by Jadyn Chase
He disappeared. I would have given anything to close my eyes against the pain, but I couldn’t even do that. Holy cripes, Hannah! How could I ever face her again, now that she knew the truth? She saw me. I shifted right in front of her. I was a monster to her.
The next instant, Liam pulled up in the Jeep. He skidded to a stop in front of me and came to my side. “It’s okay, man. All you have to do is get in the Jeep and I’ll drive you home. Come on. You can do it.
I tried. Nothing I could do would access that part of my brain that knew how to shift. I was locked in a world of danger and pain, and I couldn’t escape.
He drew closer to me and laid his hand on my shoulder. He crooned in my ear in a singsong voice too soft for anyone else to hear. “It’s all right, man. I’m here. I’ve got you. Come on. Let’s go home.”
All at once, I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I collapsed into his arms. He ducked under me and caught me around the shoulders. He guided me into the seat and eased my leg into the cab.
I sank back on the seat, and my eyes drifted closed at last. I didn’t have to think. I didn’t have to do anything more than survive long enough to get home. Then everything would be okay.
7
Kylen
I hobbled down the stairs and found twenty men standing around the dining room table in my living room. Pop and my uncle Luka both looked up when I entered. My brothers Ezra and Liam, and my cousins Wyatt and Adrian, kept their eyes averted.
“How’re you doing, son?” Pop asked. “How’s the leg?”
“It’s on the mend.” I glanced around. I didn’t even have to ask. “What’s going on?”
“We’re talking about the neutrality agreement,” Pop replied, “or, I should say, the lack thereof. If you don’t mind, son, I’d like you to join us. Some of the boys here still haven’t heard your side of the story.”
I limped to the table. After a week laid up in bed, my leg still ached, but at least I could walk on it again. My dragon blood made it heal faster than normal, but not fast enough for my taste. I wanted to get out of here and help my Clan prepare for the inevitable conflagration.
Liam and Ezra made room for me between them, and I noticed a bunch of large topographical maps spread out on the table. Large red and blue lines indicated the Lynches’ territory and ours. Norton sat squarely in the middle between the two.
“Now,” my Pop began. “Tell us about the first confrontation you had with them.”
I stole a peek around the table. I knew everyone present. I grew up with them all, but I never dared to speak at one of these meetings before. I never even dared to enter the same room when they were going on.
I swallowed hard to get my voice working. “The first time was in the Watering Hole. They tried to run us out of the bar. They said it was theirs, and that we had no right to go there. We stood up to them and they backed down, but I’m sure you know all that. I’m sure Ezra told you all about it.” One look at his face told me it was true.
Pop gave a curt shake of his head. “And the second time?”
“Later the same night, I stayed behind to watch. I thought they might try something with…..” I hesitated to say her name. Don’t ask me why. I didn’t want her mixed up in this, even though she already was.
Was that the real reason I didn’t mention Hannah? I wanted to protect her, but was that really the reason? Maybe I didn’t want my brothers and cousins and uncles and father to know I did all this over a woman.
Pop startled me out of my thoughts. “You thought what, son?”
I steeled myself to get it all out. I couldn’t hide anything from these men. Ezra probably told them all about Hannah, anyway. “There was this new bartender—a woman, a real good looking one, too. Everett took a shine to her, and he got all bent out of shape when she started talking to me. I thought he might try something with her after we left, so I stuck around. Turns out I was right. He ambushed her when she closed up the bar.”
“Tell us exactly what happened,” Pop ordered. “Don’t leave anything out.”
I took another shaking breath. “She fought back. She got away, and I…..I hid and waited for them in the alley by the stairs. She ran at me, but I made sure to keep in the shadows where she couldn’t seem me clearly. She ran and…. she skidded between my legs and bolted up the stairs. The Lynches left when they realized it was me.”
“And the third time?” Pop’s voice rattled my bones. It boomed through the oppressive silence.
