by Roxie Ray
Show him the error of his ways.
Artemis’s idea was great, but I was the grandson of the sheriff. I was a deputized public servant of Black Claw. And I was one of the dragons that protected the town—even the less pleasant residents. “I suggest you rethink your choice of words,” I said, struggling to keep my voice out of a growl. “This is a bad path for you to go down.”
My chest burned as Artemis influenced me. The urge to shift was stronger than it had been the first few weeks after my transition. I wanted to wrap my arms around Bethany and tell her I’d never let anyone treat her like this again.
Instead, I sucked in a deep breath and watched the stupid man cower. Even though I hadn’t said another word and hadn’t been threatening, his instincts were to run screaming. He was pretty brave. He hadn’t taken off yet. At least he had one personality trait in his favor.
“Fine.” The sallow man looked about to stomp his foot. His nostrils flared and he looked back and forth between Bethany and me. “Can I ask, please, that you allow me to go get my stuff out?”
Bethany shook her head, but her face softened a little. “I promise, they will treat your items with the utmost respect.” She pulled out her phone and pressed a few buttons. “Is your number still this?” She showed him her phone.
He nodded with murder in his eyes. “Yes,” he said tightly.
“You have my word. The movers will pack and move your items with care. I’ll text you as soon as I know the day and time they’ll be available, but you can’t go back on the property without a police escort.”
“Officer,” Andrew said with his neck stretched and his nose in the air. “Will you be able to escort me into the property if I’m missing any items?”
Hit him with your fist, then tell him no.
“Call the office the day before you’re planning to go. We’ll send someone out.”
He pursed his lips and looked between us again. “Fine.”
He turned and walked away. I expected him to go up the driveway, but he didn’t. He went through the yard beside Bethany’s. “Where’s he going?” I asked.
“Most of my properties are on this street. I took the biggest house, then rented out the rest.” She could’ve been a little grateful that I’d come to make sure the asshole didn’t try to threaten her with violence. She just sounded irritated, though.
“That seems dangerous, having your tenants so close.” I turned and looked up at the house. I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to it before. We stood outside a French door, which was shut. “Your office?” I gestured toward the doors.
She nodded without replying.
“And you live above it?” I looked up at the windows above the French doors. A second level.
She sighed. “Yes. Tiffany and I live in the house upstairs. The basement is my office. Any more questions?”
I ignored her attitude. “Does this happen often?” I gestured toward the neighbor’s yard. Andrew Hamilton was almost out of sight, two back yards away.
“No,” she said. “Right now, I only have a handful of tenants. I screen them very carefully, and so far, they’ve all been amazing. He was too, for about a year. Lately, his payments were later and later, then they stopped coming entirely.”
“Maybe you should think about hiring some security,” I mused. Looking around the house, my mind whirled with possible upgrades she could do to make the home more secure. “You could use some floodlights,” I said absently.
Bethany huffed, and when I looked back at her, she had her arms crossed. Damn it.
“No, wait,” I said. “That’s just a suggestion. It’s none of my business.” I backed away a few steps and held up my arms. “I’m not trying to overstep my bounds or tell you how to live your life.”
She clenched her jaw, bringing my attention to her hair and the curve of her neck. The sunlight bounced off the blonde highlights in her hair. The urge to smell it was strong, but that would’ve been the height of creepy. She might’ve hired security to keep me away. “Okay, then.” I clapped my hands together awkwardly. “I’ll just head out, then. If you need anything, you know how to get a hold of me.” Backing up a few more steps, I laughed nervously. “At the station.”
She arched one eyebrow. I turned on my heel and walked toward the corner of the house, the weight of her gaze burning into me. No way I was turning around. Not only did I feel awkward, but I was also a little miffed. She could’ve been appreciative.
As I walked up the driveway, her response to my appearing to help her and make sure the dick didn’t go nutso on her started to bother me more. I was only doing my job. If that was aggravating to her, I didn’t know what else to do.
