Had he dreamt the same thing over the night? Or had his hatred of humans been front and center?
Brad’s pupils flashed repeatedly, but he never looked away.
And neither did she.
On the walk to his sister’s house, Brad had managed to pack away all his emotions like he normally did, bracing himself to face Tasha and her mesmerizing eyes.
But then she’d had to go and stare at him as if she could lick him from head to toe and still not get enough, shattering most of his hard work.
If her heated gaze hadn’t been enough, he’d never forget the scent of his true mate’s arousal. She saw him as more than her security guard now. Which meant that between last night and this morning, her view about him had shifted.
His dragon sighed. Which most dragon-shifters would take as a sign to pursue. But you’re still going to resist, aren’t you? Because her scent doesn’t have to be a one-time memory.
While Brad was no longer outright arguing with his beast about Tasha, he still hadn’t convinced his human half that mating the human—and making it a true mating—was a good idea. Remember our deal.
I know, I know. I need to let you have some time to talk with her and then with David before I badger you again.
His sister’s voice snapped Brad out of the moment. “Well, good to see your manners are as bad as ever, Brad.”
Since he knew Megan would go on to annoy him like any little sister would if he didn’t brush past her comment, he merely grunted.
His oldest nephew, Andrew, stood up in his seat, fork in the air. The blueberry on one of the fork prongs nearly came off in the process. “Hi, Uncle Brad. I eat my fruit. Then I get a hug.”
His two nephews and niece were his weakness when it came to remaining stoic. He smiled slightly at Andrew. “Fruit is good for you. If you don’t eat enough, your teeth can fall out.”
Andrew poked one of his little front teeth. “Fall out?”
“Yes. There’s some good stuff in fruit and some other foods that help keep them strong and in your mouth.”
Tasha’s amused voice replied, “Educating the kids about scurvy is admirable, if not a little weird.”
Andrew asked, “What’s skirt-vee?”
He gestured for Tasha to explain. His human didn’t bat an eyelash and turned toward the boy. “Scurvy. If you don’t get enough of something called vitamin C, your teeth can fall out.” She lowered her voice. “Although most people do okay these days. It was many, many years ago that people didn’t have enough fruits and veggies and had to worry about it. So make sure to eat your fruit and vegetables—and brush your teeth, too—and your teeth should be okay.”
Andrew squinted at the blueberry on his fork. “Eat all of them?”
Tasha nodded. “As many as you can. Well, the parts your mom and dad give you in your meals, anyway. If you ate all the fruits and veggies in the world, you might explode. You know, BOOM.”
Tasha threw her hands out and Andrew giggled.
In that moment, Brad realized Tasha would be a great mother.
So not only was she smart about business and sexy as hell, she was good with kids, too.
For most dragon-shifters, that was it—they’d try their damnedest to win over such a person.
Brad wasn’t most people, though. He’d jumped into a relationship with everything he’d had and had been abandoned without more than a few words on a page.
His dragon sighed. You have some serious issues.
Ignoring his beast, Brad jumped into the slight lull in conversation. “Have you finished eating, Tasha? David should be waiting for us.”
She nodded and stood. “I am, if Megan and Justin don’t mind cleaning up without me.”
Megan made a shooing motion with her hands. “Go, go. I’ll give you one free pass. Although next time, I may not be so generous.”
Brad rolled his eyes. “You could try being nicer to the first human guest StoneRiver has had in quite some time.”
Megan shrugged. “Hey, I hate doing dishes, so sue me.”
Tasha snorted. “Try running a bar. It’s not as bad as, say, a restaurant. But there are still plenty of dishes, and sometimes I still do them myself if someone calls in sick.”
Andrew asked, “What’s a bar?”
Brad jumped in. “Ask your parents.”
He dared to put a hand on Tasha’s back and barely resisted sucking in a breath. Even through the thin fabric of her shirt—a different one from the night before, which meant she must’ve borrowed it from his sister—he could feel the heat of her body.
