“That hurts,” Nellie said with a pout. She sighed. “I trust you with my secret, but I don’t know if they’ll trust you with theirs. I’m not about to spill their identity without their permission. I didn’t stay under the radar this long by messing in their affairs.”
“That only kind of makes sense,” Evangeline said.
Nellie nervously picked at her fingernails, but her hands were shaking. She avoided confrontation at every turn, so for her to have this much to say, it meant something. “If he wants you to know what he is, then he’ll tell you himself.”
“So, you don’t like him, but you’re going to respect his privacy? Your standards are incredible.”
Either Nellie respected the community she hailed from, or she thought Evangeline would lose her mind the moment she learned the truth. Evangeline leaned toward the second. While she’d known about Nellie’s magic for a while, it’d been quite the shock at first.
Nellie sighed. “I’m still not completely sure I know what they are. I had my suspicions, but your gift is either a very big hint or an absolute coincidence, and those don’t happen often.”
“A hint, you say?” Evangeline held her hand over the box.
The day she and Casey had spoken in the grocery store parking lot, she’d seen something in the sky that hadn’t made sense. She’d later brushed it off as a sugar and serotonin induced hallucination, but now she questioned everything.
Nellie retreated but waited by the door. “I can’t wait for them to leave. Every moment they’re here, my safety is at risk.”
Evangeline’s heart rocketed into her throat. “What?”
Nellie’s nostrils flared. “Let’s just say, I don’t think they’ll like to find out there’s a witch in town. I think it’s clear from history that witches…we don’t get to live long.”
After Nellie left, Evangeline stood alone in the storeroom. She felt bad for her friend. It seemed all three of them knew how to live in fear. Evangeline hadn’t realized just how afraid she’d been all the time until recently. Isabella constantly worried about what her boyfriend would say every time they went out. Did Nellie also look over her shoulder when they went out?
Her sorrow for Nellie warred with her feelings for Casey. If Evangeline continued to see Casey, she could be putting Nellie in harm’s way. Her emotions pulled her back and forth, and when the front doorbell chimed again, she still hadn’t come to a clear decision.
She didn’t want to stop seeing Casey, but Nellie’s warning made her heart heavy.
Six hours later, Evangeline walked home with her stuffed dragon still in the box. Nellie had taken one look at the box, pursed her lips, and looked away. If she thought Evangeline would trash the plushie, she’d been wrong. To throw it away was to let go of the kindness behind it, and Evangeline wanted to savor that feeling a while longer.
No one waited outside her apartment. Evangeline had half-expected Casey or Trevor to show up, but she was all alone as she let herself inside. While it was a relief to not see Trevor, she missed Casey.
Upstairs, she went straight to her bedroom and brought the stuffed dragon out of the box. She positioned it on the bed, took a step back, and snapped a photo with her phone. Spinning on her heel, she fell back onto the mattress and sent Casey the message he’d asked for.
Barely a second later, the phone buzzed in her hand.
I was hoping to see more of you in that picture.
She laughed. As a general rule of thumb, I don’t send nudes.
He didn’t respond right away. The three dots bounced, disappeared, then returned to bouncing. Her breath caught in her throat while she waited for him to figure out what he wanted to say.
What if Nellie had been right about him? Evangeline’s mind wandered down dangerous paths. She absentmindedly stroked the stuffed dragon and tried to make sense of everything happening. Casey and his friends could have come to town to hunt down a witch. He’d said that he’d come to help a friend, but Evangeline had been lied to before.
She froze. What if he was getting close to her so he could catch Nellie unaware? The thought chilled her. She didn’t want to be used against her friends. She’d made too many horrible decisions in her life, trusted too many awful men, that she knew she had it in her to do it all over again.
The hum of her phone’s vibration brought her back to the present.
Though you’re a very pretty lady, I would never expect pictures like that. I just wanted to make sure you liked your gift.
She wanted to scream with frustration. Everything he said was so damn nice. He made her feel like the only woman in the world. It was like he couldn’t see Nellie or Isabella. Only her.
