The Bear's Home

by Emilia Hartley

  “Thank you,” she breathed. “You’re related to the dragons. Aren’t you?”

  The professor nodded with a smile on her lips. She reached back and grabbed a pair of large pliers from the bag at her hip. The pliers snapped through the chain of the cuffs at her wrist.

  “What else do you have in that magic bag?” Dakota felt the exhaustion of constant fear setting in. She was safe.

  The world shook beneath her feet. She looked up, her heart pounding. The body of a white dragon crashed into one of the red dragons above. Dakota felt her stomach turn. The white dragon’s teeth clamped around the red dragon’s neck, it’s clawed feet sinking into the red scales. The two bodies sank in the air, the red dragon unable to beat his wings in the white dragon’s grasp. She knew exactly who was fighting above her.

  Wes and Raph.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Distantly, Dakota and the professor heard the squealing of cars halting as their passengers stared up into the sky. Wes twisted in Raph’s taloned grasp, but he couldn’t break free. Two of the other dragons touched the ground with human feet at the end of the alley. When the Guardians spilled out of the warehouse, the two unfamiliar dragons were waiting for them. They were blurs of muscle and red hair as the dragons rushed the Guardians. The fight on the ground ended quickly once the Guardians were disarmed. Their weapons skittered across the paved ground.

  She didn’t have time to concern herself with the fight on the ground. She was more concerned with Wes. The white dragon had to be Raph, she knew it in her bones. He hated the red dragons and Dakota didn’t realize at first. As she watched the second red dragon enter the fray, she remembered the story of Dinas Emrys that Wes had told her.

  The red dragons had chased the white dragon from the Snowdonia territory centuries before. Raph must have thought that their home was his. Starting a war between the red dragons and the Guardians would give the Guardians a reason to exterminate the territory. Then, it would be free for Raph and any other white dragons to move in.

  “We have to stop them,” Dakota said to the professor. “The Guardians want the dragons to break the law. They want a reason to attack your family.”

  The professor squeezed her arm. “My husband made a few calls. He and his are in the right and no one can argue otherwise. Don’t worry so much, child.”

  Even as she told her not to worry, the woman lifted her eyes to the sky, her lips pressed together. That was her family up there, being attacked by the white dragon. Wes let loose a roar that shook the buildings around her. Her heart gave one, hard thump. His head twisted backward and his giant jaw clamped down the white dragon’s wing.

  Like a dog with a toy, he shook his head and pulled. The leathery expanse of the white wing gave way beneath his teeth. The second red dragon lashed out to bite into the other white wing. The white dragon narrowly avoided the attack, pulling his wing into his body. The two, fighting beasts crashed into the ground. The two women clung to each other to keep standing. Ahead of them, the second dragon tucked his wings into his body. He dove toward the ground.

  Dakota rushed forward, feeling her shoulder burn. Her eyes fell on the weapons that had been forgotten on the ground. She ducked down as she passed, grabbing the horrid stun gun she’d been shot with earlier. Behind her, the professor shouted, but she ignored the calls. She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew that she had to do something.

  Gruff hands caught her by the arm. She hissed in pain as the wound on her shoulder pulled. Dakota was spun around and brought eye to eye with a red headed dragon man. His auburn hair was pulled back from his face, tucked behind his ears. His brows pushed his icy-blue eyes into a glare and his jaw was tight as he spoke through his teeth.

  “We did not risk everything for you to run out into a fight and get yourself killed.” His grip on her arm wasn’t tight, she noted. “Do you think that little gun can stop a dragon? Do you think you can avoid shooting my cousin?”

  “It won’t matter if you let Raph kill him, either.” She jerked her arm out through the weak point in his grip and ducked under the incoming grasp of his other hand.

  The dragon man screamed at her as she rushed forward, but the second dragon pulled him back. Dakota didn’t hear what his friend said, but it kept him from running after her.

