Chapter Four

Gareth pulled out a chair beside the cranky woman and sank into it before reaching to claim a waffle for himself. He’d been pleasantly surprised to find a waffle iron in her possession after seeing the state of her pantry. But, as he snuck a glance at her, he was truly confused by her.

The scent that touched his nose on the porch told him that the female dragon he’d found the night before was nearby. It wasn’t until Rhiannon lost her balance and lurched toward him that he realized that the scent was coming from her. It confused him. This anger filled creature was no dragon. Of that, he was sure.

She worked for GOE. Despite their connection with the white dragon, she seemed to have a deep-seated hatred for his kind that clearly stated she was not a dragon. He should have picked her up, put her on the soft surface of her couch and left when he could. Instead, his first instinct had been to feed this waif of a monster beside him.

When she emerged from her house earlier in the morning, her words had held a touch of sincerity. He wanted to believe that she saw the truth in his words and that she would put an end to her boss’s madness, but it was hard to believe. Rhiannon was a good soldier and a good soldier followed orders until oblivion.

It made him sad more than anything. He expected to feel anger and frustration, but when he looked at the woman in her pajamas with her hair loose and free around her shoulders, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the fate she was marching toward.

“What are you staring at?” Rhiannon asked between mouthfuls of waffle.

He let a small smile touch his lips for a moment. “Did you mean what you said this morning? That you will try to stop your boss’s plans to fake a terror attack?”

He hoped that his words held weight, that she could feel it as much as he did. What her boss wanted to do was a horrible, desperate thing. It would cost them the lives of not only dragons, but humans if they weren’t careful. Gareth didn’t want anyone to die.

She regarded him as she chewed. He thought he could see a soul behind her dark eyes, but he very well could have been wrong. All he wanted was the chance at happiness. But, that rug had already been pulled out from under him. The best he could do now was keep his family safe.

“I will try,” she said, her voice small.

Gareth nodded. He stood and brushed loose flour from his shirt and jeans. The best he could do now was return to the territory and tell his leader what he’d learned. Perhaps, if they tried they could put a stop to it if she didn’t.

“You’re leaving?” Rhiannon asked. Her eyes widened as if her words surprised her own self.

He nodded. “You and I aren’t meant to be under the same roof for very long. We’re more likely to kill one another than to get along. It’s time I should be going before we burn your house down.”

He didn’t say that he’d like to burn the house down with their passionate love making. He didn’t say that he wanted to know what kind of fire burned inside of her to make her so dark. Instead, he told himself that he was being a self-destructive idiot. Laying with a GOE agent was surely suicide, no matter how much she intrigued him.

***

Gareth parked his truck outside of his leader’s cottage home. It looked human and normal, even in the wilderness that was Snowdonia. Maggie was nowhere to be found, her life too busy for a woman her age. Drystan, on the other hand, moved a bit slower and more precise.

The dragon in question was working in a tool shed behind the cottage. The smell of fresh cut wood filled the air.

“I must say that I am okay with some of these inventions of technology that my mate has brought to me,” Drystan said without turning around. He was holding a nail gun in his hand, nailing together pieces of wood that Gareth couldn’t decide would end up making.

“She does spoil you,” Gareth agreed.

“And, it seems, that the new exception regarding Territory restriction has spoiled you. I know that you spent the night off the Territory while the humans are in an uproar over what happened. You also smell of woman, but not sex. Do I have to warn you of the trouble you could not only bring upon yourself, but upon your family if you are not more careful?”

Gareth let out a breath. He’d been expecting this. Drystan was a level headed, honorable man, but he was also their leader for a reason. The older dragon slowly turned to pin Gareth with burning eyes. The nail gun was clenched in his hand, the plastic groaning beneath his strength.

“I followed the female GOE agent last night,” Gareth confessed. He wouldn’t tell him of the female dragon scent he found. Not when the scent came from the GOE agent. It had to be wrong. It was a fluke that didn’t need Drystan’s attention.

“I see that she didn’t succeed in killing you,” Drystan said. “You certainly didn’t charm her. I doubt the woman would fall for charm even if you had any. What made you spend the night with her? Do not lie, I can smell her all over you.”

“I overheard her partner pass on orders from her boss, the man that kidnapped your son’s mate. They want to destroy one of their own buildings and try to blame it on us.”

Drystan’s eyebrows rose. “You didn’t return with this information immediately?”

Gareth felt the fire inside him reach higher. He knew that he was moments from smoke leaking from his nostrils. Why couldn’t his leader trust him? Why couldn’t he be proud of him for trying to protect them?

“My hope was to convince the woman to try to stop it from happening. I thought… I thought that maybe she would have a conscience, but I fear that I might have been wrong.”

Drystan sighed heavily before closing the space between them. With his head bowed forward, he let a heavy hand fall onto Gareth’s shoulder. His fingers pressed into Gareth’s shoulder almost painfully.

“Perhaps you have the right intentions for once in your life, but you do not have what it takes to act upon them.” Drystan’s hand moved to the back of Gareth’s neck in a tight brace. His head rose to meet Gareth’s eyes and the younger dragon could see the flames of anger in them. “You have wasted your life sleeping and drinking your way through your years. Do not think to act in this dire time without consulting me ever again. You are mine to command and mine to keep safe. If you are out and about while the Guardians are looking for any reason to hurt our own, I cannot protect you. If that woman turns on you and hurts you it makes me look bad. Do you hear me?”

Gareth swallowed the ball of fire that was lodged in his throat. Scorching air seeped from his nostrils, but he nodded. There was a reason that Drystan was his leader, but Gareth was a part of this family. He had every right to put his life on the line in an effort to protect them. He wished that his leader could only see that. Instead, he thought of how he looked to the world.

He was concerned with his honor.

Gareth ducked out of his leader’s grip, unable to form words. Instead, he walked away. His efforts weren’t appreciated. He was just Drystan’s silly nephew. As much as he wanted to punch something in that moment, he pulled it back and told himself he would do better. He would stop GOE from implementing their attack.

It didn’t matter if it cost him his life.