Not His Dragon Page 7

  She leaned back to get a better view. “I thought that was part of the design.”

  Eoin shook his head. “It means I left my clan.” He rose to his feet and lowered his wing until it brushed her hands. “Climb aboard.”

  Hesitant, she stared at his back. How could he drop a bomb like leaving his clan and not expect a thousand questions?

  “Angie, are you afraid to fly?” The challenge was clear in his tone.

  She’d been so wrapped up in her head, she’d forgotten his offer. Gripping his wing, she began the climb to his back. “There’s nothing for me to hold. What if I fall?”

  “Sit between my shoulder blades. I’ll fly smooth enough that you won’t need riding straps.”

  She swallowed a lump in her throat. How many times had she dreamed of flying? More than she could count. Could she trust Eoin not to drop her? After pepper spraying him yesterday, she gave herself fifty-fifty odds.

  He twisted his head. “Shifters are simple people. We like someone, we go after them.”

  “Until your mate comes along and you drop the other person.”

  “Ah, the elusive mate. It’s a much rarer occurrence than you think. Most shifters don’t even aspire to ever finding one.”

  “You?”

  “Never. Well, not actively. I mean, if she showed up on my doorstep, I wouldn’t turn her away.”

  Angie finished her climb and settled where he’d directed her. Eoin wasn’t what she’d expected. He was easy to talk with and he listened. Over his shoulders, she glimpsed the ground so very far away. “Uh.” She squirmed and clenched her thighs uselessly on his thick neck. “I changed my mind.”

  “Don’t be silly.” He gently launched from the balcony with his wings extended so he easily slipped into a glide.

  She clung to him and screamed from the bottom of her lungs as if she’d dropped from the top of a roller coaster ride. Running out of air, she let her voice fade.

  “Done?”

  Heat of embarrassment scorched from her chin to the roots of her hair. “Yes,” she whispered with a hoarse voice.

  His body vibrated with a chuckle. “I won’t let you fall.”

  “The ground is telling me something different.”

  “Don’t look at it. The earth lies.” He leaned slightly and made a slow turn toward the city. The yellow glow of the lights haloed the skyline, a beacon in the night calling her home.

  She sighed and relaxed into her spot. “It’s so peaceful.”

  “It’s one of the reasons why I choose to live here. I enjoy watching the city at night.”

  “You do? I don’t think I’ve ever seen footage of you flying at night.”

  “I wonder why?” he glanced at her and winked.

  When she gazed at his wings, she realized how well he blended in with the sky. She laughed. “The press can’t see you.”

  “I’m sure with their fancy night vision cameras they could, but they don’t know to look.”

  “You make a perfect scout.” He’d be capable of flying anywhere at night unseen.

  “I know.” He sounded suddenly distant.

  “If you didn’t like your clan, why don’t you join another?” She knew the answer as the question came out. It was difficult to become part of a new family.

  “Clans are not like clubs where I can apply for membership.” He shrugged, which was quite a feat with her between his shoulder blades. “I’m happy here.”

  She rolled her eyes. She didn’t have to be a shifter to smell his lie.

  Banking to the right, he flew over the neighborhood with her shop. “Where do you live? It has to be close to work since you don’t have a car.”

  “Just leave me here. I’ll walk home.”

  “No, it’s not safe for a female alone at night.”

  “I can take care of myself.” She’d left her pepper spray at home since Ryota had tossed her in the trunk unprepared.

  “I noticed.” He pointed to his eyes where she had attacked him. “I can glide all night until the sun rises, Angie. Or you can make things simpler and give me directions.”

  “You’ll scare my neighbors.” Which was true, but her neighbors were made of stern stuff. They lived among gangs and thugs. Eoin would give them something to gossip about for a week. She didn’t want him taking her home because she wasn’t proud of her address in a torn-up part of the city, where drug lords ruled and the police turned their backs on crime. Angie didn’t want Eoin to see where she lived. Bad enough the werewolf pack knew.

