by Bethany Shaw
Grace turned to the pool table. She leaned forward, eyeing the balls and her position as she prepared to break. She drew the stick through her fingers and shoved it forward, whacking the cue ball with a loud crack. It rolled across the felt and smacked into the triangle of balls. They rolled across the table, but none of them went into any of the holes.
“Darn,” she said with a sigh.
Daire chuckled as he set up his shot. He hit the ball, sending it careening into not one, but two solid balls that both fell in the pocket.
She pouted but didn’t say anything when he lined up his next shot and hit another ball in. “You do this a lot?” she asked after he hit in his fourth ball.
He shrugged. “I’ve spent a lot of time in bars. It’s given me plenty of opportunities to practice.”
“You don’t seem like a heavy drinker.” She watched him through narrowed eyes. He wasn’t drunk; he didn’t smell of alcohol, either. Not once since she’d met him.
“I can’t get drunk.”
“Really? That must be nice. I got drunk once in college. Never again.” She shook her head. Worst night of her life. “So, you can drink whatever you like without repercussion?” That was hard to believe. Everyone had a limit, right?
He nodded as he took his next shot. “It’s a good thing. I’ve become quite fond of moonshine.”
“Never had it.” She watched as he hit the ball. It bounced off the wall and hit one of the solid balls right into the pocket. At this rate, she’d be lucky to get another shot in.
“You’re missing out. It’s strong but good. I wouldn’t drink too much of it your first go. Do you want another beer?” he asked, nodding at her nearly empty bottle.
“No. I’m good. I might go into work to pick up some overtime in the morning.”
“What do you do?” Daire asked.
Grace snorted. “I’m an assistant at Channel Five News.”
“So, you help the reporters out and stuff?” he asked.
“Sort of. I follow up on leads, take their calls, and fact check things before they air stories. It’s okay, but it’s not what I want to be doing.”
“What makes you say that?” he asked as he put down the stick to stare at her.
She shifted under his gaze. “I was going to college for journalism and communications. I was the editor of the school paper, and everything looked promising for me until I got pregnant. Don’t get me wrong; I would do it all over again for my son. Caden is a wonderful boy, and I can’t imagine my life without him. I just wish I hadn’t let Dave talk me into quitting school. I should’ve finished. It would’ve been hard, but other people have done it. Now...” She trailed off and shook her head. “Not only did I drop out of school, but I stayed home up until we filed for divorce. I’m lucky to be working in the field I want to at all. Luckily, I had an acquaintance from school that worked at the news station and helped me get my job. I’m doing good to pay all my bills on time each month. I don’t have the time or money to go back to school to finish. I think the only hope I have to pursue my dream career is to get my big break, but what are the chances of me finding the story of a lifetime?”
Daire mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, ”Be careful what you wish for,” but before she could question him, he asked, “Your ex doesn’t help you out financially?”
Grace sighed. “I get child support, but I racked up a lot of credit cards to pay for my divorce. Once you fall into the pit of credit card debt, it’s near impossible to dig yourself out. But things are looking up; I’ve got my apartment and car.”
“How is your car running, by the way?”
“So far, so good. I don’t think it’s ever run so good. So, thanks.”
He lined up another shot and hit the eight ball into the pocket. “Game.”
“When I told you not to take it easy on me, I didn’t think I was playing a professional,” she teased. “One more round?”
Daire’s gaze drifted to something over her shoulder. His brows dipped down into a frown. “Yeah. Sure. Do you mind setting up? I’m going to go to the bathroom.”
Grace peeked over her shoulder. There were a few new guys at the bar shrugging their jackets off, but there was nothing obvious to indicate his sudden change in mood. Maybe he smoked or he just really had to go to the bathroom. “Okay.”
He set the pool stick in the rack and marched away. Grace set the balls back on the table, positioning herself so she could watch Daire. He hurried across the bar, walking passed the newcomers. The five men at the bar turned their heads, watching him as he moved past them. Then, one by one, they each got up and followed him into the hall leading to the bathroom.
