by Jo Vanz
“The Elders of who, exactly? I mean I already figured out that Paul is neither human nor vampire, so I am guessing that y’all are not either. I mean you have the same silver eyes as he does, so that means it is genetic, also that you are not turned like vampires.” Katie paused to take a breath but Fabian cut in before she could say any more. Katie was relieved more than she was mad when she realized that she had yet again jabbered on when she should have just kept her mouth shut.
“So you are not only quicker than my sons, you are also pretty smart. Why don’t you go ahead and sit down, tell us everything you know and what happened last night. That way we can go from there.” He led Katie back over to her chair and waited for her to sit down.
Katie took a deep breath before she started to calm her nerves. “Well, honestly I do not know much. All I know is he is a wanted man and what he looks like. Last night it was sheer luck that I ran into him. I was out looking into reports that he had been seen a few days earlier. I had come out of a coffee shop to see him standing across the street.” Katie looked down at her hands. “As soon as he saw me, he turned and ran. I, of course, followed him, but,” Katie paused because she did not want to say it out loud. “He somehow escaped. I do not know what happened. No one ever gets away from me.” Katie looked up at Fabian. “I will catch him. I promise.”
Mark walked over and laid his hand on Katie’s shoulder. “It is not your fault, Detective. You were not given all the information that was needed to capture Paul. That will not happen again.” He turned and walked over to stand by the door.
“Detective,” Fabian caught her attention. “We would like for you to come work for us. We can pay you a lot more than you make here. You would also be the head of investigations.”
“You cannot come in here and take my best detective from me,” Director Mole managed to squeak out.
Fabian turned to look at him. “I believe I just did. Well, that is if she agrees to join us. You should have fully briefed your detective. She could have been killed.” He turned back to Katie, “If you stay here, I am afraid you will not be permitted to continue looking for Paul. I can no longer trust this with the vampires.”
“Well, when you put it like that,” Katie stood, “consider yourself my new boss.”
“Good, here is the address,” he handed her a card with the address and a phone number. “Be there at seven in the morning.” With that, all three men turned and walked out, leaving her alone with the Director.
“Look, Katie, I was only trying to protect you. I never wanted to put you in danger. Just promise me that you will stay safe.” Director Mole looked his age for the first time since Katie had started working for him. It was like he aged twenty years in the past hour.
Katie did not know what else to say, so she simply said, “I promise.” She then turned and walked out of his office and straight to her desk, quickly cleaning it out. She wanted to get out of here before the day shift arrived. She may not have made many friends here, but she did not want to explain what was going on to anyone. “It is time for a new start,” she whispered as she looked around the office one last time. She silently said good bye as she walked out, never looking back as she walked home.
***
Paul had finally woken shortly after Katie had vanished. By the time he had realized what was going on, Katie was already leaving her apartment. He had taken a cold shower to try and calm himself down. He had not meant for things to go as far as they had but he had lost all control over himself.
Paul had then put on clean clothes and headed out to watch Katie. He could not see anyone through the front window of the precinct, but knew Katie was there because her purse sat on top of her desk. After about forty-five minutes, the door in the back of the office opened. Paul froze almost immediately. Out walked his father and two brothers. He knew that the Elders were hunting him, but why would they send his family?
He stepped back behind the cover of the coffee shop. Sweet aromas swirled all around him as he watched his father and brothers. They all came out of the precinct, head held high, true alphas wherever they went. Paul’s own dragon was wanting to pound his chest and show dominance. They had been in there with Katie, a thought that Paul did not like.
They all climbed into a black town car that sped off the second the back door was closed. Paul did not dare to move. He was afraid one of them would look back and spot him hiding here so he leaned against the wall and waited until he saw Katie. Standing up straight, he watched as she made her way to her desk and started putting things into a box. What the hell was going on?
Katie was quick about gathering her stuff. Within minutes, she was already headed out of the precinct, box in tow. Had she been fired? It looked that way, but why? Paul was not sure but he was willing to bet that it had been because of him. He gave himself a mental kick. So now not only was Katie alone, but she was jobless, too.
Paul followed Katie as she made her way down the street toward their apartments. He made sure that he kept ample space between them just in case she turned around again, all the while berating himself for getting her fired. It was not fair that she was being punished because she had not apprehended him the night before. Pure bullshit! He would figure out a way to fix this but first, he needed more answers about Katie.
The dream last night had left Paul with even more questions than before. With the questions came hope. He should not have been able to fully connect with Katie the way he had. The white rock only allowed him to tap into a human’s mind to find the answers he needed, but he had fully connected with Katie. Had shared an intimate dream. It made him think that she could be a dragon. If she was then why had she not grown up among them? Why was she living out there in a world of monsters and not where she belonged, with the dragon race?
Paul was not sure, but he knew he needed to figure out why these females kept popping up. For so long, the dragon race believed that the females were dying as infants. Something was wrong, Paul could feel it in his gut. He may be on the shit list of his race but that did not mean that he was willing to let them continue thinking that the females were dead. Paul got the feeling that Katie was the key to everything, he just needed to find another way to get answers. He did not trust himself enough to connect with her mind again, so it had to be done in person this time.
