Chapter 16
One week later
Keva smiled down at the beginning of her new project—a charm bracelet for now. She was creating an entire new line of sculptures and jewelry. She was calling it her Sentinel Series. And of course she was basing it on Dagen’s beautiful form.
It was weird, but for the first time in years she felt truly safe. Yes, she had settled in Conall’s territory years ago and had been under his protection, but it had always been in the back of her mind that her ex’s family was out there. She’d always been waiting for them to strike because they’d figured out what she’d done. Now that little voice of terror was gone.
She could finally live again—and start a life with Dagen. She was ready to be mated and was trying to figure out how to tell him. Though she figured if she simply showed up in his bed naked he’d get the idea. They’d been having nonstop sex ever since the first time she’d slept with him at his house. The last week had been insane and erotic and she couldn’t get enough of him.
At a whisper-soft rustling sound, she turned and took off her thick work gloves, tossing them on her worktable. Dagen’s clanmates had worked like crazy to get her workshop back in order, but they were done, so it wouldn’t be one of them.
And it was about an hour too early for Dagen to be here. He’d had some work stuff to deal with and she was getting back to normal. She had employees at her shop so now she could spend time doing what she loved most, creating.
She heard the rustling again and automatically reached for her pepper spray. She lived and worked out in the country, and since she knew about supernatural creatures, she always took extra precautions.
So when a wiry-looking male stepped into her shop, she went on alert, carefully palming the spray out of sight. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“I’m here to pay you back,” the male snarled, his eyes going pure wolf.
Shit. Her heart rate kicked up but she kept her expression neutral. He had to be related to Richard and Randall somehow, she realized, despite his rangy frame. He might be smaller but he had the same eyes and facial features. A cousin maybe. Didn’t matter. He shouldn’t be here and he was definitely a threat.
She would have one chance and one chance only to surprise him.
“You’re an idiot if you think you’ll get away with this,” she snapped. “Conall’s already spoken to your Alpha, dumbass.”
“You think I care about that? I’m going to make you pay for killing my brothers.”
Brothers? She knew her ex had had a much younger brother but she’d never met him. The guy had been a pup when she’d been with Randall.
“I didn’t kill them.” Striding toward him with a confidence she didn’t feel, she opened her mouth as if to say more, then snapped her hand up and sprayed, letting the full stream release right in his eyes. Pure silver.
He screamed as she temporarily blinded him—and then she ran. This was the only chance she would get.
Racing out of the workshop, she grabbed a cordless nail gun as she moved. She would only have a minute, maybe two, before he caught up to her.
Heart pounding, she sprinted across her yard. Blood rushed in her ears but she heard the growl behind her.
She swiveled, nail gun raised as a giant gray and brown wolf rushed at her. She raised it and fired. Ping. Ping. Ping. She hit the wolf right in his face.
He growled in rage and kept coming. She pulled the trigger over and over, right into his face and neck as he jumped at her. Crying out in pain, he slumped to the hard earth, blood everywhere.
But she wasn’t fooled. She knew how resilient shifters were. Instead of checking the animal, she sprinted into her house, not bothering to lock the door behind her. If he regained his strength, he’d just bust through it. She raced for her bedroom and grabbed her small pistol out of her bedside table drawer.
With trembling hands, she crept back out into the hallway. She couldn’t stay here, waiting for him to attack her, and she needed to get to her cell phone—which was in the workshop. Even if she wanted to try and barricade herself in her room, a door or wall was nothing for a shifter.
She didn’t hear anything so hopefully he was outside. Hopefully he was dead. And she felt absolutely no guilt for killing a psycho from Randall’s pack. Maybe they were all fucked up in the head. Because she knew without a doubt that all shifters were not like her ex. Most of them seemed normal—ish.
As she stepped into the kitchen, her breath caught in her throat.
Randall’s youngest brother stood there, his face covered in blood, dripping all over her kitchen floor. He was human now, and naked. He must have shifted to dislodge the nails.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he rasped out. Though blood trickled down his face, his eyes glowed a pure, evil amber.
She raised the gun. “Just leave now,” she snapped out. Even though she knew he wouldn’t simply leave, she would still give him a chance. Because he wouldn’t survive this. That much she knew. “Run away and never come back. Or I will kill you.” Her finger remained curved on the trigger. She would not be a victim ever again.
“You’re fucking hot, I’ll give you that. But you’re a dumb bitch if you think bullets will hurt me.” His claws popped out, long and wicked as he grinned, looking like a cartoon villain.
