“You don’t understand. If I don’t use, I’m still there.”
Devin understood better than he could say. “I’m always there. I never left, and I never will.”
Behind him, he heard Lena gasp. If his words shocked her, that was good. She could feel relieved she wasn’t mated to him. Then she’d be worse off than her sister because while pathetic Fergus could use to get rid of his memories, Devin knew he’d never stoop that low. He’d just be damaged—a half Wolf—for the rest of his life.
Devin let Fergus down. The man fell to his knees before slumping onto the floor. His sobs echoed throughout the room.
Seconds passed before Elizabeth started to scream. She jumped to her feet startling everyone, including her mate who ceased his racket to look up at her. Faster than he would have thought possible for such a strung-out Wolf, she was on Lena, grabbing the box out of her hand.
“I’m not sorry.” Her sister called over her shoulder before she ran from the room. Fergus rose to his feet and chased after his mate, suddenly losing his sense of shame. Screw that. Devin rushed after them only to be stopped by Lena who stepped in front of him again.
The Female had to learn to stop doing that. She might get hurt. “Let them go.”
He looked down. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but no tears escaped her violet depths. “What?”
“I said let them go. This is a private, family matter, none of your business. You’re not my mate; you’ve told me enough. I finally believe you, because no mate of mine would ever want to humiliate my sister like that.”
She had to be kidding. “I was trying to protect you. What was in that box, Lena?”
“Five weeks of income.”
“What?” He shouted, unable to prevent the outburst. “Why would you have that money in your house?”
She shoved at him, which surprised him enough he took two steps back. Fury was visible in her stance. “In case you’ve had your head up your ass too far to notice, the banks are all closing down. Where else am I supposed to keep it? I suppose I could shift into my Wolf form and bury it in the backyard. Would you prefer that?”
“No, Lena…”
She interrupted. “Just shut up. I had this all under control.” Her voice hitched, which clawed at his heart. “Get out, Devin. I think we shouldn’t see each other any more. I thought I could do this, but I can’t. I need a mate. If you’re not him, then we have nothing left to say to one another.”
Chapter Five
How could she apologize when she’d been the biggest idiot on the planet? Lena stomped her feet as she waited for the bus to arrive. It would be a lot easier if she could have shifted and run to her job, but her boss didn’t like his workers to show up with rumpled clothes. So they used the old human means of transportations.
No one had seen a human in a hundred years, but the Wolves now operated their buses. Lena hated riding the bus. She’d have done anything for a car, but that was about as likely as Devin forgiving her for being a total jackass.
The damn bus ran late. She looked at her watch and confirmed what she already suspected; it was after six thirty in the morning. There was no way to avoid her tardiness. Normally, this would cause her endless amounts of stress, but nothing could outdo her guilt about what had happened with Devin.
He hadn’t spoken to her in a week. She kept thinking he would come over so they could pretend the whole thing never happened. That was how they handled things in her family. Apparently, however, Devin behaved differently. Lena was probably going to have to march over to his house between her two jobs and tell him how terribly she wanted his forgiveness.
The bus pulled slowly down the road toward her, illuminating the still dark early morning with its lights. Yes, she’d go over there after she got done with work. They were friends.
Her heart ached at the thought as she climbed onto the bus. She took her seat and stared out into the distance, watching the sun start to touch the world around her.
She wanted to be so much more than Devin’s friend. Leaning her head against the side of the bus, she tried not to obsess on the subject. How could he still feel so much like her mate if he really, truly didn’t feel it? Why couldn’t she let this go?
When he’d first burst through the door to interfere in things between Elizabeth, Fergus, and her, she’d been relieved. Her mate had come to set things right. But then she’d remembered—he was not, nor would he ever be, hers. Whatever Elizabeth and Fergus were—and lately that involved being drug-addicted thieves—they were family. They would always belong to her.
Still, she’d behaved badly. Super badly. Lena hoped they could still be friends, but they had to stop being lovers. Her bruised heart couldn’t take it anymore.
***
Devin stared into his coffee. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting in the cup, but it seemed as good a place as any to contemplate life decisions.
With his leg still a mess and not likely to get better unless he could somehow miraculously shift, he needed to come up with a profession. Some of his men who had been in captivity with him had actually returned to war. They were clearly stronger than he when it came to recovery.
“What are you thinking about?” His father’s sullen voice pulled him out of his musings.
When they’d been boys—Robby, Auggie, Dougal, and himself—their father had exuded laughter. The man had woken up and gone to bed with a smile on his face every day. This sullen person who life had battered was almost unrecognizable.
“I’m trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.” And I’m trying not to think about Lena and all the ways I fucked that up. Devin extended his hand to indicate the chair next to him. “Care to join me?”
His father took a seat. People always said that Devin resembled him, but when he looked at his dad, all he could see was Robby. Their oldest brother had taken after him almost completely. They had the same shade of brown hair, the same blue eyes, and the same physical stature. Devin blinked. Well, they had at one time shared all of those qualities. His parents had buried Robby while Devin had been strung up in a Dragon prison. Or at least they’d had a memorial. No body had come home to be buried.
