"Okay, but the offer stands. Let me know if you change your mind," Tammy said with a forced smile.
"I will." Mary grimaced. Great, now she felt bad about depressing her friend. Just what she needed: even more guilt. But faking cheerful was tough when all she really wanted to do was head home and climb into bed for a good cry.
The bartender, John Keats, was a burly man in his fifties. In a smooth pass, he refilled Tammy's drink and hefted his furry brow in a silent inquiry. Mary waved him off. She doubted she'd finish the wine in her glass. The two women waited until he moved away to resume their conversation.
"You're not telling me everything, are you?" Tammy aimed one of those looks that forbade further deception. She had what it would take to make a great mother someday...if she ever met a man capable of surviving her nuclear bluntness.
Mary heaved a heavy sigh. "Elle was pregnant. I lost two sheep."
"Oh, honey, that sucks." Tammy patted her friend's hand.
"To top it off, Gene quit last week, so I'm without a shepherd." Mary drained the rest of her chardonnay in one gulp, and immediately regretted it. The tart fluid got stuck in her windpipe and stung the insides of her nose. She succumbed to a coughing fit, covering her mouth with her fist.
"Shit. Breathe!" Tammy thumped Mary on the back until she finally cleared her airways and the coughing stopped. Then, Tammy added, "I could come out to the ranch and give you a hand after work."
Mary considered, but decided against it. "Thanks. I have an interview with a new ranch hand lined up for tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes."
Tammy gave a glum nod. "This is a really crappy newly-divorced celebration."
Mary snorted and propped her elbows on the counter. "Tell me about it. This divorce was supposed to make my life better. It hasn't even been finalized for twenty-four hours and things keep getting worse."
"All this is that cheating bastard's fault."
"No, it's not, but it's sweet of you to say so." Mary leaned over and draped her arm over Tammy's shoulders for a quick hug. "I bought the farm, so to speak." She chuckled at her own dark joke.
Fall Haven was a far-flung town located north of San Diego that stretched from the inland oak groves of the historic Rodríguez homestead to the waters of the Pacific. Primarily an agricultural community, olive and avocado trees accounted for the region's major crops. Commercial floral growers and nurseries also dotted the area. Wooly Acres, Mary's tiny sheep ranch, consisted of a sixty-acre stretch of hilly coastal land too rugged for traditional farming. She raised her flock of exotic Wensleydale sheep exclusively for their long, high-quality wool, which was prized for its fine luster.
Her ex-husband, Quentin Cox, had pulled every dirty trick in the book during their divorce. After she caught him cheating and filed the motion, the coyote-shifter had turned vindictive. He started out trying to steal the small family farm that had belonged to her parents in the settlement. Mary fought him in court because the ranch was her dream. Her business, Mary's Little Lambswool, purveyor of organically dyed yarns, batts, and whole fleeces, meant everything to her. The legal expenses had been huge. In the end, she'd won, but the bills had all but bankrupted her. Now it seemed Quentin had turned to a far more devious and malicious method of hurting Mary—killing her sheep.
"As my granny used to say, always count your blessings. You've got a roof over your head, a business that's sure to make money, and you've got a fabulous friend with a dry shoulder to cry on." Tammy smiled and winked, once again back to her old trick of over-the-top teasing.
"That I do." A reluctant smile tugged at the corners of Mary's mouth.
"And, it looks like your luck is about to take a dramatic turn for the better." Tammy dropped her tone to a confidential whisper. "You've caught the attention of that mysterious stranger over there in the corner."
"What—where?" Mary shot her head up. Wide-eyed, she surveyed the room but didn't notice anyone except a few guys from town who were playing pool.
"Geez, be subtle, why don't 'cha?" Tammy rolled her eyes. She caught Mary's elbow and turned her toward the far end of the bar. "There."
"Oh!" Mary gasped and covered her throat with her hand. Her throbbing heart immediately smacked against her palm in a show of feminine appreciation.
Lordy! The handsome man seated at the corner table next to the jukebox was as sexy as sin. So sexy, in fact, that he could give the devil a run for his money. The stranger looked to be in his late twenties with strong features and curly, dark-blond hair. A single ringlet fell onto his forehead, just begging for a woman's touch. Piercing blue eyes... No mistaking their color because Tammy was right about one thing: He was looking straight at Mary.
"Ah jeez!" Mary twisted and ducked, trying to escape his notice. Her terminal shyness kicked in. Self-consciously, she wrapped her arms about herself and wished she could shed twenty pounds on the spot. Better yet, she would've welcomed being able to shrink to the size of a postage stamp and ride outta there on an express delivery.
"Knock it off!" Tammy hissed in a low voice and bent closer. "Stop trying to hide."
"I'm not hiding. I'm trying to instantly lose six dress sizes." Mary put her hands together, on the verge of begging Tammy to relent. Please, not now. Her friend could lecture all she wanted later, when Mr. Drop-Dead Gorgeous wasn't in the audience.
But no, Tammy didn't stop.
Tammy snorted. "You're a gorgeous, curvaceous woman! And some men have the good sense to want a woman with some meat on her bones. I'm telling you, that guy has been watching you for the last hour, and not in the creepy stalker sense of the word."
