Zane (Keepers Of The Lake Book 6)

by Emilia Hartley

  Hesitation stole Zane’s chance. Alistair and Charlie left the dock together. Were they planning an assault on the town? Was now the time that they would attack?

  What happened while Zane had been sleeping that brought the clan under Alistair’s control again? He thought they were fighting together, against Alistair. Then the spell the witch crafted trapped him instead of Alistair. Zane had ten years to wonder if it had been an accident or if his family betrayed him.

  The sting of it grew sharper and sharper with every passing year.

  Chelsea needed someone to talk to. Her world was upside down. She didn’t know how to fix it or if she even should. Zane tumbled into her life unexpectedly. He made her want to believe in things like love and fate, even when she knew from experience that neither could be real. Not forever.

  Unable to control herself, she’d thought about him all day. There had barely been a moment when he wasn’t in some part of her mind. Lectures slipped by while her body hummed with the memory of what they’d done, or the ghost of his touch filled her palm. How could she shake him? How could she free herself from the impending heartache that was sure to follow?

  No man ever invaded her thoughts like this. They’d always been fun in the moment and struck from her life the moment she did the walk of shame home.

  The cab stopped outside the house that looked very much like a castle. Both Chelsea and the cab driver gawked out the window, silent for a long while, before they came back to themselves. The cab driver asked her if she was sure this was the right place. She shrugged and made a noncommittal sound that could have been a yes.

  This was the address Zara gave her. It was only after the cab driver sped off that Chelsea realized Zara might still be in class. Zara’s new major had split them. Chelsea knew nothing about her old roommate’s life. From the way Chelsea treated her, Zara was probably glad to be rid of her, but Chelsea didn’t know who else to talk to.

  Zane reminded Chelsea of the men Zara had come to surround herself with. They were all larger than life and possessed an unnatural other-ness that Chelsea couldn’t wrap her mind around. Much like Zane. Was Zara’s fiancé a…shifter? Was that what Zane called it? Could Asher take the form of a dragon?

  Chelsea couldn’t believe she was seriously considering any of this nonsense. Dragons didn’t exist. Men couldn’t shift into mythical creatures any more than Chelsea could find true love. It was all a load of bullshit.

  She tightened her coat against the wind coming off the lake. It snatched her hair and tousled it, making her scowl because she knew it would become a big, blond knot later. Stepping up to the front door of the castle made Chelsea feel like she’d been dropped into a novel. It was strangely surreal to grab the heavy iron knocker.

  The knocker made a loud clanking sound that rattled Chelsea’s bones. She waited, anxiety prickling at the edges of her mind. This was a mistake. It had to be the wrong house. There was no way this was right. She was probably going to disturb some old man that looked like a wizard from an eighties RPG book.

  She so did not want to fend off the cantankerous verbal assault of an annoyed old man, so she descended the steps and began to shuffle back toward the road. She didn’t make it far before Zara’s familiar voice called her name.

  Chelsea’s heart leapt with relief. She turned just in time to catch Zara’s hug.

  “Holy shit, did you walk all the way out here?”

  “No,” Chelsea said with a laugh. “I took a cab. I just…I need someone to talk to.”

  Zara took her hand and dragged her inside. The interior of the castle was cozy and comfortable. Chelsea could have happily sunk into one of the plush pieces of furniture and taken a blissful nap. Well, maybe if she wasn’t still fending off the torrent of worry that was trying to drown her.

  The lake loomed on the other side of the windows, lurking like the monster it was. Just when Chelsea turned away, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Not outside. No, the face was on the wall. Framed between two windows was a grainy photo of smiling faces. One was Asher, looking young and scar-free.

  Beside him stood a lanky version of Zane. His smile was cautious. The way his eyes cut to a central figure spoke of suspicion. Still, Zane was surrounded by these otherworldly men. He knew them. When she mentioned Asher, there’d been a flicker of recognition. If Zane was friends with these men, why wasn’t he hanging around with them?

