by Amelia Jade
“I liked the way you looked at me,” he replied. Then, at a gesture from her to continue, “I appreciated that you treated me like a normal person, without any fear or unfounded respect in your eyes, just because of a gold badge I sometimes wear.”
Riss fell silent for several minutes, and they walked on together, neither feeling the need to speak. It was, to the normally conversation-happy Zander, a unique feeling of being so comfortable with someone that he neither wanted, nor felt the need to speak.
Perhaps he wouldn’t have to fake his interest in her entirely while he courted her for his mother to see.
***
Riss
The steps leading to her second-floor apartment rose up in front of her. It wasn’t much, but it was all her meager pay at Challer’s would let her afford. With most of Cadia inhabited by shifters who lived at least several decades more than most humans, money wasn’t something they tended to lack. Indeed, many, like her newfound—friend? She wasn’t sure what to call him—came from families with very, very deep pockets. Not so Riss, whose mother had come from nothing, and who had married a shifter without much to his name either. When they’d left Cadia for one of the smaller shifter strongholds, they’d not had much to give her.
So, this was all she had. A two-bedroom, second-floor apartment above an elderly bear shifter. Mrs. Dorrlean was a wonderful lady whose mate had passed on a few years earlier. The two of them got along quite well, which was a relief compared to her normal interactions with shifters—like the encounter earlier that evening.
But Riss wanted more. More than a wooden staircase that creaked nervously as the heavy dragon shifter followed her up it. More than windows with bars over them, not that they would do any good against a determined shifter. She wanted a showerhead with decent water pressure, and a real wood fireplace. Hardwood floors instead of old carpet, and a stove with four working burners, not just the two she was lucky to coax to life most of the time.
There was no dirt, no mold, nothing like that. She kept her place clean. It was just run down. Of the money she had earned today, some would go toward fixing that. Perhaps she could finally get someone to come look at the air conditioning next spring, so she didn’t sweat to death. But either way, it wasn’t much of a living. She wondered what Zander thought of it. He probably was looking at it with disdain compared to the castle he likely lived in.
Anger mounted in her, and she spun on her heels, stopping him a step below the landing, so that they were closer to the same height.
“How did you know?” she grilled, flicking her index finger at him.
“Know what?” he asked, looking around in confusion.
“The man, tonight. With the knife. How did you know someone was going to attack me? You came up to me in the alley and said that you were walking me home for my own protection. Explain that.”
“It made sense.”
Riss clenched her fists together tightly.
“For a supposedly loquacious dragon shifter, you certainly don’t say a whole lot of meaningful things, you know.”
Zander reared back, looking hurt by her words. “I’m sorry, what would you like me to do?”
“Explain to me how you knew it made sense. Make me see why it did, perhaps? Why else would I ask?”
“Because you—”
Riss flicked a hand up, stopping him mid-sentence. “You know what, no. Forget I asked that last question. I don’t want to hear it. You were probably going to say something sage like ‘Because you didn’t know.’ Right?”
At least this time Zander had the good graces to look embarrassed.
“Figures,” she snorted. “Now explain the mugging.”
The big dragon shifter, whose brown eyes still tinged with that intense brassy coloring to them, was on her level now. She could stare straight at him, and Riss ruthlessly used that to her advantage, trying to show him how frustrated he made her sometimes.
“It started with your boss,” Zander said. “I saw him when I paid you in cash. His eyes lit up. I figured you were strong enough to insist on being paid commission. For him, it would be easiest to just dole that out from the bills I gave him. But he wasn’t going to be okay with that. He’s got sticky fingers, and wanted it all. From there, it was simple inference that he would contact someone and have them retrieve what he saw as ‘his’ money from you, on the way home.”
Her jaw dropped open. “You got all that from his reaction?”
“Yes.”
“That seems like a long way to go, lots of conclusions to jump to,” she said. “Assuming my boss would have me jumped just for some cash?”
“Someone did attack you,” Zander said, his voice hardening as he defended his position. “And they didn’t ask ‘for your money.’ They asked for the money. Whoever that man was, he had been informed that you were carrying cash on you.”
Riss shrugged. “So maybe it was you who told him that. That way you’d have an excuse to walk me home.”
The dragon shifter’s eyes narrowed, and she saw something deep within whip into a fury. “I would never deceive you like that,” he said, his voice like thunderclouds forming in his eyes.
“How do I know that? I barely know anything about you.”
“What do you wish to know? I will tell you anything I can. But you can trust me, I did not set you up. If I wanted to take your money, or to walk with you, there is little you could do about it.”
The sandy-haired shifter didn’t so much as loom up over her as did the force of his will, showing her without word and without action, just how powerful he was. Brass-brown eyes stared her down from out under slightly bushy eyebrows. His lips formed a thin line, surrounded by the clean shaven skin of his face.
No, Zander wasn’t lying, she realized. If he wanted something, he simply would take it.
“Okay,” she said, trying not to show her submission to his point too easily. “Thank you for the escort home.”
