“She’s such a great kid,” Amelia smiled. “I feel very blessed to be working with her.”

  “I think we’re the blessed ones,” Dash told her honestly. “You really are like a Mary Poppins, all jokes aside. You’ve brought out a lovely side in my daughter and I can see how happy she is. I was worried she was getting down before we hired you, but you’ve brought her back to her best self.”

  Amelia smiled shyly and looked at the floor. Every time he caught her eye or paid her a compliment, she seemed to shy away from it as if he made her nervous. And he couldn’t help but be turned on by that, it was so endearing.

  “Well, I better get going,” Amelia said as she grabbed her purse from the counter and stepped back toward Nora who was sitting and reading her books in the living area. She looked so engrossed, Dash knew that Amelia was reluctant to break the spell, but it was getting late and it was time for bed.

  “Can’t you stay a little longer?” Nora asked with wide eyes.

  “Well, I would love to honey, but it’s your bedtime and you need to spend some quality time with your dad.”

  Dash smiled, she really was very sweet.

  Stay down Dragon, he told himself.

  “Aww,” Nora pouted. “I’ll miss you Amelia…”

  Amelia bent down and gave the little girl a hug. Dash watched as she wrapped her arms around Amelia’s neck and breathed her in deep. It stirred something in him, and it made him feel a pang of something he hadn’t felt in a long time. A longing for a true family unit, the fact that he needed the stability as much as Nora did.

  He didn’t know how to stop himself from falling in deep… but he knew he had to try. He had to keep himself strong. He didn’t want to ruin this.

  As he watched the cab pull away and he waited by the door, he knew something was changing within him. He felt the intense fire burning hard and the need for release. It had been at least a week since he had shifted, but once he got Nora to bed and fast asleep, he headed outside into the garden and looked up at the moon.

  When he and his company had built the houses on their quiet little street, they had factored in privacy as a major issue. The other huge homes were occupied by other dragons, other members of his pack and his brotherhood who also loved the quiet nature of where they were and the fact that they had complete privacy and direct access to the large pine forest.

  Dash secured the property before he left, and once he was in the garden, he let the dragon take hold of him. He felt his whole frame shudder and his skin split open to reveal the intense scales. He felt his limbs elongating, the fire on the tip of his tongue and the intense power he possessed. He would have to be fast, but he was on high alert and he knew that Nora was safe, she was in her bed fast asleep and he was just outside. If anything were to change, his instinct would tell him immediately, he just had to get his fix, he had to let his body become the inner beast, to transform into the almighty dragon that held his heart.

  When he was standing tall and proud as the dragon he could see above the rooftop of his home, he could see Nora through the window sleeping soundly in her bed and he felt the rush of energy burst through him as he pushed off from the ground and powered into the sky. He looked down at his home, sitting there safely and at the rest of Misty Vale. The twinkling lights were so stunning, and his town was perfect. He truly did love it there. His eyes flickered to The Grand Lodge and he felt a shudder of apprehension. He knew trouble was coming, he could sense it, and he felt as if it could have something to do with that place. With the legends that had circulated for years, and the ancient ruins that were still there behind the main structure of the hotel that had been rebuilt, there was something sinister about it in a lot of ways. But he was still drawn to it, as were most of the people of Misty Vale. He could have stayed up there forever, looking across the land, but he quickly brought himself back down. He and his kind had to be careful, when they shifted, they usually went up into the mountains, but sometimes, the feeling took over and that was why they had their big, private and secluded homes.

  When Dash touched down, he looked through the window again to see Nora sleeping soundly, and then he began the process of turning back into his human form. As he shrunk back down and his scales gave way to skin, he called out at the moon as the heat and fire subsided.

  He was so conflicted and yet becoming the dragon had given him the answers he needed. He had to stop resisting how he felt about Amelia. There was something there between them, something that was impossible to deny. He knew she felt it too, and the way he had latched onto her, the way his heart had called out for her, after just one glance was the biggest tell of all.

  She was his fated mate. The one he had never thought would arrive. The one he had thought would be myth or legend. After Nora’s mother had left them and broken both he and Nora’s hearts, he had never thought something like this could happen for him. He assumed he would be destined to walk the earth alone… but now Amelia had come to Misty Vale, and it was fate.

  He had to have her. He had to protect her at all costs and make sure she was safe. He didn’t know what was happening around town for sure, but with the tension rising in the air, he had the feeling he and his pack were going to have their work cut out for them.

  And he wondered how Amelia would respond if she ever found out what he truly was. Would she run from him? Or would she embrace it?

  She sighed and looked up at the moon, his clothes in torn and tattered shreds on the ground around him. He was standing there naked and asking the heavens for answers he knew they couldn’t give.

  He had never felt this laid bare or this vulnerable, and yet he had never felt so strong either. Amelia had awoken something in him, something important and powerful, and now he was going to embrace it all and move forwards.

