Tempting the Dragon

by Karen Whiddon

  Which should have frightened the hell out of her.

  Libby was right. She found the bright red sports car parked next to hers at the end of the hiking trail. Another trail took off heading up, to more cliffs overlooking the lake. Since Rance’s car was empty, Jade could only assume he’d decided to hike up and check out the scenery. Familiar with the territory around the lake, she favored this particular trail, which afforded spectacular views of the clear blue water.

  Due to several steep climbs, a sign warned it was not for the beginning hiker. Thinking of Rance’s old sneakers, she wondered if he had the right footwear, then shrugged off her concern. A seasoned photojournalist like him most likely would be prepared.

  * * *

  For the first time in his life, Rance had no idea what the hell he was doing. For a man with his drive and sense of purpose, this came as a shock. Originally, he’d come to fulfill a promise he’d made to a dying child, despite the fact that he knew she’d probably never live to see her wish fulfilled. He’d always chased down amazing photographs, loved the stories they told. Some were significant, others pure fluff, but as strange as the idea of a lake monster might seem to his colleagues, he considered this story one of his most important. Because of Eve, the five-year-old girl who wanted nothing more than to see a lake monster.

  Again, the familiar pain punched him in the gut.

  From the time she could walk, his stepdaughter Eve had been fascinated by the story of the Loch Ness monster. She’d insisted she’d one day meet her. When she’d fallen ill, Rance had hoped she hadn’t gotten the illness that had not only killed her mother, but decimated most of his kind. Her human half might be the only thing that could save her. For only the second time in his life—the first being when Violet had fallen ill—Rance had prayed.

  Despite not being related to her by blood, Rance had visited with her during her hospital stays. He always made sure he had time to visit. Finally, Jim had tearfully revealed Eve had leukemia, though Rance knew the truth. Even though she was a halfling, she had the plague, the same one that had killed her mother.

  Since Jim was human, Rance couldn’t tell him the truth. Still, he’d made sure to notify Pack specialists, and one had immediately converged on Houston to try and save the little girl.

  Jim had been grateful and they talked frequently. Especially when Eve had taken a sudden turn for the worse. Rance had calmed Jim’s fears, and after hanging up the phone, he’d cursed and raged alone in his empty apartment, begging the universe to let him trade places with Eve. The one thing he hadn’t done was drink. He felt both angry and proud of this. He knew how close he was to unraveling. He’d worried what Eve’s death would do to him and hoped he wasn’t close to finding out.

  Despite all the doctors’ attempts to help her, Eve’s illness had marched through her tiny body with all the fierceness of an approaching hurricane. Rance had dropped everything to be by her side, taking turns sleeping in the chair by her bed in the hospital room as Eve drifted in and out of consciousness.

  And then one day Eve, bald and wan with blue-black circles under her brown eyes, had come to and asked him to make her a promise. She wanted him to find a lake monster, write a story and take pictures and bring them to her so she could see.

  He could deny her nothing, even if it meant briefly leaving her side. So superjournalist Rance Sleighter had gone in search of the elusive lake monster, not even certain one truly existed.

  He’d traveled first to Scotland. After multiple trips to Loch Ness in hopes of seeing Nessie with nothing to show for it, he’d even taken to changing late at night and diving down into the cold depths of the water.

  While in Scotland, he’d run into an American from upstate New York who, after a few pints of ale in a local pub, regaled Rance with stories of the Forestwood Lake monster.

  Since the clock kept ticking and Eve showed no signs of improvement, Rance decided what the hell and flew to New York.

  His unexpected sight of the creature had brought hope to his heart for the first time in forever. Hope was something he’d never thought he’d feel again.

  Despite understanding all too well what Jade and her family—heck, the entire town—wanted, his promise to Eve took precedence over anything and everyone else.

  Even Jade.

  A sound behind him made him turn. Speak of the devil. He watched silently as Jade came into view, her curvy hips swinging as she hiked up the path toward him. His fingers itched to pull out his Nikon and capture a few images of her, but he resisted the urge and watched her with only his eyes.

  Gorgeous. He couldn’t help but marvel at her sensual beauty, the tightness in his chest mimicking the way he’d felt the first time he’d seen the lake creature rise from the water.

  “Hey,” she said when she reached him, her greeting brusque. “It turns out I need your help.”

  He hid a quick flare of interest. Finally, maybe she would give him a bargaining tool. “Help with what?”

  She swallowed. “My cousin is missing. I need you to go with me to bring her back.”

  “Back from where?”

  Instead of immediately answering, she looked away, apparently trying to figure out how to frame her answer. As she shifted her weight from foot to foot, he realized she truly was uncomfortable.

  “Is this some kind of a trick?” he asked, suddenly suspicious.

  Her gaze flashed to his, startled. “No. It’s just...awkward. I don’t really know where to begin.”

  “The beginning.” And then, when she still hesitated, he smiled. “Try me. I’m a journalist. We’re resilient.”

  This earned a tiny smile. “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “How familiar are you with the Fae?”

  Whatever he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been this. “Faeries? I can’t say I’ve ever met any.”

