Dragon Keep Me

Chapter Seven

Natalie

I woke up in a much different environment than I had this morning, my fingers digging into luxurious silk sheets. The bed was one of the nicest I’d ever laid in, and I wondered for a moment if I’d actually died and somehow gotten accepted into heaven.

When I cracked my eyes open, I spotted Cass standing on the balcony of the room. He was leaning against the rail and appeared to be having an intense conversation with himself. I snickered at how animated he was, and then recalled why I'd passed out. Was he a fox, too?

That all happened. This was all really real. I'd just watched a woman change into a fox. If I ventured further into belief, I was some kind of witch/fae combination that had been selected for keeps before birth by a dark witch.

Uh-oh. Cass had called these people wolves when we got here, so logically, that had to mean werewolves. Holy s**t.

He said it like they were wolves, not him. So what was he?

Dwarf?

No. Too tall.

Vampire?

He would've exploded in the sun. Or sparkled, maybe?

I was trying to remember any other mythical creatures when he turned and tilted his head, asking, "Are you alright?"

"My head hurts," I answered as I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed.

He extended his hand to help me up. "Well, take your time. You passed out."

A voice behind me said, "I can’t do much for the headache myself, but I can offer you this."

I jumped. Eris. I hadn’t even noticed she was there. She was smiling, looking between Cass and I like she knew a secret that we didn't. She presented me with a pill bottle. Ibuprofen—the thirty-year-old business woman’s bestie.

"What happened?" I asked, taking it and swallowing one of the capsules dry.

"You fainted after Kat shifted," Eris said. "And you need to eat. Someone neglected to feed you today."

She glared at Cass as she said it, but I was quick to jump in. "He tried but I wouldn’t eat. I thought he was trying to poison me."

Cass sighed, and Eris snickered.

"So you’re a…werewolf?" I asked her, whispering for some reason.

She smiled and took my hands. "A wolf shifter. Try not to be afraid. We’re really no different than regular people, and no one here is going to hurt you. We’re very in control of our wolves and they don’t desire to kill and eat people, I promise."

"Can I see your wolf? Can you change too?"

I didn’t know why I wanted to see it, but I did. I was a logical, evidence-based thinker. I liked proof.

She looked surprised but nodded. "I can shift, but I don't want to undress and redress. Maybe later. You should really eat something first. You can come to the dining room or I can have something sent up if you two want to, hmmm, be alone?"

"Us?" I blurted, even though I knew she was talking about Cass and I.

Why did she say it like that? I couldn’t even look at him for fear I’d die of embarrassment. He cleared his throat, and Eris was looking at him. Studying him.

I said, "Um, I think the dining room is fine. Is there any way I can shower or something first? Please?"

She followed my longing gaze to the open bathroom door and said, "Of course! There’s shampoo, conditioner, soap and everything else in there. I’ll go grab some of Kat’s clothes for you. You guys seem about the same size. My stuff might be a little long."

"Thank you."

She nodded and stood, eyeing Cass once more before she left.

"I’m just gonna shower. I’ll be really fast."

He shrugged, saying, "Take your time," and then adding, "I ate."

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he chuckled, sitting and clicking on the TV.

"You can go," I said.

"I'll wait."

"Why?"

He sighed, and said, "I love this show."

Some nature documentary was playing, and I blinked, shocked to know werewolves watched Netflix.

When I got into the bathroom, I saw that Eris wasn’t kidding. It was fully stocked with name-brand toiletries. I peeled off the sweaty clothes I'd been wearing since yesterday and turned on the shower.

What was the game plan now? Was I still intent on escaping? This was my chance. I could finally find the answers about my past that had bugged me for years. I felt I had to stick around and see this through. At least listen to what Nadaria had to say. Then I could focus on getting home.

Cass

I stared at the TV, but I didn’t even know what I was watching. My mind was gone. Traveling to the past. I thought of Elizabeth, of how she looked and how she acted. How was this girl, Natalie Norman, so similar?

'I don't like it,' I said to Crux.

'You do. You want to kiss her and have her. Can't lie to me.'

'I do not.'

'I think you don't like it because you want to keep this one.'

'Shut it. She isn't Elizabeth.'

I put my hands over my face as memories flooded me. I always kept them back, pushing them away or drowning them in alcohol. Natalie made that impossible. How was I supposed to stop thinking about Elizabeth when she was here, taking a shower in the room next to me?

'Naked,' Crux added with a growl.

'My gods, if you don't shut up—'

"Alright, Cass, spill it. What’s going on?"

I jumped. Eris was standing behind me, holding the clothes for Natalie.

"You are a sneaky wolf," I said.

"Yes, I am. Now what is going on between you and Natalie?"

"Nothing."

She frowned and set the clothes down so she could cross her arms. I sighed, preparing for the ensuing interrogation.

"Don’t try that with me. I heard you call her Elizabeth, and I know something is up with you two."

"It was a mistake."

"You’re lying," she snapped. "And you're bad at it."

My brows shot up. Usually I was a great liar, and usually Eris was one to mind her business. Today, she watched me, determined to find out the truth.

"It's nothing. She just looks like someone. A girl I knew a long time ago. It’s unsettling how much they are alike."

"But they aren’t the same person?"

"No, it’s impossible."

"Have you told River?"

"No, because it's nothing," I said, frowning. "She just looks like a person I knew a couple hundred years ago."

"It could be a clue to her past. You should tell the witches."

"I don’t want them knowing my business. I don’t even want you to know, but here you are, prying," I snapped.

She was startled, her brows lifting. I was always the fun guy. The easy-going guy. Good ol' Cass.

"I’m sorry, Eris. I'm not sure where that came from."

"It came from your heart, which seems—after running blindly through a thousand women—has finally awakened for Natalie Norman." I laughed dryly, but said nothing, so she added, "You really should consider telling the witches that she resembles someone from your past. It could be important."

"I want to see what Nadaria has to say, and then I'll consider it."

She nodded.

"Can you not say anything to anyone else?" I asked.

"I promise I won’t. Even to Gideon."

Deception between mates was very difficult, as they could sense each other's feelings and emotions, so I understood it was a tall order. She put the clothes inside the bathroom door and yelled at Natalie to let her know they were there.

"We’ll see you both for lunch," she said to me, and headed downstairs.

Leaving me alone with the very thoughts, doubts, and regrets that I thought I’d escaped.