by Minx Malone
Shame was like hot needles in her throat. Evie took her mother’s arm and helped her sit up against the wall. She pulled her heels off, having learned from experience that they were an accidental weapon on a drunk Mimi.
“Does she need medical care? I can smell the toxins in her system from here,” Nate asked softly.
“She’s just drunk,” Evie murmured, thoroughly mortified.
Mimi looked up at the unfamiliar voice. When she saw Nate, she shrank back slightly. Evie patted her shoulder. She’d been planning to introduce the idea of a dragon boyfriend to her mother slowly but with Nate’s slitted eyes on display, it was a little late for that.
“Is he one of them?” she whispered to Evie. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “If I met a man like that… I wouldn’t care if he had a tail either.”
Behind her Nate laughed softly. Fortunately he didn’t seem offended. Instead he knelt on the floor next to them and held out his hand.
“Hello, mother of my mate. I am Nathan Drake and I’m very pleased to meet you. Now let’s get you up.”
Nate lifted her mother from the ground easily and strode toward the kitchen. Evie trailed behind them, embarrassment warring with practicality. Part of her wished she’d asked him to wait for her outside so he wouldn’t be forced to deal with this. What a first impression! However she had to admit his way of handling things was much faster than her usual process of coaxing Mimi to cooperate.
He set Mimi carefully in one of the chairs at the small kitchen table, then moved to the sink. After taking a glass from the cabinet above the sink, he filled it with water and brought it to the table.
“Thank you.” Mimi beamed up at him.
She took several careful sips, somehow still managing to spill most of it on the tabletop and over the front of her dress. Nate, to his credit, didn’t bat an eyelash.
Mimi glanced over at her. “He’s a handsome one, I’ll give you that. But handsome men can be trouble.”
“No trouble will ever befall either of you, ever again. Your daughter is my greatest treasure. As her mother, you are precious to me also.”
Evie could practically see her mother melt into a puddle right then and there. She could understand. Nate had a way of looking at a woman that made her feel like the most priceless of jewels.
Nate motioned toward the stairs. “Come now, mi maaren tesarik. You need rest.”
“Oh, I’m fine–“
Nate picked her up, ignoring her protests. As he carried her down the hall, Evie pointed out which room belonged to her mother. Nate put her down on the bed gently and then left the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Grateful for his understanding, Evie managed to cajole her mother into a long t-shirt and then into bed. Evie stood for a moment just watching her sleep. With the covers pulled up to her neck, Mimi looked like a child.
Out in the hall, Nate leaned against the wall staring at his phone. He looked up when she left the room.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine, she just needs to sleep it off.”
“This changes things.” Nate glanced behind her at the closed door. “She can’t fly like that. So we will stay here tonight and then leave in the morning.”
“Wait, Mimi is coming with us? I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Your place is in the middle of nowhere. How would she get back home? I don’t want you to have to fly her back again the next day.”
He took her arm gently and led her to the other bedroom. She put the flashlight she carried down on the nightstand, turning it off to save the battery. Moonlight saved the room from complete darkness but she still wished she could see his expression.
After closing the door behind him, Nate asked “Why would she come back?”
“Um, because this is where we live?”
Nate started stripping off his clothes and it took all of Evie’s concentration to remember what they were talking about.
“Neither of you will be coming back. You cannot stay here anymore.”
“What?”
Shocked, she took a step back. Despite all the things he’d said to her, the idea that he actually wanted her to move in with him was crazy. Guys were usually trying to avoid having girls latch on to them, not encouraging it.
“Evie, surely you didn’t think I’d leave you here alone and unprotected? As for your mother, you would never be happy leaving her behind. My clan owns plenty of land now. There is room for her to stay with us. She’ll be protected there.”
“You want to take care of her, too?” she whispered.
Nate smiled, as if pleased that she finally understood. “Of course. You are drakaaren now. This is our way.”
Stunned, Evie allowed him to usher her into the bed. Once he seemed satisfied that she was comfortable, he pulled out his phone.
“Rest, mi tesarik. I have to call my brother.” He winked at her and then put the phone to his ear.
Evie wasn’t sure how long she sat there, just watching him. He was talking in that rhythmic language again, that sounded like nothing but consonants to her. But the last thought she had before she succumbed to sleep was that she finally knew what the word mate truly meant.
It meant she’d finally found where she belonged.
Nate pinched the bridge of his nose. His brother was bringing him up to date on a range of security issues, none of which made him feel any better that he couldn’t get Evie and her mother to safety until the next morning.
He glanced behind him to the bed where his mate slumbered. I’ll make it safe for you, he thought. Even if he had to swallow his pride and make peace with Avan. He would do it for the sake of his mate.
When Ian finally finished detailing the long list of things Kavan had threatened them with, Nate sighed.
“There’s something I haven’t told you, brother. Avan is coming after us so hard for this delivery because the cargo contained something more valuable than usual. Something dangerous.”
“What?”
“A girl.”
Ian cursed, a surprising sound coming from him. “The girl you had in your den. Your mate.” He was quiet for a moment. “And you didn’t tell me until now. Did you think I would betray you?”
