Dragonfury 02 - Fury of Ice

you.”
    “Right…” Grabbing her hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll get ready for the psychotic break.”
    She huffed.
    Mac grinned at her. He couldn’t help it. Trust Angela to accept easily what would scare the pants off of most people. She’d always been like that. Insatiably curious. Way too smart for her own good. Which begged the question. One that revolved around his new XO. Mac’s eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath. Huh. He could smell Rikar all over her—the scent screaming Stay away, or get your ass kicked .
    Interesting. And dangerous.
    Two of his favorite words. Especially since he’d be the one doing the ass kicking if Angela got hurt along the way. First-in-command or not, Rikar would treat her right or answer to him.
    Holding her gaze, he tipped his chin. “You hooking up with him, Ange?”
    “Who?”
    “Don’t play dumb.”
    She threw him a hardcore it’s-none-of-your-freaking-business look.
    “Bullshit.” No way would he let her con him. He wasn’t buying it or about to let her off the hook. He wanted answers. Needed to know what he was dealing with because…shit. He might not understand a lot about Dragonkind yet, but Mac knew it was serious business. And her welfare was too important to shrug it off. “Anything to do with you…here.” Releasing her hand, he raised his own, circled his index finger in the air, the gesture all-encompassing. “In this world. At Black Diamond. You’re my business. So get over it and dish.”
    Chewing on her bottom lip, she sighed and looked away. Not a good sign. It reeked of uncertainty. He could practically smell her vulnerability. And that was before she started picking at the quilt, worrying a loose thread with her fingernail. Mac’s stomach twisted into a giant knot.
    Motherfuck, he didn’t like her reaction. Angela was the only constant in his life. No matter how screwed-up things became, he could always count on her to kick his butt when he needed it. But now she was the one hurting. So, yeah. He would be the steady one…for a frickin’ change.
    “Tell me what’s going on.”
    “I don’t know,” she said, sounding way too young. Way too confused. Way too vulnerable. “I’m drawn to him. It’s like we share a weird connection or something. The more time I spend with him, the closer I want to get and…crap. I know it sounds crazy, but…” Plucking a seven of spades off the bed, she turned the card over in her hand. “I like him, Mac…a lot. But I’m afraid, too.”
    Like was good. Scared was not. “Has he hurt you?”
    She rocked backward on her knees, shock flaring in her eyes. “No. He would never do anything to hurt me.”
    “Then you’re good to go.”
    Her brows collided, and Mac knew exactly what she was thinking. The unspoken you’re nuts, bro didn’t need saying to be heard.
    Hell, maybe he was. He didn’t know Rikar all that well. All right, so he respected the guy, liked him even. It was easy to do. But that didn’t change the facts. The Nightfury first-in-command was a warrior with loads of aggression to spare. A good thing on a battlefield. You wanted that kind of male covering your six in a dogfight. But with a woman, it wasn’t the best combination.
    Then again, what did he know?
    He was just as deadly as Rikar—always had been—and he’d never hurt a woman. Not once. Would rather blow his own head off with a matched set of Sigs then abuse a female. So the question then became: Why would Rikar feel any differently? The short answer? He wouldn’t. The male was straight-up solid. No way would Rikar ever hurt Angela.
    Mac blew out a long breath. All right, then. Crisis averted. Which meant he could play the hell out of Cupid. There were definite advantages to the whole Angela/Rikar hookup. He wouldn’t be forced to give up his baby sister. Selfish much? Without a doubt. Mac didn’t care. The upside of keeping her around was too tempting to pass up.
    “You’re cool with the fact he’s half-dragon?”
    “Duh. I’m okay with the fact you’re Dragonkind, so…”
    “Okay, chill. Just checking,” he said, settling back into their normal routine, loving the fact nothing had changed between them even though everything else had gone to hell around them. “So you’ll give Rikar a shot?”
    Angela shrugged. “The whole thing still freaks me out, but…yeah, I guess.”
    “Take it slow. Give yourself time, Ange, but don’t let fear shut you down. Rikar’s a patient guy. He’ll wait