Page 23

I like to think I’m an independent woman who can stand on her own two feet.

Hell, I’ve had to be.

But let’s face it—I can’t even go two days without having to run or be rescued

Here I go again.

After I got the message from the prosecuting attorney about the D’Angelo trial’s new date— moved up with barely any notice —I almost lost it.

But Zeke is here, and he grounds me.

Like an anchor.

It’s too fast and too much, but I feel better with him. Safe. Protected.

I asked if he could drive me home so I could grab some stuff.

We both agreed I shouldn’t be alone.

And now, sitting in the passenger seat of his truck, my heart slamming against my ribs like a prisoner trying to break free, I’m glad he insisted on coming.

Zeke’s been quiet the whole ride, his presence steady and grounding.

It calms something in me. And I almost feel like maybe there’s hope.

I want to check on my parents. I mean, we were never very close, but still.

They should be notified. Only, I’m not sure if I should do that.

Before I can totally lose my shit, though, something else happens to turn my world upside down.

We pull up in front of Avery’s old two-family house, where I’m currently renting one of the units, and my breath catches in my throat.

The door.

The goddamn door is hanging off its hinges.

From where I sit, I can see inside— it’s a wreck .

Papers are scattered, drawers overturned, my favorite throw pillow ripped open like someone gutted it in a rage.

“I locked that door,” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the rush of blood in my ears.

Beside me, Zeke goes still. Then, sharp and commanding, he says, “Stay in the truck. Don’t move.”

I flinch—not because I think he’ll hurt me, but because the tone in his voice is terrifyingly final.

My eyes dart to him as he opens the door and steps out.

He’s not just a man right now. He’s something more. And for the first time, I know what he is.

I can feel it.

Every step he takes radiates power, wrath barely caged in skin.

The mark on my chest— the one he called the Dragon’s Rose —heats like someone lit a candle beneath my skin.

I slap my hand over it, instinctively.

It doesn’t burn.

It pulses.

Like it’s reminding me he’s close.

That I’m not alone.

That he’s mine. And I’m his.

The moment is terrifying.

But it’s also strangely comforting.

And it’s that comfort that threatens to undo me.

When he returns, minutes later, his jaw is clenched tight and his eyes gleam with something fierce. Something I don’t have a name for.

But I know without asking that he’s already assessed every point of entry, already burned the memory of every possible threat into his mind.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, voice shaking as we head back to the ranch. “I didn’t mean to bring danger to your door. I should’ve?—”

“Stop.” His voice cuts through the apology before I can finish.

I turn to look at him, startled.

He sighs, then reaches across the seat to take my hand.

“You didn’t bring trouble, Casey. Trouble found you. Big difference.”

“I’m still sorry, Zeke. Maybe I should just go. Catch a bus or?—”

“No!” he barks, cutting me off so fast I blink.

His face softens instantly. “Shit. Sorry. I’m not trying to be a dick, Petals. But you’re my mate. Stay with me. Please.”

His voice cracks at the end, and damn if my heart doesn’t do a full somersault.

“Look, if you really wanna go somewhere, fine. But we go together. Just know—there’s nowhere on this planet safer than the ranch.

Not even close. We’ve got a Jersey Devil, three pissed-off Grizzlies, and a goat whisperer named Jed on standby.

You’re basically in the supernatural version of Fort Knox. ”

I laugh, even as my throat tightens. “I don’t want to go anywhere else. I want to be with you. Oh, my God! Gramps. I should call to make sure he’s okay.”

I fumble with my phone and make the call, speaking with the on-call nurse about taking extra security measures, which she assures me they will.

Zeke is patient. He waits for me to finish.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. He’s fine. Um, Zeke?”

“Casey, I don’t want to rush you, but I mean it. I don’t want you to go.”

“Actually—”

I shake my head, but the words won’t stay down. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, Zeke. So trust me, there is nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“You’re in love with me?” He says it like he can’t believe it.

Like he doesn’t want to even dare.

Warmth blossoms inside of me. Joy and happiness like nothing I’ve ever experienced, too, and all because it’s true.

I love him.

And I have to make sure he knows. I’ve just never been good at keeping secrets. Not even my own.

“Yeah. I mean, I know it’s crazy, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since Avery and Dante’s wedding.

