by Vella Day
“I’d appreciate it.” Dread pooled in her stomach at what it might mean for her stay on Tarradon.
Chapter Six
Declan looked up from his desk to find Kaleena looming down at him. “Something wrong?” he asked. “Did I create a public relations nightmare or something?” Declan chuckled, trying to make light of a situation that probably warranted concern.
“No, you’re in the clear.”
His muscles relaxed. Everyone in his family had stopped in this past week to see if he was okay. The problem was it was hard to hide the dark circles under his eyes, and his dragon refused to heal that woe. “What’s the occasion for the visit?”
“It’s Chelsea.”
At her name, Declan sat up straighter. “What about her?”
Kaleena told him about how Marianna’s pet happened to disappear from her pen and ended up at the shelter where Chelsea worked.
“Maybe her pet ran away. Sintors are fast little buggers.”
“True, but they can’t jump over eight foot high fences.”
Declan leaned forward. “Do you think the animal had some human—or not so human—help in escaping?”
“Chelsea doesn’t know, but she is wondering if the owner is stealing pets in the hopes of reselling them for a large profit. Most of the animals are well-cared for, and well-cared for animals would bring a high price.”
Interesting. “If the owner is dirty, and he believes Chelsea knows something, then it would be bad for her. I’ll look into it.” Boy, would he.
His sister grinned. “I thought you’d say that.”
“What’s that look for? Is this some ploy to push Chelsea and me together, because if it is, I don’t need your help.” His dragon was doing a good enough job in trying to get him to ask her out.
She laughed. “I know you can handle yourself, brother dearest. I assure you it’s no ploy.” She sobered. “I really am worried about her safety though. She is only a wolf shifter.”
He pushed back his chair. “I agree, and there’s no time like the present to see what’s going on.”
“Thanks.”
With a satisfied look, Kaleena headed back to her office. It was time to see about Chelsea’s new employer. Declan stepped into the fresh air. He’d already found the shelter’s location, because he’d planned to stop by Chelsea’s work to see if the physical attraction still existed. Between the trip to Earth and the rest of the stuff the Guardians were dealing with, it was possible he was merely off his game.
Declan flew to the edge of town and circled a few times to get the lay of the land. The shelter was bordered on three sides by forest. On the south side was a large penned area for the animals to run. He liked that. His aerial view provided him with no evidence of anything unlawful, however.
Once he spotted Chelsea bending over a cage, his dragon shot to life.
What’s wrong with you? I know you’re horny, but cool it, he yelled at his dragon.
Mate, mate.
Fuck off. Bess was our mate, or did you forget?
His beast didn’t answer.
Declan landed. While Chelsea didn’t turn around, her back had stiffened, and he didn’t know what to think of that. Once in his human form, he walked over to her, shuffling his feet to make noise. The animal she was feeding looked up, and when it growled, Chelsea finally faced him.
Well, I’ll be damned. Her eyes were glowing a pretty amber color. Perhaps she pretended not to hear him in order to compose herself. Kaleena had let it slip that Finn’s eyes changed to that color when he was sexually excited—or was that when he was angry?
The problem was that if Chelsea’s feelings for him were as strong as what he had been feeling toward her, it was going to make keeping his distance harder.
“Hey, Chelsea.” He tried to sound cheerful yet distant. He didn’t want to give away the true reason for the visit, and he certainly didn’t want to lead her on.
“What are you doing here, Declan? Has something happened to Finn?”
It had never occurred to him that she’d think that. “No.” He turned his back to the office to keep his voice from traveling. “Kaleena told me what happened with the sintor,” he whispered.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I see.” The office door opened and a tall, thin man exited. “Shit,” she whispered. “Pretend you are interested in adopting a pet.”
“What do you recommend?” Declan asked loud enough for half the shelter to hear. “My place isn’t very large, and I don’t have much property for an animal to run around.”
She smiled, and his talons nearly pushed through his skin. That was so uncool.
“Many of our animals don’t need a lot of space, and I know of quite a few who would love to live with you.”
Would you?
Crap. Declan needed to get his head on straight. This was Finn’s sister. He didn’t need to be making love with Chelsea and then telling her nothing could come of it. Kaleena told him that Chelsea was well aware that he’d already been mated, but from the way she looked at him, she wanted him regardless. Declan had lived long enough to know that she really didn’t understand how that kind of relationship never ended well.
“How about a dog?” he asked. “I’ve always thought I’d enjoy one.”
Once more she smiled, and his stupid dragon clawed at his insides.
“Come around to the side. We have a few you might be interested in.”
Once out of sight from the main entrance, Declan could no longer sense the owner’s shifter signature. Unless he was mistaken—which was possible with Chelsea next to him—the owner was a lion shifter.
“I have to admit most of these animals are well groomed,” he said, putting his mind into investigative mode.
“They are. Do you happen to know if they chip the animals here on Tarradon? I never asked,” she said, keeping her voice low.
“Chip them?” he asked.
“That’s when a vet inserts a tracking device under the skin. It makes it easier to locate the animal if it becomes lost.”