  She nodded, lifting her chin and continuing. “If you agree to help me, you will. I need to travel into their realm and rescue my cousin.”

  His first impulse—to mock even the idea of such a thing—he immediately squashed. After all, he was a shape-shifting Drakkor talking to another shape-shifter, type unknown, though most likely wolf. He’d met vampires and even one being who’d claimed to be an angel. Just because he personally had never seen a faerie didn’t mean they didn’t exist.

  “How do you know your cousin is there?” he asked.

  “Libby told me.”

  “What?” Staring at her, he let her see he was even more incredulous. “You speak to the lake beast?”

  “Of course. She has certain...abilities. One of them is the gift of being able to find anything or anyone who has gone missing.”

  “I see.” But he didn’t. The matter-of-fact way she answered told him she clearly believed every word she uttered. She didn’t seem to think she’d just asked him to take a giant leap of faith.

  She watched him closely while he considered, her marvelous eyes narrowed.

  When he still didn’t respond, she sighed. “Never mind. I’ll find someone else to help me. I suppose any man will work.”

  He took care not to reveal his instant visceral reaction to the thought of her with another man. “I’ll be happy to help, but you’ve got to do something for me in return. I want you to take me to meet Libby.”

  He had to give her credit. She received his request stone-faced, with only the slight hitch in her breath as her reaction. He didn’t elaborate, aware this had to be her choice, though he couldn’t keep his heart rate from speeding up at the thought he might be this close to his goal. He could only imagine Eve’s reaction. Since time definitely wasn’t on her side, the sooner he got what he needed, the better.

  “Okay,” Jade finally said, startling him. “You can meet Libby. After we retrieve my cousin and at a time and a place of my choosing.”

  He nodded, afraid to speak in c
ase he revealed his relief.

  “Are you ready?”

  The question confused him. “Ready for what?”

  “To go get my cousin.”

  “Now?”

  Cocking her head, she eyed him. “Do you have something else you need to do?”

  “Well, no. But... You surprised me, that’s all.”

  “Good.” Pulling out her cell phone, she scrolled and found a contact. “Let me call DOL and make sure someone will open and close for me for a few days.”

  While she talked to one of her employees, he pondered her words. A few days. For the first time, he wondered how long this foray into Fae would take.

  At least he had his camera. He hoped to get a few good shots and, if he was really lucky, one or two great ones.

  And after, he’d finally get to meet Libby, the Forestwood Lake creature.

  Things were finally looking up.

  “Okay,” Jade said, pocketing her phone. “Let’s go. Once we get near the portal, we’ll find a good place to stash our electronics.”

  “Wait, what?”

  Taking off up the hiking trail, she shot him a quick look over her shoulder. “Yeah, you can’t take anything metal into the land of the Fae. Are you coming or not?”

  Cursing under his breath, he started after her.

  “They wouldn’t have cell phone service there, anyway,” she added, a hint of amusement in her voice.

  “I’m more worried about my camera and lenses,” he fired back.

  “They’ll be fine.”

  At the point where the trail made a sharp turn toward the cliffs, she stopped and pointed. “We’ve got to leave the trail and go deep into the woods, away from the lake,” she said. “There’s a couple of places rumored to be ancient burial mounds. The portal is near there, according to...”

  Instantly alert, he eyed her. “According to whom?”

  “Never mind. It’s enough to know it’s there. I’ll be able to sense the energy field. We’ll need to hold hands when we step through.”

  With another woman, he might have made a quick joke. Instead, reading Jade’s restless agitation, he kept his mouth shut. The photojournalist in him was fascinated by all this talk of portals and energy fields, not to mention actually traveling to Fae. He could already imagine the article he could write, if he wanted people to think he’d lost his mind and become a nutcase.

  The only way he could publish such a story would be in a Drakkor periodical, or maybe something put out by the Pack. A story on Libby, on the other hand... Especially if he treated it all like a huge mystery, the way the Loch Ness monster had been for years and years.

  But only after he’d shown Eve. Eve mattered more than anything else. He prayed she’d live long enough to see it.

  The deeper into the forest they went, the more they slowed down. In places, the underbrush was so thick they had to work their way through it. Grim-faced with determination, Jade silently plowed ahead. He kept at her side, doing his part. Once or twice he almost asked her to let him clear the way, but something told him she’d never be content to follow.

  After thirty minutes had passed, he began to wonder if they’d ever reach this so-called portal. Still, Jade kept trudging forward, undeterred.

  He couldn’t help but admire her determination. Her dedication to family, which he also shared. Hell, he’d do anything to save Eve, and the two of them didn’t even share the same blood. Still, he’d never considered Eve as just his stepdaughter, rather the daughter of his heart.

  “Hey,” Jade called. “Earth to Rance.”

  Belatedly, he realized she’d stopped and he’d continued on a few paces without her. Turning slowly to look at her, with the leaf-dappled sun turning her silver hair gold, he marveled again at her beauty.

  His. Again the thought, like a virtual punch in the gut. And again, not willing to even consider it, he pushed the idea away.

