by Bethany Shaw
“Friends.” He nodded in agreement while shifting on the couch to get his very alert member to calm down.
“How do we get these lycanthrope?” Grace asked after a few minutes of silence.
“My team and I will do it,” he said. “I don’t want you involved.”
“I’m already involved,” she said, lifting her gaze to his as if daring him to challenge her. “I can help. Tell me what I’m looking for. I’m good at digging things up.”
“You know you can’t use any of this, right?” he asked, remembering she was a reporter. He didn’t think she’d double-cross him, but he didn’t want any surprises either.
“I already told you this is my town. Besides, I was thinking in the shower. Assuming it’s okay with you and the others, this would make one helluva interesting piece of fiction.”
“Fiction? Like a book?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “Maybe I could try my hand at writing a fiction story. It might be fun. No one would have to know it was real. Trust me; no one would believe it was real anyway.”
She had a point. It was breaking the rules, technically. Humans weren’t supposed to have any knowledge of the guardians, but the rebel in him asked what it would hurt to let her write a story? “It would probably be okay. Best not to use real names, though.”
“Is Daire your real name?” she asked.
“Yeah. Daire of Clan McCarthy.”
“Clan? I didn’t realize they had those in Ireland anymore.” She frowned, her brow dipping down with confusion. “How old are you?”
He offered her a small smile. “I was born in the early sixth century.”
“That was like...” She trailed off, her eyes drifting to the ceiling as if she were trying to do the math in her head.
“It means on my next birthday I’ll be one thousand five hundred eleven years old.”
“Oh my!” she exclaimed with a gasp. “You’ve been serving Astraea for that long?”
“Not quite. Only since five thirty-six, when my family perished,” he admitted.
“Right. Because those few decades make a big difference. How can you...I just...that’s a long time,” she finally stuttered.
“It is. But I’d do it all again for my family.”
“You must have really loved them,” she whispered.
“I did. Alannah was... When she came into the room, it lit up.” Kind of like it did now when he was around Grace. “Neala was our pride and joy.”
“What happened to them after you made your deal with Astraea?” she asked.
“Astraea turned back time. Instead of Alannah and Neala being home when the thieves arrived, I was. There was famine at the time. They thought my family had food, but we were barely getting by ourselves. The thieves attacked me instead of them, taking my life in exchange for theirs. Alannah remarried one of our neighbors who had lost his wife to the famine. Neala grew up, married, and had three children of her own,” he said with a smile. They’d lived their lives fully thanks to his deal.
“So, this deal you made, it’s for all of eternity?” she asked.
“Yeah.” It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time. Up until this moment with Grace, he’d never thought twice about it, but when he had to leave her in two weeks’ time, it was going to be difficult. There was something about the woman next to him that drew him in and didn’t want to let go.
Chapter Seven
Grace inhaled a breath and let it out before raising her hand to knock on the door. She shoved her hands back into her jacket pockets to protect them from the icy air.
The lock clicked and then the door opened.
She cleared her throat as she met the cobalt eyes of Aric.
“Well, good morning, beautiful.” He opened the door and waved her in.
Grace hurried in, eager to get out of the chill. Her eyes drifted around the front room before connecting with the eyes of a young man who sat on the couch. This had to be the teenager Daire spoke of. He had a video game controller in his hand. The guy offered her a wave with his free hand. She smiled in return before snapping her gaze back to Aric who held a matching controller in his hand. Her eyes darted to his wrist, noting the tattoo on his arm. It was a blue dragon, much like the one that had emerged from the water the other night. She’d have to ask Daire about that. Speaking of, where was he?
“Is Daire here?” she asked.
“Grace!” Daire called, leaving the bedroom while buttoning up a flannel shirt. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said, letting her eyes sweep over his muscular chest before he covered it completely.
“What brings you by so early?” he asked, glancing at the clock on the microwave.
It was just after eight in the morning. Any sane person would be sleeping, especially considering the night she’d had last night. After Daire had left, sleep wouldn’t come, so she got to work. “I think I know where they’re hiding.” She reached into her back pocket to pull out some papers she’d printed off.
“You do?” Daire asked.
Grace went to the kitchen table and set her papers out on top of the wood. “I couldn’t sleep. My brain was just too wired, so I started doing some research. There are two cabins relatively close to each other that have been rented out.”
“Sorry, Kevin. Rain check on Mortal Kombat.” Aric set his controller on the back of the couch and followed her to the kitchen. “You already checked those out, right, Daire?”
“Yeah. They haven’t been rented out,” Daire said.
Grace nodded. “They usually aren’t rented over the winter months since they sit so far outside of town. A good snowfall blocks the roads off completely and could trap you up there. I spoke with Mrs. Henson who owns the properties, and she confirmed that no one had rented them, but the silent alarm has gone off at this cabin— “ She tapped on the piece of paper. “—three times. Mrs. Henson says that never happens. The police have been out to check it out. They haven’t found anything, but they didn’t do a full search on the inside of the cabins because nothing looked tampered with on the outside or in the entryways. In their opinion, it’s just a faulty alarm.”
