Luna was tired of being stuck in the middle of their relationship. Couldn’t they see they belonged together?
Luna slowed her truck as she climbed the last stretch of road to the hotel. The views certainly were spectacular. She followed the road, which ended in the small parking lot in front of the hotel. This was the end of the road.
After parking the truck, she climbed out and stretched her arms above her head. She would kill for a coffee and something to eat, the sandwiches she’d eaten on the way had taken the edge off her appetite, but her stomach craved more.
She’d packed a Thermos of coffee and some more food, but she wanted to save them for the return trip. If the weather turned and she got stuck on the mountain for the night, she’d need her supplies.
Luna grabbed her clipboard from the front seat, she was here on police business. That didn’t stop her from eyeing up the hotel restaurant as she strolled toward the hotel. The smells coming from the kitchen made her mouth water.
Checking her watch, she entered the main reception area of the hotel. It was cozy, with a log fire burning in a stone hearth and a reception desk to one side. The lighting in the lobby was good and Luna noted a security camera discreetly hidden behind a potted plant on a shelf behind the desk.
Discretion only went so far, it seemed.
“Hello, Luna.” Wendy, a middle-aged woman with black hair and blue eyes, came around the reception desk to meet her.
“Hi, Wendy. How are you?” They’d known each other in high school. Not that they were great friends, at thirteen Wendy had discovered Gothic poetry and dyed her hair black. Luna had to hand it to Wendy, she’d stayed true to her love of all things Gothic even when she met and married a dentist and had three wonderful children.
“I’m good.” Her smile faltered and she glanced around before she hugged Luna. “At least as good as can be expected.”
“How is Natalie?” Luna asked quietly.
Wendy put her finger to her lips and drew Luna toward the reception desk. “She’s in her apartment. She doesn’t want the guests to see her. She’s got a black eye and a swollen cheek.” Wendy’s eyes, heavily rimmed with black eyeliner, were misted with tears. “You know how much this place means to her. If this gets out, it might ruin the business.”
“I understand,” Luna nodded.
“I knew you would. That’s why I insisted Chief Armstrong send you.” Wendy smiled proudly.
“You asked the chief to send me?” Luna hid her surprise.
“I did. I know you’re discreet.” She gnawed on her lower lip. “Natalie doesn’t know I called the police.”
“Oh.” Luna’s hand tightened around the clipboard. That explained the lack of details.
“But when you see Natalie’s bruises, you’ll see why I couldn’t let this go unreported.” Wendy took hold of Luna’s hand and held it to her chest. “Please persuade her to make a statement. The person who did this could strike again.”
“I’ll do my best, Wendy.” Luna pointed toward a door marked private. “Shall I see myself through to her apartment?”
“Yes.” Wendy hurried over to the door which had a security keypad next to it and typed in the code. “I hope she forgives me for calling you.”
“I’ll try not to bring your name into it,” Luna assured her as she pulled the door open. “But if she asks directly...”
Wendy nodded. “I understand.”
“You did the right thing,” Luna assured Wendy.
“I just don’t want to get fired. The hotel is all about discretion.” Wendy sighed and went back to her position behind the desk. As the door closed behind Luna, she noticed a couple of guests exiting the elevator. Perhaps she should have parked her truck around the back of the hotel. Word would soon get around that the police were here.
Luna hurried down the corridor. The doors on the left led to a couple of storerooms, while the door on the right led to Natalie’s private apartment. Luna had visited the hotel a couple of times in the past, once when a guest thought he’d had his wallet stolen but had simply misplaced it and once when a couple of guests argued, resulting in one of them wandering off into the night.
They had found the guest the next morning asleep under a rocky outcrop. Neither of the call-outs had resulted in any charges being made against a guest, exactly how Natalie wanted. Luna wasn’t sure if today’s trip would be a waste of time for the same reason.
Luna stopped outside of the apartment door and raised her hand to knock. She needed to handle this very tactfully if she wanted Natalie to make a formal statement.
If she didn’t, Luna would have to talk it over with Chief Armstrong. Whether Natalie made this official or not, a crime had been committed.
Luna rapped on the door and waited for an answer. None came.
She knocked again and leaned forward. “Natalie. It’s Luna Fredrickson.”
“Luna?” Natalie whispered back. “What are you doing here?”
“Chief Armstrong got a call. I’ve come to check if everything is all right,” Luna replied.
“Everything is fine,” Natalie croaked before she cleared her throat. “It’s fine.”
“Can you open the door and let me see you, please?” Luna asked gently.
“I’m fine,” Natalie repeated.
“Natalie. Please. I want to make sure you’re okay. If you were beaten, you might need a doctor.” A muffled sob wrenched at Luna, and she placed her hand on the door, willing Natalie to open it. “Please.”
“I don’t want to make a statement.” Natalie opened the door a crack and peered out.
“Can I come in? I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Luna, this is going to hurt the hotel’s reputation,” Natalie said. “If my guests see the police, they might get twitchy.”
“The sooner you open the door and talk to me, the sooner I’ll be out of here.” Luna put her hand on the door and applied a little pressure.
