A bit of powder, a swipe of mascara, and I dressed and transformed myself. I had to ensure I looked like a friend of Sandy’s during my “surprise meeting” with Dr. Day. I grabbed my purse as I ran downstairs, yelling a good-bye to my mom. “Meeting Sandy at Grind and Brew, I’ll be back soon.” I slipped my feet into my favorite low-heeled booties and zoomed out the door. The coffee shop was only about five blocks from my house, and as each block passed, my nerves increased. I felt like the butterflies were going to take off with my stomach still attached as I walked up the steps to the old wooden door.
The local coffee shop had been opened by a local writer who had an equal love for a good cup of coffee as she did a good emotional story that grabbed you and wouldn’t let go. Her husband helped run the store most days, but in the mornings, you could find her in the corner set up with her laptop and ear buds. She didn’t speak to the public much, but she had her permanent spot in the coffee shop. A sign on the door halted my progress, and I smiled as I read it. She was finally having a book signing. About damn time. The joy of seeing it helped my nerves die down—at least until I saw Sandy already sitting at our table with her foot tapping impatiently.
The aroma punched me in the gut when I walked across the threshold. I love the smell of freshly ground coffee beans, mixed with the sweetness of signature lattes. I was in heaven. The original brick of the building was upheld in the décor inside. Exposed walls and ceiling gave the shop a grungy yet hip feel. Deep cushioned couches and chairs dotted the perimeter of the shop while bistro tables and chairs were scattered through the middle. One long lone counter with every type of coffee-related machine gleamed along the back wall. A small selection of locally made pastries were displayed on a glass case on the counter. Three baristas bustled behind the counter like worker bees taking orders and creating drinks I swore were made for the gods. A mixture of light jazz, New Age, and classics played through speakers, and a low hum made for a great background feel, not so loud we couldn’t hold a conversation. Everything was brick, metal, and aged wood, and the warmth wrapped you in its arms and threatened to never let go.
“Hey,” I said as I walked up to Sandy.
“About damn time you showed up.” Her snark was on point this morning. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and her eyes roamed everywhere but at me. Her lack of eye contact was a giveaway to how nervous she was.
“Relax. Maybe you should switch to decaf,” I joked, hoping to lighten the mood. The face she gave me said I failed, miserably. I hung my purse on the back of the chair and sat across from her. “Sandy, it will be fine. I don’t know what your dad thinks he will learn, but I’ve got this.” My words were as much a confidence booster for myself as they were for her.
“He has never cared about who I hung out with until now. I wish I could figure out his angle.” She raised her oversized latte cup to her lips and sipped gracefully, the slight tremor in her hand barely noticeable.
“Maybe he is finally taking an interest in his only child.”
“Hah, Not likely.” The pain in her words twisted my gut. I had watched Sandy ache for her father’s attention for years, her periods of rebellion a classic sign for attention. From the clothes she wore to the makeup, the boyfriends, parties, and finally her friendship with someone from the other side of town—namely, me. Of all the things she had tried, only our friendship had stuck. She was rude, made rash decisions, and pushed people away at every turn. But I saw past it to the little girl who was crying inside, simply wanting the true love of a parent—to the bright and successful woman she could be. That woman is why I stayed friends with her.
Her eyes fixed on a point beyond my shoulder. Her bitch mask fell over her face, and her spine straightened. I knew the doctor had entered the shop. I waved at the barista behind the counter to get her attention, then pointed at Sandy’s cup and held up two fingers, indicating a refill for her and a fresh cup for me. I tapped my finger on the table to get Sandy’s attention. She finally looked at me, her ice-princess persona shining through.
“Show time,” I whispered.
The click of heels echoed around me as someone approached. I relaxed my shoulders and resisted turning to look. Her perfume hit me first, a sickly-sweet flower aroma mixed with a horrid musk—two scents that should never intertwine.
“Sandra, isn’t this a surprise.” This woman’s voice grated on my senses like fingernails on a chalkboard. How could anyone listen to it for an extended period of time? I wondered. Sandy winced slightly at the use of her full name. The click of her heels ceased when she stopped next to our table.
