“Too long between meals,” Hone said.
Manu agreed. “You need to carry snacks. Chocolate bars and dried fruit. Eat as much meat as you can.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Chocolate is out of my financial reach, let alone meat. I get to eat at work, but my break times depend upon how busy we are.”
“I’ll make sure you have chocolate,” Manu said.
Hone winked at her. “I’m sure you’re allowed restroom breaks. Work out your timing and scoff a chocolate bar or two on the way there or back from the bathroom.”
“That’s fine while I’m staying here, but once I get a new place, I’ll have a tight budget,” Jessalyn said.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Manu said, his tone close to a growl.
“You can’t stop me. As soon as I get paid, I’ll have money for a hostel.”
“And on that note, we’re leaving,” Hone said.
“You don’t want to stay for dinner?” Manu asked.
“As much as I’m tempted, I promised Cassie, I’d be home before nine. Walk us out?”
“Jessalyn, wait there. I won’t be long.”
Manu’s words were an order. A bad habit he’d need to unlearn. Danny had ordered her around too. She watched Manu stride away with his cousin and friend, her gaze going to the dragon tattoo on his back. The tattoo waved and blew her a kiss before Manu disappeared from sight. A gasp escaped, and she clacked her teeth together, the sharp click a punctuation of her shock.
Curiouser and curiouser.
She sank onto the bench seat of the picnic table and replayed her evening. Could they be telling the truth? Was she a taniwha? Part taniwha?
Her mind was still whirring when Manu returned almost ten minutes later.
“The chicken should be ready,” he said and lifted the hood of the barbecue.
Jessalyn caught the decadent whiff of roast meat and groaned. “Charred flesh. Yum.”
With easy dexterity, he portioned the chicken and placed it on a plate. “Jess, can you grab the butter, the salad, and a carton of sour cream from the fridge?”
Jessalyn stared at him, but he wasn’t paying attention. He was removing baked potatoes from the barbecue and placing them on plates. Only her father had shortened her name. On the heels of this, two thoughts occurred. One: she missed her father so much, and right now she wished he were here so she could ask him pointed questions. And two: she didn’t allow anyone else to shorten her name, but the urge to reprimand Manu never arrived.
By the time she returned with the requested items, Manu had the chicken, potatoes, plates, and cutlery set on the table.
“Sit. Eat,” he said when she loitered, so off balance it was difficult to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. “We’ll talk as soon as you have food in your stomach. Are you hungry?”
“Um, yes.” Her belly agreed with a hearty rumble.
Manu and his friends were right about the snacking idea. She was constantly hungry these days, and if eating more meant she didn’t breathe fire, she’d do it. Somehow. She didn’t even care if she put on extra pounds as a result. In her mind, the trade-off was worth gaining weight.
She applied herself to her meal and ate several mouthfuls of the succulent chicken before she asked questions. “How do you control your fire? Did your parents teach you?”
“I guess they did, although my brothers, cousins, and friends were always visiting each other. I guess we absorbed the information from the tribe members during our play and gatherings.”
“A tribe? How many of you are there?”
“A few thousand taniwha in the Auckland area,” Manu said. “There are other taniwha tribes within New Zealand. Three in the North Island and two in the South.”
Jessalyn crunched on a mouthful of salad. “Which tribe does Piha fit into?”
“Is that where you used to live?”
“Yes.” Now that she’d learned about Manu and taniwha, it seemed stupid to keep secrets. If it wasn’t for Manu, she might still be sleeping rough and placing herself and others in danger. “I still own a house there, although keeping up with the mortgage will challenge me.”
“Piha is part of the Northern tribe run by the Waaka family.”
“There are quite a few families with that surname who live in and around Piha.”
Manu continued eating. He swallowed a bite of chicken. “Is your house sitting empty?”
“Yes. I had intended returning, but I decided on the spur of the moment to stay here and get a job.” She shrugged. “A tiny voice at the back of my mind insisted this was a great idea.”
Manu’s gaze shifted from his meal to her. “What kind of voice?”
“I… Ah… I thought it was a gut instinct.”
“It might have been your taniwha sending you the thought.”
“Oh.” Not a brilliant response, but it was the best she could come up with right now.
“You could rent your property. I’m guessing you get a lot of summer visitors to the area. You’d be able to ask for a decent rent. If you luck out, you might find someone who wants a long-term rental.”
“Heck, that never occurred to me. That way, the rent would pay the mortgage and other expenses, and I might save again.”
“Did your father not leave you any money when he died?”
“I helped Dad with his furniture making, and I thought he was making a decent living, but when I checked into his financials, I discovered he’d taken a mortgage over the house. He hadn’t mentioned money problems or loan proceeds.”
Sharing this with Manu lifted the emotional weight on her shoulders, leaving her lighter. Happier. His suggestion to rent the property offered her a solution.
“I’m glad you listened to your instinct to stay in Auckland. You said your mother and her people came from the north. Hone and Jack are both private investigators. They could help you learn more and perhaps fill the gaps in your family tree.”
Jessalyn paused, a mouthful of potato halfway to her lips. Did she want to learn more? She waited, hoping for a sign. A gut instinct to kick into action.
