“Cooper, falling from a great height and surviving? It doesn’t matter if you’re a shifter or not. It’s a miracle you landed here in one piece.”
“Mostly one piece,” Lou added.
“I think the only thing that kept me alive was all the protective wards around this place. It slowed my fall.”
“Well, then, I’m glad Lucifer wants to keep this place secret,” Portia said. “Fortunate for you and for me. And now? For Alice, as well. A life for a life. That’s what you said. I’ll hold you to that, Cooper. Your life for hers. Does that sound like a fair deal? Your life till death do you part?”
Cooper frowned. “You want me tomarryher?” He shook his head as he reached for another glass of water. Obviously, his concussion was much more severe than he originally thought. There was no way in hell Portia and Lou were suggesting that Cooper marry Alice Gatlin, the witch who saved his life.
“Yes.”
Cooper nearly choked on his big gulp of water at her response. It wasn’t how he thought she was going to respond, but now that she had, Cooper didn’t know what to do. A life for a life was indeed the vow he had made, but this was something else. It involved tying himself to a stranger for the rest of his life, and why?
More than that, there was no way he could even begin to consider this unless Alice was one million percent consenting to the match. He wasn’t a fucking monster. He wanted to repay the kindness Alice had shown him, not ruin her life.
But marrying youwouldbe a kindness,his dragons said deep inside of his mind.You’re not a bad man, and we’re pretty handsome. Rich and powerful. Why wouldn’t she want to marry us?
“Why would marriage be helpful to her situation?” Cooper asked.
“She is a witch without a coven. She needs protection, and being married to one of the most powerful dragons in the world would offer her all of the safety she should have.”
“But,” Cooper cleared his throat, “why can’t she just join a coven?”
Portia shook her head. “Oh, no. That won’t do. You see, no coven would allow her to join. Not now. Not anymore. Alice undoes other witches’ magic. She can do so because she is very powerful, but it makes her a whole lot of enemies. Not many witches would even interact with her, let alone allow her to join the coven when danger would surely follow her. Besides, the assassins were hired by witches. No one would shelter her. No witch, anyway.”
“Marrying her off to me because her own kind wants her dead. That’s a way to start a war between dragons and witches.”
“Do you think so? Alice isn’t one of theirs. They would have to allow her to join a coven if they suddenly claimed her, and she could perhaps lead one someday. That wouldn’t be beneficial to them. No. They'll drop it as soon as she is no longer all alone in the world.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Portia smiled. “Because so long as Alice is here, she is under my protection.”
“That’s a temporary solution,” Cooper immediately understood why there needed to be another solution. “Would she agree? Would she say yes?”
“I’m not sure,” Portia admitted. “But I think she wants her freedom enough.”
“She might not see being married off to a stranger as freedom. I don’t want my wife to spend her life miserable.”
“Divorce exists,” Portia pointed out. “You can also be married on paper alone. That should be enough. Alice Dawson wouldn’t be as vulnerable as Alice Gatlin.”
Cooper nodded. “I see the benefits, yes. I’ll do it. Alice and I can discuss the parametersifshe agrees.”
Portia and Lou were already halfway through the door, no doubt to go and find Alice. Cooper lay against his pillows, and he fell into the deepest, most healing sleep he had yet.
FIVE
ALICE
Alice stirred her drink, shoulders slumped around her ears to hide her face from the bar’s other patrons. Lou’s Place was packed as always. It was a real testament to the bartender’s skill that the resort guests didn’t always go to the beach and poolside bars.
Lou had a real talent for mixing drinks. Alice sipped her own again, and though she couldn’t remember exactly what it was called, it had been one hell of a laugh when Lou told her.
Flaming anus? No. That couldn’t be it, could it? She looked at Lou, who was giggling away after giving a questionable drink to a flirting couple sitting at the bar. On second thought, Alice really did believe that Lou would call a drink a flaming anus and think it hilarious. In her current mood, Alice didn’t have a sense of humor. She was too busy skulking about her luck to care about much of anything.
“Alice,” Portia slid onto the seat beside her, and the witch nearly jumped out of her skin with fright.
“You scared the absolute crap out of me.” She pressed a hand to her heart as she tried to level her breathing.Just how the fuck did I manage to stay alive out there on my own for so long?