She frowned while folding her arms over her chest. Had she misread him? Did he know these men somehow? Was he in some sort of trouble?
It wasn’t her business. She barely knew him and shouldn’t care. Her hand went to her purse, slipping it around her wrist. Her feet slid forward over the wooden floor to the back. She’d considered taking this guy home. If he was into drugs or in trouble she wanted to find out. He was living in the apartment beneath her and Caden. Trouble for him could bring trouble to her front door by mistake. Not to mention part of her was curious to find out what was going on, too.
Grace moved through the bar and down the long hallway to the bathrooms. This was a stupid idea. It wasn’t too late to turn around. She had no idea what she’d be walking in on, but she had to know.
She froze at the men’s bathroom. The door was open, and the light was off. So was the women’s. Where had they gone? They’d come this way.
Voices filtered in from the back of the hall where the back door was partially open. Grace closed her eyes. It wasn’t too late to go back and pretend she had no idea what he was into, but she couldn’t do that.
She tiptoed down the rest of the hall with her back pressed against the wall, listening to the conversation.
“What did you do with the kid, dragon?” a man asked.
“Where’s your group hiding?” Daire’s voice shot back.
Someone chuckled. “Wouldn’t you like to know, dragon?”
Grace frowned. What was up with the weird name-calling? What kid were they talking about? She hadn’t heard any reports of a missing kid.
“I heard the little mermaid’s here with you. Send her my condolences, won’t you?” another voice said before bursting into a fit of laughter.
The door shook as it slammed closed. She took a step back, her hand flying to her chest. Grunts and growls filtered in through the closed door. They were fighting out there. She should turn around and go to her car and drive home and forget she heard or saw anything. The reporter in her wanted to know what was going on out there. She shifted on her feet, trying to decide what to do.
“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing poking your nose into business where it doesn’t belong?” a man asked from behind her. An arm wrapped around her torso, pulling her flush against a hard chest. Her mouth opened. A scream lodged in her throat, but before it could escape, a hand clamped over her lips to stifle it.
The man lifted her and dragged her to the door, using his shoulder to shove it open.
Grace gasped as she was tossed onto the ground. The concrete bit into her hands and knees. A hand wriggled into her hair, snapping her head up. She should have stayed at the pool table. What if something happened to her? She’d never get to see her little boy again. Her pulse roared in her ears at the thought. She struggled against his grip, but his hand only tugged her hair harder with each thrash.
“Enough!” a voice commanded from behind her. “Or I’ll snap her pretty little neck right now.”
She blinked blurry tears away, stilling. Were they going to kill her? Please, no. She didn’t want to die. Her eyes searched for Daire, hoping he’d do whatever they wanted. He had a man pinned against the brick building. The guy’s feet dangled beneath him as he gasped for air. Daire’s blue eyes were gone. Instead, they were shimmering silver.
Two other men
lay on the ground. She gulped as her eyes connected with their dark, vacant eyes. They were dead. Another man was collecting himself off the ground, a sly smile sliding across his features as he stared at Grace.
Daire dropped the man he held. The guy sputtered, falling to his knees while trying to gulp in air.
“Let her go,” Daire said as he turned to the man holding her hostage.
“We want the kid first,” the man keeping her captive said as he slid a hand over her shoulder to wrap his fingers around her throat.
Daire glanced around the alley before narrowing his eyes. “The kid is under our protection, as is she. Let her go, and I’ll let you walk away from here alive.”
Grace’s mouth popped open. Would Daire kill them? Was he a killer? What had she gotten herself into?
“You know the rules, dragon. You can’t expose yourself.” The fingers tightened around her throat.
She gasped in a strangled breath. Her throat ached from the pressure, making it hard to breathe. Part of her wanted to fight, but the terror of what might happen made her freeze in place. How hard was it to snap a person’s neck? Would he actually do it? She didn’t want to find out.
