Dragon in Denial: Bad Alpha Dads (Taming the Dragon Book 3)

by Tami Lund

  “So my parents are okay too?”

  She sighed. “Yes, everyone is fine. Well, everyone except…me and you.”

  He canted his head, his brow furrowing. “So this is about what happened earlier with Delilah. Because—”

  She laughed. It was humorless, of course, because there really was no humor in this situation, but nevertheless, what the hell were they supposed to do? She had made a deal with a half-witch that would eliminate dragon’s blood from their colony, and just as soon as they were successful, Ketu was going to rush back to Detroit.

  This wasn’t his home, not anymore. He’d found his place, he’d figured out where he fit in, and bonus that he’d been able to function without Eulalie’s ghost to cripple him at every turn.

  No way would he want to stay here, in New Orleans, even now that they were mates. So what did that mean? Was she willing to move, to leave the only life she’d ever known, to start a potentially better one with Ketu in a whole different state? Hell, it might as well be a whole different country.

  Whereas Henri would undoubtedly be excited over the prospect of playing in the snow, Antoinette was perfectly fine with never experiencing more than the occasional flurry, thankyouverymuch.

  And there were definitely more than flurries at this time of year in Detroit.

  What about Ketu’s parents? She honestly didn’t care about leaving her own family; hell, she hadn’t talked to them in more than a year at this point anyway. Not since she bumped into her mother at that coffee shop, and it had taken the woman a few seconds to place her. And she hadn’t even asked after Henri.

  Yeah, Antoinette definitely wouldn’t miss her blood-related family.

  Except the deal she’d made with Delilah. She had to see this thing through. They were about to finally fix the colony; Antoinette couldn’t leave them now.

  Snap.

  Antoinette blinked rapidly and focused on Ketu, who was snapping his fingers in her face. She shooed his hand away. “Stop it.”

  “Then start talking. Christ, Antoinette. You beat on my door like a crazy woman, you have the weirdest look on your face, which makes me think something is wrong, yet you insist everyone is fine, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here to make up because this is not how someone would act if they wanted to settle an argument. So again, what the hell is going on?”

  She tilted her head. “What, exactly, should I be doing if I actually wanted to make up with you?”

  He crossed his arms. “I don’t know. Are you telling me that is why you’re here?”

  She stalked to the window and stared down at the street below. Maybe he was right. Maybe she shouldn’t have made that deal with Delilah. Because if she hadn’t, she and Ketu very likely would be getting along right now.

  Except her colony would still be caught in the grips of Darius’s mind-altering drug business.

  “This is so not fair,” she muttered.

  She felt movement behind her, knew without looking around that Ketu was standing behind her.

  “I know,” he said, sounding like he, at least, actually did want to make up. Not that she didn’t, but there were so damn many things they needed to discuss, and to be honest, she had no idea how he would feel about any of it.

  “I’m the vigilante,” she blurted, still staring through the tinted glass. “The one who’s been taking down Darius’s dealers.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out—”

  She whirled around. “You knew?”

  “Er…yeah.”

  “Since when?”

  He shrugged. “Since Delilah made that comment about it.”

  “Crap. If you two figured it out, I’m definitely not safe.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She waved her hand. “There’s a price on my head. Well, the vigilante’s head. Seems to increase on the regular. I think Darius is offering $10,000 for my capture at this point.”

  “What?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare start acting all alpha male on me, Ketu.”

  “You just told me there’s a price on your head. A $10,000 price. How the hell do you expect me to act?”

  “See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. Because I knew—”

  Tap, tap, tap.

  Antoinette glared at the door like somehow it was responsible for this fucked up situation. “Who’s that?”

  “How the hell am I supposed to know?” Ketu said as he headed across the room. He looked through the peephole and then pulled open the door. “Gabe. You’re here already. How’d you know where to find me?”

  A masculine voice said, “Wasn’t hard, considering I’m paying for your hotel room.”

  And then a group of dragons paraded into the room.

