“Nope,” Mari answered with a deep sigh of satisfaction after her first sip of coffee, “Because I don’t drink my coffee like a pussy.”
“Touché, babe,” Riley laughed as he sipped his coffee, “Are you always this feisty?”
Mari’s eyes lit with her amusement at finally feeling like she was gaining some even ground in their conversation. Riley was odd. She had never experienced someone like him who could be so seamlessly charming and annoying all at the same time.
“Don’t call me Babe,” she sighed with an eye roll as she heard feet shuffling towards the kitchen. Mari stepped away from Riley and moved to a chair at the breakfast table. “And would it kill you to put a shirt on?”
Mari watched as her brothers, Val and Magni, entered the room with their uncle trailing just behind them. Her mood fell as she recalled just how serious the situation before them was. Mari couldn’t figure out why exactly she was letting Riley distract her so easily, but she was aware it was more than likely going to be a problem if she didn’t figure out how to get herself under control.
Illwyn joined Mari at the table, giving her a small pat on the hand as he settled into his chair. He was distracted and absentmindedly picking at a bowl of berries in front of him. He felt the weight of everything he was asking of the young people before him hanging around his shoulders. He wasn’t entirely certain he could do such a thing.
As everyone settled around the table, Illwyn glanced at all of them quickly. He was sure they were brave, strong, and very capable, but he still saw all of them as young children (except for Riley). He hadn’t become as familiar with Riley until the weeks prior.
“Alright,” Illwyn started with a small nod, “You all know what the plan is at this point, right? You’re going to start back at the bar where William’s brother was last seen. Start tracking from there. If you pick up the scent for either Will’s brother, Max or Blake, try not to make contact with them but track them back to see if they will lead you to the woman. Her name is Kali, and you do not want to engage her on your own now. We just need a location so far. Understood?”
Illwyn was met with a chorus of agreements and nods before they all began to disperse. Mari rose from her chair reluctantly. She was at least feeling worlds better after at least being able to have a more restful evening, and gave her uncle a small smile before passing by him to head out to the garage where everyone was going to gather.
Chapter 9
Mari stared out of the tinted car window, her forehead pressed against the cool glass as they drove down the winding mountain roads. They had a few hours of driving just to get to the town where the bear had last been seen and were several hours into driving to the next location where a witness had seen Max.
After some heated debating on several parts, it was decided that Magni would drive with William, the bear shifter, riding up front with him to help navigate. Riley and Val were in the next row of seats, and Mari was cramped into the small, third-row seating of the SUV.
She had drawn the short stick, or at least the short genetics. She made the most sense to cramp into the small space since she was a solid foot and a half shorter than anyone else in the car. While Val rode in the middle seat like a normal person, Riley seemed to think the best solution to the long car ride for himself was to recline his seat back as far as it could go. Riley’s seat effectively cut Mari’s already cramped space in half, and gave him the additional advantage of being able to pester Mari the entire drive.
Night had fallen, and aside from Magni, the rest of the group were attempting to get some rest. Val was breathing quietly, his body somehow folded up against the window. Rhythmic snoring could be heard from the front seat, where Will was passed out. Magni was focused on the road, stoic and alert. Mari had been trying to rest without sleeping, as she wasn’t entirely confident she could sleep without another dream and did not want to experience another dream taking her over in the middle of a car full of her brothers and two men she barely knew.
“Mari,” Riley whispered, nudging her knee with his strong fingers, “Hey, you awake over there?” He was sprawled out across his seat on his side, and had his other arm propped up behind his head. Riley looked every bit the Greek Adonis as he twisted, trying to get Mari’s attention.
Mari rolled her head slowly to the side and eyed the dragon warily in the dark car. She had come to realize that she and Riley seemed to have some sort of an odd, friendly banter that came easily between the two of them, but he was also maddening at times, especially when trapped in the very small, third-row seat of a car.
“No, I’m not sleeping,” Mari whispered back, “There isn’t room back here to sleep if I wanted to. Somebody has taken up what little space I did have with their freakishly muscular body.”
“I’d offer to share, but somehow I doubt that would work in this situation. What are you doing?” Riley was clearly not sleeping, and seemed to think that if Mari wasn’t sleeping either that they should obviously make some sort of small talk as they neared the small mountain town that was their destination.
“I’m sitting here, trying to ignore that my butt is falling asleep but not letting the rest of me actually go to sleep,” Mari admitted begrudgingly. She was moody and sore having spent far too long in the small back seat. She found that the longer the trip extended on, the less she wanted to be stuck in the car. She shifted her weight so that she was leaning on the side of the car, and extended her short legs across the top of Riley’s seat back with a satisfied sigh. It felt immensely good to stretch her legs out, even if it meant putting them in proximity with Riley.
Riley reached up and lifted her legs up and over his head, allowing them to rest across his chest. He let expert fingers massage Mari’s calf muscles, working to help release tension where he could as she relaxed into it. Riley tried to take advantage and moved to slide one hand up the inside of her leg and she swiftly smacked his hand.
