Her Dragon Hero

by Roxie Ray

  Maverick nodded.

  “Well, if Cal will give me a ride, I’m going to Abby,” I said and turned to Cal. “Any chance you’d like to make a few bucks?”

  He shook his head. “No can do, man, but I can get you a ride if that helps.”

  I nodded. “I’ll take it.”

  He said his goodbyes, and I followed him out to his car. I was so tired I ached all over, but come hell or high water, I was going to Abby.

  Cal drove me about thirty minutes away, and I had to give a grubby-looking guy five hundred bucks, but a few minutes later I was driving for Abby’s with a monster-sized coffee in one hand and the radio blasting out of the ancient speakers. It’d be a miracle if the car made it all the way.

  Somehow, some way, it did. I pulled into her town and picked up her scent immediately. I knew she lived close to the bed and breakfast we’d stayed at, so I started there.

  It only took a few minutes to find her apartment building and a few more to trace her scent to her door. It was late enough in the day and there was a car in the lot that smelled so much like her, I wanted to roll on it.

  She answered the door on the third knock with a shocked expression on her face. My relief overpowered my adrenaline and caffeine, and I stumbled forward to wrap my arms around her. I knew I had to be stinky, but Nyx purred.

  I’d never been more tired in my life. I managed to stay awake long enough for Abby to get my nasty clothes off of me. She pushed me into her shower, but I ended up sinking to the floor and letting the water run over me until it started to cool, then I washed fast and got out.

  That was all I could manage. Even though I was starved after only eating what we could hunt in the woods, I walked out of her bathroom with my towel around my waist and collapsed face first on the bed.

  With Abby’s scent surrounding me, I fell into a restful, healing sleep.

  19

  Abby

  Looking down at Jury, even though he was exhausted and pretty much passed out, I couldn’t help but be thankful to see him. When he’d appeared on my doorstep, it was like the world had been spinning too fast and I hadn’t realized it until I saw him, and it slowed.

  I’d hoped to get some food in him before he crashed, but it didn’t happen. I’d never seen him like this.

  Granted, we’d had a whirlwind romance and bonding experience, and hadn’t known each other very long. I hadn’t had a chance to see him exhausted to the max.

  The second I’d pushed him into the shower, I ran for my phone and called Harley. She was with Stefan—and having contractions again, to my delight—and Stefan called Maverick.

  They reassured me that Jury and Nyx had pushed themselves to find their cousin and they were just exhausted. They needed a good night’s rest and a couple of big meals and would be fine.

  With a sigh of relief, I made a fast sandwich and returned to the bathroom. He was just getting out.

  “Jury, I made you a sandwich.” He blinked at me and walked out of the bathroom.

  But I was sure he didn’t hear me. Water dripped off his blond hair down his bare chest as he crossed the room with the towel around his waist and collapsed on my bed.

  I hurried over to make sure he was okay, but his breathing was steady, even with his face smushed into my pillow.

  I couldn’t leave him like that. Grabbing my hair dryer, I dried the back of his head, and then pulled and tugged on him until I rolled him over. He was so out of it, he didn’t notice at all.

  His towel fell away as I turned him and I had to remind myself that men could be violated too, and it would be a complete betrayal for me to explore his body while he slept. I yanked a big, fluffy blanket off the bed and covered him.

  And only peeked a little bit.

  When his hair was dry and he was covered up, I tackled his clothes. They stunk—badly.

  I had a tiny washer-dryer combo in the corner of the kitchen, a major perk and half the reason I selected this apartment above others that were bigger but had no hookup. I could only wash a handful of clothes in it at a time, but heck, it sure beat lugging baskets to the laundromat in the complex’s common area. Though, I did use the gym there from time to time.

  I hummed and remembered to empty his pants pockets at the last minute. I was glad I did. His phone, wallet, and a handful of odds and ends were in there.

  He had the same brand phone I did, and it was dead. I plugged it in and put the rest of the stuff on the kitchen table.