He missed them, all three of his brothers. Tears threatened to spill over, and he cleared his throat while he pushed away the feeling. Gods, he could use a run in his Wolf body. Why wouldn’t it come back?
“What were you thinking you could do?” His father leaned back with a guarded expression.
“See the problem, Dad, is that I’m not really good for anything. I’m not a Wolf anymore.”
His father shook his head. “That happens. It’ll come back.”
“Maybe not.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “No one can really tell me one way or the other.”
“You can’t accept that like it’s even a possibility.”
Yes, that was how he’d been raised. You never gave up or gave in. When the cards didn’t go your way, you played the next hand until you won. That was what had made his father so successful in business. He had never wanted any of them to go to war. But that had been the lot of their time. Fight the Dragons or let the monsters kill their packs and destroy their lands.
“I’m not hoping it’ll stay like this, Dad. I’m just being realistic.”
His father cursed. “What, then, are you thinking you can do for a living if you can’t shift?”
It seemed like a funny question. Most professions didn’t actually require any shifting abilities. His father, for example, hadn’t needed to be in his Wolf form to conduct business. Devin had certainly been aware of his Wolf around when he battled the Dragons—even when he hadn’t been in his Wolf form. But successful Wolves insisted they could feel their Wolves inside of them—helping them, making things easier.
Devin had never known any humans, but he was going to have to pretend he was one if this was going to work. “I’ve been fixing up the Knox house for the last few weeks. I’m really good at it. Maybe I could make a living doing t
hat. I could become some kind of contractor.”
“You’d be a good one.” His father nodded. “But the problem is that there aren’t too many Wolves around that could afford to pay you.” His father suddenly looked like the years had caught up with him all at once. “Look around. More houses than not are falling down around themselves. Nine out of ten banks have had to close, and the very few that are left won’t give loans except to the most exclusive of families. I’m not even sure I could get a loan if I needed one at this point.”
“Really?”
His dad nodded. “Yep.”
“Well, that blows that right out of the water.”
His father stared out the window into the setting sun. “Maybe you could build something for the war effort.”
“That might be an idea.” He could speak to his old pack leader. “That’s a good idea, Dad.”
“Well, that’s why they used to call me the idea man.”
Devin grinned. Even though the moments were filled with so many things they couldn’t talk about, a comforting rightness filled him that he could just be with his father. “What do you suppose Mom is making for dinner?”
“I have no idea. She’s still out, so I imagine we might be getting takeout of some kind.”
The Dragon alarm sounded in the distance. Devin’s whole body tensed. He knew they were false alarms, but they still got him worked up. On the front lines, when that alarm sounded, there was nothing fake about it.
“How long does it usually go on?” He’d been more than just a little distracted the first time he’d heard the shrill, piercing sound. Keeping Lena safe had been the pivotal thought in his mind.
“Maybe a minute.” His father stood up. “I wish they’d stop sounding them. Everyone knows the Dragons never get in this far.”
“Going running tonight?” Devin could hardly think with the Dragon alarm ringing. He wanted to be distracted; he needed his father to speak.
“It’s going on a bit long now.” His dad walked over to the window that faced the street. Devin joined him to peer outside.
A sight tremor overtook his hand, and he put it in his pocket so his dad wouldn’t notice. Why was he so worked up? His nose twitched and he bounced from foot to foot. Where had all of this energy come from?
He swung open the door and walked outside where the alarm sounded louder.
A noise caught his attention over the ringing hell assaulting his ears. He turned in the direction to see Lena tromping down the street. She looked worn out and for a second he wanted to wrap her up in his arms. The woman worked constantly. His heart melted at the sight of her seconds before he remembered his anger.
He narrowed his eyes, ignoring the alarm as she looked up to gaze at him. Her violet depths called out to him and he sighed. Gods, Lena looked so beautiful even when she was tired. He stood up. Their argument had to end, and he would put a cease to it if she wouldn’t.
A flutter in the air caught his attention. Instinct made him look skyward even as he chided himself. Everyone reminded him all the time that Dragons didn’t come inland, but something bugged him. Of course, he could be crazy. That was always a possibility.
The skies were an empty blue, no clouds visible in the evening light. He scratched his head. Maybe he should take up the war pack on their offer for counseling.
He almost looked down. Almost. One second all was well and the next second they were there. Their wings spread out in open defiance to any who would threaten them, the Dragons soared through the sky. They glided on the breeze as if they were birds, harmless to the Wolves below.
But Devin knew better. And he knew what would happen even as he understood he was virtually powerless to help it.
The Dragons had spotted Lena. She seemed easy prey to them, and she hadn’t even looked up. His woman had no idea she was about to be taken.
“Lena.” The growl in his voice didn’t help. All she could hear was what everyone else could hear: the damn Dragon alarm.
Still, he took off at a run even knowing he’d never make it in time. “Lena.” He roared again. He couldn’t be too late. He couldn’t be.
