Page 29

“Yes. I’ve been looking for a way to move the clan out of our dirtier businesses, but Sean’s influence is making it nearly impossible. He knows too much. He’s unpredictable.”

“Because if you go legit, that’s another win for Lakeview,” Harley said. “He won’t be able to make money off you? Or what?”

“He won’t be able to threaten me.” I set the knife down and leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “That night, when I got locked up… Blakely didn’t know a damn thing about the shipment I got caught with.

She was a hangaround, but she didn’t know the details of clan business.

She couldn’t have tipped off the feds. Nor would she want to. ”

“You think Sean?—”

“He wanted me out of the picture. He thought that if I was locked up, he’d be able to swoop in and claim the clan himself.”

“Why couldn’t he?”

“Because he underestimated my clan,” I said with a small smile.

“Hawk and Striker ran the day-to-day affairs while I was gone, and I did what I could from behind bars. During that first year, Sean showed up to Lakeview to take control of the clan, and he was run out of town. He’d thought the clan would be eager to follow a new alpha—that they’d think my imprisonment was proof I wasn’t fit to be the alpha.

So, he figured it’d be easy for him to take control.

He wasn’t prepared for the clan to do everything but laugh in his face. ”

“Seriously? He thought the dragons would just roll over?”

I snorted. “Ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“I see why your dad chose you to be the alpha,” Harley said with a little smirk.

My dragon purred at her approval. “My clan members made it clear the only way he would ever be alpha would be to challenge me and defeat me. So, since then, Sean has been threatening to do exactly that.”

“But he’s failed once, hasn’t he?”

“He has. And that only makes him angrier. He’s been humiliated more than once. And that makes him unpredictable. He’s dangerous, Harley. He always has been, but now… It’s getting out of control.”

Harley pulled the brussels sprouts out of the oven, her brow furrowed in thought. “Does he have his own clan? Or is he totally rogue?”

“He’s got a small crew,” I said. “I wouldn’t really call them a clan. Three followers at the most, and then his watchdog—a wolf.”

Harley gasped. “A dragon and a wolf working together?”

“He’s just as unhinged as Sean is,” I said. “He’s caused problems for the clan even without Sean’s instruction.”

“Great,” Harley muttered. “Even more to worry about.”

I stepped closer to Harley and put my hands on her waist, tugging her close to me. I brushed the hair off her forehead and held her gaze steadily. “I’m not telling you all this because I want you to be afraid. I want you to understand why I’ve been taking precautions.”

“Like the panic buttons?”

I huffed a small laugh. “Yeah. Like that. You don’t need to be afraid because we’re taking all of these precautions. The whole Lakeview clan is looking out for you and Dylan. But I do need you to stay alert. If you see Sean, or if anyone suspicious approaches you, I need you to tell me.”

“Anyone suspicious? How will I know?” She dropped her gaze and hooked her fingers into my beltloops. It was a gesture of closeness, comfort, and my dragon preened with delight.

“You’ve got good instincts. Almost as good as a dragon’s. If your gut tells you it’s suspicious, trust it.”

She nodded, but kept her eyes downcast.

“What are you thinking?” I asked softly.

“This is exactly the kind of thing I didn’t want Dylan to get wrapped up in,” she said.

“We’re sorting it out. After this, all the clan businesses will be legit. We won’t have any more threats like this.”

“What does ‘sorting it out’ mean?” she asked. “How do you stop him?”

I thought suddenly of Michel telling me Sean wouldn’t stop until he was dead. “We dragons have our ways.”

Harley unwound her fingers from my beltloops.

I expected her to step away, but instead she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down into an embrace.

My heart hammered in my chest as her body pressed against mine.

She buried her face in my neck, and her warm breath danced over my skin.

My body felt electric. My dragon growled, purred, thrashed.

We were desperate to claim our mate.

I couldn’t. But fuck, I wanted to. I was desperate to press my teeth to her perfect, unblemished skin and hear her sigh in pleasure when the bond was finally fulfilled.

“Thank you for telling me all of this,” she murmured. “And for keeping us safe.”

“I’m hungry,” Dylan called from upstairs. “When’s dinner ready?”

Harley released me and nearly jumped backward, like she hadn’t realized exactly what she was doing. “Come set the table!”

I grinned. “Dragon instincts. He knows when the steaks are done.”

Dylan scurried down the stairs. He bounded into the kitchen and pulled out the plates and grabbed the silverware, then rushed to set the table.

