Chapter One
Fate sure as hell was laughing at him today, and Birk Caspian couldn’t take it any longer—or rather his dragon couldn’t handle not having the delicious Lily Harper in his life. Sure, she was a human, but if he didn’t convince his future mate to go out with him—and soon—not only would his inner animal explode, his work would suffer. And that could jeopardize the lives of many people.
Birk extended his claws and then folded his wings as he landed on the lush green grass of the park, just down the street from Lily’s apartment. Once he shifted, he straightened his beige button-down shirt and then made sure his hair was out of his face before making his way to her place.
With each step, his nerves increased, which was wrong on so many levels. Being the head of security for SinCas Gems and Metals, he was as tough as they came. So how could some blonde haired beauty with so many emotional walls bring him to his knees with a shake of her head?
Mate, mate, his dragon reminded him.
Like I could ever forget?
The only problem was that Lily kept refusing to go out with him even after his protection detail guarding her had ended, and now it was causing him undo mental stress. It wasn’t as if Birk was a weak man—far from it. He was one of the most respected of all the Guardians, even battling some of Tarradon’s biggest foes. Yet here he was—feeling dejected and desperate.
Lily will give in this time. I can feel it in my bones, his dragon said, though it sounded like fake encouragement. And remember to smile for goddess’ sake. You look like an ogre most of the time with all your flexing muscles and perpetual frown.
Fuck off. I got this.
Or so he hoped. He didn’t need to explain to his dragon that his constant frown was because of Lily’s negative attitude toward dragon shifters in general. His sour disposition also stemmed from the fact that she didn’t want to go out with him—now or ever.
He entered her building and strode up to the new wooden door he’d had replaced after her attack. Birk straightened his shoulders and knocked. The addition of the peephole was his suggestion, since the last thing she needed was her ex-boyfriend, Nelor Dobbins—the dragon shifter who’d burned her—to return.
Birk had paid for the door repair, not to earn her favor, but in the hopes it would help her understand that not all dragons were bad. From her reaction to him over the last few weeks though, she might never change her mind.
A china cup hit its saucer and tinkled lightly. Then the voices on the television lowered, but no footsteps neared.
He knocked again. “It’s Birk, Lily. I need to talk to you.”
As if she could float without making any noise, the knob twisted, and her face appeared around the edge of the door. Instantly, his nails lengthened, and his skin started to harden into scales.
Down, boy.
She’s so lovely, his dragon shot back.
Devoid of makeup, Lily was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her creamy white skin and long blonde hair were in stark contrast to her gorgeous green eyes. And those naturally red lips were made for kissing. When her sweet lavender scent wafted toward him, his dragon clawed his insides.
Birk yearned to run his hand down her arm, but he didn’t want to upset her.
“Is something wrong, Birk?” she asked, not stepping to the side to let him in.
Yes, a hell of a lot was wrong, but he’d keep that to himself. “I just stopped by to see how you were doing. Mind if we talk?”
She glanced behind her. He hoped it was to see if her place looked presentable and not to stall for time. He didn’t sense she had company.
“Sure,” she said, breaking eye contact.
When he stepped past her, heat swelled inside him. If he weren’t careful, his dragon would do more than pant and growl when he was near her. She only came up to his chest, and he swore she was even smaller than the last time he’d come knocking, which made him want to protect her even more.
Birk faced her. “Nelor hasn’t shown up again, has he?”
She jerked at that dragon shifter’s name. “No. He won’t come around either, not with a warrant out for his arrest.”
Birk’s job as head of security at the mines meant he believed in following the rules. Hopefully, Lily appreciated that fact. But unless her brother told her about Birk being a member of the Guardians, she would have no idea how much he cared about people. “No other strange men lurking about?”
When she furrowed her brows, he wanted to take back his question. He sucked at small talk, possibly because most of the women of Tarradon asked him out, not the other way around. Clearly being face-to-face with his mate caused his social skills to disappear.
“No. Once Landry Madison was caught and killed, no one else has threatened me. I’m invisible once more, just the way I like it.” She tossed him a quick smile, but it didn’t seem to hold much joy—only nervousness.
As much as Birk wanted to reach out and caress her face to soothe her sorrow, he didn’t dare. “You’re hardly invisible, Lily. You are not only beautiful, but you have an important job. People know who you are.”
