The Dragon's Mate

by Emilia Hartley

  CHAPTER 11

  Jo stared after him, a little confused about what had just happened. The way he’d snatched the phone from her hand had completely shocked her, the darkness in his eyes sending a chill through her body. His teeth had bared as he’d barked words down the phone, his entire body tense and his hand curling into a fist. She couldn’t quite believe what he’s said to Brian, but was surprised to find she wasn’t upset. He’d defended her. Swallowing, Jo watched as Nick slammed things around the kitchen, clearly still annoyed with Brian.

  “I’m sorry,” she managed to say, as he strode back over to her. “I didn’t mean to get upset. I know I’ve already cried all over you once already.”

  He looked at her, surprised. “That’s not what I’m frustrated about, Jo.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head, his hair flying in all directions like an animal shaking its fur. “The way that man was speaking to you wasn’t right, Jo. I don’t know why you put up with it.”

  “He’s my boss,” she explained.

  “So?” His face grew angry. “That doesn’t give him the right to treat you that way.”

  Jo felt heat trickle up her neck and into her face. “You heard what he was saying, huh?”

  “Well, he was shouting pretty loudly,” Nick replied, finally sitting down on the sofa. “Why do you let him speak to you like that? Why not say something?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve never really stood up for myself. I suppose that’s why things have never changed for me at Liberty Art.”

  "You mean, with the constant traveling?"

  Jo tried to smile. “I wouldn’t mind it if it wasn’t so uncomfortable and tiring. If he’d just let me fly instead of having to drive all the time.”

  He was watching her carefully, his eyes almost glittering. “So why don’t you tell him you’re not doing it anymore?”

  “I tried that,” she mumbled, lifting her cup to her lips. “He basically told me to stop complaining or I’d get fired.”

  A jolt fired through Nick’s body, forcing him to grab onto the arm of the sofa, his lips pulling back in a silent snarl. Rage poured into his limbs, as he took great heaving breaths, forcing the bear to stay quiet.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Fine,” he bit out. “I’m just angry that someone would treat you that way.”

  She sighed, knowing that he was right and feeling stupid that she’d never done anything about Brian. “I didn’t want to lose my job, so I just went with it.”

  Nick had to wait until the bear was completely quiet again before he answered. “There are things you can do,” he said, quietly, after a few minutes. “And even if you did decide to quit, would that be so bad? Couldn’t you get a job elsewhere, a place that made you happy?” He knew that Jo liked the art side of her job, but Brian was making her life miserable.

  Tears pricked at the corner of Jo's eyes. "I guess," she said, softly. "It's all a bit scary, though, you know? I used to love my job before Brian basically ruined it."

  He came to sit next to her, his strong arm wrapping around her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, his low voice rumbling in his chest. “Listen, as far as I’m concerned, you should do something that makes you happy, Jo. Take chances, no matter how risky. They usually work out.”

  She couldn't help but cry, her tears soaking his shirt as he tugged her closer to him. "I'm so confused," she sniffed. "I've been too scared to quit because I don't know what I'd do with my life, so I've just put up with Brian."

  Stay here with me, Nick wanted to say, hating to see her so upset. “I get that,” he replied, instead. “I wasn’t meaning to make things worse between you and him.”

  “No, no, thank you for doing that,” she insisted, looking up at him. “No-one ever really stood up like that for me before. I – I’m glad you did.”

  A great swell of pride rose in his chest, as he settled her against him. “I didn’t like how he was speaking to you. I tried to stay out of it but I just lost it, I suppose.”

  Jo smiled, her tears drying up. “Well, thank you for losing it, Nick.”

  His chest rumbled with quiet laughter. “You’re more than welcome.”

