Ashton Drake

by Emilia Hartley

  Pride kept her from being happy. She had nothing to offer Ashton to help him in his endeavor. Whatever he built would be from his own money. She clenched her hand on the mug of tea, grateful she wasn’t a dragon shifter, or it might have shattered. Ashton was giving her too much.

  He waved her off. “Everything I installed in there can be moved or replaced. Objects aren’t permanent.”

  When she looked up, she found the heat of his gaze and what he meant by his words. No item would last forever. Her mug would break eventually. The table between them would need to be replaced when the legs began to wobble. All that they knew would last for sure was what they had together.

  Their mate bond.

  “If we own our own house, we can save some money on rent. I’m sure we can get a break on land taxes considering I’m a dragon shifter.” Ashton paused. “Is that abusing my power? I’m sure it is.”

  Makenna couldn’t help but smile at his conversation with himself.

  “I could have my own office and you could have your studio. We could both work, both pay for things. It doesn’t have to be difficult.”

  What he meant was that it didn’t have to be her burden. She swallowed it like medicine. While it didn’t feel good going down, she hoped it would help her. Day by day, the weight of her debt felt lighter. The numbers never changed, but the shame and guilt she bore on its behalf no longer dug as deep. She hoped there would come a day when she no longer felt any of it.

  That day would either be the day she died or the day the debt was finally paid. She wasn’t sure which would come first.

  “And you can pay for this house?” she tested.

  Ashton nodded, reaching for the first architecture book. “I have enough saved for this. We won’t have a manor like Jasper, but I don’t think we need anything that huge. It’s just you and me…for now.”

  She didn’t want to think about children. Not until she could manage her debt.

  “So, this house…” She leaned forward. “What were you thinking? Cabin? Victorian? Farmhouse?”

  ***

  Ashton wasn’t sure Makenna was completely convinced, but she was playing along. That was enough to make him smile. He spun the book toward his mate and pointed to a modern home. He would put a roof over her head. It would make up for all the years he’d left her alone. It was the least he could do.

  The beast was happy to know they were caring for Makenna. She would be safe under a roof of their own making. He knew the busy work would keep his beast sated. He would use every ounce of his strength while building, all the while knowing it was for her. He hoped, when it was done, that the beast would be balanced once more.

  Sure, Jasper would need constant vigilance, but as long as he had Makenna then he could handle the stress of his broken court.

  Ashton couldn’t handle Jasper alone. He knew Griffin would help, but Griffin’s attitude would do nothing to bring them together. As long as the two of them kept pulling away, the court would remain broken.

  “You’re quiet,” Makenna noted. She watched him with patience and curiosity, and a touch of concern.

  He noted the way her brows arched together, falling at the outer corners. His gaze dropped to her pursed lips, so cute and small. Even while he took her in, worry swept over him in waves.

  “What if I’m not enough?” His beast began to slither under his skin. It wanted out. It wanted to scream. He held it all back, but his breathing gave it away.

  Makenna leaned into him, a hand on his shoulder. Her touch grounded him. He breathed in her scent. Beneath the smell of coffee and exhaust, remnants of her work, was a sweet fruity temptation that was all Makenna. It made him want to kiss her to discover what that scent was and if he could taste it on her tongue.

  Was it strawberry? Pomegranate?

  “Are you thinking of Jasper and Griffin again? I worry about Jasper, too. Griffin will come around eventually. If not, we can use the stick in his ass to make him a puppet.” She made a hand puppet and pretended to be Griffin.

  He grinned and snatched her hand in his, quieting her. “I don’t think I can do it alone.”

  “You aren’t alone,” she reminded him. “The other Drake boys are on their way back to Grove. Until then, you and I can do our best to make this mess into a court.”

  “I can’t ask you to help. You don’t have any time as it is. I appreciate your offer, but I couldn’t let you stretch yourself thin.”

