Chapter One #3
“There might not be one. We just don’t know until we talk to him, and we haven’t had the opportunity today. We were going to, but then the alarm went off, and it didn’t stop for the rest of the shift. We barely had time to eat lunch.”
Jonathan made a cooing sound and patted his boyfriend on the arm. Those two were revolting, but Ethan didn’t dare say that out loud. He wanted to hear about the new dragon shifter.
There was no way to know if this guy would be part of his life.
West and Austin both were, but even though they were dragon shifters, he trusted them.
He was sure that at least one of them suspected what he was, but neither of them had asked or said anything about it, and Ethan hadn’t brought it up.
He hoped things would continue that way, but having a new dragon shifter in the picture might change things.
West and Austin were incredibly close to their team.
In fact, Ethan had attended a few cookouts at which that team had been present, and he’d liked every person there.
They were all human, so they had no idea what he was.
But not this guy.
“Start from the beginning,” Jonathan said. “What’s his name? How old is he? Do you really think he’s going to start trouble?”
“His name is Liam, and he’s in his mid-twenties. Like I said, I don’t know anything about him except his name and that he’s a dragon shifter.”
“So you’re catastrophizing for no reason. You don’t know how he feels about having more dragon shifters on the team. I’m sure he was as surprised as you were.”
“I guess. He looked like he’d seen a ghost for a while there.”
“He’s probably freaking out even worse than you and Austin are because he doesn’t know what you’re going to do.
The two of you are already part of the team.
You’re established with them and at the station.
He’s just a probie, so I’m sure he fully expects to get kicked out if anything was to happen with you and Austin. ”
“There’s no way Taylor would choose him over us.”
“So maybe Liam isn’t wrong to be worried.”
Voices from the front of the shop made the three of them look up. Jonathan didn’t react beyond that, but Ethan tensed. He recognized Austin’s voice, but not the other one. Considering that West was just as tense, Ethan had a good idea who that person was.
“Hey,” Austin said as he strode in, quickly followed by a stranger.
He was tall, with blond curls and blue eyes, an all-American golden boy.
He appeared a little shy as he took in the room, his gaze bouncing from object to object before landing on West, Jonathan, and Ethan.
It looked like he was taking them in and wondering if they would fight him.
Ethan definitely wouldn’t. He wasn’t quite sure about West, though.
“You can relax,” Austin said, turning towards the newcomer. “Everyone here knows about shifters. You don’t have to worry about keeping that secret.”
The stranger’s shoulders unclenched as if he was obeying Austin. Ethan really wished Austin had given them a heads-up about bringing the guy here. He wouldn’t have been in the room if he’d known.
“Liam, this is Jonathan, West’s boyfriend, and Ethan. Guys, this is Liam, our new probie. He’s also a dragon shifter.”
Liam gave a little wave, and his cheeks flushed. Jonathan got to his feet to say hello, but Ethan stayed where he was, hoping no one would notice. There was no way he was getting anywhere near Liam.
He trusted Austin and West, at least in part. The reason he did was that he knew West loved Jonathan and that he would never do anything to hurt him, including coming after one of his best friends. Austin was dating another one of Ethan’s friends, so Ethan wasn’t worried about him, either.
But he didn’t know Liam. He didn’t know how Liam would take what he was. Would he be horrified? Would he demand an explanation, maybe details? That was what shifters usually did when they realized what Ethan was. They wanted to know exactly what he was, and they were never happy with his answer.
“It’s good to meet you,” Jonathan told Liam. “West mentioned getting a new firefighter at the station, and I was curious about you.”
Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s good to meet you, too. I wasn’t sure what to think when Austin asked me if I wanted to go to a tattoo shop.”
Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Knowing him, he didn’t give you any other details.”
“He didn’t.”
“Hey,” Austin argued. “I just thought it would be a good idea. Liam’s going to work with us. He’s part of the team now, and he should know you guys.”
“Well, why don’t we all go to dinner tonight?” Jonathan offered. “That way, we can sit around a table and talk. Liam can get to know everyone. And we can get to know him.”
“There’s not much to say about me,” Liam said as he shuffled his feet. Ethan noticed him glancing his way, and his stomach dropped. Had Liam been able to smell him? He was a little far, but some dragons had a better sense of smell than others.
As long as Liam didn’t make a scene, Ethan didn’t really care. The man could smell whatever he wanted off of him. He wouldn’t allow this guy or anyone else to hurt his friends, though, especially Jonathan after everything he’d gone through.
Liam didn’t know that. He wouldn’t know until Ethan told him, and Ethan wasn’t about to get anywhere near him. Instead, he raised his chin and stared Liam down.
* * * *
LIAM HAD NO IDEA WHAT was going on. One moment, he was getting ready to go home after his first shift at the station, and the next, Austin had wrangled him into going with him to a tattoo shop.
He’d been extremely confused, and he still was, although not in the same way.
Now, he understood why Austin had wanted him to come.
West’s boyfriend worked here, and for some reason, Austin wanted Liam to know him.
Liam wasn’t sure the same went for West, so he kept his distance from Jonathan, just in case.
He didn’t want the dragon shifter to kick his ass because he stepped too close to his boyfriend.
Jonathan wasn’t who Liam was interested in, anyway.
When he and Austin had walked into the room, he’d noticed the man sitting at the small table almost instantly.
It was impossible not to. The man’s eyes were so dark they might as well be black, and they were so intense that they made Liam want to lose himself in them.
His hair was just as dark and fell in front of his forehead, partially hiding his face.
Liam wished he could push that hair away to get a better view, but instead, he’d waved like an idiot and was now standing there, listening to Jonathan making plans for dinner.
He wondered if Ethan was silently laughing at him.
What the fuck was it about him and waving like a child today?
Couldn’t he behave like an adult meeting other adults?
He could’ve shaken Jonathan and Ethan’s hands.
He could’ve said something funny to make them smile.
Well, Jonathan was smiling, but it was at West, not at Liam.
Liam would be the first to admit that he was a dork, but he didn’t usually feel so out of his depth.
Of course, he didn’t usually spend any amount of time with people who weren’t part of his clan.
It was one of the reasons he decided he wanted this job.
He wanted to meet people, to open up his life.
His mother was terrified that meant he’d have to deal with unsavory people, and he hoped to prove her wrong.
So far, she seemed to be. Everyone at the station had been great, and even Austin and West were nice.
Liam was still a little wary, and he suspected he would be until he got to know them better, but it was a great step forward.
“Where should we go?” Jonathan asked.
“Wherever you want,” West told him. He sounded so much in love that it made Liam’s stomach churn.
That was another reason he’d decided to work outside of his clan.
He’d never meet anyone if he didn’t. He wanted to.
It was clear that West and Jonathan were happy together, and Liam wanted the same.
Well, not with either of them. West wasn’t his type, and he was pretty sure the other dragon would tear him limb from limb if he ever dared to look at Jonathan that way.
“I’m sure Caleb will want to be there,” Austin said, taking out his phone. “Who else is coming? Ethan?”
Ethan wiggled in his chair. It made him look like he was nervous, which didn’t make sense. Why would he be nervous to spend time with Liam? He didn’t know Liam, and Liam didn’t think of himself as being threatening. Hell, he’d waved like a child.