Nellie wrinkled her nose. She leaned into the window and peered up and down the street. “You’re right. I feel like something needs to go wrong.”
Isabella didn’t give fate a chance to screw them. She went to the phone and prepared to call Dillon. He needed to know that she was safe now and that he didn’t need to protect her. She’d seen how he could be when he thought she was in danger. That day Erik lashed out and Dillon had nearly pummeled him on the sidewalk was still on her mind.
She cradled the receiver between her ear and shoulder only to listen to the hollow tone of a deadline. Her stomach flipped. She slowly lowered the receiver.
“I love that you all brought yourselves right to me,” the man said.
Isabella and Nellie spun toward the voice and found the dragon man stepping out of the back room. He had a clawed hand on the collar of Evangeline’s shirt. She shot daggers at him with her eyes.
“When I change,” she growled, “I’m kicking your ass first.”
He shook his head. “Don’t let them change you. This shit show is about to go sideways. When Zander kills your mate, you’ll be stuck in the same position as me. Now, how about the three of you sit down and chill while I call your boyfriends and tell them to hand themselves over?”
Nellie started to raise her hand, but Isabella grabbed it and held tight. They shared a look. Isabella knew that Nellie wanted to use her magic, but it was draining her.
The man shook his head at Isabella. “You really should have taken advantage of the room service. We could have put it on Zander’s card.”
He whipped his phone from his pocket and quick dialed a number. When he turned his back on them, Isabella let go of Nellie’s hand.
“Gavin, man! I haven’t heard from you in ages. How’s it going?” The man’s voice was far too jovial for the situation. “Oh, just so you know, I have all your mates. These three are going to sit here with me while you head home to daddy. Okay?”
“Three?” Gavin asked cautiously.
The man glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve got a girl with green hair and daddy issues, a blonde who looks like she might piss herself if I say boo, and a chunky brunette that could lay off the iced coffees.”
They could all hear Gavin’s laughter.
Isabella caught the man’s scowl before he turned back around again.
Evangeline edged sideways along the wall and slowly reached behind a table. Her muscles bunched as she lifted something.
“Have fun, ladies,” Gavin said. “I’ll bring the guys down to help you clean up the mess.”
“What are you talk—”
Evangeline jumped forward and swung. The metal baseball bat made a sickening crunch upon impact. The man reeled, and his phone fell to the floor, absolutely demolished. He raised a shaking hand and stared in shock at his broken fingers.
One by one, they cracked back into place until he could flex them again. A black bruise spread over his skin and vanished as if nothing had ever happened. He fixed Evangeline with a deadly glare.
“I don’t want to make this a fight!” he howled.
Isabella backed up and locked the front door while Nellie sidled up behind him. One by one, Isabella lowered the window shades to block out what was about to happen.
31
Dillon soared over the town. His beast wanted to crash onto main street and sniff Isabella out, but Dillon’s last shred of logic kept him from making a scene. He needed to find her before that little bit of human logic failed, and he was nothing more than a beast.
He banked over the clouds and wondered if he could land on the hotel roof without being seen. He didn’t know what he would do from there, without clothes or a phone, but he needed to start somewhere.
Just when his wing breached the clouds, another form slammed into him. He reeled, tumbling through the air. At the last second, he threw open his wings and caught himself before he plummeted through the cloud cover. He whirled on his opponent and realized that it wasn’t one of Zander’s dragons harassing him, but Gavin.
Dillon growled, just loud enough that the warning could be heard without reaching the humans below.
Gavin flew circles around him. Dillon wanted to snap and snarl. This was slowing him down. He couldn’t find Isabella if Gavin bothered him like this. Dillon didn’t understand what Gavin thought he was doing.
Dillon couldn’t keep up with Gavin, so he stopped trying. Instead, he flew into Gavin’s flight path as he came around. Dillon’s shoulder connected with Gavin’s. They went tumbling off course.
