by Vella Day
The bar had a fair number of people in it for eight o’clock on a Thursday night. As usual, his brother was at the bar pouring a beer for a customer. Connor slid on the end stool, not wanting to engage in conversation.
When his brother was free, he came over. “Haven’t seen you in ages—what’s the occasion?”
Finn always complained that Connor worked too hard. “Thought I’d enjoy some R&R. After a few weeks of bodyguard duty, I’m ready for a break. Lexi’s brother is watching her.” He smiled, hoping to convince Finn he was glad he didn’t have to be by EmmaLee’s side.
“Mom said EmmaLee is really nice. I take it you didn’t think so?”
“She’s nice if not a little out there.” He couldn’t say that the woman had already invaded his soul or that his wolf wanted her something fierce.
Finn laughed. “Out there? Too much to handle, huh?”
Finn clearly saw through his lie. Connor leaned forward. “Actually, yes. I’m really confused. She’s my client, but I’m highly attracted to her.”
“Ah, I see the problem. Maybe you should bring her by, and I can study how she reacts to you.”
Then Finn would know for sure they were mates. “She’d like that I’m sure.”
“Great.”
You came here to get his opinion, his wolf asked. Ask him.
He’ll say to tell her the truth. Fuck. So why didn’t he? He would just as soon as the moment was right.
“Can I just get a beer?” Connor asked.
Chicken, his wolf growled, but Connor didn’t respond.
“Coming right up.”
Finn turned away to reach for a bottle and popped off the cap. As he returned to place it in front of Connor, he noticed the dark circles under his brother’s eyes. So, Connor wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been sleeping well either.
Finn slid the beer across the bar. “Jackson and Ainsley were just in here, by the way. He was chatting up a storm about how sweet EmmaLee was. I have to say, her interests are quite intriguing.”
Dear goddess. He didn’t need the town to know what she was working on. “They are indeed. Tell me, have you been sleeping?” Connor asked, wanting to change the subject.
His brother glanced off to the side. “It’s on and off.”
The sudden seriousness of his tone caught Connor off guard. “Are you having nightmares or something?”
“Nightmares? No. It’s more like I hear this amazing and sensual voice in my head, and then I see this gorgeous auburn haired beauty floating above me. She beckons me, and my wolf wants her really badly.” He waved a hand. “I figure it has to be the stress of being the manager here that is causing it. I’ve never dreamt anything like that before.”
Finn never let stress get to him. “Have you ever met this woman before?”
“No, never, but I swear I can smell her scent, and trust me, she’s not in my room.” Finn leaned closer. “I get so excited I have to do something about it, and that’s not like me.”
Finn never lacked female companionship. “I’m sure there are a lot of women who would be willing to ease your pain.” Connor probably should take his own advice, but no one other than EmmaLee would satisfy him.
Finn shook his head. “That’s the thing. I don’t think it would help. I was thinking of seeing a shrink, but what could he do other than prescribe some meds, claiming I’m anxious, but I’m not. This woman seems so real.”
“Does she have a name?”
“Kaleena.”
That was spooky. Connor dreamed of people, but if he hadn’t met them, he didn’t name them. “What else does she say or do?”
His face reddened. “She says we’re meant for each other.”
Connor leaned forward in order not to be overheard. “Meant for each other? As in she’s your fated mate?”
Finn looked off to the side before answering. “I think so. I know this sounds crazy, but I asked if we could meet.”
“What did she say?” Connor dreamed about EmmaLee, and each time, she answered him. Finn might not be overworked but rather in need of a mate.
His brother pressed his lips together, clearly debating how much to tell. “That the time would come when we would no longer be apart.”
Maybe Finn was losing it. “What are you going to do?”
“Do? It’s not like I can ask you or Jackson to search for her. She’s not real.”
“Maybe she is. I’m thinking you’ve met her but don’t remember. Was there some hot woman who you saw in here who caught your wolf’s attention?”
Finn slipped the white bar cloth off his shoulder and polished the already clean bar. “Not that I can think of. Besides, this woman is different than a normal woman.”
Now Finn was beginning to scare him. “What do you mean?”
His brother lifted one shoulder. “She’ll be fully human one minute and then almost transparent the next.” A small smile appeared. “Once I thought she even had wings! Yes, I know I’ve lost it.”
EmmaLee never changed forms in his dreams. Connor finished half of his glass. “How about seeing if Ophelia will meet with you? Dev said she was amazing with Vinea, revealing all sorts of things.”
“I might have to do that. Not that I’m really big into spells and shit, but hell, I can’t go on like this.”
Here Connor thought he had problems being around EmmaLee. Finn just might have it worse.
Chapter Nine
‡
“So tell me what Slater was like,” Ronan said after he explained why he’d suddenly shown up at her door instead of Connor.
Not that EmmaLee was surprised that Connor hadn’t come, but she was disappointed. She’d wanted to see him. If nothing else, she needed to discuss what Jackson had shown her regarding this other realm. That should make Connor more open-minded about the existence of dragon shifters.
