Page 18 of Her Enemy Dragon Captor (Dream Team Shifters #5)

CHAPTER 18

A lex woke the next morning with Jane laying at his side, one hand laying on his chest, vaguely grasping at the material of his shirt. It was oddly comforting. Something he had never known he was missing. He studied her sleeping face, memorizing every detail—the curve of her lips, the faint freckles across her nose, the way her eyelashes fluttered as she dreamed. His dragon hummed with contentment. Mostly.

She had taken the truth well. Better than he'd dared hope. The weight that had been crushing him for days had finally lifted, again, for the most part.

Really though? Can it really be so easy?

Yes. Yes, it can.

He squashed any doubt.

We can’t afford this ... what is it?

Entertaining this constant doubt.

Right, take the win.

She knows. She understands. And she's still here.

Time to refocus on the bigger mission.

Keeping her safe.

Fine, but to keep her safe, we must defeat the Krita.

He slipped from the bed carefully, not wanting to wake her. She deserved her rest after everything he'd put her through. Last night had been... intense. The revelations about portals and alien planets, the Krita threat—it was a lot for anyone to process. Yet she'd listened, asked thoughtful questions.

"Where are you going?" Jane mumbled, suddenly awake, as she propped herself up on an elbow.

"Meeting with Jack," he whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead. "Go back to sleep. I'll be back soon."

She nodded, her eyes already drifting closed again. "A quick one, right?" she queried.

“The quickest.” He gave her arm an affectionate caress as he left her.

As he dressed, Alex felt a newfound determination. He reminded himself that he could not afford to entertain any remaining doubts. The alliance was secure. Jane was his mate. The Dragon Council would be satisfied. Now they could focus on the real threat.

Yet try as he might, a nagging worry remained in his gut. Small...but still there.

He found Jack in the command center, studying a map with colored pins marking what Lester and Alexa seemed to think were the most likely spots portals could appear.

"There you are," Jack said without looking up. "Reports from Oncara and the other planets say the alliance is finally stabilizing."

"That's something," Alex replied, joining him at the map. "Any word on reinforcements?"

"About three hundred bear warriors arrived yesterday. They are already stationed in the underground barracks. Seems there have been no issues between them and the jaguars, which is some welcome good news. We are expecting similar numbers from the rest within a few days."

"Better than nothing. And what about the Krita?"

"No change in activity patterns, but Lester's readings are... concerning. And not very precise. We can’t cover so many potential locations." Jack finally looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Told Jane everything, by the way," Alex said, as he moved toward the map. "Last night."

"Oh?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "Excellent. I assume it went-"

"Yes, she took it well." Alex still felt surprised at how easily she'd accepted it all. He stuffed down the little voice of doubt.

"Good. Glad that's handled," Jack replied, returning his attention to the map. "Now, we need to come up with some kind of plan to handle all these possible points. Perhaps some well-placed quick reaction forces."

For the next hour, they discussed strategy—patrol patterns, communication protocols, contingency plans. Alex felt energized, his mind clearer than it had been in weeks.

"Alex," a voice called from the doorway. "Got a minute?"

Dylan stood there, his expression grim. Jack remained in deep thought studying the map as Alex followed his teammate into the hallway.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

Dylan leveled him with a concerned look. "Look, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, and maybe it’s nothing... but there's something you should know about your mate."

Alex's dragon instantly went on alert. "What about her?"

"Obviously last night was a relief for us all... but I had already started to do some digging the moment Cindy told me about her-“

“You what!” Alex took a step toward him, his dragon already engaged protectively.

“You would have done the same... relax!”

With an effort he did not advance further. “And?”

It was just a simple background check, but it is alarming." Dylan shifted uncomfortably. "Her father is Lyle Donovan, Director of this Federal Bureau of Investigation – the FBI."

Alex stared at him. "That doesn’t mean anything!"

But he knew very well it couldn’t be discounted either.

"Alex, use your head. You have to set your mate feelings aside...or try to... She's not just some field agent. She's the daughter of the man who runs the entire organization." Jason watched him carefully. "Did she mention that?"

"No," Alex admitted. "She did not."

The little doubt and minor pit in his stomach was quickly deepening.

"Look, I know she's your mate, but this changes things. We can’t dismiss this. Not now. Too much is on the line. You can’t dismiss it."

"It’s irrelevant," Alex said, but the doubt was only growing. "Our dragons connected!"

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself? I’m not saying it means anything for sure...but we’d be fools to ignore. We can’t ignore it, Alex. Not now."

Alex turned away, trying to organize his thoughts. Did this actually mean anything? Or was it more noise? Just another distraction. He thought they had finally gotten past this.

And maybe we have?

Her reactions had seemed genuine last night. Her questions had felt sincere. But she was also a trained FBI agent—the director's daughter. She is trained in subterfuge.

He hated that he had to question her motives yet again.

"Do the others know?" he asked.

"Just me and you at the moment. I thought you deserved to hear it first."

"I'll handle it. And Dylan? Keep this between us for now. Don’t worry, I will keep an eye on her."

His dragon tore at his skin. Could she be betraying him?

As Dylan walked away, Alex leaned against the wall, his earlier optimism evaporating. Was Jane truly his mate, accepting her new reality? Or was she playing him, gathering intelligence for her father's agency?

His dragon roared in protest at the very suggestion, but Alex couldn't ignore the facts. She hadn't mentioned her father's position. She'd accepted his fantastical story with minimal resistance. And now she had access to their base, their plans, their allies.

What if I've been a fool?

If Jane betrayed them to human authorities, it could disrupt everything when they could least afford it.

And if that leads to the Krita destroying us, her and I will never have a chance together anyhow.

As much as it pained him, he knew what he had to do, though he wasn’t happy about it. But this wasn’t just about him. The lives of countless beings across multiple planets depended on their success.

Once we defeat the Krita—if we defeat them—then we can sort this out.

Alex headed back to his house, contemplating how he would address things with Jane the entire way.

The thought of upsetting her weighed on him heavily.

I will not... cannot do so.

Some things were larger than himself though.

I do not care.

Her wellbeing is paramount...

His dragon huffed in a rare sign of agreement it seemed.

Finally arriving at his home, he found Jane exploring the back yard.

"This place is amazing," she said, gesturing at both his home and the land around it.

"Thanks." He tried for casual conversation. "It is suitable."

She smiled, walking with him back toward the house.

Alex watched her, even as his chest swelled with contentment. But he had to think clearly. He focused, wishing he could just read her mind and intentions.

Is she a spy?

He ignored his beast’s renewed protestations.

His dragon warred between contentment and suspicion as he led her back inside. Could he really lock her up again? The thought made his chest ache, but what choice did he have? He knew, he could not afford to indulge his feelings like this...

He was happy for the distraction when his phone buzzed. A text from Jack:

Captured an alien scout trying to access the compound. Warehouse. Now.

"Alien scout?" Alex muttered, forgetting himself for a moment.

Jane's head snapped up. "What's that?"

"Nothing." Alex pocketed his phone. "Sorry, I have to go. Something's come up."

His business with Jane would have to wait.

"Again?" She frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, um, sure. The team needs me. I'll be back when I can."

The awkwardness hung between them like a physical thing. Under other circumstances, he would have told her everything, maybe even brought her along. But now he couldn't risk it.

"Stay here, at the house," he said, more firmly than he intended. "Please."

He tried to ignore the stunned look he thought he saw in her eyes.

And as he left, he tried to shut off his discomfort at the feel of her eyes on his back.