“I was always this way. You were just so smitten with me that you didn’t notice,” he told her, shrugging.
“Right, Mr. Awkward. If not for the way you turned me into such a puddle last night, I’d have sworn you had never even been around women,” she laughed.
“What? Are you doubting my animal magnetism?” he joked.
“Oh, no. I don’t doubt it at all, but I suspect you do.”
“Maybe,” he laughed, kissing her again, this time on the lips and then darting up out of bed.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
She had her lower lip poked out as far as it would go in a mock pout. He laughed and waved a single finger at her as an indication that she wanted him to stay.
“I have to get away from you before you hold me hostage in bed all day. Come on, let’s get a shower, and we’ll get on the road. If you’re a good girl, I’ll get you a pocket full of croissants on the way out.”
“You really know how to show a girl a good time, don’t you?”
“Yes. I like to think so. Want to share a shower with me?”
“I’d love to,” she replied, hopping up out of bed and following him to the bathroom.
They took a bit of extra time as they washed one another and made love again as steam filled the room around them. Thomas washed her hair and then stepped out, leaving her to rinse her hair as he toweled off and began to get dressed. A few moments later, she joined him, quickly drying off and slipping into a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt that said ‘Mother of Dragons’ and displayed the three-headed House Targaryen dragon from Game of Thrones.
“Very funny,” he said.
“I think so,” she laughed. “It was my mother’s. I gave it to her as a joke.”
Thomas shook his head and grinned at her, unsure of what he should even say to that. Instead, he busied himself getting his stuff packed up. With a final look around, they made their way downstairs and checked out, grabbing a bite from the breakfast buffet before settling in for their trip back north.
They drove almost without stopping, their conversation a mixture of small talk about their childhoods and periodic singing along with the radio, Kara still failing to get him to join in with her as she sang. Their sole pause along the route was to refill the tank and take a quick break to stretch their legs. When they arrived, they went straight to the diner to see Cassi to tell her what they had found.
“You are sure Khalil is dead?” she asked.
“As sure as we can be given the time that has passed, but we were told that that part of the story seemed pretty solid.”
“And Advik? You think that maybe he turned out to be a tiger shifter rather than a dragon? You think it is him that intervened in this petty theft over in Dundalk?”
“We don’t know. It could be him, it could be a descendant, or it could be completely unrelated, but it is our only lead right now. It is as if Advik disappeared off the map after his father’s death. Before we left, Aaron ran both him and his father through the databases he has access to and turned up nothing. Do you remember anyone who might have come to see you, someone who maybe seemed familiar or was overly inquisitive?”
“Oh, honey. I come across so many people, and my memory isn’t what it used to be when it comes to details. I can’t say there is anyone who sticks out in my mind, though. Plus, I’m so old, it’s very likely that anyone that descended from Advik is already long gone, as he might be. It’s hard to say if my longevity was carried down in my family line, especially when you factor in tiger genes.”
“Okay, well it was worth a shot to ask,” Thomas told her.
“What will you do now?” she asked apprehensively.
“Just keep looking,” he replied.
He noted that Cassi’s eyes fell toward the table as she seemed to realize that he and Kara were holding hands. He supposed that she had been so wrapped up in conversation that she hadn’t noticed it before now. She smiled knowingly and nodded, then shifted her gaze back to Kara.
“Well, I have customers to get to, and I will let you two get back to things then,” she told them, standing up and smoothing down her apron. “Let me know when you know something, okay?”
“We certainly will,” Thomas told her. Kara hugged her, and they left.
“I guess we should have stayed and eaten lunch,” Kara said hesitantly.
“Probably, but I need to get over to headquarters and check in with Aaron. Now that we’re back in the area, we might be able to enlist some help to track down our tiger.”
“Oh, okay. Can you drop me off at home on the way? I could walk, but I have my bags and all.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re coming with me. We’ll talk to Aaron, and then we’ll eat in the cafeteria there.”
“Cafeteria food? Ugh, no thanks.”
“Don’t let the name fool you. They have some of the best food in town. It’s not exactly home cooking like Cassi’s, but it’s very good.”
“Am I allowed in headquarters?” she asked tentatively, seeming a little intimidated by the thought.
“Of course, you are. Come on,” he told her.
Sitting in front of Aaron a short time later, they told him what they had found. He looked from one of them to the other and nodded in acknowledgment as Thomas spoke, Kara interjecting answers from time to time. When they were done, he stood and looked at them.
“I was surprised when I learned about this part of Cassi’s past, but I guess she was young once, too. Still, a tiger shifter. It is a punishable offense in this village if we go strictly by the law. That’s why I’ve not mentioned it beyond these walls, but we’re facing yet another problem even if we do find this descendant. How can we possibly bring a tiger shifter into our fold as one of our own?”
“Do we have a choice, really?” Thomas asked.
“Of course, we have choices. We just don’t have any good ones. I’m going to have to think about this quite a bit and decide the best plan of action. In the meantime, I can’t afford to let anyone in on this, other than those I trust. I’ll bring your brother, and the McCord brothers into the fold to help you. Go ahead and grab something for lunch. I’ll get them in, and we’ll meet back here in an hour.”
