Sapphire kissed Dana on the mouth and left the kitchen. Mr. Crocket looked at him and then at the closed door that Sapphire had just left through. Shaking his head, not saying a word but smiling largely, he left the kitchen too and went outside. Life was never going to be boring around here, he thought. “She’ll have him thinking it was his idea by the end of the day, I’m thinking. That lady of yours, she’s slick.” He agreed with Betty. “And to think I was thinking you two might not need me. You do, to keep the ones she hires, that she doesn’t really need, working to earn their keep. Why, a woman like her, she has no more need for a gardener than I do. And I don’t have myself a garden anymore.” Dana was still laughing as he went to work in his offices. They were coming along nicely, and he was excited to be creating again. And the log project was just what he needed, he thought, to keep his mind occupied and not thinking of the man who might come to harm them. The sisters were safe, he knew that, but he did worry about them. They had been put into a deep sleep, one that wouldn’t harm them at all, but he still worried. They were his sisters too, as far as he was concerned, but he figured that having them as beautiful art was much better than having them chained to something and made to produce gems for the rest of their lives. His offices were nearly finished, he saw when he entered his domain. But he had things that he could set up and put away to get a start on things. His gems were in a large safe, much like the ones that they used for guns. But with his wife here and her sisters, he thought it might serve them all better if he got in a bigger one. It was being put in when he went to the section of the basement that was being set up for it. “Mr. Blankenship, it’s a good thing we had to take out those walls there. We wouldn’t have been able to get this in otherwise. I think the last one I saw that was this big was at the First National Bank in town.” They had torn out the wall behind where the safe was going to go, and were fitting it into the sub-walling. By putting it back into the wall, it was going to be flush with the rest of them. Otherwise, it was going to take up a lot of room. He gave them a little help, letting his dragon have some fun with installing it. “Wow, don’t think we could have done it without you. Thank you, sir.” “It was my pleasure. I cannot wait for this to be done. But I have to say, this is moving on a good deal faster than I thought it would. Thank you for that.” The man said that he didn’t mind at all, and his men needed the money. “Well good, I might have some other projects to do as well. The barn needs to be reinforced before winter again. Things like that.” “We’ve not had much of an occasion to work these last years. No one is building, and most people are trying to do the repairs or upgrades themselves. Hard times around here.” Dana told him things were looking up. “Yes, sir. We’ve a bid on a couple of the projects coming around the bend too. Looking forward to being busy all the time.” After that, he went to the side of the room where he was setting up his tables and lights. The boxes were stacked up the way he wanted them, all together by light, and the shelves were put together already. So, opening boxes, not bothering yet with hanging anything, he was thinking of his log piece when Sapphire joined him with a picnic basket. “Hey.” She grinned and asked him if he was hungry. “Shit, I forgot. We can go right now. I can do this anytime.” “No. It’s a dreary wet day and I thought we could just eat here. Besides, all the men are having lunch upstairs. Betty made soup and homemade bread. That’s what we’re having with our lunch too.” He started clearing off the big table he was going to use as a work area as she continued. “I noticed that the windows are up. And the door looked fantastic.” “To be honest with you, I’ve been thinking about anything but windows. How have you been? Getting things settled up with Mr. and Mrs. Crocket?” She said that they had very little to move. “I thought that might be the case. I’ve had the crew go over first thing when I got here to make sure that it had everything they’d need. The stove and the refrigerator have been replaced already—they were in terrible shape—and the grounds are getting a good once over. I figure that he’ll not want to mess with his own when ours is so big.” “Speaking of which, I’m going to have him hire a crew to take care of the orchard in the back. There hasn’t been anyone caring for it for some time, and it looks it. There are apple trees, as well as peach and pear. I don’t know what else. I was so saddened by the shape of the first part of the place that I didn’t want to go any further in.” He said to have him hire whoever he wanted. “I thought you’d say that. Also, his house is a rental, the one in town, did you know that?” “No. I mean, I just assumed that he owned it since he was getting himself a new stove.” She