by Kari Thomas
Her smile disappeared when she thought about what had happened. It was scary enough to know that her stalker was some kind of weird being capable of doing a lot of harm. At this point, she even wondered if it was possible for it to be human. What bothered her most was it had nearly killed two very skilled fighters at one time.
What was this being and why was it after her?
How was she going to be able to stop it?
Chapter Eleven
Reed Bowen parked his car at the entrance to his driveway. Slade’s red Hummer and a red Thunderbird sat in the driveway. Red. Of course. He growled under his breath. The time wasn’t here yet, but the impatience to have everything completed was eating away at him. He knew he had to be cautious. He’d planned this for over twenty-six years. One wrong step and everything would be ruined.
Slade was just smart enough to catch even the slightest misstep. Damn bird was always one step ahead of him. He knew Slade would rush back to the compound when the news came that Ansel had taken sick. He’d counted on the shifter’s soul-deep loyalty to the Clan to make him leave Summer and check on Ansel. What Reed hadn’t counted on was the back-up moving in. He’d forgotten all about the little brat Aleta. She was very seldom off the compound, and he hadn’t thought of the possibility of Slade calling her in to watch Summer. Frustration ate at him. He’d had to cancel his plan and return to his hunting lodge. It set him back a few days, but he’d figure something out. His adopted daughter was his ace-in-the-hole, and he relished the moment when he could use her to his best advantage.
He got out of his car and walked up the driveway. He had to wonder if Summer’s stalker had showed up while he was gone. That bothered him. There was a player in the game, and he had no idea who it was or what he wanted. He didn’t like the thought of someone intruding in his well-laid plans and messing them up. He hoped Slade managed to catch the bastard.
A few feet from the front door he stopped, hearing Slade and Aleta talking. Their voices were low, but his sharp hearing could hear the conversation clearly. He stepped to the side of the house corner and listened.
“I’m telling you the truth, Slade,” Aleta insisted in a low harsh tone. “I shouldn’t have healed that quickly. That monster threw me across half an acre! I know I had broken bones and bleeding. But when I came to, there wasn’t an injury on me anywhere. She sat there looking innocent and talking about me hitting my head. Later—not even fifteen minutes later—while I was talking to you on the phone that cat of hers suddenly felt better. I know he had broken ribs, I could see it. Then, he was fine. He followed her to the kitchen, and she fed him.” Aleta blew out a frustrated breath. “That monster nearly killed us both, and yet here we are, fine now.”
Slade muttered several curses. Reed could tell he was furious. Damn. Had Summer been foolish enough to expose her healing powers? What the hell was Aleta talking about when she said monster? He’d assumed the stalker was nothing more than a human male with trouble on his agenda. But…monster? What the hell was going on here?
Slade growled low and dangerous. “If you’re right…” He frowned. “It’s not possible. Granted, I’ve heard of natural born healers. There are many of them in the world, but they’re human. None of them were born specifically to heal dragon shifters. Our co-clan healers were all killed. Something isn’t adding up here, Aleta. We can’t assume she’s…”
“Why the hell not?”
“Watch your mouth, little bird.” Slade sloughed out a rough sigh. “Because it’s not possible. No one escaped that massacre. We searched for survivors for days. The entire Fabrizio clan was wiped out. There wasn’t much left of the village either.”
“I don’t understand. You said there was proof Air Dragons had been behind the attack, but why would they do that? The Fabrizio were your healers. Why would they go behind Ruliard’s back to do such a horrific thing?”
“It’s a mystery we never solved, unfortunately. The murderers disappeared, and not long after that we had to evacuate the island.”
Reed listened to the disgust and rage tinting Slade’s tone and smiled. That’s not the only thing you didn’t know, buddy. There was one survivor. I made sure of it.
Aleta sighed. “So, Summer isn’t what I was hoping she was. But, I’m telling you, Slade. She can heal a shifter. Maybe we should ask her to help Ruliard and Ansel?”
