by Roxie Ray
I shrugged. “I believe it, mostly. I think in my heart I recognize the truth. Having a dragon father and grandfathers, the magic is in me even though it doesn’t come out as a shift. But my brain keeps trying to tell me this is all insane and impossible.”
Ava nodded. “Yep. You need to go to Stefan as soon as possible and have him shift for you. Your brain will accept it as soon as you see it.”
“But how did you get past this?” I asked. “Once you believed, how did you accept it?”
They looked at me blankly. “There was nothing to get past. Their dragons are another part of them.”
“Didn’t you consider leaving? Not having a relationship with them?”
Charlotte shook her head. “Not really. Once I believed it and believed he loved me for me and not because of fate, no.”
“I had Maddox to think about, too,” Ava said. “I knew he’d be shifting soon, and he’d need his father and family to get through it. Wasn’t much of a choice, really.” I had so many more questions but didn’t have the energy to ask them right now. When did dragons shift for the first time? Are they born as dragons? Would Charlotte’s baby come out with scales? Oh, geez.
“Love.” Charlotte smiled and rubbed her little belly bump. “If you love him, it won’t matter.”
Shoot. Another problem I’d been grappling with. Whether or not I loved him. I kept coming around to it and the more I considered it, the more I was convinced I did. Stefan was constantly on my mind. I wanted to be near him all the time. Hell, before the dragon surprise, if he’d asked me to move in, I would’ve considered it.
I jumped up. “I have to go to see Stefan.”
Ava and Charlotte cheered. Ava got up and walked me to the door, but I waved Charlotte off. “Sit and relax. I’m going to make Stefan shift.”
“Have fun,” she called as Ava shut the door behind me.
When I got in the car and checked my messages, I had a text from Abby. I glanced at the time. Stefan was still at work, so I didn’t want to go interrupt him.
Instead, I drove toward the hospital out in the county. Abby had messaged that she was staying at the hotel beside it.
Now that I knew I had a sister, I had to do what I could to make peace with her. It would’ve been nice to start building a relationship. I’d always wanted siblings, and now I had one.
Abby answered the door with a surprised but pleased look on her face. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
She stepped back, and I walked in to find the room perfectly neat. Her toiletries were lined up in a row on the counter and her suitcase stowed under. “I just wanted to get to know you a little more,” I said.
She sat on one bed and gestured toward the other. “Please.”
“I’m curious about our father,” I said. “But I want to know you, too.”
She nodded. “Okay, well, after Richard got out of jail—”
I cut her off. “You call him Richard?”
She nodded. “Yeah, we’re not super close. In some ways we are, but he never helped raise me. I don’t think he knew I existed for a long time. I grew up four counties over, in Lebanon. That’s where the prison is.”
I nodded, getting the picture. “Okay, sorry. Please, go on.”
“When he got out of jail, he was pretty uh, deprived, in the bedroom area.” She made a face. Nobody wanted to think about their parents having sex. “My mom was the lead bartender at the local hole-in-the-wall bar. She would never tell me about my father, just that he was someone passing through that she couldn’t resist a one-night stand with. For years I didn’t even know if she knew his name. When I tried to ask her, she said it didn’t matter, and that she’d made sure I never needed him.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Hey, my mom split after he left us, so be thankful you had a good mom.”
Her eyes looked sad as she nodded. “I did. She’s the best. When I was sixteen, I got a job at a gas station within walking distance of my house. I wasn’t allowed to run the register because they sold beer, but I cleaned and helped in the little kitchen. Anyway, about five years ago, close to my seventeenth birthday, I made a burger for a redheaded man who couldn’t take his eyes off of me. It freaked me out. Two days later he came back in and when I got off, he told me he was my father.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I nearly pepper-sprayed him. He looked not much older than me, definitely not old enough to have been the man who drifted through town.”
“What did you do?”