  A dark-haired man with striking gray eyes and what was probably a perpetual five o’clock shadow came first, followed by a tall, statuesque woman with bright green eyes. The woman behind her was curvier, with facial features that Antoinette would describe as resting bitch face. Antoinette and this woman would probably become fast friends, if given half a chance.

  A male dragon, this one with thick facial hair and plenty of muscle, rested his hand on the small of her back.

  The next person to appear was a wiry, younger dragon whose eyes lit up when they found Ketu. The last person in line wasn’t a dragon at all but Argyle, the gargoyle from the City of the Dead.

  Ketu indicated the dragon with gray eyes. “Antoinette, this is Gabe, my reeve. Gabe, this is, um, my mate.”

  Antoinette tossed him a glare that would have made a lesser man cower.

  Gabe’s lips quirked into a smirk. “Is she aware of that status?”

  “It’s a long story,” Ketu said.

  Yeah, one we haven’t even worked out yet.

  “Bro,” the younger dragon called out, lifting his hand like he wanted a high five. “Nice.” He eyed Antoinette and nodded. “You did good.”

  Ketu rolled his eyes and did not give the kid a high five.

  “You found your mate?” the woman with the green eyes said, pushing her way through the crowd. “Congratulations. Hi, I’m Talia.”

  Antoinette shook her hand.

  “Talia is Gabe’s mate,” Ketu supplied.

  Antoinette nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

  “And I’m Petra, her best friend,” the other female dragon said, offering her hand to shake.

  “Hi,” Antoinette said, sliding her hand into the other woman’s.

  “Petra and Noah are mates,” Ketu said, pointing at the dragon who’d had his hand on her back earlier. “And you know Argyle. Oh, and this is Rahu.” He pointed at the rather overzealous young dragon.

  “Nice to meet you all,” Antoinette said politely.

  “Okay,” Gabe said. “Enough with the chitchat. What the hell is going on, Ketu? Why did Ginger get a call from my mother, demanding we come to New Orleans? Why didn’t you call me?”

  Ketu glanced at Antoinette. She held her breath. Was he about to tell his reeve that she’d essentially made a deal with the devil? Antoinette didn’t fully understand the dynamics between Gabe and his mother, but she comprehended enough to know he would not be pleased with the decision Antoinette had made.

  And it was obvious they all cared for Ketu, If he decided to stay here in New Orleans now that they were mated, how would that make the rest of these dragons feel? Would they resent her for taking him away?

  Would they hate her for the deal she’d made?

  Ketu cupped his chin and scratched his cheek and then dropped his hand to his side. “We found Delilah. Met with her.” Another glance at Antoinette. “And we made a deal with her to end the dragon’s blood trade.”

  Chapter 13

  I’m all in, baby.

  Antoinette had obviously expected him to throw her under the bus, to tell Gabe she’d been the one to make that fucked up deal with Delilah.

  But they were a team, damn it. Hell, they’d always been a team, except back in the day it had been the thre
e of them. What would have happened if Eulalie had lived? Obviously at some point he and Antoinette would have figured out they were mates. Would Eulalie have found a cool mate, and the three would have become four?

  They’d never know, so it didn’t matter.

  What did, though, was that Ketu wasn’t going to let Antoinette take the heat alone. He understood why she’d made the decision she had, and he had to respect and trust that they’d figure out how to make it work. Together.

  That’s what mates did for each other.

  “What’s the deal?” Gabe asked, sounding suspicious. He had every right to be. Delilah wasn’t to be trusted, yet Antoinette had gone and promised they’d make her a reeve.

  “You haven’t talked to Delilah yet?” Ketu asked.

  “Hell no. I thought she’d done something to you, with the way Ginger relayed the message. But you’re obviously fine, so what’s going on?”

  He was far from fine, but Gabe wouldn’t know that. He wouldn’t know that Ketu was being ripped apart inside because, damn it, he wanted the dragon’s blood trade ended, but more than that, he wanted Darius brought to his knees.

  And Delilah could do it. She’d probably freaking revel in doing it.

