The Dragon's Mate

by Emilia Hartley

  “Nick?” Jo interrupted, drawing his attention. “This is Lucy.”

  Their chatter died at once. Three pairs of eyes settled on Lucy, who gave a slightly self-conscious smile. "Hi," she murmured, glancing at them all. "I'm Lucy."

  Dan caught the helpless look she threw at him. “Her brother’s just gone and left her,” Dan clarified, trying to give some kind of explanation so that they’d stop staring at Lucy. “Actually, he was the one to leave and Lucy decided not to go with him.” He waved a hand, trying to be as casual as possible. “Regardless, I said she was welcome to come and meet you guys.”

  “I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble,” Lucy muttered, as Dan walked over to stand beside her.

  “You’ve not caused any trouble at all,” he reassured her. Letting his hand slip around her shoulders, he gave her a light squeeze.

  There was silence in the cabin. A few seconds ticked by, forcing Dan to give Nick a pleading look. The last thing he wanted was for Lucy to feel unwelcome.

  After taking a deep breath, a smile appeared on Nick’s face. “Like Dan said, it’s no trouble at all,” he said, just as Tom put his head in his hands and groaned loudly.

  “Not again,” Tom mumbled. “Why does this keep happening to us?”

  “Tom!” Savannah exclaimed, prodding him in the side. “Don’t be rude.”

  “Why does what keep happening?” Dan asked, completely confused.

  “Hi,” Savannah said, ignoring Dan completely. “I’m Savannah. It’s nice to meet you, Lucy.”

  Lucy shook Savannah's hand, although her eyes stayed on Tom who was still muttering darkly to Nick. It was obvious to everyone that he wasn't exactly pleased with her being here.

  “Don’t mind him,” Savannah continued, noticing Lucy concern. “Tom’s always a bit wary, especially when there’s a new shifter in town.”

  Dan stared at Savannah, his mouth falling open. Heat rippled through his cheeks as embarrassment hit him full force. Lucy was a shifter? Why had he not noticed? Running a hand through his hair, he closed his eyes in frustration and humiliation.

  “You didn’t know?” Savannah asked, a wide smile spreading across her face. “Come on, Dan! What about those bear senses of yours?”

  "Wasn't using them," Dan muttered, feeling even more foolish. "Or, not as well as I should have been." He wasn't like Tom and Nick, who used the full strength of their senses all the time. Since Lucas had never let them be in human form for long, Dan was still getting used to being that way again. Obviously, his lack of practice had made him miss quite a lot.

  Lucy's giggle met his ears, even though she turned away slightly in an attempt to hide her laughter from him. "You mean, you didn't know she was a shifter?" Nick interrupted, apparently overhearing their conversation. Dan groaned, wishing Savannah hadn't said a word

  "What?" Tom exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "You're supposed to be a shifter, Dan."

  Dan opened his mouth to try and explain, but Jo interrupted them all. "The food's getting cold," she said, in a firm voice. "Why don't we sit down to eat before this goes any further? Savannah and Tom, there's coffee and some snacks in the fridge if you guys are hungry."

  "Good idea," Dan muttered, walking to the table to pick up his food. He needed a few minutes to collect himself and to push away the sheer humiliation he was experiencing. Now he'd managed to knock Lucy over, get punched in the face by her brother and not work out that she was a shifter. Could he have made a worse first impression?

  While Jo, Savannah, and Lucy were busy getting everything ready, Nick and Tom rounded on Dan. It seemed he wasn’t going to have the lucky escape he’d been hoping for.

  “So, do you want to explain how you managed to end up meeting a random shifter and bringing her back here?” Tom exclaimed, his brow furrowing.

  "And how you managed not to recognize she was a shifter in the first place?" Nick replied, although, thankfully, he was at least smiling.

  “I’m sorry,” Dan muttered. “I don’t know how I missed that.” There wasn’t really another excuse he could give.

  Nick snorted. “I do.”

  Frowning, Dan looked at Nick, scratching his head in confusion. “How?”

  “A beautiful girl practically falls in your lap and you don’t notice she’s a shifter….only means one thing. You’ve got it bad.”

