by Benton, Ava
Because they don’t just kill people, generally. Usually they would make it look like their victims killed themselves. No investigation. No chance of being caught that way. The group that came after Kat were sloppy. They’d slipped up, made mistakes, and would have wound up with their guns to their temples by the end of the night if I hadn’t dispatched them.
A truck turned up the road a couple blocks from Kat and I homed in on it. An old man, alone.
We’d taken to calling the group Doubletap since they didn’t leave survivors. They tied up every loose end. They covered their tracks. The fuckers were masters and we had no idea how they got away with half the shit they did. They were nearly untraceable, and no one knew who was in charge. Hell, within their own ranks no one seemed to know who their direct higher-up even was.
The brotherhood had brought in several members to be questioned, but there were no answers to be had beyond the rotating lackeys, people owing them debts, and how each individual was a tiny cog in a huge, intricate system. And the fuckers would find creative ways to off themselves before we could even really take a crack at them.
The truck pulled into a house a block and a half away. The old man went inside, and I watched him go, my mind drifting back to Kat.
She’d been beautiful in a non-traditional way. Her spirit blazed like fire and her sharp mind intrigued me. The thought of her reaching out and touching my face filled my mind. I’d never shifted before anyone other than my brothers. It’s an intimate thing, a private moment. We’re vulnerable between forms. Even having changed before my brothers was a rite of passage, proof of my blood. Even though they could all smell it on me, formality demanded we meet in dragon form as well as human form.
I’d expected her to be scared. Nervous. I’d learned the hard way that fear makes people unpredictable. And unpredictable people are dangerous.
But she’d merely been surprised. Curious, even.
I shifted and found a new spot to perch on the tower. The cold metal didn’t bother me one bit as I watched a couple of kids circling her block on their bikes. Her neighbor came out and yelled at the kids, who flipped him off. The beaten-down neighborhood didn’t downplay her position and I wondered what had brought her life to this. She’d given me tiny clues; working two jobs, that her family was dependent on her working, but it sounded like she lived with both parents. So why weren’t her parents working?
She was clearly of an age where most young people had moved out into their own places. Most people her age were building their own lives, meeting significant others, settling down, having children. All things she didn’t seem to be doing and I wondered why.
Her angry neighbor slipped back into his place and the kids circled the block and left their bikes on their sides, tires spinning lazily, and ran inside. A dog chained up in someone’s back yard began to go crazy, barking and running back and forth as the kids raced out into the backyard right next to it and began to climb a tree.
Kat was a puzzle, an enigma to be solved. Not that it was a damn bit of my business. But when things didn’t fit, they bothered me. She didn’t fit. Not with her need to work two jobs, living at home, being the sole provider—if I’d understood her—and her stubborn need to carry on like people hadn’t tried to kill her today.
The stench of fear filled my nose and every muscle in my body tightened. I scanned the block two out from hers and tried to find it. There it was; the house on the furthest corner from her place. Shades suddenly closed and I knew something bad had just happened as the scent of fear dissipated. Hopefully they’d only knocked someone out. But I could smell multiple unwashed, sweating bodies with evil intent.
I shifted and flew toward her house. Landing in her backyard, I shifted and casually walked around to the front. I strode up the steps and rapped on the door with my knuckles. The chipped gray paint dug into my skin and I stood, staring at the door.
“One second!” Her voice called from the other side of the door. A moment later she pulled it open and jolted in place. Her spine snapped straight, her lovely chocolate eyes widened, and her full lips parted in shock. “You?”
5
Kat
“Stryker.” He offered his hand and I took it. “Kat, right?” he asked, a slight curve on the corners of his lips. I nodded. His amusement vanished as if he remembered why he’d shown up and he let go of my hand and his warm fingers wrapped around my wrist.
Excitement surged through me at the contact. My heart slammed into my ribs like stormy ocean waves against the hull of a ship as he tugged me out on the front stoop. He quickly closed the door behind me as his eyes roamed the front of the house, like he could see through it to the people inside.
“Everything okay?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“Can your parents drive?”
Okay, that was my new headliner for ‘what’s the weirdest question a stranger has asked you.’ Still, I had a feeling now was not the time to mess around.
“Dad can. But Mom won’t leave the house.” Why was he asking me this? Were we all in danger? Of course we were.
He placed both hand on my shoulders and ducked his head to look me dead in the eyes. “Okay, I need you to trust me.” I nodded, mute. I trusted him. Why would he kill me now after saving me earlier? What did he have to gain by killing me now?
And if he really wanted to kill me, this was a strange way to go about it. Bad things happened to people in this neighborhood easily. If he busted in, tossed the place, killed all of us, the police would hardly even investigate. They’d assume some crack head broke in, either thinking it was his place and killed everyone, or that we were robbed for drugs or money to use for more drugs.
“I trust you.”
He nodded. “Good, good. Tell them they won something.”
Before I could ask questions, he spun me around, opened the door and propelled me inside. I led him in to where my parents were. Dad was in his usual spot, but Mom had tucked herself into the seat I’d seen her holding me in my baby pictures.
