Liar For Hire

by Tressie Lockwood

  Every head swiveled in their direction, and the man who had been watching her apartment zipped over to them to drag the woman off Janessa. Patrick barked an order, and two more women came for Janessa’s attacker. She was taken somewhere out of Janessa’s sight.

  Patrick appeared above Janessa. “Come with me. It seems it’s time for me to tell you the truth. If you know what you’re dealing with, you’ll realize it doesn’t do you any good to resist.”

  “Doubtful. I’m very stubborn, and I don’t back down until I get my own way. I’ve always stood up for myself, and I don’t care what you threaten me with. Whether Declan is by my side or not, I’m not going to bow my head to you and your crazy followers. Get that through your head.”

  He stooped beside her, amusement lighting his eyes. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  He held up a hand as if to show it to her.

  “Go ahead and try it. If you hit me, I’m going to use all my strength to claw your stupid face apart.”

  “I assure you, I wasn’t about to hit you. I meant to show you something.”

  “Show me what?”

  Several whispers rose amidst the people behind him. At least one person protested aloud. Patrick ignored them all.

  And just like that, his hand changed from a human’s to an animal’s. Scaly skin, curved black claws, all the hallmarks of a… She swallowed, sick to her stomach. Darkness edged her vision, and she tried to blink it away. Her head dipped and swayed. She had to face the truth even as all the blood left her head.

  Declan and his people were truly dragon shifters.

  Chapter 13

  Janessa moaned and rolled over. She buried her face in her hands, but the absence of light did nothing to stop the images flitting across her brain. Over and over, she saw Patrick’s hand change into that of a dragon’s claw. Then his whole body morphed into a great dragon. Of course the body thing was just in her dreams. In real life, Patrick stopped at his hand. It was enough of a change to convince her.

  She sat up and took in the room around her. Somehow she ended up on a couch in someone’s office. From the distant clink of dishes and the sound of voices, she assumed after she fainted, someone carried her here.

  She tiptoed over to the door and tried it. The knob turned easily enough, and she breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as she opened the door, the scent of steak and fresh bread hit her nose. Her stomach churned with hunger. What time was it now? She reached to check her phone in her purse, but her purse wasn’t there. Nor was it anywhere in the room.

  If she was quiet enough and with a little luck, she might be able to escape. Then once she was on the road, she could flag down a policeman or a helpful person with a phone. The problem was, how would she know if the person was human?

  Silver eyes.

  “Stupid, how can you tell before they’re up on you whether they have silver eyes or not?”

  “Don’t worry. We’re all shifters here.”

  She jumped a mile as Patrick stepped into the hall from another room. Her mouth fell open, and he chuckled, gesturing for her to return to the room she just vacated. Hopelessness descended as she sank down onto the couch.

  “What do you want with me? Declan and I aren’t even friends anymore, and if you’re worried he’ll get involved with a human, forget it. He’s seeing someone else. She’s one of you.”

  He raised his eyebrows, but she couldn’t figure out if he was surprised or didn’t give a crap.

  “Maybe you know her. Her name is Roxie. I mean, I’m not sure how many of you there are in the world and if you all know each other… Wait, that sounds racist. Species-ist?”

  He smirked. “For your information, there aren’t many of us. So, yes, I do know most. I’m hoping to gather all of us that were scattered throughout the world. I believe I’ve uncovered every pocket, every branch.”

  “Good for you. What does that have to do with me?”

  “It’s simple, but just a moment.” He looked toward the door. “Carl.”

  The door opened, and the man who had been watching her place stepped into the room. “Sir?”

  “Bring her something to eat. She looks wobbly. I don’t want her passing out again. Humans are so fragile.”

  She glowered at him.

  Carl nodded and left them alone.

  “Now then, Ms. Waverly.”

  “God, my name is Janessa. You don’t have to keep calling me Ms. Waverly.”

  “Janessa. See? We can be friends, can’t we?”

  “No.”

  “To answer your question, you’re insurance so Declan will cooperate.”

  “And like I told you, he’s seeing Roxie.”

  “He can’t be allowed to marry her.”

  “Why not? She’s one of you.”

  “I see I’m going to have to explain a little more to you about our ways.”

  “I’d rather you not.” She didn’t want to hear it because it made her think of how criminals killed their captives once they had seen their faces. If Patrick told her any more about his people, he might think she knew too much and want her dead.

  Patrick shrugged. “Suffice it to say I’m feeling chatty.”

  She hugged herself, thinking hard about an escape route.

  “When the prince takes a mate, his mate automatically obtains equal leadership rights.”

  She forgot about escaping for the moment. “You’re talking about Declan. Roxie called him a prince before, and now you are. So you’re saying when Declan marries, his wife becomes a princess?”

  “If there were still a king, yes. As it is, our people have been without a leader for a long while. They’ve been scattered for twenty years.”

  Twenty years. That’s when Declan left them.

  “If Roxie becomes Declan’s mate, she will have the right to become queen, and as one of us, she wouldn’t hesitate to take that position. I can’t let that happen. So you see, it has to be you. You have to stop Declan from marrying.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Wait, hold on. You’re saying if he m-marries me, all bets are off. I don’t have the same rights as Roxie?”

