Page 8

Chapter Eight

I stared in horror at the destruction. “What the fuck?”

The living room had gone from tidy to looking as if a tornado had ripped through. The coffee table was tipped over, along with everything on it. Cushions from the couch lay strewn all over the floor.

Abaddon pointed. “She started it.”

She being the cat currently perched atop a bookcase, hissing down at my pet.

“Princess! Are you okay?” Maddox strode for her, his expression and body tight with concern.

The cat yowled and leaped for him, apparently something she’d done before since Maddox easily caught her and held her close.

“Don’t let her fool you,” Abaddon insisted. “She’s evil.”

“Enough,” I barked. “We’re leaving. Now.”

That grabbed Maddox’s attention. “Princess is fine. No need to go.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, there is. I’m sorry. This is your and Princess’ home. She shouldn’t have to defend herself from someone who should know better.” I glared at Abaddon.

A mulish expression on his face went with his crossed arms. “She purposely goaded me.”

“I don’t give a fuck. A dragon should be above such pettiness,” I scolded. “Let’s go.”

Maddox shook his head. “Are you sure you want to drive? The offer of the spare room is still available.”

And worry all night that Abaddon might slip out and eat his cat? No thanks. Besides, my annoyance at Abaddon managed to sober me.

“It was only a few glasses. I’ll be fine.”

He grabbed his keys and tried to hand them to me. “Take my truck. It will be easier for you to carry Abaddon.”

“No need. We’ll make do on my bike. Thank you for dinner. I’ll replace anything that’s broken, of course. Just let me know what I owe.”

“Pip—” Maddox appeared torn but I remained resolute.

“Good night, Mad.”

I scooped up Abaddon and went trotting down the stairs, rigid with anger. A nice evening ruined by a bratty lizard.

My brisk stride to the tattoo shop where I’d left my bike took only minutes, during which Abaddon remained silent. We encountered no one. Then again, what would anyone say? I’m sure a woman carrying a lizard isn’t the weirdest thing to have walked these sidewalks.

Only when I unstrapped the saddlebag flap did Abaddon protest. “You can’t expect me to travel in that!”

“You will, and you will be quiet about it,” I snapped. “There’s nowhere else for you to sit.”

“It’s undignified.”

“Then I guess you should have thought of that before being an asshole to the cat.”

“The feline started it,” grumbled Abaddon as he reluctantly settled in the saddlebag where he fit for the moment.

“The cat did not grab things and throw them,” I retorted as I gunned my engine, and we set off.

“What else could I do when it climbed where I couldn’t reach it?” Abaddon complained loud enough for me to hear over the noise of the motor.

“Ever thought of leaving it alone?” I huffed with a raised voice. The rumble of my motorcycle was loud, but my annoyance was even greater.

“Do nothing after it taunted me? The shame,” grumbled my pet.

“Even if the cat goaded you, you should have known better. Behaved better. Had some control. You know, for someone who claims he’s some majestic dragon, you acted like a petulant child.”

“I’m sorry.”

The apology was so faint I almost missed it. It also surprised me. Did Abaddon feel actual contrition, or was this more about disappointing me? Either way, the chiding had to be done. He might have some grandiose idea about dragons and how they supposedly treated people—and beloved pets—but that didn’t mean I had to tolerate it.

We stopped for a red light, the last until the long stretch home, and with no one around, I flipped back the cover on the bag. “Are you actually sorry?”

A woebegone Abaddon nodded. “You are correct. I allowed a lesser creature to goad me. I shall strive to rise above the next time.”

“Assuming there is one.” While Maddox had claimed I didn’t have to go, and that everything was fine, a part of me couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if we’d not heard the ruckus. Would Abaddon have harmed Princess? What if he lied to me now and we returned and he did do something? Maddox would be devastated, with reason.

“I shall make it up to my protector.”

“I doubt he’ll want either of us near him now.” I’d seen his face when he saw his cat threatened. The usually mellow man had turned hard in that moment. Sexy as fuck, I should add. But he shouldn’t have been put in that position in his own home. All because I had a naughty dragon with no manners.

