Page 5 of Savage

Taking the stairs two at a time, he was standing in the blue room in seconds. Just in time to catch the little dragon before she fell. Shaking his head at her foolishness in trying to get up, she smacked him across the face before he could make her understand that she needed to be more thoughtful in getting around. He asked her what she’d hit him for.

“Because every time I talk to you, you’re yelling at me. Couldn’t you just not this one time? It’s the reason that I didn’t call for you before getting up. I fucking hurt, and I have to pee. Go away if you’re going to yell all the time.” Savage heard the words out of his mouth before he could realize that he’d never once said them to another human being in his life. “I’m sure you’re not sorry, but worried I might be suing you or something. Christ, I have a headache to end all headaches, and I still have to—put me down, you moron. You’ll hurt your back carrying me around like that.”

“Hush. You don’t weigh much more than a dragon’s egg.” He didn’t even know why he’d said that to her, but telling her that he was sorry set him on edge. “If you can manage not falling on your ass long enough to go to the privy, then I’ll take you back to bed when you’re finished.”

“Go away.” He left her to her business and stood in the room waiting. He looked around and thought that this room had all the character of a puppet with no hand. Like the front hall was devoid of color, this one had it all—except blue. He wanted to find a can of paint and fix that before he did anything else. The clearing of her throat had him turning and scooping her up into his arms.

“What were you mumbling about? And if it’s about me, then shut up. I don’t want to feel any more depressed than I am right now.” He asked her if it was the room. “As a matter of fact it does have a bit to do with this room. It’s the ugliest room I’ve ever been in. Who the hell thought that bright green paisley could go well with black and white Poka dots. And who puts vertical blinds on short windows? Someone blind did this room, or you did. You didn’t, did you?”

“No. I actually paid a heartless woman to do this room up and call it blue. There is none. Trust me, I looked hard for it.” She agreed with him as he was putting her on the bed. “I’m sorry that I was barking at you. It’s what you might call my calling card. I don’t like humans.”

“I’m assuming that you are something that isn’t.” He told her that he was a dragon. “Good to know. Do you, by any chance, eat humans for your meals?”

“Not for a long time.” She seemed to act like he was serious, so he let it go. “I’m not a large dragon. I could easily fill out this house with my other self but that would be a waste of time to have to—but to think on that, this house might well be better off being torn down and starting over.”

“You paid someone to build this for you too? Are you a sadist?” She laughed when he did. However, his sounded rusty and out of place to even himself. When he leaned back in the chair again,she really took the time to get a good look at him. He didn’t mind. It gave him the time to look at her, too. “You’re not as young as you appear either, are you?”

“No. Several thousand years older, to be honest. My cousins are all older than I am, but once we reach a certain time in our lives, we no long age. Up until recently, like in the last couple of decades, I didn’t know my first name. I don’t know where they came up with Tucker, but I needed one, and they told me to use it. I only use it when necessary.” She said that she thought Tucker suited him better than Savage. “You don’t know me all that well, though.”

“True.” She looked at him again. “To me, you look like a man that has spent his life being bitter about humans and really could give two shits if one of them killed you or not.” He said that he couldn’t be killed as his dragon at all and that, as his other self, there was only the one way. “Pierced through the heart or losing your head?” He told her. “Yes, well, that would kill me as I’m only a human. Where are your lovely parents in your life? I’m betting that they’re lurking someplace to take advantage of you before they try to kill you off.”

“They’re dead.” She was embarrassed and told him how sorry she was. “They never cared for me and once they realized that I wasn’t the girl they had wanted, then they faded from my life. Or abruptly left my life. I’m not sure which is true. I think they’re the ones that called me Savage in the first place. We were all descendants of the Savage line, and we, back in the beginning, were considered the most savage of all dragons. I guess I still am. All of us are. You’ve met Kingston and Brenin, I think. There is also Cassian. He and Brenin are brothers. They have a sister that they don’t have a lot to do with. Her name is Margo.”

He told her about his family and how they’d been killed along with his sister Lillith. He told her how he’d heard they had died since he’d never known much about them. He wasn’t too sure.

“I could feel their deaths. I guess other shifters can do the same. But I didn’t bond at all with my sister. She’s much older than I am. I didn’t know about her until they were told to me from their attorney. He knew I was out there, and it was several decades before he could find me to give me their wealth.”

“Do you have a lot of that? Wealth, I mean?” He nodded, which seemed fine with her. “I have about twenty grand in the bank. I’m waiting for a house, any house that doesn’t mean fixer-upper to purchase. I’ve been close once or twice but never been able to sign on the dotted line.” She looked around again and asked him if he’d really had this place done the way that it was.

