by C J Matthew
“And you’d ruin that dress.”
“You’re becoming an expert on shifter lore. Naked and dress replacement are the least of our worries. How are you doing back there?”
“I’m remembering the technique. How much time do you think we have?”
“We can’t even guess without knowing what Darren considers his final box to be checked.” She growled low in her throat. “If I could get my teeth into that damned—”
“Let me describe what I’m doing,” Annalisa interrupted. “Get you started.”
She described the technique to Vic and continued with her moves. “When we get loose, should we pound on the door? To attract attention? Or should we arm ourselves, wait for Darren, and beat the shit out of him with a surprise attack?”
“Excellent questions,” Vic said.
“I got it. I’m free.” Annalisa’s blood pressure skyrocketed. One hand had wiggled free of the tie. She rubbed her wrist and hurried to untie her ankles. Then she untied Vic’s feet and helped her to her feet.
“Okay,” Annalisa said. “let me help get your ties off.”
Vic’s head shot up. “Footsteps,” she mouthed. “Right outside.”
Annalisa fumbled one plastic connection.
“Calm breaths,” Vic whispered, “You can do this.”
“Sure.” She wiggled and pulled. And wiggled the tie off of Vic’s wrist.
A key slid into the lock on the door.
“Weapons?” she mouthed at Vic’s ear.
“Unzip the dress.”
“Yea, shifters.” Annalisa yanked the zipper down.
The deadbolt unlatched.
The artic fox was closer in size and demeanor to an enraged pit bull than a cute Disney cartoon fox. She leaped up on one of the higher shelves, knocking off rolls of toilet paper.
Darren, wearing a smug, over-confident expression on his face, pushed into the room. The fox growled. With teeth gleaming she dove for his throat.
* * *
Murdoch
Murdoch returned to the empty table with two overflowing dinner plates. Where was everybody? Looking back to the food service, he spotted Ryan, next in line at the carving station. Too many guests had gone directly there, before the buffet. Where were Annalisa and Vic? He put the plates down and made a visual sweep of the entire ballroom. No mate.
He tried to sense her.
Not here, the dragon offered. All Murdoch could sense was the lack of his mate, her absence. Maybe because she wasn’t a shifter? Or perhaps their bond was too new?
He didn’t want to sit down at an empty table. He snuck a cherry tomato off the plate and popped it into his mouth. Looked over his shoulder. Ryan was balancing three plates, zigzagging across the room, hurrying toward him.
He put the plates down and leaned his grim face closer to Murdoch. “Darren has been here all evening, but hotel security just recently lost him. We need to get Vic and Annalisa back here. Now.”
“Do we split up or stick together?” Murdoch was already headed to the door his mate had used earlier to leave the room.
“Together.”
Murdoch pushed out of the ballroom.
Our mate is in danger.
“Appreciate the update,” Murdoch snarked at the dragon. “Now find her.”
Her aroma, Annalisa’s unique combination of warn skin, shampoo, and light perfume, filled his nostrils.
“This way,” he growled to Ryan.
There was a similar growl from a room just past the restrooms. Murdoch started running. Ryan drew his weapon and tried to keep pace.
When a firearm discharged inside the room, Murdoch went straight through the wooden door. And stopped on a dime.
Darren was flat on his back on the tile floor. Shallow puncture marks on his neck bled sluggishly. Standing on his chest was a big, seriously big, Arctic fox, snarling her warning. Murdoch’s mate held a toilet plunger over her head, ready to clobber Darren.
Ryan pushed past him, gun at the ready, warning, “Nobody move.”
“Chill, Ryan.” Annalisa shook her plunger. “You too, honey. We got him. We outsmarted Darren and Vic captured him.”
Murdoch stepped gingerly around Darren and the fox to take his mate in his arms. “Sweetling, you’re sure you’re not hurt?
“Not a scratch. But we need you two to take charge of Darren. Get him out of here so Vic can shift back and dress.”
He dropped a kiss on Annalisa’s head. “We heard a gunshot.”
Annalisa pointed to a hole in the back wall. “When the fabulous fox went for his throat, stupid Darren shot the wall.”
Murdoch looked to Ryan who was putting his weapon away. “What do we do with him?”
“Keep him locked down until you make the preemptive hoax announcement and Vic stops the auction. Everything is ready to go. Maybe the ballroom would be a good place for you to deny any Muirdris Shipping data leaks.”
Murdoch winced when Annalisa pinched him. “Just take Darren outside, prop the door back in place, then go away,” she said. “We’ll meet you back at the table.”
The fox sidestepped daintily off Darren’s chest, and stood watching while he helped Ryan hoist the prisoner to his feet.
At the door, Ryan released a quiet whistle. “A vixen. Ultra-hot.”
Chapter 23
Annalisa
Annalisa shook out Vic’s ball gown and helped her new best friend slide it on over her now human, naked body. The hotel storage room was eerily quiet after Murdoch propped the broken door back in place and left to help Ryan conceal Darren. She zipped up Vic’s dress and gave her a quick hug. “This is my week for meeting new life-changing friends. Thank you for saving my life.”
