Everyone looked at her in shock, trying to remember what happened. Since no one had any memory, they all seemed eager to buy into what she was saying.
Or were too confused to do otherwise.
“My wedding,” Melanie cried again as Ben tried to comfort her.
“It’ll be okay, sweetie,” Ron said. “We’ll figure this out. Do it another day. Everyone is still in town.”
Everyone nodded, gathering around to help clean up the mess as Cliff’s friends made a run for it to get out of town.
She wondered if they would call the police on them. She’d feel bad if they weren’t part of the plot to get her forcibly married. Maybe after dealing with Cliff, Dante would want to take care of them, too.
Were bats extra powerful in the shifter world? Why hadn’t she heard of them?
She waited until everyone was focused on Melanie and then made a break for it, disappearing through the crowd and escaping out the back of the seating area. She took off her shoes to be able to run faster as she leapt over the thick, dry grass toward the woods where Dante should be waiting.
It was farther than she had thought.
She paused, hands on her knees, panting, and then looked up to see Dante emerge from the tree line. His wings were gone, and aside from his torn-up suit, he looked normal.
Unperturbed compared to everyone else in the situation. When he saw how tired she was, he broke into a jog and headed straight for her.
When he was close, she stood and ran into his arms.
For a moment, he just held her, stroking her hair as she dug her fingers into his back, reassuring herself that he was real, that everything that had just happened was real.
Thank heavens she had ignored all the reviews and gone into Date-A-Dragon… Wait…
“You’re not a bat, are you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes up at him.
“No,” he said, laughing. “What gave you that idea?”
“The wings,” she said.
“I’m offended. Have you ever seen such magnificent golden wings on a bat?”
“No,” she said. “I’ve never seen them on anything.”
“Come on,” he said, putting an arm through hers. “Did you drive with Cliff?”
She nodded. “But in my car.”
He wrinkled his nose. “At least that’s something. Let’s get out of here, go find some place to talk. A hotel or something nearby. There is a lot to work out between us now that Cliff is out of the way.”
“Um, where is he?”
“Out of the way,” Dante said sharply. That was all the reply he gave. “Now let’s go have our happy ending. Or something.”
Ella had to agree.
They stopped at the nearest hotel, a small honeymoon boutique situation up near the base of the closest mountain that rented little private cabins that were rustic on the outside and luxurious on the inside.
Dante set her down and walked straight to the bed to sit on it, folding his arms.
“Okay, now explain,” he said flatly.
“Me explain? Why don’t you explain? You left me last night, and you came flying down out of the sky.”
“Right, because my mate was in trouble.”
“Do you mean mate the way Cliff did?” she asked, remembering Cliff’s words.
“I can’t figure out what’s going on with this town. Are you saying the humans here know about the shifters and just don’t talk about it?”
“Yes,” she said. “It has always been part of protecting the town. Protecting peace in the town.”
“I’m not sure it’s working,” he said. “There are dragons that police different parts of the world. I’m going to suggest they send some here.”
She sighed. “If you think so. Is that what you are, then? A dragon?”
He nodded. “But I didn’t know how to tell you. If I’d known you were already aware of shifters, I wouldn’t have been so worried about it.”
“I think I would have still found it shocking,” she said, sitting in a chair across from him.
His gold eyes were hot as they looked her over. “And for what it’s worth, no, I don’t mean mate in the way he meant it.”
“Oh?”
“No,” he said. “A mate isn’t an excuse to force a woman to accept you. A mate is someone you know is meant for you basically from the moment you meet her. And then it’s your job to win her over, to make yourself her best and only choice.”
She felt blood rush into her face at his sweet words, and the implications of what he was saying sank in. “Wait, so is that why you wanted to work with me?”
“Why I was rude to you at first, too,” he said. “You weren’t in awe of me like other women, and I couldn’t figure out why it bothered me. I realized pretty quick it was because you were the only woman I wanted to be in awe of me.” He frowned. “Not that I want such a conceited thing now. I just want you beside me, forever. Is that so much to ask?”