No way in hell. Reed stiffened. He wasn’t about to let Summer anywhere near that compound. If she ever discovered what Slade and the rest were, there was no telling what she’d do.
He’d spent the last twenty-one years secretly encouraging Summer’s fear, being overprotective and keeping her vulnerable. Everything he did was to manipulate her into becoming weak-willed and reliant on him. She’d grown up being scared of every dark shadow and feeling like she had to hide from the world. She didn’t know he knew her secret or that he was the one behind the slaughter of her entire family. Plans he’d put into motion decades ago were now coming to fruition, and he had to be extremely careful in the way he handled Summer. He needed her compliant in every way.
“We can’t do that,” Slade muttered, frustrated. “We can’t risk exposure. Damn it all to hell.”
He’d counted on Slade saying that. What if he got desperate enough to change his mind, and he came back to Summer for help? Reed would have to step up with his plans. Neutralize Slade before he took the chance that Summer would be willing to help.
He stepped from around the corner of the house and greeted them with a gruff hello. “How did the vigil go, Slade? Any trouble while I was gone?”
* * * *
Slade’s eyes narrowed as he studied Reed. Why had the man walked up to the house instead of driving? Lately Reed was acting off, as though he had other things on his mind that had nothing to do with his job or his daughter. Slade shook his head. He’d already decided not to tell Reed about the monster. No sense in bringing something supernatural to his attention.
Summer had agreed. She was still shaken up after the incident, but she was smart enough to realize Reed wouldn’t believe the story anyway. Slade was still surprised how easily she’d accepted the fact a strange being had attacked. Despite her sweet vulnerability, she had inner strength he couldn’t help but admire. He was beginning to realize almost everything about her intrigued him.
That acceptance didn’t sit well with him. Being attracted to her wasn’t good in any way; he was sure of it. But he thought about her constantly, even when he had other priorities to deal with. It didn’t take any effort to recall the sweetness of her mouth or the exquisite softness of her body pressed up against his hard, aching one.
“All was quiet,” he answered Reed, determinedly pushing away the unwanted thoughts of how Summer made him feel. “Are you staying home for the night? Good, then Aleta and I will leave. I’ll be staying in town for a few days, so I’ll be around to check on Summer.”
Not just check on her. He planned to watch her every move. He didn’t like the fact that a supernatural force had tried to attack, and he wasn’t about to let it get the chance again. He was furious he hadn’t been there to protect her. The thought of her being in danger made his dragon rumble in anger. His protective instincts where she was concerned were already out of control. He didn’t have to like it, but he couldn’t deny he would do anything in his power to keep her safe.
Then there was the incident with the healing. Was Aleta right? He thought over what she’d told him. Was it possible that she was unconscious long enough that her own dragon power healed her before she woke up? Dragons could heal broken bones, wounds, and outer harm to their bodies, but they couldn’t heal internal bleeding. He shook his head. Aleta had to be wrong. Although, she’d said Leo was injured and then fine later. How do you explain that? He shook his head.
It didn’t matter if Summer was a natural born healer. She was human. She couldn’t help shifters, especially dragons, and she couldn’t be allowed to know of their existence.
Slade and Aleta made a show of lea
ving, saying goodbye to Reed and each other. They planned to meet at Slade’s apartment. He didn’t like it, but he would have to have Aleta’s help in the surveillance and guarding of Summer. He couldn’t be there every minute; Ruliard and Ansel needed him to find out what had caused their illness. He didn’t want to pull any of the Firestorm Security team off guard at the compound, so that left Aleta. Just like a thousand times before, he was thankful his little bird had turned out to be one tough woman. She may be only twenty, but she had the strength and knowledge all dragon shifters carried in their DNA, and she used it to her best advantage.
He’d wanted to talk to Summer again before he left. He hated seeing that vulnerability in her eyes. It had taken a lot of self-control not to pull her into his arms and hold her there, safe. Aleta had told him she’d taught Summer a few defense moves and he felt a little better knowing she’d use them if she had to.