  And then she’d be reeve. What would that mean? What sort of shape would that leave the colony in? The woman had questionable scruples, and most of her life decisions had been based on her opinion that she’d been jilted when the dragon she’d been dating had found his fated mate and moved on. Shit like that happened all the time and no one else created curses and started drug trades because of it.

  And they were going to put this woman in charge?

  Somebody’s phone rang. Gabe pulled his out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. “504 area code?”

  “That’s a New Orleans area code,” Antoinette supplied.

  Gabe answered the call. “Hello? Oh, hello, Delilah. No, I’m pretty sure we’re never going to reach the ‘mother’ stage.” He rolled his eyes. Talia moved to his side and laced her fingers with his other hand.

  “Yes, I’m in New Orleans. Well, I don’t have your number, or at least I didn’t until now, and frankly, I’d rather hear from Ketu than you.” He paused, obviously listening to Delilah, and his eyes widened.

  Ketu heard Antoinette’s sharp intake of breath and he kind of wanted to wrap his arm around her shoulder to offer support, but they still had a lot of shit to work out.

  There’s a price on her head. On my mate’s head. And she expects me not to be irrational?

  “You?” Gabe said. “I don’t think he’d do that without talking to me first. Yeah, I realize I’m not reeve here in New Orleans, but Ketu is part of my colony.” He paused again.

  “So if Rojo colony business is none of my business, why did you ask me for help?” Another pause, and then he said, “I’m going to have to call you back. I need to talk to Ketu. Oh, I’m sure you’re in a hurry, but you’re just going to have to wait until I get back to you. Goodbye.”

  He disconnected the call and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell me what she just told me isn’t true.”

  “What did she tell you?” Rahu asked from where he was lounging on Ketu’s bed, his arms crossed behind his head.

  “We offered to help make her reeve if she ends the dragon’s blood trade,” Antoinette supplied. The room immediately erupted with gasps and voices arguing against that idea.

  “I know it’s a bad idea—” Antoinette said.

  “No, I don’t think you do. Have you ever met this woman?” Petra asked.

  “Yes, actually. She entered my home and cast a spell over my son.”

  Somebody whistled. Petra immediately backed down.

  “Is the kid Ketu’s?” Rahu asked.

  “Does it matter?” Ketu snapped.

  Rahu shrugged. “Not really. I was just wondering. You’ve never talked about leaving anybody behind when you left New Orleans. But maybe you and your mate got into a fight and that’s why you left. And she was pregnant, and now you’re back to claim your son. Just wondering if that’s what happened.”

  Ketu shook his head. Rahu was a fun friend and a fantastic flyer, but, damn, he was an idiot. “No, that’s not what happened. And my mating with Antoinette is not at all relevant to our current situation, so can we stay on task?”

  “Actually, it’s somewhat relevant,” Talia said. “What happens when this is all over? Are you rejoining the Rojo colony?”

  There it was. The million-dollar question had finally been spoken out loud.

  “Oh shit, I didn’t even think about that,” Gabe said. “Who’s going to turn the bedroom next to ours into a nursery?”

  “You asked him to build a nursery?” Talia asked, staring at her mate, her mouth hanging open.

  He shrugged.

  She shook her head and smiled. “You are the biggest closet romantic I’ve ever met.”

  “Hey, don’t say that out loud,” Gabe protested. “I have a reputation to protect.”

  Talia snickered.

  “Well,” Antoinette demanded, staring hard at Ketu. “Are you going to build their nursery or not?”

  Without looking her in the eye, Ketu answered, “I don’t know.” Honestly, he didn’t. If Delilah was in charge, he didn’t want to be part of this colony. But if Antoinette insisted on staying, well, what the hell else was he supposed to do?

  Gabe lifted both arms and said, “We are here for a reason. Now, Ketu, explain to me what the hell you worked out with Delilah.”

  “I can probably explain better,” Antoinette said. “It’s my colony, and Ketu’s been gone for ten years.”

  “Fine,” Gabe said. “Explain.”

