by Livia Quinn
Chapter 4
I don't have time for more dragon nookie, Lang.
Tempe drove north around the bi-pass for her special delivery. Plagued by the troublesome encounter with Jane and the malfunctioning scanner, she remembered similar problems when she'd been about to go through her quickening. It had been just before the Chaos when the two moons converged, what the Paramortals called Para-moon.
Going over the conversation with Jane again now, she had to wonder if there was a connection between this so called "blood moon" and what was happening with River, and maybe with her? Tempe mimicked Jane's psycho babbling voice as she drove. "'Oidhche Shamhna is a liminal time when the pathways are open and beings can cross from one plane to another.'" Hmm.
The beings crossing over thing… now that had been a real problem during the Chaos. River was poisoned by one of the creatures who'd come through and it wasn't the only one. Destiny became a virtual war zone, as a power struggle between the forces of good and bad exploded at the height of the Para-moon. Could it all happen again on Halloween? That ought to delight a few of the overzealous festival enthusiasts, but the possibilities made Tempe shiver.
The light turned red, and she found herself thinking of her cozy morning with Jack. Sweet images washed through her mind of how he'd awakened her with a kiss and a cup of coffee, "Good morning, my beautiful storm fairy." He nuzzled her neck and murmured, "Would you like to hit the snooze button or…"
She'd reached up to pull him back into bed, "I like the sound of that 'or' better."
Thirty minutes later she'd been sipping her coffee and admiring Jack's tanned chest and powerful shoulders as he reached for his uniform shirt. In Tempe's opinion it was just too bad he had to cover those gorgeous biceps with his new blue jean shirt. But it was better than that drab polyester.
With his shirt hanging open to display his famous six-pack, he leaned against the doorjamb and cocked his head, studying her, "Are you okay?"
Jack's words pulled her out of the dreamy state she'd been lingering in. "What do you mean?"
He shrugged. "I just wondered how you're... feeling lately. Everything's been pretty quiet."
She'd teased, "Surely you don't think that just because I haven't thrown a storm tantrum for a while something's wrong. If so, our relationship started off worse than I thought."
He sat on the bed next to her and took her hand. "Sweetheart, I almost miss those exciting times." He grinned. "Almost." He tugged her close for another kiss but this time she pushed his shoulders back firmly, "Much as I'd like to laze away the day with you, I don't have time for more dragon nookie, Lang. I'll be late for the AM check-in. We can pick up where we left off tonight though if you'd like." She bounced her eyebrows and he chuckled.
"You know my answer to that, darlin'. Hey, I was wondering... how busy do you think you'll be today?"
Tempe shrugged. "The mail's not usually too heavy on Thursday. Why?"
"Do you think you could meet me for lunch?" There was something about his feigned nonchalance that perked her interest.
"I guess, I mean, I'd love to." She hopped off the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Wow, is this our first couple date? Zeus' skimpy speedos!"
Jack smiled and shook his head but all Tempe could think of was that she hadn't known dating was on his radar. In the last eight months, they'd gone from a cop and his suspect to fighting for their lives during the Chaos. Then Jack had been blindsided with his own change into a dragon.
"I'm hoping to remedy that, Tempe." His voice was serious and his nostrils flared. Silver green eyes elongated but held only tenderness and sincerity. "We didn't have control over how things went early in our relationship, but I plan on making it up to you. I love you."
Tempe blushed smiling up at him. "I love you too, Jack." She pushed the wild red strands back from her face. "Where should I meet you?"
He wound one bright turquoise curl around his finger, the rainbow streaks inherited from her father, Dutch, an old and powerful Djinn. "How about Gatorz? You should get there close to lunchtime, right?"
As if he didn't know. That infamous first day of their relationship he'd come running to Dick's from Gatorz Grub to mediate a confrontation between her and Dickhead. "Sure. No junk mail today so I should be on time." It was expressly forbidden to call the ad inserts junk, but this was Jack after all. "Should I call you?"
"No need. Text or call when you get to Dick's if you're going to be late. If either of us has a call, we'll postpone, but not for long." He winked and very sweetly kissed the tip of her nose. Then he slapped her hip, "Get to work, lazybones."
