Authors: Annie Nicholas
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Eoin crossed his arms and inspected his work. He gave it a nod of approval. The bathroom fixtures gleamed and the room smelled much fresher than when Angie had last visited. Folded towels sat on the edge of the deep bathtub. While looking for clean rags in his garage, he’d found a storage bin of candles. He had filled the wall candelabras with them.
As a prospective mate, it was Eoin’s job to provide her with a home. The apartment she lived in was much worse than his castle and he wanted her to have more. Maybe they should just start over. There must be something big enough for two dragons in the country.
The distant sound of tire treads crushing gravel reached his sensitive hearing. He tensed. He wasn’t expecting anyone. If it was another fucking male dragon, he would start rolling heads. Cracking his knuckles, he made his way to the front door and yanked it open before Angie’s fist could knock. “What are you doing here?”
She smiled so wide she glowed. “Are you busy?” She glanced around his shoulders and pushed her way inside his home. “I’ve got great news.” She grasped his hands and squeezed them tight.
Her mood was contagious and he found himself returning her smile. “I’ll never be too busy for you.” He’d never seen her this happy and he liked it. The way her presence immediately warmed his hollow heart and lifted the burdens of the world from his shoulders could be addictive. Making her smile this way seemed like the perfect future goal.
“I found somebody to break my curse.” She pressed herself against his body and bent her head back to meet his stare. “Let’s find someplace outside and you can help me shift for the first time.”
He forced his smile to remain on his face but inside he went cold. “Wow, how did this come about?” He didn’t know of any practitioner of magic within the city who would be powerful enough to break the curse.
“The pack witch was able to see the curse and made me a concoction to swallow that should break it.” She pulled at his hands and led him outside. “Do you know taxis will only come up here if I paid them double their rate? What a scam. Beth said that she would give me driving lessons this weekend so I can borrow your car to travel back and forth.” She tossed him an amused glance over her shoulder. “But I’m only borrowing it until I can afford to buy my own.”
“Okay.” He furrowed his eyebrows. The pack witch? That old hack? “I would have come to get you if you would have just called me.” Concoction? She’d taken a risk ingesting some unknown substance.
“I couldn’t wait. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to be one with my dragon form.” She spun around, her smile even wider. “When can you start teaching me how to fly?”
He quickly smoothed his expression and chuckled. “One step at a time, wild girl.” He shoved his doubts to the back of his mind. Angie deserved his support. Who knew? Maybe it would work. Or maybe it would kill her. He frowned again.
“Stop worrying so much.” She playfully poked his stomach. “Should I take off my clothes?”
He sat on a boulder in his yard and pointed to the center of his lawn where she would have the space needed to expand in size. “If you’re giving me the choice, I’ll always choose naked.”
She tossed him a salacious smile over her shoulder. “If I shift in my clothes, they’ll be torn apart?”
He nodded. “So either way you’ll be naked.” He leaned back on his arms and crossed his ankles.
When she was a little further, he shifted his eyes to dragon and peeked at her aura. Shit, the curse was still visible. He chewed on his thumbnail. Even if he told her, she would still want to try to shift.
Angie stripped and tossed her clothes in a crumpled pile at her feet. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Chilly.” She closed her eyes like he’d taught her, probably to commune with her dragon shape.
With Angie’s nipples perked in the cold air, Eoin couldn’t complain about the view. He’d never had a favorite body type, but everything about Angie was perfect. Right down to the little dimples over her ass. He recalled sucking that spot last night and how she had laughed.
Her eyebrows furrowed and her smile slowly changed into a frown. Even from this distance Eoin could see sweat forming on her brow. She was trying too hard. He could sense the magic building around her but there was no release. This wasn’t going to work.
He pushed himself to his feet and approached her. “Angie,” he whispered.
Her shoulders drooped before she opened her eyes. “What am I doing wrong?”
He gathered her sweet form in his arms and lifted her so he could cradle her against his chest. “Absolutely nothing. I don’t think the witch lifted the curse.”
“But she works for the pack. Her spells work for them. She really sounded like she knew what she was doing.” The despair in her voice broke his heart. He’d find this witch and eat her whole. Crunch her bones and spit her back out.
