Page 72 of Been There Dragon That
ChapterTwenty-Three
Rylee
The community center of Mystery, Alaska was full of moms and kids and shouts of laughter. The big gymnasium had tables and chairs set up near the kitchen passthrough. There were groups playing games with toddlers. Mats for babies to roll around on with their mothers.
It was almost enough to make Rylee forget all the danger she’d faced over the last couple of days. She put a couple of small cinnamon rolls on her plate and went to sit near a group of older women, all with knitting needles and projects in their laps.
“I hear you’ve caught our deputy sheriff’s eye?” The older woman next to her put her needles down in her lap and held out a hand. “I’m Mrs. Sampson, welcome to town, Rylee.”
Rylee shook her hand and gave the old woman a surprised smile. Not only did she know that she and Wrath were together, the stranger also knew her name.
“Gossip in Mystery. It travels fast. It’s a small town, and we don’t have much to talk about. So you’re the hot topic this week. You. Wrath. Your hair, which is fabulous by the way. I’ve never seen purple hair before.”
Rylee smiled. “My hair is my fun and crazy thing. But how did you know about Wrath?”
Mrs. Sampson waved a hand across the room.
Rylee followed the gesture until her gaze landed on a small woman with gray hair and bright pink glasses. “Henrietta from the store.”
“Oh, yes,” Mrs. Sampson chuckled and went back to knitting. “Tara’s mother was quick to pass along the information that the deputy was quite taken with a certain new visitor.”
Rylee’s face heated, and she smiled. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be staying here … permanently.” The words were easier to say than she thought. Still, she was a little surprised that she came right out and admitted to a perfect stranger that she was staying in Mystery.
“Texas, right? Your accent has a little of that twang to it.”
She nodded. “Born and raised in Dallas.”
“What brought you to Mystery, Rylee?”
Rylee watched the woman’s knitting needles fly. She didn’t even have to look and the scarf or sweater or whatever it was in the woman’s lap grew by the second. “I needed to get away from someone.”
Mrs. Sampson’s features darkened. “You okay?”
“I will be.” And she knew she would. She knew with time and Wrath’s patience, she would stop being scared at every little thing. And she prayed that Jeff would finally give up and go back home.
“I’m sure that young man of yours now will make sure of it.” She flashed Rylee a reassuring smile.
“I think he will,” Rylee answered, her voice soft. Her attention drifted away from Mrs. Sampson and toward the group of women she was getting to know from Wrath’s family–or tribe.
Penny met her gaze from where she was sitting on the mat with her children and Naomi’s. She raised her hand and waved at Rylee, inviting her over. There were several other women there as well, pregnant and not. She’d been introduced and reintroduced to some. Their names were swimming in her head. It would probably take a few more times to really solidify them all.
They were so different and welcoming and easygoing about all this mate and magick stuff. They all had their crazy stories to share that had made her feel like she wasn’t so out of place. This whole afternoon had been filled with laughter and giggling and them giving her tips.
Before they’d even gotten to the community center, Dawn and Ava had filled her in on some backstory of the group. How some of the women were humans like her and some were from Reylea, a completely different planet and world. A world that had magick and shifters of all kinds. And a world that they’d been forced to flee for their lives before it burned.
She couldn’t imagine having to do that. Having to flee your planet? Not knowing where you were going or who would be there. Whether you would be accepted or not.
Wrath had done all of that. He’d lost his family. Ava had told her that. He had no one on this planet with him and had asked to stay with Col’s tribe after meeting one of the magick-benders who lived here–women who sounded similar to priestesses or perhaps goddesses? Although Heather–one of the magick-benders–seemed perfectly human to look at.
Wrath was here in Mystery waiting for his soulmate. Waiting for a woman to glow or shine with their old world’s magick. And then he was willing to take that leap of faith that she was theone.
He made her feel like she was the one. She hadn’t believed him at first, but she did now. There was this undeniable connection between them. The way he made her feel adored and cherished and exactly herself.
She was falling in love with him. With his tribe. With this town. All of it.
Love.
She was falling in love. It was hard to believe that she could have such strong feelings in such a short time period. But she did. She kept looking at the front door, expecting him to come walking inside any second. She couldn’t wait to see him. Touch him. Hear his sexy voice rumble in his chest and his dragon purr because he loved her and wanted her, too.
