Rotating into a 180-degree turn, she sat sideways. With her legs dangling over the side of the table, her gaze skimmed over the space. High-tech equipment pushed against the back wall. Boxy fluorescents hummed overhead, washing everything with warm light. She stifled a shiver, the pale paint and soft electrical buzz reminding her of days gone by and the community center in the old neighborhood. Everything had been colorless there too. Pale walls. Whey-faced people. Anemic opportunity… thin beyond measure.
J.?J. swallowed past the lump in her throat. It seemed like a lifetime ago. All the times Myst had knocked on their door, asking if Tania could come out to play. Then later—after the hormones hit and adolescent angst settled in—if her sister could go with her to the Four Corners Community Center after school and on weekends. The memory made J.?J. smile. Made her happy for her sister, if not a little sad for herself. She’d always wanted a friend like Myst. Someone willing to put themselves on the line, stand by her side… simply be there when everyone else bailed.
The sentiment smacked of jealousy.
But it wasn’t that.
Funny enough, J.?J. didn’t envy their friendship. Never had either. Oh, she’d tried to copy it a few times, hoping to find a best friend of her own. All to no avail. She wasn’t like Tania: charming, confident in social situations, able to put people at ease and win their trust. Her sister’s innate ability to say the right thing at precisely the right time flummoxed J.?J. She’d never acquired the skill. Silence was more her thing. Throw in her powers of observation and love of people watching and… yup. She flew under the radar as much as possible. Was a regular operator, a covert player who saw more than most.
An excellent skill to own, as it turned out. The talent had saved her more than once in prison. Knowing which way to jump, after all, equaled staying alive.
“Hey, guys?” Her voice interrupted the stream of conversation across the room.
A plastic packet in her hand, Tania glanced over her shoulder. “You ready to go?”
“All dressed,” she said, smoothing her hands over the gray sweatpants. Careful not to tweak her ribs, she slid off her perch and hopped to the floor. The tie at her waist slipped. Grabbing a handful of material, J.?J. turned the band under a second time. As the cotton settled at her hipbones, she palmed the cane hanging from the table edge. Plunking it on the floor, she kept most of her weight on her good leg and turned toward the sliding glass door. “Where are we headed now? To the gym to help Ange?”
“In a minute.” Pulling the stethoscope from around her neck, Myst set it on the countertop. With a quick pivot, she leaned back against the cabinets and rubbed her hand over the flat curve of her belly. She did that a lot, no doubt thinking about the baby she carried… and her mate, the dragon-guy responsible for her condition. Two months pregnant and hardly able to contain her excitement. J.?J.’s mouth curved. Impending motherhood. It looked good on Myst. “We need to discuss something first.”
J.?J. blinked. Uh, oh. That didn’t sound good. Particularly since they’d been
Or not. She didn’t know yet.
Tania, Myst, and Angela didn’t seem like the crazy type, and their reassurance went a long way, helping her climb the mountain of holy crap banging around inside her head. Still…
Despite the assurances, it wasn’t an easy sell.
All right, the dragon stuff she could handle. Disputing the truth after witnessing Wick’s transformation— complete with fangs, claws, and scales—seemed counterproductive. Not to mention ridiculous. She couldn’t go back, after all, and
Commitment. Connection. Energy feedings, a bond formed by a force outside her control. The entire concept was scary as hell.
She didn’t do relationships. Not well, at least. Her track record spoke volumes… none of it good. But that didn’t change the facts. According to Tania, the Meridian—the all-powerful source that enveloped the planet, nourishing all living things and, by extension, Dragonkind—didn’t lie. Or make mistakes. Which meant she and Wick were now linked through cosmic connection. J.?J. shivered as unease slithered deep.
Energy-fuse. The magical bond between mates.
Destroyer of independence and her peace of mind.
Blowing out a shaky breath, J.?J. forced herself to stay calm. Her nerves didn’t listen, jangling like a ring of runaway keys as she met Myst’s gaze. “Are you sure about this… the whole energy thing?”
“He fed you, J.?J. Healed all but your most severe injuries in less than twelve hours.” Picking up a pair of surgical scissors, Myst turned them over in her hands. After pressing the pad of her thumb to one of the blunted tips, she sighed. “The only way that happens is if a male’s dragon half recognizes and—”
“Accepts you as his mate,” Tania said, jumping in with a soothing tone.
“What if I don’t want to be mated?”
J.?J. cringed. She hated the question. For some reason, asking it felt disloyal, as though she betrayed Wick by thinking it, never mind saying it aloud. Which was just plain stupid. In every way that mattered. She barely knew the guy. All right, so he’d been good to her—kind, gentle, patient in the face of her freak-out attack—but that didn’t mean she wanted to walk down the aisle. Or commit to a relationship that would no doubt end in disaster.
Again.
The thought stopped her cold. Ah, and there it was. The entire reason for her fear. Past experience. Her reaction didn’t have a thing to do with Wick and everything to do with her. J.?J. frowned so hard her forehead stung. Did that make her a coward? Or simply cautious? She didn’t know, but one thing for sure? He moved her in ways no one else ever had, and like it or not she felt the pull. Even with him out of the lair, the almost imperceptible hum of synergy buzzed in her veins. The tug held sway. Drew her attention. Pushed her north of center, tightening its grip, making her feel so alive her senses crackled in reaction.
And she knew… without a shadow of a doubt… he was the reason.
“Look,” Tania murmured. “I know you’re scared. If Wick was fixated on me, I would be terrified too. He’s a dangerous guy, totally unpredictable and—”
“What are you talking about?” All right, so she’d been scared of Wick at first. More than a little unsure of him, but that hadn’t lasted long. He was too solid to fear. Too straightforward to mistrust, and despite her track record with men, J.?J. knew a good thing when she saw it. The realization, however, didn’t help matters. Or mean she wanted to jump into a relationship with him. The mere idea sent her spinning. Too many things could go wrong. She’d make another mistake. Take another wrong turn. End up neck-deep in trouble all over again. “I’m not afraid of Wick. This isn’t about him. I mean… not exactly.”
“You aren’t?” Tania asked, surprise winging across her face. “It isn’t?”
“No. He’s been great.”
Myst’s mouth fell open. “He has?”
“Yes.” Completely true. Every last word, and as her gaze ping-ponged between the two women, J.?J. admitted the truth. At least to herself. She may not want to hook up right this minute, but maybe… just maybe… if she spent more time with Wick, she’d get over her aversion. Energy-fuse aside, her attraction to him was powerful. Undeniable. And if she were honest? Not something she wanted to ignore. “Really patient too, talking me through the—”
“He
J.?J. wanted to roll her eyes. She crossed her arms instead, letting the cane dangle from her fingertips. What the hell was wrong with them? Of course, he talked to her. All right, so maybe not in run-on sentences, but hey… short responses she could handle.
“Hey, Tania?” Straight teeth working overtime, Myst nibbled her bottom lip. “If he’s responding to her, we may have jumped the gun.”
“Daimler won’t be happy.”
