16.

 

“Rhett, where have you been, man?”

“Gavin, I need you to fix this. Like. Really fix this. I think something may have happened.”

“What?”

Rhett ignored the question and thrust the device at Gavin. “I haven’t been doing it right. It has been glitching. You know that you are better at things like this than I am, I don’t know why it has been my job to repair it when it is so much more important to have it functioning than to have it messing up. It nearly cost someone her life and I need you to make sure that it never happens again.”

“I can’t guarantee anything, Rhett, but I can try,” Gavin said, frowning as he picked the device up.

“You do that. And I need it done as soon as possible. Something really messed up is going on and I don’t know what. But there is almost certainly somebody in danger. Someone who means a good deal to me.”

“Someone…?”

Gavin was bewildered but intrigued and stood quickly to carry the device to his worktable. “Okay. We are going to try to get to the bottom of it. I can try to reset the device for now and hope that it manages to stay in good shape until a more permanent solution can be reached. But it will take a few hours.”

“All right, I guess. Just have it done by tomorrow. I really need to get to the bottom of this.”

“Is it something that we can help with?”

“I would really rather deal with this on my own,” Rhett said. He was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of Gavin or anybody else sticking their noses in where it didn’t belong. What if they found out he had abandoned his duty and impregnated a human female? He would be banished from the group, forced to live out the rest of his life in exile even if their sacred task was completed and the descendants were all discovered and put to the task of procreating.

“I get it,” Gavin said, holding his hand up defensively, although it was clear he was still burning to ask questions.

Before he had the chance, Rhett disappeared back into his bedroom. He wasn’t going to let anybody judge him for the choices he had made. Even if that meant he kept them a secret so nobody would find out about it.

He laid down on his bed, sighing heavily, and put a hand to his head, grimacing in anxiety and confusion. Why was everything always so complicated? Had he really sensed the creation of a new life? Had it really been significant enough that he had been able to tell exactly what he was doing? The conception of a child? Was he just being paranoid or had that genuinely happened?

Rhett’s eyes fell shut as he thought about Mia, wondering how he would break the news to everybody if it came to light that he had betrayed his sacred calling. Would they still accept him? What about his child? It would still be half Sun Dragon, after all. But would it be accepted as such or would Rhett be left on his own to guide the child without having anyone else in the world quite like it?

Well. It wouldn’t matter. He would do anything he had to in order to make his child feel safe and secure. And teach it all it needed to know about being part dragon shifter. He would guide the child through hell or high water. That was what being a parent was all about, right?

Then again, there was still the possibility that he wasn’t going to be a parent at all and everything that had happened he had been imagining. If it was all in his head, maybe that meant he had no evidence of the sin he had committed by loving a human over his fated mate. Or perhaps the sensation he had experienced was to do with the fact that he had bonded himself for life with someone, whether they were his fated mate or not. The thought sent a cold wave of fear through his body and Rhett frowned deeply. What if he was going to be tied to this woman forever and lose any possibility of reconciling with the one he was truly meant to be with?

On another note, what if he was truly meant to be with Mia? That was also a possibility, wasn’t it? Albeit not a very strong one. She was a human. She wasn’t a dragon shifter or even a descendant. That he knew of.

That was why he was so desperate to fix the machine. At least, this way, he would be able to double check whether or not he had simply given a sacred shifter child to a woman who would never be able to accept him for who he was or where he was going in his life. Whether they were compatible and capable of having babies together or not, they still barely knew each other. What were they doing?

“Hey, Rhett,” Gavin’s muffled voice came suddenly from behind the doorway. “I am really sorry about all of that and everything you said was right. I shouldn’t have been in such a hurry and tried to push responsibility onto you. The device has to be fixed. There’s no other option. I have it working at peak capacity, at least, for right now. Don’t worry.”

Rhett went to the door and opened it, sighing as he took the device from Gavin. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I get how frustrating this is and if you need any help moving forward with whatever it is that is bothering you, then please let me know. I am here to help. I’m not just a pretty face.”

Rhett laughed despite himself as Gavin grinned. It was true. Sometimes, he forgot that Gavin had been one of the most handsome men on the planet Fiora. His mind was far more captivating than his attractiveness and he had been a huge asset to them all since arriving on Earth.

“I will let you know if I need anything,” Rhett promised, slapping Gavin on the back as he had seen the men in movies do during bonding moments. “Hopefully, it isn’t anything too serious.”

Gavin nodded and left the room, and Rhett closed the door again, clutching the device in his hands. He wished there was more he could do, but, truth be told, he was exhausted, and crawled into bed to let himself rest. He had a feeling that he was going to need it.

***
 

The next day, Rhett woke up with a start. He had a lot of work to do. When he checked his phone, he was surprised to find a message from the speed dating company claiming that Mia had wanted to get back in touch with him and she would be waiting for him at the waterfront.

