Dragon's Whisper (The Fablestone Clan 4)

I don’t finish my sentence, but we both know what I was about to say. Maybe if I had, he wouldn’t have broken the way he did. Maybe if I had, he wouldn’t have become so damaged. Maybe if I’d considered him in his time of need, I could have reached him instead of waiting until it was too late. I was selfish or careless. Perhaps both.

There was no reason for me to keep my home to myself. It’s big enough for both me and other shifters to use. But for some reason, I’ve kept it as some sort of dark shrine to my lost family.

It’s time for that to change.

Giving up the guest room is fairly painless, I realize. It’s going through the other two rooms and making them guest-ready that’s going to be difficult for me. Still, seeing Robert’s eyes light up when he walks into the space makes me want to do this again for someone who needs help. There are other shifters who still don’t have a real place to stay, who have simply been living together without members of the community.

Yeah, I’ve given them homes, but they’re still alone.

“There’s a bathroom,” I say, pointing out the door.

“It’s huge,” Reece peeks at it.

“Well, you know, I didn’t want to spare any expense when I built the place.”

“I could live in just the bathroom,” he says, and for the first time, he chuckles. “The tub is bigger than my bed.”

I smile, glad to see him feeling comfortable here. That means a lot to me.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s wonderful,” he says.

“I’ll leave you to get settled,” I tell him, suddenly feeling a little awkward. I’m so not-used to having someone here that I’m not really sure what the proper protocol is now. Do I leave so he can unpack? Do I invite him to hang out? I’m not sure.

“It won’t take me long to unpack,” Reece says. “To be honest, I’m feeling pretty tired. It’s been a long day. I might just go to sleep after this. That is,” he adds quickly. “If it’s okay with you.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

He nods, and I leave, closing the door behind me. I head back downstairs to my office, go into the room, close the door, and sit down at the desk. I drop my head in my hands and close my eyes, taking deep breaths to keep myself calm in this moment.

Everything is going to be okay, I tell myself.

It has to be.

There’s literally no way things can get worse than they are, right? We’ve all but defeated Lucky’s little offshoot offices. We’ve found and destroyed almost a dozen scientific testing centers. Unless Lee’s team is going to tell me that the president is behind this organization or that they’ve somehow found our location deep within the forbidden forest – which is completely unlikely – then I think we’re going to be okay.

We have to be okay.

Fuck.

I hope everything will be okay.

Chapter Six

Nicole

He holds his hand out to me, and Lee raises his eyebrows slightly. He silently asks if I’m going to trust him this time. Am I going to give him this moment? Am I going to give him everything? Am I going to give him all that he needs from me? Am I going to let him guide me? These questions are important, but still, I let them hang in the air before I respond to him. Lee’s eyes hold more than just questions. They hold hope. He wants this just as much as I do. I can see that now.

Years ago – hell, even weeks ago – I would have resisted. I would have refused him. I wouldn’t have given him this one small thing, but now, things are a little different. Today it feels like I’ve been focused on the wrong things and not on the right ones. It’s possible that I’m just feeling a little more generous than I have in the past, but I take his hand, and I follow him out of the house. I think Lee breathes a sigh of relief. I know I do. It feels good to let go and give in to him in this way. My skin feels like it’s on fire as he holds my hand, guiding me. Almost instantly, I’m aroused. I want him in other ways, too, but I still feel like I should hold back.

I shouldn’t show all of my cards yet, maybe. Maybe it’s just that I’ve been hurt before, both by him and by Micah. I don’t want to jump in headfirst and end up getting hurt. Not by Lee. I don’t think I could take it if I got hurt again. Then again, I don’t think he could, either.

Lee is a badass. He struts outside, leading me down the stairs to the grass, but there’s caution in his movements. He’s always looking around, always paying attention. He never lets his guard down. I wonder if that’s because of me, or if it’s part of being a

dragon.

Jeremy and Lee both shift when we get outside. Even though I’ve seen dragons change many times before, it always kind of takes my breath away. They’re both just so big and beautiful. They stand side-by-side, obviously waiting for me to get on top of Lee, but for a second, I just take them in, admiring their long tails, their thick necks, and their shiny scales. Although the temptation to pet them is nearly overwhelming, I resist, instead realizing that neither one of them is my pet and they shouldn’t be treated like they are.