Her Dragon Daddy, page 13
part #1 of Black Claw Dragons Series
“It was like riding a bike.” I took the glass she offered me and returned to the living room with her on my heels. “We slipped back into a camaraderie I haven’t felt since the last time I felt it with him.”
“Don’t let it consume you, though,” she cautioned.
“No, it hasn’t. I was just thinking that he’s been here for a week straight, even going to work and back from here. But I don’t feel a desperation to have him come back tonight. I’m happy to spend the evening away.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen you like this. With Cade, you didn’t have this glow, this aura of happiness. It was like he was a business transaction for you.”
I shrugged. “I think he was. I wanted a partner to raise Maddox, not a partner in life. Him doing what he did was partly my fault, really it was.”
Charlotte leveled a severe stare on me. “No, it wasn’t.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” I protested. “He shouldn’t have cheated, especially as much as he did. But I wasn’t warm. I wasn’t loving. Like you said, it was convenience. Business. He should’ve left me, broken it off when he realized I couldn’t give him what he wanted. That’s on him. But I never should’ve married him.” I took a swig and realized what I said. “No, that’s not right either. I’d go through twice as bad to have Hailey.”
Charlotte nodded. “It’s okay, I knew what you meant.”
Charlotte and I had been friends in school and after. When I moved back, both of us needed a real friend. She’d just gotten out of an abusive relationship and I’d finally, after five years, come back home to live in the same city as my mother, who still denied my existence. We’d leaned on each other, renting a small, two-bedroom apartment while we got our lives together.
“How about you?” I asked. “How’s your love life going?”
She smiled, but her eyes were sad. “I think Logan is cheating on me.” She sighed and refilled her glass from the bottle she’d brought with her from the kitchen. “I keep seeing little hints, but nothing definite that would make me sure.”
“Oh, Char. Leave him. You always pick men that are so bad for you.” I leaned into my friend and wished I could be strong for her. I’d had no trouble leaving Cade once I found out. Logan had been around longer than any of her other boyfriends, but it didn’t look like it would last much longer.
“Why do I do this to myself?” She set her glass down, and I wrapped my arms around her, reaching to put mine down. I held her as she cried, my heart breaking for her. She needed to change her life, but I didn’t know how to help her.
18
Maverick
Even though I’d only spent a week at Ava’s, it felt so weird to be back at the manor in my room. I was determined to take things slow with Ava, so we hadn’t had actual sex, even though we hadn’t been separated since the moment I tasted her again. Zephyr wasn’t happy about this separation, either, but it was necessary. I wanted to show her that even though we were fated mates, she was an independent woman. It was clear the direction her life had taken had made her strong and self-sufficient, and I never wanted to take that away from her. An alpha tended to be overbearing and jealous with his mate, and I wasn’t sure I’d be an exception. I would try very hard not to be that guy, though. I glanced up from my phone, where I’d been scrolling to distract me from my mate who was just a half mile away, and looked around my bedroom. When we’d moved back to Black Claw, I’d seriously considered getting my own place or building something on our land, but in the end, it hadn’t bothered me to move back in with Mom and Dad. We’d always lived together, and we all gave one another plenty of space. Dragons craved their clan, so Zephyr was all for staying.
Not anymore. Being with our mate was far preferable.
Maddox and I spent the day in the barn, getting the truck ready to hand over to Madd, though he didn’t realize it yet.
Maddox walked through my open bedroom door. I’d been wasting a little time, scrolling through my phone before I met Axel for a flight once the kids were in bed. Jury had agreed to sit this one out since Maddox couldn’t go yet, and Mom and Dad were exhausted from entertaining Hailey all day. Not that they’d complained. They loved it.
“Hey, Dad…”
My heart froze in my chest as I sat up on the bed.
It was the first time he’d called me Dad. I tried not to make a big thing of it, but Zephyr was bawling like a baby inside me, so I had to brush a tear away as if I had something in my eye. “Yeah?” I asked, feigning nonchalance.
