by Amelia Jade
“You’ve been doing your research.”
“The internet is a powerful tool. I believe in using every tool available.”
“Why?”
He frowned. “Why what?”
“Have you been doing this on your own? There are plenty of other things you could have been learning about.”
Looking skyward, Kallore rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious yet? So that I can spend more time doing non-boring stuff with you. You’re an excellent teacher, but be truthful, Elin. This is not what you want to be doing, is it?”
She reached up and pushed several strands of her hair back behind her ear. They fell forward almost immediately, too short to be kept tucked away, the harsh white light of the room reflecting off the light-brown locks tinged with blonde. Her upturned nose wrinkled in thought as she stared at him.
“No.”
“What do you want?”
Elin responded immediately this time. “To fight.”
It wasn’t an answer he’d expected. “To fight what?”
“Anyone that would harm the innocent. Especially them.”
Kallore rocked backward at the conviction in her voice, noting it was underpinned with notes of fear as well. She was terrified of whatever was out there, that much was clear, but her desire to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves shone through like a beacon in the dark. It was her armor, and he felt she wore it well, like a knight coming to the rescue of the princess. Except this knight was five foot seven of curves and delicate pale skin.
Conflicting emotions warred within him. Ever since he’d been little, protection of his mate had been something ingrained within him. When he found her, Kallore had sworn to all the gods and his ancestors that he would never let anyone harm a hair on her head. That they would go through his cold, dead body to reach her. To that end he’d trained hard, preparing himself for the day his mate appeared.
Now here she was, and his mate was a warrior like him. One who had been kept hidden and safe by her commanders, forced to stay out of danger, despite a yearning—no burning need—to do her part to protect her fellow humans. That, he thought silently, was what should be at the core of any warrior. The desire to protect those around them. Those who wanted to fight, to inflict harm, those were the problems. Major Elin Mara was the standard to which all others should compare themselves. It was a shame so many of them would fall short. The human race could achieve great things if they had more examples of her to lead the way.
How was he supposed to keep her safe with a heart like that? She obviously wanted to do her part, and Kallore feared he was going to have to let her. Elin wasn’t the type to take overprotectiveness well, and if he tried do to that, she would likely push him even farther away.
Unsure of what the answer was, Kallore did what any male would do. He pushed the problem to the side and decided to deal with it later.
“Who is this ‘them’ you speak of?” he asked, wondering if he was finally going to get more information about the mysterious enemies.
Elin hesitated, and he could see her sense of responsibility warring against the idea that telling him what he was up against was probably a smart thing. In the end, duty won out and she shook her head.
“Come on.” She headed from the room.
“Where are we going?”
“To play hooky.”
He frowned. “We’re going fishing? I suppose I am hungry.” This language was so confusing sometimes. They had a great many sayings that he just didn’t get, though he was getting better every day.
Elin laughed, and just kept walking, forcing him to follow her.
Chapter Six
Elin
“Did you sneak me off the base just to get me drunk?” he accused her as she pushed open the wooden door. Above a whitewashed signed read Stark House Pub & Grill. “Because that would be really amazing.”
She smiled at his comment, and he walked into a table, spilling the contents all over the floor because he was too busy staring. Covering up a laugh, she watched him try to recover.
Don’t encourage him. Just because you’re off base doesn’t mean you’re off duty, Major! Keep it professional.
“Uh, shit.” He bent over and started picking it all up but a woman in a black shirt with the establishment’s name emblazoned on it came over and shooed him off.
“It’s okay, I’ve got it. Don’t worry about it.”
He stood up. “Thank you.”
The tiny woman looked up at him and smiled broadly, her eyes shamelessly wandering along his frame. He swallowed and turned to look at Elin, but she just watched the proceedings with an amused look on her face. Letting the jealousy she felt inside show would not be good for any of them at all.
“Shall we get a table?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Yes, that would be fantastic. Preferably one better anchored to the floor.”
Elin gave a tiny, unfeminine snort as she pointed to a table in the corner. “Come on, let’s go.”
They settled in and the same waitress came over. Elin ordered for both of them, since she doubted Kallore had much experience with beer. Not the modern versions at least. She got him a smooth lager to start, though it would probably take some experimenting before he found his preferred taste.
Their glasses arrived, she showed him what cheers meant, and then they drank. She took a sip, setting her glass down. Kallore, meanwhile, drained his, eyes opening wide as he drank.
“That was fantastic,” he said in awe. “I’ve never tasted anything so delicious!’
Before she could react he leaned over the table and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you,” he said softly into her ear before sitting back.
Elin was still trying to figure out what had just happened when the waitress came over with a refill for him. They’d rarely engaged in more than playful banter with each other, and she’d felt comfortable with her ability to keep him at a distance on the base. Now, five minutes into their first journey outside the border, and he was escalating things.
