by Reus, Katie
Dallas nodded, smiling back at the woman with dark brown skin and tight-braided hair. “I am, nice to meet you.”
The woman’s smile remained in place. “King told us you guys were on the way. It was honestly hard to believe that someone has a pet dragon. She’s so cute,” Cat added, her gaze straying back to Willow. “Is she hungry? What does she like to eat?”
“Grass mainly. And she’ll chew on bamboo, but she loves berries and bananas more than anything.”
“Seriously?”
She nodded. So far Willow hadn’t eaten any sort of meat, which had surprised Dallas because she’d thought Willow would try to eat her goats. Instead, she’d tried to mother them.
A female who she recognized as Delphine strode across the yard, her steps sure. “Dallas, good to see you. King is ready when you are. Cat, get out of here. You’re supposed to be working the other perimeter.”
Cat whined a little before waving at Willow, as if to say goodbye.
In that moment Dallas realized that she would have to go inside and leave Willow behind. Outside, with a bunch of wolves nearby. Oh, no.
She shifted from foot to foot, not sure what to do. King was Alpha; she couldn’t very well demand that he meet her outside. Sure, the guy was nice enough, but she understood how hierarchies worked.
“Do you think that King would mind coming out here?” Rhys asked Delphine.
Hell, maybe he really was a mind reader. Surprised and grateful, Dallas looked over at him.
Delphine glanced between the two of them. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want to leave Willow alone,” Dallas said. At that moment Willow covered her face with her wings and crouched down, as if trying to hide from everyone.
The female’s hard expression softened, basically turning to mush. “All right, just give me a second.” Turning away from them, she spoke quietly into her cell phone for a few moments before she tucked it away. “Come on. Let’s head to the pool area. It’s being cleared out so you can talk to King.”
She was surprised that Rhys was walking with her and she was also curious what his whole role in King’s pack was, because he’d made it clear that he wasn’t part of the actual pack. No, he was part of a dragon clan. One that seemed to matter to him, if the way he’d spoken about honor was any indication. But he was silent as he strode alongside her, a steady presence that smelled like the earth and made her a little light-headed.
Willow raced after him on all fours instead of flying, taking in everything with wide blue eyes, her wings dragging behind her. Though she didn’t stray more than a foot from Dallas’s side as they headed across the lawn and around the mansion. As they rounded the back of the house, an Olympic-size pool with lights strung up over it came into view.
Everything was all stone and brick and had clearly cost a fortune. There was a built-in bar area separate from the house, complete with an economy-sized refrigerator and a bar that would put some clubs to shame. Nearby was an oversized fire pit, and a bunch of seating surrounded the pool—lounge chairs, bar-top tables and chairs, two hammocks, and tanning chairs in the actual pool. And a volleyball net was strung tight across it. The thing must be heated—probably with the huge solar panels set up on top of the roof and in the yard—because there were balls and toys gently floating across the lit-up blue water, indicating someone had been in it recently.
Delphine simply nodded at Dallas once and left her and Rhys on the patio as King strode outside with a dark-haired female.
She blinked once when she realized that this female was definitely not a wolf. She was a phoenix, a rare creature Dallas hadn’t even realized existed anymore. She’d thought they had all died out thousands of years ago. But a news broadcast a while ago had shown the world that nope, phoenixes were real.
“Thank you for meeting me here,” King said, flicking a curious glance at Willow, who was tentatively dipping her nose into the pool, making a snuffling sound, probably unsure of the scent of the chlorine.
“Pretty sure I didn’t have a choice,” she murmured as he motioned for them to sit around a glass-topped table.
To her surprise, King’s mouth kicked up as he sat across from them. He was young for an Alpha, maybe a hundred or two hundred years old. Though to look at him, he appeared to be in his twenties, maybe early thirties. With brown skin, ice-blue eyes, a fit body and a fair, if deadly reputation, she could feel the subtle waves of power rolling off him.
