“It means if there’s anything troubling you. Anything that you don’t want to share with anyone else…I’m here for you.” His mouth turned up at the corners, but he didn’t smile. “Sorry, I shouldn’t pry. We’ve just met and I’m pushing you too hard.”
Nana didn’t answer, she simply stared over his shoulder to the mountain that stood watching over them. Since coming to live close to the town of Bear Creek, she learned all about shifters, and part of her longed to have that other side. A side that would carry her on four legs up the lower slopes and further.
Over the hills and far away.
When she was younger, listening to her drunk dad beat up her drugged-up mom, she used to hide under the covers with her threadbare teddy bear and a battered book she’d found in a trash can when her mom was scavenging for cigarette butts. The book was filled with fairy tales that gave her hope that one day she would escape her life like Cinderella. And she had. The Chance family had given her a fresh start, no Prince Charming needed.
Now, George was here and if she asked him to, if she gave him the merest hint that she needed him to protect her, or wake her up with true love’s kiss, then he would. But at what cost? Vito Jerrell had a way of getting what he wanted, and she didn’t want George, or the children, caught up in that world.
Caught up in the dark and sordid world she’d escaped from when she walked up the hill to Chance Heights and had been given a fresh start. When Kyle and Honor died, she’d taken on the children and the house and helped them build Chance Heights Activity Center into the amazing business it was today. Nana did this with one thought in her head—she would do whatever it took to prevent the children she loved from experiencing the kind of childhood she had.
“I need time.” It was the only answer she could give him.
“We have all the time in the world,” George told her gently, his eyes searing her skin as he gazed on her face. In an involuntary motion, her tongue snaked out and moistened her lips, as if inviting him to kiss her. He did. Not the heart-pounding kiss of a lover, but a chaste kiss on her cheek, that left an indelible mark.
“I want to believe that.” She turned her face to his, their eyes locked together. “I’m sorry I can’t give you more right now.”
He shook his head, his forehead creasing. “I don’t expect anything else. This is a shock for you. If you were a shifter, you would feel the same way as me. But you’re not. I’m a patient man, Nana. Take all the time you need.”
With that, he turned and got in his car before she had a chance to tell him she did feel the mating bond, too, or at least a deep connection to him. As he drove off he waved from the rolled-down window and then disappeared from her life as if he had been a dream.
The sun rose high in the sky, its heat less intense in the late summer season as Nana stood rooted to the spot and stared after George. Since coming here to Chance Heights, her life had been one of routine. A dull routine to some. Raising the children consisted of washing, cleaning, feeding, school runs, and homework. Nana had lived every minute of it, from the unbearable heartbreak of loss, to the unfathomable love for other human beings, and the discovery of an unimaginably deep well of love and happiness inside her that she never knew possible.
Sounds of movement behind her jerked her back to life as if a puppet master pulled her strings. Wasn’t that what Vito wanted to be? The puppet master, making her do whatever he wanted…or else.
Nana’s hand went to her jacket pocket and she curled her fingers around her smartphone. Nana wasn’t sure how he’d gotten her number, but the threatening texts, complete with photos of the house made his threat all too real. She’d thought about blocking his number. But doing that wouldn’t block him out of her life.
To keep her family safe, she would have to walk away from them and give herself over to Vito. Her life here, the dream she’d lived, was over.
Nana placed her hand on her heart, stemming the grief, the loss of love that would cripple her if she let it. She was strong once, she could be strong again. Her only other regret was that George had gotten dragged into this, too.
Chapter Four – George
When George drove away from Chance Heights, his emotions were a conundrum he couldn’t solve. Joy filled his heart at the realization he’d found his mate, and yet that joy was tempered by unease.
Nana was in trouble. He’d seen the same expression, a mixture of worry and fear, hidden under an attempt at normality before in some of his students. But whatever trouble she was in, the Chance children were not aware of it. That was Nana’s choice, of course, and he would respect it, but he could not stand by and do nothing.
Maybe being a history teacher meant he liked interfering and ferreting out information about the past. However, finding out what was troubling Nana went deeper, it wasn’t about exposing the truth, it was about helping his mate.
He drove toward Bear Creek, he was due to meet Thorn to go over the last details of a new exhibit before they made an announcement to the press. They had worked on it tirelessly for the last ten days, pulling it all together in record time thanks to the enthusiasm of others.
He could not allow his own enthusiasm and commitment to the project to be tempered by his worry for Nana. She needed time, and sleep. Maybe when she’d recovered from her journey she would be ready to talk, to open up to him.
Parking his car in the museum parking lot, he got out and walked toward the impressive building that once belonged to the same Peregrine ‘Perry’ Manning who had sent the dragons into Ancient Slumber. Thorn was a descendant of Perry and the true mate of one of the dragon shifters who had only recently awoken. The chain of events that followed had changed George's life. But not as much as the knowledge he had a mate.
George entered the museum through the large ornate wooden doors where he paused, absorbing the atmosphere of the cool building within. He’d always loved the building, with its high domed ceilings and cool marble floor, though the basement was his favorite part of the building. Dark, with an air of secrecy, this was where the museum stored all the pieces of history that could not be displayed. Although today, it stored the new exhibit.
