Shadow on the Water

by Katya Moore

  I cocked an eyebrow. My guard shot back up. "Yeah. Sure. What can I do for you?"

  Dario stepped up beside him. He smirked at Aric, then turned a more charming smile my way. "No, no. We’re here to find out what we can do for you."

  I crossed my arms and leaned back into Cass. "Take off and never come back?" I suggested.

  If he was insulted, he didn’t show it. Instead, his smile broadened. "The Elders mentioned you might say that. They also asked us to remind you of your compromise with them." He gestured broadly. "Give us a chance. Please. If we can’t be of use to you in some capacity, we’ll leave. No hard feelings, no harm done." He leaned in a little closer. Cass’s arm snaked around my waist possessively. Dario’s eyes flicked down at it, then returned to mine. "But you know we can help you. Otherwise, you would have had Mr. Armstrong kick us to the curb before we got in the door."

  "Or try to, at least," Kane muttered. Dario shot him a look. He shut up.

  I glared at them for a nice long awkward minute. With a resigned sigh, I nodded to the table next to us. "Pull up a chair."

  The four of them pulled chairs around to face me. I shrank back into Cass a little bit. This was too much. Too many. I wasn’t a people person at my best. Now I had to, what, interview the four guys that the Elders wanted me to take as advisors and bed-mates? I swallowed hard. This was insane.

  "So, tell me about yourselves," I said lamely.

  They looked at each other for a moment.

  Dario’s eyes sparkled. "Dario Beauvais. Twenty-four. Capricorn. I like long walks on Martha’s Vineyard and…"

  I glared at him. He cleared his throat and sobered up a bit.

  "Sorry. I serve as point person for Alpha Squad. I handle logistics, surveillance, and serve as the go-between with the Elders. I led the investigation into your disappearance and was responsible for assigning squads to locations around the country following leads."

  I sat up. "So, where were you investigating? For the past three years?"

  A flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. He smoothed it over with a short laugh. "We were investigating colleges and universities, mostly in Massachusetts. There was some confusion amongst your teachers as to where you wound up attending."

  A short bark of a laugh slipped out. "Yeah. Me. College. With my rolls of money."

  Dario’s smile wavered. "There are scholarships…"

  I crossed my arms. "I was lucky to graduate high school. I wouldn’t have, if Kitty hadn’t pushed me."

  Dario nodded absently. "Your guidance counselor said you’d had some offers."

  I rolled my eyes. "My guidance counselor made me apply to a bunch of colleges. He thought I had potential to do great things." I shrugged. "I wanted to stay with my friends and work at the pub. I applied, but I didn’t even open the letters I got back. I’ve been rejected enough in my life. I didn’t need it from some damned college."

  "A shame." I wanted to slap the smile off his face. Apparently, it was a family trait. "We knew you’d been accepted to a number of colleges but couldn’t find which one you’d chosen to attend. So, we started with the ones that had offered you scholarships, then worked our way down."

  I blinked hard. Maybe I should have opened some of those letters. Nah. School had never been my bag, and leaving my friends was not an option.

  "So, what about you?" I scrambled for a subject change. "Where did you go to college? Or do dragons go to college? Where did you train?"

  A smirk flickered across his lips, making him look more like Aric for a moment. The charming smile returned. "Harvard. I studied political science and interned under Senator Meriwether’s campaign. I was also raised by prominent members of water dragon society, so I’ve been immersed in draconic politics my entire life."

  "And the surveillance?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "You learn to keep an eye on things when you’re in politics. I spent a lot of time watching rooms at fundraisers, making sure everyone was taken care of, seeing who was talking to who. It translates over surprisingly well to watching college mixers for dragon-like behavior."

  I cocked a brow. "Dragon-like behavior?"

  "You’ve felt the pull, haven’t you? The feeling you get when dragons are nearby?" Dario leaned in closer. "The connection we all feel to one another?"

  I nodded tersely. "Yeah. I’m familiar."

  He nodded, satisfied. "That, plus any evidence of shadow dragon talents emerging. Shadow use, hiding in shadows, empathic abilities, that sort of thing. All of the teams searching for you had some training in how to spot a shadow dragon." He glanced at Cass. "The class was mostly water and ethereal dragons."