  It wasn’t my normal bedtime, but as soon as the load of clothes went into the dryer, I slid into bed beside Jury.

  He rolled toward me and pressed himself against me before I had a chance to try to snuggle up to him. I’d planned on playing a game on my phone until I got sleepy, but he was too sweet with his face turned toward mine. He looked young and innocent like this, not like the capable, strong man I’d grown very fond of.

  Looking at him like this, knowing he trusted me when he was at his most vulnerable, I wondered if this could be love.

  No. It was too fast for that. Deep affection was enough for now.

  As I fell asleep, my subconscious reminded me how worried I’d been while he was gone. Did I want this to be the norm for the rest of my life? And if I bonded with him, it would be a very long life.

  I fell asleep more content than I’d been since I walked off the plane, back home in Texas, but also more worried. What would the future hold?

  The next morning, something woke me up abruptly. I looked around and realized Jury was sprawled on his back and snoring. He let out a sharp moan-snort thing, and I couldn’t help but giggle. The sun wasn’t quite out yet, according to the one window over my kitchen sink across the room, but if it was close enough to dawn, I figured I’d go ahead and get up and make a big breakfast. I’d gone to sleep really early, anyway.

  When I grabbed my phone, my heart sank. In all the excitement, I’d forgotten Harley’s contractions and left my phone on silent. The lock screen showed five missed calls and about ten texts.

  I opened it and checked the messages app.

  I had messages from Harley, Stefan, and Axel. All of them were some variation of asking me to have Jury call any member of his family. They all said it was important, and Harley mentioned it wasn’t the baby and I shouldn’t worry, but Jury needed to check in as soon as possible.

  The time stamp said they’d been sent in the last hour or so. And it was nowhere near dawn. We’d only been asleep about six hours.

  Whatever it was, it was worth trying to wake Jury. I couldn’t help feeling nervous after that many attempts to get ahold of us. Was someone hurt? Or worse, dead? If it was someone I knew, surely, they would’ve told me or asked me to call, too.

  “Hey,” I said softly. “Hey, you’ve got to wake up.” I rolled close to him and ran my fingers along his jaw. “Jury,” I whispered, hoping to wake him gently. He didn’t respond. Crap. I wondered if I could get to Nyx. He’d been able to speak to me in the past.

  Pressing my forehead to Jury’s, which seemed like the right thing to do at the time, I focused on the wonder of hearing Nyx speak in my head. I thought about the beautiful dragon, with his scales of black with the iridescent sheen over them that changed into a million colors in the rays of the sun.

  Nyx? I called his name in my mind.

  His reply came immediately. I am here, mate.

  With a sigh of relief that turned into laughter, I pressed my lips to Jury’s cheek, but I knew, and somehow, I felt that Nyx knew too, I was kissing Nyx’s cheek. Not Jury’s.

  Nyx, you have to wake him up. Something bad has happened and his family is trying to contact him.

  My brain and emotions sharpened with affection, almost the same wave of calm protection I might’ve felt if Jury had hugged me. I was fairly sure Nyx had given me a mental hug.

  A few seconds later, Jury’s eyes blinked, then focused on me. I pulled back so he wouldn’t be startled by me pressing my face against his.

  “What’s wrong?” His voic
e caught, and he had to clear his throat before repeating the question.

  “I wish I didn’t have to wake you,” I said. “But your family is trying to get in touch with you. I just happened to wake up and see they were calling and texting my phone.” I grimaced. “I left it on silent.”

  He chuckled. “It’s probably nothing. But family rule says no phones on silent, ever. You’re family now, so it’s your rule, too.”

  Throwing back the blanket, he looked down and grinned. “Did we...?”

  “No!” I exclaimed. “That would’ve been totally a violation if I’d taken advantage of you like that.”

  Jury snorted and sat up, then twisted and arched his blond eyebrow at me. “For future reference, it’s never a violation coming from you.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t appreciate it in return,” I retorted. “Unless I’m conscious to enjoy it too.”

