Bewitching the Dragon: Bad Alpha Dads (Taming the Dragon Book 4) Read online

  And where the hell that thought came from? Mothers and babies had never in his life been first and foremost in his mind.

  Becca glanced up from where she had been folding pastel-colored blankets and placing them into perfectly symmetrical piles on a shelf. He took in her widening eyes, the way her lips parted on a soundless gasp, and he allowed himself a moment to soak up the rest of her: the curly hair she’d twisted into a loose braid so that ringlets had formed around her face, the swell of her breasts above the sweetheart neckline of her top, the cinched waist and the ruffle along the above-the-knee hemline of what was probably not intended to be a sexy dress. But holy gods, his dragon was doing this ridiculously seductive dance in his head, and Rahu kind of wanted to join the beast.

  No, he wanted Becca to join them.

  “What are you doing here?”

  The faint accusation in her tone shook him out of the fantasy. He plastered what he hoped was a bland smile on his face and said, “Hi there. How’s it going?”

  Smooth. Real smooth.

  His dragon snorted.

  “Fine.” Now her tone was clipped.

  “I, uh… Petra asked me to pick up some stuff for Sadie. Since I’m here. In New Orleans.”

  “Oh.” Her facial features instantly relaxed, and she even offered him a small smile. “What does she need?”

  While Petra hadn’t exactly asked, Rahu had texted her a couple of hours ago to see if she’d like him to pick up anything, since he happened to be in the area. She’d been thrilled and had sent him a list of ideas that had been like reading Greek, frankly.

  Which worked out perfectly, because he was able to screenshot the text and show it to Becca.

  She scanned the list, nodded, and, with phone in hand, she began moving about the store, pulling various items off shelves and tables, piling all of it onto the counter next to the cash register. Cripes, how much stuff had Petra asked him to buy?

  “How do you and Petra know each other?” Becca asked as she worked. “I mean, I know you said you’re both from Detroit, but what’s the connection?”

  “Oh. We, uh…we work together.”

  “You do? What do you do?”

  “I’m a carpenter.”

  “Petra’s a carpenter now?”

  Shit. He shook his head. “No, no. I mean we, uh, belong to the same, uh, organization.”

  She nodded. “Oh, like y’all go to the same church?”

  “Yeah, something like that. It’s more…” How the hell did one describe a dragon colony to a half witch, half gargoyle who didn’t know any of this existed? “Like a social club.”

  “Oh, cool.”

  Okay, good, she seemed to accept that. Phew.

  “How is Petra? Are she and Noah still together? How’s Sadie?”

  “She’s good. Of course they’re still together. They’re fated mates. And Sadie’s growing like a weed. They just had this ridiculous party for her first birthday.” He shook his head, recalling the pony rides. Dragons riding ponies.

  That had been one for the books.

  “Fated mates?” Becca asked, and Rahu winced. Damn it, he couldn’t forget she didn’t know either one of them was anything other than human. And humans didn’t have fated mates.

  He waved his hand and offered a crooked smile. “You know what I mean. They were destined to be together.”

  She squeezed the outfit she was holding. “I’m so happy for them. Petra told me Sadie was an accident and that she didn’t know she was pregnant when she moved here. She never really said what happened between her and Noah, but I know she didn’t tell him about Sadie until he showed up here last fall. I’m just so glad they worked everything out.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  She looked like she was ready to ask more questions, so it was time to turn this conversation around so he didn’t screw up and either cause her to wonder if he was crazy or maybe accidentally figure out that she wasn’t what she believed she was. While he wholeheartedly believed Argyle and Pacey were wrong for keeping her in the dark, he sure as hell didn’t want to be the messenger in this case.

  “So you recently graduated from college?”

  “Yeah, how did you know?”

  “Overheard you and Charlotte talking about it at the bar.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I did. Finally.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  She shrugged and dropped her gaze to the pile of outfits perched in front of her. “It took me a little longer than it should have, that’s all.”

  “Oh yeah? How come?”

  Damn, he needed to get better at reading nonverbal cues because now that the words were out of his mouth, it was clear this was a topic Becca did not want to talk about.

  “It’s okay, forget I asked.”

  “No, no, it’s okay. It’s not your fault or anything. It’s just…my parents died shortly after I graduated from high school.”

  “Oh, man, I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks. Anyway, I had a hard time getting over it. Spent a lot of time in therapy for about two years. Mostly trying to get my memory back.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head. “I was there when it happened, according to Aunt Pacey. But I guess it was so traumatic I’ve mentally blocked the memory. The whole time I was in therapy, Aunt Pacey tried to convince me to stop trying to remember. She said it was best if I didn’t.”

  “Huh.” Given Pacey had assisted Argyle in creating a fake human life for Becca, why didn’t Pacey want Becca to remember how her parents had died?

  Becca flapped her hand in front of her face, the way women did when they were trying not to cry. “That summer I finally, you know, started functioning again. Took a college course, went to work for Aunt Pacey. Took another few courses in the fall. Finally found my routine. And now I’m a graduate.” She smiled. “And I’m gainfully employed, too. I start teaching second grade in August.”

