A bit of the color drained from Mike’s face. It was a good sign. Waving away her objections, he replied, “Nah, don’t waste your money. I’ll fix it up tonight. Come ’round tomorrow and get the keys.”
Relief made her smile a little more genuine. “Thank you, Mike. Really, I can’t tell you how much I?—”
A squeal of tires cut her off. They both turned to look a little ways down the street, where a shiny black SUV with tinted windows had just careened into the driveway of one of the rentals.
Mike made an ugly spitting sort of sound behind her. “Fuckin’ tourists. Too damn loud and don’t even know how to drive!”
Chapter Thirty-Three
The driver’sdoor popped open, spilling a snarling voice onto the otherwise quiet street. “—fuckinguseless.What’s the point of you? First you fuck up, and now you can’t even follow orders? We can’t waste anymore fucking time with—Oh.”
Alashiya’s spine went stiff as the dragon’s gaze fixed on her from over the hood of the SUV. He stood there, one huge fist clenched like he was a heartbeat away from slamming it down. She wondered if the hood would crumple under the force of it.
A chill swept through her as she watched his snarl melt into an easy smile. It was like a switch turning off. One minute he looked ready to wreck his own car, and the next he was looking at her like she’d made his day.
His wings had been held tight against his back, but now they lifted and raised a little, mantling around his shoulders like he needed to appear just a bit bigger. His tail swept around his thigh to curl in the air. She wasn’t sure when she’d learned it, but Alashiya recognized the posture as one of interest.
Shit shit shit.
Quickly turning back to Mike like she hadn’t seen the dragonat all, she rushed out, “I’ll swing by tomorrow afternoon, okay? Thanks again.”
She didn’t want to look like she was running away, fearing that would only draw more interest, but there really wasn’t anything for it. Alashiya hopped off the porch and moved at a swift clip around the cluttered yard. Her heart hammered as movement to her right caught her eye.
Don’t come over,she silently pleaded, heart hammering.
If she could make it to the trees, she could probably lose him. It would take her longer to get home if she had to go around town, but her only other option was to walk back the way she came, which put her directly in the dragon’s path.
“Shiya!”
She’d barely made it to the sidewalk before a clawed hand wrapped around her arm, halting her abruptly. Fear skittered down her spine as she was turned to face him.
The sun blazed behind him, casting his handsome face in shadow. She flinched, momentarily blinded by the glare. Smiling indulgently, the dragon lifted one wing a little higher, blocking the worst of the sun from her eyes.
“I was hoping I’d see you again.” His gaze raked over her, taking in her soft wrap dress and leather boots. She wished she’d worn a dress with long sleeves. Feeling his skin on her arm was unpleasant in a way that had nothing to do with his firm grip.
“Where are you off to, pretty thing?”
“I… I was just heading home.” She swallowed.Let me go. Please let me go.
The dragon’s grip softened, but he didn’t release her. His smile sharpened. “To a mate, I’m sure.”
“Oh, no,” she answered, hoping her voice didn’t come out too strangled — and if it did, he’d read it as general nervousness. Normally she would’ve told him yes, she had a fierce mate at home, and hoped it dulled his interest, but the thought of even hinting at Taevas’s presence made her wary.
Offering him a tight smile, she said, “I—I don’t have a husband.”
The words tasted like ash on her tongue, but they seemed to be exactly what the dragon wanted to hear. “Now, how’s that possible? The prettiest woman I’ve ever seen can’t possibly be unclaimed. I can’t believe it.”
I’m not,she thought reflexively. But that wasn’t exactly true, either. Whatever she and Taevas were… Well, they hadn’t named it, and now that she knew exactly who she was dealing with, she was even less certain that it was anything permanent. The leader of a territory andher?Not even her most outrageous fantasies were that deluded.
Not that she could explain any of that tothisman.
Striving to sound normal, she replied, “Well, there’s not exactly a lot of options. You’ve met Monty.”
A flash of something dark crossed the dragon’s expression. “I have. I can’t say I enjoyed how he spoke to you. I’d never raise my voice at a woman. It really pisses me off when men pick on people weaker than them. And you’d have to be a monster to bully a nymph. Especially one as lovely as you.”
Alashiya’s gaze moved around his face to drift over the hard line of his shoulders and the rise of his mantled wings. Something about how he held himself made her instincts scream in alarm. She didn’t get the sense thatshewas in danger, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind thathewas dangerous.
Dropping her gaze like she’d been truly flattered rather than alarmed, she demurred, “I’m nothing special. I’m sure where you come from there are thousands of more interesting women.”
