by Vella Day
EmmaLee nearly leapt off her chair at the intrusion. It was Jackson. She swiveled around to face him. “It’s unbelievable.” Literally.
“I thought so at first too, but a man by the name of Zane Barons is from Cargonia. He works over at the firehouse, or at least he will for the next few months.”
The only way she would have been more stunned would be if Jackson had told her that a dragon shifter lived nearby. “You’ve met him?”
“Yes. In fact, he’s mated to the sister of our Clan leader’s mate.”
EmmaLee was overwhelmed. “Do you think I could talk to him?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He nodded to the computer. “Do you have any questions so far?”
She chuckled. “Questions? Only like a million, but I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I’m sure you have plenty to do without babysitting me.” She wanted to ask if Connor had told him to be nice to her, but she didn’t really want to know the answer.
“I have a few minutes.” Jackson dragged a chair over. “What would you like to know?”
“Naturally, this new realm has me curious, but let’s start with the basics. What can you tell me about fated mates?”
He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs. “Interesting topic. I don’t recall the article mentioning that.”
Oh, crap. She had hoped he wouldn’t have noticed. Now he’d think she was referring to Connor. Okay, she was a little bit, but she would be leaving soon. “I want my research to be complete. Start with how shifters are mated on Earth.” Then she’d compare it to the sketchy information Vinea had provided.
Jackson’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I thought Vinea would have filled you in.”
“It was a sore topic. To be honest, I don’t think she had much expertise in that area. It wasn’t as if she and her sister compared notes.” That was mostly true.
Jackson chuckled. “I’m sure you’re right. Devon has assured me that the two have recently made amends though.”
Her pulse soared. “I’m so happy to hear it. I can see we have a lot to discuss the next time I call.”
“I’ll tell you what I know. Supposedly, Naliana decides who will be paired or mated with whom, though how she makes that decision, nobody knows. One of the two persons involved must be a shifter or a Wendayan, though I’ve never asked two humans if they think they’ve been paired.”
This was all so exciting. She’d heard bits and pieces about how Naliana had been chosen over Vinea for the job of mating the shifters. “Go on.”
“What I do know from experience is that when a shifter gets near his mate, his body, or maybe it’s his inner animal, goes wild.”
“Wild, as in he shifts?”
Jackson leaned forward. “That can happen, but usually we can control it. For example, the first time I met Ainsley, my mate, my body betrayed me totally. I could barely catch my breath, nor could I stop the hair from sprouting on my arms. The damnedest part was that I hated Ainsley. You see, she was a Changeling.”
“A Changeling?”
“Yes. It’s a long story. Suffice it to say that even though I didn’t want to be attracted to her, I couldn’t help it. I was in denial for quite some time that Ainsley was my mate.”
EmmaLee tried to think back to whether Connor ever had such a strange reaction. His facial hair had grown, and his eyes turned amber on occasion, but she didn’t know if that counted. “Did it get better? I can’t imagine going through life like that.”
“Thankfully yes. The need to be with Ainsley kept growing until we mated, and then it became worse.”
“Worse?”
He smiled. “Yes, but over time, it has leveled out to where it is tolerable. At least now, I can focus on my job, in part because I can sense if she’s in danger or if she’s upset. All high level emotions are shared between us.”
EmmaLee couldn’t imagine being able to feel what Connor was thinking—assuming he was turned on or afraid. “If you’re in a fight and are hurt, would Ainsley know?”
“Absolutely. The hard part is that she’d want to help. Fortunately, she can become invisible when she wants. Her adversaries don’t stand a chance.” He smiled.
“Vinea could do that.”
“Very true, but Ainsley isn’t a goddess—at least the world doesn’t consider her one.”
Aw, that was so sweet. “This really helps clear up a few things. Thank you.”
“Any time. Anything else?”
“Not at the moment. I need to finish reading the article first.”
Jackson stood and then headed back down the corridor. EmmaLee’s mind reeled. Had she known how much she would have learned about shifters and their habits by coming to Silver Lake, she might have agreed to take Connor up on his offer sooner.
A minute later, different voices sounded down the hallway, and butterflies attacked her again. It was Connor talking with someone, and she looked over her shoulder to see who it was. A huge bearded man, matching the description of Lexi’s brother, walked alongside him.
“Let me introduce you to the woman I’m watching over,” Connor said as he led this man over to her.
Was that all she was to him? Of course, it was. His older brother had asked that he make sure Slater didn’t bother her again, and Connor had done just that.
“EmmaLee, this is Ronan Laramie, Lexi’s brother.”
“Nice to meet you.” While this might not be the time or place to ask him questions, she didn’t want to lose her opportunity to find out what he knew about dragon shifters. “Your sister said you might have seen a dragon shifter during your bounty hunting days.”
“Ah.” He glanced over at Connor whose brow had risen. “I thought I did, once, but I couldn’t swear to it.”
Connor clamped a hand over Ronan’s shoulder. “Let me pour that coffee I promised you, and then I want to show you our technological headquarters.”
“Sure.” He turned toward her. “Nice meeting you, EmmaLee.”
“You too.”
