Dragon Eruption

by Amelia Jade

  “So what happens next?” she asked.

  “Next?” he echoed.

  “You know. We’re together. Things are good. Where do we go from here?”

  He thought for a minute while she watched him, enjoying seeing his brain tick. He should never be a poker player. She thought as his face betrayed myriad emotions upon it.

  “That depends,” he rumbled. “But I don’t know if it can go anywhere until things are resolved with the embassy.”

  She frowned. “You mean the spy.”

  “I mean the spy.”

  “That’s not your problem, Noah. You don’t need to do anything about it.” He hadn’t said as much, but she knew what he was thinking, and wished he would stop believing that he had to fix everything.

  “No, I don’t,” he agreed. “But the longer the spy is here, the better the chances are that he’ll discover this place’s secret. All it took for me was one slip of the tongue from Rachel and some stealthy tracking of Hector. How hard could it be for someone trained to do this sort of thing?”

  She didn’t have an answer for that.

  “I might have an idea which of the two it is,” he said, stunning her with the revelation.

  “What? Really? If you know who it is you need to tell Gray!”

  “I said I might have an idea,” he repeated. “I can’t go to him with speculation. I need concrete proof. At the moment all I have is a suspicion, a feeling.”

  Angela sat up so she could look at him better, admiring the several days’ worth of stubble he’d let grow in. It gave him such a rugged look. It was wonderful. “Based on what?” she wanted to know.

  “The other day, after we talked things over and I went to go get food, right?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, I ran in to Chase in the hallway. He asked me if everything was okay with us.”

  “So?” She didn’t understand.

  “So, I never told anyone that we were having some difficulty, that things were tense between us. Nobody should have known that we weren’t good, but somehow he did. Not only that, he made some comments that sounded rather suspicious.”

  “Suspicious how?”

  “As in, he could have been threatening you, if I didn’t tell him anything I might know.” He flexed his fingers into fists several times, looking at them as he spoke. “It’s tough to explain, half of it was his body language and the way he voiced things. It could just have been me being paranoid. Or he could have been letting me know he knew all about us, and that he was well aware that I couldn’t always be there to protect you.”

  Angela felt uneasy at the knowledge that she was somehow being brought into this. That cold feeling coiled in her stomach and grew as she realized it wasn’t just her, but Cooper as well. They were both in jeopardy if Noah was correct.

  “What do we do?” she asked.

  “Nothing yet. We play innocent. This is a game of cat and mouse. Shadows against shadows. Nothing is going to be black or white, but purely shades of gray,” he growled, his eyes focusing on something distant. “I can’t afford to let on that I know what’s up. I need to play the big dumb shifter for as long as possible.” He snorted. “Which is exactly what I’d be if I hadn’t overheard that conversation.”

  She reached out and rubbed his arm. “Learning about the spy really did put you into a tough spot, didn’t it?”

  “Yes.” He closed his eyes briefly. “But I wouldn’t change it. Now that I know what I do, I’m in the perfect position to do something about it once I get the chance.” Noah gave her a wry smile. “I just wish I knew what to do.”

  Angela didn’t hesitate. She leaned up and kissed him. “Whatever you do, I’m sure it’ll be the right thing. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders Noah Landeau, and as long as you use it, we’ll all be fine.”

  “I hope so,” he said, kissing her back. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  From the crib beside the bed Cooper began to make noises. Her shifter laughed and slipped from the bed to pick him up. “Of course I meant the both of you,” he said gently. “You’re a package deal, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  Shortly thereafter, Cooper fell back asleep.

  “You’re pretty good with children,” she said from across the room.

  Noah smiled. “I had plenty of practice. Most of the people I knew back in Cadia all had two or three kids by now. So if I wanted to see them, it meant seeing their kids too. You just sort of pick it up after awhile.”

  She eyed him while he continued to gently rock Cooper, ensuring the baby was back asleep before putting him back into the crib.