  They sat quietly for a long time. Nick’s bear was quiet and content, now that he had Jo beside him. He’d protected her, stood up for her, and his bear was pleased about that. However, his human brain was warning him that he should be as far away from her as he could get, that the way she’d just dissolved into tears was the example of her vulnerability he needed. Humans are delicate. Not for shifters like you.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Jo murmured, almost drifting off to sleep. Her hand inched further along his chest, the muscles rippling underneath her fingers, her hair tickling his chin.

  “I’m glad I’m here too,” he replied, unable to stop himself from leaning down and kissing her lightly on the lips. It wasn’t a passionate or heated kiss, rather just a gentle one that made her smile.

  “Will you stay with me tonight, Nick?” she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “After what happened, I don’t want to be alone.”

  Nick licked his lips. “I guess I could stay,” he mumbled, running his free hand through his hair. “I know you were really frightened.”

  “Nothing has to happen between us if you don’t want it to,” Jo continued, trying to be honest. “I mean, I thought you wanted it as much as I did, but I’m getting the impression you don’t.”

  Glad he couldn’t see her face, Nick swallowed and tried to explain. “It’s just complicated, Jo.”

  She sighed, slowly sitting up and away from him. “If you ever want to explain to me why it’s complicated, then I’m here to listen,” she said, getting up. “Thanks for agreeing to stay, though. Those bears really shook me up.”

  “No problem.” Running a hand through his hair, Nick watched Jo with hungry eyes as she walked to the sink to wash their coffee mugs. Twice he’d pulled away from her and he didn’t think he’d manage to resist her a third time. So why had he agreed to stay? Because she needs you.

  Blowing out a long breath, Nick shook his head, groaning loudly. “This is too hard,” he mumbled, getting up. Stopping for a moment, Nick frowned as he heard the sound of a car pulling up. Jo hadn’t heard it of course, but Nick could bet it would be his brother.

  “I – uh….”

  “Oh,” Jo exclaimed, catching sight of Tom through the window. “Tom’s here.”

  “I’ll get the door,” Nick said, quickly. From his brother’s scent, he could tell that he was angry. It would be best to take this outside.

  “Nick,” Tom said, as Nick opened the door. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Is everything okay?” Jo asked, wiping her hands on the towel.

  Tom gave her a brief smile. “Everything’s fine,” he growled, his eyes still on Nick. “I just need to speak to my brother.”

  “I won’t be long,” Nick said, reassuringly, closing the door behind him.

  Tom’s hands were curling into fists as he faced his brother. “Where have you been? You’ve been gone for ages.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nick asked, frowning. “I came out to send the Northern Wind pack away, which I managed, by the way.”

  “So I see,” Tom replied, his face angry. “You didn’t think to let me know that you were okay? I’ve been watching the camera feed for ages and didn’t see you!”

  “What, you thought they’d got me?”

  A snarl ripped from Tom’s throat. “What other explanation was there?”

  "I was looking after Jo," Nick explained, trying to calm his brother down. "She was really scared and I had some scratches that needed to be cleaned up."

  “And she did that for you?”

  “Yes,” Nick said, spreading his hands. “So what?”

  Tom snorted. “You’re telling me there’s nothing going on between you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Really?�
� Tom replied, sarcasm in his voice. “So why can I smell her on you?”

  There was no explanation for that. “It’s not your business, Tom,” Nick said, eventually. “I’m working things out myself.

  Tom walked away, blowing out a long, exasperated breath, before spinning on his heel and thumping his brother hard. “What on earth do you think you’re doing, Nick? You know we can’t touch humans!”

  “I’m not,” Nick protested. “I mean, I’m trying not to.”

  “You have got to stay away from her,” Tom continued, anger blazing in his eyes. She’s no good for you, Nick! Shifters don’t mate with humans.”

  Nick growled, gritting his teeth.

  “She can’t give you cubs, Nick!”

  “Maybe I don’t want that.”

  Tom’s lip curled. “So you’re just going to have her for a couple of nights and then let her go? What if you change? What if you lose control?”

  Nick’s stance grew menacing. “It’s not your business, Tom.”

