“But it might teach him a thing or two,” Garret replied. He tried to pull his hand away, but Levi kept his grip firm.
“That’s enough, Garret,” Levi commanded, letting out a heated breath as a warning.
Garret growled and pulled his hand free, not noticing that Levi had already let go. His hand struck Val across the face, a blow she hadn’t prepared for. She let go of the rogue for just a fraction of a second, but that was enough for the man to react. He pulled free, kicking Val off her feet and quickly shifted his hand, allowing him to gain dragon claws.
He swiped at Adebayo’s arms, slicing deep into the man’s flesh. Adebayo let go and the rogue quickly turned and ran. Levi and Garret chased after him, but they were a moment too slow. The man ran for the edge of a cliff and leaped right off the side. A small river broke into a waterfall, and the man vanished into the pool of water at the bottom.
Garret was poised to jump after him, but Levi grabbed the man’s shirt and pulled him back, throwing him to the floor.
“What are you doing? I would have gotten him!” Garret yelled, glaring at Levi.
“He’ll be long gone, don’t bother,” Levi replied, staring back at him. “Everyone head back to town, we’ll meet there.”
Garret got to his feet and adjusted his jacket before walking off. Levi turned to see Val checking on Adebayo’s wounds. It would take a few hours, but he would heal completely from the blow. Dragon skin, even in human form, was incredibly resilient. They were effectively bulletproof against low-caliber handguns.
More powerful assault rifles and snipers would go right through them, but as long as it wasn’t a headshot they’d be able to recover from just about anything. Their tough skin made it harder for them to heal, when compared to werewolves. It took longer for dragons, but when they were done their skin was just as strong as before.
“I’m sorry,” Val began, “I didn’t—”
“Don’t apologize,” Levi replied. “Garret got in the way. If he hadn’t acted like that, then we’d have gotten some intel. It’s alright.”
Val smiled at him, blushing. “Want me to walk back to town with you?”
Levi could hear her heart rate pick up as she asked. It was easy to tell that the woman was attracted to him. Val was about his age, and one of the best dragons he knew. She had come to Ridgeshire looking for a home a long time ago, and back then Levi’s uncle had been the leader of the pack. They had almost killed her for trespassing, but Levi had intervened and saved her life. Since then, Val had always tried to get with Levi, clearly falling for him.
She was beautiful—fiery red hair and a lovely figure to boot. She was also quite powerful, one of the most vicious fighters Levi knew. If it came down to a good old hand-to-hand fight, Val was quick and deadly, slashing at her enemies so fast she could leave them in bits in a matter of moments.
But regardless of these attractive qualities, Levi just didn’t like her that way. He had once considered being with her just because she was throwing herself at him. But around the same time, Levi had met Lyra. Lyra had been amazing, and she had changed everything about him. He had fallen in love with her from their first conversation, and Lyra knew it too.
That was why, seven years later, Levi still wasn’t looking for another woman. He hadn’t even tried yet, because he knew that there was no one who would match him like that. He needed a mate, but Lyra just couldn’t work. She was a werewolf, and to the dragons their relationship was taboo.
“Yeah, no, I’m fine. I have something I need to check out before I head back,” Levi replied, looking at his shirt. The back had been ripped open when he had shifted his wings, and the rest of it had been torn off during his fight with the rogue, exposing his extremely toned physique.
Val smiled, taking off her jacket to reveal the tight top she wore underneath. She smiled, bent over, and handed the jacket to Levi, showing as much cleavage as she could. “Here, you can give it back to me in town.”
Levi smiled sheepishly, taking the jacket. “Thanks.”
He turned and took off into the woods, heading out in the opposite direction as Val. He paused as he got to the top of a hill that overlooked all of Ridgeshire, looking down at the small town. He had lived there most of his adult life, and knew every corner of the town.
Levi had brought Lyra up here one night during the two and half weeks they had dated. They had made love right here on the ground—it had been maddeningly erotic, the best Levi had ever had. He stood for a moment, recalling the time with her.
“Damn,” Levi said to himself.
He darted through the woods, running quickly until he was out by the road, only then slowing to a walk and strolling back into town. Levi quickly found a cab and it dropped him off at the bakery. Levi’s entire pack worked at the bakery—it also served as a den for the dragons, and a meeting point as well.
By the time he opened the front door, he could already hear his uncle, Victor, deep in an argument with Garret. He gritted his teeth and walked in. Garret immediately went quiet as he spotted Levi. The young man turned and then quickly sat down.
“No, carry on. Say what you think, Garret,” said Levi.
“Levi,” Victor cut in. He was the oldest dragon in the pack, and while he no longer had a lot of physical stamina, he was still a force to be reckoned with. He put up a hand to stop Levi, but Levi was in no mood to listen.
“No, let him speak for himself,” Levi pressed on, looking around at the others. Reuben, the newest member of the pack, had joined them in the room as well. He stood behind Garret with his hands folded. “If anyone wants to say something, now’s your chance.”
Garret got to his feet. “Maybe no one else is going to say it, but you’re not really doing a good job of protecting this pack, Levi. We caught the rogue, and all you had to do was put him down, but he escaped and you didn’t even go after him! He knows about the pack now, and he’s going to tell whoever it is that sent him!”
“Garret!” Val yelled.
“No, you don’t get to support him—you’d do whatever Levi says in a heartbeat ‘cause you’re just so into him. The rest of us, who can actually think for ourselves, know that Levi’s doing a half-ass job leading this pack and we can’t st—”