“Ran home with my pepper spray in my hand and told my mom. She went up to the gas station and came back an hour or so later with him. He ended up shifting for us because he couldn’t explain the age. Until he proved the dragon thing, Mom figured he was a half-brother or someone trying to scam us or something.” She scoffed. “Not that we have anything to scam.”
“What made you decide to come to talk to me? And why stay in a hotel?” If she was only four counties away, surely, she could have driven home.
“Those are four large counties.” She laughed. “It’s like a four-hour drive. Easier to stay. Besides, I wanted to check out the town. Dad told me a lot of dragons live here, but so far I haven’t seen any.”
“You’re staying in the county,” I said. “You have to go into Black Claw to see any, but we don’t have a hotel. Just a few Airbnb-type places.”
“Do you know who they are?” she asked. “I’ve only met our father.”
“What do you know about him?” I asked. She probably had questions about me, but she’d had more time to come to terms with this whole situation. Her questions could wait.
“He’s cryptic. He would usually only tell me that he’d made a lot of mistakes.”
That wasn’t helpful at all. “Well, that’s an understatement.”
I studied my new sister carefully. I’d be losing my Nana soon, far sooner than I wanted to. My mother still didn’t seem to want anything to do with me, so when Nana left me, I’d be all alone. I wanted to know more about my sister.
She shook her head. “Things could’ve been so different.” She must’ve been able to see I was disappointed in our father, because she scooted off her bed and sat beside me. “We have each other now, though. That’s the best thing.”
Her words soothed me. She didn’t live very close, but it wasn’t like she lived across the world, either. Plus, I had Stefan and the Kingston Clan. Ava and Charlotte would be there for me, help me through when Nana passed.
“Thanks, sister,” I said. She wrapped her arms around me, a touching move, and I hugged her back and hoped for a bright relationship with my newfound sibling.
“Anyway,” Abby said. She pulled back and swiped tears out of her eyes. “Richard finally admitted that his biggest regret was you. He wanted to know you, to tell you how sorry he was. He doesn’t even know I’m here. I just wanted to find you and make sure you knew the whole story.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I didn’t know any of it. If you hadn’t come, it might’ve been a while before Stefan told me, and I might never have learned about my parentage. Stefan didn’t even know.”
She beamed. “Yay! I did something right.”
We laughed and talked about ourselves for a while, comparing likes and dislikes. To our mutual delight, we discovered we had a significant amount in common, despite being raised in different environments. She noticed we flipped our hair the same way, and I discovered we’d both been in the high school choir.
By the time I said goodbye, we were well on our way to being friends, and the possibility of being true sisters one day seemed promising.
As I walked to my car, hopeful and exhausted, there was only one place I wanted to go to. Stefan would’ve been off work for a few minutes at that point, so I drove straight to his house. I didn’t even warn him. He’d been giving me space for the past two days. He’d sent a few texts to tell me he was thinking of me, but otherwise, he’d done as I asked and let me figure it out.
When I pulled up to the garage, it was ne
arly six. The shop was closed, but one of the bay doors still stood open. I got out of my car to find Stefan’s ass up in the air as he bent over with his upper body inside a truck. Smiling, I admired the muscles of his ass and thought about grabbing it. He worked hard and watching him was a turn-on somehow. Nothing like a man who knew how to use his hands. I had firsthand experience that he knew his way around more than an engine. I didn’t understand what would’ve made him think he wasn’t good enough for me. I’d be more than proud to be the wife of a hard-working mechanic.
Wife? Shoot, I was getting into this mate thing.
“You’ve got an audience.”
I jumped when Todd warned Stefan that I stood behind him. I hadn’t seen Stefan’s boss in the shadows of the garage.
“I know,” Stefan said. His voice was muffled because he hadn’t stood yet. He finished turning whatever tool he had down there, then straightened, sending me a panty-melting grin. “I was enjoying being admired by such a beautiful woman.”
“Damn, son. Good one.” Todd chuckled and walked away.
Good one, indeed. He could’ve taken me right there on the shop floor. Unsanitary, perhaps. Hot, for sure.
