He’d been standing close by, almost protectively, ever since they’d left the mansion. She didn’t think it was just that they’d had sex, since they’d done a lot in the pool together and it hadn’t changed that much.
But after last night, maybe things were different.
She flushed bright red, glad none of the fae were looking back at her.
After she’d left the gym, she’d spent a quiet few hours in her room, reading romance and just trying not to think about what it would be like to be Chadwick’s mate.
She knew he was probably just caught up when he said that. The sex between them had been amazing, transcendent, the greatest pleasure she’d ever experienced. Her body already ached for more.
But she knew she needed to stay focused. Get the fae into the world. Go back to her life.
Up ahead, Boreas sent a stern glare at a group of teenage girls, making them giggle even harder as they leered at him.
But at least they didn’t approach, and the fae seemed satisfied by the effect of the new suppressors.
Ivar came up to tell Chadwick he and the others wanted to go to the food court, and Chadwick just gave them a nod. They had to get used to being unescorted without causing trouble.
Isabella thought about going with them but decided she’d rather stay with Chad.
Despite this confusing, sexual thing between them and the fact that her stupid heart kept trying to get feelings when it had no business doing so, she still felt safe with him.
Even after he’d asked her to be his mate, which should have massively triggered her after everything she’d been through.
She’d still wanted to stay in his arms, even though dread had passed through her at the thought of possibly hurting him.
But he’d been fine and let it pass and gone back to being his awesome businesslike self. Taking care of everyone around him.
She almost drooled when she remembered how she’d gotten to take care of him when he’d been tense, rigid, coming inside of her as every muscle in his magnificent body strained.
Good God.
She was so dazed thinking about it that she didn’t hear Chadwick when he called to her about a shoe store she might like to check out since she’d said she needed running shoes.
She was about to turn and follow him into the store when something stopped her. Something in the air, yet not there, that tightened her chest with dread.
Something that made her feel off-kilter, like something bad was about to happen. Her stomach clenched, and she put a hand to her side, trying to breathe properly.
“Bella? Bella?” Chadwick had her arm now, and she tried to jerk away before she realized it was him and relaxed. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”
She shook her head at him, trying to clear the black haze that flooded her thoughts. Her heart was burning, and her throat felt choked by black air.
Then she turned, and as if everyone in the crowd disappeared, she saw him.
Zareth.
His head was just above the crowd as he searched it, looking for someone.
He didn’t see her. Yet.
Ice froze her veins as she turned to Chadwick, grabbing him and pushing him back into the wall.
She hoped it would make Zareth walk past and not even see her. She hoped he wouldn’t see her either way.
She also didn’t want Chad to see where she was looking or to wonder at the fear on her face, her racing pulse.
So she kissed him and kissed him until his arms finally wrapped around her waist and he kissed her against the wall, hiding them both from sight.
Why was he always there for her?
And why was Zareth in her world?
She inwardly kicked herself for not expecting it as she continued to kiss Chadwick, loving the way his warm, glowing heat seemed to soothe all the chaos in her heart.
It felt like she could breathe, like the longer he held her, the more her pain went away. She almost couldn’t remember being afraid, being tortured.
She’d never been able to tell anyone about it when she was rescued by the wolf shifters.
But she hadn’t thought it would matter or that she would ever see Zareth again.
She continued to kiss Chad, and his calming energy continued to soothe her until she was flustered for a completely different reason.
She finally pulled back when she didn’t feel any of the choking, awful feeling from before.
Wherever Zareth had been, he was gone, and she could breathe again.
What if the fae saw him? Would they recognize each other if suppressed? She had only caught a quick glimpse of Zareth, but he wasn’t in true form. No long ears or glowing wings.
Like any of the fae, he didn’t exactly blend into the humans by dint of being too good-looking.
Luckily, as a human, she did blend in. There was no reason he should have seen her.
But why was he even around? Was this just the center of fae activity, or was he hunting her?
Nothing made any sense.
She looked up to see Chadwick watching her pensively.
“What’s wrong?” He rubbed her arms gently. “Why did you kiss me so suddenly?” He cupped her cheeks. “You looked afraid.” His thumb brushed over her cheekbone. “Please, tell me what’s scaring you.”
“I’m not scared,” she said, pushing in to hug him. “And thanks for calming me down. I thought I saw someone.”
Chadwick raised his head to survey the crowd. “Who? Ex-boyfriend?”
She gritted her teeth. “No.”
He kept his hand on her cheek, caressing gently. “The wolves who trafficked you were caught and killed, yes?”
She nodded.
“Then what is it?”
She took a deep breath, wondering who or what she should tell about seeing Zareth, when Boreas cut through the crowd toward them, the other fae trailing behind.
Isabella quickly pulled back from Chadwick before anyone could see them together.
“I sensed chaos,” Boreas said when he reached them, narrowing icy eyes as he scanned the mall. “Did you feel anything, Chadwick?”
“No.” Chadwick raised an eyebrow as he looked at Bella. “Did you feel anything, Bella?”
She shook her head. She hated to lie, but she didn’t have much of a choice. There was no way to explain Zareth.
