2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Tan

" W oohoo!" I yelled as Orangelica tilted her wings to the right so we could swoop back around and head for our backyard.

Being a Bonded One meant she was no ordinary cat. Her cat form was the one she stayed in most of the time simply so she could be carried around like the queen she thought she was.

She was actually a chimera—a sphinx, dragon, and hellhound mix—so she was able to shift into her natural form and fly me around on her back. Her true form had flames, but since we were bonded, her flames didn't hurt me. I'd been told more than once that we looked like badasses flying around, and I liked to think they were right.

Orangelica could also shift into any cat form, from a lion to a lynx and anything in between. I'd never seen her do it, but I was sure she could transform into a dragon form too. It wouldn't be the same as the dragon king because he was a true shifter with a bipedal form. Orangelica was more like the animal equivalent.

As she started to descend, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I just knew who was bothering me on a Sunday evening. Ugh .

Orangelica landed, and I slid out of her saddle to land on the ground beside her. Then I started unhooking everything. Once I got the saddle off and put away in my shed, I gave her a quick brush down—only because she liked it. She nudged me with her head, I gave her a big hug, and then she shifted back to her orange tabby cat form.

After I scooped her up, kissed her head, and walked to my back door, I glanced at the notification on my phone. Another email from none other than Garrick Von Stein, the mother-freaking king of the Sedoba Territory in Gauhala.

Why the hell was he emailing me… again ?

It felt like every time I got the dragon king out of my head, something happened to put him right back in again. Not that he was ever truly out of my mind, but even when he was finally pushed into the background, he did something to pull himself to the forefront again. It was driving me insane.

He was driving me insane.

And I hadn't even seen him in months.

How could someone get under my skin so easily when I wasn't even around him?

Why couldn't I stop thinking about him?

Why couldn't I stop dreaming about him?

Even on those few occasions when I went a whole day without thinking about him—okay, more like a few hours—as soon as I fell asleep every night, the dragon king just appeared there in my dreams.

Every. Damn. Night.

For. Months.

It was making me feel a little cuckoo, and I had no one to talk to about it.

I'd talked so much about the man to my friends that they no longer wanted to hear anything about him. And they certainly didn't want to know any of the random dragon facts I discovered, so I hadn't told them about the dreams. Von Stein was a no-no topic for me. Ugh .

If my best friend found out I'd been dreaming about the dragon king every night since the day he blew smoke in my face, I was pretty sure he'd have a stroke. Remi was already wary of the king, and even though the dragon made me crazy, I was hesitant to give Remi a real reason to dislike him.

I didn't like the dragon myself, no, but if Remi Ellwood decided Von Stein was an enemy of the Ellwood family, well, shit would go down. And I didn't want that to happen.

If Remi found out, his dads, Ailin and Sebastian, would find out. And Ailin Ellwood himself was an international incident waiting to happen. It would be a nightmare.

Garrick Von Stein might've been a dragon, but there was no doubt in my mind who'd win a fight if he went up against the Ellwoods. And I certainly didn't feel threatened enough by the dragon to want him blasted to pieces. In fact, the last thing I felt was threatened.

Even in my dreams, Von Stein always felt… welcoming. Like he wanted to be there with me.

Which was dumb because it was a dream, but I couldn't help the emotions the dragon seemed to evoke in me.

Ignoring all of that, I set my Bonded near her water dish and typed back a quick reply to his email informing him that everything was fine and that I'd personally check his precious warehouse tomorrow morning, seeing as it was Sunday night and I was going over Remi's house for dinner.

After hitting send, I said, "Come on, Orangelica, we're going over to Remi and Bel's."

Orangelica meowed loudly as she trotted back over to me. I scooped her up, and she somehow wiggled up to my shoulder, then climbed up to sit on top of my head like she loved to do. I pretty much spent half my life with a cat hat.

I walked out my door, shut and locked it, then walked across my yard to the house next door. I didn't even have to leave the wards because Remi and I—and his family—had decided to simply cover both yards together, so our houses were under one giant ward.