  “That’s fantastic,” he said, and he meant it. He was glad she’d overcome such a terrible obstacle. He only wished she knew what other obstacles she had to overcome. Such as staying alive now that a group of warlocks knew about her existence.

  A ahop bell chimed, and Rahu moved to the side so Becca could greet them and help them find whatever they needed.

  Another customer came in and then another, and an hour passed before Rahu and Becca were alone again.

  “Sorry about that,” she said as she began to ring up the pile of clothes Petra had requested.

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s what you’re being paid to do.”

  “Yes, but you’re a paying customer too.”

  “But I don’t mind hanging out.”

  He watched her cheeks turn a charming shade of dusky pink. She kept her gaze glued to the cash register.

  One hour faded into two. They chatted about the deck he was helping Ketu build, the wood floors he’d laid, the gazebo he built for another dragon—keeping out the fact that his customer was a dragon, of course—and various other jobs he’d done in the eight years he’d been a carpenter.

  Two became three, and in between customers they talked about the theme Becca was considering for her first classroom.

  “Dragons!” she said, and Rahu nearly choked on the drink he’d taken from the bottle of water she’d offered him.

  “Really?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Kids are so fascinated by them. I can use them to help in my lessons, too. Plus, I’m thinking about adopting a bearded dragon and keeping it in the classroom. I’ll let the kids take it home on the weekends and during holidays. It’ll teach them responsibility.”

  Rahu shook his head. “Yeah, it’ll definitely teach them that.”

  “You think I’m being silly.”

  His head shake became more vigorous. “Absolutely not. I think you’re…adorable.”

  Oh shit. Not the best choice of words if he only intended to keep her safe and nothing else. Because now her eyes were glazing over and her smile had become drea
my, and his dragon was standing on his back legs clapping like he’d just won an award.

  Luckily—if that was the right word—a customer entered the store, and Becca hurried over to help them. By the time Rahu and Becca were alone again, it was nearly time to close, so he helped with her closing routine and walked her to her car, noting the stone gargoyles perched along the fence that ran the length of the alley. No doubt, once she’d gotten into her vehicle and was focused on driving away, they’d all shift into either human or gargoyle form and follow to ensure she was safe. Which meant Rahu was off the hook for the rest of the evening.

  He shouldn’t be annoyed by this knowledge.

  He was only supposed to keep her safe, after all.

  Chapter Six

  Apartment shopping was the pits.

  Everything was too expensive, too small, too inconvenient, too… There was always something.

  She’d had it easy for her entire adult life. Pacey could be making a small fortune every month if she rented the guesthouse for what it was worth instead of letting Becca stay there for free. Even when Petra had been renting it, Pacey hadn’t charged her anywhere close to fair market value.

  Her aunt was the definition of a bleeding heart, so it would seem.

  She had also, in Becca’s opinion, overreacted when Becca had informed her aunt that she was getting her own place soon. For God’s sake, she’d acted like Becca’s moving out was going to put her in imminent danger.

  To be honest, now that she’d started the process, maybe Pacey knew what she was talking about. Becca’s current weekly paycheck and her own expectations certainly couldn’t afford the sort of places she wanted to live.

  Sighing, she stepped into a small deli to grab a late lunch. She’d visited six potential new living spaces since ten this morning, and each had seemed worse than the one before. It was possible, however, that her mounting dislike was a direct result of an empty stomach. Maybe she’d try again after stuffing her face and her opinions wouldn’t be quite so negative.

  Accepting her muffuletta and Coke from the kid behind the counter, she headed over to a two-top near the window and ate while scrolling through more living-space prospects on her phone. She was down to two bites left and nothing but ice in her cup when she realized someone was watching her.

  Awareness buzzed along the skin on her arm—not that exciting, electric current she felt whenever Rahu touched her but something different. This felt…negative. Wrong, somehow.

  She glanced up and locked gazes with a guy sitting at a nearby table. He was with his buddies, three of them in total, and they were all staring at her.

  Theoretically, she could decide to feel flattered. Her thick, blonde hair and brown skin tone had attracted plenty of attention throughout her life. She knew she was pretty, but she wasn’t overconfident. Honestly, the attention made her wary most of the time. Like, were guys checking her out simply because she was unique?

  Or, in this case, because they knew her? In that case, she most certainly wasn’t flattered.

  Shit.

  A year ago, she was babysitting Petra’s infant daughter and ordered pizza. Two guys had knocked on the door.

  Two of the three who were currently staring at her.

  In retrospect, they hadn’t looked like pizza delivery guys. For one thing, there had been two of them. And neither of them had nametags, and, like now, their expressions weren’t particularly welcoming.

  Pretty amazing she still loved ham and pineapple, to be honest.

  Yeah, she let them into the house. And then, while one of them was video-recording the scene with his phone, the other grabbed her and placed something over her mouth and nose, and that was pretty much all Becca recalled until she woke up in her bedroom in Pacey’s house with a raging headache and no idea who those guys were or why they’d knocked her unconscious.

  She eventually learned that they’d kidnapped Sadie, but she hadn’t ever figured out why, and she’d never understood why Pacey had insisted she not file a police report.