She glanced around to make sure they were listening to her before continuing, “About a week ago, the police found the abandoned car of one of the Port Townsend victims here. It was found with six other stolen vehicles.” She ran her finger over the paper to the spot she’d marked off with an x. Then using her pinky, she tapped the spot where the cabin was. “There’s only a mile difference between these two spots. It’d be nothing at all to hike to the cabins, especially since there isn’t any snow on the ground yet. Plus, I cross-referenced the name of the guy suspected of the Port Townsend massacre to get his picture and then pulled up the pictures from the Lucky Five. The owners take pictures every few nights to post online on their Facebook page, and this is a picture of the same guy. He’s wearing one of the t-shirts Mrs. Henson supplies at her cabins for her guests.” She smacked her hand on the paper. “I highly doubt that’s a coincidence, but I figured we could drive out there and take a peek.”
She held her breath as the two men looked over the information she’d gathered and printed off for them. Her work was good and thorough. She’d checked and rechecked it all.
“Kevin, can you come in here for a minute?” Daire asked.
The couch creaked as the teen got up and hobbled into the kitchen.
“Were you being held in a lake house?” Daire asked.
Kevin shrugged as he rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know. I got free, and I just ran.”
“Were you near the water?” Aric asked.
Kevin frowned while rubbing at his nose. “It looked too big to swim so I went around it. I ran for a while. There was water pretty much the whole time.” He shuddered and then hugged himself. “Did you find them?”
“Possibly,” Daire said.
“How far away from the lake are these?” Aric asked.
“They’re right on the lake,” Grace said.
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“Ethney and I can swim out to check it out,” Aric offered before calling over his shoulder, “Ethney!”
“But...” She’d done all the research, and they weren’t going to take her with them. Maybe she was crazy for wanting to go. These animals weren’t safe to be around, but part of her wanted to see her hard work through.
“It’s not safe for you out there, Grace,” Daire reiterated. “They are dangerous in their human forms, too.”
He had a point. “I understand, but if you don’t stop every single one of them, I’ll be in danger anyway. I can lead you to the cabins they’re in. We don’t have to get too close either.”
“You’re the lead on this one, Daire,” Aric said with a shake of his head.
“I say let her come. She knows the area better than anyone,” Ethney chimed in as she strutted down the hall dressed in a pair of jeans and long sleeve tee. “She’s dug up more information than we have.”
“How did you do that, by the way?” Aric asked.
“Uh, the Internet,” Grace said. “Why? What do you use?”
The trio looked at each other shrugging. “We use the Internet, too, but I don’t think we’ve ever learned how to be that thorough. We usually, uh, fly, or swim around and scout things out,” Daire said.
“Maybe it’s the journalist in me. I just sat down and researched until I got the results I wanted,” she said with a shrug.
“It looks like good intel. We’ll check it out. Thanks, Grace,” Daire said.
“Okay. I guess, um, I’d still like to come with you. It’s just recon, right?”
Kevin took a step back. “I’m not leaving the apartment. I don’t want to get anywhere near those psychos.”
Ethney put a hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “It’s okay. No one is asking you to. Two of us can go check it out and take care of the situation.”
“Good.” Kevin nodded to himself and then ambled back to the couch where he collapsed into the cushions.
The trio shared a glance.
“I mean, you’re not going to do anything crazy like burning the cabins to the ground, right?” Grace asked with a laugh but stopped when they didn’t say anything. They weren’t considering that. The cabins were the livelihood of the Hensons’ income in the summer. They were good people and would be devastated by the loss. “You can’t destroy the cabins,” she said.
“We can’t afford to let them get away either,” Aric argued.
“But if you attack now and they aren’t all there, you’ll lose the chance to get them all. You might not get another opportunity. The problem will only continue to escalate.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t tell you this so you could destroy property. I know the people who own those cabins. They’re good people. It will destroy their livelihoods.”
“You’re the lead on this, Daire. What do you want to do?” Ethney asked.
Daire ran a hand over his face. “Grace and I will drive out and get a feel for the area. She’s right. If we attack and everyone isn’t there, we’ll lose our opportunity. We might not find them again.”
Aric held his hands up. “All right. I suppose our best bet to get them all at once will be around the full moon anyway. You know we might have to torch the place then?”
Grace shifted her weight. Her stomach rolled. What had she gotten into?
“It will be the last resort, of course,” Daire said. “We’ll make sure the owners of the cabins are compensated for any damages by giving them anonymous donations.”
“Oh, okay,” she relented with a sigh.
“I’ll grab my coat and then you can drive us to the cabins.” Daire walked to the hall closet and pulled out a leather jacket. He shrugged it on before wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her to the door. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”
It wouldn’t take them a few hours. At least, she didn’t think it would, but she wasn’t about to correct him.
She drew in a breath, bracing for the icy air as Daire opened the door. The chill hit her, still taking her by surprise.
“You’ll have to drive. Do you mind?” Daire asked.
“That’s fine. I know where I’m going. So, you weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t own a car, huh?”