Zareth had ensured that.
“It was faint,” Ivar said, mussing his white-blond hair so it stood in all directions. “Damn, that’s the first time we’ve felt a prince. So they really are here.”
“Does it have to be a prince for you to sense chaos?” Chadwick asked.
“No,” Flint said. “But given that I don’t see a huge fairy walking through the mall, the person we sensed is wearing a suppressor.”
Ivar nodded. “We don’t know how the other side’s suppressors work, since they’ve been infiltrating the world longer than honorable fae. But to still feel so much chaos… he must be powerful indeed.”
“Not as powerful as me,” Boreas said, cracking his knuckles. “Bring on the chaos filth and let me put an end to it. Then I can go back to my world and—”
Flint shot Boreas a look, and he shut up. “We aren’t going back, not for a long time, so you might as well get comfortable.”
Boreas glared at Flint, then continued to survey the mall, scanning the crowds for any sign of chaos.
“Are you okay?” Flint looked over at Isabella. “You’re white as a marshmallow.”
He’d apologized again for his rash actions when he’d grabbed her, and she’d easily forgiven him.
“I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her arms to bring the circulation back into them. She still felt like she could pass out just from thinking about the moment she’d seen Zareth.
She’d have thought she imagined the whole thing if the fae hadn’t all sensed something too.
Then again, maybe she’d just recognized the feel in the air and imagined seeing Zareth out of pure fear when another fae prince was around.
<
br /> Sure, that might be it.
Chadwick eyed her cautiously, his purple eyes cool behind his glasses.
“Let’s go home,” she said, walking ahead of the group toward the nearest exit. “I think that was a successful outing, but now we’re ready to go.”
The fae looked disappointed.
“But there’s a chaos prince here somewhere,” Boreas said stubbornly.
“We can’t let him get a human,” Ivar said, looking like he was trying to hide the fact that he was hopeful about getting to fight someone.
The fae really were a bit savage under that super-civilized veneer, Isabella thought.
“I’ll take Bella out to the car,” Chadwick said. “What if you all do a perimeter check, just in case you can still sense the prince?”
Boreas nodded, and Tynan made a little salute. Flint and Ivar followed behind, and all the fae took off down the hall, looking a little like an escaped coterie of male models.
Isabella just wanted to get back to the mansion and feel safe again. Lay on her bed and tell herself nothing was wrong.
Chadwick waited until the fae were gone, then put her arm through his as he led her to the exit.
Bella could almost taste the fresh air and couldn’t wait to get out of this stupid mall where Zareth could be anywhere.
They hurried toward the double doors where light was streaming from outside. Chadwick pushed them open, and Isabella took in a deep breath, glad it was so empty in the side parking lot where Chad had parked them.
That was until they walked out into the sunlight and saw a man dressed in a black trench coat, leaning against Chad’s SUV.
He was tall and strong, with a strikingly handsome face and eyes that were narrowed to slashes.
He stood and began to walk toward them, and Isabella had to fight hard to resist the urge to run.
There would be no point now. If she ran, he would catch her. If she fought, he would kill her.
And Chadwick would never be able to face him.
Her mind raced as she tried to come up with options so she and the dragon she was falling in love with didn’t die.
Chapter 14
As Chad stared into the glowing gray eyes of the man approaching him, he knew without a doubt this guy was the one scaring Isabella.
He hadn’t complained about being suddenly kissed, but he’d sensed her tension, her fear, her desperation, and more than wanting to kiss it all away, he wanted to protect her.
She shouldn’t have to watch her back at any moment.
As he stepped in front of her to shield her from the man walking toward them, he heard her let out a low moan of fear.
“It’ll be okay, Isabella. I promise,” he said reassuringly.
“It will be okay,” the man walking toward them said in an arrogant voice. The sides of his black hair were shaved, the top longer, and there was some kind of design in the shorter part.
He wore black jeans under the trench coat, and he was about as tall as the other fae at a few inches over six feet.
But something about him made Chadwick feel sick.
The man stepped about ten feet away, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’ll be okay as long as you give me the woman, that is.”
Chad narrowed his eyes as he kept Bella behind him and out of sight. He glanced around the parking lot, wondering if he could get away with shifting into a dragon.
Probably not.
The fae looked like he knew that, and his lips turned up in a cruel smirk. He was probably handsome with some other expression, but right now, he just looked eminently punchable.
He looked over his shoulder to Bella. “When I say, run. Get to the other fae.”
He didn’t wait for her to nod before turning back to the fae, rolling up the cuffs of his shirt. “We’ll fight for her, then.”
The fae looked almost confused. “Aren’t you a dragon?”
Chadwick nodded, still focused on fixing his cuffs.
“Then you know you will surely die if you face me.” The fae’s brows were drawn together in concern. “Do you have no wish to live?”
“Dragons are like pets to them,” Isabella murmured.
The fae grinned, having heard her. “Like dogs. Come here, sweetheart. I was wrong. Come back to me, and I’ll make it all right again.”