I didn’t have anything against her, but she was obviously not a fan of mine. I’d gone about things stupidly, sure, but I tried to apologize, and even when working on the job, she could’ve been civil. Even just not rude would’ve been preferable.
At this point, it was clear that we were not compatible. I didn’t know what the instinct thing was to make her my fated mate, or whatever, but it clearly was messed up. Faulty. There was no possible way we were meant for one another.
I was a lot of things, but intentionally hurtful wasn’t one of them.
Not dealing with it seemed the best solution. I wasn’t even sure I’d be in Black Claw that long. I’d just do my best to avoid talking to her. Maybe California was a good idea, after all.
The neighbor sat on her porch and she stood as I walked back to the cruiser. “It’s all good,” I called. “Thank you for your help.” Interference, more like. Bethany hadn’t wanted my help.
She nodded and walked in her house, so I slid into the cruiser and sucked in a deep breath. Time to head back to the station and turn the phones back on.
I went back and forth about Bethany the whole drive, with input from Artemis. He thought we should lock ourselves in a room with Bethany until we worked out our differences.
He was nuts. That would’ve only ended in one of us angrier.
When I pulled into the station, Dad’s cruiser was already there. I walked in to find him at his desk, typing at his computer. “Hey, Dad,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
He looked up and opened his mouth, then took one look at me and sat back. “I had some paperwork to finish. What’s wrong?”
How did he always know? We hadn’t even known each other for more than a handful of years, but somehow, he always read my face and body language. It had to be some sort of father-son dragon bond thing.
I sighed and sat across from his desk. “Dad?” I whispered.
He raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”
“Are dragons ever wrong about their mates?” I sounded sullen and disappointed, and I knew it. But, fuck, I was sullen and disappointed, so it fit.
Dad looked stunned. “Somehow that isn’t what I expected you to say.” He shook his head and cocked his head. “I don’t know, son. I don’t think they’re usually wrong. What does Artemis say?”
Artemis growled in response. I’m not wrong.
“He doesn’t think he’s wrong, but I do. I just can’t, in any scenario, imagine her and me working together.” I’d been over it a hundred times. The scenarios didn’t add up.
“I’ve never heard of a dragon being wrong before,” he said. “I know all of us have thought our mates incompatible at some point, but in the end, it always works out. I think Harley and Stefan had some incompatibilities like that, didn’t they?”
I nodded. “So did Jury, but it worked out. This is different, though. She doesn’t like me. At all. And she’s not the same sort of person I am. She’s kind of mean.”
Dad laughed, but it sounded sad. “Sometimes people come across in ways they don’t intend, then when you get to know them, you find they’re not at all who you think they are. First impressions can be pretty rough.”
He pressed a few buttons on the computer keyboard and shut the laptop. “Give it some more time. Maybe she’ll surprise you, or you’ll surprise you
rself. And most of all, you have got to learn to trust Artemis. He won’t lead you wrong. It’s been my experience our dragons know far more than they let on to us.”
I loved my dad. He normally had great advice. Finding him again had been the best thing that could’ve happened to me and Mom. But this time, he was far off the mark. Artemis just had some sort of obsession for her scent or something.
Putting some distance between us was the answer. It would help both Artemis and me get over whatever it was that made Bethany seem so attractive. She was a beautiful woman, sure, but there were lots of beautiful women in the world. She wasn’t special.
I’d convince myself of that because Artemis was wrong. Bethany wasn’t our fated mate.
7
Bethany
By the time Thursday rolled around, I’d had enough. Taking the rest of the week off seemed more and more attractive. Potential properties were nonexistent, my paperwork was caught up, and Kara had her maintenance that she didn’t need any help from me to do.
I wasn’t even sure she had any to do anyway. A tap on my office door was all it took for me to close my laptop and sigh. “Come in.”
It was Kara. “I was just thinking about you,” I said. “Do you have anything for me?”
