Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates novel Chapter 119

Colby

For the next two nights, I stayed outside and hoped that I would meet that dragon shifter again. His name didn’t exactly roll off the tongue, so I just kept calling him Dragon Shifter in my head.

Their names were so hard and difficult to pronounce. Made sense, given how old they were. Ancient.

On the third night, I was starting to wonder if he was ever going to show up again. He had to hurry up because with every day that passed, the worse this crisis became. It was terrible to think more dragons were waking up.

If we didn’t talk to the Rosewater Coven soon we were going to be fucked.

I leaned against the car, arms crossed, watching as the dragon shifter approached. He didn’t look like much-a tall, lean figure in the shadow of the streetlight. But there was something about him. Something that screamed danger. I wasn’t sure if that was the dragon in him or the fact that I still didn’t trust him.

“Colby,” he said, his voice low but steady. “We need to talk” I pushed off the car, nodding. “Go ahead.”

“I’m in,” he said flatly, meeting my gaze. “I’ll help you get one of them. A member of the Rosewater Coven. Preferably an elder.”

I raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed. “You serious?”

On the outside, I was playing it cool, but on the inside, I was a nervous wreck My insides were twisting into knots, fearing that he would refuse to help us.

If he did… I’d deal with it. As the leader of the pack, it was up to me to figure out alternatives and I’d be damned if I was going to give up after how far I had come.

He shrugged, his golden eyes flickering in the dim light. “I’m not doing this for free if that’s what you’re wondering. But yeah, I’m serious.”

But something was rattling him. I didn’t know what it was, and it didn’t settle right with me.

What was going on with him? More importantly, what convinced him to change his mind? I wish I could have asked, but I was worried it would make him decide I was pushing too much. Then he’d walk off, leaving us to figure this out on our own.

I could feel the weight of his words, but I couldn’t help the skepticism that tugged at me. “What’s in it for you? Other than protection.”

He chuckled darkly. “Right to the point. Fine. I’m doing this for myself as much as I’m doing it for you. My kind doesn’t exactly treat traitors with a warm welcome, Colby. I thought I made that clear the last time we spoke.”

I watched him closely. “So you’re looking for protection. And answers.”

More questions. Why did everything that had to do with this situation have to be wrapped up in mystery? All I wanted was some fucking answers!

On the outside, I was still showcasing how calm I was. It was on the inside I was freaking out. “Yeah,” he said, nodding slowly. “Something like that.”

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because you have no choice,” he said with a touch of finality. “You want answers? Do you want to get them before this whole thing spirals out of control? You need me.”

I didn’t like it. Didn’t like the fact that he was right. But I wasn’t stupid either. I’d seen enough to know when we were out of options.

“Alright,” I said, pushing the air out through my teeth. “You help us get one of them, and we’ll deal with the rest.” His lips curled into something that almost resembled a smile. “Good. I’ll be there when you need me.”

I paused, staring him down. “And you better not backstab us.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, his eyes flashing briefly with something I couldn’t quite place. “But remember, I’m in this for myself too. You don’t get to think of me as your friend. I’m a tool. Use me, and I’ll do my part.”

Colby didn’t meet my eyes, his voice steady. “He’s right, though. We need him. And whether or not we trust him, we need answers-and fast.”

I rubbed my forehead, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling. “Yeah, but how do we know he’s not just using us to get what he wants?”

Colby finally set the knife down and straightened up, meeting my gaze. “We don’t. But what’s the alternative, Jesse? We keep chasing our tails, hoping for a miracle. Or we take a risk”

I let outa frustrated breath. “It’s not just a risk, Colby. It’s handing our trust over to a guy who could easily turn on us.” “I know,” Colby said, his voice softer now. “Believe me, I know. But we’re out of options.”

I wanted to argue, to find some reason to call this all off, but I knew he was right. We didn’t have a choice. “I still don’t like it.”

“I don’t either,” Colby admitted, wiping his hands on his shirt. “But sometimes, you don’t get to like the decisions you make. You just make them.”

I stayed silent for a moment, mulling over his words. I didn’t like putting all our eggs in one basket, but he had a point. This was bigger than any of us.

Finally, I nodded. “Fine. But if this blows up in our faces, I’m holding you responsible.”

Colby smirked, almost like he was expecting it. “Fair enough. But if it works, maybe we won’t have to fight the dragon shifter army after all.”

“Yeah, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” I said, shaking my head. “But seriously, Colby… you think we can trust him?” He paused, then gave me a hard look. “I don’t know. But sometimes, you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.”

I sighed, pushing off the wall. “Guess we’ll find out.”