“Mom, Dad, we won something!” I stayed as upbeat as possible, trying to convince them, even though I hated lying to them. Still, I had a feeling it was better than telling them the truth. Bad guys were out to kill us thanks to Dad’s habits.
Dad looked stunned and Mom’s wide, soulful eyes strayed over my shoulder to Stryker. Her words echoed in my mind; He’d be crazy not to see how amazing you are. Maybe she was right. After all, he was here, helping me, even though I didn’t have an extra penny to my name, and I couldn’t dream of paying him.
“She’s right! You’ve won an all-expenses paid vacation to the Netherlands!” He stepped around me and offered a manila envelope.
My dad stared at him. “We don’t have our passports.”
But Stryker nodded, his wide, friendly grin never wavering. “Taken care of! Everything you need is in the envelope.”
My mom shifted and took the envelope from Stryker’s outstretched hand. She opened it, her eyes widening. She glanced at Dad. “It’s all here.” Her voice rasped and she handed him a passport, then rifled through the other things in the envelope. “I need to pack,” she said suddenly.
But Stryker shook his head. “Nope, you leave now.”
Mom looked startled.
“How do we get to the airport?” Dad asked him, a suspicious look in his eyes.
At the same moment, Mom pulled a set of keys out of the envelope and held them up.
Stryker nodded at the keys. “You drive.” He checked his watch. “Plane leaves soon. You better hurry.”
Mom leaped to her feet. “Thank you,” she said to Stryker as my father followed, a bit slower, still glaring at Stryker like he didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him. Within three minutes they were out the door, searching for the car.
“You planned all this,” I said, planting both hands on my hips. He didn’t answer. Instead, He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the back door. We slipped outside and he pushed me behind a tree. He tilted his chin up,
looking toward a neighbor’s house.
“Okay, move.” He urged me out and I just moved as I was told. Fear plagued me. What if my mother turned around and went back the house, thinking she’d forgotten something? What if stress made Dad wreck? Heck, what if he was so rusty at driving he crashed into someone else?
I moved when Stryker told me to. Then he shifted in an open area and scooped me up. A moment later, we were airborne, and I clung to him, my eyes squeezed tightly closed. Heights didn’t bother me all that much, but with this much fear and adrenaline in my blood, I needed to calm down.
When we landed, we were in front of a little cabin in the woods. I stayed close to him as he walked right up and opened the door. With every inhale I became certain there was water nearby and the thick scent of pine and cedar filled the air.
I followed him inside the cabin and that pine scent intensified.
“You’ll be safe here,” he said, turning to face me.
“Are you leaving?” Something in the way he’d said it told me I’d be here alone, and tears filled my eyes. The stress hit me like a thousand angry bees buzzing and stinging and my throat closed up.
“Not at the moment.” He walked into the kitchen and I followed. “It’s a fully stocked safe house.” He pulled open the freezer and I saw a ton of food. “There’s also a standing freezer in the garage with a ton more food and ice cream.”
It had been so long since I had simple pleasures like ice cream and a choice of food.
He led me into the living room. “Help yourself to anything you like. There’s cable, internet, anything you need.” He gestured to the enormous, flat screened TV. “There are laptops in every room, gaming systems, TVs, anything you could want inside. Outside you’re welcome to kayak, take out a rowboat, bike the roads, or take an ATV for a spin. Think of it as vacation, not solitary confinement.”
“I can’t afford this.” I stared around the lovely place, loving everything I could see from the honey-colored pine logs the place was built from to the towering ceilings, the stained glass depiction of an elk by a lake surrounded by birch trees, to the full kitchen that resembled the kind of vacation home I’d only dreamed of before.
His eyes locked on me. “I need you to focus on being safe.”
I nodded, staring at him.
“Your parents will be safe. They have an open line of credit to do whatever they need.”
I snorted. “I wouldn’t have given Dad that.” I wanted to sit down, but I felt dirty and gross and didn’t want to mess the beautiful place up. So I stayed standing.
He lifted his phone. “I can monitor and deny certain purchases. They will be met at the airport by a group of medical professionals to take care of your mom. She’s ailing, right?”
I nearly collapsed from gratitude. My mom would be taken care of. She’d get better. Was there anything he hadn’t thought of?
“And your father will be detoxed at the same time. It’s been arranged.”
Arranged by whom, I wanted to ask. But I didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth. I could see the sincerity and the care in his eyes. It was overwhelming. A dream come true.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “Are you staying with me?” I asked, my mouth suddenly dry as my heartbeat jumped to light speed in my chest. I wanted him to stay with me. I wanted him to protect me. The thought of him standing guard while I slept melted something in me and a dull hum started up low in my belly. How long had it been since someone took care of me?
“I will, part of the time.” His rusty eyes darted back and forth between mine. “What do you want to do first?” he asked.
“Take a shower.” My honest answer seemed to hit him like a blow to the gut, because he flinched a tiny bit and heat filled his expression.
