* * *
A few hourshad passed since the unfortunate portal incident and the resulting search for Priscilla. Cooper was doing rounds of the grounds high up in the sky in his dragon form while Portia and her small army of staff did a survey of the resort on the ground. The imps, pixies, and a few other creatures searched every inch of the place, from behind the trees to under tables and in every resort room, cabin, and manor house.
Cooper could see just how expansive and impressive the resort was from his vantage point in the sky, sandwiched between the resort and the protective barriers that had helped save his life. He hadn’t had nearly enough time to explore the whole place with Alice, but he hoped that one day, he would be able to fly his wife over Hellscape Holiday Resort for no other reason than fun.
Cooper’s large red wings flapped once, twice, and on the third flap, he coasted along on the wind, scanning below him.
There was nothing.
If Priscilla had been on the grounds in a physical body, she was nowhere to be found. She had probably vanished the second that Lou had started to fortify the portal. Or maybe it was when Cooper shifted into his dragon.
There was no way to know for certain what had sent Priscilla turning tail, but it was odd. Why would a witch…hellbent on destroying Alice, a witch who wasn’t scared of the protection Portia and Lucifer gave his wife…give up so easily once they had Alice cornered in a portal?
Something happened to deter the witch, but what?
Cooper coasted to the ground and quickly shifted into his human form, making sure to get dressed before he made his way across the resort and back to Portia’s office. When he knocked, there was no answer.
He knocked again, but once again, he was faced with the terrible sound of silence. “Alice,” he banged on the door. “It’s me. Open up.”
With his shifter hearing, he tried to listen beyond the door, but there was not a single peep. He wracked his knuckles against the door again. “Love, it’s Cooper.”
This time, the door swung open, and the smell of sulfur was overwhelming. Strange smoke billowed from a little cup in the middle of the office.
“Were you doing magic?”
Alice nodded. “I was doing a protection spell for you,” she simply stated. “I didn’t know if you would be safe out there, and I … I …” She looked away, but Cooper closed the distance between them.
He lifted her head so that their eyes could meet. “That’s very sweet, Alice. You didn’t want anything to happen to me.”
“Well, obviously not. We’re married, aren’t we? I care about you, Cooper. That doesn’t come easily to someone like me who has spent most of her adult life completely alone, but you make me want to give life another chance.”
His heart swelled. “I’m taking you home, Alice.”
SIXTEEN
COOPER
Cooper wasn’t usually a nervous man, but today, he was a ball of stress because he was taking his new wife home. He wasn’t stressed out because he had doubts about Alice. He didn’t even think that he was stressed because his thunder could get rambunctious.
He was nervous because they were leaving the resort. It was the first test of the mating bond and the protection that his last name gave Alice. He needed it to be enough because he wasn’t willing to live without Alice now that he had found her. Now that he felt things for her.
She slid her hand into his and smiled at him. “It’s gonna be fine,” she assured him. “I’m sure I’ll like them, and they’ll like me, and we will all be on our best behavior.”
He chuckled. “I wish I could believe you, but dragons tend to be a bit much, and they will definitely be excited that you’re with us.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Cooper grinned. “We might not have known each other long or been married for more than a week, but I can already tell when you’re lying.”
Alice’s blush was adorable, and she knew she had been caught. “I’m not lying. I’m sure it will be just fine, but it’s not like I can tell my brain to stop being afraid.”
“I guess not. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
She shook her head. “No. You’ve done plenty.”
“Are you telling me you couldn’t use a distraction?”
“Cooper! I am about to meet your friends and family. I would much prefer doing that without sex hair.”