by Julie Wetzel
“Go do what you need to. I’ll…” She paused as she thought about her choices. “…wait here.” It was the only idea that fit. She couldn’t go home yet, but she didn’t really have anywhere else to go.
Alex chuckled and pulled her back into his side. “No,” he said as they turned a corner and stepped into what looked like a locker room. “I need you safe.” He stopped and moved her around so she was facing him.
“And this place isn’t safe?” she asked, worried. Glancing around, she searched for possible dangers. There wasn’t anything unusual. A soft laugh rumbled up between them.
“I’m not sure.” Alex tilted his head as if he were thinking hard. “Something isn’t sitting right with me, but I can’t identify it.” He looked back into her eyes. There was a heat there that set Terra on fire. “And I’m not about to risk it.” Sliding his hand up to her head, he weaved his fingers into her hair and leaned in. The kiss he laid on her lips was hot, passionate, and possessive.
Terra moaned lightly as he pulled her closer and deepened the embrace. Her hands slipped up inside his coat as he held her. If she had any doubts about his feelings before, this burnt them up.
After a few moments, he pulled back reluctantly. He took several short breaths before pulling her in to rest her cheek on his chest.
Terra held on for dear life as she waited for the tingling racing through her body to subside.
“I will not take chances with you.” The words rumbled from his chest. Had Terra not been leaning against him, she might not have caught them. After a few more minutes, he pushed her back so she was standing on her own. “Come with me.” Taking her hand, he led her deeper into the room.
Three rows of lockers stood with benches between them. Alex stopped at the end of one of the rows and turned to face a locker. He jiggled the handle on the thing, but the door was stuck tight. Terra grinned when he made another one of those contemplative noises and reached up and banged on the top corner of the door. The door swung free, revealing a whole world of things.
Alex grinned as he reached in and started pulling stuff out. “Shoes.” He lifted a pair of heavy boots from the bottom of the locker. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” Stepping back, he sat down on the bench and slipped his feet out of the slippers Terra had gotten him.
Terra glanced in the locker, eager to find out what it could tell her about Alex. The inside of the door was covered in photos. Most of them were men or dragons. She scanned the faces. Several of them were repeated in the photos as their owners posed together. Alex was in many, but he was always the one standing on the edge of the group. She glanced back at him as he settled his feet into his boots. He was the standoffish type. She looked at the photos again. Not a single one of them was of Alex and what could be a girlfriend. A hundred and fifty years old, and the man didn’t have a girlfriend. That was kind of sad.
“That is so much better.”
Terra turned as Alex stood up and picked the slippers up.
He tucked them into the bottom of the locker and slipped his coat off. Holding the jacket out, he turned to Terra. “Here.” He shifted it around so she could put it on.
“What?” Terra looked at the coat, confused.
“Put this on,” Alex said as he wrapped the soft leather around Terra’s shoulders. “You’ll need it.” He made Terra slip her arms down the sleeves so it was on properly.
“Why?” she asked. The smooth leather jacket had a thick lining. It would be nice outside, but the temperature in the building was almost too warm for it. Especially with the heat Alex’s body had left in it. Mmm, it smelled like him, too.
“Trust me.” Alex turned back to the locker and pulled a black motorcycle helmet from the shelf at the top. “You are going to want it in a minute.” Turning, he slammed the locker door shut and led the way to another door. “Come on, I have something I need to check out.”
Terra stood there and considered her dragon man for a moment. Ever since he had gotten his memories back, he had become cryptic. And Terra wasn’t sure she liked that very much. “Where are we going?” she asked as she moved over to him.
Alex let out a deep breath before answering. “There was something I was supposed to do yesterday, and I need to find out if I did it.”
“Check on Melanie?” Terra asked.
Alex nodded and ushered her out into the main barn. “Yes.” He sounded grim. “I don’t think things went very well, but I have to go find out.”
Terra nodded. If there were something he needed to do, she would help however she could. Turning her attention to the large room, she looked around. There wasn’t much going on here. A few racks of things sat along one wall, but most of the space was empty. A large door hung open on one side of the room. Alex’s gentle hand on her back guided her into the room and pointed her to the corner where a lone motorcycle sat by itself. It could have been a Harley, but Terra wasn’t sure.
“Come on,” Alex said again, ushering her across the room. Stopping next to the bike, he turned and slipped the helmet onto Terra’s head. “You probably won’t need this, but…” he let his words go without finishing.
Terra smiled as he worked the strap tight under her chin. “You know, we could take my car,” she offered.
“True.” Alex grinned as he went to the motorcycle and started it up. “But then I wouldn’t have an excuse to keep you close.” He held out his hand for Terra.
Taking his hand, Terra climbed on the bike behind him. Soon, Alex had the bike out the door and was tooling down the road as Terra held on to him. She rested her head against his back to better enjoy the ride. God, she hoped he knew where he was going.
***
The wind that had been pulling the warmth from the leather jacket slowed as Alex turned down a dirt road. Terra sat up more as Alex guided the bike between the deep grooves of the path. It was a good thing they hadn’t brought her car. It would have never survived the trip over the rutted-up road. As it was, Alex had to take it easy, or the uneven ground would bounce them both off the bike. Terra gritted her teeth and clung to Alex’s warm back as they went.
