Outlaw Dragon

by Chloe Peterson

  Eva winced. "Before I came in, I searched through my stuff out on the street. My phone's crushed. Even if it was working, I can't afford a cab."

  "Then we'll fly," Rowan said, excitedly.

  "Aren't you tired after all that shifting?"

  "Nope. After a minute I'm back to normal. Come on. I don't want to stay up late worrying about you. Let me take you home; then I'll leave you."

  Eva clapped her hands giddily. "I've never flown. This is going to be awesome."

  "I'll do my best to ensure a smooth take-off and landing. Customer satisfaction is my number one priority." Rowan mock bowed, and Eva broke out into a fit of giggles.

  "You're so different than I remember. Quieter in some ways, but still as fun. I like you."

  Rowan knew that Eva meant every word in a platonic sense, but she couldn't help the way her heart swelled. Eva Martinelli made Rowan feel like it was time for a boatload of good to find her. And Rowan wanted to stay by Eva's side and create a better future for her quickly developing crush.

  4

  Eva rested her head against Rowan's shoulder, careful not to get too close to her neck. When Rowan had suggested they fly, Eva had been beyond excited, despite how well she fought to hide the fact. She'd always thought that flying would be so freeing, but now that she was, she found it to be something else. Intimate.

  When they stepped outside, Eva had expected Rowan to shift into the epic silver dragon she'd seen before, but Rowan had said that Eva didn't have the experience to ride her and suggested something else. After Eva had finished fanning her cheeks from the double entendre, she had asked Rowan what the alternative was, then proceeded to drop her jaw.

  Rowan had shut her eyes and sprouted her silvery wings to half their length, which wasn't saying much. They were massive.

  Eva couldn't believe that Rowan could half shift. That kind of command over her magic meant that she wasn't just an ordinary shifter. Her bloodline must have been pure.

  So Eva, who was shorter than Rowan, had jumped up a little and wrapped her legs around Rowan's waist. Rowan then rested her hands securely around her lower back, even though Eva wished she would move her hands lower.

  "Everything okay," Rowan asked, quietly.

  "Mmhmm, just enjoying the ride."

  Rowan chuckled. "That's nice to hear. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'd say we're close to your home."

  Eva wanted to bury her head in Rowan's neck and inhale more of the coconut scent that had driven her wild. Instead, she groaned. "If we must."

  Again, Rowan chuckled. "Are we friends?"

  Eva's head snapped up, and she stared into Rowan's eyes. "Of course. Why are you asking?"

  Eva didn't get a chance to hear an answer as they quickly plummeted a few feet. After a few screams, Eva wrapped her arms even tighter around Rowan's neck.

  "Sorry," Rowan said flapping her wings harder to make up lost altitude. "You just, uh, scared me."

  "I promise not to do that again," Eva said before swallowing thickly. She felt her heart jump to her throat and the unique sensation of needing to use the bathroom hit her hard.

  Thank god I've got excellent bladder control, she thought.

  "It's not your fault. I got...distracted. Anyway, since we're friends, I just wanted to say that I'd be happy to take you on more flights. If you're not scared after that little mishap, that is. Maybe I'll even let you ride my dragon."

  Eva wanted to say that she preferred the intimacy of Rowan holding her like she was. Her voice gentle beside her. Her chest rising and falling against Eva's more generous one. Out of all the dates Eva had gone on and imagined going on, this took the cake by a mile.

  But she couldn't say any of that, lest she freak Rowan out. "I'd like that," Eva said instead.

  "Good." Rowan was silent for a minute before she gasped. "Wow. Your mom really has kept the Christmas light on."

  Eva rolled her eyes. "Yeah. That's Mom for you. All about the positivity."

  "I take it she can get to be a bit much."

  "She's a nice person." Eva sighed. "I sometimes feel like she's a bit of a clan fanatic. The reason she's away from the store so much is that she volunteers to do all kinds of clan business."

  "At least she's happy," Rowan said diplomatically.

  "Trust me, she is. She was a lone wolf, and when she mated my father, that was her first sense of community. I think she goes overboard to compensate for that."