She broke eye contact once more. “Thank you.”
Birk cleared his throat. “I came by in part because I wanted to see if you would have dinner with me. Just so you know, I’m going to keep asking until you say yes.” He winked, trying to act cool.
A wink? Are you kidding me? his arrogant dragon asked. I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t shove you out the door right now.
Lily let out a breath. When she touched his arm, heat swamped him once more, and no doubt his ruby scales were doing a dance under his skin.
Sheesh, Lily didn’t need to see his brown eyes turn turquoise with lust, or his scales flash under his skin, showing how much she affected him. She was already skittish enough as it was.
“I appreciate the offer, but like I’ve told you before, I’m not ready to date anyone.”
Those words seared his heart. “Is it because I’m a dragon shifter?” Birk asked, keeping his voice soft and low.
“No.” Her glance to the floor implied that was a lie.
“Does it bother you that your brother is mated to a dragon?” And that Kyle was now one too?
Her lips twisted. “Not anymore. Nessa is a great person.”
And I’m not?
His dragon growled. Don’t act defensive.
Fuck off, you fire breathing animal.
“My sister is wonderful, but I’m only asking you to dinner. I promise not to shift or shoot fire at anyone.” That was assuming he didn’t have to protect some innocent person from harm.
“Birk, please. I know I owe you my life for protecting me all those weeks against my brother’s former assistant and his minions, but now I prefer to be by myself.”
“I understand.” No, he didn’t, but Birk had no idea how to counter that response. He’d seen how joyous his sister was after mating, and he firmly believed that Lily could be just as happy if she gave him a chance. Just because she said no this time didn’t mean he would give up. “I’ll stop by again to make sure you’re okay.”
Lily tilted her chin upward. “I think it would be best if you didn’t.”
His gut lurched, but begging wasn’t his style—at least not yet. “If that’s the way you want it, I won’t then. Goodbye and take care, Lily.” Each word sliced off a bit of his heart.
It took all of his self-control to walk out of the door and not punch the wall. She’d rejected him—again. Had it been something he’d said? Birk had taken excellent care of her when those men were after his family and hers, yet he never once put the moves on her—and Fate sure as hell knew how much he wanted to.
Her brother, Kyle, told him Lily had also been emotionally scarred by Nelor, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept her ultimatum. She was his mate, and he needed her.
Birk was convinced that with time and a little help from his sister and Lily’s brother, she would come around. The question was whether he could last that long.
As soon as Birk reached the front entrance to her building his cell chimed. It was his cousin Declan who never seemed to relax when it came to managing the two mines.
“Hey, what’s up?” Birk asked in his most cheerful voice. If he’d answered in a tone that reflected his mood, even his fearless cousin might become afraid.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I just came from seeing Lily. Why?” Declan was well aware of Birk’s need to connect with her.
“Are you free now?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I could use your help at the gem mine. There’s been an altercation between some of the men.”
“What do you need me to do?” The employees who worked the late shift were probably just blowing off steam. Most likely Declan was only calling to check up on him.
“I’d like you to coordinate extra security and send them right over.”
That seemed lame. “I’ll get right on it.”
Instead of running back to the park where he could shift and head to the mine, Birk walked slow enough to give him time to plan his next move. He needed to win Lily over, but that was unlikely to happen any time soon.
Birk didn’t think it was his looks that turned her off. Hell, many women had told him he was exceedingly handsome, though he bet they were referring to his body more than to his face. Most likely his large build scared tiny Lily. Shit. It wasn’t like he could change that. While he’d never met her ex-boyfriend, it was his understanding that he was a big guy too. Lily had been attracted to that type of man at one time. Then Nelor went ballistic on her. Birk would never treat a woman, or anyone else, with that kind of cruelty—unless he was in battle with an enemy and had to fight to survive. With Lily, Birk had deliberately been passive, fearing she’d reject any man—or shifter—who was too aggressive.
He just needed to keep on being himself, even though it hadn’t got him very far yet. Eventually, Birk hoped she would take a chance and see the type of person he was: a caring, giving, loving, and highly protective man.
Lily had been hurt. He understood that, but she had let herself judge everyone by that one experience, and he didn’t know how to get even a pinhole of light through the walls she had built up around herself.
