Chapter One
Isabella Fox sat on the edge of the bathtub and watched a second little pink line appear on the pregnancy test. At first, it was faint. She didn’t know if the test was defective and regretted not putting down the money for a better test.
But the line began to darken until there was no room for doubt.
She was, in fact, pregnant.
“Oh,” she whispered.
Panic tried to take ahold of her, but it was chased away by another feeling: excitement. Her mother wasn’t going to be happy, especially since Isabella had recently left Tommy. After seeing the drastic difference between Trevor, Evangeline’s ex, and Casey, Evangeline’s mate, Isabella had realized she wanted to be just as happy.
Isabella’s mother would tell her to go back to Tommy, so the baby could have a proper father, but Isabella would never willingly set foot within Tommy’s vicinity again. She, Evangeline, and Nellie had packed her things while Tommy was out. Isabella had booked a motel room to buy time until she could find a proper apartment for herself, but she’d asked Evangeline to stop at the pharmacy first.
Evangeline banged on the bathroom door. “Is everything okay in there?”
Instead of heading to the motel, Evangeline had brought them back to her apartment in town. Isabella had to admit that peeing on a stick was already awkward enough. She was grateful she didn’t have to do it in a strange room.
“If you don’t unlock this door, I’m going to do it for you,” Nellie threatened.
Isabella rolled her eyes, but a smile touched her lips. She tossed the test aside and washed her hands, listening to her two best friends rattle the door.
“Well?” Evangeline asked once Isabella finally stepped out of the bathroom.
Isabella let out a breath. It wasn’t as shaky as she thought it’d be. Instead, she touched her stomach and felt a flickering hope flare in her chest. “I’m pregnant.”
Evangeline and Nellie wore guarded expressions.
“Tommy’s going to…” Evangeline began.
“He’s not going to find out,” Isabella said. She sank into a chair at the kitchen table, her heart thundering at the thought of Tommy.
She knew what he would tell her. He’d never supported anything she’d wanted. She’s turned to self-publishing romance novels because he’d never wanted her to leave the house. She hadn’t told him that she wrote romance or that she published the books, either. He’d assumed that she was writing unpublishable drivel, but all the income she made from them had helped her escape him.
Had he known that she’d been writing under a pseudonym, he would have taken her laptop from her. He would have cut her off from the world. And, if he knew she was with child, he would have forced her to end it.
The thought physically pained her.
“Tommy can never know,” she said, her voice low.
“You have our vow,” Evangeline said.
“That bastard will never know,” Nellie finished.
Tears gathered in Isabella’s eyes. They were the only reason Isabella had survived the past five years. They’d supported her and listened to her without making judgements or demands.
The door opened, and a man built like a lumberjack on the cover of one of her books wandered in. Casey sidled up behind Evangeline and bent to press a kiss to her cheek. He tenderly tugged the tip of her lavender hair before silently disappearing into the next room.
As grateful as Isabella was, she wished she could have more. In nine months, she would know a mother’s love, but she wished she could have someone look at her the way Casey looked at Evangeline.
“You can’t stay in a motel…like that.” Nellie said. “You’re going to have to find a place of your own sooner rather than later.”
Reality slammed into Isabella and left her short of breath. She gave her friends a tight smile, but the truth was, she didn’t have a whole lot of funds left. She’d paid to rent the truck to get her stuff out of Tommy’s trailer and paid for the gas. As it was, Isabella still owed Evangeline and Nellie for helping her.
She could put a book series on sale and see if it boosted her profits, but she wasn’t sure that would work.
Evangeline leaned back in her seat, looking in the direction Casey had gone. Isabella thought her friend was pulling away. Then, Evangeline snapped forward, her eyes wide and alight with inspiration.
“I have an idea,” she said. She looked to Nellie. “You’re going to hate this, but what if Isabella moves in with the guys?”
Nellie’s eyes narrowed. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“The guys?” Isabella asked. “You mean your clan?”
Evangeline had spilled all to her. She hadn’t wanted secrets to get between them. Of course, Nellie hadn’t approved, but Nellie hated everything about the dragon shifters.
Evangeline’s brows shot skyward. “Yeah! Think about it. You could live there rent free while you write. We all know Tommy won’t come anywhere near them. You’d be safe.”
Safe. Isabella hadn’t felt that in years. She’d been living on edge since meeting the real Tommy, the guy beneath the loving mask he’d worn before she’d moved in with him. Safe had been a concept and nothing else.
Now, Evangeline wanted her to move into a house owned by a guy that could turn into a dragon. With other dragon boys.
The thought should have been frightening, but after seeing how Casey treated her friend, Isabella leaned into the notion.
“I mean, you’d have to clear it with them first,” Isabella said.
Evangeline waved her hand. “I’ve got this. They can’t say no to me.”
***
“No.” Gavin didn’t stick around to watch Evangeline’s face fall.
Dillon felt bad for her, but he didn’t have it in him to fight anymore. He’d already spent the night hovering over Erik while the man fought off his second beast. The day before that, Dillon had hunted Gavin down and coaxed him off a literal ledge. Damn red dragon was a menace, but Dillon was doing what he could to keep their secret safe from the humans.
“What do you mean no?” Evangeline shouted, chasing after Gavin.
The two yelled at each other from the other room, but Dillon’s attention focused on the woman she left behind. Dillon had seen Isabella once or twice, but it’d always been in passing. Now that they were alone, he couldn’t take his eyes off the golden curls cascading over her shoulders.
She’d wrapped her oversized cardigan tight around herself, so tight that she nearly trembled. Every word Evangeline and Gavin shouted at each other made Isabella shrink further into herself.
Dillon’s throat tightened. An invisible thread pulled him closer to her, even though he was certain she would bolt at the sight of him. Everyone did.
He was about fifty pounds heavier than Casey, with shoulders that brushed both sides of the doorway when he walked through. Tattoos he’d gotten as a surly youth climbed his neck and reached up the back of his skull, making him even more intimidating.
Yet, when Isabella looked at him, she gave him a soft smile. That small gesture sent his heart pattering. He responded with his own, dumb grin.
“You look awful tired,” Isabella said, her brows folded by her concern.