  “Have you ever thought about being a father yourself?” she asked.

  He turned to look at her from where he’d been bent over the side of the crib ensuring everything was right.

  “Of course,” he said softly. “Many times. I’ve always known I wanted to be a father. The image of walking into my house and having my kids come running saying ‘Daddy, Daddy!’ is a scenario that I’ve dreamt of many times before.” He fell silent.

  Angela could hear the pain in his voice, the sadness about how such a scenario had never come true for him, leaving him to live through his friends’ experiences.

  “How would you feel about being a father to a child not of your own blood?” As she asked the question Angela felt a sense of relief flood through her at the words. It surprised her to realize that she’d been subconsciously worried about that situation. She couldn’t remember having had much in the way of worry about it before. Just seeing Noah with her child had told her he didn’t seem to care much.

  But apparently a large part of her felt differently. It wanted to know for certain that he was okay with playing that part in Cooper’s future. Not just for the here and now, but in the long term as well.

  Ah. That makes more sense, she thought as things clicked in. She was asking him if he viewed their relationship as something serious, something long term and lasting.

  Noah understood. She could see it written on his face; bless his inability to hide things from her. He looked down at Cooper and reached into the crib to tug something into place that she couldn’t see. Then he came and stood in front of where she sat on the edge of the bed. He squatted down so they could see eye to eye.

  “Angela Breeson.” He spoke deeply, his voice thrumming with power and emotion. “I’ve not spoken of this to you until now, because I did not want to scare you away.”

  She felt butterflies erupt into action in her stomach at his words, a combination of nervous hope, and also fear of the unknown. Could this be where he told her something she’d begun to expect? Or was she in for the shock? She clasped her shaking hands together, but that lasted only a few seconds before Noah took them into his, the massive fingers of his hands closing around her with ease. She couldn’t respond, her voice having fled her. But enough control remained in her body to ensure she could continue to look at him.

  “Ever since the day I came with Hector when he picked Rachel up from your class, I have known this truth. I longed to tell you then and there, but I knew I couldn’t. It wasn’t the way things were done with humans. If I was going to see things through, I would need to do it in a way that worked for you as well. I’ve tried my best to do it that way, and I hope I’ve succeeded.”

  Her throat was dry, making it impossible to swallow.

  “Now that you have asked, however, I feel it imperative to be truthful and honest with you. Not to hide anything, and to state all that I know.” His eyes burned with blue fire. “In you, I have recognized my other half. A soul that I wish to be conjoined with for all time. Never again will I desire any other. I accept that, and welcome it, you, and your son into my life, with all the compassion and care that I possess.” He inhaled and she could hear the ragged tear to it.

  He was nervous too, she saw suddenly. But over what? What was making him so scared to continue? Her mind worked frantically trying to come up with a reason. He’d told her
all that she’d needed to hear from him, speaking directly from the heart without trying to obscure anything. Angela had wondered a time or two if Noah saw her as a potential mate, or as something lesser, a person he cared for and liked enough to spend some time with.

  Now she knew. So what was he so scared of?

  “That is,” he said at last. “If you’d care to have me around.” He looked almost sick. “I know there’s a large age difference between us, and that might scare you away, but I—”

  Angela’s lips silenced his further protests as she did the only thing she could think of to prove to him that she was okay with him the way he was.

  She showed him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Noah

  He was in the lounge when it all went to shit.

  Drinking soda, to be exact. A freshly poured cola. With three cubes of ice and a swirly straw. It was the only straw he could find, not his choice. The door opened, admitting someone. Noah was deep into his thoughts at that point, trying to play mental games in his head, thinking one, two, even five steps ahead of his opponent. Trying to get into their head.

  He had a headache.

  Why couldn’t this be easier? Why couldn’t they just walk up to me and say:

  “Hello, Noah.”

  He jerked in surprise, coming up off his seat defensively before he could even realize what was going on.

