She tensed as the memory came back to her. Why, oh why did she even choose to go into that bar?
“Anyway, Anders is doing his usual shtick, but it’s Damon who goes to her.” He flashed her a grin. “We thought he was going to hit on you or something, which he never does, by the way. Hit on girls, I mean. Not that he isn’t interested in girls! He is, but … er, anyway, it turns out he just wanted a drink.”
The disappointment she had felt when he turned away came back to her like a sharp knife slicing against her skin. Again, why did she feel that way toward a man she hardly knew?
“Then,” Gabriel continued, “a while later, these two human assholes start sniffing around her, and Damon goes apeshit on their asses.”
Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “He did?”
J.D. looked at her incredulously. “How much did you drink?”
“Too much. Tequila has that effect on me,” she groaned. “Most of it was a blur. Those guys were trying to talk to me, but I was ignoring them. I think … I remember while they were distracted, I really had to go to the bathroom, but I must have gotten lost and gone outside instead.”
“Humans,” he snorted. “Anyway, Tim comes down on him and everything’s seemingly fine. That’s when those two bastards call Damon a …” His voice lowered. “A filthy animal.”
J.D.’s lips peeled back and her teeth bared. “Motherfucker.”
“Yeah. Tim went nuts. So Anders, Daniel and I get ready to pull him back, but Damon just disappears just as Tim finishes shifting into his polar bear—”
“Wait—what?” Anna Victoria blinked, not sure she heard him right.
Two pairs of eyes stare back at her. “Shifted. Into his polar bear,” Gabriel said matter-of-factly before his jaw slackened. “You don’t know?”
“That the bartender is a … a …”
“A shifter,” J.D. finished, her mouth pursing together. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No!” she said quickly. Everyone knew about shifters of course, and back in Albuquerque, they had been around, though there weren’t many. According to what she’d read, most of them didn’t like city life and lived in more remote areas. “I mean, I’m not one of those people who say, ‘I can’t be prejudiced, I have shifter friends,’ because there aren’t a lot back home. But I’m more of a live and let live kind of person, you know?”
“But then, why did come here?” J.D. asked.
“To Blackstone? I didn’t really have a destination when I started driving.” She paused, not wanting to reveal more. “I was tired and needed to stretch out a cramp, then I saw the bar. What does it matter?”
J.D. and Gabriel looked at each other, silent communication passing between them. Finally, J.D. spoke. “Hon, Blackstone is a shifter town.”
“Shifter town?”
“Yeah, nearly everyone around here is a shifter,” Gabriel said.
The air around them turned dead silent and Anna Victoria felt like someone had knocked her on the head. “You mean you guys are …”
They both nodded.
Looking around, she saw a table with a family of four. “And them?”
Another double nod.
Rosie passed by and winked at them as she sat a couple at the next booth. “Her?”
“Yep,” J.D. answered.
“Damon?” She didn’t know why his name popped into her head, but somehow, she wanted to know.
“Yeah,” Gabriel stated. “Most shifters come here because Blackstone is protected by a family of dragon shifters.”
“Dragon?” Oh goodness. “I … I …” Her mind completely blanked. “I’m sorry … I’m just … I’ve only met maybe two or three shifters my entire life.” And when she was younger, she had seen the videos of them changing into their animal forms. It was something she had done out of curiosity, because her other friends had done it, but she’d never looked at those videos again. It seemed like an incredible invasion of their privacy.
“It’s all right,” J.D. assured her. “I think we didn’t realize that you didn’t realize we were shifters. Most people who come here already know the deal.”
“As you can imagine, this is just our normal everyday lives,” Gabriel added.
Except you turn into animals, she added silently. “So, what are you guys?”
J.D.’s lips tightened, and her shoulders tensed. “It’s actually rude to ask people that.”
“Don’t worry about J.D.,” he smirked at the other woman. “What she means is that she’s the one who’s sensitive about it. Care to take a guess what I am?”