  I leaned back away from Dario. He was getting far too close for comfort. He took the hint and leaned back casually in his chair, slinging an arm across the back.

  "Right then." Back to business. I looked at Kane. "How about you? What do you have to offer?"

  He ran a hand over his mouth, wiping away a smirk. "I graduated top of my class at the Proving Grounds. I can instruct you in draconic combat."

  "Chase has already been handling that, thanks."

  He shot Chase an amused look. "Oh, has he now? He’s been teaching you how to fight in your half-form? In your dragon form?"

  I glanced at Chase. His eyes were dark, his brow furrowed.

  "He’s been focusing on basic hand-to-hand. It’s only been a couple of weeks," I admitted.

  Kane gave a short laugh. "Hearne’s always had a soft spot for human-style combat. He didn’t spend a lot of time at the Proving Grounds."

  "He seems to do just fine," I said through clenched teeth.

  "I can show you what a real dragon can do. How to use your full potential in a combat situation. Fists are nothing compared to fang and claw. Knives are a poor substitute for a true blade." Kane flexed his fist to emphasize his point. The muscles of his arm rippled through the sleeve of his shirt. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

  I glowered at him.

  Dario rested a hand on Kane’s shoulder. "Ease down, commando. No need to insult Miss Bellmont’s…friends."

  I nodded tersely, then turned my attention to Jared. "You’re a surgeon. What do you bring to the team?"

  Jared leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. "I’m not just a surgeon. I also studied psychology and have my social work certification." My spine went stiff. His eyebrow went up, then he winced slightly. "My counseling certification. I don’t want to be your social worker, Miss Bellmont. I want to offer you an opportunity to talk in a safe space about your life and the challenges you have been presented with."

  I stared at him for a long minute, trying to keep my jaw off the floor. He met my gaze calmly.

  "They don’t just want me to trust you. They want me to use you as a fucking shrink?"

  He smiled. "They wanted someone with the training to give you a chance at healing some of the damage their errors in judgment caused."

  "So I’m damaged, then?" I crossed my arms and leaned back, eyeing him sternly.

  "That’s not what I intended to suggest." He sat up straighter. "And no one is forcing you into anything. I’m just making the offer. I’m here to listen."

  "Uh-huh." I turned my attention to Quinn. "Cass has already been teaching me about dragon culture and history. What makes you different?"

  Quinn rested his elbows on his knees and steepled his fingers. "Cass has offered you his perspective on draconic culture and history. I offer another."

  Cass coughed. I gave his knee a squeeze.

  "So, I get a front row seat for academic controversy?" I rolled my eyes. "Sounds like fun."

  "Mr. Higgins’ mentor had some unorthodox views on certain topics." He straightened up. "I can instruct you on the areas where we… differ. It would allow you to make your own decisions on what to believe, from a place of knowledge. As you requested."

  Using my own words against me. Smooth. I sighed. "I did request that. Yeah, I’ll hear you out." I felt Cass tense next to me. I stroked his knee. "Y
ou might not change anything, but it’s good to hear all of the perspectives."

  "That’s all I can ask." Quinn smiled.

  Faintly, I heard Kitty bellow "LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL!" I sighed in relief.

  "That’s last call. Time for us to head home." I rose. All four of the Alpha Squad bolted to their feet, standing at attention. I rubbed my temple, exhausted and frustrated. "Relax. If we’re going to be working together in any capacity, you must chill."

  "Our apologies, Miss Bellmont." Dario sketched a slight bow. "We were trained to treat our betters with deference and respect." I saw his eyes flick over my boys, still seated behind me.

  "I’m not better than anyone else," I replied. "They respect my comfort and my boundaries. I value that more than deference any day of the week."

  "Noted." Dario produced a silver cardholder from his pocket and handed me a business card. "Our contact information. We’ve been granted a residence in Beacon Hill, not far from my family’s. We’ll be in touch tomorrow to make arrangements for private sessions with each of us."

  My stomach flipped. I didn’t want any private anythings from any of them. "Right. Yeah. Talk to you then."

