Page 14 of Savage

“She’s nearly dragon. While she can’t shift into one, she can blow flames and other things that I can do. Even some that I couldn’t before she changed.” He asked him what he could do now. Instead of answering, he put out his hand, and a ball of fire appeared. “Christ, that’s amazing. Is there anything else?” Tucker laughed. “I’m sorry, I was just excited.”

“That’s fine. She can do the same, but her ball is smaller, and she can toss them. Once mine leaves my hand, it’s gone. She’s been able to change her clothing at will since I met her, but now she can have her hair done up and her heels on. By the way, when you meet your mate, have her wear high heels. Trust me, you’ll love it.” He felt his heart ache for that. “You’ll meet her, Kings. I know it. There is someone out there for all of us. We’ll be old dragons with mates that make you feel a thousand years younger. Also, she can speak and read dragon. I’m a little rusty on it but it’s coming back to me. It makes it nice when you don’t want anyone else to understand what it is you’re saying.”

“Do you really think there is a mate out there for all of us? I have to tell you, sometimes I’m jealous of the love between the two of you. And to think you were ready to toss her aside when you first met her.” He said he’d been an ass. “That you were. But it turned out all right.”

When they arrived home, dropping him off first, he thought about the houses that he’d seen the other day. While he could well afford to buy them all, he just wanted to settle into one home that wasn’t as large as the one he was in now. Why did he think that he needed such a big house to begin with was beyond him. But he’d find something, and he’d live happily there without a care in the world.

By the time the sun was coming up, he’d decided on three houses that he wanted to look at. One of them had a pool for which he was happy about, but the kitchen looked out of date. He could easily fix that, but for now, he was happy to have something smaller and one that he could manage. Four bedrooms wasn’t all that much but it was something that he could work with.

Calling the realtor that Tucker had used, she set him up with the three that he’d found, as well as two more that weren’t on the market just yet. He had explained to her that he wanted to sell the house that he currently had and wondered if she thought it would be on the market very long. The house with a pool had been on the market for nearly seven years before it sold.

“It’s a large house, and people with families are looking for more than they can handle nowadays. Like a status symbol. Understand?” He said that he did. “Also, you’ve kept up on the house. The kitchen is brand new. You said that you put a new roof on it. I would guess that the first day it’s on the market, you’ll have bids that double what you want for it.”

“That sounds really good to me. I don’t have a house payment. I only took out a fifteen-year loan. I’ve lived in it for nearly thirty, so anything that I make over asking will be wonderful.” He didn’t need the money, but he wasn’t going to turn down a good deal because he was stupid. “The furniture can stay or not too. I’m starting fresh.”

“I’ll come and pick you up, and the two of us can go over what stays and doesn’t. I think you’re going to be a perfect pick for the house that I have in mind. It has a pool, as you requested, and it’s ready to move into. I don’t know if you play pool or not but there is a pool table in the basement that you can have friends over with. Also, there is an overly large entertainment area down there, too, complete with wet bar and chairs.” She’d pushed all the right buttons, but the yard that he wanted to have. He’d been able to shift in his own yard here, the reason that he’d gotten the big house and was hoping that she’d only skipped over it in favor of the other things on his life. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Kings.”

After walking around his home for two hours, he realized how much he didn’t use of the big mansion. There were bedrooms that didn’t even have a bed in them, and the kitchen, while up to date, it didn’t have any touches that it would have had someone cooked in there all the time. He was glad to be going smaller. Simply because he wanted to know his home rather than have no idea how my bathrooms it had because he’d never ventured from the one in the master suite.

Cassian joined him on the trip to the houses. He said that it occurred to him as well that he didn’t want to be in a large place right now. Instead, like he and Tucker had done, he wanted a smaller home that he could keep up with rather than have cobwebs in the rooms that he’d not known anything about.

“It seemed that at the time, going big or going home was our motto. I’ve discovered that while it was nice for a while, I’m bored with it. And when I date someone, it’s all they can see is dollar signs. Not that I don’t have a lot of money, but I know better than just handing it out to anyone who comes along with their hands out. I’m sick of that as well.” Kings asked him when the last time he’d been on a date. “Years. It’s not fun anymore. Getting to know someone before they tell you that you need to help them out or one of their family members. That drives me insane. Mostly, I date shifters when I want to go out. They seem to understand more than most that I’m not into a long-term relationship with them just to get laid once in a while. Even that’s become boring, too. One-night stands aren’t what I want right now. Especially after seeing Kaida and Tucker together. They sort of hum with happiness.”

