by Tamsin Baker
Rogan walked beside me. His salty, male, wolfiness scent tickled my nose, but I wasn’t about to complain, even though it did make my thoughts wander.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll drop you at the workshop, then head home to change,” he said. I tried not to giggle as I looked up at him. “Yeah, of course. But why?”
His gaze narrowed, then he lifted his arm up to sniff himself. He grimaced and put his arm down again. “I stink. Can’t you smell me?”
I didn’t reply.
He frowned as though he was confused. “You are part wolf shifter, right?”
“Yeah, a small part,” I said slowly. “And yes, I can smell you. But it doesn’t bother me.”
We kept walking and after another block, he asked, “What do you mean it doesn’t bother you? Because you’ve got a low sense of smell, or because...”
We’d almost reached my dad’s workshop, so I stopped on the street and turned to him.
May as well know if this one is a coward too.
“No. Because you smell good to me.”
I met his gaze, putting both hands on my hips and staring up at him. He had a good four or five inches of height on me, but he wasn’t as huge as Fridge, and I didn’t feel the least bit intimidated.
“Oh... well, you smell good to me too,” he managed, though he didn’t smile.
I waited, but he didn’t continue. So I flicked my hair back over my shoulder.
“You know what that means, I assume?” I asked, pressing the issue. “You grew up with wolf shifter parents?”
He nodded. “Both my parents are half wolf shifter.”
“So that means you know what I’m saying.”
I wanted him to say it, to acknowledge the link. I still couldn’t believe my bad luck in finally finding my fated mate... no mates... and they were both scared of the sacred bond.
Or that’s how it looked at the moment.
“Sadie... I don’t think...”
I threw my hands up in the air, my voice exploding from me. “Oh, my god. Not you too!”
I twisted around to march off, but he grabbed me and pulled me back.
Damn his hands were strong.
I didn’t try to remove them, hoping a similar affect would happen to Rogan, my wolf shifter while he touched me as it had to Fridge, my dragon.
He pulled me in close and stared down on me.
His blue eyes shifted to the wolf, silver irises around a large pupil. And when he spoke, his voice was dark and gravelly. “I know you’re my mate, Sadie, I won’t deny that. But we have a murder to solve, a life to build, and a stupid fucking dragon to deal with.”
He moved his hands around my body so that he could cup my ass, drawing me into the cradle of his hips.
I gasped when the hard ridge of his cock pressed into my softness. I grabbed for his strong arms to stabilize myself.
He dropped his head and pressed his lips to my ear.
My eyes closed as he whispered. “I won’t kiss you here, not with so many people around. I want our first time to be long, and thorough and perfect. Not here. Not now.”
I inhaled sharply, my belly tightening with need and.
“I can’t give you the commitment you need right now, Sadie. But I will promise not to leave your side, until this is all said and done, and then you can choose me. Not because your instincts are telling you that you have no choice, but because you want me as your mate. As the father of your pups.”
His tongue extended and licked the sensitive whorl of my inner ear and I shuddered, as close to climax without going over, as I’d ever been.
I gasped and squeezed my legs together, needing him to touch me more than I wanted to breathe.
“Now, I’m going to pull back,” he said, “not because I want to.... Because God knows I want to bend you over and sink my hard cock into your wetness right now... Damn... I can smell how hot you are for me...”
I bit my lip, stifling the squeal that rose in my throat. If he’d just press a little harder, slide his fingers down...
“Hold on, girl, we haven’t even started yet.”
He stepped back and away from me, holding onto my arms to stop me from falling over, which I definitely would have if he hadn’t kept a hand on me.
I felt drugged, drunk. Like there was more alcohol in my veins than oxygen. I could barely open my eyes and my knees were as strong as jelly.
Then a loud, booming voice came barreling down the road at me. “What’s happened to her?”
It was Fridge, and before I could stop him, he was grabbing my arm too.
Oh, no...
Oh, yes...
The combined touch of both my mates pushed me over the edge.
I began to orgasm, my pussy pulsating inside my belly as liquid fire moved down my legs. I cried out and almost collapsed where I stood.
Only the hands of my mates kept me standing, and as Fridge pulled me closer to give me a firmer body to hold onto, I heard the distinctive growl of his dragon deep in his chest.
“Let her go.” Fridge said, his voice booming over us.
Rogan’s hands disappeared and I fell onto Fridge’s chest, where the waves of ecstasy continued to lap at the shores of my long-starved sexuality.
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feelings, because if Rogan was right, we had a long way to go before we could be together. And that was if we could convince the dragon to be a part of this ménage e trios.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Fridge asked urgently.
I managed to open my eyes and look up and his nostrils flared.
That was when his self-preserving instincts kicked in and he stepped back, holding me at arm’s length.
“You...” He swallowed hard.
I could see the battle with his shifter. The green eyes that flashed to diamond.
The skin on his neck crawled with the change.
He was a purebred dragon. What was he doing in the middle of a city, unable to shift and fly whenever he needed to?
