by Amelia Jade
“I don’t think I can be that person for you, Caine,” she said as he stopped just outside of her personal space, reluctant to force his way through it, though he suspected he could. That wasn’t how he wanted it to go, however.
“Why not?” he asked plaintively. There didn’t seem to be a reason that he knew of.
“Because I can’t stay. I need to keep moving.”
“What’s wrong with here?”
“At the moment? Nothing. But I’ve already stayed too long.
“You’re running from something.”
Annalise’s expression hardened, the magic of the earlier moment fading as reality set in once more. When she spoke, he could barely hear the word even with his supernatural hearing. “Someone,” she corrected.
“Is it the police? Are you a criminal?” he asked.
“For the second time, no, I’m not a criminal!” She crossed her arms, though it only served to enhance how beautiful she looked in the black dress, ample amounts of skin displayed.
Caine had had trouble not staring all evening long, and he knew he’d been caught on multiple occasions, though part of him didn’t care. This was his mate, and he had every right to want to stare at her stunning body in the moments where he couldn’t lose himself in the depths of her gaze.
“I wouldn’t care,” he stated for the record. “I just needed to know if I should be ready.”
Annalise tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed in analysis. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I would never lie to you.”
“Just like that? I tell you I’m not a criminal, you believe me, and you’d prepare yourself to help me?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an odd sort, Caine. You trust too easily. Many people would take advantage of that.”
“Perhaps,” he agreed. “But I know you aren’t one of them. You wouldn’t hurt me.”
“How can you be so sure?” Annalise challenged, amber eyes glinting in the dim light with a cat-like stare.
“I just am.”
“Is that so?” She stepped forward.
He stepped back, respecting her boundaries. “Yes.”
Annalise took several more steps forward. He matched each one backward, keeping the distance between them the exact same. Eventually his shoulder blades pressed up against the front door.
“You’re a strange man,” she said softly. “I should be wary of you, and yet for some reason, I’m not. I feel comfortable around you.”
Caine nodded, knowing what was about to happen next. “That’s good. I want you to feel comfortable around me.”
His mate shook her head. “No, it’s not. It’s not good. When I get comfortable, that’s when bad things start to happen. I can’t get comfortable with you.” She came closer, though he was unable to move backward.
“I won’t apologize for that. You can trust me. I won’t do anything to hurt you.”
“Maybe,” she whispered, leaning in closer. “Part of me wants to believe you. Desperately. To believe that everything you’ve said about politeness is real and truthful. That real kindness exists.”
“It does.” He bent down toward her, ready to take advantage of the moment, to kiss her the second she came close enough.
“Maybe,” she agreed, a hand’s width away from his face.
This was it. The first kiss he would share with his mate. Caine closed his eyes halfway and lowered his face some more, ready to feel her soft, thin mouth press into his, to finally share his hunger with her. He wanted it badly; his body was burning with need.
“But I can’t take that chance.” Annalise reached past him and unlocked the door. “So you need to go.”
Caine groaned as the magic passed. Her inner willpower was incredible. He could smell it in the air that she hadn’t been faking it. Her desire for him was real. She wanted to let herself go, to see where kissing him would lead, but an iron will born from some unspeakable situation wasn’t yielding.
Her instincts were powerful, and he knew she would continue to trust them for a long time to come. They had gotten her this far through something obviously traumatic and trust-breaking, and he would respect that, even if it left him with a sharp, tight pain between his legs and a yearning loneliness in his chest.
“Very well,” he said, but before she could withdraw her hand he snatched it from midair. “I will go,” he murmured into the back of her palm. “But know that you have nothing to fear from me, Annalise Walker. I will protect you from whatever comes, and anyone who tries to take you away from me will regret it for the rest of their days, however few those may be.”
He kissed her hand once, then twice, brushing the soft skin against his lips as he stared directly into her face. Then he winked, and slipped out the door before she could react, pulling it closed behind him.
The morning could not come soon enough. He decided to leave the SUV in the driveway and jog home. Unburned energy flowed through his system, and he covered the intervening blocks in a time no human could match. Despite his bulk, he could move very fast when he needed to.
By the time he arrived back at the appropriately renamed Dragon Tower Apartments that served as home to all of the awakened dragons, Caine had worked up a solid sweat. Violet and Ivore were already asleep. Cowl and Andria had rented out a penthouse hotel room downtown, and Caine was thankful for that. He didn’t want to deal with the newlyweds while also trying to figure out his own personal situation. Things were confusing enough as it was.
What he really wanted to know was what, or who, Annalise was running from. The curiosity was burning, an unscratchable itch in his brain. Although he desperately needed a shower, Caine sat down at his work desk and powered on the laptop. He wasn’t a computer genius, but he knew enough to work an internet search. He typed in her name, wondering if he would get any hits.
To his surprise, there were plenty. Newspaper articles and even a web page with her name on it.
Caine’s mouth dropped open in surprise as he read the headlines.