With Angie still in his arms, he bent and gathered her clothing with his fingertips then carried her back to his castle before she caught a chill. “I know of the pack witch. She’s not strong enough to break your curse. I’ve touched this barrier with my bare hands, I know how strong it is.”
She struggled out of his arms and tugged on her clothing. If fury had a scent it would smell like Angie. “You don’t understand. I paid her.”
Foreboding filled Eoin’s gut. “How much?”
She glared at him with the determination of a she-dragon on the hunt. “I pawned the ruby earring and paid her every last dime I owned.”
He ground his teeth. “We’ll take the bike. If there’s traffic, we can weave through it and move faster.” He led her to his motorcycle in the garage and followed her directions to the witch’s home.
The house had seen better days. Obviously the pack didn’t pay her very well and she was most likely strapped for cash. The front door swung loose in the wind, swinging back and forth against the frame. The darkness didn’t affect Angie’s vision but he took her hand anyway and guided her over the uneven walkway stones toward the front door. He pushed it open and didn’t bother calling out as he entered. He could already sense the house was empty.
Angie pushed past him and stared, open mouth. “What the…”
“She moved. She must’ve known it wasn’t going to work and left town.”
“But…” Angie moved from room to room quickly with him close on her heels. She stopped in the kitchen and turned in a slow circle. “This house was full of stuff. How could she possibly move that fast?”
“Magic.”
She slammed her fist on the counter and the thump echoed within the house. “I can’t believe I was that stupid.” She squeezed her eyes shut, her breathing ragged. “She took everything. I have nothing left. I can’t afford to hire anybody to find her.”
He came up from behind and hugged her against his chest, leaning his chin on top of her head. “Why did you trust her?”
“She worked for the pack.” Angie shook her head and leaned her body against him. “That’s not it. I was desperate.” She broke away from his hold and paced the room. “Because of you. You dangled this dragon thing in front of me, just out of my reach and I wanted it so bad.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I want to be with you but I can’t. You want to do some kind of mating ritual and I can’t respond to you the way you need.” She stopped to face him. “The way I need.”
Angie’s insides were more than raw. She’d been gutted and left out in the sun with fire ants. That’s what the witch had done to her. She wiped her cheeks dry on her sleeve.
Eoin crossed the room and helped her with his own shirt. Cleaning her face, smoothing her short hair. He added kisses to her forehead and nose and cheeks as she continued to cry. She just couldn’t stop.
“Screw our people. Screw instincts and customs and laws.” He grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his stare. “I’ll marry you. Just like the humans do and—and we’ll move into one of those middle class neighborhoods and pretend to be human.”
Her sobs turned into a laugh as she tried picturing them living in a middle-class neighborhood with a white picket fence. Him with his punk-rock look and her with her ghetto style. They’d fit in perfectly. “No.”
“No, what? You won’t marry me? I’m not good enough?” There was a growl in his voice. “All that matters is that we’re together.”
“Being dragon is who you are and it’s who I fell in love with.” A twang ran across her soul as if God had strummed it like a guitar. She jerked in Eoin’s arms from the sudden sensation.
“You love me?”
“I’m feeling a little weird. And dizzy. When I said those words something happened.”
“Once you say them, you can’t take them back, Angie.” He held her at arm’s length and she saw his eyes change to dragon form. “Let me check your aura.” His eyes wandered around the air surrounding her. “It’s smaller. The shield looks like it’s almost gone but I can still see a shadow. Try to shift.”
“I’m inside the house.”
“Who gives a shit? We’ll tear this place apart. Who’s going to care?”
She gave herself a hug and attempted to connect with her dragon for the third time this evening. On this attempt her dragon came to her call right away. She stood so close Angie could almost feel the softness of her scales. But they didn’t connect. She took a deep shaky breath and met Eoin’s disappointed stare. “I think this is the part where you need to take me home.” She followed him back to his bike but he bypassed her neighborhood and took her on the interstate back to his castle. She was too worn out to argue with him and just absorbed the heat of his body as they rode as one toward his home.
He parked his bike by the entrance and helped her dismount.
She tucked her frozen fingers in her armpits while her teeth chattered. She hadn’t dressed for a motorcycle ride and nights were getting cool.
Eoin gave her the once-over. “Do you remember how to find my bedroom?”
She nodded, too disappointed to talk.
