Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
Dylan dropped the dog treats and ice cream into the grocery cart, then hurried to my side. He stepped in front of me, his shoulders square, his own fists clenched.
Blakely’s jaw dropped. No doubt because Dylan looked exactly like Stephan.
“Everything’s okay,” I said, tousling his hair. “This nice lady was just leaving, wasn’t she?”
Dylan kept his eyes on Blakely. Goosebumps rose on my forearms. I’d never seen my kid like this-defensive and strong. Like his father.
“That’s definitely Ace’s kid,” Blakely grumbled. She glared at me. “Fine. I hope you’re happy.”
I smiled and waggled my fingers in a wave at Blakely. She stormed away, six-pack in hand. It wasn’t a great reaction, but the petty part of me was happy. After all the damage Blakely had done, it felt good to chew her out a little bit. I wasn’t going to tell Dylan that, though-not the best example to set. But damn, it really did feel good.
“Who was that?” Dylan asked. “My dragon didn’t like her at all.”
“No one important,” I said. “Let’s finish our shopping and get home.”
Dylan nodded, but he glared at Blakely’s back until she disappeared among the aisles.
I bit back a smile. If Stephan were here, he’d be damn proud of his son.
ACE
“Smells good in here,” I said as I closed the front door behind me.
I’d had a long, irritating day at work. Now that our shipment was finally at the auto shop, we had a lot of overdue orders to fill. Managing those orders while still keeping on pace with actual car repairs was a balancing act, and I’d had to rearrange most of our schedule. And all of that was on top of keeping the clan informed about Sean and his lackeys-as well as making sure we had the paperwork in place for the upcoming distillery opening. I was stretched thin. It was doubly frustrating since every moment away from Harley turned my dragon into a whiny, little bitch. If he couldn’t claim her, he wanted to be with her every second of the day. I had the same feeling. But it simply wasn’t possible.
“I’m making Dylan’s favorite, honey-glazed brussels sprouts,” Harley said.
I itched to press her up against the counter again. That kiss had given me a Pavlovian reaction to seeing her cook.
“Dang, that’s a pretty grown-up food,” I said. I ruffled Dylan’s hair. He was slumped on the couch, watching some cartoon on the TV and frowning slightly at the screen. “You all right, bud?”
“He’s grumpy,” Harley said from the kitchen.
“What happened?”
“Nothing,” Harley said.
Dylan sat up. “My dragon’s annoyed.”
I sat down next to him. “Annoyed? With what?”
“There was this lady at the grocery store who was mean to Mom, and my dragon didn’t like her at all. It’s bothering me.”
“Some lady?” I glanced at Harley, one eyebrow raised in question.
She sighed. “We ran into Blakely.”
My dragon growled. I could ban Blakely from clan properties, but I couldn’t keep her away from public places like the grocery store. Admittedly, I’d hoped she might skip town, but apparently she’d only dug her heels in deeper.
“I got really bad vibes,” Dylan said. “Who was she?”
“She used to be connected to the clan, but she’s not anymore,” I said. “She got kicked out for being a bad person.”
Dylan’s eyes widened. “What’d she do?”
“We’ll talk about it when you’re older,” I said. “But your dragon could sense that. You’ve both got a good sense of character.”
Dylan frowned. He didn’t appreciate my non-answer, but I could tell the compliment pleased his dragon.
“You want to go play some video games in your room until dinner?” Harley asked.
Dylan nodded.
I squeezed his shoulder. “You didn’t want to leave your Mom alone, did you?”
He shook his head.
My dragon hummed, pleased that our son was already so courageous and defensive. Even a slight threat to Harley, like
Blakely’s rudeness, was enough to make him rear up. Once Dylan went through his first shift, he’d learn to get control over those instincts, but I was thrilled to see they were present. “That’s all right, but she’s safe now. You can go relax.”
His shoulders sagged slightly, then he leaned forward and hugged me. “Thanks, Dad.”
Dylan ran upstairs. His mood was visibly lighter from when I’d walked in the door. I stood up and walked into the kitchen. “Poor kid. He must’ve been on edge all day.”
Harley nodded. “I think seeing Blakely really shook up his dragon. I wasn’t sure what to do. He stuck to my side most of the day.”
“It’ll get easier. He’s still young and learning how to manage his instincts.”
“And you’ll help him, right?” Harley cuts off the stove and sets the steaks aside to rest.
“Of course.” I leaned against the counter. “What about you? Are you okay?”
Harley grimaced. “I’m fine. She was just rude.”
“Rude how?”
“Going on and on about how I ruined her life.” Harley glanced up toward the stairs. Even though Dylan was in his room with the door closed, she still lowered her voice. “Honestly, I wanted to sock her in the face.”
I huffed out a laugh. “She would’ve deserved it. She fucked up our lives and ruined her own along the way.”
“That’s what I said,” Harley said, exasperated. “She seems a little unhinged. I was afraid she might do something besides run her mouth.”
My dragon growled again, and I tasted smoke on the back of my tongue. “Did she threaten you?”
“No, not really-she seemed a little out of control.” Harley rubbed her temple and closed her eyes. “I’m okay, really. I know she’s not really a threat, it… I don’t know, it’s a lot to take in.”
I put my thumb under her chin and tilted her head up. Harley’s blue eyes flickered open and met mine.
“No one will come between us again,” I promised her. “Not Blakely. Not anyone else. If anyone speaks to you the way Blakely did-hell, if anyone even makes you uncomfortable-you come to me. Promise me.”
She swallowed. “Stephan…”
“You don’t have to do this alone anymore.”
