Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

CALVIN

I didn't think I could be addicted to anything more than my nerd gear and video games, but I was addicted to Kiara. Any scrap of attention she gave me left me pining for more. I followed her around like a puppy, which was pathetic, but she seemed to enjoy it. She deserved to be treated like the goddess she was anyway. Anyone who could look at her and disagree was blind. The fact that she was giving her attention to me had to be divine intervention.

After talking with Aiden, he and Kiara decided it was safe enough for me to wander in the mountains. Aiden would know if another dragon entered his territory, and my scent would be harder to track with the smells of the surrounding forest. I couldn't go into town without him, but I wasn't worried about that. Kiara showed up a few days after we arrived with a trunk full of electronics to keep me occupied. I wasn't going to get stir crazy any time soon. The internet up here was crap, so I couldn't log on to anything, but I learned my lesson from the last time. I was good with what she brought me.

I was hours into the newest Legend of Zelda game, my attention riveted on the screen until Kiara walked in. She was the only person in the world who could get me to put down a new game so easily. She'd been working a lot with Aiden to track down Jasper. There wasn't much I could do to help, but I kept offering just in case.

"Hey. How's it going?"

She grimaced, dropping onto the couch beside me with a huff. "It's not. It's irritating. All signs of him at home just vanished. Aiden's trying to contact the council to figure out where he went, but he's been on the outs with them for years. No one has been willing to talk to him."

Putting the controller down, I urged her to lie with her head in my lap so I could massage her temples. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"What was he arrested for, anyway?"

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head minutely. "I don't want to tell you that."

Well, that wasn't good. Kiara had been pretty open with me now that I knew about shifters. If she was keeping something from me, it wasn't good.

"Tell me anyway. It had to be bad to be brought in by the cops, right?"

"Cal…"

"Kiara, I may be human and a nerd, but I'm not weak. I can handle bad news. What was it? Murder?"

It'd been a joke, mostly. I mean, yeah, he used me as a hostage, but I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to walk around the mall threatening innocents after being brought in for murder. No one was that crazy. Right?

Except Kiara wouldn't look at me, and her body tensed. That was an answer all by itself.

"Holy shit. He murdered someone? And they let him out of jail?"

"They haven't been able to prove anything yet. They set the bail so high in hopes of keeping him in prison, but he's a dragon. He's been alive long enough to amass a crazy amount of wealth. I'm honestly not even sure why he needed a bail bond. Five hundred thousand would probably be chump change for him."

Unease settled over my shoulders. If he was a murderer and he was hunting me like Aiden suspected, the chances of me getting out of this situation alive and unharmed dropped significantly. I was going to end up hiding the rest of my life.

Kiara sat up and switched our positions. It would've been sweet if I wasn't on the edge of panicking. I was being hunted by a murderer. No wonder he got so offended by me hitting him. He killed people before. He wasn't afraid of doing it again.

"Shh… Relax. We're not going to let anything happen to you. Aiden is one of the oldest dragons alive, and he's got connections everywhere. We'll find him eventually. In the meantime, you'll hang out here. Think of it like a vacation. People pay money to go into the woods for a while and escape reality, right?"

"This doesn't make any sense. If he's already on trial for murder, why is he wasting his time with me? I mean, yeah, I hit him, but is that seriously enough that he would risk getting caught to come get me? Are we even sure he's still after me?"

Kiara's lips pressed tightly together, and I whimpered. "He is, isn't he?"

"More than likely. A few of his guys were seen lingering around your house the other day. They aren't interested in your friends, but it looks like they're waiting for you to feel safe, so you'll go back. As to why he's fixated on you, I'm not sure. Neither is Aiden. He's worried about Jasper's stability. If he is this erratic, he might not be all there. Which makes finding him all the more important. Dangerous shifters risk exposing all of us. If he can't prove himself to be stable, he'll need to be put down."