  He hesitated, and she watched his gaze slip away. Whatever he intended to say it would be a lie. “No, as a human you don’t have the right to take lead, even if you were Declan’s wife. However, I’m confident that Declan won’t marry you no matter what.”

  Her chest constricted, and pain tightened her throat. She’d never been made to feel so inferior in her life. Not that she wanted to be with a man who wasn’t human. Yet, as she searched her heart, she knew she still loved him. Even learning he was a shifter hadn’t killed her feelings.

  “I have zero reason to cooperate with you. If Declan wants to marry Roxie, I’m not going to stand in his way. And I hope he does ruin your plans because you don’t deserve to lead anyone with your manipulative and self-serving attitude. If you didn’t handle it in twenty years with Declan missing, I doubt you’ll get it done now.”

  He surged to his feet, brimming with offense. “You know nothing about us.”

  “I know enough to know you’re the coward, not Declan. You can’t get them to follow you without trying to subdue someone who doesn’t want anything to do with you. What happened? Did you find out he still has loyal followers after all these years?”

  “Shut your mouth!”

  “Why don’t you shut yours?”

  He raised a hand, and she ducked, flinching against the slap she expected to come. Instead, he curled his fingers into his palm. “Stay here and think about what I’ve said. It would be in your best interest not to go against me.”

  She wanted to throw something after his stupid head but didn’t dare push him too far. The way he looked when he started to hit her scared the crap out of her. No, it was better to keep quiet and plot her escape.

  The door opened again after Patrick left, and Carl walked in to set a tray on the table beside the couch. She ignored the food.

  “You’d better eat it while
you have the chance,” he told her. “If he gives the order I’ll gladly kill you.”

  She suppressed a shudder of fear, but the way he narrowed his eyes told her he sensed her fear like an animal. “You people really are a cult. You think you’re above the law.”

  “Not above—outside.”

  “Come again?”

  He grinned. “We’ve never lived subject to human law. How can we? Think about it. There are human rules for flying in machines, set by the FAA. What would we need with machines, and why would we ever limit ourselves to them telling us when we can fly? Do they govern the birds of the air? No.”

  She blinked at him. “You’re telling me you guys can fly?”

  He snorted in disgust at her and left the room. She took a look at the plate and had to admit the steak and baked potato with green beans looked good. Her stomach growled, but she didn’t think she could keep a thing down.

  They could fly? No way. This must be a dream. She was still unconscious. Either that, or a whole group of people were delusional.

  “Even if they are delusional, I need to worry about it.” Carl’s threat haunted her, making her sick.

  She tiptoed over to the window and twitched the curtain aside. No one was in view, so she as quietly as possible eased the latch open and raised the window. Her heart raced as she threw a leg over the sill.

  Voices nearby froze her in place. When the arguing started, she took advantage of the ruckus and dropped to the ground to crouch in the bushes. The road was just yards away. She ducked low, gathering courage to make a run for it. Declan’s name stopped her cold.

  “Declan, you’ve come. Welcome.” Patrick’s tone made it sound like Declan had come for afternoon tea.

  “You have two seconds to tell me where Janessa is. I know she’s here. I tracked her this far.”

  “Tracked her? Wow, I’m impressed. Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you. I was going to send Carl to get you.”

  Declan swore at him. There was a tussle from the sound of things, and Janessa worried about how many people were trying to take down Declan at that moment. Could they fight their way out of there? She’d taken a class or two for self-defense a few years ago. Little good it did her to end up in this situation. Either way, she would fight with Declan.

  She ran around the house to the front entrance where everyone was gathered. “Declan,” she cried out. Just seeing him unleashed her emotions, and she found it hard not to cry.

  He gathered her in his arms in the time it took her to blink. She clung to him, pressing her face to his chest.

  “I’m sorry you got pulled into that man’s mess,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Declan. You know I would—”

  “Shh, this isn’t your fault.” Declan’s eyes glittered with rage when she looked up at him. “It’s his, and he’s going to pay for putting his hands on you.”

  Patrick scoffed at them. “Be careful, Declan. You have no one on your side here.” With his words, a group of five men as big as Declan surrounded them. Patrick gestured for everyone to follow him inside. Declan balled his hands into fists like he wasn’t above fighting his way out. He gazed down at Janessa and sighed.

  “I’ve got your back, Declan,” she whispered.

  Every one of the people surrounding them looked at her like she was stupid, and she felt it. They were marched back to the room where she had been held. Patrick ordered everyone out.

  “Think about the position you’re in,” he advised Declan. “You’re not willing to lead them, and I am. Why don’t you stand with me, support my leadership, and I’ll be glad to let you two live any way and anywhere you want.”

  “Let?” Janessa couldn’t believe his gull.

  Patrick’s smile broadened. He must know that calm act he put on drove her crazy. After he left them alone, Janessa went to investigate a sound at the window and discovered a guard there. She groaned and turned back to Declan.

