by Vella Day
Right before Declan left for Tarradon, he’d asked Ophelia about his odd reaction to Chelsea, hoping she’d say that when a mate died, Fate allowed a shifter to take a second one, but the wise woman said she’d never heard of anything like that happening.
“During the time Bess was here, many humans were being mistreated by the Royals. That was before Kaleena killed Prince Rathan. This injustice infuriated her. Bess insisted on being trained to fight, and Thane agreed to take her on. I swear she worked harder than anyone I’d ever seen. Her goal was to be the best—and she was.”
“Kaleena told me she was killed in battle. I’m sorry. I’m guessing she was attacked by more than one dragon then?”
“By three dragons to be exact. I was being attacked myself at the time. Once I killed my assailant, I swooped in to help Bess. Two of the three that were attacking her turned and charged me. The one who remained to fight Bess gained the upper hand—or rather the upper claw. Bess was already injured severely when he stabbed her in the heart.”
“I’m sorry.”
Declan sipped his now cooled coffee, hoping to push aside the horror of that day. “Me, too. Once Bess fell to the ground, the one remaining dragon I was fighting took off. The one who killed Bess seemed to be targeting her.”
“Do you know who they were?”
“No. I’ve looked for them for years but always come up empty-handed.”
“Do you know why they attacked Bess or you?”
“No. We were working on several cases at the time, so I never could figure it out. By the time I reached Bess on the ground, she was unconscious from the blood loss. I worked tirelessly on her, pouring all of my magic into her, but it wasn’t enough. I’ve always wondered if I’d called Greer and asked her to help if the two of us could have saved her.”
“Declan, don’t do this to yourself.”
Like he hadn’t heard that before. “It’s hard not to. I think of Bess every single day—or at least I used to until recently.”
“Did something happen to change that?”
“Chelsea happened.”
Finn huffed. “I don’t understand…or maybe I do.”
His pulse shot up. “What do you mean?”
“You first.”
That was only fair. “I can’t explain it. I’ve seen your sister, what? Twice for maybe a total of fifteen minutes, yet I feel this attraction to her.”
“She likes you too.”
Declan couldn’t tell by his tone what that meant exactly, but Finn might not know much more than that. “In what way?”
“Shit. I shouldn’t have said anything. I mean, she’s my sister.”
“And this is my sanity here.”
Finn held up a hand. “I’ll just say that her reason for coming to Tarradon might have been more than just seeing where I live.”
Declan didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. “Are you saying she came because of me? Did she feel the pull too?” Though that would mean they’d both be miserable when they couldn’t mate.
“I suggest you ask her,” Finn said.
“Trust me, I plan to.”
Chelsea had just finished running a comb through her wet hair when the condo’s front door opened. Yay! Finn must be home. Kaleena had called and said she had to work late. Chelsea rushed into the bedroom, tossed on a top, and then stepped into the living room. “Hey,” she said. “How did your day go?”
“Good.” Finn strode over to the fridge and grabbed a beer. “You want one?”
Her brother didn’t drink very often. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know, but I think we should talk.”
That didn’t sound good. “Then sure, grab me one.”
Finn handed her the drink. “I had a talk with Declan today.”
At the mention of his name, her pulse soared, and her stomach churned. “Oh, really. How’s he doing?” Chelsea was pleased with her calm delivery.
“He told me how he met his mate and how she died.”
Chelsea didn’t want to know. “Why did he tell you?”
Finn stepped over the sofa and patted the seat next to him. Chelsea sat and lifted her drink to her lips.
“I think he’s conflicted.”
“About?”
“His feelings for you.”
Good thing she hadn’t taken a drink or Finn might be wearing it. “Why would you think that? At the party, we spoke for a few minutes before he was called away. That was a couple of days ago.”
Finn held up a palm. “I know. As I said, he’s conflicted. He had a mate. Bess was a human he met in Colorado. Long story short, they fell in love—my interpretation of the events—and she came back to Tarradon with him. They mated, and she became quite a powerful dragon shifter fighter.”
