by Vella Day
You want to be alone all your life? Without your mate, you’ll die a slow death.
Dalton refused to listen and, instead, refocused on why he’d asked her to dinner. He needed clarification on her comment about him being like a cat. She’d seen Jillian change into her tiger form, but had Anna believed what she’d seen?
She makes you feel good inside—alive for the first time in your life, his animal said.
Dalton pushed aside that ridiculous comment. Every time he solved a case, adrenaline coursed through him. It made him thrive. He didn’t need a woman for that.
“Dalton, are you okay?” Anna asked.
Damn. Had he spaced out? “Yes. Just wondering when the food will arrive. I’m starving.” Okay, that was lame.
He checked the area to judge how safe it was to talk. Of the ten tables, only three were occupied, and none close by. Good. It appeared as if most people had come for pickup service instead of dining in.
However, between the order taking, the customers in line chatting, and the music, it was difficult to hear, despite his shifter abilities. Dalton didn’t want to consider his need to strain was due to the fact his heart was pumping hard from wanting her so much. No doubt about it, being around his mate was messing with his head—along with a few other body parts.
His mate. That’s right. Anna Fairchild was his mate, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it for a long time. She might be Wendayan, but even that concept was new to her. She didn’t need another shock of learning he was a shifter. If she understood what had happened that fateful night, she would have made a comment during one of his visits to the hospital.
Talk to her, his tiger urged.
“So how does it feel to be finished with therapy?” he asked, pissed at himself for sounding rather distant.
“Now that I’m done, believe it or not, I’m actually going to miss it. James was really nice.”
He was happy to hear the immortal had been able to help. “I’ve never met him.”
“Really? Then why did you recommend him?”
“Kalan thought it would be a good idea.”
“Oh. Well, I learned a lot.”
She brushed back wisps of hair from her delicate forehead. The rest of her long brown hair was pulled back into a braid. The top had blonde streaks running through it that looked like the summer sun had bleached it. The soft curls contrasted with the shiny gold eyebrow ring. Given her sweet demeanor, he figured the adornment was more for show.
Her dark chocolate eyes spoke of pain, but her full, curvy lips screamed imp. The contradiction intrigued him. Because Anna only came up to his chest, it made him want to protect her even more.
Protect her, yes, his tiger reminded him. Always.
Dalton blew out a breath. It was true he’d met Anna under the worst of circumstances, but it suited him better if he believed she was too shy to be mated. It was a handy excuse.
She’s not ready, he told his tiger.
It’s you who isn’t ready. Damn animal needed to stop butting into his thoughts.
The twenty-year old behind the counter finally delivered their pizza. “Here’s a Coke for the lady and a coffee for the gentleman.” He placed a large pepperoni pizza in front of them to share.
As soon as the kid left, Dalton picked up a slice. “You said something back at the shooting range.”
A knowing look crossed her face. “Are you talking about my reference to your catlike reflexes aiding you in shooting?”
Damn. Could she read his mind? “Yes.”
“James explained everything to me.”
His gut churned, and he quickly swallowed. “Care to define what you mean by everything?”
She glanced around. “Should we be discussing this here?”
He leaned close, needing to know. “Did he tell you how it was possible that you saw a tiger in the building that night?” he whispered.
Anna grabbed a slice and bit off a large chunk. It was as if she was trying to think of what to say. Once she finished chewing, she inhaled. “Yes.”
So she did believe that shifters existed. Did that scare her? He waited for Anna to continue, but she must have wanted him to drag it out of her. “And what did you think?” His leg bounced up and down.
“It took me a while to get used to the idea. You have to admit that your talent is…um…unique.”
“No more than yours.”
She sipped her Coke. “I hardly think what I do is all that special. I can merely tell what’s happened in a person’s life that adversely affected them.”
Jillian had explained how Anna had been able to see the night her friend Dalia had been murdered, right down to the detail of the striped wallpaper in the spare bedroom where her friend had been staying. Dalton stretched out his arm willing to let her touch him. “Want to tell me something about myself?” She shook her head. Okay, that confused him. “Why not?”
“You always block your thoughts from me.”
That’s because you’re mates, his animal said, butting into the conversation once more.
Had James told her they were mates? If he had, Dalton wasn’t sure if he wanted to throttle the man or hug him. “I don’t do it on purpose.”
“Are you sure?”
Was she challenging him? Most women never dared, though coming from Anna, he found it rather refreshing. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Anna leaned back in her padded seat, looking smug. “If you loosened up a little, you might be able to get in touch with your feelings.”
That made him laugh. “My feelings?”
“Yes. You’ve made it quite clear that your life has been focused on one path and only one path—that of being a detective. Never in the telling did you talk about traveling to a foreign country, hiking the Appalachian Trail, or jumping out of an airplane. You’re so rigid in your thinking that you don’t seem to enjoy life. I think it’s why I can’t learn anything about you.”
“That’s rich. What about you? Are you that open then?” He wanted to learn more about this free spirit.
