"You are a desirable woman. Aaron is a hot, sexy male. The chemistry between the two of you is thick enough to light a fire." Taking her hands off the wheel for just a second, Serena clapped. Her eyes gleamed.
"You always this direct?" Hope cleared her throat, a flush streaking her cheeks.
"Life's too short." Her golden-brown eyes sparkled. "I am going to enjoy seeing you and Aaron dance around each other."
Somehow Hope didn't trust Serena. Didn't trust the innocent set to her features. She reminded Hope too much of Eve.
Leaning over, she tugged at Serena's hair. "You're going to cause me a lot of trouble, aren't you?"
37
Aaron
Having dropped a reluctant Charm off at her apartment, Aaron pulled into the complex of buildings where he had his room before he’d moved above the bar.
He could have found an apartment of his own in the city, but Zayn had preferred the shared quarters with the other soldiers.
Aaron had opted for the same.
After Zayn's death, it had been too painful to come back here. The place had too many memories of his twin.
As he got his backpack out of the truck, he looked at the building and realized the wound no longer felt as raw as it once was. He'd always miss Zayn, yet he felt a new sense of purpose, a responsibility to his twin to keep living his life.
As he walked into the apartment block, he ran into Vance.
"You made it back in time for the counseling session." The vampire slapped him on his shoulder.
"Oh?" Aaron asked. "Didn't think I'd be responsible enough to let you know if I couldn't make it? The grief counseling sessions are my responsibility. Besides, it’s too important for those who attend."
Vance tilted his head.
Aaron conceded. "All right, okay. It's also important for me. It's what kept me going through all those months when I was mourning Zayn."
When Vance stayed quiet, Aaron had a sudden flash of insight. "You knew that organizing the sessions would give me something to focus on rather than just my grief."
"It worked, didn't it? Look at you." Vance waggled his eyebrows.
"What?" Aaron thumped his chest. "I am the same, only…"
"Only you don't reek of liquor, you're wearing clean clothes, are well-groomed, and if I am very much not mistaken, you seem to have even picked up a tan. Why, you're positively glowing."
"Stop already." Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not like I was at death's door."
"Sure, could have fooled me. There are many who care about you, Aaron. For a while there, we weren't sure if you would come back to us. It's why we sent Cain—" Vance stopped, his eyes narrowing. "I'm late to see my next patient already. See you at the session in an hour?"
Aaron grabbed the doctor's collar. Aaron was taller and broader than Vance.
Vance had no choice but to pause in his tracks.
"What do you mean you sent Cain?" His eyes narrowed. "He was watching out for me?"
"Ask him yourself." With a lithe move that hinted at his origins as a mercenary, Vance slipped out of Aaron's grasp.
Vance was halfway up the road before he turned and said over his shoulder, "A word of advice: best stake your claim on your dragon shifter before the wolves come sniffing around."
"What the—?" Aaron swore. "The entire complex knows about us? Already?" He was talking to thin air.
Vance had already disappeared into the infirmary.
Shifters liked to gossip, and in a community as close knit as theirs, no romance stayed secret for long. Not that Aaron was complaining. A grin tugged at his face. It felt good to be back home.
On the boat ride over, he'd gone out of his way to put distance between him and Hope. He'd even pretended to respond to Charm's welcome.
He'd made sure Hope was convinced that he'd decided to back off.
It would make his next move that much more impactful. He planned on taking Hope by surprise.
He had his dragon shifter on his turf. He wasn't going to let her go that easily.
38
Hope
Pushing aside the sliding doors of the balcony to the studio apartment she'd been given, Hope let the heat of the late afternoon wash over her.
When she leaned over the parapet, she caught the fierce game of cricket in progress below.
The bowler came in full tilt, flinging the ball.
The girl at the pitch lifted her bat, connected, and the ball went flying straight toward Hope.
She caught the hard leather ball, held on, and looked down to see the figures below frozen.
"Out!" He looked at the referee.
The other players on the field took up the cry.
The referee shook his head, dismissing the bowler's appeal. The players subsided.
The bowler waved at Hope and cupped his hands.
She threw the ball straight into his waiting palms.
The boy cupped his hands around his mouth, "Join us." He yelled.
Hope was about to shake her head in reply when other voices chimed in.
"Come on."
"Yeah, you must."
Well, why not? She only had to be at the naming ceremony later that evening. Besides, she was tired of being indoors. Tired of being avoided and of acting all grown up.
Inside, her dragon stretched. A pulse of excitement shivered through the beast, and that made up her mind. This was one way of wooing her animal.
Dragon 2. Woman 3.
She pulled on her sneakers, then ran out the apartment.
As she approached, the players fell quiet.
The boy who'd caught the ball threw it at her. "You ready?"
Hope huffed out a breath. "Yeah, except I've never played this before."
"You know baseball?"
"Sure, wise guy." Hope smirked.
"This is similar, just not." The boy grinned.
"Right, that's helpful. Just tell me what to do." Hope wondered what she'd gotten herself into.
The boy walked with her to a spot on the far side. "Just follow the ball. When it comes your way, catch it and throw it back to me."
"That's it?"
"Yep." His eyes glinted.
He was a teenager on the verge of becoming a full-grown man, and he had the scent of a future alpha around him. His lips widened into a smile. He held out his hand. "Max." His nostrils flared. Something in that gesture gave away enough for her to sense the wolf inside him.
"Hope." She gripped his palm.
His eyes widened.
She'd meant to intimidate him. Turned out it only heightened his interest in her.
Max held on for a second longer than necessary.
Before she could tug her arm out of his grasp, a touch on her shoulder had her jumping.
The scent of eucalyptus and pine on a cool dawn breeze teased her. Every nerve ending crackled to attention. She stiffened, as Aaron slipped a hand over her shoulders.
His grip was proprietary. "So, Max." Aaron's voice held a thread of warning. "You lost no time in recruiting the newest honorary member of the Guardians to your team."