“I’m fine. I’m fine,” he exclaimed, sounding oddly suspicious as he looked himself over.
To Jo’s surprise, there wasn’t a single scratch or cut on him. Perhaps he’d just had the luckiest fall of all time.
“Are you sure? What just happened?” She might not have had any clue what was up, but she was still grateful to him for doing something about the increasingly pushy salesperson that had been on her doorstep a minute ago.
And then mysteriously walked off like a robot…
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” he said, looking himself over once more before turning his gaze to her.
Piercing teal eyes met hers, making Jo’s senses jump inside her skin from their intensity. Blue like Caribbean waters at the edges, deep emerald green at the centers around his irises.
Now that he was standing at his full height too, Jo could see how big he really was. Not just big, humongous. And the fitted blue shirt and dark jeans he wore did little to hide the impressive muscles in his shoulders and arms.
The concept of this person being her “assigned dragon protector” almost would have made sense now that she saw him…if the whole idea wasn’t so preposterous.
His neutral expression, which still had a hint of a scowl even while resting, tightened into a frown. “It’s not preposterous,” he said flatly.
Jo, lost in her thoughts, snapped to attention. “What?” she replied, confused as to how he seemed to have known exactly what she was thinking a moment after she’d thought it.
But he just looked to the side, ignoring her question. “Forget about it.” He folded his arms, making his biceps bunch up as he turned back to her. “After all, I’m here as promised.”
Jo just stood there, still a little shaken and stunned by the whole thing so far.
He appraised her like one does when they’re deciding if something is worth their time, and Jo felt a mild shiver go up her back.
“Your information packet. You received it, didn’t you?” he asked, sounding annoyed.
She nodded. “Yes, but it didn’t make a lot of sense.”
“What could have possibly not made sense?” he asked bluntly.
Jo folded her arms and shrugged. “Dragons, fairies, shifters. It’s all a bit farfetched, don’t you think? Besides, I don’t even know who you are.” She felt more exasperated the longer she was around him.
“I’m Dallin, and I’m here to protect you, Johanna.” He was anything but cordial as he said it, dusting off a shoulder as he spoke.
“From what?” The fact he knew her name before she even knew his was a bit unsettling. “From pushy salespeople?”
Dallin bristled. “He wasn’t taking no for an answer. If I hadn’t intervened…”
“And I’m grateful for that.” Honestly, she was. It was just hard to focus on anything other than Dallin’s blue-green eyes watching her like he could see right through her. “But that was a fluke. Hardly anything supernatural.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Johanna,” he said, waggling a finger imperiously.
“Everyone just calls me Jo.”
“Jo, then. You’re in danger, Jo,” he said.
“From what?” She felt her tone rising slightly.
“From the powers of chaos that want to capture and torture you. Well, technically, drain the magic from you, but I’m not going to let that happen.”
What was she supposed to say to that?
After all, she was just a baker. What could any of this possibly have to do with her?
“Baker or not, you still need me.” He stepped closer to her, and part of Jo felt like it was jumping awake, buzzing inside her. The other part—the rational part—knew there was something fishy with this whole thing.
And how in the hell did he know she was a baker? Was he a stalker or something?
He flinched almost imperceptibly, then just smirked at her.
“Oh, because I’m a fairy or something? Is that it?” She mirrored his stance, arms folded and head slightly cocked.
He just frowned. “You’re not a fairy. You’re a beacon. Someone with latent fae powers from one of your ancestors.”
“What, do you have a problem with fairies?”
“They’re called fae. And yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” he said. “But like it or not, I’m here to watch out for you.”
This whole thing was just too much for words. Why exactly was she outside arguing with some male model-slash-bodyguard on the sidewalk when she had things she needed to do?
“I don’t know who sent you or what they want from me, Dallin, but I happen to have a very happy life all by myself. And whatever it is you’re selling, you can just keep it.” With that, she turned on her heel and made her way up the steps toward her house.
With shocking reflexes, Dallin vaulted the steps ahead of her, standing on the landing in front of her, blocking her way.
“You don’t understand the seriousness of this situation. If you did, you wouldn’t be walking away from me.” He was serious, eyes slightly cold.
For the slightest of moments, she almost believed him.
“Please move out of my way,” she asked, and Dallin shifted to the side, letting her make the way to her door. But she could still feel his glare.
“You should consider yourself lucky you were assigned someone as powerful as I am. I can guarantee your safety better than anyone else I know.” His cock-sure attitude and the fact that he continually insisted that crazy things were real was grating on her last nerve.
She reached to open the door to her house, then whirled on him, feeling her body react to him in spite of herself.
“Lucky? For all I know, you’re just a con artist making up stories so you can make me pay for your ‘protection.’” She spoke with her hands, making air quotes, which somehow made Dallin raise an eyebrow with amusement.
“Believe me when I say that I have much better things I could be doing right now than tricking a human.” He stepped forward, closing the distance between them in the small, covered landing at the entrance of her home, making the space around them feel tiny. “Don’t assume that I’m here because I want to be.”
