She let her head fall into her hands. A groan trickled out of her. Ford made no sound as he approached. She didn’t know he stood beside her until arms closed around her. He tugged her into his embrace, so his warmth relaxed the knots in her tense muscles. She sighed and leaned into him.
“You don’t owe anyone anything,” he said quietly.
His words couldn’t erase what needed to be done still. He could whisper sweet, soft things all night, but when morning came, her job would still be the same. She savored his touch and the time he gave her while she could get it.
When his hands fell away, and he stepped back, she had to admit that she felt a little better. She wiped at her face with the back of her hand once she realized a few tears had slipped out.
“If only I could bottle that and uncork it when I really need it,” she said, jokingly.
Ford raised a brow. “Looks like you’d run out on day one.”
He wasn’t wrong. Daphne straightened her spine, rolled her shoulders back, and pulled herself together. The tear streaks on her cheeks were still drying, but they’d be gone by the time she got back to the cabin. She hopped down from the tailgate, pushed it back into place, and plucked the keys from her purse before twirling them around her forefinger.
“You really do pull it off well,” Ford said.
Daphne paused, the truck door handle in her hand, and tossed a glance back at Ford. “Huh?”
He gestured up and down at her. “You have the world sitting on your shoulders, and you carry it like it’s nothing.”
“That’s what all women do,” she informed him before getting into the truck.
* * *
Ford watched the dragon woman drive away in the massive, lifted truck. He wanted to drag her back, to pull her cowboy boots off one by one and run his hands up her legs. He would never bring her home, though. He was afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t want her to leave.
She needed someone who could support her when the world crashed on her. He didn’t know if he had the strength to be that for anyone ever again. There’d been a time when he’d been a great mate. Then, he’d failed his wife.
The restaurant door opened, and Ginny came running out with something in her raised hand. She slowed to a halt in the middle of the street before letting out a curse under her breath. Ford asked the bartender what was wrong.
“That woman left her ID at the bar,” Ginny said, showing him the card in her hand.
He took it from her and inspected the photo. That perfect smile grinned back at him. She couldn’t even bear a bad ID picture like everyone else. He scanned her information out of curiosity.
Daphne Albright.
Age twenty-six, address in Texas. He didn’t detect a drawl in her words, but not everyone from the state left with one.
“Do you think she’ll come back for it?” Ginny asked.
Ford pocketed it. “I’ll make sure it gets back to her.”
Ginny gave him a funny look but didn’t argue. He knew the bartender had been trying to hook him up with patrons for ages. For all he knew, she’d pocketed Daphne’s license in order to get Ford to visit her again.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “She’ll get it.”
53
Daphne did not want to do this.
Her beast didn’t care one way or the other. The sunflower yellow dragon shook itself, happy to be released into the world again. She sank down and inhaled, savoring the smell of fresh earth and green things.
Her beast’s carefree disposition lifted Daphne’s mood a bit. She turned toward Evangeline. The human woman wore a pair of paint-smeared jeans and a bralette that exposed her stomach. She stared up at Daphne’s dragon, but her brow shaded her eyes and kept Daphne from reading her.
Beside them, Bree remained in her human form for support. Daphne had considered asking Bree to shift to give Evangeline a dose of spite to work with, but Evangeline had asked Bree to stand by her. Evangeline’s anger that Bree had been changed before her would have been useful while her body underwent the change. There was no going back now.
Daphne made it quick. She didn’t rise from the grass but darted toward Evangeline and snapped at her lightning quick. At the last second, Daphne saw Evangeline’s eyes. Wide with fear, they nearly stopped Daphne in her tracks. Not soon enough, though.
Teeth broke skin. A howl of pain split the air. Evangeline stumbled back. She raised a trembling hand, blood spilling down her arm in rivulets. Bree tried to get Evangeline’s attention. When that didn’t work, she resorted to yelling. Shouts that everything would be okay turned hollow in Daphne’s ears.
She’d fucked up.
Evangeline’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Daphne grabbed her beast and yanked it back, forcing the change. Her beast didn’t fight. It couldn’t when Daphne flooded it with the force of her will. She stumbled forward on two unsteady human feet and ran for Evangeline. Bree held the unconscious woman in her arms while Daphne reached to check her pulse.
It was still there. Daphne wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but this wasn’t over yet. Evangeline still had hours to go before she would wake. Every shifter Daphne had worked with in her job said that the initial process took nearly a whole day to recover from. From Bree’s account, Evangeline would wake with a hangover, the worst aversion to scents in her life, and a hunger that nothing would slake.
That was, if Evangeline woke at all.
She could give in to the dark call of death and let go.
Daphne straightened. She went to her clothes and found her phone. The first step was over. Evangeline would need her mate now. Casey would help her pull through this. If spite could not carry the woman back to the realm of the living, then love would.
Right?
Daphne sure hoped so. She’d never been in love like that. No man had ever made her feel anything more than a bad orgasm.
Casey’s face took on a pallid shade of green when he saw Evangeline. Daphne held back her impulse to apologize. For all she knew, Evangeline’s fear had been caused by the sight of a massive dragon coming for her. This could work out totally fine.