“Why don’t you go and draw us a bath while I make us something to eat?”
She raised an eyebrow at him, recalling the state of his bathroom yesterday.
“I cleaned.” He raised his hand up by his head. “Scout’s honor.”
She gave him a weary smile as she tried picturing him scrubbing the bathtub. “Sure.” She did as he asked and she sat on the edge of the large tub, watching the water. What now? Did they continue as they were? Could he love her when she was stuck between worlds?
Eoin returned with a tray filled with strawberries, cupcakes and popcorn with a bottle of wine tucked under each arm. He set the tray down by the tub and offered her a bottle. “One for you and one for me.” He gave her a wink. “It seems like tonight should be a two-bottle night.” It sounded like a perfect idea.
She popped a piece of cupcake in her mouth and undressed. “After the bath, I can finish working on your scales.”
He made a purring noise. “They just need oiling to protect my skin while the scales grow back. It can wait until morning.” He popped another piece of cake in her mouth, watching her lips intently.
She licked the icing off her mouth, taking her time. “I could model for you while you work. I had fun the first time.”
He ran his hands over her bare shoulders. “No need to model.”
“Are you finished?”
“I’ve decided to put my art on hold until we solve our mating problems. It’s difficult for me to concentrate when inside I’m a mess.”
“But what about the show you were telling me about?”
“I canceled it.”
Stepping into the tub, she watched as Eoin undressed and slipped in behind her. The tub was large enough to hold them easily with the water up to her chin. All this time, she’d been so focused on how her being a dragon was affecting her life, and had never considered how she was destroying his.
Chapter Thirty
The streets were quiet this time of the morning as Angie watched Eoin drive away. She yawned so hard her jaw cracked. At the butt crack of dawn, she’d dragged him out of bed and finished working on his scales. She felt better knowing his hide would heal.
No doubt Eoin would spend the rest of the day trying to make contact with somebody who knew what to do about her curse. While he did, she had to return to work before she lost her mind.
She entered the shop and smiled at Beth, the last person she wanted to see. She couldn’t mention how the witch had conned her out of all her money. Her best friend already felt guilty about the luck charms. It wasn’t Beth’s fault that Angie was a dupe.
Her first free moment, she was going to burn those damn charms.
Beth looked half-asleep with her chin in hand. “No appointments for the next hour.” She yawned so wide her jaw cracked. “Ouch.”
Bending over the desk, Angie examined her face. “Late night?”
“I had nightmares. That witch gives me the creeps and her vibe clung to me the rest of the evening.” She shuddered.
“Then this calls for fresh coffee.” Angie’s card should have just enough credit to purchase the drinks. She didn’t need Beth’s order. She knew her coffee preferences by heart and took off before Beth could offer to pay again. Angie understood Beth’s natural instinct was to please others but she needed to grow a backbone. Luckily, Ryota prevented any assholes from abusing her giving nature, but the alpha didn’t have eyes on the back of his head.
Their usual coffee hangout was busy. While Angie stood at the counter waiting for the barista to finish the orders, she spotted a poster on the building across the street. Eoin’s face was featured. She eased away from the counter and closer to the window for a better view. Was that the gallery? She’d never really paid attention to the building before. Art wasn’t really her thing, not until she met Eoin.
The barista shouted her name.
Angie paid for the two coffees then crossed over to the gallery and checked out the announcement.
The poster declared that Eoin’s new work was going to be shown in two days. She ran her fingertips over the surface. This had been a major part of his life and he was giving it up because of her. She loved the way his face softened when absorbed in the production. His heart went into whatever he created. If stopped, what would happen to the dragon she was falling in love with?
She squared her shoulders. They hadn’t canceled his show yet. She knew about sacrifices; she’d made them all her life. Eoin didn’t need to sacrifice his art for her. They would eventually solve her shifting problem. It was flattering he wanted to make her the center of his life, but how long before he started resenting her for it?
With her hands full, she managed to open the gallery door and paused just past the threshold. Ceilings melted into shadows overhead and small bright lights shone on the paintings hanging on the wall. The floors and walls sparkled white as if freshly painted, nothing like Eoin’s home.
The first painting caught her attention and she paused under its illumination. Multi-shades of red and orange flamed over the canvas in passionate heat. She read the information written on a slip of paper pinned under the painting.