If you think you’ve been yourself, you’re wrong. You’ve been nothing but a sullen, over protective ass. You haven’t even tried to learn anything about her.
He didn’t need this conversation with his dragon. I know she works for an insurance company and grew up poor.
If you know so much about her, tell me her favorite color or her favorite food. What is her best childhood memory? Who is her best friend?
A horn beeped, and Birk jumped back to avoid being hit by a car. While a collision with a vehicle would hurt, it couldn’t kill him. “I would know more about her if she didn’t push me away all the time. When she does answer my questions, it’s with as few words as possible. Since she keeps saying she wants me to leave her alone, it’s kind of hard to learn about her, don’t you think?”
“I get it, but you have to try harder.”
“I plan to.” Just as soon as he figured out how.
For sure, Birk needed help in the relationship department, but he didn’t know whose advice he should seek. His cousin Tory was a people person, but he’d never live through the embarrassment of asking for her help. His sister Greer was class personified, but he didn’t know how she could help.
First things first; he needed to get to the mine and do his job. Once Birk arrived at the park, he shifted into his dragon form and took off. The more he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure why Declan had called him. His cousin was more than capable of handling a little ruckus.
As if on autopilot, Birk found himself over the mine a few minutes later. Not once during the short flight had he checked his surroundings for unfriendly dragons. Crap, he was losing it, and he blamed Lily for making him lose his concentration—damn, sexy woman. Why couldn’t she just go out with him? He was positive he could show her a good time.
Birk did have an ace in the hole. If Nessa and Kyle had a get-together, Birk would be in the same room with her and could hopefully charm her, though that wouldn’t show her what he was really like—a warrior, a protector, and a good man. Damn. Maybe he was destined to be alone.
When Birk landed and headed to the Sinclair Gem office, he didn’t see any major catastrophe brewing outside. As soon as he stepped into Declan’s office, his cousin spun around.
“What took you so long?” His lips were pressed tight. Crap.
Birk shrugged. “I came right away.”
“What did you do, fight crime for half an hour first?”
“No.” Birk didn’t need to justify himself to Declan. Okay, maybe he did. Declan Sinclair was the boss over both the Sinclair and Caspian mines, but he was also his cousin.
“Did you contact your men to help out? Because if you did, no one showed up.” Declan moved closer. Usually his cousin was easy going, but something seemed to have set him off today.
“Sorry, I forgot to make the call. I was a little distracted.”
Declan stared at him as if he’d lost his mind—and that wouldn’t be far from the truth. “You forgot? You never just forget. You are the most dependable person I know.” He held up a hand. “But don’t worry about the skirmish. My men took care of it.” Declan gave him that death stare again and then chuckled. “Actually, I called you here to find out what’s really going on with you. In the last few weeks, you’ve been distant and, quite honestly, unreliable.”
Birk had never shirked any responsibility in his life. It was what made him so serious. “Nothing happened.” Other than Lily.
“Bullshit.”
“Fine. If you must know, when I was protecting Lily Harper, I realized she’s my mate.” There. He’d spilled it.
Declan smiled. “Well, congratulations. You should be happy, but clearly you aren’t. Why?”
It was humiliating to mention his failure. “I can’t get her to go out with me.”
“Seriously?” His tone almost sounded mocking.
“Lily is afraid of dragons.”
“Hmm. What does her dragon shifting brother have to say about that?” Declan raised his eyebrows.
“Lily needs time to deal with what her ex-boyfriend did to her, but my dragon is giving me ulcers. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. Hell, I can’t even remember to call for help one minute after you tell me there is an incident at the mine. That’s not like me.”
Declan wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “I know. And that’s what worries me, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I’m just hoping it’s sooner rather than later. Here is what I propose: take the next two days off. If anything happens around here that needs your attention, we’ll call you.”
He’d suffered through too many weekends and none of them helped. “Thanks.” I think.
Not wanting to talk about his humiliating experience to anyone else, Birk left the building and took flight. Just as he was about to reach his condo, he spotted The Wings Bar below. Even though he had an extremely high metabolism for alcohol, a few drinks would help relax him. If that didn’t work, Birk might have to consider escaping to Earth for a fresh start.