“Okay.” Natalie opened the door, turned her back on Luna, and walked down the hallway to the small kitchen.
Luna closed the door behind her and followed. “What happened? I heard someone attacked you and stole money from the safe.”
“And who told you that? Wendy?” Natalie kept her back to Luna as she reached for two cups and filled them with fresh coffee from the pot.
“It doesn’t matter who reported the assault and robbery.” Luna pulled out a chair and sat down at the breakfast bar. The kitchen was small, serviceable but nothing more. Natalie lived and breathed the hotel, she probably spent little time here and by the looks of the sparkling clean stove, she hardly cooked here either.
“Here.” Natalie’s hair slid across her face, hiding her bruises as she put the coffee cup down on the table in front of Luna.
But Luna was well trained and as she tilted her head to the right, she got a good enough look at Natalie’s face to know she’d been savagely attacked. “Natalie.” She reached up and brushed Natalie’s hair back. “You should go see a doctor.”
Natalie covered her face with her hand and sobbed. “I don’t want to. I have too much to do here.”
“Are there any other injuries?” Luna asked.
Natalie took a shuddering breath, her hand resting on the belt securing her robe. “My ribs. And my arm.”
“Do you think your ribs are broken?” Luna asked.
“No,” she whispered.
“Did you get a good look at who did this to you?” Luna stood up and pulled the other chair out before helping Natalie sit down.
“No.” She blew the air out of her cheeks. “But he’s on the security camera.”
“Can I look?”
“I have it on my phone.” She dug her hand in the pocket of her robe, which was covered in pretty flowers. It looked too summery, too bright and light to conceal bruises from an attack. Natalie placed the phone down on the counter and pressed play on a video.
The screen showed the hotel office, the camera angle took in the doorway, a desk
, and a safe. Luna stared at the image for a few moments, nothing moved. She didn’t shift her gaze as she waited.
Natalie looked away as the door opened and a man stepped inside, immediately closing the door behind him. He stood still, scanning the office before he went around the desk to the safe. Hunkering down, he carefully turned the dial, right and then left. With his ear pressed against the safe door, he seemed to be listening for the clicks as the tumblers fell into place.
He looked up suddenly as the safe door opened. Luna tapped the screen and leaned closer. “His eyes.”
“They’re orange,” Natalie whispered. “Like flames. Like the devil.”
“I don’t think the devil hurt you, Natalie.” She tapped the screen and let the rest of the video play.
“Then who was it?”
“I think you were attacked by a dragon shifter.” Luna’s temper flared as the man attacked Natalie. She was going to find this jerk and nail his balls to the wall.
Chapter Two – Egan
Egan stood outside the farmhouse he shared with his mom and looked up at the clear blue sky. After days of meetings with the council, he planned to take a well-earned break.
Politics were really not his thing. The shadow of disappointment followed him as he walked down the trail to the road. When Argothorn, Dragon Lord of Cairnnor, was deposed, Egan had hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps and become part of a new beginning for the dragons who had been ruled by a tyrant for too long.
A rule that had cost his father his life.
But sitting in the council chambers, as ornate and historical as they were, was not for him. Talking for endless hours about the laws and rules was not for him. It stifled him, even though he saw the necessity.
Egan reached the road, his dragon shifter senses telling him he was not about to get run over by a truck.
He closed his eyes and let go of the world around him. In an instant, his dragon appeared in his place and crouched down before leaping into the air.
With no thought besides the air beneath his wings and the sun on his back, he banked left and headed toward the coast of Cairnnor. His wings strained as he flew hard, his dragon’s breath labored as they powered through the air.
Below, the familiar dragon isle passed by in a blur. Only when Egan reached the beach that encircled the island did he slow. All his life, this had been the edge of his world. Argothorn, Egan’s uncle, had forbidden any dragon from leaving Cairnnor and they had all been bound by this law.
But now the laws had changed.
Swooping down, he skimmed across the ocean, his wingtips dipping in the water and flicking up droplets that glittered in the sun like rare jewels.
On he flew across the endless blue. He wasn’t going to Wishing Moon Bay, he didn’t want company today, even though he liked being around Ivan and his family. Today he wanted peace, time to think, time to plan his life. He wanted to be a part of the change coming to his people, but he didn’t want to be part of the council.
His dragon chuckled. We might never have been voted onto the council anyway.
True. But since many people still remember our father with fondness, there’s a chance they might have voted for us.
And we would have accepted the job. And been miserable. His dragon spoke the truth, which they had learned over the last few days.
Let’s forget about it all and enjoy our freedom. If only for one day. The world will still be the same when we return. Egan let go of the tension building in his head and focused on his dragon’s flight. Soaring above the ocean, they headed toward a distant mountain range that bordered one side of Wishing Moon Bay.
They planned to skirt the town and keep out of sight by flying close to the ocean. The shimmer of the sun on the water should obscure them. Not that he was hiding. Not really. But dragon shifters were not a common sight outside of Cairnnor and he didn’t want to draw unwanted attention.