I bowed my head and braced myself. “The third time I was walking her home. I sat in the bar the whole shift to make sure they didn’t try anything. I waited outside while she locked the door. Then I walked her to the stairs, and they came out. That’s when they attacked me.”
“Did she see you?” Luka asked.
I shook my head down at the floor. “I made her go inside first. I told her to close the curtains, and the minute they shifted, I launched and flew away. That’s when you found me.”
“And this last time,” Pop prompted. “How did it start?”
“I took her on a date. I hiked up to the lookout with her, and when we got back to town, they attacked me in broad daylight.”
Pop’s voice rumbled louder than ever. “Are you absolutely certain they shifted first?”
“No, Sir,” I muttered. “This last time, I shifted first, but Everett had a shotgun pointed at my chest. He fired, and I shifted in time to deflect the buckshot. I shifted first that time. I’m sorry, Pop. I know I blew it, but I was only defending myself and…..and her.”
Pop turned back to the table. When I peeked up at his face, my knees turned to water. I never saw him so angry in my life. I wanted to leave the room, but I had to wait for permission.
I shifted first. That was the awful truth. That first night I helped Hannah get away, and now this last time when Liam saved my bacon—both times I shifted first. I left the neutrality agreement in tatters. The Kelly’s and the Lynches would go to war, and it was all my fault.
Pop jabbed his finger at the map. “All right, boys. Here’s the deal. They have that compound of theirs rebuilt, but we can’t go attacking it. It’s in neutral territory. Normally, I would say we have to wait for them to provoke us on our own ground, but I think we can call these attacks against Kylen provocation enough. We’ll arm up and lay a guard along our northern boundary. We’ll set up a rotating watch against any incursion. If they think they can lay claim to Norton, it’s only a matter of time before they start pushing across the boundary. Luka, you and Flynn start working up the watches.”
“You bet,” Luka barked back.
“Emmett, you get to the foundry. Make sure everyone has all the weapons they need. Wyatt and Adrian, I want you to make a run to Atlanta and pick up another shipment of ammo. I’ll call it in so it’s ready for you to load up as soon as you get there. No cash, no records. Just pitch it in the truck and drive. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” Wyatt clipped.
“What about us, Pop?” Liam asked. “What can we do?”
Pop turned to him and Ezra. “You boys are responsible for setting up the watch around the Ridge. I’m putting you in charge of protecting the house and the womenfolk. Any weapons or munitions you need, you let me know. Arm the fence and make sure no one comes in or out who doesn’t have the last name of Kelly.”
“Yes, Sir,” Ezra returned.
“That’ll be all,” Pop announced. “Each of you report back to me on the usual schedule.”
Everybody dispersed to their jobs. In a couple of seconds, they left the living room deserted. Pop bent over the table and collected the maps into a stack. He tapped them into order without looking up.
I slunk off toward the stairs. Everybody had a job to do protecting this Clan and getting ready for the next confrontation—everybody but me. I wasn’t good for anything. Pop didn’t have to say so out loud. He said it clearly enough by not assigning me a job. I wasn’t good for anything except destroying the peace that kept this Clan safe
and prosperous for decades.
I got myself into this. All I could do was cringe on back to my bedroom and wait like a whipped dog while the rest of the Clan protected my useless behind. I put out my hand for the banister. I couldn’t even walk without holding onto something. Some dragon I turned out to be.
Out of nowhere, my Pop shot out an arm to grab me. “Hold up there, son. I want to talk to you.”
I pulled my head down between my shoulders. I couldn’t even look at him. “I’m sorry, Pop. I know I failed you and I’m sorry. I don’t deserve to man the watch or anything else. I only hope I can make it up to you someday.”
“Oh, will you put a cork in it for once, son?” he snapped. “Just listen to me a second, will you? I couldn’t say anything with the others around, but I need you to listen real good now. Understand?”
My head swung up. “What is it?”