  “Well, we’re stuck with some crazies. What are we going to do? Wait, tell me you have your phone, Declan. We can call the police. They took everything I had on me.”

  “We can’t do that.”

  “Why not? I told you they’re crazy. That one guy threa—” She clicked her teeth together, deciding not to tell Declan what Carl said. It might set him off. “We have to get out of here before things get out of control.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s time I shared all the truth with you.”

  “What truth?” She knew he was about to talk about the shifter thing. The memory of Patrick’s hand ran through her head. “You don’t have to tell me anymore.”

  Declan turned away from her and removed his shirt. She didn’t get why he was being shy. They had slept together. She’d seen more than his naked chest and back before.

  And then he changed. Wings sprouted from his back and grew toward the floor, heavy and unbelievable.

  Chapter 14

  “This is the shame I’ve brought on my family, Nessa.”

  They were alone. The sun had gone down. She wasn’t sure when it dipped low on the horizon. Perhaps it was as she stood in shock for so long, mesmerized by the sight before her.

  Declan has wings!

  She dared to move closer to him, taking in the appendages that sprung from his back and stretched all the way to the floor. In fact, the tips brushed the carpet and would have dragged just a little if he walked. Every now and then he moved his shoulder blades, and the wings rose a little. His muscles could control the wings to such an extent that they wouldn’t drag.

  A cry tore from her throat as she noticed that one of the wings was gnarled, curled in on itself just a bit. She didn’t have to know much about his people and their ways to know that this wing was broken and wouldn’t hold his weight if he tried to fly.

  Tentatively, she brushed fingertips over the injured wing, and her heart cracked a little more. “Declan…”

  Tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She wanted to ask him what happened but couldn’t push the words past her lips. Even with the feathery touch, he seemed to feel it and flinched a little. He didn’t move away, so she continued to explore.

  “Does it hurt?” She sniffled.

  “Sometimes, when I bring them out. I think it’s all psychological.”

  “Oh God, Declan, they’re beautiful.”

  “I’m an eyesore.”

  “Don’t say that!”

  She dipped under the wings, forgetting her shock and fear and pressed herself to his back. His skin burned hot like he had a fever. He shook a little, but he didn’t make a sound. She expected him to shove her away, but he seemed to need her touch. Searching for words to express the heartbreak she felt on his behalf, she willed him to understand her sentiment in the hug.

  “As you can see, I’m not worthy of you, Janessa.”

  “What, and you’re worthy of her?” She couldn’t stomach speaking Roxie’s name at that moment.

  “I don’t love her.”

  They stood in silence. He insinuated he loved Janessa and snatched it away in the next breath. He was still talking like he would never marry her or never be her lover again. It hurt. She wanted to turn away from him, but the strength to do so didn’t come.

  “I love you, Declan. Isn’t that enough?”

  She moved around to face him. His good wing flapped out to the side, creating a gentle breeze. The straggler tried to mimic its mate and caused just a stir. She had the feeling he was about to put them away.

  “Don’t. Please. I like them. They’re…cool.”

  He looked into her face as if to judge whether she humored him. When he was satisfied that she spoke the truth, he pushed the wings aside like the tails on a fancy tux jacket and sat down. She joined him, moving close without climbing on his lap, and waited for him to speak.

  “My parents were the leaders of my people. We interacted with humans without a problem. Many worked jobs among them, owned businesses, which employed them, et cetera. It was always my parents’ belie
f that we should have a sanctuary away from humans, where we could live free to be ourselves without hiding.”

  “You mean no human knew you guys existed?”

  “Yes. That’s how it’s been for thousands of years.”

  “Wow, seems impossible. You’d think the truth would leak out at some point.”

  “It has in the form of folktales and myths. People have written books about us, but from a fictional perspective.”

  “Ah okay.” She thought about Skip and wondered how long Declan and his people would stay in the shadows.

  “There were some among our people who believed that we should come out in the open and live as superior to the humans.”

  “You don’t mean rule us?” She drew back a little.

  “In essence, yes.”

  “We can’t fly, but we’re not inferior. Don’t tell me they think you’re some type of evolutionary advanced race or whatever the stupid theory.”

  He snorted. “Something like that. But my parents believed in peace above all else, as did my brother and me.”

  “Your brother?” Her stomach roiled.

  “He’s gone.”

  She clutched his hands, willing strength into him to keep talking. It might help him heal in some small way. To lose his entire family, she didn’t know how she would have come back from that.

  “We avoided fighting at all costs, and some thought we were cowards for that view.”

  “Patrick.”

  “Yes, he will do whatever he feels is necessary to get his way, even resort to cruelty. The funny thing is, he believed in our people living separate from the humans as well.”

  “Then why is he your enemy?”

  “Because of his ambition. He believes my parents were weak, and he wanted their position.”

  Declan swiveled his head toward the door and retracted his wings. A few moments later, she heard someone coming down the hall. The door opened, and Carl appeared. “Come out.”

  They were escorted to a dining room, arranged with fancy place settings. Patrick sat at the head of the table, the woman he brought with him to Janessa’s right, and another man she didn’t know at his left.