  The fighting dragon shifters were killing one another. Her Wesley was one of those dragons. The thought of it made her stomach roll. She burst into a small intersection. Cars had been stopped in all directions. People gathered on the sidewalk, pointing and shouting at the dragons fighting in the center of the road. Raph’s back had crashed into a number of empty cars, but he still clung onto Wesley’s body, using him as a living shield. The second red dragon pulled up from his dive, avoiding Wesley’s red belly.

  The second red dragon arched back into the sky, roaring with anger. There was nothing that he could do without hurting Wes. Dakota slid to a stop at the edge of the street. She held the stun gun up like her father had taught her years ago, only it had been a rifle last time, not a handheld stun gun. She told herself she knew how to fire it, but doubt wedged itself into her mind. A golden dragon eye fell on her. Wes was wrapped in Raph’s grip, the dragon’s jaws still clinging to his neck.

  She leveled the gun at Raph’s head. It wasn’t a real weapon, but GOE carried it. She hoped that meant it would affect the dragon more than she thought. The bang filled the intersection. Her arms bounced, vibrating with the power of the small gun.

  Raph’s head jerked. His teeth left Wes’s neck and she could see the stun device in the side of Raph’s head. He shook his massive head as though he could shake it loose. Wes took the free moment to twist his head around. His teeth sank into the soft flesh of Raph’s exposed neck. It made Raph loosen his grip on Wes’s body enough so that he could wriggle free. Wes’s wing’s beat at the air, his giant body rising above the white dragon.

  All at once, several vans squealed to a halt from all directions. Men and women dressed in black uniforms spilled into the intersection, weapons trained on the chaos in the center of the intersection. The second red dragon, a creature much larger than Wes, landed on the street. The pavement cracked around his entrance. He placed a taloned hand over the white dragon’s neck. Now free, Wes took to the air.

  When none of the weapons trained on the dragon fight rose to Wes, she felt relief flood her. A set of hands grabbed her from behind. She spun around to come face to face with the professor again. The woman held her finger to her lips in the universal sign language for be quiet, using her eyes to gesture to the uniformed Guardians all around them. The woman pulled her back down the alley that Dakota had run from. She was confused, but complied because she didn’t want to become the center of GOE’s attention again.

  In the alley, Dakota spied a familiar form. It rushed toward her, gathering her up in his arms. Wesley tucked his face in the crook of her neck and breathed her in. Reflexively, she wrapped her arms around him in return. She held him tight, reliving the past few moments over and over again. He was no longer in Raph’s grip, she told herself. This man, a man you barely know, is safe.

  Eventually, the painlessness of adrenaline faded and her shoulder started to throb beneath Wes’s grip. She groaned and he jumped back. His eyes were wide with worry as he searched her up and down. They fell on the bandage.

  “I only hope that it hurt Raph even more,” she said, putting on a brave face.

  He made a strained sound, before his grip tightened and she could see how he fought the urge to pull her close again. Raph had claimed that she was Wesley’s mate. In their conversation in the truck, Wesley had confessed that a dragon’s mate was their only chance for happiness. She wasn’t sure if that went both ways.

  “I hate to intrude, but I have to go help my husband,” the professor said. “He’s a good leader, but without a pretty face next to him he can look a bit menacing.”

  “We’re going home,” Wesley growled.

  Dakota looked to the man that was supposed to be
her mate. His body was tense as it wrapped around her, protecting her from anything that might step near them. His hands were tense and his gold colored dragon eyes darted around the alley. He wouldn’t be normal again until he knew that she was safe.

  “Take her away from here. No one needs to be a part of this shit show.” The professor turned to Dakota. “You might have to make a statement later, but don’t worry about your classes. You will be re-enrolled next semester as you’re going to have a lot on your plate for the next month or so.”

  Dakota pulled away from Wesley for a moment. She could feel his reluctance to let her go, but he didn’t fight her. “I don’t mean to be rude, Ma’am, but I’m going to be sent home. There’s no way I’m going to be able to stay after this.”

