“Did you ever find your mate?” Kelos asked quietly. “You know, before.”
Shawn’s jaw tightened. “Are you asking if Jane’s mom was my mate?”
“I suppose I am.” He put his hand on the door but didn’t open it. “You don’t have to answer. I just figured that since you aren’t here dying of a broken heart that you never met your mate. And Jane’s mom wasn’t the one.”
Shawn leaned back in his seat and let out a long sigh. “You’re right. Jane’s mom was not my mate.”
“So, you’ve never met her? Your mate?” Kelos pushed for the answer that had eluded most members of Bear Creek and Cougar Ridge.
“No,” he said quietly. “I’ve never been that lucky and part of me wonders if I even deserve to find her.”
“I think that’s a yes,” Kelos told the doctor.
“Let’s go get drunk.” Shawn got out of the truck and headed toward the bar.
“I’m driving,” Kelos said as he caught up with the doctor outside the club.
“Then I’ll drink enough for both of us.” Shawn pushed open the door and went inside.
Kelos took a glance over his shoulder. Was there someone out there watching him? He shivered but not from the cold. A dragon shifter was never cold.
Anticipation, his dragon told him. Change is coming.
Kelos pushed the door open and entered the club. He was ready for change. He was ready to meet his mate. But then he’d been ready for years and still, she had evaded him.
Chapter Two – Amber
“Are you sure he’ll help us?” Margie peered through the windshield, her nose wrinkled, as Amber parked the car down the street from Shawn’s house.
“Yes.” She forced herself to sound more confident than she was. Amber hadn’t seen Shawn for three or four years, their paths had led them in different directions after they’d shared an apartment while Shawn was studying medicine.
Margie glanced over her shoulder at the two children asleep in the back seat. “I’ll stay here with the kids while you go speak to him.”
“Margie, I don’t like leaving you here on your own.” Amber ducked her head and peered out of the car window. It was late and the town was pretty much deserted. Except for the wolf brazenly walking across the street.
“I’d be more worried about getting out of the car and walking down the street.” She pressed her lips together, her mouth forming a straight line. “This isn’t right. None of it is right.” There was a hint of desperation in her voice.
“I’ll be okay,” Amber assured her sister-in-law.
“Yeah, because that wolf is really a man.” Margie sighed and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. “It’s not right.” She stifled a sob and took a deep breath as she composed herself. “I sometimes think this is all a bad dream and I’m going to wake up and none of it is real.”
“I wish that were true.” Amber leaned forward and hugged Margie, trying to offer her comfort. There was nothing else she could do. Amber didn’t have the power to press reset and send Margie back to her normal life. “I really do,” she whispered in her ear.
“But it’s not.” Margie took a shuddering breath, fighting to maintain her composure.
“No, it’s not.” Amber pulled back and reached for the car door handle. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll leave the keys in the ignition. If you have to run, run.”
“Amber…” The desperation and fear in Margie’s voice made Amber’s heart ache. But she had to go.
“Don’t worry about me. Just get the children to safety.” She fixed Margie with a hard stare and received a nod of agreement. “Good.”
Quietly opening the car door, Amber slipped out into the night, grateful that the streetlights in Cougar Ridge were dim and thinly spread out. Still, she stuck close to the edge of the sidewalk, making use of the added shadows cast by the walls and fences that edged the front yards of the houses.
Amber took a long steadying breath. What if Shawn had moved? They hadn’t been in contact for some time and he could easily have moved out of town. She closed her eyes, not allowing herself to look into the pit of despair that yawned ever wider in the back of her mind. Without help, she didn’t know how she was going to guarantee Margie and the kids’ safety.
Lifting her head, she straightened her shoulders as she reached Shawn’s house. Taking a quick look around, she wished she had shifter senses of her own so that she could tell if there was anyone out there in the shadows watching her.
Amber rolled her shoulders, forcing herself to relax and stepped onto the driveway. The house was in darkness. Either the occupants were in bed or no one was home. Guilt at having to wake Shawn at such a late hour pricked her conscience but they’d driven a long way and they couldn’t spend the night in the car.
Striding toward the door, she raised her hand and knocked without pause. Taking a step back, she waited. No one answered.
Damn it. She took another step back and looked up at the dark windows, wishing she could see inside. Was Shawn in there? Was he sleeping?
She stepped forward and knocked again, harder this time. Still no answer.
Panic gripped her and she inhaled deeply, forcing air into her lungs as she fought the rising fear that threatened her. Panicking would help no one.
What to do? Amber stepped sideways, avoiding the pretty flowers in the border under the window. Feeling like an intruder, she cupped her hands to the downstairs window and peered inside. The light from the streetlamps was too dim to illuminate the room, but she was certain she could see a photograph of Shawn and Jane on a shelf to the right of the window.
At least she’d gotten the right house. Shawn still lived here. So where was he? Vacation maybe? Or perhaps working a night shift at the hospital. If Shawn wasn’t in, they would have no choice but to find a hotel somewhere and hope they weren’t found.
Amber jumped and ducked down beneath the window at the sound of a vehicle approaching.