“I just wanted to say goodnight. Jury and I are going to play War Thunder for a little while, and I’m staying on his floor. He and Axel found a spare bed while you were in the shower. I didn’t ask them to, I swear, but they put it in the second room up there.”
Jury had taken over the third floor when we moved back. Mom and Dad’s master suite was on the main level, and there were four bedrooms on the second floor, which Axel and I used two of. “You can stay in one of the bedrooms on this floor if you want,” I offered. “Hailey is going to be in the one between me and Axel. She was a little nervous about staying in a strange place, so Mom, uh, Nana, got her to sleep in there.”
“I know,” he said. “I went in and checked on her. She woke up and I told her where to find me if she gets scared again.”
I smiled at my son, amazed at what a good man he was. “You’re a good brother,” I said. He’d make a great father someday, hopefully well into the future.
“I’m good upstairs though,” he said. “It’s cool, Jury has done a good job making it like a man cave up there.”
I had no idea what Jury had done with it. I never went up there. “That’s fine if you prefer it. I don’t mind either way. Before you go, though, here…” I pulled the truck keys out of my pocket and tossed them to him. Of course, he caught them with no problem. “Take the truck and Jury and go get your mom’s car, if you don’t mind. It’s parked in front of the nail salon. Jury knows where.” I’d meant to send them earlier in the day and had forgotten until that moment. He looked at the keys, then back at me. “You trust me to drive your truck?”
I’d tried to instill upon him the importance of regular maintenance as we’d changed the oil. I wanted him to take care of his belongings, and though I felt like he was an amazing kid, he was still a teenager who might inadvertently take things for granted. “Maddox, I couldn’t have asked for a better son. If I’d been around to raise you with your mother, I still don’t think you could’ve turned out better, though I’d love to have had the chance.”
He grinned at me. “Thanks, Dad. I wish you had been, too.”
As he turned to leave, I added one more thing. “Oh, and keep the truck keys.”
“Why?” he said in surprise, one hand on the doorframe as he looked back at me.
“Because it’s yours.”
His eyes widened. “You’re serious?”
I could’ve bought him a new car or whatever he wanted. But giving him my truck meant far more to me. It would teach him basic mechanics because if it broke down, we’d be fixing it ourselves. And he’d know the value of something beloved passed down. From his father.
“I am. Take good care of her.” I didn’t tell him it was extremely likely he’d been conceived in the bed of that very truck.
He launched himself at me, toppling me over on the bed with a bear hug. “I will take the best care of it,” he said after climbing up. I could tell he felt a little awkward at such a big display of emotion.
“I know you will,” I said. “That’s why she’s yours. We’ll get the title in your name when you’re eighteen, or wait, maybe just because of insurance rates.”
He nodded and stared at the keys. “That’s cool.” His eyes lit up. “I gotta go tell Jury!”
I laughed as he ran out, his footsteps loud on the hallway landing and up the stairs.
It occurred to me that he might have woken Hailey up, so I cracked her door open and peeked in, but she was splayed out sideways on the bed, the moonlight streaming through the open window to show her sweet face sleeping with her mouth hanging open. I tiptoed in and tugged the blanket out from under her, covering her up. The old manor had central heat and air, but it still got chilly in the cold Colorado nights.
Satisfied she was out, I went to the living room and watched through the window as Jury and Maddox walked to the barn. The old truck roared to life and they pulled out to go get Ava’s SUV.
I stayed in the living room, joined by Axel until they returned. Once I saw them pull in, I turned away from the window. “Okay, we can go.”
“You’re like a nervous dad,” he chuckled. “We could’ve gone ages ago.”
I shrugged and walked through the house to the outdoor bathroom where we stripped down to our birthday suits. “I think I have a right to be a nervous dad. I’ve got seventeen years of nerves to make up for.”
Axel chuckled. “Just don’t suffocate the boy.”