Wife of Local Man Goes Missing.
Massive Search for Missing Woman.
Hunt for Missing Woman Enters Third Week.
Then below that, there was the website. Help Find Annalise Walker. Curious, he clicked on the link and started to read.
Just what the hell had he gotten himself into?
Chapter Nine
Annalise
The knock on the door came mere moments after she finished dressing.
“Do you have some sort of spy cam?” She was speaking to an empty room, but waved a middle finger around just in case he happened to be watching anyway. Then she went to answer the door. “Good timing. Did you enjoy the show?”
To her surprise, Caine ignored the comment and walked inside, practically pushing past her.
“Can I help you?”
He wandered around the common area of the little house for a moment before turning to look at her. “Yes, you can. You can start by telling me just what is going on.”
“Excuse me? I’m not sure I like your tone.” She considered grabbing her bag and leaving. What happened to the Caine from the night before? The kind, caring, and gentle giant. This was a different person, a side of him she’d not seen before. A harder side. Not evil or bad; she didn’t feel threatened. It was just…unrelenting.
“I think I deserve a few answers,” he replied coolly. “After all, I’ve been more than trusting and upfront with you.”
She frowned. “I’ve told you from the start all that I’m willing to share, and I’ve been upfront with you that I don’t want to talk about it in detail either. So what the hell has changed?”
“What’s changed? Lots of things have changed.” He began to pace. “Tell me, Annalise, did you lie to me?”
“Did I lie to you? Lie to you about what? Be. More. Specific.” She threw her hands in the air in frustration. “God, I hate this unspecific bullshit. Just tell me what the hell your question is so that we can get it good and out i
n the open. Stop dancing around it.”
She wanted to cry as the situation between them deteriorated. Through the night she’d begun to wonder if maybe she could trust Caine. That maybe, just maybe, there was a goodness to him that hadn’t been present in anyone else she’d ever met. That maybe she could talk to him. Sticking around was out of the question, but maybe he would have some advice that might help her. Anything, really. Just talking to someone would be a change, something she’d almost never been able to do.
Now though, it was obvious that she’d been dreaming it all up. Maybe one drink too many at the wedding, though she’d barely indulged at all for that specific reason. Alcohol dulled the senses and confused the memories, and she couldn’t afford that. So what had gotten into Caine this morning?
“What are you on the run from?”
“Who,” she corrected tiredly. This thing again? Why couldn’t he just accept that she didn’t want to talk about her past? It’s not like it was going to affect him. Nobody knew that they had talked. She would drift onward, and eventually he would forget about her and life would be grand. “Look, Caine. I left someone behind. Someone who isn’t willing to leave me alone.”
“And you’re positive that other people would view it like that?”
Annalise hesitated. “Yes,” she said at last. Most people would.
“I thought you meant that you were just trying to start over, that you hadn’t found a place to settle down after leaving your old life behind,” he told her. “I didn’t mean you had literally run away.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and shoved it at her. “There’s a missing person’s report for you, Annalise! Someone built an entire website dedicated to bringing you home. Someone out there cares for you. They want you back.” He shook his head. “I can’t be a part of that.”
Annalise heard what he was saying, but she was too focused on the image and text on the piece of paper. It was her, though the picture was old and out of date. Her hairstyle was different, and it was much longer now too. Her skin was lighter now as well; she’d not gotten much sun the past half-decade. But other than that, it was unmistakably her.
“Where did you get this?” she asked hoarsely.
“What?”
“WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?” she screamed, waving the paper at him.
“It was on the website I clicked on last night when I searched for your name.”
“Oh God,” she cried, dropping the paper as she grabbed her head. “No. No no no.”
“Annalise?” he reached out for her. “Annalise, what’s wrong?”
She backed away. “You’re what’s wrong!” she shouted. “This.” She stabbed a finger at the paper. “This is what’s wrong. You printed that. Oh no.”
Turning, she rushed back into the bedroom, stuffing her meager belongings into the rucksack she carried with her everywhere. It wasn’t much, a small thing, but it had served her well and had been well worth the four days straight of panhandling to afford it.
“What the hell is going on?” Caine bellowed, blocking the door with his massive frame.
“Get out of my way,” she snapped, doing up the zipper.
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”
She snarled angrily. “What’s wrong is that you went snooping where you shouldn’t have. I didn’t leave, Caine. I didn’t run away either. I escaped something. Something nobody should ever have to be a part of, and then I ran. Do you get it? I ran away. Now you’ve just revealed where I am. They can track you through your visit, down to the GPS coordinates on your phone. Twelve hours and someone will be here to pick me up and take me back.” Annalise shook her head violently. “I’m not going back.”
“I won’t let anyone take you,” Caine stated, his voice dark and threatening. “They’ll have to go through me first.”
Annalise wilted. “Don’t you understand yet, Caine. That’s exactly what they will do. These people are evil. They don’t play fair.”