Nervously lifting her head, she watched for the headlights of the vehicle to pass on by. They didn’t, instead, they slowed and came to a stop outside the house.
Amber cursed under her breath and glanced around, she needed somewhere better to hide. She also needed to warn Margie that she might have to make a run for it and leave Amber behind. Crawling on all fours, she placed her hands down on the cool damp earth, shuffling along the ground until she was partially hidden behind a small conifer tree.
As she turned around and faced the driveway, she felt for her phone in her pocket. Carefully sliding it out, she tapped the screen, keeping it hidden behind the evergreen shrub as the screen lit up. Her finger hovered over Margie’s face as she hesitated, waiting for the owner of the vehicle to make his next move.
“Are you all right, Kelos?” Shawn’s voice reached her from the street, and she let out the breath she’d been holding captive.
“Yeah… Just a little…” There was a hint of confusion in the other guy’s voice as the two figures moved toward the house.
“And I thought I was the one who’d been drinking.” Shawn’s concern for his friend was evident. “Why don’t you sleep over? I can check you over in the morning if you don’t feel better.”
“I’m okay.” The silhouette of the two men appeared illuminated by the dim streetlight on the opposite sidewalk.
“You really don’t look okay.” Shawn reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys which jingled loudly in the quiet night, where the only other sounds to punctuate the silence were roars and growls from some way off.
Amber had only ever visited Shawn a couple of times when he’d first moved back to Cougar Ridge. But the hidden sounds of the night had stayed with her ever since. The snarls, howls, and meows of shifters in the night were haunting to a person who hadn’t grown up with the knowledge of shifters.
“I’ll be fine.” The guy with Shawn dragged his hand through his hair and looked around, his eyes resting on the exact spot where Amber hid.
She closed he
r eyes, damn. She’d planned on waiting until Shawn was alone before making her presence known but it was too late now.
“There’s someone here.” The words were uttered almost as a whisper on the cool mountain breeze, but they reached her, and she stood up. There was no use hiding.
“Shawn.”
Shawn leaned forward, a little unsteady on his feet. He had been drinking. And the other guy was his ride home. “Amber?”
“Yes.”
“What are you doing here?” Shawn asked.
“Lurking in the shrubbery.” Amber held out her hand to the small conifer. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Shawn walked forward, uncertainty in his steps as he reached the edge of the driveway and peered through the darkness at her. “It is you.”
“It is.” She nodded and glanced toward the front door.
“Shawn, we should get inside.” His friend took the keys from Shawn’s hand and went to the front door and unlocked it. Amber noted the small tremble of his hands as he inserted the key and the quick glance over his shoulder at Amber.
Shawn beckoned to her and she stepped over his flower border and followed Shawn’s friend inside. The house was still in darkness as they went through to the kitchen. Shawn shut the door behind them and locked it. The other guy gave a grunt of satisfaction as he went to the windows and closed the blinds.
Only then did he flip the light switch.
They all blinked in the bright artificial light and it took a moment or two for Amber’s vision to clear. When it did, she assessed the two men in front of her, both wearing expressions of surprise.
“What are you doing here?” Shawn asked as he shook himself into action and headed for the coffee pot. “Whatever it is, I think I need to sober up.”
“I need your help.” She glanced sideways at Shawn’s friend. “It might be better if we talked alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” the guy answered and leaned back against the counter, his hands folded in front of him as if to prove his point.
Amber sighed and moved toward Shawn. “I need a place to stay.”
Shawn took down three coffee mugs and placed them on the counter. “If you need help, Kelos is more qualified at that sort of thing than me.”
“Who said I needed help?” Amber said lightly as she recovered herself. “I was passing through and need a place to stay for the night. I figured it would be good for us to catch up.”
“You’re lying,” Kelos said bluntly.
“And what business is it of yours?” Amber leveled her gaze at Kelos, noting his large, well-muscled arms and his broad chest. The guy had to be a shifter.
“You’re his mate. So, it’s his business.” Shawn looked at her levelly, his eyes slightly out of focus and his words slurred.
“How drunk are you?” Amber didn’t need to talk about mates. She didn’t have time for anything other than making sure her brother’s family was safe.
“Not drunk enough to not know two mates meeting for the first time.” He waved a finger in the direction of his friend. “Am I right?” he slurred.
Kelos nodded briefly, his eyes fixed on Amber now that his secret was revealed.
“I don’t need this,” Amber said quickly.
“You don’t get to choose.” Shawn waved his finger at her. “And you don’t get to say no, either.”
“Freedom of choice. That isn’t a thing for shifters?” Amber tried to make light of the revelation that she was Kelos’s mate even though she knew how serious this was. This was a life-changing moment she didn’t have time for.
“No,” Kelos said bluntly. “It isn’t a thing.”
“Which is good for you. Because whatever trouble you’re in, Kelos will help you get out of it.” Shawn nodded and picked up the coffee pot.
“Here, let me. You’ll scald yourself and we can’t have your soft doctor’s hands injured, can we?” Amber moved forward and Shawn stepped to the side, a goofy grin on his face. “What?”
Shawn turned to face his friend. “Kelos, you have met your match.”
