by Abigail Owen
These days, most of the dragons Finn and his enforcers fought to contain—the ones who set many of the fires the team had to deal with—were part of Rune’s group of dissenters, men who wanted a separation from the clans and their kings. Another American Revolution, so to speak, only the problem wasn’t tea and taxes, but mates.
A connection to Delaney’s fires niggled at the back of Finn’s mind. If he hadn’t seen the lack of a mark with his own eyes, he would be sure she was a mate.
But she wasn’t.
He and Fallon didn’t stay on the line much longer. Fallon needed to focus. His black hair, so like Finn’s, had been standing up in ragged tufts by the end of the call from his tugging on it. At least the mating process was short. He wouldn’t have long to wait.
Finn didn’t tell him about Delaney. There was nothing his brother could do about it from across the ocean, and Fallon needed to concentrate on not killing his potential mate, not worry about big brother’s problems.
…
With darkness closing in, the familiar knot of anxiety twisting up her insides made itself a physical presence. She’d thought she’d managed to escape this feeling when she left Vermont, but who was she kidding. She should have known the fires would follow—whether they were set by her or by Graff.
After spending way longer than expected giving Aidan her info, he and Finn had taken her back to the winery. She’d walked them around, but given their stoic expressions, she’d bet they’d seen nothing to help answer any of the questions tumbling through her mind.
They’d told her to go shower and change while they did a broader pass around the vineyard. She’d been thankful for the suggestion, feeling like the stench of smoke from the fire had seeped into her pores. Besides, there was only so much she could take of the distance Finn had shoved between them.
After helping her through her confession, coaxing it from her with compassion, now he resembled a robot. Ever since she’d passed out, he’d been assessing and in charge, and nothing resembling kind. He said he believed her, but did he really?
Showered and dressed, Delaney had just finished brushing her teeth when a knock sounded at her front door. That had to be Sera, the only person in California close enough to come check on her. Even so, Delaney tensed.
What if Graff had found her?
She hadn’t changed her name or done anything to hide her tracks, figuring the distance would be enough, that he wouldn’t follow. Now here she was, back to jumping at every sound, every shadow. She hated living this way.
Living in fear wasn’t living. Surviving, yes, but not living. She was an intelligent, independent woman, dammit, and should be able to take care of herself.
Mental note to step up her Krav Maga training. She’d found a dojo down the mountain toward Sacramento in El Dorado Hills shortly after she’d moved and had been going to classes regularly. At the time she’d wondered if she needed it. Now she was glad she’d stuck with it.
With more trepidation than she cared to admit, she checked the peephole. A breath of relief whooshed from her as she found she was right. With a smile, she opened the door.
Sera gave her a wan smile in return. “Hi Delaney.”
At the sight of her friend’s pale face, Delaney shoved aside her own troubles. She stepped onto the landing and wrapped her arms around the petite blonde. “I’m sorry. So, so sorry, Sera.”
“Thanks.” Sera sighed, hugging her back. “I bumped into those firefighters outside. The guy named Finn sent me up here, but I would’ve come anyway. I wanted to check that you’re all right.” Sera stepped back, observing her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She stepped back, waving Sera inside. “I need to talk to you.”
Sera was the only person she’d shared her reasons for moving cross-country with, though only the part about Graff, not the fires. Guilt churned inside her for holding that back. She just didn’t want to see the kind acceptance in Sera’s eyes morph into suspicion. But she needed to warn her friend.
They sat down on her shabby, but totally comfy, couch. “So…” Sera grinned, suddenly more like the lighthearted woman she’d been since Delaney had started work here. “Sexy firefighter friends, huh?”
Delaney huffed a small laugh.
“That guy named Aidan…have we seen him before?” Sera asked.
Delaney tilted her head. “Before today you mean?”
“Yes. He looks…familiar. Like I’ve known him a while.” She scrunched up her nose. “Weird?”
Delaney slowly shook her head. “He’s not familiar to me, but maybe you’ve seen him around? Their headquarters isn’t far.”
“Maybe,” Sera murmured. Except Delaney got the feeling that there was something more there, but her friend seemed done with that topic.
She should bring up the fires, only Delaney found herself reluctant to get started. “Where’s Blake?”
Sera had no one to help her with the winery or her son since both her husband and her parents were gone, and she had no extended family anywhere near.
“Spending the night with his friend Ian.”
Delaney nodded. She knew Ian, since he was over often enough. The two boys were inseparable it seemed—in the same class, on the same soccer team. Getting Blake away from this, if only for a night, was a good idea.
“Any verdict on the barn?” she asked.
Coward, she castigated herself, because while she did want to know, she was also stalling.
Sera visibly brightened. “I have some good news there.”
Delaney sat up. “I could use some good news.”
“Well, the structure itself is demolished. We’ll have to rebuild, which is not in the budget at all. I’m praying insurance takes care of it. But the good news is that it looks as though much of the wine didn’t burn.”
Delaney went from heartsick to frowning her confusion in a blink. “How is that possible? I mean, I get how the tanks might not. They’re metal. But the wine barrels?”
