Chapter 7
Ashton
"Thanks again." I shook Gavin's hand. It was nice having a friend in the police department. "How are things at the PD?"
Gavin's face blanched a bit. "Good until a couple of days ago. Someone was murdered."
Whoa. That was not usual. Nobody killed anybody in a town full of shifters. "What?"
"Yeah. I'm going to have to look up the last time we had a murder here." He gestured vaguely toward the inn. "This sort of thing notwithstanding. This murder was something else, grisly, man. It was bad." He shook his head. "I can't give any details—"
"—Of course, I understand. Just let me know if there's anything I can do.
" As a dragon, sometimes I had certain abilities that helped the police department. My sister, Aurelia usually dealt with anything they needed while Drake, Chance, Tyson, Zaden, and I slept. As a witch the curse didn’t affect Aurelia, so she watched over us, and our lair, ensuring the men I called brothers and I were left to sleep in peace until the next time we woke.
Aurelia was an enormous asset to us and to the police. But I wanted him to know I was available if he needed me.
After the police left and Laurie returned to her room, I focused on Erin. Concern swirled inside me. There was so much to tell her, and I didn't have a clue where to start first.
Slow and steady.
Staying at the inn would satisfy my dragon's need to be close to Erin while allowing the man in me to seduce her. "I'd still like a room." I kept my tone light and hopefully comforting. "If that’s okay?"
Erin met my stare and studied me for a long while before nodding. She turned on her heels and walked across the living room. I followed her to a small desk set against the back wall, in front of a window that overlooked the garden in the backyard.
Her hands were steady as she processed my check-in, though I could sense the lingering adrenaline beneath her calm exterior. She slid the credit card through the machine, her green eyes flickering up to meet mine, a silent acknowledgment of the anarchy that had just transpired.
"Everything seems to be in order," she said softly, handing back the card, one that, yet again, thanks to Aurelia, bore my name and an expiration date in the near future.
I tucked it into my wallet, feeling a surge of gratitude for my sister's meticulous planning.
Those little details: credit cards, an ID renewed during my prolonged slumber.
They were her subtle ways of looking out for me.
Unlike me, my sister was a witch. Our mother had been a witch and our father a dragon. The dragon gene was rarely passed to women, but nobody really knew why. It just failed to be dominant in our females.
"Thank you." I pocketed the key she handed me. The weight of the brass felt reassuring in my hand—not that I needed much protecting. If anything, it was Erin who needed safeguarding, and I was overwhelmingly drawn to fulfill that need.
"Can I ask you something?" Erin's voice broke through my thoughts, hesitant yet laced with a curiosity that wouldn't be denied.
"Of course," I said evenly, betraying none of the instinctual protectiveness that roiled within me.
"How did you do that? Take down that man with one hit?" Her gaze searched mine, looking for some semblance of truth amidst the inexplicable.
I shrugged. "I work out a lot. I'm stronger than I look." It was a half-truth. Yes, I kept in shape. Dragon shifters aren't exactly sedentary creatures, but it wasn't mere physical strength that had allowed me to dispatch the threat so efficiently.
She studied me a while longer, perhaps trying to reconcile the gentle giant before her with the lethal force she had witnessed.
Then she nodded, accepting the explanation—or at least choosing not to question it further.
There was a resilience about her, a quiet strength that resonated with my very core.
"All right then," Erin said, offering a small smile. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Will do," I promised, watching her move from behind the desk, her red hair catching the last rays of sunlight filtering through the front windows.
The wooden floorboards creaked beneath my boots as Erin guided me up the staircase, her delicate hand hovering near the banister as if ready to catch herself.
The scent of polished wood and a faint hint of lavender wafted through the air, an inviting aroma that spoke of the care taken in maintaining the inn.
Every detail, like the unexpected splashes of vibrant artwork adorning the walls, spoke about her personality, a captivating blend of warmth and quiet strength.
As I climbed behind her, my eyes were drawn to the subtle rhythm of her fine figure swaying ahead.
A silent magnetic pull that made my fingers itch.