“I know he already had his one chance at a mate. I’ve accepted that.” Not well, but what choice did she have?
“Three years ago, she was killed in battle, and Declan, the healer, somehow blames himself for not having been able to save her. He thinks if he’d called in Greer, Bess would be here today.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“Declan has spent every day of the last few years thinking about her—until he met you.”
That made her laugh. “He doesn’t know me.”
“I know, but he feels a very strong attraction toward you.”
He wasn’t helping her cause to cast Declan from her mind. “What are you suggesting? That I ask him out?”
“All I’m saying is that Declan might not be a lost cause. He might not be your mate, but why not enjoy spending time with each other while you’re here.”
She huffed out a laugh. “And get my heart broken when I leave? No thank you.” When she’d changed her mind about a mindless affair she didn’t know. Maybe it was before she’d learned that Declan felt some pull toward her. It made him more dangerous.
Finn clasped her hand. “I want to see you happy. Maybe if you’re with Declan for a while, you’ll see that it isn’t meant to be, and you’ll be able to move on.”
No, he is your mate. When her wolf suddenly interjected, Chelsea tried not to jerk at the intrusion.
“You do have a point, but what if I fall in love with him. Knowing we can never truly be together would do more harm than good.”
Finn smiled. “You won’t know until you try.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“How about a hug?” Finn asked. It was something he always did when she needed solace. And boy, did she need it now.
Chapter Five
“To your new job!” Tory said, holding up her glass of red wine. Kaleena, Lily, Nessa, and Greer all held up their drinks and then chimed in.
“Thank you for inviting me to happy hour. Having new friends in a strange place really helps me feel at home,” Chelsea said.
“Tell us about this new job,” Nessa said.
“I’ve only worked there two days, but it’s an animal shelter. The owner, Seth Parnell—nickname Stick—just started the business and only has one other employee—a man by the name of Marty. He’s really into animals too. Stick’s sister, Sabrina, helps out when she isn’t working at the vet’s office in town.”
“What kind of animals does Marty and this Stick fellow rescue? The usual cats and dogs, or is there anything more exotic?” Nessa asked, sounding excited.
“He has a little of everything.” She told them about the two tramors they’d received.
“Ooh, they are mean,” Tory said.
“Actually, they were quite sweet, though I had to bribe them with food and some heavy petting before they trusted me.” The group looked at her as if she were crazy. “If Finn didn’t mention it, I have a talent with animals. I’m not a healer like Greer, but I’ve been known to speed the recovery process of animals. When I’m around them, there is a unique connection between us. I seem to be able to calm animals along with giving them a sense of safety with me.”
“You’re what the people from Earth call
an animal whisperer,” Greer said.
“Yes, but it can extend to more than that at times.”
“Very cool,” Nessa said. “What else is at the shelter?”
“One animal came in today that I have never seen before. It’s called a sintor. At first, I thought it was a lynx, but then Marty told me about the breed. It’s a rather beautiful animal and very graceful.”
Greer stared off for a bit. “That’s interesting you mentioned a sintor. A friend of mine was in the jewelry store today to pick up a ring she’d ordered and was quite upset because her pet sintor was missing.”
“Is that a common animal around here?” Chelsea asked.
“Quite the opposite,” Greer said. “It is rare. She paid thousands upon thousands of Denlars for it.”
“Hmm. I’ll have to ask Stick where he found the animal. I figured people brought in the animals they no longer wanted, but if a sintor is so expensive, I doubt anyone would just leave it at the shelter.”
Greer leaned forward. “You said the animals are well-cared for, right?”
“Yes, they even have space to run.”
“You don’t find that odd?” This came from Kaleena.
“Not really. I just figured that people on Tarradon respected their animals more than some people do on Earth.”
