Drawn to the Dragon (Banished Dragons Book 5)

by Leela Ash

  “Well … I am still trying to work out the logistics of that,” she admitted. “I don’t actually know how in the world I am going to be able to transport that many animals at one time. I am actually pretty nervous about it. But the demolition is scheduled for this weekend. We don’t have a lot of time to figure something out. I really need to get it done.”

  Gavin nodded. “I understand,” he said. “We will work something out. Even if we have to use one of the moving vans. Don’t worry.”

  He dropped a quick kiss on her lips, one that surprised and pleased her at the same time. “Okay,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

  She watched him go, slightly in shock. How the hell had all of this happened? Were they a couple now? What was going on? It had all happened so fast. And she had let it. How strange. She hadn’t anticipated any of this at all.

  Before she could voice any of her concerns or thoughts, Gavin was out the door, already in his truck and speeding away. He had mentioned briefly that he had other things to do while they were working on the kennels. It was odd to her, really, that they’d been able to go from having sex to working side by side without any awkwardness or tension whatsoever. She’d never experienced that with anybody before. They were so comfortable with each other.

  But again, she was stunned. How had this happened? She hadn’t been looking for it. She had wanted him deeply but would never have thought to speak of her desires out loud. It seemed as if once he had returned from his task in the basement, he had been able to read her desires whether she had expressed them or not. What had changed between them? Were things going to remain the same as they had been or were they going to be far, far different? More intimate? Had it been a fling? A one-night stand? Why had she allowed herself to give in when she knew she wasn’t ready for a new relationship? How would she know for sure whether or not Gavin was going to take any of these feelings seriously? Did she even want to? She knew she didn’t want a new boyfriend. Right?

  Naomi’s stomach knotted. Whether she liked it or not, the idea of giving in to her attraction to Gavin without it amounting to anything more was a little bit discouraging. Maybe even painful. But she would be irresponsible to try and form a lasting relationship with this man when she wasn’t healed enough from her previous relationship, right? It would be totally irresponsible of her to do that. Wasn’t it like using Gavin as a rebound? Maybe she was simply too damaged to even consider allowing her feelings to surface, even if she did have unsatiated desires for the man. She had to be more careful than that.

  If he did decide to try and pursue a more romantic relationship with her, then she would just have to try to convince the both of them that she wasn’t ready for something like that. She couldn’t lead him on if she knew full well that she wasn’t sure she was going to be as emotionally present as she would like to be. She had healing to do. And a lot of it. Didn’t she?

  Gumbo interrupted her thoughts by winding his way through her legs, and she sighed. He was such a good guy, though. Offering to use his moving vans to transport the cats to her house. Reassuring her that things were going to be okay. She couldn’t believe just how generous he was. Was it possible that it was all an act? Stu had seemed rather kind at first too. But he had quickly learned all of her weaknesses and had her wrapped around his little finger. Why was that? Was it possible that Gavin was going to behave in the same way?

  She couldn’t risk it. No matter how much she liked him or how genuine it felt, she couldn’t possibly go in blindly to something that could ultimately hurt her the way she had been hurt in her previous relationship. No, there were far too many issues with all of this. She had been stupid and impulsive and had allowed herself to give in to her desires for Gavin, but she was going to have to really force herself not to allow them to continue. They had let it out of their systems once. That would have to be enough. She could just try and move forward from there and focus on her own healing and her own life. That would just have to be that.

  In the meantime, she would have to try and figure this cat situation out on her own. At least with Gavin on her side for the moment, she didn’t have to worry quite so much about it. She felt confident that he would be willing and able to help her, even if just for the cats’ sake and not because he liked her. But if she told him she wasn’t ready for a relationship before he was able to help with the cats, would he change his mind?

  Naomi felt nervous and uncomfortable, suddenly. Why had they done this? It complicated everything. Sex always did. And now, she had no idea how she felt about him or whether or not she could trust those feelings. She didn’t even know what his feelings were toward her. Did he just think of it as a fling? Were they supposed to go on living as if it had never happened? Or was he going to expect some sort of major commitment? How was all of this going to work?

  She let out a heavy sigh, wishing she had someone to talk to about this. But it was getting late in the evening at this point and she was tired. She gave Gumbo a brief pet and then decided to wash up and get ready for bed. She would have to worry about this in the morning. But, for now, she was certain that she simply couldn’t allow herself to develop any feelings for Gavin. Whatever she was already battling would have to go on the back burner. It couldn’t possibly be real or valid. It was way too soon for her to think about anything serious. Whether he seemed like an impossibly perfect and beautiful man or not, and whether she felt more comfortable with him than she had ever felt when making love to a man in her life or not, that didn’t mean anything. Her mind had played tricks on her before, and she was going to make absolutely sure that she was never going to let that happen again.

  ***

  The next morning, Naomi woke up feeling refreshed. There was something strange about her encounter with Gavin. Energizing, somehow. It was strange, but she felt it as surely as she could feel the vibration from her washing machine when she put her hand on it to steady herself as she stumbled over a mop bucket she hadn’t realized she had left misplaced.

