The Matchmaker's Mark

by Black, Regan

  Some men really need warning signs. Do take care to look for them, dear.

  Love always,

  Aunt Camille

  Amy heard Dare slip out of the house just as Guinness curiously considered the same sounds. The elf was up to something, she just didn't know what and at the moment she didn't care. Still, she waited, in case he was just on the porch, ready to pounce on her with another lecture about safety.

  When she was sure he was gone, she returned to the front room and the sketch. Dare was too relieved by the image. His reasons were less of her concern than her own. The final sketch she'd shared had not been the face she'd seen when she'd touched Grant Barclay, the angry, panicked man Dare claimed was a werewolf.

  No. The face she'd seen was Maeve's. She'd simply adjusted the sketch so Dare didn't recognize her.

  Maybe it was simply that Maeve had been nearby and acting so strangely that day. Or maybe she did need to get to the book as soon as possible.

  She absolutely refused to be part of matching her best friend with a handsome stranger who was a werewolf under the surface.

  Rumors of great sex not withstanding.

  ~*~

  From a professional standpoint, Dare knew better than to leave the Matchmaker alone, but his heart, currently disguised as his conscience, had him sprinting toward Lily's shop. The pull toward her was inexplicable and impossible to deny. No one would ever get him to confess he was operating off a vivid memory of his favorite dream.

  From one pointless venture to the next, scolded a little voice inside his head. He ignored it, like he'd ignored most everything that resembled logic in recent days. He was sure he'd never gone on a more foolish errand.

  What would he say to her? What did he expect her to say to him?

  He detoured through the Unitarian churchyard for the energy boost, grateful none of the ghosts felt like chatting with him. His thoughts were muddled enough already.

  Reaching her block, he paused across the street. The shop was already dark, the closed sign out and the doors and display window protected by her human security measures. He let his senses play out carefully, only enough to know she was not inside the showroom. Studying the upper floors of the building and the light glowing from windows where he hoped she was safe. Alone.

  The sparse foot traffic on King Street didn't give him much cover, but it meant there were fewer witnesses to any magic he might need to employ. He walked up a block and over another, finally crossing the street again to come up via the alley that ran behind her storefront.

  He used his magic to blend with the surroundings, making him virtually invisible, but the only sign of life was a large orange tomcat eying him from the fire escape. The cat tracked his every move, making Dare wonder if his magic was failing again, or if the cat was merely picking up on other cues.

  Neither option mattered. He was determined to get inside and see that Lily was safe.

  He stepped from one shadow, aiming for the next, when a fist landed square on his chest like an anvil. Dare was on his back, staring at the small patch of sky over the alley, his chest burning from the punch.

  "Darian Knoll? Shit." He was hauled up to his feet. "Is it really you?"

  He recognized the insignia on the hand of the elf holding him steady. Working to regain his breath, he simply dropped the glamour to confirm his identity. He felt marginally better knowing he'd been downed by one of the elite guard rather than a human mugger – or worse – one of the werewolf's pack.

  "I thought you were on permanent special assignment," the guard asked.

  "Finished that," Dare ground out. He looked at his assailant but the elf was applying a glamour to blur Dare's view. Whatever the spell, it was effective. "Who are you?"

  The image shimmered like moonlight on water and suddenly Dare recognized one of his oldest friends. Amy's quip about the mythical creatures climbing out of the proverbial woodwork came to mind. "Cade! What the hell are you doing here?" His gut clenched as he worried that Lily was tangled up in something more serious than he'd imagined. What had he done, letting that damned werewolf slide in and out of human custody? Well, he was here, ready to rectify yet another mistake.

  "Got a message from my sister. I was just making a plan, wishing for some help when you arrived. Interested in a little trouble?"

  Cade had a sister? He pulled his head around to the more important issue. "Yeah. Always." He deliberately looked anywhere but the building he wanted to enter. "What's the story?"

  "Some guy's been giving her grief. Moved himself in and refuses to leave. I'm going in but he might be kinda tough."