He let out a deep breath, knowing it was for the best. They had to talk. He had to know for sure whether or not she was pregnant. He felt it in his soul, but how was it possible for him to be able to know something like that? Just instinct, maybe? But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to it than that.

Well, not to worry. He would think about that more later. When he actually saw Mia. For now, he had the device working and was going to do some serious investigation. He would get to the bottom of the mysterious evil he had found. He was certain that the man that had attacked Mia had known something. How had he let himself get so distracted? He would find him, assuming he had survived. He would find him and get to the bottom of all of this.

He readied himself quickly for the day and switched the device on as he left the house, deciding to go on foot and take his time combing through Brookside for any suggestion of the negative energy that seemed to be surrounding Mia. Why did it want anything to do with her or her family?

He decided to start at the school, since Mia had told her about the strange things happening, and frowned when he scanned the area and there was nothing for miles.

With a sigh, he moved on, walking randomly from neighborhood to neighborhood, keeping his eyes glued on the device and hoping against hope that he would get it figured out.

Nothing was easy, but he was going to get it all figured out.

Just when he was about to give up all hope, he passed by the fire station on his way toward the lodge where the speed dating event had taken place when the device’s alarm blared. He was startled by it and looked immediately to it to find the cause of the commotion.

“Dragon shifter…”

Rhett’s hackles were instantly raised, and he whipped around, staring hard into a dense thicket of trees far beyond the lodge. He could sense the sickening other-worldly energy concentrated there and scowled, snarling at the potential threat. Anyone who knew he was a dragon shifter and gave off energy like this was going to be dangerous. He suddenly regretted refusing Gavin’s offer to help.

But it was okay. Rhett had always been one of the most talented warriors on his planet. He would do whatever it took to eliminate this threat, especially if, somehow, it involved Mia or her family.

“Come out of hiding,” Rhett demanded, stepping toward the trees.

“You know I can’t do that, shifter.”

The murky, yellowed eyes of Blaithe appeared within the trees, summoning Rhett forward. No, he couldn’t deal with something like this out in the open. Not if a human could happen upon them and accidentally see something they would never be able to comprehend. It was one of the biggest taboos. It could disrupt the order of the universe. Then again, disrupting order was the goal of creatures like Blaithe, who didn’t want to see the universe come to a point of peace and ultimate understanding. Instead, he wanted to serve the goals of his evil overlords; creatures of pure darkness who worshipped chaos. The dark blip on the device told Rhett all he needed to know about this creature’s inclination toward the darkness.

“What are you doing here, dark one?” Rhett demanded, taking a cautious step forward after determining it was safe to do so. “You have no right to be on this planet.”

“We have every right, shifter. Just like you.”

“This is not my choice. I belong on my planet and you belong on yours. Tell me what you are doing here!”

Rhett’s demand bought a sly smile to the face of the creature, and Rhett lunged forward, glaring hard at him.

“That much should be obvious,” he said, with a slight shrug. Rhett’s eyes followed Blaithe out of the darkness until his full reptilian body was revealed. “I am here to destroy the Golden ones. To paint their lives in darkness.”

“Well, I’m afraid I can’t allow that to happen,” Rhett said, narrowing his eyes. The Golden ones were what their enemies referred to the sacred ones as. Those that carried the shifter magic inside them and allowed it to remain flourishing throughout the universe.

“You have no choice,” Blaithe said with a sneer.

“I actually might have a choice,” Rhett said.

“Actually, you really don’t,” Blaithe said, his body growing transparent. “Because there is a Golden One at the waterfront right now, and we are going to get her, harness her magic, and destroy whatever annoying good she might pop out into the universe. And she’s spawning.”

The creature sneered in disgust as his body continued to grow hazy, and Rhett stared at him in confusion. Spawning? The waterfront?

Realization dawned upon him suddenly and his heart leapt to his throat. Mia? He glanced at his watch and cursed out loud. He had nearly forgotten about their date. Mia was a Golden One. A descendant. His fated mate.

“No!” he growled, running full pelt through the street, looking frantically for a way, any way, he could get to the waterfront faster, without resorting to using his dragon form and attracting needless attention to himself.

“Rhett, what’s the rush?”

Rhett froze at the sound of Jackson’s voice as he passed the fire station, and he stared at the man, who was dangling out of a huge fire truck.

“I need to get to the waterfront. Now. I…” He struggled to find a way to explain the urgency of the situation to the man without giving away how truly dire it was. He would never understand the full complexities, but maybe he could help. “I’m late for my date. I just realized she is the one. For sure.”

Jackson glanced over his shoulder at one of his friends in the fire engine. “Oh man. This is big, Gary. This is the guy who fixed my car during the Sanderson case.”

“You saved six people’s lives, man,” Gary said, looking over Jackson’s shoulder to Rhett. “You’re kind of a hero.”