The idea that this built, gorgeous man was somehow being conscripted by some unknown power into following her around was perhaps the most preposterous of all.
No one had ever really paid Jo much mind before, and mostly, she was okay with that.
So why was everything turning upside down all of a sudden?
“Well, lucky for you, I don’t need you here either, so you can just leave and go back to wherever you came from, thank you very much.” She tried to give him her sternest face, though she was entirely aware that if Dallin didn’t want to do something, there probably wasn’t any power on earth that could make him do it.
“If it was that simple, I wouldn’t be here. But my mission is to protect you, regardless of your opinion on the matter.” He loomed over her as he spoke, intimidating and a little bit scary.
Jo’s cheeks went warm as she bristled. It felt like he already hated her, even though she hadn’t technically done anything wrong.
Whoever this Dallin was, he was clearly the most stubborn person alive.
“I’m going to go inside and go back to my life. Thanks again. Please don’t bother me,” she said, taking one quick glance at Dallin’s sculpted chest before turning around to open her door.
“Closing your eyes to the problem right in front of you. How utterly human of you,” he said coldly.
“The only problem I have right now is an annoying guy who won’t leave me alone,” she said over her shoulder, and the moment their eyes met, she felt heat burning in her core. But she ignored it, throwing the door to her house open.
“See if I care when something bad happens. Which it will. Beacons attract trouble—”
She closed the door on him when he was still half finished.
But as she looked out the peephole, he just stood there another minute, arms folded, not moving
.
Jo just sighed.
She wasn’t a beacon. She wasn’t anything special.
She’d just go back to her normal life with her dog and her baking and her house and be done with it.
So why couldn’t she stop thinking about the man that called himself a dragon still standing there on her porch?
Damn, the audacity of her.
Dallin paced in a small circle, the little entryway at the front of Jo’s house barely big enough for him to stand in, let alone properly pace.
He’d saved her from trouble once already, and she’d barely thanked him for that.
Why couldn’t she see that he wasn’t lying?
Maybe because you’re acting like an ass, he thought to himself.
He took another look at the doorway, aware that Johanna wasn’t watching anymore, and decided to do a perimeter check around the neighborhood, make sure no unsavory elements were around.
If she didn’t let him fulfill his mission, Dallin would never get this damn collar off.
Which was really too bad because there was something about Johanna that innately drew him to her. Maybe it was just her softy, peachy skin. Or her brown eyes that were as sparkling as they were expressive. Or her cute heart-shaped face and curvy body that was made for much more than just looking at.
Dallin shook his head. What was he even thinking, lusting after a beacon like that?
No, he was here to get the collar off. Do his duty, serve his time. It was too dangerous to think about anything beyond that.
The empty neighborhood was even quieter now, the sound of a few far-off cicadas chirping mingling with the hum of cars on a nearby street. It was so serene it was almost delightful.
And inane.
Dallin would protect the beacon even if he had to do it against her own will. He noted a large row of bushes across the street from Jo’s house and wondered if he camped out there if anyone would notice him.
After all, he’d lived in much worse places than a clump of bushes in his lifetime.
But why did she have to make it so difficult? She already had all the information she needed. Why didn’t she just accept it so they could work together amicably?
There was a ding on his phone, and Dallin pulled the flat device out to see who it was.
Not that there was anyone he expected to be texting, other than Ian.
Ian: I just got an alert saying your collar was set off.
Dallin tapped his foot where he stood. What the light fairy didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.
Dallin: Nothing serious. I think it just accidentally went off, but I’m okay. Thanks for asking, pal. He lied.
Perhaps calling Ian “pal” would be suspicious.
There was a pause, then Dallin looked at Ian’s next text, which seemed to be copied from someplace else
Ian: [DRAGON RESTRAINT ALERT: DEVICE ACTIVATED WHEN USER ATTEMPTED MIND CONTROL ON A BEACON. PENALTY INFLICTED: MAXIMUM]
Ian: Any ideas what that could mean?
Dallin cursed. Of course they’d installed a way to track the unique ways he kept screwing up, like some Big Brother that was always watching him.
Then again, he had actually done that, so he couldn’t blame them for it.
His phone dinged again.
Ian: Do I need to go down there and sort the situation out? This is pretty serious, Dallin.
Dallin: No, no. It won’t happen again.
Dallin had to admit that of all the beings he hated, Ian and his soul bond, Liz, were the beings he hated the least. Since being here in the human world, they’d done their best to be patient with the fact that being restrained like a dog made Dallin hard to deal with.
That, and the two fae were not to be trifled with when things went down either.
Ian: Will you be okay?
Dallin: I’ll work everything out. Don’t worry.
With that, Dallin put his phone away. If he got in any more trouble, the chain on his wrist might never come off.
And that absolutely wasn’t an option.
Dallin headed back for Jo’s house, determined once more to do whatever necessary to finally be free.
