Petra opened the door to the exit, then paused. “But wait, my story…”
Karen put her hands on her waist. “You really would rather have a promotion than have your man back?”
Petra shook her head. Karen was right. Petra wasn’t ready to give up yet. No promotion would make her as happy as Trevor had.
And even if things went south with him, she wouldn’t regret it. Some things in life were too good to let go of. Petra hadn’t ever planned for Trevor, but now she meant to hold on with both hands.
He loved her. She loved him.
There had to be a way to figure things out.
If not, she would take what he could give her.
“You’re right. Tell Jason I had to go,” Petra said, walking back to her desk, mind already racing about what to say to Trevor.
“Thattagirl,” Karen said. “What’s Jason going to do, fire you? I doubt it. I’m sorry about the promotion, though.”
Petra shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just money.” And a dream that didn’t matter, compared to being in love.
She could find other jobs later. She was smart and resourceful.
There was only one Trevor, and whatever price she had to pay to go to him immediately was worth it.
Her dad had been right, she thought, as she packed her things to head out and her eyes caught one of her Post-it notes with his phrases.
Love never comes at a discount, but it’s always worth the price.
She smiled as she strode out of the office, ready to finally take charge of her life.
Chapter 21
“We have a job,” Chad said, pushing open Trevor’s door to let in some light.
Trevor had gone to bed early with the curtains shut, determined to mope in the dark.
“Look, we’re going to drive over and meet Xander and Tristan and then all fly out.”
Trevor nodded. A lot of the most secret places the oracle asked to meet were not accessible by normal roads, so they had to go in dragon form.
And if more than one dragon was going to fly, they always went in a group, safety in numbers.
Also, it was good for watching for planes.
He pushed himself out of bed, ignoring his stinging headache and wondering if he shouldn’t go see Jay, the blue dragon in their area. Then again, Jay was pretty far away.
Plus, he doubted Jay could heal heartache.
Besides, maybe this was what he needed. To get back to doing his job, see what he really lived for. His true purpose.
I live for Petra. I only want Petra, that annoying voice inside him said for the millionth time. It sounded weak. Dark. Trevor just hoped it wasn’t his dragon.
“So are you going with, or did you want to stay here and pointlessly pout some more?” Chad asked, folding his arms.
“I’m coming,” Trevor said. “Sorry, Chad. I’ve been off lately, but I’m back.” His tone was flat, though, and Chad raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t sound like you’re back. You sound like something is still wrong.”
Trevor shook his head. “No. It’s nothing.” He could be strong enough to forget all of this. How happy he had been. How beautiful she was. He could be happy just doing his duty to protect the world she inhabited. Knowing she’d be safer with him and the other dragons around.
It gnawed at his insides that he couldn’t be next to her, though, to see that she was safe at any moment.
“All right,” Chad said, eyeing him warily. “Get ready, and I’ll text Xander to let him know we’re headed out.”
“Good,” Trevor said. Maybe it’d be good for him, seeing his other friends. Getting out of the house. Remembering there was more to the world than him and Petra.
Though, it didn’t feel like it.
Chad left the room, and Trevor showered, got dressed in a black sweater and jeans, and pulled his trench coat on to leave the house.
They drove to Xander’s in Chad’s convertible, and by the time they arrived in the industrial area where Xander lived with his brother and their two mates, Trevor felt almost calm.
When they got there, Xander and Tristan were waiting outside, and Xander walked forward as soon as Trevor’s door was open.
He pulled Trevor into an unwanted, unwelcome hug, which Trevor nonetheless accepted so as not to be rude.
“Hey. Chad says you’ve been going through some stuff. You okay?” Xander asked as they pulled back.
“It’s nothing,” Trevor said, looking away. Tristan came over to shake Trevor’s hand and then started talking to Chadwick excitedly about the fae who would be coming later that day, after they met the oracle.
Everything was happening so fast. Before, Trevor might have been excited about the extra help in their world and the new magical beings he would get to know.
But right now, he couldn’t be excited about much of anything.
Xander sidled up, arms folded, and glanced over at Trevor. “Psst. Hey,” he whispered. “How’s things with the lady?”
Trevor shook his head, lips pursed. “It didn’t work out. It’s fine, though.” I’ll be fine.
“Dude,” Xander said, pulling him around the side of the building so they could talk away from the others. “Look, if it’s making you this depressed, go get her.”
“She left,” he said flatly. “I couldn’t give her what she wanted. A normal life.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Hell, she didn’t even want that. And it’s probably for the best.”
“Why? Why can’t you just mate her?”
“Because I’m not like you, Xander. I was born with responsibilities. I’m not just allowed to fall in love with someone and have them all to myself. I made a promise a long time ago, and I’ll keep it.”
Xander was quiet for a moment. “All right. You’re right. I’m not like other double dragons. That was never an option for me or Tristan. You got me there. But on the other hand, if it’s possible for us, isn’t it possible for you?”
“No,” Trevor said, shaking his head. “I knew what I was getting into when I partnered with Chad. I won’t break my word.”
