Page 12 of A Secret Crush Valentine's

This snow leopard shifter deserved to know what was going on and how much danger she was in.

But he knew he couldn’t tell her because doing so meant opening a can of particularly nasty worms he would rather not open.

Am I doing the right thing,he wondered,taking her with me to Caprichor?

On the one hand, he’d be saving her life, keeping her hidden and safe from whatever Grim Jim had in mind for her. On the other hand, if he did as he’d been instructed to and captured her, he’d be saving his neck.

He could still remember Grim Jim’s words.You have a debt to fulfill. A debt to me, and I am collecting it now.

Why did things have to be so damn complicated?

He glanced sideways at Julia, who was wrinkling her nose as she brushed flecks of snow out of her hair. He watched as she stepped around a tree, her frame shivering slightly.

I can’t let anything happen to her,he thought.

Overhead, the sky was a blanket of deep blue and fiery orange as day slowly faded into night. Stars scattered across the expanse of darkness, twinkling from a distance as crossable as that between this dimension and earth. It was almost like a constant reminder of the home they’d never return to, a home just as out of reach. The witches who’d created this place either hadn’t given enough thought to the interior décor or had a sick sense of humor.

“Do you think we could get some rest soon?” Julia asked suddenly. She leaned against a tree. “My legs are killing me. Maybe I should just shift back and—”

“No,” he snapped.

She blinked. “Beg your pardon?”

Crap.

“There’s no need to shift,” he assured her. “We’ll soon be out of these woods. If we walk a bit longer, we should get to Dragon’s Den, and we can spend the night there.”

Her eyes widened at his words. “Dragon’s… what?”

“That’s just the name of the town.”

“There’s atownon this mountain?”

He couldn’t resist a chuckle. “There are villages, towns, even cities scattered across Frost Mountain. It’s an infinite dimension. If you travel far enough, you’ll always find something new. Let’s move quickly.” Under his breath, he added, “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get in without anyone dying.”

Chapter Five

Storytime with the Ginger-Beard Man

“You know,” Julia muttered with a light shiver, wrapping her jacket more tightly around her body, “this does not look anything like a dragon’s den.”

“I told you it was just the name,” Damon replied.

The streets of Dragon’s Den were mostly empty except for a few townsfolk and the occasional patrolling guard. Most people took one glance in their direction and went about their business.

Good.

So far, the most trouble they’d encountered had been at the town border, but a couple of the guards had recognized Damon and let them pass without a fuss.

He could only hope no one else would recognize him.

Damon had been to Dragon’s Den before. It was a rather pleasant town, all things considered, except for the fact that it always seemed to be on the verge of chaos. He and Julia should be fine as long as they kept a low profile.

“Those guards back there seemed to know you,” Julia said. In the flickering lights that dimly illuminated the street, he saw her eyebrows furrow. “How’s that?”

His chest constricted at the question, but he flashed her a grin. “You know I’ve always been popular.”

“Of course.” Her features morphed into a scowl. “You had cheerleaders flocking around you back in Laudville High.”

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