I looked down and found a pair of four-inch red heels, legs encased in sheer stockings, and a gray pencil skirt hugging her generous hips. Her outfit was topped off by a crisp white shirt and black, contoured suit jacket. A simple gold chain lay along her collarbone, and a flash of gold at her ears completed her look. Her mousy brown hair was pulled back into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, and when my eyes landed on her face, she was staring intently at me and not Sandy. Her eyes were sharp and intelligent but the color of dry brown dirt. Her nose was small, and her lips thin. She had a bit too much blush on her cheeks, which lacked any prominent bone structure.
I smiled in greeting, my skin crawling at how intently she stared.
“Won’t you introduce me to your friend?”
I mentally patted myself on the back for not cringing at her voice.
Sandy sighed and waved at us, like it was an imposition to do as she asked. “Nat, this is one of father’s coworkers, Dr. Day. Dr. Day, this is Nat.”
I stuck my hand out in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Day.” Her clammy hand wrapped around mine as she smiled. “What type of medicine do you practice?” I hid my hand under the table when she relinquished it, wiping it on my jeans trying to get the oily feeling off.
“Oh, I am a family therapist. I help people recognize the hurdles they have placed in their path and help them navigate over or around them. I helped families heal from loss, pain, grief, and all matters of issues.” Her smile made her lips almost completely disappear, so it looked like her skin melted straight into teeth. Crooked teeth at that.
“Oh, how interesting. It must take a strong individual with a special calling for that type of career.” A bit of suck ass usually made most adults happy. Who doesn’t like their ego stroked a bit? “Where do you practice? Do you have an office here in town?”
“Oh no, I work at the health institute on the edge of town.” She looked behind her and back at us, then indicated the empty chair to my left. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Oh, I am sure we would bore you. Plus, we were about to leave,” Sandy replied as the barista brought our fresh lattes. The arrival of our coffee contradicted her words, and she knew it. She crossed her arms, and the look on her face challenged Dr. Day to say something.
Dr. Day ignored her and smiled her freakish lipless smile at me, continuing on as if Sandy hadn’t spoken. “I’d love to get to know you a little better, learn what the local young adults are into and what trends are hopping.”
Really? I thought. It’s obvious I am not the girl to discuss trends with. Her cover had more holes than swiss cheese, but I played along. “Sure, I don’t know what I can help you with, but I would be happy to answer your questions.”
Dr. Day clapped her hands together. “Wonderful, let me just go order and then we can get started.”
Sandy growled softly when Dr. Day walked away. “What the fuck are you doing?”
I took a sip of my cooling latte and whispered back. “Playing along. I’ll answer her questions, and that will be the end of it. I am just a normal girl, not crazy and not special. Trust me.”
Dr. Day came back with a tea, unbuttoned her blazer, and sat down. She pulled out a pad and pen from her messenger bag and angled her body toward me. “Now, Natalie, tell me about yourself.”
I spent the next twenty minutes answering her mundane questions, always keeping my answers simple and general until
she began asking about the things I read, if I visited the local palm reader, and if I believed in the supernatural.
“Well, yes, I have gone to visit Neevie, but I never take what she says to heart. She is a sweet woman who I enjoy visiting with.” I finished the last bit of coffee in my cup and took a breath. “As for the supernatural, isn’t that a show on TV?” I tried to joke, but her face didn’t crack. “No, really, that’s just a fantasy created by amazing authors to help us escape the mundane reality of everyday life. Do I believe it really exists? No.” I wadded up my napkin and placed it on the table. “Now I do need to get going. My mother is expecting me home for lunch.” My stomach growled at that exact moment, giving my words a surprise validity.
“Natalie, there you are.” Stephen’s voice blanketed me in warmth as he approached from another table. “I thought it was you when I came in.” He smiled and extended a hand to Dr. Day. “Hello, I’m Stephen, a friend of Nat’s.”