“I need you to do something for me.” He barely spoke above a whisper. “Any man jack can patrol the fence or drive a car down the highway. I need you for something way more important. No one else can do it besides you. I just don’t know if you’ll want to after everything that happened already. I’ll understand if you don’t.”
“I’ll do anything.” The words tumbled out in a breathless rush. “Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it. I’ll do anything to help the Clan. You know that.”
He held up his hand. “Slow down, son, and for pity’s sake, keep your voice down. If your Ma heard me, she would tear me a new one.”
I fought down the urge to grab him and shake it out of him. He wanted me to do something! He wanted me to be a part of this, an important part. I couldn’t keep my thoughts in check.
“I want you to go back to Norton,” he whispered. “I want you to go back to the Watering Hole. I know it’s asking a lot, and I know you only just healed up from the last time, but we need this, son. We need this a sight more than all the rest of it. It seems like Everett’s got some vendetta against you. Heaven only knows what that is, but it seems he’ll go out of his way to attack you. He’ll do anything to hurt you, and Norton’s the place to do it. We’re going to use you as bait, son. We’re going to lure him into overstepping his mark—not that he hasn’t already done it more than once. If we can needle him enough, we can weaken him. We can entice him into doing something stupid, and then we can shut him down hard. Do you catch my drift?”
I nodded fast. “I understand and I’ll do anything you tell me to do. I might not be as strong as I was, but I can still fight. Just give me a chance, Pop. I can do a lot more than you think.”
“Then I want you to go to Norton. I want you to go to the Watering Hole and try to provoke him. See if you can lure him back across our boundary. Then we can deal with him the way he needs to be dealt with.”
I blinked. “You want me to get him to follow me here?”
“Not here. Just into the forest on our side of the boundary. Lead him to the watch. There will be enough Kelly’s there he won’t stand a chance. Then we can declare outright war on them with no holds barred. Understand?”
I opened my mouth and shut it again.
“What is it, son?” he asked. “If you entertain any doubts about this at all, tell me right now. I can’t have you losing your nerve once you get to town.”
I gulped. I had to do this. If I was ever going to confide in him, I had to do it now. “It’s Hannah.”
His eyebrows jumped together for an instant and he cocked his head. “What about her?”
I lowered my gaze to the floor again to hide my burning cheeks. The very thought of her made my stomach flutter. “He’ll go after her. I’m certain he will. This whole thing started because of her. It’s not just the Lynches and Kelly’s now. She’s in the middle of this. He’ll try to use her against us—against me.”
He frowned again, but he didn’t look away. He didn’t stare off into space the way he usually did when he was planning strategy. He scrutinized me until I fidgeted in confusion. “Do you realize what you’re saying? You really care for this girl, don’t you?”
I nodded, too ashamed of my own weakness to raise my head.
His heavy hand came to rest on my shoulder. “Look at me, son.”
I dragged my gaze up to his weathered face.
“Listen to me very carefully, son. Normally, we wouldn’t extend our protection to a human. Christ knows we’ve got enough to worry about just protecting our own. You know that, but if you really feel this strongly about her, we could declare her a member of Clan Kelly. We could protect her, but only if you really intend to make her a part of it. That means she would have to agree that she wants to be a part of it, too. Do you understand? It’s one thing for the Clan to protect your Ma and your sisters and your sisters-in-law and all the cousins scattered all over the territory. If this girl is one of us, we can protect her. If she isn’t, she’s just a bystander like all the other humans around here.”
“But, Pop,” I stammered, “how can I know which one she is? I only just met this girl. I’ve been on a grand total of one date with her.”
“That means nothing,” he fired back. “It means exactly nothing. All that matters is what’s in your hearts—hers and yours. You find out which she is by asking her. If she’s with us, we can protect her from the Lynches. Otherwise, she’s on her own.”
