In other words, she needed the help of dragon-shifters if she was to survive.
So when Brad stated she was going home to his clan for the night, she knew it was the only option. So she nodded. “For tonight. But I plan on figuring this out, Brad. I won’t give up my bar this easily.”
He grunted, took her hand, and guided her down the street.
Tasha tried to ignore how warm and large his hand was around hers. In her experience, most dragonmen were sexy, muscled, and had some sort of draw that most human women—and quite a few men—had a hard time resisting.
Not only was she determined to avoid being distracted by any man—dragon or otherwise—she knew Brad Harper didn’t like her much. He only worked at her bar as a favor to his clan leader, and most days he ignored her unless a security threat cropped up.
The fact he had to protect her and watch out for her was probably nothing more than a nuisance. He most definitely wasn’t holding her hand because he wanted to. No, he wanted to ensure she didn’t change her mind.
Which showed just how little he knew her. Because once Tasha made up her mind, she stuck to it until circumstances required her to take another look.
They finally reached his small, blue car, and Brad motioned for her to stay put again. She watched as he inspected the engine and the undercarriage. It was strange seeing him do anything but sit in a corner and survey the room with his piercing blue eyes, like he did most nights at her bar.
And she most definitely wasn’t going to notice how broad his shoulders were, or how quickly he moved without making a sound.
For the first time since initially hiring him, Tasha wondered more about his life on StoneRiver. And not just because she was possibly entrusting her life to him right now, either.
Brad jumped to his feet and gestured toward the passenger side. “Get in.”
While she didn’t normally like taking orders, she was eager to get under the protection of the dragon-shifters for the night. So, she slid into the seat. However, once they were both inside the car, she asked, “What can you do in one night to help me?”
He pulled out onto the street. “It’ll give us time to make a plan.”
She noticed the “us” part of his statement. “I’m grateful for your help earlier, I really am. But I’m not sure I follow how you and your clan can help me once I’m no longer on StoneRiver.”
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “League activity has increased in recent months. Given what we’ve heard on my clan, they’re starting to target humans, too. I had hoped I was wrong, but after tonight, the whole situation is a lot more serious than you think, Tasha.” He finally glanced at her. “I’m not being dramatic when I say your life might be changing forever in the next few days.”
She searched his gaze, noting how his pupils flashed between round and slitted, revealing his inner dragon’s presence. Maybe to some, the sight would be weird. But she’d grown used to flashing dragon eyes. So she merely replied, “That’s vague as hell, Brad.”
He shook his head. “I can’t say anything else until we talk with my clan leader. David will have a better idea of how to handle ADDA than me.”
“If you’re going to rely on ADDA, then let me call Ashley. She said to call her anytime.”
“And you might have to. But let’s wait and see if the men from tonight are charged or not. That will tell us a lot about if the police will help or look the other way.”
She studied him once more, noting his strong jaw and slightly crooked nose before asking slowly, “What do you mean ‘if’ they are charged? I know the police can be wishy-washy when it comes to dragon-related crimes, but they attacked a human. There’s no disputing it.”
He growled. “We’re still gathering proof, but we think some of the local police are League sympathizers.”
Shit. If that were true, then the situation had gone from a little jarring to downright dangerous.
And for the first time in over a decade, Tasha wasn’t sure of what to do.
Brad’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Don’t worry, even if the police give up on you, we won’t. David promised to help look after your bar for reasons not even I understand. But just know that he’s an honorable male and will see it through.”
While never confirmed, Tasha suspected it had something to do with her aunt and someone from StoneRiver. She’d heard rumors about how her aunt had tried to run away with a StoneRiver dragon-shifter but had been caught and moved across the country. For all she knew, a promise had been made or something. Her aunt had passed before Tasha could ever ask her about it all.
Regardless, she would take StoneRiver’s help for now. It’d give Tasha time to talk with Ashley Swift, who still worked for ADDA, and a few other people she trusted. Maybe she could come up with a solution that meant she could still run her bar and sleep in her own bed without constantly looking over her shoulder for another bullet.
Because she didn’t want to listen to the tiny voice inside her head, the one saying she might have to sell her bar and start over somewhere else. Tasha had worked too hard for too long to give up on her business.
There had to be a solution, there just had to.
But as Brad drove them to StoneRiver, exhaustion finally won the battle over her racing thoughts, and she fell asleep.
Chapter Two
Brad being stuck in a car for nearly two hours with Tasha was pure hell. And not just because normally he’d park at the edge of the forest, shift into his dragon form, and quickly fly the rest of the way home instead of taking the long drive.
No, it was hell because his dragon kept mentioning her heat, or how her lips parted as she slept, or how nice it was to be surrounded by her scent.
All things Brad didn’t want to notice but couldn’t help doing so in such a confined space.
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, he tried to focus on what could be done about Tasha’s bar instead of the fact his true mate slept in the seat next to him. The sooner he figured out that problem, the sooner he could put distance back between them again.
His dragon yawned. Aren’t you getting tired of denying your attraction yet? You notice her as much as I do. And if you push her away for good, you know you’ll regret it.
Pushing her away will mean a hell of a lot fewer problems.
So you’d rather the League target her than be around her?
I didn’t say that.
His inner beast sighed. You make no sense whatsoever. Talk to me again once you figure it all out.
As silence fell inside his mind, it took every iota of strength Brad possessed to keep his eyes on the road and ignore the sleeping female.
His dragon was right—she smelled so damn good. He imagined waking up next to her, with his nose at her neck, and it made his cock stir.
Fuck. He was supposed to resist her. Humans equaled trouble in his book. Besides, he’d loved Amber.
He nearly blinked. Brad had used the past tense, which he’d never done when thinking of her before.
Had he finally gotten over Amber? He’d been so fucking in love with her and had been about to propose when she’d fled in the middle of the night. No one had known she was gone until the next day, not even him.
His beast whispered, Amber is no longer here. But Tasha is right there.