“It seems I have,” Kelos agreed.
“I could not be happier for both of you.” Shawn pulled out a chair and slumped down, resting his head in his hands. “I need to sleep.”
“First of all, you need to drink this and then we need to talk.” Amber set the coffee mug down on the table and pushed it into his hand. Then she passed a cup to Kelos, who took it with a nod of thanks.
Amber slid a chair out from under the table and sat down, the fight seeping out of her as she let her bones settle on the hard wooden chair. This wasn’t how she’d expected her meeting with Shawn to go. But you had to work with what you were given.
And she’d been given a shifter. As a mate. Fate sure had a sense of humor. For a woman who had never had any interest in getting married and settling down, it suddenly felt as if she were being hemmed in from all sides.
“Why don’t you tell us why you are here?” Kelos asked, his voice deep but gentle.
Amber hesitated, giving Shawn a sidelong glance. The man she’d come to find was going to be of little use tonight and Margie and the children could not stay in the car. They needed to be inside where it was safe and warm.
“Shifter, huh?” Amber met and held Kelos’s gaze.
“A shifter. Yes.” His eyes narrowed. “How much do you know about shifters?”
“I know that you shift from human to animal form. I know you have heightened senses.” She gave Shawn another sidelong glance. “Unless you’ve drunk too much beer.”
Kelos chuckled. “Shawn was letting his hair down for a night since Jane is sleeping over at a friend’s house.”
“And I’ve come and ruined it.” Her throat constricted. Not because she’d ruined Shawn’s evening but because reality hit her like a freight train. Her heart clenched in her chest and the enormity of the situation crowded in on her.
Then it was gone. She pushed it away and focused on the here and now and what she had to do.
“You haven’t ruined anything,” Shawn assured her. “You are Kelos’s mate. That makes this one of the best days ever.”
“You might not think that way…” She paused. The one other morsel of information Shawn had told her about shifters was that they mated for life. That once they met their mate, they would do whatever it took to keep them safe and build a good life for them.
Meeting Kelos now when she needed help the most was like a gift.
So why did she feel so damn guilty about it?
Because she was about to drag him into her crazy life. She didn’t know that Kelos deserved any of this. And she certainly didn’t believe she deserved him.
Or he deserved a woman who had sworn never to have a husband or children, when from what Shawn had told her that was exactly the life all shifters dreamed of.
“Amber.” Kelos reached across the table and touched her hand and she jumped as if he’d shocked her heart into life. “Why don’t you tell us why you are here?”
She nodded and stood up. “It might be better if I showed you.”
“Showed us?” Shawn asked wearily, getting to his feet.
“Yeah, Margie, my sister-in-law, and her kids are in the car outside. We need somewhere to stay.”
“Your sister-in-law and her children?” Shawn’s eyes came into focus, the magic of caffeine waking him up.
“Yes. I left them outside while I checked to see if you still lived here, and if it was safe.” She inched toward the doorway. “Can they come in?”
“Of course.” Shawn was on his feet and striding toward the front door before she had time to answer.
“Are you on the run?” Kelos caught hold of her elbow as she got up from the table and followed Shawn. Amber turned to face him. She wanted to ask him what business it was of his, but the expression on his face said it was his business and she was too tired to argue.
“Yes.” Her forehead creased. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“It doesn’t matt
er. If you are on the run, you can’t stay here.” He glanced toward the open door and the town outside. “There are too many people who will see you and ask questions.” He paused and looked past her, his eyes resting on the refrigerator.
Amber swung her head around and followed his gaze, worried there was someone there. But there was only a photo staring back at her. Shawn and Jane, smiling happily.
“It was a mistake to come here,” she conceded. “We’re putting Shawn and Jane in danger.”
“It wasn’t a mistake to come here,” he told her. “But it would be a mistake to stay.”
Amber nodded. “I’ll go. We can find a hotel or something.”
“No,” Kelos said sharply, a hint of desperation in his voice. “It wasn’t a mistake to come here. Because you met me.”
Amber arched an eyebrow. “I have more important things on my mind right now than being the mate of a shifter.”
He gave a small laugh, deep and sonorous. “You have missed the point.”
“And you are going to explain it to me,” she said in exasperation.
“I have a house.” His mouth curled up at one corner. “It’s not much, but it’s deep in the forest and no one will see you there.”
She huffed out a breath. “You think I’m going to put the safety of my sister-in-law and her kids in the hands of a man I’ve just met?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “Of course you do. Because we’re mates.”
“That and you have little choice.” He stared at her. “I will protect you and your family with my life.”
“I don’t think even a cougar or a bear would make much difference if we were found,” Amber told him.
“I never said I was a cougar or a bear,” Kelos replied.
“A lion? Tiger?”
“Dragon.” His eyes flashed amber as he spoke the words, leaving her in no doubt, he wasn’t making it up. He was right, for now, the safest place was by Kelos’s side.
Chapter Three – Kelos
“Dragon, huh?” His mate stared at him, searching his face for an answer.
She’s trying to figure out if she can truly trust us, his dragon told Kelos.
Kelos: Spring (Shifter Seasons Book 4) Page 2