  Today felt like a good day to get things done. She would go start organizing the cat rescue and talk to the people who had signed the petition. Maybe that way she would be able to see the movement making progress. She had a good feeling about the day.

  She fed Gumbo and told him goodbye before heading out on her task. The day was pleasant and beautiful as she drove out to the demolition site. She stopped to make another count of the cats that were there. If she couldn’t postpone the demolition, she could at least account for all of the lives that might be affected by it.

  She had counted the cats her past few visits as well, and the average amount she’d had was fifteen. She would need to put together a few more kennels just to be on the safe side. She was really hoping to be able to rescue them all and would make sure she had the means to do so no matter what.

  “Oh, hello dear,” the kind old woman said when Naomi made it to the door and was let inside. “I have great news. My church was informed about how much the cats in that building mean to me and they offered to pay for their medical services should they be rescued. They can’t do much to stop the demolition or house them, but there ought to be a few good cat wranglers out there to try and help out.”

  “Yes, that really is great news!” Naomi exclaimed. She’d had a feeling it was going to be a good day in relation to the cat issue. Now she was beginning to see why.

  “I thought it was absolutely wonderful. I don’t know who mentioned it, but I am so glad they did!”

  Naomi smiled broadly at the old woman and they chatted a little while longer. When she left, she felt refreshed. As if everything was going to be all right. She was finally starting to see some community involvement. Hopefully, it would be enough to make a difference in these cats’ lives. And if not, at least she would know she had done her best.

  Naomi’s good mood lasted well on her way into town, when suddenly, she froze, nearly slamming on her brakes at the unexpected sight to her left. There were two men there. One who looked alarmingly like t
he old man that had surely thought about abducting her when she was little, and the man that had crossed the street right in front of Sandra’s car. An icy chill crept down her spine and she found herself trying hard to remember to breathe.

  The men seemed to have noticed her too and were staring from their spot on the sidewalk with eerie gleams in their strange eyes. Naomi wanted to scream or cry, and even battled the strong urge to jerk her car toward them and run them down. But those were irrational thoughts. She was being irrational. She was simply having a panic attack. Or a nervous breakdown. That couldn’t possibly be the same man she had seen as a child. He would have been long dead by now. Wouldn’t he?

  The man she saw looked just the same as he had back then, and even then, he had been decrepit and seemingly close to his final days. She was just having anxiety because the man that Sandra had nearly hit had reminded her of him. There was no reason for her to panic, right? Everything was okay.

  But just as soon as she had convinced herself that everything was okay, the men suddenly began to approach her car. Naomi let out a small cry and stepped on the gas, but they were on her car like lightning. She had no idea how they moved so quickly.

  “What in the world?” she exclaimed.

  The younger man was clawing at her passenger side door and the older man had planted himself right on her windshield. She wasn’t sure whether to speed up or slam on her brakes. But before she had the chance to do either, the old man was reaching through her open driver’s side window and gripping at her shoulder, and all of her faculties were lost. Her body suddenly felt light and airy, and the world around her grew dark. Soundless. Empty. She knew nothing except she was no longer driving around in her car. She was somewhere else, transported somewhere, and with that knowledge finally being driven home, Naomi passed out.

  13.

  “Gavin, did you end up finding anything at the house?” TJ asked, thumbing casually through a magazine on the couch. He had his feet up on the coffee table, full of dried mud and grime, and Gavin knew he should be bothered and say something, but he’d just had a strange feeling come over him that had stopped him in his tracks. Something was off. Very off. It felt like a ripple had been made; some sort of teleportation.

  That wasn’t all too strange. Those ripples came through several times a day. But normally, their nature was far more natural, or at least less menacing. Something about this one struck him as incredibly uncomfortable.

  “No, there wasn’t much left,” Gavin mumbled. “But then again, I only had the chance to search the basement. I couldn’t find a reason to look through the whole house with her there.”

  “Well, I can give you the key sometime. Maybe you can check things out on your own time later, like if she’s working or something. Just tell her I had you go for maintenance.”

  Gavin opened his mouth, tempted to tell TJ it would be far more difficult to tell her something of that nature now that they’d made love. But TJ had no idea what had happened between them, and Gavin wasn’t entirely sure he was comfortable talking about it yet.

  He was about to refuse the key when a sickening wave of apprehension washed over him at the thought of Naomi. Somehow, he knew without even knowing for sure that something bad had happened to her.

  “Give it to me. Now.”

  TJ quirked a brow at the sudden assertive tone of Gavin’s voice but shrugged and got up lazily to dig through his things. He returned a few moments later with the key and smiled. “Don’t have to take things so serious, man. Everything is as it was meant to be.”

  For some reason, that only made Gavin more agitated. He had to see Naomi. Make sure she was safe. Something was wrong. Something big. Far bigger than TJ tracking all sorts of grime into the apartment and on the coffee table.

  “I don’t have time for your surfer boy laid back attitude, TJ. There’s something I have to take care of.”

  TJ looked puzzled.

  “What do you mean? What’s wrong, Gavin?”