Gavin spun around and latched onto Dillon’s shoulders. Dillon thrashed, trying to break free of Gavin’s hold. This wasn’t funny. Dillon didn’t have time to waste. He’d given everything to his clan, and yet they were holding him back from his mate. If Gavin didn’t let go, Dillon would have no choice but to land and hunt her on foot.
Dillon would wander the town absolutely naked if it meant finding Isabella and taking her to safety. Yet, he was in no shape for her. She’d warned him that he terrified her. He’d felt her racing heart when he pulled her away from danger and covered her with his own body. He’d told himself that the situation had caused her elevated heart rate.
That wasn’t the truth. Dillon had scared her.
The idea that he would always frighten his mate sent pain through his heart. He spiraled lower, heading toward the ground. Once he found her, he would give her all the space she needed.
Before he could land, claws gripped his shoulders. Gavin directed him away from town, to a field where they crashed and rolled to a stop. Before Dillon could even right himself, Gavin had shifted back to his human form.
“Quit being so thick headed!” Gavin shouted. “I came to take you to Isabella!”
Dillon swayed on his feet. His beast’s rage bled out of him.
Gavin put his hands on his hips. He looked around and gestured to the Jeep parked nearby. Dillon realized this had been a planned crash landing.
“We need to be careful. Nate won’t be the only dragon Zander sent. The girls have taken care of Nate, but I want to keep an eye out for any more trespassers on our way to the shop.” Gavin grabbed a fistful of clothing from the back of his Jeep and tossed it to Dillon.
Dillon pulled back his beast. At first, the creature didn’t want to go. It held on tight, trying to pour more rage back into Dillon. He wasn’t fueled by it like the others, though. He let it wash over him and snatched the clothes out of the air.
“So, Isabella’s okay?” He held his breath, waiting.
Gavin nodded, yanked on a pair of pants, and hopped into the driver’s seat. “Those women sure are terrifying. I’m going to regret allowing Evangeline to change. I can feel it already.”
Dillon got into the Jeep just as Gavin hit the gas. They sped down the mountain, toward the town. Dillon’s heart raced as he wondered what Isabella and the others had done to take Nate down. Were they okay? Had Isabella gotten hurt?
Gavin must have doubled the speed limit, because he reached town in record time. He slammed the Jeep into park, making Dillon jerk forward. They both used that momentum to pour out and scan the town.
Dillon sniffed the air. He caught Nate’s scent among the car exhaust fumes. There were two more scents Dillon didn’t recognize. Dillon looked up and down the street, searching faces. When he didn’t see anyone he recognized, he turned toward the tattoo shop.
His only thought was of Isabella. Not knowing if she was okay or not tormented him. Gavin had assured him that she was okay, but Dillon would not rest until he knew for sure. The sight of the blinds drawn at the shop worried him. He picked up his pace and nearly ran to the door.
He pushed at it, but the lock held tight. The beast inside him told him to break it down. The urge nearly overwhelmed him. He clenched his fists and stepped back, ready to pay for a new door, when it opened.
Isabella’s brows rose. She threw the door open and launched herself into his arms. Dillon hesitated. He didn’t know how to hold her witho
ut scaring her. Her touch felt too good. Here she was, whole and unharmed, but he didn’t know how to celebrate until she pulled back and peered up at him.
Her soft smile told him everything. He brought his hands to her hips, trying to keep his touch light so she wouldn’t feel trapped.
When she hopped back, his heart plummeted. Then, she grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him inside. Gavin followed, and the door chimed as it shut behind them.
Nate lay on the floor, unconscious. Evangeline had pulled a chair up beside him and rested a boot on his back like he was a conquest. Dillon wondered if the metal bat in her hand had anything to do with Nate’s condition.
“Let’s get him tied up,” Gavin said. “He’s going to have friends.”
Evangeline scowled. “If he had friends, then why weren’t they here earlier?”
