Chapter 1

Angela

One Month After Book One

Angela Bishop had been home for a month. She still slept in Benji's bed. It was impossible to believe anyone could care for her son the way she could. He had his own FBI detail, attended the safest school in DC, and a dragon lived with them. Yet, someone still managed to kidnap him, hold him hostage, and almost kill him. Angela was not the mama bear to be trifled with at this point. She was the damn President of the United States, and if she deemed herself to be the only one who could protect her son, no one would argue with her. She would pass a bill, use an executive order, or fire someone if they did.

It felt like a lifetime ago when Angela learned that supernatural people existed. They were dispersed throughout the armed forces and protective agencies, hiding their true selves and participating in Operation Excalibur. They were the ones who ultimately rescued Benji from Xerxes, a wizard with a major ego who dreamed of taking over the world by infusing his magic into nanobots and creating an army of walking-dead soldiers.

"You can sleep in your bed one night."

Angela stopped rubbing Benji's head, removed it from her lap, and placed it on his pillow. She smiled at the gorgeous man leaning against the doorjamb. Blake Sullivan was unlike any man she'd ever met. He was a dragon shifter, and she still struggled to process how creatures like him could exist. One day, he sat in the back of the Situation Room and told an incredibly unbelievable story that even her granddaddy wouldn't believe him. And he was known to tell big-fish stories up until the day he died.And the next day, she fell in love.

Blake had also stolen her heart and claimed her as his mate.

"I'm fine sleeping here," she said. "This way, I'll be here if he needs me. He has nightmares. I'm his mom, and that's the end of this discussion."

Blake stepped into the room, holding his hands, palms facing her. "I'm not trying to start a fight."

She pursed her lips. "I didn't say you were."

"Your back is as rigid as a stick, your voice is almost a growl, and you're glaring at me. Why are you so tense if you aren't starting a fight?"

She gently got off the bed and tucked the covers around Benji's body. She walked over to him and motioned for him to step out into the hall. Two tall men dressed in black tactical pants and T-shirts stood on either side of the door. Each wore a pair of sunglasses to hide their python-shifter eyes.

Everyone agreed that Angela and Benji needed supernatural bodyguards with them all the time. The FBI agents assigned to them could not stop the supernatural threat everyone now feared. They had tried and failed.

No president before Angela knew about Operation Excalibur. She was told that doing so allowed the President to have plausible deniability. Angela called bullshit on that. Though it did seem reasonable, she felt it had more to do with her gender. Even after proving herself over and over, there were too many men on her cabinet who disagreed with a female president.

Too bad for them, the American people had a different opinion.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Blake started to say something, looked at each of the python shifters, grunted in frustration, and took Angela's arm. He gently pulled her down the hall.

"I understand the need to protect your child, Angela, but you can't do that if you aren't taking care of yourself."

She tugged her arm away, prepared to argue this point with him for the hundredth time, but the softness in his eyes stopped her. They hadn't had any time alone since returning. That had been both a blessing and a curse. When they stayed with Blake's family, it was easy to ignore the world and live in a warm blanket of isolation. She wanted to return to the North Dakota homestead Blake's grandfather created over a century ago. But it wasn't just her commitment to the American people that pulled her back to the White House. It was the legacy she carried on in honor of her dead husband. Oliver was the one who wanted to be President, but pancreatic cancer made that dream impossible.

"Do you have children?" She regretted asking that question the moment the words rushed out of her mouth.

Xerxes killed Blake's first mate. He didn't talk much about her, but Angela recognized the eternal grief he felt, and he didn't deserve to be her scapegoat. She was just so tired and scared. Nothing made sense anymore.

Blake clenched his jaw and took in a long breath. "No, I am not a parent, but I have cared for many children and adults. And I'm trying to care for you and your son, but you're pushing me away."

She glanced back at the two python shifters. They continued to stare at the wall in front of them and never seemed to notice her and Blake, but she'd learned shifters had extra-strong hearing. They heard everything, even if they pretended not to.

She pulled him further down the hall. "We've talked about this. What happened at your family home was wonderful. I'd give anything to go back there, and it would just be the three of us."

"Say the word, and I will take you and Benji back there. You would not be the center of attention as you are here, and it would be easier to keep you safe."

"The president can't just quit and walk away from all of this."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "When they thought you were dead, your vice president stepped into your role. Why can't she continue doing that?"

Heat rose to Angela's face, and she put her hands on her hips. "The American people elected me to do a job, and I sure as heck plan on doing it to the best of my ability. Do you know how many people in this town are waiting for me to show weakness? If he ever resurfaces, taking my chances with Keyser might be easier."

Blake stepped closer to her, pushing her against the wall. The smell of cedar and citrus wrapped around her, making her stomach clench and warmth pool between her legs. It was getting harder and harder to resist him, especially when he let his dominance out, reminding her of the incredible sex they had while staying at the homestead.