The phone buzzed again. When I see you naked, it’s going to be in person.
Oh, damn. Her core turned warm. The air seemed too hot. Was she sweating? Oh, she definitely was.
Evangeline cracked open the nearby window to cool down. The implications of his message ran through her mind, conjuring new images with every lap it made. The images became raunchier and raunchier until she got up and went to the bathroom to splash water on her face.
She paused and asked herself if she was ready for this. She’d only just kicked Trevor out. This could have been a rebound, but it felt like more. She didn’t want to sleep with Casey only to find out that they had nothing in common. The fire that sparked between them could be nothing more than the high of initial attraction.
It wasn’t like she could love Casey already. She barely knew him.
And yet, she felt like she knew him better than she knew Trevor. Hell, she trusted Casey more already.
She wanted to know what this could become, but it seemed that the world wanted to stand in her way. Not only did Trevor still have her ring, but now Nellie claimed that Casey and his friends were dangerous for her to be around. Evangeline could get her ring back and cut Trevor from her life, but she couldn’t erase the risk Nellie would be in.
Because she couldn’t stop herself from making awful decisions, she went back to her bedroom, picked up her phone, and asked Casey how he planned on getting her naked.
But the night dragged on, and no reply came.
7
“I don’t want to be here,” Gavin growled.
Casey ignored the loud music and stared at the message on his phone. Evangeline had asked how he planned on getting her naked the night before and his brain hadn’t functioned properly ever since. It was partly to blame for how he and the others ended up at a bar when none of them should have been in public.
Erik clapped Gavin on the back. “Lighten up, dude. Have some fun.”
Gavin glowered at the shifter in sunglasses. Casey could tell that the evening wouldn’t end well. They’d found a somewhat quiet bar where they didn’t have to suffer through awful strobing lights or insufferably loud music, but Erik had gotten the management to turn the music up.
Dillon busied himself with darts, casually tossing them between check-ups. He waved happily to the pretty bartender even though she only had eyes for Erik. Thankfully, Erik was too busy hopping from woman to woman. Casey assured himself that Erik was being too much of a playboy for any of them to want to come home with him.
No woman deserved to put up with a monster like him.
Not unless Erik could straighten himself out before Zander came to kill them.
The deadline was still months away, but Casey could feel it creeping up his spine. He had until October to bring Gavin home. Since hauling Gavin over three states kicking and screaming wasn’t really an option, he had to play the slow game and convince Gavin to go home on his own.
Casey had the feeling that he wasn’t going to get Gavin to move. Not only was he steadfast in his refusal to have anything to do with Zander or the clan, Gavin actually seemed to like his cabin and this mountain. Casey wondered if his dragon had struck out in search of a place to call its own. It was quite possible that Gavin’s beast hadn’t wanted another man’s title and lands.
His beast wante
d its own little space.
But it hadn’t made him any nicer. If anything, Gavin was still fucking miserable. And he wouldn’t tell anyone what’d happened. One day, he and Casey were causing havoc for Zander. The next, Gavin had disappeared without warning.
Casey raised his chin to Gavin. “Hey, what happened to Tiffany?”
Gavin leveled a searing glare at Casey. “If you fucking mention her name one more time, I’m going to burn this bar to the ground.”
Okay, well Casey hadn’t expected that kind of a reaction, but it gave him a clue to what happened. Gavin had been the first of their generation to find a mate. Last Casey knew, Gavin and Tiffany had been preparing to buy a piece of Zander’s land so they could build on it together.
Casey hadn’t heard or seen her since Gavin vanished. He’d assumed that she’d left with Gavin, but he hadn’t seen her in the time he’d spent at Gavin’s cabin. If she was hiding with Gavin, the guys would have come across her.
But there’d been no trace of a woman.
“Aw, fuck,” Casey grumbled. He brushed his hand over his beard.
Gavin lurched back and crossed his arms over his chest, a clear indication that he staunchly refused to have any fun whatsoever. Casey no longer cared. He cared about the beast locked inside the man. Gavin’s mate had left him. The beast probably wasn’t taking it well.