8
Hannah
I swung my shopping basket and closed my eyes to the sunshine. After two weeks of silence, I finally settled into a semi-normal life in Norton. I strolled back to my room from the supermarket, and I didn’t check both ways for any dragons or tattooed hooligans or any other crap like that.
I no longer jumped every time a man walked into the bar. The Lynches and the Kelly’s never came back, and good riddance. I never wanted to see any of them again. I supposed I would have to see them eventually, but I savored every moment when I didn’t.
I smiled at people passing on the sidewalk. Norton was just another ordinary town like so many others. None of these people harbored any mysterious secrets. None of them burst out of their skins to become horrible, fire-breathing monsters.
Of course not. That explained the age-old animosity between the Lynches and the Kelly’s. That explained why they needed neutrality agreements and all that stuff. They needed it to hide their true nature from the….
I stopped dead in my tracks. They needed it to hide their true nature from the humans. That’s all we were to them. The dragons carried on a Clan war right under the noses of the naïve American public. They needed these agreements to hide what they really were so no one ever found out.
I saw the whole situation from start to finish. I saw one more time in my mind’s eye the distinct black outline of the awful shape that scared away the Lynches that first night. I didn’t imagine it. It was real. It was a dragon, and I could think of only one dragon that would go to the trouble of confronting the Lynches for my sake.
I started walking again. Now that I was thinking about the dragons, I wasn’t even surprised to see Kylen standing by the alley leading to my room. Of course. I should have known he would turn up one of these days.
That was all right. The sooner I dealt with him, the sooner I could make him understand I didn’t want to have anything to do with him again. I had enough problems of my own without this.
I barged up to the alley ready to fight my way to the stairs, but he didn’t even try to stop me. He fell in at my side and murmured in my ear. “Please, just listen to me, Hannah. Give me a chance to explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain,” I snapped. “I already understand everything. You’re a dragon. How you managed to keep it hidden from the rest of the people in this town, I don’t know and I don’t want to know. What happened to your cast? No, wait. I don’t want to know that, either. Do you have some kind of accelerated healing factor or something? Of course you do. What am I thinking? You’re a dragon. What more is there to explain?” I started up the stairs.
He climbed up behin
d me without any sign that he ever injured his leg. “Yes, I’m a dragon. There. I said it. Now can we please talk about this? I know you’re mad at me. I know you were scared the other day, and I would give anything to spare you from finding out that way, but I only wanted to protect you. Don’t you see? I never wanted to hurt you.”
“How did you intend for me to find out?” I spun around to face him. “You asked me out on a date. I really enjoyed that date, you know. That’s what makes me so flippin’ mad.”
“I enjoyed it, too, Hannah. You have to believe me.”
“Then when did you intend for me to find out about you?” I demanded. “How long were you planning to go out with me before you told me? Huh? Just answer me that. Did you think we would get married and have a bunch of little fire-breathing kids running around before I found out?”
“I couldn’t just come right out and tell you,” he returned. “You have to understand that. What was I supposed to do—hand you a business card across the bar and say, ‘How do you do? I’m a dragon’? Come on.”
I pursed my lips. “It doesn’t matter now because I can’t have anything to do with you. Just leave me alone, Kylen. Go back to the Ridge and leave me alone.”
I started up the stairs again, but he dogged my footsteps every step of the way. I should have known he wouldn’t leave it be. “I can’t do that, Hannah. You’re in danger. I can’t leave you unprotected.”
I snorted. “Yeah. I’m in danger from you.”
“Not from me. From the Lynches.”
“If I’m in danger from the Lynches, it’s because of you,” I told him. “Just leave me alone, Kylen. I don’t want you. I want a nice, normal, decent guy with no deep, dark secrets, and that can never be you.”
I took my keys out of my pocket to unlock the door. He rushed up behind me. “I don’t have any secrets from you, Hannah—not anymore. You know more about me than anyone I’ve ever met. Don’t walk away from this. You know how I feel about you. Don’t throw that away.”
