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Gunnar raised his brows, but before he could speak, Tansy threw her arms around me.
“Thanks, Eamon! When do we go?” She smiled at me with that dazzling smile, and I knew I was stuck for it.
“I will contact Desmon and let you know,” I answered, still glaring at Gunnar over her head. That gargoyle had better not be coveting my female. Tansy was mine for as long as she was under my protection.
Mine. Keep her,urged the possessive voice in my head.Keep her forever.
Shelby and Grayson returned with pastries from The Witch’s Brew, and Tansy left to greet them and grab a pastry for herself, leaving me alone in the rec room with Gunnar. The motherfucker grinned at me, and it was everything I could do not to punch him in the face.
“Since when did you fear Desmon?” Gunnar asked. “That’s very unlike you. You know that, of all the dragons, he’s the mildest and most likely to listen. Especially now that he’s mated to a human.”
“Tansy hired me to protect her,” I said plainly. “I cannot protect her from a dragon.”
“Sure. That must be it. I guess you wouldn’t mind if I took over your job of protecting her then? She hired Redrock, not you specifically. And I can protect her from Desmon.” Gunnar eyed me with a single raised brow.
“Fuck off.”
“No, I mean it,” Gunnar said. “She can move into my suite. Stay in my room. Sleep in my—”
I knew the second the menacing growl left my throat that I’d walked right into his trap. Gunnar laughed, his hearty chuckle filling the room.
“You like the girl, Eamon. Like, really like her. Maybe even the other L-word. Just admit it.” The ass was too smug.
“I’m a demon,” I said, brushing him off.
“So?” He eyed the balls on the pool table and moved to line up the shot. “Grayson and Griff are gargoyles. They found their mates.”
“Demons don’t have mates,” I lied.
“Sure, and they don’t love, either. Right?” He hit the cue ball, and it made a beeline for the final ball on the table.
Chapter 19
Tansy
Eamonfoundmeoutsideon our bedroom balcony.
After the initial excitement of getting his agreement to take me to meet a dragon had worn off, I found myself wondering what Mother was plotting. Surely the old hag would’ve figured out parts of my plan by now. Or did she think I’d just hide in fear?
“There you are.” Eamon stepped behind me, putting a hand on the railing on either side of my body.
I hummed and leaned back against his wide, muscular chest. I had to admit I really enjoyed all the physical contact. I’d been starved of it my whole life.
“Are you worried about meeting a dragon?” he asked. “I’m sorry I scared you. I wasn’t thinking straight. The thought of you being the target of a dragon’s ire—” He exhaled, the breath rushing by the shell of my ear. “Gunnar is right. Some dragons would burn you to a crisp for even mentioning their hoard, but Desmon isn’t one of them.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that—” I glanced down at the city below again “—it’s been days, and nothing has happened since the coffee shop. There are no attacks and no creepy reflections. It’s too quiet, and I don’t trust it. I want to know what Mother’s doing. I hate being in the dark.”
After a long moment, Eamon said, “That’s my fault.”
Confused, I asked, “How so?”
“I didn’t tell you what the EA called me in for. Or about the underground network of strays and stragglers causing mischief for every young, blonde woman, in their search for you.”
I hadn’t known. It sucked that other women were wrongly targeted in my stead, but I was relieved to hear Mother hadn’t stopped trying. It meant she was still in Dean’s body. One of my biggest fears was not knowing where she was.
Eamon continued, telling me of the attacks on women all across town and everything he’d learned the other day when he’d gone undercover. According to the word on the street, Dean had run into a large sum of money just months ago, taking him from the streets to the good life. No one knew how it had happened, but they didn’t question a good thing, because he’d often provided drugs and drinks to his old friends.
“Mother always knew how to control people. She made herself an army.” She’d gone for the weakest and easiest to control. It was just like her.