Stefan sealed the deal by pulling out a rag and wiping his hands as he stalked toward me. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he neared. “May I kiss you?” he whispered. More like growled.
I nodded eagerly just in time for him to sweep me into his arms. He pulled my body flush against his and then put one hand on the back of my neck, holding me in place as his lips did their magical thing that made my body turn to mush.
When he pulled back, he smiled at me. “You look all dreamy.”
“So would you if you’d just kissed you like that,” I said.
Stefan’s eyebrows furrowed as he pretended to be confused by what I’d said. Letting go, he put one hand on his chin. “Ma’am, I’m just a simple mechanic. Can you explain?”
I grabbed his hand towel and swatted him with it, but he caught it and pulled me to him again. “Can you wait a few minutes? I’d like to make you dinner, and I just have to clean up my mess.”
Smiling, I nodded and put my hands on his face, something he always did to me, but I’d felt too shy to do before. If we were going to be fated and dragon mates and all that, I had to stop being shy.
“Go home,” Todd called from wherever he was across the garage. “I’ll clean it up.”
“No, it’s okay,” he replied. “You’ve covered for me too many times lately.”
“Go!” Todd barked. “I’ll cover for whoever I want to.”
Stefan looked toward the far end of the garage and tipped his head. “Thank you,” he called, then lowered his voice. “He likes people to think he’s just a flirt, but he’s got a heart of gold.”
I’d begun to understand that about the man. I’d underestimated him. “Maybe next time I’ll bring him lunch, too.” Stefan took my hand and we walked around the building.
“I don’t know about that,” he said. “It makes me feel pretty damn special. And I don’t want to have to share all that food.”
He always said the right thing. I squeezed his hand and followed him up the stairs. He unlocked his door and let me in first.
The apartment was messier than it had been the last time I was here. He scurried around and picked up a few things. “It’s okay,” I said. “But we’re going to have to get you in the habit of being neater because this would make me kill you.”
That led him to declare that maybe I should be messier, and we spent a few minutes arguing about that. “Let me wash up and I’ll start dinner,” he said.
I looked around a little while he was in the bathroom. His apartment was a studio, but bigger than mine. It had a full kitchen and the bathroom was its own room. My bathroom was literally in the room with me. It didn’t bother me, but we’d never live there together. Something else would have to be figured out. Fated mates couldn’t exactly live apart, could they?
When he came out with a clean face, smelling like men’s cologne, he started moving around the kitchen. “Sit and tell me about your day,” he demanded.
“You worked all day,” I said. “You should let me cook. I was off today.”
He shook his head. “Tell me about your day.”
Smiling at his back as he worked, I told him about Ava and Charlotte, and my visit with Abby. He was very interested in their take on fated mates. “As a kid, my family talked about fated mates once in a while, but they always said the dragon chooses. If a dragon chooses a woman, the man is powerless. He’ll fall in love with her. I’m living proof it’s impossible to fight. I tried, but you enchanted me from the moment I saw you.”
I blushed and ducked my head.
“Do you have questions? I’ll tell you anything you want to know about dragons or our life.”
“There is one thing. Ava and Charlotte seemed shocked that you hadn’t shifted for me. And I realized, this would be much easier to process and accept if I could meet Eros.” Part of me was scared for him to say yes, but a larger part just wanted to see. Was it weird that I was a little excited about it?
Stefan set down the spatula and turned off the stove burner. Turning to me, he leaned close. “You just made Eros’s day.”
As he gazed into my eyes, his pupils changed from brown to deep, rich golden. I gasped, delighted at the difference. His pupils elongated, and a sense of deep wisdom and age settled over me. “Eros?” I whispered.
Stefan chuckled. “He can’t speak to you yet. When we’re bonded, you’ll be able to hear him. I’ve heard some women can hear their mate’s dragon before bonding, but it’s rare.”
