Chapter 13 #2
My phone buzzed in my pocket, jolting me out of the thought.
Tansy: Hey, Mom. Just checking in. How’s the mountain air?
I smiled, typing back. I loved that Tansy called me Mom now. There was a time in my life when I thought I’d never see her again.
Me: Good. Melly’s doing great. The town’s cute. Emmett’s okay.
Okay. Right. As if there were anything okay about a centuries-old dragon who looked at me like I was the last treasure left in the world.
Her reply was instant.
Tansy: Glad to hear it!
Typing… blinked under her name, and I waited for the rest of her message.
Tansy: Seth says the forum got delayed, and they’re doing a little side trip. Probably will end up being a week or two longer. I can portal you back whenever you need, but you’ll be alone at the estate.
My stomach twisted. I knew she didn’t mean completely alone. I had Flame and Blaze. And the brownie family that had moved in. And there was also a myriad of guards. And the gardener came by once a week. But Seth and Desmon were the reason why I felt truly safe.
Desmon’s estate was protected by spells and wards, so I should be okay alone.
It just meant that I wouldn’t be able to leave the estate on my own.
Tansy could keep me safe, but she had her hands full with Eadie.
She could portal me over so I could spend time with my grandbaby and hang out with Shelby and the other Redrock wives, but I could only do that for so long before feeling like I was imposing.
Me: I’ll let you know when I need you. How’s Eadie?
Tansy: She’s a menace as always. I’d suggest introducing Melantha to her, to see if it will help, but I’m afraid she’ll just teach her all the wrong things.
Me: Or just turn into a dragon to join Melly.
Being half-demon meant Eadie could take any form she wanted. She could also fly. The first time Tansy found her crawling on the ceiling, she’d called me in a panic to ask for advice on getting her down.
Tansy: Yeah. You’re right. Maybe later, when they are older. Call me when you need that portal.
Me: Sure thing.
I set the phone down, my fingers lingering on the screen. I could handle a week or two on my own at the estate.
Melly brought me a red play ring, so I took it and showed her how to stack it onto the post. To my delight, she reached for it with her paws instead of her mouth. This had to be an improvement.
My phone rang again an hour later.
Melly had gotten tired from playing and was curled up on a mat next to my feet with the stuffed dragon tucked under one wing. I’d just settled into the armchair with a cup of coffee Nak had quietly delivered when my phone lit up.
UNKNOWN NUMBER.
I almost didn’t answer. But something, call it instinct or maybe paranoia, made me swipe.
“Hello?”
“Elana.” The voice was abrasive and familiar.
My blood turned to ice right there in my veins.
The last time I’d heard that voice was in the courtroom just a few months ago, when I finalized our divorce.
It had taken me twenty years to actually face Samuel again, and it was to make sure every legal tie between us was severed.
I hated it. I hated that my ex-husband still had that power over me, that some animal part of me still flinched every time I heard his voice.
When I didn’t reply, he chuckled. “Miss me?”
I hung up, my heart slamming against my ribs.
Samuel was supposed to be behind bars. Locked up.
Contained not just physically, but with magic too, since with his magic, breaking out of a normal prison was no biggie.
I’d finalized the divorce right before they locked him up for assaulting Hazel, Seth’s wife, who just so happened to be a police officer, and like a daughter to Chief Henderson— yes, the same Chief Henderson I went on a few dates with.
Samuel was supposed to be where he couldn’t reach me.
I checked my phone, just to make sure I hadn’t hallucinated it all. But the call from the unknown number taunted me from the screen.
The worry I’d been holding at arm’s length crashed over me all at once. If he could call me, then he could find me. If he found me, then I was in danger. And the only thing that had ever truly kept me safe from him before was a dragon’s lair—Desmon’s once, and now this one, half a continent away.
I sat there for a long moment, the phone growing heavier by the second in my hand. Melly had started to fuss in her sleep, as if she could feel my panic. A little claw reached out, latching onto one of my slippers. I tried to calm.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Seth had warded me before I came, hiding the presence of my magic.
The concealment spell still hummed faintly under my skin.
I could feel it the same way one could feel those cheap one-time use makeup spells.
He’d tucked protective charms into my bags too.
