by Vella Day
That made no sense. “But the room is so dark.”
“We’re underground. There is no light streaming in because we have no windows down here.”
“Is this some kind of bunker?”
“Yes, but we have good medical facilities here, as well as food and a few other surprises, which was why I brought you here. It takes time, but you get used to its little quirks.”
Get used to it? She didn’t plan to stay that long. Shivers tripped up her spine at that thought. “You said someone tried to poison me. Isn’t it remotely possibly that I ate something that gave me food poisoning?”
Logan faced her and cupped one of her cheeks. “Highly unlikely. Or do you remember throwing up?”
“No, but my wolf might have counteracted it.”
He lowered his arm. “I suppose, but considering the hallway in front of your hotel room was doused with accelerant right after you asked your friend to look into some drug deals, coupled with the poisoning, I’m thinking someone wants you scared off. I asked my brother Camden to locate the source of the poison so we can be sure.”
“I appreciate that.” She hadn’t even realized he had a brother named Camden. “How many kids are in your family?”
He smiled. “Let’s get you some food, and I’ll tell you all about them.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I probably should write all those names down,” Wendy said after Logan listed his immediate and extended family.
He chuckled. “We’re basically one big family. Mom and Stone’s mother are sisters. One married a Caspian and the other a Sinclair, but I swear half the time I was growing up, I slept at my cousin’s house. We really think of each other as brothers and sisters.”
Wendy smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful childhood.”
Logan returned her smile. “It was great, though it had its challenges.” Soon he’d tell her about being a Guardian and all that it entailed. Now that she’d eaten and seemed more rested, it was time to broach the more sensitive topic. Logan inhaled. “Considering these two recent attempts on your life, I don’t think your apartment is the safest place to be.”
She instantly shook her head. “I can’t move. I can barely afford this apartment.”
“What I’m suggesting is that you move in with me—strictly for your safety, of course.”
You think you’d get a wink of sleep with Wendy in the spare bedroom? his dragon asked.
Shut up. This is about her, not us, you horny animal.
Wendy stilled. “That is so sweet of you, but we aren’t even positive I was poisoned on purpose.”
She was the most stubborn woman alive. “I’m really worried about you, Wendy. What harm can it do? You’ll have your own room, and you won’t even know I’m there. Hell, I spend most of my life at the office.”
Wendy lifted her chin. “I don’t think that would work. For starters, you distract me too much.”
For real? “How?”
“You’re very protective of me.”
“I am. So?”
“That means you might tell me it’s not safe to ask questions and then suggest I stay inside.” She raised her brows as her lips curled upward—lips he wanted to kiss. “Right?”
He chuckled. It was true that Logan would suggest she stay inside his condo, but then he might have to leave. Being in the same room with her would distract him too. “Guilty as charged, but come on, a female wolf roaming the world where dragons and bears exist isn’t safe.” She was his mate, damn it. At least when they mated, she’d become a dragon shifter. Even then, he’d have to make sure she was trained to fight before he stopped worrying.
She ran a hand down his arm. “I appreciate how you always want to protect me—and too often have saved my life—but I’ve lived on my own for years, and I’m still alive.” She glanced down for a moment. “Though I guess I haven’t done a very good job of taking care of myself recently, have I?”
It’s time. Tell her you two are mates, his dragon urged.
I agree. “No, you haven’t. Wendy, I don’t want to argue with you, but you need to understand something.”
“What?”
His damn cell rang. “Crap.” It was Camden, hopefully with the results of the apartment search, but damn, his timing sucked. Logan wasn’t sure if the information would help or hurt his cause that Wendy move into his place, but he needed to find out. “Give me a sec, okay?”
Wendy picked up her glass of water and sipped it, her gaze never leaving his face.
“You got something?” he asked his brother.
“Yes. I tested the half empty glass of sweet tea she was drinking. Guess what? It was laced with rat poisoning.”
Shit. “I appreciate the info.”
“I can show you the printout of the spectrometer readings if you like.”
Good old Camden. He was thorough if nothing else. “Maybe later.”
“How is Wendy doing?” Camden asked.
“Good. She’s sitting here with me right now having a bite.”
“Glad to hear it. I’ll return her apartment key to the bunker in a few minutes.”
“That would be great.” Logan disconnected and set the phone down.
“Who was that?” she asked.
Logan debated telling her about the poison, but he wanted to finish his conversation about them being mates first. “My brother.”
He had several, so she wouldn’t know it was Camden.
“Which one?”
Damn. Journalists never let anything go. “Camden.”
“What did he want?”
“To see how you were doing.”
Wendy leaned forward and squinted her eyes. “I think you’re lying.”
She didn’t say it as an accusation as much as with intrigue. “Why would you say that?” he asked.
Wendy slowly reached out and ran her hand around his head but never touched him. “I’m not sure, but I saw a gray halo right above your head when you told me what Camden said, but now it’s gone.”
“A gray halo?” Maybe the poison had affected her brain. “And you think that means I lied or something?” He’d never heard of anything like that before.
