Dralle's Bride (Crystal Glass Dragons 4)

5

Heather

Ihated to admit it, but he’d been on my mind ever since that almost-kiss.

My dreams were a clear warning sign, telling me to run and get away before allowing chaos to ensue and for my brother to die. I knew I needed to heed them and avoid this strange man at all costs. Still, there was a hunger in me to go and see what was possible with him. He was good-looking, funny, engaging, and mysterious. Like a bike I couldn’t repair, I wanted to take him apart and figure out how he worked.

Even if I knew better.

Unfortunately for me, he didn’t come back to the garage for a couple of days after that. Was it because I didn’t kiss him? Was I too rude?

Sighing at myself, I slammed the lid on the car I was working on.

“You good?”

My brother Isaac walked up, concern and a smudge of grease mingled on his face.

“Yeah.” I lied. “Just tired; I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“Nightmares again?”

There was something tense in his voice.

Was he having the dreams again too?

“No,” I scoffed. “I’ve been binging a new show, and it’s sucked up all of my time,” I teased. Isaac obviously knew I was lying and laughed.

“Alright, fair. Have you been to a pharmacy for some potion?”

“No, thanks.”

Most headache potions didn’t work on me.

The visions would become more vivid, and it would leave me in pain for days. I didn’t need that.

“Why don’t you take a day off sometime soon?”

“Why the hell would I do that?” I wanted to laugh but wasn’t in the mood for it.

“I can’t think of the last time you had a day off.”

I shrugged and wiped my oily handprints off of the hood of the car before marking the job as complete. “I don’t need days off. I have plenty to do as it is.”

“You could take a break for a day.”

“I really can’t.”

He pulled a face at me, disgruntled and disappointed, and he reminded me of our mom.

“Look, dummy, I have to work so that you and your little motorcycle gang can afford to drive around harassing everyone in town,” I teased.

“We don’t harass people!” His face twisted into an expression of surprised offense, and now I finally could laugh.

“What do you call what you did to that poor bear shifter at your watering hole last week?”

“We just showed him the property sign,” he frowned.

I rolled my eyes and laughed a little more.