Gavin pursed his lips. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe they thought three human women wouldn’t be a problem for one dragon shifter.”
“That’s poor risk assessment,” Isabella said. “All it took was two women. I didn’t even have to lift a finger.”
“Where’s that damn witch then?” Gavin asked forcefully.
While Gavin and Evangeline snapped at each other, Dillon turned to Isabella. She held his hand, as though afraid to be far from him. His beast quieted. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her tight, but he needed to respect her.
No matter how badly it hurt.
* * *
Isabella could see the divide still lingering between her and Dillon. The only one to blame was herself. Self-loathing rose like sour bile. It tainted a moment that should have been filled with relief and celebration.
They’d survived the first attack by Zander. Not only that, Isabella’s friends had proven that they weren’t to be underestimated. Perhaps the dragon men would stop telling them to flee now.
Even Isabella had surprised herself. She was no longer the weak-willed woman she’d once been. Her time away from Tommy had allowed her to grow into the person she should have been, filled with daring and determination.
“I almost jumped out a window, so I could get back to you,” she told Dillon.
His jaw dropped and fear eclipsed his features. She held up her hands.
“Don’t worry! I didn’t have to. Nellie came and helped me walk out without a problem.”
When Dillon reached for her and let his hand drop, Isabella knew she had to make the first move. She wanted to do it away from the others, though. Gavin and Evangeline didn’t need to overhear all Isabella’s mistakes.
She tugged Dillon outside. The sun shone down on them, the clouds parting for the moment. The world kept moving as if nothing had happened. People filled the streets, every unfamiliar face going on with their lives.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said.
He didn’t look at her. She must have wounded him deeper than she’d originally assumed. If he could barely stand the sight of her, then the chance that they could make-up was slim. She should have known that she’d ruined their relationship for good.
She would never be his mate. She would never mean that much to anyone. That was a fact she had to come to terms with. The only person in this world who would love her the way she yearned for would be her child, and that was only if she could be a good mother.
Isabella began to say something else, but the sound turned into a startled shout as someone yanked her hair. She stumbled and crashed into what felt like a brick wall. A hand came down on her shoulder as someone behind her spoke.
“I tried to let Nate do this his way,” the voice said. “Since he can’t get Gavin to go home, I guess I’ll have to do it the hard way.”
Dillon’s eyes flashed yellow. His lips curled back from his teeth. He took a step toward them, like he would rush to her, but a searing pain burned across her shoulder. She bit back a scream as her knees tried to buckle beneath her.
The man holding her kept her standing, so she didn’t crumple to the ground. Dillon froze. Isabella tried to tell him with her eyes that it was okay, that he didn’t need to save her right now, but she wasn’t sure he could understand her through the tears gathering in her eyes.
“Let’s take this off the street,” the man holding her said quietly. His tone held an ominous threat.
She watched Dillon narrow his eyes, but he followed the man’s suggestion and walked backwards toward the shop door. For a moment, relief filled Isabella. There were others inside. They could help her.
Her shoulder throbbed, clouding her mind. She tried not to think about what the man had done. She didn’t know if he’d used dragon fire or if he’d cut her with claws. Instead of worrying about what had been done, she thought about what could be done.
The others couldn’t help her. The dragon man holding her had the upper hand. If the others made a move, the dragon man could hurt her before they could stop him. She needed to find a way out of this on her own, but she couldn’t think too far past the pain in her shoulder.
The shop door slammed behind them, nearly drowning the sound of the bell. Gavin and Evangeline went silent as they turned toward the sound. Evangeline’s lips parted. She lunged for her baseball bat, but the man gripped Isabella’s shoulder tighter and drew a hiss from her that made Evangeline pause.
Isabella held up her hands. She could barely talk, but she wanted the others to know that she would be fine. Though it didn’t seem like it, she knew this would end soon.
“Where’s that witch?” the man behind her asked. “I’m glad I hung back and let Nate do his thing first. Now I know there’s a witch on the loose.”
