16. Draven/ Tobias

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

DRAVEN/ TOBIAS

DRAVEN

Lying on Tobias' living room sofa, Doyle looked worse than I anticipated. His skin was pale, sweat beading on his forehead, and his breathing was labored.

It was clear he was in a bad state.

"How do I look?" Doyle croaked out, opening his eyes to meet mine.

"Awful," I responded bluntly, unable to sugarcoat the truth.

Doyle let out a dry chuckle. "You don't pull any punches, huh?" he muttered, then winced as a bout of coughing racked his body.

Alarmed by the sight of blood, I reached for the nearby box of tissues and offered it to him. Doyle waved it away with a weak gesture.

"I'll recover, just not as soon as I'd like," he grumbled. "Black witches can really do a number even on our kind."

"Yeah," I agreed, despite Tobias' bandaging and care, the cuts left by Belladonna's spell still throbbed.

There was also a faint, dull but constant ache from the mark on my chest.

"When Zane invited you to join our clan, I didn't think much of you," Doyle admitted, his voice hoarse.

He let out a soft laugh, which ended in another fit of coughing.

He wiped the blood from his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt in irritation before continuing, "I didn't think you could get us both out of that situation, but you did. I underestimated you."

That was high praise coming from Doyle.

"I got out of there by the skin of my teeth," I told him honestly, then added, "And thanks to this."

I pulled out the moonstone pendant Darcy had given me. Doyle leaned forward, studying the pendant intently before letting it go.

"One of your white witch friends gave you that?" he asked.

"They're more of Tobias' friends than mine," I admitted. "Belladonna tried to reactivate the binding curse she had on me, but it failed."

"The moonstone diluted her magic, preventing it from reaching you," Doyle said with a nod.

I was about to ask him how he knew that when I remembered something interesting Belladonna had said at the mausoleum and the revelation that Doyle was married to a witch magic user.

"What happened," I asked softly, "to the witch you were married to?"

"Wizard," Doyle corrected.

His gaze looked distant, as if he were seeing something I couldn't, maybe a past he had buried.

There was pain in his eyes, which I hadn't expected to see. Doyle was a master at hiding his emotions.

"He's gone," Doyle finally said, his voice heavy with old grief.

Hearing it made me swallow hard. Until Tobias, I had limited contact with people, and I wasn't sure what to do in a situation like this.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Don't be," Doyle said, his eyes clearing. "Before the love of my life left this world, he gave me a gift."

Doyle pulled up his shirt, revealing a faded rune where Belladonna's mark had once been.

I felt a pang of envy at its disappearance, but I quickly reminded myself that Doyle had trusted me enough to show me something private, something I suspected he didn't share with others.

Right over Doyle's chest, as if almost protecting his heart, was a handprint.

It looked like it was almost branded there, but...something told me that mark wasn't a curse but some sort of special magical protection left by the man he loved.

Doyle tugged his shirt back down as Tobias joined us, carrying a tray with food.

"Hi Doyle, hope you're feeling hungry. I heated up some mushroom soup and bread. I got you water, but if you want something else, I have other drinks in the fridge," Tobias said, setting the tray down on the table in front of the sofa.

Doyle regarded him for a few seconds. I didn't need to wonder what Doyle was thinking because he would probably say it out loud soon.

That was Doyle for you, always blunt.

"So you're the Draven's little wolf," Doyle said.

Tobias froze from grabbing a pillow from the armchair. "Little wolf?" Tobias asked, looking at me.

"That's how Draven described you to Zane," Doyle explained.

Tobias moved the pillows and arranged them so Doyle would be more comfortable.

"You are kind," Doyle murmured, glancing at me. "Perhaps too good for the likes of him."

I scoffed, knowing Doyle hadn't meant anything by that. He was probably just teasing Tobias.

"That's not true," Tobias blurted out. "Draven's mine. There's no one else I'm interested in."

"Glad to hear that," I said, flashing my little wolf a smile. Tobias flushed.

"He's adorable," Doyle remarked, reaching for the bowl of soup and taking a few sips. "A good cook too."

"You know, when Draven mentioned he was bringing a fellow dragon here, I thought you'd be... I don't know, more scary," Tobias said. "Do you want something else? More soup? Something else to drink?"

"More soup is good," Doyle said. "And water is fine. Also, we're just like everyone else."

Tobias smiled at that. As Tobias retreated to the kitchen to give Doyle a second helping of soup, I wondered if Tobias truly understood how special he truly was.

Most paranormals distanced themselves from our kind.

Even if they couldn't tell what we were right away, they gave us a wide berth, as if deep down, they understood we were a potential threat.

"He's a keeper," Doyle murmured. "He'll fit right in."

Right in Sky Stead, was what Doyle meant to say. Truth be told, I was sick of staying in Red Vine.

Tired of constantly being watched and judged by paranormals who viewed me as a bomb waiting to go off... But this was Tobias' home.