She mentally shrugged. All she could think of was that Connor must be growing tired of her. If that were the case, maybe it was for the best that he kept his distance. Every time she was around him, her heart went on a rollercoaster ride. Stupid, really, since he consistently shut her out.
Ronan placed a hand on her arm. “EmmaLee? Are you okay?”
She jerked her attention back to him. “Yes, sorry.”
She’d never tell him Connor had been on her mind, nor would she admit that she wasn’t really in the mood to discuss Slater since she’d made a fool of herself over him. Slater needed to be caught, and if Ronan were willing to help, she’d do whatever it took.
“I get it. You’ve been through a lot.”
“I have. For the most part, Slater was a nice guy. He just had a bad temper, that’s all.”
“What was his trigger?” He pulled out his cell phone.
“Do you mean what set him off?” she asked. She’d already told Connor, but he must not have mentioned it.
“Yes. If, for example, a guy from work was hitting on you, did Slater become enraged?”
She chuckled. “No, Slater wasn’t the jealous type.” She sipped her coffee, trying to think if there was one thing that bothered him. “My research troubled him—at least it did at times.”
His eyebrows knit together. “What was it that made him mad?”
EmmaLee clasped her coffee cup with both hands and lifted it to her lips again. “Like Connor, he thought I was a bit crazy to be researching dragon shifters.”
“Dragon shifters upset him that much?”
She almost chuckled at his look of surprise. “Yes. I have to admit I can be a bit obsessive on the topic. I always assumed his anger stemmed from the fact he was jealous that I wasn’t paying him much mind, but there were a lot of times I had to study or work an extra shift and he was okay with that.”
“Did anything else bother him?”
She had to think back. “The first time he hit me, I’d just received a phone call from someone I used to date.”
“So he was the jealous type,” Ronan said.
Now, she was confused. “I don’
t know. Maybe. Slater was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That was what made it hard to walk away. After each angry episode, he’d say he was sorry, and I believed him. I always believed he’d change.”
“I’ve heard most men don’t.”
“You’re probably right,” she said. “But Slater oozed sincerity. I swear the man could charm a snake. He was definitely a slick one. I guess I was taken with him because he was more sophisticated than the usual Billard, Georgia man. Why he picked me to date, I don’t know.”
Ronan smiled. “Oh, come on now. You’re easy on the eyes, and your curiosity is contagious. You’re a smart girl. How many women in Billard are working on a master’s degree while having a full time job?”
What she wouldn’t give if Connor saw her that way. “Not many, I guess.”
Ronan made some notes. “What did he do for a living?”
“He managed a local department store.”
His forehead rose. “Would you say his main characteristic was that he was sophisticated?”
EmmaLee blew out a breath. She didn’t know what he was implying. She tried to find a better way to describe Slater. “Eerily smart might be a better word. Slater seemed to know things, like how things worked, better than the average man. I always told him he should open up his own store instead of working for someone else, but he said he didn’t want to be tied down.”
“What was the name of this store?”
“Hanson’s.”
Ronan leaned back in his seat and tapped his screen. “Is it a chain?”
“Yes. It’s mostly in the southern part of the US.” Ronan added that piece of information, but she didn’t see why it was relevant. “Do you think he will try to get hired at one of the other sites to be closer to me, assuming he knows where I am?” Connor thought that if Slater figured out where she was living, he might ask for a transfer.
“It’s possible, but he knows he’s a wanted man. Let me ask you this. I believe you mentioned that Slater liked to travel?” Ronan said.
She didn’t know how any of this would help find him. “Yes. He said he wasn’t good with staying in one place.”
“Who was his best friend in town?”
“He worked a lot and liked his alone time when he wasn’t with me, but he did hang out with Bubba a bit—the guy who owned the cabin in the woods.”
He typed in a note. “Okay. How did you meet Slater?” Ronan asked.
“At a bar. I was with a group of my girlfriends, and he offered to buy me a drink. The rest just happened.”
“I see.”
While Ronan might believe her answers could lead him to Slater, his questions had dredged up bad memories. EmmaLee yawned. “Do you think we can continue this at another time? All of a sudden, I’m exhausted. Maybe it was reading all those articles that did it.”
From the look in Ronan’s eyes, he didn’t buy her story, but he stood anyway. “I’ll give Connor a call to let him know I’m heading out.”
He was such a nice man, though she wished he wouldn’t tell Connor she’d be by herself. Then he might stop by and she wasn’t ready for more rejection. “Thank you.”
“Keep looking for that dragon shifter. If anyone can find him, you can.” With that he left.
EmmaLee sat there for a minute, trying to figure out what he meant? Why would he think she’d be successful when no one else had? She liked Ronan, but he was a strange one.
*
It was past nine by the time Connor rolled into his driveway. Finn asked more questions about EmmaLee, and even asked outright, if they were mates. Tired of lying, he told him the truth. Once he explained her situation, Finn agreed that Connor should wait a bit before they mated, but that he should let her know he wanted her. Whether he could express his emotions without making love with her was anyone’s guess.
As soon as Connor shut off the engine, his cell rang. From the area code, it was Ronan. “Hey there.”