He could only imagine what it would feel like if they were skin to skin.
His dragon hummed. Yes, yes. We should see what it’s like. And then you’d never let her go.
Not wanting to imagine that, he instead concentrated on Tasha. “Come on.”
Gently guiding her toward the front door, he made out Andrew’s voice. “I like Tasha. She come back soon?”
As his sister gave a nonanswer, Brad was grateful that human hearing couldn’t have picked up Andrew’s words.
Because the answer relied on Brad as much as Tasha.
And he was starting to think he should give her more of a chance and see how it went. Provided, of course, Tasha wanted to be kept on StoneRiver.
His dragon murmured, Then try a little harder to convince her to stay.
We’ll see, dragon. No one can force her to stay on StoneRiver. If she says yes to that, then I won’t outright ignore her. But if you think I’m going to start giving flowers and making romantic dinners, then you’re clearly crazy.
His beast huffed. We’ll see. I get the feeling someone like Tasha wants respect and love instead of empty gestures anyway. Although a few chocolates here and there never hurt anyone.
He mentally grunted to his dragon and concentrated on getting Tasha to David’s place as quickly as possible.
Which was easier than he expected since she remained unusually quiet the entire time.
And he had no idea what that meant.
Chapter Four
After months of barely paying attention to Brad, Tasha couldn’t stop thinking about how close he sat next to her inside David’s office. He was, what, eight inches away from her? And yet he could’ve been sitting right up against her for all the heat he radiated.
He also smelled good, a mixture of man and pine, almost as if he’d ran through the nearby forest lately and hadn’t bothered to change clothes.
She tried to inch to the farthest side of her chair, to help clear her head. Her stupid dreams of him naked and standing over her flashed into her mind. His intense gaze and hungry look making her hot and wet, aching for him in a way she’d never done before.
Damn her dreams for making her realize the dragonman was sexy.
Not that her attraction was enough to decide her entire life. Still, it made the option of staying on StoneRiver more appealing.
And it was looking like she would have to stay, at least for the time being. She hadn’t thought of any other solution. However, she had one condition to tell David first. So after the pleasantries and him asking her what she’d do, Tasha sat up straighter in her chair and said, “I’m very close to saying yes to staying on StoneRiver. However, I want to talk with Ashley Swift first. It was too late last night and then too early to call this morning, so I haven’t had a chance to get some answers from her.”
David didn’t blink an eye. “I figured as much. She’s awake and awaiting your call.”
So, it seemed the clan leader was clever, prepared, and automatically thought a few steps ahead.
That made Tasha want to trust him more.
Taking out her cell phone, she eyed first David and then Brad. “Can I have a moment alone?”
The two dragonmen didn’t argue and walked to the door. Brad stated, “We’ll be right outside,” before closing the door behind him.
Taking a deep breath, she dialed the ADDA employee’s number. Much as David had said, Ashley answered on the
first ring. “Hey, Tasha. I heard what happened. And before I tell you what I think you should do, tell me what you’re thinking first.”
Ashley had always asked questions and then truly listened to the answers. It was one of the reasons Tasha had finally capitulated and opened her bar’s doors to the dragon-shifters. “Apart from mating one of the dragons here, is there any other way I can stay safe and avoid my bar being destroyed?”
“I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all go away. But I’m afraid David’s suggestion is right—staying on StoneRiver is the best thing to do. Especially since I learned how the two men who attacked you were let go with a warning.”
What the hell? “How’s that possible?”
Ashley sighed. “The League has become smarter, infiltrating local areas of power, ranging from businesses to the police. That’s why you need to stay with a dragon clan. At least with ADDA you have me, and a few other trusted employees I know, to help you.”
So she really didn’t have any other choice but to mate Brad and stay on StoneRiver. And keeping her bar was seeming more like a dream than reality.
In other words, her entire life was about to change dramatically.
