Page 54 of New Nebraska Home

“What? Are you saying we have a fated mate’s situation?” I let out an awkward chuckle. They had to be messing with me. Malik must have read the back covers of some of my books or flipped through some of the books on my Kindle. Right?

“Don’t humans have those? You call them soul mates?” Brock asked.

“I… that’s not how that works.”

“That’s the other thing,” Cal said, scrubbing his hands over his face. “I wasn’t going to bring this up, but I don’t know if you’ll be able to get out of the wards around New Nebraska.”

“What? Why?” The wards went up, letting supernaturals in but not out. Humans and Fae could pass through without a problem, but once a vamp, shifter, or elemental walked through, that was it. “I’m just a human.”

“Eh, I don’t think you are, princess. Your blood has magic. I can taste it.”

“I don’t have magic,” I scoffed.

“You do,” Brock said. “I could feel it… it’s different. It feels old but like Fae but wilder than Fae magic.”

“But not as bright as shifter magic?” Malik asked.

“Yeah, you can feel magic too?” Brock asked, his brows furrowed. “I didn’t think many could.”

“I can’t usually. But I can feel her magic and how it feeds my dragon.”

“What are you guys talking about?” It was suddenly hard to breathe. This was too much. It was all too much. I needed air and to get away from people saying crazy things.

“Fuck,” Malik said as I stood up, and the edges of my vision started to go black.

I was pulled into someone’s arms and set in a chair alone.

“Come on, angel, breathe with me.” Malik took my hand and pressed it to his chest so I could feel his heartbeat under my fingertips and the rise and fall of his chest under my palm.

“Breathe in, two, three, four, breathe out.”

I didn’t listen to his voice, and I didn’t focus on the movements of his chest. Instead, I focused on the strong, steady heartbeat under my fingers. It didn’t waiver. It didn’t bend. It beat regardless of if I was there to feel it or not. This wasn’t just another muscle pumping blood. It gave this man life; more than that, its resilience let him turn into a beautiful dragon. This same muscle pumped blood into the body of a man and the size-shifting body of a dragon. No matter the man’s or dragon’s size, this muscle adapted and stayed strong and resolute.

Slowly, my breaths adjusted, and the room came back into focus.

I didn’t know what I could be other than a human. I had no idea what I would do about three of the most beautiful men I had ever seen wanting me to be their mate. But I knew what I was going to do about this new organization that called themselves the Temple.

“This is my home. My family lived and died in this house. I might not stay here forever, but I will be damned if I am going to let some ignorant, prejudiced, lowbrow, hicks scare me from my home. Nebraska may not be a stand your ground state, but that doesn’t mean I am going to run away.”

Malik

THE RIGHT MOVE ISN’T ALWAYS THE SMART MOVE

Once Liz made the decision, everyone got to work. Cal had some experience with construction—well, architecture, but whatever. So he was running around the house, ensuring it was safe and defensible. I had no idea what he was checking, but letting him do his thing was probably easier.

Brock went to make the call to Amelia’s cousin. Brock thought maybe the royal family would want to act. I didn’t like the girl, personally, but she deserved retribution or at least someone to care about what had happened.

Liz got a call from someone saying they were sending Leif home, so I went to pick him up. I didn’t want him walking home alone.

Liz didn’t argue when I made the offer. She gave me a soft smile and nodded. I told her to go upstairs and take a bath and relax, knowing she was safe, the house was safe, and I would make sure the kid was safe. She gave me a soft kiss before heading upstairs.

Watching her walk upstairs, going to take care of herself, made my dragon purr, and I promised myself I was going to do everything I could to sleep next to her that night. It wasn’t even to fuck her. I wanted to hold her, know that she was safe in my arms and no harm could come to her until the morning when the big bad dragon decided to eat her. That was how I planned to wake her up.

I hadn’t a chance to taste her or to feel that silky pussy gripping my cock today. Her mouth was like heaven, but I wanted all of her. I also wanted to prove that the real thing was much better than the books she read.

The night was still stupidly humid, but it had at least cooled down, and the kid’s house was only a few streets over.

I was only about halfway there when I saw Leif walking down the street, his head down and tears falling down his cheeks. I froze for a moment and scanned the area. There was no one around him. The house across the streets had pulled their curtains closed when he was close. He wasn’t being stalked or followed. Yet.

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