“I know what you mean. They seem to exude happiness. I’m sort of jealous of them too. And to think that he didn’t want anything to do with her. She’s made him a better man too. Don’t you think?” He agreed with him and then said that he didn’t know if there would be that much happiness for him in the future. “Nah, we’ll have it. I have to believe that, or I might as well end my life. I need to know that there is something out there for all of us or what’s the point?”

“I guess so.” Changing the subject, they looked over the first of all the houses. It was all right, he thought but not worth the amount that they were asking for it. When they got to the second house, one that wasn’t on the market just yet, he fell in love with it even before going into the place to see what was going to be needed. “Look out back. If you don’t buy this place, then I am. It’s perfect.”

Three bedrooms and three baths were just a little smaller than he had wanted, but Cassian was right. There was enough room to add onto the place without messing up the structure of the house. The pool in the back was nice. Large and well maintained. Even the pool house attached to the boat house made him think that he could enjoy living here alone or with a mate. But it was the house that he fell in love with, too.

It was small, yet it was as the yard was, well maintained. It looked like he could entertain in the kitchen as well as the dining room and not have anyone tripping over one another. He could almost see the addition of extra rooms in the place as there was that much room to do it with. When he entered the dining room, he was ready to make an offer. It was the perfect size for entertaining his family and some room for mates as well. He needed to believe that there was someone out there for him to make this house a home.

The two of them toured the house together. There were things that needed to be done to it to make it livable. The bathrooms needed to have showers in them as he didn’t care for baths, though he was keeping one as a tub shower combo in the event that he had little ones around the house. Smiling to himself, he was happy to make an offer on the house without seeing the others. Even if the others were better, he’d be able to rent this one out for the extra income.

By the end of the afternoon, he’d made offers on two of the houses, and Cassian had made one on the house next door to the first one they’d made an offer on. It was nice, he thought, to be so close to his family—excluding his parents—his cousins were all that he needed in the world.

Chapter 7

Kaida walked up and down the street a third time. Something or someone was calling for her, and she didn’t understand the freaking magic that was having her walking the street like some kind of idiot. As she passed the restaurant once more, she decided that she was going to eat. Maybe that was all it was. She needed some food, and the magic was telling her to get her ass in gear and eat.

“You couldn’t just say that, could you?” Waiting to be seated, she felt this was right. The place was calling to her, and she was going to sit down and have a good meal. As she was being seated, Kaida bumped ever so slightly into the waitress who was coming toward her and nearly fell to the ground when the surge of power washed over her. Sitting down rather than chancing another step, the woman asked her if she was all right. Simply putting her hand onto her arm told her everything she needed to know about the other woman.

“He’s coming for you. Today. You’re not safe here.” The girl looked around before jerking her arm from her. “He’s your ex-husband, and he wants your son. I can protect you.”

“What are you talking about?” She laughed, but it was strained. “I don’t have any children, nor have I ever been married.” Pulling her hand to her, she pointed to the marks where a band might have been.

His name is Jason, and your name is Skye. Your last name is Houston, but you changed it to Wilson so that you could find a job. The people here think that your first name is Amanda. Your son’s name is Matt. He’s ten. Very smart for his age because you’ve been tutoring him for the last four years.” She put her hand on her arm again. “Your parents are both dead, and you believe that Jason killed them. Your son is right now hiding out in an abandoned home so that he can be safe.”

“What are you talking about?” Skye looked around before standing up. “Lady, I don’t know where you got your information, but you’re wrong. About it all.”

“He’ll be coming through the door with a gun in about two minutes.” Instead of arguing with her more, she took off her apron and headed to the back of the place. Kaida told her to come and sit with her. He’d never see her if she did. “I promise you, Skye, he’ll never touch either of you again.”

Instead of arguing anymore, she slipped into the empty booth next to them, and Kaida joined her. Almost as soon as she put her arm around her shoulder, the door opened, and just as she said, a man came in with a gun pointed at the place. The small whimper that Skye made had nearly had her jump out of her skin when the man looked in their direction.

Shooting his gun to the ceiling, he asked where she was. He was looking for Skye Houston, and they had better turn her over to him, or he’ll kill someone every ten minutes if they don’t bring her to him.

“I don’t know any Skye Houston.” The manager looked around and then back to the man. “I have staff here by the name of Amanda and Carol Anne. Other than that, I can’t help you.”

Jason pointed the gun at the man’s head, and it was all she could do not to get up and slam her magic into the man and kill him. Instead, she reached out to all the family and begged them to come to her. That she had a problem she was in over her head with. It was Tucker who answered her first and asked her where she was.

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