said that he’d been paying for things like that since they moved in. “That’s not right. If there is a problem, then the landlord should know about it.” “I agree with you. But it’s Danburn. I don’t think he knows that he owns a row of houses, along with the buildings that he owns. There are about seven of them there, and most of them, if not all, need some kind of upgrades.” Dana asked her if she’d told him about them. “No. I was kind of hoping you’d ask him to sell them to us.” “Why? I don’t care if we own them or not, but I think you have a reason.” She nodded and grinned at him. “Am I not going to like this?” “Oh, it’s nothing like that. What I was going to say was, we could own them, and when my sisters are sick of living here, which will happen, they can each have their own place to chill out. No one lives in four of the seven homes. Now five of them are empty. The lone two hold outs are one, a druggie, I think, and the other is a woman with five kids that should be living in something much larger. They’re only twobedroom homes.” “I’ll talk to him now.” She nodded and walked over to look at the safe. “I wanted whatever you had with your family to be safe. Do you have things that you could put in there? If not, then I can just have the extra space.” “I have a lot of things that should be in a safe. I’ve been picking up things made with my gems for decades. Silly, I know, but I sometimes marveled at the things that people did to them. When we go on a trip, I have to make myself cry, as you know. And happy tears, they make the best. I’ve been down in the dumps for some time, I think— not having a home did that to me. But the tears were sad, which makes for lighter colored emeralds. The same with the others. But there had been a few times when I was so thrilled with something that I laughed until I cried. I don’t know if this works for you or not, but the more we produce gems, sometimes we get these little shards of them that we just eat. They don’t hurt our system. But after a while, they lost their magic for us as well. We all four have shards of ourselves that we could store in there. Or you could use them.”
“I might, but this will be a good place to keep them in the meantime.” She walked to the drawing board that he’d only just gotten up. “I have some sketches of the log. I need a better name. Anyway, I’m going to bring them down here later, after they’re all finished.”
“I’d like to see it, when you’re finished.” He said she could come down here at any time. “I will. Also, I wanted to tell you that I’d like to someday, not right away, open a shop in town. With some of the things that the townspeople are making to make ends meet. I think, with your big name, you’ll draw them in, but they might stop by other shops too. Quaint ones that will make them a few dollars. The town, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, is starting to look better than it has before. I think that’s mostly to the new mayor. Rette is doing a fantastic job, don’t you think?”
“Yes, he is. And with Cassie at his side, the man is working wonders at the crime rate here too. It’s the lowest it’s ever been, Elissa told me.” He pulled her into his arms and held her. “I love you so much, Sapphire.” She said she loved him as well. “Good. Elissa wants to plan us a wedding.”
Chapter 5
Melville wasn’t ready to give up just yet. He wanted that woman. He’d like them both, the sapphire and the emerald, but he’d honestly take either one at this point. The thought of having an endless supply of gems like that—he’d be the richest man in the world. “I’ve been out there three times, Dad. All I can see is that man.” Melville
asked which one. “The one that owns the house. I think his name is Blankslip or something.” “Blankenship. And he’s a lord too. What the hell do you think they did to get such a title? I’d like one too.” His son mumbled something under his breath, but he decided to ignore it for now. Something about title of head asshole or something. “When do you have to go to work?” “In an hour. And so’s you know, the reviews are up soon, and if I don’t get better than a three, I’m out the door. Last time I skated by on a three point nine. I don’t think they’re going to be so generous this time.” He wasn’t lazy, nor was he stupid; he just had trouble reading, that was all. And no matter how many times he’d gotten him someone to help, Mel just couldn’t learn the right order for his letters. “Anyway, I talked to my counselor today, and she said that she’d call them, tell them that I’m working at it. I doubt that it’ll do me any good. And there are people there, these bullies, that are making it their business to make my life hellish. When are you going to go back home, Dad? You’re sort of eating me out of house and home.” “You going to apply for a job that doesn’t require you to read so much?” He said that he was turned down for it because he couldn’t work the computer either. “I’m sorry, son. I know that you’re trying