About a half a mile of hard riding brought them to a tall farmhouse. The building was well maintained and looked quite pleasant. Alex stopped the bike in front of the building but didn’t turn it off.
Terra waited as he watched the front of the house. Tired of being on the bike, she shifted so she could get up and stretch the cramps out of her back and legs. Unused to sitting in that position for so long, she was ready to get off the bike for a while.
Alex’s hand came down on her leg, stopping her from getting up. “Not here,” he said softly and kicked off, setting the bike back in motion.
Confused, Terra turned to look at the quiet farmhouse. Movement from one of the curtains caught her attention. “Someone’s there,” she yelled over the sound of the bike.
“I know,” Alex called back, “but it isn’t who we’re looking for.”
“How do you know?” she yelled back. Hadn’t they just traveled a long way over rough roads to find out what had happened yesterday?
Alex sat quietly for a moment as he guided the bike back down the dirt road. “The window was broken.”
Okay… Confusion welled up inside of Terra. What difference does a broken window make? “Explain,” she called.
Shaking his head, Alex took a long, deep breath before answering. “I can’t. My instincts tell me something’s wrong, and I’m not about to take any chances at the moment. Give me a little time, and I’ll figure something out. ”
Nodding, Terra turned her head and leaned her cheek against Alex’s back. It must be bothersome to have your instincts lead you around like that. But then again, if his instincts had just saved them from some unknown danger, maybe they weren’t all bad.
***
Terra was more than ready to get off the bike when Alex finally pulled into the drive of a ranch-style home. “Can I get down now?” she asked.
A soft chuckle slipped from Alex as he
held the motorcycle up. “Yes,” he said, amused.
Climbing off the bike, Terra pulled her helmet off and looked at this house. It was a really nice house. The outside was wrapped in brown clapboard siding and edged with river rocks. The huge yard was elegantly landscaped and well maintained. Very impressive. “So who lives here?”
Alex let out another soft laugh. “I do.” Having set the bike on its kickstand, he went up to the double-car garage and pushed one of the rolling doors up.
“Oh!” Terra said, feeling foolish. She propped the helmet on the back seat of the bike and followed Alex into the garage. “It’s very nice.” She paused to look around the man’s garage. It was very neatly organized. A dark green SUV took up one side of the spacious garage.
“Thank you,” he said as he unlocked the inside door. “It’s home.” He held the door open so Terra could enter.
Hurrying along, she stepped through the door and onto a rosy, wooden floor. She looked around for a second before heading down the short hall towards a living room. The place was nicely done in dark tones with wood accents. Terra paused just past a set of steps and glanced around the open floor plan. The room was very spacious. A comfy-looking couch face a large, stone fireplace on her right, while an amazing kitchen sprawled out to her left. The two areas were separated with a bar-height counter made of the same river stone as the fireplace.
Placing his hand on her lower back, Alex slipped past Terra into the kitchen space.
She stepped forwards out of his way before following him into the kitchen. “So, you got your memories back?”
Alex made an annoyed sound deep in his chest. “Mostly,” he answered as he pulled open the refrigerator.
Terra made a matching annoyed sound. Before they had stopped at The Dragon’s Wing, he had talked in complete sentences. Now that he was regaining his memories, he was being cryptic, and she didn’t like that one bit.
Alex must have felt or heard Terra’s irritation. He let out a deep sigh and shut the refrigerator door. “Yes, I have regained most of my memories.” He came over and took up Terra’s hands. “But there are still things I can’t remember. Important things.” Lifting her hands up, he laid a kiss on the back of them before holding them to his chest. “I just need a little more time to sort through the stuff in my head before I can decide what to do.” He shifted both of her hands to one of his and reached out to push a stray lock of hair away from her face. “Please, have a little patience with me as I work through this.”
Terra felt like a heel. Here she was, irritated that he wasn’t sharing his thoughts when he was still sorting through them. Of course it would take a little time to sift through a lifetime of memories. And it would be irritating that there were important pieces missing.
“I’m sorry.” She dropped her eyes away from his as she apologized. “I didn’t mean to push you.”
Reaching out, Alex pulled her in against him. “It’s all right,” he reassured her as he rested his cheek against her hair. “I haven’t been very attentive.” Wrapping his arms around her, he held Terra close.
A soft laugh slipped from her as she slid her arms up around his back and rested her head against him. “And I haven’t been very patient.” She sighed.
“It’s all right.” His voice held a hint of contentment. “Today hasn’t been easy on either of us.” He held her for a while longer before letting out a long sigh and loosening his hold on her. “Why don’t you make yourself at home, and I’ll make us something to eat?”
Terra smiled at him. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.” It had been several hours since they’d had breakfast.
They stood together for a moment longer before Alex pulled away. He placed a light kiss on Terra’s cheek before releasing her completely. “Is there anything special you would like?” he asked as he went back and opened the refrigerator.