“Sounds good. See you in an hour,” Thomas said.
They left Aaron pacing and scowling behind them as they made their way down to the cafeteria, hitting it just after the lunch rush when all the compound’s employees gathered in for their mid-day meal. It was fairly empty as they went through the line, and they found a table in one corner where it wasn’t so close to anyone that might overhear them talking. This whole thing was too big a mess to let it get out and cause panic.
“Do you really think he’ll do anything to Cassi or whomever her descendant turns out to be, assuming we even find one?”
“I don’t know. He’s in a tight spot. There is the law, but a lot of it is outdated. He’s already challenged a few of them and gotten the Council to cast them aside, by letting humans live among us. Now, he’s looking at having to go back to those same reluctant people and ask that a tiger shifter be welcomed in?”
“Maybe so, but they have to understand that the tiger shifter is also part dragon, even if incapable of shifting into one. Cassi is as much kin as the paternal line of the family.”
“Of course, and everyone thinks the world of Cassi, but this is a pretty big secret for her to keep all these years. Even if people are willing to forgive her for her youthful transgressions, they aren’t as quick to accept someone who is not one of their own. It’s just like Owen and Amy McCord; Aaron has made headway in getting the Council to allow them to wed and have their child in the village, but there are still many that cast a downward eye on Amy and Baby Dawn.”
“Small minded people,” Kara replied, stabbing a bite of the salad on her plate as she spoke.
“Yes, but our traditions and our culture have played a large part in keeping us safe from outsiders. Keeping to our own kind has kept us from inviting trouble
to our doorstep.”
“This tiger shifter can’t be a bad guy if he’s out saving damsels in distress,” she replied between bites.
Thomas nodded, his own mouth now full of the burger he had picked up from the hot food bar. He finished chewing and swallowed, preparing to say something else, when he noticed Kara looking past him. Then, he was pushed violently forward by a loud clap on his shoulder. He turned to see Josh standing there, smiling broadly.
“What’s up? What have you done, getting me dragged down here?”
“Not me, man. It’s a long story. I’ll save it for Aaron.”
He noted Josh looked past him toward Kara as if he recognized her but wasn’t quite sure. He realized that he hadn’t introduced them.
“Oh, Kara, this is my brother, Josh. Josh, this is Kara. She works down at the diner for Cassi, and is in the process of setting up her own accounting firm here in town,” he told him.
“And you brought her to your work cafeteria for lunch? You really know how to show a lady a good time,” Josh joked before turning back toward Kara. “It’s good to meet you, Kara. I remember you from the diner now. I’ve got to run and take care of a couple of things before this meeting, so I will see you in there, Thomas.”
“See you there,” Kara replied.
Josh looked at her curiously for a moment, but decided not to ask. He turned and headed down the hallway, leaving them to finish their lunch. Once they were done, they made their way back to Aaron’s office to see that everyone else was already gathered there, waiting on the dragon leader.
“Hey, Kara!” the McCord brothers said, almost in unison.
“Owen, Connor. Always good to see our best customers,” she said with a laugh.
“Unusual to see you here, though. You decided to get out of the diner business and join the Dragon Guard?” Connor teased.
“Something like that, at least for a very short time, it seems.”
They looked at her curiously but didn’t have a chance to ask before Aaron made his way into the room and took a seat behind his desk. He looked distraught – not his usual, upbeat self. Of course, Thomas supposed that part of that could probably be attributed to the fact that he hadn’t been getting much sleep with the new baby.
“Okay, guys. Let me catch those of you who haven’t been privy to this up to speed. First of all, it goes without saying that this is not to be repeated outside this room. We need to take care of this as quickly and quietly as we can.”
With that, he began laying out the situation for them with a bit of help here and there from Thomas. The three of them sat there nodding and frowning, especially Owen. He had a new baby to consider in all this, and his recently built house was almost surely built with funds from the questionable village banking system on land they might not own if this went bad.
“What can we do?” he asked.
“I just need as many trustworthy bodies on the street as we can get. We need to go over to Dundalk and run down as many people as we can that may know something about this tiger situation, then go from there.”
“Sounds like a wild goose chase,” Connor added.
“I know, but it is all we’ve got to go on. We’re running out of time, and we sure as hell don’t have the kind of money it might take to buy our own land back if it comes to that.”
By the time they were finished, everyone left with a sense of doom and gloom floating squarely above their heads. Each had been given a place to start and would head up to Dundalk this afternoon, and every day past that, to see what they could learn, until they either were assured of a dead end or found what they were looking for.
Days passed with no more information than they already had. Numerous people had seen the tiger, but none had seen anyone before that. No one could describe a man that had been nearby or name a person they knew was missing after that. It was if the man had wandered in and not been seen either before, or after, the incident. As for the woman that was attacked, she had survived, but later succumbed to an unrelated infection after a botched surgery.
None of them wanted to go back to Aaron without news, but they were getting to the end of their first week and had been unsuccessful in their efforts. Sitting down with him, he looked as if he had aged years in only a short period of time. He sat listening to them wearily and hung his head.