  He snorted and a small flame shot from his nostrils. “Then get comfortable. It’ll be a long night. Unless you want to return to my castle?”

  “Eoin!”

  “Another option is to land by your shop and I’ll shift so I can walk you home.”

  “Naked?”

  “Sounds like the best option, doesn’t it?”

  “I live in an apartment building on the corner of Fifty-fifth Avenue and Elm Street. Land on the roof and please don’t roar or shoot flames.”

  His rumble sounded suspiciously like laughter as he winged toward her neighborhood. “Is this it?” He hovered over the red brick building.

  She leaned forward to peek over his shoulder. “I think so.” She’d never seen her home from this vantage point.”

  “Careful, don’t fall now.” He circled the roof slowly until he landed soft as a butterfly.

  Before he settled on his stomach, she slid off his back and hit the rooftop hard enough to snap her teeth together.

  Whipping around faster than Angie’s eyes could track, Eoin steadied her with a clawed hand. “What’s the rush? You’ll hurt yourself with stunts like that.”

  Her jaw hurt and her knees protested. She leaned against Eoin even though her ego refused to admit she was being a dumbass. “I’m fine. Really.” She limped a few steps toward the roof entrance. “You can go now.”

  “Are you dismissing me?”

  “Oh my God, don’t tell me you’re the sensitive type.” All day long she had to deal with one type of shifter or another. They all had their idiosyncrasies that she had to tiptoe around and she’d had it. Seeing Eoin in the evening was a terrible idea. Her shit-o-meter for dealing with shifter crap was full.

  Chapter Eleven

  A shiver of anticipation ran down Eoin’s spine at the wrath flashing from Angie’s eyes. Very few people stood their ground with him. He’d grown so accustomed to complacency that he’d become numb inside. Until now…

  He hissed and pressed his snout against Angie’s lower abdomen, pushing her against the exit door. “After living for three hundred years, I think I have the right to be a little sensitive.”

  She went very still. “No you don’t. Shifters all seem to think that letting their emotions rule them is a fine way to act. It’s not. A little self-control could go a long way in relationships with humans.”

  Lowering his head, he viewed her stubborn, furious, beautiful face. “What do you mean?”

  “This.” She pointed at him and her. “Humans don’t regularly pin each other to doors. Most of us can get a handle on our tempers before it goes that far.”

  With a small snort of smoke, he pulled his head back. Was she that naïve? Maybe she really was human at the core. If she were shifter, he wouldn’t have to explain. “Being part animal means that kind of control is very difficult for us to reach. The fact that I haven’t eaten you yet is evidence that I have a better handle on this than you think. Same goes for all the other shifters you know and probably antagonize.” Eoin smiled, showing her his long sharp teeth. “Try to remember that when you have to avoid eye contact with the alpha tomorrow.”

  “Ryota doesn’t have an appointment.”

  “Oh, he won’t need one. Humans tend to think of shifters as people who can change shape, but we’re not. We’re at least half of that animal inside. Instinct is a huge drive and I’ve crossed a line on mutual territory.”

  “Me?” She pulled her hair and growled at the night air. Something in
Eoin’s gut stirred and it had nothing to do with the goat he’d had for dinner. From what she’d told him, Angie didn’t have anyone. She was alone like him. “What do I need to do to get him to leave me alone, Eoin?”

  “Keep telling him no. He hasn’t begun the mating ritual with you, so you’re safe. Once it’s started it’s almost impossible to stop.” Her scent suddenly filled his head. He wanted to toss her on his back and return her to his castle where Ryota would never reach her again. With a sudden backpedal, he retreated from Angie. What the fuck?

  “What is it?” She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. For a moment, he almost had.

  “Uh…” He scratched his chin and fought the illegal urge to kidnap Angie. “Don’t sleep with him again. No matter how tempting Ryota makes it seem.”

  “Don’t worry. That bridge is burned.”

  The vise around Eoin’s chest eased so he could breathe again. “Good.”

  “I don’t plan on ever sleeping with another shifter.”

