by Jules Tyler
“I know all of the people up here will warn you off of Elijah. Trust me when I say they’re wrong to do so. If what I heard is true, it sounds like he’s your intended. Be patient with him. He’s a good man with a heart of gold; he’s just been a little lost and confused the last little while,” Desmond said before turning on his heel and walking towards the watchtower.
Candace stared after him with a confused look on her face, “Well that was… Different.”
I like him.
“Of course you do. He thinks you’re right.” Candace frowned.
Because I am
Chapter Ten
Elijah sat leaning against the tree next to Duke’s porch, watching Candace mill about in the living room. Watching her reminded him of Mama, constantly on the move, always tidyin’ up things out of nervous habit. That was how he could tell Mama was thinking about something important, which was making him question if Candace was doing that same thing right now.
Maybe she’s thinking about us. Maybe she’s changing her mind.
“Highly unlikely, Wolf. We need to figure this shit out though,” Elijah mused.
We need you to get over your commitment issues. Just look at her. So submissive and quiet.
She needs someone to bring out the risk taker under her skin.
Almost as if she was reading Elijah’s mind, she locked eyes with him. Ducking her head and brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen in her face, Elijah noticed a slight blush spreading across her cheeks. Smiling, he stood and started to cross towards the door to Duke’s cabin when something caught his eye.
Around the corner of the cabin, a panther was trying, and failing, to blend in with its surroundings. Elijah motioned for Candace to stay put and dodged around the side of the house. Not bothering to shed his clothes first, he felt his bones pop and shift into place and watched as the fur burst out of his body. Slamming down on the ground, he rounded the corner and jumped on top of the panther, giving himself the element of surprise.
Growling and snarling, he ripped and pulled at the panther’s back and neck. Tossing his body weight towards the left, he flipped and rolled the panther onto its back. Digging his paws into the panther’s chest, he rocked upwards and shoved down on its diaphragm repeatedly, trying his hardest to knock the wind out of it. Lifting his head in a battle howl, he didn’t see the paw coming towards his chest. With a hard smack of the panther’s claws, he went sprawling into the tree. Elijah felt the breath leave his lungs and struggled to find it again as a black wolf with a white patch of fur on its chest came bounding around the corner towards him and the panther who was now stalking its prey.
Elijah growled a warning at both of the creatures as he struggled to get back to his feet. One against one was fair, but two against one was cheating. Preparing himself to fight to the death, he watched as the black wolf slammed into the panther, teeth and claws clashing. Elijah watched in awe as the wolf fought with grace and worked alone better than most would in a pack. The wolf tore into the panther’s shoulder and down it went, much like Achilles and his heel.
Mate came for us. Can you smell her?
Elijah furrowed his brow. No, that couldn’t be right. How hard had he hit his head against that tree?
A crack of a gun interrupted his thoughts and the fight. The wolf paused, powerful jaws wrapped around the panther’s jugular. Elijah followed the sound to see McKinzy standing in full fury, gun trained on the fighting pair.
“Shift back. All of you. Now,” she gritted out, dominance wafting off of her like heat from a fire.
There was a shift in the air as fur became skin and bones cracked back into place to create human forms. Elijah found himself covering his now partially hard member as he gazed over to where the two animals had been fighting to find Candace folding her arms around herself to cover as much of her naked body as she could. He smiled to himself as it dawned on him that she had been the fierce wolf that had come to his aid.
I told you I could smell Mate.
Elijah didn’t have it within him to argue. She wasn’t human. She was wolf, like him. He had to clench his jaw to keep it from dropping. His only true argument for staying away from her was now discredited, and now he had to make her his.
“Who are you and what the fuck are you doing on my mountain?” McKinzy demanded of the stranger, who was now lying on the ground holding his hand to his neck to stop the bleeding as best he could.
“None of your god damned business,” the stranger spat.
