She waved a hand in dismissal. “I’ve had to face more challenges than most to get to where I am. It’s nothing new.” She leaned forward. “So don’t keep me waiting, David. What can be done?”
David replied, “The only way to truly protect you is to keep you on StoneRiver. I know Clan PineRock has been having some problems with the League, too, thanks to information from Ashley Swift. If I reach out to them, we can work together to maybe figure out a solution.”
She frowned. “But I can’t stay on StoneRiver forever. I have a life, my bar, my house, and my friends.”
David smiled sadly. “I know it won’t be easy, but you’ll have to give them up. At least for a little while. There is a way for you to stay on StoneRiver, but I need you to have an open mind about it.”
Okay, that didn’t sound very promising. “What is it?” she asked slowly.
David shrugged. “You can mate a dragon-shifter. Eventually you can divorce him or her—I don’t know your preference—but the mating will allow you to stay here legally for as long as you like.”
She blinked and tried to process what David had just said. “You want me to marry, er mate, a dragon-shifter? What will you do, just pick some poor guy at random?”
Brad grunted. “It’ll be me.”
She whipped her head around, her usual filter forgotten. “But you can’t stand me.”
He cleared his throat. “That’s not exactly true.”
Feeling lost, she glanced at David and back to Brad. If she was to get any true answers, she was going to be blunt. “But you always walk away from me as quickly as possible, barely mutter a sentence at me a day, and always glare at me.”
“There’s a reason for all that.”
She stared him down. “Which is?”
For the first time ever, Brad shifted in his seat and looked uncomfortable.
It seemed her usually unflappable part-time security guard wasn’t as devoid of emotion as he usually portrayed.
David’s voice filled the room. “Either tell her, Brad, or I will. She deserves to know before committing to anything.”
Okay, David’s words made Tasha a little leery of Brad’s secret.
Still, she wasn’t going to just brush it aside or be afraid of the truth. “Tell me, Brad. Whatever it is, I’m sure I can handle it. I mean, someone tried to shoot me a few hours ago. It can’t be that bad.”
He sat up straight and cleared his throat. “Well, that depends on how you look at it. You’re my true mate, Tasha. That’s why I’ve kept my distance.”
“True mate?” she echoed, trying to remember what she could about the phrase. “Isn’t that like some fated-bride scenario or something?”
Brad nodded. “Yes, my inner dragon recognizes you as our best chance at happiness.”
Okay, that was even more fantasy-like than she’d imagined. Especially since Tasha didn’t believe in fate in the first place. Still, if Brad believed it, then he’d been pretty damn good at keeping it a secret. She blurted, “Then why have you tried so hard to stay away from me?”
He muttered, “It’s complicated.”
Tasha rolled her eyes. “More complicated than being a target of some sort of domestic terrorist group? One, whom I might add, is this close to killing you?”
Brad grunted. “Maybe.”
She growled in frustration. “For something this important, you’re going to stick to a nonanswer?”
David jumped in before Brad could reply. “It’s late, and we all should rest before picking up this conversation in the morning. ADDA won’t notice you staying here a day—you could be looking for another part-time security guard, for all they know—which gives us time to figure this all out.”
She frowned. “You say that as if it’s decided that I’ll stay here.”
“There’s not really another choice, Tasha. Take the night to think about it and then we’ll talk further.” David stood. “Brad’s sister has an extra room and you can stay there. Megan is a lot friendlier than her brother, so don’t worry about a warm welcome.”