Instead of showing any weakness toward her, he’d brusquely told her to be alert and careful and that he’d check on her again. He’d seen something—some unnamed emotion—flash in her eyes at his command and his heart had raced. One look from her and he was ready to play cave-man, grab her, and take her someplace safe where they could be alone.
Hellfire. He had to get better control. If he didn’t stop this obsession with her, there was going to be hell to pay. He had to start thinking of her as a job and nothing more. He had to stop thinking of her as a woman.
A human woman who could easily steal his heart and his soul.
Chapter Twelve
She’d actually managed to make it to her office without jumping at every little shadow or imaginary movement around her. Reed had told her Slade would be nearby, watching out for her, and that had made it easier to go to work. She didn’t see him, but she did feel his presence near. She’d felt him at the house as she was leaving. Leo had even known he was there, somewhere. The big cat growled and chuffed and sniffed the air. She would have been scared at his actions if she hadn’t immediately recognized it was Slade he was sensing near.
She didn’t want to analyze why she could sense him or the way it made her feel. She hadn’t been able to think of much else since that erotic kiss in the kitchen, not even about the danger she was still in. Her mind and thoughts were constantly filled with Slade. I must be as weak-willed as they come if I can’t control my thoughts anymore.
Her appointment book was full, and the day passed uneventful as she counseled her clients. It felt good to concentrate on something else for a change. Her children meant a lot to her. She’d dedicated her life to helping them, and it had become a lifeline to her, too. Counseling them strengthened her when nothing else could.
It was almost five o’clock when she said goodbye to her last client for the day. Just as she was gathering up her papers and putting them in her briefcase, her door opened and Aleta walked in. Without knocking. That woman was comfortable in any place she walked into. Summer envied that.
“Hey, Summer,” Aleta gave her a big smile. “Ready to go home?”
Confused, she looked past Aleta, searching for Slade. Come to think of it, she hadn’t felt him near for an hour or so. “You don’t have to escort me home, Aleta,” she told her, smiling back. “I’m fine. Um. Where is Slade?”
“Out cold back at the apartment. He’s been up for over forty hours, alternating between watching you and then going back and forth to the…uh…to our relative’s house. Two of them are very ill, and Slade is trying to keep a close watch on them.”
“I’m sorry. Have they been to see a doctor?” Aleta was staring at her in a very odd way. Summer’s heart raced for a few moments. Did she suspect her injuries the other day had been more serious and that Summer had healed her? No. It wasn’t possible. People didn’t believe in natural healers. Not in this era.
“We have our own family physician,” Aleta explained, and Summer got the impression she was choosing her words carefully. “It’s just that these two are very…dear to us, and we’re worried they are more seriously ill than first suspected.”
Her first instinct was to blurt out that she’d be willing to see if she could help. Luckily, she bit her bottom lip in time to keep from saying the words aloud. How crazy would that be? She’d spent her entire life hiding her secret and now had nearly exposed it several times already in the past few days.
“Do you like Italian?”
Summer blinked at the change of subject. She nodded her head. “Yes. It’s my favorite.”
“Good,” Aleta held the door open for her. “I’ve cooked an entire meal, and I need someone to help me eat it. Slade is sure to sleep for another twelve hours or more, so I don’t intend to share it with him.”
“Where?” Why had Aleta’s words sounded way too intimate, about sharing it with Slade? Did they live together?
“Back at Slade’s apartment. We stay there when either of us has to be in town for longer than a day or night.”
Summer hesitated. Even though she’d known Slade was watching her for hours on end, it wasn’t the same as having to see him again face to face.
“Come on, scaredy-cat.” Aleta took her arm. “I told you. He’ll be asleep. Trust me, when that man sleeps, he is gone. One time I had to throw cold water in his face to wake him. He’d been on a case non-stop for a week and was about to drop with exhaustion before he decided to take a rest. Then, kerplop! He was asleep so deep nothing could wake him.” She giggled. “Man, you should have seen his face when I hit him with that cold water! I had to avoid him for weeks after!”
