by Maia Starr
“Who in their right mind would be ready to suddenly take on caring for four children?”
“Dragon shifter children,” Ethan corrected with a wink. “They bite, you know.”
She paused, gave him the start of a smile, and then that same smile vanished instantly as she glared at him once again. “Ethan, I just moved to Salem. I’m enrolled at Salem University as a grad student. I’ve only just begun to meet people in Salem. For god’s sake, I want to start a medical practice in this town! I can’t just give that all up.”
“I only ask that you give it up for a while,” he said, inching towards her, arms out wide, hoping for a gentle embrace. “Just until these kids to grow up enough to be able to think for themselves.” He glanced at Gabriel, who had been keeping quiet during the argument. “Gabriel could come and give you personal lessons.”
“I’m not only learning from Professor Allard, Ethan. Plus, just because I learn in secret doesn’t mean I can get a degree. Without a degree, I won’t be able to open a practice. It’s been my dream, ever since I was little…”
“And you can still have it; it just might take another decade to achieve it.”
She stared at him, shaking her head. “I need a break from this...from you. I’m going for a walk.”
Stunned and dismayed, Ethan watched Eliza strut out, Gabriel giving him a nod and scrambling after her. Unsure of what to do, he slowly plopped down on the side of his bed, staring at the space where Eliza had just been.
Damn it all! Way to go, Ethan; real smooth. She definitely will hate you now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Eliza
A walk was what Eliza needed now more than ever. She’d never really gone out of her way to go on walks while she was furious or in a state of emotional flux before now, but she quickly realized that it was exactly what she needed to help clear her head.
At the cave mouth, entrance to Ethan’s home, Eliza had stopped to allow the professor to catch up with her; though she doubted the older genius really needed the handicap, she waited nonetheless. He was silent when he caught up to her, falling to her side as she kicked off from the rock and started her march down the dirt, following no path in particular. She led them between the trees, her oversized shirt getting snagged on tiny branches and hidden bushes that only added to her growing temperament. She swore and cursed and mouthed off like she did only when she was furious about something going wrong in her life, and simply walked.
Her wayward walk hinged on Professor Allard’s ability to guide her back to Ethan’s cave once she thought she reached an answer on everything that had been revealed to her, though she trusted in him enough.
But, should I? Should I trust any of them?
Clearly, there had been a number of secrets kept from her, ones that would have changed her whole life if she had gotten in too deep with Ethan, unable to pull out of the relationship. But was it already too late for that? To simply get up and leave and go back to Salem where she would continue with her life?
She’d given her heart and body to Ethan already, and he’d claimed her...of course, she was still learning, but that had turned her on like nothing else had before. He had claimed her, like a real man, put his stamp on her and told her he only had eyes for her. At least, she thought he had done that. But was it true? Ethan had four dragon eggs! Four dragon eggs! If she hadn’t been so concerned about her relationship with Ethan, she’d have been contemplating how that all worked.
But every time she tried to imagine simply going back to her cozy little apartment beneath a coffee shop, Ethan’s grinning face popped back up.
“He kidnapped you to protect you, you know,” the professor said from her side.
Jerking her head up, she peered at her medical teacher with wide eyes. “What do you mean? How does kidnapping save anyone?”
“Those men who were stalking you, the ones you most likely noticed leering at you in Salem, checking you out. They were all looking at you as a potential mate,” Gabriel said. His gaze swung to her, a certain wise power lingering behind it. “And most probably wouldn’t have tried to take the time like Ethan did to build trust.”
Going back in her memories, she pulled out moments where she had noticed strange men staring at her, the kind that creepily believed that somehow, they wouldn’t get noticed if they stared out in the open. If that was true, it certainly changed her perspective on the kidnapping at the very least. He didn’t claim me right away; he waited, let me simmer so that I could learn slowly, build the trust that nearly and completely shattered just a few minutes ago. Maybe…
Shaking her head, Eliza stopped and shut her eyes, massaging her temples with two fingers from each hand. The ache of paranoia was dissolving with each step she had taken outside of his cave. How long had she been in that cave without venturing out? A week? It had felt like so much longer, especially the days where she spent every waking moment with Ethan, watching over him, making sure his wounds didn’t reopen.