  Dare's instincts were pricking, the odds of such a coincidence were astronomical, but he kept it to himself. "Sure. Whatever. I've got your back."

  "Great. I'm gonna go in through the window." Cade jerked his head toward the fire escape guarded by the cat. "Can you get in through that door? It's locked a couple different ways."

  It was the very same door he'd planned on using. An icy knot twisted in his gut. "Sure." He was itching for a fight to burn off the building uncertainty. Maybe Cade's sister was Lily's roommate. Maybe he should think like the warrior he was rather than the hormonal kid he'd been.

  Considering the woman he was fixated on would probably kick him out the moment she realized he was looking to confirm or deny an old fantasy, he put on his warrior face.

  Cade faded into the shadows near the window as Dare crossed the alley to the door. Reaching for the handle, he jerked his hand back, swearing silently at his negligence. If he'd been alone, he would've looked for wards first, and avoided the nasty burn on his palm.

  He reached out again, this time with magic leading, and was surprised the wards were not the familiar elvish wards he'd expect. Cautiously, he prodded at the ward once more, unraveling it. Hearing Cade sliding open the window above, he looked for a spare key. Pedestrian, but efficient. He found it easily, in the saucer of a planter, and put it to good use.

  Pocketing the key, he entered the shop on silent feet and found himself alone in the dark backroom. He waited, expecting sounds of violence from the second floor, but everything remained eerily quiet. His instincts pricked as the silence droned on without an all-clear signal.

  Cade was more than capable of taking out half an army on his own, if the tales of his battle skills held even a single grain of truth. Dare knew firsthand how necessary moments of ingenuity became stories that grew into impossible legends.

  Still, trusting Cade to get the job done, Dare put his back to the wall between stairs and door and waited. All his senses on alert, his body braced for the fight, his mind's eye wandered over memories of Lily's eyes.

  How had he not recognized her that first moment in the shop or later over the sunflowers? He hadn't even realized he'd been charmed beyond the human definition of the word. He yanked himself away from that forbidden territory. If he didn't focus, he'd put Lily in further jeopardy.

  He wondered if his house elders would be as aloof about her parentage as Lily implied her own house had been. Except he knew the answer. His own parents were as elitist as the elves of old and when news of his failure with Camille reached them, he might as well embrace life among the humans too.

  Maybe that had been his role all along and Lily was Fate's balm. Not likely, he thought with a mental snort. The Fates had never been known for compassion.

  Voices in the alley put an end to his gloomy philosophizing just as Cade came silently down the stairs. Together they watched as the lock tumbled and the door swung open.

  ~*~

  Lily felt the prickle of unfamiliar magic around the door and stifled a groan. No one had breached the werewolf's wards. Which meant Cade would not be inside waiting to rescue her.

  Well, fine. No tuna treats for Henry tonight. Of all the times for him to be a typical, temperamental cat. In an effort to strengthen her self-esteem, she refused to automatically assume the blame as she'd habitually done in years past.

  Reaching for the light, she fl
inched away from the werewolf's hand covering the switch. He wanted the dark. Arrogant nocturnal hunter. She twisted her hand under his and managed to flip the switch anyway. She was rewarded with a bright, empty back room and a growling werewolf.

  She ignored him. "Forgive me if I'd rather not do a face plant over a bucket."

  "You've never left a bucket out of place," he grumbled, eyes scanning the room.

  She yelped when he grabbed her, holding her firmly in front of him.

  "Show yourselves!"

  Now she was worried. He'd lost his mind. No one was here, or she'd have sensed it on the door.

  "I can smell you."

  Him and his overactive nose. He kicked the door closed with his foot and repeated the order. He pinched her, making her gasp.

  Lily saw her brother step out from between her storage shelves and an explosion of reactions shot through her. Relief that he was alive gave way to irritation that he'd disappeared on the one night she needed him. As his presence sunk in, she fought the sudden urge to whoop with happiness for using the right spell. Henry had come through. Cade's eyes, lit for battle, were an absolute comfort this time around and she wanted to cheer as his mouth tilted in a predatory half-grin.

