Treasure Lane Dragons: Complete Series (BBW Paranormal Dragon Shapeshifter Romance) (29 page)

Her heart constricted in her chest. The last thing she’d wanted was to cause any pain to that wonderful, exciting man. A tear rolled down her cheek, and when he turned to walk into the bedroom, she slipped out and sped past him. She couldn’t face him, not now. It was too much.

I’ve got to get out of here… Just… Clear my head. Fucking hell, why this and why now?!

“Fuck. Ruby!” he called, reaching for her, but she dodged his hand. “Don’t run,” Cillian said, his words ringing in her ears as she sped down the corridor.

Whatever she did, it seemed that she couldn’t stop making a mess of things. And like all the times before, running was the easiest option.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ruby

Ruby sat down under the shade of some trees that swayed in the wind to their own rhythm. Her heart wanted to burst out of her chest. She was still wearing his tee, but she’d managed to snag a pair of jogging pants off the clothesline and a pair of hiking boots she kept by one of the back doors.

There you go again, running from your problems,
Ruby thought grimly, spinning a grass leaf between her fingers.

She wasn’t far from one of the roads that led to the keep, and she’d not gone too far. The big castle could still be spied, standing over the forest like a wise father overlooking his young.

So, what happens now?
she asked herself, tucking her hair behind her ears.

It’s not as if she had a plan. It wasn’t even that she desperately needed to go; she’d just wanted a moment to herself. One moment to sort out her feelings before she’d have to face Cillian, with his dazzling green eyes and that smile that made her weak in the knees.

She’d been hard at work trying to deny her attraction for the man since they met, but last night had destroyed every inkling of her resolve. He was just too… right. The perfect mix of stability and wildness – the kind of man she could see herself growing old with and not missing anything that life had to offer. He’d be game for anything, just like she was.

But didn’t he deserve better? Someone, who had their shit together? Someone, who knew exactly what they wanted?

Well, she did know what she wanted. She wanted him. But that wasn’t enough to build a life on, was it? Her lips pressed into that trademark Accardo line, making her seem older and wiser than she actually was. The days spent at the keep had given her plenty of time to think. With distance between her and her family, things didn’t seem so dire. Yes, medicine was something her father pushed her into, but it didn’t mean she loved it any less.

Helping others was balm to her soul – it felt good knowing that she could soothe someone else’s worries with the right care and some well-applied words of wisdom. It felt almost magical. It’s strange how fixing the lives of others could seem like the most natural thing to someone, who was always struggling with fixing her own.

But she also knew she didn’t want to do it in Chicago. The Accardos were cleaning up their game, but her father wasn’t known as the Butcher for no reason. He was ruthless, jaded and hard – all things Ruby didn’t want to become and had rebelled against. Strength didn’t have to be brutal.

Take Cillian. He was the strongest person she knew, but it hadn’t hardened him, hadn’t taken away his humanity. The pit of her stomach filled with warmth at the thought of the man, how he’d sprung to her rescue so readily in Chicago, and how he’d stood against Carrick on his own turf.

They look so alike. I can’t believe I’m making brother turn against brother. How do I manage to bring trouble wherever I go?
she wondered.

Her hand went to the dragon stone dangling around her neck. She hesitated for a moment, but then tucked it away under her shirt with a sigh. It would be silly to call to Cillian when she’d just run from him.

“Don’t run,” he’d said.

But how could she stop? Stopping would mean facing her fears all in one go. How she might not be any better than what her father expected her to be – petulant and spoilt. And how she might never be satisfied with what she had. Even when she was happy, she had to look for a way to destroy it. Why else would she run from Cillian?

She had to wonder what Carrick had meant by the duel and how Cillian was using her, but she couldn’t imagine the emerald dragon doing anything like that to her. He was too… good. Too kind, too bloody wonderful. The thought that marrying her might further some agenda of his own had crossed her mind a few times, and honestly, she wouldn’t have blamed him if it were the case.

He was a fixer. If he could fix more than one problem in one go, who was she to stop him.

Ruby rested her head in her hands. The day had started off so well and gone down the drain so quickly that it made her head spin. The only thing that could make it even worse was…

“My little cherry. Fancy meeting you here,” a familiar voice spoke.

Ruby looked up in surprise, hoping that it was all in her head.

“Fuck no,” she exclaimed, when her worst nightmare came to life right before her.

Cable stood in front of her, big and foreboding as he always was, and grinning darkly. His hand was reached out to help her up, but instead of grabbing it, she scrambled back, trying to back away from him across the grass. Her hasty retreat was stopped by what felt like tree trunks behind her. Looking up, she met the sullen, always shifty eyes of Cable’s second in command, Trident. He flashed her an emotionless smile.

“The dragon was right. Color me impressed,” Trident said.

She hopped up, trying to use her signature move and just disappear, but Trident caught her by the arm and pulled her back roughly, pinning her arms against his chest and forcing her to face Cable.

“Let me go, you giant overgrown mongrel,” Ruby hissed, struggling against his titan hold with little use.

Cable stepped nearer, running a finger down her cheek like he owned her, inspecting her as if she were some prized show pony and he’d just bought her at an auction.