I loved that Remi's dads had insisted that they ward my home too. For one thing, they were both super powerful. And for another, they practically raised me as a teenager.

I wasn't officially their kid or anything, but they treated me like I was. Even to the point that I received regular texts and calls from them, checking on me and making sure I was doing okay. I loved Ailin and Sebastian Ellwood, and I would be forever grateful for everything they'd done for me when I was a kid… and an adult. Basically for everything they'd done for me for almost my entire life.

My phone pinged with an email, and I automatically took it out to check it, then sighed. The dragon had emailed me back already.

Tanyl Helegolor,

Are you sure the warehouse is safe? Shouldn't you go there in person tonight to ensure everything is as it should be?

Thank you,

King Garrick Von Stein

I wrinkled my nose at the email. Why he always insisted on writing out my first and last name rather than the Tan that I told him to use, I'd never understand. And it was weird that he always signed his name with King tacked onto his name. As if I needed the reminder of who he was.

I, however, decided a few weeks ago to forgo the formality because it was obnoxious. He emailed me nearly every day. Pretty sure we could let go of the full-naming, for crying out loud.

Garrick,

I checked the video feeds myself. It's quiet there. Unless you know of a threat or a current problem, it can wait until tomorrow.

It's Sunday, which means I'm going over to Remi's house for dinner… but you knew that already, didn't you?

Have a good night,

Tan

He absolutely knew it already. That was exactly why he'd emailed me.

I didn't know what his problem was with my friendship with Remi, but his issues were starting to get old. He did this to me every week. Ever since he'd found out about our standing weekly dinner plans. It was ridiculous, especially because I ate dinner with Remi and Bel nearly every night already—he just didn't know that because they weren't really planned dinners like our Sundays were.

I wasn't sure what he was trying to accomplish, but he needed to chill out.

I knocked on Remi's door, and when it opened, I smiled at Bel.

Bel was a purple-haired fae who'd been born in Gauhala, specifically in the Sedoba Territory where we currently lived. We moved here to open our security business, and Remi met him the first week we arrived. It didn't take him long to realize that the pretty fae was his viramore —his soulmate.

It definitely took Bel a lot longer to believe it, but they eventually figured things out, and I couldn't be happier for my best friend. And for my new friend too. I loved Bel like a little brother, and I was so glad he was a part of our lives now.

Without hesitation, I pulled Bel into a quick but tight hug that he returned. He used to hesitate, but now, he hugged me back without issue. He smiled more easily too.

"How are you doing?" I asked as I made my way in.

Orangelica leaned toward Bel, and the fae offered a grin as he gave her the obligatory pets.

"I'm good. I've been workin' on some lessons today while we were loungin' around."

I nodded. Bel taught music lessons to anyone who wanted to learn, including me. He was a great teacher. They'd set up a room in their house for the lessons and everything. Word of mouth was a powerful thing, and he was gaining new students all the time.

"I need to get put back on your schedule," I said as we moved farther into the house. I could hear Remi in the kitchen, so I headed in that direction.

Bel grinned. "You ready to learn again?"

"Yeah… if I can find the time."

"You've been workin' a lot lately. Remi needs to give you a break."

I snorted. "It's not his fault. It's all on the king. He keeps asking me to do extra work and to check on things in person myself. Every time I send someone else, whose job it actually is to go to these places, he asks me to go behind them and check. It's like he trusts no one else to know what the hell they're doing. No idea why he thinks I know better than the others, but it is what it is."

I shrugged because it was true. I had no idea what he was thinking, but there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Not while we wanted to keep him as a customer.

My phone buzzed. Speak of the devil.

I pulled it out and rolled my eyes at the email notification, but I couldn't help myself. I opened it.

Tanyl Helegolor,

You're right. Sorry for taking up your time off. I'll speak to you tomorrow.

Thank you,

King Garrick Von Stein

I huffed in annoyance and glanced up to see that Bel had walked into the kitchen, and Remi was giving him a big kiss. So I figured I had enough time to type out a quick reply.