Rogan stepped up and put a hand around my waist. “Sadie needs to get inside, meet the guys, and do some research. Are you up for that, or you gonna run away again like this morning?”
I glanced over to see Rogan glaring at Fridge.
Hmm... interesting dynamic there.
“I...” Fridge lifted his chin. “Where are you going?”
“I need a shower and a change of clothes. I’ll be back in an hour. If I can trust her with you.”
“Of course, you can trust her with me.” Fridge snorted, all indignation and fire. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”
The question must have been rhetorical because Rogan didn’t answer. He simply growled, low in his throat like a wolf, and stalked away.
My head was clearing and my legs were getting stronger.
I stepped away from Fridge’s touch and tried not to be embarrassed by what had just happened.
Completely normal. Right?
I cleared my throat. “Would you mind introducing me to the men inside?”
I went to walk past him, but he grabbed my arms, stopping me from moving an inch further. I shivered, fissions of pleasure skating over my already sensitized nervous system.
“What wass... that, Sadie?” he asked, his tone deep and slightly snake like.
I flicked my eyes up so that I was looking right at him when I said, “Proof that we’re fated mates.”
I waited a heartbeat for those words to sink in, watching the ripple of unease move over his face.
Then I said, “You ready to go?”
I tugged my arm out of his grip and walked the last few steps to my father’s business.
Hunters. Otherwise known as, the workshop.
I placed both palms on the glass door and pushed hard.
A cacophony of sound hit me all at once. Men. Everywhere. Talking, training. Moving about.
Fridge was on my tail.
I turned to him, surprised by the amount of activity. There were guys shifting furniture ab
out and I was sure that wasn’t normal. “What’s going on?”
He inhaled sharply, puffing out his already large chest. “Mostly clean up and checking the infrastructure. I held a meeting this morning, caught everyone up on what happened last night, and said we couldn’t let this happen again. To anyone. The guys are checking the place for bugs, moving things around, and adding more security measures to every door and window in the place.”
I turned to him, surprised by how organized they already were. “Did you tell them about me?”
He nodded stiffly. “I told them you’d be coming in to speak to them, but that I didn’t know what the plans were for the business.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. I didn’t know enough about the way my dad ran things to guarantee jobs or terms.
I glanced around. “Can we go somewhere to chat for a minute?”
He nodded, still tense. “Of course. Your dad’s office, maybe?”
“As good a place as any.”
People were beginning to stop work to stare at me, so I lifted my chin and marched up the stairs, making a beeline for my father’s office while my skin itched with uncomfortable fire.
I wasn’t used to such a testosterone driven workplace.
My corporate office was at least fifty per cent male, but they were lawyers. Nerds in suits.
Not two-hundred-pound fighting machines, which my dad had clearly trained these guys to be. It was un-nerving.
I made my way into my dad’s office, waited for Fridge to enter, then shut the door behind him. I didn’t want anyone listening.
“Take a seat,” I said.
Fridge dropped into the chair nearest the door, but then I didn’t know where to sit. My dad’s chair seemed... wrong at the moment, somehow, so I just sat in the second client chair, opposite the desk.
I turned to address him. I needed someone’s help, and he was the logical place to start. “Okay, how much do you know about how the business side of things runs?”
He cocked his head. “You mean the contracts? The pays? What part do you want to know about?”
I sighed and tugged my hair out of its too low ponytail, then rearranged it again, higher.
Fridge watched me the whole time. He licked his lips as though hungry.
I didn’t ask him if he was okay; I knew he wasn’t. He was struggling with my proximity, while I was more comfortable than I had been in days. Relaxed... even.
“I mean... everything,” I said. “Shit, maybe I should talk to the book-keeper.”
Fridge sat up in his chair. “I can get you their number, but I suppose what all the guys want to know is, do they still have a job?”
I don’t know. “That depends on so many factors. How is everyone paid? A daily fee? Only when they catch a bounty? How does it all work?”
Fridge ran his hand along the arm of the chair. “Most of the guys work as contractors. So, they only get paid when they have a contract and they fulfil it. But there’s a few of us, Rogan and I included, who work here full time. We help train the new guys, keep order, help out with whatever Jimmy wanted.”
“Okay.” It definitely sounded like I needed to speak to the book-keeper, or accountant, or whoever Dad had used.
I needed to know how the business was going, and if, without my dad, we could find a way to keep the doors open and people in work.
“Well, I think we should keep everything going exactly as it always has been, at least until the end of the month. That’ll give me time to get through the financials and Dad’s funeral and everything.”
I had to stop and swallow the bile rising in my throat.
Dad’s funeral... fuck me. I never thought I’d have to deal with that. Part of me had believed he’d live forever.
The stupidly naïve part.
“Well, I’m pretty sure his will would be stored with his solicitor, but he told me once that there’s a vault in the room, stored with his personal effects,” Fridge said, standing up. He took a painting of a night’s sky and full moon, down from one of the walls and revealed a small vault.
I huffed out a laugh at the small silver door. “Just like in the movies.”
