Page 24 of Dragon My Crazy

As we stepped back out onto Main Street, I noticed a wisp of orange flames in my peripheral vision. That would be Flame or Blaze. They were here to act as guards, which I was used to. Even back in Darlington, I was afraid to go out on my own because of my ex-husband. The two ifrits were used to tailing behind Carly and me when we went out together, staying just out of sight.

Emmett glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “She’ll like these. I can’t believe I didn’t replace them after the last incident. It just felt so futile. Thank you for giving me hope.”

When he took my hand, I didn’t stop him. Instead, I let him lead me down the street toward Howl & Honey. And as the scent of fresh coffee and bacon grew stronger with each step, I couldn’t help but admit that I was having more fun than I’d had in a long time. In fact, I hadn’t snarked at Emmett since we set foot in town.

But then again, my mental image of him had changed quite a bit since I left Darlington. For one, I saw how much he really cared about his daughter. The love in his eyes was impossible to fake. Having only experienced my ex-husband’s hands-off approach to parenting by offloading all the responsibility to me until the day Seth showed his magical strength, it had surprised me to see him carrying Melly up to his personal quarters last night. He might not have known about her existence once, but now he was a truly devoted dad.

Chapter 12

Emmett

Theypiledtheplateshigh enough to feed an army. Elana’s avocado toast looked like it belonged on a foodie’s social media account. Each golden, crispy piece of toast was covered in butter, slathered with creamy avocado, topped with a poached egg, and then sprinkled generously with chili crisps. The smell alone made my mouth water. I always did have a thing for spicy food. And for some reason, my dragon was happy that Elana had similar tastes.

My own plate, steak and eggs, was impressive too. The meat was seared to perfection, the yolks super runny, just the way I liked them. But my focus was solely on the woman in front of me. Because watching Elana eat was turning out to be the best damn show in town.

At the first bite, her eyes fluttered closed. “Oh my god,” she moaned, and I damn near choked on my own tongue.

That sound went straight to my dick, and suddenly I was reconsidering my stance on public indecency. I shifted in my seat, trying to adjust myself without being obvious.

“Almost as good as the Starving Aardvark?” I asked.

She opened her eyes, considering. “Almost. But don’t tell them I said that.”

“I meant to visit last time I was in Darlington,” I admitted. “Never did get around to it.”

“Next time you’re there, then,” she said, taking another bite.

“Already planning date number two?”

She snorted. “I hate to remind you, but this is not a date.”

“Shopping on Main Street, brunch, a walk by the lake later… sounds very much like a date to me.” I dipped the tip of my knife into the egg yolk, then licked it off suggestively. “And I happen to know that you’re coming home with me later.” I waggled my brows.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. I grinned, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed.

A flicker of movement caught my attention. My head snapped toward the patio, my dragon senses immediately picking up what my human eyes had missed. The two ifrits sat at an outdoor table, their red skin shimmering faintly in the sunlight. They weren’t even trying to hide what they were, and yet they still managed to fit in without looking like guards at all. In fact, several women a few tables from them were seriously crushing hard on the pair.

“I almost forgot they were following us around,” I admitted.

Elana followed my gaze, then sighed. “They’re very good at not seeming like my guards. I want to say they’re discreet, but there’s nothing really discreet about them. But they do keep me safe whenever I need to leave Desmon’s place without Seth or him.”

I turned back to her. “Why do you need guards? I thought Darlington was pretty safe.”

She hesitated, took a sip of water, then set her glass on the table. “It is. For most people. My ex-husband is a wizard. A pretty powerful one too.”

“I know the story in passing, but not all the nitty-gritty. It’s how Desmon ended up with Seth as his wizard. A highly valuable asset. But wasn’t that decades ago?”

“It was. But Samuel’s the type to hold a grudge. He’s in jail now, but his friends are still out there. You met one of them at the gala.”

“The wizard. I remember. They still bother you?”

She paused, her lips pursed in thought. “I don’t know, actually. Roland’s the only one who’s approached me. And he’s actually not so bad. But I’ve been hiding and running for so long that it’s hard to break the habit. I’m scared that theonetime I let down my guard will be my downfall.”

I mulled that over. “That isn’t so different for me as a dragon. Let me tell you a secret. I’m envious of my brother and his trust in the ones who serve him.”

She frowned. “Don’t you trustyourpeople?”

“I’m not sure.” And that was as honest as I’d been in a while. “Leroy is with me because I pay well, and he was rejected by the WEC. His family just wasn’t rich or powerful enough with his level of magic. Nak and his family are here because his wife’s goblin clan had promised her to another, and they ran off together. Cassian the demon owes me a debt, as do many of the others working for me. Many of them have nowhere else to go. If I weren’t the right mix of rich and powerful, I doubt many of them would stay.”