“Whatever.’’ Terra shrugged and shifted uncomfortably. The morning had been long, and that ride on the bike hadn’t done her any good. “Can I borrow your bathroom?”
“It’s around the corner, under the steps.” Alex nodded back to the short hall that led to the garage.
It took Terra a moment to find the half bath tucked under the stairs. The wall was lined with knotty pine panels, and the door blended right in. Had it not been for the small loop handle, she would never have seen it. It was a very nice way to tuck the washroom out of the way. Pulling off Alex’s coat, she folded it over the sink and dropped the leather bag on the floor. She was actually surprised to find the thing still on her hip. It wasn’t very heavy, and she had totally forgotten that she had it.
Sitting down, she relaxed and let her mind wander over the morning. They had finally figured out who her mystery man was. Alexander Fied. A dragon with a job to do. And a very nice house. Terra glanced around the small room. It was painted the same rich browns as the rest of the house. And to think, he was worried about not having anything to offer a mate.
That thought gave her a moment’s pause. A dragon’s mate. What did that really mean? The way Alex had talked about it, Terra was sure it was something permanent, like marriage. Surprisingly, that idea didn’t scare Terra much. She hadn’t known him very long, but Alex seemed like the type of person her mother would approve of. Of course, they would have to start out by dating for a while first. Jumping straight into any relationship was a stupid idea, but she could see potential in the man. Alexander Fied. Eww. If she did stay with him, she would have to seriously think about taking his name. That would make her Terra Fied. Terrified. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.
And how would it work out, anyway? If the information she had learned was correct, dragons lived for hundreds of years. Alex’s own identification listed him as over one hundred and fifty years old, though he looked nowhere near that age. But what about her? She would only live to be eighty or ninety. And she would age, while he would not. Yeah, that wasn’t going to work in a relationship no matter how much you cared for someone. Terra drew in a deep breath and made her decision. It didn’t matter how much she liked the man or how good their chemistry was, they could never have a future together. Maybe a few good years until she started to age, but then what? No, it was better to let him go now before things got out of control.
Finishing her business, Terra washed her hands and glanced at herself in the mirror. The vision that greeted her was horrifying. Being shoved under a helmet hadn’t done anything for her hair. Digging in her bag, she pulled out a brush and set about doing something with the mess on her head. Once it was back in place, she dropped the brush back into her purse, slipped the strap of the leather bag back over her head, and pulled on Alex’s jacket so she didn’t have to carry it. When she returned to the kitchen, she would give him back his things and explain that she couldn’t be his mate. Terra gave herself one last nod in the mirror and opened the door to go face her dragon man.
Terra squeaked in surprise as a hand came out from behind her and covered her mouth. Something sharp bit into the skin of her neck, and heat flowed from that point as her assailant injected her with some unknown substance. Adrenaline raced into Terra’s system as she realized what was happening. She had just been drugged! Remembering her self-defense classes, she went limp in her attacker’s grasp. The hand covering her mouth slipped away as she dropped unexpectedly. “Alex!” she screamed as she twisted, driving an elbow into the body behind her.
Apparently, the man attacking her hadn’t expected her to fight back. He grunted as the well-placed hit drove the air from his lungs.
Terra scrambled away before he could regain his grasp on her. The sound of running boots on the hardwood floor gave her hope. She found a place against the wall and reached up to the needle still stuck in her neck. Pulling it out, Terra covered the wound with her free hand. Whatever had been in the hypodermic was burning its way along her veins. She turned and watched as Alex came down on her attacker like a fury from hell. The edge of her vision wavered, and she tilted her head up, trying to stop the s
low spin the world had acquired. It didn’t help. Terra closed her eyes as the sound of the struggles subsided. Hopefully, Alex had beaten the crap out of that guy and would know what to do for her. She was in no shape to make any decisions at the moment.
***
After directing Terra to the bathroom, Alex turned back to the refrigerator and pulled the door open. There had to be something in there good enough to eat. He wrinkled his nose at the contents. Leftovers and lunchmeats. True, he wasn’t a bad cook, but his dragon refused to let him offer her anything but the best, and these scraps were far from his best. Deciding on the lunchmeat, he pulled out two packs of cold cuts and some cheese. He dropped them on the counter and went to the pantry to get a fresh tomato. What he found there horrified him. One of the tomatoes had gone bad while he was gone. There was no way he was going to serve that to his mate!
When that thought hit him, he stopped, staring at the contents of his cupboard without seeing them. He had to stop that train of thought right there. Yes, Terra did have the potential to be his mate, but there was no way he could offer her that right now. Regaining his memories had been both a blessing and a curse. Yes, he was in a position to offer her a comfortable life, but he also had a very stressful job that took up a lot of his time. He was an Elite in Eternity. A job that few could do. And with someone killing dragons, his skills would be in more demand than ever. There was no way he would be able to hold down a healthy relationship while trying to help investigate the murdered dragons.
Letting out a deep sigh, Alex picked the basket of tomatoes up and looked at the ruined fruit. He pulled the bad one out and dropped it into the waste can. The remaining tomatoes looked all right. They just needed a good washing. Moving the basket to the sink, he set about cleaning them as he thought.