Pepper Spray by Eoin Grant
. He had a last name? She hadn’t thought to ask. Trailing her fingertip over the frame, she sighed. He’d done an excellent job of portraying something burning.
She turned her back on the painting and could picture his recent statues standing on the pedestals in the middle of the room. The visceral figures would drastically contrast with the gallery’s modern decor and exhibit Eoin’s true dragon nature. She edged deeper inside the room and noted that some of the spaces on the wall were blank, with Eoin’s nameplates underneath. In the far corner were pallets and half-packaged paintings. She hadn’t realized how much work he’d put into this.
“Sorry, the gallery is not open. I must’ve forgotten to lock the door behind me.” A tall thin man with a goatee came out from an office in the far back of the room. He waved his hands, showing her the way out.
“I saw the poster outside about Eoin’s art show. I was wondering—”
Before she could continue, he scowled. “Canceled, canceled, canceled. Sorry, you’ll have to see the dragon’s artwork on his next tour.”
“I was wondering if there was any way I could get you to change your mind about canceling.” Eoin sure had pissed him off.
“Honey, I wasn’t the one to cancel the show. So far, I only have a few pieces to exhibit. Without the artwork, there is no show. But since you seem to be a fan of his, I’ll let you see his latest venture in sculpting.” He led her around the corner where one of the metallic statues stood mounted on a pedestal.
“I haven’t seen this one.” She circled around, noting the sharp edges and deep grooves. They almost seemed like bite marks as if Eoin had used this as a chew toy in dragon form.
The manager edged closer to her. “What do you mean by this one? You’ve seen others?”
Turning slowly to face him, she raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t?” Eoin’s workroom was filled with statues. Why hadn’t he sent them here for the show? “What exactly is going on between the two of you?”
The manager folded his arms, evidence of chasing her out of the gallery gone. “Exactly, who are you? Don’t tell me you’re his agent. I know his agent personally.” That was good, because Angie hadn’t even known Eoin had an agent. She was sticking her nose deep in the dragon’s business. He’d be pissed. She would be, if Eoin tried to take over her shop, but she wasn’t trying to take over his artwork, she was trying to save his career.
“I’m his girlfriend and I think there’s been a misunderstanding. He’s created other sculptures to exhibit but I think he’s feeling…a little insecure about them.” Eoin was going to kill her. She’d better pack a double handful of pepper spray next time they met.
“Insecure? Are we speaking of the same dragon?”
She laughed. “Yeah, don’t tell him I said that. We may both regret it.”
“I need to see them.” He grimaced. “I can’t make any definitive decisions until I know what I’m working with. I mean, I understand that working with metal is a new medium for him, but the emotion that this statute evokes is exactly what he needs to breathe new life into his art career.”
She glanced at the coffees in her hand as an idea struck her. “Do you have time right now to take a look?”
He startled. “Are you talking about going up to Eoin’s Castle? Right now? Uninvited?”
She nodded. “I have to drop these off at my shop down the street and then we can go together if you have a car.”
“What about Eoin?” The manager’s voice rose an octave or two.
“Leave him to me.” Famous last words.
“My name is Lorenzo. Seems like the person who’s holding my life in her hands should at least know my name.”
She laughed again. “I’m Angie. I own the back-scratching shop a couple blocks from here. Pick me up there.” She left Lorenzo to lock up the gallery, and hurried back to the shop. Handing over the coffee to Beth, she gave her a huge grin. “What would you say if we took the day off?”
Beth rose to her feet and felt Angie’s forehead. “You don’t feel feverish.”
“Call all my appointments today and reschedule them, make any excuse you want, but I have a small emergency I need to take care of.” A grey sedan parked in front of the shop and honked. Angie waved to Beth before the omega could stop her, and left.
Lorenzo shifted his car into drive and started towards the interstate. “How many pieces has Eoin completed?”
Angie took a deep swig of her coffee. “How many do you need?” She was way over her head. She hadn’t even considered if any of his work was actually finished. They seemed to be to her.
He eyed her. “Never mind that question. We can do a combination of statues and paintings that should be enough to fill the show. We’re lucky that Eoin’s name causes a buzz in the art community, because we don’t have much time for any more publicity.”