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she said at last, trying hard to ignore the way his lips had felt against her skin, or how the soft whisper of his voice in her ear had made the hairs on her neck stand on end. “This is going to lead to trouble.”
Across from her Kallore sat up straight, his eyes instantly aware. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Something already has. It’s what got me posted here in the first place. Now it’s happening all over again, like a nightmare. Except this time I don’t want to say no. I want to say yes. But I can’t.
He reached over to the nearby table while she watched and grabbed a coaster. Apparently in her awe of Kallore’s physical traits the waitress had neglected to bring him one. Finding herself admiring his tight posterior in a most unprofessional manner, Elin buried her eyes in her drink, trying to force away the idea that maybe he might just have true buns of steel.
“So why did you bring me here?” he asked, sipping more cautiously at his second beverage. “Is this an attempt to befriend me at last? After keeping such a distance between us at first?”
The question hit a little too close to home for her. Elin had worked damn hard to maintain nothing but professional courtesy with Kallore. Each day had been harder than the previous. His easy-going attitude and keen intellect had begun to win her over, especially when she was forced to stare into those striking eyes of the most gorgeous pale-blue she’d ever seen.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to,” Elin sighed. “It’s just…complicated.”
Kallore watched her for several moments, likely trying to discern just what she meant by that. “Oh?” he prompted.
“Yes. Complicated.” She bit the word off harshly.
The dragon shifter nodded and looked away, taking a long pull of his drink.
“I’m sorry,” she said, relenting on him. “It’s just… I didn’t want this posting in the first place.”
The hurt was visible on his face.
“I don’t mean it like that,” she added. “I wasn’t planning on working with someone who hasn’t been awake in centuries. Hell, I didn’t even realize it was possible to live that long. Or that you’re…what you are.” She dropped her voice, realizing that others could possibly overhear them.
“No one heard you,” Kallore said, his eyes scanning the room to see if anyone had been paying attention.
“You know this is impossible,” she added. “How I’ve managed to handle this so far is…astonishing. I think it’s because I haven’t let myself believe it yet. I’m probably going to have a breakdown and go crazy at some point. Just a warning.” She laughed, the sound tight and almost hysterical.
He smiled at her, showing her that he’d taken no insult to her calling him imaginary. “You’ll be fine.”
“How can you know that? I might lose it at any time, and yet they’ve made me base commander!”
“I just do. Trust me on this one. You can handle the fact that my kind are real.” He raised his glass and then finished it off. “You’re stronger than you know.”
Elin blushed, looking away yet again, trying to unscramble the fried remains he’d just made of her brain with the compliment.
“I’ll be back,” Kallore said abruptly, rising from his seat, the metal underneath groaning as he lifted his mass clear of it.
She nodded, turning to watch as he disappeared into the restroom. As soon as the door closed behind him she suddenly felt very aware of the slightly dank, seediness of the bar around them. It wasn’t the classiest of joints, but it was one where they hopefully wouldn’t be recognized. She’d put on a T-shirt and jeans under her uniform, changing in the car so as to hopefully blend in.
With Kallore nearby she’d not bothered to worry about the reputation of the establishment. Now though, she sensed the other patrons eyeing her. One was even leering at her from his seat. She was figuring he would be the troublesome one, but just then the door opened and another walked in, looking all around. Even before his eyes landed on her she knew it was going to be trouble.
Don’t do it, she pleaded mentally. It didn’t work.
He started walking toward her. Elin had picked a table that had sat the two of them so they faced the sides of the bar, both of them having a fairly unobstructed view of the entrance. Old habits died hard after all. Now though, she had full view of the alcoholic male who came over to her table, smiling through yellow tobacco-stained teeth, ratty beard dangling off his chin streaked with gray hairs.
“Hello pretty lady,” he said masterfully, proud of his attempted pickup line. “This seat taken?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks for reserving it for me.”
She shook her head at her own mistake. Saying “yes” to anything was a bad, bad idea. Never give them an opening of any sort. Behind the drunk there was motion, and Elin sighed. Things were going to get bad in a hurry if she couldn’t get rid of him.
“You need to go,” she snapped, then when he didn’t move, said, “Now.”
“Oh come now. Let me buy you a drink.” He grinned and she tried not to vomit at the sight of his teeth, one of which was starting to turn black.
“That won’t be necessary,” a deep voice said from behind the alcoholic, a dark rumble like the precursor to a storm rolling out. “She is already taken care of.”
The drunk turned in his seat. “Listen, pal, I just wanted to—”
Whatever else he was going to say was caught up in a yelp as Kallore grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him from the seat. Elin watched with casual satisfaction as he dragged the unfortunate male to the door, pushed it open, and tossed him through as casually as one might throw a bag of garbage.
“I think we should leave now,” he said upon return.
“Yeah, me too.” Elin had noticed the dark looks the other patrons were giving them. While she felt safe with Kallore next to her, she didn’t want to cause enough trouble that the military might come down on them. Tossing some bills on the table, she took his offered arm and let him escort her from the bar.