  “If you end up killing her, it’s going to be my business!”

  Nick’s spine cracked. “Not now,” he snarled, his bear ready for a fight. “I need you to just leave this alone, Tom. I won’t hurt her.”

  “You can’t have any kind of feelings for a human,” Tom continued, ignoring him completely. “What if you change? What if she sees?”

  “She won’t!” Nick roared, pain ricocheting through his body as the bear tried to get out. “Just leave me alone, Tom!” Taking three deep breaths, Nick glared at his brother, before storming past him, forcing the bear back down with sheer force of will.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Tom called, angrily. The only response he got was Nick, slamming the door in his face.

  Jo looked up, surprised to see the almost feral look on Nick’s face. His teeth were bared as though he’d been snarling. “Is Tom coming in?” she asked, timidly.

  “No,” Nick growled, climbing the stairs three at a time. He said nothing else, walking into the bathroom and locking the door.

  CHAPTER 12

  It took a long time for Nick to get the bear under control. It wanted to get out, wanted him to change, but he couldn’t let it. Not here. Not now.

  Tom had really upset him, the way he’d shown up and basically yelled in his face. Nick knew everything he said was true, but that didn’t mean that he liked it. He’d wanted to shout that he knew that shifters didn’t touch humans, but that he couldn’t help it – not that Tom would understand.

  His spine cracked again, and Nick threw his head back, his nails biting into his palms as he clenched his fists. I can’t change.

  After a long time, the bear went back down inside, and Nick was finally able to take a few long breaths. Sitting down on the floor, he leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes. He couldn’t keep fighting this. It was getting too difficult. His need for Jo was growing, even though he kept trying to take a step away. He’d told her that it was too dangerous, too complicated but he’d wanted to ignore all that and mate with her anyway.

  “What am I doing?” he muttered aloud, thumping the floor with his fist. He’d promised her he’d stay here tonight, even though she’d told him that nothing had to happen between them. Yeah, right. Nick knew he had to make a decision. Either he was going to be with Jo, or he wasn’t. Being with her was dangerous, more dangerous than she knew, but the other option meant that the bear simply wouldn’t let him forget her. Even when she was gone, the bear would call for her until he found her again. “I guess she’s my mate.” Even saying it out loud was terrifying, since shifters didn’t have human mates. Not that he knew of, anyway. It was always too risky. When he finally did take her, was the bear going to climb out of his skin? Was he going to end up hurting her – even killing her, like Tom had suggested?

  “No,” he said loudly. “I won’t.” Frowning hard, Nick made his choice. He would stay here tonight with Jo, and he wouldn’t stop whatever happened between them. Maybe then the bear would stop calling for her, and leave him at peace.

  Jo glanced up from the book she’d been attempting to read. Nick was coming down the stairs. Thankfully, he looked much calmer than before, a light smile on his face as he saw her.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he rumbled, clearing his throat. “Tom just makes me mad sometimes.”

  “You needed to calm down.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah.”

  “How’s the shoulder?”

  “Fine.” It was painful, of course, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d dealt with much worse before. “What are you reading?” Flopping down next to her, he stretched out on the sofa, propping himself up on one elbow.

  “Nothing interesting,” Jo replied, her eyes drawn to the way his shirt was slowly pulling up as he stretched out.

  “Mmm.” Fighting always made him tired, and it had used up everything he had to stop himself shifting. “Why don’t you read to me?”

  “What?” Jo laughed, her hand brushing his hair away from his forehead. “Are you being serious?”

  "Why not?" Lying down completely, he rested his head in her lap. "I like the sound of your voice." It calmed the bear too if he was honest, and he needed that right now.

  Jo smiled, forgetting all about Tom. “If you really want me to.” Picking up the book, she flipped to the next chapter and started reading.