  The vise squeezed twice as hard. “Be careful what you wish for.” She meant werewolves. She couldn’t mean him. The ache in his chest kept getting worse with every breath. He had to get away. Her scent filled his head until his pulse pounded through his veins. Dormant hormones would drive him mad, trying to make him mate with a human. He hadn’t been around females of his own kind for so long that his stupid body was reacting to Angie as if she were full blooded, single and ready for mounting.

  He wanted to give her a present. Something tangible that would remind her of him. The need thrummed along his nerves until he took a shaky breath and removed the tiny earring from his ear. He held it between his claws. “I have a gift for you.” Earrings were the only thing he could wear when he shifted from human to dragon. The hole in his earlobe remained the same size. Light from the bare bulb glowing above her head shone onto the ruby and fractured into a rainbow of different shades of red, sparkling on the rooftop.

  “What is it?” She drew closer as if unable to resist the gem’s call.

  “It’s a ruby.” He lowered his hand so the gem hovered in front of her face where she could properly admire the stone.

  “It’s beautiful.” The awe in her gaze transformed her from pretty to heart-stopping. On an instinctive level she sensed the magic in gems like all their kind did. It was plain on her face. She just didn’t know it yet. Eyes half-lidded and lips slightly apart, she reminded him of the wonder he had lost. Her sleepy gaze met his and for a moment it sparkled with joy.

  “Do you have a favorite gem? I could bring you others.” What the what? It was if his tongue was possessed, but as soon as he made the offer the ache in his chest vanished. He wanted to lavish her with gifts.

  This neighborhood left a bad taste in his mouth. Nobody wanted to live here so that meant Angie had no choice. He could give her those choices though. The ruby could give her the means to move out of this dangerous area.

  She gave him a slow blink. “Is this a trick question? Because I’ve never given it much thought.” Her expression remained grave except for a hint of laughter in her eyes. “I guess it would be a ruby since it’s the only gem I’ve seen in the flesh.”

  “Not surprising. Not many deal in such currency anymore. Hold out your hand.”

  “That’s not a good idea.” Just like that, she retreated back to the door. “I can’t accept your gift.”

  He held up the ruby and scrutinized the crystal. “What’s wrong with the earring?” It was top quality. No visible flaw and the color as deep as blood. His tattoo artist had been trying to buy it from Eoin for decades.

  “Nothing. It’s gorgeous but I can’t accept a gift like that from a client.”

  “Don’t they ever tip you?”

  “Not in gems.”

  “Consider this my tip for tonight’s excellent service.”

  She folded her arms and stared at her feet. “About that…”

  He sighed and set the earring back in his ear. Maybe he could find something else she’d like. What did modern women want? Usually the tables were turned and the females vied for his attention. The last time he’d tried wooing a female was in the eighteen hundreds. Women’s ideals had changed drastically. He’d really have to ponder this.

  “Tonight was on the house. You don’t have to pay me.”

  “But I want to pay you.” He rubbed his temple where it pulsed. A frustrated noise escaped him. Nothing was going according to plan. All he wanted was his scale rot taken care of and somehow that turned into him trying to—to what? Seduce her? Nah, he could have taken care of that before they’d left the castle.

  Angie was more than a woman he wanted to fuck. Looking at her was like looking in a mirror except she reflected only noble things.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea if we see each other again.” She clicked the door open. “It shouldn’t be too hard for you to find my replacement. The work is tedious but not difficult.”

  “No, we made a deal.” He had to stop her.

  “I know and I’ve never let a customer down but you seem to want more from me than just scale care and…” She swallowed hard. “I’m finding it hard to say no.”

  “This is a bad thing?” Maybe her small bits of dragon DNA were driving her to him. He restrained his grin. But wait, if she’d always thought of herself as human and was raised by humans then those instincts would be confusing. No wonder she ran from Ryota, and now him.

