Bain’s brow jacked up. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she murmured, offering him a real smile. “Today is going to be hard on Seren, and I don’t want her to be by herself.”
“Gabriel is with her.”
Lily snorted. At an inch under seven feet tall and older than dirt, there wasn’t an ounce of softness or empathy in Seren’s dragon bodyguard. “Gabriel handles tears about as well as Luca.”
This time, Bain’s face went confused. “Seren doesn’t cry.”
Lily shook her head at him and left him standing there alone while she muttered about stupid men beneath her breath. It had only been a month since Adrian’s…disappearance, and while Lily knew her sister-in-law, Seren, had thrown her whole self into being a new mother, she’d also lost her mate. Seren was good at pretending to be all right, but Lily loved her enough to know better. Her sister-in-law was dying inside, and while Seren was genuinely happy for Daniel and Shelby, watching them this blissful wasn’t going to be easy. Dragons mated for life, and they didn’t survive a mate’s death. It gave them all hope that her brother was still alive, but Adrian was the scariest Hunter in existence. It meant whatever was keeping him from his family had to be bad.
Very, very bad.
Refusing to let herself get sucked into a worry spiral, Lily decided to get a picture for her photo album of little Ava dressed up for her first wedding. When Adrian came back, he’d still have memories of his little girl.
It was a good plan, she thought, until Seren actually walked in. With the baby curled up in one arm sleeping, Seren went on her toes to hug Broderick, and the pain inside Lily almost overwhelmed her.
Knowing that Bain would still be watching her, she sent him a dazzling smile over her shoulder before she ducked into Shelby’s rose garden. The second she was out of sight, she let her face crumple. She dug through her purse for her phone, then sank down onto the stone bench in the middle of the pathway. Staring down at it, there was only one person she wanted to call. Only one person she wanted to talk to.
So she called him.
* * *
DALLAS WATCHED HER walk into the rose garden, the muscle under his eye ticking again. It didn’t surprise him that his gaze tracked her every move. She was a Hunter, and therefore she couldn’t be trusted. It had nothing to do with how goddamn hot she was.
Broderick settled in a chair next to him and cocked a brow, then leaned over slightly to see what Dallas was glaring at. When he didn’t see anything, his brow went higher as he handed the other dragon a beer. “What’s got you so pissed off other than the wind blowing?”
Dallas accepted the bottle, though he didn’t drink it, his gaze still focused on where the female had disappeared. “When the hell did I become more masochistic than Daniel?”
The Celtic dragon hesitated with his beer halfway to his mouth. “I’ll give you anger issues, but I never would have said masochistic was your problem. Why?”
Shoving a hand through his hair, Dallas braced himself before he turned and looked at Broderick. “Maybe one of us should take over for Daniel until he gets his head screwed back on straight. At least until after the honeymoon phase has passed.” Last month had been a crazy time for their king. He’d found himself accidentally mated to a human, then realized being her mate had made her a target for their enemies. In the aftermath, the grumpy, surly leader had become even more safety obsessed, especially where his mate was concerned.
After sucking down half his beer, Broderick cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Leaning forward, he braced his arms against his legs as he studied Dallas, his beer bottle dangling from his fingers. “One, I’m not sure those two will ever be past the honeymoon phase, and two, what the fuck are you talking about? Why do you think Daniel isn’t fit to lead?”
Dallas’s jaw worked to hide the fact that his eye was twitching. “This isn’t the time or the place. Forget I said anything.”
“Bullshit. Speak.”
Ryuu. This wasn’t going to end well for him. It seemed no matter how hard he tried to be good, the day was going to end with someone wanting to kill him. “He’s not listening to reason, and I’m worried.”
“Is this about Cage?”
“Yes, goddamn it!” Dallas snarled. “Think about it. Cage is older and stronger than all of us, but we all managed to walk out on our own steam with nothing more than a few broken bones between us. How the hell was anyone able to grab him without any of us seeing it happen?”