Dr. Day hesitated and then pasted a fake smile on her face as she briefly shook his hand. “The pleasure is mine. I still have a few more questions, Natalie, if you don’t mind.” Her attention swiveled back toward me.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Day, but Nat’s mom really does need her at home. I was actually on a mission to find her when I took a break to come enjoy the best coffee in town.” Stephen’s smile was still sweet and friendly.
In fact, he had been at the shop since Dr. Day had entered, hidden in the shadows of a corner and away from prying eyes. I looked up at him as I grabbed my purse. “I won’t tell. You know Mom doesn’t like when you deviate.” I laughed. “Sandy, do you want to join us?” I raised an eyebrow in question as I stood, Stephen placing his hand at my lower back to help calm the nerves jumping along my skin.
“Nah, I have an appointment with my aesthetician. Today is waxing day. I need to get going myself.” She blew me off, putting on a show for Dr. Day. Her theory was the less interest she showed in my friendship, the less likely her dad would keep digging into me.
“Okay, well call me later if you want.” I waved and let Stephen lead me outside. He pulled me around the corner of the building and stopped. “What are we doing?” I whispered.
“We are waiting. If my gut is right, she will be calling and checking in soon. She won’t want to make that phone call inside, so if we are lucky, she will do it right outside. I want to listen and see if I can catch the conversation. I don’t like her.” He peeked around the corner, watching for Dr. Day to exit.
“I don’t either.” I shivered. “But I am glad to be away from her annoying voice.”
Stephen chuckled softly. “Agreed, now hush. She just came out.” He leaned back against the building with one ear toward the street, and I watched as his eyes changed to those of his wolf and his eyelids lowered.
I held my breath as if the lack of my breathing would help him hear better. I watched his face for any reaction and didn’t like what I saw. His forehead scrunched down, and his eyebrows lowered almost touching between his eyes. He grabbed my hand. “We need to go,” and pulled me towards a small silver car parked at the other end of the alley. I stayed quiet until Stephen pulled out onto the road.
“What has you so worried?”
“I need to share with Wyatt what I heard first. All I can say is Dr. Day and Sandy’s father should fear his wrath.” He patted my leg, eyes still on the road. “Don’t worry, Wyatt will take care of the issue.”
“Again I ask, who is Wyatt, and why would she fear his wrath?”
Stephen finally took his eyes off the road at the next stop and stared straight into mine.
“Would you want to piss off a dragon?”
“Oh.” I breathed as my heart hitched its pace up a notch. Nope, I sure wouldn’t.
18
Wyatt
I left a coded voicemail for Leo. I tried Jerome as well, only to have the answering machine pick up at the compound. I sent a short text to Sterling. If anyone knew where the pack was besides the alpha, it would be him. While I waited, I decided another sweep of the town would help calm both myself and my dragon. For me, it would help keep an eye on the members of The Resistance and for Drago to ensure she was still safe.
Staying a part of the crowd in this small town was proving harder than I had anticipated. Being over six foot and on the top side of two hundred fifty pounds dressed in dark leather, biker boots, and dark denim wasn’t the normal male body type walking down these country streets. I grabbed a pair of sunglasses at the corner store to cover my color-shifting eyes. A hoodie and backpack finished the change from menacing serial killer to short-term tourist. With the sunglasses, I could let Drago surface without bringing attention to myself. Walking around a small town with glowing eyes might freak some people out. I didn’t need to start a riot, and I reminded Drago of the same as we walked.
He picked up her scent in front of an older building along with the scent of aged books, magic, and another shifter. It became harder to keep Drago focused on our goal of finding the next meeting spot of The Resistance members as we came across each spot in town that she frequented. By the time we reached the street she must live on, I was ready to give into our desires and hunt her down. Every whiff of her scent ignited a fire within my blood. It began as a hum I could box up and ignore, but the hum graduated to a purr that set my nerve endings alight.
At the junction of her street, the clothes encasing my skin felt too tight, and the purr was now a raging fire that needed to be extinguished. Drago was half mad with desire to go to her and roaring in my head so loud I clamped my hands over my ears. I couldn’t change here, and I couldn’t go to her now. The thought of her safety and how I had already made her a target was the only thing keeping me rooted where I was.