“Can we try?” I asked. “I’m the daughter of a dragon, maybe it’ll work on me.”
He sat beside me and took my hand. “Close your eyes.”
I did.
“Breathe deep and relax your mind. Think about something that will make you calm and relaxed.”
Nothing came to mind that would make me feel calm, so I just breathed and thought about Stefan and how much I cared about him.
Hello, mate.
My eyes flew open, and I jumped as a voice growled inside my head. “Was that him?” I squealed.
Stefan nodded and laughed. “He says you’re so cute it hurts.”
“Tell him I can’t wait to meet him.” I grabbed Stefan’s face and kissed him exuberantly. “I can’t believe he’s real!”
“You didn’t believe me before?” Stefan asked, looking a bit worried.
“Sort of. But there’s nothing that makes something more solid than seeing and experiencing it.”
Excitement grew in my chest. Now that I was past some of the biggest worries, the thought of meeting a real dragon had me eager. “When can I meet him?” I asked.
Stefan pressed another kiss to my lips and stood. “Very soon. I made a simple dinner. Grilled cheese and chips.”
He was so sweet.
“Sounds wonderful,” I declared. “I’ve never had someone besides Nana and her nurses cook for me.”
His jaw dropped as he set a plate of sandwiches on the table. “Never?”
I shook my head. “I’m not just a virgin, baby.” I exaggerated my voice. “I’m also completely inept in all other areas of dating.” After giving him a big wink, I dissolved into giggles at his expression.
He was torn between laughter and incredulity. “You’re not inept,” he said. “The idea that I can give you your firsts and lasts makes me feel like the most special man in the world.”
Again, he knew what to say.
We lost time to kissing for several minutes. I couldn’t keep my hands off of him. Eventually, though, we made it through our sandwiches. As soon as my hunger was staved off, I grinned at him. “Can I meet Eros now?” I asked.
He swallowed a large bite. “You know the old tales about dragons being vain?”
I nodded.
“They’re true. And every time you beg to meet him, Eros gets a bigger head.”
I grabbe
d Stefan’s face and dragged him close to me. “Eros, if you can hear me, I can’t wait to see how enormous and fearsome you are. You can be big-headed all you want to. You’re a dragon.”
When I let go of Stefan, a growl echoed in the back of my mind. Stefan rolled his eyes. “You’ve done it. You’ll never get rid of us now.”
18
Stefan
Eros was going to be impossible to live with. He’d already had the normal, overwhelming desire to bond with Harley. Now that she’d accepted him and told him how eager she was to meet him, he was like a child who was told he could have ice cream after dinner.
Eat faster.
Harley had already finished and was bubbling away about how excited she was to see him. I tried to warn her down, but she made it worse. I chuckled and scarfed down my third sandwich, finally full. I’d skipped lunch and worked late in an effort to make up some of the time I’d missed for Todd.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m done. Let’s go.”
We piled the dishes in the sink and Harley took my hand. I drove us way out to the cabin the Kingstons had given me permission to use. I’d put an air mattress and pump there and chopped enough wood that I could build a fire. There was no electricity, but I could do my business in the woods out back and a case of water and a pack of granola bars meant I wouldn’t starve. Plus, Eros could always hunt.
If I had to run, this was an option, though it wasn’t far enough to escape someone like Jury. He’d probably find me in a heartbeat. But if worst came to worst, I could shift in the woods behind the shop, then once I was far enough from town, I could fly up here and be okay for a few days.
I explained the process to her in as much detail as I could. Some things were hard for me to explain. I could only really explain what it felt like, not what it looked like. When I shifted, I wasn’t paying attention to what it looked like when someone else did.
“What is this?” Harley asked when we pulled up to the cabin. I’d spent a little time doing repairs to it. Maverick had originally told me I could live there if I wasn’t comfortable staying in the manor, but then Todd had come through with his generous offer. I’d only ended up spending a few days up here, but at least now the roof didn’t leak, and the few broken boards were fixed in the floors and wall.