  Especially now that it looked like those two guys hadn’t forgotten the incident either, and might possibly want a replay, sans the baby kidnapping.

  One of them shifted in his seat. They all had dark hair and menacing looks, and, seriously, these guys were massive. Like football linebacker or pro wrestler big.

  Not her type. Not that she really had a type until recently. But since meeting Rahu, for some reason, her type could be narrowed down to tall, slim, good looking, charming in a silly, self-deprecating sort of way, and could hold his own in a bar fight with four other guys.

  She really wished Rahu were here right now, truth be told.

  Wait a minute. She wasn’t one of those girls. She didn’t need to be rescued. For one thing, they were in a public place, so even if these guys watching her had less than pure intentions, what the hell were they going to do in a crowded deli on a Sunday afternoon?

  She stood and carried her trash to the nearest bin, dumping it and placing the tray on top. Out of her peripheral vision, she noted the three big guys stood too.

  Great. Now what? She’d be more vulnerable out on the sidewalk. The first time she walked past an alley, they could push her into it and then what the hell would she do?

  Or maybe she was being overdramatic, strung out, and suspicious. She’d never felt vulnerable like this before, but then again, she’d never had that weird, bug-crawling-on-her-skin sensation before either. Maybe she’d just been lucky in life and had never been in a situation where she might possibly be in danger.

  She loitered near the trash bin for a few minutes, hoping those guys would leave, but they seemed as inclined as her to hang around. Yep, something was definitely up. And considering none of them was approaching her to hit on her, she was reasonably confident whatever they wanted from her was not a good thing.

  She spotted a woman stepping out of the restroom and hurried over to take her place in the small, windowless, single-stall room. Locking the door, she leaned against it and pulled her phone out of her purse.

  Now, who should she call for help?

  Pacey was the only person she ever really leaned on, and she sure as heck wasn’t calling her aunt, who would definitely come rescue her and then lecture her for the next ten years about the dangers of moving out on her own.

  She considered calling Charlotte, who had an older brother who was pretty tough. Except Leroy was living in Shreveport with his new wife, so never mind.

  If only she had Rahu’s number. He’d come swooping in to save her. She hated the fact that she even needed saving, but honestly, she hated more that the two of them hadn’t exchanged numbers yet.

  He’d hung out at the store yesterday for hours. Like he had nothing better to do than to spend time with her. Or, better yet, like he’d wanted to do nothing more than hang out with her.

  They’d flirted, too, although mildly. It had felt like he was trying not to flirt, to be honest, which only made the experience sweeter. And, yes, she shouldn’t be thinking this way about a guy who was only in town for the next two weeks, but damn it, those few hours had been better than any date she’d ever been on.

  Except he’d walked her to her car and ensured she was inside with the doors locked before he’d sent her on her way. No phone number, no promise to see each other again, no way to contact him if, say, she needed him to come rescue her from a small deli near the lower Garden District.

  Somebody knocked on the door. Becca jumped away from the smooth surface and threw back her shoulders. She couldn’t hide in here forever—obviously, since somebody needed to use the facilities—so it was time to face her, er, demons.

  Nah. It was time to go to the older guy behind the counter who was manning the grill and ask him for help with the three guys who were making her uncomfortable. He wouldn’t think she was weird for asking, would he?

  Only one way to find out.

  She opened the door and stepped out. The three guys were still there, hovering near the entr
ance. Clearly, they knew she had no choice but to eventually head their way.

  Something else caught her eye, the glint of sunlight on a pair of aviator sunglasses, a man walking down the sidewalk outside.

  Rahu? Holy cow, seriously? What were the odds?

  She shouldn’t feel so damn relieved that he was randomly in the same area of New Orleans at the exact same time she was, but she was too busy feeling exactly that way to care.

  And then something strange happened. Stranger even than Rahu showing up right when she needed him.

  One of the three big, burly guys nudged the other two and nodded at the window. They all glanced at her again, at Rahu, then they all ducked their heads and filed out of the deli, turning left and heading in the opposite direction from Rahu’s approach.

  Weird.

  Rahu stopped and stared at the guys’ retreating backs, and for a second, she was certain he was about to chase after them, which was crazy because he surely had no earthly idea who they were and what they were doing here, and he certainly didn’t know they’d been making her severely uncomfortable.

  But then he glanced into the deli and caught her eye, and a wide smile spread across his face as he waved and stepped inside.

  “Hey,” he said as she approached.

  “Hey yourself. What are you doing here?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing, until I spotted you here. Did you already eat?”

  She nodded. “And I’d really like to get out of here, actually.”

  “Good, let’s go.” He wrapped his hand around her bicep—there went that sizzle, the good one—and tugged her toward the door. Once outside, he hung a right and began hurrying down the sidewalk like they were late for something.

  “My car.” She pointed at the ancient sedan in front of a meter that was ten minutes from expiring.

  Rahu glanced both ways and then crossed the street in the middle of the block. He motioned for her to give him the keys, and he unlocked the door and held it open for her to slide into the driver’s seat. Once he was seated next to her, he said, “Head back to your house.”

  Not her first choice, but she was shaken enough at this point to do as he said.