She shook her head and plopped down. “No, after dealing with Andrew Hamilton’s eviction yesterday, I’m taking the weekend off. I’ll deal with any emergency calls if they come in.”
I let my body go limp in the chair and hung my head back. “Andrew Hamilton was a nightmare. Thanks for your help with it. Anything happen I need to know?”
“Sure,” she said. She’d gone over and supervised the movers to make sure nothing had gone wrong. “Andrew showed up with Jury Kingston and they walked through the house. Andrew pointed out places he said were damaged before he moved in, trying to make it so we have to give his damage deposit back.”
I lifted my head and stared at her. “You’re joking. Does he think he’s getting it back? It goes to cover damages, sure, but it’s already gone toward back rent owed.”
She shrugged. “He seems unaware of that fact.”
The urge to scream rose in my throat. “I put it in his lease agreement and eviction notice!”
Kara gave me a rueful smile. “He said something about you calling the police on him?”
That asshole. I’d given him chance after chance to make it right or try to catch up on his rent. He hadn’t given me a penny in months. “No, I didn’t. One of the neighbors did because he was screaming at me.”
Her eyes went wide. “What? Why didn’t you call me?”
I chuckled. Kara was so tough. In her line of work, she had to be. Talk about a male-dominated industry. “Maddox showed up.”
She sat up straight. “No. What happened?”
I explained the encounter. The more I told her, the more she winced. “What did you say?” she asked after I finished explaining how he’d tried to tell me how to be secure, then backpedaled.
“Nothing,” I said. “I stared at him until he went around the corner of the house, then went inside.”
“After the bar, that had to have been awkward, but you may have been a little hard.” She waited for my reply.
“How so? He keeps butting into my business,” I said. “Every time I turn around, there he is.”
Kara wasn’t buying my excuse. “This time wasn’t his fault. Someone called him, right?”
I nodded. My elderly neighbor had. “Yeah.”
“Cut the guy some slack. He obviously has a thing for you.” She shrugged. “He’s so hot, he’s probably not used to a female that doesn’t fall all over him.”
I snorted. “I bet you’re right. He’s hot and popular, but he’s not smooth. I bet he’s never had to be suave a day in his life.”
We both lost ourselves to giggles for a few minutes. “Anyway, Andrew is out of my rental and our lives, thank goodness. And the Maddox thing was weird, but it’s over now.”
She shook her head. “I’m not so sure. I bet he’ll try again.”
“No way.” I laughed and neatened up my desk. “He’s got the picture now.”
“Long weekend?” she asked and eyed my hands as they moved around the desk, cleaning up what little I’d been able to make myself work on.
“Yep. I’m going to find some fun stuff to do with Tiff and get my mind off all this. It’s stress I don’t need.”
She grinned. “That sounds perfect. I’m taking one myself, provided nothing crazy happens.” She blushed and ducked her head. “I’ve got a date.”
My jaw dropped. “Why didn’t you lead with that?” I asked. “Dish!”
She told me about meeting the guy at the hardware store in town. I didn’t recognize his name. “If it goes well, I’ll come over and share a glass of wine to tell you all about it.”
I put my laptop in the drawer and stood, happy for her. Just because I didn’t want to date didn’t mean I wasn’t excited for my friend. Kara was the sweetest and deserved a great guy who would treat her well. “Awesome. Let’s get to it.”
We said goodbye in the driveway and parted ways. She walked to the rental house she lived in, not far from the house Andrew had vacated. She got free rent; I got a super cheap maintenance person. It worked out great for us.
I hopped in my car and drove to my parents’ house after shooting Mom a text to get Tiff ready. I wanted to start our weekend with a day at the park, then maybe we’d drive to the city tomorrow to their indoor pool. The season was definitely warming up, but not enough for outdoor swimming.
My parents’ house was not the normal breath of fresh air. Mom had been on my case so much about dating and stuff that I dreaded what she might have to say when I went in.
