Her Dragon Protector

Chapter 9

Tyson Emery was bounced out of his slumber as the car dropped into a deep pothole. He scowled at Devon, who was driving their SUV and now smirking as he kept his eyes glued to the road in front of them.

“Did you aim for that one?” Tyson grumbled as he shifted in his seat.

“No. I did not aim for that one or any of the others I hit. It isn’t my fault that the road is full of holes,” Devon said defensively.

“That might be true, but it was your idea to come out here and relax for a while.”

“Ty, you will thank me for this later. I have a feeling,” Devon told him with a grin.

Tyson huffed as he tried to get comfortable in his seat again. Devon had somehow persuaded him that they should go out to a cabin in Blue Hills, Oregon, owned by Emery Technologies. The town was small and isolated, giving the two dragons a chance to shift and fly without many questions being asked.

Tyson heard his phone ding with a new email as he tried to relax. He closed his eyes and ignored it. Whatever it was, it would just have to wait.

“I hate to bother you,” Devon said, with a smirk in his voice that anyone would notice. “But we will be in town in a few minutes. Do you mind if we stop at the restaurant? I am starving, and they have the best burgers.”

Tyson let out a growl as he raised the back of his partially reclined seat. “Fine. I could use a bite too, and it will allow me to check in with the office.”

Devon muttered under his breath, “Workaholic.”

“Yes, I am. Me being a workaholic is what has grown the company to what it is and ensured that you have the life to which you have grown accustomed, my friend.”

“Does that mean I can have chili cheese fries with my burger?”

Tyson laughed, “Yes, you can have chili cheese fries with your burger.”

Olivia sat at her favorite corner booth in the only restaurant in Blue Hills, Oregon, her new home. It was perfect for what she wanted right now. The town had only a few hundred people and was a reasonable drive to the coast, forests, and mountains. She took a sip of her decaf coffee and savored it. She allowed herself one cup per day, and this was it. As she took another drink while waiting for her lunch, she began reviewing some photos she had taken recently.

As Olivia began to edit one of the pictures, the bell above the door sounded. She glanced up briefly to see two very large, handsome men walk in before returning to her screen. As the breeze from the door reached her, she could tell they were not human but was not sure what they were. She glanced up again and briefly made eye contact with one of the men as they took their seats in a booth. He made her heart skip a beat. He had hair so black it had a blue cast. It came nearly to his shoulders and was unruly. His eyes were such a bright amber they looked orange.

She was scolding herself for finding the stranger so attractive when her phone rang. She grabbed her coat and began to dig through the pockets until she found her phone. A wave of relief hit her when she saw it was her mom, but that was short-lived.

“Hey, Mom,” Olivia answered.

“What have you done?” her mom demanded.

“Mom, what are you talking about? I haven’t done anything.”

“Olivia, Alpha Nicholas sent out an email saying you stole from him. Sweetheart, he has put a reward out for you to be brought back.”

“Hang on a sec.”

Olivia scooted out of the booth she was sitting in and hurried to the door. She walked around to the side of the building, where a bench was under a large fir tree. She dropped onto the seat and fought the tears that were coming.

“Mom, I did not take anything from Nick.”

“Then why is he doing this?” her mom questioned.

“Mom, are you sitting down?”

“No. Why?”

“Just sit down. Please.”

“OK. I’m sitting. Now, please tell me what is going on.”

“The rumors that I mentioned at Thanksgiving were true. I slept with Nick that night. We were both drunk, and we made a mistake.”

“Sweetheart, while I don’t approve because you are my baby girl, I understand that things like that happen.”

“That isn’t the only thing. Mom… I’m pregnant, and it is the Alpha’s.”

Olivia heard her mom’s phone clatter as it was dropped. She pulled her phone away from her ear to make sure the call was still connected, which it was. She waited until she heard someone fumbling with her mom’s phone before she said anything.

“Mom? Are you still awake?” Olivia asked.

“I’m not Mom,” came her father’s voice through the phone. “What did you tell your mother? She is hysterical, and I can’t tell if she is happy or upset.”

“I will tell you only if you sit down,” Olivia said.

“I’m sitting, so start talking.”

Olivia blurted out, “I did not steal anything from Alpha Nicholas. I’m pregnant with his baby.”

Olivia waited for a response from her father but heard nothing. Finally, after nearly a minute, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Dad?”

“I’m here. Now I understand why your mother is hysteric.”

“Are you mad at me?” Olivia asked.

“No, sweetheart. I am not mad at you. I am mad at Alpha Nicholas,” her father told her. “Baby girl, I want you to listen to me. Your mom and I don’t know where you are, and I want it to stay that way. If we don’t know where you are, he can’t use us to get to you. Do you understand?”

“I understand, Dad.”

Her father asked, “Who else knows?”

“The only one I know of is Jake, but he doesn’t know where I am either.”

“Good. Keep it that way. Stay safe. I love you.”

“I love you too, Dad, and tell Mom I love her whenever she calms down enough,” Olivia laughed.

“I will, sweetheart,” her father said before he hung up the phone.

Olivia was shivering by the time the call with her parents was over. She felt relieved that they knew why she was doing what she was and that she didn’t have to hide that she was going to make them grandparents once again. When she stood from the bench and turned to go back into the diner, she stopped in her tracks. The man with the black hair she had seen inside stood a few feet away, watching her.

“Olivia Cook?” he asked.

Olivia didn’t answer him. She was trying not to panic. She saw the man’s phone in his hand, and her mind jumped to the email her mother had mentioned. Tears slid down her face as she looked at him.

“You’re going to take me to him, aren’t you?” she questioned.

“No. I have known Alpha Nicholas for a long time. I want to know why he sent this out because I can usually read people well, and you, my dear, do not strike me as a thief.”

“That’s because I’m not. Nick said he wanted nothing more to do with me, so I left. As soon as he found out I was gone, he started calling me and wouldn’t leave me alone. After I changed my number and dropped off his radar, he sent that email out,” Olivia told the stranger, making sure to leave out certain parts.

The man laughed, “That sounds like the Nicky I know. However, I feel there is more to the story.”

“There is,” Olivia mumbled as she shivered.

The man took off his coat and put it around her shoulders. His warm spicy scent enveloped her like a blanket. She closed her eyes as she inhaled it deeply. When she opened them, she saw the man watching her. His expression showed concern and not hostility. She didn’t know what possessed her as she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his waist as he began to sob.

The man put his arms around her and rubbed her back to comfort her. She smelled like a thunderstorm, and it was enchanting. He couldn’t help but smile when he thought how well that fit with her stormy gray eyes. But, as he took in her scent, he caught the faintest hint of another. He knew what she had taken from Nicholas, his child. He let out a low growl that caused her to jump away from him.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Cook. I didn’t mean to scare you. I understand why you ran from Nick. I can smell it, and I am sorry you feel you had to leave because of it.”

“How do you know so much about Alpha Nicholas? What did he tell you?”

“I apologize for my lack of manners. Let me introduce myself. I’m Tyson Emery, and I have known your Alpha for a long time.”