  Lily smiled brightly, a signal that the werewolf hadn't hurt her. She wanted the grumpy beast gone and her shop and privacy back, but she wasn't keen on mopping up a bloody mess.

  "Let her go," Cade said in a resonant voice of command she'd never heard before.

  At her back, she felt the werewolf's immediate denial. "We're fine here, tree-hugger. This isn't your business."

  "You've got fur for brains if you think I'm leaving you here with her. We discussed this. Clearly you didn't heed the warning."

  Discussed? They'd only talked that night he'd sent her running? But while the scratches and bruises were healed in the morning, the werewolf had clearly been in a fight when he'd invaded her home.

  "Enough posturing," Lily said, trying to dial them down. Using a soothing thought, she moved away the instant the werewolf relaxed. She put herself between her brother and the were, having learned that much when her mother broke up her brothers' many scrabbles. "Why don't the two of you take this 'discussion' outside so I can have my shop back."

  Like men, they ignored her.

  "This isn't going to help your cause," Cade said to the werewolf.

  "She bears the mark that will bring the Matchmaker. I'll not miss the opportunity."

  "She cannot be your mate."

  "For which I've thanked the gods repeatedly."

  This was too much. She would not be a trivial element in the independent oasis she'd painstakingly created. She took a breath and started issuing orders the way her mother used to do. "Cade get him out of here. I won't be a pawn in anyone's plans."

  "But he's right about your mark, you're at risk. I should take you home."

  "This is my home! And I'm done hosting invaders. Post a guard, cast a ward, but I'm not leaving my life just because my mark got an attitude."

  "I need to see the Matchmaker." The werewolf pleaded. "She's my best chance."

  "You'll have to find another way," Cade insisted. "She's off limits."

  "She is right here!"

  But she wasn't. When Lily stomped her foot in frustration, it came down on soft ground rather than the cement of her shop floor and her declaration was fading into the quiet, cool air.

  It was near dark, cold…and familiar. The Unitarian churchyard. But how? "Cade! You sorry–"

  "It wasn't Cade."

  As if the evening hadn't been weird enough, Dare, of all creatures, emerged from the shadows. "Where did you come from?" And could she get the drop on him to wring his neck for interfering?

  "What is he to you?"

  Dare's intensity startled her. "Cade? He – "

  "No. The other one."

  Lily gulped. His voice was sharper than her stem cutter. He'd added a layer of power that made her want to answer, to give up any information. She fought it, fought to maintain her own sense of self. It took a long moment to remember her own intentions with his magic hammering at her.

  "Stop being rude. Give me a chance to answer." The need to tell him left her so suddenly, she wobbled on her feet. She glared at him. "Why am I here?"

  He shrugged. "You were in danger."

  Lily used her own magic to prod at him. She could only determine that he truly believed he was helping. "But Cade wouldn't hurt me."

  "The other one was a threat to you."

  She muttered an oath and a tulip bloomed – out of season and out of time in the evening. She shifted, blocking Dare's view of the flower. The elders of her house always scolded her when the little magic she had went awry and she was in no mood for lectures from ageless guards just now. "They were both using me. I was putting an end to it when you dumped me here."

  "They can't use you now."

  True. "Why do you care? Did Cade just zap us both?" It would be just like her brother.

  Dare shook his head.

  He looked so damn calm, so normal in jeans and a flannel shirt, like he'd been out for a walk on a winter evening. Her frustration mounted. What was going on? She stepped closer to him. "Did Henry find you?"

  "Henry?"

  "The cat. I sent him for help. Did he…" she wasn't sure what she was asking.

  "No cat. I, ah. Well. I came by the shop earlier to check on you."

  "When? Why?" She watched his every move, noticed the tic in his jaw, saw him swallow. What was going on that this elf couldn't maintain his famously stoic composure? "Wait. How did you know to meet me now?"