I had to force my hands into my pockets, pressing them hard against the fabric, just to stop myself from reaching out and brushing against her, from claiming that silent, magnetic pull.
"This is our best room," Erin said, a touch of pride lacing her words as she pushed open a door at the end of the hallway. She stood aside, allowing me to enter first.
I stepped into the space, and immediately the air felt softer, hushed by the thick carpet beneath my feet.
My gaze swept across the room, taking in the grand plush king-sized bed, made up with fresh cream linens pulled taut and smooth, the pillows plumped into inviting mounds.
The large windows were dressed in elegant drapes, cascades of burgundy silk that shimmered subtly, promising not just privacy but a deep sense of intimacy.
Everything spoke of careful deliberation: the rich sheen of the gleaming bedside tables, the precisely placed lighting, even the subtle, clean scent of cedarwood mingled with a faint whisper of potpourri that hinted at luxury without overpowering.
The room had been well thought out, arranged to create a haven of undeniable comfort and refined taste, yet the luxury felt hollow without someone to share it with.
My gaze lingered on Erin, the curve of her waist accentuated by the belt threaded through the waistband of her jeans that followed her curvy figure, the pale skin of her neck inviting thoughts of tender kisses.
"Thank you."
My desire pressed heavily in my chest. I fought the primal urge to claim her, to cross the mere feet separating us and pull her into my arms. Restraint held firm. Now was not the time.
"Mine's just across the hall." Her voice was soft and shy as she gestured to the door opposite mine. "If you need anything during the night or, you know, have to save my life again."
"Appreciate it." The words were thick in my throat. As she turned to leave, my gaze followed the gentle sway of her red hair, each strand catching the light like flames dancing toward the night.
She had an inner fire, a vibrant, untamed spirit that drew me in completely.
It seemed to radiate from her, a subtle heat that softened her pale skin and deepened the verdant pools of her green eyes.
Like a hearth in a cold room, she promised warmth and light, and watching her move, I felt the deep, undeniable pull of our bond, a recognition of something fierce and lovely.
"Wait, where's your luggage?" she asked suddenly, pausing at the top of the stairs with a furrowed brow.
"Ah, I have some things being delivered," I blurted, caught off guard. "I like to travel on my motorcycle, which doesn't carry bags well."
"Of course." Erin nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. With another fleeting smile, she excused herself, leaving me alone with the thundering silence of my heartbeat.
As soon as the door clicked shut, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and typed out a frantic message to Aurelia.
Need you to send a box of clothes with a fake mail label to the Montgomery Inn in Stock Creek. Make it convincing.
I hit send with a twinge of guilt for involving her in this charade.
Aurelia: Do you care to explain why? Also, glad you're awake, brother.
I will when you get here.
That half-hearted explanation wouldn’t work with Aurelia. She’d demand nothing less than the truth from me. I didn’t want to go into via text.
When she learned exactly who Erin was to me, Aurelia’s maternal instincts would kick in. She'd want to ensure that everything, especially Erin's safety, was taken care of.
I set the phone down and moved to the window, peering out into the deepening twilight. The dragon inside me stirred. Erin was my mate, and though she didn't know it yet, I would do anything to keep her safe from the shadows that hunted her.
Tomorrow would bring its own challenges, but tonight, I had to trust in the bond that pulled me to her. For now, it was enough to stand sentinel over the quiet inn, guarding the woman who had unknowingly become my world.
The cool glass pane did little to quell the fire in my veins as I stood watch from my window perch.
Outside, the blanket of night draped over Stock Creek, a deceptive peace settling on the quaint town.
Streetlights cast their amber glow over the darkness.
It was under this cloak of shadows that I waited for my sister to arrive.
My dragon stirred within, restless, yearning for the freedom of the skies and the fierce claim of a mate, but duty anchored me to this human form, to this vigil over Erin's safety. It was a battle of instincts, protector versus predator, both equally part of me.
I’d learned that duality early, a raw truth forged in the remote corner of the American wilderness, when Aurelia had been a little girl. The memory, sharp and visceral, pulled me back.