Ashley spoke again before Tasha could. “I wish you could come here to PineRock, but it’s more believable to ADDA that you’ve fallen for the part-time security guard than some random guy here. Or, at least it makes it easier for me to sell. They’re still being a little iffy when it comes to random human-dragon matings outside of the dragon lottery.”
Tasha had never entered the dragon lottery—where, if selected, a man or woman would go on to impregnate or be impregnated by a dragon-shifter—or met someone who had. In fact, she’d never met anyone who’d mated a dragon-shifter until Ashley had mated PineRock’s clan leader recently.
In fact, Tasha knew nothing about the dragon equivalent of marriage and was tired of being ignorant. Focusing on what her life would probably become, she blurted, “How will I know what to do if I decide to mate Brad? There aren’t any other humans here to share their experiences and give advice on how to handle a dragonman.”
“Maybe not, but after my own Wes, David is the most understanding dragon leader in the Tahoe area when it comes to humans. If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t suggest for you to live there for a while, let alone promise he would protect you against any League attacks. Ask for his help and he’ll give it to you.”
Tasha’s gut said Ashley spoke the truth. Still, she asked one of her fears, needing to hear the answer. “If I do say yes to this whole thing, will I ever be able to go back to my life? Provided the whole League mess gets figured out eventually, you know better than anyone that there’s a taint of sorts attached to humans who associate closely with dragons.”
Ashley answered, “I can’t guarantee one way or the other that you can go back to the way things used to be. ADDA is trying to avoid the League problem for as long as necessary, which is making things worse in my opinion. But if you don’t stay with StoneRiver for at least a short while then I’d say your chances of leading a normal life are about 1 percent.”
“That good, huh?” she drawled.
Ashley snorted. “Well, it could be even worse. But in all seriousness, I don’t think you have many options, Tasha. If you stay with a dragon clan, then I can see if ADDA will allow you to run your business from StoneRiver. But that’s about all I can do. I don’t dangle false hope. And once the League sets its sights on you, your life becomes hell.”
While Tasha had suspected everything Ashley had told her, hearing it from her sort-of friend made it all much more real.
Which meant in the end, she had no choice but to stay on StoneRiver and be Brad’s mate.
A mixture of emotions rolled through her, mostly contradictory. How could she be disappointed and anticipate the new path? It made no sense.
Maybe because she was starting to see Brad in a new light. Or maybe she looked forward to the new adventure in a mostly foreign place.
Or maybe she just knew that she couldn’t change her circumstances and had to make the best of it.
Regardless of the true reasons—she could sort that out later—she replied to Ashley, “Then I’ll stay. Just promise me you’ll visit soon. I don’t know if many of my friends will come and set foot on a dragon clan’s land, even if they were allowed.”
“So I’m all you’ve got, huh?” Ashley laughed and then added, “I’ll work on it. My mate is a little protective of me since I’m pregnant now, but I can be persuasive.”
Tasha probably wouldn’t have brought it up by herself, but now that Ashley had mentioned her mate, she dared to ask, “Is it weird being with a dragon-shifter?”
Ashley snorted. “I wish my mate could hear that. But no, it’s not weird. Maybe a little different—you have both the human half and the dragon half to contend with. However, they can be wonderful partners. Well, provided you let them know you want an equal footing, which I sense you want as much as me. Dragonmen and women can be rather protective since they treasure family and clan dearly. So just tread carefully in that department and learn to pick your battles.”
Would Tasha even know what her battles were? Brad wasn’t exactly forthcoming, at least in her experiences to date. “I’ll remember that. Just let me know when you can come visit, okay? I think I need to learn more about true mates, mating, and all of that kind of stuff from another human with experience.”
Ashley paused. “You know who your true mate is?”
“Yes. I just found out it’s Brad.”
