Page 6 of Draven
If he knew the truth about the monster he had befriended tonight, he'd run for the hills without a second thought.
It didn't take long for us to leave the chaos of the crowd behind. They willingly parted at the sight of us, well, mostly me.
I couldn't blame them—my aura and the scaled, fiery beast that shared my skin were impossible to conceal.
I had grown accustomed to the way people reacted to me, but lately, my control had been shaky, frayed around the edges by the ordeal I had endured over the last few months.
An ordeal that had left me... shattered. Unacceptable company.
Tobias and I emerged into the dirt parking lot, the cool mountain air washing over us. With a sigh, I released his fingers, grateful for the brief respite.
As Tobias walked alongside me, I couldn't help but dwell on how nice it felt to have someone touch me without fear or hesitation.
For a moment, I allowed myself to bask in the warmth of his presence, wishing that he had entered my life before everything changed.
But lingering here with him wasn't wise; I knew I risked doing something I would later regret.
The more I got to know Tobias, the more I would inevitably want him, and that was a complication I couldn't afford.
I made my way to my parked motorcycle, Tobias trailing behind me.
"Where are you from?" he asked, his voice carrying genuine curiosity.
I hesitated, knowing that revealing too much about myself could lead to trouble. But something about Tobias's earnestness softened my resolve.
"I mean, I know everyone in Red Vine. Born and raised here, you see, and the place is pretty small, nothing much to see," Tobias continued.
We finally reached my motorcycle, and I retrieved my helmet and put it on.
"Oh, you're leaving?" Tobias's question hung in the air, laced with disappointment.
Realising I owed him some kind of explanation, I turned to face him.
It was hard to forget the vulnerability he had shown earlier, confessing his lack of experience in dating.
Though I didn't know the full extent of Tobias's history with the human back at the bar, I could sense there was something between them.
A part of me was tempted to track down the human, hurt him a little, but what would be the point?
"Keep a low profile. Trouble's the last thing you need," were Zane's parting words to me as I straddled my motorcycle, preparing to embark on a spontaneous road trip.
Zane, my new lead alpha, had taken on the responsibility of guiding me through this new chapter of my life.
It still felt surreal to think of myself as a part of a group, let alone under the leadership of someone else.
For most of my life, I had grown up in isolation, nestled in an old mountain cabin with just my dad for company.
We lived a simple existence, minding our own business and avoiding the prying eyes of the outside world.
When my dad passed away, it left me feeling adrift and alone.
At first, I didn't mind the solitude, finding solace in the familiar routine of our secluded life.
But as time went on, I couldn't shake the sense of emptiness that settled over me.
We were the last of our bloodline, and the world viewed us as a threat to be eliminated if we ever emerged into the open.
Our kind had been hunted to near extinction before and if they found out there were still a few dragon shifters out there…well. It would be a quick execution.