My hesitation was brief as I observed Daniel’s excitement at getting to play with someone his own age. I knew he’d be safe with both Granny and Dwayne, but it still worried me.
“Yes,” I said slowly, putting a smile on my face for Daniel’s benefit. “Just make sure he doesn’t burn their house down or shift. Might be a little awkward.”
“Got it,” Dwayne said as he gave my arm a quick squeeze. “You go enjoy your really, really nice Dragon. And you know…he might be an ass man since the boob flopped.”
“I have some booty shorts in my purse if you wanna borrow them,” Granny offered as she began to dig for them.
“No. No, I’m good,” I insisted. I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. While the sentiment was um…lovely, the reality was wrong on too many levels to even explain. However, I did briefly consider that fact that Seth might be an ass man.
“Six thirty,” Essie said as she grabbed Hank’s hand and pulled him down Main Street. “Be there and bring your appetite. And don’t worry. I’m ordering out so it will be edible!”
“Thank God for small favors,” Granny whispered as she, Dwayne, Sandy and Daniel piled into her car.
“Heard that, you old bat,” Essie called over her shoulder as Hank laughed. “Just for that I’ll be making your plate.”
The laughter was real and the love was evident. This was as good as it got.
It was just too bad it couldn’t last.
Chapter 4
“I won’t be able to stay,” Seth said as he took my hand and led me to the lovely couch in our three-bedroom suite. The Hung Bed and Breakfast was cozy and homey. I was hoping to get cozy with Seth, but clearly we weren’t of the same mind.
I was thrown by the fact that he’d reserved three bedrooms, not two. I stared at Seth and again tried to determine if he was gay. Male Dragons were perpetually horny. Seth was an anomaly. Maybe he was asexual. I’d never come across this phenomenon, but I also never thought I would be welcomed in a pack consisting of Werewolves and Vampyres. Unusually strange was my new normal and I decided to embrace it.
Hell, I was 499 years old, sex was just sex. I’d had plenty of sex in my lifetime and sadly it often ended in the death of my partner, thanks to my psychotic father. Seth would probably live longer if we didn’t have an intimate relationship. And to be honest, even sex had gotten old in my long lifetime.
I realized in that moment that there were far more important things than the physical. A good male role model for Daniel beat my need for sexual release by a mile. Seth’s kindness and loyalty to me and my son was something beautiful in a very violent world. My needs would always come second to my son’s. There was no way I could do better than Seth. If he was willing to mate with me, I would love and accept him exactly as he was.
“When do you have to go?” I asked, holding tightly to his large warm hands.
“I leave tonight. The Resistance has called a gathering. I want you to be there.”
“Um…not sure that’s a great plan,” I said as I stood and began to pace. “I’m the daughter of the person the Resistance wants eliminated. That sounds a little like I’d be walking into a shitshow ending in my fiery death.”
Seth’s gentle laugh at my unladylike language made me smile. Everything the man did made me smile. My determination to please him only increased. I sat back down and prepared myself to listen before I came to a conclusion about going—not my normal MO, but I was turning over a new leaf.
“The Resistance needs you, Dima and you need the help of the Resistance. Neither one of us has been able to defeat your father alone. It’s far past time for us to join forces,” he said as he tucked a few curly strands of my hair behind my ears.
I laid my cheek in the palm of his hand and felt safe and content. “They won’t want me there.”
“Some will be averse at first, but the truth remains unyielding. Success is unattainable without trying something new. Your father could never imagine that you would go to these extremes to take him out.”
I got lost in Seth’s beautiful eyes for a moment and couldn’t find my train of thought. I really could love this man. I was certain I already loved him and I felt his love in return. It wasn’t the kind of love that consisted of fireworks and raw need—it was more mature and lasting. Something I’d never experienced before. It was real and I was going to fight for it. If Seth thought I should go. I would go.
“The leader, Nicolai,” I said haltingly. “He won’t stand for it. I can guarantee that.”
“Nicolai is a good man—deadly, but good,” Seth said with a chuckle. “He can be difficult, but he’s far from stupid. He will see reason. You, my dear, are the missing puzzle piece he has been looking for. Nicolai may not realize this yet, but I’m quite sure of it.”
For a moment I wondered if all Seth wanted from me was my help with the Resistance, but pushed it aside immediately. He was a pure hearted man. I could tell. I hadn’t lived as long as I had without being able to judge true character.
“You really think this would work?” I asked.
I resumed my pacing as it helped me think. I’d known of Nicolai and the Resistance for several hundred years. I’d actually considered joining them once or twice in the last few decades, but after Daniel’s arrival I’d dismissed the thought. It was too dangerous to have all my cards on the table.