  Dan let out a long breath, knowing that Nick was probably right but not wanting to admit it right away. Dan had expected Nick to be frustrated - angry even, but Dan was grateful that he’d mellowed recently. Tom had once muttered something about how it was to do with Jo’s easy going attitude influencing him.

  “You’re not going to deny it, then?” Nick grinned, slapping a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Listen, I don’t mind that she’s here, but we have to know the full story before we can make a decision as to whether or not she can stay.” His face grew serious, but Dan understood straight away. There couldn’t be too careful, especially now that Lucas was on the hunt for revenge.

  Tom let out a snort. “You’re far too trusting, Nick. She’ll just tell you some sob story and you’ll let her stay, no matter what! This could potentially be a very dangerous situation.”

  Beginning to grow worried, Dan watched the exchange between the two brothers. He didn't want Lucy to go, but Tom would have some sway over his brother. He wanted to jump in and defend her but instead decided to stay quiet and let Nick talk.

  Nick nodded but remained resolute. "I'm aware of that, Tom. For what it's worth, I think you need to start being a little more trusting. Not every shifter that turns up has been sent by Lucas."

  Tom’s eyes narrowed, as a low grumble came from his chest. “Savannah turned her back on Lucas and the Northern Wind pack.”

  “And that’s exactly my point,” Nick finished. “You of all people should understand how letting someone in, just a little bit, can change their entire perspective on things.” He put a gentle hand on Tom’s shoulder, trying to keep him calm. “Just give Lucy a chance to explain and don’t immediately start trying to find holes in her story. Not everyone is out to get us.”

  Dan agreed with every word. Leaving Tom to calm himself down, Nick and Dan made their way back to the kitchen table.

  “Thank you, Nick,” Dan murmured. “I appreciate your trust. I’m sure Lucy does too.”

  Nick grinned. “Not at all. Looks like you’re not going to be lonely for much longer!”

  Desperately hoping that Lucy hadn’t overheard that, Dan gave her a smile as he sat down. “Smells delicious, as usual,” Nick grinned, sitting down next to Jo. “Thank you for getting this, Dan. After almost burning down the cabin, I don’t think I’ll be cooking again any time soon…”

  Jo rolled her eyes. “Unless you did this on purpose so that I won’t make the same mistake of asking you again.”

  Nick said nothing, making Lucy laugh. Digging into their food, Dan let his gaze move over Lucy as she spoke to Jo. She was still cautious since her eyes would occasionally dart around the room and her whole body remained tense, but she was slowly beginning to relax. He just hoped that, whatever her reasons were for being alone, Nick would let her stay.

  Chapter Seven

  “So,” Nick began, once they’d all finished eating. “Lucy, what do you think of Dan, not knowing you were a shifter?”

  She grinned, seeing Dan's glowing red cheeks. She'd was confused by the comments he'd made as they walked up to the cabin, but it all made sense now. She'd known Dan was a shifter almost immediately, but apparently, he'd thought she was just another human. It was quite endearing, in one way, even though he was still obviously embarrassed. "I'd say he's been embarrassed enough," she replied, seeing the relief on Dan's face. "So I won't be sharing my opinion."

  Laughter rang out around the table, before Nick’s face grew a little more serious. “We’re happy to let you stay, Lucy, but I hope you’ll understand that we need to know a bit more about you. For example, what’s brought you to these parts?”

>   Lucy bit her lip, wondering how much to give away. This pack wasn’t the Northern Wind pack, that was for sure, but she was beginning to think these were the shifters Lucas wanted to take out. That didn’t bode well for Dominic, or for them. Then again, if she wanted their help - and she needed it for sure - then she was going to have to be honest.

  “My brother,” she replied, eventually. “Dom came here and I came with him.” Glancing at Dan, who gave her an encouraging smile, she carried on. “It wasn’t as though I had much of a choice. Dom hasn’t exactly given me a lot of freedom. He sold our house without telling me and told me we were coming here.” Looking around the group, she took in each of their expressions.

  Jo and Savannah were both nodding while looking slightly appalled at what she'd told them about Dom. Tom, on the other hand, had a dark frown on his face, while Nick had an open expression, listening carefully to everything she had to say.