  Gavin gritted his teeth and headed for the door. “I don’t know yet.”

  TJ was quiet for a moment as he began to tune into the seriousness of the matter.

  “I don’t know about you going alone, whatever it is. Are you sure you don’t want one of us to come along? I’m not doing anything.”

  Gavin shook his head quickly. “No, don’t worry about it. I will take care of everything. You just stay here. Everything is going to be okay.”

  Gavin didn’t believe his own words, but that didn’t matter all that much. He only knew that there was something going on; something wrong. Something involving Naomi. And it was becoming clearer and clearer to him that perhaps the only reason he might be able to tell such a thing, even with all this distance between them, was if she were his fated one.

  The realization struck suddenly and powerfully, and Gavin found himself all the more determined to go after Naomi and make sure she was all right.

  TJ didn’t stop him, only furrowed his brow in concern, turning his typical light-hearted expression into a very serious one. But he knew better than to push Gavin on this. Every shifter had his limits, and sometimes, there was business only they could attend to themselves. It wouldn’t do to have other people in on it. And there was a trust and a bond there that prevented them from sticking their noses in places they didn’t belong.

  Gavin made it outside the apartment and found himself fidgeting irritably. He wanted to get to Naomi’s house as quickly as he could, but the fastest way he could do so was in his Dragon form. There was absolutely no way he could allow himself to do something as reckless as shapeshifting right there in the middle of town. The apartment was on a heavily trafficked street and there were sure to be witnesses. He couldn’t allow himself to be so irresponsible, no matter how urgently he needed to find Naomi.

  Instead of shapeshifting, he realized he would have to settle on using his truck. At least until he got to the house. If she wasn’t there, it was secluded enough there that he could shapeshift and figure out his next move from there.

  With that thought in mind, Gavin got into his truck and drove as quickly as he could toward the house. He had a sinking feeling as he neared it that Naomi wouldn’t be there. His fears were confirmed when he stopped the car and saw that her car wasn’t in the driveway. Where had she gone? Where was she now?

  Gavin closed his eyes, tuning in to the dragon within him. There had to be some trail she had left behind. He couldn’t fathom her absence being a good thing. He was sure it wasn’t. There was something strange going on, and he wouldn’t rest until he found out what it was, and he knew that she was safe in his arms. The way it should be. The way it was meant to be.

  As he got out of the truck to explore the house and try to pick up on her scent, he had a sudden concern that he would never be able to explain to her that they were meant to be together in a way she would understand. He had heard countless horror stories from the other Dragon shifters about how they had to fight tooth and nail to get their fated mates to understand the situation they were in. That sort of emotional struggle seemed inconceivably tiring to Gavin. He had a hard enough time trying to open up to people. Especially after what had happened with Trina.

  His stomach dropped. Maybe he shouldn’t say anything to her about fate at all. Maybe he wasn’t meant to have a happily ever after. What if he got with her and ruined her life too? He couldn’t allow that to happen. Absolutely not.

  Regardless of how things were going to play out between them, Gavin knew for certain that his only option was to rescue her. He would be getting too far ahead of himself to consider being able to tell her about their fated situation without even knowing she was safe. She had to be safe. He would make sure she was safe. He simply had to. There was no other option.

  The dragon within him suddenly picked up on the strong scent of Naomi, and he had to stop himself from a full shapeshift. He would have to head back the way he came, he realized. She had gone in her car, probably in the direction of the district where
all the construction was taking place. He jumped back into his truck and sped off, the dragon still taking charge as it led him along the pathway of her scent. He wouldn’t lose her. He would see to it that she was safe.

  After what felt like an eternity, the woman’s scent grew far stronger and Gavin knew she couldn’t be too far off now. Wherever she was, though, it felt impossible to reach. What was going on? Had she been captured and transported to another plain? Or simply another area of Earth? Where was she?

  Gavin’s stomach dropped suddenly as a tow truck passed by, hauling Naomi’s car unceremoniously. As if it didn’t belong to the single most important person in Gavin’s life. But there was no indication that she had been injured. No blood, no dents on the vehicle, not even an ambulance. There was a small scene around one police car, and Gavin slowed down, rolling his window down. He recognized a man in the back, one of the firefighters he and the other shifters had befriended not long ago.

  “Mark!” he barked.

  Mark looked up, startled momentarily, and then smiled at Gavin. “Gavin, hey!”

  He made his way through the crowd to Gavin’s truck and stood casually on the driver’s side to speak through the open window. “This is the strangest thing. Someone just left their car sitting in the middle of the road. Nobody knows where they went. Nobody even saw them disappear. It is really bizarre, you know?”

  Gavin’s chest tightened further. This was bad.

  “Nobody saw what happened? There is no surveillance or anything in the area?”

  “Well, the cops haven’t quite gotten around to that yet. It’s not considered very dangerous or anything. We think it might have been someone with Alzheimer’s maybe. I dunno, whoever it was didn’t have plates on their car. It’s so weird.”

  “You don’t find that suspicious in the least?” Gavin asked, shifting nervously. His eyes scanned the area. “Where did they find the car?”