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Chapter One
Angela
One Month After Book One
Angela Bishop had been home for a month. She still slept in Benji’s bed. It was impossible to believe anyone could care for her son the way she could. He had his own FBI detail, attended the safest school in DC, and a dragon lived with them. Yet, someone still managed to kidnap him, hold him hostage, and almost kill him. Angela was not the mama bear to be trifled with at this point. She was the damn President of the United States, and if she deemed herself to be the only one who could protect her son, no one would argue with her. She would pass a bill, use an executive order, or fire someone if they did.
It felt like a lifetime ago when Angela learned that supernatural people existed. They were dispersed throughout the armed forces and protective agencies, hiding their true selves and participating in Operation Excalibur. They were the ones who ultimately rescued Benji from Xerxes, a wizard with a major ego who dreamed of taking over the world by infusing his magic into nanobots and creating an army of walking-dead soldiers.
“You can sleep in your bed one night.”
Angela stopped rubbing Benji’s head, removed it from her lap, and placed it on his pillow. She smiled at the gorgeous man leaning against the doorjamb. Blake Sullivan was unlike any man she’d ever met. He was a dragon shifter, and she still struggled to process how creatures like him could exist. One day, he sat in the back of the Situation Room and told an incredibly unbelievable story that even her granddaddy wouldn’t believe him. And he was known to tell big-fish stories up until the day he died.And the next day, she fell in love.
Blake had also stolen her heart and claimed her as his mate.
“I’m fine sleeping here,” she said. “This way, I’ll be here if he needs me. He has nightmares. I’m his mom, and that’s the end of this discussion.”
Blake stepped into the room, holding his hands, palms facing her. “I’m not trying to start a fight.”
She pursed her lips. “I didn’t say you were.”
“Your back is as rigid as a stick, your voice is almost a growl, and you’re glaring at me. Why are you so tense if you aren’t starting a fight?”
She gently got off the bed and tucked the covers around Benji’s body. She walked over to him and motioned for him to step out into the hall. Two tall men dressed in black tactical pants and T-shirts stood on either side of the door. Each wore a pair of sunglasses to hide their python-shifter eyes.
Everyone agreed that Angela and Benji needed supernatural bodyguards with them all the time. The FBI agents assigned to them could not stop the supernatural threat everyone now feared. They had tried and failed.
No president before Angela knew about Operation Excalibur. She was told that doing so allowed the President to have plausible deniability. Angela called bullshit on that. Though it did seem reasonable, she felt it had more to do with her gender. Even after proving herself over and over, there were too many men on her cabinet who disagreed with a female president.
Too bad for them, the American people had a different opinion.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Blake started to say something, looked at each of the python shifters, grunted in frustration, and took Angela’s arm. He gently pulled her down the hall.
“I understand the need to protect your child, Angela, but you can’t do that if you aren’t taking care of yourself.”
She tugged her arm away, prepared to argue this point with him for the hundredth time, but the softness in his eyes stopped her. They hadn’t had any time alone since returning. That had been both a blessing and a curse. When they stayed with Blake’s family, it was easy to ignore the world and live in a warm blanket of isolation. She wanted to return to the North Dakota homestead Blake’s grandfather created over a century ago. But it wasn’t just her commitment to the American people that pulled her back to the White House. It was the legacy she carried on in honor of her dead husband. Oliver was the one who wanted to be President, but pancreatic cancer made that dream impossible.
“Do you have children?” She regretted asking that question the moment the words rushed out of her mouth.
Xerxes killed Blake’s first mate. He didn’t talk much about her, but Angela recognized the eternal grief he felt, and he didn’t deserve to be her scapegoat. She was just so tired and scared. Nothing made sense anymore.
Blake clenched his jaw and took in a long breath. “No, I am not a parent, but I have cared for many children and adults. And I’m trying to care for you and your son, but you’re pushing me away.”
She glanced back at the two python shifters. They continued to stare at the wall in front of them and never seemed to notice her and Blake, but she’d learned shifters had extra-strong hearing. They heard everything, even if they pretended not to.
She pulled him further down the hall. “We’ve talked about this. What happened at your family home was wonderful. I’d give anything to go back there, and it would just be the three of us.”
“Say the word, and I will take you and Benji back there. You would not be the center of attention as you are here, and it would be easier to keep you safe.”
“The president can’t just quit and walk away from all of this.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “When they thought you were dead, your vice president stepped into your role. Why can’t she continue doing that?”
Heat rose to Angela’s face, and she put her hands on her hips. “The American people elected me to do a job, and I sure as heck plan on doing it to the best of my ability. Do you know how many people in this town are waiting for me to show weakness? If he ever resurfaces, taking my chances with Keyser might be easier.”
Blake stepped closer to her, pushing her against the wall. The smell of cedar and citrus wrapped around her, making her stomach clench and warmth pool between her legs. It was getting harder and harder to resist him, especially when he let his dominance out, reminding her of the incredible sex they had while staying at the homestead.
“Don’t think for one moment you can stand up to Keyser. He may have just been Xerxes lackey, but he now has the nanotech Xerxes killed to create. He is just as dangerous, if not more so than Xerxes ever was.”
