Page 34 of The Last Bachelor Dragon

“My father and I parted ways a long time ago. There’s nothing he can do to me,” he said. “Face it, Price, you lost. Now put your tail between your legs and get the hell off my island. I have bigger problems to worry about than you. Nora is mine now, and it’s going to stay that way.”

The guard started to advance on him. “Don’t even try it. It won’t end well for you,” he said. “I know that you’re only trying to do your job and I can respect that, but if you take one more step, you’ll be sorry.”

“What are you doing? Get my daughter now,” Steven Price screamed with the guard backed away. “This is what I paid you for, do your job.”

“You can have your money back,” the man said. “I quit.”

“Good choice,” Max said, smiling at him. “I’m going to have my men escort the two of you back to the marina. How you leave is your choice, but I would recommend getting back in your boat and going back to Bermuda on your own. You won’t like it if I have to take you back.”

***Nora***

Nora watched with amusement as the reality of his situation slowly dawned on her father, enjoying his growing discomfort as his men slowly edged away from him. When he finally turned and fled down the path that led to the other side of the island and the marina, she let out the breath she’d been holding. Max pulled her into his arms and held her tightly for a few seconds before barking orders that someone follow her father and make sure he left the island.

“And close off the harbor when you’re done,” he finished. “We should have done it hours ago.”

When he turned his attention back to her, she managed a shaky smile. “I have a bad feeling that won’t be the last we see of him,” she said. “I can’t believe he did that to my mother. Iguess I should have known he lied to me about her, he always said I was too much like her.”

“There’s nothing your father can do to us,” Max said, stroking her cheek. “I’m sorry about your mom. That couldn’t have been easy to hear.”

Tears sprang to her eyes when she remembered her father’s words, and a deep ache formed deep inside her. “I missed out on so much because of him. I’ll never forgive him for what he did,” she said. “But at least I know that she loved me, that she didn’t abandon me to him.”

“We’ll get through this, Nora, I promise. I’ll be there for you every step of the way,” he said. “You’ve been through so much, but you’re a fighter, sweetheart. You’ll come out even stronger.”

“Only because I have you by my side,” she said, smiling up at him. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Then let’s never find out,” he said, grinning at her.

“That’s a deal,” she said, snuggling up to him. “Sometimes I just wish the world would go away and leave us alone.”

“Soon, I promise,” he said. “But now I have to go. It’s almost time for us to leave for the south shore.”

“Be careful,” she said, stretching up and kissing him. “I’ll be waiting right here for you, kick Adaloni’s butt and come back to me.”

“It will all be over in a few hours,” Max promised. “No one threatens a dragon shifter’s home and family and gets away with it.”

She reluctantly let him go a few minutes later, but she was soon surrounded by the seven other women. Together, they made their way to the dining tent, all somber as they walked, the weight of what would go on later that evening heavy on all of them. When dinner was over and the mess cleaned up, the eight women made their way to the beach and gathered around a fire to wait out the battle together.

“Is everyone as nervous as I am?” she finally asked. “I can’t stop wondering what’s going on. It’s driving me crazy to just sit here and wait.”

“The boys know what they’re doing; it comes naturally to them, they’ll all come out of this unharmed, but I’m a little nervous, too,” Eden said. “Maybe we should think about something else. It could still be a while before anything happens.”

It was hard to get the conversation going at first, but they were soon chatting away. The boys on the other side of the island had been forgotten for a while, and they all managed to relax a little. Eventually, the conversation died away, and they all sat in silence, listening to the waves rolling up onto the shore, lost in their own thoughts.

“Is this a private party, or can anyone join?” Carla asked, walking up to them with a plastic container in her hands. “I brought brownies; I thought you might all need a pick-me-up.”

“And I brought milk,” Marie said, appearing out of the darkness. “You can’t have one without the other.”

They enjoyed their snack, marveling at the brownies and dutifully drinking their milk while Marie distracted them with stories about the boys growing up. Before long, they were all laughing and relaxed again, but the moon had risen in the sky, and Nora knew that it wouldn’t be much longer before Adaloni made his move. Trying not to let her agitation show, she closed her eyes for a second, searching for some calm, only to have it broken by the sound of an explosion.

Opening her eyes, she looked around at the other women, trying to calm her pounding heart, fighting the urge to follow the sound across the island. “I guess it’s started,” she said into the silence that had fallen. “Now, all we can do is hope.”

The women gathered around the fire joined hands andclosed their eyes, sending what help they could across the island, the love for the men who had saved them all radiating out from the circle. They stayed that way as the fire burned low and the moon slowly made its way across the sky, not knowing what was happening, but full of so much faith in the men they loved that the island stirred to life. Deep in the cave, the sparkling gem released wave after wave of power, fueling the magic of the eight dragon shifters as they prepared to defend the little piece of land that had become so important to them all.

CHAPTER 22

***MAX***

Standing in the shadows on the beach, Max was aware of his friends spread out around him, waiting like he was for the first of the underwater explosives to go off when he suddenly felt a wave of power wash over him. Sucking in a shocked breath, he could only stand there absorbing the energy, letting it fill him until his magic was humming loudly through his veins. He looked over at Cameron, able to see him perfectly in the dark without even trying. He saw the same look on his face and sent him a questioning look.

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