Vic hugged her back and shook her head. “You seem to forget your vital role in our escape. If you hadn’t gotten both of us freed from those plastic ties, I never could’ve shifted. Thank you for saving my life.”
“A team?”
“Deal. Now teammate, I’m starving. Do you figure we missed dinner?”
She lowered her voice, “I know a cute sea dragon who’d probably spring for steak dinners.”
“Porterhouse rare and you’re talking my language.”
Annalisa and Vic edged past the broken door, and found Murdoch and Ryan waiting for them in the hallway.
“Hey. Nice surprise,” Annalisa said pressed against Murdoch’s solid chest. “But where’s our traitor?”
Ryan held Vic’s hand tightly. “I called a couple o’guys. Told ‘em to babysit Darren ‘til we finish cleaning up his mess. Then, unless the bomber implicates him, he’ll go free.”
Annalisa shot Ryan a deep frown. “That doesn’t seem fair after all the—”
“Free but knowing there’s a big target on his back,” Ryan assured her, “Which will be used if he ever messes with Muirdris Shipping or any of her staff again.”
“As you see,” Murdoch said, “Ryan has everything well in hand. I’m here only because I couldn’t bear to be away from my new fiancé. And I have one more duty to perform. A brief public announcement assuring the world that all of the Muirdris data is inviolate, and all aspects of our operations remain secure. At the same time, Vic will stop the auction.”
“I’ve got the commands ready to be sent,” Vic said, “through a remote server.”
“The woman’s a genius,” Ryan murmured.
“Then,” Murdoch continued, “if there’s any food left, we eat. If not, we can order up dinner to the suite here in the hotel. Or Vic, you are welcome to helicopter back to our home, and join us and Ryan for a late dinner there.”
“Our home. That sounds lovely,” Annalisa sighed against his shoulder.
“New mates,” Vic warned. “They’ll be all lovey-dovey like this for months.”
“For the rest of our lives,” Murdoch assured his mate and their friends. “Now, let’s get this done.”
In the ballroom, their table had been cleared, but the celebration was in full swing with all the attendees still dancin
g, chatting, and drinking.
“You sure know how to throw a party,” Annalisa whispered to Murdoch as the head waiter approached them.
“Sir,” he bowed to Murdoch, “if you and your guests are ready to eat, I’m able to replicate the food on the plates we removed.”
“Excellent.” Murdoch smiled up at him. “Bring those as soon as they’re ready. And tell the orchestra leader I’ll be making a few remarks after they finish this set.”
“Yes, sir. That’ll be two more songs. A pleasure serving you, sir.”
Ryan’s phone buzzed. “It’s Alice from the shipyard,” he said and hurried to a corner of the ballroom, completed the call, and returned slowly.
“What’s wrong?” Annalisa asked.
“Nothing really,” Ryan said, then lowered his voice. “The bomber’s body was recovered. They’ll perform an autopsy, but it looks like drowning. The guy in custody confessed to bombing the garage at Muirdris headquarters and to his part in the attempted bombing of the new ship. Seems the two men are cousins, and he claims there’s no one else involved. Both are ex-employees of Muirdris. The deceased cousin fired for drinking on the job. The surviving man for fighting. He denies any connection to Darren.”
“That’s pretty clear-cut,” Murdoch said.
“But why in hell would Darren betray the company?” Ryan said. “Nobody saw that coming.”
Murdoch lowered his voice. “Your men are having an informal talk with Darren right now, recording it, right?”
“Yes, so maybe we’ll know more later.”
Murdoch made his ‘few remarks’ from the orchestra platform and as he spoke, Annalisa warmed with pride. Even better than the press conference, tonight he held his audience entranced, in a very human way. This time he could be less formal. His guests laughed and applauded during his talk.
Across the table, Vic sat with her phone ready. Midway through Murdoch’s speech, he nodded to Vic, she pushed Send, and her part of the mission was complete.
After Murdoch finished, he made his way back to her, slowing only to shake hands and accept congratulations.
Dinner was delicious, and her dessert was positively decadent.
“Shall we dance?” Murdoch asked, grinning at her.
“Definitely. I need to work off this meal.”
An hour later, the dance floor was still crowded. Annalisa swayed in Murdoch’s arms to a slow song. Resting her head on his chest, she said, “It’s been an unforgettable day and night. And it’s beginning to catch up to me. Could we go home now?”
Murdoch guided her back to their table where Vic and Ryan sat deep in conversation.
“We’re going home,” Murdoch told them, “You’re both invited to—”
“No thanks, boss,” Ryan said. “I’m escorting Vic home, then driving back later tonight. I assigned one of our house guards to fly with you. Nexia was already working here tonight.”
Nexia, their substitute bodyguard, met them at the ballroom exit and escorted them to the roof and into the helicopter. Annalisa drifted to sleep in the chopper and blinked awake when Murdoch laid her on his bed.
“Aren’t we sleeping on the hoard?” she murmured.