“Not even a little bit funny,” Mari cautioned him. She had found that Riley was always willing to push boundaries and buttons when he could. He was the most incorrigible flirt she had ever met, yet somehow she found they were developing a rather odd friendship the more time they spent near each other.
Mari had wanted, desperately, to ask him about his friend since she found out that he was actually the person from her dream, but she just hadn’t been able to work up the courage. Her thoughts were drifting towards sleep, and the anticipation of seeing the dark dragon in her dreams had the topic stirring in her mind.
“So, Uncle Illwyn told me just a little about your friend, the one who turned on you. What happened? What was he like before?” Mari asked the question in a hushed whisper. She felt like she was letting her secret out in the open by asking. She liked to think that her uncle wouldn’t have broadcast something so personal to her for everyone to know, but she wasn’t sure how in-depth the conversation had been the night she had interrupted dinner.
Riley’s hand froze on her leg as her words drifted across the silence of the car. He wasn’t entirely sure why Mari was asking about his former friend. He let his head fall back against his other arm, his fingers tracing absentmindedly up and down Mari’s shin.
“He was like family to me. We grew up together after his family died. You’ve heard of the Kerrigan family, right? That was his parents. After they died, Blake came to live with us. He had always been super dark and broody, but then it was like he met this chick one night and bam…he was brainwashed or something. It was so freaking weird. We fought when he tried, and succeeded, at kidnapping your cousin, Nyal. I had been on a guard detail for him and Blake just showed up.”
Mari frowned in the dark, leaning forward as she listened to Riley’s explanation. Her mind was racing with the information. Mari had heard the story of the Kerrigan family years ago. They were a pair of fire dragons, the father losing control ended up killing himself and his wife, and in the process destroyed an enormous amount of property and lives. T
he knowledge that the man she had dreamt of was the child of such a family resounded in her mind.
She thought it was no wonder that their connection had been so strong if he was as powerful as the stories indicated about fire dragons. Mari couldn’t help but wonder just what had happened with this woman that had changed Riley’s friend so quickly. She said the name over and over again in her mind, Blake Kerrigan. She finally had a name, though she still had yet to see his face in any of her dreams.
“I’m so sorry,” Mari offered as she felt a wave of hurt, remorse, guilt, and anger sweeping forth from Riley, “You shouldn’t be angry at yourself, though. It sounds like it was his choices, and this other woman. You’re eating yourself alive with this.” Mari laid a hand on Riley’s shoulder as she looked at him in the dark of the car. The dull flash of street lamps flashing through the window masked much of his face.
Mari felt compelled to offer Riley some sort of comfort as she identified what he was feeling. She hadn’t really recognized that she’d let her guard down so much around Riley, but his emotions were broadcasting for her loud and clear. She shifted her weight in the seat, drawing her legs carefully back across Riley’s chest. She leaned over the back of the seat giving him an awkward side hug.
Riley inhaled deeply as Mari’s hair hung over his face for a moment. She smelled like apples and he felt something deep within himself stirred by the hug she’d given him. It was nothing remotely sexual, which was a first for Riley. He was surprised to find himself experiencing what actual friendship with a woman felt like. He still thought Mari was insanely gorgeous and was easily attracted to her, but he could see beyond the conquest for once.
“Thanks,” Riley whispered as Mari settled back into her seat. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the small town, where they were told they may be able to spot Max.
Mari’s mind was weighed down with images and thoughts of what Blake and his childhood must have been like. Blake. She couldn’t help but feel like she knew him already, it was more than just the sex that had happened in the dreams. She felt like she knew exactly what kind of person he was, which made it all the more difficult for her to understand why he was caught up with someone like this woman. Mari was torn between feeling like she was falling headfirst for this man who she’d never met, and concern as this was the same man who was responsible for injuring Riley, kidnapping her cousin, and who knew what else. It was just too much for her to process.
Chapter 10
The small mountain town had a whopping two bars total. William had assured everyone that bars were the place to start their search. Magni had recommended that they split up in shifts, and watch both bars simultaneously and hope that they could come across one of the shifters they were looking for. Given that William would be immediately recognized by his brother, and Riley would be immediately recognized by Blake, they were going to rotate the two of them between both bars, hoping that they could identify someone without being noticed.
Magni handed both Will and Riley a ball cap and a hooded sweat shirt. Both put on their “disguises” in compliance. Will would blend in well enough in a bar crowd, but Mari was convinced that Riley would never be able to blend in with a crowd. He was simply too tall, too handsome, and too muscular to not gain notice.
“I’m sorry. A hat just isn’t going to cut it. He’s going to stick out like a sore thumb…or a hunk of meat,” Mari argued with her brothers, “I don’t know how you expect him to be in there and them not sense each other and make them bolt.” She was convinced that would be all it would take before everything was blown and they ended up back at square one. She caught the cocky grin that spread across Riley’s face and her eyes involuntarily rolled skyward.
