To Hell and Back by L.B. Gilbert

Chapter Seven

Valeria blinked as Thomas pressed a paper bag into her arms as she stepped outside the back door of his home. She glanced down in confusion.

“More sandwiches,” he growled. “For the road.”

“Oh,” she murmured. “Thanks.”

Despite Sanaa’s repeated invitations to stay, Valeria decided to leave with Rhys after Thomas made it clear she wouldn’t be able to avoid him for long.

“Unfortunately, asking him to go away won’t work,” Thomas had told her, kneading another ball of bread dough aggressively. “Otherwise, he and the rest of the lot would never darken our door.”

He’d said this last with the longing of a man who knew his dearest wish would never be granted.

Resigned to the endless shitstorm that was her life, Valeria decided to deal with her dragon problem head-on. Hiding in Thomas and Sanaa’s home would only postpone the inevitable confrontation. And Valeria needed to find out what the hell these people—or more specifically this Rhys person—wanted from her.

You can handle this,she told herself as they walked farther from the house, presumably so the dragon could land without wrecking the structure.

A shadow streaked over them, blotting out the sun as it passed overhead. A sudden sharp wind whipped across her face. Dust rose in the air as a massive creature landed twenty yards away.

Okay, I can’t handle this, Valeria thought, stifling a gasp.

The sheer size of the creature that landed in front of them was impossible. The dragon was the size of a truck. An exceptionally large monster truck. Or perhaps two put together.

Valeria stood frozen to the spot, all her fight-or-flight switches flipped to flight. Trying to calm her racing heart, Valeria clutched the doggie bag full of sandwiches to her chest, no doubt smashing them. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was physics or the lack of it.

You’re a witch.She did things that violated the laws of physics, as humans understood them, nearly every day. And yet, somehow, that was precious little comfort in the face of a thirty-foot dragon.

Steady, V, she scolded. It’s just a dragon. A magenta one. Well, it was more of a deep purple with a big patch of gold on the belly. There were also touches of dark emerald green on his legs, close to the feet. The sharply clawed feet.

And there went what little equanimity she’d managed to hold onto. Valeria was seconds from turning on her heel and running away when there was a light show, a sparkly swirl of purple and gold. When she blinked, the dragon was gone as if it had been sucked into a black hole. In its place was a mountain of a man, almost six and a half feet tall with a frame so defined and muscular that he was almost more threatening than the dragon had been.

Staring at his boot-clad feet—and he’d appeared fully dressed—she moved her gaze up his body to finally settle on his face.

All the puzzle pieces clicked together. That dusty antique shop and the mirror, followed by the scene in the alley. Aw shit, the alley.

The universe had a perverse sense of humor. I specifically said I did not want to meet this man in a dark alley. Thanks a lot, universe.

The man began to walk toward them. Making an involuntary squeaking sound in her throat, she took a sharp step back.

Next to her, Thomas sighed, giving her a pitying glance. “You’re welcome to stay here instead of going to his place.”

The man stopped a few yards short, his face as dark as a thundercloud.

“No, thank you, Thomas,” Rhys snapped.

Valeria stared at him, worried for the bear.

“But we appreciate your offer of hospitality,” Rhys added grudgingly in a softer tone.

We?

Thomas groaned. “Little tip. Women don’t like it when you speak for them.”

The dragon raised one dark eyebrow, his eyes telling Thomas to butt out.

“Just saying,” the bear muttered. “There’s this thing called charm. Look it up.”

For a second, she thought they would come to blows, but the appearance of the pregnant woman helped break the tension.

“Hello,” Sanaa said in a chipper singsong voice. “What did I miss?”

The dark man’s face softened further, and he inclined his head. “I was introducing myself to our guest.”

The imposing dark-haired man turned to her, then bowed at the waist. “I am Rhys.”

Valeria blinked, leaning away from the sheer force of him. “Uh…hello?”

He nodded approvingly, almost smiling but not quite, as if the gesture were too unfamiliar for him to get right. Waving a commanding arm at the bear, he announced. “We will go now. Please have one of the vehicles brought around.”

Thomas sniffed. “Only because it means you’ll be leaving,” he said before stalking away.

Sanaa laughed, making cheery small talk until the Were-Bear pulled up in a four-wheel-drive Range Rover in hunter green. He got out of the driver’s seat, then held the door open with an exaggerated flourish. “If Your Highness pleases.”

Valeria tensed, expecting the oversized man to start breathing fire, but Rhys just held his hand out for the keys.

Sanaa reached for her arm. “Fortunately for my mate, many of our kind have trouble with sarcasm,” she whispered. “But Thomas has been teaching me all about it,” she added in the tone of one sharing a deeply held confidence.

Managing a half-hearted smile, Valeria nodded. “Thanks for the sandwiches,” she told the bear.

Thomas grunted. He gave her an awkward pat on the head. “See you soon—far too soon if this one has his way.”

Rhys raised one supercilious eyebrow, but he did not comment.

Sanaa stepped back, taking Valeria’s hands in both of hers. “I might not see you again before the delivery, but you shouldn’t worry. You will be safe and well cared for in Rhys’ home. And you can call us should you have any questions. I’m fourth on the office speed-dial.”

Valeria murmured her thanks again while Rhys crossed to the passenger-side door, opening it for her without the flourish Thomas had made, but still managing to make the gesture formal.

Feeling as if she were walking to the guillotine, Valeria ducked her head to avoid those intense black eyes following her every move. She climbed into the plush leather seat, almost jumping when she nearly burned her tush.

“My apologies.” Rhys leaned over her, making her heart stop. But he just pressed some buttons, lowering the temperature of the heated seat before stepping back. “Our kind is more heat tolerant—for obvious reasons. The bear also runs hot. We forget most people don’t enjoy that type of heat, even if they can wield fire.”

He seemed to require an answer. “I see,” she said, again silently confirming that she was pyrokinetic. It was safer.

Rhys gave her another one of those approving nods before shutting the door.

As he walked around to the driver’s seat, she caught Thomas’ eye. He gave her a commiserating glance over Sanaa’s dark head, but it wasn’t a warning. More like ‘poor you’.

Rhys paused to have a word with Sanaa, who’d waddled over with him to the front door. Valeria couldn’t hear what he said, but Sanaa took obvious pleasure in his words, enough that Thomas stopped rolling his eyes. The bear looked at his mate with a wordless but tangible devotion he didn’t bother to hide.

A small, shriveled part of Valeria’s soul started to ache. Blinking, she turned away, holding her sandwiches with a tired, defeated sigh.

Rhys climbed into the vehicle a minute later.

“Thank you,” he said.

She frowned. “For what?”

“For coming with me,” he said, his dark voice the verbal equivalent of smoldering charcoal. “This action requires trust on your part. You have my word—the word of a Draconis—that I will be worthy of it.”

His words rang throughout the cabin of the SUV with a preternatural verve that was more powerful than a shout.

Startled, she just stared at him. Outside the car, Thomas slapped a hand to his forehead as Sanaa waved goodbye with the enthusiasm of a child.