She gulped the hot coffee and stared out the window. She’d been on a roll of making mistakes, so she may as well keep tumbling along with it.
They pulled up to the castle and exited the car.
Lorenzo followed on her heels like a second shadow as she cracked the door open and peeked inside. No sign of Eoin so far. Thank God.
The gallery manager cleared his throat behind her and almost sent her into the ceiling rafters. “I assume by your tiptoeing that he’ll be angry to catch us here.”
“You assume correctly so keep your fucking voice down.”
His eyebrows shot up but he gave her the thumbs up.
Quiet as church mice, they crept into the castle and she led him toward Eoin’s workroom. She hadn’t a clue how good the dragon’s hearing was or if he was even home, but from his words last night she didn’t expect him to be working on his sculpting.
Lorenzo gasped as he spotted the first of Eoin’s statues.
She hung back by the workroom door and let him experience them alone. Most of Eoin’s work expressed a lot of anger and violence, all except hers. It was like he poured his desire into the scrap metal, making it and her look dang sexy. Her ass never looked so good.
“What is Lorenzo doing in my home?” Eoin whispered in her ear. Not the seductive kind of whisper either, more like the kind that serial killers say right before they slaughtered their victims.
She shouted in surprise and tossed her coffee straight into the air. Spinning around, she witnessed him catch it midair before the cup hit her in the head. “Hey there.”
“Hey.” His lush lips thinned as his gaze followed the gallery manager’s movement. “No point in hiding, Lorenzo.” He turned his narrowed gaze on her. “Explain. Now.”
She plucked the coffee cup from his hand and drank the remains. Her thoughts had scattered like a bag of dropped marbles when he’d startled her. “I met Lorenzo this morning. You came up in our conversation. He mentioned that he hadn’t seen any of your latest sculptures so I offered to show them to him. Now you don’t have to cancel your show.” She playfully poked him in the stomach and caught her breath.
He glanced down at the gesture. But when his gaze returned to hers there was no amusement in his eyes. “You’ve had enough coffee.” He snatched the cup from her hand and drained it.
“These works are exquisite, Eoin.” Lorenzo still remained on the far side of the room, keeping the statues between him and Eoin.
“You’re saying that because you’re frightened. Go home, Lorenzo.” He pointed at Angie and her heart jumped into her throat. “You and I have to have a little chat.”
Angie ground her teeth. The dragon could be so pigheaded. “Well, if you want an honest opinion from him maybe you should be less intimidating.” She bumped her chest against his. Well she tried; he was considerably taller than her. “And terrifying.”
A small growl rolled in his chest. “Why aren’t you at work?”
Angie pushed Eoin behind her and ignored his question. “He won’t hurt you, Lorenzo. Not while I’m here and can draw breath.” She elbowed Eoin in the gut. “Right?”
He grunted. “I won’t harm you.” The
yet
was silent but present in his tone.
“Are the statues good enough to exhibit in your gallery?” She wanted to smack some sense into Eoin. Hadn’t anyone taught him it was better to use honey than vinegar when he wanted something? It was like he wanted Lorenzo to reject him.
Lorenzo ran his hands over the smooth surface of her metallic ass. “These three most definitely.” He gestured at two others in the room as well as the one he was touching. “We’ll add them to the sculpture we already have and showcase some of your paintings.”
“Take your hands off of her.” Eoin took a step towards the gallery manager but Angie dug her heels into the floor and body-blocked him. “That is not for sale and I don’t want it exhibited.”
“Why not?” Angie grunted with the effort to keep Eoin from strangling Lorenzo. “I think it’s your best one.”
“I won’t share you with anyone.”
She sighed and flopped against him, forcing him to catch her instead of taking violent action. “That’s just the statue of me. You’ve got the real thing.”
He pulled her tighter within his arms, the place that he eternally seemed to want to keep her. She didn’t have any complaints. “You never said why you’re not at work.”
“I told Beth to reschedule my appointments for the day. This was more important.”
Eoin gave her a slow blink. All the anger in his face drained. “You did that for me?” He glanced at Lorenzo. “Make the arrangements to retrieve these sculptures. Keep the show scheduled.” He kissed her forehead tenderly. “Thank you.” He turned his back on her and left the room.
Lorenzo joined her. “That was awesome, Angie.”
“No, he’s awesome.”