“There, there, cherry baby, don’t be so angry. You knew I would come and find you. No matter where you ran, no matter where you hid, Cable would come and take you back home again. And I bet that’s exactly what you wanted, huh? To be safely back with me, yes? We have that nice dragon to thank for it. I’ll have to send him a card or something, express my gratitude.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed, her brows furrowing into a scowl that would have melted ice, but seemed to just bounce off Cable. Her heart was in turmoil. What dragon? Carrick? Or… Cillian? Could it be that he had been playing her the entire time, just seeing who would pay more for her?

No, that didn’t sound like him. Desperation welled inside of her, confusion and anger boxing for prominence within the plethora of emotions coursing through her. Leave it to Ruby Accardo to get into one mess after another, all of them completely ridiculous.

“What dragon?” she asked, breathless.

Cable shrugged nonchalantly, slicking back his dirty black hair.

“That green one. Never seen a motherfucker that big before. Good thing he knows not to fuck with werewolves. I mean, he’s big and all, but there’s many of us. I bet a pack of wolves would bring him down easy,” Cable boasted, sharing a chuckle with Trident.

As if,
Ruby thought.

Either the man was completely delusional or the dragon he had seen hadn’t been Cillian. No wolf in his right mind would think werewolves could stand against a beast like him. But, then again, Cable had never been of sane mind or able body to begin with.

“Anyway, we better get you back to Chicago, little cherry. And get you into some proper clothes. You look like some kind of raggedy-ass peasant. Where are the pumps and tight skirts you know Cable loves, huh? You’re in some deep trouble with me, princess. I don’t like it when you run, you should know that,” Cable said wistfully, curling a finger around a lock of her hair almost absentmindedly.

Motioning to Trident, Cable set off in front of them, and Trident followed, dragging the resentful and uncooperative Ruby along. She was too far from the keep to call for help, and she obviously wasn’t going to overpower the two hulking man-beasts. All she could do was wait and hope there would be a moment for her to make a run for it.

Just my luck,
she thought grimly while being dragged through the sparse foliage towards one of the roads.

She groaned loudly as the road came into sight, a row of bikes and a few black vans gleaming on it. Cable had pulled all the stops. By the looks of it, most, if not all of the pack had been summoned to retrieve her. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel special or mortified. Perhaps a bit of both.

“Cable, I don’t want to come with you,” she said, keeping her voice low lest his pack hear her.

She knew how badly it could end for her if she defied him in front of his entire crew again. The big werewolf whipped around, his eyes flashing with rage. Trident came to a dead stop as Cable advanced on them, grabbing Ruby’s chin and yanking it up to look him straight in the eye.

“Now you listen to me, you little mob princess bitch. It doesn’t matter what you want. You’re
mine
. I called you. I took you. I own you. It’s not about what you want, what you need or what you desire. It’s about what
I
want. And for some ungodly reason, I’ve decided that I want you. So shut up, cherry, and bask in the fucking light of my god damn affection, alright!”

His nostrils flared, and his snarl bared his long and white teeth. The wolf in him wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Ruby gulped. Without waiting for a reply, Cable nodded her head up and down a few times.

“See? Was that so fucking hard? You get me. We’ll be happy yet,” he said finally, letting go of her chin.

He’d held onto her so hard that she thought he’d dislocate something.

“Tie her up and shove her in the van. I’ve had enough of her fucking nonsense,” Cable called over his shoulder.

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Trident covered it with something soft and foul smelling. Before she could think another thought, her consciousness left her. The last thing she saw was a tall, green-eyed man shaking Cable’s hand, both of them looking smugly pleased with themselves.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Ruby

Ruby was getting really sick and tired of being a pawn in the chess game that was her life. She blinked slowly, her head feeling as if it were filled with cotton.

“Ruby, honey, are you okay?” a familiar voice called, pressing a cold rag to her forehead.

Ruby made a nondescript sound that could have been both ‘yes’ and ‘no way in hell’ and rolled over on her back. A harsh fluorescent light greeted her. It made Ruby’s heart stop. She knew that light.

Oh no. Oh fuck no.

Like a bullet from a gun, she sat up fast and regretted it immediately. Her head pounded, the cotton replaced by led and molten fire. She shook her head, trying to clear it, but it just seemed to make it worse. The grey walls of the room seemed to close in on her, and she had to struggle against hyperventilating and the sense of panic taking hold of her.

“Ruby, it’s fine. Just calm down,” Yaya’s worried voice said, while a delicate hand rubbed her shoulders. “You’re safe. It’s going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not,” Ruby said, half-hysterical.

She felt dried tears tugging at the skin on her cheeks. Her whole body ached, and it wasn’t a good kind of ache. It wasn’t like when she woke up in Cillian’s bed, surrounded by his smell and his things. No, this was the polar opposite of that. She was surrounded by someone’s things and scent, but they were someone else’s, they were… Cable’s.

“It could be worse,” Yaya offered. Ruby shot her a look, and the mocha-skinned beauty sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “Okay, fine, it’s not great. But at least you’re in one piece, right?

Ruby sighed, pulling a hand through her hair. She knew exactly where she was. She was in Cable’s bedroom in The Cave, the loving nickname given to the Crimson Fang Riders’ garage and crib complex that was mostly underground and hidden away in the seediest part of town, not too far from The Rusty Nail
.

Ruby wasn’t sure why, but somehow she’d hoped that they wouldn’t take her out of Colorado. That they wouldn’t drag her so far from Cillian. She didn’t know what hurt more, being captured again by the vile beast that was Cable, or being separated from Cillian. She hadn’t quite realized before, but being away from him like that was uncomfortable at best, and fucking horrible at worst.