by Sophie Stern
Only this time, they won’t let him go.
I shift back, breathing heavily. Reece stays in his tiger form, but doesn’t attempt to fight me again.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Everything is going to be okay. Reece, do you hear me?”
He looks at me, opening his eyes. They flash orange and black before he closes them again.
“Everything is going to be okay,” I repeat.
I wish it were true.
I wish this promise held some weight, but I don’t know if it does. I don’t know if anything I say right now is going to matter. Not to Reece. He might be too broken now. One of my biggest faults is that I believe in people more than I should. I trust far too much.
I pin Reece here, holding him in place, and I just stare at him. I don’t like being this monster. I don’t like being the one to hurt him, to hold him down, but he was going to hurt her.
Break her.
Maybe he was even going to kill her, but I can’t let myself think about that possibility.
Nicole isn’t someone I love.
I don’t even like her.
I did once, long ago, but that time has passed.
Now I’m only doing this as an obligation, as a courtesy. I’m only protecting her because it’s the right thing to do. She’s a human. She’s not strong enough to protect herself against the great big shifters of the world.
At least, that’s what I tell myself as I wait with Reece.
She needed someone to save her, so I did.
There’s nothing more to it.
Chapter Three
Nicole
I’m out of breath when I reach Wilson’s office. He’s just stepping outside as I reach the small building. When he turns and sees me, the lighthearted smile he was about to break instantly fades from his face.
Yeah, I know how this guy feels about me.
“Nicole,” he says curtly.
I should feel hurt or emotionally injured by his reaction. After all, I’ve been here for months, proving myself over and over. Am I really going to be punished for my sins over and over? I can’t take back what I did. I can’t take back how I hurt the clan. I can, however, take control of this moment, and right now, it doesn’t matter how Wilson feels about me.
It only matters that I get help to Lee.
He came back for me, and I don’t really have time to think about what that means for me or my future here. I’d like to think this means he doesn’t hate me as much as I imagined he does, but at the very least, it does mean he needs help. He’s got an angry tiger to take care of. I’m guessing he could use some help.
“It’s Reece,” I say, out of breath.
Instantly, the darkness lifts from Wilson’s face and is replaced with complete concern. Wilson is a good leader. He might be emotional at times – we all can – but he’s got a good heart at his core.
“Reece?” He says. “What’s wrong, Nicole?”
“He tried to...” I pant. “Hurt me. Lee....is with him.”
“Where?”
“Bakery.”
“Get Cameron,” he says, and immediately, he shifts into his dragon form, tearing his clothes and taking off. I don’t wait to catch my breath, I just start running toward Cameron’s house, wondering how this next confrontation is going to go. Reece needs some serious help. There’s no doubt about that. Then again, don’t we all?
Reece came looking for blood. He didn’t get it. I saw enough of what happened to know that Lee wasn’t hurt when he came barreling through the side of the building. It was the first time I’ve seen Lee in his dragon form, though, and it was incredible.
Beautiful.
Wonderful.
I don’t want to admit just how fucking gorgeous he really was. Even after this time living with Fablestone, I can’t believe how lovely the dragons are in their true forms. I was always under the impression that shifters, albeit big and wonderful, were more wild than pretty.
Now I know they can be both.
My lungs hurt as I run toward Cameron’s house. I hope he’s home. He should be. He spends as much time as possible with his mate and baby. While I know that
I run, trying to ignore the glares cast my way as I hurry to Cameron’s home. There are dragons walking around, going about their business, and for a brief second, I think about telling them to run to the bakery to help Wilson and Lee, but that’s not what Wilson asked of me.
He wanted me to get Cameron, so that’s what I’ll do.
Maybe he knew it would be difficult to keep things quiet. He probably doesn’t want Reece ostracized for this outburst. Besides, I know perfectly well that these dragons can’t stand me. I know perfectly well how they feel about me. They probably think that if Reece captured me or hurt me, it would just be one less human to stress or worry about. Still, none of that matters right now. They’re just going to have to get over it.
At least, that’s what I tell myself as I focus on moving forward one step at a time.
So I run.
Pound.
Pound.
Pound.
My feet hit the road one step at a time. The sound seems to echo as I move toward Cameron’s house. After what seems like an eternity, I reach it and stop just outside the door. Panting. Out of breath. Suddenly, I’m realizing I should have been spending the last few months working out instead of sulking because I’m definitely no match for a shifter. Hell, at this pace, I probably couldn’t outrun a slow dog.
I head up to the front door and knock three times, staring at the wood panel in front of me. It’s a lovely house: one that Cameron chose carefully. It’s no secret that he is Wilson’s second-in-command, and his lovely home reflects that. It’s big enough to start a family in, big enough for guests. It’s beautiful, and if I wasn’t in such a hurry to reach Cameron, I’d probably take a few minutes and just admire the design of the structure.
No one answers, so I knock again, and then I wait.
Every second that passes feels like an hour, until finally, the door opens.
And he’s there, filling the space in front of me.