“That’s awesome,” Rhett said, grimacing. “I’m sorry to cut this short but I really have to go…”

“You’re running all the way to the waterfront when you’re already late?” Jackson asked, raising his brow. “You know we owe you one. You need a lift?”

A surge of wild relief overwhelmed Rhett and he nodded wordlessly, hopping onto the truck. It was on its way out of the parking lot even before he was fully settled. Soon, the alarms were blaring, and the truck was speeding through the streets to get Rhett to his fated mate.

“I’m so happy for you, man. I’m really excited that you chose love over uncertainty.”

Rhett smiled grimly, thoughts flashing in his head. He hoped he wasn’t too late. He needed to get to Mia. Soon. Before anything terrible happened.

It didn’t take long before the fire truck was finally winding its way into the parking lot of the waterfront. He jumped out, smiling broadly up at Jackson and Greg. “Thank you both. I have to go.”

“Good luck!” Jackson called. “Go get your girl!”

The firetruck sped off, honking encouragingly, and Rhett didn’t waste any time in pulling the device out, his dragon senses suddenly full force. His girl. His. He needed her. Needed to get her. Save her. Protect her. Everything that she was to him was allowed. Everything she meant to him had been fated after all. All part of the plan.

Except this.

The blaring of the alarm on the device suddenly clued him in to the location of Blaithe. And, not too far away from him was a flash of brilliant golden light. A descendant. Mia.

He knew it without even seeing her in person, and his heart lurched when he saw a tiny orange speck of light within the golden light. His child. A sacred child that he had felt come into being.

A fierce, loyal surge of protectiveness consumed him and suddenly, all bets were off. He was going to protect his mate. His child. His family.

The dragon within him led Rhett to the location without any further hesitation, and before he knew it, he found himself once again in a shady area of thick trees, set out apart from the water and full of trails. The trails were empty now, and Rhett stared into the eerie eyes of Blaithe, who was sneering at him.

In front of him, Mia was bound by a glowing rope, her hands balled into fists at her side. She was struggling to free herself and emitting guttural cries that couldn’t fully escape her lips. She was trapped. Afraid. Confused.

When she saw Rhett, her eyes shot open wide in surprise and her cries lulled for a moment, until Blaithe threw her forward callously. The baby flashed into Rhett’s mind and he lunged forward to protect her from the ground.

It was all a ruse; a distraction to get an advantage over him. As soon as he had Mia in his arms, he felt a fierce blow knock him backward and his head was suddenly ringing in pain.

“Dragon, you are going to die now, and so is the Golden One!” Mia was terrified as Blaithe summoned his minions and tried squirming away, to no avail. “Get her! Kill her now!”

Soon, three men who looked mostly human, including the man that Rhett had fought off of Mia in the forest, were closing in on her. He couldn’t take anymore. The dragon within him appeared.

Time seemed to stand still as he underwent his transformation, and Mia stared at him, gaping in surprise.

“Good luck with that, shifter,” Blaithe sneered, stepping back to watch the chaos unfold.

Rhett ignored him and lunged at the men who were trying to attack Mia. He knocked the one who was familiar far away from her, and he fell hard on his back. Rhett growled, his eyes flashing at the other men beside Mia. He would destroy them for touching her. Nobody hurt her. Nobody.

They were trying roughly to pull her to her feet and Rhett let out a menacing roar that made them stop in their tracks. One still continued trying to target her arm, and Rhett quickly grabbed him in his mouth and tossed him away, a sickening crunch filling the air. The other dropped Mia’s other arm entirely and tried to run away. But he wasn’t going to get off without a punishment. He had tried to hurt the woman Rhett loved. There would be consequences.

Rhett turned around quickly, whipping the man with his tail. He let out a sharp cry and fell into a tree, crumbling to the ground unconscious. Rhett stepped between Mia and Blaithe, readying his breath weapon. The victorious smirk on Blaithe’s face disappeared quickly when he saw the serious fury in Rhett’s eyes, and he snarled, lowering his head as he gathered energy.

“You are never going to win,” the creature said, narrowing his eyes at Rhett. He began to grow slightly transparent. He was trying to teleport away. But Rhett wasn’t going to let him.

Suddenly, the forest was alight with the brilliant orange glow of Rhett’s breath weapon. The fire consumed the creature without doing any damage to the surrounding area. It had reached its target, and a sharp cry filled the air as Blaithe dropped down to the ground, howling in agony.

That would be enough to finish them off, however, and before the creature had a chance to regain his footing, Rhett lunged at him and finished him off with a strong snap of the jaw.

He surveyed the area quickly, making sure he had eliminated all threats to his fated mate, before shapeshifting back into his human form and going to Mia, gathering her in his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked, removing her confines.

She nodded, staring at him in wonder. “I’m fine. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Yes, that would be great.”

He carried her to her car, carefully avoiding any stares of passersby who wondered why this strong, gorgeous man was naked and carrying a woman to her car.