  "Makes sense. We're about to land, so hold on."

  Eva tightened her hold on Rowan's shoulder, and this time she allowed her nose to touch her childhood friend’s neck. Heavenly. Rowan smelled heavenly, and Eva wanted her in the worst way.

  Rowan had indicated that she found Eva to be an attractive woman, but Eva hadn't gotten any gay vibes from her, whatever those were. And even if she were a lesbian, why on Earth would a gorgeous, badass dragon shifter like Rowan choose to be with an overweight wolf shifter?

  That's what it always comes down to, Eva thought. Damn Michelle for doing this to me.

  Before she knew it, they were on the front lawn of her family home, and Rowan had retracted her wings, leaving two large holes in the back of her shirt.

  "Do you need a jacket or something?" Eva asked, worried that Rowan would get uncomfortable.

  "Nah. I'm fine. You forget I spend a lot of time in the sky. It gets pretty chilly up there."

  Eva nodded. "I can imagine. I guess I didn't feel that because we were so close."

  "It was nice to have a partner up there with me. It's been a while."

  "Anytime you need some company..." Eva offered.

  Rowan grinned. "That's what friends are for."

  And there it was again. Eva wanted so much more, but there were other pressing issues at hand. She could always dissect every word she and Rowan had shared after Rowan left. Right now, she needed to alert her parents to the situation, and prepare to meet her clan leader tomorrow.

  Eva rang the doorbell and gave a wry grin when Rowan raised an eyebrow in question. "Dad gets pretty paranoid about security. But his hours are always regular, so he's always here whenever any of us need to come home."

  Rowan nodded and stuffed her hands into the back of her jeans. For the first time, Eva pieced together everything she'd told Rowan about her family and realized that they sounded like an odd bunch.

  God, I hope she doesn't think I'm weird too, she thought.

  Eva's mother opened the door, and jumped back with a scream and covered her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered.

  "Mom?" Eva asked, taking a step forward. "Are you okay? Did anything happen?"

  Eva's mother shook her head and hyperventilated. Seconds later, her father ran downstairs. "Is it done?"

  He too stopped dead in his tracks and muttered under his breath.

  "Dad, what's going on? You're both acting weird."

  Eva felt Rowan's reassuring arm around her waist. She looked up at her friend. "Am I missing something?"

  "I don't think so, but I have my suspicions."

  "About what?" Eva said, her voice exasperated. Everyone around her was acting weird, and it seemed that she was the only one who wasn't in on the joke.

  "Eva," Rowan asked, staring at her parents. "Do you usually stay back late at the store?"

  "No." Eva threw her hands up in the air. "But what's that got to do with anything?"

  "Why did you stay late today?" Rowan's voice was patient, but her eyes never left Eva's parents.

  "Mom asked me to."

  "Did the wolves say anything to you?"

  Eva folded her arms, doing her best to keep her irritation at bay. As an only child, her parents often excluded her from conversations, talking around topics that she wasn't meant to hear. This felt like Deja Vu, and she didn't like it one bit.

  "Yeah, they asked if I was Eva Martinelli. Someone must have given them my name." Eva turned to her parents. "Mom. Dad. You need to tell me what's got you spooked, cause I have news of my own to share."

/>   Rowan stared at her feet. "I don't think it's news to them, Eva. They arranged it."

  Eva scoffed. "That's impossible. Why would they do that?" Eva turned to Rowan, ready to give her a piece of mind. Rowan may be ridiculously hot, and an old friend, but she had no right to walk into her life and fling accusations just because she rescued Eva.

  But when Eva's eyes canted to Rowan's, she saw nothing but compassion and deep sadness.

  Oh my god, Eva thought. Could she have a point?

  "Mom. Is this true? Is that why you asked me to stay back? Were you...setting me up?"

  Eva's mother dropped her hand and took a step forward, her breaths raspy. "Honey, we had to do it."

  "Do what?" Eva hated the way her voice cracked, but she needed to hear it from her mother's lips. Her heart jackknifed in her chest as she waited for her mother to respond.

  Eva's father took a step forward and placed an arm around his wife. "We arranged a mating between you and a Darksong wolf."