“I know.” Sera shook her head. “Captain Dameron said that he’d never seen anything like it. His best guess was that we’d set up the racks in the center of the room, rather than against the walls where the fire was more intense. A few of the barrels are charred, and the wine may not be good, because he said the temperatures were still incredibly hot in there, and wet from the hoses, but I’m hoping…”
She trailed off and shrugged.
“At least you don’t keep all the wine in there,” Delaney said.
They used the barn more for turning the grapes to wine, but most of the finished product was stored in the side of the mountain, in natural caves they’d converted to rooms for the purpose. Nature did a better job of temperature control than they ever could in the barn. And anything already bottled was inside the back rooms attached to the tasting rooms and offices.
“We may have lost most of this year’s, though.” Sera nibbled at her lip. “I can’t check until they’ve finished their investigation.”
Delaney grabbed her friend’s hands, which were clenched in her lap and squeezed. “I’m sure they’ll try to finish quickly and get you back up and running.”
Sera took a long breath and nodded. “Some of the owners of the Apple Hill orchards and wineries have stopped by.” She gave a wilting smile. “People here are so nice. They’ve offered to set up booths selling our wines so that we don’t totally lose out on business.”
“That’s terrific!” Delaney would personally hug every one of the people who’d offered. “With the fall tourist season in full swing, we’ll be sure to keep sales up.”
“Yeah.” Sera shook her head and visibly pulled herself out of her thoughts. “What about you? I can’t believe you ran in there with a hose. I was out of my mind with worry.”
“I’m…fine.” Tell her now.
Sera tipped her head. “That doesn’t sound fine. Were you hurt or…?”
“I have to leave.” Delaney scrunched up her face as Sera jerked upright. She hadn’t meant to blurt
it out like that.
“What?” Sera squeaked. “Why?”
Delaney took a deep breath. “I told you about Graff.”
Sera stilled. “Your stalker? Did he follow you here?”
“I don’t know.”
Sera shook her head frowning. “I don’t understand then.”
“I didn’t tell you everything about what happened.”
Sera’s face drained of color while Delaney talked, filling her in on all the gory, confusing details. She also told her about Finn’s help and what they were holding back from the fire marshal.
“You didn’t set this fire,” Sera whispered through white lips. “I won’t believe that.”
“I don’t know that. But don’t you see? It doesn’t matter if it’s me or Graff doing it. I can’t risk another fire destroying everything you’ve worked for.”
Sera jumped to her feet, shaking her head. “I don’t accept your resignation.”
“But—”
“No. I need you here. You help me run this business, Delaney. Your experience with the vineyards in Vermont is invaluable. I can get other servers, but I can’t replace a co-manager that easily. There’s no way—” She choked off the words, shaking her head some more. “I can’t do this without your help. Especially now, when I have to deal with all this.” She flung her hand at the window.
“But what if I make it worse?”
Sera swallowed, then sat down on the couch, taking Delaney’s hands. “We let your firefighters investigate. And we stay extra vigilant.”
“How?”
“First of all, you shouldn’t be alone. If it’s Graff, what if he comes for you? And if it’s you, then I could put the fire out before it gets going. So, you’re moving downstairs with me. We’ll probably be working together more anyway as we deal with rebuilding and reopening.”
Delaney stared at the woman beside her. Some people you just clicked with, and Sera had been one of those for her. A fast friend. And apparently a loyal one. Overwhelmed didn’t begin to describe how she felt about that. Even so… “I could never live with myself if something happened to you or Blake.”
“It won’t.” Sera swallowed again. “Devlin’s parents are coming out. They’re going to rent a house and Blake is going to stay with them for a little bit.”
That Sera had to call on her in-laws just made Delaney feel ten times more guilty. “I can’t separate you from your son—”
Sera held up a hand. “This has nothing to do with you. I need the extra help while I deal with rebuilding. I talked to them this afternoon, they’re already on their way.”
Oh. This just got worse and worse.
“Stay and help me, Delaney. Please.”
Delaney chewed at the inside of her cheek as she took in Sera’s pleading expression. She owed this woman. “How could I say no to those puppy dog eyes?”
Sera grabbed her and hugged her tight. “We’ll figure this out together. Okay?”
Delaney hugged her back. “Thank you for not hating me.”
Sera sat back and scowled. “Don’t ever think that.”
The door creaked behind her and they both turned as Finn let himself in. Delaney would’ve made a mental note about greasing the door hinges, except she was too busy making mental notes to keep her shit together.
The strangest mental images of a kiss flashed through her mind. Finn’s lips against hers, the scruff of his beard rasping against her soft skin, the taste of him…
Dammit. What was wrong with her? How could she swing from scared, to guilty, to overwhelmed, to grateful, to turned on so fast? Especially that last one. Inappropriate didn’t begin to cover where her mind just went.
Intense blue eyes sought her, caught, and traveled down. Suddenly she was glad she’d bothered to dress in her best jeans and her favorite black V-necked sweater. The one that made her boobs look fantastic. Why she’d bothered, though, she had no idea.
Did she imagine the way his eyes darkened?
Hard to tell, because he pulled up short when he saw Sera, studying her friend’s face. “Delaney told you?”