“How do you feel about Ethan?” Professor Allard simply asked.
“What? I-I don’t know, professor.”
But that was a lie, a big fat one. Throughout all of Eliza’s bickering and paranoia, and her desires to get answers from Ethan, and finally getting them, she knew that she’d developed feelings for him. Not just any feelings either, not the simple crush, but the heart pounding, goosebumps-giving kind of love. She wouldn’t be able to stay mad at him forever, especially not after learning about Maia, and how she’d left him. That’d make twice now that someone has left Ethan, right? Damn!
“I want to know,” the professor persisted. “Tell me how you feel, right now, about poor old Ethan.”
Eliza hesitated, then took a deep breath, and turned to gaze into her professor’s eyes. “If I’m being honest...I want to forgive him, for everything. His reasons are understandable...no matter how infuriating this whole ride has been.”
“And, what do you plan on doing now that you know he wants you to mother those four dragon babies when they hatch?”
“I…” She paused uncertain for a moment, and then her gaze hardened. “I want to go back to him. I want to hug and kiss him and tell him I’m sorry for storming out like that. That I’ll...be the mother to those children, whenever they hatch.”
A genuine smile appeared on Eliza’s face, mirroring the one forming on the professor’s face. “Are you sure, Eliza?” he asked. “Like Ethan suggested, I could come and tutor you from time to time, but you’d be giving up on a degree for years to come. You might be ten years older by the time you finish grad school, or maybe even older than that. Those dragon kids could be teenagers before—”
Eliza held up a hand, groaning from the images Professor Allard was engraving in her mind. “Please, no more! I understand that I’ll be giving up pretty much everything...but it’ll be worth it in the end, I think. Don’t keep reminding me of how long it could take. Now that’s just cruel!”
Just then, Eliza’s gaze fixed on something emerging from the woods behind the genius doctor, and she forgot about everything in an instant. A man, short and heavy with muscles, his wolf-like eyes latching onto her and then the doctor. The next moment, Eliza recognized the face and tried to call out to Professor Allard as Seth shifted into a wolf, shedding his clothes into tatters that fell to the forest floor.
Seth lunged, Eliza’s screams cutting through the air, and he clamped down around Professor Allard’s midsection, teeth ripping into flesh and blood spurting as the professor shouted in agony, lifted into the air. Seth shook, tossing the professor against a tree with such force that it caved inwards at impact. He toppled to the ground, though the tree miraculously remained standing, and Seth swung his wicked grin to Eliza. Frozen, her mind struggling to catch up to the events of the current moment, Eliza found herself like a statue. The sheer speed of it all, happening within a few short seconds, left her speechless, unable to comprehend anything of what was happening before her very eyes.
Time slowed as Seth in
ched forward, one paw, two paws, until he was right in front of her and reaching around to pick her up in his mouth by the collar of her shirt. Regaining her senses, she punched him in the nose, poking at his eyes, forcing Seth to release her. But as he did, he swung with one of his paws, sending her flying backward to roll on the ground. Flashes of pain lanced through her body as she came to a stop, and she gasped for air as she held her side and looked up. The earth rumbled as Seth padded forward again.
He snarled in her face, and then spun as another, more reptilian snarling reached her ears.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ethan
Suffice it to say, waiting around in his cave, wondering whether Eliza would come back with Gabriel or not, caused him to slightly panic.
More than once, Ethan sat down only to rise moments later to begin pacing his room, marching out into his hallways, inspecting the dragon eggs still warm under the covers in his special cave room. His mind wandered, pictured Eliza getting snagged by another shifter come to steal her away from him, thought of what it would be like if she didn’t come back, or if she did and told him that it simply couldn’t work between them because of his secrets.