It was such a light-hearted quip that Tempe found herself thinking how much he'd changed. He'd thrived on their life together, and in the daily routines of simply living and working, he'd lost that suspicious, edgy, always looking over his shoulder look. Back then he'd had good reason to look over his shoulder. His crazy ex had followed him and Jordie to Destiny and created havoc.
Tempe sighed as she passed the Newcastle sign. The Marty sighting and her talk with Jane had eaten into her schedule but if she could make up some time after this delivery she would have no problem working in a thirty-minute lunch with her man. She frowned. Why had he asked if she was okay? He must be sensing her weird vibes.
The familiar house on Stoney Drive came into view but the customer standing by the mailbox was definitely not Mr. Jackson. It was here, at Mr. Jackson's old home, where Tempe had used her power the first time to save the old man's life.
A slender blond woman in her early thirties waved to Tempe while holding her mail in her other hand. Tempe accepted the letters and flipped through them, checking for postage. The return address read Miranda Testerman and the top piece was to the Laccassine Parish School Board.
"Hi, I'm Miranda." The woman said, smiling and holding out her hand.
Tempe shook hands with her. "I'm Tempest Pomeroy. Did you buy this house from Mr. Jackson?" Phineas Jackson had lived on this street for as long as she could remember. A former city carrier himself, he'd been the blight of Tempe's existence on the route until his stroke put them both on a path toward change.
Miranda smiled, "It's all mine. I never met the previous owner but the realtor tells me he was quite a character."
"That's putting it mildly, but you should see him now. He's a sweetheart, happily married and living—" Tempe stopped short. She had nearly spewed forbidden information about the Jacksons' life, and to a human, a definite no-no. What was wrong with her?
"That's lovely," Miranda said. "Tell me he quit smoking. This place was corroded with nicotine. I got a great discount though and after some professional cleaning it's all good. I wanted to meet you, Tempe. I teach at Destiny High and I understand one of my students is your step-daughter."
"My—oh, you mean Jordie." Was that how Jack's daughter referred to her? Jack had never discussed marriage and Tempe had assumed it was enough that they were mated. While both her and Jack's parents had been married for who knew how long, not all Paramortals took the additional step and formalized their relationship with a certificate. She sighed at the thought of the learning curve she and Jack had been on regarding their Paramortal heritage. "I'm not actually her stepmother yet. She and her father live at Harmony with me."
Miranda angled her head, eyes narrowed as though she found this interesting. "I see. Well, she certainly is fond of you."
Was that surprise or doubt she heard in the woman's voice?
"The feeling's mutual, Miranda, I assure you. Jordie and I bonded the day I…" Zeus' hairy eyebrows! She'd almost said, 'When I was running from the law after breaking into the Enchanted Glen Clubhouse'. Definitely the wrong impression to project to Jordie’s teacher, though surely Miranda had heard the gossip by now. She continued, "We went to the malt shop together and Jordie invited me to her first basketball game before I even met Jack."
Did not knowing who he was when he locked her in his sheriff's unit count? Not exactly the whole story, but true enough.
"So, you're not married..." Miranda's eyebrows rose. Tempe stiffened. "He certainly is a handsome devil, and an very engaged parent. He attends all her functions and never misses a teacher's meeting." Tempe's temperature soared. She wondered if the educator was trying to say Jack enjoyed their meetings on a different level. Tempe felt a rare flash of jealousy. She found herself wanting to blurt out the whole story of Jordie's early years with Jack's maniacal ex-wife, how his ex had turned out to be an ugly bottom feeder… It was on the tip of her tongue. Zeus! She clamped her teeth together then said between pursed lips, "Jordie is our first priority."
"That's what he told me. I wish more fathers shared his sense of commitment. You're a lucky woman, Tempe. He's such a great catch not to mention…" she sidled up next to Tempe… "He's got a great tush."
Tempe's blood shot straight to her eyeballs. She could actually feel the cells in her blood vibrating. Did this… woman think she was going to just stand there and gossip about Jack's great… qualities? Miranda was probably wondering what a successful attractive guy like Jack saw in someone like her, a mere delivery person. Before long she'd be wanting intimate details. Tempe could almost hear her thinking, What could he possibly see in you?