The man was smart on top of everything else. Delaney nodded. “Yes. Sera wants me to stay with her tonight. Not be alone until we figure this out.”
Finn nodded slowly. “Good idea.”
“Did you find anything?” she asked.
“No.” That was it. Monosyllabic answers and a big wall she knew she wasn’t imagining.
“Are you leaving now?”
A single nod.
That gnarled knot of anxiety went back to writhing around in her belly at the thought of him not being close.
Needing air and more space—having Finn crowd her in the small room, the subtle smoky smell of him surrounding her, and the feelings that pulled from her body, so inappropriate under these circumstances—Delaney tugged on shoes with more haste than care.
She walked him down the stairs, careful not to trip given her wobbly legs. The entire day had left her shaken. Sera followed behind. At his truck, where Aidan already waited, Finn turned and handed her a card. “That’s my direct number. Don’t hesitate to call. Day or night. I don’t care if you think it’s silly. It’s not. Okay?”
She accepted the small card with numb fingers, staring up at Finn, not wanting him to leave. Crap. Was this situation turning her clingy?
She took a step back and tipped up her chin. “Thanks—”
“Don’t do that,” he rumbled in a low voice.
She blinked. “Do what?”
“That brave front you put on.” He took a step closer, crowding into her space. “We’re going to help you figure this out. You’re not alone anymore. Got it?”
Delaney opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She had no clue how to respond to that, too many emotions bombarding her at once—relief and gratefulness joined the fear and anxiety. And all with that edge of awareness of Finn as a man, not to mention confusion about how he jolted back and forth from comforting and protective to remote.
Emotional whiplash.
A breeze kicked up, blowing her long hair, still drying from her shower, into her face. He lifted a hand as if he was going to smooth it back for her, but dropped it before touching her, lips going flat. “You’re going to be okay, Delaney Hamilton. Do you believe me?”
Strangely enough… “I believe you.”
Chapter Seven
To say Finn had been reluctant to drive away from Delaney, leaving her alone and unguarded, was an understatement. When they reached the headquarters, Finn pulled the truck around the side and parked it in his spot, then they made their way to the house.
As they neared the garage door, still open, none of his men currently in sight, Finn slowed. Something white attached to the wood of the doorframe caught his attention.
“Boss?” Aidan asked, spying it as well.
His steps turned sluggish as dread dropped into his stomach, heavy and cold. A note kicking up in the breeze was pinned to the door by a switchblade knife. Three words were scrawled across the paper.
She is mine.
“Guess that answers that question,” Aidan muttered. “It’s not Delaney. Someone else is in play here.”
A spurt of relief barely penetrated the rage that had him crumpling the note in his fisted hand. No one claimed Delaney. He didn’t care if they were up against a human or a supernatural creature, or how wrong the thought was. Especially for him.
No. One. Claimed. Delaney.
“Boss?” Aidan prodded when Finn stood there silently trying to bring his struggle with possessiveness under control.
“Yeah,” he said. He reached for the door handle.
Levi had better fucking have something.
He barely managed to keep his anger on a tight leash as he stalked through the wide-open training room to Levi’s office.
Levi glanced up from the computer. As soon as he caught sight of Finn’s expression, which likely involved eyes consumed with blue flames, he straightened. “What’s wrong?”
/>
“This,” Finn tossed him the balled up note. “Was pinned to our open door with a knife.”
Before he even read the note, Levi was scowling. “How the fuck did he do that without any of us hearing or seeing him?”
“In daylight, too,” Aidan pointed out. Evening had only just turned the rolling mountains on the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas from gold to purple half an hour ago. “That takes balls.”
Or a death wish.
Gingerly for such a big man, Levi unfolded the paper, spreading it flat on the desk. He stared at the words without uttering a sound.
“What have you found on this Graff guy?” Finn asked.
“Not much,” came the grim reply.
Levi turned the computer monitor so Finn could see. “I’ve found the basics. Personal details all match with what Delaney provided. He works as a football coach for a high school in Vermont near where she lived. Pays his bills and taxes on time. And she does have a standing restraining order against him.”
Finn stared at the picture on the screen of a good-looking guy with black hair and dark eyes. The picture was from mid-bicep up, but he appeared to be in shape, clean cut, and washed. He appeared…normal.
“Is that it?”
“That’s it.”
A hesitation in Levi’s voice snagged his attention and he swung his gaze to his Beta, eyebrows raised.
“I mean that’s all there is. The guy isn’t on social media. Doesn’t even own a cell phone as far as I can tell. I can’t find his educational history or anything about him other than this.” He pointed at the screen.
Warning bells went off in Finn’s head. Probably the same warning bells obviously going off for Levi. “What are you thinking?” he asked his friend.
“I think something is going on here that I don’t like.” Levi leaned back, running his hands over his short dirty-blond hair. “We have a human woman, definitely not a mate, blacking out around multiple fires, most likely from memories being erased, who also has a stalker that’s a ghost on paper before three years ago. Now we have a warning on our door.”
“I don’t like it,” Finn spat.
“No shit,” Levi agreed.