  He bowed again, then turned and jerked his head toward the door. The four of them exited, and I fell back into my seat with a groan.

  "What the fuck am I getting into?"

  Chapter Five

  "Spill. What was the Beefcake Parade last night all about?" Missi sipped at her iced black coffee. "Don’t the Elders know you’re already at maximum stud capacity?"

  I snorted into my latte, scattering the leaf drawn in the foam. "They wanted to matchmake for me. Those were the guys they wanted to replace my boys with. Like, an actual arranged-marriage situation."

  For once, Missi was speechless. She goggled at me, straw dangling from her mouth completely forgotten.

  "I know, right? A lot of fucking nerve, coming from the people who sent me through foster hell." I took a deep swig of coffee. "For some reason, I don’t trust their views on what is best for me."

  "If you had to replace the boys, though… wow…" Missi smirked as I threw a packet of sugar at her. "What? They were impressive to look at!"

  I shook my head. "They were impressive, all right. Kane’s an impressive asshole. Dario’s impressively smooth and I don’t trust him for a second. Jared’s impressively bland. And Quinn’s impressively uptight." I ran a finger through the foam on my latte, doodling in the pale froth. "And they’re all impressively clueless about me. Did you know that they were scouring colleges for me?"

  Missi shrugged. "Kitty did say you should have at least opened those envelopes. You could have gone off, become some big shot doctor or lawyer or something."

  I chucked another sugar packet at her. "Yeah right. Because that’s so me." She tossed one back. I caught it and opened it, pouring the contents into my mouth and savoring the sweetness. "I didn’t want to go anywhere. I found my place, and I am happy to be a part of it."

  She reached over and gave my hand a squeeze. "Doofus. You could have been making The Bucks. You could still come drink with us. Top shelf."

  I shook my head emphatically. "Uh-uh. I want to be a bartender. I want to hang out with you and Kitty and the regulars, to listen to people’s stories, to drive Kitty up the wall and add a cocktail menu for the ‘fucking tourists.’" I gazed deep into my latte. "I never wanted to be anything else." My throat tightened.

  Missi squeezed my hand again. "It’s gonna be okay, Sia. You’re not going to lose us if you become the Queen of All Things Dragon."

  A tear rolled down my cheek. "The Elders threatened you guys. That’s how they got me to shift, to prove myself as the shadow dragon. People keep trying to use you against me. I’m endangering you all, and I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you." I looked up at her. "I already almost lost you once. I can’t lose you again."

  Missi swallowed hard. We hadn’t talked much about the night we’d been kidnapped by the Chosen of Apep. The night she almost died. She glossed it over every time it came up. "Sia…"

  I shook my head. "I’ve got to stop hanging out at McKinnett’s. If they think I’ve moved on, that I’m with the dragons now and to hell with the humans…"

  Her hand locked onto mine with a death grip. "Don’t even joke, girl. You’re my sister. Nothing’s going to change that." Her mouth was a thin line, her eyes filled with tears of her own. "I would go through that hell again in a heartbeat to keep you in my life. So don’t even joke."

  The tears fell freely on both sides. We sat for a few minutes, holding hands and crying. I saw the barista looking at us, concerned. I gave him a little wave. He went back to arranging coffee mugs.

  "I’m sorry," I sniffled. "I just… you all mean so much to me. And I’ve already lost Billy. I can’t lose you and Kitty too."

  Missi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Billy’s gonna be Billy. Hopefully, he’ll find it in him to stop acting like a yutz one of these days. He’s just sore now because he thought you were a sure thing, and now you have four hot boyfriends who aren’t him."

  I summoned a small smile. "You could always…"

  Missi threw a sugar packet at me. "After seeing how he’s acting now? No chance. Let some other poor girl deal with his tantrums."

  "I just feel bad for the security staff. They shouldn’t have to deal with my fallout."

  "Yeah. They’re another blow to his pride." She sipped her coffee. "I can kind of get where he’s coming from there. Going from the One Protector of The Kingdom of McKinnett’s to managing a team of reminders that he’s not quite enough manpower… that’s got to be a wrench."

  "Yeah," I sighed. "When I wreck a guy’s life, I go all in."