  He looked properly abashed and his cheeks reddened. “I wouldn’t have.”

  I grabbed his hand. “Of course not. I’m sorry, I know you were teasing me and not being serious.”

  He let it go at that, which I thought was great. It told me he was able to resolve a misunderstanding without dragging it out and prolonging the anger.

  “Do you know where my phone is, by chance?” Jury asked.

  “Yes. It’s on the kitchen counter. I plugged it in on one of my chargers last night when I put your clothes in the wash.”

  I jumped out of bed and padded across the room. “Here, they’re clean. Probably wrinkled because I left them in the dryer, but at least you can put undies on.”

  When I turned around, I jumped. I hadn’t heard him follow me to the dryer. Rolling my eyes at my silliness, I held out his briefs.

  This time, as he put them on, I peeked.

  He grabbed his phone and pressed the button on the side to turn it on. I hadn’t done that after it had charged enough. I hadn’t even thought of it.

  After the startup screen disappeared, notification sounds poured out of the speakers like it was glitching or something. He tapped the screen, and as he read, his face darkened.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “There was new information about the search we’ve been on. We didn’t have it all before. I have to make a private call; is there somewhere I can go?”

  “I’ll go shower,” I said. I needed one anyway. “You can stay out here.”

  He grabbed and squeezed my hand. “Thank you. I’ll tell you what I can when you get out.”

  As I closed the bathroom door behind me, I looked out at my mate. He already had the phone pressed to his ear.

  The temptation to eavesdrop was strong, but most of the time I did try to be a good person, so I whirled away from the door and turned on the shower.

  If I hurried in the shower, that was a complete coincidence. I may have taken the fastest shower of my life, but that was only because I wanted to check on Jury. Not because the curiosity was killing me.

  With one towel wrapped around my hair and another around my body, I exited the bathroom to find Jury fully dressed and scarfing down the sandwich I’d made several hours before.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. He grunted and pointed to his mouth. “Finish your bite,” I said with a chuckle.

  Shyness washed over me, but I pushed it away and dropped the towel in the hamper before crossing to my chest of drawers for a bra and panties. I dressed as I normally would have, out in the open. I couldn’t stop my eyes from flitting to Jury as he polished off the sandwich.

  His gaze stayed glued to me the whole time, though, flattering me and making me blush again.

  When he guzzled half a bottle of water and wiped his mouth on a paper towel, he sighed. “I have to go.”

  “Oh, Jury,” I whispered and walked toward him. He looked so exhausted still. His eyes were sunken back in his head with deep purple circles under them, and his cheekbones were hollow. I wasn’t sure if it was from a poor diet for the last several days or lack of sleep. Either way, he needed rest and food, like Harley had told me. “You’re exhausted.” I put my hand on his cheek and tried not to act like a worried mother hen.

  He gripped my hand and turned his head into it, pressing his lips to my palm. “I’ll be fine,” he said. “But I have to leave now.”

  “When will you be back?” I asked. “Are you in danger?” Again? But I didn’t add the last part. It was too soon for that, though a long, intense conversation was due when this was over.

  Whatever this was.

  “Abby, I can’t answer those questions,” he said. His face hardened, and he pulled my hand away from him with a firm grip. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

  He seemed a little angry, but I had no idea why. “They were reasonable questions. But I do trust you, Jury. You don’t have to get upset.”

  “You don’t have to mother me,” he said, angrier.

  The hurt his words caused stabbed at my heart. My father had been like this. Calm and rational one minute, then angry and harsh the next. If that was Jury’s true nature, it was a game changer. When things got tough, if he couldn’t handle it without flying straight to anger, well, that wasn’t something I was willing to deal with.

  Not after the way my father treated me, fooling me and nearly killing people I now loved.

  “Fine.” My voice was sharp. I turned away and pulled out a kitchen chair.

