Owen had been placed in charge of recruitment, assisted by Raven and Myles. They were doing a great job so far, and the Falcon Cross army was growing daily. Noah, along with one of the top Falcon Cross soldiers, Benji, was working on training the new recruits as quickly as possible. Mac and Zeke were spending nearly every spare second strategizing or overseeing the advanced training that was being done for many of the wizards who had been soldiers for years and already had basic training down cold.
Zeke was exceptionally talented at everything related to war. He knew how to make battle plans, how to see the weak spots in a training regimen, and how to whip the Falcon Cross soldiers into the best shape of their lives. He was leading daily extended workouts with some of the troops, and, although Mac did not participate since she was too busy with other official business to add more on to her daily workouts, she did like to “coincidentally” walk by the field where the workouts took place when Zeke was leading them. He usually wore a pair of black gym shorts and no shirt, since the summer sun often beat down mercilessly from above. Mac couldn’t keep herself from stopping to admire the way he looked, with his perfect six-pack glistening with sweat, and his huge biceps flexing as he put the soldiers through their paces. He was truly the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.
And she had kissed him, Mac thought, putting her fingers to her lips for a moment to touch the spot where Mac’s lips had once met hers. She had relived that kiss dozens of times over the last week, always wishing that the attack had come at any time other than that exact moment. What would have happened if they had not been interrupted? Mac felt somewhat ashamed that she could even think that way. After all, wizards had died. How could she sit here and bemoan the fact that a kiss had been interrupted? And yet, she could not get that kiss out her head.
It was the wrong time for romance. She had known from the first time she saw Zeke that he was special, and that she was hopelessly attracted to him. Even when he had acted like an asshole in their meetings, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that he was somehow connected to her. And when he had kissed her, she had felt an electricity between them like nothing she had ever experienced before. But electricity and happiness and romance would have to wait now, wouldn’t it? The whole wizard and shifter world was on the brink of war, as far as she could tell.
A knock on her door brought her attention sharply back to the present. She hadn’t been able to manage much solitary work time over the last several days. Even when she closed her office door and turned her office lights off, working only by the sunlight that came in through her window, people knew she was here. There was always a question about something, and Mac knew that she needed to be as available as possible for her army during this difficult time. Still, she had thought that by now, when it was well past eight o’clock and most people had gone home, that she would have finally had a chance to think and work in peace. Apparently, that was not the case.
“Come in,” she said wearily. Sitting up straight and pushing back a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek. She needed to at least look put together and professional, even if she didn’t feel that way at the moment.
But when the door opened and she saw who it was, she instantly relaxed.
“Zeke!” she said, a smile breaking out across her face. “I thought you said you were leaving for the night.”
“I said I was leaving,” he said. “I didn’t say it was for the night. I had an errand to run, and I’ve run it. Now I’m back to do some more work. If you’re going to burn the midnight oil, then so am I.”
Mac sighed. “I feel like no matter how much I do, there’s always more to get done. It’s like we’re in this race against time, except we don’t actually know how much time we have. The next attack could be in ten minutes or ten days or ten weeks! Who knows?”
Zeke stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He flipped on the lights, and Mac could see that he was holding a large brown paper bag. He sat down across from her, making himself at home in one of her office chairs and stroking his chin thoughtfully for a few moments.
Finally, he glanced at her coffee mug and raised an eyebrow. “When’s the last time you ate?” he asked.
Mac scrunched up her brow thoughtfully. “Um, eleven, I think?”
“And was that a full meal or a snack?” Zeke asked.
Mac sighed. “It was a granola bar. But a really big one.”
“Mac, you have to eat something. I know you’re busy, but you can’t survive on coffee and granola bars. You’re not saving time by skipping meals, because you won’t be able to think as clearly or work as efficiently.”
“I know,” Mac said, but she knew she didn’t sound convincing.
“And you shouldn’t be drinking coffee this late, either,” Zeke said, glancing at her mug. “You’re going to be up all night if you keep that up, and you do need to sleep at least a little bit.”
Mac frowned. “Who made you the food and sleep police?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light. She knew he was right, but she was having a hard time focusing on eating and sleeping when so many other things were troubling her mind. Sleep was the most difficult task of all right now. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the screen at the memorial service that had displayed the names of the wizards who had died in the attack. But she didn’t want to tell Zeke that. She didn’t want to appear weak in front of him. Even though they were on good terms now, she was still reluctant to let him see any weakness. She was a commander, after all. She wasn’t supposed to lose so much sleep over the normal results of war.
But Zeke seemed to be able to read her thoughts, because he crossed his arms and frowned at her.
“I know you’re upset about the wizards who died,” he said.
Mac looked up at him in surprise. “How do you know that?” she asked, her voice a challenge.
“I can see it in your eyes, Mac,” he replied. “Look, it’s okay to be sad. No one expects you to be unaffected by the deaths of your soldiers and clan members. But you have to take care of yourself. You have hundreds of soldiers who are still alive who are depending on you to lead them. Don’t hide behind work as excuse to wallow in your grief. I’d be willing to bet that you haven’t gotten much actual work done in the last several hours, anyway.”
