Dragon Whelps: Earth Dragons Series: Book 3

by Hartnady, Charlene

  “So, do you do this kind of thing regularly?” Brett asked as soon as they were alone, he leaned forward slightly in his chair.

  Talk about hitting her with a difficult question right off the bat. “Um … are you talking about dating, or …?”

  Brett chuckled. “Of course not, a woman like you must get asked out all the time. I’m sure you go on plenty of dates?”

  Yeah … no! She smiled, hoping he wasn’t expecting a reply. She couldn’t tell him that this was her first date in one and a half years. She certainly couldn’t tell him what a disaster her last date had been. She hadn’t even made it to the one before that. Not thinking about it!

  “I’m talking about online dating,” Brett answered, not picking up on her discomfort. “Do you do this a lot?”

  “This was the first time I tried online dating,” she answered simply.

  The waitress arrived with her chardonnay. “Would you like some ice with that?”

  Ana shook her head. “This is perfect, thanks.”

  “Are you ready to order your appetizers?” She held her pen poised over a pad. “The oysters are …”

  “Give us a couple of minutes, please. We haven’t even looked at the menus yet,” Brett said, pointing at the leather-bound menus in front of them.

  The waitress gave a nod. “No problem, take your time.”

  Ana picked up her menu. It would give her something to do with her hands which ‒ thank god ‒ had stopped shaking.

  Brett drew her attention before she could open it. “Yeah, this is my first date where I had to swipe right.” He smiled. “I must say, I’m glad it’s not something you do all the time. I was a little worried about the kind of women I might meet through this type of service.”

  Ana wasn’t sure what to say to that so she picked up her wine and took a sip. She gave a small nod to show that she was listening.

  “Didn’t you find it weird having to sift through all the profiles?”

  “It was a little strange.”

  Brett picked up his menu but didn’t open it. “I guess we live in a world where it’s becoming more and more difficult to meet people in the regular fashion. I work twelve-hour days so …”

  “I can understand how that must make it difficult.”

  “Yeah well, one must work hard to get ahead.” He opened his menu but didn’t look down. “I recently made partner at my firm.” He took a sip of his whiskey.

  “Oh, that’s great. Congratulations!”

  “Just last month and four years early.”

  Ana frowned. “Four years?”

  “Yup, I had planned to make partner by forty. I’m only thirty-six so that’s sooner than I’d anticipated.”

  “It certainly is. That’s wonderful. You must be thrilled.”

  “I am.” He looked serious for a moment, his brow creased and his lips pursed. “I have a four-bedroom home, with a pool and a big landscaped garden.”

  “Oh!” If he thought to impress her with money, he was sadly mistaken. “That’s great!”

  “Complete with a white picket fence.” He swirled his glass. “Granite tops in the kitchen and marble finishes in all the bathrooms. It’s quite lovely.”

  She nodded, taking another sip of her wine. “That’s wonderful.”

  “All that’s missing is a family.” He was looking at her strangely, almost like he was judging her reaction. Maybe a guy like him had women coming onto him for his money.

  Ana put down her glass, giving another nod. Maybe he just liked the attention that money brought him. Well, he was barking up the wrong tree. She scanned through the appetizers, a couple of things catching her eye.

  “What do you do?” Brett picked up his own menu and opened it, he kept his eyes on her.

  “I’m a nurse at the Sweetwater Hospital.”

  “Oh!” He smiled. “How nice!” The way he said it was kind of patronizing.

  “I really enjoy my work, I’ve—”

  “I guess being a medical worker is something that could come in handy.” He rubbed his chin.

  Ana frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “In the home, that is. I’m sure you want to become a mother … have kids one day. Maybe even sooner rather than later?” He raised both brows.

  “Yes.” Her heart beat a little faster. “I would love to be a mom … one day that is.” Her chest tightened. Ana picked up her glass and took a big glug of wine, not sure where this conversation was going. Not liking the direction.

  “Shall I order some water?” He frowned, glancing at the wine glass still in her hand. He had a look of disapproval but she knew she must be reading him wrong.

  “Yes, that would be nice,” she answered, trying to be polite. Ana put the wine glass back down.

  He settled back in his chair and smiled at her. “It’s good to know.”

  “What is?” she asked, as Brett flagged down one of the waiters and ordered water.

  “Good to know that you want to be a mom.” He turned back to her. “It’s important to establish these things early.”

  What was he on about? He must have seen her confused look because he elaborated. “I’m looking for marriage and a family.”

  Ana took another big sip of her wine, her heart all a-flutter. Her stomach knotting back up. “This … um … this is our first date. It’s too soon to—”

  “It’s never too soon to make your intentions known,” he interrupted. “I’m looking for a wife … there, it’s out. I know that most women want marriage and security so I doubt I’ll have much trouble. I just don’t want to waste my time, is all. I realize that not everyone is looking for the same thing. Not everyone wants kids.” He paused. It was like he was waiting for her to interject if she had something to say. “That’s why I was a bit worried about using a dating app. I’d heard that the people you meet … the type of person … some of them are just out for a good time …” He pulled a face. “Hey, are you okay? You look a little flustered.”

  “I’m fine.” She tried to control her breathing. I can handle this. I can!

  Brett gave a small nod. “So, you’re not just here for sex, are you?”

