They could all hear Gavin’s laughter.
Isabella caught the man’s scowl before he turned back around again.
Evangeline edged sideways along the wall and slowly reached behind a table. Her muscles bunched as she lifted something.
“Have fun, ladies,” Gavin said. “I’ll bring the guys down to help you clean up the mess.”
“What are you talk—”
Evangeline jumped forward and swung. The metal baseball bat made a sickening crunch upon impact. The man reeled, and his phone fell to the floor, absolutely demolished. He raised a shaking hand and stared in shock at his broken fingers.
One by one, they cracked back into place until he could flex them again. A black bruise spread over his skin and vanished as if nothing had ever happened. He fixed Evangeline with a deadly glare.
“I don’t want to make this a fight!” he howled.
Isabella backed up and locked the front door while Nellie sidled up behind him. One by one, Isabella lowered the window shades to block out what was about to happen.
Chapter Sixteen
Dillon soared over the town. His beast wanted to crash onto main street and sniff Isabella out, but Dillon’s last shred of logic kept him from making a scene. He needed to find her before that little bit of human logic failed, and he was nothing more than a beast.
He banked over the clouds and wondered if he could land on the hotel roof without being seen. He didn’t know what he would do from there, without clothes or a phone, but he needed to start somewhere.
Just when his wing breached the clouds, another form slammed into him. He reeled, tumbling through the air. At the last second, he threw open his wings and caught himself before he plummeted through the cloud cover. He whirled on his opponent and realized that it wasn’t one of Zander’s dragons harassing him, but Gavin.
Dillon growled, just loud enough that the warning could be heard without reaching the humans below.
Gavin flew circles around him. Dillon wanted to snap and snarl. This was slowing him down. He couldn’t find Isabella if Gavin bothered him like this. Dillon didn’t understand what Gavin thought he was doing.
Dillon couldn’t keep up with Gavin, so he stopped trying. Instead, he flew into Gavin’s flight path as he came around. Dillon’s shoulder connected with Gavin’s. They went tumbling off course.
Gavin spun around and latched onto Dillon’s shoulders. Dillon thrashed, trying to break free of Gavin’s hold. This wasn’t funny. Dillon didn’t have time to waste. He’d given everything to his clan, and yet they were holding him back from his mate. If Gavin didn’t let go, Dillon would have no choice but to land and hunt her on foot.
Dillon would wander the town absolutely naked if it meant finding Isabella and taking her to safety. Yet, he was in no shape for her. She’d warned him that he terrified her. He’d felt her racing heart when he pulled her away from danger and covered her with his own body. He’d told himself that the situation had caused her elevated heart rate.
That wasn’t the truth. Dillon had scared her.
The idea that he would always frighten his mate sent pain through his heart. He spiraled lower, heading toward the ground. Once he found her, he would give her all the space she needed.
Before he could land, claws gripped his shoulders. Gavin directed him away from town, to a field where they crashed and rolled to a stop. Before Dillon could even right himself, Gavin had shifted back to his human form.
“Quit being so thick headed!” Gavin shouted. “I came to take you to Isabella!”
Dillon swayed on his feet. His beast’s rage bled out of him.
Gavin put his hands on his hips. He looked around and gestured to the Jeep parked nearby. Dillon realized this had been a planned crash landing.
“We need to be careful. Nate won’t be the only dragon Zander sent. The girls have taken care of Nate, but I want to keep an eye out for any more trespassers on our way to the shop.” Gavin grabbed a fistful of clothing from the back of his Jeep and tossed it to Dillon.
Dillon pulled back his beast. At first, the creature didn’t want to go. It held on tight, trying to pour more rage back into Dillon. He wasn’t fueled by it like the others, though. He let it wash over him and snatched the clothes out of the air.
“So, Isabella’s okay?” He held his breath, waiting.
Gavin nodded, yanked on a pair of pants, and hopped into the driver’s seat. “Those women sure are terrifying. I’m going to regret allowing Evangeline to change. I can feel it already.”
Dillon got into the Jeep just as Gavin hit the gas. They sped down the mountain, toward the town. Dillon’s heart raced as he wondered what Isabella and the others had done to take Nate down. Were they okay? Had Isabella gotten hurt?
Gavin must have doubled the speed limit, because he reached town in record time. He slammed the Jeep into park, making Dillon jerk forward. They both used that momentum to pour out and scan the town.
Dillon sniffed the air. He caught Nate’s scent among the car exhaust fumes. There were two more scents Dillon didn’t recognize. Dillon looked up and down the street, searching faces. When he didn’t see anyone he recognized, he turned toward the tattoo shop.
His only thought was of Isabella. Not knowing if she was okay or not tormented him. Gavin had assured him that she was okay, but Dillon would not rest until he knew for sure. The sight of the blinds drawn at the shop worried him. He picked up his pace and nearly ran to the door.
He pushed at it, but the lock held tight. The beast inside him told him to break it down. The urge nearly overwhelmed him. He clenched his fists and stepped back, ready to pay for a new door, when it opened.
Isabella’s brows rose. She threw the door open and launched herself into his arms. Dillon hesitated. He didn’t know how to hold her without scaring her. Her touch felt too good. Here she was, whole and unharmed, but he didn’t know how to celebrate until she pulled back and peered up at him.
Her soft smile told him everything. He brought his hands to her hips, trying to keep his touch light so she wouldn’t feel trapped.
When she hopped back, his heart plummeted. Then, she grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him inside. Gavin followed, and the door chimed as it shut behind them.
Nate lay on the floor, unconscious. Evangeline had pulled a chair up beside him and rested a boot on his back like he was a conquest. Dillon wondered if the metal bat in her hand had anything to do with Nate’s condition.
“Let’s get him tied up,” Gavin said. “He’s going to have friends.”
Evangeline scowled. “If he had friends, then why weren’t they here earlier?”
Gavin pursed his lips. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe they thought three human women wouldn’t be a problem for one dragon shifter.”
“That’s poor risk assessment,” Isabella said. “All it took was two women. I didn’t even have to lift a finger.”
“Where’s that damn witch then?” Gavin asked forcefully.
While Gavin and Evangeline snapped at each other, Dillon turned to Isabella. She held his hand, as though afraid to be far from him. His beast quieted. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her tight, but he needed to respect her.
No matter how badly it hurt.