Chapter 4
Katie walked around her quiet apartment. She was not used to being here during the day and she felt lonely. After cleaning the apartment and doing her laundry, Katie sat down on the couch and tried to watch T.V. but after about fifteen minutes, she turned it back off. Did people really enjoy watching crappy drama shows? Surely there should be a limit on how many times you kill someone off of a show just to bring them back. She stood back up and made another loop around her apartment. She felt trapped. She needed out of here, needed to be around people. Even if she did not interact with them, she enjoyed watching them and trying to figure out their lives just by their actions.
Katie went and grabbed her purse off the kitchen table. As she slung it onto her shoulder, it brushed over her breast. She froze as the memory of last night’s dream came barreling back to the front of her mind. Paul’s hands roaming her body as his mouth devoured hers. Katie moaned. She put her bag back down and went to the bathroom, quickly stripping out of her clothes and turning on a cold shower. She hopped into the shower and welcomed the shock of the frosty water against her warm skin. She needed to get the thoughts of Paul out of her head.
The water poured over her head and Katie moaned as a shiver ran through her body. It made her think of the way her body had reacted to Paul’s touch. “Damn it!” she screamed. This was supposed to work, not make things worse. How was she going to be able to go after a man that she kept fantasizing about? Even now she could feel his hands all over her. The dream had felt so real, the heat of their bodies entwining as they pressed against each other.
Katie slammed the shower off, ripping the towel off the rack and quickly drying off. She tried her best t
o ignore her body as the towel swiped over the sensitive parts of her. Throwing the towel into the hamper, Katie quickly made her way into the bedroom and threw on some clothes. She needed to get out of here, away from her own thoughts. Maybe she should go out and pamper herself.
Katie liked that idea. Maybe get her hair and nails done, find her some new clothes for her first day of work tomorrow. In the past three years she had not taken any time to go out and do these types of things, never took a day off for herself. It was long overdue. Plus, it kept her out of this small space she called an apartment. Maybe it would help erase Paul from her thoughts, too.
She walked back to the bathroom and swiftly brushed her hair. She reached down and pulled open the middle drawer and pulled out make-up that she barely ever wore. She did her best to apply it. Even though no one ever really showed her how to put it on, Katie thought the end result was pretty good. She took one last look in the mirror before she turned and headed back out to get her purse.
This was going to be a relaxing day, no matter what. She would force herself to have a good time, even if she would rather be at work. God, she was hopeless. She threw her purse over her shoulder and pulled out her keys. She rushed herself to the door and swung it open.
Katie came to an abrupt stop. There, laying on the floor right outside her door, was a little white envelope. At first she thought that maybe someone had accidently dropped it, but then she saw her name embossed in gold on the front of it. “What the hell?” she muttered as she bent down and picked it up. Who would leave her note? Paul, a little voice said inside her head. Katie shook her head. Why would he leave her anything? After all, last night was only a dream. She slipped her finger under the flap and ripped it open.
Dear Katie,
I know you are looking for me. Please meet me tonight where you first spotted me at dusk. Come alone or I will not show myself. We need to speak about the Elders. They are very dangerous. Remember what I said last night, we are older than any vampire.
Sincerely,
Paul Ivers
P.S. That kiss was amazing. I hope to do it again, this time in person.
Katie was hit by several emotions all at once. Her body reacted at the thought that she could possibly kiss Paul in real life and not just a dream. “Wait…that was just a dream, right?” she whispered. If she was understanding the note then no, it was something more. But what? She had a block against telepathic intrusions so how was it possible for Paul to connect with her through her dreams? Add that to the ever growing list of questions that Katie had about him. She needed answers. The best way to get them was to talk to him.
Katie did not have anyone that she trusted, so it looked like Paul was going to get his wish. She would meet up with him, but only to get the answers she needed and then she would arrest him. Good thing she kept her handcuffs and badge. But where would she take him? She did not know but she would figure it out. Now, how would she get all the answers she wanted without giving Paul the chance to ruin it all?
She would use the best weapon in her arsenal - her body. Hell, she was leaving to go get pampered today, she might as well just make herself look downright sexy. He would be putty in her hands by the end of the night. Everyone would win by the time she got home tonight. Well, everyone except for Paul. He would be in her handcuffs as soon as possible. Katie quickly slipped the note into her purse and left to get some shopping done. She glanced at her watch as she exited the building. She would have just over five hours to get ready. Perfect. She smiled to herself as she hailed a cab.
The rest of the day went by quickly. Katie had her hair cut into a short A-cut bob and then dyed brown with red and blond streaks. Her nails were painted a deep purple. Katie liked that color, it sang to her the second her eyes landed on it. She then spent the next few hours hopping from one store to another, trying to find the perfect outfit. She finally ended up getting a short, silver club dress with a low-dipping V-neck. Her boobs looked fabulous in it, plus the color reminded her of Paul’s eyes. After a few more stores, Katie found the perfect pair of black leather knee-high boots. She loved the feeling of the soft leather against her skin. The way they hugged her legs but still gave her room to hide a few knives inside of them.