Nothing happened.
“I guess. Can I think about it?”
“Sure. Back to your taniwha. We’ll make sure you eat regularly. I can teach you breathing exercises—the ones they teach us as children, and that might help your control. Most of all, you must learn to listen to your body. If you have any gut instincts, listen closely to them.”
“How do I know if it’s my taniwha or wishful thinking?”
Manu’s eyes twinkled. “That’s why I suggested you listen before you act.”
“Will I change into a dragon like you and Hone?”
He shrugged. “No clue. I’ve never met a half-caste who showed signs of a taniwha. Most taniwha are closer to full Maori blood. Want to watch a movie after dinner?”
“Sure.”
“Do you fly?”
“Yes,” Manu said.
“How do you fly without people seeing you?”
“We’ve had hundreds of years to perfect our powers of concealment,” Manu said.
“But it must be more difficult with modern technology,” she persisted. People would notice enormous dragons flying through the sky. They couldn’t fly too high or they’d run the risk of crashing into planes. Then there was the lower amount of oxygen at height.
“We have our own technology to aid us,” Manu said.
His answer was evasive. It prodded her curiosity higher. She had so many questions.
“Do you have a hoard of treasure?”
Manu stared at her without blinking. “Yes.”
“Where? Show me?”
Manu’s expression cracked into a broad smirk. “Personally, I use a bank.”
“Aw, no hoard?”
“During the last century, taniwha and other dragons kept precious stones and other tradeable items, but we’ve moved with the times. Most of us have bank accounts or land.”
“That’s disappointing.”
“
Sorry to burst your bubble. Eat.” He shoved the platter of meat in her direction.
“Some dragon lore must be true. Do you sleep a lot?”
“No, although you will benefit if you take regular naps.”
“You don’t burn villages, toast small children with your fire or rape and pillage, and steal away with young maidens?”
“Sure,” he said in an airy tone. “Every day before breakfast.”
Jessalyn’s lips quivered. “This I have to see. Will you take me with you tomorrow?”
Manu laughed outright and leaned over to tweak her nose. “Brat.”
Jessalyn glanced down at her plate and allowed her smile to widen. He no longer resembled the grumpy man she’d first met, and she decided she’d come to like him. She thought she might trust him. A rare occurrence since she was slow to warm to people. This was a product of the teasing she’d received at school. She frowned.
“Did the people in Piha have knowledge of my background?”
“More than likely. They would’ve watched you closely as a child. It’s what we’d do here. I’d say their close regard would’ve ceased once you showed no signs of shifting.”
“The kids were always teasing me at school.”
“Did you tell your father?”
Jessalyn thought back to a tearful discussion almost twenty years ago. “He showed me how to fight and told me to wait until I was out of school. He suggested I practice and bide my time. I punched one of Danny’s older cousins and broke his nose. There was blood everywhere, although his nose healed straight. Danny’s cousins never teased me after that. The girls kept teasing me because I was bigger than them and clumsy. A ballerina, I am not!”
“This Danny—is his surname Waaka?”
“No, his grandfather was white, although both his parents are of Maori descent. His surname is Ngataki. The cousin I hit was a Waaka.”
Manu grinned at her, the bright smile making his eyes glow and the years fall away. He resembled an impish child. “You punched a Waaka in the nose. I’ve wanted to do that many a time.”
“They are arrogant,” she agreed. “They hold grudges too. Hika hasn’t spoken to me since, not that I care. Hika Waaka is an ass.”
Manu gave a loud bark of laughter, the depth of humor buried within making her stare. Manu Taniwha was a handsome dude, and he took after his surname.
“What’s so funny?”
“If we’re talking about the Hika Waaka I know, you punched the nose of the heir apparent. His father runs the tribe, and Hika is the taniwha who will likely take over from him.”
7 – The Relic
When Jessalyn retired for the evening, she discovered a bag of clothes on her stretcher bed. Two pairs of jeans, a three-pack of plain T-shirts and underwear. In another package, she found a pair of runners and a six-pack of socks. Everything was the right size. She sat on the bed, sudden tears burning her eyes. She’d tried to keep clean and take care of her remaining clothes, but the constant washing had made the fabric thin. For Manu to do this without asking or making a big deal about her appearance meant so much. The man hardly knew her, but he treated her better than she deserved.
She made a silent vow to repay him.
Somehow.
She unpacked her daypack and placed her remaining clothes in piles to keep or discard. Her fingers grazed the wooden box she kept concealed at the bottom of her pack.
“Take it out.”
Jessalyn started at the clear words ringing through her mind. The voice was feminine but sounded young as a child.
Slowly, her fingers closed around the box, and she withdrew it. For some odd reason, her hand trembled.
“Open the box.”
The voice again. Still childish but also determined and bossy.
Jessalyn opened the box since the pendant drew her. She’d refrained from looking at it often in case someone saw and stole it from her. Nothing city-dwellers did surprised her any longer—not after having her hostel room burgled.
Now, in light of what she’d seen and the things Manu had told her, she studied the pendant with greater interest. As she’d done in the past, she traced her forefinger over the whorls of the koru, the motion bringing comfort. New beginnings. Very apt for the current path of her life.
