The Dragon Chronicles_City of Sin

by Melissa Stevens

  “Better you than me.” Chris met her gaze without hesitation.

  Rachel glanced away and gave a nervous laugh as she wondered why the words were so hard to say. “It means we're mates, doesn't it?” She didn't look back to him until after the words were out. She couldn't stand to see the look on his face if he rejected her.

  “I'm pretty sure it does. There's something more though, and I'm not sure what it means.” Chris frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “Last night at the party, I was drawn to you in a way I'd never experience before, it was really disconcerting. I've heard rumors but never experienced anything like it.”

  “I get that, it was the same for me.”

  “But here's the weird part,” his frown grew deeper, “you weren't the only one I was drawn to.”

  “You think you might have another mate?” Rachel frowned. A spike of jealousy shot through her. MINE, her dragon snarled. “I've never heard of someone having two mates. Is that a werewolf thing?”

  “Not that I know of. Besides, the other person I was drawn to was a man, and I don't swing that way. I don't care what anyone else does in their bedrooms but men don't do things for me.”

  “That is odd.” Rachel thought about it for several long seconds. “And you say the draw was the same?”

  “I wouldn't say it was the same, but I was drawn to you both. He doesn't haunt my thoughts the way you do, and my wolf didn't behave the same way, but I never spoke to him.” Chris ended with a shrug.

  “Tell me about him, what did he look like?”

  “Well, he was tall, muscled, I think he was younger than me, but you know how age is with the supernormal.”

  “I'm not sure who that is off hand.”

  “Oh, he was a wolf shifter.” Rachel narrowed her eyes.

  “Wait, a wolf shifter, there were only a few of those there last night. That narrows it down. Let me think about it for a while and see if we can figure it out. In the meantime,” she squeezed his hand, “I'd still like you to stay. We can talk more if you like and see where things go from there.”

  “If you're sure.” Chris slid back against the back of the couch and tugged her close.

  “I’m sure.” She took his hand and pulled him into the bedroom.

  8

  Chris was a bit off kilter. He hadn't planned to be in Rachel's bed, at least not yet, but as he lay on his back staring up at Rachel kneeling over him, he couldn't think of anywhere else he wanted to be. All thoughts of responsibility and the proper way to romance a mate vanished from his mind when her shirt slipped over her head. Every thought that wasn't about the woman above him disappeared when she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra before slipping it off her arms and tossing it aside.

  He licked his lips and pulled her closer as he rose to meet her. Chris couldn't wait to get her in his arms, to feel her against him and put his mouth on her smooth, soft skin. He swirled his tongue around her nipple before pulling it into his mouth and suckling hard.

  Rachel moaned and let her head fall back as she leaned forward and pushed one hand through his hair. Curling her fingers, she pulled him closer and arched her back, pressing her breast deeper into his mouth.

  Chris slid his hands down her torso, absorbing her heat and scent with every touch. The world seemed to disappear, nothing remaining but the two of them. When his hands hit the cloth of her pants, he kept going, moving over the material as he cupped her ass and ground his hips up against her core. His cock throbbed and swelled while his tongue swirled around the taught bud in his mouth. The urge to bite down hard, to mark her and make her his for-ever, was strong, but he held back. Do it. His wolf was all for the idea, but it was too soon. He and Rachel barely knew each other, and he knew were-wolves were hard, nearly impossible, to live with. The last thing he wanted was to trap her into some-thing that would make her miserable or worse, make her leave, making him miserable for the rest of his life.

  Rachel's fingers tugging at his hair, and her hips rocking against his, brought him back to the pre-sent. The taste of her skin was intoxicating, and he wanted more. He released one nipple only to move to the other and give it the same treatment. His hands skimmed her legs then went back to her butt, squeezing and kneading the handfuls of flesh.

  Clothing seemed to vanish in their passion and the next thing Chris knew they were skin to skin. They came together in a whirlwind of heavy breathing and slick sweat. It was a battle but Chris managed to keep his wolf from marking her as his own, at least not yet, not without her permission.

  As Chris lay, still breathing hard, with Rachel in his arms, he knew this was where he wanted to be for the rest of his life. The trick would be getting her to agree.

  9

  Rachel woke confused, unable to remember where she was, nor who the body next to her was. She was lying in her own bed, and there was some-one there with her. An arm wrapped around her waist like a steel band, and a leg thrown over her own kept her where she was. Her heart raced and blood thundered in her ears as she tried to push the panic back and think.

  Slowly, the night before came back to her. Rachel didn’t know if it was because of the lack of sleep or that her sleep had been so deeply sound, but she couldn’t remember having dreamt the night before either.

  “Are you all right?” Chris's low, husky voice asked from behind her. A shiver passed through her body as flashes of the things they'd done together appeared in her mind. Her heart slowed, and the panic faded as soon as she remembered asking Chris to stay.

  “I am now.” Rachel wiggled away from him. “I'll be right back.” She slipped out of bed and went into the attached bathroom without turning on a light. Once the door closed, she flipped on the light and used the restroom before going back to the bed-room. There, she found Chris sitting on the far edge of the bed. Without hesitation, she climbed up on the bed, crawled across it, and wrapped her arms around his torso as she set her chin on his shoulder. “What's up?”