With a short nod, she took out her keys and made to insert them in the lock.
Riss cursed as her fingers fumbled over them and dropped them on the ground. A quick glance behind her showed Zander still standing on the last step, looking at her curiously.
Dammit. Now he probably thinks I’m a bumbling fool!
It shocked her to realize she actually did care what he thought about her. With a grimace, she stepped inside instead and shut the door, leaning back against it. Her head hit the wood with a thud, but she didn’t notice.
There. You’re inside. He’s outside. Now his broad shoulders and thick arms can just go…go somewhere else! Some other woman can fall for the way he brushes his hair from his forehead in just such a lovely manner.
You’re drooling, woman.
It’s fine. I’m not going to open the door though.
Don’t open the door.
Don’t do it.
Riss felt like yelling at herself as her body began to move of its own accord. She pushed off from the door and slowly spun to face it. A hand reached for the lock without her permission, and she tried to pull it back.
The fingers closed around the brass deadbolt and began to twist, even as she ordered her brain to reverse direction.
“Oh fine,” she said and gave in, sliding the bolt across and opening the door.
Zander was now on the landing, his back to her as he stared out onto the street below.
“This would be a nice place to watch the sun rise,” he commented, without turning.
“You aren’t staying the night, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said automatically, grateful that at least her mouth was still under her control.
“No,” he said slowly, his deep voice filling the little overhanging porch area where she occasionally sat with a tea in the mornings.
“It is a beautiful sunrise though,” she said.
Her apartment faced the east, and being on the second floor, it rose above a number of single-story buildings between her and the horizon. There were perhaps only three blo
cks of buildings before the town of Cadia ended and the wilderness began to take over, with more and more trees and bushes popping up between buildings. Farther out, it became nothing but a thick forest line racing into the distance.
In the mornings as the sun came up, it began to work its way across the trees. She enjoyed watching, especially now in the fall, when it began to illuminate the various shades of leaves in a display of color that made each morning easier to handle.
There wouldn’t be many mornings left, as the sun continued to rise later and later in the day. Another week or two at most, and it would still be dark before she had to leave for work, much to her dismay.
“You should find a new job,” Zander said unexpectedly.
“Right,” she scoffed. “Because it’s so easy for a human in Cadia to just go find another job.”
His eyes took her gaze and held it, sending tiny tremors of excitement through her nerve endings. “You should try,” he said. “Don’t be so shy, and you might just find it easier than you think.”
“Being more outgoing isn’t as easy as you think,” she shot back.
Why had she opened the door again?
“When was the last time you tried?” he returned with aplomb.
Gritting her teeth, Riss glared back at him with all the fire she could muster, but it just seemed to wash over him like a gentle breeze.
“Why did you not leave when I closed the door?”
“Why did you open the door?” he asked, and moved closer to her.
Not much. A step, perhaps. No, not even that much, an inch, a fraction of an inch even. But it was enough. Enough to set fire to her blood and make her short of breath, all in the span of a microsecond.
What was he doing? Was he going to kiss her? Was she even okay with that? If he tried to kiss her, would she kiss him back? Those questions and more raced through her head faster than a lightning bolt through the sky.
But nothing happened, and Zander didn’t try to initiate anything. Which meant she was left having to answer his last question.
Which had been?
Oh, right. Why I opened the door.
“I don’t know,” she replied truthfully. “Perhaps I wanted to ensure that you had actually left, instead of doing something really weird and creepy, like standing on my porch and looking away from the door or something.”
Zander’s eyes twinkled. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I didn’t do anything like that, isn’t it?”
She laughed despite herself. “Oh yes, such a good thing.”
They stood there, looking at each other. One moment of silence became two, which turned into ten, and stretched to thirty.
“Do you want to come in for some dinner?” she asked.
“I would love to,” he replied, striding past her. “I’m famished.”
What have I done?
Chapter Four
Zander
He wasn’t actually hungry, but that wouldn’t stop him from taking her up on her offer. Perhaps this courtship could move along faster than even he’d planned. A current of dissatisfaction at his detached, uncaring thought flowed through his mind, but he shunted it aside for the time being. There would be ample opportunity to consult his conscious later, after it was all over. Zander knew what he was doing wasn’t overly nice, but he would make sure Riss was well rewarded for her help.
The door opened up right into what appeared to be her living room, off to his right. The door was right in the middle of the house, with a hallway that led to the back. He could see doors on either side.
“So, there isn’t much,” Riss said, moving inside after he’d deposited his shoes and stepped onto the worn reddish-brown carpet that covered most of the floor.
“It seems…cozy,” he said, trying not to make the word sound forced.
The more he saw, the more he realized just how far the money she’d earned off his suit sale would go. The corners of the walls were chipped, and the burgundy-colored paint was in dire need of a touchup. The couches, pushed together in an L-shape in the far corner of the room, were worn and uncomfortable-looking.
“That’s a polite way to put it,” she sighed, shucking off her jacket and hanging it from a hook on the wall to the left.
