Page 20 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“I just said that to get you back inside,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ll be fine, I’m just going to try and get a look at them, that’s all. I’ll only be gone a few minutes. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
She took a deep breath, then let go of him. “Five minutes, that’s all you’ve got,” she said. “If you’re not back, I’m going to come looking for you.”
Jackson slipped out a side door, then into the shadows as he let his magic come to life, amplifying his senses and allowing him to see clearly in the dark. He could still sense magic in the air, but it was going stale even as he made his way around the building toward it. Pausing before he stepped out into the open, he scanned the trees that lined the edges of the parking lot, but there was nothing out of the ordinary in the quiet of the night.
Not ready to let it go, he made his way through the trees along the edge of the parking lot until he reached Abby’s car parked in the back corner. The traces of magic became stronger the closer he got, and anger surged to the surface when he realized how close she’d come to being hurt or worse. He wasn’t sure why the Kappas had raised the stakes, but he had a feeling that they were becoming desperate, and that might just be their downfall.
As he made his way back to the bar, he decided it was time for another talk with Dean Proctor. In fact, he’d file a formal complaint against them, which would take the pressure off Abby. Warming up to the idea, he checked the parking lot again just to make sure no one was lurking around, then slipped back inside through the side door. Abby was waiting for him where he’d left her, tapping her foot nervously and watching the clock.
“That was more than five minutes,” she said, her face fullof relief. “I was about to come looking for you. I don’t know why you think you have to be a hero. It drives me crazy.”
“And you keep underestimating me; you have to stop doing that,” he said, then tipped her chin up and planted a kiss on her lips. “Come on, our ride should be here by now.”
Abby sighed in frustration. “You weren’t supposed to do that,” she said, giving him a dirty look. “We agreed.”
“I never agreed,” he said, shaking his head. “I would never agree to not kissing you.”
“Oh, you’re impossible,” she said, pulling away from him. “And you’re driving me crazy.”
“That makes two of us, sweetheart,” he said. “Now, lead the way to the back door before I kiss you again.”
***Abby***
Abby wasn’t sure what she expected when they walked out of the back door, but it wasn’t the mini-van that sat waiting for them with the most popular athlete on campus behind the wheel. “That’s the Walker you were talking to,” she said, looking over at him. “You didn’t tell me that’s who it was.”
“Does it matter?” he asked. “I didn’t think popularity meant anything to you.”
“It doesn’t, I’m just surprised, that’s all,” she said, letting him usher her over to the front passenger door. “He drives a mini-van…that’s not very…well, I don’t know.”
Jackson laughed as he opened the door. “Hey, Walker, thanks for coming,” he said, helping her in. “Abby was just admiring your wheels.”
“Jackson, you weren’t supposed to say anything,” she hissed, then looked at Walker, smiling. “It’s a nice van, really it is…I was just…well never mind…”
She could hear Jackson laughing as he got in the backseatand her cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “The van belongs to the fraternity. We’ve got two of them,” Walker explained, putting the van into gear. “Steven…I mean, Dean Proctor, thought we’d be safer in one of these. It definitely isn’t my first choice, but heck, it’s a free ride, so I’m not going to complain.”
She was a little confused, but Walker hit the accelerator, and they roared out of the parking lot, throwing her back against the seat. “Where to?” he asked, grinning over at her. “Anywhere you want to go, I’m your man.”
Jackson’s head appeared between them from the backseat. “We’re going to her apartment so she can pack some things, and then we’re taking her back to the house,” he said, giving Walker a dirty look. “She’s going to stay in the attic room until this is over, but she’s off limits.”
“Oh, come on, that’s not fair,” Walker said, but she could see that he was teasing. “You’re going to stash a pretty little thing like Abby right upstairs and not let me work my magic on her?”
“Back off, Walker,” Jackson growled. “I mean it.”
Walker looked surprised, but recovered quickly. “Oh, I see, that’s how it is,” he said, looking over at her. “Well, it was bound to happen to one of us eventually. I just never thought that it would be you, Jackson.”
Completely lost, she sat there in silence, feeling like something important had just happened, but not sure what. “That’s enough, Walker,” Jackson warned, then looked over at her. “Abby, give this idiot your address.”
She rattled it off, holding onto the door handle to keep from being thrown around as Walker sped through town. They pulled up in front of the apartment a few minutes later, and Jackson jumped out before she could open the door, spent several seconds looking around, then helped her out of the van.
“We shouldn’t be too long,” he said, slamming the door. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Jackson, I can’t come stay with you,” she said as he rushed her up to the door. “It’s not a good idea, I mean…”
“You can’t stay here, I’m sure they know where you live,” he said, cutting her off. “You’ll be safe at the house. No one will get past the eight of us.”
“But this is where I live, I can’t just run away,” she said, shaking her head. “And it wouldn’t be fair to your housemates; you didn’t even ask them. What about Yvonne? I can’t just leave her here alone. What if they think she’s me?”
“She’ll be safer if you’re not here,” he said, pulling her to a stop before they went inside. “I know this isn’t what you want, Abby, but it’s the only way I can think of to keep you safe. You’re too vulnerable here, you have to see that.”