Damn it, Mac thought. Why did he have to be right? She had been working hard, true. But the last several hours had been slow going. She was distracted and couldn’t focus, and a good deal of that distraction was probably due to the fact that she was tired and hungry.
She didn’t have to answer for Zeke to know that he had hit the nail on the head.
“So, will you eat with me, at least? Even if you insist on finishing that coffee you should have some food.”
“Alright,” Mac said with a sigh. “Just let me pack up my stuff I guess. We’ll probably have to go get takeout somewhere, unless you have food at your house. I haven’t done groceries in days, so unless you want to eat cereal my place probably isn’t the best bet.”
“Do you like tacos?” Zeke asked.
“Of course,” Mac said, and laughed genuinely for perhaps the first time that day. “Who doesn’t love tacos?”
“That’s what I figured,” Zeke said, and reached down into the paper bag he had brought in with him. “Which is why I brought us some.”
“What? There are tacos in that bag?” Mac said. “How did I not smell them when you walked in?”
“Probably because they’re sealed up tightly in this insulated carrier,” Zeke said. He pulled an insulated bag out of the paper bag and set it on Mac’s desk. As Mac pushed away some of the many piles of papers that covered her desk, Zeke unzipped the insulated bag. Instantly, the smell of tacos, rice, and beans filled the room. Zeke carefully pulled out the food and started arranging it on the desk. There were several tacos with both soft and hard shells. Zeke had chosen several different kinds of meat, too. Mac saw fish, chicken, beef, and shrimp. Her mouth watered as the deliciou
s aromas hit her nose.
“Alright, I asked for them to put the toppings in separate containers, because I wasn’t sure what you would like,” Zeke said as he began to arrange the containers on the desk. “We’ve got lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, onions, cilantro, rice and beans. Oh, and chips and salsa, of course. They’re from Maria’s Magical Taqueria. I was told that it’s the best place in town.”
Mac’s eyes widened. “Zeke, this is amazing. And yes, Maria’s is the place for tacos here in Falcon Cross. I love her food!”
He beamed at her. “I thought you might like it,” he said. “Now dig in.”
Mac didn’t need to be told twice. She quickly dressed a beef taco, loading it down with all her favorite toppings, and then took a giant bite. As soon as the food hit her tongue she realized just how hungry she had been. She ate greedily, stuffing her face in a very unladylike manner. She was too tired and hungry to worry about whether Zeke thought she was being a pig right now. She had a feeling that he didn’t care at all, anyway. He was busy stuffing his own face. They didn’t talk much as they ate. Both of them were too busy eating their fill. Zeke had purchased a ridiculously large number of tacos, and yet they nearly polished off the whole spread.
“Feel better?” Zeke asked.
Mac nodded. “Much better. Thank you. Seriously. I should have just taken a break and eaten something hours ago.”
“So what about trusting me one more time and going home to get some sleep. No offense, but you look exhausted.”
Mac started to protest, but when she opened her mouth she yawned. Zeke gave her a pointed look as if to say, “I told you so.”
“Fine,” Mac said. “I’ll go home and take a short nap, but I really do need to get some more planning done tonight.”
Zeke frowned. “I can’t imagine that anything you have to do can’t wait until tomorrow morning, but I guess a nap is better than nothing. Did you drive in today?”
“No, although I wish I had,” Mac said. “I’m so tired now that the idea of climbing on a broom and riding across town sounds exhausting. I guess the sooner I get it over with the better, though.”
She stood to start gathering up the trash from their meal, but Zeke stopped her.
“Just get together whatever stuff you want to take home with you tonight,” he said. “I’ll clean up this trash. Then I’ll give you a ride home. I borrowed one of those black SUVs this morning.”
“Zeke, no, you don’t need to do that,” Mac said. “The houses they have you guys staying in are the complete opposite direction from my house. I’ll be fine on the broom, I’m just whining.”
“This isn’t up for debate,” Zeke said. “I’m taking you home. You’re way too exhausted to be riding around on that silly broom.”
Mac looked up at him, ready to protest again, but the look in his eyes stopped her. His expression was filled with deep concern, and she could see flames of desire burning in his gaze as well. Mac’s own body filled with heat as she held his eyes for a moment.
He still wants me, she thought. I wonder if he’s been thinking about me as much as I think about him.
There were so many things she wanted to say to him, and so many things she wished she could ask him about what was happening between them. But this was not the right time. He was right. She needed to rest. Maybe tomorrow she could be more focused and work quicker. Maybe then she would have a little bit of time left over to spend with Zeke, talking about something other than military strategies.
Chapter Nine
Mac woke with a start as the vehicle came to a halt. She blinked a few times, confused about where she was.
“We’re here,” said a familiar voice.