He wouldn’t blame her for any choice she made now that everything was out in the open. There was nothing left to hide. Damn, Eliza and Gabriel had both been right: he should have talked to her sooner about the dragon eggs, but it was too late now.
Too late.
Those words rang in his head like the sour taste of an old bitter memory.
Ethan had been too late to stop Arthur from leaving the Cave Dragons. He’d been too late to stop Maia from leaving him, from rushing off with that sassy grin on her face, like she’d just won some game and hoofed it out with her winnings. Rubbing his face, Ethan sat down on his bed once again, his whole body sighing and hunching over. There wasn’t anything he could do now but wait for Eliza’s answer.
If she, by chance, decided she couldn’t take it anymore and left...Ethan didn’t know what he would do. His dragon would probably eat him from the inside out, leaving him feral. Once he’d go feral, he’d never come back and would have to be hunted down. A new alpha would be named. Arthur, if he ever found out, would probably rue his choice to put Ethan as the next alpha. Maia would most likely laugh at the news of his insanity and eventual death. And the eggs would hatch, with no mother or father there to nurture them.
At least Ethan could count on other members of his clan to look after his future dragon babies should the worst occur.
But nothing was set in stone just yet.
A waft of a musky scent traveled across his nose, and for a moment, Ethan remained motionless, simply sniffing, distinguishing the smell from anyone he knew...except for one shifter in particular.
In a fit of rage, born out of his need to do something while he waited for his mate to return, Ethan stomped out of his bedroom and followed the natural curves of his hallways to find the bright light of the day filtering into the cave mouth. Just outside, Ethan spied a figure, crouched over the ground, poking at something and sniffing a few leaves. The shifter’s sandy, curly hair moved with a breeze as he continued to sniff, unaware of Ethan standing just feet behind him.
“The hell are you doing here?” Ethan bellowed.
Tawny eyes landed on him as Jesse jerked and rolled backward, his momentum bringing him up to his feet as he opened his arms and glared at Ethan, only to soften his eyes when he recognized the alpha dragon. “Ethan! I didn’t realize this was your home...though I thought I did catch a whiff of your scent around here.”
“You’re in Cave Dragon territory, Jesse,” Ethan said, marching over, never getting rid of his glare. “Don’t you realize that?”
Frowning, Jesse looked around. “Of course I do. You dragons have scents all over this place...but I thought this was the edge of your territory.”
“You need to leave. I’m not in the mood for guests today.”
“Well, that’s too bad because even if I leave, you’d still have unwanted guests.”
Blinking, Ethan eyed the bear shifter curiously. “What are you talking about?”
“Look, I get that Eliza’s your mate now. As much as I wish she would have looked my way...but I’ve gotten over it. I think it’s dumb you kept her locked up here. We could have protected her in Salem. All of us.” Jesse stared hard, but Ethan remained unflinching. “I was prepared the first time to come take her back from you, no matter how dangerous it would have been, but then Gabriel explained things to me. If it weren’t for him…” He trailed off and looked down at the ground. “Point is, there are tracks leading through your territory, right next to your own home!”
Ethan snorted. “Please, Jesse. I don’t need this right now.”
“No, you do, because I have a feeling Eliza is in danger again.” That got Ethan’s attention, so the bear shifter continued, pointing at a spot on the ground. “Look! Wolf prints, deep in the mud. A wolf shifter was here as recently as five minutes ago. You smell that? There’s only one shifter with that scent…”
Coming forward, Ethan leaned forward and sniffed, his eyes widening as a thick scent filled his nose, making him want to recoil. He gagged, and then peered down, seeing the tracks Jesse was pointing to.
“I’ve been following these tracks since Salem, since they came from the coffee shop sitting above her home.”
“You don’t think…”
“It’s that Seth guy. I know it is.”