Twenty minutes later, Katie was standing in her bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was amazing. She took her own breath away. Katie did not recognize herself. For the first time in her life, she truly felt sexy. She felt as though she could bring any man to his knees. She was so use to wearing her jeans and heels that she had forgotten that she had a body under them. She loved seeing all of her curves. Sure, she did not have very many but the way the dress hugged her, it showcased all of her assets.
With a sigh, Katie turned away from the mirror and headed to the kitchen table. She grabbed the knives off the table and slipped two in each boot. She grabbed her purse and double-checked to make sure that her handcuffs and phone were tucked inside. She cleared her throat, squared her shoulders, and made her way to the front door, pushing all her fears aside. It was time to get this all done and over with.
***
Paul stood across the street from the coffee shop, pulling on all of his magic to hide him just in case Katie decided to bring backup with her. Honestly, he was just praying that she would show up. He really did not expect her to, but he had made the offer. After he saw his family leave the precinct, Paul had watched as Katie packed up her things and left. She looked almost excited and that had confused him. If she had been fired then why was she so happy? He had already planned to contact Katie in person, this only pushed up his time table.
Paul felt an overwhelming need to protect Katie from his family and the rest of the Elders. If they even suspected that she was a dragon, just as he did, then she would be in a lot of trouble. If she was in fact a dragon, then there was a good chance she would be dead within the next few months. The thought had Paul’s blood boiling. He needed to do something. Anything.
Paul took another look around, hoping to see Katie in the crowd of people heading his way. The sun was starting to set and with it came a slight breeze, erasing the heat of the day. It did nothing to cool him off. He was on edge, the need to see Katie growing with every passing second. To know that she was still alive, that his family had not found out about her. To feel her soft skin again, only this time in real life and not just in his mind.
Paul stepped out onto the sidewalk and quickly made his way across the street. He decided that he did not care if she showed up here with the Elders in tow, he was going to stand outside the coffee shop and wait for her. He slowly released the magic that surrounded him, leaning against the wall behind a couple that seemed to be wrapped up in each other. Paul longed to have that with someone.
A clicking of heels caught Paul’s attention. He could not figure out why the sound stood out to him, until Katie walked around the corner. His knees started to buckle as he took in the view of her. His eyes followed the dip of her dress around her scrumptious breasts and he licked his suddenly dry lips. His gaze moved down to follow the curve of her body, stopping on the sway of her hips. Back and forth, back and forth. It was like she was ticking down the seconds until Paul was done for. The wind blew her hair out of her face, the movement bringing Paul back from his thoughts.
As Katie walked up to Paul, she pulled out her badge. “Paul Ivers, you are under arrest. The way I see it, you have two choices - you can either run or you can choose to come with me willingly. Either way works for me.” She came to a stop within touching distance of Paul.
Paul’s hand itched to reach out and run his fingers down her cheek. He shook his head to try and dislodge the thoughts of what he wanted to do to her and cleared his throat. “Can I offer a third option?” He smiled.
Katie looked as if she was deep in thought. “You can offer whatever you like. But I will warn you, it had better be good or I will certainly decline it. Then we will be back at square one.”
“Okay, I offer
this,” Paul said with a smile that he hoped made him look charming. “We go out to dinner and talk. I would like to give you my side of things. Then if you still want to arrest me, I will not fight it.”
Katie was silent for what seemed liked an eternity to Paul. She had a look of shock written all over her face. Paul hoped and prayed that this was a good thing. That he had caught her off guard and she would agree to have dinner with him. He needed her to hear his side of things. Needed to ask her so many questions and hopefully get the answers.
“I guess that does not sound like a bad idea. I am hungry.” She looked up at Paul and her voice lowered. “I will agree to this on one condition. Do not try and kiss me again. I am not sure what exactly happened last night, but I do know that it should not happen again.”
Paul laughed. “I will be on my best behavior, I promise.” He smiled. “But I am afraid that if you decide to kiss me, I will not fight it.” He winked at Katie, causing her to blush.
Paul knew he was playing with fire, but he could not help himself. It was just so cute. The emotions that she usually kept hidden away played across her face. Over the past month that Paul had been following Katie, he had never been close enough to touch her. Now that he was, all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms. He fought himself. All it would do at that point was piss her off, and he did not want to do that. He loved seeing her smile.
Chapter 5
Katie was confused and a little dumbstruck. As much as she wanted to arrest Paul, she knew that she couldn’t. She still had not figured out where she would take him if she did. Katie just liked threatening him with it. Hopefully by going at Paul from several different angles, she would get the answers she needed.
Katie had thought about everything all day, going over and over all the possibilities. She had never expected Paul to ask her to dinner but she had to admit, it was a good tactic. He was trying to throw her off, maybe lower her guard enough that she would feel sympathetic to him. Katie admired his tactics even if she knew they would never work. Okay, so they might work. She had a feeling that by the end of the night, she would not want to arrest Paul. Handcuff him to her bed, maybe, but not lock him into a small cell. She smiled. “All right, let’s get this over with. Where are we going?”
