Page 13 of Protector Dragon's Shattered Mate

He came back with bacon and ham, and they both ate. When they were finished, he smiled again. “I thought we could take a walk. You could get to know the property. If you stick with me, then no one will be alarmed.”

She got the message. If she flipped out and ran away again, then he’d have to take drastic action. Like shooting her with a tranq. And if they were too scared of her, someone might try to kill her. Her legs shook. But if she hurt someone, she’d deserve it.

You’ve never hurt anyone. Especially not a human.But… she had hurt people. Because the wolves had made her.

“Hey,” Levi said. His voice was gentle. “We don’t have to go on a walk if you’re not ready.”

He was so kind. So unlike any other male shifter she’d ever met. Or female, for that matter. She lifted her chin. Maybe it didn’t have quite the same effect as it would if she were a human, but it was enough for him.

He started walking, and he told her all about himself. “I usually wouldn’t talk about myself this much,” he said. “I’d ask you about your life.” He shrugged. “But this will have to do for now.”

She loved hearing his deep voice, and she liked hearing about his life. She was in no hurry to talk about her own life—she was more than happy to listen to Levi forever.

As he’d promised, he showed her around the entire estate. He showed her the bordering ranches, where Quinn lived on the right, and Liam lived on the left, with Brennan across the street. Levi leaned on the bordering fence. “It’s perfect for them. They would probably all live in the same house if they didn’t maintain so much contact with the human world. They grew up in a traditional clan, where everyone lived in one space.”

Next, he showed her the edge of the yard. “I texted Kellan and told him to keep everyone away during our tour.”

She was grateful for that. She couldn’t promise that she wouldn’t rush away again if she got spooked. She could barely wrap her head around the wealth required to have a huge swimming pool with a slide, and a small river. She dipped a paw down in the water. There was a chemical in it too.

“It’s a lazy river,” he said. “A swimming pool shaped like a river. There’s a current that pushes the swimmer forward.”

Ah. She’d been so sheltered from the human world. She knew about pools of course, and she knew water parks existed, but she’d never been to one. Her family had avoided big cities, andthey’d interacted with humans as little as possible, so there was an abundance of things she’d never seen or heard of.

Kellan and his clan were obviously not like that. Levi was a veterinarian who worked with humans, and Kellan’s business, Quinn’s medical practice, Liam’s law firm, and the citizens Brennan protected as sheriff were all humans. So, they were very much a part of the human world and had been for years. She’d never be able to catch up.

But why would she have to? She wasn’t going to live with humans. She was going to be sent to live with this Rhett person, the motorcycle dragon shifter. And once she got there, she’d leave and make her way to Canada. She’d stick to the plan. It was for the best.

Once they’d gone over every inch of the land, with the exception of the house, it was lunchtime. “Still want to hunt?” he asked. “Do you want to fish, or hunt in the woods?”

She tried to lift one shoulder, to indicate that she didn’t care either way, but she wasn’t sure if he noticed. She could find a few squirrels easily enough, or a few rabbits.

“Personally, I’m better at fishing,” he said.

To show that she could do that, she took off toward the lake. He followed her. “Great,” he said. “I’ll shift.”

He didn’t duck behind any trees this time, so she watched once again as he stripped his clothing. This time she got to see his back and his ass. He could have been a work of art, that was how good he looked.

“I’ll shift once I’m in the water,” he said. “Kellan’s very careful, but we try to avoid any incidents, with small planes or drones, or just people trespassing. It’s never happened, but it could.”

He waded into the water and ducked underneath. She dove under too, and although the water was a bit murky, she saw wellenough to watch as his gorgeous body turned into a powerful dragon.

He dove deep and caught a bass. She couldn’t swim quite as well, but bears were natural fishers, so she dove down a few feet and snagged a carp.

They snacked on the fish and then she watched as Levi flipped under the water, his body making graceful swirls. She floated, mesmerized as he dove over and over.

She resurfaced and treaded water. She reached up to push her hair out of her face, and that’s when she noticed. She had hair, and a hand. She put her hands to her face, feeling over her features. She hadn’t even been trying, and she had shifted.

Oh God. She was human again.

10

Levi

Levi burst to the surface of the water. He’d been aware of his bear watching him, so he’d kept going, pushing even his limits on how long he could hold his breath.

Then he saw her.

His bear was no longer a bear. She was a female, in her human form.

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