“You don’t have to,” Xander said. “Just talk to him. Chadwick cares about you.”
Trevor eyed Chadwick, who was still smiling as he spoke to Tristan, probably about the fae. “I know. And I don’t want him in that position. He cares about the world too, and the world needs us. Needs us to find and share a mate.” He pressed his fingers to his temple. “What’s wrong with me?”
Xander raised an eyebrow. “In my opinion, nothing. Well, at least nothing in regard to wanting the woman you love all to yourself. You’re pretentious, annoying, grumpy, and never see when people care about you, but as for the thing with your mate, nothing wrong about that.”
Trevor took a deep breath and looked out at the water shimmering in the afternoon light out beyond the docks. “I wish that were true.”
Xander shook his head. “Well, I wish I could convince you. If I were you, I’d be flying to her right now, begging her to forgive me for whatever fuck-up made her leave.”
Trevor shrugged. “It’s better this way. This way, she gets to leave me. Even if we continued things… on the side, once Chad found a mate, I’d have to do my duty and—”
“Dear God, this isn’t sexual slavery. There are pairs without mates. You can just not have one.”
“It’s irresponsible,” Trevor said. “I feel terrible now. Chad and I pressured the other dragons in our area to find mates, and all along, I wasn’t going to.”
“They wanted to. They’re happy,” Xander said. “There’s something different for everyone.”
“Let’s head out!” Chadwick called to them. “We’re going to be late!”
Trevor nodded. “That’s our cue.” Once they got to work, focused on the next thing, the dull emptiness inside him would calm down. Recede.
Surely, if he couldn’t be with Petra, then that was what fate had decided.
He’d have to reconcile himself to that and be grateful
for the time he’d had.
“Wait,” Xander said as Trevor turned to walk back over to Chadwick. Xander caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. “Are you sure about this?”
Trevor had to breathe in and out several times just to answer because deep down, he didn’t feel sure at all. He felt like he was making a terrible mistake.
But since when did his feelings matter?
He shook off Xander’s arm gently. “Thanks, but I’m fine.” He gave Xander a half smile. “I appreciate you, Xander.”
Xander’s vivid blue eyes widened. “Oh my God, another compliment.” He ran forward to put his arm around Trevor’s shoulder anyway, ignoring Trevor’s attempts to shake him off. “Are we friends now? Real friends? Besties? Ready to pour our hearts out and—”
He was silenced by a hard look from Trevor but then laughed and walked forward to catch up with the others.
Trevor straightened his shoulders and told himself things would be fine.
They were off to meet the oracle, after all.
Chapter 22
Petra didn’t know if she should call Trevor. She worried he’d tell her not to come, and right now, she knew the right thing was just to run to him as fast as she could.
Her heart felt like it was flying to him faster than her car could drive.
When she finally turned onto the road that led to his mansion and drove up and parked at the side, she felt her heart clench as she looked up at the familiar place.
It was hard not to think of everything they’d done together. All the images seemed even more vivid to her memory now that she was back at this place.
And Trevor… he was just inside probably. If he was gone, she would wait for him. Unless he didn’t come back for a long while, in which case…
Well, she hadn’t really thought of what to do in that case.
All she knew was that when she saw him, she’d know what to say. How to make things better. How to tell him what she wanted, honestly this time, even though she was afraid.
She was going to trust his feelings for her, she reiterated to herself as she jogged up the steps to the house. She was going to—
The door swung open just as she raised her hand to knock on it, and her mouth fell open when she saw the person standing in the doorway.
Two persons actually.
The man in front looked like a snowflake had taken human form, as everything about him was pale and white, right down to his eyelashes. His white hair was caught back in a long braid, and his face was beautiful and exotic. Wide eyes tapering to a solid jaw and pointed chin. His eyes were a milky white, but as she moved closer, she saw that the irises refracted every shade of the pastel rainbow, like white opal.
He looked like a human but just… extra.
Extra tall. Lean but muscled. Not as thick as Trevor, but there was a sense about this man that was just as menacing somehow. Like power emanated off of him, though his expression was calm.
He was wearing some kind of skirt that went all the way to the ground and a robe over it. All were in some kind of shimmery white satin.
Petra didn’t know what to do or think, so she just stood there staring as the man, who seemed even taller than Trevor, cocked his head and just stared at her.
Both of them seemed to be at an impasse until the other figure at the door stepped forward, drawing her attention.
This one had the same long, silky hair, but it was black and slightly waved. He cocked his head, and his large almond-shape eyes tilted up at the corners, so black she couldn’t see into them, with little glitters like a night sky that made them sparkle.
His chin was strong with a handsome dimple. And his features were gorgeous, if a little harsher than his friend’s.
He was tall and lean, with that almost inhuman height and beauty, but he was at least wearing clothes normally. Sort of.
His sweater was bunched around his neck like a ring, and he had a tee shirt underneath, though it was backward. He was wearing jeans but kept shifting side to side as if terribly uncomfortable for some reason.
