Joseline could hardly contain herself this morning. Beau and his cousin Zach were going to take her to get her car junked. She would be parting it out instead of filing a claim. She just wanted the whole thing to be over. She had the money to buy a new car, and she considered this the price for peace.

She liked Beau, and she was sure she would like Zach too, since they were cousins. They were also unusual shifters, Beau a griffin and his cousin a hippogriff. She had never met as many strange shifters as she had during the last week. They either congregated in the area, or they all sought each other out.

Zach was driving. He drove a giant truck like many of the men around these parts. She slid into the back of the quad cabin and greeted both men.

Beau turned around. "Great to see you again, woman. You excited to get this car taken care of?"

She nodded. "You don't even understand. I loved my car so much, and once I get this thing junked, at least I can get a new one. And I can be free of all this. I can tell it's getting close, 'cause Rhett let you guys drive me today. This is a first since I met him."

Zach smiled back at her. "Don't you worry. We'll keep you safe and get this taken care of. I'll part out everything for you and get you more money than the insurance company could offer."

Joseline was sure the men weren't lying. Zach worked with cars in his spare time and did most of the oil changes in the shop. She trusted he would give her a good deal. He was only taking fifteen percent of the profit too. She couldn't convince him to take any more. Being Rhett's houseguest had more perks than the hot makeout sessions.

"Are we expecting company?" Zach asked.

She turned around in the seat, expecting to see Rhett behind them. He had seemed so nervous letting her go with Beau and Zach. Nora had been right. Even if he trusted Beau with almost everything, he was very hesitant to trust him with her safety. But what she saw behind them made her blood run cold.

The two dragons from the first night and the Pegasus shifter were riding in a sedan. She could make them out clear as day. They weren't even trying to hide.

Beau growled. "I can't believe these assholes. Coming to our territory and following us? Zach, stop the car."

"Not a chance in hell," Zach said. "They can follow us to the shop, and then if they have anything to say, they can say it."

"No, stop now. We don't need any help," Beau said. He was so agitated. His anger filled the truck. He was practically shaking with rage.

"That's not what I'm saying, dude," Zach explained. "I just want witnesses. If we mess them up, I don't want them saying it was us who attacked first."

Beau nodded, but he didn't seem very happy.

Joseline had really wanted to see Beau and Zach shift, but now it wasn't going to be as fun as she had pictured it in her mind. Why were the dragons coming for her now? Did they know she was alone? Without Rhett, she felt much less protected. Beau and Zach were great guys, but they weren't her man.

And, no, she had no problem calling Rhett her man in situations like this. He was her personal bodyguard, after all.

"Should we call Rhett?" she asked the guys.

Beau looked back at her with such venom, it was like she had suggested that they crash the truck head-on into a brick wall. "We don't need Rhett to protect us. Trust me, I got you."

"What if I just text him what's happening?"

Zach looked at his cousin. "You're getting way too worked up about this, man. Rhett is your boss, and he sure wants to know what happens with his girl."

Beau gave him a terse nod. "That's true. I don't want it getting back to him that I kept something like this from him."

Joseline quickly texted Rhett with shaking fingers.

The phone started ringing immediately after she sent the text.

"Where are you?" he demanded.

"We're headed to the shop. We'll be there in probably a minute or two."

"I'll meet you guys there."

He didn't even wait for her to answer before he hung up.

"He's going to come," she said.

"He doesn't need to, but that's fine." Beau punched the dashboard in front of him. "I really can't believe these dragons. This is going a step too far."

They pulled up in front of the mechanic's shop, and Zach locked all the doors. Then he turned and looked at her. "Stay in the car no matter what happens."

"I thought my car would protect me last time, but it didn't do me much good," she reminded him. That scorpion had almost killed her on the spot. Getting out had been her only option. Here, at least she would be able to run and hide faster if something happened.

Eddie and two other mechanics came out of the shop and looked at them questioningly.

Zach looked around the car. "Hey, where did they go?"

Joseline craned her neck and twisted around. She searched behind them, up and down the street as far as she could see.

The car was gone. It was like it had just disappeared. She was so sure they were going to be coming up behind her that it was miraculous to see them gone.

There was a knock at the window, and she jumped.

"Roll down the window," Rhett said from outside.

Beau and Zach got out of the car.

"I'll do you one better," Zach said. "Looks like they're gone, though."

"Did you run here?" Beau asked.

Rhett's face was red, and he was panting slightly. It was a short run, but he still must have run full-out to get here so fast.

"You didn't have to do that," Joseline said. She was flattered.

"I sure did," he told her. "What were they doing here?"

"We have no idea," Zach said. "They didn't stop to say hi or anything."

"They were here for your girl," Beau said. "There's no reason for them to want me or my cousin."

"Don't be so sure about that," Rhett said. "We have no idea what these guys are up to."

"I'm nobody. I don't have anything they want," Zach said with a laugh. "Unless they need one of their cars fixed or something."

"I need to get back to the station," Rhett said.

Joseline stood on her tiptoes, moving to kiss him, but he nodded at all three of them, turned, and walked off. She was left feeling stupid. Why hadn't he kissed her goodbye? Maybe he was angry and wanted to calm down alone.

Beau had been calling her Rhett's girl this entire time, and there was no way he was going to do that unless Rhett had made it clear that she was his, right? Rhett didn't have girlfriends. He didn't date, and he didn't bring women home.

He'd run there to protect her, which seemed like something you would only do for a girlfriend, but maybe she was just making assumptions. Maybe he had run there because he was angry at the dragons encroaching on his territory. Maybe it was some kind of saber-toothed tiger thing.

"Come on. Let's get this car thing done," Zach said.

"What was that all about?" Eddie asked.

"We've got a dragon problem." Beau scowled. "If you see any of those three again, make sure you give us a call."

"If I see that creepy Pegasus, you can bet I'll call everybody I know." Eddie shuddered. "I hate that guy."

"Has he done anything to you?" Joseline asked.

Eddie shook his head. "No, but there's something really menacing about him. I mean, what the hell can a Pegasus do to anyone? It's just a horse with wings. Yet, he's so sure of himself and so confident in his abilities."

"I've heard some really sketchy things about him," Zach said. "Don't underestimate that horse."

Joseline sat in the office and watched as Zach started working on her car. She was waiting for him to get a better look at it before they finished the contract.

This whole morning had really taken a turn for the worst. At least she was going to get everything she could for her car before she got out of there. That was the silver lining. It would be nice to know where she stood with Rhett, but maybe she was asking for too much too soon.

Maybe he didn't really like her and he was just doing his job. Or maybe he wanted to take things slow. It was hard to say but she could tell he was keeping something from her. It was probably that he didn't want to be with her but didn't know how to let her down gently. He was a gentlemen after all. Either way, she would have her answer soon enough.