  A dragon can’t deny his fate…

  His father had told him that when he was a child and was coming into his own power, and only now did he truly know what that meant.

  Amelia was his fate.

  And it was time for Dash to succumb to the powers at be.

  Chapter 9

  Amelia looked in the mirror and smiled as she checked out her new boots and the lovely faux leather jacket and fur trim she was about to buy. She had headed out early in the day to hit the shops of Misty Vale properly, and she had spent a lot of time choosing these particular pieces. She hadn’t been shopping for herself in over a year, and it felt wonderful to be picking some things for her wardrobe that she knew she could wear time and time again. With the cooler weather coming in fast, it was good to know she had some staple items to take her all the way through autumn and winter.

  So far, she had been in the bookstore and bought a new romance novel, something she had always loved to indulge in before she met Toby, and she had also visited a few of the boutiques and gift stores. It appeared Misty Vale was indeed gearing up for a very busy few weeks with the Oktoberfest coming to town and the influx of tourists it would no doubt bring. With the leaves also starting to turn, she heard from one of the store owners that they were used to seeing a lot of photographers at this time of year. Influencers and more traditional photographers who worked for magazines came to Misty Vale in droves to take pictures of their wonderful landscape and then publicized it all to the world.

  When she had paid for her new items, Amelia headed down the street toward one of the smaller restaurants and went inside. She was absolutely starving and when she saw how delightful it was in there, she was glad she had picked this particular place. It had low lighting and a lovely fire burning away in one corner of the room. The tables were all mismatched and so were the chairs, and the artwork on the walls was quirky and old fashioned. She was shown to a table in the window and she sat down and opened the menu, looking at what delights she could sample from yet another one of Misty Vale’s wonderful independent businesses.

  She had barely been sitting for five minutes when she felt a tingle roll over her hands and up her arm and she felt compelled to look outside. It was the strangest feeling, as if something deep inside of her had come alive and was urging her to follow their lead. When she saw what she was looking at, she became even more stunned, as she was looking at Dash moving slowly across the street with a file under his arm as if he had just come from a meeting. Her heart skipped a beat, and she bit her lip. He looked amazing as always, dressed in a long black overcoat, cashmere sweater and a pair of black jeans. She felt her skin tingle again, and then to her complete surprise it was as if she had just called out his name or something, he stopped still right outside the window and his eyes flicked up directly to hers.

  She was staring at him with wide eyes, and he back at her, but before long his face broke into a smile and he held up his hand and waved. He had come from right across the street and out of nowhere, but it was as if he had known she was there on instinct, the moment he was close enough, and when their eyes met she felt a pang of want deep in her heart.

  She waved back and smiled, even though they must have only been a few feet away and separated by a pane of glass. He looked down at his watch and then back at her and then he cocked his head to the side. He could see that she was still looking at the menu and that she didn’t even have a drink in front of her, and within an instant, she almost felt as if she heard his mind make the decision before he moved.

  He was going to come in and join her. She just knew it.

  She watched as he laughed and moved toward the doorway of the restaurant and when he came inside, he spoke to the waitress and pointed over to the table where Amelia was sitting.

  When he came over, she rose to her feet and he smiled.

  “Fancy some company?” he asked. “I mean, if you don’t mind me gatecrashing your quiet and peaceful lunch.”

  “That would be lovely,” she said as they both sat back down, and Dash put the folder out of sight and under the table out of the way.

  “Well, this is a coincidence,” Amelia said. “But it’s great to see a friendly face.”

  Dash smiled, as if he knew a secret. And then he nodded slowly.

  “It’s good to see you Amelia, and out of a working environment this time. Even if it doesn’t feel like work when you’re at home with us, but you know what I mean.”

  “I do,” she said.

  “How’s your day going so far,” his eyes met hers and she saw something in them that she had never seen in another person’s before. Something fiery and fierce.

  “It’s going well thank you,” she said, trying not to let herself get distracted. “I thought I would explore town some more and check out some of these wonderful stores that are scattered around the place. Back where I’m from, it’s a lot of chains and large corporations. But I love it here because it’s the opposite.”

  “Me too,” Dash beamed. “It certainly makes it feel special doesn’t it?”

  The waitress approached the table and Dash ordered a glass of red wine.

  “Will you join me?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Amelia smiled. “Why not. Also, I’m open to recommendations on food…”

  Dash smiled at her and flicked out his menu. He scanned it and then his eyes travelled up to hers again.

  “It has to be the spaghetti marinara, simple and classic, but from here it is oh so good. And it goes well with the wine too,” he clipped the menu closed and passed his back to the waitress.

  “Okay,” Amelia smiled. “That sounds amazing to me.”