  The only way to know was to test his theory. He angled his wings and swished them to create a gentle breeze in her direction. When his body began reacting to Angie it created pheromones. Every male dragon could produce them. They didn’t stimulate sexual interest or cloud their minds like an incubus’ pheromones, but sent a clear mating message of interest. They wouldn’t be strong since he’d just begun producing them, but if she was dragon then she’d react in some manner. He wouldn’t try this trick with most she-dragons because they would slap the snot out of him.

  He released his scent slowly so it wouldn’t overwhelm her. A human wouldn’t have the sense of smell to detect what he advertised.

  Angie rubbed her nose. “For me it is. The last thing I want to do—”

  “Who burnt your heart so bad?” He’d find the bastard and char him to coal.

  “None of your fucking business.” The passion he’d seen in her returned. She could set the world on fire with that look. Taking a deep breath, she fluttered her eyelids then sneezed. Not the cute dainty kind that most ladies attempted. This came from her gut and he half expected flames to scorch his hide. She wiped her mouth on the back of her arm. “Sorry.” Then sneezed again.

  “Bless you.” Could this be a reaction to his pheromones? “Do you have allergies?” Please let her say no.

  She sneezed again. “Not until now. Are you wearing cologne? There’s a weird smell.”

  “No.” Technically, he wasn’t wearing it. He was producing it. What the fuck did this mean? The pounding in his head grew worse. She obviously could sense the pheromones but if he made more she might sneeze to death. He laughed. Nothing about Angie would be solved easily.

  “I don’t see the humor.” She continued sneezing. “God, I gotta get out of here.” She opened the rooftop door and descended the stairs at a run.

  Eoin kept the door from closing and shouted after her. “See you tomorrow.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Angie rubbed her eyes and yawned as she walked the quiet streets the next morning. She’d slept like a rock after taking an antihistamine and eating half a box of cereal. God, she’d been starved. She’d eaten only a peanut butter jelly sandwich today.

  Today would be different. Breakfast had consisted of eggs and burnt toast, then she packed a lunch. No more fooling around with missed meals. She had a bottle of Liquid-Plumr in her bag with a pipe wrench in case unclogging the sink in room one became nasty. Keeping a normal routine would be today’s goal along with not having to spend what little money she had left on a real plumber. She needed a
standard, customary, boring, regular day.

  The only thing missing so far was coffee and that would be remedied in a moment. She climbed the stairs to the java shop, so she could grab a cup to go, when from the corner of her eye she spotted sexy in physical form leaning on her shop’s window front.

  Her heart skipped a beat. Smoke drifted above his head as he blew lazy rings, as if a dragon had nothing else to do but lounge. She noted the lack of cigarette in his hands. His lean form appeared relaxed but he watched the coffee shop where she stood with intense interest.

  Tingles ran over her skin in anticipation of seeing Eoin again. No, no. She’d specifically told him, and herself, he was to seek help somewhere else. Maybe he wanted a referral. She could think of a few shifters who could use the extra cash.

  All of them male, of course. Her gaze traveled along his long legs. His jeans clung in all the right places. Mixing business and pleasure would lead to terrible things like broken hearts, especially when her client filled her head with wicked thoughts.

  Angie wiped the thin coat of sweat from her forehead. She could better deal with Eoin in his dragon form. She entered the shop. “The usual, Margie.”

  The barista gave her a welcoming smile. “Heard about the excitement at your place the other day.” She handed Angie the cup of coffee with a shot of espresso, black like Satan’s heart. “Everything okay? You look stressed. Maybe we should make that a decaf.”

  Angie took a swig. “No, I’m fine. Do you have a back way I can use?”

  “Sure, because people having fine days like you always need an escape route.” Margie gave her a concerned look. She’d been making Beth’s and Angie’s coffee regularly since the back-scratching shop opened. “It’s by the bathroom.”

  Before Margie started asking more questions, Angie hurried and exited into the narrow alley that connected all the shops on this side of the street. Facing Eoin first thing in the morning while her head was still foggy from antihistamines seemed too unfair. He’d starred in her dreams and occupied her thoughts. Couldn’t he just give her a break?