Chapter 7
Zed
“ G ood night, Cari.” It’s physically painful to leave her at her front gate. As much as I’d like to stay and watch her bedroom window until she shuts off the light like I used to an Apple Grove, I need to find a place to stay while I’m in San Drogo. She mentioned a hotel that must be close by, so I’ll try there first.
Retrieving my backpack from the bush where I stashed it, I look it up on my phone. It’s just on the other side of the park, so I cut across the grass in the right direction.
Damn, Cari’s even more beautiful than I remembered. And her scent is like being punched in the face in a good way. She’s definitely my alokoi. Thank gods I made the trip and didn’t just mail the letter. I never would’ve known for sure.
“You were right,” I admit to my feral form.
Mate , he purrs, flexing. Testing my control to see if he can get away with shifting and flying back to her.
Honestly, I’m tempted. A big part of me wants to just sit on the roof of her house all night like a giant gargoyle, warning away anyone who might threaten her. She seemed a little skittish, though. Wouldn’t even look me in the eye half the time. I don’t want to freak her out right off the bat.
It’s probably pretty shocking to find out that you’re a dragon’s mate and all that goes along with that. I’ll have to find a way to break it to her gently. Although at least it sounds like she wasn’t horrified by my feral form, so that’s one hurdle crossed.
Did she really beg to see other dragons like that?
Mate . The snarl inside me is angry now. Jealous. But the logical part of me is just really fucking turned on, because she wanted a feral dragon. I have to believe that’s because she wants me , the one dragon she’s seen in feral form.
All this time, she’s wanted me like I’ve wanted her.
My thoughts are interrupted when that Tristan dude pops out from behind a tree. I groan. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have to feed your cat or something?”
“What are you doing here, Dragon?” he snipes back. “And don’t give me that ‘old friend in town for a conference’ bullshit. TechMeet isn’t until next week. It’s no coincidence you ran into us in the park. Does Cari know you’re a stalker ?”
“Does she know you’re a demon?” I retort.
His glamour ripples and then firms up again. “How could you tell?”
“I know hellfire when I smell it.”
“Damn it.” He looks genuinely peeved. “No, she doesn’t. I was going to tell her,” he adds defensively. “Eventually.”
He definitely was not going to tell her. “For a demon, you’re a terrible liar.”
“Shut up.” He scrubs his hands through his hair, messing up his perfect coif. “Don’t say anything, please. I really like her, and I put in the work. No demon tricks. Not many, anyway. I’ve spent eighteen months getting close to her, getting her to trust me. This week is the first time she’s agreed to go out with me.”
“As a friend,” I point out, even though I’m keenly aware that I barely have friend status myself.
“It counts.” He crosses his arms, chin jutting out stubbornly. “Don’t blow this for me. I haven’t fucked a single succubus in over a year. Look at me! It’s practically a crime for this glamour to be celibate, but here I am, saving myself for a human.”
He seems earnestly infatuated with her, but there’s not even a question in my mind of letting him have her. “She’s my alokoi, dude. I literally can’t help blowing this for you. It’s biology. There’s no way around it.”
“Shit.” He kicks the sidewalk petulantly with the toe of his shiny wingtip. I’ve never known a demon to give up that easily, though, so I brace myself for what’s to come. Sure enough, a few seconds later, he glances up at me through narrowed eyes. “If you tell her I’m a demon, I’m going to tell her that you lied about the conference and everything.”
“Won’t change the fact that she’s my fated mate.”
“Nope.” He bites off the word like it’s a juicy piece of steak. “But it’ll make it a whole lot harder for you to earn her trust, won’t it? Especially if I embellish it with some choice details that she won’t be able to sort out from the truth. She’ll go running .”
I grind the points of my teeth together. He could really fuck things up for me. Demons get very creative sometimes.
He sighs dramatically. “These humans, so flighty and unpredictable. You want her to stick around? Then let me stick around. I’m just her friend, right? No threat to you.”
I snort and cough on my own smoke. “You’re literally threatening me right now.”
His form shifts, liquid in the air, his limbs rippling into a huge, crouched, purple beast with dripping jaws that spatter the concrete path with sulfuric drool. “Let me have this ,” he snarls in a hundred demonic tones, sounding like he has a church organ in his chest. He slimes back into a human shape, wincing. He wipes a stray bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth. “Just this one event. Two civilized monsters on the town with their little human friend. I propose a gentleman’s competition. Let’s see who she’d choose if fate didn’t always have its way. Humor me, just for the night. You’ll get her in the end.”
