by Sadie Sears
“What did he do? Did he threaten you?” His eyes burned a brighter shade of green.
I pulled out my phone and handed it to him. He scrolled through an onslaught of about fifteen messages. Justin’s nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed as he read. I worried he'd shift right there in the hospital if he didn't calm down.
"Breathe," I said softly. I squeezed the pulse point in his wrist.
He shook me off. “I’m fine. The only reason he wants to leave his crap at your house is so he has a reason to keep coming around. I’ll come over after work and we’ll set his stuff outside. If he wants it, he can come to get it.”
Oh, if only it was so simple, but Justin didn't see the bigger picture. Bill wasn’t just a bully; he was vindictive. I needed a day to figure out what to do. I wanted to handle this firmly and not cross the line into vengeance. I also wanted to tread lightly so he didn’t run to his father and get me discounted for the job before I’d even had a chance to really try for it.
"I can't just throw his stuff in the street. You know how he is. If he runs to his dad, I could lose my job. And even if I didn’t, how would that look when I apply for the research position? I've worked too hard for this. Lila isn't getting any better, you know."
Ever since my sister's diagnosis, I’d vowed to do everything in my power to find a cure for MS, and this position was my chance. I wasn’t afraid to break up with Bill, but I didn’t want him to ruin my chances to join the research project either. Maybe those weren’t the right motivations, but it was reality.
Justin nodded as a slight tinge of red crept up his neck and over his jawline. He'd grown close to Lila and my twelve-year-old niece, and Lila’s illness affected him almost as much as it did me.
"I know. But if the research thing falls through, we'll figure something out to help Lila. There are all kinds of clinical trials out there we can investigate. But you've got to tell Bill to take a hike, hurt feelings or not. He cheated on you."
As much as I knew Justin was right, I also knew Bill wasn’t worth the hassle. And nothing, not even my own well-being, was more important than helping Lila. "I want to let things settle down a bit before I make him move his things out."
An elderly patient shuffled out of his room, saw me, and did a quick U-turn. I sighed because that was typical of the patients at the hospital. I wasn’t known for inspiring love from my patients. Justin, on the other hand, was a big hit with pretty much everybody.
He nodded and picked up one of the tablets we used for patient information. "Look, I get it. You don't want Bill running to his daddy and have Dr. Holt thinking you're a woman scorned, or is it the scorning woman? Bad enough everybody thinks you’re a robot.”
He tapped the tablet screen as he spoke. I’d told one kid, one, to suck it up, that he’d be getting pain meds in a minute. Now, I had a reputation.
"Gee, thanks." But he was right. I had to work on better patient relations. Bedside manner. Smiling. Softening the blows. Straight to the facts didn't sit well with everyone, especially ten-year-old boys with broken arms. "Maybe if I ask him nicely, he’ll move out."
Justin let out a howl of laughter. "And afterward, we can go to the pig-flying celebration."
The phone at the nurses' station rang, startling both of us.
"Spruce Private, Third Floor, how may I help you?" Nurse Pruitt smiled into the handheld she’d had in her pocket.
"Yes, Mr. Holt, Dr. Kipling is right here, sir. Please hold one moment."
"Mr. Holt. So, not the important one." Justin loved the distinction between father and son.
I stifled a laugh because no one could tell it like it was better than Justin, the most loyal friend I’d ever had. Nurse Pruitt held the phone out to me, but Justin snatched it before I had the chance. Not that I fought hard to beat him.
"This is Nurse Lampert. I’m the floor nurse supervisor today. How may I help you?" He winked at me. "Yes, Dr. Kipling was just here, Mr. Holt, but she's doing rounds right now, taking care of her patients. Doing doctor things." Justin rolled his eyes and put his hand over the receiver. "I’ve got this."
"Justin." I tried to take the phone, but Justin lunged left, out of my reach.
"Oh, I'll be sure to give her the message," he said before he abruptly hung up.
I shook my head and almost groaned. "Why screw with him? You know it’s only going to make him worse." I scowled when he continued to smile and didn’t answer. "Well, what did he say?"