He’d play by the rules, get his freedom back, and be done with it all.
So why, whenever he thought about his assignment, could he not seem to get Johanna’s face out of his mind? Just the merest thought of her seemed to make all his senses stand at attention.
It was an odd feeling.
Probably just animal attraction, since she was absolutely beautiful.
Once he was back at her place, he sat down on the front steps, hands tented in front of him as he considered his next action.
Should he try to hide? Conceal his presence from her? Or should he try to explain things again?
His thoughts were interrupted as the door to her small garage opened, and he could see Jo inside, keys jingling in her hand. When she looked up, she saw him there and frowned slightly.
“What are you still doing here?”
“My job,” he replied.
“I’m going to the store to get a few things, though now that I’m saying that, I have no clue why I’m telling a total stranger this,” she said, hands on her hips.
“I’m coming with you,” Dallin said, determined to not be undermined.
She scoffed. “No, you’re not. You’re just someone who’s following me around. Some sort of prank being pulled on me. Maybe even just a figment of my imagination…”
Dallin smirked at that. If he was a figment of someone’s imagination, he was probably a pretty terrifying one.
“So whatever social media company or modeling agency sent you, you can just go back and tell them I’m not interested.” She waved him away, which just made him more stubborn to not be swayed.
She got in her car, started the engine, and began to pull out. He came around the side, and to his surprise, she rolled down the window and slowed for a moment, looking up at him with the cutest frown he’d ever seen.
“When I get back, I want you gone, Dallin.”
“As your dragon protector, I must advise you not to go to the store alone like that,” he said, leaning down and placing his elbow on the roof of her car, trying to not smile at how tiny she looked.
Her eyes widened momentarily as he got closer. Then she pressed a button, rolling up the window of her car defiantly. “Good-bye.”
As the car pulled away, he waved sarcastically at her reflection in the rearview mirror, knowing that the second she turned the corner, he’d be following her scent to wherever she was headed right now.
Even on foot, he could be as fast as he needed to catch up.
So she thought she could be rid of him that easily, huh?
Jo was going to find out very soon that she was wrong.
4
Peace and quiet. Finally.
The store near Jo’s home was pretty calm for an early afternoon, which meant she could take her time and just clear her head after everything that had happened earlier.
It was nice to have an excuse to think about something other than Dallin, since it had been hard to focus on anything but the huge guy pacing around her property like some overprotective psycho.
Granted, she had to admit the view wasn’t at all bad. Tall, built dude. Great face, especially when it wasn’t scowling (though that seemed to be always, in her limited experience).
But it was all just a little too farfetched to be real.
“Okay, check and check,” Jo said to herself, marking things on her shopping list and heading for the refrigerator aisle for butter.
She had a cake to bake, after all. And hopefully, Dallin would take a hint and be gone by the time she was home.
But as she scanned the rows of products for what she was looking for, she felt a tingling on the back of her neck as though she was being watched from somewhere.
When she looked up, she saw a familiar figure standing at the other end of the aisle, holding up a huge tub of unsweetened yogurt.
Dal
lin? How had he…?
The aforementioned, self-proclaimed “dragon” was just reading the packaging, looking as calm as a summer afternoon at the beach, humming to himself while Jo stared in disbelief.
Did he have a tracker or something on her? Maybe it would have been better to go to the store on the other side of town.
No, Johanna didn’t have to rearrange her life around some stalker. She could go where she wanted when she wanted.
Dallin’s eyes slid from the yogurt upward to meet hers, and for a moment, their gazes met, locked together by some indescribable force.
A full-body shiver moved over Jo at the casual, relaxed way he appraised her. But the harder she stared, the more he just kept watching as if entirely unchallenged by the contact. Even at this distance, she could see his irises focusing, watch his body tighten slightly even as the air seemed to crackle with energy between them.
With a shake of her head, Jo turned away, and Dallin seemed to do so at the same time. As if both of them had felt something, but neither was going to say anything about it.
So instead, Jo just took her cart and made a beeline for the chip aisle, hoping to lose her follower there.
Maybe the big guy was just here for groceries too?
Jo didn’t think so.
I’m here to protect you, Johanna. His words flashed through her mind as she made several twists and turns, thinking she was sneakier than she probably was.
How could a man like that say something so ridiculous so sincerely?
Jo let out a little huff, looking at the jars and cans around her, not realizing she’d been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t been watching where she was even going.
Get it together, girl, she told herself.
But that telltale, hair-raising sensation was still there. And when Jo whirled to look behind her, Dallin was standing only ten feet away, casually rifling through jars, making the shopping cart he had one hand on look child-size by sheer dint of his size.
She’d finally had it.
Jo left her cart and strode forward, folding her arms and looking up at Dallin with the most serious face she could muster.
Dallin, as if to spite her, just ignored Jo for a few long seconds as he looked at products. Then he lifted a brow and slowly turned to look down at her as if he hadn’t even known she was there.
Dragon Released (Reclaimed Dragons Book 1) Page 2