Even when I thought you hated me, I thought about you.

And now, well, being away from you the last two days has been awful.

So, if it isn’t love I don’t know what to call this. ”

I gesture between us, wiping at the tears flowing down my cheeks. I don’t know if they’re happy tears or not. It’s just too much emotion to contain, I guess.

“Okay, that was a lot. Now, give me a second to catch up,” he says, and chooses his words before opening his mouth.

“First, I never hated you. I never will. It’s not even possible. I was just trying to save you from what I am.”

“You mean your Dragon. Why?” I ask, curious.

“Cause I’m a monster,” he says, and his voice gets growly at the end.

“Bullshit.”

I won’t even consider his words.

“What?” he asks, eyebrows raised.

“I don’t care what you’ve done, Zeke Gordon, or what you can turn into, but you are no monster. I’ve met monsters. They’re cold. Hard. And they don’t care about anyone. Everything I know about you is the opposite.”

He takes a moment, and I watch his throat work as he swallows a bit of emotion. And I swear, I fall in love with him a little bit more.

“Okay. Second, you asked what else do you call this thing between us? Well, I call it fate, Petals. But just for the record, I’m in love with you, too.”

He looks at me as he says it, and those crazy purple eyes of his glow with his beast. I notice for the first time the vertical slit to his pupils and my heart constricts.

This man.

He really is magic. And even better?

He gets me.

He really gets me.

I know I’m in so much trouble with him. But it’s the good kind.

“Oh, also, for the record, I kinda eat bad guys for breakfast.” His gaze flicks back to mine for a brief second. “Literally.”

That makes me laugh. Or maybe sob.

It comes out as a weird, broken sound that catches in my throat.

“I never wanted to drag you into my mess.”

“I’m already in it, Petals,” he says gently. “And I’m not going anywhere. You call the shots. We can go as slow or as fast as you want. But you and me? We’re the real deal, Petals. You’re mine. And I’m not letting anyone hurt what’s mine.”

What’s mine.

It shouldn’t feel good to be claimed like that.

But with him it does.

It feels like the first time someone’s ever stood between me and the storm without expecting anything in return.

And I don’t feel weak or stupid or crazy for wanting him.

I just feel wanted .

Needed.

Safe.

Loved.

Zeke isn’t anything like my ex.

He doesn’t want to control me—he just wants to protect me.

Cherish me.

And looking back through my memories at the shadows of all the wreckage I left behind, I suddenly want what he’s offering me more than anything.

Maybe I don’t have it all figured out.

But I know one thing for certain.

I’m done running.

“Okay,” I say, exhaling slowly, “we go to the ranch, and uh… I guess I call a moving company?”

Zeke glances at me, one brow lifting like I just suggested summoning a demon to help us load boxes.

“A moving company?”

“Well, yeah.” I shrug. “How else am I gonna get my stuff to the cabin?”

For a second, he just stares. Then he grins— wide and a little too pleased with himself .

It does dangerous things to my insides.

Then the grin fades. Replaced by a tight frown.

His fingers curl around the steering wheel like he’s trying not to break it in half.

“Actually, uh, I think we’ll just buy you new stuff. That cool?”

My stomach flips. “Oh. Did they, uh, did they ruin it all?”

He nods once, jaw clenched hard.

“Yeah. I looked in every room when I checked the place. Those pieces of shit trashed everything. I’m so sorry, Casey. I should’ve kept you from this?—”

“Don’t be silly. I didn’t even know you then.”

I lick my lips and try not to think about my ruined books, my half-burned couch, the pillow I cried into when I first left home.

None of it was expensive.

None of it was fancy.

But it was mine.

“Still,” he begins.

“No. Look, it’s definitely not your fault, okay?” I murmur. “Besides, I wasn’t really attached to any of it. I mean, stuff is just stuff, right? We can start again. Together. If you want. I mean—” I glance down at my lap, suddenly unsure. “Only if you want.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Then his big, calloused hand wraps around mine, warm and firm and steady. He squeezes like he’s anchoring me in place.

“Oh, I want, Petals. I want you . With me. For good. Got it?”

My heart thunders in my chest, cheeks heating under the weight of those words.

I nod. “Yeah. I got it. Me, too.”

And for the first time in a long time, I really, really believe I’m right where I belong.