by Zoe Chant
Shit. I should have called her right away. She must be so worried.
They'd wanted to hide, that’s why she hadn’t even thought of calling. Contacting anyone might have called attention to where they were.
But Sarah was her friend. It wasn't like Sarah would tell Steele about their hiding place. Sarah didn't even know shifters existed!
Sarah was also the most rational person Alyx knew. There was no way she'd believe that dragons and werewolves were real.
Which should make her perfectly safe to talk to right now.
With the phone clutched in her hand, Alyx settled down on the couch. Her heart was pounding as she waited for Sarah to pick up.
It was a call from an unknown number, and it was the middle of the night. Maybe Sarah wouldn't answer...
“Hello?” a familiar and sleepy-sounding voice said.
To her great embarrassment, Alyx promptly burst into tears.
“Who's there? Alyx? Is that—Is that you?”
“It's me, Sarah,” Alyx sobbed, then began laughing through her tears.
Suddenly the world seemed a much brighter place. She'd spent so long completely wrapped up in the shifter world that she'd almost forgotten how good her own life was.
She had a job she loved. And most importantly, she had friends.
Friends who couldn't turn into dragons or wolves or seagulls. But they were real friends—the best friends, who'd always have her back.
“Oh, my God, where are you? What happened? We've been so worried—”
“You won't believe what happened,” Alyx said, still laughing and crying at the same time. “I was kidnapped—”
“Holy shit. Alyx, where are you? You need to tell me where you are right now.”
“It's okay. I'm safe. I was rescued.” Alyx took a deep breath. “I was kidnapped by fire dragon shifters. You heard about that mountain that suddenly turned into a volcano? They held me captive inside that mountain for weeks.”
There was a long pause. Then Sarah spoke again, this time slowly and very carefully.
“It's okay, Alyx. Don't worry. Everything's going to be all right. Where are you now?”
Oh, to hell with it. She doesn't believe a single word.
“Hiding from the fire dragons. In a little town by the ocean.”
“Okay,” Sarah said again, her voice calming—the way you'd talk to a frightened child.
Alyx grimaced. She knew she shouldn't have told Sarah, but she needed her best friend so desperately right now.
“Look, I know you don't believe me,” Alyx said. “And I don't need you to. I'm safe now. I would have called you earlier, but I'm in hiding. And I don't want the dragons to target you because of me.”
“I can come and get you,” Sarah said pleadingly. “Come on, Alyx. You know I'm not scared of dragons. I'll fetch you and get you out of there. We'll drive you straight to the police. Everything will be okay, I promise.”
Alyx wiped at her eyes, taking a deep breath. “You don't know how much I want to see you right now,” she said softly. “I could really need some advice. I met this guy, you see—he saved me. He got me out of there. I think I'm in love with him.”
She knew she was in love with him—but how could she explain the connection between them to Sarah?
She's just going to think that I'm crazy. If the dragons haven't done it already.
“Uh-huh,” Sarah said carefully. “Alyx, is that guy holding you against your will? Just tell me where you are. Please.”
“You don't understand,” Alyx said in frustration. “I thought we had a thing, you know? A real connection—but now he stormed off, and he refused to tell me what's wrong with him, and what if it's like that thing with Eloy all over again? What if something in me scares off men as soon as it gets serious? I know I'm not perfect. I work too much, I love my job too much, I have too many opinions on—on interior decorating and fashion and more nail polishes than a single person needs and—”
“Alyx. You've been kidnapped! Whatever happened to you, it sounds like you've been through a lot. So please, honey, shut up, stop worrying about some guy, and let me help you get out of there.”
Alyx exhaled, smiling sadly at her phone. “I knew you wouldn't understand. Honestly, I'm safe right now. I'd love to meet up—I promise I will, as soon as possible! But the dragon shifters are still after me. I'm not going to involve you in this. You're my best friend! I can't put you in danger.”
“No way,” Sarah said resolutely. “Alyx, if you don't tell me where you are right this instant, I'm going to send out the cavalry.”
Shit.
Wing Island was private—carefully kept out of the public eye, advertising only to shifters.
Alyx didn't think Timothy and Liana would like it at all if the police showed up at their door all of a sudden. Especially when they'd been such good hosts.
“Don't tell anyone, please. I'll tell you where I am. You can come visit me to see that I'm all right.” Timothy and Liana probably wouldn't mind. Liana had told her that her sister often came to visit over the weekend, so obviously exceptions were made for the relatives of a human mate.
Not that Braeden and I are mated yet, she thought morosely. Maybe we'll never be.
“Wing Island,” Alyx said with a sigh. “I'm on Wing Island. It's private. I'm safe here—no one's going to find me. You can't tell anyone. Promise me you won't.”
“I promise,” Sarah said, still sounding incredibly worried. “Don't move, okay? I'll be out there as fast as I can.”
“Oh, I'm not going anywhere,” Alyx promised. “I've had enough of being plucked up by giant claws and getting dragged down a mountain.”
Then she hesitated a moment. “Actually, you know what? Give me a call when you're close, and I'll meet you on the beach. There's a tiny road leading onto the peninsula. I'll meet you there.”