She sat back and looked a bit confused. “I don’t know. The concept just entered my head.” She waved a hand. “Never mind. My eyes might have been playing tricks on me. Did he say anything else?”
He hoped her eyes were the problem and not something more serious. As much as he wanted to discuss their mating, that conversation would have to wait. He suspected she wouldn’t let this topic go.
“If you want to know, Camden found rat poison in your iced tea.”
She barked out a laugh. “That’s absurd. How could it get there?”
“Someone had to have put it in there.” Logan didn’t know how else to explain it.
“I’m serious. I made that tea a day ago and had some right before I went over to your office the first time. I suffered no ill effects then.”
He waited a beat to see if she could figure it out. When she said nothing, he offered his thoughts. “Tell me this. Was your door unlocked when you went home after our meeting?”
“Of course not. Why?”
“Because when I came to see why you hadn’t shown up at the office yesterday, the door was unlocked.”
Her brows pinched. “I mean, it’s possible. I just shoved the key in the lock without testing the door.” She wagged a finger at him. “But I would have locked my door once I entered. I’m a creature of habit.”
He didn’t want to think of a more likely scenario. “Did you drink any tea when you got home?”
“I had dinner and then poured myself a glass. So yes. I guess it’s possible someone could have come in while I was at your office, doused my pitcher of tea, and then left. This person could have picked the lock but then wasn’t able to relock it on his way out.” She wrapped her arms around her body. “If that was what really happened, it’s horrifying.”
“When you arrived home, you would h
ave entered and relocked the door,” he said.
“Exactly, so how was it unlocked for you?”
“I’d be guessing,” Logan said, “but after he doused your tea, you came home early and surprised him, forcing him to hide. Once you passed out, he left.”
Wendy sucked in a breath and shifted her gaze to the side. “That’s too scary to consider. I’ll buy a better lock for sure.”
A flimsy lock wouldn’t keep her safe. “Before you decide how you want to handle this situation, there’s something else I need to discuss with you.”
She looked up at him. “I’m not moving in with you.”
“So you’ve said. Do you know why I’m so focused on keeping you safe?”
She froze, her eyes going wide. Okay, that wasn’t good. Damn it. He better not have screwed things up worse than they already were.
“Because you like me?” Her lips were a cross between a smile and a grimace.
He could see she was scared of that fact. “I do like you. A lot, and yes I might be a little bit of a control freak, but mostly it’s because you are my…mate.”
The air rushed out of his lungs from the relief at finally telling her.
“Your mate? How do you know?” she asked with caution.
He hadn’t expected that question. “You don’t feel an attraction between us—a draw, something you can’t control?”
Wendy lifted her near empty glass to her lips again. “Maybe.”
She did feel it! “Wendy, as your mate, I want to take care of you. No, I need to take care of you. Not only that, I think about you all the time. As in every minute of every day, in fact.” Bringing his need for hot sex into the mix would only frighten her more.
“For real?”
“For real.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Okay. I’ll admit it. I feel those things too, but I also have a need to prove myself as a writer. I want to help others—like I did when I exposed Malpan.”
Her plea rang true to him. “That doesn’t have to stop, but it will if you’re dead.”
She said nothing for a moment. “I get it, but I wasn’t raised to let someone take care of me. If it will make you feel better, I’ll take self-defense lessons. Surely, you know someone who can teach me fighting skills.”
He loved she wanted to be independent, but she didn’t seem to understand the full riskiness of her situation. However, he was willing to take one step at a time. It was all about patience. “That works. We can start with fighting strategies—ones that would be universal for all shifters whether they be wolf or dragon.”
“But not from you. All that touching might cause…”
She didn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t have to. Her eyes had turned amber, and her nails had sharpened. Logan wanted to save her the embarrassment of explaining further. “My cousin Thane trains me. I’ll ask him to show you a few moves.”
As if he’d popped a balloon, the air seemed to go out of her lungs. “Thank you.”
Logan finished the rest of his sandwich. “If you are determined to stay where you are, let me at least install some security devices in your apartment.”
Her lips twisted and then curled into a full-blown smile. “Deal.”
“Great. With that out of the way, I’d like you to work at the office most days. We still need to go to the school to check out that photo you have of the man speaking with Tom, and it will be easier if you’re already at the mines.”
“Sure. That would be great.”
Her quick agreement surprised him, but Logan was pleased with her concession. He wanted to come up with a few more things they could do together, but he believed it would be best to start out slow. Logan imagined sharing lunches, then dinner, and then afterwards…a little kissing. Who knows? She might want to move in all on her own.
Wendy polished off her food, and Logan was happy to see her appetite had returned. When she was done, Wendy carried the dishes to the sink and started to wash them.
“You can leave them,” he said.
She spun around. “Don’t tell me you have maid service here?”
He shrugged. “The perks of being a Caspian.”
She stepped away. “Fine. Then how about we get to work?”
“Work?”