  Chelsea scowled at the window, her mind still trying to work out all the pieces spread out before her. She had all these little tidbits of information, but no clue how they went together. The longer she stared out the window, a face seemed to appear in the trees. She let out a yelp when she realized it actually was a face!

  Zane lurked in the woods, watching like the creep he was.

  “Is everything okay?” Zara called from the kitchen.

  Chelsea hurriedly threw together a lie. “I, uh, need to step outside and take a phone call!”

  Stumbling out onto the deck, she found Zane’s face again. This time, surprise seemed to have him in its grasp. His lips pursed as his brows fell. Chelsea didn’t care. He could brood all he wanted. She stomped past the trees, into the shadow of the woods, and pressed a finger to his chest. He even rocked back, like her touch could move him.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing out here, but if you have any ill intentions, I’ll…” she fumbled for a threat. “I’ll start locking my doors so you can’t get in my house anymore.”

  “You really know how to make me sound like a creep.”

  She shrugged. “If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck…then it’s a creep.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “That made no sense at all.”

  She huddled deeper into her coat. “Blame my dad. He made the worst sayings and they stuck. But I mean it. If you hurt Zara at all, I will make you pay. She’s a good person. Just…murder me.”

  He threw his hands in the air. “I’m not a murderer!”

  “You know Zara’s fiancé and his friends. Don’t you?”

  His lips curled into a snarl. Before she could move, he snatched her and pulled her close. “You be careful around them. They’re the real threat. You know I would never hurt you. I can’t make any promises for them. They’re the reason…”

  His voice trailed off. She stiffened, expecting his ludicrous story about an enchantment again. She couldn’t believe she’d slept with someone so obviously insane. Zane really believed he was cursed, that he could take the form of a dragon.

  He brushed his wet hair back from his face. “You need proof. Don’t you?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and didn’t say anything. He trailed his fingers over her cheek, letting them drop to the bite mark that still graced her neck. She’d hidden it behind a scarf. Thankfully the weather was pretty cool.

  Zane nodded and tugged his shirt over his head. Chelsea started to protest, but by the time her brain started working again, he was already dumping his clothing into her arms. He paused at the lake’s edge and gave her a look of longing. His eyes flashed with the same light from the night before.

  Then, miraculously, terrifyingly, his body changed. Where there had been a man, now stood a beast. The creature’s tail curled between the lake rocks on the shore. His scales were the color of the water deep in the lake. A rigid fin ran down his spine and glittered in the flashes of light that made it through the canopy.

  She was stunned. Slowly, step by step, she backed up. The beast that was Zane slithered into the water and disappeared. Once he was gone, she turned and ran back into the house. Her chest rose and fell too fast, breath growing shallow.

  Zara appeared with two mugs of cocoa but came up short when she saw Chelsea’s face.

  “Holy shit, shifters are real.”

  All this time, she thought the locals were pulling some long prank on her for being from out of town. They mentioned people who could change shapes. She dismissed all their claims, thinking it nonsense. But now that she was really looking at Zara
, Chelsea could see the black fox she found outside their apartment.

  Zara sighed and set the cocoa mugs on a nearby table.

  “So,” Chelsea began. “I met someone.”

  To this, Zara broke out in laughter. “Did you find a mate?”

  Chelsea swallowed. There was that word again. She knew she’d heard it somewhere. Zara was the one who mentioned it, referring to Asher every time. Chelsea wasn’t sure what it meant.

  “Does that translate to boyfriend in shifter?”

  Zara gave Chelsea a look, one that said there was a whole lot more to it than just that. Chelsea’s shoulders slumped. She dropped unceremoniously into an armchair and pouted. Little by little, everything started to slip out. How this guy she met was kind of a creep, but he’d been so nice to her. And the sex. Oh, the sex was absolutely glorious.

