I studied my fingernails, wanting to tell him, wanting to leave it alone. The words tumbled from my mouth before I halted them. “My husband was abusive,” I said softly, not looking at him. “You may have guessed that.”
“Pretty much.”
“I loved him, in my way. Hoped he’d change.” I laughed quietly. “He promised to change. He never did.”
“From what I’ve heard, that’s not how abusers work.”
“Nope. They don’t change. I wanted to leave him. He said he’d kill me if I did. He’d track me down and murder me.”
“Is that who’s stalking you?” Brody’s dragon spoke with his voice. “Your husband? Now ex, I hope?”
“No.” I couldn’t look at him. “He’s dead. He killed himself.”
“Fuck.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “His sister swore that his death was my fault. She’s determined to kill me.” I smiled. “She says she’s found me.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” Brody exhaled sharply. “Bitch. Let her try. She’s fully human, eh?”
“Shit if I know,” I barked, half laughing. “I didn’t know I was a dragon. How can I know if his family is? If he was?”
“Have you seen her?”
I shook my head. “I watch. Don’t sleep. I’ve got guns hidden all over this place. If she comes for me, I’m ready.”
“Come here.” Brody extended his hand. “You need some loving.”
“You can’t do shit with one leg.”
“I can hug you. Get your cute ass here right now.”
Heaven knows I needed his loving. I lay on the couch beside him, a tight fit, his arms enclosing me. He kissed my neck, his breath warm on my skin. His powerful presence, his love, hisstrength, sent the past where it belonged. In the past. Love didn’t have to come with a price tag. It didn’t arrive with conditions.
“He said he loved me, that’s why he hit me.”
“Hush,” Brody murmured, his lips nibbling my shoulder. “He’s dead so I can’t kill him. Time for you to move on, get past him, her. Both. I’ll protect you with teeth and claws and flames. She wants you, she goes through me.”
‘What can kill us? Dragons, I mean?”
“Another dragon.”
“That’s it?”
“A nuclear warhead, but not many of them lying around for anyone to shoot at us.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“We’re bullet proof?”
“And fireproof.”
I closed my eyes, thinking of going dragon when she arrived to kill me, her puny efforts thwarted by my flames, my dragon scales. “My luck, she’ll never show up.” I pouted. “I’ll never squish her under my claws.”
Brody’s bubbling laughter vibrated in his chest. “Aren’t you a fierce thing.”
“Yep.”