Zander, not waiting for a tour, walked forward. The wall opposite the common area ended, an arched doorway giving way to the kitchen. The gray tile and faux-granite countertops were also cracked and chipped. Paint peeled from the cabinets in more than one place, and several of the bulbs overhead were burned out, giving it a dingy feel.
Yes, his thanks to her would go a long way in sprucing up her life. They would hopefully be enough to get her out of this place, and into something more fitting of her worth as a person.
“This is the kitchen,” Riss said dryly, moving up behind him. “Feel free to go explore every room.”
“Why would I do that?” he asked, letting humor slip into his voice. “It’s not like I’m going to just walk around your house for the first time without you showing me around.”
“Right. You would never do something like that,” she said.
Zander laughed and began to turn around when a black ball flew from the countertop to his right, rebounded off his side, and darted under the couch.
Belated reflexes sprung into motion and he whirled in pursuit of his attacker, almost bowling Riss over in the process. To keep her on her feet, his arms shot out and wrapped around her shoulders, bringing her in close to him.
“What was that?” he asked, almost oblivious to the way she seemed to melt against him.
Almost.
“Chester,” she said with a sigh. “One of my cats.”
“Oh,” he said, feeling embarrassed.
He, king of the skies, two-century-old dragon shifter, had been taken completely by surprise by a plain housecat. There was a story that would never see the light of day.
“It’s okay,” she replied with a pat on his chest. “I won’t tell anyone that you screamed like a girl when Chesty jumped at you.”
“I did not scream,” he rumbled.
“Happened so quickly you didn’t even notice what you did?” she asked, fingers digging into his muscles as she pushed herself away from him, turning to go fetch the ball of black from under the couch.
Zander’s head tilted slightly to the side as she bent over and retrieved the cat. Her dress stretched tight across her rear as she did, providing him with a lovely view.
“I did not scream,” he repeated as she stood back up, thrusting the four-legged critter at him. “What are you doing?”
“Introducing you,” she said, as if it should be obvious. “And yes, you did scream.”
“If I take this thing from you, will you stop saying I screamed?”
Riss put the creature into his arms before she responded. Then, as he held it up to his chest until it started to purr, she walked into the kitchen. “Why would I start lying?” she asked over her shoulder.
Zander made a noise like rolling thunder deep in his chest at that comment. As if thinking he was trying to talk to it, the cat slammed its head into his neck and began to purr even louder.
He eyed Chester dubiously.
Not so bad for a housecat, I suppose.
A paw reached out and scratched his skin.
On the other hand…
Chester, realizing that perhaps he’d made a mistake, pulled himself closer into the crook of Zander’s neck. He simply lay there, purring contentedly, draped over his shoulder. Zander no longer had to even hold him.
“I think I’ve been adopted,” he said, walking into the kitchen to see if he could be of help.
Riss glanced over her shoulder, and her face brightened at the sight. “Oh that’s so cute. Chester hates everyone. How did you get him to stay there?”
“You gave him to me.” Zander paused. “Why did you give me a cat that hates everyone? That seems cruel to both me and the cat.”
Riss snorted laughter. “He scared you, made you jump and scr
eam. I was hoping he would say sorry. It appears he has.”
“For the last time,” Zander said in exasperation. “I did. Not. Scream.”
Riss just winked at him.
“Do me a favor, check the fridge. See if I have any cream cheese and sour cream?” she asked, gesturing behind her as she rummaged through a cupboard.
Zander reached out and grabbed the handle to the fridge and gave it a tug.
“Wait!” Riss said, spinning. “Don’t pull it by the—”
“Handle?” he asked, holding the metal piece in his hand, the fridge itself still closed.
“Yes,” she sighed, turning back to the cupboard, but not before he could see the embarrassment on her face.
Zander gingerly put the piece of metal on the counter, and using the door itself, gently opened the fridge. He kept quiet for a moment as he looked inside, feeling bad for Riss. She had opened her house to him, likely without thinking. Without remembering that he was a dragon shifter from a wealthy family, likely used to the finer things in life.
And here she was, showing him her house that was falling apart.
While it didn’t actually bother him in the slightest, he knew that convincing Riss of that at this stage of the game was a pointless exercise. She had her preconceived notions of him, and it wasn’t yet time to be able to deconstruct those. He would do best by simply not bringing it up. Yet.
“There is both cream cheese and sour cream,” he said, after carefully checking the expiry dates and the insides.
“Sweet. Chicken strips with pasta in a white cream sauce?” she asked.
“Sounds delicious,” he replied with an easy smile. It was far more utilitarian than what he was used to.
And yet that suited him just fine at the moment. Spending more time with Riss—and Chester, he added as the cat pushed its head against him again—was what interested him just then, not some fancy four-course meal. Heck, it might be refreshing to just have some easy chow.
“So, are you a full-time Guardian?” Riss asked as she put a pot of water on to boil, tossing in a dash of salt with it.