Page 66

Dylan sat up. “My dragon’s annoyed.”

I sat down next to him. “Annoyed? With what?”

“There was this lady at the grocery store who was mean to Mom, and my dragon didn’t like her at all. It’s bothering me.”

“Some lady?” I glanced at Harley, one eyebrow raised in question.

She sighed. “We ran into Blakely.”

My dragon growled. I could ban Blakely from clan properties, but I couldn’t keep her away from public places like the grocery store. Admittedly, I’d hoped she might skip town, but apparently she’d only dug her heels in deeper.

“I got really bad vibes,” Dylan said. “Who was she?”

“She used to be connected to the clan, but she’s not anymore,” I said. “She got kicked out for being a bad person.”

Dylan’s eyes widened. “What’d she do?”

“We’ll talk about it when you’re older,” I said. “But your dragon could sense that. You’ve both got a good sense of character.”

Dylan frowned. He didn’t appreciate my non-answer, but I could tell the compliment pleased his dragon.

“You want to go play some video games in your room until dinner?” Harley asked.

Dylan nodded.

I squeezed his shoulder. “You didn’t want to leave your Mom alone, did you?”

He shook his head.

My dragon hummed, pleased that our son was already so courageous and defensive. Even a slight threat to Harley, likeBlakely’s rudeness, was enough to make him rear up. Once Dylan went through his first shift, he’d learn to get control over those instincts, but I was thrilled to see they were present. “That’s all right, but she’s safe now. You can go relax.”

His shoulders sagged slightly, then he leaned forward and hugged me. “Thanks, Dad.”

Dylan ran upstairs. His mood was visibly lighter from when I’d walked in the door. I stood up and walked into the kitchen. “Poor kid. He must’ve been on edge all day.”

Harley nodded. “I think seeing Blakely really shook up his dragon. I wasn’t sure what to do. He stuck to my side most of the day.”

“It’ll get easier. He’s still young and learning how to manage his instincts.”

“And you’ll help him, right?” Harley cuts off the stove and sets the steaks aside to rest.

“Of course.” I leaned against the counter. “What about you? Are you okay?”

Harley grimaced. “I’m fine. She was just rude.”

“Rude how?”

“Going on and on about how I ruined her life.” Harley glanced up toward the stairs. Even though Dylan was in his room with the door closed, she still lowered her voice. “Honestly, I wanted to sock her in the face.”

I huffed out a laugh. “She would’ve deserved it. She fucked up our lives and ruined her own along the way.”

“That’s what I said,” Harley said, exasperated. “She seems a little unhinged. I was afraid she might do something besides run her mouth.”

My dragon growled again, and I tasted smoke on the back of my tongue. “Did she threaten you?”

“No, not really—she seemed a little out of control.” Harley rubbed her temple and closed her eyes. “I’m okay, really. I know she’s not really a threat, it… I don’t know, it’s a lot to take in.”

I put my thumb under her chin and tilted her head up. Harley’s blue eyes flickered open and met mine.