"Really?" Mary raised her head and stole another peek. And, oh heavens help her, he met her gaze. He winked and smiled. Mary broke eye contact and took cover again. She grasped Tammy's arm and asked, "Gah, how could you notice and not say anything?"
"I wanted to be sure you had a chance to talk through your blue funk before I sounded the alert. Now that you've gotten in a good bitch session with me, you're free to leave all your worries behind."
"You're such a good friend," Mary said in a voice tinged with sarcasm.
"I know I am. Now get over there and say hi."
"Nope."
"Take a chance. Go say hello. Flirt a little. Have fun. Carpe diem—seize the day! If it works out and you like him, then take him home. What's the worst that could happen?"
"He could turn out to be an absolute jerk."
Tammy sighed. "Or he might wind up being a really great guy. Not every man is like Quentin. I have a good gut feeling about this one." She tipped her head toward the blond stranger. "It's obvious he's patient, which is exactly what you need. The point is, you won't know what he's like unless you give him a chance."
"I can't." Mary clenched her fists and gave a small, determined shake of her head. A big part of her wanted to say "To hell with it" and throw caution to the wind. Sure, she should go over and talk to the stranger. He'd certainly issued an open invitation. She wanted to, but she wouldn't, though, because fear always got the better of her. Sensible Mary Andre didn't take chances, especially not ones that looked like that.
"Fine, it's your call." All of a sudden, Tammy whipped out her wallet and slapped a few bills on the table. "Wow, look at the time! It's later than I thought. I've gotta run." She leaned over and hugged Mary. "Give me a call tomorrow and let me know how it goes."
"How what goes?" Mary asked, thoroughly bewildered by her friend's abrupt departure. She turned on the bar stool, following Tammy's hasty retreat. It didn't make a lick of sense, not in the least.
"Hi," a husky male voice said. "Is this seat taken?"
Learn more.
About Melissa Thomas
Melissa is a paranormal and romance author with a particular interest in werewolves and mythology. She writes as Melissa Thomas and Melissa Snark. She lives in Northern California with her husband, three children and a glaring of cats.
Join Melissa's newsletter to be notified of new releases.
www.melissasnark.com
[email protected]
Also by Melissa
Hook: Dead to Rights
Loki's Wolves Universe
Ragnarök: Doom of the Gods Series
Valkyrie's Vengeance (Book #1)
Hunger Moon (Book #2)
Battle Cry (Book #3)
Wolf's Cross (Book #4)
Hunter’s Mark (Book #5/Prequel)
Fragile Gods (Book #6)
Blood Brothers (To be released)
Sassafras Shifters
A Cat’s Tale (Book #1)
Out Foxed (Book #2)
The Mating Game (Book #3)
Contemporary Romance
Learning to Fly
A Novel of the Fallen Angels
Prophecy
Aries Cursed series
(A Zodiac Shifters Book)
Writing as Melissa Thomas
Ram Rugged
Crimson Kisses anthology (The Bonded)
That Old Black Magic
(Heart’s Desired Mate)
Love is the Law
Coming Soon
(A Zodiac Shifters Book--How to Tame Your Dragon Mate)
Bewitched Dragon Mates
A Dragon’s Heart
A Zodiac Shifters Short Story
Dominique Eastwick
Dedicated to all the lovers of Dragons and romance.
Special Thanks to Kate, Nadine, Melissa Snark
Chapter 1
Humans never could keep a secret, and not the one the size of Atlantis. Oh, they knew about it, hell it had been written about over and over. No, the best way for it to stay hidden was diversion. Letting the secret out had been well planned, whispers of a city that disappeared. All true. Zeus had become so angry he smote the city and all those within its walls. But his coordinates had been off, and, instead of deep in the Mariana Trench, they had landed under a volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
For any other shifter, it would have been a death sentence, but for her kind—the dragons—it had been a second chance. So, her people had whispered in the ear of Plato that Atlantis was somewhere past the Strait of Gibraltar. And others let it slip it was inhabited by mermaids. The mermaids were content to have people searching for them in the wrong place as much as the dragons were content to keep anyone from knowing they inhabited Atlantis.
The dragons, unlike the rest of the zodiac shifters, weren’t able to blend in. When cast aside, they were nearly hunted to extinction not only by the foniás sent by Olympus to slaughter the zodiacs but also by humans. Until, much like Atlantis, they had become things of myth. Unlike Atlantis, they didn’t need to divert people from finding them.
“Styssi, are you listening to me?” Phriphni her assistant asked from behind her.
“Not really.” Styssi continued to wash her hands as she took in the beautiful volcano through the window. The exhaustion of being up for too many hours was setting in. “Are you here to take over for me so I can get some sleep?”
Twenty-three hours she had been in this house laboring with one of the local villagers. The new mom and baby were sleeping peacefully in the other room. Dad returned from fishing just in time to watch his daughter come into this world. As the local midwife, she had no doubt this man would make a wonderful father and teach his daughter the ways of the ocean.
“No, but I can stay if you want me to or feel they need me to.”
