Chapter Three #3
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! While nothing would make Jules happier, what would Moira say?
Time for some embarrassing honesty. I’m twenty-one years old and have babysitters who barely let me out of their sight.
Well, no, there had to be a better way to phrase the embarrassing confession.
“I live with my aunt and uncle, and they’re particular about who I bring home.
” Really particular. As in, he’d never actually brought anyone home before.
He’d started calling them Aunt Moira and Uncle Ray when he’d gotten weird looks for calling them guardians.
And while the name Moira was used in the human world, Radomir wasn’t, that Jules knew of. At least not locally.
Elouan folded his arms over his broad chest, though not defensively; more like he just didn’t know what to do with his hands. “Who makes the cut? Can anyone join, or do I need to fill out an application? Will you put in a kind word ‘cause I’m good at running off petty, two-bit criminals?”
Jules laughed despite himself. “No application, but at the very least, interrogation, and at most, light torture, and no one ever finds your body.” Moira’s words. Sometimes Jules swore she meant them. “Aunt Moira takes being protective to a whole new level.”
Elouan sobered, regarding Jules thoughtfully. “How old are you, Jules?”
“Twenty-one, why?”
“You’re twenty-one, and they dictate who you can and can’t see?” A touch of righteous indignation crept into Elouan’s voice.
“No! No! It’s not like you’re thinking.” Well, since Jules wasn’t privy to Elouan’s thoughts, he couldn’t rightly say.
“They do have my best interests at heart. They’re just really protective, is all.
” Or the best interests of the one who’d hired them.
No, not fair. They’d never given Jules any reason to think they didn’t genuinely care for him.
Elouan rocked back on his heels. “I see. Do your best interests include your walking home alone after being attacked? If they’re gonna rule you so closely, they could at least assign guards or send an Uber.
” He didn’t mention his truck again, probably rightly reading Jules’ reluctance.
Too many kidnapping stories on the local news.
Jules slapped a hand over his face. “If you meet them, please don’t suggest guards, even jokingly.” Then he’d never have a moment of privacy.
“I’ll tell you what,” Elouan said from behind his hand, giving a conspiratorial wink.
“How about I walk you close to your house just so I can assure myself you’re home safely, then leave?
It’s not for you, mind you, it’s for me, and I’ve been told I’m rather stubborn when I set my mind on something.
Actually, stubborn doesn’t begin to cover it. ”
Jules had to chuckle in spite of himself. Continuing alone certainly wouldn’t be advisable, not while his hands still shook. He also didn’t want to leave Elouan’s company so soon. “You’d… you’d do that? Why?”
“It’s like I told those assholes. My father taught me to make it my concern when someone needs help.” Elouan stood so casually, thumbs hooked in the front pockets of his jeans, ginormous boots firmly planted. An immovable object.
That’s what Moira said about alpha dragons.
Maybe the same held true for alpha humans, because no one would mistake Elouan for anything other than an alpha.
“Why, though? Not too many people would’ve rescued me.
” At least, not from what Moira said or based on Jules’s limited experience.
Humans tended to look out for themselves.
One reason she and Radomir taught Jules how to fight—then did their best to ensure he’d never have reason to use those skills.
The spelled pebble had come from a mage.
Elouan stared at nothing momentarily, giving Jules a chance to study his handsome profile with its strong jaw and firm chin.
“Because I have two younger brothers, and I’d like to think someone would offer if they needed help.
If it weren’t so late, I’d take you for a drink or coffee first, to settle your nerves, but I don’t blame you for wanting to get home. ”
What Jules looked for, he couldn’t say, but Elouan had an honest face, and if he’d wanted to cause harm, he could have done so by now.
But why does he want to know where you live?
an inner voice asked, sounding strangely like Moira.
While Jules would love some coffee and a chance to calm down before seeing Moira, he definitely needed the safety of home, and to get there safely.
He looked inward, but his dragon remained passive. So, it sensed no harm.
“Okay.” Jules settled his backpack more firmly over one shoulder. “This way.” Instead of continuing down the alley, he backtracked, taking the safer route, unwilling to take chances. The assholes could still be lurking.
He rubbed the pocket on the backpack, ensuring the stone remained. As long as he didn’t wrap his hand around the smooth surface, Radomir shouldn’t come running.
Whoever Elouan was, each step they took together promoted him farther and farther up Jules’s list of people he just might trust. Making his name third on the very short list.
His dragon remained decidedly silent. Well, except for…was that a purr?