“The fuck it’s not my god damned business. You came on my mountain. You entered my territory. Now you’re going to tell me who you are before I set my mate and the rest of my crew on you. You’re lucky I didn’t let Candi here end you for me,” she snarled in response.
“That’s right, you can’t eat me because you can’t shift right now, can you? Pity, you just got here and now you’re pregnant? Loneliness must’ve made you desperate, McKinzy. Funny, I always thought you dragons were more concerned about being able to protect themselves. It seems that is not the case anymore,” The man sneered at her, obviously trying to get a rise out of her so she would lose her temper and prove him right that she couldn’t shift in response.
It only took two long strides for McKinzy to drop the gun and be a on top of the man, her fist colliding with his face, “Who do you work for? How do you know that? How long have you been watching me? Watching us?”
In an instant, Adrian was hauling McKinzy off of the man, and Duke was dragging him backwards by the hair. Elijah could see tears of frustration and anger rolling down her face.
“You done gone and pissed off the dragon lady, dumbass. Now why don’t you tell us who you are?” Duke taunted as he held the stranger against the tree by his neck.
The stranger spit in Duke’s face, “Go to hell, you cocksucker.”
Duke wiped his face off with his hand, looking as though it was taking a large amount of effort to restrain himself, “I’ve already been there and back. I’m done playing nice. There’s a good amount of shifters in this prison camp that would be itching to play with a man they haven’t met before. I think we will go meet them. What do you think, McKinzy, should we toss him in with the bears or the big cats first? Oh, you know, I’m pretty sure that we haven’t let the bears have fun in a while. I think they’d enjoy playing with this one.”
His eyes grew round, “You’re bluffing.”
Desmond and Jasper appeared from the shadows as Desmond spoke, “We both can assure you, he’s not. He worked with the task force. He specializes in interrogation techniques and tactical defense. We’ve both escaped the mafia up north. So tell me, would you rather face them or us? Because I can promise you, neither experience is going to be pleasant if you don’t start talking now.”
Elijah watched as the stranger’s demeanor changed when he realized they weren’t bluffing, “My name is Anthony Williams. I work with the new task force that specializes in rogue shifter defense.”
“Rogue shifter defense?” Adrian asked, releasing McKinzy and crossing over to where Anthony and Duke were standing.
“When the prison population started becoming too large, a group was assembled to keep notes on who was here and why,” Anthony stammered as Duke slowly released his throat.
“What concern is it of theirs? The government knows who they’ve dumped here and why. Isn’t that all that matters?” McKinzy folded her arms in disbelief.
“The task force and the government believe that you are all building an army here. That there are shifters unaccounted for living here. Much like Alicia and Candace are,” Anthony glanced at both women before looking back at McKinzy.
“You say that like that it’s a bad thing. The staff that live here aren’t inmates. We are law abiding citizens, and last I checked, there wasn’t a law against us taking mates or having families while we are working here.” McKinzy lifted her lip in a snarl, looking as though she was trying to calculate his next move.
“It’s not against the law
. It’s highly suspicious that there is now a dragon shifter, most likely one of the last ones left, watching over a camp of rogue shifters. Almost as if someone was planning a rebellion. That is what is raising concerns within the government,” Anthony slowly looked more and more ill as he discussed the details.
“Are you the ones who sent Cole up here after me?” McKinzy raised an eyebrow in Suspicion.
“Who?” He frowned in confusion.
“You don’t know who Cole is? Do you know where Wyatt Michaelson is?” Adrian asked from where he sat next to the tree closest to Elijah.
“No one I work with is aware of a Cole ever coming up here. We just started watching the camp around the same time Alicia showed up. We’ve been looking for Michaelson ever since we realized who McKinzy was or why she was here. Now she’s producing children and everyone is concerned that there will be more dragons to deal with.”
“He’s right, about all of it,” Isabelle walked forward from the cabin toward the group. Jasper turned toward Isabelle, “What do you mean he’s right?”