“I did. It’s ugly, I know. Every time I pass one of the rooms that have been left open, I don’t go in but close the door to it. If you think this is all wrong, you should see the master suite. It’s hideous.” Again, the laughter but it seemed less harsh this time. “I was going to go by and feed your cat for you, but all we have on file for you is a post office box number with no forwarding address.”

“That’s all I gave them when I started. I did live with my parents when they were killed, but once I turned eighteen, my uncle had me move out. I was in the middle of my senior year when he did that to me. Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge now, and I have myself a nice cozy one bedroom flat that Geoff shares with me.” She laughed. “If he could hear me talking about him, he’d be pissed off. What am I saying? Everything pisses him off. I think he only tolerates me because I buy him food. Otherwise, I don’t think he’d care a fig if I were murdered someday on the way home from work. I guess like it nearly happened.”

“You’ll be happy to know that the place is under new management. Mac has been arrested, and his court date is in a couple of weeks. You were correct in telling us that he’s been up to this for a while. Why they kept letting him work it beyond me.” She told him what she’d heard. “That makes sense, I suppose. His aunty being the wife of the plant manager. They’re all gone as well. Most of the management staff is by the way. None of the employees as yet but that’ll be up to them if they stay or not. Now that I have an idea what was going on, I’ve dug deeper into the paperwork to find out all kinds of things.”

“I only know a few of the employees. There are a few that I don’t understand how got into the door, but perhaps the plant manager’s family is running the show instead of him.” They spoke a bitmore until he could see that she needed rest. He was fine with her taking a nap. He felt like he needed one as well.

Chapter 3

Savage was still sitting at his desk, a horrific thought of sitting here all day, when his computer signaled that he had a message. Pulling it up, he nearly snarled at the computer when it told him the message was from the new mayor. He wanted to get with him and talk about the new projects that he had in mind for the town.

Brenin joined him just as he was ready to tell the other man that he had plans too then wanted to ask him if he wanted to come to those meetings about his house or not. Lucky or not, Brenin asked him to delete the message and wait for him to take the email.

“I have a question for you.” Before his cousin could ask, Savage told him his plans for getting rid of his home and starting anew. “Good. That was my question. If you were ready to start looking for a new place. Not a new town. I don’t want to move from here but just start fresh in our own lives, like a new home or something like that. Something that takes us out of—hanging around Kaida has given me a fresh outlook on things. Her no-nonsense attacks on things make me think outside the box, so to speak. When she speaks her mind, it makes me feel like she’s rattling my own mind in opening my eyes to things I’ve never seen before.”

He looked at Brenin and thought of his own arguments or talks with Kaida. Leaning back in the chair at his large desk, all he could think about was how much he enjoyed just hanging out with her. Sitting up abruptly, he narrowed his eyes at Brenin.

“Little dragon.” Brenin told him that he knew what that meant. “No, I mean…she’s my little dragon. My mate. At least, I think so. I didn’t get what the big deal was when, just yesterday, she told me that she was healed from all the wounds that Mac gave her. She seemed to think that it was a big deal that she was nearly healed with very little scarring. I just wrote it off because that’s what happens to me. But…Christ, Brenin, she’s my mate, and I didn’t even realize it.”

“How do you think she’s going to take that? Last I heard, the two of you were fighting over something about her going back to work.” He said that he wanted her to get her home before it was too late. “Oh, so you told her to spend her hard-earned money on a home so that she can enjoy it before she dies. Good one, that. Did you part with any more information about her impending death that you shared with her?” He snorted. “Gee, little cousin, you have a knack with women, don’t you?”

“She didn’t take it that way.” He thought about her anger with him and thought perhaps Brenin was correct. She had been out of sorts with him. “I’ll let her pick out the house that we’ll live in, and that will make it up to her. Don’t you think?”

“I think if you continue on in the way that you are, you’re going to be a lonely dragon longer than we will be.” Brenin snapped his fingers. “I’m going to take notes about you. How not to treat my new mate so that she doesn’t remove my head before I get it out of my ass and make her happy.”

“You’re insufferable. Did you know that?” He just laughed and let him sit in his office. Savage was fine with that. If he didn’t have anything better to do than to make fun of him, he could go home. Savage decided to go and find his little dragon. Let her know what a fine life she was to have now that he was a part of it.

It took him most of the afternoon to look into places he thought that she might be. Then, another hour to find her in the backyard of Kingston’s home digging up herbs. Apparently, she found some she didn’t have in her extensive window garden at home.

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