They took Evangeline back to the cabin where Daphne and Casey could monitor her. Casey would most likely sit with his mate for the next twenty-four hours, meaning Daphne’s job wouldn’t truly start until Evangeline woke. Daphne did her best to busy herself until then, from helping Isabella around the house, to preparing a number of activities for Bree and Evangeline.
All the while, Daphne expected cruel glares from her brother. He didn’t take his eyes off Evangeline for a second, though. Daphne lingered in the bedroom doorway and watched her brother caress Evangeline’s bright hair while he whispered to her.
Jealousy unfurled inside her like a thorny flower. The beauty of what she beheld hurt to watch. Her loneliness tried to sneak up on her, but she swatted it away and ignored the piercing thorns in her chest.
Daphne didn’t need that kind of love. She had her own two feet to stand on and a good beast to spend the rest of her life with. She couldn’t imagine sharing everything she’d worked so hard for with a man who had nothing to do with it.
“Do you think she’s going to be okay?” Bree whispered at the kitchen table when Daphne stepped out.
Daphne gave her a bright smile and said, “Of course.”
Bree didn’t look convinced. She’d been there. Daphne couldn’t hide anything from her.
“We shouldn’t have rushed it, though,” Daphne said. “I should have taken a couple of days to adjust Evangeline to my beast’s presence. Seeing a dragon up close can be alarming. I doubt it was a great vision right before passing out.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Bree said. “Erik changed me without shifting.”
Daphne balked. “That’s not possible. If it were, I would have changed a few men.”
Bree laughed at the implication that Daphne was a biter in bed. “Erik didn’t think it was possible either, but here I am anyway. We both think it has something to do with his seco
nd beast.”
Daphne tried to stick around and chat, but the restlessness in her wouldn’t allow her to sit for more than a moment. The knowledge that Evangeline could die in Casey’s arms haunted Daphne. She didn’t want to be the cause of anyone’s pain. To think that she could ruin two lives today didn’t sit well with her.
Finally, she gave up and borrowed her brother’s truck again. She hadn’t realized how late it was until she noticed the stars twinkling around soft gray clouds. Night had descended somewhere between folding laundry and sharing empty gossip.
Would the restaurant be open? Would Ford be working? Though she knew the answer to neither question, she made the trek into town anyway. Her stomach sank at the sight of the dark windows at the front of the restaurant.
She could go to a bar for a drink, since they stayed open well into the early hours of the morning, but bars didn’t have Ford. At least, not that she knew.
Daphne parked the truck, turned it off, and let her head fall against the steering wheel. If she lingered in the silence long, her exhaustion and fears would catch up to her. She had to keep moving, keep running. That was the only way she’d maintained her life thus far.
A knock on her window made her jump. Ford stood outside the truck, laughing at her. She kicked the door open and jumped out. His laughter died on his lips as the hem of her short dress fluttered around her thighs. Even in the dark, she caught the glimmer of his beast’s light in his eyes.
“You shouldn’t go sneaking up on unsuspecting women,” she warned. “People are going to think you’re a predator.”
He grinned, showing the sharp canines in the corners of his smile as he approached. Daphne backed up until she hit the truck. The air between them warmed until every ragged breath she dragged in burned hot in her chest.
Or was that heat coming from her core?
“Who’s to say I’m not a predator?” he whispered.
His rough fingertips grazed the back of her hand before he took it and pressed something into her palm. She couldn’t bring herself to look away from the beast in his eyes. His presence was nearly overwhelming. The dragon in him had to be massive, perhaps as large as Zander’s or Gavin’s.
What was a man like him doing hiding out in this small town? He could have been the leader of his own clan, but he chose a life of exile instead? Daphne wanted to discover his story and find out what led him here, of all places. Here, where she could run into him.
He released her hand and backed away. Daphne finally had the sense to look down at what he’d handed over. She let out a bitter laugh.
“How’d you get my ID?”
“You left it at the bar last night. I held onto it because I thought you’d be back tonight. What took so long?” He twisted to lean against the truck beside her.
“Today was…the day.” She thought of Evangeline, still unconscious.
Her stomach churned. There was no way to know for sure if Evangeline would ever wake up. Bree’s survival had been a stroke of luck. Just because Evangeline was Casey’s fated mate didn’t mean that she would survive.
Daphne had watched dragons in her clan attempt to change their human mates. She’d helped the ones who’d survived and had to keep an eye on the mates of the ones who didn’t. If her brother became a broken man like them because of her, then she would hate herself for the rest of her life.
“Sounds like you could use a drink,” Ford said.
She gestured to the restaurant. “Yeah, but I missed my chance. I’m not one for bars. They’re usually way too loud. There’s always some guy prowling to get his dick wet, and we both know he won’t take no for an answer.”
Ford laughed, hooked his pinky with hers, and tugged her away from the truck. With his other hand, he plucked a set of keys from his pocket and jangled them.
“I’ll extend the hours just for you.”
Daphne paused, blinking at Ford. “You should stop now. I’m going to start thinking you have the capability to be nice, and I’m going to get all the wrong ideas.”