“It’s what? Almost three in the afternoon. Maybe we can go to the school now and find out if the man in the photo is Mr. Quigley and where we can find him.”
Given what just happened, he didn’t really see how a name would help, but he was game. “You aren’t worried there will be another attempt on your life?”
“It’s possible, but you’ll be by my side.”
He wasn’t just talking about the trip to the school. He was referring to her being alone at night, but as a businessman, he knew when to push and when to retreat. “I agree.”
“And before you ask, between Greer, Declan, and the doctor, I’m fine.”
He chuckled at her fierce independence. “Considering how your appetite seems to have returned, I believe you.”
Just as they exited the kitchen, Camden came down the hallway most likely to return the apartment key. Logan introduced them.
While his brother was an incredibly talented scientist, he was still a man. His eyes sparkled as he discreetly checked her out. “Nice to meet you. I hope you are feeling better after being poisoned.”
She smiled. “Much better, thanks to Logan for finding me, and some of your family members’ healing talents. And to you for finding the poison at my place.”
Camden smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Logan placed a hand on her back. “If you want to make it to the school before they close, you’ll need to pack.”
She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, my savior.”
Heat raced up his cheek. “You’re welcome. Go grab your stuff.”
As soon as she was out of sight, Camden smiled. “Nice!”
“Watch it, little brother.”
Camden held up his hand. “I get it. She’s yours.”
“Damn right. Listen, Wendy and I are going to do a little sleuthing, but I need you to do me another favor.”
“What is it?”
“After this second attempt on her life, I want her place to have full security, including cameras in the hallway. I’d do it, but I need to keep Wendy busy for a while. Take Stone if you want and then leave her apartment key on my desk at the mining office.”
“You owe me.” Camden chuckled.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting more gadgets for your home office in return for this favor?” Camden had a full lab in the basement of his house and could rig up anything from hotwiring cars to making explosives. The man would be seriously dangerous if he were evil.
His brother grinned. “I’ll make a list.”
His brother was kidding—or so Logan hoped.
Chapter Fifteen
Wendy hoped she had done the right thing in turning down Logan’s offer to move in with him, but damn it, being around him—all day and all night—would drive her wolf crazy.
Now do you believe me about you two being mates? her wolf asked.
Yes, I do.
Please tell me you are happy you finally found him.
Wendy didn’t need to think about it. Yes, but I’m not mating until I’m ready.
We’ll see about that, her wolf said, acting as if that was a challenge.
Everything was changing so fast, and she attributed it to drinking that damned glass of tea. She was convinced something strange was happening to her body—or rather to her mind—because of the poisoning. Wendy hadn’t felt well after a few sips, but she’d blown it off, mostly because she couldn’t afford to be sick. The article wouldn’t write itself.
She had finished the first half of the story about narrowly escaping the fire, when her stomach had cramped. As she pushed away from the table to go lie down for a few minutes, her knees buckled.
That was it! No other memories surfaced until she’d heard Greer’s voi
ce. By then, Greer and Declan had infused her with their healing powers. After that, Wendy told herself she was ready to move on, until she saw that gray halo around Logan’s head. The weird part was that she’d never seen anything like it before. It had to be some residual effect from the poison, or else the healers had altered her in some way.
The halo could have been a sign Logan was her mate and not that he was lying, but wouldn’t she have heard of such a thing before? Maybe Danita would know. It sounded like a white-lighter thing.
First though, Wendy needed to finish packing her things, making sure to put her tablet in between the layers of clothes to protect it. Once done, she left the bunker room more confused than ever. If there had been windows in her room, she might have agreed to stay. The room where he’d put her was quite large, and the entire underground complex seemed to contain everything anyone would need.
Logan was waiting for her in the hallway. “Ready?” he asked.
“Yes, but I should drop off my satchel at my apartment before we go to the school.”
“Let’s leave it at the office. We have to stop by there anyway to pick up the photo of the man.”
That made sense. “Okay. We have to hurry. The school will be closing soon.”
Once outside, Logan slipped the satchel from her fingers, and the brief brush of his fingers ignited something inside her, confirming that he really was her mate. The big question was what to do about it?
Before she could think of what to say or do, he’d shifted into his dragon form, and the bag disappeared. Logan beckoned her toward him, and Wendy went willingly. To think they were mates still boggled her mind. She mentally tested out a few scenarios of them kissing, them getting naked, and then making love.
“Wendy?”
She looked around. Holy shit. They’d already landed at the Caspian mine, and she didn’t even remember him setting her down. “I’m good,” came her usual refrain.
“You look…I don’t know. Dazed.”
“I was just thinking about that photo.”
One brow rose. “Then let’s get that picture and go.”
After he placed her gear in his office, he retrieved the printed photo. In all honesty, she didn’t think this lead would pan out, but at least she was able to spend time with Logan. It wouldn’t take her more than a day to finish her current article and then a day to polish it. Once she submitted it to Mr. Everhart, she would start on the story of the teens’ murders. Too bad, it had no ending yet.