Gavin shrugged, a gesture that was at odds with the angry curl of his lips. “Call me witch repellant. She’s not here.”
Isabella had always thought of herself as frail and weak willed. Leaving Tommy had been the first step in the right direction, but the pain she felt now reminded her that her body would never live up to the spirit she now possessed. No matter how brave she felt, she would crumple under the strength of others.
She bore her pain so no one else would get hurt, but she didn’t know how long the man holding her would wait. Nellie had vanished. Isabella couldn’t ask her to come to the rescue again. Nellie had already used so much magic, and it was clearly hurting her.
No one in this room would let her die. Which meant that Gavin would fold and do as the man asked, as horrible as that was.
She looked around for Dillon, but it was as if he’d vanished into thin air. Her heart rate sped up. She swallowed and tried to calm it, just in case the man behind her could feel it. As badly as she wanted to search the shop for Dillon, she turned her attention back to Gavin and Evangeline.
Both had relaxed. Evangeline even wore a sly smile.
Then, the shop’s back door opened. The man tightened his grip on Isabella’s shoulder. She screamed when the pain overwhelmed her, and her knees gave out. Casey’s blurred form appeared.
He wasn’t blurred. The whole room was. Isabella could barely see straight.
She felt the need to apologize for being too weak. If only she could have been as strong as Evangeline or as useful as Nellie. Maybe then she wouldn’t have been a hostage twice. She wouldn’t need to be saved all the time.
Dillon’s voice came from behind her. She didn’t understand how. She could barely tell what was happening anymore.
“If she makes another sound because of you, I will not hesitate to snap your neck.”
The man behind her stiffened. She heard a soft hiss escape him and then his hand left her shoulder. Without his grip on her, she crumpled. Before she could hit the floor, someone caught her.
“You were always a piece of shit, Jake,” Gavin said.
Isabella couldn’t see the room anymore. A darkness blocked her vision as a warmth enveloped her. She held on as the warmth wrapped tighter around her. She realized it was not unconsciousness coming for her, but Dillon. He’d caught her and was now shielding her with his body.
The very act
that had caused her body to go into a panic before now comforted her. She pressed her face to Dillon’s chest and waited for the pain to ebb. Her shoulder still hurt, but it wasn’t as bad as before. Dillon’s presence eased it, though she couldn’t be sure why.
They listened to the sounds of a man getting his ass kicked as Gavin took care of the second intruder.
“You were so strong,” Dillon whispered.
Her heart flipped. She dug her nails into his shirt. The words took her by surprise. She hadn’t even realized she’d needed to hear them, but they healed a wound she’d been ignoring.
Dillon helped her onto her feet. She blinked as the light stung her eyes, but the room was no longer blurry. While Dillon checked her shoulder, she hung onto him to keep from falling again.
“Am I…” Her throat tightened. Fear overrode her ability to speak.
Isabella knew nothing about what it took to become a shifter, but the pain in her shoulder made her fear the possibility. Her stomach churned as she thought of her unborn child. The change between human and dragon would rend her body in ways she could never imagine. She couldn’t bear to think of what that would mean for her pregnancy.
Dillon cupped her face. “He didn’t bite you. You are safe.”
She looked him in his yellow eyes. He repeated the words several times over until her breath became normal again.
“Okay,” Gavin said. “If the two of you are done staring longingly at one another, I have a question. Now that we have two assholes from my father’s clan, what do we do with them?”
Isabella didn’t care what happened to Jake, but she turned toward Nate. He slept on the floor, still unconscious from Nellie’s magic. He’d even started snoring softly. She told Dillon and Gavin how he’d been nice. She touched her shoulder, grateful that there’d been such a wide difference between the two men.
“Go easy on Nate,” she said.
Dillon’s hands left her face. One dropped down to hold hers. She savored the touch and how the distance between them had shrunk. Dillon no longer seemed out of reach. He kept touching her, kept looking at her.
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