“I’m sitting down the street from EmmaLee’s house now. She wanted to go to bed, so I left.”
“Everything go okay?”
“Yes. We spent quite a lot of time discussing Slater.”
“Learn anything useful?”
“I’m not sure. When I get back to the safe room, I’ll do a little research. I have a few ideas rattling around in my head.”
“I appreciate you watching her,” Connor said. More than he could know. From his tone, the two of them got along well. “I’ll call my dad to make sure he remains vigilant.” Unlike this morning.
“I’ll wait here five more minutes then take off.”
“Thanks.” Connor appreciated that Ronan didn’t want to take any chances with her life. As much as it made sense for EmmaLee to move in with him, Connor didn’t trust his wolf—or himself for that matter.
Try it, you’ll like it, his wolf urged.
Not bothering to answer, he called his dad who assured him he’d make sure to keep an eye out.
Knowing that his mate was in good hands, he dragged himself out of the car and went inside his house. While he was pleased EmmaLee seemed to be doing okay, Finn was not. He’d never seen his brother so upset in his life. Now that he’d told someone about the dreams, maybe they’d lesson in their frequency. Or so he hoped.
Connor grabbed a beer and drank it, though he didn’t enjoy it as much as usual. Guilt at not stopping by to see EmmaLee tugged at him. Since he had a few hours before he hit the hay, he decided to drive by the house just to check that she’d gone to bed, and then he’d return home and relax.
As he entered his parents’ drive, he decided to stop in. His dad might have some insight as to the best way to make sure Slater didn’t slip by unnoticed. Connor rang the bell to let them know they had company then tested the doorknob. To his surprise, it was locked.
His dad answered a moment later. “Hey, I thought I heard your car. Come on in.”
Connor looked around. “Where’s mom?”
“She had a headache and went to bed.”
While he was sorry to hear that, it was his father he wanted to speak with. “Are you still okay watching EmmaLee?”
His father smiled then walked into the den where he sat on his lounge chair. “Haven’t had to do much. Lexi picked her up this morning, and she wasn’t home for too long before Ronan showed. I appreciated the heads up that he was coming. At least he and Coghill look nothing alike.”
His dad was a good watchdog. “Thanks, but if any one comes by to take her someplace, please let me know.”
“Sure, son. Oh, I have good news.”
Connor hadn’t expected that, but most likely it was to change the subject. “What’s that?”
“I have a friend in the airline business who I asked to do a little snooping.”
“Dad.” Connor didn’t want the firm to get into legal trouble.
“She’s cool. Christine is a wolf shifter and knows how to keep her mouth shut.”
His father always did push the boundaries. “What did you learn?”
“Let me back up. Actually, Daniel and I called in some favors with our fellow shifters around the country. I sent them the photo of Coghill and asked them to be on the lookout for him.”
His father’s contacts were extensive. It would take Connor at least twenty years to have so many. “Don’t tell me they found him?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. He was spotted in New Orleans.”
His pulse soared. “That’s fantastic. Where exactly?”
His dad held up a hand. “Just hold your horses. Something strange is going on with this young man.”
Connor leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
“My airline friend said Coghill bought a ticket for a nonstop flight leaving Atlanta at eleven p.m. last night for New Orleans.”
“So?”
“He never got on the plane, yet he was seen at one in the morning at a bar in New Orleans. Apparently, there was a slight altercation that involved Slater Coghill. No one was hurt so there were no charges. When the
cop returned to the station and ran both names, he found that Coghill was wanted. When he returned to arrest him, he was gone.”
“He has been elusive, but it’s not strange that he bought a ticket but then didn’t use it. He could have purchased a non-refundable ticket a few days ago, and then decided to drive to New Orleans.”
“I thought of that, but Coghill checked in at nine at the ticket counter but never boarded the plane.”
That made no sense. “Are you sure it was him?”
“Yes.”
Connor tried to come up with a logical explanation. “He might have purchased a different airline ticket, especially if he thought someone was following him.”
“It’s possible. Jackson might be able to get a hold of the surveillance footage in New Orleans and check to see if he got off on different flight.”
Connor didn’t even want to know how many laws that would break. “This is good information. I might have to pay a visit to New Orleans. If I do, can I ask you to take care of EmmaLee?”
“You know I will.”
The tension in his body almost disappeared as soon as he learned Slater wasn’t in Tennessee. EmmaLee would be safe for a while unless Slater was headed in their direction.
Once Connor left his dad’s, he glanced at the guesthouse through the trees. The lights were on once more. Instead of driving to her place, he decided he could use the short walk to clear his head. Besides, his headlights might scare her if she was still up. He’d only meant to peek through the window to see if she was fine, but somehow his finger found the doorbell instead.
“Who is it?” she called.
Just hearing her voice had his wolf jumping up and down. “It’s Connor.”
The door opened, and all she was wearing was a thin nightgown underneath an open terrycloth robe. His heart pounded and his wolf clawed. This wasn’t good. “I have some news about Slater.”
“Really? Come in.”
As he stepped past her, her scent caused his teeth to sharpen. Stand down wolf, he commanded.