This just kept getting worse and worse. Not only was a dragon fixated on me, he was a murdering unstable dragon with an insane amount of money at his disposal and cronies coming out of his ears. I was starting to feel like I'd never be able to go home.

"Would it make you feel better if I let you put your face in my tits again?"

I snorted, pursing my lips to hide my smile. "We're supposed to be serious right now."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I don't like you serious. It feels off. If you're not interested, then–"

Yeah, even if I found out I only had minutes to live, I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to bask in Kiara's body. I shot upright, whipped off my glasses, and wrestled her onto her back before burying my face between her tits. I could actually feel her rolling her eyes at me, but she didn't protest, running her fingers through my hair once I got comfortable.

"Better?"

"Much," I mumbled. "The only place better than this would be in between your thighs."

She snickered, cupping the back of my head to keep me in place. "Don't even think about it. I've gotta get going soon. I'm taking Talia to town for a while."

I couldn't even begrudge her that. Between looking for Jasper and spending time with me, Kiara was helping her sister get brave enough to go visit her mate. Kiara did a little sleuthing and found out where he lived. Ever since, Talia had been working up the nerve to go find him. It'd be a sweet gesture if she pulled it off, and I'd feel like a dick taking that time away from Talia.

"Ugh. Fine. Go be an awesome sister. Keep giving me reasons to worship you. It's not like I can be any more dedicated than I already am. I'm basically like your disciple."

She snorted, and when I peeked up at her, she was shaking her head with an amused smile. "God, you're such a nerd."

"Don't pretend you don't like it," I replied smugly. "You seem plenty happy with my nerd instincts when we're in bed together."

She rolled her eyes at the ceiling, nudging my head roughly. I chuckled, putting my face back in the line of her cleavage. Seriously, the happiest place on earth.

"What are you playing?"

"Nuh uh." I lifted my head to mock glare at her. "You know the rules. I'm not telling you anything until you agree to play a game with me. I already have half a dozen I know you'll like. You want information, you gotta give me something in return."

The smile that pulled at her lips made my heart do somersaults. She was so damn gorgeous. There wasn't a thing about her I didn't like. She was perfect for me. At least, she would be as soon as she admitted she was at least curious about video games. Talia said Kiara didn't know how to relax. I was going to get her a nerdy hobby eventually.

"Somehow, I don't think this is the same thing as last time. I don't actually need to know what you're playing. I'm just being nice."

Moving until I was poised over her, I raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying you don't want to know more about me and my hobbies? Some mate you are."

She looked offended, and I couldn't help but laugh. Even if she didn't give a shit about video games or nerd shit, she'd still be a great girlfriend. Mate. Whatever. She was protective and sweet. She cared about my wellbeing and brought me stuff to keep me occupied so I wouldn't be bored while she and Aiden figured things out. She might not be an all out romantic, and I doubted I'd get anywhere bringing her a bouquet of flowers or something like that. For Kiara, it was the little things that mattered. Me rubbing her temples when she was stressed, or her letting me use her tits as an emotional support pillow. Little things to show we cared without smothering each other with affection.

"How about instead of playing a kids' game, I can climb on top of you later and do that thing you like?"

Shit. She knew exactly how to get what she wanted from me. My dick swelled and images of her and me in bed together flashed through my head in quick succession. I wasn't sure which one she was referring to, but they were all good in my book.

"That, uh… That's not–" My attempts to stay strong were as pathetic as I was over her, especially when she rubbed my dick through my jeans. None of my exes had the kind of libido Kiara did. Getting laid every damn night was never something I ever even hoped for. But damn if I wasn't up to the task. I dropped on top of her, grinding my hips against hers as I shoved my tongue into her mouth. She only let me have control for a minute before rolling us straight off the couch. I landed on my back with a grunt, but neither of us broke the kiss and there was no way I was going to complain about having her on top of me.

My hands were under her shirt, touching every inch of skin available to me when someone spoke near the door.

"Ew, gross."

"Seriously."