Page 129 of Saving the Last Heir
Shyanne stood by the door, an anxious look on her face. She gazed through the window of her office out into the shop floor.
“What’s wrong?” I said, noticing her discomfort.
She sighed. “It’s just… I don’t know. Arewegoing to keep going?” she asked, gesturing from herself to me and back again.
Brow furrowed, I moved close, putting my hands gently on her arms. “What doesthatmean?”
“Ugh.” She groaned and rolled her eyes. “You know what it means.”
“I really don’t, Shyanne,” I said. “You’re gonna have to give me some additional info here.”
“I’m a human. You’re a dragon.”
“I’m well aware of our biology.” I smirked. “In fact, I’mverywell-acquainted withyourbiology in particular.”
That made her snort a laugh, which relieved some of the tension.
“Okay,” I said, “What’s really going on?”
“I don’t want to drag you down. I love you, and I know you love me, but you’re the alpha. Your people need you. I know the dragons are returning, but your numbers still aren’t where theyneed to be.” A red flush crept up her neck as she spoke. “It would probably be better if you took a dragon mate. Then you could?—”
I silenced her with a kiss, cupping her cheeks with my hands, hoping she couldfeelmy love. She tensed, but after a moment, she sagged against me and kissed me back.
When I pulled away, I smiled down at her.
“Even before they came back, I was ready to be with you. Forever. Fate would handle the rest. As much as I wanted my people to survive…well…I made the decision. The moment I realized I was in love with you, I made that decision. Nothing is going to change it now.”
She smiled at me with happy relief, and I realized she’d carried that fear in her these past few weeks. She’d thought that what we had was fleeting and that I would choose duty over her. As much as the alpha in me wanted to do what was right for my people, my heart, my soul, and my inner dragon would never leave her.
“How about you and your dad come over for dinner tonight?” I said.
I’d invited them up every few days. Marquel was a shrewd guy, and even though we hadn’t revealed the truth about what my family and I were, I was almost positive he’d realized there wassomethingdifferent about us.
Shyanne wrinkled her nose. “Is that woman going to hit on my dad again?”
I laughed. “Maybe.”
One of the returned dragons, a healer named Cassandra, had taken a liking to Shyanne’s father. And hereallyenjoyed the attention.
“Fine,” she said. “We’ll be there.”
I nodded to the shop. “Bring the guys. I’ll make sure we have enough food for everyone. It’s nice out, we can grill. I’m assuming they all like steak?”
“Oh, they willlovethat. You know how they are with free food,” Shyanne said, then pulled me into a hug, resting her head on my chest.
That night, my house felt more like an actual home than it had in years. All the laughter, the joy, and happiness, it was contagious. Many of the returned dragons had made their way back to their original homes or the housing my father had found for them, but a lot had stayed at the mansion, wanting to get acclimated first. Between our guests and the dragons, we had nearly forty people there, and Ilovedit.
Brent and Reggie had brought along a cornhole set and were in averycompetitive game against Carson and Leo Rosen. Ayumundi, grouchy as ever, sat off to the side, scribbling in a notepad and munching on a whole raw carrot for some reason. The man truly was strange. Dad, Mom, and Tiana were working the grills. Tiana and Leo’s twins sat in the grass playing with Jacqueline. And sure enough, Cassandra was sitting with Shyanne’s father laughing, and every now and then placing a hand on his thigh.
“Is she doing something?” Shyanne asked, coming up beside me and nodding toward the woman flirting with her father.
“I mean, not yet,” I said, “But if it keeps up this way, they might.”
“Eww, no.” She poked my stomach. “I meant, like, magic.”
“Why would you say that?” I said, biting my inner cheek to keep from smiling.
Shyanne narrowed her eyes at me. “He hasn’t had to use his walker in almost a week, and this morning, he was making scrambled eggs, and when he was done, he didn’t need to sit down. He went straight to his room to shower. I haven’t seen him take any of his arthritis meds, either.”