We walked out toward the woods and shifted, Zephyr taking the reins. I’d been cautioning him while we waited not to go after Ava. He knew that a human friend was there with her and wouldn’t risk exposure just to show himself off to his mate. I still hadn’t shifted for her again, and he was butthurt about it.
How are things going with Ava? When dragons were shifted, the human part of us could communicate the way dragons did, in each other’s minds, but only on a clan-by-clan basis. I wouldn’t have been able to talk to Ava like this.
Really well. I’m taking it slow, but I started looking at rings tonight. Axel’s dragon, Asher, bumped into Zephyr. They were probably teasing each other, but in their shifted forms, they had a way of communicating telepathically that I couldn’t hear. I didn’t mind, though Zephyr and I were one, in a way we weren’t, and I wanted him to have that independence.
We soared over the trees, weaving around each other and through limbs. Axel and I discussed the merits of living at home with a mate, but I was pretty sure we’d live in Ava’s cabin. With the kids, it felt right to be on our own.
Don’t tell Mom until it’s all set in stone, Axel cautioned. She’ll be knitting booties.
He was exactly right. Having more kids with Ava would’ve been a dream come true, but we’d only just rekindled our relationship and hadn’t even slept together. My mother picking out cribs so she’d have one for the baby at the manor would put a pressure on the budding affection that I didn’t want.
We landed in the woods and hunted a bit, Axel bagging a rabbit. I was too distracted, thinking about my brother. He’d always been supportive, even though my alpha problems had meant he’d had to uproot and move to Arizona, too.
I’d expected him to stay with our grandfather when we made the decision to move back. He’d met a woman and gotten pretty serious. Grandfather and I had talked about what it would mean if he wanted to tell her about the clan. It would’ve been my first time making that decision for my clan, as their alpha.
But when we told him we wanted to move back, he’d broken it off with her and come with us.
Do you regret moving back to Colorado with us? I asked Axel as we flew back toward the house a couple of hours later.
He didn’t answer for a while as we sped over the trees. No, he finally replied. I wasn’t sure if I would grow to be okay with my decision, and I did regret it at first. But breaking it off with Jenna ended up being the right thing. I think if I’d told her about us, she would’ve freaked out.
That would’ve been devastating to Axel and the clan—and his girlfriend, Jenna. I’m glad you came.
Me too, now. I almost stayed. I wondered if staying would’ve meant I wasn’t in your shadow anymore.
I didn’t answer. I hadn’t known that he felt he was in my shadow, and I hated hearing that. And now?
I don’t feel like I’m in your shadow. Things settled and I’m happy with being a beta. In the town, I’m a respected deputy sheriff. My only regret is not having a mate, but we have long lives. It will come. I couldn’t replace my little brother, and it was right, coming with you. We’re clan.
We bumped into each other, showing affection until we got into sight of the manor. My dad paced back and forth on the back porch. His voice filled my mind. Shift quickly.
We were in our skin and had thrown our clothes on within minutes, joining him on the deck. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s a group of rogues down at the bar making trouble for the ladies that work there.”
“Damn it,” I cursed. As the alpha, this fell under the heading of things I had to deal with.
Axel and I ran inside and changed into our uniforms. Might as well put the weight of the department behind me.
We took my cruiser to the only bar in the county. It was near the border and generally didn’t cater to the most discerning of clientele, but we made sure it stayed a safe place to go have a beer.
“I can smell brimstone,” Axel muttered as we walked in.
“Yep.” I opened the doors to see a group of men, undeniably dragons, had taken over one corner of the bar. Several women were there with them, but none of them looked particularly happy about it.
Zephyr let out a low growl, which the dragons all heard. Heads whipped in our direction. I was a little surprised they didn’t smell us yet. They’d probably had a few too many already.
I released my pheromones, and whatever alpha magical shit Zephyr added to the mix, and the one sitting closest to the door’s eyes widened. He turned and looked at the man in the back corner. Presumably their alpha.
“Ladies,” I said in a deep voice. “If you’d like to leave, now is the time.”