  Eva saw her father's lips move, but she heard nothing. All the sounds around her dulled, and she heard nothing but the sound of her blood rushing in her ears. Her father had just admitted that he gave a bunch of Darksong wolves permission to grab her and mate her to one of their friends.

  The thought was so preposterous, but her father stood stoically by her mother. "Why did you do it?"

  "The Stonelight had a debt to pay, honey," her mother started. "We offered money, but all the Darksong want these days are female wolves."

  Eva's head jerked back as rage pulsed through her veins. "So all this was for the clan? You sold your daughter for your precious clan?"

  "We didn't sell you, honey," her mother said taking a step forward. "We arranged a mating."

  "If it was arranged," Eva said forming her fingers into air quotes, "then why didn't I know about it?"

  "You would never have agreed. Don't you see, this is about protecting the clan. If you don't go, then war will break out. You don't want that, do you?"

  "Don't you dare put the weight of the clan on Eva's shoulders," Rowan said, her voice icy.

  "Excuse me," Eva's father said. "Who are you?"

  "I'm Rowan, and I rescued Eva from the men you sold her to."

  Eva's mother rubbed her temples with her fingers. "Will everyone stop saying the word sold. They were supposed to explain everything to you."

  "They're Darksong." Eva scoffed. "They don't use words much. Just violence and money. Besides, isn't it your job as my parents to let me know that you've promised me to some savage? God, Dad, aren't you the one who always said you'd protect me no matter what?"

  Eva's father shuffled his feet, before looking up. "This is for the clan. We can't afford a war. We don't have the numbers."

  "So you volunteered me, huh? This issue came up in a meeting, and you said, you know what, Eva will do it. She's a good girl, and always does what she's told," Eva spat.

  "No, honey," Eva's mother said, her eyes glowing. "Richard approached us. He knew how committed we were to the Stonelight. It was an honor."

  "For you! But what about me?"

  "It wasn't like we had a choice," Eva's father spoke, his voice flat. "We never have a choice."

  Eva's mother turned to look at him, her expression one of extreme betrayal. "Is that how you really feel?"

  "I've been here all my life. I know how things work. Look, Eva, you were chosen. If you go now, I'm sure whatever you did to get away from those wolves will be forgiven."

  Eva looked at her parents. Really looked at them for the first time. She saw the haggard expressions on their faces. One born out of fanatical loyalty, the other out of an unlucky draw of birth. Either way, both of these individuals had sold their daughter to the most savage clan, and arranged for her to be mated to a man that was struggling to hold on to his human mind.

  And that was the worst part of it all. They knew she was gay, but they didn't care. They'd doomed her to night after night with someone she could never grow to love.

  They basically sentenced me to prison, Eva thought.

  "I'm not going to the Darksong. I never asked for this. You failed me as parents. You didn't protect me. You knew—" Eva's voice cracked as tears ran down her face. She felt hollow on the inside, but her throat burned with the reality of her life.

  Rowan wrapped an arm around Eva's shoulder and pulled her close. "It's okay. You don't have to say another word."

  "No." Eva sniffed. "I do. You knew I was gay, and you sold me into a life I could never adjust to."

  "No money exchanged hands," Eva's mother said, her voice flat. "And you're not gay. It's a phase. You just haven't dated any good guys. In fact, now that I think about it, I never see you with anyone."

  "That's because I—" Eva snapped her mouth shut. Even if she brought up her insecurity about her weight, her parents would brush it under the rug. "I'm leaving. You can deal with the fallout on your own."

  Eva flung the house door open and stormed down the road. Her mother's pleas turned to threats the further she went, but she didn't care. Eva had been depressed, even angry, but now she felt nothing. It was like she was broken on the inside.

  A few minutes later, arms wrapped around her waist and stopped her in her tracks. Eva instinctively knew it was Rowan. She turned around and let her friend hold her. Next thing she knew, Rowan picked her up, and they were flying again. Eva tucked her head into Rowan's neck and sobbed.

  "I've here," Rowan said, her voice low. "I've got you."