Chad stiffened at the fae’s familiarity. He didn’t know who this guy was, but if he put even a hint of that fear on Isabella’s face, then he had no right to even talk to her.
“I’ll fight you for her,” Chadwick said. “As I believe is custom for fae.”
The fae still looked perplexed. “I’m not going to fight a dragon. It would be like fighting a dog, as she told you. It’s hopeless. Just give her up, and at least one of you can live.” His lips curved up even more. “Besides, I’m not going to hurt her.”
Chadwick hated that smile even more. “True, because I won’t let you touch her.”
The fae took another step forward, looking supremely unafraid. “I will. When I’ve killed you. Perhaps this should be a message to all the stupid dragons who might try to stop us when we come for our females. And they are our females, though they happen to be in your world.” The fae prince’s eyes were glowing as he took another step forward. “But fine, I’ll beat you since it won’t take very long, dog.”
Chadwick tightened his hands into fists and focused, pulling up a power he hadn’t used in a very long time.
He really did hate to hurt anyone, but he couldn’t let anyone innocent get hurt because he couldn’t step in.
The fact that it was his mate he was fighting for just removed any reservations about how painful he was going to make it.
The fae gave a cruel smile as he reached for something on his back, but before he could get it, a ringing sound pierced the air, faintly buzzing, and the fae covered his ears and dropped to one knee, forgetting about whatever he’d been about to grab.
“Run!” Chadwick said, grabbing Isabella by the hand and pulling her toward the door. He shoved her ahead of him and turned back to face the fae, to check on his progress.
The man was rolling on the ground, holding his head, and Chad grinned viciously.
Time to show him that dogs could do a whole lot of damage when it came right down to it.
He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Isabella was running for it, and he walked back to the fae until he was standing over him on the ground.
Chadwick wasn’t usually the fighter in his partnership. That had been Trevor, the gold dragon.
But unlike a lot of purple dragons, Chadwick’s powers extended beyond visions and into things that some people might consider mental torture.
That awful buzzing and ringing in the air would bother anyone in the vicinity, but that was nothing compared to what it was doing inside the fae’s mind.
Chadwick kicked him viciously in the stomach, and the fae let out a scream that seemed more about whatever was going on in his mind than anything else.
“Empathy. Do you like it?” Chadwick’s voice was calm and cruel. “All the pain you’ve inflicted, you feel it, don’t you? You see, I don’t just feel the world’s pain. I can share it. The frequency is a little odd, but I suppose it’s lucky for me that fae are able to receive it.”
The fae’s teeth were clenched, his eyes bulging, and Chadwick met and held his gaze as he slowly crouched next to him.
“Now you’re going to tell me your history with Bella, or—”
“Never,” the fae grated out through clenched teeth, his eyes spitting pure hatred at Chadwick.
“Ah, then enjoy the screaming,” Chadwick said, standing up.
To his surprise, the fae was able to crawl toward him, groaning, veins popping out at the sides of his head. “I’ll never stop. She’s mine. And you, dog, are going to die when I find you next time. You’ll be the one who is screaming. I’ll disembowel you, and your stupid tricks won’t work!” The last was almost a shriek, and then the fae disappeared, leaving behind only a
haze of smoke.
Could chaos fae dematerialize? How had he just disappeared?
Chadwick’s adrenaline was still surging, and the dragon in him was still ready to fight, furious that his prey had gotten away.
Even more furious that Isabella would still be in trouble. And she still might not tell them what was going on.
“Chad!” It was her voice calling to him, and he snapped out of his daze as he turned to look at her.
She was the most beautiful sight in the world, safe and running toward him with blond waves bouncing, the fae coming out behind her, ready to fight.
Ivar had already pulled some odd, long white stick out from behind his back and was pointing it ahead of him.
Chadwick cocked his head, perplexed, but then was distracted when Isabella ran into his arms, sobbing as she buried her face in his chest.
“I thought you’d be hurt or killed. I’m so glad you’re okay. I—”
Chadwick just shushed her, stroking her back. “I’m fine. I’ve been around a lot of evil magical creatures. None has finished me yet.”
“I’m just so glad,” she said, holding him tight.
By the time Chadwick looked up, Ivar’s stick had disappeared, and Boreas looked furious.
“I can smell him. Where is he?” The tall man’s fists were clenched as he prowled over to Chad’s car where the fae had been waiting. “Where did he go?”
“He ran for it,” Chadwick said. “At least that’s what I assume, based on the smoke.”
Boreas looked genuinely confused. “Why would he run?”
“It didn’t seem like he enjoyed fighting me,” Chad said, only a little smug at the shocked look on Boreas’s face. “In fact, it seemed like it hurt. A lot.”
Boreas stared, and the other fae sagged slightly, realizing there really would be no fight now.
“But what did you do?” Tynan asked. “What could a dragon possibly do to a fae to make him run like that?”
Chadwick shook his head, then lifted Isabella in his arms because her legs were shaking. “Sometimes it’s not what you are but what you’re fighting for.”
He heard the fae go quiet behind him as he walked back to the car with Isabella, who seemed still in shock and happy enough to just stay in his arms.
Dragon in Love Page 9