very hard. As for me leaving, I told you I had three weeks of vacation coming. I’m going to use it all up for this, if I have to.” “All right. But really, you need to chip in on stuff. I don’t care for going out to dinner so much. I’d rather just hang out here.” If he wasn’t fired from this job too. Mel was only just shy of his twenty-fifth birthday, and couldn’t hold down a job for a lot of reasons. None of them were laziness nor that he didn’t try, but they got sick of him asking for extra help when it came to putting products away, how to make a sign look right in a grocery store, or getting the right cart in the right space at the hospital. He was dyslexic. Melville wasn’t sure that he’d have a job when he got back either. That was why he’d put in for all his vacation now. He was sure that they were just waiting for him to screw up again before they tossed him out the door. Melville wouldn’t have to work or live with his son if he could get that woman. Damn it, he hated Danburn. It was his turn to go and watch for the women. They’d been around a great deal until he’d tipped his hand. Now he didn’t have anything to go on but that he was pretty sure that they were at the lord’s house. He really was going to look into that and see how that worked to get a title. He was sure that it had to do with having some money. Which he did not. Anyway, it was pouring down rain, so he decided to drive over and sit at the end of the gated road to the house.
It must take a great deal of money to be as rich as these men were. Even before Sapphire came around here, he knew that English had money out the wazoo. Also, the other two men that seemed to be hanging around now, Newton and Welsh, they had it as well. And they were spreading it around like they had an endless supply of it. He supposed that had a lot to do with the women. If he could shit emeralds every time a bill came due, he’d never have to worry about his electric being shut off nor his car being out of gas all the time, he thought with a grimace. “What to do to get her in my grip?” He had heard all the rumors that the men were dragons. Melville had been one once. It had been a flux in the magic that he was getting and it had felt amazing. But it had only happened once, and it wasn’t enough. The witch that had helped him with the deed was sadly dead. In his happiness at being something so large and menacing looking, he’d accidently stepped on her. Melville didn’t not believe that there were some around, but whether or not these men were them, he wasn’t so sure. They were old, yes, very old, but then so was he. He’d been around enough shifters to know several things. One, never let them touch you. Well, he’d screwed that one up when Danburn threw him across the room already. Or anything that you used you took with you when you left. It was why he never drank from a glass, and why he brought his own silverware to a restaurant. Sure, he got looks, but he didn’t care. Playing up the eccentric old man was what legends were made of, he thought. Second was blood. He supposed that sort of went along with the first one, but blood was a done deal with shifters. Once they got even the littlest taste of you, they could find you in their sleep. Also, a rumor, but he believed that one. He’d seen a wolf track a woman all the way through a flooded creek bed to bring her home to her parents. Even drowned like she was, he’d found her. Third was never promise something to any of the shifter breeds that you couldn’t deliver on. He’d never had it happen to him, but he knew that they could be vindictive when they were double crossed. A friend of his had tried to run a scam on the local wolf pack, and hadn’t been heard from since. It was like he’d never existed. Even his place had been cleaned out of all his things. That kind of finality was scary as fuck to him. After several hours of nothing, not even a mail man to pass the time with, he went home. This was really getting bad. Not only did the women disappear right under his nose, but he couldn’t find Danburn either. Like he’d gone to earth, as they called it, and was never going to return. But he’d have to sooner or later or there would be trouble with things. He didn’t know what, but he was sure that the town was run by him, and they’d screw up without him around, he’d bet. Mel was sitting in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea when he got home. The coffee had run out two days ago, and since Mel didn’t drink it, he said that he wasn’t buying it. Little did Mel know that he was paying for a great many things that he didn’t know about or want. “Dad, look, the houses are being worked on.” He went to the window to see that his son was right. They were being worked on. At least there was a large construction company truck out front. And there she was, his sapphire. He’d started out the door when he saw the pack. “That’s the kind of house I’m going to buy me someday. I’ve been saving since I was able