That night was clear as fuck in Dallas’s head. The queen had been kidnapped, and they had all gathered to get her back, including Cage in a show of peace between their people. There had only been two males strong enough to make Cage disappear, and one was with Shelby the entire time, while the other, Alexi, had already been killed.
Broderick studied him for a long moment. “They found Cage’s wedding ring. You and I both know he’d have to be dead for that thing to ever leave his finger.”
Dallas set his teeth. “I don’t care.” He surged to his feet, and too edgy to sit still while they waited for the ceremony to start, he shook his head. “Something’s not right, and I’m not willing to sit around and wait for whatever the fucking Hunters are planning.”
Dallas didn’t have to stick around to hear what Broderick was going to say next. If the Hunters were planning something.
None of it made sense. Cage had been with the dragons when he’d disappeared. For thousands of years, the Hunters had attacked for much less than that, and the radio silence from them had Dallas twitchy.
He had no intention of following Lily until he found himself at the arched arbor that led into the blooming rose garden. His body stilled, his fist coming up to rub at the sudden ache in his chest.
For a moment he stood there, confused at how drawn he was to her voice. He went lightheaded as peace washed over him, and he leaned forward, trying to get closer to the sound. He hadn’t felt peace since the Hunters had…
His brow snapped together when what she was saying penetrated his brain. The rage that had been on simmer in his bloodstream since his family’s massacre built at the base of his gut as he stepped into the garden to see Lily on the phone.
“She’s not doing well, Adrian,” she said quietly, tears in her voice. “She needs you, and Ava needs you, and damn it, Adrian, I need you. Something bad is happening, and I need you. It’s time to come home. Please. Please come, Adrian. We need…”
Her voice trailed off when Dallas moved directly in front of her, deliberately allowing his dragon to show through his split pupils. “So,” he drawled as he crossed his arms over his chest, “you know where Adrian is.”
Sheer panic leapt into her eyes. She scooted away from him, her phone clutched to her chest as she glanced around for safety. He smiled. He was too close, and no one would get to her in time.
Despite the moment of terror, she held her ground when she realized there was nowhere for her to run. “It’s not what it sounds like.”
His gaze raked over her until he realized what he was doing and snapped his attention back to her face. “Really?” he asked. “Because it sounds like you were on the phone, begging your brother to come save your sexy little ass.”
There were shadows in her vivid eyes, reminding him of the horrific rumors he’d heard of her past, but she shrugged. “Okay, it is what it sounds like.”
Ryuu, she was hot. It should be the last thing on his mind, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t make himself stop staring at her mouth, either. No way in the seven hells should a Hunter female look like her.
“Does he answer you?” he asked.
Instead of bolting for safety, she frowned, making him think she wasn’t as afraid of him as she appeared.
“Come on,” he snapped. He wrapped his hand around her upper arm and dragged her toward the rose garden entrance.
She yanked on her arm, her fears apparently forgotten. “Where are we going?”
He almost laughed. Like she could break his
hold. “You’re going to go tell everyone that I’m not fucking insane and your brother is still alive.”
Chapter 3
THIS WAS BAD. This was so far beyond bad Lily wasn’t even sure there was a word for it.
While Dallas’s grip on her arm didn’t hurt, it was tight and noticeable enough that the second they walked through the archway, every dragon eye in the garden narrowed in on them.
Lily’s heart dropped when their collective mood went from celebratory to straight-up pissed off. It was like a ripple effect that started with Seren’s brother, Luca, and hit the other dragons one by one until Gabriel, the Behemoth who had isolated himself as usual, jerked to attention. There was barely leashed murder in his light blue eyes when he started toward them.
Lily came to a stop. Iosa. Every dragon in attendance slowly closed in on them, murder in their eyes. They knew the horror her life had once been and how she’d come to be under Adrian’s protection, so they were all horribly overprotective. And when Dallas halted, his lip lifting in a sneer and his body bracing for war, she reacted without thinking.