  “We’re here,” she announced, hands on her hips. “You were thinking so deeply I wondered if you were even able to hear me.”

  He offered her a sheepish grin. “Sorry, darlin’. I’ve been known to do that from time to time.” Glancing around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary and certainly nothing that even remotely resembled a portal. Of course, he had no idea what such a thing would look like.

  “So when you say we’re here...” He let a sweeping arm gesture complete his sentence.

  “We are.”

  The certainty in her voice intrigued him. “How do you know?”

  “I just do. I can sense the energy.”

  Lifting one arm, she beckoned him closer. “Look.”

  Goose bumps dimpled the creamy skin on her arm.

  Still, that wasn’t a lot to go on. But since he was only along for the ride, he guessed he’d simply have to trust her. “Okay. What do we do now?”

  “Take my hand,” she ordered, her green eyes clear as she lifted her fingers.

  He did as she asked, bracing himself for the jolt of desire even the smallest bit of contact with her brought. This time was no different.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. Her direct and frank gaze made him wonder if she saw too much.

  “I’m fine.” His curt response couldn’t be helped. “Lead the way.”

  “You’ll need to take your cell phone, watch, anything modern or electronic or metal, and put it somewhere.”

  “Somewhere?” Incredulous, even though she’d mentioned this earlier, he made no move to pull his cell from his pocket.

  Gently she tugged his hand to get his attention. “Yes. I even had to take off my necklace, which I don’t like to ever do. I put all my stuff in that hollow tree over there. Judging by the assortment of other cells and stuff in there, that’s a favorite place for people to stash their stuff.”

  He didn’t like it, not one bit, but he let go of her hand and did as she requested. Once he’d finished, she slid her slender fingers back into his, sending yet another jolt all the way through him.

  Briefly, he considered asking her if she felt it, too, but knew better than to open that can of worms.

  “Are you ready?” she asked. When he jerked his head in a nod, she squeezed his fingers. “Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand.”

  “Or what?” he joked, only half kidding. “Will I end up floating alone in the void of space, lost forever?”

  Her steady gaze didn’t waver. “That’s entirely possible. I don’t know for sure, but I have a feeling you could end up in a different place than me. And then we might have trouble finding each other again.”

  The sincerity in her voice convinced him. “I won’t let go,” he promised. And if that inner voice inside him added the word ever, he ignored it. Ever since Eve had gotten sick, he’d gotten good at ignoring a lot of things.

  She took a deep breath. “Good. Come on, then.”

  Hand in hand, they faced east, moving in between two slender birch trees. A ghosting of electricity raised the hair on his arms, giving him the first inkling that something had changed. Then the air in front of him shimmered, like the wavy lines heat made on pavement. Beneath his feet the earth shifted and moved enough that he staggered, almost losing his balance. Only his grip on Jade’s hand kept him upright.

  Just when he thought it was over, all went black, sucking the air from his lungs. He struggled to breathe, trying like hell not to panic. Jade’s hand still gripped his, grounding him. If she could survive this, so could he.

  Chapter 8

  The darkness felt all-encompassing, contracting. Rance struggled to breathe. And then...the world righted itself again. The pressure on his chest lifted. He blinked, focusing on Jade, his lifeline. She appeared energized by whatever had just happened. She practically glowed, her silver hair translucent.

  Awestruck by her bea
uty, he stared. Finally, he forced himself to look away. He took in the fact that they no longer stood in the forest. Instead, a meadow of lush emerald grass lined with a rainbow of vibrant flowers stretched before them.

  “We’re here.” Her voice rang husky with satisfaction.

  Since she made no move to extricate her hand from his, he didn’t, either. “What now?” he asked. “Where do we go from here?”

  For the first time, her confident expression faltered. “I’m not sure. I’ve never actually been here before. I’m guessing we’ll need to find someone.”

  It occurred to him to wonder if the Fae were actually welcoming of visitors. Asking this, he didn’t feel reassured when Jade shrugged.

  “I guess they are,” she said. “Otherwise, I don’t think my cousin and her friends would come here so often. Though to be honest, Diamond can be very...pushy. I wouldn’t put it past her to go where she wasn’t wanted.”

  “Great. So we don’t know if the Fae are friendly and whether your cousin is a welcome guest or a prisoner. Does that about sum it up?”

  Now she smiled. Struck momentarily dumb, he concluded wars could be fought over a smile so beautiful. Damn, he had it bad.

  “The Fae are a peaceful people,” she said. “And Di is gorgeous. I’m sure she’s welcome.” Though her tone didn’t waver, something about her deceptively bland expression indicated that she hadn’t told him everything.

  Should he call her out on it, whatever it might be? Or play along, figuring she’d eventually reveal whatever she’d left unsaid. He decided to continue in a lighthearted vein. After all, he’d probably find out soon enough. “Gorgeous, huh? Is that a family trait, darlin’?”

  She only continued to smile and shook her head. “Come on. Let’s go find the city and talk to some Fae.” She started off.

  Cursing under his breath, he didn’t move. “I’m going to need something more from you,” he said slowly.

  One brow raised, she waited. “What?”