Soon more people will want to come and go from Cairnnor just as other people come and go from their towns and cities. Even the fae are free to leave their realms when they want. His dragon flew on, the mountains bigger now as they neared the cliffs that fell away to the beach below.
He’d chosen this as the place to reach land since the cliffs were mostly inaccessible. Only the fittest of shifters with a strong desire to reach the pinnacle would travel here. The chances of that happening just as a dragon passed over were slim.
Even so, Egan pushed his senses to their limit while he checked for any other shifters.
There were none. The nearest shifter was a mile or so away. Then there were a few shifters clustered together close to a high peak another half-mile away.
And there was something else.
His dragon left the ocean behind and angled his body upwards as he climbed the steep side of the cliff and crested the top. Something was drawing them toward it like a beacon.
We should take care, Egan warned his dragon. We don’t know enough about this world yet. It could be a trap.
There were plenty of stories about how the people outside of Cairnnor could not be trusted. It had helped feed Argothorn’s paranoia, which he’d passed onto his people as he attempted to control them.
Do you think it might be a witch? Perhaps even a fae casting a spell to lure in dragons? His dragon bristled at the thought of being caught and captured. But still, he flew toward it. Then let’s go deal with the threat.
The closer they got, the stronger the pull. It was as if they were being lured by the sirens who lived across the ocean in the other direction to Wishing Moon Bay. Egan had heard stories of dragons lured to their doom after diving deep under the water as they chased the siren’s song.
But those stories might also be untrue, made up by a dragon lord who did not deserve the power he held over his people.
It would take years to unpack all the lies the dragon shifters had been told and reveal the truth.
However, whatever called to Egan, it was not a song. This was something else. Something that called to his very soul and refused to let go.
They were close now. Too much closer and they might be seen. However, Egan didn’t want to stop. His dragon didn’t want to land on the ground and waste time completing their trip on two feet.
A building came into view, huddled in a valley, sheltered from the worst of the weather that would rain down on the peak.
This was it. This was where the shifters were, along with a couple of dozen other people. Were they grouped together, chanting a spell to ensnare a dragon?
No, his dragon said. It’s just one person.
One person casting a spell? Egan asked.
One person who calls to our soul, his dragon replied.
Our mate. As Egan thought the word, his dragon dropped heavily to the ground.
The dragon stood with his head between his legs for a moment as he tried to comprehend what was happening. After so long without a mate, Egan had come to terms with the fact that the dream might never come true.
But now she was here. So close they could sense her.
We need to go to her. His dragon let go of the world and Egan set off at a run as soon as his human feet touched the ground. Pace yourself.
Egan inhaled deeply and steadied his breath as he slowed down to a jog. He didn’t want to meet his mate for the first time looking like a sweaty mess.
He swallowed the lump of emotion that formed in his throat as he savored the word. Mate.
How was this happening? Had she been in Wishing Moon Bay this whole time while he was across the ocean, bound to Cairnnor by a crazed dragon lord?
If he’d come here sooner, he would have met her sooner and by now they’d have raised a brood of kids. Maybe even grandkids.
Hey, you’re not that old, his dragon told him. And anyway, fate decides when the time’s right.
I’m not so sure I’m ready to let Argothorn off the hook just yet, Egan replied.
He half-skidded, half-jumped down a steep trail that led to another trail
that seemed to lead to the building. As he drew closer, he slowed to a walk and dusted off his clothes.
Egan groaned. If he’d known he was going to meet his mate, he’d have dressed in nicer clothes. Instead, he was going to introduce himself clothed in work-worn jeans and a leather jacket that fit him like a second skin.
It’s a hotel, Egan said as they reached the parking lot and read the sign. That explains all the people.
He stopped and pushed his senses out, trying to pinpoint his mate’s location. She was around the back of the building. Egan scanned the hotel, a low timber-clad building with big windows that looked out over the valley below.
Not wanting to go in through the main reception door and draw too much attention to himself, he strode across the parking lot toward the rear of the hotel. Surely there was a different entrance used by the hotel staff and tradespeople. A hotel of this size must get frequent deliveries and that would give him a way in.
Smoothing down his hair, he wiped his forehead. Was he sweating from the exertion of running or was this a cold sweat of fear? Egan could no longer tell. He was both numb and fighting a sensory overload. Was this normal?
Rounding the corner of the building, he walked past a couple of large trash dumpsters and followed a paved pathway that led to a double doorway. He kept walking, drawn to his mate who was so close he could reach out and touch her.
If she were here.
Egan stopped and looked around. There was a window to his right. That’s where she was. If he kept going, he’d go too far.
But he had to get inside the building. He wasn’t climbing through the window.
Yet moving past the spot where he stood was almost impossible, as if his feet had been buried in concrete.
Damn. He forced himself to lift one foot and then the other. To stop himself from overbalancing, he reached out and placed his hand on the hotel wall.
Movement caught his eye. He glanced up at the window and locked eyes with a woman. His woman. His mate was staring right at him.
Heat crept across his skin and his eyes filled with hunger and need. In return, her eyes widened.
In recognition?
He reeled backward as she darted back, running away from him.
The Dragon Shifter's Desire: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance Page 29