  “Please, don’t try to contact me. When I can, I’ll explain more, okay?” I didn’t look at him, but his voice had changed again, from angry to pleading.

  “I won’t.” I stared at my nails and crossed my legs.

  “Abby, I’m asking you to trust me. But I have to go.”

  I watched out of the corner of my eye as he grabbed his stuff from the table. After he’d turned away, I allowed myself to look at him.

  He paused with his hand on the doorknob and turned his head without looking fully back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  And then he was out the door, leaving me in a puddle of tears and confusion. What had happened? He’d gotten news and morphed into an angry and sad version of himself.

  I had to choose. Either trust him and let go of the short burst of anger as a fluke or start distancing myself. The shifter life was obviously going to be one full of danger and worry, whether it was with a rogue shifter like my father who lived rough or with an upstanding family like the Kingstons. They were some of the nicest people I knew, yet here they were still embroiled in some dangerous situations.

  Jury hadn’t shared the details of his mission with me. He hadn’t had time today, but we’d spoken at length on the phone during the early part of it, and he hadn’t told me anything besides he was good at tracking.

  I knew trackers were rare, but I was willing to bet he hadn’t expected me to know that or he wouldn’t have told me. Secrets. More secrets.

  Secrets got my father killed, and nearly me with him. And they were no foundation to build a relationship on.

  20

  Jury

  When I shut the car door and locked it, I screamed in frustration and banged my hands on the steering wheel of the piece-of-shit sedan. I was so angry and frustrated, I hit it harder than I meant to. As I turned the wheel to exit the parking lot, I realized I’d loosened it in its frame. Great. I had to drive who knew how far away with a loose steering wheel.

  The look of hurt on Abby’s face haunted me. But for once, Nyx and I were in agreement. We had to get as far away as possible, and fast. As soon as Abby had shut the door behind her after she woke me up, I’d called Maverick.

  Turned out we’d been wrong about Rico, the money, the whole thing. My gut instinct that it wasn’t enough of a reason was right.

  They’d beat him up to get him to tell them my location. When he wouldn’t spill, they used the kidnapping to draw me out.

  And it had worked, to an extent. I’d tracked them better than they’d expected and surprised them. That was the only reason we’d been able to get Rico out. But if Rico
hadn’t woken enough to tell my family the whole truth, I would’ve been caught, and Abby right beside me.

  Apparently, Rico had blabbed about my abilities during a drunken night on his fun-filled vacation with the rogue dragons before we’d hauled his ass home.

  One of those shifters was a member of a group of rogues known to us, but very much off the radar. They were high-level criminals, pulling jobs like in the movies. Bank heists and casino robberies. High-dollar stuff. Black-market shit. Their extra senses and abilities gave them a sharp edge, and they wanted to recruit me.

  I wasn’t sure how they expected to do that. If Rico had given them the information about which of his cousins was a tracker when they’d started torturing him, they would’ve come to me and what? Kidnapped me? Tried to torture me into tracking whatever or whoever it was they were after? I had no idea.

  By the time I got to the highway, the ache in my heart had turned to anger at these idiots. Because of them, I’d had to be a dick to Abby, again.

  Which was the last thing I ever wanted to be to her. Not after the way we’d started out. But in my rush to get out of there, I hadn’t known what else to do. She asked too many questions. I’d already slipped and told her I was a tracker, not thinking that she might know the significance of that. If she knew too much about my ability and the mission I was on with my family, she could be hurt for that information. I planned to explain it all to her later, when she was in Black Claw and safe under the protection of our town and clan.

  But for now, I had to draw the rogues away from her. I’d fix it later, make it up to her. These were experienced, professional killers.

  And now I understood why it had been so damn easy to get Rico out of that campsite. They wanted us to take him.

  Why they hadn’t already tried to grab me at Abby’s, I didn’t know.

  I pulled onto the highway that would connect me with my family. I considered going in the other direction, but even though I was a damn good fighter, I couldn’t take on these guys alone. They were too good.