Devin looked so handsome in the early evening light. Yes, she was doing the right thing apologizing to him.
“Lena.” Devin shouted her name and she looked back up. He wanted to speak with her? Why was he running toward her like that?
She stopped, stunned by the view of Devin charging down the long distance of their street. What the heck was he doing? Realization dawned on her all at once. Taking a step back, she stared up at the sky as utter panic filled her.
Tears filled her eyes as she covered her mouth to keep in her scream. She needn’t have bothered. Dragons had great hearing. They’d all had to learn about them in school. It was one of the reasons the alarms were so loud; somehow they were supposed to keep them away.
Lena had never seen one in person before. They were beautiful in their deathly approach. The lead Dragon—the one she knew would kill her—had purple and red scales that danced among its natural green color. The other one, still farther away, looked slightly brown.
She started to run with no idea where to go. Inside was safe, unless a fire Dragon arrived to scorch the building. Still, she knew she’d never make it time. Calling the shift onto herself, her bones and muscles cracked. Usually she liked to be calm and focused during a shift, but this time she needed to keep moving. It made the pain of the transition that much worse.
Lena had only gotten into her Wolf body, which added to her speed, when the talons hooked onto her back. Growling, she fought. They might take her, but she wouldn’t make it easy. The claws dug into her spine as she fought to keep herself on the ground and not be dragged upward.
The Dragon alarm stopped—gods what a joke they’d proven to be—and the loudest growl she’d ever heard filled her ears seconds before the Dragon dropped her. She’d only been inches above the ground even though it had seemed like miles. She whimpered, turning around to see what happened.
A large brown Wolf with brown eyes tore at the Dragon’s neck. The monster shrieked as her rescuer tore at its throat. She’d grown up hunting with her family in the woods. Violence did not frighten her, but this did. This fight with the Dragon was not akin to taking down prey in the woods. This time she was the prey and if the Wolf didn’t win, she’d be dead.
The second Dragon swept down from the sky and the brown Wolf leaped up to meet it. Behind her, she could hear others howling. Help was on the way, but it wouldn’t get there fast enough. The scent of her rescuer swept past her. She whimpered. Gods, she knew that smell. It was Devin.
He’d shifted!
Devin wrestled with the second Dragon in the air. The green monster twisted midair, trying to drop Devin onto the ground, but he dug in, growling. Lena wasn’t certain how much time passed as she stared openmouthed at the scene. Finally, Devin got ahold of the creature’s throat.
It screamed louder than the first one had as it dove for the ground, Devin still attached to its esophagus as he tore the skin from its body. Her heart beat fast against her ribs and elation poured through her veins. Devin fought magnificently.
Seconds before he would be crushed by the momentum of the plunge to earth, he let go, jumping to the left to land on his feet instead of under the dead Dragon. The green beast let out one last groan as it hit the ground with a loud thud.
Devin stood panting as he stared at the Dragons in front of them. She rushed forward and rubbed up against him. A deep whimper escaped from her throat as her tongue bathed his face. She could feel herself shaking.
What he’d just done…It had been…She couldn’t form a coherent thought. Devin shifted, reaching down to stroke the top of her head.
“It’s okay, little Wolf.” His voice sounded half man half Wolf. “You’re safe. Change back, Lena.”
She tried and found she couldn’t. Her whole body shook, and she leaned down on the ground worried that her knees would give out. He bent over, stroking her fur.
Like he’d ordered her, she forced the alteration. Her body struggled, breaking her bones until they reformed in her human shape. She came back into her body screaming.
Devin’s arms were around her, scooping her up. “I’ve never been so afraid in my life as I was when I saw you get scooped up.”
“I’m still pretty afraid.” She rolled until she could wrap her arms around his neck. “You did it, Devin.”
“I did.” He carried her past the Wolves gathered around the dead Dragons. “Burn them.” He spoke to the group as he walked by. “They can smell their dead. Others might come looking for them.”
“Aren’t you going to…?”
Devin pinched her arm, making her yelp as he interrupted her. “The only thing I’m doing right now is bringing you back to my room.”
“Devin, everyone is looking. You can’t just carry me into your house.”
“Everyone,” he called out. “I’m taking my mate inside. If anyone has a problem with it, they can take it up with me tomorrow.”
“Your mate?”
“Quiet, Lena.” He ordered her and she hated to admit she liked the sound of his voice when he was being so dominant. “I’m on edge. I thought I was going to lose you.”
He took the steps two at a time entering his house. She looked down. He hadn’t limped at all. “You’re fixed.”
“The shift did it.”
“How did you…?”
“We’ll talk later.” He rounded the corner and almost collided with his father. “Hi, Dad. Lena’s my mate. We’ll see you in the morning.”
He slammed the door to his room, letting it bang behind him.
“You just let your father know what we’re going to do in here.” Horror lodged in her throat. Whether she liked it or not, she’d been raised to be old-fashioned.
Forever (The Dragon Wars) Page 5