“You, Annalisa Bartello, my eternal Sweetling, are the most beautiful creature ever born. Smart, resilient, and full of unexpected and wondrous talents, you’re the ideal partner. And now you’re talking about bedding down with your love-sick sea dragon on his hoard? Definitely, the perfect mate. I love you. I’ll treasure and adore you forever.”
“Show me.”
* * *
Murdoch
Murdoch woke late the next morning, with his beloved mate tucked securely in his arms. He loved watching her sleep. As if on cue, she stirred and opened her eyes.
“Morning.”
“Good morning,” he said and kissed her forehead. “Do you want an update on Darren now or after I feed you breakfast?”
“Now, please.”
“Ryan sent us a private message. He doesn’t want Vic hurt by Darren’s twisted motivations.”
“What?”
“At some point last night, Darren realized he was being detained while his auction was cancelled. He totally lost it. Went off in a psychotic rant to Ryan’s men. It quickly became obvious, Darren secretly despises women. He particularly hated working for Vic. He was even disgusted by the fact she shortened her name. The man is mentally ill, and Ryan doesn’t want Vic blaming herself for the theft of the protocols. Also, he wanted to confirm Muirdris would cover psychiatric help for Darren.”
“And you agreed?
“I did. I don’t want you worrying about Darren, either. He’s going to get help. You and I have a busy day ahead.”
“Wait a minute,” she said. “You’ve been up already? Working?”
“Dragon’s honor, I came straight back to bed after getting the Mykos offer outlined. It’s a complicated assignment I need to wrap up. Oh, and I read Ryan’s message.”
“Honey, that wasn’t a criticism. Still, I’m feeling like a slacker.”
“Sweetling, you’re officially off work…”
Annalisa glanced up at him, her sharp eyes searching. Still, she waited while he fidgeted. He’d finished writing the Mykos offer and wanted a second set of eyes. Her eyes and her opinion. Just say it.
“Even though you’re not working today, would you read through the offer? Double check I didn’t miss anything?”
“I’d be happy to. With the clear understanding that I’ve never worked procurement.”
“Thank you.”
“Um, you said busy day, which scares me,” she teased. “What else is on your agenda?”
“I want announce our engagement today.” He couldn’t wait to tell the world. However, he suspected his mate had a mental check-list to complete first. She threaded her finger through his. Here it comes.
“Do we need to clear that with HR?”
An easy question. “Depends on who you’ll be working for.” He kept his tone casual while he tracked her body language like a bird of prey.
“I’ve given it some thought,” she said, equally laid-back. “Finnian’s a great boss to work for and I’m enjoying all my projects and the new assignments.”
“All right…” he said. Shit, shit. No, give her a minute.
“My first choice is to stay on Finnian’s team if I can live here in Massachusetts and telecommute.”
His heart soaring, Murdoch let out a whoop and pounced, kissing her until they were both gasping for air. “You are beyond perfect,” he wheezed. It didn’t help that the dragon was dancing an Irish jig.
“I didn’t fool you for a minute,” she grumbled. “You know I can’t leave you.”
“And I feel exactly the same way.”
“While you’re in a mellow mood, I have two favors to ask concerning the engagement announcement.”
“As my beautiful mate would say, ‘Uh oh’.”
“Let’s not make it public until you tell Murphy.”
“Done. What else?”
“While we wait for Murphy to come home, would you figure out another proposal? One that isn’t quite so X-rated?”
“Like asking you in a restaurant?” Dull stuff. Kneeling on the hoard had been traditional, classic.
“Think about it,” she said. “One day our children are going to ask how you proposed to me. I don’t want to tell them I was spread out naked on the hoard. We need to create an alternate story.”
“For our future children?”
“Yes.” His mate looked positively adorable with flushed, pink cheeks.
“I’ll get right to work on that.”
“Terrific. How about we shower and dress, then you bring a copy of the Mykos offer, while I make coffee? We can meet in the breakfast nook.”
The shower took even longer than he’d anticipated. Still, based on her moans of satisfaction echoing off the tile walls, his mate thoroughly enjoyed the extra time and attention.
He brought his laptop to the
kitchen and set it down in front of her.
“French toast?” he asked.
She was already peering intently at the document on the screen. “Uh huh,” she mumbled.
Ten minutes later, her head came up and she looked at him over the computer screen. “Murdoch, you’re such a dog in the manger. This offer is awesome. You didn’t miss a trick. You wanted me to read it so I could applaud, pat you on the back.”
“No, I… Well, I was hoping I’d nailed it.”
“You absolutely did. Mykos wants to sell everything, right? And you’re only going for the break-even and profitable parts of their company?”
“Brilliant woman,” he said. “We’re only buying what we can use, or we walk. It’s a strong position.”
She jumped up, ran around the table, and leapt into his arms. “You’re such a great businessman. And so sexy when you talk negotiations.”
“Mind the spatula.” He stepped back from the gas range and groped her butt while he kissed her. “I love you.”
“Me too.”
“Let’s get plenty of food in us. Then we can go back to bed and teach each other every negotiating trick we know.”
THANK YOU for reading Murdoch, Sea Dragon Shifter Series Book 1!
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