And still, somehow, Samuel had gotten a phone number to a witch he wasn’t supposed to be able to find.
Did that mean the concealment was working on my magic, but not on me? Had someone found me the old-fashioned way? Was someone watching me, even now?
The door creaked open behind me. I glanced up to see Emmett’s chiseled profile.
He leaned against the frame, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
He’d dressed casually again, dark jeans and a fitted Henley that hugged his shoulders.
His hair was slightly tousled like he’d run a hand through it when wet.
His gaze swept over me once, and the easy humor drained out of his face.
“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I forced a laugh. “Oh… it’s nothing.”
His gaze sharpened. “It’s not nothing. Don’t lie to me, I can smell it.”
I hesitated, then told him. It was best I did anyway, because if I was here, then it painted a target on his castle and everyone in it too.
I told him about Desmon and Seth’s extended trip, and then about Samuel calling when he shouldn’t be able to reach me.
Then I explained what it would mean, that I’d basically be stuck inside the estate walls, worrying if I wanted to be safe.
Emmett’s jaw tightened with every word, and by the time I finished, a thin curl of smoke had escaped one nostril, and the temperature in the room had climbed several degrees. He pushed off the doorframe and stepped into the room, close enough that I could feel the heat of him.
“There is only one solution. You will stay here with me.”
He made it sound so simple.
“Stay,” he repeated. “At least until Desmon and Seth’s return.” His voice dropped, turning serious. “I won’t pretend it’s only about Melly. I’m a selfish dragon. I won’t let you walk back into danger when I have an entire mountain that could keep you safe.”
I opened my mouth to argue to tell him that this wasn’t part of the deal, but he pulled me up to my feet so that I stood directly in front of him. The closeness did something to my brain, and I couldn’t remember what I was going to say.
“And if you need another reason…” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low purr.
My brain immediately went there, imagining all the ways he could convince me to stay.
“I make a mean pancake.”
I blinked, processing his words, then laughed, my body shaking from the combination of apprehension and then humor. “That’s your pitch? After all that? Your final offer is pancakes?”
“Best you’ll ever have.” His grin was infectious, his eyes warm.
“And I promise not to let Samuel’s friends anywhere near you.
No one gets onto this mountain without me knowing.
Not even my brother manages that, and believe me, he’s tried.
” He held my gaze, and for once, there was nothing playful in it.
“You’re safe here, Elana. I give you my word. ”
If I went home, I’d be a target. With Desmon and Seth gone, with just me, alone in that big estate with a skeleton staff and the ifrits, Samuel would be tempted to try something.
But here?
Here, I wouldn’t be alone. I’d still be in a dragon’s territory, under Emmett’s protection. I could visit the town and take walks out in the woods. I was useful, helping Melly thrive. I was making a difference.
Melly was awake again now and clinging to my leg. I wasn’t too good at guessing dragon expressions, but I could feel it through the bond. She was happy.
“I’ll stay,” I said, lifting my chin. “I’ll stay. For Melly.”
“Sure. For Melly.”
I rolled my eyes, but my pulse jumped when he reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
His fingers lingered, just for a second, warm against my temple, before he pulled away.
My breath caught. His did too. I heard it, a small sharp inhale, like he hadn’t meant to be affected and was as annoyed about it as I was.
“Good,” he said softly. “Now come downstairs. Because I actually did make pancakes.” He reached down to pick up Melly, who he cradled in his arms. “Please don’t burn down the breakfast nook, Melly,” he begged. “I worked really hard on these.”
“Wait, so you actually made them? Like, yourself? I assumed Vito—”
“Vito offered. I declined.” He looked almost offended. “A man should be able to make breakfast for a beautiful woman without delegating. Even a dragon.”
“A beautiful woman, hmm?”
“I call them as I see them.” He turned for the door, and I caught the edge of his grin. “Are you coming, or do I have to carry you? Because I will.”
“I can walk, thank you.”
“Pity.”
I still didn’t know what to believe. Was Emmett charming me so that his wizard could gain access to my magic?
Or were his actions the result of an amorous dragon?
Despite my reservations, I picked up a few toys to keep Melly occupied and followed him out of the room, shaking my head, a reluctant smile tugging at my lips despite my reservations.