"Don't think for one moment you can stand up to Keyser. He may have just been Xerxes lackey, but he now has the nanotech Xerxes killed to create. He is just as dangerous, if not more so than Xerxes ever was."

"There hasn't been one day since I got elected that some crazy person didn't want to kill me."

"But this time, they went after your son. Did you forget that?"

Slap.

Her hand instantly burned from slapping him. It was an instant reaction and one she didn't regret at all.

"Do you think I can ever forget what happened to Benji? His life is more in danger now than it ever was because of me. I'm responsible for what happened to him." She tried to step away from him.

Blake used his arms to brace his body against the wall, trapping her. He bowed low and whispered, "You don't have to do everything alone. Let me take care of both of you."

His lips brushed against her neck, and his warm breath was heavy with lust. A chill rocked through her and made it hard to breathe. Her heart thudded hard against her chest. Without thinking, she ran her fingers through his hair and placed her other hand on his neck.

His hard cock brushed against her, and her hand slid down his chest. Her fingertips reached the top of his jeans before she yanked it away and pushed him back.

He didn't resist but gave her the space to step around him.

"I need to get back to Benji."

"Angela,"

She stopped outside Benji's door and glanced at him before opening it. "Don't Blake. I can't lose focus right now. There's too much going on."

Blake stared at her. "You are my mate, and I will not stop loving you or trying to protect you. I understand the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Just know I'm standing next to you and will carry you and all your burdens when it becomes too heavy." He walked down the hall away from her.

These days, it seemed like she watched him walk away more than anything else. There was no room in politics for romantic love, but Blake filled a hole in her heart that she didn't know was there. How long could she deny what she wanted to keep Benji and every American safe?

After another fitful night of sleep, Angela walked down to the kitchenette table, where Blake sat, sulking, and Penny was focused on the tablet in front of her. Hiring Penny as her assistant had been one of her best decisions. Angela's dad asked her to do two things when she won: find out if Elvis was truly dead and hire the daughter of one of his golf buddies. She had been leery, but Penny started with a bang and continued to give more than a hundred percent.

Penny glanced up from the tablet, smiled, and stood. "Good morning, Madam President."

"Penny, I've told you before. You don't have to stand when I walk in when we're in my home."

Penny lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry, Madam President." She sat at the table.

Angela wanted to remind her that apologizing was even more uncomfortable, but she knew the woman would probably apologize for apologizing. It would start a never-ending loop.

Angela watched Blake drink his coffee and ignore her.

Jerk.

Penny's phone pinged, and she checked a text notification.

"Uh, Madam President, we need to turn on the TV."

Angela walked into the living room, found the remote, and turned on the TV.

"Turn to WTFN," Penny said.

Angela did and sat on the couch.

The two news anchors discussed her accident and the upcoming morning press conference. But then they showed a video someone had taken from a cellphone. The video was horrible quality but showed the explosion and something flying up and away from the blast.

"Is it possible a drone or missile attacked Marine One?" one anchor asked.

"Maria, that's what we thought at first, but let's watch this video again after we've cleaned it up and enhanced the images. Notice the object appears to be moving away from Marine One."

They showed the video again, this time in slow motion. A quick flash and, a very detectable man flew away from the explosion.

"Could it be that the President has angels on her side, Maria?" the anchor said.

"I don't know, Stew, but it's certainly something we need to look into."

Angela turned off the TV. Her jaw dropped. Penny's eyes were the size of saucers as she glanced between Angela and Blake.

Angela reached out to her. "Penny, there's nothing you need to worry about."

Penny narrowed her eyes and studied Blake. She pushed a few buttons on her tablet and then glanced at Blake again. She studied Angela. Angela watched her assistant's eyes as she came to a conclusion. "Was that you? I knew there was something different about you, Mr. Sullivan. It's your eyes. You're an angel, aren't you."

Blake stood up from the table and walked into the kitchen. Was he going to ignore her for the rest of the day?

Angela bit her bottom lip. She wanted to laugh at the young woman fangirling over Blake. "Penny, I need you to relax. Mr. Sullivan is something unique, but we need to keep it a secret."

Penny nodded her head. "I agree. People can't learn about this. Everyone would go crazy."

"He's not an angel. You need to know that."

The Chief of Staff, Alistair McCloud, knocked on the door and pushed it open. He'd barged into her bedroom more than once without an invitation. He didn't understand the need for personal space. What if she had been in pajamas that morning?

Alistair had served with the President before her. He agreed to stay on until a replacement could be found, but there seemed to be little time to find someone as good as him, so he agreed to stay on permanently. He was very good at his job but seemed too cold and indifferent for Angela's liking.

Since she'd returned, he'd been even more cold and indifferent. Mariah Coolidge, the vice president, told her he seemed to disappear after she was sworn in and appeared right as Angela appeared. It was like he took that opportunity to take a vacation, which he'd never taken as far as she knew.