to work. Just a little thing that’s all mine.” Not paying any attention to what Mel was saying, he nearly told him that wasn’t going to happen, but the wolves there on the property were killing his plans to be rich. The wolf pack was large; he’d heard a great deal about it when he’d been doing research on the area. You did not want to fuck with the Canon wolves. And if you did, you’d better have your will filled out and filed, as well as your next of kin notified that you were stupid. In a matter of seconds after you fucked up, he’d heard, you were a dead man. Well, at least one that no longer was a problem. Like his friend that had fucked around with another pack, you were made to disappear. Pronto. So, all he could do was wait to see if she was stupid enough to bring her sister around so that he could claim her. Of course, his paperwork was all filled out, but he’d yet to find Danburn to file it with him. But get her he would. Then.... Well, then he’d have to figure out what to do with her. After claiming her, he knew that he’d have to show good cause for keeping her. It wasn’t like he was going to wed Sapphire or anything. So really, he knew that ship had sailed with the blue sapphire. “Her mate took her as soon as we were gone.” Mel asked where he would have taken her, but Melville had ignored the question for a few of his own. “Where is the other woman? The emerald? I need her. Everyone knows that emeralds are worth more.” Melville had no idea if they were or not, but that was how he was going to spin it. That way when asked, and he was sure that someone would, he’d say he needed her because she was like a rich gem to him. And she was. Just not like they would have thought he meant. No one knew what he was. Because of all the blackness that he held, it was difficult to pinpoint just what sort of monster he was. Melville had cultivated that over the decades to make sure that they didn’t. His son, he wasn’t his either. Melville had stolen him one night when the mother of the child had died given birth. Of course, he’d had a hand in that too, but his son had never asked, and he felt no reason whatsoever to tell him. It was his secret to bear, and he did so with a light heart. Had he to do it over, however, he would have let him die with his druggie mother. Melville dabbled in the black arts. It was what had kept him alive for so long. He never took more than he needed—well, that wasn’t entirely true. When he needed a boost, he would kill. Then the
re were the times that he needed a thrill. Those were becoming more and more a weekly thing rather than several times a year. The people that he got the thrill from, it wasn’t as if it was as bad as it sounded, he told himself—they were the ones that screamed a great deal and kept begging. He would set a trap, and if they fell into it, he figured that he was doing the world a favor by killing off the completely stupid. Like some people he had been thinking about for the last several days. His son for one. The kid had been nice to have around—he could draw a crowd to him like nothing ever had before. But he was getting bossy about him finding another place to live. Harping on him about his habits of watching television all through the night. He had raised him, he should be glad to have him around. And when he found out about his money, Melville was sure that was going to get him into hot water too. Ingrate. Danburn would be the second person. To kill off Danburn would be a large feather in his hat. Not that he could put it there; he did have enemies that would go to the first dragon they saw and tell them what he’d done. Melville had even considered killing Danburn’s mother. Surely as a dragon, if indeed she was one, she’d be an old and feeble one. And where was the father, if not dead? Melville decided to go for her rather than the younger man when he wanted a thrill again. Things were progressing slowly. He didn’t have the time or resources to go after the woman for a long period of time. As it was now, he only had a few weeks left of his vacation before he had to return to his job. And then once there, it would be another year before he could come back and get her. Even if he could get her. It was looking more and more like he wasn’t going to this trip. But damn it, he was going to be so broke, more so than he was even now. By then she might well be mated, or worse yet, someone else might have gotten her. “Dad?” He looked at his son and wondered what his father had looked like. His son looked nothing like him. He wouldn’t, of course, but he did wonder how fucking handsome he’d been to have such a beautiful son. The mother had been beautiful too. Right up until he slashed her throat when she told him “no” about selling him the baby. Oh, to do it over again. He might well have fucked her first. “What did you want to do about dinner? I wouldn’t mind staying home if you’re going to that diner again. They have really good food, but I’m sick of eating