by A. C. Arthur
“Is that all you worry about now? Money? What happened to wanting to collect the bad guys and turn them over to some sort of justice?” Staring at her keenly had always been Aiken’s way of getting through to her. Luckily, she’d outgrown that instant pang of dread that came whenever she’d thought she disappointed him.
“That’s what I’ve always done, Aiken. You used to do it too.”
“Well, now I’m doing things differently.”
“Good for you. I’ve got bills to pay. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get to work and stop being entertained by your very colorful family.” She grabbed the narrow bar on the back of the door and pulled so it would open.
“You could’ve had a family too.”
His words were spoken quietly from behind, but she heard him loud and clear. She just chose to ignore him.
Chapter Four
They’d been out all day and when Aiken climbed behind the wheel of the truck and prepared to drive off again, her scent reminded him again how different this assignment was from any other he’d had with the Legion.
“That was as unhelpful as all the other stops we’ve made today.” Her tone was as sarcastic as it’d been after leaving each house, storefront or office building they’d visited today. Her hair might be different but that part of Mel was still the same.
He pressed the button to start the engine and eased his foot off the brake before replying. “In order to keep everyone safe, our next move had to be notifying the leaders of each preternatural species in the city. The last thing we want is an otherworldly war kicking off in the streets and humans being inadvertently hurt.”
“They aren’t as stupid as you think.”
“Who?”
“Humans.” She huffed as if it were a bother to explain to him exactly what she meant. “They know they’re not alone anymore. That display of feline shifters running rampant through Washington, D.C. fifty years ago sealed that fate.”
Aiken recalled that night when feline shifters had attacked an ex-military leader turned drug dealer and the subsequent years of turmoil that had followed. The unfortunate event had been aired on national television, creating a worldwide frenzy and insurgence of shifters. If there’d ever been any doubt whether there were other beings on this realm with the humans, that night proved there were. It also proved that humans weren’t ready for that revelation. Now, things were much different. The presence of different species on this realm had increased, as well as the unwillingness of some species to remain here in secret. As for the Drakon, it was a hell of a lot easier to protect every human from preternaturals when three-hundred-ton dragons weren’t knocking down buildings and scorching everything from one state to another simply because they could.
“We’re committed to being more responsible than that.” At least that was always the first plan of action. In the last year and a half there’d been a couple of occasions where they’d had to shift and take action within the city. The subsequent cleanups—monetarily and magickally—were a huge undertaking as a result, but Theo had approved it and they’d managed to move on. Bringing a full-scale war with the vampires to the streets of Burgess promised to be more than expensive and revealing, it would be a bloodbath.
“Knowledge is power,” she said when he turned down an alley. They were leaving the industrial district where they’d met with four leaders from the shifter community—two wolves and two jaguars. “You aren’t protecting them by keeping them in the dark. By giving them all the information they need, humans will be better equipped to make informed decisions about which preternatural beings they should be afraid of.”
“They should be afraid of all of them.” That was a knee-jerk statement and one he knew sounded dire, but it was how he felt. Not knowing the big bad was out there was definitely better than facing it every time they turned around. That situation would undoubtedly lead to widespread fear, which everyone knew would lead to more death.
“I disagree. Fear feeds off ignorance.” Her tone was vehement, her head turned so that she was staring out the window as he now drove through open land.
“Is that what happened to you? Did not knowing what you were for so long cause you to run away instead of embracing your Drakon heritage once I told you all that it entailed?” The air in the interior of the truck suddenly chilled and he knew he’d pushed another one of her buttons. She had so many don’t-touch subjects it was hard to navigate sometimes. Right now, Aiken had jumped in headfirst, and he wasn’t even trying to tiptoe through the minefield anymore.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Spoken through clenched teeth, the words were stilted yet impactful. “And I didn’t run.”
“No. You didn’t run, Mel. You took slow methodical steps out of my life and you never looked back.”
“You didn’t either,” was her quick and vehement retort. “So don’t sit there and act like you’re about to pile a bunch of guilt onto my shoulders. You made it seem like it was all or nothing. Either I decided to be what you wanted and live how you wanted or we couldn’t be together, because you were all about following your destiny as a Drakon. You didn’t ask me to stay or even come after me so we could continue what had been working so well for us. That makes us even.”
“We were never even,” he admitted. “Not as long as you held everything about who I was born to be against me. You were angry with me for telling you that you were Drakon, when nobody else had ever told you.” He paused, hating that they were still at odds about this, but needing to get it all out once and for all. “How was I supposed to ask you to stay when you made it so clear our love wasn’t enough incentive for you to even try to accept the beast inside you, or what doing that could mean to our future?”
“I’m not going to do this with you, Aiken. I never wanted to do this with you.” He could see her shaking her head now and for a second he was the one who felt guilty. Her pain was palpable, as was the sour stench of fear that outlined it.
“And I’m not going to work alongside you while skating around the obvious boulder between us. Better to just get this conversation over with so we can take care of the business at hand.”