“I’m Aurora,” the phoenix said, holding out a delicate hand splattered with flecks of paint and a big sunny smile on her face. Her eyes appeared almost brown, but under the hanging lights they glinted a dark violet.
Immediately she put Dallas at ease. “I’m Dallas. I saw that video feed of you a couple weeks ago with your sister.” One of the only silver linings of those dragons who’d tried to destroy the world—they’d made it a point not to take out satellites or cell phone towers. So communication around the world was fairly decent. “It was pretty incredible. I mean…you were incredible.” The female had battled midair over downtown New Orleans, bright blue wings of fire keeping her afloat as she shot bolts of fire at her enemies. Destroying them with a savage ease that was frankly a bit terrifying, if amazing.
Under the Edison-style lights, the female’s cheeks flushed pink as she brushed off the compliment with a wave of her hand.
“I asked you here because I wanted to talk about setting up gardens and greenhouses throughout the city,” King said, pulling the focus back to the purpose of this meeting.
“Of course. I have no problem with that.” Dallas would do everything she could to help people get back on their feet, to get everything running smoothly. Being able to grow their own food was a major step toward security. And because she was a witch, she’d created a sort of bubble around her farm and neighboring ones, allowing them to grow crops now, months earlier than they should have been able to under normal circumstances. She resisted the weird urge to look over at Rhys, who was a silent presence next to her. “What about the current ones in the city?” Because there were a few around New Orleans proper. Not like hers. They were all very small, regenerative farms in the city limits working together within their own communities. “I know Golden Root Farms is okay but I wondered if any others were destroyed.”
“Three were destroyed, but the majority are doing well. All human run and all thriving within each small neighborhood or community.” He paused slightly.
“But?”
King half-smiled and the tension that had been in his shoulders eased slightly. “I need you to take over planning new small food plots and farms around the city. I’d also like to work on planting mini-forests around the city as well, but the food plots take priority. What the humans are doing is great, but I need a witch right now. I need someone with your skills to handle new regenerative farms because I need them up and running much quicker than humans or shifters can handle. I don’t want to have a food shortage problem. So far we’re on track to be okay given our current population, but I want to be overprepared. We have a lot to talk about, but Aurora is going to basically be your liaison from this point forward. She’s been working with various communities around the city over the last few weeks and everyone likes dealing with her a hell of a lot better than me.”
Next to him, Aurora snickered slightly but didn’t deny it, and smiled at Dallas again. “I just have better people skills than the Big Bad Wolf here. And according to everyone I’ve spoken to, you grow some of the best crops. Though I completely admit I now want to know everything about that cute girl of yours.”
Dallas glanced over her shoulder to where Willow was now making a giant mess and tossing water everywhere as she attempted to get into the pool. Her wings flapped wildly and she kept sneezing out water as she tried to gain her balance on the steps. And…she popped one of the beach balls when she hit it too hard.
Wincing, Dallas looked at King. “I’m sorry about that.”
“My own pack sets things on fire at an ala
rming rate. Trust me, this is nothing. Though we do need to talk about how you came to own an actual dragon?”
“I found her two months ago. Simple as that. She was sleeping under some Virginia Willow bushes, which is why I named her Willow. I had no idea what to do with her and she decided to come home with me. She’s been living with me since The Fall. She’s sweet and kind and gentle with my goats. She treats them like her children even though she’s a baby herself. I don’t know if there’s any truth to the nature versus nurture thing, but she’s shown absolutely no aptitude for violence. She doesn’t even eat meat so I don’t know if she’s a carnivore. Not yet anyway, but that could change. I’ve still got a lot to learn about her, but what I know without a doubt is that she’s sweet and loyal.”
The words all came out in a rush, along with the fear she’d been bottling up inside. It didn’t matter what Rhys had said. King was Alpha and he made the rules. If he decided that Willow was a threat… She fought back a shudder, not wanting to go there. On instinct she flicked a glance at Rhys, who simply gave her a subtle nod. Maybe as a way to reassure her that he still had Willow’s back?