  Dash ordered two of the spaghetti dishes and within a few moments the waitress was back at the table with a very old-looking bottle of wine. Amelia watched as she uncorked it and poured a small amount into the glass in front of Dash. He took hold of the glass by the stem and brought it to his face, sniffing the wine before tasting it longingly. He looked up at the waitress and nodded and then she began to pour more for him and a glass for Amelia.

  “You clearly know your stuff,” Amelia said once the waitress had walked away.

  “To be honest, I don’t have a clue,” Dash laughed. “I just know how to make the right noise when faced with situations like this, it comes from years of being taken to fancy restaurants by my parents.”

  Amelia laughed.

  “For all I know we could be drinking a cheap bottle from the liquor store.”

  He shrugged and then leaned back in his chair. He looked so relaxed, more so that Amelia had ever seen him. And having him close to her again, in this kind of chilled environment was making her want things she didn’t dare admit.

  “So, how are you finding things looking after Nora?” he asked. “I won’t make it all about work don’t worry,” he half smiled. “I’m just hoping you’re settling in all right.”

  “I’m settling in more than all right,” Amelia smiled. “I love your daughter, she’s fantastic. We get along so well, and I truly hope we can continue to success in bonding.”

  Dash’s eyes seemed to come alive when she said the words and she felt herself nervously reach for the wine, she twisted the glass by the stem and breathed in deep.

  “I feel as if I want to ask you though…” she knew she had to tread carefully. “What happened to Nora’s mom? Is she still in the picture? I mean, purely from a work perspective… I was just wondering if she was in town or whether I may have to take her further afield some days.”

  “It’s okay,” Dash looked almost relieved. “I’m glad you asked.”

  She knew he could tell that she hadn’t just asked for work reasons, that she was clearly wondering because of him too, but he didn’t say anything. He just leaned in a little closer and began.

  “We were together for maybe a year before Nora was born,” he said. “It all happened quite quickly… and I don’t think she ever truly loved me. Once Nora was born, she seemed to just want to be back out on the party scene. There isn’t a big one here in Misty Vale, so she would go out to other towns with her friends, stay out until dawn and leave me with the baby. She was never truly cut out to be a mother, and it only took a matter of months after Nora was born and she had packed her bags and left. She said she didn’t want to be tied down. The last I heard she was partying her way across Europe and has found herself some wealthy man to marry. I guess everyone is different.” He raised his eyebrows and then he took a sip of his wine.

  His face was calm, and he didn’t look upset or bothered, but Amelia couldn’t help but let her jaw sag open and the shock ooze out of her.

  “My God,” she whispered. “That is not what I was expecting.”

  “I didn’t expect it either,” Dash half laughed. “But I should have known from the start, the warning signs were always there. She was far too impressed by material possessions. Far too bothered about having the best of the best rather than just enjoying life. I think I was targeted and used… when she realized I wanted to settle and live a humbler life as a little family with our baby… she just wasn’t interested.”

  “But… Nora…” Amelia said with disbelief. “How could she just walk away?”

  “Well, I’ll never understand that either,” Dash admitted. “But we are better off without her.”

  It was a brutal statement, but one Amelia could already tell to be true. No child should be rejected like that. It was just so harsh.

  “I’m sorry,” Amelia said genuinely. “It must have been very hard going through that.”

  “It was,” Dash nodded, his eyes settling on hers. “But we have come out stronger, and I know now what I want and what I don’t want.”

  His eyes seemed to burn into hers and it made her heart race. She felt as if the words were solely directed at her, as if he wanted her to listen to them and take them in.

  He knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want.

  And so do I.

  She smiled and she had the urge to reach for his hand, but she resisted, until he did it first. His palm closed over the top of hers and almost stopped her heart. She felt the intense heat coming from him, a power that she didn’t understand but something she was beginning to crave. Their energies seemed to be fusing together and as she looked into his eyes, she saw fire. It made her gasp, but she wasn’t afraid. She wanted to feel it, she wanted to experience him and know what he was all about.

  “Dash,” she whispered. “I know there’s something different about you.”

  He didn’t speak, but his expression told her all she needed to know.

  “I feel it… I want to know…”

  He smiled.

  “You will know,” he told her. “I want you to be with us…”

  It made her spine tingle and she quivered. It was the single most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her.

  He wanted her to be with them.

  “There is something very, very special about you Amelia,” Dash said. “And I’m finding it very hard to stop myself from being close to you.”

  She swallowed nervously. The thought of him being even closer to her right now made her whole body come alive, it made her heart race, and her bones shake. All she could think about was jumping across the table and ripping his clothes off… but she had to be strong. This man was doing very strange things to her. Things she hadn’t expected.

  “I felt something…” she decided to be brave and tell him. “The moment I first saw you… it was so strange, as if you were watching me after you had walked away. I felt it all the time, as if you were there, kind of like a part of me had changed.”

  Dash’s hand gave hers a reassuring squeeze.