It was now or never. She pulled the trigger and didn’t stop, emptying the magazine into his chest.
His mouth opened in shock and horror as blood dripped down his chin.
“Not regular bullets, dumbass.” She’d gotten silver bullets specially made long ago because she’d figured a day like this would come. And she hadn’t planned to go down without a fight.
His knees hit the floor just as her kitchen door burst open, Dagen wild-eyed as he stormed inside. He took one look at her, gun in hand, then turned his lethal gaze on the dead wolf on the floor.
He simply let loose a stream of raging fire and incinerated the wolf—and burned a hole in the floor.
“Keva!” She was in his arms before she could blink, as he took the gun from her and scooped her up, holding her tight. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she managed to get out as he held her so close she could barely breathe. She gently pushed at his chest. “You’re squishing me,” she muttered. Her heart was still racing out of control over everything that had happened, but now that Dagen was here she felt a little calmer.
Though she could tell it pained him to do so, he loosened his hold but not by much.
She looked up at him. “He was Randall’s younger brother. He was barely a teenager when I was with Randall, but apparently he’s as stupid as both his brothers.”
Dagen’s expression was dark. “There’s so much blood in the yard. I scented it as soon as I got back. I thought…” He pulled her tight again and she let him hold her hard this time, returning his embrace.
“I’m okay,” she murmured.
“I should have been here to protect you.” Utter agony filled his voice.
“I can protect myself—which is good because you can’t be with me 24/7.” And though she hated that she’d killed someone, she didn’t feel bad about it and it also gave her a sense of strength she hadn’t realized she needed. She’d been able to defend herself from a wolf shifter. All by myself.
He kissed the top of her head. “I love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Right back at you, big guy…” Then she tipped her head back to look into his face. “Wait a minute, did you say you love me?”
“Yes, I love you. And I probably shouldn’t tell you with a giant charred hole in your kitchen, but I do. You’re my mate, Keva.”
“I love you too!” The declaration came out as a shout.
His grin lit up his face and her heart.
“You owe me a new floor.”
Dagen let out an unexpected laugh. “I’ll buy you anything you want. But I’m moving in here. Or you’re moving in with me.”
“My workshop is here but your place has enough space to build one behind it.” Oh yeah, she was all in. One hundred percent.
“We’ll figure it out later. For now, let’s get out of here. I want you away from…this. I’ll send someone to clean up.”
That was fine with her. Looking away from the hole in her floor, she curled into him as he scooped her in his arms. As soon as this mess was taken care of, she wanted to mate with him, to be connected with him in every way possible. “You think…we could fly out of here?” At one time in her life the thought of riding a dragon would have seemed ludicrous. Then just plain terrifying. Now, she wanted to see him in his dragon form more than anything.
He pulled back so he could look down at her. “You can ride on my back or I can hold you in my claws.”
“Back.” She didn’t even have to think about it. “Give me a couple minutes.” Moving faster than should have been possible, she changed into comfortable clothes and, ignoring the mess in her kitchen, met Dagen behind her house.
He’d already shifted so she got to see him in his beautiful glory. She was certain that there had never been another dragon as beautiful as him. Ever.
The silver, blues and lavenders were brilliant, shifting like a glittering waterfall. He took her breath away and made her want to cry tears of joy at the same time. Unsure of the logistics of all this, she paused next to him, trying to figure out how the heck to get on his back. He made a little chuffing sound and scooped her up with his wing in a sneaky move she didn’t see coming. Then she was sitting on him, and to her surprise, his scales were softer than she’d imagined. And so big. She was able to dig her hands into them and hold on, to feel secure that she wouldn’t fall off.
Then he was moving, lifting up so suddenly that she nearly yelped out loud. But she didn’t because she knew he would never let her fall. Or if she did, he’d catch her.
She did let out a yelp of surprise when he turned invisible. Well invisible-ish. He was there, and then in the next second, his body shimmered and all she saw was…nothing but the outline of him. And that was only because she was so close to him.
Her heart caught in her throat as they rose higher, higher into the air.
It was a good thing she wasn’t afraid of heights, she thought as she buried her face against him and inhaled. Wind whipped over her as he rose up, up, up, but soon he evened out, their path slow and steady as he headed east toward his clan’s land.
All around them, trees and so much vast land stretched in all directions, bright blossoms from plants and foliage emerging with the spring and filling her with wonder. More than the beauty surrounding them, was the beautiful dragon that she called her own. Now and forever.