He'd just have to work hard at making sure he could keep her and eventually claim her as he wanted.
Chapter Nine
The next morning, Delaney stared at the blank ceiling of her bedroom and couldn't help but smile. What had initially started as one of her worst fears—for a man to try and manage her like in the past—had ended up being one of the best nights of her life.
And she hadn't even kissed Rhydian, let alone had sex with him yet.
Still, her previous dating life had been spotty, infrequent, and had never been one-tenth as romantic.
Maybe romantic movies weren't as completely bullshit as she'd always thought before. She'd just been around the wrong kind of men. For all she knew, all dragon-shifters were that way.
A pounding noise emanated from outside her bedroom, probably from the front door.
If something had truly been wrong with Rian, Rhydian would've shouted or made more noise. However, it was just a few barely audible thumps, which made it all the more strange.
Frowning, Delaney got out of bed and walked to the door. By the time she reached it, the pounding had stopped.
She muttered, "Who the hell would be knocking so early in the morning?"
That's when she noticed the folded paper on the floor.
Picking it up, she unfolded it and read: Check the outside of your door.
The words made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. With no signature or any sign of who wrote it, Delaney knew she'd have to be cautious. Which meant she wasn't bloody opening the door until someone she mostly trusted arrived.
Rushing back into the bedroom, she picked up her phone and dialed Rhydian. He picked up on the second ring. "Delaney? What is it?"
She didn't waste time with any pleasantries. "Someone left a creepy note under my door. Can you come and make sure it's safe? I don't want to open it, in case there's a booby trap or something there."
He growled. "I'll be right there. And don't open that door until you hear me say it's okay to do so."
The line went silent and Delaney clicked off her phone. Looking back at the note lying on the table, she realized she'd made a mistake in picking it up. For all she knew, it could be covered in some sort of powdered substance to make her sick or even kill her.
For the first time since arriving on Snowridge, Rhydian's words about how some dragon-shifters didn't like humans finally sunk in.
The thought of being able to have a party, dance, and endear clan members to her side all seemed like a dream now. Even if it worked for most of the clan, there would still be those who wanted to harm her, no matter what Rhydian said or even if he mated her. After all, the timing of the threat so close after Rhydian announced taking her as his mate couldn’t be a coincidence.
Maybe she'd be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life if she stayed. Much like how her sister had done, until the day she’d died.
Before her mind went down the road of what else could go wrong if she stayed, there was a knocking and Rhydian's voice came through the door, albeit a bit muffled. "Delaney, I'm coming in. Is that all right?"
Relief flooded her body at his voice. Moving back toward the door, she undid the chain and unlocked it. "Come in."
She retreated as the door opened. She noted the fury in Rhydian's eyes for a second before she looked at the door.
Written in red paint were the words, Go home, human bitch.
Rhydian’s low voice filled her ear, "Are you okay, Delaney?"
Seeing his face again helped to ease her fear a fraction and help reason return to her brain. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and decided humor was her best coping mechanism at the moment. "I've received a few worse threats over the years. I just didn't expect one so soon. It must be some kind of record, aye?"
Rhydian growled. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing. With you as my future mate, this is a challenge to me more than you."
She studied his face a few seconds as he shut the door. His scars almost seemed starker against his skin. Combined with the fury in his gaze and his clenched jaw, he would intimidate quite a few people.
However, Delaney remembered him teasing and dancing with her. The anger wasn't at her, and if she was to stay on Snowridge—and yes, she was going to stay, seeing Rhydian’s face again had banished her rash panic—she needed to calm him a little and maybe even find a way to help him.
The years of Rhydian Griffiths handling the problems of his clan alone were over if she had anything to say about it. Together, they might be able to make the clan safe enough for her to never have doubts about staying on Snowridge again.