“Then why are you here?” It was one thing for her to come out during their month of rule another for Phriphni. The foniás hadn’t quite found their location, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t one year, and though she hadn’t ever run into one, she hoped never to.
“Karolus.”
Taking a small breath because a big one would have been obvious, she needed to employ what she had become an expert in, diversion, to let no one know Karolus—her mate—had any effect on her. She’d spent the last year building walls against the one man she shouldn’t have to. Karolus the great defender of their people. The man every girl had a crush on—including her—every woman, even those mated, lusted after. He would charge into the keep as if he owned it, and perhaps he would. Everyone believed he would be the next prime when her grandfather stepped down. So it had surprised no one, except perhaps herself when the fates deemed them mates seven years ago on her twenty-fifth birthday, since she was still considered very young for their people. Karolus had explained he would leave her in peace, allow her time to explore the world. Sow some oats and figure out who she was. Though no one but a handful of dragons ever left Atlantis, so it mattered not.
She had thought him selfless. After all, he’d waited decades for his mate. He set aside time for them to get to know one another every year during Aquarius rule. And as soon as the moon moved into Pisces, he went off again. Traveling the world. Working for the prime. But he always answered his phone when she called. Called her right back if he missed her calls. Then, on her thirtieth birthday, he took their relationship to the next level. None too soon, either. Her hormones had been in overdrive, and if he hadn’t approached her, she might have jumped his bones. He stayed in her chamber but still held back on their bonding.
Then, last year, it occurred to her, other than the sex, their relationship had been all on her. She would call, she would search him out when he arrived in Atlantis. She would ask him for time to be alone, and he always granted her request. But never once had he reached out for her. And when the month ended in which they could have bonded, he still hadn’t broached it. She did. To be told that perhaps when she reached forty, they could discuss it again. They had plenty of time.
Centuries.
So, she acted like her world hadn’t crashed around her. She pretended his words hadn’t hurt. She waved goodbye and waited to see if he would ever reach out to her first. In 335 days, he had told her all she needed to know. She was nothing more than the prime’s granddaughter, and, until he was ready for children to continue his line, she was nothing more than a girl he had to put up with who warmed his bed.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes, you said Karolus arrived.” She dried her hands, turning in the process to face the other woman.
Phriphni’s jaw dropped. “I thought you would be champing at the bit to get to him. It’s been eleven months since you’ve seen him.”
“Then a few more hours won’t make any difference.” She shrugged. Embarrassment and pride prevented her from sharing, even with such a close friend, what her mate had told her the year before.
“Perhaps this is the year,” Phriphni said hopefully.
Her friend meant maybe this year he would bond. She knew they wouldn’t, but even if he wanted to, they had to be seven days into Aquarius and with Karolus already five days late, only two remained. “Even that we can’t do yet. I think I’ll check on the new mom.”
Being the local midwife gave her a reason to leave the sanctuary and something to keep her busy. Though, as fate would have it, she didn’t have another baby due in the village for months after this one. She approached the mother who slept soundly while the dad held the newborn to his naked chest as Styssi had suggested. “I’m going to head out. I’ll check back in the morning. My assistant will stay for a few more hours. If you need anything, you know how to reach me. Remember, your wife is to rest, lift nothing heavier than your daughter, and walk around the hut as much as she is able.”
“Thank you, Styssi.”
She placed a hand on the downy head of the babe and said a silent blessing before grabbing her midwifery bag and exiting. She made her way to the local maternity clinic and into the cellar where, under the third stone from the east wall, lay the secret entrance into the mountain. She wished the tunnel opened anywhere but where it did—right into the great hall. Centering herself, she ran her fingers through her hair despite her promise to herself she wouldn’t try to impress a man who cared nothing for her. Her only hope was no one would notice her arrival
. With luck, she could sneak out and up to her rooms.
No luck.
Karolus sensed her arrival long before the door at the back of the hall opened. He’d spent his meal answering questions from the prime and the others up on the high table. When his mate’s place beside him remained empty, he broached the subject of where she might be. In years past, Styssi had greeted him with exuberant excitement. Much like teens once greeted the Beatles. But that was not what he wanted from his mate.
The seat next to his was unoccupied, and her grandfather replied to his query with a vague mumble that perhaps someone in the village was in labor. Not a surprise the older man held little deference for women and their roles within the valor or dragon community. Karolus held no great respect for his prime and liked him less but, unless he planned to challenge for prime, a position he didn’t want, he could do little about it. If the man was honest about stepping down after this year, then Karolus was the odds-on favorite for the next prime whether he wanted it or not. Should Alazor name him his successor, he would become so unless someone challenged. He couldn’t think of a single dragon able to beat him.
The door opened enough to allow Styssi to pass through. She greeted the guard and took a couple of steps into the hall. He had planned to allow her to escape if she chose, but Alazor’s voice boomed across the hall.
“Glad you could grace us and your mate with your presence granddaughter.”
Her shoulders slumped and head dropped, she turned her attention to the high dais. “It couldn’t be helped.”
Crimson Kisses: Valentine’s Day Edition: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 7