Stephen found me sitting on the curb, head between my knees and hands still over my ears. I don’t know how long I had sat that way, but his touch was my saving grace.
“Hey, Wyatt.” He hissed as his fingers touched the bare skin below my sleeve. “Hey, man. It’s okay, just breathe.”
He sat next to me keeping contact, and I felt the pressure inside release slowly. The drive to go to her faded until it was manageable again, and Drago curled up in a corner of my mind, exhausted from the strain. I took a deep breath and released it as the rest of my body relaxed.
“There you are.” Stephen let go of my wrist slumping in on himself. “You okay, man?”
I rubbed my hands through my hair. “I am now.” I examined the exhausted look on his face. Worry nudged at me that he may have taken too much. “I’m lucky you came along. I don’t know how long I would have been able to hold off. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He waved off my concern. “Hold off from what?” Stephen asked, fully aware of my answer.
“Giving into my dragon and his need to protect our mate.”
“Why do you fight it so?” Stephen asked with genuine interest in his eyes. “It’s a gift from the fates when you find your mate. Why do you resist it so much?”
“I’ll only put her in danger.” I stood and stretched. “I’m no good for her. If she ties her life to mine, she will always be a target. As the mate to the last dragon, she will be my one weakness.” I growled. “I can’t have a weakness.”
Stephen stayed where he sat. “Maybe you should look at it differently. She might be your strength, the strength you need to rebuild.” He chuckled. “You should meet her. I think you’ll be surprised at how strong she is.” He stood and dusted himself off. “You need to give her a chance, acknowledge her. Sooner rather than later.” He patted my shoulder, one of the few shifters allowed to touch me in such a familiar way. “I’ll leave you to decide. Natalie and her mother are expecting me for dinner.” He began slowly strolling down the sidewalk. “I’m sure Mrs. Seraphim would be glad to have an extra body at dinner if you’re hungry.”
I was so tired of fighting; my feet began to move before my mind had decided. My stomach rumbled at the thought of food, but four steps down the sidewalk,
a voice whispered over the wind. “It’s not time.” With the voice came the acrid smell I had associated with the local group of Resistance members. Drago perked up, and we agreed the threat needed to be eliminated before we could claim her for good.
“Another time, Stephen. I still have a job to finish,” I called and spun on my heels to follow the burnt sulfur scent. I agreed with Drago. It was time to eliminate the threat once and for all.
The trail wove through town past the abandoned warehouse from earlier, up the hill, past the house of the leader, and into the woods beyond. I switched gears to being a man on a mission to blend into my surroundings and kept my footfalls lighter than air. I found another circle like the first one I had stumbled upon about two hundred yards past the property line. Again, the stench of death warned me of the vampires before I saw them. This time I was prepared. Their information would be crucial to how I decided to deal with the threat.
Knowing Stephen was with her allowed me to fully focus on the task at hand: capture a vampire without alarming his nest mates or the members of The Resistance meeting tonight. I prowled the perimeter of the group, considering each one as I passed them, taking the time to choose the weakest link. Drago smiled his toothy grin when we found him, the youngest and the one closest to the inner circle of members. I scanned the surrounding area and chose a point above on a jagged ledge that had an overhanging of rocks.
Maneuvering into position took longer than I wanted, and my inner dragon’s patience was thin as a fairy’s wing by the time I settled in. Not only was this the best vantage point to capture the vamp, but it was also the best acoustically for me to listen in on the meeting. Valmyre was again the center of attention as he laid out his plans. I lay flat on my stomach, blending into the rock ledge, and scooted closer to keep all parties in my sight. I needed to know his plans before I attempted to capture the vamp.
Most of the meeting was much the same as the last one, plans on capturing and killing the last dragon to prove their worth to The Resistance, blah, blah, blah. It was when they mentioned her name and their change in plans that both Drago and I perked up.
Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 287