She shrugged. “I can take care of business without dredging up the past. You’re the one with the problem.”
“Because I’m the one with the questions you don’t want to answer. Or is it the truth you don’t want to face?”
“You have no idea what my truth is, Aiken. None at all.”
Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed and then cleared her throat. “Okay, here it is again, since you’ve suddenly forgot I told you all of this before. I was never afraid of loving you. Not ever. That came as natural as breathing to me.”
And the sound of those words effectively sucked the air right out of his lungs.
“The problem came when you announced that’s what dragons do. They set out into the world and find the one beast they want to claim and then do it without question or concern for how the human may feel about being ‘claimed.’ I won’t be told what to do, not by you, or some dated Drakon mythology that my parents neglected to tell me about.”
“What about from the beast that’s an equal part of you and has apparently chosen my beast as well? How do you ignore what it wants?” He was the one shaking his head this time. “Because I gotta tell you, that shit’s getting harder and harder for me.” And she was the only person he’d ever admitted that to.
“That beast has no place in my life. I’m fine without it.”
“But you use its chameleon power to help your hunting.” All Drakon were born with the ability to use Drakon magick, as well as a specialty power that was often handed down through their clans. “I remember watching you do it. Hell, I pulled you out of a cloak last night.” Because he’d felt her presence so strongly his beast had been ready to rip free in search of her.
“Magick and power, I’m fine with. It�
�s being dictated to by a beast that has otherwise never shown me an inch of loyalty, that I’m not willing to accept. None of the Drakon came for me, none of them offered to raise me to teach me what it meant to be one of them. That’s why I denounce them all. If they didn’t want me back then, then I certainly don’t need to be one of them now.”
“Not even to be with me.” Why were those words so painful? After all this time he shouldn’t give a damn what Mel wanted or thought. He shouldn’t give a damn about her. But he did. Still.
Moments of silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity until she finally spoke again.
“Take the exit up ahead. About seven miles off the highway, behind an old gas station is a house.”
Aiken pulled the truck over into the far-right lane so he’d be ready when the exit came. “Who lives in that house?”
“Riya Merriwell, the human that led me straight to Duncan last night.”
Which he figured rounded out her stance that humans had a right to know about preternatural beings living around them. A few minutes later he pulled up in front of the house—or rather, shack—which consisted of four dilapidated sections of wood, barely holding it together in a square shape. They got out of the truck at the same time, boots crunching over the few inches of snow which had frozen overnight to make a slippery shiny white surface.
Her hand on his arm stopped him just before he could take the first step and Aiken immediately looked down, expecting to see the step had actually rotted out and he’d have to jump up onto the porch that didn’t look all that stable.
“When we go in, don’t stare.”
Was that a warning or a statement? “Don’t stare?”
“At Riya’s face. Don’t stare. She doesn’t like it and you won’t like how she reacts if you do.”
The front door was opening before he could reply and Aiken looked forward to see a woman with copper-hued skin, long braided hair and a brilliant smile staring back at him.
“It’s a little rude to show up at someone’s house unannounced and at dinnertime, but since you’ve brought this lovely specimen with you, I guess I’ll let you slide.” Her words were directed to Mel, but her gaze never wavered from him. That made it kind of hard not to stare back at her and the seven-inch scar that stretched from the corner of her right eye down to wrap under her chin.
“Sorry, but I need your help again.” Mel’s voice seemed strained. “This is Aiken French. He works for Legion Security. Aiken, this is Riya.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” The words were barely out before Riya stepped forward and reached for his hand. Her touch was warm, her gaze still locked with his.
“Nice to meet you too. Can we come in?” That question had a familiar look appearing in her eyes and he almost sighed. Another day, maybe. “It’s urgent and important.”
“He’s right.” There was definitely a bite to Mel’s words now and Aiken looked over to see her frowning. “If we can come in out of the cold and talk to you for just a few minutes. I promise not to disturb your dinner too much.”
“Oh, no worries. Pleasant distractions are always welcome.” With that, Riya kept hold of Aiken’s hand and walked him into her house.
Mel followed, her look of annoyance growing.
Riya’s house was much nicer on the inside, with real wood floors, sturdy furniture which appeared to be handcrafted, and the smell of something delicious wafting through the air.
“Come into my dining area and have a seat. I’ll get cups of hot chocolate for you two. Temps are expected to drop below freezing with nightfall.” She released Aiken’s hand only after he pulled out a chair and sat on the plump red cushion attached to the seat.
Mel took the seat next to him, rolling her eyes when she turned to him. “Can you at least dial it back while I’m here,” she whispered when Riya walked through a doorway covered by a piece of green, white and blue plaid material.
“Dial what back?”
“The flirting. If you want to sleep with her, that’s fine, but after this job is done.”
Earlier today when he’d walked into the game room to see Reese touching her, a sharp stab of jealousy had pierced his chest, his beast reacting with rage Aiken had been hard-pressed to temper. Now, watching as she struggled with that same emotion was interesting. If it were possible his beast would’ve purred with delight.
