Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

SIMON

A knock on the meeting room door interrupted my panic attack before it could truly take hold. Dillon , another hellhound, opened the door and peered inside. Like Gage and his team, he was new to town, but he had been working to become a police officer since the robbery at the inn a few months back. He wore a uniform, so maybe he had finished his training now.

" I'm done now," the new guy said. " You wanted me to do something?"

" Simon ," Van said as he pointed his pen at me, "go with Dillon . He'll take your statement about the whistle. I have a few more details I need to review with Ogden here."

Ogden's hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist before I could stand. " He needs to stay."

The sudden scent of his fear stopped me from leaving as much as his surprisingly tight grip. There'd been signs he wasn't as relaxed about everything as he appeared, but this was the first time fear shattered his calm fa?ade.

Fear was something I understood all too well.

" Simon won't leave the station." Van swung his gaze over to me. " Will you?"

I looked at Ogden . I swore the irises in his vibrant blue eyes sparked and shimmered like they each held little electrical storms. His fear was palpable. As much as I had been panicking a few minutes ago, my fears and worries faded with the realization of what he was facing. I wanted to help him. I wanted to be the one who wiped away the furrows in his forehead. I wanted to be the one who would save him.

I may have only known him for a few hours, but I'd do anything to protect him. Me . A little scaredy cat. And him, a fierce dragon. To even pretend I could protect him better than he could protect himself was ridiculous. But I couldn't help the way I felt. It was startling.

But there was also a rightness to it.

My free hand slipped over his as I met his gaze steadily. " I will not leave you and I won't let you go back there any sooner than necessary." I didn't want him to go back there at all.

He nodded. Just once. His eyes blinked rapidly for a moment, and I realized he was fighting back tears. My chest tightened. Nothing should make this man feel so vulnerable. I wouldn't allow it. I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him close. Only then did I feel the almost imperceptible tremble coursing through him. He shoved his face into my neck and took a deep breath. I squeezed him tighter.

" It's okay," I murmured. " I've got you. We're going to make sure you're safe, you have a plan, and we're going to get all those other supes too."

As soon as I spoke, I knew those words would haunt me when I tried to sleep later. Because who was I to make such promises? I was simply Simon . I wasn't a tiger or a cheetah or a cougar. Even with a little extra weight around my middle, I was still small enough to hide behind the geraniums in Mama's garden.

Still , when he nodded, I felt like a lion.

When he finally pulled back from my embrace, he straightened his shoulders. He'd pushed his fear down again, but I sensed it was still close. It was strange how I could see under his mask now.

" The magic could send me back any time now," he said. " Before that happens, I wanted to make sure you know how thankful I am that you summoned me. I know it was an accident, but I can't help but feel the Eternal Magic had a hand in bringing us together today."

" Should I wait to talk to Dillon ?" I'd never be able to live with myself if Ogden disappeared while I was away from him. I couldn't do anything, but the least I could do was be there with him.

" It'll be fine for a few minutes." Ogden glanced at Van . " But I think my time will be up soon."

I hated the way he'd phrased that.

" Understood ," Van said. " You can still negotiate, you know. Should I call the SC ? "

I wanted to say yes. One hundred percent. Ogden needed to negotiate. He needed to stay. Here . With me. Instead , I said, " Ogden made his choice."

" I'll be okay. This is what I want. Don't worry about me, Officer Hellhound ." When Ogden said his nickname for Van , the somber mood in the room eased. Jeremy snorted and scribbled in his notebook.

" I've told you that's not my name," Van said with a smile that showed he wasn't all that bothered.

" Oh ?" Ogden grinned a little wickedly at the hellhound.

I felt the start of a growl vibrating along the back of my throat. I didn't like Ogden looking at Van like that… Like he was flirting with him. When everyone turned to look at me, embarrassment heated my cheeks, and I cleared my throat.

Jeremy laughed and glanced at his mate. I guess the big werewolf and I had something in common. Both of us got growly when our mates?—

Nope , Ogden wasn't my mate.

I needed to shut down any thoughts like that. I was just trying to help. That's all. Whatever connection we had was artificial, a product of the whistle's magic. Why did that make me sad?

Ogden's mouth softened into a smile. " Don't worry, kitty cat. I'm teasing the hellhound. It means nothing, and he knows that. You have nothing to worry about." Then he leaned forward until his lips brushed my ear. I shivered at the intimacy. Okay . Maybe this thing between us really was something more than one guy helping another. " You are the only one I'm dreaming about getting naked with. When this is all over and done, I'm coming back here to find you and thank you properly for everything you've done today."

I sucked in a sharp breath and choked on my own spit. I coughed and coughed and coughed. My eyes watered. Snot clogged my nose.

Ogden pulled back a little but patted my back in what was likely meant to be a soothing gesture. The amusement in his bright blue eyes didn't ease my embarrassment, though. At least his fear had subsided. Maybe my dignity was an acceptable sacrifice if it took his mind off everything else.