  It was like Zara couldn’t see the problem. She sat across from Chelsea and grinned, like this was the best thing to ever happen. It wasn’t, but Zara didn’t know because Chelsea never mentioned what her life had been like before.

  “I am…divorced.” The words almost hurt to say. She tried to keep that part of her history locked away like it never happened, but she couldn’t escape it. Not just then, when everything she felt for weirdo Zane was trying to overcome her.

  Zara sat back in her seat, surprise evident, but she didn’t say anything. She gave Chelsea room to talk about it. Zara had always been good at that. Maybe it was because Chelsea didn’t really leave a lot of room for anyone else to talk, but her head was always so crammed with crap that she needed to get some of it out. Even if what she had to say felt meaningless, she needed the release.

  “We were high school sweethearts.” Chelsea fought back a gag just saying it. “I hate that word now. Like an idiot, I agreed to marry him before thinking about my own future at all. He was all I ever wanted back then. He made me believe in forever, like we had something special that no one else could claim.”

  How wrong she’d been.

  “It lasted a year before I found him cheating on me. The first time, I forgave him. He kept coming back to me in the end. Why wouldn’t I forgive him? Then it happened again. And again. Now, I know the idea of love is absolute shit, and any arrangement I make with a man will have to include a large sum of money…or…I thought…”

  “Life can be an absolute bitch,” Zara added. She stared mournfully into her cocoa. “My parents come from a tradition where everything is decided for you at a very young age. They wanted…me to marry an old man.”

  Little by little, Zara wove her story for Chelsea. She spoke of an arranged marriage and how she ran away at sixteen. It was only by sheer luck that she was found by another couple, a shifter couple. The man could take the shape of a bear, far more intimidating than a fox. He bullied Zara’s parents into giving up guardianship.

  “I was a jaded little hellion at that age, but the years I spent living with Oscar and Regina told me that love was real. Seeing them stare so happily at each other made me want to hold out for the same thing. Fate saddled me with Asher, instead.”

  Asher’s muffled response came from under the floorboards. “I heard that!”

  Zara grinned like a pleased cat.

  “You’re really happy with him,” Chelsea said. “Aren’t you?”

  “The happiest I’ve ever been. The only problem isn’t even between us. It’s Zane.”

  Chelsea’s blood went cold.

  5

  Zane sat on Chelsea’s porch. The sun dipped toward the horizon, and worry gnawed at the edges of his mind. He planted his elbows on his knees and told himself to stay where he was. She’d gotten a glimpse of who he really was. All this time, she hadn’t believed him. Now, there was no denying the beast inside him.

  He could only hope that she would accept it.

  When the sky became dark and she still wasn’t home, Zane feared the worst. The clan had turned her against him. She thought he was a monster and was hiding from him. He surged to his feet, a roar on his lips, when headlights washed over him.

  He paused. The car stopped outside Chelsea’s apartment. She stumbled out of the backseat and waved goodbye to the driver. She didn’t even hesitate when she saw him on the front steps, walking past him like he was a regular installation.

  Cautious, he waited for her to say something. Anything.

  She unlocked and opened the front door. “Well? Are you coming inside?”

  He let out a breath. “I thought you were going to kick me out.”

  She was quiet. The silence stretched on, sounds of the night filling the space yawning between them. This was the part where she would tease that he was already outside. But it never came.

  “I learned a lot tonight.” She waited only a moment before ducking inside.

  Lights flicked on. He watched, following her progress through the house from window to window. When she never came back to lock the door, he went inside. He found her in the kitchen, tearing her pantry apart in search of something.

  Chelsea would lift a can, shake her head, and put it back. She did it a few more times before leaning back and pouting.

  “I’m starving!” She finally snatched a bag of chips off the shelf, pouting the whole time.

  “You said you learned a lot. About what? Who?” He was hot on her heels as she went to the living room. He couldn’t believe he’d left her in Asher’s home all day. There was no knowing how many of the other clan members had been there.