It almost seemed like he’d never worn pants.
“So you’re the human emissary?” the dark-haired one said, his tone slightly snappish. “You’re late.”
“The what?”
He turned to go inside and his hair whipped away from his face, and Petra gasped when she saw his ears.
They were long, pointed upward in a way she’d only seen in movies.
He grabbed her hand from behind and dragged her inside as the white-haired one moved out of the way gracefully.
When they were alone in the foyer, the black-haired one released her and glared.
“I said you’re late. First, I can’t figure out this clothing. My human guidebook didn’t specify how they put on layers.” He gestured to the sweater being worn like a necklace.
“Um, you just put it over your shirt.”
“But it feels scratchy,” he said.
“You don’t have to wear it.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I’m just—”
“And look at this. He’s wearing a skirt. Tell him why he can’t wear that!” The black-haired man pointed at the white-haired man, who stepped back, looking mildly offended.
“It goes with my robes. Much more comfortable,” he said calmly.
“If you want a human mate—” the black-haired one said, “that isn’t a male, I mean—then you need to wear pants.”
The white-haired one scowled at the black-haired one’s apparel. “I don’t think so.”
“They don’t wear robes! Read your human guide.”
“Human guide?” Petra felt like her shock was finally wearing off enough that she needed to know what was happening. It didn’t seem possible, but given the circumstances, their height, everything about them… were they possibly not human?
“Yes,” the black-haired one said, looking at her as though she was testing his patience. “To educate fae princes.”
“Fae?”
“Are humans unintelligent?” the white-haired one said mildly. “I’ve never met one, but this female seems confused and simple.” He folded his arms. “Perhaps this envoy was a mistake.”
“The dragons aren’t even here to greet us,” his friend responded.
“Wait just a minute!” Petra said, waving her hand at the white-haired one. “I’m not simple or stupid. But I am confused. I came here to find Trevor. And what is a fae?”
“Trevor was supposed to be here to meet us,” the white-haired one said. “Unless the oracle got her time zones wrong, which doesn’t seem like her.”
The black-haired one cocked his head. “Perhaps they didn’t convert it to fairy time.”
“Fairy?” Petra wondered how this day was going so awry. Had she crashed on the way here from driving too fast and was actually in a coma, having crazy dreams?
She didn’t think so.
“Yes, fairy. Obviously, the other name for our species. Though, we vary much more widely than humans.” The black-haired one looked at the white-haired one. “They didn’t send a very knowledgeable emissary, did they?”
The white-haired one pressed his lips together. “Perhaps human brains are smaller than ours.” He took a step toward her. “Their bodies are so tiny.”
She gaped and took a step back, gasping when her back hit the door. “Wait. Look, I don’t know what’s going on here or who you guys are or… what a fairy is.”
“I already told you we’re fae,” the black-haired one said. He cast a long-suffering glance at his friend. “There’s no use. This human won’t understand unless we show her.”
The white-haired one nodded, stepping forward. “We can’t wait for the dragons. She’s too confused.”
“Dragons? You keep talking about dragons.”
The black-haired one raised a dark, winged eyebrow, a smile pulling his lips up as his dark eyes gleamed. “You’re a fae emissary, but you know nothing about dragons?”
She gaped. “No, I—”<
br />
“We have much to tell you,” the white-haired one said. “But first, we’ll show you who we are.”
As she stared, she saw something rising above each of them as if sprouting from their backs.
From the white-haired one’s back came beautiful white fire, rising and curling up and up in multiple tendrils until it looked something like wings, fluttering airily as they grew until they were huge.
He looked like an archangel, but his wings were light and his ears were long and…
She glanced at the black-haired one, at the smoky black tendrils billowing out from behind him until they were as high as the other’s. Several feet over their already tall heads.
“Now,” the white-haired one said. “Let us tell you about dragons so you’re not surprised when they get here. You’ll be living with them, after all.”
She gaped, then tried to run for it but felt something wrap around her waist, pulling her back.
It was a white tendril of smoke, and it dragged her over to a chair as the winged men came to surround her.
White smoke bound her hands and feet to the chair, making it so she couldn’t move.
“You need to calm down,” the black-haired one said. “We aren’t going to hurt you, but your world needs us and we need you.”
She just looked at them with wide, frightened eyes and hoped Trevor would get home soon and tell her what the hell was going on in this house.
Chapter 23
“Where are your wings, Trev?” Xander asked when he’d partially shifted and was walking toward the others.
Chad and Tristan had finished catching up, and the three of them were ready to head out into the sky.
Trevor had no idea. There was a burning sensation in his shoulder blades where his wings normally appeared when he was in partial dragon form, but nothing was happening.
He closed his eyes against a sudden headache and stumbled back a few steps from the others.
“Trevor!” Chadwick ran back to him. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t shift,” Trevor said, shaking his head, trying to clear his headache. Trying to call his dragon.
Dragon with Benefits (Forgotten Dragons Book 4) Page 14