I had hoped Cameron’s mate would answer the door. At least then I wouldn’t feel so completely overwhelmed or isolated. At least if she’d opened the door, I wouldn’t have felt like I was being stared at or judged. No, I’m not under any impression that she and I would be friends. Not in any life. Certainly not after what I’ve done. Still, talking with a human feels a little bit...normal.
This?
Not so much.
“You,” he says, and he can barely hold back the snarl.
“Um....um....”
Suddenly, my heart drops and I wonder what the hell I’m doing here. Why am I here? Why did I even come? He sees me and just assumes the worst about me. It doesn’t matter that I’ve spent the last several months slaving away. None of that matters to these creatures.
Maybe they really are just monsters in the end.
I stare at Cameron, willing the words to come, but I find myself shrinking back, trying to hide from his watchful glare.
“What. Do. You. Want.”
It’s not a question.
Each word is said sharply, with a snap, and I don’t know why, but I start crying as I try to get the words out.
“It...It’s Reece...” I finally say. “He...bakery....Lee...Wilson....”
Suddenly, Cameron seems to understand that I’ve come for help. He doesn’t apologize. Instead, he calls out to his mate.
“I’m needed at the bakery! Urgent matter! Be back when I can!”
Then he strips out of his clothing as quickly as he can. I turn my back before he gets all the way nude. He scoffs, as if he can’t believe how childish I’m being about seeing a grown man naked. Then he pushes past me and leaves without another word. I don’t do anything. I just stand there with my back to the door.
Then I take a deep breath.
And I go home.
I don’t want to sit around, waiting to talk with Peggy. She�
�s probably busy, anyway. Peggy does so much for the clan that it’s crazy. She used to work at a school, if the stories are true, and now she spends much of her time helping the clan stay organized and on top of things. She volunteers and she helps out Wilson and Cameron when they need her. She does a lot of different things. She’s not lost the way I am.
Should I go back to the bakery to see the wreckage?
Should I check to make sure Lee is okay?
He didn’t have to come save me, but he did.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” I look up sharply. A woman with a baby stroller is looking at me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her.
“Don’t be sorry,” she says sharply. “Be careful. You almost walked into me.”
“I’m really, really sorry,” I say again, and something in my voice must show her just how devastated I really am today, because suddenly, her voice softens.
“Hey,” she says. “It’s okay. Honest mistake. We all have bad days. Are you okay, honey?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” I say, shaking my head and waving my hands around. I’m trying a little too hard to be nonchalant, but she notices.
“You don’t look all right.” The woman, who is definitely a dragon, sniffs the air around me. “Sadness?” She asks. “Did you have a rough day?”
“A little,” I tell her.
“You look horrible,” she says, and I bristle, but don’t respond. I just stand there nervously for a minute. “Look,” the girl says slowly. “I know it’s not my place, and I know we don’t know each other, but if you need anything, you know there’s an entire community here who wants to help you.”
“I think we both know the community would be better off without me,” I tell her, but she just shakes her head. “That’s not true, love. You do a lot here, don’t you? Haven’t I seen you at the bakery?”
I nod.
“Well, for what it’s worth, these last few months, those cakes have been un-fucking-believable, so keep your chin up.”
Then she nods and keeps on walking, pushing her stroller with her. I’m left looking after the woman for a minute before I continue on my way back to Henrietta’s house. It’s still hard for me to think of my little room as “home.” I have an upstairs bedroom with my own bathroom. There’s even a separate entrance, so when I need to come or go at a strange time, I’m able to do that. Henrietta might be a busy veterinarian, but she’s been more than welcoming to me. She didn’t have to give me a place tostay, but she did, and I’m thankful for that.
When I get to my room, I sit down on the bed and I stare at the space I’ve occupied for the last few months. This is what my life has come to: being alone in a room. Being caught up by myself without any friends, without a lover, without someone to call my partner.
Lying back on the bed, I try not to think about seeing Lee today. He came and saved me. He rescued me. He didn’t have to, but he was there.
He’s always been there, a little voice whispers to me, and it’s true.
I think about the time in school we found out about an essay that hadn’t been marked on the syllabus. Somehow, we’d both missed the professor talking about it until the week it was due. We were scrambling to make sense of the assignment, to prep our quotes, and to organize our thoughts well enough to complete research papers on short notice. We’d stayed up all night together. We wrote, we ate, and we bounced ideas off each other. We did that every night all week, and by the time Friday came around, we were both completely ready to turn in our work.
For me, it was the first time I’d really struggled to make sense of something in school, and I knew then, just as I know now, that I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Lee by my side. He had encouraged me every step of the way. He’d been patient with me, and kind.
More than that, he’d been understanding. We were both in the same boat. We both had to complete the same project, but he didn’t worry about himself. He just focused on helping me throughout the entire thing. It was a perfect gesture of selflessness, and when it comes right down to it, that’s who Lee has always been. He’s always been the guy who put others first. He’s always been the guy who cared more about helping other people than helping himself.