When my coughing subsided, I ran to the door to escape. But I couldn't let Ogden think I was leaving him. I swung back around.

" I'll come right back," I said. My voice sounded croaky and rough.

Ogden winked at me and opened his mouth as if to say something. I fled from the room before he could utter a word, knowing whatever he'd say would likely make me embarrass myself all over again.

As soon as I was free of the room and away from where Ogden could see me, I stopped and closed my eyes. What was it about this dragon that made me act like such an idiot? Or , worse, believe I could be some kind of hero? I was the scaredy cat of my mama's kittens. Literally anyone else in Willow Lake would be better at protecting Ogden . If it were up to me, I would have allowed the summoning magic to bind us and left the rescue plan to someone else.

Most importantly, Ogden would be safe .

Was I feeling this way because of the whistle?

Beside me, someone cleared their throat. My eyes snapped open again, and I found Dillon staring at me with an amused glint in his eye. Perfect . Everyone was laughing at me and my obvious reaction to the sexy dragon. Har freaking har.

" Come on," he said, beckoning me to follow him down the hallway. I sucked in a breath and did as he asked.

Once again, I found myself seated beside a desk in the main part of the station. I glanced around for Dot as Dillon settled in his chair. I didn't see her.

" I'm out here because Van wants to ask Ogden some questions without me being there, aren't I ?"

Dillon shrugged. " I'm not gonna lie, that's probably part of it. But we also need to get some more information on that whistle."

Why hadn't I grabbed it off the table? Was this a ploy to get me away from it? Were Van and the others planning to steal it? What would happen to Ogden if that happened? He thought if anyone interfered, the magic might return him to that cage. Van wouldn't do that, would he? I needed to see Ogden again before that happened.

" Hey ," Dillon said. " It's okay. The whole situation is sketchy as fuck, but we will not endanger the dragon any sooner than necessary. And if there is a way to avoid that altogether, we will do that instead."

" Promise ?" I swallowed hard. My eyes burned.

" I'm a hellhound," he said, like that meant something. When I didn't respond, he added, " I can't lie."

Right . I knew that… Did that make him a good guy? I wasn't sure, but I trusted Van , and Van trusted Dillon . My gaze went back to the hallway that led to the room where Ogden was still sitting with Van and the others. As much as I wasn't loving being trapped in a room with all those people, I wished I was still in there with my dragon.

" Let's finish this quickly, then you can go back in there. Okay ?"

" Okay ."

" So , tell me about the whistle. Where did you acquire it?"

" I found it. I didn't steal it," I blurted.

" And …?"

" I don't remember when exactly I found it." Yes , I emphasized the word found again. " Can you look it up in the report I made? It was right around then."

Dillon frowned. " You made a report?"

" Yeah ." I scratched my head. " It was right before the wolves in the hills tried to stage that big robbery. Now that I think about it, I made my report the same night Ash found you. That's why Van was busy that night. He was in talking to you."

Dillon's eyes widened and filled with flames for a moment before he cleared his throat and got control again. " Who took your statement?"

" Dot … I mean, Constable Hubert ."

He clenched his teeth as he turned toward his computer and started typing. After a few moments, he sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, releasing a thin curl of smoke. " I don't see it here. So I would like you to go over everything again, if you could."

I glanced around the open room with all its desks again. " Can't we ask Dot ? She took notes. "

More smoke curled out from Dillon's nostrils as he shook his head.

" Dot is in custody for aiding and abetting the wolves in their robbery of the inn. She also shot…" His voice broke. He swallowed hard. " She also shot someone."

" What ?" My mouth dropped open. " It was Dot who shot Ash ?"

A pained look shot across Dillon's face, but he nodded. His throat convulsed like he was swallowing hard. The action made his mate mark—a tattoo-like mark that looked like fire—undulate. " We haven't released all the details to the public, since the internal investigation is still happening, but yes… Still , I'm surprised you haven't heard about all that. Everyone in this town seems to know everything, whether or not the information has been released."

I bet Mama knew all about this. Had she said something when I wasn't paying attention? The whistle had consumed so much of my attention I'd apparently missed a lot of conversations over the last few months. I slumped in my chair. This day kept bouncing from one surprise to the next.

" The faster you talk, the sooner we'll finish," Dillon reminded me.

Because , yes, as shocked as I was about Dot , I realized she wasn't the shifter I thought she was. And if she shot Ash , she didn't deserve my pity or concern. Still , I couldn't believe she'd done something like that. I'd known her all my life. How had I been so wrong about her? What if I just sucked at reading everyone? What if Ogden wasn't a good person either? Perhaps it was for the best that we weren't negotiating. I wouldn't want to end up tied to someone awful for the rest of my life.

And yet, even on the heels of that ominous thought, I knew I'd bind myself to Ogden in a heartbeat. For the first time in my life, my cat was determined to be brave, all because of that beautiful dragon Mother Magic had brought into my life.