  "I met Dominic," Dan interjected, pressing a hand to his temple and swollen eye. "He's not a particularly nice guy - no offense, Lucy."

  Lucy shook her head. “No, he’s not. That’s okay to say. To be honest, that’s why I made up my mind not to go with him.”

  “Go where?” Savannah asked, softly. “Why did he come here in the first place?”

  Taking a deep breath, Lucy knew she was going to have to tell them the truth. The worst thing would be for them to find out later that she’d not told them everything. Besides, she didn’t have any loyalty to either Dominic or Lucas, so what was the point in hiding it? “Dominic got a call from our cousin, asking him to come and help with his pack.”

  Nick’s eyes widened. “Wait, your cousin is Lucas?”

  Nodding, Lucy winced as she saw the shock and horror on all their faces, including Dan’s. “Dominic is supposed to go up to help him work out a way to get another pack - which I presume is you guys - under his control.”

  “I knew it!” Tom exclaimed, getting to his feet. “I knew this was a bad idea. She has to go!” His loud voice made Lucy jump, seeing how he glared at her with a face like thunder.

  “Just a minute,” Dan interrupted, also standing. “I was right there, Tom and I saw Lucy tell Dominic to leave her alone. She refused to go with him. That should mean something.”

  The air grew thick with tension as Tom glared angrily at Dan. His jaw was clenched, his hands balled into fists, but Dan remained completely calm.

  Lucy got to her feet, spreading her hands. She didn’t like seeing them all fighting and certainly didn’t want to be the reason for it. “Listen, I don’t want to be the cause of any friction in your pack. If you want me to go, Tom, then I will but I promise you now that I’ve got nothing to do with Lucas and the Northern Wind pack. I’m not having anything to do with either of them. I swear it.” She looked back at Tom, unafraid of his dark expression. Lucy wasn’t about to let herself be lumped in with her brute of a brother and her stupid cousin.

  “Everyone sit down," Nick interrupted, his voice quiet but authoritative. "This isn't going to turn into a fight. Tom, you need to listen to what both Lucy and Dan are saying and calm yourself down." Turning back to Lucy, he gave her a smile that told her he believed everything she was saying.

  “So, what is Dominic planning?”

  “I don’t know,” Lucy replied, a little uneasily. “Like I said, I didn’t want to listen. What I do know is that Dominic’s got something in mind. Something that’s going to be for his benefit, of course, and no-one else’s.” Remembering how Dominic had refused to tell her exactly what his plans were and how all her instincts had warned her away from him, Lucy shook her head. Dominic wasn’t going to be up to anything good.

  Jo sat forward, her eyes filled with concern. “It sounds like you don’t trust him.”

  Lucy pressed her lips together to quell a wave of emotion before answering. “No, I don’t. Dominic has been a bully practically since the day he was born. He’s fought his way through life and I only stayed because I had nowhere else to go and no-one else to turn to.” Her fingers plucked nervously at her sleeves as she looked at the rest of the group. Ultimately, it would be Nick’s decision whether she stayed or not, since he was the pack leader but Lucy knew he’d be influenced by what the rest of the pack thought.

  “Your brother,” Nick said, thoughtfully. “Is he an alpha?”

  “No.”

  “But he may as well be,” Dan interrupted. “That guy is huge! I mean, in his human skin, he’s probably a least a head taller than you, Nick and certainly much broader.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes, remembering just how often Dominic had spent working on his body. He’d wanted to be the strongest guy around and she was quite sure he’d achieved that. “He basically lived at the gym,” she muttered. “He wasn’t always like that.” She listened as Dan carried on describing her brother, feeling a growing pain in her chest.

  It wasn't as though she regretted her decision not to go with Dominic, but he was her brother after all. In a way, she was sad for the relationship they could have had if he'd never turned into the guy he was now. She remembered happier times when they'd laughed and smiled. That had been before Dominic had decided to use his strength against other shifters. And before he'd started saying crazy things about humans and how they should basically be servants for shifters. She didn't tell them the worst he'd said about humans, thinking it was too awful even to repeat.