When we were in school, Lee never panicked when we came across a problem or an issue. I think that’s why it was so surprising that when I turned down his proposal, he just...left. He was gone. He was a part of my life one day and the next, he wasn’t. He was my partner and my joy, and then he was nothing. We were together.
Then we weren’t.
There was no closure for me. There was no chance for me to recover from what had happened, and in many ways, I wanted that. I wanted more than just a simple breaking of the relationship. I wanted something that let me know it wasn’t my fault. I suppose that in the end, it was my fault, and perhaps that’s part of the reason I never got that closure or that drawn-out goodbye with Lee.
It was all just so abrupt.
Kind of like today.
I don’t want the pain of living here to be something I’m never able to move past, but after today, maybe it makes sense that I just leave. Maybe I should wander off into the woods and just not come back. I could find a nice, quiet village to live in. I could find a place where nobody knows me.
I could find a place where I’ll be safe.
But what about Lee?
There’s a little part of me that sprung to life when I saw him today.
There’s a little piece of me that still holds hope.
If I walk away, I definitely won’t see him again.
Ever.
Is that something I can live with?
Chapter Four
Lee
Wilson arrives and lands just outside of the building. The ground shifts slightly when he lands in his dragon form. Wilson is big: one of the biggest dragons of Fablestone. It’s one of the reasons he’s the clan leader. If you ask him, he’ll plead up and down that he’s just good at his job, which is true, but there’s another part to his story, and it’s the fact that he’s enormous.
As the clan leader, he’s got a lot of responsibilities. That includes being the one to protect us and keep us safe. In order to do that, he has to be intimidating. Size has a lot to do with that. Attitude is another part.
Wilson’s Resting Bitch Face helps.
After he lands, he shifts and comes in, entering the wreckage of the bakery carefully. It’s all but been destroyed, but I won’t apologize for that. Not when someone’s life was in danger. Perhaps I should feel a little bad about destroying a Fablestone place of business, but in the heat of the moment, all that mattered was stopping Reece, which I did.
“What happened?” Wilson asks, looking from me to Reece and back again. He doesn’t sound angry or frustrated. He’s just resigned. He’s dealt with a lot of crap during his time as clan leader. To him, this is just one more day.
But it’s more than that.
At least, it should be.
To me, this is the day that I almost lost Nicole a second time.
To me, this is the day when the girl that got away almost disappeared forever.
“He snapped,” I say, moving away from Reece so that Wilson can take my place. Reece is free to move whenever he chooses to, but he doesn’t. He just stays where he is on the floor. Wise choice. I don’t know what he’s thinking right now. I probably don’t want to know.
“Nicole came to me,” Wilson says. His eyes roam Reece, silently checking for injuries or weapons. He quickly takes in the appearance of the building before turning back to Reece. Wilson is calm and calculating even in the midst of crisis. It’s one of the things that makes him a great leader, but right now, I just want him to focus on my girl. He hasn’t told me where she is or whether she’s okay. Was she crying when she found him? Was she hurt?
Wilson doesn’t seem to feel like offering up the information freely. Fine. He’s going to make me ask for it. I will. I’m not above begging at this point if it means I get
to find out whether she’s okay. I was scared shitless when she was in danger. I’m still not quite over it.
“Is she okay?” I ask quietly, still watching Reece. The tiger shifter is still, which is good. I know he’s been through a rough time, but it’s literally taking all of my self-control not to beat the ever-loving snot out of him.
“She seemed fine. Sent her to get Cameron,” Wilson says. “He should be on his way by now. I assume Nicole will stay with Peggy until we finish up...with him.”
Reece tenses, which is good. He needs to feel tense. He needs to be worried. What the fuck was he thinking? What made him suddenly decide to snap in the middle of Fablestone? Did he really think he’d get away with it? Surely he’s not that stupid.
“What brought on the attack?” Wilson asks. He’s looking at Reece, but the question is posed to me, and I assume that pisses Reece off because he suddenly looks sharply at Wilson.
“She’s a bitch,” Reece says angrily. He spits the words out as if he can’t hold them back any longer. Venom drips from his voice. He hates her. It’s obvious. Reece is in his human form now, and when he looks up to meet our gazes, anger flashes in his eyes.
“She didn’t do anything to you,” Wilson points out calmly. I’m a little surprised to see him taking her side, but that’s fine. Maybe she needs a little help. We could all use someone on our side. Wilson has never really been a Team Nicole kind of person, but as far as I can tell, he hasn’t been cruel to her, either. He has a lot of shifters and humans to take care of, after all. He doesn’t have time to play favorites, especially with someone who has a known history of violence and poor decisions like Nicole does.
“She worked for the people who did,” Reece snaps. “Lucky hurt me. She worked for them. That makes it her fault. She was complicit.”
“Since when are we all responsible for the mistakes of our supervisors?” I ask, rolling my eyes. I get what he’s saying, but the argument is beyond ridiculous. I’ve had plenty of shitty bosses, albeit not on the scale of Lucky. If I was responsible for every crappy thing they did, I’d never leave my house because the shame of the world would rest on my shoulders.