She moved in front of Dallas and went up on her toes. He leaned toward her, though his attention never left the dragons. Until she gripped his face, pulled him down to her level, and kissed him.
He staggered backward a step before he jerked his mouth away from hers. She gripped his shirt and tried to will him into not being an ass. It didn’t work. “What the fuck was that for?”
Because he looked so shocked, she followed him when he took one step back from her, and then another. She stalked forward, her eyes locked on his. “I’m trying to save your life.” She moved closer to him when his back came up against a rose bush. That he chose the scratching thorns over being near her would have been comical if every dragon in the place wasn’t intent on murdering him. He stared at her as if she’d turned into a complicated math problem that he couldn’t figure out. So she spelled it out for him. “If they think you’re scaring me or going to hurt me, they will kill you. So kiss me, damn it.”
Though she couldn’t tell if it was from temper or lust, he let out a violent growl and tangled his hand in her hair. He yanked her forward, up onto her toes, and fused his mouth to hers.
Lily forgot the plan the second their lips met. She forgot about the wedding. She forgot where they were and that he thought she knew where Adrian was. She forgot he was the Destroyer and that the dragons were closing in on them intent on beating Dallas to a pulp. She forgot all of it as she wound her arms around his neck, kissing him back for all she was worth.
He let out a low sound of need when his large hands molded over her hips, pulling her body into full contact with his, his mouth devouring hers like a man starved. Like he couldn’t get enough of her.
Lily was okay with that. She could very easily spend the rest of her life kissing him.
“Get your hands off her,” Luca said, his voice deadly quiet. “Now.”
Dallas yanked away from her as if he’d been burned. She tore her gaze away, her pulse hammering so loud she was sure every guest in attendance could hear it.
Judging by the fury in his soft green eyes, he was about a heartbeat away from strangling her. Not that she blamed him. Even she could see she’d twisted the poor man’s brain, but it would defeat the whole point of her trying to distract the dragons if he gave into the urge.
Lily sighed. It looked like she was going to have to save him from himself. She had no idea why she cared. She was more stunned at how out of character she was behaving.
She spun around abruptly, then backed into Dallas until she was pressed up against his front, watching as the dragons formed a half circle around them. Her trust issues were common knowledge with them, and they weren’t stupid.
So she couldn’t really blame them for the confusion on their faces. She reached back and grabbed Dallas’s hand, linking her small fingers with his much larger ones. “It’s okay, really. I’m fine.” She shot them all a sweet smile. “See?”
Luca studied their twined hands before he raised his gaze, his brow cocked. Because he was Seren’s brother, and Seren was mated to Adrian, Luca had all but adopted Lily as a bonus sister. “What’s going on, Lil?”
She blinked innocently at him. “Nothing.”
Behind her, Dallas snorted and yanked his hand free. “Bullshit. Adrian is— Ow, damn it!” he bellowed as she stomped on his foot with one killer heel.
Luca ignored him, his focus locked on Lily. “Adrian is what?”
“Nothing. Gone.” She frowned at Luca as sudden, unwelcome tears stung her eyes. She rounded on Dallas. “He’s gone.”
She didn’t wait for him to argue with her. She wasn’t going to stick around while he told everyone that she was calling a dead man. And if he wasn’t going to let her save his life, what did she care if he kept opening his mouth trying to get himself hurt?
She was grateful the ceremony started a few minutes later until the Destroyer sat directly behind her. Without looking, she could feel his rage-filled gaze burning a hole in the back of her head.
She did her best to ignore him, though, and concentrated on watching one of her favorite couples get married.
As Shelby stepped onto the aisle, awed gasps came from the guests. Always beautiful, the shimmering fairy lights that graced the trees and lit the ceremony area made her look ethereal. Her gown was somehow medieval and modern at the same time, a ball gown of such pure white, it was almost blinding.
