Page 32 of Love in Unexpected Places

He hadn’t seen Matty again.Their date last week had been perfect, and Sullivan wanted more, but it was dangerous.He couldn’t afford for the leaders to think there was something up with him.They’d ask questions, and Sullivan wouldn’t be able to answer them to their satisfaction.It was better to stay as far away from all of them as possible, but unfortunately, Sullivan couldn’t control people who weren’t him.

A loud banging made him jump.His heart raced as he realized something was happening in the hallway ahead of him.He could turn back and try to get to his room in a different way, but at the same time, if people were in danger, he wanted to know.If the coven leaders were involved, there was nothing Sullivan could do, but if someone else was, he could help.

With a sigh, he dumped his food onto one of the tables that Deborah had insisted were placed in all the hallways.Each of them held a different ugly vase that Sullivan couldn’t wait to get rid of.Hopefully, his food would still be there when he returned.

Hopefully, hewouldreturn.

He rushed ahead, turning the corner as someone barged out of one of the doors there.The man looked around frantically.His gaze stopped on the window at the end of the hallway.The man moved toward it, but someone else stumbled out of the room and latched onto the man’s back.

Sullivan knew what was happening.He’d seen it once before, and he hadn’t thought he would see it again.

“Bethany!”he yelled as he rushed forward.

Bethany clung to the man’s shoulders, but that wasn’t enough to stop him from moving since he was at least six foot two and muscled while Bethany was petite and barely reached five foot two.The dragon shifter moved sluggishly, which wasn’t a surprise since he was supposed to be under a sleeping spell.Even though the spell had been broken, there would still be traces of it in the man’s system.

The man grabbed Bethany’s hand and attempted to pry her off his back.She didn’t let go, but that didn’t stop the man.Sullivan sucked in a breath when he slammed back against the wall, squashing Bethany between it and his body.Bethany yelled and dropped down, and the man turned back to the window.

Unfortunately for him, more people were starting to arrive, and his path to the window was blocked.The two mages there raised their hands, ready to fight the dragon.Considering the state the dragon was in, he wouldn’t win.He seemed to realize that, too, and to Sullivan’s horror, he started shifting.

Sullivan had to do something.There wasn’t enough space in this hallway or anywhere in this house to hold a dragon.If the man shifted, he would destroy the house.It wasn’t actually a bad thing, but there were people here who didn’t deserve to be hurt, and they would if the house collapsed.

Sullivan rushed forward.He almost fell on his face as he slid into the space between the dragon and the two mages.He heard one of the mages call his name, but he was more focused on the man in front of him as he raised his hands.“Don’t shift.”

The dragon growled.He wasn’t fully shifted, but he was still fucking scary.

“You’re not the only prisoner here, and if you shift, you’re going to hurt or kill the others.I know you want to be free, but I don’t think you want innocent people to be hurt.”

“Like you hurt me?”

The dragon’s voice wasn’t entirely human.Sullivan hadn’t known that shifters could shift partway, and he was intrigued, but now wasn’t the moment to ask questions about that.

“I wasn’t involved with what happened to you.”Not directly, anyway.Sullivan had never seen this man before.

“You’re one of them.”

The dragon stepped forward.Sullivan sucked in a breath and glanced behind himself, not surprised to see the two mages had moved back.Sullivan should, too, but he needed the dragon to calm down.

“I’m a mage,” he confirmed.He lowered his voice.“But not every mage here agrees with what’s been happening.I’ve been working with a nearby pack to free all of you and the people like me from our leaders.It’s taking more time than anyone wants, but destroying half of the house and killing people in an attempt to escape won’t help anyone, not even you.The coven leaders will get you back.There’s nothing left of your clan, and while I’m sure you can protect yourself, there are dozens of mages ready to fight you.You need help.”

The dragon stared.“Willyouhelp me?”

Sullivan swallowed.He and the dragon were close enough, and the other mages in the hallway were far enough that he didn’t think they’d heard any of this.It wasn’t what he’d planned.He wasn’t supposed to leave the coven, but there was no other way to save this dragon.If Sullivan wanted the man to survive, he’d have to help him, which meant exposing himself as a traitor to the coven leaders.It meant leaving permanently.

“I’ll help you,” he confirmed.He turned to the two mages behind him.“Step aside.”

One of them did so instantly, but the other stared.

“Step aside,” Sullivan barked out.

“You’re going to help him escape?”the mage asked.Now that he looked better, Sullivan recognized him as one of Clarence’s supporters.He wasn’t the worst leader, but he wasn’t good, anyway.

Sullivan was in trouble.

Luckily for him, it looked like he wasn’t going to stay around to find out how the leaders would want to punish him.

He glanced at the mage again.“He doesn’t belong here, and the leaders shouldn’t have hurt him.Yes, I’m going to help him.”

“I won’t allow either of you to leave.”

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