Page 28 of Dragon My Crazy

I was in trouble. Because now my brain was wondering what it would be like to stay. To watch her grow. To be more than a visitor with an expiration date.

It was a dangerous thought, and I knew better than to indulge it. I’d raised Seth. I’d done my time as someone else’s everything. I was much too old to go through all that again. The smart and safe thing was to keep my heart behind walls where it belonged.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, jolting me out of the thought.

Tansy: Hey, Mom. Just checking in. How’s the mountain air?

I smiled, typing back. I loved that Tansy called me Mom now. There was a time in my life when I thought I’d never see her again.

Me:Good. Melly’s doing great. The town’s cute. Emmett’s okay.

Okay. Right. As if there were anythingokayabout a centuries-old dragon who looked at me like I was the last treasure left in the world.

Her reply was instant.

Tansy: Glad to hear it!

Typing…blinked under her name, and I waited for the rest of her message.

Tansy: Seth says the forum got delayed, and they’re doing a little side trip. Probably will end up being a week or two longer. I can portal you back whenever you need, but you’ll be alone at the estate.

My stomach twisted. I knew she didn’t meancompletelyalone. I had Flame and Blaze. And the brownie family that had moved in. And there was also a myriad of guards. And the gardener came by once a week. But Seth and Desmon were the reason why I felt truly safe.

Desmon’s estate was protected by spells and wards, so Ishouldbe okay alone. It just meant that I wouldn’t be able to leave the estate on my own. Tansy could keep me safe, but she had herhands full with Eadie. She could portal me over so I could spend time with my grandbaby and hang out with Shelby and the other Redrock wives, but I could only do that for so long before feeling like I was imposing.

Me:I’ll let you know when I need you. How’s Eadie?

Tansy:She’s a menace as always. I’d suggest introducing Melantha to her, to see if it will help, but I’m afraid she’ll just teach her all the wrong things.

Me:Or just turn into a dragon to join Melly.

Being half-demon meant Eadie could take any form she wanted. She could also fly. The first time Tansy found her crawling on the ceiling, she’d called me in a panic to ask for advice on getting her down.

Tansy: Yeah. You’re right. Maybe later, when they are older. Call me when you need that portal.

Me:Sure thing.

I set the phone down, my fingers lingering on the screen. I could handle a week or two on my own at the estate.

Melly brought me a red play ring, so I took it and showed her how to stack it onto the post. To my delight, she reached for it with her paws instead of her mouth. This had to be an improvement.

My phone rang again an hour later.

Melly had gotten tired from playing and was curled up on a mat next to my feet with the stuffed dragon tucked under one wing. I’d just settled into the armchair with a cup of coffee Nak had quietly delivered when my phone lit up.

UNKNOWN NUMBER.

I almost didn’t answer. But something, call it instinct or maybe paranoia, made me swipe.

“Hello?”

“Elana.” The voice was abrasive and familiar.

My blood turned to ice right there in my veins.

The last time I’d heard that voice was in the courtroom just a few months ago, when I finalized our divorce. It had taken me twenty years to actually face Samuel again, and it was to make sure every legal tie between us was severed. I hated it. I hated that my ex-husband still had that power over me, that some animal part of me still flinched every time I heard his voice.

When I didn’t reply, he chuckled. “Miss me?”