To her complete surprise Caine didn’t grow worried, or serious at her warning. Instead he did the exact last thing she expected of him. “I don’t play fair either,” he assured her. “You have nothing to fear, if you just trust me.”
“I can’t trust you, Caine.”
“Why not?”
She sighed. “Trust is a two-way street, and you betrayed mine when you went looking for me on the internet instead of trusting what I told you. Now you’ve put me in danger. You might be big and strong, but the guy who will come after me is a professional. He won’t hesitate to put you down.”
This time Caine’s face did darken, but with anger. “They’re welcome to try,” he growled. “But there’s many things you don’t know about me, Annalise. You needn’t worry. I will be able to keep you safe from whoever is coming after you.”
“I wish I could believe that, Caine. I truly do. But I don’t know if I can rely on you yet. You need to understand that I’ve survived on my own for five years now without getting caught or even close. It was only because I allowed myself to get close to you that I’m in trouble.”
The big man looked pained, but he nodded. “What can I do to help, then? Just tell me what you need.”
Annalise sighed. She hated this part. “I need you to leave me alone, Caine. You’ve already caused damage. I don’t need you to make it any worse.”
There was an awkward pause as her words hit him in the stomach like a vicious one-two attack, almost doubling him over. His muscles were proof against much, but words would strike home every time, and Annalise was an expert at saying what was necessary to detach herself from people. It was how she’d managed to remain alone the past few years. Oftentimes it would take a burst of anger, usually faked, to drive overly kind people away. She could see it was going to have to be the same with Caine.
“I didn’t mean to cause you trouble,” he said. “And I’ll let you go, but not until I’ve at least seen you away safely.”
Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m not just going to leave you right here and now. If whoever this person is truly will be here in short order, then at least accept my protection for the time being. I’ll get you on a bus, or a train, hell, even a plane if—”
“No planes,” she interrupted. “They require ID. That can be tracked. Trains aren’t bad, but buses are the best. Completely anonymous and leaving frequently.”
“They have a communal station downtown,” he explained. “You can get out that way. Let me escort you there at least.”
Annalise knew she should say no. To tell him to just go home, that she’d been fine by herself for this long, she didn’t need his help now. But she couldn’t. He was like a puppy-dog, eager to be of help in any way possible.
She had to admit he certainly did provide some protection, even if it was just the intimidation factor. Except for the first few weeks of her escape, she’d never been this close to danger before. Maybe taking him along would be a good idea.
“Okay, fine. But once we’re there, you let me go, and you don’t try to follow me. I have to disappear. Do you understand?”
“No. Not at all. You could stay. My brothers and I will protect you. Nothing will harm you.” He grimaced. “But just because I don’t understand, doesn’t mean I won’t do it. You don’t have to run. You just don’t know it yet.”
Annalise sighed. “Fine, fine. Now can we go?”
“Yes. Yes we can.” Caine brightened. “That’s perfect!”
“What’s perfect?”
He grinned at her and finally removed himself from the doorway.
“I’m going with you!”
Chapter Ten
Caine
“You’re…what?”
Even as he spoke the words he knew they were the right thing to say. “I’m going with you. Wherever you go, I go.”
“Caine…” Annalise sighed. “You can’t come with me.”
“I can, and I will.”
It would work out on
all sides. Annalise needed a bodyguard. Caine could be that protector. He was that protector. With him nearby, nobody would ever hurt Annalise. She would be safe, and she could finally stop running from her past.
For Caine, it meant he could be with his mate, staying at her side. In addition, it would relieve him of any responsibilities toward his brothers. Responsibilities he’d long ago failed in. They wouldn’t need to fear that he might screw things up for them again, because he wouldn’t be in the picture. They could lead their lives, good lives. The way it should have been. Maybe with Annalise he would finally be able to do the right thing.
Or he might screw it up. Again. He’d already done that once with his ill-advised internet search. It amazed him that someone could track him down with it, but she was right. He’d spent all evening on his phone in bed reading articles, trying to understand why she would run away from a husband who seemed to care for her so much. There had to be more to it of course, but she wasn’t ready to tell him. Not yet at least.
“What about your brothers, Caine? You can’t just leave them. One of them just got married!”
Caine chuckled. He wanted to tell her that they were dragons, and that traditionally dragons were very solitary creatures. That he and his brothers had lived together far longer than any normal dragon blood relations he’d ever heard of. It just wasn’t done. Of course he couldn’t tell her that. Not yet at least. That would probably be overdoing it for today.
He would tell her, but only after they’d been traveling together for a bit. After he’d shown he could be trusted.
“My brothers will be fine,” he told her, putting on his shoes as she did the same. “We’re all grown adults who’ve seen enough centuries now to be able to live on our own. They don’t need me.”
“You aren’t that old,” she told him with a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Sorry to break it to you.”
He smiled. If only you knew the truth, my mate.
“Perhaps. Either way, I’m free too leave.”