Ashley clicked her tongue. “No wonder he always stared at you at the bar. Well, the mating will be a fake one—think of it as a kind of green card marriage to stay with the dragons—but it’ll be up to you if you want more than that.” Ashely paused a beat before asking, “Do you want more?”
Tasha bit her lip and took a second before she answered, “I don’t know.”
“Then my advice is to figure that out first. If Brad kisses you, it kicks off a mate-claim frenzy. If you don’t want it, then they’ll have to drug his inner dragon silent and find some place far away to hide you, possibly for years, until his dragon gets over it.”
She blinked. “Wait, what? Does he go crazy or something?”
“Sort of. The human half can usually contain the urge to claim their mate for a while, especially if they’re as strong as Brad. But inner dragons want their true mates desperately, and even more so after the first kiss. We can’t risk you being near him once you two have kissed.”
Just great. Another thing she had to worry about. “On paper, this would all seem really crazy.”
Ashley grunted. “Trust me, I know. You’re in a new world, Tasha. One you’ve only dipped your toe into. But call me anytime, and I mean it, if you need answers. Although I’ll make sure David assigns one or two people to ease you in and help you understand everything, too. Maybe one of the teachers can help with your transition into clan life and give you classes.”
Needing to lighten the mood a little—everything Ashley had revealed was close to overwhelming her—Tasha muttered, “And here I thought I was done with school.”
Ashely chuckled. “Considering how even I don’t know everything about dragon-shifters despite working with ADDA for so long, there is definitely a lot to learn. But you’re smart and quick on your feet—I monitored your bar for months before approaching you with the idea to open it to dragons, remember?—and you’ll do just fine. My only order is to ask for help if you need it. This is a new world for you, and no matter how smart or perceptive you are, you’ll need some assistance.”
That was an understatement if there ever was one. “Oh, I’ll call if I need it. Although asking the dragon-shifters will be a little harder.”
Ashley replied, “They’re a lot like us, and yet different at the same time. Although I would suggest seeing one in their dragon forms soon-ish to help you get used to the idea of dragons flying and landing all around you.”
Tasha hadn’t thought
of that. Dragons weren’t allowed to fly over Reno, and she’d only seen a handful in the skies in her entire life. Maybe some people would be scared at seeing a big dragon with its wings spread out behind them, but Tasha was merely curious. Quite a few dragon groupies came to her bar to gawk at the dragonmen and women, and Tasha wondered if their dragon forms was the reason. Well, apart from their hotness, of course. Dragon-shifters tended to win the genetic lottery most of the time. “Okay, I’ll ask to see one then. Thanks, Ashley.”
“No problem, Tasha. You not only allowed dragon-shifters into your bar, you allowed me and Wes to stay when it would’ve been easier to kick us out. We’ll never forget it.”
True, when the League assholes had first tried to force Wes and Ashley to leave, Tasha could’ve ordered them out. Instead, she’d sent Brad to calm the situation and possibly kick out the League instigators. “It was nothing. You two weren’t the ones causing the trouble.”
“Still, it means a lot. Although I’m sorry it brought you to this.” She paused, some muffled sounds appearing in the background, and then came back on the line. “Apparently I’m late for my self-defense lesson and my mate isn’t too happy about it. Still, if you have more questions, let me know. I’ll risk his wrath to answer them.”
Tasha smiled at the image of Ashley chatting on the phone while her tall mate stood behind her, arms crossed, grumbling about her being tardy. “No, no, that’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll have tons of them later.”
“Okay, then we’ll talk again soon. Bye, Tasha.”
“Bye.”
As she ended the call, Tasha put away her phone and let out a sigh.
All of her years of planning, working hard and saving to open her own place were about to go out the window. If she wanted even a chance at a normal life again, she was going to have to mate a dragon-shifter.
Which meant closing down her bar for the foreseeable future and instead switching her focus to learning everything she could about dragon-shifters.
The Dragon's Charge (Tahoe Dragon Mates Book 4) Page 4
