Maybe it was the care and attention Dragon gave her last night. His large hands had been so gentle as they dried her wounds and massaged the tight muscles in her leg. It hadn't justbeen the soft touches that had warmed something inside her, it was the look in his eyes while he was doing it.
While he’d aimed for nonchalance when she’d refused what she was pretty sure was going to be an uncharacteristic display of comfort, she hadn't bought it. There had been pain in his eyes when she’d taken that step back.
It wasn't her goal to hurt him, she wasn't the kind of person who wanted to lash out and hurt someone back because they’d hurt her. His dismissal of her a few months ago had hurt both because it reopened old wounds where she felt less inside her family because she didn't have as much to offer, and created new ones because she’d been sure there were feelings growing between them. But she didn't want to punish him for it, she just wanted to move forward.
Floundering wasn't a fun way to live.
Finding her footing again was imperative, and Cassandra feared she couldn’t do that so long as she was around Dragon. He was dangerous to her because she cared deeply for him and wanted to shoulder some of his pain, even if he didn't believe her shoulders were strong enough to do that. But he was also dangerous to her because he showed her moments of softness that weakened her resolve.
No weakening.
She liked Dragon far too much, and her traitorous little heart was all too ready to forgive and move forward. Well, she’d probably already forgiven, because she did get that she wasn't part of Delta Team, so her voice didn't matter, but Dragon’s easy dismissal had hurt too much for her to put herself back into that situation for it to happen all over again.
Maybe Dragon had feelings for her, but he was never going to open himself up to it, so even if she wanted to give them a second try, it was never going to go anywhere.
“Monique’s calling,” she said to Dragon when he came out of the bathroom. “Am I okay to answer? No one will be tracking us or anything?” Cassandra was so far out of her comfort zone that she had no idea what to do. Just because her parents and siblings had all served it didn't mean it was her area of expertise.
“You can talk to your sister.”
With a happy little squeal, she snatched up her phone. It had stopped ringing, but she returned her sister’s call and relaxed further when Monique answered.
“Are you okay?” her sister demanded without hesitation.
“Can I take it you know what happened last night?” While she hadn't called anyone, she’d been too tired, too lost in her own head, she shouldn’t be surprised that Dragon had made sure her family was aware of the break-in. Just because she didn't want them to worry didn't mean she wasn't relieved, she wasn't built for keeping secrets.
“Yeah, we know, and we’re all worried sick.”
“Sorry.” Having her family worry about her sucked. They’d done that enough these last few months, and while she got family worried about family, she wanted them to see her as strong enough to handle anything rather than the weak link.
“Don’t be sorry, but tell Dragon to bring you to my and Jax’s place. We’ll go out to my animal sanctuary. It’s remote and no one will think to look for you there.”
That was actually a great plan. Cassandra didn't want to put anyone in her family in danger, but the sanctuary was beautiful, and it was where she’d first met her half-sister so it held a special place in her heart. She knew Monique loved any excuse to get out there, so it wouldn't really be like she was putting them out.
“I don’t want to put you guys in danger,” she admitted. If she was doing this, she needed them to know they could opt out.
“Pfft,” Monique said dismissively. “Jax will watch your back, you know he’d love nothing more. And I love having a sister, soany excuse to spend time with you I’ll take. Besides, I truly don’t think that anyone would think to look for you there since the sanctuary isn’t connected to you in any way.”
“All right,” she agreed, decision made. Staying with Dragon would keep her physically safe, but there was no way to protect her heart when he showed her moments of gentleness like he had this morning. Those little moments would build up quickly the longer they spent together, and she wasn't sure she could make it out the other side with her resolve intact.
“Ask Dragon if he can fly us over there on his plane before he heads back home,” Monique said.
“I will, we’ll get ready and head right over.” Now all she had to do was break it to Dragon that she wasn't going to be staying with him. He wouldn't like it, that was for sure, but she didn't think he’d kidnap her and take her back to his house against her will.
At least she was fairly sure he wouldn't.
She hoped.
“See you soon. Love you,” Monique said.
“Love you too.”
As she set down her phone, she looked over to find Dragon standing on the other side of the bed, staring at her with an expression she couldn’t read. He was good at that, shutting down whatever he was thinking, keeping his expression blank. While she had no intel to back it up, Cassandra couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something he’d learned long before he and his team were experimented on.
“Umm, Monique said I could stay with her and Jax out at her animal sanctuary,” she began a little more tentatively than she would have liked. This was her life, and she was in charge of it, but she knew she’d be hurting Dragon’s feelings by rejecting his protection. “I think it should be fine. I’ll be safe there, and you know Jax is trained enough to protect me. The cameras he putup when he was worried about Monique’s safety are still there, and I'm sure he can link you in on them so you can watch them if it will make you feel better.”
For a long moment, Dragon didn't say anything, and she tensed, half expecting him to pull out his own vial of sedatives and knock her out so he could take her back to his mansion with him.
Then he gave a single nod, walked over to grab their bags, then waited for her by the door.