Aleta decided they would take her car and come back later to pick up Summer’s. She chatted non-stop all the way to the apartment. Summer felt comfortable with the younger woman. It was as though they’d known each other all their lives. She’d never had a best friend; her life had been too sheltered, too isolated. If she’d met Aleta earlier in life she had no doubt they would have been very close.
Yet, she couldn’t help but wish Aleta didn’t have such an intimate connection to Slade.
She called Reed at the police station and told him where she would be so he wouldn’t worry. Oddly enough, he seemed okay with it. That’s a first. Fifteen minutes later Aleta drove into a huge, underground parking building. After checking to make sure the area was clear, they got out. They took the elevator marked Penthouse, and Summer had to hold back her gasp. The apartment was more like a Condo. It was on the top floor of an expensive ten-floor high rise in the middle of the city. The Security was top-notch. She’d never seen a place with such extensive defense measures.
The private elevator opened directly into the huge formal living room. Aleta dropped Summer’s briefcase and purse on the end table next to the door and waved her in. “By the way, how is the kitty?”
“Leo?” Summer tried to keep from staring at all the luxury surrounding her. It was more extravagant than Reed’s home, and that was stating a lot. “He’s disgruntled. He doesn’t like having Slade near.”
“That’s okay. I take over the next shift. And we get along fine. He’s a great fighting partner. Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of that. Let’s get something to eat.”
Aleta led her through the living room and into a huge galley-style kitchen equipped with the latest appliances. The rich aroma of Italian foods filled the space and made Summer’s stomach growl. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, hadn’t had the time with her packed schedule. They sat at the bar instead of at the formal dining table and talked comfortably as they ate. Still, Summer was constantly aware that somewhere in the big apartment Slade slept. Try as hard as she could, she still couldn’t get the picture of him in bed out of her mind. How did he sleep? Did he wear pajama bottoms or did he sleep in the nude? She nearly choked as she swallowed a bite of food as the picture of a naked Slade instantly burned into her mind, and her body burned right along with it.
“Too much spice?” Aleta asked. “You’re flushed.”
She shook her head, unable to admit what had caused the body blush. I’ve got t
o stop thinking about him. “Just thinking that I’m being a pig like Leo and eating too much.”
Aleta laughed. “You can never eat too much Italian! You should see Slade devour it. He eats enough to feed several pigs!”
Summer studied the younger woman. Come to think of it, she had eaten a lot too. More than most women her age would at one sitting. “Your metabolism must be great,” she commented. “You’re way too slender to eat like you do.”
“I work out constantly. It was Slade’s number one rule when I got old enough to be more independent. He won’t let me slack off at anytime.”
She hated herself for being jealous of the way Aleta talked so intimately about Slade. She realized their relationship had to be a lot like hers and Reed’s, but that little green monster wouldn’t stop hinting it was more.
Aleta’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller I.D. and then answered with a “Report.” Summer couldn’t help but notice how one minute she appeared to be a normal young woman, and the next she was all professional, almost military. How odd.
“Any photos this time? Good. Get them back to the compound without delay. Have Dorian develop them immediately. Slade will be there shortly.”
Aleta’s features suddenly paled. Summer leaned forward, worried at how quick the paleness changed to a dark, dangerous frown.
“What? When? Damn it, don’t…” She broke the call off with a snarl that sent shivers up Summer’s spine. “I can’t believe this!” She jumped off the bar stool and ran an agitated hand through her hair. “Of all the lousy timing!”
She swung her gaze to Summer. “Summer, I wasn’t kidding when I said Slade sleeps deeply, but you’re going to have to wake him. Tell him I’m in pursuit and will check in with him as soon as I can. Damn. He’s going to kill me. You’re safe here, so don’t worry.” Before Summer could ask for any more information Aleta ran out of the room, her speed incredibly fast, and she was gone in mere moments.