I have zero confidence that will be the end of it, but there’s no point in provoking a demon. Especially not when my reunion with Cari has barely begun and he could still ruin it. “Fine. I won’t tell her you’re a demon before Friday if you promise to keep your mouth shut about TechMeet.”
“Perfect.” Tristan puts on an eerily charming smile before vanishing into the long shadows cast by the streetlamps.
Ugh. He’s up to something. I really hate demons.
The hotel thankfully has a room available, one with a window onto the park. If I squint, I can see the grove of trees that blocks my view of Cari’s little pink house. It’s comforting to know that she’s so close to me after all these years. And tomorrow night’s date… who knows what might happen.
I’m not even going to think about Friday’s event with Tristan. It’s a non -event in my mind. He’s going to try to put a wedge between us, but she’s my alokoi. Nothing will keep us apart. Even if he had already snared her into some unholy demon marriage contract, she would still be mine. The fated mate claim overrides any other.
My feral form roars approval that echoes through my bones, but my more logical mind tamps down its triumph. Cari isn’t married or even dating anyone else, and that came as a huge surprise. Why? Because Gabe told me she was locked down.
A flame of anger licks up my spine. Why was he trying to keep us apart? It’s late, but Gabe’s still logged in to our dedicated work chat, so I send him a message.
Zed
about Cari
Gabe
did you write your letter?
Zed
I decided to deliver it in person. That’s why I called out today
Gabe
wtf dude
Zed
why did you tell me she was married? She’s not fucking married
Gabe
I said she was PROBABLY married
Zed
bullshit. You said married with three kids. Why’d you lie to me?
His typing dots bump and burble for way too long.
Gabe
I was just trying to protect you. Rejection hurts, man. I thought you could get closure this way without any more restraining orders being filed.
Zed
I’m a fully grown dragon. I don’t need you to protect me from the consequences of my own actions
Gabe
noted
My teeth grind together. It’s like he still thinks Cari would never be interested in me. Like she’d press charges if I approached her in person.
Zed
what if I told you I have a date with her tomorrow night?
Gabe
Don’t forget to jerk off beforehand. Don’t want a repeat
His flippant response annoys me, especially since he hasn’t apologized for lying to my face to keep me away from her. And she wants to see me. She was so cute and awkward and excited when we ran into each other. She might not feel the fated mate pull, but she likes me. She’s never stopped thinking about me.
She’s only dated dragons.
Zed
What if I told you she’s ?? my fated mate?
Gabe’s typing dots appear and disappear a few times before he sends another message.
Gabe
congrats I guess
He guesses ?! I log out of the chat before I say something I regret. He’s been my friend for a long time, so I know he has the best intentions, but he’s being a dick for no reason.
Well…maybe he’s annoyed that I skipped work to fly to San Drogo when we’re in the middle of a big project. That’s fair. I’ll make it up to him tomorrow. I can get some remote work done while I’m waiting to meet up with Cari.
I try to sleep in the crisp, white hotel sheets, but it’s impossible. My mind spins with date ideas, work stuff, memories of Cari. Eventually, I give up, pull out my laptop, and log into the hotel Wi-Fi. Might as well do some restaurant research for tomorrow if I’m going to be awake anyway.
Before I pick a place, I open my secret spreadsheet, the one where I record everything I know about Cari. I store it in the cloud now, because I’ve transferred it to so many new devices and updated the spreadsheet software so many times over the last fifteen years that I was afraid it might get lost or corrupted.
I scroll over to the “Food” tab where I keep track of the meals she’s mentioned on social media and skim through the screenshots and detailed notes on her most recent meals.
My girl likes meat. Prime rib, kebabs, juicy burgers. Perfect.
I want to take her somewhere fun, somewhere pet-friendly, somewhere where she can relax and sink her teeth into a delicious steak. Doesn’t take me long to find a casual place nearby with fantastic reviews, an outdoor patio that allows dogs, and a “Meatlovers’ Celebration Package” that I can book online when I make my reservation.
A date with Cari. It’s finally happening. If this isn’t a celebration, I don’t know what is.
Suddenly, I’m exhausted. The long flight hits me like a brick, and I’m asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.