  His shy smile had her stomach flipping. "At the shop – "

  "No. Here."

  "Same thing. You brought us here." He swallowed again. "Well, I followed you."

  "Not Cade?" It was impossible. She'd never managed to transfer even a flower across a field before.

  He swallowed again, then sidestepped to lean on a tree. She wasn't fooled by the casual pose, he was bolstering his strength. For what? He couldn't possibly feel threatened by her.

  "But I didn't want to leave." No, she'd wanted them to leave. She sighed, the rush of success turning to defeat as, once again, her magic did its own thing. "I wanted them to leave," she repeated aloud. "Did Amy send you?"

  "No. I was around town today and remembered your words from last night."

  She did a mental replay, but couldn't recall saying anything about the shop. Didn't mean he hadn't picked up on something she'd left unsaid. Some elves could do that, but most didn't out of courtesy to one another. But having a human mother, she wasn't exactly one of his kind.

  "So you're admitting I was right about the lovesick werewolf thing."

  "I came to check on you," he agreed. "You were with the wolf and things looked…heated. I left, but later I decided to come back. To be sure this beast was someone you wanted."

  She snorted. "I do not need another big brother." He frowned, thoroughly confused, so she made it clear as crystal. "Cade is my brother. The other man is not 'wanted', as you put it. He was hoping to trap the Matchmaker by staying close to me. Stupid really, since it's not like anyone has her on speed dial. Except maybe you."

  "You contacted Cade to help you kick out the other man. The werewolf."

  "Yes." For a legendary guard, Dare was pretty dense about this. "What does it matter to you?"

  The one question Dare couldn't answer. What did it matter to him? As Cade's sister she was now more unattainable than she'd been an hour ago. Cade would kill him for his interest, dreams be damned. In the Guards a sister was always off limits.

  In the deepening shadows Dare's glimmer of hope fizzled. He was as lost about his options as ever. Clearing his throat, he hung on to the pragmatism that had served him well. "Cade's probably cleared out the infestation by now," he said. "I'll walk you back."

  "Are you sure I was the one who brought us here?"

  Her familiar eyes were wide, shining with wonder and a hope that
could turn to pride with the smallest encouragement. She didn't seem to know the power she'd wielded. How could she be blind to it? "I'm sure. Can you get us back?"

  Her chin came up, she closed her eyes, fisted her hands, but they didn't move. She even stomped her foot, but the churchyard didn't so much as ripple.

  Her courage deflated in a rush, her shoulders slumped and her gaze dropped to the cobbled path. Damn. He'd meant to challenge her in a 'good job, now do it again' way. He reached out, intending only to comfort and encourage. But the jolt of the initial contact gave way to a pleasant hum deep in his blood.

  Touching her shoulder, he followed the line of her arm until he held her hand, uncurling her fist. Smaller than his, her hand was narrow with long, elegant fingers, but the calluses told the real story. He studied the lines on her palm, and skimmed each of her fingers in turn.

  Slowly, he raised her palm to his lips, pressed a kiss there, wishing he had the right to kiss her everywhere. The scent of her work, the flowers and greenery, filled him. Tempted him. If only this was a beginning, he would lay her down in a meadow at dusk and reveal every inch of her creamy skin to the rising moon and stars. She swayed closer, her body brushing his, igniting his fantasies.

  He fought the urge to caress her hip, to pull her close enough to comprehend her effect on him.

  Eyes locked on hers, he nipped her fingertip, soothed it with his tongue, and released her.

  "We should go back."

  She nodded and turned toward the gate.

  "The way we came."

  "Oh." She ran a hand over her hair. "Right."

  "Just think about the shop and why it's where you need to be."

  She winked out immediately.

  He braced to follow, as he'd done to get here, but she'd altered her spell, blocking him from piggybacking her magic. Smart girl. He decided walking gave him more time to cool off before he had to look her brother in the eye.

  But suddenly the path was blocked by a beaming Lily. Gods, she was radiant as sunlight. The ghosts would think they'd been cheated a night of tourists.