To make matters worse, Casey glimpsed a head of pink hair enter the bar. A waif-like blonde and a plump brunette accompanied her. Casey’s heart hammered. He didn’t like knowing she was in the same room as Gavin. If the red dragon lost control again, she would get hurt.
Casey lurched to his feet. “Night’s over. Let’s head home.”
“It’s not your fucking home,” Gavin growled.
Casey fought to keep from rolling his eyes. “I don’t care who owns it. We need to leave.”
Erik rolled up to them, a drink in hand. “What’s the rush? Aren’t we supposed to inject some fun into grumpy pants over there?”
Across the bar, Casey locked eyes with Evangeline. Her brows arched toward the ceiling. Even from where he stood, he could see that she’d turned some of her freckles into little stars. His beast demanded he head directly to her. Their kiss two nights ago flashed through his mind.
Gavin twisted in his seat. The table burned under his hand, smoke rising out from beneath his open palm.
“Fucking great. Not only do I have to house you nitwits, but I have to watch you find mates? I can’t catch a damn break. Can I?” Gavin got to his feet.
Casey expected him to head for the door, but Gavin turned on him. The first punch took him by surprise.
“I came to be alone. Now you’re rubbing what I can’t have in my face.”
The bar quieted. Casey’s head spun, but only for a second. He pressed the pads of his feet to the floor and leveled his gaze at Gavin. Beyond him, Casey saw movement. He hoped Evangeline wasn’t coming to him. There was going to be a fight.
Casey mapped the route from their table to the door because he was going to drag Gavin out before he could get anywhere near Evangeline. Gavin shot to his feet, and the table went flying. Erik let out a surprised shout. Dillon caught the table before it could hit anyone, but the whole bar had already seen the display.
Across the room, Evangeline stopped in her tracks. Casey didn’t dare circle around to her for fear of pulling Gavin’s wrath in her direction. His heart raced. The dragon in him wanted out, it wanted to protect her.
He couldn’t risk outing shifters, so he pulled his beast back. The creature thrashed, making his skull ache and his vision blur giving Gavin the advantage when he slammed into him. Gavin pinned Casey to the floor and closed his hand around Casey’s throat.
Evangeline shouted his name. His beast surged toward the surface once again but didn’t try to escape. As Casey’s vision cleared, he could see that Gavin was close to shifting. Red scales broke out over Gavin’s forehead and along his arms.
They had to leave soon.
All around them, the bar patrons screamed and ran around. Some fled, but others gathered to watch like this was just another bar fight.
“Alright buddy,” Erik said. “You’ve had enough to drink tonight.”
Erik hooked his arm around Gavin’s throat in a chokehold. He dragged Gavin back, freeing Casey. Dillon was busy holding the spectators back. Casey couldn’t believe how well they worked together considering they were the messiest bunch of shifters he’d ever seen in one room.
Casey checked on Evangeline. The brunette had come to claim her. The air around them wavered, like a wall of glass had gone up around them. Casey didn’t give it too much thought. Knowing she was safe, he turned his attention back to Gavin and Erik.
Gavin had lifted Erik from the floor and was in the process of hauling Erik over his head. Casey barely had time to tell Dillon to watch out before Gavin chucked Erik in his direction. Dillon spun around, faster than a man his size should have been capable of, caught Erik, and set him back onto his feet.
Gavin spun toward Casey. “Go on and have a good life. Don’t worry about me.”
The crowd split to make way for Gavin as he stormed out. Casey followed hot on his heels, ready to give Gavin a few words, but Gavin was prepared for him. The punch he threw sent Casey flying back.
He crashed into a solid surface and stars danced in his vision. Casey couldn’t believe this fight was all over an assumption. Gavin risked everything just to give in to his rage. If people saw the scales on his skin, then they would start asking questions.
If Gavin hurt Evangeline, Casey wouldn’t be able to control himself either.