“I wouldn’t know where to start, honestly.” And she didn’t want to risk further offending either of them.
He chuffed. “I’m the king of the jungle, baby.”
She sucked in a breath. “You’re a lion?”
“Oh, yeah.”
As he shook his long golden locks, Anna Victoria supposed it was an obvious guess. “I’m sorry, J.D., if I was being rude.”
“It’s all right.” J.D. waved her hand casually. “But just be careful when you ask stuff like that around here.”
Before anyone else could say anything, Rosie arrived holding a tray with their pies. “Here you go, kids.” She placed the plates on the table. “Enjoy,” she said before she walked to the next table.
J.D. lifted a forkful of apple pie into her mouth, chewed, then swallowed. “If you don’t mind me being rude for a second, Anna Victoria, can I ask you where you’re going?”
“I … I don’t know.”
And now it all seemed to weigh on her. Yesterday, she’d been in survival mode, and the only thing she could think of was to get as far away from Albuquerque as possible.
“Do you have family elsewhere?”
She shook her head. “Anything and everything I know is back in New Mexico.” And Edward Jameson’s reach in the state was far and wide, which is why she high-tailed it out of there. He would not be happy being jilted at the altar and having his cash taken.
“So, what’s your plan now?” J.D. asked.
She let out a long, deep sigh. “I don’t know. Keep driving. North maybe.” Colorado was still too close to New Mexico and Edward’s influence. Canada might be far away enough, if she could manage to get a copy of her passport.
J.D. slapped a palm on the table. “I have an idea.”
“You do?”
“Why don’t you stay here?”
“What?” Searching her face, Anna Victoria could see J.D. was dead serious. “Where would I live? What would I do?”
“You can stay with me,” J.D. declared. “I have a house and spare room.”
“But I can’t pay—”
“You can find a job here, something temporary, until you figure out what you want to do.”
“I don’t have a lot of work experience.”
Actually, she had zero. She got her B.A. in Physical Education from NMU, but really, college was four years of partying, shopping, and going to brunch with her sorority sisters, thanks to her father’s generous allowance. Afterwards, she moved back home, and her father had kept paying for everything—her phone, her car, her credit card balances. Why did she need to get a job when he footed the bill for everything?
As a parent, David Hall hadn’t been affectionate while she was growing up. She suspected her mother’s death had affected him a lot as he never remarried, and the fact that she was nearly a carbon copy of her made it difficult for him to even look at her. Still, no one could say he didn’t provide for her. There had been nannies to look after her and chauffeurs to drive her everywhere. He paid for college and gave her anything and everything she asked for without reservations or without putting conditions that she get a certain degree, straight A’s, or find a good job afterwards. At least, he didn’t, until a few weeks ago. That night that changed her life.
She had come home after a day of shopping when he called her into his study. David Hall got up from behind his desk, whiskey glass in hand. It was obvious from the sm
ell of liquor on his breath that he’d been drinking for a while.
“I’ll get straight to the point, Anna Victoria,” he had slurred. “We’re ruined.”
“Ruined? What do you mean?”
“I made some bad calls on some properties out east and … it’s gone. The money. The business. All gone. Or will be. Unless you do as I say.” Apparently, he had borrowed a lot of money from the bank to cover his losses but they weren’t enough. So he turned to alternative sources of cash, specifically, Edward Jameson, a prominent New Mexico “businessman”. Jameson kept him afloat, but then the real estate market crashed … and here she was.
Maybe if I been more independent, I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.
“Anna Victoria?” J.D. waved a hand in front of her face.
“Oh. Sorry. Woolgathering,” she confessed.
“Anyway,” J.D. continued. “Why don’t you check out my spare room first, and we can figure out a fair amount.” Her mouth curled up into a smile. “Actually, I have a great idea. I know someone who needs some help at work. His last assistant just quit, and he needs someone to take up the slack while looking for a more permanent replacement.”