“I mean he is telling the truth. It’s why I came up here in the first place. I was the one originally keeping tabs on everyone, remember? But I defected to be up here and help you guys figure out who was behind Cole. I was the only one who knew and I withheld the information to keep the force in the dark as much as I could,” she explained, keeping her eyes trained on Anthony daring him to challenge what she was saying.
“This is stuff we already knew. The only thing we didn’t know was that you kept Cole a secret. This still doesn’t answer the question of why do they care who is here?” McKinzy glanced at her as she asked the question. Slowly McKinzy looked as though she was growing more and more angry about the situation.
“Because they think that there is someone here who is tied to that extremist group, Firebirds. At first they thought it was McKinzy, because dragons tend to stick together. Obviously that doesn’t seem to be the case. So we’ve been tailing everyone since Isabelle defected to try and figure out if it’s staff or rogue that is causing the problem,” Anthony replied.
“That’s what we’ve spent the last month trying to figure out. It’s why Alicia was here. From the sounds of it, you guys are after the same people that went through her house. That’s why Candace showed up,” Jasper piped up. “So where do we go from here?”
“His voice rang true with every word. I’m just concerned we might not be getting the full story.” Duke narrowed his eyes at Anthony, as though he were trying to read his mind and soul.
“Then it’s settled. He gets to stay here until we get more answers,” McKinzy nodded, turning on her heel and stalking back towards the cabins. “Let’s go, Duke.”
Elijah walked over towards Candace, “Thank you for coming to help me. I know you didn’t have to.”
Candace looked more self-conscious as she hugged herself tighter, “I didn’t get a choice. My wolf heard your cry and took control. I didn’t even realize what was happening until McKinzy was ordered me to change back.”
“Well then tell her I said thank you. I think you both saved my pelt today. I owe you.” Elijah smiled.
“She says you’re welcome.” Candace stared at her feet.
“Why are you covering yourself up like that? Don’t you realize how beautiful you are? Both of you are. Your wolf has that brilliant white patch that kind of looks like the North Star. You should embrace your beauty.” Elijah canted his head with concern.
Mate is beautiful. Make her feel beautiful.
Candace straightened a little, “You don’t think she’s a monster?”
“If by monster, you mean a badass, sure I think she’s a monster. I wish you could’ve see her in action. It was amazing. I haven’t seen a female fight that fiercely since my mother…” Elijah trailed off.
“Since your mother?” Candace asked.
“Another story for another day, I’m afraid. Now, what is it going to take to convince you to go out with me tonight?” Elijah pried.
Candace giggled, the sound was music to Elijah’s ears, “How about we put clothes on first and then you can try to bribe me into a date, Casanova?”
“Hey, that’s better than an all-out rejection, so I’ll take it!” Elijah exclaimed, fighting the urge to scoop her up in a hug.
They stopped at the edge of Duke’s porch and Elijah used his free hand to tilt her face up to look him in the eyes. Her eyes looked sweeter that the best chocolate frosting. He couldn’t believe he this was his intended. She certainly wasn’t what he had expected in a mate at all.
“Elijah?” Candace whispered.
“Yeah?” He asked distractedly.
“We’re still naked.” She giggled again.
“Oh right.” He smiled, removing his hand from her face and letting her walk to Duke’s door, “I’ll see you at six. Be ready for a night of fun.”
“Deal.” She smiled the most confident smile he had seen from her yet, and it made him feel like a million bucks.
Chapter Eleven
“Did I just hear Elijah say he’d see you at six?” Alicia asked from her perch at the table full of surveillance equipment.
“Uh… Kind of?” Candace hesitated.
“So you aren’t going to take my advice about this one?” Alicia set one of the cameras down and looked at her.
“Something is different about him, something that doesn’t seem to make me feel like he’s a playboy. I think… I think he’s kind of broken like me.” Candace leaned against the door.