Mac looked over to Zeke sitting in the driver’s seat, looking at her with an amused expression on his face. When she looked out the passenger side window, she saw that they were parked in front of her house. That’s when it all came back to her. Zeke had shown up unexpectedly at her office, brought her dinner, and then insisted on driving her home so she could at least take a nap. But had she really fallen asleep on the fifteen minute drive to her house?
“I guess I was a bit more exhausted than I thought,” Mac said, starting to gather up her things from the floor of the car. “Sorry for zonking out on you. I guess I didn’t provide much in the way of conversation on the drive over here, huh?”
Zeke chuckled. “It’s quite alright,” he said. “I’m just glad that you got some rest. Now I know that you at least slept fifteen minutes today.”
His gorgeous green eyes sparkled as he laughed, reflecting the streetlights up ahead. Mac was overcome yet again by how handsome he was, and she wished more than anything that he would kiss her.
Not the right time, she told herself again. She felt a bit sullen, though. She had spent so much of her life feeling alone, and now that there was finally someone who sparked desire in her, she had to wait. She could see from Zeke’s eyes that he still felt something for her. The passion in his gaze was unmistakable. But he was holding back, and she should too. They had a war to fight. He knew better than to keep kindling the flame between them during a time like this. She should know better, too. She was Commander, after all!
“Just let me get my broomstick from the trunk,” Mac said abruptly, forcing herself to move. If she sat here staring at him any longer, she wasn’t going to be able to resist the urge to kiss him. She reached for the handle of her door and started to climb out, but then Zeke killed the engine and reached for his door handle as well.
“I’ll help you,” he said.
Mac almost said something about how she didn’t need help. She was perfectly capable of opening the trunk and grabbing her things on her own. But then she realized that if Zeke helped her it meant she got to see him for a few extra moments, and she kept her mouth shut.
When they reached the back of the vehicle, she let him raise the gate of the trunk and retrieve the broomstick. He handed it to her before shutting the gate again, and she took it with a small sigh. Time to say goodbye.
But neither of them said goodbye. Instead, they stood there, looking into each other’s eyes and trying to make sense of the mixture of duty and passion that was warring within them.
“MacKenzie,” Zeke finally said, his voice soft as he spoke her full name. God, she loved it when he spoke her name like that. He raised his right hand and stroked the side of her face with the back of his palm. Electric heat shot from his hand to her face, then spread rapidly through her body. Her legs trembled a bit, and she felt a sweet, tingling desire rising up in her core.
“Zeke, we…we shouldn’t,” Mac said weakly.
“No?” he asked in a husky tone. He never stopped stroking her face.
“There’s… there’s a war going on. And we have work to do and…” Mac’s voice trailed off. All of her reasons suddenly seemed unimportant. There was a war going on, yes. And of course she had work to do. But she was desperately lonely. She had been for so long. She’d been searching for someone who could make her come alive, and now, in the oddest of ways, she had found that person. Was she really supposed to pretend that she wasn’t consumed with an overwhelming desire for him, just because a war was raging beyond the borders of Falcon Cross? Mac met Zeke’s eyes, silently pleading with him to tell her that this was all somehow okay. That they could be together despite the duties they both held to take care of the troops.
“I’ve learned a lot about war in my relatively short time on this planet,” Zeke said. “And one thing I’ve learned is that love doesn’t stop for war. In an odd sort of way, love can keep you grounded when everything else is falling apart around you. There is promise in a spark of passion. Promise that maybe someday, life will once again be filled with simple joys.”
Mac looked up at Zeke, unsure of how to respond. She desperately wanted what he was saying to be true. She wanted permission to love him, even though they were in the midst of the biggest crisis that Falcon Cross had ever faced. But she could never forgi
ve herself if she didn’t give defending this city everything she had. She couldn’t bear the thought of more wizards dying, even though she knew it was a likely outcome no matter what.
But when she looked at Zeke now, she could see that the fire in his eyes was only burning brighter. He wanted her, as much as she wanted him. Was it really so wrong to give in, and enjoy a few moments of peace? Weren’t they allowed a few moments where life felt normal?
Zeke seemed to think so. Without saying another word, he gently, slowly, bent over and kissed her lips. He gave her plenty of time to pull away if she was not comfortable, but she knew the moment that he started moving toward her that she was all in.
When his lips finally touched hers, an explosion of heat and passion ripped through her body. He filled her with an incredible warmth, and any fears or doubts that had plagued her mind instantly fell away. All of her worries disappeared, and the whole world seemed to just melt away. There was only him.
His kiss was slow, deep, and desperate. He drank her in as though he was a man who had been in a desert for weeks, and her kiss was water. Both of his hands moved to her face, cradling it in his palms. They stood there in the moonlight for several long, delicious minutes, both giving in to the desire that had gone unsatisfied over the last week.
When he finally pulled away, Mac found that she was breathless. Her face was flushed and hot, but she had never felt so wonderful in her life. There was a stirring deep within her. Her very core was filled with a tingling sensation. Her body was responding in a way it never had before to any man. She felt connected to him on a deeper level than just physical. It was almost as though her soul wanted him.
The Commander and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 3) Page 9