out. Which reminds me, you need to chip in for groceries. I’ve asked you that now for two days.” Lucky for Melville, his son had lived here before the girl had come here or he might well have used up all of his cash on a hotel. Instead they were eating out. Which, by his estimation, was still cheaper than the hotel would have cost him. The diner gave large portions, as well as free drinks with your order of two dinners or more. And the desserts were out of this world fantastic. “Yes, all right. But tomorrow, we’re not going there for breakfast. I have to have cash to go home on.” He didn’t have much left of that even. Melville had never been any good with money. Especially when it belonged to someone else. And that was about to dry up too. Most of his peers, people that had studied the dark arts like he had, they had saved and saved their cash when they’d been around. Now that they were all dead, he figured who was going to spend their money? No one. It bought their funerals and had paid off a few bills, but they had nothing to show for being on this earth. He was going to leave behind a legacy that people for decades would talk about. Of course, he’d be there when they did. Melville planned never to die, not with an unlimited supply of cash. Melville had been having fun while he had it. Stealing hadn’t ever been something that he was really into. He would, he thought, steal whatever was out where he could get it. But he found it to be boring to take something and then have to hide it someplace so that the police or the person that he stole if from wouldn’t find him. But when he had cash, which really wasn’t that often, he would spend it like it was going to last forever. And then he’d be broke again, making promises to himself to spend better. But that never lasted. As soon as he had money after so long without it, he would spend it willy nilly once more. He finally talked his son into going with him and they walked to the diner since Mel didn’t live that far from it. Usually they were both so full on the way home that they’d nearly fall asleep driving even a short distance. He asked his son what he was going to get. “I heard that the blue-plate special is pork chops. I think that’s what I’m going to get. Or the pot pie.” A pie as big as your head for less than four bucks. And that would include the tea that he’d drink and all the rolls he could stuff in his face. He wondered why his son never gained an ounce, either, when he was eating that sort of stuff. “What are you going to get, Dad?” “I don’t know. I was thinking the meatloaf. If it’s anything like their pot roast, I’m going to be in heaven.” Mel said he didn’t care for meatloaf. “Why not? My goodness, son, it has all the stuff in it you like. Meat and.... Well, I don’t know what else is in it, but you like meat, don’t you?” As soon as they were in the restaurant, he saw a plate of chops and decided that was what he was going to get as well. “Hey, Mel, I need for you to do something for me.” He asked him what that might be as he munched on the bread after they were seated. “I need you to try and get this girl to go out with you. She’s beautiful and nice. Not super sweet, but nice when she wants to be. Why don’t you ask her out, so I can take her?” “This woman you’ve been calling a ball buster for a week now? You want me to date her?” Mel laughed. “I love you, Dad, but I’m so not going there. I’m not a ball buster sort of man. She’d break me if I asked her out. Not to mention, I don’t date all that much, and getting a Friday night off from work is impossible. No, I don’t think so.” “Why would you think something like that?” He only cocked a brow at him. “You’re a good-looking man. You have a job. A car. Money in the bank.” Well, he did until Melville was given access to his accounts. “Ask her out and I’ll do the rest.” “She’ll kill me if she found out that I lured her to you, and not think a thing about it. You said she was a dragon. How do you know that she won’t burn me to a crisp and then walk away like nothing happened? Why the hell would you even think that I’d be able to pull it off?” He repeated what he’d just told him. “Dad, good looks and money do not buy a woman such as her to like you. You need to be savage and funny. Have intelligence and a wit to banter with her. I have not one of those things. I don’t even know why you’d think it would work. Or for that matter, why you’re bothering with this at all. Mr. English said to back off, and I think you should.” “Because I’m getting desperate. And believe it or not, not everyone listens to every word that comes out of his mouth.” He was too, getting desperate, he realized. In a few days his son was going to figure out that he’d overdrawn his account, and then he’d have to explain what he’d done. It took money to get money. And the horses didn’t pay off every time he made a bet. Sadly. “At least think about it. You might be my only ticket to getting close to this woman.”
Dana Page 6