“You’re so full of yourself thinking he’d be asking about you all the time.” He grinned and waved his hand. “I told you, bestie, I got this.”
Famous last words. I leaned against the counter. The last time someone let Justin handle their breakup for them, it had involved a pack of wolf shifters and a chase through the woods at the edge of town. I didn't want that kind of trouble. Besides, I could handle it myself. I would handle it myself.
"I don't know…”
“Gretta, trust me. You must put your foot down. Saying the words isn’t going to be enough with this guy.”
Of course, he was right, but his usual methods were a little unorthodox. "You can help if I need it, but you've got to promise me—"
He held up a hand. "No wolf shifters, I promise."
“Definitely not.” What a disaster.
He nodded, and he would keep his promise, but the gleam in his eyes said before it was all over, I’d probably be wishing the wolf shifters were back.
2
Samuel
Carrying one end of my old fold-out sofa, which weighed about a thousand pounds, while Cameron carried the other end and Leath acted as a tour guide, I walked backwards up the rickety wooden steps of my new house. We twisted and turned, and did every pivot known to man, but that damned thing wasn't going in.
"Did you measure?” Cam dropped his end and bent to rest his hands on the arm.
It wasn’t like I’d bought a new couch that didn’t fit. It was my old one. “No.”
“Well, how the hell are we going to get it through the door, Sam?" Cam shook his head. His blond hair glimmered in the sunlight, and his eyes sparkled a kaleidoscope of blues, greens, reds, and browns. An ether dragon trait. He lifted his eyebrows.
I was ready to leave the damned thing on the porch. You’d think three dragon shifters all over a hundred years old would be able to figure how to get a sofa safely moved, but nope, not today. Age wasn’t everything.
"Get out of the way." Leath shoved Cam’s end hard, causing me to almost fall on my ass as the sofa popped through the door. They set it down and wiped their faces. “It’s through now. You’re welcome.” Leath offered me a tentative shrug then draped his arm over Cameron's shoulder. At six foot three, he towered over Cam. I was somewhere in the middle.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the bottom of my tank top and looked around the living room. My place looked like I’d shopped at the local thrift store. Nothing said out of style like purple velvet with wood accents. And years of storing my stuff in my old buddy’s basement only added to my need for air fresheners and a good dusting.
After decades spent in the military, I only had a few personal items—the couch, some pots and pans, a table, a plate, some silverware, a big, old box TV, and a chair that might or might not have reclined. And I had a mattress.
Home furnishings didn’t make my top ten priorities, and Cameron had plenty of fuss about it when we’d loaded the truck up earlier. Looking around my living space, maybe he was right.
No sooner had that fleeting thought entered my mind than Cam nodded. "We'll get you some new furniture soon. Money's no object," he muttered.
I shook my head. After all these years of friendship and serving together, I still hadn’t gotten used to Cam's ability to read my general thoughts. It was a gift he’d honed to perfection in the military, but since those days, he tried to keep a lid on it. But as an ether dragon, it was almost impossible. Other dragons, earth, air, water, and fire—like me—could get a sense of the emotional st
ate of others, but only ethers could, to some degree, read minds and feel intentions.
Mitias, our dragon elder, had convinced the eight of us to move to the small town of Spruce, Vermont, and start an agency in order to protect the community. I knew Cam would be an asset to the team he’d also agreed to bankroll. He was smart, an honest-to-goodness genius, and he made millions on his inventions and investments. If he was a little odd, it was easy to overlook. He was damn lovable.
Cam did a slow turn. I thought he was making sure the kinetic energy aligned in the house, but he walked to the closed half of the double front door—the one I’d thought was stationary—and pulled a latch. It swung open. Fucking great.
Leath frowned. “Would’ve been nice if you’d done that five minutes ago.”
"It’s open now." Cam shook his head and cocked it slightly to the side as if listening to something. A broad smile played across his face. "Ben's here. Vincent, too."
I walked onto the porch as a newer SUV pulled up behind the truck. Ben, a water dragon and second smartest of our group, if we were measuring, climbed out.