Feeling the cool surface against her bare bottom, she remembered she needed to get showered and dressed.
“Just promise me that you won’t get too attached too soon, okay?” Alicia said warily, eyeing her friend.
“I promise.” Candace rolled her eyes.
“Candi, I’m being serious. Take Okami with you tonight at least, okay? Maybe he can keep you out of trouble.”
“Keep me out of trouble? What about you? You’re the one who came to Idaho for Duke and didn’t bother to tell me! Now I show up to find out you’ve been holed up in this cabin in the woods with your ex acting like the last few years without him didn’t ever happen. Explain to me how that makes sense, Alicia. Explain to me how the last time I saw you, you had finally gotten over him, and now you’re back in his arms again.”
“That’s not fair, and you know it,” Alicia muttered, giving Candace a look that told her that she was trying to decide whether to claw her eyes out or not.
“Not fair? How is that not fair? I’m asking a simple question. You know what’s not fair? What Duke did to you all those years ago! That wasn’t fair! He left you Alicia, without batting a goddamned eye over it or even giving you a fucking explanation. Then what happened? I had to come clean up the mess that Hurricane Duke had left in his path. How can you trust him after that?”
“He didn’t have a choice. He was trying to protect me.” Alicia locked eyes with Candace. “From what?”
“Those people we were undercover with? They figured him out. He left to keep me safe and to not tip them off. He went into hiding, in hopes it would throw them off of my scent and keep me safe.”
Candace blew out a breath as she absorbed the information Alicia had just given her, “Shit.”
“Yeah, shit.” Alicia grew quiet, staring at a spot on the wall.
“Wanna hug it out?” Candace laughed.
“Nope, not one single bit. Now go put some damn clothes on before Duke shows up to your naked party and assumes we’re having a threesome or some weird shit like that,” Alicia teased, before focusing again on the camera.
Candace walked back to her bag that was now set on the couch. Thank goodness Duke had gone and gotten her stuff today, or she would have to go naked. Gathering her favorite green tank top, a pair of jean shorts, and her lucky lacy blue panty set, she walked back to Alicia’s and Duke’s bathroom to shower. Reaching down to scratch her leg, she realized how long it had been since she had shaved her legs, too.
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br /> “Hey Leesh, do you have an extra razer I can borrow and some shaving cream?” Candace called from the bathroom doorway.
“In the bottom drawer under the sink!”
Opening the bottom drawer, she found the supplies she needed and stepped into the shower. As she let the warm water pour over her body, she thought back to the last time she had been on a date with someone. Had it really been eight years since she had been on a date? Zeke. Wow. Such a long time ago. Sadness filled her heart as she thought of memories she had shared with him and how much she had trusted him.
Things will get better now. Trust me.
“I don’t trust anyone,” Candace said out loud as she scrubbed the loofa over her dirt-and-blood covered body.
You should trust me. We share a body. I know things.
“Oh yeah, and what do you know about love? We’ve never even lost our virginity, let alone been on a date with someone since Zeke,” Candace argued.
I’m a part of you. I remember the pain. I know your sorrow. I know better than anyone what could make you happy. You were meant to be a wolf. Today proved that.
“Today proved nothing.”
Today proved you will always protect your heart. You don’t love Elijah yet, but you know he is important.
Candace grew silent as she shut the water off and started to dry off her body. The she-wolf was right. She would always protect her heart. It was why she hadn’t been on a date since Zeke. It was why she came after Alicia. It was why she kept Okami around. She had managed to surround herself with people and animals that would protect her, even when she couldn’t protect herself.
“You’re sure I should ignore Alicia’s warning about him?” Candace asked as she stared in the mirror at her reflection.
Yes, I am positive. Now get dressed. We have a mate to impress.
Chapter Twelve
Elijah knocked on Duke’s door at exactly six and smiled when Duke opened it. “Since when do you knock before entering my house?” He asked, looking extremely confused as he did so.