  Missi slapped my hand lightly. "You didn’t wreck his life. You didn’t wreck anyone’s life. Stop blaming yourself." She swirled her coffee, watching the ice cubes clink against each other. "Besides, I really like the new security crew. They’re polite, they’re friendly, they help pick up glasses off the tables when they’re not busy. Moira even gave me a back rub when I pulled my shoulder a few days ago." She flexed her arm. "That woman’s got damned strong hands."

  I grinned broader. "You could always…"

  Missi laughed. "Tempting. Very tempting. But I think I saw her checking out Billy’s ass yesterday and I don’t want to get in the way of that."

  "No kidding." I raised my latte. "May Moira save us all."

  Missi clinked her drink against mine. "No shit. This soap opera shit’s gonna kill us worse than any cult or mob."

  I sighed. "No shit. I’m supposed to hear from Alpha Squad today to give them a chance to ‘tutor’ me on All Things Dragon. I can’t think of anything I want less. I know they’re just trying to tutor their way into my pants, and I know they’re doing it on orders, which makes it even worse."

  "Hey, ladies!" My smile returned as Cass pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. "How’s it going, Missi?"

  Missi raised her glass to Cass. "All is well. Come to steal my Sia away from me?"

  Cass’s eyes got big for a moment. I rested my hand on his arm. "She’s teasing you, hon. Relax."

  Missi narrowed her eyes at me. "Who’s teasing? You were mine first." She winked. "But I’ll loan you out. For now. Long as he’s treating you right."

  "He is." I hugged Cass’s arm.

  Missi nodded, satisfied. "You may live. For now."

  Cass chuckled. "Thank you, ma’am."

  Missi slurped the last of her iced coffee noisily through her straw and planted the cup firmly on the table. "That’s me out, then. You two crazy kids go make out like bunnies. I’ve got to get to the pub." She reached over and tugged my ponytail gently. "Be safe. And don’t let the bastards get you down."

  "You too, lady." I squeezed her hand and watched as she headed out the door.

  "So, what were you two talking about?" Cass asked as he snaked his arm around my waist to pull me close.

  I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder
. "Life. Politics. Boys. Alpha Squad."

  Cass kissed my hair and harrumphed. "I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with those…"

  "Dickweeds. Assholes. Cocky bastards."

  Cass chuckled softly. "Some would say they earned the cockiness. They are the tops of their classes in their respective bloodlines."

  I caught his hand and pulled his arm around me tighter. "Everything’s subjective. You found me first. You’ve been teaching me everything I need to know." I turned my head and kissed his cheek. "You care about me. And I care about you. You’re my mate, and that Quinn jerk isn’t going to get in the way of that."

  I felt a satisfied rumble in Cass’s chest. "Want to get out of here?" he murmured.

  I grinned. "Want to go up to the lookout point?"

  Cass beamed. "There’s nothing I want more."

  "Y’know, Aric may have had a point about your car." I unfastened my seatbelt and wriggled around in my seat. At five foot two, I was comfortable in the Nissan Figaro’s front seat. Looking at Cass at his solid six feet, I wondered how he fit his legs under the dash.

  Cass shot me a look and pouted a little. "The kei cars are light, environmentally friendly, and a lot of fun to drive."

  I giggled. "And you can fit them in your pocket."

  Cass sighed heavily. "And you can fit them in your pocket. But they’re still cool."

  "It’s a fine car," I assured him, patting him on the knee. The pat became a fondle. The fondle became me running my hand up his thigh. Cass grinned and leaned over to meet me in the middle.

  Our lips met. He ran his hands down my arms as his lips parted mine, deepening the kiss and making my breath catch. I slid my arms around his waist and pulled myself closer, rising up out of the seat slightly in my desire to be in his arms. The stick shift whacked into my knee as I did.

  "Backseat?" he murmured against my lips.

  I nodded.

  As he opened the driver’s door, I wriggled my way between the front seats and onto the back bench. It was a tight squeeze. He opened the rear door and stood there a moment, taking me in as I reclined on my elbows with an enticing look in my eyes and my shoulders neatly pinned between the seats.