  She wrinkled her nose, eyes distant for a moment. Finally, she released a breath. It felt like a declaration. He watched her, waiting to hear what was on her mind. He guessed that she was wrestling with her debt. Pride wouldn’t let her hand it over to him, meaning she would keep herself bound to the demands of other banks and companies.

  The spark of an idea flitted through Ashton’s mind. It was there, then drowned by the raging lust of his beast as Makenna leaned into him and laid her head on his shoulder. His core thrummed at the closeness of his mate.

  His.

  She’d always been his. Waiting for him to return and love her like she deserved. And, like a fool, he’d turned to the world outside these mountains to discover his story when it had waited here for him all along. He clutched her close and breathed in her scent.

  Whatever she might have said was lost in her content sigh. Ashton would wait for Makenna. He would be there for whatever decisions she made. He would be there to breathe life into her when the world sapped it away. Whatever she needed, he would give. She already gave him so much.

  Without her, he would have been lost to the instincts of his beast, no better than Jasper. Worse, even. At least Jasper’s beast had a sentience of its own. Ashton’s beast wasn’t half as smart. He would have been a feral monster rampaging through the world without her to anchor him in his humanity.

  The thought returned again. He told himself he would give Jasper another visit in the morning. Perhaps he could work something out with the head of Aurum Bank. If they could work together to save it, then the answer to Makenna’s debt surely lay there.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Makenna rushed. She was late for work again. The diner would only forgive her for so many late arrivals, and she worried that she was quickly running out. Since Ashton had broken down the door and thrust himself into her life, she’d greedily clung to every moment with him. Even in her sleep, she snuggled into Ashton and ignored her alarm.

  It didn’t help that Ashton hit snooze every time. She would need to talk to him. If she could get him to wake her when the alarm went off, then perhaps she wouldn’t have to worry.

  Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Knowing she shouldn’t answer because she didn’t have time, she unlocked the screen anyway. It was probably Ashton sending her photos from the hardware store. A bit of strange excitement shot through her at the thought of Ashton taking selfies with kitchen appliances. Was that what domestic bliss felt like? Truly, she had no clue. This was all new territory for Makenna.

  He’d left before she could rouse herself awake, precious minutes to get ready already having slipped between her fingers. While he was picking out things that would go into their home, she was on her way to yet another shift at the diner. She would have felt left out if he hadn’t sent her so many photos and videos.

  She slid her finger over the screen, and it came to life. Her stomach dipped. It was her manager at the diner asking where she was.

  She cursed under her breath. A sweat broke out on her forehead. Fear over losing her job made her uncomfortably warm. Sparing a moment, she shrugged off her jacket and slung it over her shoulder before pulling open the bedroom door.

  The heat of fire slapped her in the face. She threw her arms up to protect herself. Fire reached for her, for the bedroom. She didn’t know what happened. The fire seemingly came from nowhere. Where there had been serenity was now the crackling chaos of wildfire. It consumed the carpet at her feet, climbed the couch beside her, and reached across the ceiling.

  Ahead was the door. If she cou
ld reach it, she could rush outside. Shakily, she took a step forward. A ceiling beam cracked. She leapt back at the last moment and fell across her bed. The beam crashed into the floor, punching a hole where she would have stood.

  This wasn’t the way Makenna thought she would die. There had been nights when thoughts of cancer would plague her, fear making her heart pump wildly. She’d been convinced it would come for her the same way it’d come for her aunt.

  Watching the flames lick the walls and smoke fill the air above, she trembled. A sob broke from her. She crouched low. The flames pushed in on her from every direction. She wasn’t sure what happened or where it had come from. All she knew was that she was going to die.

  Makenna was suddenly grateful for the small amount of time she’d had with Ashton. He’d given her a short respite from her burdens, one last spark of joy before these flames took her. She would have wished for more, for decades with her mate, but if this was all she was allotted she would hold the memories close as long as she could.