Really? Connor had to drag away her most important source just when things were getting good? What was up with that? Because Lexi believed Ronan would be in Silver Lake for a while, EmmaLee would surely have other opportunities to speak with him.
Once Connor made the two coffees, they returned down the hallway again. She turned back to her computer, wanting to reread the story Jackson had shared, after which she’d search for other information about this new realm. Unfortunately, her mind refused to stop spinning. Connor wasn’t indifferent to her, but he was uneasy around her. Why? Did he think her crazy ideas would rub off on him? Or did he know something and didn’t want to chance spilling the beans?
She now had a new goal. To find out which it was.
Chapter Eight
‡
“I’ve looked over what you have on this Slater Coghill man,” Ronan said. “He’s intriguing.”
Connor hadn’t expected that description. “Why do you say that?”
“He seems to be rather elusive. Says here there is no known address before he showed up in Billard, Georgia. In fact, I don’t even see a social security number for him.”
“I’m thinking he’s using an alias.”
“I thought the same thing. It makes it harder to trace him though. He probably has assumed another new alias by now.”
“I agree.” It was all the more reason to have Ronan on board.
Lexi’s brother flipped over the page and tapped it. “For some reason, this guy looks familiar.”
That was the first bit of good news he’d heard. “Do you think there are warrants out in other states on him? Is that where you’ve seen him?”
Ronan scratched his head. “I can’t say. It will come to me eventually. What would you like me to do first?”
“Had I known about your ability to track with your nose, I would have gone to his house and borrowed something of his.”
Ronan smiled. “I’m better when I meet the shifter in person first, but a
n object of his can work. Do you think EmmaLee has anything of Coghill’s with her?”
Connor’s stomach twisted. He hoped the hell not. She’d said she wanted nothing to do with him. “I can ask her.”
“Good.”
Connor’s cell rang. It was Kalan. “This might be good news.” He pressed the cell to his ear. “Hey, Kalan.”
“I called in a favor and found Timothy Delahart’s credit card number.”
“That’s great.” He picked up a pen off the desk. “Tell me.”
Kalan gave him the information. “I hope it helps.”
“I’m sure it will.”
“How’s EmmaLee?” Kalan asked.
“Good. In fact, she hitched a ride in this morning with Lexi, and she’s working away on one of the computers here at the office.”
“Perfect. Let me know if you need help with anything else.”
Kalan was such a stand up guy. “I will, and thanks.”
Connor disconnected and slid the paper across the desk. “We have the credit card number for your man. If you’d like, I can have Jackson check to see if any activity shows up on it.”
Ronan smiled. “Like I said; don’t make my job too easy.”
Connor laughed. “Trust me, knowing the man’s location at one point in time doesn’t mean you can catch him.”
“I know. Now it’s just a waiting game with Delahart. Do you mind if I question EmmaLee about Coghill?”
Connor was more than happy to turn that task over to him. Even being in the same building with her was enough to make his wolf ready to pounce. “Be my guest.”
*
EmmaLee was surprised when Ronan pulled up a chair. “So what are you working on?” he asked.
She’d read and reread the article that Jackson had given her and had just moved on to finding any more sightings of dragon shifters when he arrived.
“Dragon shifters.”
His eyes widened. “Did you find any?” he asked with total sincerity.
“I found an article that claims a dragon descended on Hickory, Florida and set a warehouse on fire after being confronted. I was in the middle of reading it when you arrived.”
“Any pictures?” Ronan asked, leaning forward.
“This one, but it’s just of the torched building.”
He leaned closer. “Click that link.”
She did and a very blurry photo of what looked like a dragon appeared. EmmaLee nearly lost her breath. The problem was that the animal was backlit by flames, casting him in a shadow, but the outline of his wing was clear. “What do you think?”
Ronan studied it. “Looks like a fake to me.”
Damn. She looked a little closer and noticed a small gap between the animal and the background. “I agree, but what tipped you off?”
“Not the photo per se, but a warehouse? Smells like arson to me. Sure seems like someone wants to point a finger at something else.”
She chuckled. “I think I would have picked an animal less obvious than a fire-breathing dragon.” Now was the time to find out what he knew. “You said you might have seen one?”
He chuckled. “Like I said before, I thought I had, but I’m convinced it was another ruse.”
That was disappointing. “Too bad. If you had the chance, would you want to meet one?”
“Yes and no. I have no idea if they really do shoot fire, but if they do, I wouldn’t want anything to do with them. A wolf would be fried to a crisp in seconds.”
She shivered at that thought. “I want to see one but only from afar.”
“I hear ya.”
“Thanks for not laughing at me.”
Ronan’s mouth curled downward. “Not me. Who around here makes fun of you?”
“Connor. He thinks the whole idea is ridiculous.”
Ronan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I say that’s shortsighted of him. Since there are wolf and bear shifters, why wouldn’t there be dragon shifters?”
She liked this man. “Exactly. Connor says it’s because wolves and bears exist in the real world, and dragons don’t.”
“Can he prove dragons don’t exist?”
She chuckled. “Even I don’t believe they do. Their eating habits alone would make them too conspicuous.”