Daire took a step forward and lifted his hands as if to surrender. He took another step forward. His mouth opened. No words came out. Fire did. It shot out straight over her head. The man behind her shrieked. She was propelled forward.
Grace whimpered as her forehead smacked against the concrete. Her vision doubled. A hand went to her hair, touching the tender flesh. She looked at it. Crimson coated her fingers. Head wounds bled. She needed to get over it,
and get out of here.
She pushed to her feet and squeaked when she nearly tripped over something. She found her balance as her eyes darted to the thing on the ground. Bile crept up her throat. It was a body, charred beyond recognition. Daire had shot fire from his mouth. It hadn’t been some weird figment of her imagination.
She sought her date out in time to see him wrench a man’s head to the side and deposit him on the ground. Grace shuffled backward. She had to get out of there. Whatever he was into, she didn’t want to know. She had to get home. And do what? He knew where she lived. It didn’t matter. She could call the police. They’d come to help her.
Grace spun on her heel and sprinted while digging in her purse for her car keys. She rounded the corner to the parking lot and smacked into something hard and solid. Her purse fell to the ground, spilling its contents all over the place.
“No,” she cried out. Her eyes snapped up to the man in front of her.
His hand reached out for her. She smacked it away and turned on her heel. She fled toward the woods, casting a glance over her shoulder. Someone was following her.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. She should’ve stayed in and binge watched something on Netflix. Cute guys were trouble—first Dave, now Daire. Or maybe it was just men whose names started with D. She laughed manically at her thoughts. Now so wasn’t the time for this.
Twisting, she chanced another look back. Several forms charged after her. They were gaining on her. She pushed her feet to move faster. Her thighs and lungs burned. How long could she keep this up? She drew in a strangled breath.
Her foot caught on something, sending her sprawling forward. The impact knocked the breath out of her. She fought to inhale. Get up! She fought to push to her knees.
Something landed in front of her. She blinked. What was that? It was a large black, scaly dragon. The beast looked a lot like the tattoo on Daire’s arm. But that wasn’t possible, was it? Its silver eyes met hers briefly before darting to a spot over her shoulder. The dragon opened its mouth. Fire sprayed out.
Grace dove for the ground, covering her head as she screamed. More wails filled the air. Then, there was silence aside from her own shrills. She quit shrieking and peered up. The dragon stomped toward her. One of its clawed hands wrapped around her waist.
She squeezed her eyes shut. This was a bad dream. She’d wake up any minute and have a good laugh.
The ground disappeared. Weightlessness filled her. Crisp air slapped against her skin as the wind kicked up. She pried her eyes open and shrieked at her dangling feet.
The trees were gone. Lake Michigan’s sparkling blue water sat beneath her. She kicked her feet, yelling. It did no good. The beast had her in its grip and wasn’t letting go. Where was it taking her?
Chapter Five
Taking Grace out had been a mistake. He should have followed his instinct and gone by himself. Now, he’d dragged the beautiful woman into this mess.
He stared down at the reflection of the moon on the lake. It would be full in another two weeks. He’d taken out some of the lycanthrope tonight, but not nearly enough. The wolves would either go further into hiding until the full moon or become more brazen in their attacks. It was fifty-fifty which one they’d choose.
Daire would have to worry about them later. What was he going to do with Grace? His eyes darted to where she dangled from his foot. She’d stopped screaming and yelling a few minutes ago, and he could tell by her death grip on his leg that she was still conscious. How long had they been flying? A while. This was his sixth or seventh lap around the lake. She was probably getting cold.
He flapped his wings, heading toward the shore by the apartment complex. A ripple under the water gave him pause. Of all the times for the water dragon to show up, it had to be now. He cursed in his head and flew faster, hoping to land before Aric arrived.