“The male will not abandon us.”

“Says you.” The light changed and I gunned the bike, the fresh air doing much to clear my mind.

Even Abaddon enjoyed it. “Whee.” He poked his head out of the bag. Like a dog, he angled his face to catch the wind.

The childlike enjoyment softened my anger. I slowed the bike to a stop and said, “Get between my legs.”

“Really?” He wasted no time scrabbling from the saddlebag to the crevice between my thighs, his body short enough he didn’t impede my arms and ability to steer.

We took off, just a woman and her dragon riding a steel horse into the night. The empty road was wide and beckoning. I was almost tempted to keep on driving. Just keep going …

To where?

Everything I owned was in the trailer. My life, my friends, my job were in Terrace. Sure I had the funds to roam for a little while, but did I really want to dip into my nest egg because of a bad date?

It wasn’t like I loved Maddox.

Not yet.

We’d only shared a kiss and nothing more.

Only because we’d been interrupted.

I barely knew him, so why did I mourn his loss already?

Because for just a moment, I’d felt as if I’d found my person. Someone I could see myself dating. Someone who didn’t just crank my sexual motor but engaged my mind. Bah. Look at me acting like a girl.

My evening might have ended unpleasantly, but that was no excuse to run. I wasn’t my mother. I could face uncomfortable situations—even those not of my making.

I veered into my driveway abruptly, and Abaddon jostled, digging his claws into my thighs as he steadied himself.

I parked the bike and set Abaddon on the ground before striding to the trailer door to open it and let him inside. But I didn’t follow.

He turned to me. “Aren’t you coming to bed?”

My mouth opened to say no. I wanted to get drunk by the fire and wallow.

Only he looked at me with big eyes, the contrition real.

I hesitated and he suddenly flung himself at my leg and hugged it with his paws. “I’m sorry, Pip. Don’t be angry. I’ll do better.”

“I know you will,” I murmured as I bent to pick him up, his small size reminding me that despite his ability to speak, he remained a baby. Babies needed to be taught, even those that thought they knew it all. Abaddon might have some genetic memories, but those applied to a time that no longer existed. It was up to me to explain how things worked. To show him right from wrong. To set the example. Because, truth be told, while Abaddon drove me slightly nuts, I was fond of him.

“Want to share a bag of popcorn while we watch a movie?” I asked. Tomorrow was Sunday, my day off, so we could stay up late.

“Yes.” He wiggled in my arms but settled down once the movie started—me with half a bag of popcorn, and him with a full one plus the other half of mine.

We watched The Land Before Time , a kid’s movie, but then again, Abaddon was one. Maybe the story of the little dinosaur that had a strong theme centering around family and friends and helping one another out despite differences would have an effect.

If it did, it got lost behind Abaddon jumping up and down with excitement every time Sharptooth appeared in the movie. Yes, he cheered on the T-Rex.

Sigh. In better news, he simmered down and appeared somber when Little Foot’s mom got chomped.

We went to bed and snuggled. Nice, but not as nice as Maddox’s bed would have been. No point in dwelling on what wouldn’t happen.

The next morning, I woke around nine to bright sunshine and a hungry dragon. I made a stack of toast and laid out some paper towels on the floor so he could learn to slather his own peanut butter and jelly. His claws could grip the butter knife, and while sloppy at first, he managed to get most of the spread on the bread.

And when he ran out of toast? He started scooping it from the jar and stuffing it in his maw.

Guess I’d be visiting the grocery store. Again.

I’d just cleaned up the messy paper when I heard several vehicles pulling in. Unusual. I rarely got company.

I glanced at Abaddon and mouthed, “Hide.”

While people could own lizards, mine being of a non-local variety could cause issue. Not to mention, I didn’t trust my Little Fella to keep his trap shut.

He scurried off to the bathroom and I opened the front door to find a pair of red-jacketed RCMP officers—the shortened term for Royal Canadian Mounted Police—on my doorstep.