The aura around Miranda had changed to shades of green and red and Tempe felt a building charge in her fingertips. Ooh, boy.
Miranda sighed, "Well, it's certainly none of my business whether you're married or not— "
Tempe snapped. "We're mated..." Zeus, her lips just wouldn't quit flapping.
Miranda covered her mouth, probably to keep from laughing. "What a quaint way of putting it. You mean you're engaged."
"Not… exactly." And you were right. What business is it of yours?
Miranda laughed waving her hand. "Don't mind me, Tempe. I just like to get to know my students' parents, especially my best student. The other reason I stopped you was to mention our booth at the harvest festival this weekend. Jordie said you might be available to volunteer."
Embarrassed and off-kilter, Tempe said perversely, "I'll have to check my schedule," then mentally kicked herself. What was wrong with her? Her schedule? Zeus, Tempe. Quickly, she said, "I'm sure I can work it out. Anything for Jordie."
She gave Miranda her phone number and left before she got herself into some kind of self-made conflict with one of Jordie's favorite teachers. Now that she thought about it, she remembered the teenager enthusing along with Jack over the new science teacher. Yes, Jack had been complementary as well. Hmm. Whatever it took, she would make the next parent-teacher meeting and show Miranda what mated meant.
Where this sudden insecurity was coming from, she didn't know, but a subtle statement of her claim couldn't hurt. She'd be the last person to think that just because she and Jack went through that unexpected mating ritual over the lake that someone couldn't cause a rift between them. Their relationship was relatively new, after all, especially if you counted the months Jack spent on the levee trying to come to grips with his dragoness.
What was happening to her? She was jealous of Jordie's teacher. And she couldn't tell if there was good reason or if she was making a fool of herself. Her emotions had been on this roller coaster ride for days. Zeus' hairy eyeballs, she was ready to get off.
Chapter 5
It's a large print version of those Tarrote cards.
Tempe's last stop before lunch was at a clapboard storefront with large windows, which displayed, in Tempe's opinion, some of the tackiest flower arrangements in the country. She hopped out of her truck and started looking through the boxes and large letters behind the front seat. Spotting the one labeled "Flowers by Dick" she picked it up and took a deep breath. She hoped they could avoid another confrontation, especially after the warning this morning from Dick's girlfriend.
Tempe didn't understand the tension between them or the reason behind Dick's dislike of her. It was almost as if his species was anti-Tempestaerie. Dick was an ogre. Yeah, it was his personality, too, but he was an actual ogre, of the giant species, and his glamoured appearance barely kept him from scaring little children.
Dick's brother was Destiny's crooked mayor, but he didn't have anything against Tempe or her family so the problem didn't lie there. Shrugging, she put her truck in park and pulled the emergency brake. The sooner she got Dick's delivery over with, the sooner she'd see Jack. As she started up the steps to the front door, Dick swung it open. "Entrée," he said with a bow. She nearly stumbled back down the steps at the wide, friendly smile on the ogre's face.
Holding the box on her palm she pointed her scanner at the bar code and waited for the beep. It didn't happen. Again. "Hold on, Dick, my scanner's on the fritz. I'll have to write this number down. Sign this for me, please."
"Why don't I hold the box for you while you write down the number?" Dick suggested. Tempe's mouth dropped open in shock but Dick didn't notice. His usually grumpy countenance was gone, replaced by an agreeable, even happy expression. Go figure. Ignoring her he simply lifted the box out of her hands and turned it to face her so she could copy the number. What was going on here? He was being such a... gentleman.
Still suspicious, she handed over the small orange slip and using the box as a portable desk, he signed his name. She reached for the pen but he pulled it back to his chest.
Oh, here we go, she thought. Then Dick asked, "How are you Tempe? You look especially pretty today." Tempe's eyes flew wide at his flattery. "Kind of, I don't know, glowy." She felt her mouth sag open. Had Dick Randall just given her a sincere complement?
"Uh... thanks," I think. It was a trick, had to be.