A cold shiver ran down Ethan’s spine, his whole body shaking at the prospect of Seth invading his territory again. The last time the duo nearly destroyed the entire forest in front of Ethan’s cave, only ending when his fellow dragon shifters came to the rescue. Obviously, this time, if push came to shove, Ethan would end the wolf shifter for good, and end the nightmare that’d been stalking his mate.
“Are you sure it’s him?” Ethan asked. “There’s no one else like him.”
“Even if it were another wolf shifter, Ethan, there’s no way that shifter is up to any good being here without your permission.”
Damn! Seth’s going after Eliza right now. All of the times to have to walk out to cool her head.
“Can you keep tracking him?”
“Why? Isn’t Eliza inside that ugly cave of yours?”
Ethan gave the young bear shifter a look but ignored the joke for the time being. “Can you, or can’t you, Jesse? She’s not in the cave. We argued, and she went out to cool her head with Gabriel.”
“Gabriel’s here? Oh no.”
“Exactly.”
“Then let’s go. Follow me, Ethan!”
And so the two shifters set off.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ethan
Ethan’s heart pounded with a ferocity unlike any he had ever experienced before as he and Jesse sprinted through the forest. Following the sweet scent of Eliza, the worn scent of Gabriel, and the malicious scent that oozed from Seth, Jesse led Ethan around bends and through thickets, over slopes and leaping over a stream. The trip appeared to take forever for Ethan, an inescapable rage fueling his mind as he raced forward, often going past Jesse only to force himself to slow down. Jesse was the better tracker, and with Ethan’s emotions in flux, he needed to find the best and quickest way to Eliza. Meaning that Ethan’s frustrations would boil and simmer as they ran.
“There!” Jesse called, pointing in a direction due right of their trek. “They’re up ahead...and it sounds like screams!”
Howls and shouts ripped through the air as Ethan pivoted and darted off, Jesse hot on his heels. The voices were unmistakable. The screaming was Eliza’s, the shrillness in her voice causing his blood to heat up and his adrenaline to kick in, a newfound speed as he surged forward.
Eliza! Eliza! Eliza! I’m coming; just wait for me!
Jesse spoke again, but his voice was distant, indiscriminate as another howl was let loose. Seth...the bastard would finally get what was coming to him if Ethan had a say in the matter.
Burs
ting through another thicket, the stench of a wolf filled Ethan’s nose and as he rolled forward, coming up to his knees, he caught sight of Seth hovering above Eliza’s body. She was prone, looking up at the sky, unmoving, and for a split second the thought that Eliza had been killed flitted through his mind. But then she jerked, coughed up blood, tried to raise her head.
As Seth swung his massive head around, eyes wide in surprise, Ethan heartily roared and shifted, his clothes tearing at the seams. Tatters floated to the ground as Ethan’s body grew and lengthened, scales forming where human skin had been last. His snout became elongated, and fiery breath hissed between his razor-sharp teeth as Ethan’s body stretched to its utmost limit. A desperate war cry and Ethan flew forward, ignoring the narrow space the trees gave him. He crashed through the bark and tree trunks, not caring if they toppled in his wake.
Eliza’s bright eyes glanced up just before Ethan collided with Seth, her gaze uncertain, blinking.
Seth snarled threateningly as Ethan slammed into the wolf, the impact sending both creatures forward, each twisting and bouncing off the tall pine trees. Earth exploded as Ethan’s body hit the ground, dirt scattering. Despite the small area to maneuver, Ethan rose quickly, his inner dragon going nuts with the power coursing through his veins.
I have to get to Eliza. But first I need to finish him off.
Swinging his reptilian gaze around, he looked for Seth but found the wolf nowhere in sight. His mind reeled, eyes widening, his body turning at the rapid sound of paws padding the ground. A shriek and Ethan spun just in time to see Seth rising from the ground behind him, leaping up, claws and teeth out, aimed directly for his neck. Leaning away at just the right moment, Ethan managed to dodge the killing blow, but Seth stretched out with his claws and dug deep into Ethan’s scaled shoulder, the wound swelling with blood instantly.