“I am. I dream a lot.”
“Dream of what?” She had him curious.
“I dream of seeing the world’s most exotic gardens, of paddling around in the Grotta Azzurra, in Capri, Italy, of rolling in a field of dandelions and blowing their seeds everywhere. Fun stuff like that.”
“You don’t think I have fun?”
She stared at him. “Honestly? No.”
He tried to come up with the last spontaneous thing he’d done that she might consider fun, but all he could think of was when he’d played flag football at the annual sheriff’s department picnic. He doubted shooting pool a couple of times a month counted. “I don’t know what gibberish James filled your head with, but you have the wrong idea about me.”
“Oh, really? Perhaps you should try to change my mind.”
That would require him to spend more time with Anna, and his concentration was bad enough. He had a murderer to catch. “I’ll give it some thought.”
She leaned forward on her elbows, looking way too pleased with herself. “Speaking of James, there’s something that has been bothering me about the man.”
Dalton’s senses shot to high alert. James might be married to a goddess, but Kalan swore he was highly honorable. “What’s that?”
“Why doesn’t he have any diplomas on his walls?”
Dalton sank back against his seat. Keeping her in the dark about goddesses and immortals would only piss her off later when she learned about them, especially if Elana or Jillian mentioned it. Most of the Wendayans in Silver Lake knew about James even though they had never met him or his goddess wife. “Because he’s not an actual doctor.”
Every muscle in her body seemed to tense. “What do you mean? You told me he was a therapist.”
Kalan promised that James would give her solid advice. “Let me ask you this. Did he help you come to grips with what happened?”
“Yes. And more. He explained things to me, things I had
no idea existed.”
“That’s all that matters.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not. You might not have said he was a doctor, but you implied it. Why not send me to a licensed professional?”
Anna had every right to be angry, but he had his reasons. “Because if you’d mentioned what you saw that night—Jillian shifting—to a human therapist, you might have been committed to a psychiatric hospital, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
“You couldn’t let that happen? You don’t own me.”
The walls were starting to crumble all around him. “No, but I was trying to protect you.”
Anna bit down on her lip and then blew out a breath. Dalton looked off to the side as his thoughts turned to mating.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Thank you for having my back,” she said. “What I don’t get is why didn’t you tell me about your sister’s talent when you visited me in the hospital? You must have realized that when I saw her change I would have been a bit confused.”
For months, he feared this conversation would occur. Now that it had, Dalton wasn’t sure how to handle it. “Would you have believed me, if I had told you that people could turn into animals and then back again?” He kept his voice low. “Admit it; you would have said it was too farfetched.”
“Maybe, but you could have at least tried to convince me. Hell, all you would have had to do was change…you know…into something big and white.”
Dalton appreciated she was trying to be circumspect. “The thought crossed my mind, but I’m not sure I could have handled seeing you in shock. I did what I thought was best.”
“By saying nothing?” She jammed another bite of pizza into her mouth and washed it down with her soft drink. When she swallowed, she leveled him with a glare. “What other secrets have you been hiding?”
Too many. He sipped his coffee, but this time the rich brew didn’t calm him in the least. “James is not who you think he is. He knows things we ordinary humans don’t.” Dalton looked around to make sure no one could have overheard.
“I’ll grant you he’s smart, but what do you mean by ordinary humans? I wouldn’t even put you or myself for that matter, in the ordinary category.”
He liked her spunk, but it was time to come clean. If she learned of their identity from someone else, she’d never forgive him. “James is an immortal, and his wife is a goddess,” he whispered.
Anna laughed. That wasn’t the response he expected. “I’m not that gullible.”
“But it’s true. Do you see why I didn’t tell you about my kind?”
Glancing away, she stared at the street outside. With a big inhale, she faced him. “Did I mention his wife made cookies for me last night?”
“No, but I believe she could have. It was after all a white moon. I’ve heard she’s fond of baking.”
“White moon? As opposed to what?”
More questions she deserved answers to, but a busy restaurant was not the place to be discussing something so sensitive. “How about we finish up then go back to my place? Fewer ears are there.”
“Really? Your place?” Her eyes glowed, acting as if he’d asked her to bed. That could be trouble.
Yes, bed. Mate, mate, his tiger chanted.
Shut up. It’s too soon. I want her to like me first.
She likes you just fine.
Dalton chose to ignore him once more. “You have questions, and I have some answers. We can go to your place if you’d feel more comfortable.”
“No. Your place is good.”
He finished off the last slice of pizza. “Ready?”
*
Anna was super excited to go to Dalton’s house. This wasn’t a date, but that was okay for now. Seeing how he lived would help fill in those missing puzzle pieces when she dreamed about him. His house would be obsessively neat—that she was sure. If he had any artwork on the walls, there wouldn’t be much because he wouldn’t have had the time or desire to decorate. Efficiency was his game. Take his kitchen for example. It would be sparse but would contain everything he needed to make a simple meal. His closets would be organized according to use—his uniforms on one end and his casual clothes on the other.