She turned to leave and Dick said, "Wait, Tempe. Uh, you reckon I could get your opinion about something?" Tempe didn't turn back. This meeting had already gone way better than expected and she didn't want to take any chances on being late for lunch.
"Please, Tempe."
"Sorry, Dick. I'm going to be late." The sound of a box being ripped open made her spin around. A very non-innocent expression covered Dick's face. "I'm sorry, this package seems to be damaged."
Tempe's temper skyrocketed, "You did that on purpose."
She raised her phone to take a picture of the shredded box but Dick held up his hand, "Wait." He popped the sides of the box and a froth of magenta colored fabric popped out and flowed over the sides. "I swear, I just want your opinion on this dress."
Tempe's eyes rolled. "Dress?" What was Dick doing with a frilly pink taffeta dress?
Dick's nearly seven-foot frame hunched over in front of her and his ruddy complexion flushed a deep red that clashed with the color of the dress. He looked down at the counter, then his feet. He rubbed a big paw over his face and then looked at her with chagrin. "I ordered Jane a new outfit and I need to know if you think it'll fit her. She's got a... unique figure."
That was an understatement. Unique was a diplomatic way of saying that Jane was built like a five-foot bowling ball. The match between Dick Randall and Jane Fortune epitomized the old axiom about beauty being in "the eye of the beholder". She sighed, "I'll look at it, Dick, but I'm no expert on dresses. Ask anyone."
She reconsidered. "Being short sometimes makes it hard to choose the right size. Let me see it." She reached into the box and took hold of the shoulder seams snapping it a couple times to straighten out the wrinkles. It was the same pinky purple color that Tempe was observing on most happy auras lately and in the box Tempe saw a matching turban and a large, purple drawstring pouch.
When she ran a finger over the velvet bag, Dick hurriedly explained, "It's a large print set of those tarrote cards." He pronounced it tar rote. "Janie says you have to use a brand-new set for special occasions, and I figured this festival might be one of them occasions."
Janie, huh? Tempe studied the giant florist. This was a different side of Dick, one he'd never shown her before. "It's a very thoughtful gift, Dick. I'm positive Jane will love it. Why don't you just verify with the supplier that it can be exchanged if the fit isn't quite right."
Tempe reached over and patted Dick's arm, "I know." Zeus, but this conversation was starting to freak Tempe out. Either love had changed Dick or something strange was going on in her universe, in which case, she should be prepared next time for him to revert to his old ways."
"I can just see Jane in that dress." That was no lie, and she was hard pressed not to grin. "It's perfect, Dick. And you know how much she likes turbans. Now, if that's all, I'm meeting Jack for lunch. I don't want to be late."
Dick got a strange look on his face. He blinked and his scrunching eyebrows merged. For a second, she thought he was going to cry. Her eyes widened as he leaned toward her and she got ready to run, but then his massive arms closed around her with a grunt.
He was hugging her. "Thank you, Tempe," he said under his breath. Then, with an awkward push, he released her. Clearing his throat, he folded the dress carefully, laying it on top of the demolished box. Tempe turned to leave but had another thought and shrugged. In for a dime...
"Dick, you might want to run to the dollar store and pick up one of those gift bags with the little ribbon handle? Fold everything real neat and tie a ribbon on it. It would make a better impression than handing her that torn up box. It would make it kind of special, you know?"
He frowned. On the back wall of the store Tempe spotted some of the very bags. Zeus, did he not know his own stock? She grabbed a large one and some tissue off the wall, "Like this one, Dick."
Dick looked down and grinned, "That's a great idea. Thanks, Tempe."
Before he got any ideas about hugging her again Tempe left. She couldn't wait to tell Jack about Dick's new attitude.
Chapter 6
No worries. There won't be any bog bodies, undead horsemen or human sacrifices.
The bell chimed as Sheriff Jack Lang strode through the door into the crowded diner. Tempe watched him as he removed his hat, holding it in his left hand as one after another in the lunch crowd stopped him to speak or shake hands. This had changed, too. He'd become so comfortable with the townspeople, as if he'd known them all his life. And they treated him like the hero he was, both from his service as a Navy pilot and what he'd done to save the town from the weird stuff and bad guys during the Chaos.