Page 39 of Draco's Defiance
Taking a deep breath, he listened to his brother. Sebastian was in trouble. Or, to be more precise, his woman, Rebecca was in trouble, and true to form, Seb wanted his brothers to come to their aid.
It wouldn’t normally have been an issue for Draco. He loved a fight as much as the next dragon-shifter, particularly when the foe in question was Oliver Monroe, the same idiot who’d upset Moira, but the idiot in question presented Draco with a quandary.
Monroe had tried to snatch his sister, Rebecca away from Sebastian, and the attempt had sent them both into an understandable spin. Sebastian wanted around-the-clock protection for his lady, while he, Balthazar, Draco, and Cole headed out to pay Monroe a visit. Draco could comprehend his logic. The problem was, though, he and Moira also had history with the odious Oliver.
The last time they’d met, Moira had thought he was following her, and Draco had to admit, Monroe had been hard to shake off. He didn’t like to think what the bastard might have done had Moira not been smart enough to go into Berrunti’s. Draco wasn’t prepared to abandon her while he went to fight Sebastian’s battle. After all, Monroe clearly had a thing for his beautiful brunette. He wouldn’t leave her undefended any more than Sebastian was prepared to leave Rebecca without protection.
She’s not mine. The realization sliced at his heart like a blade. I hardly know her.
The thought did little to quell his rising emotions.
“What do you mean?” Seb sounded like he was running out of patience. “I don’t have time for your shit today, Draco.”
“Well, excuse me.” His brother’s impertinence was bordering on being fucking rude. “You called me and asked for my help, remember?”
Sebastian was generally a polite and decent guy, but this prevailing ‘all for one and one for all’ attitude meant that he and Balthazar expected Draco to jump whenever they called, but Draco had news for them. He didn’t take orders. Of his three siblings, he’d always gotten along better with the youngest, Cole, but he was willing to bet if Cole needed him, he wouldn’t be such a petulant prick about it, throwing demands around as though he was their parent.
“Because I stupidly thought family meant something to you.” Sebastian sounded on the verge of tears, but Draco didn’t know why he was bothering. Overt displays of emotion rarely had any effect on him. He hadn’t cried when either of his parents passed, and these days, few people seemed to emotionally impact him.
Except Moira.
His gaze traveled to the woman listening to his every word. He hadn’t been hearing her thoughts since he took Sebastian’s call, but her eyes conveyed intrigue and concern.
“You know it does.” Had he not been so consumed with his new lover, Draco might have been riled by the inference that he didn’t care. All he’d done was ask Sebastian to consider what his needs might be before he handed out instructions. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“I don’t know anything anymore.” Anger rose in Sebastian’s voice. “If you’re too bloody busy banging some random hooker, then fair enough, Draco. I won’t bother you again.”
The line went dead before Draco could even respond.
What the fuck, Sebastian? He stared at the screen in his hands before Moira’s voice drew his attention back to her.
“Is everything okay?” She leaned closer from her seat, her thoughts drifting to him. It didn’t sound like it.
“I’m not sure.” He heaved in air as he strode back to the sofa and collapsed into the seat beside her. Moira was still wrapped up in the blanket he’d given her, but personally, Draco was overheated. He’d never had a problem in his own skin as either man or dragon, but dealing with his family had ratcheted up his temperature another notch. “My brother’s having a tantrum.”
“I’m sorry.” It’s my fault. Her knitting brows confirmed the preposterous idea.
“Why are you sorry?” Draco placed his phone down on the coffee table before pouring himself a cup of the hot drink. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I just had the feeling I was the subject of some of the conversation.” She shifted awkwardly at his side. “And if that’s true, I didn’t mean to cause any issues for you.”
“There are no issues.” Turning to her, he offered a reassuring smile. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Moira or leave her with the impression she was some sort of inconvenience. Right now, she was the number one concern in his life. “Sebastian will sort himself out, or he won’t.” Or, he’ll call Cole and ask him to get me onside.
Draco rolled his eyes at the sad reality. That was classic Sebastian behavior. Frustrated with Draco, he’d run to Balthazar or Cole and get one of them to resolve the problem for him. Brothers. I love them, but sometimes, they can be a liability. Sipping at his coffee, he checked his phone. No new messages yet.
“So long as you’re sure?”
Taking a drink from her own cup, she watched him from over the rim. Damn, she was gorgeous, especially with her ‘fuck-me’ hair. Draco had been right to stop and think before he chased off after Monroe. The men in that family were proven villains and one had already expressed an unhealthy interest in Moira. If Monroe was out there somewhere looking to enact revenge against the Vaughns, Moira could easily be one of his targets.
“I’m sure.” His voice carried conviction. “This isn’t about you and I don’t want you to worry about it.”
“Okay.” Her fingers relaxed around the handle of the coffee cup.
“I need to use the bathroom.” He gestured toward the door. “Help yourself to more coffee if you like.”
Leaning to kiss her, he grabbed his phone before he stalked away. It would be just his luck that one of his brother’s would call while he was out of the room and he didn’t want Moira exposed to any more Vaughn family drama. Things were going too well between them to allow his siblings to screw things up.
“Thanks.”