It was getting late. She sighed, and traced the koru one last time. All of a sudden, the curls of the carving disappeared. Jessalyn jerked her hand away and watched in disbelief as the greenstone pattern reemerged from the bone. A fishhook.
She frowned, not one hundred percent certain of the meaning. From memory, it had something to do with journeys and good luck. Jessalyn scowled at the pendant, unsure if she should touch it or not.
Finally, she gave into the deep yearning she was experiencing and caressed the pendant with the tip of a trembling finger. A faint warmth emanated from the fishhook, and a sense of satisfaction flashed through her.
“I should tell Manu. Show him,” she whispered.
“No,” the childish voice ordered, the strength of the compulsion rippling through her mind. “It’s our secret.”
* * * * *
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
Jessalyn forced her eyes open and blearily stared at him. “What’s the time?”
“Seven-thirty. You have time for a shower before breakfast.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Her brain kicked into gear. “Manu?”
Manu paused in the doorway that led to the kitchenette. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for the clothes. I’ll pay you back when I can.”
“You’re welcome. I don’t expect you to pay me back.”
“You should be careful,” Jessalyn warned. “I might take advantage of you.”
Manu stared at her for a moment before winking. “I wish you would. I’m available anytime.” And with that, he turned away and vanished.
Jessalyn blinked after him, her mouth wide with shock. Astonishment. Had he—? The thought was so fantastical, she stopped it before the notion fully formed. She was too tall and not especially memorable in the looks department.
Guys didn’t want her in that way—apart from the captain of the rugby team, and now years later, she assumed Hika Waaka had made that happen since he was friends with the guy. He’d probably encouraged Maui to sleep with her. She’d had brief romantic adventures with summer visitors after deciding to steer clear of the local men.
“Jess! Don’t go back to sleep,” Manu called.
“I’m up,” she shouted back.
To make her words truthful, she bounded out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes, and scurried to the bathroom. The entire time, her mind replayed Manu’s words until she finally convinced herself they’d meant nothing.
Fully dressed and with her emotional armor in place, she marched into the kitchenette to join Manu.
“Can you pour the tea please?” he asked over his shoulder. He wore faded jeans and a tight black T-shirt. Once again, his feet were bare. Once again, she stared at them.
“Foot fetish.” Weirdly, the voice in her head sounded a fraction older. Certainly more confident.
“I do not have a foot fetish,” she snapped.
Manu turned a surprised face her, a spatula in hand. “I’m pleased to hear it.”
“I…” She stopped and inhaled. After blowing out the breath, she said, “I keep hearing a voice in my head. A young female voice.”
“Your taniwha.” He sounded pleased.
“I think the voices in my head—”
“She!” the voice corrected.
“She,” Jessalyn said. “Has been there for a while, but I haven’t realized because they’ve aligned with my own thoughts. This is so crazy. A higher being has plonked me in the midst of a bad dream.”
“I’ll answer your questions if I can. What time does your shift start today?”
“Ten. They want me to work until seven tonight.”
“Excellent,” Manu said. “I have time to grab personal details from you so Jack can start his investigation.�
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“What do you need?”
“Your father’s full name. Your mother’s too. We’ll need a full copy of your birth certificate.”
“Dad kept papers in a folder. I think I remember seeing it when I was going through his stuff. If you could wait until the weekend, I could go with you and sort out the rental.”
“No,” Manu said.
“No, don’t return to Piha,” her voice ordered.
Jessalyn frowned. “My taniwha loathes the idea.”
“Why?” Manu asked, his gaze sharp.
“Danger.”
“It’s dangerous,” Jessalyn said. “I don’t understand. If we share a mind, how can she know something I don’t?”
“Our beasts are old souls. While we share the same body, we can think independently. We don’t always agree with each other.”
Jessalyn’s brows rose. “That sounds like fun. Are you telling me my taniwha can stop me from moving my body from one side of a room to another?”
“It’s usually the bigger life-changing moments.”
“This is going to take some getting used to. Part of me wants to return to Piha, but I have an underlying fear. Almost like a premonition.”
“A suggestion,” Manu said. “How much stuff is left in the house?”
“A few of my clothes plus the furniture. I’d cleared out Dad’s room. His business papers are there in folders. I packed up a lot of stuff from the house and sold it at the market. I’ll keep my clothes, the business papers and the tools in Dad’s work shed. Everything else can stay in the house.”
“Would it be all right if Hone and his wife Cassie went up to clear the house? If anyone asks, they can say they’re renting it for the month.”
“Will they mind?”
“Hone suggested it when I mentioned you had decided to rent your property.”
“Okay.” Jessalyn set two mugs of tea on the tiny table. “Do you have a paper and pen? I’ll write down what I know of my father’s family and the things he told me about my mother.”
“Add the address for your property too. I’ll get Jack to do a property search. That might turn up something. Do you have a picture of your mother?”
“Dad had a painting of her. It’s on the wall of his bedroom. I guess I’d better keep that too.”
Black Moon Dragon Page 9