  “So he’s not someone to mess with,” Nick murmured, breaking into her thoughts. “No wonder Lucas wants him.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question about Lucy, though,” Tom growled, his hackles still rising. “Are you going to let her stay or not?”

  Lucy held her breath as Nick looked at her, waiting for his judgment to fall. He obviously had his reservations, which she couldn't blame him for. But if Nick said no, then she had nowhere else to go. Literally.

  “Jo?” Nick asked, softly. “What do you think?”

  "Of course we should let her stay!" Jo exclaimed, as though shocked he would even think about not letting Lucy stay. "It's not her fault her brother's an idiot!"

  “I agree,” Savannah interrupted, throwing Lucy a wide smile. “Dan will take care of her too, I’m sure.”

  Lucy watched Dan's cheeks fill with color. "Of course I will," he replied, before ducking his head to hide his face. At least Dan trusted her. That meant something.

  Nick nodded. “Then it’s settled. Lucy, you can stay. We have a spare room and Jo can get you everything you need.”

  Lucy’s entire body filled with relief and, to her embarrassment, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. “Thank you, Nick,” she managed to say. “I’m so grateful.” Blinking furiously, she braved a quick look at Dan, who was looking at her with a slight smile on his face. Lucy didn’t know what she would have done if she’d not met him. Her vision cleared as their eyes met, and Lucy felt her heart lift in her chest. She was safe.

  “Thank you, Nick,” Dan said quietly. The women were talking among themselves, and Tom and Nick were getting ready to go out to the woods. “I know that must have been a difficult decision.”

  Nick studied him. “No, not really,” he replied. “No-one turns their back on their family without it being really serious. I might not have believed her if she’d just told me herself, but since you witnessed the whole thing, I have no doubt that it’s all entirely true.” He grinned. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a girl after all.”

  Dan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Considering I managed to knock her flat on her back the first time we met, I’m not exactly making a great impression.”

  Laughing, Nick glanced over to Jo, Savannah, and Lucy. "I don't know, seems like you've made a pretty good impression to me. She can barely take her eyes off you."

  “Really?”

  Laughing again, Nick slapped Dan on the back. "We're going out for a run, do you want to come?"

  His bear roared at once and Dan nodded. “Definitely.”

  “Savannah? Lucy?”

&n
bsp; Their heads turned towards him.

  “We’re going to go into the woods and let our bears run for a while,” Dan continued. “Would either of you like to come?”

  “Sure,” Savannah said at once, getting to her feet. “Is Tom outside?”

  Nodding, Dan turned back to Lucy. "What about you?" He was quite excited to get to see her bear. He wondered what it would be like - whether it would have dark fur the same color as her hair, and what color her eyes would be.

  Lucy gave him a tight smile. “No, thank you,” she replied, shaking her head. “I don’t shift.”

  Chapter Eight

  Dan was grumpy the next morning, which was quite unusual for him. Nick and Tom both tried to bug him about it, but Dan wasn’t having any of it.

  “Come on,” Nick grinned, elbowing him in the side. “What, now you’re the one who can’t take a joke? What’s the matter with you?”

  Dan growled, shoving Nick away. “I didn’t get much sleep.”

  “Oh, so that’s it!” Nick grinned. “Got her on your mind, have you?”

  “No.”

  “So what is it then?”

  Dan let out another long breath, not knowing what to say. Nick had got it in one guess, but Dan just didn't want to admit it. Lucy had been on his mind most of the night, and he'd barely gotten a wink of sleep.

  “I think I need to run.”

  Tom lifted one eyebrow. “Sounds like a good idea.”

  “Jo is bringing Lucy down in about half an hour, so you’ve got until then. You don’t want to come walking out of the woods completely naked just as they pull up in the truck!”

  Laughing at the image, Nick turned around and walked back into the mechanics, the sound echoing around the room. Tom, watching Dan for another second or two, soon followed after.

  Stomping towards the woods, Dan lifted his shirt over his head, balling it up in his fists. He couldn’t explain why he was so mad this morning, but something was obviously getting to him. His bear had been restless too, needing to get out and run and roar and fight until the frustration and anger melted away.