“George.” Thorn’s voice jerked him out of his reverie, and he focused his eyes on the young man who had brought George out of his staid retirement and awoken the adventurer inside him and showed him dragons actually existed!
“Thorn, sorry, I was in a dream.” George crossed the museum foyer under the watchful gaze of Thorn.
“What happened?” Thorn asked, his eyes narrowing as George avoided his gaze. “George?”
“I found my mate.” George sighed and put his hands on his hips.
“Let’s talk in my office.” Thorn turned on his heel and walked across the marble floor of what was once his ancestor’s home, and took the stairs of the ornate staircase two at a time. George followed close behind, neither of them speaking until they were inside Thorn’s office in one of the turret rooms at the top of the building.
Thorn went to his desk, took out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey and poured without asking if George wanted a drink this early in the day. Was it that obvious that he needed a drink?
“Thanks.” George accepted a glass and took a gulp, wincing as the liquor burned his throat before spreading heat through his veins.
Thorn sat down at his desk and George mirrored the movement, seating himself across the solid wooden table littered with books and maps, ready for the grilling he knew was coming.
“So?” Thorn raised his eyebrows.
“I met my mate,” George replied simply as he composed his thoughts into coherent sentences.
“And?” Thorn’s concerned expression darkened. “Forgive me for being blunt, George, but you don’t look like a man who just met his mate. Which means she’s either very old, very young, or in trouble.”
George raised his glass and then drank again. “As astute as always, Thorn.”
“I’m going for in trouble, by the look of your expression.” Thorn leaned back in his c
hair. “What can I do to help?”
George shrugged. “I don’t know. Not until I know what’s wrong. I can’t pry into her personal life when we’ve only just met. I’m a stranger to her. I might know we’re meant to be together forever, but it’s harder for a non-shifter to throw themselves into a relationship without doubts or the need to hold back.” George took another slug of whiskey. “Thanks for the offer though, Thorn.”
“Anytime, you know that.” Thorn studied George for a moment. “We could always do our own research.”
“No,” George replied adamantly. “I’m not willing to pry into Nana’s past.”
“Nana. Where do I recognize that name from?” Thorn frowned and then his face cleared. “Sage Chance. She mentioned her Nana.”
“Yes, I thought she meant her grandmother, but it appears not. Nana is the given name of the exceptional lady who adopted Sage and her brothers when their parents died in a plane crash.”
“Wow. We just assumed it was their grandmother. Why was she researching the family tree?” Thorn leaned forward, elbows on his desk. “Did she know where they came from? Did she know about the Stone Claws and the deal with Peregrine Manning over the dragons?”
George shook his head. “I doubt it. Sage said Nana could not go further back than Lee Chance, remember? There’s no reason to think she lied.” Nana was his mate and he believed in her and would defend her to the death if he needed to.
“All I know is she is lucky to have you as her mate, George, and I couldn’t be happier for you. You deserve happiness.” Thorn raised his glass to George and then drank.
“Even if I am long in the tooth,” George replied with a grin before raising his glass and taking another slug of whiskey.
“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a good catch, my friend,” Thorn told him as he drained his glass and got to his feet. “Ready to get to work?”
George nodded, placed his empty glass on the desk and then joined Thorn at the door leading out of the office. “Is everything on schedule for the exhibition?”
“Yes.” Thorn nodded and walked down the spiral stairway leading from his office to the art gallery. As they crossed the large room, filled with paintings of Bear Creek and the surrounding area through the ages, Thorn stopped, as was his routine, to stare at one particular painting. In the painting, a young woman, with hair the color of the sun, stood outside a rose-covered cottage. She wore a long floral dress and a beautiful smile as she smelled the scent of the roses. This was Emilia, Thorn’s mate, who had slept for centuries in the mountains before the presence of her mate woke her.
“How is Emilia settling into her new life?” George asked as Thorn smiled softly at the painting.
Thorn chuckled, an expression of love covering his face. “She is fitting right in. Although, she enjoys ‘80s music and romcoms far too much.”
“She has good taste,” George joked as they moved away from the painting and went back downstairs.
“She must have. She loves me,” Thorn laughed. “Who would have thought a descendant of the man who had her put under a spell would get so lucky.”
“She got lucky, too,” George assured Thorn as they crossed the marble floor of what once was a ballroom and stopped in front of a security door which needed a code to open. “You set things right for her and solved the mystery of who put her to sleep.”
“And I am certain you will solve your own mystery, George. Fate brought you and Nana together at this time for a reason.” Thorn punched in the code and opened the door which led into an empty, sterile-looking corridor. The door to the basement was the second door on the right. Thorn opened it and switched on the light, which spilled down the wooden staircase and illuminated the room below.
“I like a good mystery,” George confessed. “But not when it’s a mystery that causes someone I know pain.”
“Give her time. I’m sure Nana will confide in you. She’ll soon see what kind of man she’s mated to.”
“That’s what worries me,” George said in his usual self-deprecating way. After accepting he would live his life alone, he wasn't used to emphasizing his good qualities.
