***
Isabella could see the divide still lingering between her and Dillon. The only one to blame was herself. Self-loathing rose like sour bile. It tainted a moment that should have been filled with relief and celebration.
They’d survived the first attack by Zander. Not only that, Isabella’s friends had proven that they weren’t to be underestimated. Perhaps the dragon men would stop telling them to flee now.
Even Isabella had surprised herself. She was no longer the weak-willed woman she’d once been. Her time away from Tommy had allowed her to grow into the person she should have been, filled with daring and determination.
“I almost jumped out a window, so I could get back to you,” she told Dillon.
His jaw dropped and fear eclipsed his features. She held up her hands.
“Don’t worry! I didn’t have to. Nellie came and helped me walk out without a problem.”
When Dillon reached for her and let his hand drop, Isabella knew she had to make the first move. She wanted to do it away from the others, though. Gavin and Evangeline didn’t need to overhear all Isabella’s mistakes.
She tugged Dillon outside. The sun shone down on them, the clouds parting for the moment. The world kept moving as if nothing had happened. People filled the streets, every unfamiliar face going on with their lives.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said.
He didn’t look at her. She must have wounded him deeper than she’d originally assumed. If he could barely stand the sight of her, then the chance that they could make-up was slim. She should have known that she’d ruined their relationship for good.
She would never be his mate. She would never mean that much to anyone. That was a fact she had to come to terms with. The only person in this world who would love her the way she yearned for would be her child, and that was only if she could be a good mother.
Isabella began to say something else, but the sound turned into a startled shout as someone yanked her hair. She stumbled and crashed into what felt like a brick wall. A hand came down on her shoulder as someone behind her spoke.
“I tried to let Nate do this his way,” the voice said. “Since he can’t get Gavin to go home, I guess I’ll have to do it the hard way.”
Dillon’s eyes flashed yellow. His lips curled back from his teeth. He took a step toward them, like he would rush to her, but a searing pain burned across her shoulder. She bit back a scream as her knees tried to buckle beneath her.
The man holding her kept her standing, so she didn’t crumple to the ground. Dillon froze. Isabella tried to tell him with her eyes that it was okay, that he didn’t need to save her right now, but she wasn’t sure he could understand her through the tears gathering in her eyes.
“Let’s take this off the street,” the man holding her said quietly. His tone held an ominous threat.
She watched Dillon narrow his eyes, but he followed the man’s suggestion and walked backwards toward the shop door. For a moment, relief filled Isabella. There were others inside. They could help her.
Her shoulder throbbed, clouding her mind. She tried not to think about what the man had done. She didn’t know if he’d used dragon fire or if he’d cut her with claws. Instead of worrying about what had been done, she thought about what could be done.
The others couldn’t help her. The dragon man holding her had the upper hand. If the others made a move, the dragon man could hurt her before they could stop him. She needed to find a way out of this on her own, but she couldn’t think too far past the pain in her shoulder.
The shop door slammed behind them, nearly drowning the sound of the bell. Gavin and Evangeline went silent as they turned toward the sound. Evangeline’s lips parted. She lunged for her baseball bat, but the man gripped Isabella’s shoulder tighter and drew a hiss from her that made Evangeline pause.
Isabella held up her hands. She could barely talk, but she wanted the others to know that she would be fine. Though it didn’t seem like it, she knew this would end soon.
“Where’s that witch?” the man behind her asked. “I’m glad I hung back and let Nate do his thing first. Now I know there’s a witch on the loose.”
Gavin shrugged, a gesture that was at odds with the angry curl of his lips. “Call me witch repellant. She’s not here.”
Isabella had always thought of herself as frail and weak willed. Leaving Tommy had been the first step in the right direction, but the pain she felt now reminded her that her body would never live up to the spirit she now possessed. No matter how brave she felt, she would crumple under the strength of others.
She bore her pain so no one else would get hurt, but she didn’t know how long the man holding her would wait. Nellie had vanished. Isabella couldn’t’ ask her to come to the rescue again. Nellie had already used so much magic, and it was clearly hurting her.
No one in this room would let her die. Which meant that Gavin would fold and do as the man asked, as horrible as that was.
She looked around for Dillon, but it was as if he’d vanished into thin air. Her heartrate sped up. She swallowed and tried to calm it, just in case the man behind her could feel it. As badly as she wanted to search the shop for Dillon, she turned her attention back to Gavin and Evangeline.
Both had relaxed. Evangeline even wore a sly smile.
Then, the shop’s back door opened. The man tightened his grip on Isabella’s shoulder. She screamed when the pain overwhelmed her, and her knees gave out. Casey’s blurred form appeared.
He wasn’t blurred. The whole room was. Isabella could barely see straight.
She felt the need to apologize for being too weak. If only she could have been as strong as Evangeline or as useful as Nellie. Maybe then she wouldn’t have been a hostage twice. She wouldn’t need to be saved all the time.
Dillon’s voice came from behind her. She didn’t understand how. She could barely tell what was happening anymore.
“If she makes another sound because of you, I will not hesitate to snap your neck.”
The man behind her stiffened. She heard a soft hiss escape him and then his hand left her shoulder. Without his grip on her, she crumpled. Before she could hit the floor, someone caught her.
“You were always a piece of shit, Jake,” Gavin said.
Isabella couldn’t see the room anymore. A darkness blocked her vision as a warmth enveloped her. She held on as the warmth wrapped tighter around her. She realized it was not unconsciousness coming for her, but Dillon. He’d caught her and was now shielding her with his body.
The very act that had caused her body to go into a panic before now comforted her. She pressed her face to Dillon’s chest and waited for the pain to ebb. Her shoulder still hurt, but it wasn’t as bad as before. Dillon’s presence eased it, though she couldn’t be sure why.
They listened to the sounds of a man getting his ass kicked as Gavin took care of the second intruder.
“You were so strong,” Dillon whispered.
Her heart flipped. She dug her nails into his shirt. The words took her by surprise. She hadn’t even realized she’d needed to hear them, but they healed a wound she’d been ignoring.
Dillon helped her onto her feet. She blinked as the light stung her eyes, but the room was no longer blurry. While Dillon checked her shoulder, she hung onto him to keep from falling again.