“Should I be afraid of you?” I asked.
He didn’t say a word and I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that, so I changed my line of questioning.
“Will you show yourself to me again?” I asked.
He shifted suddenly, but not into the huge beast he’d been before. Instead, he stood as tall as a Clydesdale. Stunned, I stepped closer. He backed up a step, his claws tapping slightly on the wooden floor.
“It’s okay,” I said as if he really was a horse I was trying to calm. With one hand, I petted his square nose. He didn’t remind me of the dragons in mythological books.
His body reminded me almost of a cat, but his feet had four toes; three and an opposable thumb with wicked talons on them that looked like they could cut through me like a machete through hot butter. Every scale had a red hue near the middle that darkened to the deepest black and his red eyes had a cat-like black pupil slit.
I rubbed on his face, then ran a hand down his neck. I leaned into his chest, feeling like he was built for me to hug like this. And I clung to him, my own tears coming hot and quick. I’d been so cruel to my father. The last thing I’d said to him was that I was sick of him. What if he died and that was the last thing I ever said to him? How could I forgive myself?
With my arms around his neck, I just held on, trying to hide my tears while appreciating him for being here to lean on. He just stood there, not moving a muscle, but I could hear the sound of his breathing and feel his heartbeat against the whole front of me. It was the most comforting sensation I’d ever experienced.
Suddenly, he shifted in my arms and I was clinging to the man instead. His arms slipped around me and held me upright and I quickly wiped my tears on my sleeve. I hoped he hadn’t noticed I was crying, or if he had noticed, I hoped he ignored it.
“About that shower,” I said with a thin laugh before inhaling the fiery hot scent of him. He filled my nose like cinnamon-flavored campfire smoke. But he didn’t let me go.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. Why was he protecting me? He had nothing to gain from it.
His chest rumbled against my cheek as he answered. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”
6
Stryker
“So tell me about yourself.” She walked out into the living space with her hair all wrapped up in a towel. She’d scrubbed clean and her skin seemed almost pink. The soft scent of soap clung to her and I resisted the urge to lick my lips.
She’d put on some pajamas that were in the dresser and the full force of her curves hit me. Sure, she was on the slim side, but the subtle thrust of her hips and the delicate rounded shape of her breasts drew my attention in the most male way possible. I blinked and cleared my throat, refusing to look at her for a second while I gathered my self-control. I was here to protect her and that was it.
“There’s not much to tell.” I shrugged.
She stopped moving and her eyes blazed into me. I glanced up in time to watch her drop into the seat beside me, her knees pointed my direction and disbelieving eyes on my face. “You’re a dragon. There’s plenty to tell. Are you born this way? How come no one knows about you? Are you the only one?”
I sighed. “We’re born this way. We are very private. I’m not the only one.”
Her eyes widened and she leaned closer.
“What?” I asked.
She gave a little shake of her head. “Just… wow.” She made a motion like her head was exploding. “Can you breathe fire?”
I shook my head. “No fire breathing. Not I, at least. There are variations of us, so I guess it is possible.”
“So you do have skills. What are they?” She planted her elbow on the back of the leather couch and rested her cheek on her palm, watching me all the while. This was steering into dangerous territory. It was customary never to share our traits even with our family and close friends.
“I’d rather not talk about it.” I shifted in my seat as she leaned closer and her scent washed over me. My body reacted to her presence with a sudden rush of heat and excitement that startled me.
Her expression shifted to one of embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude. I’m just really curious.”
“I’m not offended.” I actua
lly found her curiosity rather appealing. Instead of just accepting things or pretending there was nothing different about me, she’d actively worked to find answers for her most pressing questions.
Relief flooded her face. “So, um, are you going to watch me sleep?”
Her face went red as I studied her. I could smell her arousal and lust tightened my gut.
“Would you feel safer that way?”
She gulped in a deep breath. “What do you think the odds of someone finding us are?” Her eyes searched my face and I knew I wasn’t giving anything away.
“Very slim.” This location was my favorite of all the safe houses used by the brotherhood. However, I was the only one to prefer being out in the middle of nowhere like this, so there was little chance anyone else would stumble on us here. As for the thugs, there was zero chance they’d find her because only two people knew we were here. She and I.
“Then I’m sure it’s not necessary.” Her cheeks were still red, but her lips twitched before curving up at the corners. “So what should we do while we’re here?”
I studied her cherry red lips and the innocence in her eyes. What I wanted to do with her and what I should do with her were very different things. Her delicious scent filled my nose and my mouth watered.
“We can do anything you like.” Why did that sound so much like innuendo? Fuck.
Her eyes widened and she glanced away. She cleared her throat, then unwound her hair from her towel before standing up and walking back to the bathroom. I watched her pert ass, thinking about the things I’d like to do to her. I couldn’t explain it, but I wanted this woman. I wanted her badly.
She walked back into the room. “So you said there are more of you. And you protect people, I assume you’re a group of hired guns?” A grin crossed her lips as if she thought she sounded silly.