But that gown was nothing compared to Daniel when Lily turned her head back to him. The hard, unsmiling dragon king had been replaced with a giant male with such brilliant love in his eyes her chest ached. And when Shelby finally, finally reached him, he moved with the speed of his kind. He had his hand in her hair, his mouth possessing hers as if the rest of them had all disappeared. Until the cheer went up, and they broke apart. Daniel’s head rested against Shelby’s as they visibly dragged in breath, their smiles only for each other.
Tears stung her eyes. That was what she wanted. Shelby brought out gentleness in Daniel, helping him to find a sense of humor he’d never known existed in himself, and in return, he gave her the world. It was—had been—the same for Adrian and Seren. Adrian’s past had been even more damaged and dark than Lily’s, but Seren had helped him heal and forgive himself, while Adrian had given her security, an anchor in the chaos of her life.
For the hundredth time that day, tears stung Lily’s eyes as she listened to Daniel and Shelby speak their vows. Any hope she’d had of finding a mate and living happy ever after had disappeared along with Adrian. The grief and desperation that pulsed around Seren had talked her out of it. Lily was already broken inside. She didn’t need a torn heart on top of it.
* * *
BY THE TIME the reception started, Dallas was about to crawl out of his skin. He blamed the Hunter female. Horny as hell after that kiss, he’d barely been able to make it through the ceremony without making an ass of himself by standing up and adjusting his aching cock in pants that had grown two sizes too small.
When the ceremony ended, he’d thought about grabbing one of the starlets or models staring at him and take them up on their unspoken invitation, but weirdly, it wasn’t any of them he wanted.
Which pissed him all kinds of the hell off.
So instead of easing his lust the easy way, he parked himself on a frilly black-and-white draped chair under the stars and tried not to stare at Lily Cage being hit on by every male with a pulse.
It might not have annoyed him so badly if she hadn’t already forgotten his existence. An hour in, and she hadn’t glanced his way once.
She shouldn’t fascinate him. He shouldn’t be obsessed with the lock of shiny sable hair that had escaped her bun and occasionally curled against the porcelain of her cheek. Nor should he notice that she had three different smiles: the forced smile she gave when a male hit on her, the smile that wrinkled her nose but didn’t reach her eyes when talking to someone she liked, and the smile tinged in sadn
ess whenever she looked down at her infant niece.
Everything he’d learned about her said she was uptight, emotionally damaged, and an ice princess. So where in the hell did the sex goddess come from?
Fuck this. He was up and across the yard in his next breath, glaring down at her. “Dance with me.”
She paused, the baby on her lap mid-bounce, and slowly craned her head up to look at him. When he offered her a hand, she eyed it as if she expected it to turn into a snake and bite her. Finally, she raised her eyes back to his. “By dance with you, do you mean follow you so you can take me somewhere quiet and kill me?”
“Should I?”
“No, but you don’t exactly look like you’re enjoying the thought of dancing with me.”
Fuck no, he wasn’t. He couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t killed her yet, let alone why he’d kissed her back. But for one stupid second, he’d thought she was serious about trying to save his life.
He had to admit the other dragons had looked ready to tear him apart by the limbs, and if Lily wouldn’t have acted, there was a good chance he’d be camped out at a healer’s for the night.
But for whatever fucked up reasons, she’d rescued him, and he hated being in anyone’s debt.
He forced his mouth to stretch into a semblance of a smile, aware that it probably looked more like a death grimace than charming. “Last chance. Take it or leave it.”
She studied him for so long he started to feel like an idiot for standing there. Not that he didn’t feel like an idiot, anyway. He couldn’t explain it, but the woman got to him.
When Luca, who was sprawled comfortably on the other side of Seren, straightened, Lily kissed the baby on the top of her pretty blond head and handed her back to Seren before she scrambled to her feet and wrapped her hand around Dallas’s.
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