Nate sucked in a shocked breath. Honor was a point of pride for them all, especially since their father’s treachery had been why they’d lost their home, their name and their people. It hadn’t even occurred to him that Ian would take his silence as a personal affront. He’d been thinking only with the distrustful mind of a dragon obsessed with his mate.
“No. I know you wouldn’t do that. My only defense is that my mind was not right after I found her. It overwhelms me, this fear that she will be hurt or taken away.”
Ian grunted. “I’ve heard stories that this is how it starts. That the mating fever makes even smart men stupid.”
Relieved that his brother seemed to understand, Nate could only agree. “That’s definitely how it feels.”
“This changes things, Nate. It changes… everything. Do you think all of the deliveries we’ve done for him…”
“Yeah. It would explain all the weird rules. We’ve been participating in human trafficking and had no idea. No wonder he’s always been so adamant that we’re on time with each shipment.”
“Fuck. This is going to give us some major blowback, you know that?”
“What would you have us do, Ian? I had no choice. I wasn’t letting that bastard anywhere near Evie.”
He’d forgotten to keep his voice down and Evie rolled toward him. He soothed her with a brush of his hand over her hair. She turned her face into his palm and whispered his name. The trusting gesture sent warmth through him, filling the cavity in the middle of his chest he would have sworn just twenty-four hours ago was completely empty.
“Of course not. I’ve always thought we needed to stand up to him. You’re the rightful king, Nate. Not Avan or any of those other assholes he’s sent after us. Maybe it’s time we make him sweat a little.”
“I hav
e no interest in being King. All I want is for them to leave us alone.”
“There might be something I can do about that. I need to check on something first. Just hang tight and I’ll let you know.”
“You’re going out. Now?”
Ian chuckled. “Well, we don’t all have someone to help us through the fever like you do. Lucky bastard. I’ll be fine. Where I’m going the odds are pretty low that I’ll run into any pretty girls. The damsels of the mountain are safe from me tonight.”
That could only mean one thing. Ian was going back into Avan’s territory.
“Be careful, brother.”
“Always am. I look forward to meeting my new sister. Later. After you guys come up for air.”
When he hung up he could still hear Ian’s laughter.
He was glad someone could see the humor in the situation. All he could see was the possibility of war, which would mean certain death for their small clan. Hopefully his brother, the great negotiator, could find a way to bring an accord. It was time to come out of hiding. Evie deserved more than a life in the shadows.
“Nate?”
He pulled the covers back and got in bed next to her. “I’m sorry I woke you. Ian needed to tell me what to expect tomorrow.”
“Expect?”
“There will be fallout from lying to the King. Ian wanted to warn me to be on guard. It’s one of the reasons it’s so important that we get you and your mother to safety as soon as possible. I want you on my land where we can protect you.”
“Won’t your brothers have an issue with you bringing on two extra people they have to protect?”
“My brothers have honor. We protect family and they would have it no other way.”
She raised her hand to touch his face. “Nate, I just wanted you to know… I love you.”
Emotions stormed through him and his heart soared. It was the first time his mate had said the words to him and he’d treasure the memory of it always. Before he could push through the lump in his throat to respond, Evie continued.
“This is all so overwhelming. That you feel this way about me and that you want to take care of my mom. But I wanted you to know that.”
When their lips met this time, Nate lost it. He was with his mate. She loved him. And he loved her more than life. All the desire of the mating fever hit him at once and he tugged the oversized sweatpants she was still wearing down. He’d never been so grateful that he slept nude since there was nothing in his way when he thrust into her. They froze in that position, absorbing the incredible pleasure of being one again.
“Nate. I love you so much.”
Her cries only drove his insane need to possess her higher. He bent his knees, stabilizing himself to take her harder. Deeper. He’d be lucky if he got through the night without losing what was left of his sanity.
Evie’s hand trailed over his shoulders and down to his ass. He growled low in his throat as she held on to the muscles, using them as leverage to encourage him to take her harder. Nate’s hips swung freely, pinning her to the bed. She shivered and bucked beneath him, finally coming apart with a tortured cry.
He caught the sound with his mouth, sucking her tongue into his mouth. She whimpered and clutched at his back at the erotic action. Then he was the one at her mercy when she tightened around him, clamping down so hard he swore his dick would have bruises.
He let out a low moan and then planted one hand beneath her to steady him as he ground against her. It wasn’t going to be long before he followed her into ecstasy. All it took was looking down to where they were joined and he growled out his pleasure. Evie held on to him while he came down, stroking over his back and neck.
Once he could breathe again, he rolled over and pulled her into the cradle of his arms. “I love you too, Evie. Now sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
chapter eight
Evie woke with a jolt.
It was much darker in the room than when she’d fallen asleep but she could still make out the familiar shapes of her dresser and the closet door across the room. She sat up slowly, unsure what had woken her. Nate slept next to her peacefully. Nothing seemed out of place.
Still, her heart was racing.