Gabriel’s eyebrows rose. “You can’t mean—hey, what’s that?” His nose wrinkled, and he sniffed the air. His gaze drew down to the table, his eyes narrowing at one of the plates in front of J.D. “Is that the hipster pie?”
“Hey!” J.D. cried out when Gabriel swiped the plate. “What are you doing?”
“It smells … divine.” His nose was so close to the pie that a spot of cream dotted the tip. “Trade you for a slice of pecan?” He looked at J.D. hopefully.
J.D. rolled her eyes. “It’s already got your germs. Keep it.” She turned back to Anna Victoria as Gabriel began to dig into the pie. “What do you say?”
“I don’t—”
“Just come check out my place after we eat and think about it some more? What have you got to lose?”
Biting her bottom lip, Anna Victoria mulled it over. She supposed it wasn’t a bad deal. Her only other option was to keep driving, but she could only get so far before she ran out of money. But J.D. was a complete stranger. “Could we get my keys and purse at The Den first?” If at least something felt off, she could just drive away.
“Sure, hon. And even if you don’t decide to stay, how about I give your car a tune up before you leave? I own a garage in town, and I still want to make sure you’re safe if you leave.”
She sniffed. How was it possible these strangers were so nice? And they weren’t even humans. The media often portrayed shifters as vicious and mean, with only the ones who do bad things getting any press.
“Th-thank you so much, I would appreciate that.” A small weight had lifted off her shoulders. Her troubles were far from over, but it was a big deal that she could at least maybe have a place to stop and think about her future plans. “And thank you, too, Gabriel, for bringing me here.”
Gabriel’s eyes darted to the pie on her plate. “You can thank me by letting me swap your chai thingy for my cherry pie.”
She laughed and pushed her plate at him. “Deal.”
Chapter Three
Damon let out a frustrated growl as he glanced at the folders on his desk. The pile seemed to mock him, but he couldn’t ignore the growing stack anymore. Damn reports. He scrubbed a hand down his face.
They were supposed to be done two weeks ago, but he hadn’t gotten around to them. Technically, his assistant was supposed to finish these reports and send them off, but since the last one quit and the staffing agency hadn’t sent anyone else, it was up to him to get them done.
Pushing off from his desk, he wheeled his chair around to face the large windows that gave him an amazing view of the mountains and forests. The main Blackstone ranger station was located in the mountains, since most of the work involved anything and everything that had to do with the forests in the area. Their job involved most of the things normal forest rangers did in national parks—protect trails, wildlife, plants, and streams, and regulate the campsites.
However, there were two main differences between those parks and the Blackstone Mountains. First was that a main part of their job was to protect the shifters that called Blackstone home. Anyone who wanted to roam in their animal forms were free to do so in the public areas. But also, they had to watch out for anyone looking to cause trouble, which was why hunting of any kind was forbidden, and firearms and weapons were immediately confiscated.
The other part that set it apart from national forests and parks was the Blackstone Mountain was privately owned and operated by the Lennox Corporation, and not the federal or state government. That meant they only answered to one person: Matthew Lennox, current CEO of said corporation, and the dragon protector of Blackstone.
Which was why Damon was nearly drowning in paperwork. His reports kept Lennox Corporation up to date on their activities and ensured their funding flowed in. However, with his last assistant quitting and that damn blizzard last week, he was behind.
And now, the boss was coming in to see him. He’d actually forgotten about the meeting with being so busy and all. To think, he’d already been in a bad mood when he came in to the station this morning, and now that message from Lennox’s assistant reminding him of this meeting was just the cherry on top of this shitshow.
And certainly, the events of last night and this morning didn’t help.
When the woman in the wedding gown had passed out in his arms outside The Den, he couldn’t even think of leaving her. The Demon had railed at him, swiping its claws at him, ready to fight if he even dared walk away from her. As if I would leave any woman out there alone and defenseless. Damon knew he was a bastard, but he wasn’t a stupid one. So, he had no choice but to take her back to his place, tuck her into bed, and then spend a sleepless night tossing and turning on his couch as all he could think about was her.