I wasn't sure if he was ready to leave it and start fresh somewhere else.

TOBIAS

"Let me know if you need anything else," I told Doyle after handing him a spare blanket.

"I will, and thank you for opening your home to me," Doyle said.

I blushed. "My trailer isn't much. I'm sure you wished you were recuperating in a nicer house or something."

"Tobias, your home is wonderful. I can tell you put plenty of love into it," Doyle said. "Don't be ashamed of it."

I could feel my flush deepen. Doyle was right, of course.

I had nothing to be embarrassed about. My father raised Tom and me in this trailer, and I had good memories here.

Thanks to this place, I didn't need to pay rent and could put that money instead into my bank account.

I wished Doyle a good night before joining Draven in the bedroom. He was still talking to Zane on the phone.

"There's no need for that. Doyle says he's comfortable here, and he'll head right back there once he's recovered. I'll drive him myself," Draven was saying.

"Belladonna—" Draven began, then caught sight of me and offered a smile.

That smile never failed to make my heart race, even now. Some days, I still couldn’t believe this gorgeous and possessive dragon was mine.

"No. We won't discuss this on the phone. You'll have to tell me face-to-face," Zane said.

I felt awkward, even though I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Shifters had excellent hearing, and I wondered if I should excuse myself.

But it seemed Zane ended the call first. Draven stared at his cellphone for a few moments.

I joined him in bed, sitting close and leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Zane wants to see for himself how Doyle's doing," Draven said with a sigh. "Can't blame him. Doyle's family, after all."

I tried processing his words, then swallowed.

"Wait... does that mean he's coming here?" I asked.

Bruce and his pard already felt uneasy about Draven being here.

I had no intention of telling him Doyle was here... and now Zane was coming too? It seemed like a recipe for disaster.

"Hey," Draven said, reaching for my hand. "He won't linger here long. Zane will most likely just take Doyle with him and leave. No one has to know they were here in the first place."

Draven was right. Bruce didn’t need to know about Zane or Doyle being here.

Like Draven said, the two dragons would soon leave Red Vine and return home. No fuss.

Except... lately, in my experience, things had a tendency to go wrong.

It was as if the universe had a twisted sense of humor, delighting in throwing unexpected curveballs just when everything seemed to be going smoothly.

And with the recent string of events, I couldn't shake the feeling that trouble was lurking just around the corner, waiting to pounce when least expected.

"I love how you can guess what I was thinking... and I hate that your pack mates need to keep their presence a secret in Red Vine,” I said.

"It's fine, just a temporary inconvenience. Back in Sky Stead, it's different. The townsfolk there are used to the presence of my kind, so they don't treat us differently," Draven said.

Was that... wistful longing in his voice?

"That's the first time you've talked about Sky Stead," I pointed out.

"I left on a road trip because I wasn't certain about settling down in a new town, but right now, being close to my pack in a place like Sky Stead... I'm starting to think it won't be so bad," Draven admitted.

I froze at those words. "Then... what about me?" I asked, hating how uncertain and clingy I felt.

"You? You're coming with me," Draven said with such arrogant confidence it made me laugh.

My heart raced, and my breathing quickened as Draven cupped my cheek and held my gaze.

His touch sent shivers down my spine, and in that moment, I knew that wherever Draven went, I wanted to be by his side.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I whispered, leaning into his touch, our lips drawing closer with each passing second, until finally, they met in a tender, passionate kiss.

After the kiss, Draven rested his forehead against mine. His eyes glowed like twin miniature suns, and I swallowed, thinking how beautiful he was.

For some reason, fate had paired me with a man, a dragon, way out of my league, but somehow, Draven was crazy about me.

"You mean that?" Draven asked, searching my eyes. "Of course, if you have doubts, I'd understand. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't like, and it's such a huge decision.”

Leaving Red Vine meant leaving behind everything familiar. It was the town where I was born and raised.

Tom, my brother, was here, as was Lucinda, who had become an unexpected ally and friend. And then there was my job, which I loved dearly.

But there were cons too. Living in a town where Justin and his clique of friends were meant constantly feeling like an outsider, like I didn't quite belong.

Starting fresh in a new place, where no one knew my past or judged me based on it, was both terrifying and wonderfully liberating.

The thought of being able to reinvent myself, to carve out a new identity without the weight of old expectations and prejudices, was undeniably appealing.

Yet, the idea of leaving behind everything I had ever known was daunting.

It meant saying goodbye to the familiar comforts of home, to the people who had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember.

It meant stepping into the unknown, with all its uncertainties and challenges.

But as I looked at Draven, I knew that whatever decision we made, we would face it together.

And perhaps, just perhaps, the prospect of starting fresh wasn't as terrifying as it seemed, especially when I had him by my side.

"It's certainly something to think on," I admitted, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. "But I'm not against the idea. Will you give me more time?"

"Of course," Draven said, his voice filled with warmth and understanding. “Take all the time you need.”