“Believe me, there are much worse people out there. She’s lucky, and she’ll realize that fact, just like the rest of us did.”
“You mean just like the dragons did when all they really wanted to do was bite my head off the first time we met.” George walked over to a dustsheet which covered a large painting and yanked it off. The fabric slid to the floor, revealing a painting of a huge man dressed in leather armor, with a shield on his arm and a sword in his hand. Mounted on the pommel of the sword was a large diamond.
“Calder Harrahand.” Thorn stood before the portrait with his arms folded across his chest. “The Protector of Bear Creek.”
“People are going to love this display.” George sighed with some satisfaction.
“I don’t know if they are going to come to read about the history of Bear Creek, or to see the diamond.” Thorn took a step forward and leaned in to take a closer look at the pommel of the sword. “I can’t believe we found the diamond that belonged to Calder amongst Emilia’s treasure.”
“And I can’t believe a dragon is letting it go on display.” George grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Don’t tell Emilia I said that. Out of all the dragons I know, she is the most generous when it comes to sharing her treasure.”
“It’s a loan, as she keeps reminding me. And believe me, anyone who decides otherwise will lose their head,” Thorn said bluntly. “Dragons have a sixth-sense when it comes to their treasure.”
George patted his friend on the back. “Don’t worry, we have a state-of-the-art security system in place. No one will get their greedy hands on the diamond.”
“Once the announcement is made, we’re expecting a large influx of visitors. The curator hopes this display will extend the tourist season in Bear Creek for a month or two and bring much-needed funds to the museum. He’s probably right, and most business owners in town will appreciate the extra money in their cash registers.” Thorn stood back and sighed.
“But you like it when the town is quiet and there are only us locals here.” George knew how Thorn felt. There was nothing like winter in Bear Creek when the only people you saw were those you had known most of your life and who knew each other and their shifter secrets.
“If this works, maybe next year we can persuade the curator to pull something else out of the basement for a display.” Thorn lifted the dust sheet and recovered the painting, then he moved across the bare concrete floor and stood before two waxwork models. “I can’t believe I let myself be talked into being the model for this.”
George laughed. “They captured your likeness, but the hair and the shaggy beard hides your features.” He cocked his head to one side. “And Elia, Calder’s bear-shifter mate, looks fierce and deadly.”
“Emilia modeled for Elia. Even with dark eyes and ebony hair, one look could cut you down just like the diamond mounted on the pommel of Calder's sword.”
“He was a formidable leader from all the accounts of his endeavors. I’ve read countless books about him. I always thought the diamond was a myth until we found it while moving Emilia and Magnus’s treasure.” George remembered all too well the look of shock on Thorn’s face when he picked it up and realized what he was holding in his hand. A piece of history that was as much a myth as dragons.
“And Elia was a formidable woman,” Thorn said with admiration. “Wherever she went, Elia broke a thousand hearts, and jaws. Until she found love with Calder. This story has it all, romance, danger and a big hunk of bling.”
George shook his head at Thorn. “I hope people come for the diamond and leave with the story of Calder and Elia forever etched into their minds.”
“I think they will.” Thorn turned away from the models and strode across the room to a large door embedded in the wall. He tapped a code into the keypad and then took a key from around his neck and placed it in the lock. Only two peo
ple had access to the vault, Thorn, and the curator, Mr. Duffield. They had memorized the code, but they also needed a key to open the vault. No one else could access it unless they had a large enough drill to penetrate the thick metal walls of the cage, or explosives.
When the display was moved to the specially prepared room in the main part of the museum, it would be guarded at all times, with a tamper-proof alarm on the shatterproof casing. At night, the diamond, and the sword it was embedded in, would be stored in the safe.
“It is impressive.” George joined Thorn to examine the exquisite workmanship of the sword that had been specially made as a replica of the one seen in the portrait of Calder Harrahand.
“And as authentic as we can make it since no one alive ever saw the real one. This was way before Emilia and Magnus were born. They think the jewel was given to their father. It may even have been given to him by Calder himself, but we don’t know for sure.” Thorn passed the sword to George, who took the weight of it firmly in his hands and held it upright. “I can’t wait for the people of Bear Creek to see this.”
“Soon enough.” George gave the sword back to Thorn. “I have something else to show you.” He placed the sword back in the vault and reached inside, drawing out a cloth, which he opened out to reveal a jeweled brooch. “We found this last night.”
“It’s the one Elia wears in the painting.” George’s voice filled with awe and wonder. “If the diamond wasn’t enough to make me believe in the stories of Calder and Elia, then this is.”
Thorn nodded. “We can add it to the models when they are ready to go upstairs. I thought you’d like it.”
“I like it a lot,” George told his friend, then looked at his watch. “Look at the time, come on, the curator is about to make his announcement and I know he wants you there.”
Thorn sighed. “I can think of a hundred other places I’d rather be. Publicity isn’t a thing I enjoy.”
“No, but the museum needs it all the same. And Emilia needs you to spin a tale of where you found the diamond, so no one goes on a treasure hunt near her cave.” George led the way back up the stairs while Thorn went over his speech.
Silverback History Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 20) Page 3