  Chris turned and kissed her cheek. “Not much, I just thought we might get started.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “We came up with a few new things to check last night, and I thought I'd help you check Ricky's rooms this morning while we have time.”

  “You don't have to do that.”

  “I know, but it's going to be difficult, and I want to be there for you... Besides, two pair of eyes might find something that one may miss.”

  “All right, I'll let you help.” Rachel sighed. “I guess this means we should get dressed?”

  “It's probably for the best. As much as I like you like this, I don't want anyone else to have the pleasure.” Chris reached back and pulled her around be-side him before kissing her square on the mouth. Moving over her, he ran his hands along her body and deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Hot, passionate kisses quickly enflamed both their senses, and Rachel was more than ready when Chris pushed his hard length deep inside her. She cried out with pleasure at the phenomenal sensation of completion as they came together and shared their passion. Chris seemed to know exactly where, and how, to touch her to make every moment better than the last. Rachel’s body tightened with orgasm time and again until Rachel was certain she could take no more.

  “Please, I can’t-” she didn’t get any more out be-fore Chris drove deep one last time, sending her body clenching and shuddering once more. He shouted out his own release then collapsed, careful not to put all his weight on her as he tried to catch his breath. It was several minutes before either could move enough to get dressed.

  TOGETHER, RACHEL AND Chris went to the main floor and ate breakfast. Once they finished, they went back to the elevator so they could search Ricky's room. Rachel hit the call button on autopilot, thinking about Ricky and about what she hoped to find. The elevator dinged as the car arrived, and the door slid open. Her eyes were on Chris as she thought about what he'd said about two pairs of eyes being better than one as she stepped inside and stopped cold when she wa
lked into someone.

  “I'm so sorry.” The words were out her mouth before she could turn to see who she'd run into. Strong arms caught her as she stumbled, trying to scramble back.

  “It's all right.” Neo's soft laugh as he set her back on her feet calmed her some. How had she been so stupid as to not check the elevator before trying to step inside? “You're up early if you're already headed back down. Did you eat already?”

  “I did, thanks.” Rachel stared up at him for a moment, flustered and unable to think of anything but Chris having witnessed her stupid blunder. With a sigh, she closed her eyes for a few seconds then started again. “Thank you for not letting me fall on my ass after I nearly bowled you over,” she said to Neo then turned to Chris, “I guess today is just one of those days. I don't know.” The elevator door started to close, but Neo reached out and stopped it with one arm.

  “Are you sure you're all right?” Neo's brow fur-rowed as he stared down at her, trying to see what was wrong.

  “I'm fine.” Rachel sighed. “The only thing hurt is my pride.” That was no understatement. She couldn't believe she'd just run into him like that. “Thank you though.” Turning back to Chris, she said, “No point in putting it off any longer, you ready?”

  Chris glanced between her and Neo a moment. “Whenever you are.”

  Rachel stepped onto the elevator, and Chris followed her, she looked out the door where Neo watched her with a concerned look as the elevator doors slid shut. After putting her code into the security panel, she hit the button for the living quarters’ floor where Ricky lived, and the elevator started moving. Chris stayed silent as the elevator made the short trip.

  At Ricky's door, Rachel pressed her hand against the access panel next to the door and waited. After a moment, the light flashed green. She pushed the door open and went inside. Nothing had changed since she'd last been here, a week and a half before, except the layer of dust that had settled on every-thing. Rachel had forgotten that this floor didn't come with the free maid service hers did. Residents on this floor could get it, but there was a monthly charge to have people come in and clean.

  “Where do you want to start?” Chris came in behind her and glanced around the main living space. The apartment wasn't dirty, but it was a little messy. Ricky had never been particularly neat, but he had improved some over the years.

  “I'm not really sure.” She scanned the room. “I don't even really know what we're looking for.” She spotted a desk to one side of the room and headed in that direction. If she were going to write down passwords, that's where she would put them. A mess of paper covered the surface. There were a few opened bills, several unopened ones, a couple blank notebook pages, and a closed laptop on one corner. Rachel pulled out the chair tucked beneath the desk and sat, paging through the bills quickly and noticing that everything was dated for before his disappearance. “Where is the new mail?”

  “What?” Chris's voice came from across the room where he was looking at something; she wasn't paying attention to what.

  “The mail here is all dated before he disappeared. Nothing since.”

  “Well, do they deliver it to each room, or do you have to go pick it up somewhere?”

  “Housekeeping brings mine to me, but from the looks of things, he doesn't pay for housekeeping, so I bet it's being collected for him at the front desk.”

  “There you have it, just go pick it up. There might be something in it we can use.”

  “I'll do that, but later.” Now, she picked up the computer and opened it, hitting the power button out of habit. While she waited for the computer to boot, she opened the top drawer and found a leather-bound notebook about half the size of a sheet of paper. It looked like a diary, but she'd never known her brother to keep one. Her hand hovered over it for a moment as she hesitated, just in case it was a diary, but she was desperate and willing to do almost anything, even read his diary if he kept one, to find him. With a sigh, she picked up the book, slipped the elastic band off, and opened it.