The woman looked at each other. “They mostly do,” Kaleena said, “but there are a lot of homeless, abandoned, and abused animals too.”
“All of the animals at the shelter appear to be very healthy—except for the two tramors. Hmm.”
“Did this Stick guy say if the animals are mostly dropped off, or does he pick them up if they are wandering about without a collar?” Tory asked.
Chelsea shook her head. “He never said, other than Marty finds them.” That made her sound so naïve. “It didn’t occur to me that anything unlawful might be happening. Greer, maybe your friend can come to the shelter and see if the animal we have is her sintor. It’s possible her pet ran away.”
She shook her head. “Marianna said she keeps Toran in a penned area.”
“Maybe a dragon shifter swooped her up. We have owls in America who steal cats when they can.”
“It’s possible.”
When the women said nothing more, Chelsea hoped they would let the issue drop. She’d finally found a job that she liked and didn’t want to think she was working for some scumbag.
At work the next day, Chelsea spent a few extra minutes with the sintor, trying to figure out why someone would abandon such a pretty animal. “Are you Toran?” she asked, knowing full well, he probably wouldn’t recognize his name.
Wrong. The animal jerked his head. Okay, maybe he did understand her.
“How do you like our new find?” Stick asked. The sound came from right behind her, causing Chelsea to jump.
As calmly as she could, she twisted around. “Yes. I’ve never seen anything like him before. Where did you get him?”
“Ask Marty. I believe he found him roaming in the countryside and feared something bad might happen to him since he looked lost.”
Chelsea had to force a smile. “That’s wonderful that he was able to save such a lovely creature.” She turned back to the animal and rubbed him behind the ears. “We’ll find you a good home, Mr. Sintor.”
Stick shuffled off. As soon as he was out of earshot, Chelsea called Greer.
“SinCas Jewelers, how may I help you?” Greer said, sounding so professional.
“Hey, Greer, it’s Chelsea,” she whispered, not wanting Stick’s shifter senses to pick up her conversation. She explained how their new sintor seemed to recognize his name. “The animal could belong to your friend, Marianna. Stick said Marty found him wandering in some field.”
“Marianna said the fence was not broken, but I’ll let her know. Where is this new shelter?”
Chelsea gave her directions.
“Thanks.”
“You bet.”
She disconnected. “Who was that?” Stick asked, scaring the crap out of her once more. How had she not heard him sneak up on her? Sure, he was a shifter, but so was she.
She spun around. “Just a friend.”
His lips pressed together, and his breathing was faster than normal. “I heard you talk about the sintor.”
Shit. “I was. A friend of a friend recently lost her sintor. I think she said it had run away, and I thought maybe this was her pet.”
“Marty found him roaming aimlessly,” Stick said.
“Right. Because he ran away. Even if this isn’t the same one, she might want to buy another.” She hoped that would satisfy him.
“Maybe.” He grunted and then stalked off. Okay, that didn’t go well.
Chelsea decided Stick might just be the perfect nickname for him because of what he had stuck up his butt. Was that because Toran hadn’t run away? In a way, Chelsea hoped this wasn’t Marianna’s animal. Losing her job over it would really suck.
Not wanting to piss off her employer anymore, she scrubbed out some stalls, and then fed and brushed the cats and dogs. Before she even made it to the larger animals, gravel crunched under tires. An expensive looking car that she couldn’t identify rolled to a stop. A tall woman, wearing a white skirt and a sleeveless pink silk shirt, stepped out. Her gaze bounced all over the place.
On the off chance this was Marianna, Chelsea rushed up to her before Stick came out and told her some lie.
“Hi, I’m Chelsea. Can I help you?”
“Chelsea? Oh, thank goodness. I really appreciate you contacting Greer. You said you might have Toran?”
“I’m not sure if he is your pet or not, but come take a look.”
As soon as Marianna saw the sintor, she nearly cried, and Toran howled. In fact, her pet made such a racket that Stick came rushing out of the office. “What the devil is going on?”