  Tom slammed around the garage, anger coursing through his veins. He couldn’t believe how stupid Nick was being! He shouldn’t be going anywhere near a human, even though she was only going to be here for a few days. Thumping the desk hard, Tom kicked the desk for good measure. Nick had always been the sensible one, the one who knew exactly how to deal with a situation except now, this city girl had got his head spun the wrong way around. Going near humans was dangerous. They needed to be kept away from shifters, which was why they kept their mechanics shop a little bit out of town. It was safest that way.

  He didn't know what to do. The moment he'd caught the scent of the pheromones, everything had become clear. Nick liked Jo. Jo liked Nick. Except, Jo didn't know that Nick was a shifter and Nick was clearly not about to tell her. Maybe I should tell her. He threw away that idea immediately. She wasn’t exactly going to believe that, and he couldn’t risk changing in front of her, just to prove his point. “Then she just needs to get out of here,” he said, aloud.

  Walking over to his computer, Tom typed in a couple of details and looked closely at what came up. The only reason Jo was still here was because they didn't have the part they needed for her car. If they got it and fixed it, then she'd have no reason to stay. No reason to be with Nick.

  Reaching for his cell phone, Tom paused. Nick would be furious. It could really put a wedge between them, but Tom decided that it would be worth it. Jo had to go out of their lives before she – or Nick – got hurt.

  Dialing the number, Tom waited until it connected. "Hi," he said. "I've ordered a part recently, and I'm just wondering if you could tell me how long it'll take to get here." Listening to what the woman on the other end of the line said, he gave a few more details to find out the exact location. "That's great," he said, grinning down the phone. "If you could just let the driver know to expect me, I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks."

  Hanging up, Tom looked down at the address he'd written down. The woman had said that the part he had ordered was on a truck, which was traveling to various small towns before getting to them. It was making an overnight stop and Tom had the address in his hand. It would be a long drive, but he could do it if he left now. Once he got back, he could fix Jo's car and it would be ready by early morning. He'd just say it had arrived sooner than they'd thought although Tom was sure that Nick would realize what he’d done quite quickly. Shrugging to himself, Tom picked up his car keys, flipped the sign on the door and walked out. You’ve only got yourself to blame, Nick, he thought, wishing he could punch some sense into his brother. Revving the engine, he drove away from the mechanic
s and along the road. He’d do whatever was needed to get Jo out of their lives.

  Nick stretched, blinking a few times before working out where he was. Jo was leaning back on the sofa, her eyes closed. She was clearly exhausted, worn out from what had happened. Running a light finger down her cheek and jaw, Nick smiled to himself. She was beautiful to him, even though she wasn't a shifter. Hoping that everything was okay with Tom, Nick eased himself off the couch, walked into the kitchen and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

  He tried calling Tom three times before he gave up. His stubborn brother was either refusing to answer or had deliberately left his phone somewhere he wouldn’t see it. Shrugging, Nick made up a fresh pot of coffee, his ears pricking at the sound of Jo beginning to wake up.

  “Did the smell wake you?”

  Jo smiled up at him. “I don’t know. Maybe I just knew you were gone somehow.”

  He grinned, holding out a hand for her. Pulling her up to her feet, Nick ran a hand through her hair, straightening out the kinks. “Better,” he mumbled, walking back to the kitchen. “Can I get you a cup?”

  “Please.” Sitting down at the table, Jo stretched her legs out onto another chair. “Did we sleep for a long time?”

  “Long enough,” he grinned, handing her a mug. “It’ll be time to eat soon.”

  “What’s good around here?”

  Laughing, Nick lifted her legs with one hand, before sitting down and placing them on his lap. “Small town, remember? It’s either the same Chinese we had last night, or I can cook.”

  “You cook?”

  He winced. "I try." If he was honest, he'd prefer a nice, very rare steak – or to go out hunting for fresh meat – but neither of those things would be particularly appetizing to Jo.

  “Then Chinese sounds good,” she replied, hiding her smile. “I’ll just order something different from last night.” She paused, looking up at him. “What about Tom?”