“You found the house, then,” I said.
“Yeah, Captain Obvious.” He saluted me, but my salute back was of the one-fingered variety. “Leath said to look for a weird little box with windows, but it kind of reminds me of a fisherman’s cottage. I like it.” He grabbed a box from the back of the moving truck. His blue-green eyes radiated warmth and put me at ease. I didn't know him as well as Leath and Cameron, but he seemed like a good guy. Good enough to joke around with, so that was nice.
"Of course, you'd appreciate the water qualities of his new digs." Vincent, the youngest of our clan, tugged off his black gloves then slapped Ben's shirtless back. He snickered at his reference to Ben being a water dragon, but no one laughed with him. "What? It was funny."
"I knew you'd like the house," Leath said as he nodded hello at Ben.
Ben cocked his head back with the universal 'sup and put his box on my coffee table. Cameron had urged me to buy the Craftsman-style home because it was a perfect place for me to balance my nature: fire against water. And I'd really liked the quirky architecture, which was a theme that ran through the whole town. But the porch sold this place. Three thick triangular beams held the roof up—two on either side of the porch, framing the front door, and the third by the bay window. Beveled glass in the top windows and brown cedar siding gave the house an old-school look. But the fireplace was my absolute favorite spot.
Ben scooted my recliner closer to the large hearth then plopped down on it. He wasn't as proficient with tactical training as some of my other dragon brothers, but his extreme intelligence earned him a spot in our new business. I trusted Mitias, and Mitias trusted Ben, so that was enough for me. But I'd also heard Ben was a party guy and that worried me a little. Spruce only had five thousand people, so the word would get around fast if he got out of control. The last thing we needed was to draw negative attention to ourselves, especially as dragons. We weren't the most trusted of the newly out shifters.
Cameron leaned against the fireplace, but then stiffened and cocked his head. "Did you get a cat?"
“A cat?” Vincent had sprawled out on the couch, but he sprang up. His silver-gray eyes brightened and seemed to swirl and eddy like a mercury lava lamp—a trait of all air dragons.
We all turned toward the front door.
"I smell it, too." Ben stood. Cats didn’t scare dragons—not much did—but being the new guys in town meant unknown danger. Plus, we were all ex-military. We laughed in the face of danger, but not until we scoped it out and had a plan to defeat it.
Before Ben reached the threshold, a stranger poked his head through the doorway.
"Hey—oh, my.” He looked around with wide eyes, his gaze pausing on each of us. The scent of feline came into the room ahead of him. “I'm Justin. And you must be my new neighbors." A huge smile played over his face, and he seemed to purr when he spoke. “Or somebody’s going to be mad you moved an ugly couch into their place.”
Cat shifter. I glanced at Cam, and he nodded.
"Is it yummy in here, or is it just me?" Justin again eyed each one of us up and down, emerald eyes sparkling.
"Hi. I'm Samuel." I extended my hand. He took it, gave a firm shake, then twisted his lips, and tapped his index finger against them.
"Dragon shifters?" he asked, his finger wagging in little circles as he pointed to each of us.
Vincent didn’t confirm or deny, but Ben smiled broadly. "How’d you know?"
I wished I could be so excited, but I wasn't as enthusiastic about revealing our identities just yet. I ran my hands over the stubble on my chin, as a lead weight settled in the pit of my belly. Humans weren't always so quick to accept dragon shifters, but Justin was a cat shifter of some sort, so it was probably okay. He didn’t seem hostile, anyway. So far.
"Yeah, but we aren't here to cause trouble in your town," I said.
He laughed and wrinkled his brow. "Why would you be?" He batted his dark eyelashes at me. "Dragons are cool in my book. I’ve never met any who were outright dicks."
That made me smile and I relaxed. "Well, we’re definitely not dicks. We're actually starting a new personal security business in town."
"Really?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Hmmm, I may have a job for you."
"How did you know we were dragons?" Leath asked, his tone curt. He was making sure Justin wasn’t here to cause trouble, but when he thought someone was less than accepting of us, he could get aggressive. His frown would’ve made a lesser man bolt, but Justin didn’t flinch. In fact, his smile broadened.
