Free Ruby Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 3) by Terry Bolryder

that until morning, he’d be fine.

8
    T he next day , Red stayed at Faye’s apartment after walking her to work. He was feeling extra protective, even of her space, and if she wasn’t there to protect, he would at least be there to protect her things.
    The trust she’d given him the night before, the exquisitely beautiful way she’d let herself be vulnerable to him, had only made him that much more in love.
    He was seriously falling for this girl, as they’d say on modern TV.
    He checked the clock on the wall and grinned when he saw it was finally time to go pick Faye up. He’d hated having to let go of her in the morning, and he knew he’d be a little early this evening, but he couldn’t wait to see her.
    He supposed that was just part of having a mate.
    Though he still had no idea how to tell her about him.
    He shrugged into his jacket, wearing a tee shirt and jeans, feeling more casual today, and walked out.
    He knew the way to her place by heart now and kind of liked walking there. Too bad when he got his treasure back, he wasn’t going to let her work there at all. He knew she hated it, and he’d give her the resources to do whatever she wanted with her life.
    He had an odd, prickly feeling as he walked down the last street that turned onto the street her bar was on. It was a wide alley littered with trashcans and garbage and was darker than everything around it. As he stepped back onto the main road, the sun was starting to set, though it was still bright outside, and dramatic shadows darkened every surface. The signs, the sidewalks. Plus, the glare from the sun.
    He shielded his eyes as he crossed to the road to get to her bar and couldn’t shake the prickly feeling again.
    Was someone watching him? Perhaps that douchebag Braden was here stalking Faye again. He looked around but didn’t see anyone.
    A group of guys huddled over a magazine, dressed in dirty clothing. A few construction workers eating. A few bikers. Nothing out of the ordinary for that part of town.
    He opened the door to the bar, and Faye’s boss Ron, a large, jovial man with a bright-orange beard, lifted his hand in a wave. He’d met him that morning and thought even if Faye had a tough job, at least she got to work with pretty good people for the most part. It reassured him that someone was watching out for her when he couldn’t.
    After all, if he just sat in the bar staring at her and growling at anyone who came near, that wouldn’t be very good for tips.
    She emerged from the kitchen, counting money and smiling at a co-worker, and then locked eyes with him as she turned forward. She looked like a ray of sunlight bursting out of the dankness.
    He watched with pride as a slow, red blush worked over her pale skin, under her freckles.
    Had she spent the day thinking of last night, too? The way their bodies had fit together like they were made for each other?
    She untied her apron, set it behind the wooden counter, said good-bye to her boss, and walked over to Red.
    Unable to resist, he pulled her in for a kiss. He was expecting her to resist, but she just sank in. What a wonderful, loving, giving woman. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could treat her as anything but the queen she was.
    “Should we go?” he asked.
    “You’re a little early,” she said, her mouth cocking in a smile. “But I had a feeling you would be, so I told Ron I’d need to leave early tonight.”
    “For me?” he asked. “I’m flattered.”
    She grinned and put an arm around his waist as they walked out of the bar. He tried not to let her pick up on the unease he felt as they stepped back onto the dirty sidewalk and he sensed a prickle of anxiety again.
    Someone was definitely watching.
    He looked warily at the alleyway he’d come through, wondering if he should really go through it with her beside him.
    He scented the air and noticed something unfamiliar. Whatever was watching him, waiting for him, perhaps it was better he faced them somewhere where