  “Our reeve has always been something of a pushover. And our Elders have always been pretty passive. But the colony functioned—carried on anyway—because there wasn’t really a pressing need for a strong leader. The reeve’s son, Darius—”

  “I’m familiar with him,” Gabe said.

  “Right. So you know he’s not at all passive.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty much an asshole. And he treats everybody like shit, especially women.”

  “Yes, that sums him up quite succinctly.” She glanced at Ketu. “I think it would help if I tell them our history.”

  Was she asking his permission before divulging his most private secret to his friends? He actually wanted to say no, but he appreciated her asking instead of just barreling ahead. And she was right—if they understood the history with Darius, they’d understand Antoinette’s reasoning for making the decision she did.

  He nodded.

  Antoinette waved at him. “Ketu’s sister dated Darius.”

  “Wait,” Rahu said. “You have a sister? How did I not know this? Is she hot?”

  “She’s dead,” Ketu said shortly.

  “Oh.” Rahu’s face fell. “Sorry, man.”

  “She was also my best friend,” Antoinette said. “Ketu’s family basically adopted me after Eulalie and I became friends in kindergarten.”

  “Wait, if you’ve known your mate for that long, why’d you move to Detroit ten years ago?” Rahu asked.

  “I didn’t know she was my mate until—”

  “A couple days ago,” Antoinette supplied. “We’re still hashing everything out.”

  “That explains the pissed off look on your face,” Gabe said. “Wait. No, it doesn’t.”

  “Well, it is Ketu,” Rahu said, and then laughed when Ketu narrowed his eyes.

  “You are never going to get through this story,” Petra said to Antoinette.

  “She’s right,” Rahu said. “And I’m starved. Can we order room service?”

  “I have a better idea,” Ketu said. Hell, his friends had learned this much about his life, he might as well go all the way.

  “Why don’t we go to my parents’ house? My mother always has something simmering on the stove.”

  Rahu leaped off the bed and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go!”

  Ketu texted his
mom, warning her of impending company, and the group piled into two rental SUVs. Gabe’s phone rang just as they were pulling out of the hotel’s parking lot.

  “What do you need, Rahu?” Gabe asked. After he listened for a moment, he pressed the speaker button and then said, “Rahu suggests you try to finish your story while we’re en route.”

  Ketu was driving, with Gabe in the passenger seat. Gabe had tried to convince Antoinette to sit up front, but she insisted his position as reeve meant he should sit there instead. Ketu was pretty sure she’d done it because she hadn’t wanted to sit next to him.

  “So,” Rahu’s voice said over the phone, “Ketu’s sister was dating the reeve’s kid?”

  “Yes,” Antoinette said. “We’ve known him forever, of course. He’s closer to my and Eulalie’s age than Ketu’s, and we went to school with him. Eulalie was eighteen when he began paying attention to her.”

  “Then what happened?” Rahu asked.

  “Well, he’d always been kind of a jerk, so I never understood why she gave him the time of day, to be honest. But I guess when the reeve’s son notices you, that’s sort of attractive.”

  “I happen to find reeves quite attractive,” Talia quipped.

  “I think you mean one reeve in particular, right?” Gabe replied.

  Talia laughed and winked.

  “We didn’t know it at the time, but Darius had already come up with the recipe for dragon’s blood.” She glanced at Ketu, held his gaze. “He used his friends to test it, to determine how people reacted, how addicting it was. After what happened to you yesterday, I wonder if he forced it on Eulalie too.”

  Ketu’s blood felt like it was boiling in his veins. “He tested that shit on my sister?”

  “I don’t know for certain, but I do know that in the beginning she kept swearing she didn’t want to do it anymore. But then she’d get high again anyway.”

  “Why didn’t she say anything?”

  “Probably because she knew you’d do something crazy, like go after Darius.”

  “Well, duh,” came Rahu’s voice over the cellular line.

  “Except going after Darius is a death sentence,” Antoinette said. “Eulalie thought she was protecting us. And she thought she could handle it, handle Darius. But she wasn’t strong enough. She became addicted. And then…”