Declan thought the idea rather barbaric, but apparently Chelsea did not. “Not on Tarradon. With so many different types of shifters and unusual species of animals here, those doing the implants might not always be able to tell the difference between humans or true animals. I don’t think the shifters would appreciate getting chipped while in their animal form.”
“That’s too bad. For just regular animals, if they had chips, we could find the rightful owner. To be honest, it isn’t that horrible of an idea for shifters either. You never know what different scenarios could happen and having a chip could save a shifter’s life.”
“That does sound good.” Staying at the shelter too long might put her in jeopardy. “How about we discuss your thoughts on the matter over dinner? Say the Highlander’s Steakhouse tonight?”
Her eyes glowed, and when she smiled, it appeared as if her teeth had sharpened. Okay, maybe this was a bad idea. Perhaps they could come to some sort of mutual agreement—a very pleasurable one at that—about how to handle this sexual draw.
“I’d love that.”
“Are you still staying at my sister’s?”
Chelsea nodded. “Yes, but only for a few more days. Kaleena told me about your dad’s cabin near here. He agreed to rent it to me.”
“Great. You’ll like it. It’s real nice.” Declan shifted his weight. “How about I pick you up at six?”
“Perfect.”
“See you then.”
“What did Declan think?” Kaleena asked as soon as Chelsea returned home.
“About what?”
“He said he was going to visit you at the shelter to see if anything strange was going on there.”
“You mentioned that to him?” Chelsea was pleased her voice didn’t crack.
“Yes. I was worried about you. If some illegal activity is occurring, you don’t need to get caught up in a scandal.”
“Totally.”
Then it had been Kaleena’s idea f
or Declan to stop by and not his. Chelsea had been such a fool to think he’d wanted to see her. She should have figured it out when the first thing he noticed was how well the animals were cared for. Damn.
And to think that as soon as Declan took off, her energy had soared. Most likely it was their potential date—if that was what it was called—that had charged her up.
“Did Declan learn anything?” Kaleena asked again.
“I don’t think so. It was hard to talk with Stick sneaking up on us.”
“Sneaking up on you?” Kaleena asked.
She waved a hand. “Bad choice of words. He seemed to hover, so Declan and I didn’t talk about the possibility of the animals being stolen, which is most likely the reason he asked me out to dinner tonight.”
Kaleena beamed. “Ooh. He asked you to dinner? What time is he picking you up?”
“Six.”
She glanced at her watch. “Shouldn’t you get ready?”
“I am ready. Don’t worry, I showered.”
Kaleena cocked a brow. “I thought you would want to impress him.”
She did. More than anything, but she didn’t want to make it obvious that she liked him. “The holes in the jeans are too much? It’s all the rage on Earth.”
“Where are you going?”
“To The Highlander’s Steakhouse.”
Kaleena shook her head. “He should have said something so you could have known what to wear. So typical of him. It’s fancier than jeans, especially jeans with holes. Try a dress or a skirt. Now scoot, you’re losing time.”
“Ugh.” In truth, Chelsea had already changed three times. Not wanting to embarrass Declan, she decided on a black skirt and a bright Kelly green top that wouldn’t make her look washed out. The only way she wouldn’t look short next to Declan was if she had one-foot tall heels, which of course, she didn’t own.
To prevent Kaleena from suggesting she put on a ton of makeup, Chelsea brushed on some blush and then painted on a slightly darker lipstick shade. After touching up her nearly non-existent eyebrows, she was good to go—or so she hoped.
With her head held high, she stepped into the living room. Whoa. Declan was there—smiling! At her!
His perusal made her face heat up. “Is this okay?” she asked, brushing her palms down her shirt. Her nails began to extend, and her teeth sharpened. Damn.
Stand down, she commanded to her wolf. Now’s not the time.
Isn’t he amazing? her wolf shot back.
Chelsea refused to answer.
“More than okay. Ready?”
“Yes.” Chelsea grabbed her purse, happy to have something to do with her hands.
“Have fun, you two,” Kaleena said with way too much glee in her voice.
Kaleena acted as if Chelsea had sex planned for after dinner. That was so not true. As much as she wanted to ravish Declan, she had to control her wolf.
Liar.
When Declan held open the door, two of his talons poked through his skin. “Declan?”
He glanced down at his hand and then hid it behind his back. “Sorry. I was thinking about some fires at the edge of the province, and it has me riled up something fierce. I want to find the bastards who are destroying so much land.”
Okay, that was a downer. Here she thought he might be excited to be going out with her. Anxiety never made her claws extend—only sexual excitement did.
Chelsea had been hoping the restaurant was far enough away so that he’d fly them there. Being in his arms—or rather his claws—would be wonderful. After they walked east, and passed the parking garage, she figured the restaurant must be close. Oh, well. It was probably for the best.
“I’ve been doing some research on your situation,” Declan began.
“My situation?” She didn’t know what he was referring to.
“The fact that Stick might be stealing pets to sell them.”
“Oh. What did you find out?” Finally, she could shift her focus from his muscular body and divine scent to something more important.