“Well, it’s time to make our case public. We’ll keep as many of the details to ourselves as possible, but we’ve got to see if anyone can help us.”
“You think someone in the village might know who it is?”
“I don’t know, but Cassi met this Khalil fellow in the area somewhere, right? So, if he was here, maybe other family members were here. Perhaps someone knows who they were, or where we can find them.”
“Maybe so. Alright, what do we do?” Thomas asked.
“I’ll call a town meeting for tonight. We’ll see what happens from there.”
The group filed out, distraught. So far, this wasn’t working out in their favor, but they were determined still. They had to be, considering the consequences.
Chapter 11
Whispers filtered through the crowd, each of them wondering what had brought them there. Aaron stood in the large, stone circle that made up the centerpiece of the open town hall meeting forum, which had been used for centuries to address their clan. He raised his hand, bringing the crowd to a hush as they all stood to face him.
“Ladies and gentleman, we currently have an issue that must be addressed with delicate hands and discretion. While I am not at liberty to discuss the full details with you all just yet, I am in need of your assistance in locating a tiger shifter that may, or may not, have at one time existed near our village. Some of you may be familiar with some rumors about a tiger assisting a woman being attacked in Dundalk several years ago. We believe that this is our shifter, and we are in desperate need of finding him or her.”
“Are we in danger?” someone shouted out from the crowd.
“You have nothing to fear from this tiger shifter, as far as I know. I am assuming that if the person came to the aid of a woman being robbed, it is of a kind nature. I simply need to talk with them, and anyone who can help me with that will be rewarded for their efforts.”
There was the usual battery of questions from the community, each concerned about what he might not be telling them, but he handled them with his usual diplomacy. Aaron was leaving nothing to chance as he repeated that if anyone found or knew where to find this shifter, no harm must come to the creature, as it was of vital importance that he speak with him or her.
Dismissing the crowd, he stepped out of the circle, joining his Council who stood nearby. One of the elders demanded to know what this was all about, but Aaron cautioned him to hold his tongue.
“You’ll know when the time is right. Until then, you will just have to trust me to do what is right for this village.”
Aaron called those he trusted – including Cassi – back to his private quarters. He wanted them all present as he spoke to her.
“Cassi, I want you to know that we are doing everything we can to take care of this problem without having the entire village know about the full situation for now. However, there is going to come a time when we must be honest about what has happened, and I hope you can understand that.”
“I do understand, Aaron,” she said quietly, looking down at her feet. Her face slowly lifted toward his as she continued. I wouldn’t have revealed the truth, had I not been prepared for the potential consequences.”
“Don’t fear persecution, Cassi. I know you’ve been around for much longer than most of us can even conceive, and you’ve lived through some very different times, when people were less forgiving of such things. However, this is a new day and a new time. I can’t promise you that the people here are going to welcome a tiger shifter into our mix, and there may be some blowback from certain parties, but you will face no prosecution from me or my Council.”
“I appreciate that,” Cassi said, offering not
hing further.
“We’ll talk more before this is done, Cassi. We’ve a lot of work to do before we can put it all behind us.”
“I know,” she replied. “May I go now?”
“Yes, of course,” he said.
All of them watched her as she headed toward the door. There came a knock at it just as she was about to open it, and she turned toward Aaron as if to question if she was to answer it. He nodded toward Owen who stood by, no doubt afraid the small, frail woman could not open the door anyway. Owen opened it to find a guard standing there, an elderly man by his side.
“Grandpa?” Kara called out, crossing the room toward him. The guard looked up at Aaron and was dismissed, leaving the man to be escorted into the room by Kara. Cassi turned to walk out the door, but he stopped her.
“Please, stay. You’ll want to hear this,” he told her.
Kara escorted the man to a chair, and Cassi returned to sit nearby. The man looked at her wearily, a faint smile on his lips.
“What is this about?” Aaron asked, as everyone looked on curiously.
“I know we’ve not formally met, Mr. Connelly,” he said, addressing Aaron more formally as older people were want to do. “I am Kara’s grandfather – well great-grandfather, actually. You are looking for a tiger shifter, and I can give you the information you seek.”
Kara’s eyes grew wide, as did those of everyone around her.
“Okay. I’m listening. We all are,” Aaron replied, sitting back down behind his desk.
“I’m afraid that if you were wanting to talk to him, you’ll be unable to do so. He is no longer with us, but I can tell you who he was, if you will tell me why you need to know.”
“Grandpa, this is really no time to question the dragon leader,” Kara said, seeming a bit embarrassed.
“No, Kara. It is fine for him to ask. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I’m at liberty to tell him the answer.”
“I will tell him,” Cassi replied. Thomas couldn’t help but note the way he looked at her as she spoke, his eyes riveted on hers, a small smile on his lips. “Mr. Sheaver, it’s a very long story as to how it happened, but we are in danger of losing our land and our village unless I can find a descendant of a reasonable age to which I can pass on the deed. This tiger shifter could very well be our only hope in doing that.”
Touched by a Dragon Page 7
