Free Beg Me to Slay by Unknown

recognized the words.
    “This is a small piece I stumbled upon recently.” He handed the dagger to Maddock. “It’s worth more than my car, so I’ve been carrying it with me for now.”
    He squinted, bringing the handle closer. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Maddock twisted the dagger in the light. “ Y Ddraig Goch ddyry gychwyn . The Red Dragon will show the way.” He lowered the weapon, meeting Gabe’s eyes. “This tells the Welsh story of the red and the white dragon. It’s part of our national flag.”
    Gabe started to smile. “So you can read the inscription?”
    “Aye.” Maddock handed over the knife with a probing gaze. “How did you come across a dagger for a dragon’s heart?”
    Gabe tucked the dagger back into his coat. It was actually a magic-imbued dagger that killed certain types of demons. The dragon slaying was a whole new angle. “I ran across it at an estate sale.” He’d appropriated it from a demon loan shark, but the demon was dead so technically the dagger was part of his estate.
    Gabe lifted his chin a little. “Don’t worry. I’m looking for buyers, not dragons.”
    Maddock broke the tension with a boisterous laugh. He clapped Gabe on the back. “Good answer.”
    The doors opened and Gabe turned to see Tegan and her mother chatting with guests. Now that he’d met her parents, it was obvious Tegan had gotten her dark-brown eyes from Maddock, but her smile was all Nancy’s. Seeing them together made his throat tight with emotion. He did his best to stay away from family events. He didn’t go see movies or read books that involved families. His was gone, and nothing would change that, so why dwell on it?
    But now he was surrounded. No escaping the empty chasm inside.
    Tegan approached him with a cautious curve to her lips. “How did things go with my dad?”
    “He’s crazy about his daughter.” He slid his arm around her waist, maneuvering her out of the way of a caterer with a tray of drinks. He hadn’t meant for her to end up so close to him, but she didn’t jerk away from his touch this time.
    “Thank you.” Relief flushed her cheeks as she smiled up at him.
    He nodded, glancing at the opulence around them. Good thing they had no future together. Even if she weren’t a client and if he didn’t have demons hunting anyone he cared about, he’d never make enough money to fit into this world.
    Tegan tugged his hand. “We’re sitting over here with my parents.”
    Almost on cue, the music piped up from the pool area. Gabe surprised her by helping to push her chair in. When he sat beside her, she patted his leg to get his attention, but he took her hand under the table, sending a hot zing of awareness through her body.
    Gabe met her eyes, and the fire in his gaze made her wish this wasn’t a charade. His thumb brushed across her knuckles, making her shift in her seat. It’d been so long since she’d been touched by a man. Her body acted as though it’d finally found an oasis in the desert, flooding her with unwanted heat in her belly.
    He leaned in close to her ear. “Are you all right?”
    “Yeah.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s get through dinner and cake. Then we can get out of here.”
    They filled up on fresh lasagna, Caesar salad, Italian rolls, and sangria, and as Tegan had predicted, her mom gushed over Gabe all through dinner. On the other hand, her dad sat back in his chair, letting her mom do most of the talking. He kept watching Gabe, then glancing her way. Did he suspect something was off? Seeing her mother chatting without that concerned frown on her face made the whole charade worthwhile. She didn’t want her dad to break the spell.
    As if he’d read her mind, he interrupted. “Excuse me, Nance. Can I steal Tegan for a minute? I have something I want to give her.”
    “Now?” Her mom gave him a pleading look, but he didn’t relent. “Fine, but don’t keep our guest of honor long. We still have to cut the cake.”
    Panic seized her. He knows