  All she needed to do was mention his name and they would try to fill her with lies. Zane growled at the idea of Alistair being there. If the man even looked at Chelsea, Zane would rip him limb from limb. The rage inside him knew no bounds when it came to Alistair. It was as if Zane had been plunged into the Arctic depths. Cold bit his skin and fogged his breath.

  Chelsea didn’t see the strange magic encompass him. She was stuck in her own dramatics. She threw herself down on the couch, staring up at him while she lazily fed herself stale chips. They had to be stale from the look of dismay on her face when she ate the first handful. With a scowl, Chelsea chucked the bag of chips to the floor and reached for a blanket haphazardly thrown over the back of the couch. Zane realized she could feel the cold emanating from him.

  His anger slowly fell away. She needed food.

  Since Chelsea wasn’t ready to talk about whatever it was she’d learned, Zane went back to the kitchen. He perused the shelves, fridge, and freezer. She didn’t have much that wasn’t pre-packaged, but he found a few good items.

  When he was younger, he liked doing things like this. He would go into the cabins of his other clan members and challenge himself to make lunch using whatever they had on hand. Chelsea had a half-finished container of pesto in the fridge door. Beside it was a package of creamy goat cheese in a sandwich bag. With it he grabbed the package of turkey sandwich meat. He made two simple sandwiches and brought them back to Chelsea.

  He sat on the edge of the couch while she ate. Chelsea still hadn’t said a word about what she learned, and it was killing him. If only she would discuss what the clan told her, then he could set her straight. It wasn’t her fault that the clan was manipulative. She didn’t know them like he did.

  Zane could only hope that his new mate would trust him when he told her the truth. The face she made when he shifted hadn’t reassured him. As pale as she was, she’d gone three shades paler upon seeing him in his dragon form.

  The silence was pervasive. It was suffocating. But when he looked up, he found that it was because Chelsea had fallen asleep. She had rested her head on the arm of the couch at some point and slipped into slumber. A small bit of drool was starting to drip from her parted lips. Zane laughed and scooped her up.

  Chelsea had a long day. He cradled her close to his chest while he carried her to the bedroom. There, he set her down and curled up close behind her. The scent of her hair tickled his nose, but his mind would not let him sleep. This should have been the most comfortable place in the world, yet Zane co
uldn’t stop wondering what she would do when she woke.

  He couldn’t afford to lose her. Not when he’d only just found her. Ten years of waiting alone had been too much. He craved her, the brush of her skin against his, her laughter, and even her daft humor. She was a breath of fresh air for a man who’d been drowning for far too long.

  If the clan took her from him, he would show them no mercy.

  The smart thing to do would be to take Chelsea and leave the state. They could go anywhere she wanted. They could start over; Zane could be a whole new man. A sense of duty chained him to the lakeside area. The territory was controlled by a madman who would salt and burn the earth.

  Zane was the only one who knew. He was the only one who could stop Alistair. If he left, then no one would be there to prevent a war.

  Chelsea woke with a start. She gasped for air, lurching up.

  She wasn’t sure what had woken her. A chill pinched her skin tight. She clutched the sheet over her and scanned the dark room. The shadowed features of her bedroom came into view. To that, she let out a sigh and slowly laid back down.

  Zane reached for her and drew her into his body. “Are you alright?”

  She hadn’t even realized he was there when she first woke. A nightmare had been needling her mind, the fear of it riding her into wakefulness.

  “Everything’s fine,” she muttered, because it was.

  With Zane beside her, the fear fled. It was replaced with a sense of ease and comfort. He was between her and the door. With his arm over her middle, she was wrapped in a blanket of safety. It was new to her, this kind of concern and protectiveness. No man had ever made her feel this way.

  Yet, a stranger forced his way into her life and built a home for himself beside her. She never should have let him inside in the first place. In all the true crime podcasts she listened to, this was how people died. Women who were too trusting never lasted long. But she didn’t get any kind of warning bells when she was around Zane.