His hand shot to her waist and stopped her. “Red light.”
Crap. Now he’d think she was a space cadet, and usually Chelsea was totally aware of her surroundings. Declan clearly made her come unhinged—mate or no mate.
When the light changed, they crossed the street. “You said you found out something?” Chelsea was finally able to ask with a calm voice.
“Yes, my cousin Anderson Caspian works as a detective at the police department, and I asked him to look into lost or missing pets.”
Her heart pulsed. He was her hero. “That was so nice of you.”
When Declan looked down at her, her wolf howled, and she had to work hard not to let her nails sharpen once more.
“I hate injustice more than anything, especially when it involves innocent creatures who don’t have the means to fully take care of themselves.”
She believed in the same thing! Just as Chelsea was about to comment, a blue spark floated in front of her. She blinked, thinking she must have imagined it, until Finn’s words came back to her about her being a Wendayan. Her twin had only recently discovered their great grandmother had been a witch.
Either Declan hadn’t been looking in that direction or else he decided not to say anything about the random sign. His sister might have let it slip that when Finn was sexually excited, blue sparks flew off his body. She imagined Kaleena’s body reacted the same way now that they had mated.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, he escorted her inside. The subdued lighting, soft music, and elegant sconces on the walls made the place quite romantic, but then she reminded herself this wasn’t a real date. He was investigating Stick’s shelter.
Chelsea decided to wait until they were seated before asking him what his cop cousin had found out. Once at the booth, the waiter handed them menus, but she was too curious right now to think about food. “What did you learn about the missing animals?” she whispered.
“Not a whole lot. Anderson first checked to see whether a business license was registered for the shelter. It was, but he applied only a month ago.”
“His sister told me he’d just started. Why would that matter?”
“Ever since that date, the number of missing animals has increased substantially.”
Her heart squeezed tight. “Is that enough proof for your cousin to investigate? Stick and Marty might be responsible for this increase.”
“Anderson will keep an eye out for other anomalies.”
Chelsea wasn’t sure if she wanted Stick to be guilty, but if he were doing something illegal, he had to be stopped. If he did go to jail, she’d lose her job, but the animals had to be her first concern.
The waiter stopped by with their water. “Anything to drink?”
Declan looked at her. With the day she’d had, she could use something strong. “I’ll have a glass of your house red.”
“Bring us a bottle,” Declan said.
When he looked at her, his eye color softened from that sexy brown to a lighter shade of tan, bordering on green. Was he excited to be with her? Shifter eye color changes were normal on Earth, but what took her by surprise was the quick flash of red under his skin. Finn had told her how he glowed a deep maroon now when he’s excited, but she doubted Declan was experiencing lust. Maybe his was his response to the animal injustice.
She refocused on the fact he ordered a whole bottle of wine. Did he plan on getting her drunk and then seducing her? She hoped so though her shifter metabolism was quite good, as must be his.
“I wanted to apologize,” Declan said.
“For what?” He’d been wonderful, leaving work to run down her concern about the animals.
“I had to rush out of the party so fast that we never had the chance to chat.”
Her pulse raced, and his eyes turned a closer shade to teal. Holy shit. That cast a whole new light on things. “Chat? What about?”
“You.”
Be still my beating heart. Her nails extended, fo
rcing her to glance away. Chelsea had to will her eyes not to glow amber, but it was damn hard.
She cleared her throat. “I’m sure my life isn’t nearly as exciting as yours. After all, you are a superhero.”
His brows rose, along with a cute smile. “How do you figure?”
Declan didn’t seem like the type to be fishing for compliments. “You’re one of the good guys, if my brother is to be believed.”
He leaned back in his seat, his eyes turning brown once more. Before he could ask more about her, the waiter interrupted them with their wine. He placed the bottle on the table and poured each of them a glass. “Have you decided what you’d like to eat?” the man asked.
Too bad Declan wasn’t on the menu because the main dish she was thinking of had nothing to do with food.
Chapter Seven
“I’ll have the chicken with mushrooms,” Chelsea said.
Declan ordered a steak, but he really didn’t care what he had, because right now all he could think of was tasting her. His horny, stupid dragon was putting that thought into his head like a rapid-fire automatic weapon. It was bad enough he’d had to hide his hands a few times because his red scales were glowing like a stoplight.
Once he refocused, Declan picked up his drink and held his wineglass with both hands to keep from reaching out and touching her. He loved that she thought of him as a superhero, but it was probably because her brother had exaggerated Declan’s exploits. It didn’t matter. He certainly wouldn’t tell her she was wrong.
“Tell me what your impression is of Tarradon.” He was always interested in how others saw this amazing realm. No one asked him about Tarradon when he visited Earth—other than Bess—because he’d never told anyone where he came from.
“I love everything about it. The weather is fantastic, and I especially love how everything is so green and lush. We have waterfalls and hiking trails aplenty in Tennessee, but they are often crowded with people. They tend to freak when they see a wolf, so I’m forced to keep a low profile. We do have one or two areas owned by the shifter community where we can run free however.”