  Chase stood behind the stool next to him, dressed as he was, in the normal outfit of the guard. White T-shirt, black tactical pants, black boots. Boring.

  Efficient.

  “Whoa, easy there,” Chase said, slipping easily onto the stool and motioning for Noah to join him.

  He did, but warily, keeping a watchful eye on his fellow guard out of his periphery. Things had been tense between the two of them ever since their encounter in the hallway nearly a week before. Noah still couldn’t figure out if Chase was like him, and perhaps trying to finger Noah as the spy, or if Chase was the spy himself.

  There were simply too many variables, and not enough information for him to come to a conclusion. More data was needed, but getting it had proved elusive. The whole embassy was walking on eggshells, as if everyone was aware something was going on, but nobody was willing to talk about it.

  Things were about to change, it would seem.

  “What do you want?” he asked grouchily, settling back onto his seat. He wasn’t in the mood to play anymore word games. Not today.

  “Information.”

  Noah felt his spine attempt to straighten, and forced it down. Now was not the time to give away how on edge that single word put him. He needed Chase to believe that he had no idea what was going on.

  “Um, okay? What kind of information?”

  “The kind that I am positive you possess. Information about what is going on in Cloud Lake.”

  Noah managed to give him a frown. “What do you mean?”

  Chase grinned. The look never touched his eyes. For the first time Noah realized how dead they looked. Cold. Empty. Lifeless. How had he never noticed that before? It was a huge sign of someone detached from their reality. A person who was only there for the job, not for any sort of personal reason. Someone like a spy. An agent determined to follow his orders, no matter how wrong they might be.

  “You know what I mean. You’re in. I know you are. They brought you in, and told you what was going on, didn’t they?”

  The question wasn’t quite phrased properly. There was confidence and command, but not in the right balance. Too much command, not enough confidence. Noah wanted to smile. Chase was lying. He didn’t actually know if Noah knew. He was playing a hunch. A big one too. If he was wrong, he would be revealed as the spy.

  Would he though? What evidence do I have to prove he’s not just trying to do what I’m doing? It’s entirely possible Chase is just hoping to prove that it’s me who is the spy. I need proof. Tangible proof, dammit. I need to play dumb some more.

  “They ‘brought me in’?” he asked dubiously. “In to what, Chase?” He gave the guard a look of confusion, which was easy to since he hadn’t actually been brought in to anything.

  The muscles of the other shifter’s jaw bunched, and for a moment a look of doubt was visible within the dead eyes. Chase smothered it quickly however, revealing himself for what he was, a professional. He’d messed up, and he knew it, but he wasn’t going to let that continue to affect him.

  “I know you know more than you’re admitting,” Chase said in a low voice.

  Noah lifted his eyebrows, trying to feign surprise and more confusion. “Know more about what?” he asked, letting exasperation color his voice.

  “About this town, and what shifters like Gray and Hector are doing to it,” Chase hissed. “I’ve seen how close you and Angela have gotten. She’s friends with Rachel. Girls talk, Noah. You know that.”

  He laughed. “Now on that account at least, you’re correct. Girls do talk. I hear about all kinds of stuff I don’t give a shit about. But man, they get angry if you don’t listen.” Noah held up his hands. “Now, I’m not talking trying to offer any advice on solving the problem. Noooo, they don’t want that. They want you to sit there and listen to them vent. Bonus points if you can just vent alongside them, let them feed off of your bitching.” He laughed some more. “I learned that one ages ago.”

  Chase looked furious at the dismissive laughter. Noah didn’t understand. What was driving him? Why was he being so aggressive after weeks of stealthy operation? Revealing himself openly like this in a gamble to get Noah to side with him was insane. Something was pushing him, forcing him to rush, to be sloppy.

  Then again, he reminded himself, Chase still hadn’t actually revealed anything.

  “Don’t lie to me,” Chase accused him.