That was one reason why she didn’t want him to see how she lived. She was clean, but definitely not neat. Her old apartment had been highly eclectic with plaids mixed with polka dots, but the new place above the store was a work in progress. For weeks, she hadn’t been up for decorating, but during her drive to the range, she decided she was ready to tackle the world.
“Do you want to pick up your car at the shooting range and follow me home?” he asked.
“Sure. I don’t want to leave my vehicle there longer than necessary.”
Once they arrived at the range, he parked close to her Volkswagen and waited for her to start the engine before he took off. She followed closely behind, and for the first time in a long while, felt totally safe, having no doubt that Dalton wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
He lived on the north end of town in a neighborhood where most homes were surrounded by chain-linked fences. He pulled in front of a brick home, and she parked behind him.
Before she could even blink, he was at her door and had it pulled open. He held out his hand, and when she placed her palm in his, blue sparks shot off. “Holy crap.”
“You sound surprised,” he said.
“Hell yes, I am surprised. What was that?” She meant both the blue sparks and his ability to move faster than the eye could blink.
“James didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” she asked.
“Come on inside. I can see it’s going to be a long night.”
Her heart pounded, but Anna couldn’t tell whether it was because she was about to see where he lived or that she’d be alone with her fantasy man. If she asked him to shift for her, would he? She’d always had a love of animals, and petting such a large cat would be a high. Somehow, she sensed he’d say no, claiming shifting was done only when needed.
Dalton held open the front door. “Just so you know, the place came furnished. It’s not my style.”
She stepped in and looked around. The kitchen was against the far wall. Given the tired looking brown sofa and worn brown chairs, she hadn’t expected the home to be open concept. “It’s nice.” Neat but rather sterile.
“Can I get you something to drink? A wine or some beer?”
If Anna drank, no telling what she’d do. She never could hold her liquor. “Water’s fine.”
“Water it is.”
As he strode over to the kitchen, she sat on the sofa and looked around. The white walls could use some artwork—something with color. “You said you’ve lived here for over a year?”
“Yes. Kind of sad isn’t it?”
She chuckled. “Depressing might be a better word. You know some colorful pillows could do wonders for the place. Bright red slipcovers and a multicolored throw rug would go a long way to liven up the place.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He handed her a glass and sat across from her. Darn. She’d been hoping for something more intimate.
“I have a lot of questions, starting with what happened outside. One minute you were at your car and the next by my door. I didn’t see you move.”
“Jillian didn’t tell you of her ability to move fast?”
“She did, but I never witnessed it. It’s like you disappeared and reappeared someplace else.”
Dalton crossed his feet at his ankles and leaned back in his seat, looking relaxed for a change. “I only do it when I know I’m in friendly territory.”
“How do you know some neighbor doesn’t have her binoculars trained on your house?”
He laughed. “Why would she?”
Because you’re hot? “She’s bored?”
He sucked in his cheeks as if he was about to laugh. Anna had to admit seeing the glint in his eyes and the cheer on his face turned her on even more.
“I’ll make sure to be more carefu
l,” he said.
“Your ability to move fast was unique, but did you notice those blue sparks floating around me? That’s the second time I’ve seen them.”
She swore his face reddened. “I take it you’re unaware that when a Wendayan is sexually excited that he or she glows blue?”
“Really?” Okay that was embarrassing. His eyes said he wasn’t lying. Still, she found it hard to believe. “Do shifters turn green or something when they’re excited?”
Now he laughed. “Hardly. Our nails and teeth sharpen. Hair sprouts on our bodies. Thankfully, mine is light in color so it’s harder to notice. I’ve been told my eyes turn something akin to gold. As for your blue sparks? I’m Wendayan too, but I’m no expert. Here’s what I know, though Jillian can describe it better.” He explained about the blue sparks growing larger and larger until they turned into a bubble of blue.
“That’s embarrassing, but if you’re a Wendayan too, why don’t you have those blue sparks?”
He shrugged. “If I’m capable of having them, I’ve never seen them.”
Crap. That could mean he wasn’t excited when he was around her. Well damn. “Moving on, tell me the significance of the white moon, and please don’t say Silver Lake has vampires.”
Chapter Four
‡
Anna didn’t think she could be shocked any more, but Dalton had managed to twist her worldview once more. Immortals and goddesses started the ball rolling. He then moved on to listing the different kind of shifters and what happened during and after the shift. In her opinion, it would be terrible to return to human form after shifting back from being an animal only to be naked. “Was Brian…um…naked after he left the warehouse?”
She’d been saved by Dalton before Brian in his bear form had finished fighting the evil Whitlaw.
“Yes, but all shifters keep an extra set or two of clothes in their cars. Since Brian hadn’t known he’d shift, Kalan probably offered him one of his spare sets.”
“Smart.” Anna didn’t think she was ready to learn any more oddities about shifters at the moment. “Back to your previous topic. Tell me more about James. Do you know how old he is?”