He groaned as he unlocked the front door. He left her alone in the darkness, probably as payback. A moment later, the lights above the bar illuminated the room with a soft glow. Ford motioned for her to take a seat before he passed her to lock the door again.
Daphne glanced around. With no one else around, the restaurant took on a different kind of energy. It became an escape just for her. She let out a breath and eased into her seat.
“What will it be tonight?” Ford asked, stepping behind the bar once more.
She looked him up and down as she bit her lip. He rolled his eyes at her audacity, but that did nothing to hide the brick-red flush on his tan cheeks.
“I know it’s probably close to midnight, but I’ve been craving a peach mimosa,” she confessed.
Ford didn’t hesitate to pluck a fluted glass from the wall. He filled it partway with a thick fruit nectar before topping it off with bubbling wine. It smelled like summer and sunshine when he set it in front of her.
“Since it’s just the two of us here,” she said. “What color is your dragon? Mine is yellow, if you were interested.”
Ford sighed. “I should have left you outside.”
Daphne grinned, enjoying being the insufferable thorn in his side. She wanted to break down his craggy exterior to find the real man underneath. Without a doubt, she knew she’d find a whole new Ford.
“So? What color?”
He fixed her with a glare. “Why does this question feel like you’re asking how big my dick is?”
“That’s my next question.” She winked.
His growl filled the empty space. The sound wasn’t angry. It wasn’t even annoyed. That was the sound a dragon made when he wanted something.
“You don’t have to tell me if I’m going to find out at the end of the night.” She ran her finger around the rim of her glass and playfully batted her eyelashes at him.
He turned away from her. “I’m not the kind of man you want to take home.”
“Who said anything about going home? I bet you have a big walk-in cooler.”
“Woman,” he snarled.
Desire swelled in her core and made her throb. She had to cross her legs before she lied. “Sorry. Playing around helped me forget my stress for a bit. I didn’t actually mean anything I said.”
He never turned back around, so she couldn’t tell if he bought the lie or not. She tongued the inside of her cheek. Her body still burned with the unrequited lust that had nowhere to go. Ford had been nice to her. She couldn’t overstep the lines he’d drawn between them.
When she reached for her drink, her stomach growled angrily.
“Damn,” Ford said. “When’s the last time you ate anything?”
“Ah, I’m not sure. I had a microwave breakfast sandwich this morning, and then…” Daphne couldn’t recall eating anything else throughout the day.
Her concern for Evangeline had taken precedence. By busying herself with one thing or another, Daphne had forgotten to feed herself.
“Well, I can’t let you drink on an empty stomach. Sit tight for a bit.” Ford left through the swinging kitchen door.
Alone with her thoughts again, she fought the urge to get up and follow him into the kitchen. She didn’t need to hound his every step, though. As it was, Ford had offered to do something nice for her. He would probably just bring back a bowl of bar snacks, but that was still more than he had to do.
After ten minutes had passed, she wondered why it took so long to bring back a bowl of peanuts. After fifteen minutes, a savory aroma danced through the air and summoned another growl from the pits of her stomach. Her beast joined in with a hungry growl of its own and a hefty dash of irritation that she’d forgotten to feed herself all day.
Twenty minutes later, Ford returned with a plate of pasta. Heaps of parmesan covered long, flat noodles. Bits of bacon and charred cherry tomatoes glistened with a lemon and garlic scented sauce. He moved her wine glass aside to set the plate down in
front of her.
“You made this…for me?” Daphne didn’t know what else to say.
No one had ever done anything so nice for her. Not since she’d lived with her parents, at the very least, and her mother had never been a great cook.
She picked up her fork, all too aware that she would be the only one eating. She glanced at Ford, who leaned against the back counter with his arms over his chest.
“Do you do this for all the ladies in your life?” She’d meant it to be teasing, but his lips flatted as his jaw clenched, and she knew she’d hit a sore spot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. It’s just that I’m not used to being treated like this.”
“Someone should be treating you right. You can’t put forth as much energy and care as you do and not get anything back for it,” Ford said.
“Ah, but I’m expected to do it because I care. I’m expected to be fulfilled by the enriched lives of those I’ve helped. Women are natural caretakers, after all.” When her tone became bitter, she shoved a twisted noodle into her mouth.
The layers of flavor unfolded on her tongue, first with savory smoked meat and then with sharp lemon. The first bite begged her to take another. Her hunger overwhelmed her until the plate held nothing but smears of oil.
She covered her mouth with her hand while she licked the last bit from her lips. “I meant to share but…”
She caught Ford watching her. He wore a small smile, like he’d won a victory. That whole plate had tasted like victory, so she could kind of understand.
“Where did you learn how to cook like that? I’ve always wanted to learn. Living on my own, I eat out of the microwave more often than not.” Daphne hated to confess that she couldn’t cook for herself.
“I doubt you have a whole lot of free time on your hands,” Ford said.
“Believe it or not, this is my vacation.” She stared forlornly at her plate.
Rogue Dragons Series: Box Set Books 1-5 Page 43