  Noah whirled and slammed a fist down onto the bar top, cracking it in half, the entire length splitting apart. He kept his fist there, eyes blazing with fury as he stared Chase straight in the eye.

  “I didn’t lie,” he said icily, his voice cold enough to freeze fire. “Angela told me nothing. Got it? Whatever you’re trying to figure out here, whatever you seem to think it is that I’m involved in, she has nothing to do with it. Accuse me of craziness all you like, I can handle it, because I know I’ve done nothing wrong. Hell, I still don’t know what you’re accusing me of. But you leave Angela out of it. Understood?”

  Chase smiled.

  Shit. I let him get a reaction out of me. That was stupid, Noah. Really, really stupid.

  “Give it up, Noah,” Chase said, sliding from his seat.

  “Okay, I have to respond to that,” he said tiredly. “First, give what up? And secondly, are you threatening me?”

  “I’ll find out one way or another. It would be a lot easier if you would just tell me.”

  Noah let his shoulders slump in defeat. Chase was definitely going all out, but he still wasn’t giving away what was going on. Which was even more confusing. If he was that good, why the rash action tonight? Had he truly expected Noah to reveal what he knew? What if he was completely wrong, and Noah hadn’t known anything?

  None of it made sense!

  “Go away, Chase.”

  “Sure,” the other man said cheerily. “I’ll just go call up Angela. Maybe she’ll tell me.”

  Noah shouldn’t have done it. He knew he shouldn’t have. It was playing right into Chase’s hands. He was goading him into it, egging him on, getting under his skin, and doing a damn good job of it. The whole conversation had been geared toward this point he thought, to making him do what he was about to do.

  Fuck it. The man had mentioned Angela. Had subtly threatened her. Noah wasn’t the type to take that lightly.

  So he kicked the barstool into Chase’s legs. Then, while the other shifter was reacting to that he tore one half of the ten-foot-long bar from its mount and used it like a baseball bat. Chase flew across the room, hitting the far wall with his left shoulder and bouncing off it to the ground. A deep gong sounded from where he�
��d impacted, running up and down the length of the wall and then some.

  Noah smiled. Out of sheer luck he’d found one of the building’s steel support beams. How unfortunate for Chase. He darted across the room, reaching out to wrap his hands around the other shifter’s neck.

  He was inches away when a frying pan dented itself on his forehead. Noah’s knee’s suddenly stopped working and he wobbled backward, depositing himself ass-first on the floor. Chase laughed and went to rise, but the backhand of the pan took him in the chin. Noah had the satisfaction of seeing blood and what might have been a tooth go flying before a massive figure loomed up in front of him.

  “What the FUCK is going on here?!” Gray bellowed, his voice cutting through the ringing in Noah’s ears with ease.

  He started to respond, but Chase beat him to it.

  “It was my fault,” he said, breathing hard, blood dripping from his mouth as he spoke. “I got jealous, said something about his woman I shouldn’t have.”

  Gray looked at Noah. “Is this true?”

  Noah gritted his teeth, and then nodded. “Yes,” he replied, his voice sounding like thunder inside his head. He raised a hand, touching the impact spot gingerly. It hurt. “I overreacted. A little.”

  Gray barked a laugh. “A little? Using a ten-foot-long club is what you deem a ‘little’? No wonder you tossed a guy through a door and then into a wall your first day here.”

  “I’m never going to live that down,” he complained.

  “You two are suspended from duty. No pay for a week. Confined to your rooms. Got it?”

  Noah opened his mouth to protest, but Chase agreed immediately, leaving the ball in his court. Fuck that slimy little sonofabitch, he thought. He knew this was going to happen.

  The question was, as it seemed to be so irritatingly often recently: why?

  Chase gained something from having them both confined to their rooms. It was up to Noah to find out what.

  Chapter Twenty

  Angela

  She woke to the sound of her phone going ballistic. The constant vibrating on the little plastic end table next to her bed was incessant.