"Well, so much sinew and skin showing for the beginning of April in Vermont tells me you have some excess body heat. Clue number one." He pointed at Vincent, Leath, and Ben, and then he looked me up and down again. "Although, that shade of orange tank top with that blond hair of yours is delicious, darling."
"Thanks," I muttered.
Justin turned to Cam. "Now, you are a different kind of yummy. I mean, look at those eyes. You could wear blue or red, silver, oh, the teal. The combinations.” He fanned himself with his hand. “I'd love to take you shopping, honey."
Cam swallowed, the hint of a blush appearing on his porcelain skin. "Okay. Thank you." He extended his hand to Justin and then blinked several times as if deep in thought. “You’re a panther.” Cam’s words came out without accusation or a need for verification. If he said Justin was a panther, then a panther Justin was.
Justin widened his eyes. "How'd you know I’m a panther? Is my fur showing?" He pretended to check each arm.
"He has his ways." Vincent smirked as he offered his own hand. “I’m Vincent.”
Now wasn’t the time to go into how an ether dragon could sense things other shifters couldn’t. I changed the subject. "You said you might have a job for me? How about a beer, and we can discuss it?"
"Well, I have a few things to do right now, but why don't we meet at the café over on Black Willow Way in a few hours?" Justin said.
"You mean Snowshoe Brew?" I’d tried it out when I came to town to look at the house.
"That's the place. Let's say at eight o'clock." Justin smiled and then waved as he left.
That had gone about as I’d expected meeting people would go. Cam went creepy. Leath turned tough guy. I went awkward. We needed to work on our act before we took it on the road.
The late evening air cooled my cheeks. As a fire dragon, I enjoyed a chilly spring evening. I bounded down the steps of my house then tapped the toe of my boot impatiently while waiting for Leath to catch up. We’d already discussed tonight’s meeting. I’d worried too many dragons in one place might draw attention, so only I was going with Cam. Justin had certainly sniffed us out quick enough, and that meant others could too.
When Leath finally joined me, we headed toward Main Street. He paused at the intersection of Beech and Main to gaze at the rows of trees on the corner lot. They were all lit up by small solar-powered lights in the grou
nd and old-fashioned wrought-iron street lamps. He took a quick left instead of heading up Main Street toward Snowshoe Brew Café.
"Come on, you need to relax, pal. Or you’re going to scare the meow out of your purrfect little neighbor. And then you won’t get the job."
This was why I was leaving him behind. He was either ready for his stand-up routine or ready to kick ass. There wasn’t a lot of in-between with him. I groaned and changed the subject, which was easy enough. I just nudged him and pointed to a tree. "Wow, that’s gorgeous."
He was an earth dragon from wingspan to wiseass, but he sure as hell loved plants and trees. Could talk for days about them. "It’s a beech. They can live to be around 300 years old. This guy’s probably in his second century. Look at the branches. See how they dip downward and grow horizontally?" He kissed the tips of his fingers and flicked them at the tree. “Now that’s perfection.”
I nodded and walked closer. The grayish bark felt damp against my palm, and the ground lighting made the tree appear even more regal. I vowed to come back in the daylight for a better look.
He stood back and stared at the trunk. "Folklore, if you can believe it, says it’s the tree of fairies. If you need peace of mind, to connect with your nature, take a walk over here and sit under this bad boy for a while. He won't guide you wrong."
It wasn’t a big secret that I struggled with revealing my dragon nature to people. Way back in 1915, I’d chosen a human mate. And she’d dumped me as soon as she discovered I was a dragon. Since then, I may have had a trust issue or two. So, I kept to myself, but Leath had always been there for me, and I spontaneously reached out and threw my arm around him.
"I love you, buddy, but you've got to have faith in people," he said when I pulled back.
Easier said than done. I sighed. “I’m working on it.”
"So, what’s your plan for tonight with the Pink Panther?” He duh-duh, duh-duh’d the tune to some old cartoon he’d watched in the late sixties.