“No. I wasn’t. I’ve never learned to drive either.”
“How come?” she asked, digging her keys out of her purse while hurrying to her car.
“Never saw the need to learn since I can fly anywhere I want a lot faster.”
Right. Of course, he could fly wherever he wanted. That made sense.
She climbed in and jammed the key in the ignition. It rumbled before roaring to life. Her numb fingers trembled as she twisted the dials to adjust the heat. She laced her fingers together, waiting for the car to warm and the windshield to defrost.
“Are you really going to destroy the cabins?” she asked.
“If they are all there, it would be easier to burn them to the ground,” he admitted.
“Oh.”
“We’ll do our best not to destroy them if it can be helped. Sometimes, we have to make tough choices to protect the good of the population. If we do destroy them, the owners will be compensated.”
“How?” Grace asked, curious.
“Simple. I work for a very wealthy Greek goddess.”
“Right. That must be nice.” He probably didn’t have to worry about money at all.
“It does have its benefits.” He shifted in his seat so he could look at her. “Are you sure you want to get involved in all this? Just driving out there could lead to trouble. If one of them sees us, they’ll probably attack.”
She bit her lip while considering his words. He was right. It was risky to go. She had her son to think of, too. If something happened to her, then he’d be stuck with his horrible father as a role model. She’d never get to see him grow up. Her heart constricted at the thought.
On the other hand, she’d never been one to back away from danger. If things didn’t work out, the whole town would be in trouble—Caden included. She had to protect her son from the monsters.
“I know what I’m getting into.” She hoped no one saw them, and if they did, Daire would be there to protect her. He’d already saved her life last night.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Grace,” he said, his voice full of sincerity.
She trusted him. They had only known each other a short while, but she knew in her heart that he spoke the truth. She glanced over at him, staring at his profile. The urge to reach out and touch him nearly overwhelmed her. It was too bad nothing could ever come of them. She could easily fall for a guy like Daire. He was nice, honest, protective, and outgoing. It didn’t hurt that he was hotter than hell either. Who was she kidding? She’d already fallen for him.
Grace snapped her gaze back to the windshield. The ice had melted, giving her enough of a window to see. She put the car in reverse and started toward the back roads leading to the cabins.
***
“Stop here,” Daire instructed. He leaned as far forward in his seat as the seat belt would allow. He blinked, calling on his dragon’s eye. The eyelid fluttered as it changed. Squinting, he surveyed the area ahead.
“What do you see?” Grace asked. The car rocked when she brought it to a stop.
“The cabins are definitely occupied,” he said. There was movement both inside and out. He counted the people he could see. Twelve. There were probably more hidden behind the walls. “I want to stay far enough back that no one notices us.”
“You can really see them from here?” she asked, turning to him.
He chanced a quick glance her way. She gasped when she saw his swirling silver eyes. “I can see a great distance like this.”
“I can’t imagine what it must be like to have powers like that,” Grace murmured as she leaned back.
He stared at the house for a few more moments, gritting his teeth when Trent Brockwell came into view. Trent had been a pain in the guardians’ sides for a long t
ime. It figured he was the lycanthrope behind all this.
“We can go now.”
“That’s it?”
They should leave before someone spotted them. He wasn’t able to take them all on right now. “I’ve seen what I needed to.”
“Okay.” Grace shifted the car into reverse and maneuvered them back onto the road, heading out into the city.
“I’ve had my powers for so long, I’m not sure I remember what it’s like to be human,” he said, answering her earlier question. What would it be like to age again? To feel pain for longer than a few seconds? He couldn’t fathom it.
“Would you be a human again if you could?” she asked, glancing his way before focusing on the road again.
That was a good question. While he did enjoy his work and was friends with all the other guardians, there was something missing. Love. Companionship. The things that a stable relationship could bring him. But he couldn’t have that. Not anything lasting, anyway. Maybe he was too stubborn where Grace was concerned. If she was willing, why not have a short relationship?
Because it wouldn’t be right, that’s why. Because he would think about her for years to come and she would move on with her life as she continued to age. Was he avoiding something because of himself or to protect her? Both.
“Do you want to grab some breakfast?” Grace asked, drawing him from his thoughts.
“Sure.”
“There’s a diner in town. It should be quiet. Maybe we can decide what to do next while we’re there.”
“We? Grace, you shouldn’t be involved in any of this. It’s not safe,” he said, putting his hand on hers. It was a mistake. Heat scorched its way through his fingers straight to his groin. He groaned, closing his eyes, but didn’t remove his hand. He liked it there.
“As a fellow Aquarius, I thought you would admire my stubbornness,” she said with a laugh.
“When is your birthday?” he asked.
“February tenth. Yours?”
“February the eighteenth.”
“I’m guessing you won’t be around for your birthday,” she said with a sigh.
“No. But I’ll be here for yours. Maybe I could take you out. We could continue last night’s fun at the bar... As friends, of course.” He glanced out the window. What was he getting himself into? He should focus on the mission, not on his time with Grace.