Gar-Bear,

It's fine. I don't mind helping whenever you need it. But for the love of the Mother, please stop full-naming me. For the hundredth time, it's just Tan.

Have a good night,

Tan (not Tanyl Helegolor)

I hit send and immediately cringed when I realized how I'd addressed him. Whhhhhyyyyyy had I done that? Oh, my Mother of All, he was going to kill me. I just addressed a fucking king as Gar-Bear . What the fuck was I thinking?

He might've been an asshat, and he might've driven me crazy on the regular, but he wasn't my friend. We weren't close. And he was still a mother-freaking king .

If Remi found out what I'd done, he'd be horrified.

I glanced up to see my friends still wrapped up in each other and amended that.

If he found out, he'd probably laugh it off because he didn't like the king either. But then, when he realized the king had been sending me emails on a Sunday night, he would've been pissed. Remi already complained that I was working too much lately. If he only knew.

"You better be hungry," Remi said, grabbing my attention as he parted from his viramore and slid a glass of wine in my direction.

Since Von Stein hadn't replied, I shoved my phone in my back pocket and smiled at my friend. "Starving."

"Good, because Remi made enough food to feed an army," Bel said as he leaned his elbows on the kitchen island. "But we should have enough leftovers for all of us to take for lunch tomorrow."

"What did you make?"

"Salad, mozzarella schnitzel, and cauliflower tacos, plus some finger foods and snacks." Remi gestured at the kitchen island that was covered with bowls and plates of things like chips, veggies, dip, crackers, cheese, and who knew what else.

Everything was vegetarian because most witches didn't eat meat. It was more of a necessity thing than anything else. Animals carried magical signatures that didn't always fade away when cooked, and their magic could mess with our magic. So it was better to simply stay away from meat altogether. Luckily, Remi had grown up with witches in his family, including one of his dads, so he knew how and what to cook for me, and he always respected my dietary needs. He was good like that.

I stared at my best friend for a long moment. "Is someone else coming over or something? That's way too much food."

He grinned and opened his mouth, but there was a knock on the door before he could answer. He winked and headed for the front door.

Bel moved closer to me, saying, "For the record, this wasn't my idea."

I sighed. "He set me up with someone?"

The fae wrinkled his cute nose. "Yep."

"Who?"

"The guy who owns the bakery down the street."

I groaned. "You know what this means, right?"

"That we're gonna have to find a new bakery after tonight?"

I snorted. "Exactly. I love your viramore, Bel, but he has the absolute worst matchmaking skills I've ever seen."

"Oh, I know, and I agree wholeheartedly. But he wouldn't listen to me."

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I inwardly cringed, afraid of what I'd find. Von Stein was probably gonna chew me out and perhaps fire me—or rather, fire Remi's company.

Not knowing about my internal freak-out, Bel continued, "Remi just really wants to see you happy. He wants to help you find your viramore."

"But I've met the baker a million times. Doesn't he realize that I would've been all over the guy if I'd felt the pull or whatever you guys want to call it?"

He shrugged. "I think he figures that even if he's not your viramore, you might like to date him anyway."

I sighed and took a sip of my drink.

Remi and the baker, who admittedly looked rather handsome in a light blue polo shirt and jeans, came into the kitchen, and my best friend was smiling so widely he almost looked manic. I wanted to make fun of him for it, but I held my tongue so he could make introductions… even though I already knew Ryley the baker.

"Tan, you know Ryley."

I sent the guy a smile. Maybe I didn't want to date him, but I certainly wasn't going to be an asshole. And I could always use a new friend anyway. "It's good seeing you again."

"You too. You can call me Rye, like the bread. My friends gave me the nickname in high school when I first started bakin'." His cheeks flushed a bit, but he spoke with confidence.

I chuckled. "Rye. I like it."