  The air was thick. She coughed. Her lungs burned from the smoke. If she was lucky, it would take her before the fire reached her.

  ***

  Ashton was looking at light fixtures for the house he planned to build for his mate when he felt something off. His stomach churned for no reason. When he looked around, he found nothing out of the ordinary. He checked his beast to see if the creature was trying to claw for control, but it only seemed scared.

  His breath came short. He gripped the metal shelf in front of him. The constriction of his chest made it difficult to breathe, like panic had snuck in while he was unaware. The beast whispered one word.

  Makenna.

  Ashton dropped everything and ran.

  He barely heard the doorbell chime overhead when he burst from the store. Over the tops of the trees was a column of smoke. It ran down the side of the mountain, from Kimbley Park toward town. His beast roared, recognizing the path.

  Makenna’s apartment was in the way. The fire never should have spread like that. It was winter, too wet and cold to let a fire spread so far. Yet, it had. He couldn’t explain it. Not when his heart thundered with unbridled fear. He wasted no time running toward the fire, his truck forgotten.

  He wouldn’t need it. Though he had enough presence of mind to reach for his phone. Neither Griffin nor Jasper answered, but he left both a voicemail. The plastic creaked in his hand. If they didn’t help him, he was done with the court. They could let themselves wither away in madness and bitterness. He didn’t care which.

  The edge of town couldn’t appear fast enough. He needed to take to the sky, to find his mate. It drove him. He hoped the fire hadn’t found her apartment yet, but what he’d felt in the hardware store told him otherwise. He worried that it was Makenna’s fear he felt. The bond between them was open and broadcasting his mate’s fear.

  As soon as he was out of town, he released his beast. The creature tore into reality, the change burning Ashton from the inside out. He bore the pain, knowing that if he didn’t act fast, Makenna would hurt so much more. The beast slapped its wings against the air. Muscles ached from the too fast change, but the dragon still took to the air.

  From above, he could see the trail of fire. It was not long, not quite starting at Kimbley. He growled, knowing he would tear apart whoever started it when he got the chance. His first concern was Makenna. He still felt her panic, her budding resignation. He let loose a roar that shook the air.

  She wasn’t alone. He wanted her to know he was coming.

  The resignation faded. Hope flashed like a light in the darkness, but it was only a candle in a windstorm. The bond was flickering and slowly disappearing. The flame on his tongue guttered. The whimper in his throat became another roar. It went on, echoing while he pulled his wings to his body and dove toward the apartment.

  No, it wasn’t an echo. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the flash of metal against the smoky sky. Gold and silver erupted from the ground. When they turned away from him, Ashton snarled. His heart had leapt with their appearance. It crashed when they ignored him.

  He didn’t have time for his court, for the king who wouldn’t let him in. He needed to save his mate. Makenna was the only thing that mattered to him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The smoke was choking.

  It stole the air around her, made it hard to breathe. Her head spun. Her skin ached. She let her head rest against the bed where she knelt. The window behind her flickered with the flames outside. Even if she’d thought to throw it open, more smoke would have entered, more flames would have welcomed her.

  Makenna’s eyes drifted shut. She let out a breath. The light of the flames dancing with the shadow of smoke slowly started to drift away. She felt distant. The pain was lessening. Her throat didn’t sting, her lungs didn’t burn.

  “Mac! Makenna!”

  His voice reached for her. It drew her back from the brink of death. Her eyes flashed open. A surge of hope pumped into her limbs and let her rise onto shaking knees.

  “Tell me where you are! I’m here to get you,” Ashton continued shouting.

  Makenna answered, but her voice was nothing more than a rasp. She would have cried if there were any tears left. They’d all dried up in the fire. She reached for her throat and could only whimper.

  It was enough. Ashton burst through the door. His clothing had burnt, patches charred and falling away, but his skin was unharmed. Being a dragon shifter had its perks, she guessed.

  It was her last thought before her knees gave out. Darkness snatched her.