  The woman’s eyes reflected defiance and a smile turned up the corners of her lips. “I’m the head of Dragon Human relations in Wales. It would be a slight if the school refused to allow a dragon’s mate to finish her schooling. If they see it otherwise, consider yourself my new assistant until I can make them see it my way.”

  “We have to go.” Wes’s rumble of a voice was strained. He stepped back and she watched the most amazing thing she’d ever laid eyes on. His human form disappeared while scales snapped into existence. They flowed like water, smaller scales flowing to form a tail and limbs. Finally, the dragon she’d first met in the field outside Snowdonia stood before her. He lowered his head to the ground, steam rising from his nostrils. When he opened his taloned hand, Dakota stepped inside it. The talons closed around her, and for some silly reason all she could think about were amusement park rides.

  The wind rushed around her, his wings flapping over her head. Her hair whipped in every direction when they picked up off the ground. Her shoulder ached, but she was safe.

  ***

  Wesley touched ground outside his tower. The impact from the landing jolted Dakota awake. She groggily fumbled on her feet while he pulled the beast back. The beast only gave way to Wesley because it knew that the best way to touch their mate was with human hands. And, the beast wanted nothing more than to carry their mate upstairs to bury their manhood deep inside of her. She was theirs, this tiny warrior that drew pictures of dragons and shot their enemies in the head.

  His beast huffed a laugh at what she’d done to protect them. The beast was proud of her, even if it raged at what she’d had to endure. They had kidnapped her, shot her, and who knew what else. It was no wonder that the woman had fallen asleep in his talons while they flew home.

  Instead of heading inside, Dakota turned where she stood. She looked up at his human face, trying very hard not to notice that he was naked before her. There was something happening behind her eyes. He craved to know what she was thinking, to crawl inside her head and tell her that he needed her to stay. Yet, he couldn’t hold her back from what she wanted, either. So, he stood where he was in silence.

  “Did you know?” she asked, finally.

  Wes pressed his eyes closed and nodded. She was surely going to yell at him. It was his fault that she’d been in trouble. If only he’d been smart enough to stay home the night they’d met. None of that mattered to the beast inside of him. The beast wanted to take their mate then and there, without delay. It wanted to know that she was truly safe, that she was theirs.

  It shoved him toward her, moving his hands without his permission. His fingers grabbed her hips and pulled her into his body. He was sure she could feel how hard he’d become. He could feel her nipples pressed against his chest. They hardened against his skin.

  With his eyes closed and his teeth clenched, he spoke. “Did they hurt you? What did the Guardians try to do to you?”

  “Stop.” Her voice rose as she shoved him away from her. “You knew that I was your mate and you didn’t try to tell me? You didn’t think that was a bit of information that I needed to know?”

  Wes’s arms trembled as he let them fall to his sides. The world felt heavy on his shoulders as he took in her accusation. Her words rang with truth, he couldn’t deny that. But, inside of him his beast rebelled. It wanted to sweep Dakota off her feet and carry her into the tower where they would both know she would forever be safe. GOE would never get their hands on Dakota if she were locked away, the beast reasoned.

  “Hear me out,” Wes said. “I didn’t want to force something upon you that would not have made you happy. Of course, I had hopes that I could have weaseled my way into your life and earned your love before you left for home, but I didn’t want to hand you a decree that you would have felt obligated to fulfill. I did it for your happiness.”

  “I was kidnapped because you didn’t tell me the truth!”

  Dakota turned to leave and his beast pushed him forward again. He was in front of her before either of them registered that he moved at all. Wes looked down at her, knowing full well that the breadth of his pain was clear in his eyes. But, so was his beast. It was the beast that urged him to reach up and whisk away their mate.

  Lock her up. Keep her safe. She’ll never be out of our sight again. We’ll never lose her again.

  Wes knew better. He knew that there was the soul of an adventurer under the level-headed veneer that Dakota wore. It was what made her search for stories and art. It was what gave her the courage to fire a stun gun at the white dragon that sank his teeth into Wes’s neck.