  No one had said that to Eva in her life. It was always, "honey could you please..." And now, a friend she hadn't seen in years, who was practically a stranger, was saying the words her soul intensely longed to hear.

  At least there's someone that doesn't just want to take from me, Eva thought. Whatever happens, I'll always know what it felt like to be genuinely cared for. God. My life has been a joke.

  5

  Three days later, Rowan woke up early and stared at the ceiling from her position on the living room couch. She had chosen to sleep on the sofa so that Eva would have a room. When she and her friends had rented the temporary home for the time after they deserted their old clans, they had only accounted for five people.

  Rowan grinned as she clasped her hands behind her head. She'd sleep on the couch all her life if it meant having Eva around. After the horrible events of days past, Eva had been quiet and withdrawn, as expected, but yesterday, it was like something in her childhood friend had broken free.

  Eva started interacting with the team beyond polite one-word answers, and Rowan loved watching her personality bloom. On the day Eva was almost kidnapped, she'd shown two sides of her personality. The old Eva, that was shy, and the new Eva, that was confident and outgoing.

  Rowan loved both sides of her friend and was just happy to see that Eva had decided to deny her parents' evil actions permission to dictate her life. Eva felt like a part of the group, and Rowan secretly hoped that they'd find a way to integrate her into their lives once things calmed down.

  Rowan wasn't foolish. She understood that stopping the two men from kidnapping Eva was going to blow back on them. The Darksong were feared, and her involvement would be revisited. It was just a matter of when, not if.

  "Hey," Mara called, walking downstairs, before heading to the kitchen.

  Rowan sat up and stretched her arms over her head, before getting up to follow her second into the kitchen. While their clan was small, they thoroughly planned on it growing, and it was essential to have structure.

  Mara, a bear, was perfect as Rowan's second, because her loving personality, and ability to bring people together, meant that she could build bridges both within the clan and out of it. Brooke, her best friend, and a fellow dragon shifter was perfect as Rowan's third because of her ability to disengage emotionally and look at a situation from all angles.

  "Hey, yourself," Rowan said, pulling out a chair from the far end of the kitchen island. She'd learned a long time ago that Mara didn't like to be crowde
d, especially when in her domain. "I like your hair. Planning on meeting someone?"

  Mara dimpled, her blue eyes glowing. "No. I like to dress up sometimes. You'll learn that the more we live together."

  "Well, I think you look awesome," Rowan offered, studying the thick braid Mara had placed her long brown hair into. "Not that you don't usually look fantastic," Rowan added last minute.

  "It's alright. I know what you mean." Mara opened the fridge and pulled out half a dozen eggs and a bunch of vegetables.

  "What are you making?" Brooke asked, walking into the kitchen in a white tank top and gray sweatpants.

  "Breakfast pitta pizza," Mara answered, barely raising her head to address Brooke.

  Rowan smiled at the exchange. While she and the clan had agreed on the importance of rank and had even gone as far as to vote for who should take up which position, the one thing no one wanted was the sense of formality that came with hierarchy.

  "Sounds good." Brooke pulled out a chair next to Rowan. "How did you sleep?"

  Rowan rolled her eyes. "As good as I did yesterday, or the day before. Why can't you believe me?"

  Brooke shook her head. "Because no one sleeps well on a couch."

  "But this isn't just any couch." Rowan pointed to the item in question. "This is a super expensive, plush, leather couch that I chose specifically for this purpose."

  Brooke scoffed. "Oh, so you knew you'd rescue your childhood friend from a couple of Darksong wolves and have to give up your room so that she could stay with us?"

  "No, but I knew that some of our work might mean we'd have to take in guests."

  "And what happens if we have more than one guest?" Brooke retorted. "Do you have a plan for that, all-seeing clan leader?"

  Rowan grinned. She loved arguing with Brooke. Not because she got a rise out of irritating her best friend, but because she liked to witness the astonishing angles Brooke's mind could analyze from.

  "I do have a plan—"

  "Before this lasts half an hour, and Brooke gets frustrated, I suggest we agree that the couch is comfortable and useful." Mara raised a meaningful eyebrow, and both Brooke and Rowan ducked their heads.