“It'll take a few hours,” Sarah said.
In the background, Alyx could hear the sound of things hastily getting shoved into a bag.
“But I'm coming. Okay?”
“Okay,” Alyx said, filled with gratitude. That was real friendship—driving for hours in the middle of the night because your friend had relationship troubles.
Or had been kidnapped by dragons.
“And Sarah? I'm really fine. But I'm glad you're coming,” she said softly, smiling when she ended the call.
She already felt better. Maybe it would all work out somehow. Getting to talk to Sarah had been the best cure for heartache. It had always been.
It almost felt like her life was back to normal.
***
She'd taken the phone back with her into the bedroom. She'd slept for several hours—she hadn't slept well, because she kept thinking about Braeden's weird reaction. But at least she'd gotten a little sleep when the phone rang again.
Alyx squinted at the window. It wasn't quite as dark outside anymore. Dawn had arrived. She could make out the shapes of trees now, and there were first bands of purple and pink dyeing the sky as the sun got ready to rise.
“Alyx? I'm almost there. Half an hour away at most.”
Alyx yawned, then thought guiltily of how Sarah'd driven through the night.
“I'll treat you to breakfast at Chameleon Coffee,” she said. “It's such a cute place. You'll love it.”
“Uh-huh,” Sarah said. “Where are you right now?”
“Just getting ready to come and meet you.” Alyx jumped out of bed, clutching the phone between her ear and shoulder as she pulled on her pants. “Just park the car where the road leads onto the peninsula. I'll wait for you there, you can't miss it.”
She'd gotten a good view of the peninsula when Braeden had flown her here. And their little vacation home was close to the southern end of the peninsula—where the road connected Wing Island to the mainland. It wouldn't be more than a leisurely twenty-minute walk.
And it would be good to get some fresh air. Clear her head. Try to make sense of men who kept running away from commi
tment.
When she'd ended the call, she hastily finished dressing. She was still tired and really needed a coffee—but that could wait until she'd collected Sarah.
It was probably too early for Chameleon Coffee to open, but they could drive back to her house together, Sarah could nap for a bit, and then Alyx would take her out for a long brunch during which they could catch up.
The thought put a smile on her face as she stepped outside.
Immediately, her tiredness was gone. It was early enough that the air was pleasantly cold against her face, the breeze that came in from the ocean smelling like salt.
The sun had just made it over the horizon, and as she walked, she watched as the sky began to burn. Clouds turned bright orange and pink, and every now and then, she stopped, watching the glorious spectacle.
She'd never realized just how much she loved the sky and the sun. Weeks underground had left her starved for light—and it felt like nature was trying to make up for her imprisonment by showering her with all its glory.
Alyx was still smiling when she walked out of the forest, before her the narrow road, the ocean calm like a mirror to both sides of it.
She was early; there was no car to be seen.
Humming happily, she walked down the road, past the sign that informed unaware tourists that this was a private island, no trespassing allowed.
There was a rock a little to her left, overseeing the beach that was just a narrow strip of coarse sand here. She sat down on it, and then she waited.
Five minutes later, there was the sound of a car in the distance.
Excited, Alyx jumped up. In just a few moments, she'd get to hug her best friend again, and then she'd get to complain about all the horrible things that had happened to her.
And now that she'd had some time to walk and think, Braeden's rejection didn't feel quite so painful anymore. After all, she'd just lived through several weeks as a prisoner.
That hadn't killed her. She'd make it through this, too.
She turned to look over at Wing Island.
The sun had fully risen now. It hung low in the sky, promising another gorgeous summer's day. She'd take Sarah for a walk along the beach, too. They could visit Liana, who already had experience in how to tell her family that dragons and werewolves were real.
And then she'd go find Braeden and make him talk. Damn it, she could live with the fact that he didn't want to commit to be mated to someone who was just a human.
But she couldn't live with him just running. She deserved an explanation at least.
Taking a deep breath of the salty ocean air, she turned around again, a smile on her face.
That smile died immediately when she saw just who was approaching.
It wasn't Sarah's sleek little Toyota.
Shit!
Sarah had sent the cops after her.
Her heart racing in her chest, Alyx took a step backwards, then stopped.
Every instinct told her to run and hide. She couldn't expose the peaceful little community of Wing Island to the human world. They'd been such perfect hosts. Everyone had tried to make her feel welcome.
And what had she done?
Led the cops straight to them.
Shit! Damn you, Sarah, why'd you do that?
She couldn't run, as much as she wanted. That would just make them more suspicious.
Perhaps, if she told them that she'd become lost and had just walked along the coast...
But they probably traced the call back to Wing Island.
She hadn't thought of that. She'd become so used to Sarah standing by her in any relationship crisis that she'd called her without even thinking of how she had to sound.
Damn, did Sarah think that I got kidnapped and drugged? That I was still in their power and hallucinating dragons?
That probably made more sense than believing that dragon shifters and werewolves were real.
What do I do now?
Alyx swallowed, staring at the approaching lights as the cars raced towards her.