He nodded. “I don’t know the combination. He never told anyone. But I have the clue, though I have no idea why he gave it to me.”
I wondered too, though it was becoming very apparent that my father trusted Fridge. A lot. Which said a hell of a lot about his character.
“What’s the clue?” I asked, standing up and walking over to examine the lock.
Had my father thought something like this might happen? Was that why he made sure Fridge knew where his will was?
“He said it’s the date of the best and worst day of his life.”
My chest constricted and I caught my breath in my throat. I’d heard that expression once a year, for most of my life.
So, the clue was for me. Somehow Dad knew that Fridge would tell me.
I set my trembling fingers to the dial, thinking about the first number to put in. I was tempted to try my mother’s death date, their wedding day, or other dates that I knew were important to him.
But I knew the answer to the riddle.
I moved the numbers around and around until I finished the year, then there was a loud click as the safe cracked open.
“What was it?” Fridge asked, and without even thinking, I told him the answer.
“My birthday.”
Chapter 7.
Fridge stared at me, and didn’t ask the obvious question, though I could tell by the way his lips twitched that he wanted to know.
I pushed open the door and found a pile of cash, three leather bound thick books, and a small black jewelry box.
I ignored the cash and grabbed the books. On second thought, I took the jewelry box out as well. The velvet slid against my hand, and I shivered. Fridge pushed the safe door shut and spun the dial to close it. I walked back to the desk with my treasure.
This time I sat in my dad’s chair.
I placed the books down and stared at the black velvet box. Was it something of my mother’s? Something old? Or a new piece he’d bought for a woman in his life?
If it was the latter, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“Why was it the worst day of his life?”
Fridge’s voice came at me through the clouds fogging up my thinking, and I glanced up at him.
I waved my hands at him. “Sit, sit.”
He sat back in one of the chairs and I sighed.
“Seems odd, doesn’t it?” I asked because I’d always thought the same thing.
He nodded.
I smiled, remembering all the nights my dad had told he those exact words. I licked my dry lips, and began telling the story, strangely relieved to be able to share the precious memory with someone else.
“Every year, on my birthday, he’d sit on my bed and tell me a bed-time story.” I took another slow breath and swallowed the emotional lump that rose in my throat. “And at the end of the night he’d say, ‘Do you know that the day you were born was the best day of my life, but also my worst?’”
FRIDGE’S EYEBROWS SHOT up with surprise and I laughed aloud, recalling the fact that I’d felt the same horror as a child.
I continued. “And I’d say, your worst daddy? Why? Was I bad baby?”
Fridge smiled and I fought back the tears at the memory. At the deep seated feelings the story brought up in me.
“He’d say, ‘Oh no. You were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. That was the problem. I knew that my life had changed forever. That I finally had something to live for. And that was a problem. Up until that day, I’d never feared death. I knew that one day it would be my time and I would be happy to go. And with my work, being fearless came with the job. But on the day you were born, I knew that I’d finally found something I couldn’t bear to be a part from.’”
I stopped, the tears rolling down my face as I gulped to stem the flow.
“He was...” the best dad ever.
<
br /> But I couldn’t say it. My throat had closed up and I could no longer see for the hot tears blurring my vision.
I had been so loved in my life. Even after my mother had died, I’d never lacked for anything.
I knew what it was like to be truly blessed, and for that I was grateful. So grateful. But the pain now, as I sat at my father’s desk, and the realization that he was gone hit me... the intensity of the feelings were incredible.
Like someone had taken every nerve in my body, and grated them over a hot vent. My heart squeezing tight in my chest as my stomach lurched.
Tears flowed down my face. I pushed my hands into my eyes to try and stop them, but it didn’t help.
Fridge stood up, walked around the desk, and picked me up as though I weighed little more than a child. Before I could react, he sat back down and held me in his lap.
I had no chance of stopping the storm of my grief as it raged over head.
“Shh.... It’s going to be okay,” he hummed, holding me tight.
I put my head on Fridge’s chest and let the pain overtake me, like a tsunami. I went under the wave and I wasn’t coming out again.
Heat scorched my face, burned my throat and tore at my heart as I continued to sob.
I’d lost him... I’d really lost him. The only person to truly love me had left me. And I had a massive, gaping hole in my life now.
The thoughts and feelings went on, until finally, finally... the tears began to dry up.
The tide turned and I began to surface. Through the waves and up, towards the open air.
My face burned like the sun, my eyes stung like I’d been drenched in sea water, and my chest hurt from all the heaving.
But somehow, despite all the pain, I felt better.
Numb... but more like me.
I pushed up from Fridge’s chest, where I’d been clinging and stared down at the puddle of tears I’d left on his clean shirt. Thank God I hadn’t worn any makeup today.
I’d look like a grotesque panda, and he’d have a blackened puddle ruining his pale blue shirt.
I put a hand on the wet patch. “I’m sorry. I’ve made a mess of you.”
He glanced down and shrugged. “Shit happens.”
