“Eli…” Her eyes teared up. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just can’t do this anymore.”
“I’m not upset, but my instincts are a little hard to control right now.” Just admitting that much was humiliating. Eli had always had an iron grip on his instincts, even as a hatchling. When the other children had been too rough, or too impulsive, or too destructive, Eli had maintained his composure. Even at five years old, he’d been able to apply logic to his problems and make the most of any situation. His rational mind had always prevailed.
But not now. Not when it came to Ava.
She took a big step back. A single tear rolled down her face. Every cell in his body was screaming for him not to leave her, but he had no choice. If he stayed near her, he would end up hurting her. Either with his words or with his dragon’s strength.
He nearly ripped his car door off. No. He didn’t need to be on the road with other drivers. He slammed it shut. “Do you need a taxi? I don’t want you driving if you’re upset.”
“I’m fine. I’ll go back inside the building. I think I’m going to have dinner with Ashley.”
“Good,” he said. Then, he took off into a small strip of trees behind the lab. They were in the middle of Portland, so he wasn’t going to be able to shift and fly, not here. But if he walked, he’d cool off, and then he could get outside the city and hike down one of the mountains. Or better yet, drive home and go to the beach and swim.
If it was more secluded, he’d try swimming in the Willamette. But it was always packed with sailboats and kayaks and dinner cruise boats.
Once he’d walked several city blocks, passing countless cars, bikers, and pedestrians, he kept walking. When he was close to the edge of the city, he got a taxi.
“Mt. Hood, please,” he said.
“That’s an hour and a half away, buddy,” the driver said.
“That’s fine. I’ll pay up front.” He handed the driver double the amount needed, and the guy shrugged and took off.
Eli let his mind wander at first. Then, he texted Jackson.
Ava is leaving.
Nearly as soon as he’d hit send, his phone rang. The cab driver had his headphones on, so Eli answered the call.
“What the hell is going on?” Jackson said. “You come home a few weeks ago and tell us that aliens do exist and that your girl handled it all perfectly well. Then, I don’t hear from you for two weeks until you send me a bullshit text.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Eli felt like he’d been saying that a lot lately.
“Where are you?” Jackson asked.
“Almost at Mt. Hood.”
“What are you going to do there?”
“Hike.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you come home?”
“I need to think,” Eli said.
“You can think here. Get your ass home and let us help you.”
“I’ll come this weekend.”
Jackson sighed. “Have you told her yet? That she’s your mate?”
“No.”
“Dammit, Eli. Why not?” There was a rustling sound, and then Jackson’s voice was softer. Gentler. As if he was being careful with Eli. “Look. I know you didn’t ever plan to have a human mate. But you do. And she needs to know.”
“Why does she need to know? So I can guilt her into staying with me? That’s no way for a person to live. I won’t do it.”
“You wouldn’t be guilting her. I know you. You’d just be giving her information. Don’t you think she’d want to know?”
“No, I don’t think she would.”
“I haven’t met her, but from everything you’ve said and what Nora and Niall have said, then yes, she’d absolutely want to know that you’re her mate for freaking life and that you won’t ever have another.”
Jackson had the kind of passion in his voice that had led him to do plenty of crazy stuff when they were kids. It had always been Eli who held him back from making some really dumb decisions. Now that they were responsible adults, Jackson had been a hero to both humans and shifters, and didn’t need to be talked down so often. But he still liked to meddle. “Don’t interfere, Jackson. I mean it.”
Jackson cursed a blue streak. All kinds of words spewed from his mouth, some that Eli didn’t even know. Finally, he was done. “I won’t,” he said.
“You swear?” Eli asked.
“Yes. Because Helena made me promise.”
Now that made more sense. “Tell her I said thank you.” Jackson’s mate was a powerful female with the blood of a demi-god coursing through her veins. Not many people crossed her.
And Jackson, for all his insistence that Eli tell Ava the truth, did not understand. Jackson’s mate was not human. She had grown up with Zeus as her great-grandfather and Ares as her grandfather. She’d walked the halls of Mt. Olympus as a child. There was no way for him to understand what it was like for Ava to face life with a dragon shifter, something she hadn’t even known existed until a few weeks ago.
Eli got off the phone with Jackson. He did feel better after talking to his friend. Now his phone was buzzing again. He looked down and saw that the screen read, ‘Garrett.’ Eli rolled his eyes.
He had no doubt that Jackson had called his cousin and asked him to talk some sense into Eli.
And maybe he would talk to Garrett about it at some point. He and Eli were very different, but at least Garrett would understand what it was like to have a human mate.
He sent Garret a text saying he’d call him later.
A text popped up from Garrett that said, Don’t give up. You’ll regret it.
Well, that was less than helpful. He shoved his phone in his pocket. They’d arrived at the mountain. He got out of the cab and it sped off. He had nothing with him but his wallet, but he didn’t need any equipment to hike.
The