“Are you all right?”
She looked up at him. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine. You realize I had that, right?”
“It looked like it.” His reply was dripping with sarcasm.
“At no point was I worried for my own safety. I’m trained in hand-to-hand combat. If he’d tried anything, I would have been fine.”
“And his drinking partner,” Kallore challenged her. “The one that was sitting behind you, watching you and waiting for an opening? Did you have him too?”
She jerked her head up and down. “Of course.” Truthfully she hadn’t even known he was there, but Kallore didn’t need to know that. He was already slipping into protective-male mode, and she didn’t want him to think that she needed that every second of the day, even if knowing he was there was a nice security blanket.
“I’m sure you did,” he murmured, keeping the smile off his face, though she saw his lips twitch once or twice. “Do you truly have such a hard time believing I am a dragon?”
The question was such a complete deviation from their previous conversation that it took Elin a moment to reorder her brain before she could answer.
“I…I don’t know.”
“You’ve seen the way I am. How I woke up stronger, smarter, and faster than any human?” He looked straight ahead. “I’ve yet to truly stretch myself either. Nothing you have has tested me. But none of that seems real to you?”
“I just thought it was experiments,” she answered truthfully.
“Trust me when I tell you it was no experiment. I’m a completely natural dragon,” he announced. “You have awoken me, and now you have to deal with me.” She noticed him open his mouth as if to continue speaking, but then closed it.
“What?”
He glanced down at her, ash-blond hair bouncing with the sharp movement. Elin tried to match his stare, but his striking gaze overpowered her and she felt herself start to get lost in it as they moved down the sidewalk. Her arm, she noticed, was still linked in his. She let it drop, struggling to resume the professional distance between them. A distance, she feared, that had been permanently diminished based on her actions this afternoon.
“I wish to know something,” he said at last.
“Such as? I’m not at liberty to reveal to you our secrets.”
Kallore didn’t even acknowledge that. “Why was I really awakened?”
Elin paused, looking up into blue orbs laced with streaks of white lightning. This time she had no problems meeting his stare and holding it. It was her turn to evaluate him, and that gave her the advantage as she tried to decide whether he was truly on their side or not and what damage revealing the enemy could have. Elin had her orders, and they stated she was to train Kallore and get him ready to fight. Anything that might prevent that from happening was to be avoided at all costs.
The decision on when to tell him what he faced was some of the highest responsibility the army had ever handed her, and she had been determined to do it correctly, in such a way that nobody could misinterpret it this time. She wouldn’t go through that. Not again. The first time had nearly been too much.
But Kallore was everything she didn’t need in a fighter. His supreme confidence in himself and his abilities were going to be a danger, to both himself and everyone around him. Which happened to include one Major Elin Mara. Perhaps if she showed him the truth, he could at last realize the gravity of the situation.
“Come with me,” she said, decision made.
It was time to show him just what he was going up against.
Chapter Seven
Kallore
Elin spoke as they entered her office, a room he’d yet to see. “The real reason you were awoken is to fight.”
Sneaking back onto the base hadn’t turned out to be an issue. Elin had simply driven up to the front gate, lambasted the guard about lack of security when he expressed surprise that she wasn’t still wi
thin the perimeter, and taken them both inside. Perks of being the base commander he supposed.
He sighed, the information nothing new. It was all he’d been told since coming out of his sleep! “If all I’m going to be fighting are drunks back there, then you seriously underestimate yourselves.”
Although Kallore shrugged off the incident externally, there were two things he couldn’t forget about it. One was the way his blood had boiled and the room had turned red with a fury the likes of which he’d never felt before. Every fiber of his being had urged him to use his powers to shred the challenger to pieces, demonstrating to his mate with a brutal finality just how well suited he was to be her protector and champion. None would dare impose on her again if he had just let himself loose.
That wasn’t what Elin needed, however, and his sole existence was to ensure she had everything she wanted. Including a mate who knew how to exercise restraint. Which is why he’d contented himself with simply tossing the bum through the door. The second thing he would always remember was the look on the drunk’s face as he sailed through the air like a bird. Horror mixed with a surprise so complete he didn’t know how to react.
Some memories were priceless.
“I’m aware. But those aren’t what you’ll be fighting.” She motioned for him to step around her desk.
He did so, trying very hard not to notice just how into her personal space he had to get to watch the screen on her computer. Kallore was practically hovering over her shoulder. All he would need to do is lean forward and his face would be just next to hers. It was tempting, and for a moment Kallore almost did. Then the video started playing.
“This is your enemy.”
The gravity of her words stole his attention, the monitor showing a video. He focused on the screen. It was dark. The sound was muted, but it didn’t seem necessary. The owner of it stopped and light began to fill the room. They were underground, that much he could tell. The soldiers—and there was no doubt that’s what they were—swiftly set about rigging up some lighting, while others put together what looked like barricades.
