tell me you miss the old Trenches!”

  Gia laughed. “So what if I do? There was so much history there.”

  “And desperation, and poverty, and—”

  “I know, I know!” she laughed, holding up her hand. “But it was my home for so long…” Lennox smiled warmly at her.

  “I understand,” he told her gently, and he wasn’t just saying it for her sake. While he was sure his wife didn’t long for the cracked streets which had once been the poorest part of the Hollows, there had to be some fond memories for her, despite the hardships she’d endured before moving into the palace with him.

  “We should get back home,” Gia said suddenly, glancing at her watch. “We only have a few hours.”

  “Spoken like a true woman,” Lennox teased her, snickering. “What do you need a few hours for? You’re already gorgeous. If you went in a tracksuit, no one would care.”

  “This is a big day, Lennox,” Gia said with uncharacteristic sternness. “I want to look perfect, and I’m sure all the other ladies will feel the same.”

  Lennox wasn’t so sure, but he kept his opinion to himself. Gia was right—it was going to be a landmark occasion, one that would affect the entire world. Whether it was a good outcome or a bad one was yet to be seen.

  He pushed aside his apprehension and smiled at Gia.

  “Fine,” he relented. “Let’s get back home and get ready. What time are we meeting? Six?”

  “That’s what Wilder said.”

  “You spoke to Wilder?”

  “Well, I spoke to Cassia,” Gia answered with a laugh, “which is the same as speaking to Wilder these days, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it certainly is.” Lennox wracked his brain to remember the last time he had spoken with his once intrusive brother. Two years ago, it seemed like I couldn’t get rid of him. Now he’s never around.

  The couple turned away from the construction occurring around them. Just like Gia had said, the Trenches looked nothing like they had before. Gone were the crumbling structures, which had been demolished during the Big Shift. In their places were stacks of efficient tiny homes, built into an economical community to decrease the homelessness and crime that the Trenches had previously sanctioned. There was still much work to be done, but under Wilder’s guidance, the crews had been moving tirelessly to restore some order, and as far as Lennox could tell, it was going well.