King looked over at Willow again, his mouth twitching ever so slightly before focusing back on Dallas. “No sign of her parents? Or a parent?”
“I found an egg that most definitely was hers. I…saved the shell in case we ever needed it for something.”
King looked at Rhys then. “What do you know about dragons?”
He shrugged. “She’s correct, real dragons hatch from an egg. Unlike most dragon shifters, which are born. Though some of the very, very old dragon shifters were hatched as well.”
“Hmm.”
“Maybe some of the dragons that destroyed the city laid an egg—or eggs—before they were unleashed on everyone,” Aurora said quietly.
That tension inside Dallas tightened until King simply let out a sigh.
“Okay. She’s fine for now,” he said. “But if you discover more about her, I’ll need to know. I’m going to need you to stay in the city for a couple weeks at least while we figure out the schematics for setting up gardens. It’s my understanding that your neighbors have no problem taking care of your land, right?”
She nodded once.
“Good. Then I’ve got a couple options for where you can stay while you’re here.”
Rhys cleared his throat next to her. “I suggested to Darius that she stay at our compound,” he said, looking at Aurora as he spoke.
Our? Was the big male next to her mated to Aurora? And why did that bother Dallas? She had no claim on him. He was sexy as hell—of course he wasn’t lacking for any sort of company.
“That’s a great idea,” Aurora said, her smile growing. “We have so much room there and the girls—and Axel—will be so excited with the addition of Willow,” she said laughingly.
“Aurora’s sister is mated to my brother,” Rhys said to Dallas. “They’re allowing me to live with them while I’m in the city.”
So that just added even more questions to Dallas’s growing list about this male. At least he didn’t seem to be mated to or taken with Aurora. Which…Dallas wasn’t even sure why she cared. She was being ridiculous, in fact. It wasn’t like she wanted a relationship or sex or anything with anyone. She was alone and she liked it that way.
“That will make my life a lot easier,” King added. “I know you guys will be safe there. And it’s even better because Rhys here is going to be your guard over the next couple weeks.”
“Guard?” Rhys demanded, straightening suddenly.
“She’s a witch,” King said bluntly. “I don’t want her getting hassled by anyone, so yes, you are going to keep an eye on her as she visits all the plots I’ve got lined up for her. I need to know she’s with someone trustworthy, and Lachlan assured me you’re the male for this job. Is he wrong?”
A beat of silence stretched between them, making Dallas shift uncomfortably in her seat. She was under the impression that she was missing something. It was clear that Rhys didn’t want to guard her. And that was…oddly disappointing.
“Of course not,” Rhys finally said through a tight jaw.
A weird, heavy sensation settled in her belly. So what if he didn’t want to babysit her? If she was in his shoes, she probably wouldn’t want to either.
Still…it bothered her that she was so fascinated by him and he couldn’t seem to get away from her fast enough.
“Good. It’s settled, then.” King turned back to Dallas. “Once you’ve visited all the plots and got a feel for the city, Aurora will take over and work with you in regards to the others.”
She simply nodded, feeling out of her depth and wishing desperately she was back at home on her farm, away from all these strangers.
Chapter 5
“Aurora isn’t coming with us?” Dallas asked as they headed down the street, her sweet lavender and spring scent teasing him.
Rhys had opted to walk back to the mansion in human form and Willow was flying above them, making pleased little sounds every time she ducked underneath a tree branch. He’d only ever battled full-grown dragons millennia ago. He’d never seen a dragonling before, had never imagined they could be so innocent and peaceful.
He noticed that Dallas looked up every now and then at her dragon, making sure that Willow was okay. And yeah, he liked that she was so concerned about her pet. She was nothing like he assumed she would be. He was…annoyed that he liked her so much.