“Y’all need therapy,” Dillon grumbled, pushing Casey off him and back onto his feet.
Casey staggered and snarled at Gavin. “It’s no wonder he couldn’t keep a mate.”
Though his voice was low, the words travelled. Gavin reached the door and froze. His back muscles bunched.
“Casey? Casey! Are you okay?” Evangeline’s voice caught up with him.
He glanced over just in time to see her break away from her friend’s grasp and run in his direction. Gavin shot toward him again. Casey didn’t have time to stop Evangeline nor tell Dillon to take her, yet time slowed as she came to stand between him and Gavin. She looked up at him with big, worried eyes.
He yanked her into his arms and turned his back on Gavin. He had no idea what his old friend would do, but as long as Casey’s body stood between Evangeline and Gavin, then he didn’t care.
When he felt no impact, he spared a glance back and found Dillon standing between them. Blood dripped down Dillon’s face, but Gavin didn’t look any better. It seemed as though Dillon had thought to mitigate Gavin’s incoming force with a punch of his own.
From the side, Erik let out a whistle.
The bar had gone completely silent. Their bonding night was over. They needed to get out. But Casey’s fire burned hotter than ever. Evangeline trembled in his arms. She extracted herself from his arms and saw what happened behind them. Casey had to watch her face turn ghostly white.
He knew she would never survive his world. He couldn’t keep her, no matter how badly he wanted to. His beast could complain all it wanted, but it was obvious she wouldn’t be safe so long as the others remained who they were.
So long as Casey and Dillon had to take blow after blow for Erik and Gavin, no mate would be safe around them.
He touched Evangeline’s cheek, and her big eyes turned toward him. “Head outside. Don’t come near us. I’ll walk you home after I’m done with them.”
She nodded, her lips quivering, and wrapped her arms around herself on the way to the door. Once she was out of sight, Casey stepped around Dillon, grabbed Gavin by his shirt, and dragged him outside. He would call Zander later and see if the old dragon would pay the bar for any damages they’d done.
Outside, Casey shoved Gavin into the brick wall. Fire filled his throat. He wanted to unleash it and watch Gavin burn, but he knew it would do nothing t
o the dragon shifter. Knowing his flames were ineffective didn’t make them go away. If anything, the frustration only made him burn hotter.
“You could have hurt her. You could have hurt others,” Casey snarled.
Gavin tried to shove Casey off, but Casey slammed him into the wall again. The building trembled, not used to two dragon shifters fighting against its exterior façade.
“Does your dragon think this is your mountain?” Casey asked, voice low.
Gavin’s lips curled, but Casey could see the way Gavin’s pupils narrowed into reptilian slits. The answer was yes. The dragon had claimed this stretch of land and the town that came with it.
“Then quit with the temper tantrums and start protecting it,” Casey said.
Gavin kicked and sent Casey stumbling back. The two glared at each other. Dillon and Erik stood nearby, both tense and ready to break up another fight. Casey wasn’t about to start throwing punches. Not again.
“I’m not your babysitter,” Casey spat before walking away.
The guys called out to him, but he didn’t stop. This mission had seemed easy when Zander passed it to him, but now that Casey was here, things got more and more complicated.
The pink-haired woman watched him from the other end of the block, her hand over her heart and her brows arched in concern. Casey wanted nothing more than to sweep her up and carry her back to her apartment where he could hold her all night, but he could see she was still shaking once he got closer.
She gave him a queasy smile. “Everything okay?”
He ran a hand through his hair, got it caught in the tie that held it back, and growled in frustration. Evangeline touched his arm to stop him and then stood on her tiptoes to gently tug the tie from his hair. His growl died, and some of the tension that’d been gripping him bled away.
“I take it that’s the friend you were talking about,” Evangeline said, keeping her voice low like she knew Gavin could hear them from the other end of the block.
Casey grunted. “I don’t have friends.”
Evangeline gave him a look of disbelief. “You wouldn’t be here, trying to help him, if you didn’t care.”
Rogue Dragons Series: Box Set Books 1-5 Page 7