The man smiled, and he had a nice smile. He'd always been perfectly pleasant to me at the bakery. Sweet, kind, caring, handsome. On paper, the guy was the perfect candidate to date, but for some reason, there was no spark. He didn't get me excited, didn't make my heart race, didn't make me wish I could see him, didn't make me want to lick him.

Not the way a certain dragon did, anyway.

And why the hell was I comparing this poor guy to the dragon? The dragon sure as hell wasn't dating material. He was a sourpuss, an asshat, a… a… a fucking king .

And yet, for the last year, every guy I'd come across had been compared to Mr. Snarly-Pants.

What the hell was wrong with my stupid brain?

Rye held up two boxes. "I brought some eclairs and cupcakes for dessert."

My eyes widened. "You've suddenly become my favorite person in this house."

He let out a small laugh, and there was a sparkle in his eyes. One that I really wish I could want, but I simply didn't.

Remi said, "Hey, I cooked you dinner, you ingrate."

I flipped my best friend off. "But did you make me eclairs?"

He rolled his eyes but was smiling as he walked past me and into the kitchen. "Let's eat before everything gets cold."

Bel took the dessert boxes from Rye and sent him to sit at the table, since he was a guest and not allowed to help. But I did help the two of them carry dishes out. I wasn't a guest in this house, I was family, so they didn't complain.

We sat down, and I was surprised by how easily Rye seemed to fit into our group, despite being human. He was nice and funny and super sweet, and I found myself wishing I could make my heart want him. Maybe if I got to know him better. Maybe if we spent more time together, my heart could grow to want him in that way.

But every time I had the thought, flashes of the dragon king's sad expression from the first day we'd met came to mind like the worst kind of cock block. Why did the man have to invade my head even now? Why did my brain have to think about him right now when I was on a double date of sorts?

Why did this always happen?

I'd tried to date a few people since moving to Gauhala, but it never went further than a first or second date.

The last guy I'd dated had walked me to the door, and when he leaned in to kiss me, I freaked out, dodged him like he was coming at me with a blast spell, and jumped away from him like I expected him to attack me.

The poor man had stared at me with hurt and concern written on his face, and I'd made my excuses. And neither of us contacted the other again.

Because of the damn dragon.

The moment the other man's lips were an inch from mine, Garrick Von Stein's handsome face flashed in my mind's eye, and the next thing I knew, I was hopping away like the other guy had burned me. Sigh .

And now that he was in my head again, it felt like my phone was burning a hole in my pocket, so when Rye got up to use the bathroom, I pulled my phone out and opened the dreaded email. I just needed to know how much groveling I needed to do tomorrow morning.

Was I going to have to go down to the dragon's office, apologize, and beg him not to fire us? Or was it bad enough I'd have to leave Gauhala altogether and run back home to Brinnswick with my tail tucked between my legs? Would Von Stein do that to me?

Part of me didn't think so, but then again, I didn't actually know the man very well.

With a breath for bravery, I opened the email.

Goodnight, Tan.

Yours,

Gar-Bear

I couldn't help the loud bark of laughter that came out of me. Well, at least the man had a sense of humor under all of that grump. Relief swept through me, and I felt a huge smile break out over my face.

The dragon had a sense of humor.

Maybe there really was more to his grumpy facade after all.

"What's so funny?"

I glanced up to find both Remi and Bel staring at me expectantly. Normally, I didn't have a problem sharing anything and everything with Remi—and Bel too—but I knew he wouldn't like finding out how often Garrick emailed me. And if I opened my mouth to talk about this, I'd likely spill everything. No, I couldn't tell him. He already thought I was obsessed with the dragon, and I didn't need to give him more ammo.

I tucked my phone back into my pocket. "Nothing. Just read something funny. Anyway, do you think we can break into those eclairs when Rye comes back out?"

They both stared at me suspiciously, but luckily, Bel had my back because he smiled and said, "I hope so. I'm dyin' for some chocolate."

I sent him a grateful smile and did my best to push Mr. Grumpy Pants With A Sense Of Humor out of my mind for the rest of the night… not that it actually worked.