  “Jackpot.” She flipped through the pages. “I think.”

  “What?” Chris came up behind her and looked over her shoulder at the little book.

  “It looks like he kept a book with all his usernames and passwords, all sorted by site. Now we can log into his accounts and see if they help us find him.”

  “This is good, really good.” Chris moved to stand behind her. “Um, do you know the password to get onto his computer?”

  “I have a couple ideas, but let's see if it's in here first.” She flipped through the notebook until she came to the last page. It had Computer scrawled across the top in Ricky's handwriting and several letter/word combinations crossed out. But the one at the bottom wasn't crossed out. “Let's try this one.” She entered the password, careful to get the non-sensical combination right, and hit enter. The computer started loading, so she must not have messed it up.

  “This is a good sign.” Chris sat on his heels beside her chair, putting them eye to eye.

  “Where should we look first? Phone company or bank?” Rachel turned to him for an answer. She assumed he had more experience at all of this than she did. He'd been looking for Emily longer than she'd been searching for Ricky.

  “Bank.” Chris sounded certain. “Someone could have taken his phone and could be using it. While the same is true with his bank card, it will give us a better idea of a location to look, and if the pin has been used, even better. That's more likely to be him.”

  “All right.” She pulled up the bank's website from his bookmarks and put in the password. Tapping impatiently on the desk, she waited while it processed that and loaded the account information. After scanning the page, she pointed to the screen. “Look.”

  “I see it.” Several withdrawals at ATMs scattered all over town. She didn't see any pattern.

  “So, good news and bad news.” Chris propped his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward.

  “Tell me what you're thinking, because I'm not sure we're on the same wavelength.”

  “Well, good news is it's being used with a pin, so the chances it's him are good. Bad news is he's all over town, literally, so it doesn't give us any better idea where to look.”

  “Have you been able to get into Emily's banking or anything else?”

  “Not yet. I sent a message to the tech guy I use, but,” he glanced at his watch, “it's still early, I don't expect him to call for a couple hours at least.”

  “All right.” Rachel's fingers moved with practiced ease over the keyboard, and she pulled up the web-site for his cell phone and logged in. “Just a second...” She let her words trail off as she scanned the site for the link she was looking for. It took her a couple minutes but before long, she had Ricky's call log on the screen. No calls since his last bill, two weeks earlier. “Hmm...” with a few more clicks, she found the record of his text messages. “Oh, this is odd.” She leaned closer to the screen as she inspected the list.

  “What do you see?”

  “Look here,” she pointed to the screen. “Incoming messages have no real pattern, but outgoing... that's different. Think about it, you get a message, you respond, you get another, but that's not what's happening. See?”

  “He'll go two or three days with no sent messages, then send four or five in a ten-minute space, then nothing again for a couple days.” Chris turned and looked at her. “That's really odd.”

  “I can think of a couple reasons... either he's turning his phone off, possibly to save battery, and only turning it on every few days, responding when he does, or he could be somewhere without signal.” She was quiet a moment, staring sightlessly at the screen. “That could be why I never get an answer when I call, and he never calls back, which isn't like him. If his phone is off, or somewhere without signal, it's not telling him he's missed calls.”

  “Have you tried texting him?”

  “No, it didn't occur to me. He and I don't text, we talk.” She pointed to the top of the list of texts. “He just
sent this batch last night, so it may be a couple days, but I'll text him right now.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and sent her brother a message.

  Call or message me now. I've been searching for you. Very worried.

  “There, it's sent.”

  “Are you going to stop looking and wait for him to call now?”

  “No. I can't rely on it being him with the phone. For all I know, someone else has it and will never respond.” Rachel shook her head. “I can't just give up and wait. I have to keep looking.” With a sigh, she stared at the computer for a moment. “Is there any-thing else to do on this thing right now?”

  “Not that I can think of, but you might want to take it with you so you can use it later.”

  “I planned to.” Rachel closed the laptop, put the notebook full of account information on top, and reached for the power cord. “All of this too. What else should we look for while we're here?”

  “What did you look for last time?”

  “I didn't look for anything in particular, just for him. I came in and looked around. He wasn't here, and there was nothing out of place that I could tell.” Rachel held both hands out, palms up.

  Chris glanced around the room as if trying to spot something. “He's not the housekeeper you are, I see.” Chris pushed himself to his feet and circled the room, looking more closely.

  “He never has been, but my apartment comes with maid service, these don't. If I had been gone, things would be neat and dusted. Obviously, he doesn't pay the extra for it.” She stood and went to the kitchen counter, once there, she leafed through the stack of papers. It was a couple old bills, notes, a newspaper, and a couple of receipts, nothing remarkable. Next, she wandered into Ricky's bed-room.

  The bed was unmade and there were clothes piled in one corner, but the mess in the room looked like a normal Ricky mess, not as if someone had come in and torn the place up searching for some-thing. Without making a bigger mess, Rachel went through the drawers in the dresser. She was surprised to find two of the five drawers were filled with women's clothing. Still frowning, she went to the closet and opened the doors. Nearly half the rack in there was women's clothes as well.