Most of them took off, but the one sitting on the alpha’s lap stayed. As I walked closer, I realized it was because he had his hand on her waist. She looked familiar. “Ma’am,” I said once I was close enough to look the alpha in the eye. “Can you excuse us for a minute?”
She nodded and then jumped up. I waited for her to get out the door. I didn’t know if she’d come in with them, but what I had to say was for dragon ears only. “My name is Maverick. This is my territory.” I spoke somewhat surreptitiously so that if any humans listened in, it would sound like I was laying down the law as a deputy and using some odd turns of phrase. “We don’t mind visitors, as long as everyone behaves themselves and understands that we don’t tolerate trouble.” He had to have known that. My scent was on every nook and cranny of Black Claw, and if mine wasn’t, my clan’s was.
“I hear you, alpha.” He didn’t keep his voice down, but I was fairly sure no humans were close enough to hear. I let it slide.
“You boys have three days to visit. After that, it would be best if you moved on of your own volition.” I put power in my words, giving them no choice but to listen. If they knew what was good for them, they’d obey.
“We’re done, alpha. We won’t cause any trouble in your little town.” He scooted forward, and I stepped back to give him room to slide out of the booth. “Come on, boys. Time we moved on, anyway.”
He waited for his ragtag group to get their bearings and head out the door. He was the last to go. “Alpha, you should be kinder to those in your territory. You never know when you’ll need an ally.”
His words weren’t overtly threatening, but his tone was. Axel and I followed them out and watched them get onto bikes and into trucks and drive away. When they were well out of earshot, Axel and I walked to the cruiser.
“I don’t like the feel of that group,” Axel said. “Something was rotten with them.”
I agreed. My heart clenched at the thought of Ava being in danger from some upstart alpha trying to widen his territory or claim a new place as his own. I couldn’t live with myself if she or the kids were hurt because of me and my clan. “Maybe I should slow this stuff with Ava down, at least until we figure out what’s going on with this group.”
“Brother, don’t screw everything up because you’re a worrywart,” Axel warned. “We’ll keep an eye on things.”
I nodded but was conflicted inside. “Yeah. I’ll think on it.”
He was right, I was a worrywart, but the rogue’s parting words left a rock in my gut that I couldn’t shake.
19
Ava
Charlotte stayed another two days, and I was glad to have her there, but also, I was ready for Maverick to come back. I didn’t know why they couldn’t have both been there, but when we spoke, he kept saying he wanted me to have my girl time and not put pressure on, so I tried to enjoy the mini staycation. Charlie and I didn’t do much more than gossip and eat the whole time she was there.
Her departure also meant I had to get back to the grindstone with my freelancing. Tuesday morning, I hugged her goodbye one last time and watched her walk to her rental car.
Maverick was at work, so I called Carla and asked if she would let Hailey spend the night up there and take her to school tomorrow. I couldn’t wait another night to have Maverick. Talking through everything with Charlotte had helped me get some clarity. And she’d told me I was nucking futs for not sleeping with him already. “You’ve got that big hunk of sexy man sleeping in your bed and he’s not giving it to you?” She’d been scandalized.
“Maddy,” I said when the kids got home from school. “Can you walk Hailey up to the manor? She’s going to spend the night up there with your Nana. And you might want to think about making yourself scarce.”
His face darkened with suspicion. “Why?” he asked.
“I’m having your father over for dinner, and we’d like to have a special night together.” I wasn’t graphic with the details, but I wanted him to clear out and give us time to not have to be quiet and careful.
“Oh, gross,” Maddox exclaimed. “It’s one thing to know you two are getting back together, but it’s a whole different level of yuck to know you two are going to bang.”
Freaking my son out was one of my favorite pastimes. “How do you think you got here, son?” I asked with a wink. He jammed his fingers in his ears and yelled nonsense on his way up the stairs. He’d been in such better spirits since he started spending time with Maverick. Madd had told me he’d learned how to placate his dragon and could even sense him there now that Maverick had showed him how. He said it would get worse closer to his birthday, but for now, he felt like himself again.
