Page 75 of Claimed By The Dragon Daddy

I loved Evan with my entire being, but a tiny voice in the back of my head persisted: could we truly make this work?

Chapter 19

Evan

I sat on the back porch replaying everything, and still couldn't believe what I'd just done. My chest was so tight, the guilt weighing on me as my dragon sulked within, pacing back and forth, a stark presence in my consciousness even as he kept to himself, as if he, too, were full of regret.

The scene from the kitchen replayed in my mind: Mariah’s arms around Jax, a smile on her face, that look in Jax's eyes. It’d all sent me over the edge, my dragon rearing up, nearly hurting her in the process. I had one driving directive then—to get my mate from Jax’s clutches at all costs.

“Fuck.” I needed to talk to Mariah, make sure she understood that I didn't mean to hurt her, but the look in her eyes was too much to take. The anger, the shock, the way she’d stared like she didn’t even know me.

“Evan,” Sebastian called, alerting me to his presence as he stepped out onto the porch. I turned to find him watching me with concern, approaching slowly, as if he weren’t sure I’d gotten myself under control yet.

“Hey, Sebastian,” I said. He knew the reasons for my behavior, yet this was becoming a frequent problem, and today was extreme. If I’d laid into Jax like I wanted to… I shook my head. I didn’t even want to think what I might have done.

“You cooled off any yet?”

I sighed. “I’m trying, but it’s harder than it should be. I want to talk to Mariah. I need to make this right.”

Sebastian shook his head. “I think giving her some time might be best. It might be just what you need as well. Why don’t you shift? Let your dragon out, fly for a bit?”

“Maybe you're right.” If I went to Mariah now, with my emotions still raw and my dragon restless, I might only make things worse. She didn't deserve that.

“Head out to the clearing; get some air,” Sebastian said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “You need to make peace with your dragon as well.”

I glanced at him, wondering how he knew, but it wasn’t just my dragon I was angry with. My dragon operated on instinct, on feelings and emotions, but I was supposed to be the one in charge. The rational one. Seemed like that side of me was giving way to more my dragon’s primitive instincts with each passing day.

I nodded, giving Sebastian a tight smile. “I can do that.”

I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk away from the house, away from Mariah. Sebastian had become my mentor once again. We’d both slipped so easily into our roles that it was sometimes shocking to realize we’d spent seventeen years apart.

This clearing was a place of solace for our clan, deep within the lands, where we could shift and let our dragons roam free without worrying about being seen by humans. The general public may be aware of shifters, but that didn’t make it easier for them to see them soaring through the sky.

As I emerged from the trail and stepped into the open space surrounded by towering trees, the fresh scent of pine filled my nostrils. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor as I stood there in the clearing. My hands clenched and unclenched, a futile attempt to release the guilt threatening to suffocate me.

“Get it together, Evan,” I muttered under my breath. Despite my resolve to calm down, thoughts of Mariah and my near-violent outburst wouldn’t go away. Yes, I was on edge about Mariah thanks to our mate bond that had yet to be fully realized, but that wasn’t all of it. I felt like I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. With Tomas out there, I couldn’t relax, and then there was the lawsuit looming over us like a dark cloud. According to my lawyer, Rosalind still hadn’t sent the papers so she could drop the case.

Nevertheless, all that was no excuse for my behavior.

“Damn it all,” I growled, thrusting my fingers into my hair, a scream of frustration ripping out of me, as if I couldn’t contain my feelings any longer.

My dragon stirred, his presence rising higher in my consciousness. He’d stopped pouting and was now urging me to acknowledge him.

Evan. I heard his low, inaudible rumble in the back of my mind, more of a sensation, an impression, than actual language. Shift. We need this.

I nodded, knowing he was right. I was always closest to my dragon once I’d transformed, feeling what he did, understanding him most clearly when I allowed him to take the reins. As I closed my eyes, I sought the connection between man and beast, our thoughts and emotions intertwining. He shared my regret for what happened with Mariah. Our desire to protect her, to lay claim to what was ours, had momentarily clouded both our judgment.

“Mariah isn’t a dragon,” I said, hoping he’d understand. “She doesn’t understand this bond, and she can’t be treated the same as a dragon.”

My dragon's understanding and agreement came as raw sensation. I’m sorry.

I needed to shift and fly, to burn off some of the lingering, irrational rage. “Let's do this.”

Taking several steadying breaths, I released control, allowing my dragon to rise up and take over. It was hard in my current state, but I willed myself to submit to the beast within. Slowly, my body shifted, scales replacing skin, and wings sprouting from my back. My spine elongated, the pain of it nothing compared to the searing hurt that’d flashed in Mariah’s eyes. I continued to let go, and as the shift progressed, the tension dissipated.

When I finally stood there in the middle of the clearing in full dragon form, I felt more at ease than I had all day. In that moment, my dragon and I were one, more so than we ever could be in human form.

Fly.

---