Evie took several deep breaths. She’d always been a light sleeper so it wasn’t that surprising that she would have trouble sleeping tonight. It would take a pretty strong person not to be affected by the things that had happened to her over the past two days. She had every right to be a little wound up.
It wasn’t every day a girl was claimed by a dragon.
Evie knew that she wouldn’t be able to go right back to sleep so figured it was as good a time as any to check on Mimi. She padded to the door and opened it carefully, turning the knob slowly so the latch wouldn’t catch. Nate had to be exhausted. The man deserved his rest after he flew her home, took such sweet care of her mother and then made love to her so vigorously.
Even though he had decided that he was her protector, she wanted to care for him, too. He called her his heart but she wanted to be more than that. She wanted to be his soft place to land and the one person who provided him solace from all his burdens.
She wanted to be his heaven.
It was brighter in Mimi’s room, the light from an almost-full moon shining directly through her window. Mimi was all tangled up in the sheets so Evie pulled them gently to free her arms. Her mother came awake with a soft snort.
“It’s just me. Go back to sleep.”
But instead of going back to sleep Mimi sat up, her blonde hair flying around her face. “I’m glad you’re back, Evie. I was so worried.”
Her mom sounded slightly more lucid than earlier. Evie wondered if she even remembered what had happened. As if sensing her thoughts, Mimi squeezed her hand.
“I hope I didn’t embarrass you. It seems like I’m always doing that. I’m going to stop drinking so much, I promise.”
Promises hurt worse, Evie knew. Because once upon a time she’d been naive enough to believe in them only to be disappointed.
“It’s okay, Mimi. You just need to sleep it off.”
“I know you don’t believe me. But this time, I mean it. I’m going to make you proud of me.” She let go of Evie’s hand long enough to prop herself up with her pillow. “Your young man, he’s a strange one.”
Evie couldn’t really argue with that. “Yeah, I guess he is. But then again, so am I.”
Mimi patted her hand. “You’re not strange. Just a dreamer. You would have gone far if you hadn’t been saddled with taking care of me. You’d have a better life if I’d given you up.”
“Oh Mimi. Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. It was probably selfish to keep you but I’m not sorry. You’ve made me so happy every day, sweet girl. That’s all I want for you. For you to be as happy as you’ve made me.” Mimi yawned and closed her eyes.
Tears clogged her throat as she watched her mother nod off. Despite how many times she’d wondered what her life would have been like without the baggage her mother seemed to drag behind them, she couldn’t imagine life without her. The woman who’d read her the same tattered picture book over and over because she knew Evie loved it. The woman who’d taken care of her when she was sick and kept every one of her childhood drawings as if they were precious art. For all her faults, Mimi had always loved her.
Evie stood carefully, trying not to rock the bed too much. Just as her hand landed on the doorknob, she heard her name.
“It’s okay. You’re at home now. You can sleep.” She moved back to the bed and grabbed the hand Mimi held out. It wasn’t unusual for her to wake several times in the night after drinking, usually disoriented and cranky.
“How did I get in bed?” Mimi looked around the room suspiciously.
“Nate carried you. Do you remember?”
Then Mimi smiled. “Oh yes. Your dragon man. Doesn’t take no for an answer, does he? Is he always like that?”
“Yeah. Pretty much.”
Mim
i rolled over and buried her face in the pillow but Evie could still hear her mumbled, “Lucky girl.”
She left Mimi snoring softly and continued down the hall to the kitchen for a glass of water. As soon as she reached the sink, she pulled down a glass. The floor creaked behind her. Alarmed she tried to turn around, only to find herself yanked backward and the cold bite of steel against her throat.
The glass in her hand fell to the floor and shattered. The tinkling sound of glass breaking was almost as terrifying in the stillness as the knife.
“Scream and you die,” a harsh voice whispered.
Evie trembled but managed to stop her shriek of terror. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“I’m the one who’s going to slit your throat if you make a sound. Don’t get any bright ideas about screaming for your dragon boyfriend, either.”
Evie gulped. If he knew about Nate, there was no telling what he was after. Maybe he thought he could extort the dragons for money or he could be one of the nut jobs who hunted them for their blood and talons. Either way, this wasn’t going to end well.
“I’m not going to scream. I just want to know what you want from me. I don’t have any money.”
“Money isn’t what I want. I’m here for you. You won’t get away this time.”
Get away this time? Her veins turned to ice. Oh god, no. The guy who had abducted her had come back to finish the job. How could she have been so stupid? Of course, he’d not only known exactly where to look since he’d had her wallet but he hadn’t even had to break in since he had her keys, too.
“Okay, I’ll go with you. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
To her surprise, the knife at her throat lowered slightly. “Despite what you think, I don’t want anyone to get hurt either. I just want to save my brother.”
Evie took a chance and turned slightly until she could see his face. “Save him from what?”
“Madness.”
The stark answer told her nothing. If this guy got her outside and flew her somewhere else, there was no way Nate could track them down. If she was going to get out of this alive, she needed to stall him and hope that Nate finally noticed she wasn’t in bed with him anymore.