Harley and I followed behind him with the rest of dinner, and we set it all out on the table.

We made our plates, and Dylan immediately tore into his steak with the shocking hunger only a pubescent boy possessed.

“Slow down, Dyl,” Harley said with a shake of her head. “Take a few breaths between bites. What video game are you sucked into now?”

His eyes lit up. “It’s so cool. It’s this big open-world exploration game…”

Harley propped her chin in her hand and smiled. She listened attentively as Dylan launched into a long, winding explanation of the complicated video game. I tried to keep up, but there were so many words and concepts thrown around, it was like he was speaking another language.

Harley looked so sweet like this, with her soft blue eyes focused on her eager son.

That was the first thing I’d noticed about her all those years ago.

I remembered it vividly. It’d been mid-morning, and I’d been exhausted from a long night of flying with my clan.

I’d stopped at the local café for a coffee before an even longer day of clan errands.

As soon as I’d stepped into the shop, my dragon had jolted into alertness.

It’d felt like someone had grabbed me by the ribs and hauled me forward. The rest of the world dropped away. There she is. My one and only. My mate.

Then she’d turned around, and I’d fallen into stunned silence. She was laughing at something her friend said. Her blue eyes had locked onto me, and her lips parted slightly.

Had she felt the same way I did? Like the world had stopped?

She’d looked so young, so innocent. Untouched. She shouldn’t have been in a place like Lakeview. She shouldn’t have given a guy like me the time of day. But my dragon knew she was meant for us, and before I could think better of it, I’d introduced myself.

Ten years later, she still had that air of innocence around her. She was older now, curvier, with more pain in her eyes and more weight on her shoulders, but still the same stunning woman who’d hooked me in with a single look.

“You should play with me sometime, Dad,” Dylan said. His plate was clear, even though he’d had seconds in the middle of his long explanation.

Harley smirked at me, like she knew I hadn’t heard a single word my son had said.

Shaken out of my reverie, I laughed. “I don’t know, Dyl, I’m not exactly a video game expert.”

“I’ll teach you. It’ll be like you teaching me to shift.”

“All right, you’ve got a deal.”

Dylan blinked a few times, slowly, like a cat in the sunshine. “Not tonight, though. I’m tired.”

“Eating enough meat to feed a small army will do that,” Harley said. “Let’s go get you ready for bed, okay?”

“I’ve got the dishes,” I said.

The three of us stood up from the table in near-unison.

Harley led Dylan upstairs, and I cleared the dishes.

I listened to them speaking in low voices as Dylan got ready for bed.

My dragon was relaxed, soothed by the knowledge that both my mate and my son were safe in our home, and the lingering feeling of Harley’s arms wrapped around my neck.

I cleaned the kitchen quickly, then went upstairs.

I had some paperwork to go over for the garage, a few orders to write up…

When I was done with that, I might have some time to stretch my wings before I fell asleep.

I’d do that if I wanted to sleep at all.

Otherwise, the feeling of Harley against me would haunt me all night.

The door to Dylan’s room opened, and Harley slipped out.

She’d changed into her pajamas—a thin tank-top that did very little to hide the perfect curves of her breasts and a loose pair of sweatpants.

Her auburn hair was long and loose, and she moved down the hall on bare feet.

But instead of heading toward her room, she walked past the door and straight towards me.

“Stephan, I, uh, I wanted to say…” She swallowed hard, and her gaze dropped, like it had in the kitchen.

My need to touch her overwhelmed me, and I wrapped my fingers gently around her wrist and tugged her closer. Her pulse quickened under my touch. This close, I could smell the soft musk of her skin. I wanted to taste her, feel her melt under my touch.

Harley gathered her thoughts, then looked up to meet my eyes. Her lower lip was a little pink, like she’d been biting it. “I know I said I didn’t want Dylan wrapped up in anything like this, but I know you’re doing your best.”

“I am,” I said. “I promise you that.”

“I’m grateful. Really. I know it can’t be easy to get out of this life. So, I’m really glad you’re doing it. And I’m glad you’re taking care of me and Dylan.” She touched my chest tentatively, then slid her hands up to my shoulders and around my neck again. “Really. Thank you.”

“Harley, you don’t need to thank me for taking care of my family.” I tightened my grip on her hips slightly.

“Still—”

“I’ll take care of you as long as I have breath in me,” I said softly. “I’d do anything to keep you safe, Harley.”