A dragon shifter novel Chapter 59

Thornhill Academy

He Will Keep Her Safe

Kael

My hound had run me ragged for hours, and I’d stopped pretending I could wrestle him down. I just let him take the wheel; it was easier that way. He dragged me straight to the Serpent’s Veil, and at first I told myself it was because I needed a drink. Then I walked in and smelled her. Allison. God, of course it had to be her. She was on the dance floor, hair a dark blu laughing one second and then frozen the next with some slick vampire glued to her spine. The moment his mouth went toward the soft spot at her throat, something in me flipped to red. I moved before I had time to think. So much faster than any thought I could make sense of, and I shoved him so hard he landed on his arse. “Touch her and die,” I said, voice a mix of my own and my hound’s low, dangerous rumble. His buddies scattered like cowards once they realised I’d tear them limb from limb.

Allison’s face is a map of horror. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but her eyes flutter and she tips and goes limp in a way that sickens me. I catch her before her head hits the floor, curling her into my arms on instinct alone. The hound under my skin starts to purr. It isn’t the lazy sound it makes at home. It’s a low, possessive vibration meant to soothe and mark what is ours–our mate. The thought lands wrong and right at the same time. Evander would have a fit if he knew, and my jaw clenches harder. He is my brother in everything but blood, and he has damned well put me in the cruellest position. To choose between our friendship and the truth of how I feel. That thought pisses me off all over again. “Is she okay?” the demon with the purple–and- green horns by Tessa asks, eyes flicking between my face and the girl in my arms. I sniff at her like a dog checking a scent and scowl. “Which one of you is responsible for getting her that drunk?” My voice is flat, but the question is a fully loaded gun. I inhale deeper. Liquor and cigarette smoke cling to her hair, but underneath it is her. Tessa fidgets, cheeks flushing. “We were… celebrating,” she squeaks. Probably celebrating the bond they’ve already whispered about in secret. Evander’s bond. My chest tightens at how easy it is for them to assume he is the only one for her. “I’m taking her back,” I say before anyone can

argue.

Tessa nods quickly, and the group of demons with her exchange looks before falling silent. I make my intention clear. I carry her out of the pub, the air hitting us like cold water. The city smells different outside. Cleaner. The churning in my gut doesn’t settle. We cut through alleys until I reach the little clothing stall where I bought pants and a shirt from when I shifted earlier. The stall’s owner, an old woman with more rings than teeth, looks up at us and doesn’t so much as blink at the sight of me carrying a pretty unconscious girl. “Can you call a taxi, please?” I grunt. She looks at Allison, then back to me, and softness opens across her face. “Of course, dear. Is your mate okay?” The sound of those words lodges in my throat like a rock. My mate. I say it in my head over and over, the sound making something ache and something else bloom “She’s safe with me,” I answer before I even think about whether it is my title to claim. Saying it feels right in a way I can’t argue with, and it puts every hair on my arms on edge with warning toward Evander, but I shove that

down. I need to get Allison somewhere safe to rest.

The cab ride is a blur. I hold her against me like she weighs nothing at all, because she might as well. Her breath stays shallow, lashes trembling. The driver doesn’t ask questions. I’m sure he sees all kinds of shit. When the taxi drops us at the Academy, I pay without thinking and slam the door shut with my foot, my arms locked around Ally. We move fast across the courtyard and into the dorms. My boots thud on the floor as I try to avoid anyone seeing her like this. I carry her straight to Evander’s door. I don’t knock. Doors are for polite people, and I’m not feeling polite. I shoulder–check the wood, and it swings open on the impact. Evander stands inside, hair a mess, eyes flaring like twin suns. His face shifts from angry to confused to flat–out stunned when he sees Allison in my arms. Then his gaze snaps back to me, hotter than anything I’ve felt all day. Explain,” he mouths without moving his eyes. I grunt something that probably counts and push through. I lay her down on his bed like she’s porcelain, tucking the blanket around her shoulders. I straighten and look him dead in the face. “You could start by saying thanks for rescuing your mate from becoming a vampire’s breakfast,” I say, sarcasm sharp as a knife. His jaw works. He opens his mouth, ready to snap, but I’m not done. “Also, don’t let her puke on herself,” I add, more practical than kind. “She will. She’s drunker than a pixie on fae wine. Make sure she doesn’t choke.” Evander’s eyes flick down to her sleeping face, then back to me. The anger in them tempers into something like gratitude, quick, guarded and private. “Right,” he says, low.

I step back, because I know my presence will make him pace or fight or argue until we’re both miserable. “Call me if she dies,” I mutter. The words are half joke, half threat. He doesn’t laugh. He watches me reach the door, then says the one thing I want to hear. “Thanks,” he says, small and honest. I leave them there, Evander hovering and Allison breathing. He might not want me to claim her as my mate, and as his friend, I’ll suffer for that, but I won’t let her be put in harm’s way. That’s why I brought her here, to him, because I know with every part of my soul that he will keep her safe.

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1:34 pm

He Will Keep Her Safe

Comments

R Visitor

don’t make me cry for Kael!

7 days ago