Page 13

Chapter Thirteen

T he whistle blew when the referee called a foul. The dribbling stopped for a moment, but it didn't take long for the game to continue. Sneakers squeaked.

Eryn shouted to another player to stay open, but the other team was better at defense than the Wingspan Dragons had expected.

Yael could tell Eryn was frustrated, even when he ended up passing the ball to a player who wouldn't do as good a job getting the ball down the court. The kid dribbled twice before a member of the other team plowed into him, knocking him down.

The referee blew the whistle again. It seemed extra-long.

A player on the other team held a hand out to the boy on the floor.

Yael watched the game with half his attention on the dread he felt. His mind went back to the button he'd had to press to send Andre money. It was just a click of the mouse. It should have been insignificant. So why did it make him want to puke?

"What's wrong?" Gavin leaned in and bumped Yael's shoulder with his own. If they weren't dragon shifters, Yael might not have heard him over the sounds of the game and the crowd who cheered and shouted when the Wingspan player sank his free throw shot.

Yael clapped, mostly because everyone else was.

"Nothing's wrong." Yael even smiled to prove it.

"Is everything good between you and Skippy?" They’d worked together long enough for Gavin to read Yael well. And he wouldn't let it go until Yael gave him something.

"He came over last night and spent the night." Yael didn't care that he had goofy grin on his face. Just thinking about Simon made him forget about his problems. For a moment, his gut wasn't twisted in knots. "But he's out of town right now. It's…agonizing."

Would that throw Gavin off the scent of the real problem? Not that Simon being gone wasn't part of the turmoil rolling through Yael. But Simon's absence created a gentle ache. It wasn't as unpleasant because there was the anticipation of seeing him in just over twenty-four hours.

Gavin narrowed his eyes. "That's it, huh? Okay, Yael. I'll take that explanation."

"Not that you have a choice." Yael smirked and clapped again when the Dragon's sank a basket. "It's true. I miss him. Like I haven't seen him in a thousand days."

Easton, who had said little up to that point, leaned against Gavin, laying his head on Gavin's shoulder as he met his gaze. "I don't like it when you go out of town."

Gavin wrapped an arm around Easton and kissed him. "I don't like it either."

When the game picked up, Wingspan caught up in points. At one point, the teams tied the game and then went back and forth in points. It was so close it stole everyone's attention, including Gavin's. Even Yael stopped thinking about everything else but the tension of the game.

It wasn’t until the game was over and Yael was shuffling out with the rest of the crowd that Gavin began interrogating him again.

Yael sighed. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Yael stopped in the gym lobby, waiting for Eryn as was per usual.

He noticed the Sterlings glancing his way and raised his hand in acknowledgement. He was in the mood to deal with them about as much as he was answering Gavin’s very pointed questions. But Mr. Sterling made his way through the waning crowd to speak to him, dragging his mate behind him.

Mrs. Sterling cursed and told him to slow down. At one point, their hands disconnected, and she got lost in a group of cheerleaders from the other team.

Mr. Sterling stopped in front of him. “I heard you’re mated to one of those dragon skulls.”

Small town rumors worked their way around town quicker than just about anything did. Yael sometimes forgot how fast.

Gavin growled. “Watch yourself, Sterling.”

Sterling huffed. “How can you say stuff about my daughter when you’re mated to one of those…those gang members?” He said the last two words as though they tasted bad in his mouth.

Yael chuckled. “One has nothing to do with the other. And I said nothing that wasn’t the truth. I also don’t gossip, Mr. Sterling. What I said to you and your wife, I didn’t tell anyone else. Not even the sheriff.”

Mr. Sterling wasn’t a nice person, but he also wasn’t dangerous. And for that, Yael decided to let the whole situation go. For now, at least.

Sterling stammered through what might have been an attempt at an apology, but he couldn’t get it out. His face turned red. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Gavin chuckled. “You’re smarter than him and he definitely doesn’t like that.”

“Is that what that was?” Yael had hoped for something different.

Gavin patted him on the back.

“I might see Mercury about this situation. Just in case it escalates.”

Bullies liked to blame their victims for their bad behavior. So did narcissists. And Yael didn’t fall into traps easily. Unless his older brother set them. He seemed to step right in Andre’s shitstorm and always had. He wasn’t sure why that was. Maybe Andre was just better at the game than most people. He was a serial killer, after all. He was actually rather famous for it.

Eryn came out from the locker room, carrying his gym bag. The thing reeked even from a few feet away. Yael had his work cut out for him this weekend, washing laundry.

Eryn grinned. “Did you see that last play? It was Micah’s idea. He won us the game.”

“You guys played hard. Good job, man. And congrats. You could win the whole championship.” Gavin seemed excited by it. The whole town was really. Yael included. Or he’d be more excited if he could get his head on the game. They hadn’t won in ten years.

“Thanks.” Eryn smiled but shook his head. “It was a close one, though. I don’t know if we’ll win the next game. The team is really good.”

One of his teammates. A kid named Arrick Venety yelled from across the lobby. “What did coach say, Joseph?”

“Change the script,” Eryn yelled back. “Go Dragons!”

Yael smiled at the comradery Eryn had with his teammates.

Eryn met his gaze. “Anyway, there’s that after-party thing.”

“No drinking.”

Eryn rolled his eyes. “It was one time.”

“Yes. And you won’t repeat it. But if you do, what do you do?”

“Call you. No drinking and driving.” Eryn might drink. He had before. But Yael was confident he wouldn’t drive.

Yael handed over his keys to Eryn and then turned to Gavin and Easton. “Will you guys give me a ride home?”

“Sure.” He met Eryn’s gaze. “You can call me for a ride, kid. I’ll come and get you.”

Eryn handed Yael his gym bag and then hugged him, before doing the same with Gavin. Easton was next. “Thank you, but I really won’t drink. I promise.”

Eryn took off shortly afterward, offering rides to two of his teammates as he left the building.

And Yael was left with a smelly gym bag and the black cloud of whatever Andre had roped him into.