Page 6 of The Mating Magic
Chase Burke. The dragon she loved…andlost.
Her heart clenched even as she stared in longing at Chase, flying high above them. One of the gators, having been deprived of his meal, left the swamp and began crawling towardEvie.
Chase swooped down, opened his mouth to breathe fire at the beast, and the gator changed its mind, making a hasty exit for thewater.
Then the dragon landed with a thud upon the ground, folding back his wings and grinning ather.
Showing a mouthful of white, sharpteeth.
“Good to see you’re keeping up the dental appointments, Chase,” Lacey said, getting up and dusting off her jeans. “I’d had a nicefuck yousaved for that stunt you pulled with ditching Evie at the ball. However, since you rescued her, I guess that makes you less of adickwad.”
Not quite. Humiliation crawled over her, turning her face crimson. Did Lacey have to bring that up in front ofhim?
An eyeblink and the dragon vanished, replaced by a man of medium height with short black hair. His white shirt was starched, but he rolled up the sleeves to reveal muscled forearms. Pressed chinos, the crease so sharp it could cut grass, were tailored to his legs, and his penny loafers were polished leather. A day beard and mustache outlined his perfect mouth and strongjaw.
Oh Chase, why did you come here? Maybe I’d have been better off with the gators. At least they don’t care about my social status and I stood a fighting chance. With your family, I have no weapons to defendmyself.
“Hi Evie,” he said softly, his gaze turning soft. “Youokay?”
She nodded, the dragonflies in her stomach fluttering faster, as they always did in hispresence.
“She’s fine. Thanks. Gotta go now.” Lacey picked up her bag, slung it over one shoulder and pointed to the fence. “Come on, Evie. Let’shustle.”
“Not so fast.” Chase swept her sister with a long, cold look. “Your actions have called upon the ColdfireWizard.”
“We didn’t do anything wrong.” Evie stood and drew herself up to her full five feet, three inches of height. “Lacey was here to pick water lilies and this is an amusement park owned by Skins. If anything, we broke human law, not dragonlaw.”
“Why do you think Skins left the land vacant?” Chase sighed, and the sound echoed in the air. “The park is veiled with magick to keep out Skin trespassers. Its former owner, a wealthy werewolf, sold it to the Brehon for their practice sessions. Ordinary Otherworlders cannot shapeshift on these premises, unless they are granted the magick by a wizard from the Brehon, as Iwas.”
Horror crawled through Evie as she recalled the snapping jaws and the red gaze of the alligators in the pit. “Thegators…”
Chase scowled at Lacey. “Haven’t you noticed the alligators are no mere reptiles? They are ten times more dangerous. But of course Lacey already knew this. She’s been spying on me since I became Drust’s apprentice. It’s how she knew about this place and thelilies.”
Evie’s breath caught in her throat. Lacey did not meet hergaze.
No wonder Lacey had wanted to leave soquickly.
“Lacey, did you know this? What did you do now?” Eviedemanded.
Lacey ignored her and glared at Chase. “I wasn’t spying on you, you nit. I was watching out for my sister so she wouldn’t get hurt. And I knew about this place from… well, I read about it in abook.”
“Maybe you should change your reading habits,” Chasetaunted.
“Maybe if you weren’t such a cold-hearted lizard, I wouldn’t have to do what I did. I did it for Evie, because she needs a confidence boost after what happened at your parents’ ball. And now that you’re here, maybe an explanation for my sister is in order. She deserves it, even if you don’t want to see her anymore. Although I think she’s too good foryou.”
Ignoring Lacey, Chase turned to Evie. “Evie, I’m sorry. I had family duties at the ball and never realized you were gone until it was toolate.”
That was it? After four weeks of anguishing over why Chase had let her go, then refusing to answer his texts when he did contact her because she refused to get hurt again by him or hisfamily?
“You had duties,” she said slowly. “So you invited me to the ball, said hello and left me standing there with your cousin Helen when I didn’t know anyone? Because you had duties. And you couldn’t set aside those duties for ten minutes to make me feelwelcome?”
Chase had the good nature to flush. “Uncle Drust made an appearance and my family fussed over him and by the time I spoke to him, he had an urgent request of me. I had to leave immediately. Helen assured me she would find you and explain and take care of you. Again, I am sorry,Evie.”
Oh, she took care of me. Took care to make sure I went flying out of the door on my bottom, and then laughed and walkedaway.
“And you couldn’t introduce me before you left? Or you wouldn’t because you feared your family’s reaction if they knew you and I wereserious?”
Silence draped the air between them. Lacey, good-hearted soul that she was, walked away to give themprivacy.