“If you don’t like other women flirting with me, do something about it.” It was a flippant remark and considering her stance on their breakup, maybe a little insensitive, but in the short time they’d been back together his emotions had been shaken and were now completely out of whack.
Her pulse quickened and her eyes grew just a bit darker as she stared back at him. She was too stubborn to look away and too aroused to speak. He wanted to kiss her right then and there.
“I’m sure you don’t need this to warm up, darlin’, you’ve got your own body heat for that.” Riya was back, setting a mug with steam still coming from the top in front of him. She placed a matching mug in front of Mel with no remark.
“Thank you.” He didn’t need the drink to stay warm but had accepted to be polite. She knew he was a dragon.
Mel didn’t wait to begin. “I had Duncan last night but he disappeared.”
That caught Riya’s attention as she pulled out a chair and sat across the table from them. “From the house where I told you he’d be?”
“Yes. The townhouse by the lift station. He showed up to meet with a dozen or so others but then—”
“Then we showed up—my coworker and I. Things quickly got out of hand and we never saw Duncan.” Something Aiken was still bent out of shape about.
“Did he do that bat thing and fly away?” Riya asked, but she nodded as if she already knew the answer. “He does that when he’s cornered. If your coworker is built like you and looks like you, I would’ve opted to stay if I were him. But you really can’t blame him for not liking the hot-blooded type.”
“We need to find him as soon as possible.” That was an understatement and Aiken felt as if he’d said those words a million times today.
They’d gone from one place to another, not only warning the other species leaders, but also asking them to share any information they may have about Duncan or what he was doing with the Royal Blood. Highlighting the danger this alliance would bring for all preternaturals, not only in Burgess, but across all realms, to each of them had been imperative. Riya wasn’t a preternatural, so Aiken was curious to know what her connection to them was.
“Whatever he’s planning is big,” Riya told them. “I know because he paid off all his debts, like either he’d hit the lottery or he was about to die and wanted to go with a clean slate. That’s why he ended up here.”
“He owed you money?” For what? The inside of this place was only about two steps above the crappy outside. Riya didn’t look like she had a lot of money to do home improvements, let alone giving it to someone like Duncan.
“Eighty-five thousand. I bought him a car, clothes and paid the lease for two years at some lodge or something in Africa.” Riya shrugged. “It took him longer than expected, but he finally paid me back two weeks ago, with interest.”
“I only asked you where I could find him before. But does he have a place here? Where’s he staying in Burgess?” Mel had dropped her hands into her lap and only glanced in Riya’s direction as a way of waiting for her response.
“I didn’t ask him that. He pulled up in a fancy silver car, with a driver. Waltzed in, turning his nose up at my place, and dropped the bag of money on the table. We exchanged banal chitchat for about ten minutes, then he left. I haven’t seen him since then.”
“Where’d he get the money?” He was certain Riya would’ve asked him that. After waiting so long to be repaid, curiosity about the why and how now, would have won out over her act of not giving a damn about Duncan.
/> She blinked and long curly black lashes kept his focus on her eyes. “He said he had a new business venture.”
“That means he’s here on business.” The killing kind of business the Royal Blood was focused on.
“I suspect so.”
Mel huffed impatiently. She never liked the question-and-answer part of the plan. “But you don’t know with who or where we can find the place this business is located?”
Riya glanced at her. “No. The only reason I knew about the townhouse was because he answered a call while he was here and I heard him confirm the date and time.”
“He’s not a born vampire, is he?” Aiken asked.
Riya lifted a hand to her face. Her fingers trembled slightly as she touched the scar, moving over the still bumpy skin with a haunted look in her eyes as if she were recalling something horrific. “It happened so fast, for the first few days afterward I thought it was all a bad dream. But when I saw him again, after believing him dead, the memories came rushing back.”
Many scenarios played in his mind at her words, his beast having several different reactions to them. “What happened?”
“We were leaving our parents’ house in Florida. It was Thanksgiving night and we’d just had a huge meal and spent time with family we didn’t see often. Our mood was happy, if tired, and we were ready to get to our hotel rooms and crash for the night. Our parents lived in a retirement community, so their place was too small for all of us to stay there.” Riya hadn’t brought herself a cup of hot chocolate but didn’t hesitate to reach across the table and grab the one she’d delivered to him. Holding the mug with both hands, she brought it to her lips and took a couple of slow sips.
Aiken waited patiently, acutely aware that Mel had stiffened beside him. Riya was talking about family, something that would always be a sore subject for Mel.
Setting the mug down, Riya lifted two fingers, wiping them over her lips. “They came out of nowhere. One minute we were driving down the highway and the next the car was shaking. They’d jumped on the roof and then the hood, using their fists to crash through the windshield. Duncan was driving and he swerved off the road. I didn’t even have time to scream. The doors were ripped away and we were pulled from the car. I can still smell the blood. After the attack we were left there to die. I don’t know how long I stared over at Duncan, watching the blood leak from his neck.”