He set Grace down first and fluttered ahead of her, landing on the sand. He pictured his human form and changed instantly.
“You... You were a dragon,” Grace said. She shoved strands of her tangled locks out of her face as her wide eyes locked on him.
“I can explain.” Daire went to his box of clothes and took out two pairs of pants. He tugged on a pair of sweatpants and held onto the other pair as he trotted back to where Grace stood.
Grace looked around the beach. “I don’t think you can explain.” She shook her head. “This is insane. Did you put something in my drink?”
“No. I didn’t put anything in your drink.” He reached out to touch her arm.
She batted it away. “Don’t touch me.”
The water had sloshed against the shore seconds before the bright blue dragon leaped onto land, swishing his long tale that still lapped in the waves.
Grace shrieked while backtracking. Her boots got caught in the sand, and she fell backward on her behind. She crawled through the sand as Aric changed forms.
“Ah, you brought me a gift. You shouldn’t have, Daire. You know the humans aren’t supposed to know about us,” Aric said with a cluck of his tongue. He sauntered past Grace to where Daire stood to offer the clothes to him. “Astraea isn’t going to be happy.”
“What the hell is going on?” Grace asked. Her eyes flitted between them. “Why is he naked?” She lingered on Aric for a moment before turning back to Daire.
Aric yanked the pants up his legs, quirking his brow at Daire, clearly waiting for him to explain.
Daire scrubbed a hand over his face. “Ethney thought it’d be good if I went out. We ran into some lycanthrope at the bar and, well...” He trailed off, motioning to Grace. “Things didn’t go too well after that.”
“Obviously. What are you going to tell her?” Aric asked. His eyes raked over the beautiful woman.
Daire growled, noticing how Aric stared at the way Grace’s dress had ridden up her leg to expose her creamy inner thigh. He slapped his friend on the back of the head. “The truth, I guess.”
“I’m right here. Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Grace said. “What is going on? What did you give me?” She pushed up to her feet and stomped toward him. She jabbed her finger at his chest. “You put something in my drink, didn’t you?”
Again, with the accusations. Did she really think he could do that? He shook his head. “Let’s get you back to your apartment. I’ll explain there. You must be freezing.”
>
To prove his point, she shivered. He went to grab her arm, but she jerked away. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” She turned on her heel and jogged toward the apartment complex.
Aric shrugged at him. “That’s all on you, bud.” He held his arms up with a chuckle. “You better catch up to her before she calls the police.”
Crap. He hadn’t even thought of that. No human had ever found out about him before. Aric had had it happen twice. A few of the other guardians, too. Never Daire, though.
He could call Astraea and ask her to whammy Grace with a spell of some sort, but he really didn’t want to. Grace was different from any other woman he’d come across. Maybe he could explain things to her and take it from there. Having the goddess wipe her memories would be the last resort.
***
Grace fumbled for her footing over the uneven terrain. Her thighs burned, and her head swam. She wrapped her arms around herself to fight off the chill, but that didn’t keep her teeth from chattering. What the hell was going on?
At least she knew where she was. She took Caden fishing at the lake over the summer a few times. The apartment complex was just ahead. She could call the police and... Then what? Would they believe her? No, of course not. There was no such thing as dragons. But she could say Daire put something in her drink, and there were bodies at the Lucky Five. There was no denying that. Too bad she wasn’t a real journalist. She’d inadvertently stumbled onto the story of a lifetime. With a few pictures, there would be indisputable evidence. If only she hadn’t lost her cell.
She just had to get home, call the police, and pray for this nightmare to end. Footsteps crunched on the ground behind her. Grace glanced over her shoulder. Daire was following her. Hell, he was right behind her, close enough to reach out and grab her.
Her foot caught on something, and she pitched forward with a yelp. Daire disappeared. She braced for impact, but instead, warm arms snaked around her, catching her before she hit.
Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up into his icy blue eyes. Calmness washed over her even though she knew she should be anything but.