  “No,” she blurted. “Not at all.” It’s fine! It’s all good.

  “Well, then we can relax and enjoy our date.” He narrowed his eyes, leaning forward in his seat. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Ana gasped for air, her throat closing quickly. Please no! No!

  “Can I pour you some water?”

  Ana nodded. She was way beyond water. Way beyond trying to talk. Shit! This isn’t happening. It isn’t! The room was hot … that’s why she felt flushed. That’s why she couldn’t breathe. Damn! Dammit all to hell!

  Brett hurriedly poured water, some of it sloshed over the rim of the glass, his eyes were filled with concern. “You’re sweating.”

  Gee, I hadn’t noticed.

  She grabbed the glass and tried to drink some but it gushed over her lips and down her neck. Cold! Ana swallowed the little bit she could. It felt like a rock trying to go down a straw. Her throat was officially closed. The room was both spinning and crystal clear, all at the same time.

  Around them, waiters carried beautifully prepared meals and expensive bottles of wine. Diners chatted, drank and ate their meals, oblivious to the turmoil in the far corner of the room.

  “What can I do?” Brett was out of his seat. “Are you having an allergic reaction? Do you have medication in your purse?” He lifted her purse from the chair next to her. “Is it in here? Try to breathe slower.”

  Gee, why hadn’t I thought of that?

  Ana realized that she was being a bitch but couldn’t help it. She needed to get the hell out of there. She pushed her chair back, eliciting a hard scraping noise on the gleaming wooden floor. Oh shit! Now the people from the table next to them were gaping at her and one of the servers was making her way over, eyes wide.

  Out!

  Now!

  She had to leave. If she made it outside and to the saf
ety of her car she would be okay. It was a pity, but she didn’t feel like that was going to happen. She was beginning to feel light-headed. Her stomach seemed to clamp and unclamp. Stars were beginning to flicker in and out of her vision. She felt dizzy … no, she felt … ill. Her legs might not work anymore but she needed to try.

  “Out,” she managed to somehow moan the word. She planted her hands on the table and used it to leverage herself up into a standing position. Well sort of. She was hunched over the table. Her glass of water tipped over, clanging as it hit, water soaked into the beautifully crisp white tablecloth.

  “Ana,” Brett kept calling her name. He clasped her elbow tightly. “Sit. You shouldn’t be—”

  Ana twisted around, trying to push past him … trying hard not to … her stomach gave a heave and out it came. The apple she’d munched on before coming here and the wine, her vomit was sour … it was disgusting and it was all over Brett’s shoes, all over his left leg. He let go of her, taking a frantic step back. Then everything went black as she passed out.

  Chapter 2

  Ash put his nose into the air and sniffed deeply. His already pointed snout elongated even more. His nostrils widened. He sniffed again, lumbering from one side of the clearing to the other, eyes shifting from left to right. His heavy fur bristled. The big male rose onto his muscular hind legs and gave another exaggerated sniff. The sound of his snuffling filled the clearing. The rest of the sounds of the forest seemed to become drowned out.

  Winston could see that the male was agitated. He growled, landing heavily onto all fours before walking back to the spot he had just vacated. Winston sniffed the air as well and got … the edge of something … maybe … he ultimately got nothing. Crisp air, the scent of the nearby river. He could smell the earth, a squirrel that had recently run across this particular patch of earth. He could scent the daisies growing on a patch of moss nearby.

  He could scent many other things as well that were of little importance. What had gotten his friend so rattled? He watched as Ash ripped up the earth with his heavily clawed paws, frequently stopping to sniff some more. Then there was the familiar sound of bones cracking, of tendons reshaping.

  Ash’s low bear growl became less animal and more human … straddling the line between the two. He crouched down, fingers sinking into the earth. His body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Ash looked his way and gave a quick lift of the chin.

  It seemed his buddy wanted to have a little chat. Winston pictured his human form, feeling his wolf retract, starting with his fur. It pulled into his skin, his limbs folding in on themselves. It hurt but it was a good kind of pain. “What is it?” he said, as soon as he was shifted enough to talk. His voice still held a guttural edge, his vocal cords still remembering those of his wolf.

  “Not sure.” Ash was still agitated. “Something … and yet, I can’t put my claw on what exactly.”

  Winston chuckled. “It’s a known fact that wolves have a better sense of smell than bears. I didn’t pick up a thing.”

  Ash sniffed again, even though there was no way he would pick anything up in his human form, despite the fact that his sense of smell was far superior to any mere human.

  Winston chuckled at the male. Ash was his best friend. Even though they were different kinds of shifters. Even though Ash was older and an alpha. It didn’t matter in the least. They had still become fast friends from the word go. “Let’s change back and head home,” he suggested.

  Human skin or not, Ash bristled, the male still on high-alert. “Call it a gut feeling … something isn’t right.”

  Winston paced to where Ash was standing.

  The male seemed to be listening for something, his brow heavily furrowed. “I wish I knew what the fuck was going on.”

  “Something is definitely up. Herds of game don’t disappear into thin air. At this point though you’re just hungry. We’re all hungry … for meat.”

  Ash’s nostrils flared, his eyes were focused on the canopy up ahead. “I’m hungry but that’s not it. Something spooked the game. I sensed something out here. Something’s wrong!”

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