The Dragon's Choice (Tahoe Dragon Mates 1)

"That's the message, although I'd wager the ones wrapped around the rocks aren't as nice."

She laid her head back against his chest. "I knew everything had gone too smoothly."

"Don't worry, Wes will handle this." He paused and then asked, "I wasn't here to protect you. I'm sorry, love. It won't happen again."

She shook her head. "You can't watch me every second of every day, Jose. Besides, dragon-shifters like strength and fortitude. I'm going to have to learn a way to protect myself and force myself to interact with more than your family, the doctor, Cris, and my tutor."

He growled, "Not until this matter is solved. There's no way in hell I'll let you wander freely, possibly walking right past someone who wanted to harm you."

She met his gaze again, her tears forgotten. "And I'm not stupid, Jose. I stayed in the bathroom, knowing it'd be foolish to come out and try to take care of any sort of intruder on my own. But I need to learn how to defend myself. And before you mention the baby, just know that Dr. Carter says everything is going fine. I won't break from a few basic training exercises, not this early."

"We'll see. Right now, I need to get you to Cris and Wes."

He scooped her up in his arms and she squeaked. "I can walk, Jose. It'll only make me look weaker to be carried by you."

"I won't budge on this, love. And it's not weakness, but a message that if anyone threatens you, then they threaten me and my entire family."

At his flashing pupils, she believed his words were truthful and not merely hyperbole.

Not wanting to poke an already irate dragon, she leaned against her man, soaking up his heat and scent, and tried her best not to gasp at the damage to the front room. The windows were gone and the rocks weren't tiny things, but rather large stones that she probably couldn't even pick up. They'd crushed most of the furniture in the room, and even put a hole in one wall.

And to think, if she'd been in this room, they could've killed her.

So much for dragon-shifters treasuring children. Someone's hatred of her was stronger than protecting her unborn child.

Victoria swallowed and Jose picked his way around the glass and grunted. "So now you understand the danger, right? If they'd killed you…" He trailed off, his eyes flashing even faster, until his gravelly voice continued, "This goes against more than one clan law. And I won't rest until we find out who did it."

Anger churned inside Jose, making him want to drop Victoria off with his parents and go find the fuckers who dared to threaten his female.

The second he'd seen the front of the cabin, his heart had stopped beating. It had become crystal clear that Victoria was more than just his true mate or the mother of his child. She was the love of his life, and the thought he would never get to see her smiling face again or to suffer her teasing had created a giant, gaping hole in his heart.

But as he held her close against his chest and kept his eyes and ears out for any more attackers, he knew now wasn't the time to tell his female how he felt. First and foremost, he needed to ensure her safety.

His inner dragon spoke up. We need to do as she asked and get her trained.

I know. But if Wes can't let the clan know this is unacceptable and against our laws, then a few self-defense lessons will mean nothing.

Wes will find a way to protect her.

Jose wished he was as confident. Wes had been clan leader for about three years and had yet to face any real trials to his leadership.

Not that Wes was weak or hadn't earned his place. ADDA had difficult trials and interviews to ensure the clan leader would not only be able to keep a group of dragons in check, but also understood the importance of being allied with the American Department of Dragon Affairs.

However, in addition to what had happened today, Jose's sister was right now about to pick out a human male and possibly find another human to stay on PineRock. Wes needed to deal with the discord and violence quickly.

As he walked toward the main security building, Victoria remained silent the entire time and it killed him. She always liked to tease him when alone or ask him questions about his kind.

The silence told him that his brave human was scared. Which made him hold her a little tighter against his body.

Reaching the Protectors' headquarters, he noted the car parked in front of it. Fuck. No doubt Ashley Swift was here to check up on Victoria.

He murmured to his mate, "We may have a problem, love. I think Ashley's here."

She looked up at him. "Isn't there a back way into the building? I'm sure Wes can think of a way to delay my meeting with her, even if he has to lie and say I have extreme nausea or something."

"Considering you haven't had any yet, and she knows it, that would only raise red flags. That human is too perceptive."

"We'll think of something."