Chapter 10

Eli

Throughout breakfast it seemed that Aldryn had a hard time controlling himself. Smoke had furled from his nose more than once, and his arms had erupted in scales. I wasn't sure if it was because his dragon was near the surface yet again, or if it was because I was being flirted with. And I did admit that I was being flirted with. The waiter was making no secret about his interest. Perhaps they just needed fresh omega blood in this area. Or he really was just looking for a big tip.

Either way, I wasn't interested.

I hadn't so much as looked at another alpha since realizing just how deep my feelings for Aldryn went, and that wasn't about to change now. Though the flirting felt nice. It was flattering to be appreciated and viewed as someone desirable.

"Can I get you anything else?" the waiter asked. His blue eyes focused on me, and that damn dimple was deep enough to hold a cup of coffee. He was cute, I'd give him that. Too bad I was hung up on a certain dragon who was doing his best not to burn the place down right then.

"No, thank you," I said. I was pretty sure he had come by our table way more times than any other table. He had even gone so far as to offer us a discounted dessert if we were interested.

"I think we'll take our check," Aldryn said. His voice was colder than I'd ever heard it, and I had to bite back a laugh.

"Perhaps I could get your phone number, and maybe you can visit these parts again." The waiter kept his gaze on me, not even acknowledging Aldryn.

Oh, damn, he was bold.

"I'm not—"

"He's not interested," Aldryn said, and smoke came out of his nose for real this time. There was no hiding it. He blew smoke like a tea kettle about to whistle. I looked around the small diner in search for a quick escape if Aldryn needed to be dragged out of here. So far no one seemed to notice that Aldryn was blowing smoke rings.

"Are you together? Sorry, I didn't scent any sort of—never mind then. If you change your mind, let me know." He winked. Finally, he turned his gaze toward Aldryn, looking at him for the first time since we sat down. "You're a lucky alpha. Take good care of him."

"I will," Aldryn bit out. He flashed a smile that looked a little too threatening to be friendly.

The waiter was not scared. He gave me one last wink before walking away.

As soon as our bill was paid, I ducked us out of the restaurant quickly. More than once I'd seen scales erupt on Aldryn's arms. I did not wish to see what would happen if he shifted inside a building. Or what would happen if a dragon shifted in public anywhere. He was supposed to be keeping a low profile. As far as any other shifters knew, dragons didn't exist. We didn't know enough about his history to determine if it was safe for him to be known to others just yet.

I hoped he didn't have to live in secret forever. That would be a sad way to live. He may not have been a pack animal, but he had grown up in a pack, and I knew how much that connection meant to him.

Once we were in the car, he let out a long breath. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"It's all right. Things are new," I reassured him. We had yet to really talk about last night. Were we going to avoid it forever? The longer we went without saying anything, the harder it was to bring it up. If we ignored it any longer, I'd begin to think I dreamed it.

He smiled, but the corners of his mouth lifted slowly. Bags had settled under his eyes. My dragon was tired. I hated to see him that way, and I wasn't going to bring up last night and unleash more stress.

"Let's get going. We've got to find your brothers. I'm going to make some calls. I wonder if anyone has more information about this whole thing. There's a reason that your parents wanted the three of you split up, and we need to find out why," I said.

He nodded and started the car. "I don't deserve you," he said.

"What do you mean?" I opened the glove compartment, looking for a notepad and paper. This mystery called for organization. It was time we got serious about searching for answers. For that, I needed to take notes.

"You're such a good friend. I don't ever want to lose that."

Right. Friend. Because that's what I was. Nothing more, nothing less. I was his friend, and even though last night things got a little crazy, it didn't mean that we were anything more than friends. It didn't matter that we hadn't been just friends to me in over a decade. In his mind, I was off limits. Just a friend. I had to respect that. Last night couldn't happen again.

If only I was strong enough to resist. Given the opportunity, I would not say no to being with Aldryn again.

"You would do the same for me, Aldryn. I know you would. Anything you need, I'm here for you."

How would that work when I was several territories away, living with a different pack? I kept that thought to myself. Right now was not the turn for my problems. We were here to figure out things for Aldryn. I could wait.