Jules inched toward his backpack and the shiny pebble he carried for emergencies.
Wait. Hadn’t Jules seen that braid peeking out from beneath a hardhat earlier today?
Instead of attacking, the stranger grinned, holding out a hand. “Elouan Aaron.” His voice held a soft lilt, definitely not from around here but with enough traces of Southern not to stand out. Scottish, maybe? What kind of name was Elouan? Was that like Ian?
Jules took the hand, schooling the trembling from his fingers caused by a waning adrenaline rush. “Jules Carter.”
“Nice to meet you, Jules.”
Jules released a pent-up breath. “Nicer than you can ever know to meet you.” He gripped Elouan’s hand and, for some strange reason, didn’t want to let go. Must be the shock of a near miss.
Elouan released the handshake—darn it!—to retrieve the backpack. “You seemed to be taking care of yourself pretty well.”
While Jules often railed against omegas playing helpless to stroke an alpha’s ego, he gave credit where due. Besides, this wasn’t a dragon alpha, merely a human, though Moira’s spell wouldn’t let Jules detect otherwise. But an alpha would likely join in the torment, not defend a stranger, right? “Not against somany. I’d have been in pretty deep shit if you hadn’t shown up.” Maybe, maybe not.Probablynot.Don’t expend more effort than needed.Another lesson from Radomir and Moira.
The stone could have summoned Radomir, but would he have gotten here in time?
“Then I’m glad I ate dinner at a diner down the street. I was just heading to pick up a six-pack and find my ride when I heard something going on.” Elouan regarded Jules, a wrinkle forming between his dark brows. “Did you know any of those guys?”
“I’ve never seen them before and never want to again.” No more staying late or taking shortcuts. Superhuman strength and speed might give away more than Jules intended.
“That’s what I thought. Just a bunch of parasites. Where ya headed?” the stran… no,Elouanasked.
Moira always warned Jules not to let others know where he lived. Which meant he’d been wary his whole life. Though with surveillance and cameras everywhere, why bother? If someone wanted to find him, they would. “Umm…Home. A few blocks away.”
“Want me to walk with you? In case those guys come back? Or we can take my truck.” Elouan gave a nonchalant shrug, but the pulse point in his neck pounded. From adrenaline or uncertainty? Why would this gorgeous god of a man be uncertain about asking to walk Jules home?
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!While nothing would make Jules happier, what would Moira say? Time for some embarrassing honesty.I’m twenty-one years old and have babysitters who barely let me out of their sight.Well, no, there had to be a better way to phrase the embarrassing confession. “I live with my aunt and uncle, and they’re particular about who I bring home.”Reallyparticular. As in, he’d never actually brought anyone home before. He’d started calling them Aunt Moira and Uncle Ray when he’d gotten weird looks for calling them guardians.And while the name Moira was used in the human world, Radomir wasn’t, that Jules knew of. At least not locally.
Elouan folded his arms over his broad chest, though not defensively; more like he just didn’t know what to do with his hands. “Who makes the cut? Can anyone join, or do I need to fill out an application? Will you put in a kind word ‘cause I’m good at running off petty, two-bit criminals?”
Jules laughed despite himself. “No application, but at the very least, interrogation, and at most, light torture, and no one ever finds your body.” Moira’s words. Sometimes Jules swore she meant them. “Aunt Moira takes being protective to a whole new level.”
Elouan sobered, regarding Jules thoughtfully. “How old are you, Jules?”
“Twenty-one, why?”
“You’re twenty-one, and they dictate who you can and can’t see?” A touch of righteous indignation crept into Elouan’s voice.
“No! No! It’s not like you’re thinking.” Well, since Jules wasn’t privy to Elouan’s thoughts, he couldn’t rightly say. “They do have my best interests at heart. They’re just really protective, is all.” Or the best interests of the one who’d hired them. No, not fair. They’d never given Jules any reason to think they didn’t genuinely care for him.
Elouan rocked back on his heels. “I see. Do your best interests include your walking home alone after being attacked? If they’re gonna rule you so closely, they could at least assign guards or send an Uber.” He didn’t mention his truck again, probably rightly reading Jules’ reluctance. Too many kidnapping stories on the local news.
Jules slapped a hand over his face. “If you meet them, please don’t suggest guards, even jokingly.” Then he’d never have a moment of privacy.
“I’ll tell you what,” Elouan said from behind his hand, giving a conspiratorial wink. “How about I walk you close to your house just so I can assure myself you’re home safely, then leave? It’s not for you, mind you, it’s for me, and I’ve been told I’m rather stubborn when I set my mind on something. Actually, stubborn doesn’t begin to cover it.”
Jules had to chuckle in spite of himself. Continuing alone certainly wouldn’t be advisable, not while his hands still shook. He also didn’t want to leave Elouan’s company so soon. “You’d… you’d do that? Why?”
“It’s like I told those assholes. My father taught me to make it my concern when someone needs help.” Elouan stood so casually, thumbs hooked in the front pockets of his jeans, ginormous boots firmly planted. An immovable object.
That’s what Moira said about alpha dragons. Maybe the same held true for alpha humans, because no one would mistake Elouan for anything other than an alpha. “Why, though? Not too many people would’ve rescued me.” At least, not from what Moira said or based on Jules’s limited experience. Humans tended to look out for themselves. One reason she and Radomir taught Jules how to fight—then did their best to ensure he’d never have reason to use those skills.
The spelled pebble had come from a mage.
Elouan stared at nothing momentarily, giving Jules a chance to study his handsome profile with its strong jaw and firm chin. “Because I have two younger brothers, and I’d like to think someone would offer if they needed help. If it weren’t so late, I’d take you for a drink or coffee first, to settle your nerves, but I don’t blame you for wanting to get home.”
What Jules looked for, he couldn’t say, but Elouan had an honest face, and if he’d wanted to cause harm, he could have done so by now.But why does he want to know where you live?an inner voice asked, sounding strangely like Moira. While Juleswould love some coffee and a chance to calm down before seeing Moira, he definitely needed the safety of home, and to get there safely.