  Do it. The beast’s growl rumbled through his skull.

  Wes shook his head. Dakota looked at him with her head cocked, confused. Concern flashed across her face, an emotion that Wesley hadn’t expected. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  There was little time to explain. As much as he needed her safe in the moment, he knew better. He slowly shook his head. “The beast and I are not in agreement right now, Dakota. It is pushing me to do something that I very much do not want to do to you. I can keep it down for only so long before it makes me grab you and hide you away in the tower where no one can ever hurt you, where you would be nothing more than a prisoner. Take the moment to run. Go to my truck and leave. The keys are behind the visor.”

  After a moment of hesitation where she studied his face for the truth, Dakota took the chance he offered. She turned and sprinted. He tried to hide his beast’s growl of disapproval as his limbs shook. Inside of him, his beast thrashed like it never had before. It made his head ache. It grew into a skull splitting pressure behind his eyes.

  But, he would never do anything that Dakota did not want. She didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Especially not from him.

  Distantly, he heard the patter of footfalls running away and the roar of his truck coming to life. He didn’t know where she would go, only that he would not hurt her. The Guardians that hurt her were being dealt with.

  She is safe, he reminded his beast. There is time yet to win her love the right way.

  Love? The beast’s confusion rang through his growing migraine.

  Wesley sighed and let himself fall to the ground, his limbs tired from fighting. His body ached from his fight with the white dragon. He expected GOE and their weapons, but he had not expected another dragon to be fighting on their side. The Guardians had made their existence off slaying dragons. It made no sense that one of them would be fighting on the enemy’s side.

  Now that Dakota was safe elsewhere, his thoughts could wrap around the events of the day a bit easier. GOE was trying to start a war with the Welsh clan, but what was the white dragon’s role in that war? Wesley pushed himself up from the ground and set off to find his phone. He had to tell someone. It helped that it took his mind off his mate that had just run away from him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dakota hadn’t called Wesley since she’d left. He knew, through his mother, that his mate had decided to stay and work as her assistant until she could re-enroll in her classes. He also knew that his mate had been thoroughly questioned by the Guardians and he had been unable to be with her when they did. He’d been so angry that he went out and nearly blew his small forge to smithereens with
his breath. His mate had been with the guardians, the people that tried to kill her, and no one told him.

  He was still fuming as he pulled the pieces of iron he’d been working on a week ago from the back of his workshop. He hadn’t known why he felt the need to start making a bed the day he met Dakota, but it seemed that deep down he’d known that the woman in the field was his mate. The beast wanted a proper bed to take his mate, whispering to him that she would return and guiding his hands to finish the project.

  Wesley knew better. He knew that Dakota would not return to them. She’d been kidnapped and shot, even if it was not a real bullet it was a device meant to stun his kind. It was no surprise that she’d chosen a normal, human life. He just had to come to terms with it.

  The metal in his hands groaned. He looked down to find that his knuckles were white around the metal. Could he come to terms with her decision? Or, would he hunt down every little piece of art she might want to lure her back to him?

  He shook his head. It was a mess of worry and blame. Instead of dwelling on it, he let his beast push forward. Not enough to alter his shape, but enough to quiet the human thoughts in his mind. His beast knew that she’d return. In time. All she needed was time. Which was surprisingly patient of his impulsive beast. It was satisfied with the act of finishing the bedframe.

  The sun was dipping toward the horizon when Wesley regained full control. He stepped back to admire the work that he and his dragon had completed. The mattress that only faintly smelled of his mate was nestled in its new frame, bare only because the beast had no patience for things like pillowcases and fitted sheets.

  He was ready to fall upon it and breathe in the last of her scent before falling asleep when he heard a car door shut outside. A glance out the high window told him that it was only his mother’s car. He was half tempted to ignore her presence and get some sleep, but honor bound him to go down and see what the meddling Halfling wanted of him.