“She’ll be back later. She helps King out with a lot of stuff.” Rhys wasn’t exactly sure of the relationship between Aurora and King, but he knew it was a recent one. Not sexual or anything, though he was pretty sure they also wanted it to be that. But according to his brother, Aurora had recently taken over liaising with vampire covens, witch covens and shifter packs or prides who lived in the territory. There were no dragon clans in the territory, just a few random dragons who had given their loyalty to King.
“I’m surprised he doesn’t have a wolf doing that. I thought wolf packs were fairly insular about things,” Dallas said with no judgment in her voice, just curiosity.
“They can be. But I think King is trying to take a different approach to running New Orleans.” Rhys also figured that since Aurora was new to the city and had no preconceived opinions about anyone here, it might make it easier for people to talk to her. Plus she was unique, which made her a curiosity to supernaturals. And long-lived supernaturals tended to be drawn to all things rare.
He wasn’t sure of the politics on her new position and they didn’t really concern him. He only had one goal, which unfortunately now was going to be detoured yet again. But he’d agreed to live and work in King’s city on the understanding that he would help out when needed. Which was why he’d gone with King’s wolves today to talk to a bunch of random farmers about their crops.
And met Dallas.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck babysitting me,” Dallas said as she shoved her hands into the pockets of faded jeans that molded to her curves. She’d changed from her dress earlier into jeans and a zip-up hoodie that made her appear young. Even though she had some height on her, she looked small and nervous as they headed down the street. Her long braid hung down her back, and under the streetlights the glints of red and gold peeked through. Not for the first time he wondered if her hair was as soft as it looked.
He didn’t like the sharp, nervous scent that rolled off her. “It’s fine.”
She snorted softly. “Trust me, I don’t want a babysitter, so if you want to say you came with me, that’s fine. But you don’t really have to.”
He made a scoffing sound. “King gave me an order, and while he’s not technically my Alpha, I am living in his territory.” Which meant he would respect the Alpha’s rules.
“Maybe they can get someone else to come with me.”
“Seriously, it’s fine. Unless…you don’t want me going with you?” For some reason that thought bothered him a whole lot more than it should. He had one goal. One
focus. And she was trying to let him off the hook. He should take it and run. But…he found that he wanted to be around her and her pet dragon, which made no sense. His annoyance at himself rose up again. He’d never thought with his dick and he didn’t plan to start now. Except…
“Your reaction to King’s order was pretty clear. I get it, I’m a witch,” she muttered, and there was a note of sadness in her voice.
He didn’t like that at all either. His dragon snarled at him, swiping angrily and telling him to fix this. Rhys resisted the urge to reach out and comfort her. He didn’t have that right. And he shouldn’t want it. Witches had been his sworn enemy for thousands of years. “It’s not that, I swear. I just…I’m working on something right now. And I want to give it all my attention.” That was vague enough without giving any pertinent details.
She didn’t respond, simply followed him when they made a left at the next street. “How long have you been in New Orleans?” she asked as they continued walking.
Even though it was late, there were a few people out jogging, and others who were clearly headed to a local bar or watering hole. Even with The Fall, some things hadn’t changed.
Willow got a few surprised looks but mostly people went about their business and simply gave the swooping and chirping dragon plenty of space. “A few weeks.”
She shot him a surprised look. “Oh, I guess I assumed you’d lived here a while.”
“Nope. I’m just here until I take care of my business.”
“Then you’re heading home?”
He didn’t have a home anymore. At least it didn’t feel like it. “Hopefully.” That was vague enough as well. And somewhere deep inside him, he acknowledged that he wasn’t going to come out of this alive. A witch powerful enough to bring down a dragon—and who now had dragon blood in her—was a foe he wouldn’t underestimate. He would eventually kill her, but that didn’t mean he would come out of the battle alive. And if he had to die too, then so be it. It was why he never let himself imagine going home. Never allowed himself to imagine a life, a family. Those things weren’t for him.