  ***

  Ashton clutched his mate while sirens blared through the air. The fire reached for the sky, but Makenna was no longer trapped in it. He listened to her breathing. He didn’t know how long she’d been trapped in the fire. Her skin was red and angry, her breath dragging like gravel. The beast feared she would stop breathing at any moment.

  Above, two dragons released water upon the flames. It streamed down from the sky. The gold dragon glanced at Ashton and his mate. From the ground, Ashton could not read the look in Jasper’s eyes. Could it be that man and dragon were in sync for once?

  Gratitude swelled in his chest. They’d come for him when he called. There was hope for his court after all. The beasts that had pulled away from each other could be brought back together in times of need. All Ashton needed to do was ask.

  An ambulance screeched to a halt. It kicked up dust and gravel. Ashton leaned over Makenna to shield her from the spray. Paramedics poured out of the vehicle and rushed toward him, uncaring of the beasts in the sky. They were locals, of course. Dragons in the sky of Drake Mountains was just another day.

  They pried Makenna from his grip. He didn’t want to let her go, the beast snarling at the humans. They gently reminded him that she wouldn’t heal without their help. Logic was the only thing that allowed him to part with her. Even then, he grasped her hand as they loaded Makenna into the back of the ambulance.

  The paramedics tried to stop him, but one snarl stopped them all in their tracks. They shared a look, unspoken messages travelling between them. Ashton didn’t wait for their approval. He climbed inside the ambulance and perched beside his mate.

  Her eyelids fluttered. Soot clung to her face, but he was too afraid to wipe it away. He felt so helpless. He clenched his jaw and fought back the wave of emotions trying to take him under. The beast thundered beneath his skin. It screamed with shame and fear.

  He almost didn’t feel it at first, the gentle tug in the pit of his stomach. It was so soft and unassuming. Like a small bell, he felt the tug once more. Makenna squeezed his hand. The bond between them was open. He wasn’t sure how this worked, but he surrendered to the feeling with the hope that he could somehow help her.

  Slowly, his own eyes began to drift closed. He felt exhaustion turning his muscles to lead. He was so heavy, so tired.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Makenna glared at the giggling block of green gelatin, hating it with
every ounce of her being. So, she didn’t hate the gelatin as much as she hated the hospital. Here, she was bound to a bed while the outside world kept spinning. She could do nothing.

  Her hand rose to her throat. Worse, even, was the news the doctor had given her. She’d bore it with tears burning her eyes, grateful Ashton was not around to hear. She reminded herself it wasn’t permanent. There would be lasting effects, but she would not suffer forever.

  Unable to stand it any longer, she pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes and fell back onto the bed. The IV line tangled and tugged at her elbow. Frustrated, she yanked the line and jerked the stand closer to the bed.

  Her skin had healed miraculously fast. It was sensitive, but not tender to the touch as it had been. The sheets against her legs did not make her scream with pain or even cringe away. It was annoying, but not unbearable. The doctors hadn’t understood until Griffin appeared.

  The sight of the dragon shifter had her doctor pressing his lips into a firm line, nodding, and disappearing. Makenna couldn’t hide her disappointment. Griffin wasn’t the shifter she’d wanted to see. He stalked into the room, hand in his pocket. The other clutched something behind him. She didn’t pay close attention to the bulky object because it wasn’t Ashton, who she desperately wanted to cling to in that moment.

  She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again. The pain that ripped up her throat wasn’t worth it. Griffin watched her. Makenna was sure she seemed standoffish, but she had nothing else. She couldn’t bear speaking.

  Not yet.

  “You look great for someone who was trapped in a fire,” Griffin said, as if it were a compliment.

  She gave him a deadpan glare.

  “You’re right. That was, ah, tactless. I haven’t gotten out in a long time. Maybe I don’t even know how to interact with people anymore.” He scratched the back of his head, moving from foot to foot.