Page 5 of Nix
It was hard not to roll his eyes. The boy…no, fuck no. Evan was not letting his mind ever going there. Nix was light as a feather as Evan lifted him to his feet.
Laney joined them. “Are you okay, Nix?”
“Fine! Fine. Just a little…bump. Nothing to be concerned about,” Nix assured them. He even brushed the front of his naked chest, causing some of the pumpkin seeds to fall to the floor. “I have another bag of seeds if you want some.”
Evan set his jaw. Marlin was a bit of an asshole. They all put up with him because he was one of the best defensemen in the league. That did not mean that Evan would allow their own teammate to be bullied in their locker room. And here Nix was concerned that they might want some of his snack? Was the kid for real?
“Stay away from Marlin,” Evan ordered.
Nix grinned. “He’s coming around. I just know it! We’ll be friends in no time.”
“Phoenix,” Laney growled out. “You’re a good kid but not everyone appreciates your…cheeriness.”
Nix’s face fell. His disappointment evident. “I know.”
Evan found himself rubbing his chest. He didn’t like to see Nix upset. “Has he been giving you a hard time?”
“Oh! I take some getting used to. It’s fine.”
It was not fine. Evan wouldn’t stand for it.
“Get ready for the game,” Laney ordered Nix.
“You got it, Cap!” Nix gave a thumbs-up before dancing toward his locker.
Mules turned toward the other side of the room.
Laney caught his shoulder. “Leave it,” he said quietly.
“I won’t have my own teammate bullied,” Evan replied as he tried to tug himself free.
Laney tightened his grip. “Not now. We have a game to play. Go back to getting ready.”
Evan turned his face so he could speak directly in his captain’s ear and no one else would hear. “If he lays one hand on Nix, I will end him.”
Laney’s fingers spasmed. “Mules—”
“I mean it,” Evan said firmly. “One finger and Marlin will never play hockey again.” He strode off but made sure that Marlin could feel his heated gaze. Evan didn’t blame people for forgetting what he was capable of. They joked and teased about him being a dragon. If they only knew how powerful he truly was.
Before modern times his kind had been worshipped.
Evan’s line was one of the last surviving. While other dragons had died out from a mysterious plague, Evan and his family had left their clan behind. They hid out in the mountains, the same house that Evan had disappeared to after leaving the NHL, until only they remained.
That was decades ago.
At last count there were twelve dragons left.
Evan walked to his locker to pick up his discarded AirPods. He popped them back in his ears and let the sound of old eighties rock draw him where he needed to be. Keeping his back to the room, Evan closed his eyes and started his countdown.
It was going to be one hell of a game.
Evan could feel it in his bones.
He shut off all his emotions.
He joined the team on the ice for warmups. Evan stood in place during the singing of the American and Canadian anthems. They returned to the locker room until it was time for the spectacle of an entrance.
Evan loved it all!
