It was nice to know he could still blow her mind just by being there.
Treasure. Mine. His demented dragon said.
“Nice to see you again. How are you?” Wrath asked.
Her hand drifted up to one of his pecs. It was like she was hypnotized. He removed her hand gently and kissed the back of it before moving it out of his personal space.
“Erin, how are you?” Wrath repeated.
“I’m fine,” she said, snapping out of it. “I’m here with my...with my…”
She was looking into his eyes. Wrath had always had a magnetic appeal to women. Some were more susceptible than others. Erin was particularly susceptible. Poor sweet girl.
“Erin? Is he bothering you?” asked a man stepping out of the bistro.
He wasn’t a small man, but he was human. The look on his face indicated he felt possessive of Erin. He was the boyfriend. Wrath wasn’t intimidated nor did he want to cause trouble. Fighting humans wasn’t even fun for sport anymore. Wrath looked the human man in the eye and turned up his magic.
“She’s a sweetheart, be good to her,” Wrath said. “You’re not angry about this encounter.”
The man nodded.
With that, Wrath left Erin with her boyfriend and headed into the bistro.
Sometimes that play would backfire, because not all humans were suggestable. Not that fighting the human would be a problem. It was just boring.
There was a time when it was more challenging. When he was younger and his magic was weaker, he’d had to use all his training to survive.
Pulling himself back to the present, Wrath scanned the bistro. His dragon alerted him that the elderly woman emptying the trash was his mate, as was the middle-aged woman using her laptop at a nearby table.
Then he noticed a new girl behind the counter. She was making a cappuccino. Someone bumped into her back and her hand went under the steam. She didn’t even flinch. Heat didn’t bother her. Interesting.
Wrath inhaled through his mouth and tasted the air. There was a shifter present, but it was male. A werewolf. There was the distinct but faint scent of dragon magic only it was different. Almost feminine.
He sensed a trap.
His dragon said nothing. Something had to be wrong if his dragon wasn’t declaring that she was his.
The werewolf headed for the exit. That wasn’t unusual. Predator shifters weren’t comfortable around each other. Werewolves would shy away just like a wolf in the wild unless there was something they had to protect. It was a wiser course of action than the mindless aggression some attributed to them.
Wrath stepped forward, into the presumed trap, and waited in line. There were creatures that could take the powers of others. That could explain how the woman had dragon magic, but she didn’t have the sickly-sweet aroma of that kind of being.
The most damning thing was that she looked like his type, her dark hair was long, and she had an athletic build with small but perky tits. Her lips were pink and pouty. He could easily imagine kissing them and having them put to more erotic uses. If someone who knew his history wanted to lure him in, they would use a woman just like her.
Yet, he sensed no other dragons around.
Her hazel eyes glanced his way and then back at her customer. That was the only thing that betrayed that she was aware of his presence. Was she expecting him, or did she just find him attractive? Did she feel the weight of his magic?
He sent a text to his people. On the off chance something would happen to him before he could get back, they needed to be ready to leave. He may not be a part of the dragon community, but that didn’t mean he had no one to watch out for.
The woman was too perfect, and she smelled of dragon magic, at least for a minute there. He couldn’t just walk away, though. He had to know who sent her and why. Then he’d move on to another hideout with his people since his current location had obviously been compromised.
This woman was going to tell him everything, whether she liked it or not.
Chapter 3
It was spring in Washington State. Kurt Drake was helping his mate, Faith, in the garden when his phone rang. He took off his gardening gloves and removed his phone from his back pocket. It was nice to get away from the manual labor. Faith loved working in the garden, so Kurt would be happy to let her do it alone if she weren’t heavily pregnant with his child.
As it was, she pointed and he planted.
The caller ID said it was Etel on the line, so Kurt answered.
“Are you going to tell me why I sent my employee to Virginia with no explanation?” Kurt asked.
“As I told you, she’s obviously a dragon blood with firedrake powers. Has she reported back?”
“I’m not convinced she’s a dragon blood. Even though Alal found her through her genealogy, that doesn’t mean she has dragon magic. Anyway, what the hell is she supposed to report? Her mission is to work a part-time job. There were no specifics.”
“She survived a fire unscathed as an infant. Alal and I agree that she’s perfect for one of our lost brothers. He’s been missing for a while, but I tracked him to that town. I want him to find a mate and settle down. With a dragon mate, he may come back to the fold. Ask her about any unusual men.”
“Who is he?” Kurt asked.
“I’d rather not say just yet.”
“And Alal agreed with you on all of it or just that they’d make a cute couple? Because I have a hard time believing Alal would agree with you on any plan. He’s known for taking the direct approach, isn’t he?”
“I came up with the plan after Alal