Chelsea couldn’t help but beam. “This is Toran’s owner.”
“Who’s Toran?” He did not sound pleased.
“The sintor.”
Without waiting for him to give her permission, Chelsea retrieved the animal from the cage. As soon as he was free, the sintor raced toward Marianna and almost knocked her down. The hugs just kept coming, as did her tears. “Wherever did you find him?” Marianna asked.
Chelsea had to hand it to the woman. From what Chelsea could tell, Marty had stolen the high priced animal.
“One of my workers found him,” Stick growled.
“But the fence wasn’t broken and the pen was closed.”
Damn.
Stick shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. Do you have any identification to prove this animal belongs to you?”
The woman sniffled and then instructed her pet to settle down. “Yes, I do.” She extracted two pieces of paper from her purse and handed them to Stick. “If you look behind Toran’s right ear, you’ll see a fresh suture mark. He had a cyst removed last week. This is the vet’s receipt. The second piece of paper is my receipt from purchasing him three years ago.”
Stick glanced at them and then shoved them back at her. “Fine. Next time, make sure your pet doesn’t escape.”
Please don’t say anything, Marianna, Chelsea mentally urged. The last thing she needed was for Stick to believe she’d give him any more trouble. Though if she found out he had asked Marty to steal the expensive animal, the man would wish he’d never opened this place.
After Marianna left, Stick stalked back to his office, not saying anything to her. Fine. Be that way. Chelsea hadn’t done anything other than help reunite an owner with her lost animal. Too bad she had no idea if Marty had stolen the pet in the hopes of currying favor with Stick or if he’d been instructed to take it.
Once Chelsea finished with her chores, she knocked on the office door. It was past closing time, but she hadn’t seen either Stick or Marty for over an hour.
“Come in,” Stick said with a less than friendly tone.
“Hey, boss. Is there anything else you’d like me to do before I go?”
“No.”
Okay. She could take a hint. Frustrated with how things had gone today, Chelsea left, deciding a nice run in the woods would be just what she could use to blow off some steam.
Fortunately, the trail where Finn had taken her the first day was less than three miles from the shelter. After a short drive, she parked at the trailhead, walked to a large tree, and ditched her clothes. After shifting, she took off at a sprint, needing to release her pent-up frustration. When she arrived at the small waterfall Finn had shown her, she stopped to admire the view. Sticks crunched behind her. When Chelsea spun around, the noise abruptly stopped.
She sniffed the air. Many animals were in the area, but none had a shifter signature. A bird squawked overhead, and she looked up. A crow darted to a tall tree and perched on a limb looking down at her. For a moment, she thought the bird might have been a shifter, but she’d never heard of a crow shifter before.
Her imagination must be getting the best of her. Perhaps it was time to head back. For some reason, the run didn’t calm her as much as she’d hoped. A few dark clouds scudded above, casting eerie shadows on the ground. Chelsea wasn’t the type to spook, but something was eating at her. Something wasn’t right. The question was what?
After she arrived at Finn and Kaleena’s condo, she showered and then grabbed a snack, waiting for Kaleena to return home for dinner. Finn wasn’t there, because it was one of his evenings to tend bar.
Around six, Kaleena came home. “Hey, how was your day?” she asked.
She told her about Marianna being reunited with her pet. “I heard. Greer called and told me to tell you that Marianna is eternally grateful.”
“I’m glad. What I don’t understand was why Stick acted so pissed that Marianna was reunited with her lost pet.”
“I imagine he was hoping to sell the animal. If the sintor was in good shape, he would have received quite a lot for him.”
“Do shelters need any kind of proof of ownership to see the animals?”
Kaleena shook her head. “No.”
That didn’t seem right. “Out of curiosity, do you know if many people have their pets stolen?”
Kaleena’s eyes widened. “I don’t know, but I can find out if there has been a sudden increase in missing pets.”