Deal with it. I did this to myself. I did this to them. I have to fix it, no matter what.
The cars came to a screeching halt. Cops with guns in their hands jumped out.
Alyx guiltily raised her hands and gave them a sheepish look.
“Uh, sorry,” she said, trying her best to look harmless and confused. “I got lost. Maybe you can help me?”
As soon as the cops realized that she was alone, they relaxed. One of them lowered his gun and came closer.
“Are you Alyx Chen?” he asked.
Alyx nodded, forcing herself to smile at him.
“Could you take me back to the station? I was kidnapped weeks ago. I don't know who did it. I think they drugged me, so everything was a bit weird. I've been walking for hours to get here.”
“You made a phone call from that island, ma'am,” the cop said and nodded towards Wing Island. “I'll take you somewhere safe. We're sending out a SWAT team to search that place for your attackers.”
“No!” Alyx cried, then flinched.
Shit! How do I stop this?
“They're not on that island. I remember now. I was held somewhere by a mountain. Only then it erupted. I was drugged. I think they flew me out of there. I managed to escape after we'd landed—but their headquarters were by that mountain. I remember that mountain so well. They held me there for weeks!”
“That freak eruption was on all the news,” another cop said. “They said there were no settlements affected—but if they were nearby, they're dead now. You can't outrun lava.”
You can, Alyx thought silently. You can if you're a fire dragon.
Out loud, she said, “I found an empty vacation home with a phone and called my friend. I must have sounded crazy—the drugs wore off during the night, I think. But wherever those people landed was miles away. I walked all day to get here.”
“All right. We'll get you to a doctor first,” the cop said resolutely. “Once the SWAT team's done with the island, we'll search for any nearby planes.”
Terror flooded Alyx once more.
What if the SWAT team thought that Braeden was one of her kidnappers?
Run, she thought, reaching out for the thin ribbon of golden light that she could feel even now. You're in danger, all of you! Everyone has to shift and hide!
And then there was a familiar sound. Soft at first, it quickly grew in volume.
It was the sound of large wings beating the air.
When she looked up at the sky, she could see him.
He'd risen from the forest, his gorgeous scales glistening in the light of the morning sun, red and orange and yellow like a brilliant sunrise.
Braeden was coming. He was coming for her.
Relief rushed through her.
They can't see him, she thought, her heart racing. Maybe it'll be okay.
But surely an invisible force pulling her into the air would be just as bad as the cops seeing her get kidnapped by a dragon.
Through the thin ribbon of the mate bond, she could feel his worry and fear for her. She reached back out to him, trying to warn him, begging him not to put himself into danger for her.
And then he was there.
The cops took a step back, startled. They couldn't see him as he landed, but they could feel the wind caused by his large wings.
“Looks like the weather's getting stormy today,” Alyx said, trying to sound nonchalant. “It's the season for freak floods, isn't it?”
She knew absolutely nothing about freak floods or how the ocean behaved, but if she'd learned something in her career, it was that as long as you spoke with utter confidence, most people believed you.
“I don't—” one of the cops began, then fell silent. He gritted his teeth. He reached out to clutch her wrist—and then he stiffened.
His mouth parted. For a moment, Alyx could see flames burning in his eyes.
His hand opened, releasing her wrist.
Her mouth dry, she turned. All the cops had sto
pped moving. They were staring into the distance, their eyes filled by a familiar, red gleam.
And when she finished turning and saw Braeden, he was surrounded by a red glow. The dragon’s mouth was parted, flames licking at his teeth. Through the bond, she could feel an immense wave of power coming off him. Tiny tendrils of invisible flame reached out, probing, impossibly delicately, and burning something.
She had no idea what was happening, but right now, all she felt was relief.
Braeden had come back for her. Whatever had happened between them, he still cared.
Hastily, before the cops returned to awareness, she clambered onto his back. He rose quickly into the sky, the strange, sizzling aura of power falling away. He circled low above the cops for a moment, and Alyx watched as one of them reached for his phone.
“Yeah, call it off. It was another stupid prank call. Dragons! I told you right away that whoever called was either drunk or on drugs. We searched the place. Lots of empty vacation homes. Sleepy little place—another of those boring resorts. Maybe tell that lady who called to talk to her therapist. Whoever kidnapped her friend, they've still got her.”
Alyx stared in surprise.
Whatever Braeden had done, it had made them forget that they'd ever met her.
She remembered the shine of fire in their eyes and the immense power she'd felt coming off Braeden.
He'd burned all memories of her. They'd return thinking that the beach had been completely empty.
Alyx felt guilty for a moment—what would Sarah think about all of this? But at the same time, as she looked over to Wing Island, she couldn't help but feel an immense relief.
She relaxed on Braeden's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek to the warm scales.
She'd fix things with Sarah. Once she had time, once all of this was over, she'd apologize and show Sarah the shifter world.
But right now, all she could feel was gratitude that her friends on Wing Island were still safe and hidden from the human world.
Chapter Fourteen: Braeden
She's safe.
The thought echoed through Braeden's mind, again and again.
