Page 44 of Draven

"He'll hurt himself first than lay a hand on me," I said firmly.

Tom nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Okay then," Tom said. "I won't get in the way since you've made up your mind about him. But if things get too hairy...you can count on me to help."

I blinked in surprise. "Why the sudden change of heart?" I had to ask.

"I've watched you, but watched him mostly...and I've never seen you this happy," Tom said.

“Draven makes me happy," I pointed out.

"Yeah. Finding that special someone in your life, that's rare. I'm even a little envious," Tom admitted.

"That's surprising," I said.

"I really wished I could've seen the expression on Justin's face when your boyfriend set his flashy ride on fire. Did he really pee himself?" Tom asked.

I laughed. It felt like a bit of pressure in my chest was gone and I realized it felt good, having my big brother on my side.

"Yeah, he did," I said, and told him all about it.

CHAPTER TWELVE

DRAVEN

I soaredthrough the night sky, the cool mountain air brushing against my scales.

It annoyed me that I had to keep a low profile whenever I transformed into my second form here in Red Vine.

In Sky Stead, there was no need for such caution.

There, the residents had relied on Zane and the protection of his dragons for over a century and were used to our kind.

All of a sudden, I pictured a future where Tobias and I could live openly, without fear or secrecy.

It was a tempting vision, because we could both have a fresh start. Tobias didn’t need to worry about bullies and I didn’t need to disguise who I was all the time.

Tobias….a pang of regret hit me. I couldn’t shake the memory of how close I came to biting him, to marking him as mine without his consent.

The anger bubbled within me, directed not at Tobias but at myself. My dragon had been relentless, pushing me to claim Tobias as our mate.

But Tobias wanted to wait, to take things at his own pace. And he deserved that respect. I had to remind myself that patience was key.

Tobias needed time to process everything, and I couldn’t risk pushing him away by acting impulsively.

I firmly told my dragon that we would wait, for Tobias’s sake. To my surprise, he reluctantly agreed.

A future without Tobias... was something neither of us could imagine. Eventually, I returned to the summit where Tobias bid me farewell.

As I changed back to human form, I chuckled at the thought of my brave little wolf approaching me so fearlessly while I was in my dragon form. He really was one of a kind.

After donning my clothes, I made a quick hike back to where I parked my motorcycle.

When I was a few feet from my motorcycle, I paused, frowning as I sniffed the air.

It wasn’t Tobias’s comforting scent that enveloped me but something foreign, unsettling.

A tinge of familiarity danced at the edge of my senses, yet I couldn’t place it.