Page 1 of Dragon My Crazy

Chapter 1

Elana

Iadjustedthedécolletageof my dress again, trying my damndest to ignore the dozen or so pairs of eyes latched onto me like leeches on a fresh wound. You know that saying, “if looks could kill”? Well, their looks could actually kill, considering they were all super-powerful wizards. They were also my ex-husband’s buddies.

Despite having been invited for the last decade or so, this was my first time actually attending the Monsters & Magic Charity Gala.It was also the first year my ex-husband wasn’t, on account of him being locked up behind bars for the next decade.

His wizard buddies wouldn’t actually try anything here. The Monsters & Magic Charity Gala was too public a place, especially since the museum, decorated to the nines for the prestigious event, was owned by my protector and employer, Desmon the Dragon of Darlington.

Also, my son Seth was only a few yards away, enjoying the gala with his mates. Seth was just as powerful, perhaps more so, than the cronies staring me down. And if that wasn’t enough, the chief of police was here too. Chief Alex Henderson and I had become fast friends after our few failed dates.

But all that didn’t stop my heart from threatening to beat right out of my chest.

I forced myself to breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

The silk of my dress clung to my skin, leaving me feeling exposed. I wanted to hide underneath a thick blanket instead. A thick blanket and a mask. But I’d been hiding for almost two decades, and now that Samuel was locked up behind bars, it was time to rejoin society. I couldn’t possibly hide forever.

Besides, I wasn’t the terrified and powerless woman I’d been all those years ago when my son had stolen me away and introduced me to an honest-to-goodness dragon. I had friends now, plenty of them, many of whom were just as powerful as my ex-husband.

Meera wove through the tables toward me, her tanned skin glittering with the sheen of iridescent gold powder. She looked radiant. Life with Graham, her gargoyle mate, suited her just fine. I waved and called her over, glad to have some distraction and company.

She pulled me into a hug. “You’re handling this like a pro,” she murmured against my hair.

I grinned. “Thanks. Though Mateo’s acting like those assholes are going to steal me away if he so much as blinks.”

Mateo was currently head of security here at the Darlington Museum, but years ago, when Desmon had first hired him for odd jobs, he’d been a troubled orphaned manticore with nowhere to go. I’d been his first true motherly figure, so I understood why he was getting all overprotective.

Meera laughed. “He just cares about you.”

“I know.” I sighed. “But I wish one day I could exist without bodyguards.”

“That’s what those magic lessons are for.” She nudged me. “You coming by this week?”

I hesitated. After decades of having my magic siphoned off by my ex, it had taken years to refill my well. And even now my body fought me, and I could barely cast the simplest of spells despite my mostly full magical reserves. While I loved spending time with Tansy, my long-lost daughter—long story—and all my new friends, sometimes it felt like I’d never be able to control my magic.

Maybe I’d started too old. You know, the whole “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” thing. Having been raised old-guard wizard style, where women were taught to look pretty, bear children, and act as passive batteries for their husbands, maybe the window to learn how to control my magic had long passed. I was no spring chicken.

Despite my constant failure, I’d been going to the lessons every week just to see everyone.

“Ah, there you are.”

The words were said in a voice smoother than an incubus’s pickup line. I didn’t even need to turn around to know who’d just graced us with his royal dragon presence.

Emmett, Desmon’s brother.

He was in his human form, sporting a perfectly tailored suit. Tall, with broad shoulders and a glowing tan, he looked like he was poured from bronze. He’d grown his hair longer, and it fell over his face in loose strands like he was trying out to be Fabio’s replacement. The casual hairstyle didn’t quite fit the formal attire, but somehow he made it work.

Just like his brother, he had an almost ageless look, except Emmett looked like trouble. Because he was. The only time that one had ever shown up was when he wanted something. Dragons were very territorial, and usually the first sibling to hatch shoved the other unhatched egg out of the nest and down a jagged cliff.

That would’ve been Desmon. But Desmon’s sire had squirreled the second egg away at a secondary nest, hoping for a daughter for some political alliance. Well, the joke was on him because he ended up with two sons.

Two sons that barely tolerated each other. For some reason though, the wards in Desmon’s home always let Emmett in—something about him being an ally.

I hadn’t known Emmett had an invitation to this year’s Monsters & Magic Charity Gala. And apparently, neither had Desmon. His glare could’ve melted steel; his jaw was clenched so hard I half-expected to hear his teeth crack.

I turned slowly, my fingers tightening around the stem of my wineglass. The air thickened, charged with tension that made my skin prickle.

Dragons. Always so damn territorial.