"I wanted to brief you before the conference," he said.

She pointed to the black screen on the TV. "Yes. It seems like there are several things I don't know about."

He clasped his hands behind his back. "I take it you saw this morning's news."

"I did."

Blake returned from the kitchen with a plate of food and sat at the table.

Alistair glowered at him before raising an eyebrow and turning to Angela. "Do you let all your bodyguards sit at the table with you, Madam President?"

Conrad, the family's chef, brought in a plate for Angela and set it down at the head of the table. Angela bordered on hangry and didn't have the patience for Alistair right now. It was times like this that caused her to long for the life she had before the White House.

She sat down, placed her napkin in her lap, and picked up a fork. "I will invite whoever I want to sit at my table."

Alistair's eyes dropped to an empty seat for a fraction of a second.

If you think I'm inviting you to sit at my table now, you're barking up the wrong tree.

"Please explain how someone got footage of the helicopter blowing up?" She started eating.

"We aren't sure, but we're working on a cover story right now."

"A cover story?"

Alistair cleared his throat. "We can't exactly tell the American people a dragon saved the president."

"No, I guess we can't." She took a drink of coffee. "Are they going to ask me about this?"

Alistair nodded. "Probably."

"So, what do I say?"

"Say what you always say when the information isn't clear. No comment."

Blake coughed to cover the snide remark he made. To Angela, it sounded like he said, "bullshit," but she wasn't sure. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

Penny's phone dinged. She read a message. "Madam Preside, they are ready for you."

Angela stood and smoothed her skirt. "Okay, let's get this over with."

Alistair stood and walked to the door. Blake stood and walked to her side. With his clenched jaw and tense posture, he was obviously upset at her for something.

"Oh, you're coming with us?" she asked him.

Without looking at her, he said, "I am still your bodyguard. Where you go, I go."

Angela rode the elevator with Alistair on one side and Blake on the other. The tension in that small box was stifling.

When the door opened, she confronted Alistair. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am, why wouldn't it be?"

"You've seemed a little more formal lately, maybe even a little cold, and you weren't exactly friendly earlier."

The corner of his lip twitched. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I've continued to work at the same high level of quality as I always have. I want to ensure that a high level of decorum is always maintained. Letting your bodyguard sit at your table may not set the right expectation for the other guards."

The door opened, and she stepped forward but decided to tell him something first. She had had too much testosterone for one morning. "Just to be clear, you help me run the business as it pertains to my presidential duties. You don't run my personal business. Do you understand that?"

Blake snickered but cleared his throat when Angela gave him a dirty look.

Alistair nodded. "I understand what you're saying, but with all due respect, Ma'am, as the President of the United States, your personal business is presidential business."

She didn't even bother with a response. Some small part of her knew that to be true, and she hated it.

They followed her out of the elevator and to the press room. Penny followed behind them.

Blake took a bigger-than-normal step to reach for the door before Alistair. Alistair was faster. He opened the press room door. Angela walked through and stepped onto the stage. Blake and Alistair moved to the back of the room. Alistair's gaze never left her. It was the same creepy look about him he had the night of the explosion. A shudder went through her body, and she pushed back the odd, nefarious thought that entered her mind. Alistair had served presidents for a long time. Her idea was preposterous.

He wouldn't have done anything to cause her harm. Right?

She stood behind the podium and told the room full of reporters that they could be seated. She thanked her press secretary for starting the conference for her.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," Angela began. "I'd like first to thank the Millers-" she pointed to a couple sitting in the front row "-for finding me. I owe them a lot. I'm sure by now, everyone has heard all about what happened. You don't need me to repeat it. So, let's start with questions."

The Millers played their part like seasoned actors. No one could figure out that they were agents playing a role in covering up what happened. The world did not need to know she was safe and sound with Blake's family.

Several reporters jumped up and bombarded her with questions. She chose one of her favorite reporters. "Stephanie, let's start with you."

"Thank you, Madam President. First, we are very grateful that you are as well as you are. I know my family prayed for you all the time."

"Thank you." Angela smiled. "I appreciate that."

"I don't know if you've seen any of the latest reports, but a new video has surfaced. Our team has been able to enhance the video and discovered that shows a man with wings flying away from the explosion. We can only assume that is how you survived such a horrific incident." Stephanie looked around the room and pointed to Blake. "We were able to see a face, and it looked very much like the man standing over there. Can you confirm if new technology now allows people to fly with wings?" The reporter winked at Angela. "Or is it as they say, and you have a guardian angel?"

Several reporters snickered, and Stephanie preened.

She stared at Blake, unsure of what to do. All the reporters turned to him and began throwing out questions, not giving him time to respond. Cameras flashed in his eyes. He covered his face and walked out a side door. Everyone turned back to her.

Angela had no idea what to do next, but her job just got a thousand times harder.