“Maybe you’re right. Change of subject. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions regarding the man who harmed you?”
Acid dripped into her stomach at the mere thought of Slater. “Are you working with Connor on the case?”
“Yes.”
She’d told Connor everything, but if Ronan needed to hear it again, that was okay. “What would you like to know?”
“Where did Slater Coghill live before he moved to Billard?”
She stilled. “I asked him, but he said he lived in a lot of different places. He was a rather restless soul and liked to move around.”
“I see. When he lived in Billard, did he have any special place he liked to go?”
She thought his questions rather odd. “You mean by himself?”
“Or with you. Billard is in the mountains. I’m wondering if he had a cabin that he owned or liked to rent.”
“Yes! One of his good friends had a place in Darnell, Georgia.”
Ronan lifted his cell from his shirt pocket and made a note. “You don’t happen to have an address or the name of this friend, do you?”
She shook his head. “Slater called him Bubba. I know that doesn’t help.”
“It might.”
“You think he’s holed up there?”
Ronan smiled. “I guess I’ll have to find out. Last question. I know this is a long shot, but did you bring anything of his with you—like a shirt or something he held a lot?”
That was the strangest question to date. “No. I want nothing more to do with that man.” Her mind spun. “Do you work with a bloodhound?”
“No.” He stood. “Thanks for your time, and keep looking for those dragon shifters. I’d love to learn one exists, but I don’t want to get tangled up with one.”
“I totally agree.”
Ronan returned the way he came. She liked Lexi’s brother. He was open-minded, quite different from the way his sister had described him. Then again, siblings didn’t always share everything.
A short while later, Lexi entered the room. “I’m on my break. Do you want me to drop you off at home, or do you want to stay here until I leave at five?”
Since Connor didn’t seem to be too pleased that she’d stopped by, EmmaLee might be better off heading back to the house and not upsetting him further. “I’ll catch a ride back with you now, thanks.”
“Do you want to tell Connor you’re leaving?” Lexi asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t think he cares one way or the other.”
“You know that’s not true.” Lexi asked. “He must care if he watched over you for a few weeks.”
“It was a request from his brother. Remember, Vinea is my best friend.”
Lexi nodded. “What if I let him know that I’m driving you back?”
In a way, she wanted him to worry, but if he took the time to drive over to the guesthouse just to check, she would feel guilty. “Sure, if you want to.”
“Be right back.”
Lexi strode toward the hallway where the offices were located. As much as she had wanted to see where Connor worked, it was best not to dwell on the reserved man. She’d be better off to lay low until Slater was caught and then return home to her friends.
*
Around five, Connor had mentioned to Ronan that he was swamped with work, and the newcomer immediately volunteered to stand watch over EmmaLee. While Connor wasn’t really sure why Ronan agreed to the bodyguard job, he wasn’t going to turn down the offer. After meeting the man, he had full confidence that Ronan was too dedicated to his job to put the moves on her.
Almost three hours later, his wolf interrupted him. You should have told Ronan you and EmmaLee were mates.
Maybe, but I did
n’t want to chance that piece of information getting back to her.
You are a chicken shit.
He was beginning to think that was true. Pushing his unwarranted concern aside, he believed Ronan enjoyed what McKinnon and Associates had to offer. Most likely, Ronan just wanted to prove he could be a team player, despite having worked on his own his whole life.
His wolf grunted. Did you forget that Ronan believes in dragon shifters? That alone could cause a bond to form.
Shit. If you think I’d tell anyone that EmmaLee is ours—other than Dad—you’re crazy.
What if Ronan asks her out? You act like you don’t like her, his wolf shot back. There’s no reason for him not to pursue her—or for EmmaLee not to accept.
Ronan won’t. He’s not that kind of guy.
Can you be positive? his wolf asked.
Fuck. Maybe he had screwed up. Showing up at her house right now would only make things more awkward between them. He had to trust that EmmaLee would not show any interest in the newcomer.
It’s almost eight. Why not take a break and get your head on straight? his wolf said. I don’t need you to mess things up for us permanently.
That was true. Connor was more convinced than ever that his thoughts were in the wrong place right now and that he was incapable of making rational decisions when it came to EmmaLee.
Heeding his wolf’s warning, he shut down his computer, slipped on his coat, and left.
Once in his car, he needed to decide where he wanted to go. If he went home, he’d want to go over to EmmaLee’s and check on her. Ronan had checked in once to say she’d provided him with some useful intel on Coghill. Hopefully, she hadn’t been holding back information, though she had no reason to do that.
Damn, this whole mate thing was clouding his mind, and he couldn’t allow it to make him miss asking important questions. He was always so thorough. The only solution was to put some space between them.
Instead of going home, he headed east, and ended up in the parking lot of McKinnon Pub and Pool. Connor could have spoken to Rye about his problem, but knowing his older brother, he’d suggest telling EmmaLee the truth about them being mates, and Connor was sure that would lead to disaster.
Because Finn wasn’t mated, he might have a better solution. And being a bartender, he was used to listening to a lot of people’s problems. Hoping his younger brother could help him make some sense out of everything, he went inside.