“Hey, pumpkin.” She was at the stove, stirring something for lunch. “Hungry? Tiffany is cleaning up an art project with Papaw.”
“Sure, thanks.” She dished out a bowl of her family-famous taco soup. “Oh, man. This smells amazing.” I breathed it in and relaxed a little. She hadn’t started about dating, so that was a good sign.
I relaxed too soon. The moment I had a bite in my mouth, she started in. “So, you’re here early. Are you sure you don’t want to leave Tiff? Maybe make a night of it?”
And here it came. “Mom, please,” I mumbled. “Don’t start.” I swallowed my bite and glared at my mother.
“Well, do you have any dates lined up anytime soon?” She raised her eyebrows and plopped the spoon down on the stove. She was aggravated with me.
But damn it, I was aggravated with her. “Mom! Stop it. If I decide to date, you’ll be the first to know. For now, I’m happy just as I am.”
“Don’t you want to find love? You’re not getting younger, Bethany.” She started with her mom voice. “Tiffany would benefit from a strong father figure, and you’d benefit from having someone to love and cherish you.”
“I don’t need a man!”
“Of course you don’t need a man, darling. But trust me when I say it’s much preferable to have a companion.”
She sighed and put her hands on the island across from me. “Is it girls? Do you prefer women? Because that’s fine, honey, I don’t mind.”
I glared at her.
“Really, if you’re gay, just let me know. Your father and I discussed it and we’re happy if you’re happy.” She looked so earnest and concerned that my irritation evaporated.
I burst out laughing. She was the biggest busybody, but I knew she only did it because she loved me. “Mom, I love you. It’s not girls. I’m not gay. I’m content being alone for now.”
Her face didn’t reflect my humor. “I want more grandchildren, Bethany, and you’re my only child. It’s all on you.”
I grimaced and finished my soup. She continued to rattle around the kitchen and go on about grandbabies and companionship. Ignoring her, I scrolled through one of my social media accounts.
“Are you listening to me?”
Mom’s voice sounded irritated again. I jerke
d my face out of my phone and stared at her guiltily. “Sure, yeah.”
“I said you’re going to end up a crazy old cat lady.”
Enough was enough. “Mother, if I decide to be a spinster, that is my problem. I know you are on my case out of a place of love, but enough is enough. It’s time to stop.”
She stared at me for a few seconds, but I didn’t back down.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll let it go.”
“Thank you.”
“For now.”
I sighed, but it was the best I was going to get from her. She spent the rest of my visit talking about work, Dad, and Tiffany. The reprieve made me relax again. By the time we left, I wasn’t irritated with her any longer and gave her a tight squeeze. “See you Monday.”
She kissed my cheek. “Love you,” she whispered.
After losing Kyle, I was so appreciative to still have both my parents in my life. Things could’ve been a lot worse.
I talked to Tiffany all the way to the park, then had to just about tie her down to get sunscreen on her before letting her go wild. She was only three but loved the slide. Since she navigated it well, I let her play here at this park that seemed more frequented by older children. Most looked eight or so.
We’d been there nearly an hour when a scream jerked my attention away from Tiffany. A little boy had fallen off the swing set. I jumped up, prepared to go help his mom if he was seriously hurt.
When he stood and walked away from the swings hand in hand with his mother, I relaxed and sat back down. Tiffany’s shrill voice sent my heart into a stronger panic. “Mommy, help!”
I ran toward the jungle gym. “Where are you?” I called.
“The monkey bars. Help!”
How had she gotten all the way around there and on the monkey bars in the few seconds I was looking at the swings? I rounded the jungle gym to find her hanging off of one of the first bars. “How did you get up there?”
“I’m slipping!”
I darted forward, running as fast as I could over the sandy bottom of the play area. Like I had tunnel vision, I saw her hands slipping off the bars, one finger at a time. I wouldn’t get to her in time. There shouldn’t have been any possible way she could’ve gotten over here this fast.