His mate.
Anna Victoria.
Acting like an asshole to her this morning had been the right thing to do. It had driven her away, which was exactly what he wanted. The Demon disagreed and let its displeasure known, but he bore the pain because he couldn’t risk getting close again. Not with anyone, and especially not with his own mate.
Yes, it was better if she left and drove far, far away from him and never saw him again. For her own sake.
A knock at the door made his spine stiffen. “Come in,” he called as he twisted his chair around.
The door opened and a familiar face popped in. “Hey, Chief,” Matthew Lennox greeted. “I’m here for our meeting.”
He shot to his feet. “Mr. Lennox. Sir.” Smoothing his hand down his khaki uniform shirt, he gestured to the chair. “Please, come in.”
“C’mon, Damon, we went to high school together. You can call me Matthew, even at work,” he said as he strolled in and took a seat.
Matthew Lennox had been in Damon’s year back in high school, and though they had been in a few classes together, they hadn’t run in the same social circles. Damon hung out with the jocks in the football team, and Matthew, well, he was a Lennox, after all, whose ancestor founded Blackstone. They were the richest family in town, and probably one of the wealthiest in the country.
Not that any of the Lennoxes were snobs, but they simply never had the chance to hang out outside school. Plus, Matthew was a dragon shifter, and even before his bear went out of control, Damon had been wary of his animal. As for the man himself, Matthew Lennox had always been cool, polite, and untouchable, probably because everyone knew he was being groomed to take over the billion-dollar corporation someday.
In recent years, however, Matthew’s demeanor had warmed up, because he was now much more friendly and affable than he had been. Since Matthew had taken over as CEO a year or two ago, Damon had seen him at the Lennox Corporation picnics and Christmas parties, and he always took time to mingle and chat with everyone.
“How’s it going, Chief?” Matthew leaned back in his chair,
unbuttoning the coat of his expensive-looking suit. “That blizzard was terrible, huh?”
“Yeah, tell me about it. But we managed to round up all the campers and found all of the lost shifters caught in the storm.”
“Good, good.” The dragon shifter tapped his hands on the armchair. “How are you liking the job so far?”
Damon had been surprised that Matthew had picked him to replace the previous chief, Garret Simpson, who had retired after twenty years of service. He shrugged when Simpson had put his name in for the running, because surely, Matthew would see his record and read about his discharge from the Special Forces unit and pick someone else. But for some reason, Matthew did offer the position to him, with a review at the end of six months.
That’s probably why he was here. Damon braced himself for any bad news Matthew was about to deliver. “Is this our formal performance review?” he asked. “Should I be getting ready to vacate this office?”
Matthew chuckled. “Always a straight shooter. I like that about you, Damon. Garret did, too, which was one of the reasons he put your name up when I asked him for a replacement.”
“I’m sure the other candidates—”
“There were no other candidates.”
“Excuse me?”
The dragon shifter leaned forward and rested his hands on the table. Despite being on the other side of the desk, there was no question who was the more dominant creature here. “Damon, most people think the rangers have this cushy job, at least compared to the police and fire department. Like, all you guys do is muck around the forest and trails all day.”
He huffed. Whenever all the Blackstone agencies got together, the rangers certainly got more than their fair share of the ribbing.
“I think not everyone understands how important your job is.” Matthew’s expression turned serious. “You protect the people of Blackstone when they’re at their most vulnerable—sure, we may have some pretty vicious shifters around here who can hold their own, but there are also those who go out there to let their shifter side out, needing that time to themselves and not have to worry about getting lost, getting into accidents, or worse. The mountains are vital to the shifters of Blackstone, and you guys are the heart of this place.”
Blackstone Ranger Chief Page 4