“Even if they show and bolt, we’ll keep Val in the car ready to follow,” Magni explained. He was supposed to pair off with Riley; Mari was supposed to go with Will. Magni’s tone had an undercurrent of finality in it. He had his mind made up, and once that happened there was very little use in trying to convince him of anything otherwise.
“You are just jealous that you don’t get to go with me, aren’t you?” Riley joked at Mari.
Mari was too busy silently fuming at being disregarded by her older brother to be bothered by Riley’s teasing. She felt like Magni always did that when there was strategy involved in how they were approaching a situation. He always just assumed his way was the best option, and that Mari was just a silly, little girl. It rankled something deep within her that she was trusted enough to decide guilt or innocence of someone, but not enough to consult when it came to the actual execution of a plan.
Mari glanced up at Riley with an odd look in her eye. She couldn’t explain what it was, but she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she just couldn’t shake. She grabbed Riley and Val’s wrists as they were turning to leave, looking back and forth between them.
“Please, be careful. I can’t explain it, but please, just watch your backs. Something isn’t right with all of this,” she cautioned before releasing them. She felt an odd sensation burning in her throat, and she wanted nothing more than for all of them to get back in the car and leave this place as soon as they could.
Magni gave her a small shove in the direction Will had started walking. Mari turned back to glance at him over her shoulder and was met with a stern look and Magni waving her on. He climbed back in the vehicle and shut the door.
Mari inhaled a deep steadying breath to steady and ground herself. She was not happy about any part of this situation. She ran a few paces to close the distance between her and Will, whose long stride was carrying him down the street much faster than her own short legs.
“Slow down, will ya?” she asked as she struggled to fall into step with Will. He wasn’t nearly as tall as the others, but he was still quite a bit taller than Mari, at her whopping four-foot-nine inches tall. She inhaled another deep breath to offset the additional energy she had spent jogging to keep up with Will for a few paces before he slowed down.
“We should probably split up when we’re in there. If you’re with me, my brother won’t come within 100 feet. He knows I wouldn’t be out with someone as gorgeous as you, so he’d know something was up,” Will explained as they drew up to the block the bar was located on.
Mari felt her previous animosity for Will and his thoughts about her melting slightly. She knew he was worried about his brother, she could feel that much as plain as day. She felt like his description of her was entirely inaccurate, and she brushed it off with a scoff. She was not gorgeous. She had a mass of frizzy, blonde curls that were unruly after the long car ride that they had endured to bring them here. She was wearing a plain, black, tank top and jeans. She didn’t wear make-up, and was in no way what people would normally consider beautiful in her mind.
“If you say so,” Mari agreed, “You know your brother better than I do. I’ll just head in behind you, then you don’t have to worry about walking slower on my account.”
Will chuckled kindly at her comment and gave her a quick nod before resuming his prior, determined pace that was driving him closer to the bar much faster than hers.
Mari paused, placing her hand on her hips for a moment and working to regain some control of her breathing. She wanted to make sure she was well-grounded before walking into the bar. If she was letting her guard down to attempt to find Will’s brother, she wanted to make sure she had a clean foundation to start working with.
Mari was standing, inhaling deeply in the night air that was barely biting at her skin on her arms when she heard footsteps behind her. She moved to step aside to let the stranger pass her on the narrow sidewalk. As she stepped aside, her eyes glanced up to see the man coming to a faltering stop right as she turned.
Their eyes were locked for what seemed like an eternity but must have only been seconds. Mari’s lips parted slightly as her mind flashed through a dozen images of her and the man before her in all manner of positions. She hadn�
��t sensed him approaching, her guard being up as much as she could manage, but as soon as recognition set in, her mental wards were stripped away in an instant.
Mari was rushed with the onslaught of his emotions pouring out to her. Her violet eyes were still locked on his deep-brown eyes. His eyes were like pools of earth, deep and churning beneath the surface. Mari’s breath caught in her throat as she felt the purest passion and warmth coming from the stranger before her she knew so well.
The onslaught of emotion was overwhelming her without her realizing it. Mari swayed forward. Her hands ended up flat against his chest, and his hands had quickly encircled her waist steadying her. It was so familiar, and the look on his face was one of such pure bewilderment and tenderness. It pulled at the very center of her being, that she knew this had to be him.
Mari slid her hands slowly up to both sides of his face, his face rough with stubble beneath her delicate fingers. She looked up at him with wonder, feeling just how surprised he seemed to be that she was real. She could sense the relief pouring off him at her touch.
“Blake,” she whispered, confident that it was him, but unsure what to do. She was keenly aware that she should be doing something other than standing there in his arms, calling her brothers and the others for back up…anything, but in that moment, all she could think of was how absolutely right it felt to have his hands on her and his skin beneath her touch.
“You’re real?” Blake asked, tightening his arms around her as if he was sure she would disappear if he didn’t hold on tight enough. How could he possibly explain to this woman he’d never met, that she was all that kept him going. She was the only thing that anchored him in his life, his dreams about her were the only reason he hadn’t given up and simply let himself fade into nothingness. His mind was reeling with the dozens of questions that were crashing into him.
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