Page 4 of Charming the Dragon
It was a debt she’d work hard to repay. Bram had given her sister a miracle, and she wouldn’t ever forget that.
Chapter Two
Nathan Woodhouse sat in his corner station of the main Protectors’ monitoring room and tried not to yawn.
Normally, he loved his job. He often scoured the internet for specific information, or analyzed data to look for patterns, or developed new programs to better protect his clan from the dragon hunters and other enemies.
But lately? Well, lately things had been quiet. Too quiet for his liking.
His inner dragon spoke up.You could try socializing a little. Finding a female would make things less boring.
Even if it had been a while since he’d had sex, Nathan mentally shook his head.No. The last time I tried to open up and find someone, she stomped on our heart. I don’t ever want to go through that again.
If you had listened to me, then she never would’ve had the chance to hurt us.
Not this again.
Yes, this again. Tracey never let me be in charge, was afraid of me, and how you thought that would ever end well, I have no bloody idea.
True, his ex had been human, and Nathan had mostly fallen for her via messages and phone calls. However, the first time they’d met face-to-face—even knowing he was a dragon-shifter—Tracey had nearly run away at his flashing dragon eyes.
But even so, he’d remembered all their conversations, the teasing, the ease he’d felt talking with the human. And in the end, it had blinded him, and he’d fallen in love with her.
So when she’d eventually called him a monster and a freak, it had ripped his heart in two.
His dragon’s voice was softer when he said,That was nearly three years ago now. You could at least agree to Bram and the DDA’s proposal of attending human and dragon social events.
No. No more humans.
His beast growled.Then who? No one on Stonefire catches our interest. And there’s no way Bram will allow you to transfer clans. We’re key to keeping everyone safe here with your work.
Then we won’t have a female of our own. It’s pretty simple.
No, it’s not that simple. Don’t you want to find a mate?
At one time, Nathan had dreamed of that. Of having a best friend he could always talk to, of being a good father like his own dad, and of adding to the chaos of his family’s dinners.
But he was nearly forty and life had basically said he wasn’t destined for that kind of life.
His dragon spoke again.Think of it this way—you wouldn’t be bored right now if we had a mate.
Before he could think of a way to reply to his beast, both his clan leader and his boss—head Protector Kai Sutherland—walked into the room. Given their serious expressions, Nathan sat up and asked, “What is it?”
The two rarely visited together, unless it was something big.
Kai motioned with his head. “Come. We need to talk in private.”
He stood and soon the three of them were inside Kai’s office. Nathan sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Bram and Kai stood on the other side of it.
Bram spoke first. “While things remain quiet on the dragon hunter front, we need you for a special assignment.”
Finally.Something to stave off his boredom. “What is it?”
Kai spoke up. “Do you remember the human named Hayley Beckett?”
Nathan paused for a second. “Vaguely. Didn’t she help Dawn and Sarah with their children’s custody cases?”
Kai nodded. “Yes. She recently talked with Bram and pointed out how we lacked any dragon-related central law database. Bram wants one created, which is where you come in.”
