by Amelia Jade
“Nothing, sorry.” He gave her a smile that he hoped was disarming. “Shall we go? The car is waiting.”
She looked around him at the SUV parked at the curb. “You’re dead set on this, aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“Fine. Give me ten minutes to get ready and we’ll leave.” She closed the door as he stepped back out into the late summer weather. Fall was only a month or so away, but the temperatures were still quite warm and enjoyable.
What I wouldn’t give to be sunning myself in the tropics right now.
He missed home and wasn’t looking forward to winter at all. Black dragons were jungle natives, the deep oppressive heat and humidity of the rainforest covered mountains their best friends. Frigid cold and blowing snow were likely only hated more by the blue dragons, desert residents by nature. Callan somewhat hoped they awoke the first blue dragons during the coldest time of year. That would be worth his own exposure to the elements just to witness.
True to her word, Kathryn was back ten minutes later and with some help from Callan they got everything loaded up and headed off to Arc Center Shopping Mall for round two of job applications.
Kathryn paused and looked behind her as she headed into the first store. “What are you doing?”
“Coming with you,” he said, injecting enough flinty iron into his voice to make it clear it wasn’t optional.
“What about the chair?”
He looked behind them at the wheelchair with resumes sitting in it. “What about it?”
“Well, someone could take it, couldn’t they?”
Callan gave her a feral smile. “I hope they do. I could use a bit of exercise today.”
Kathryn hesitated, likely trying to make up her mind on how to react before she ended up laughing. “You’re an odd one, Callan, but you can come with me I suppose.”
He nodded and they proceeded inside. Following her up to the counter he stood tall, letting his size do the talking. The middle-aged bald man with a weak chin behind the counter tried to tell Kathryn that they didn’t take resumes in person anymore.
Callan leaned forward slightly, unnoticed by Kathryn who was in front of him, and glared at the man. He swallowed audibly and suddenly started nodding, accepting the printed paper. Kathryn was too focused on keeping herself standing that she either missed the interaction entirely, or didn’t put it all together. Either option was fine with him as long as she remained oblivious.
The only store he had trouble at was with a middle-aged woman working the counter. Intimidation didn’t work on her, and she remained stubborn about taking the resume until Callan changed tactics, noticing the way she was eyeing his biceps as he flexed them in anger.
Her tone changed immediately when he put on a smile and puffed up his chest, pulling the sky-blue shirt tight across his pecs and showing off the firmness of his stomach. The instant he lowered his eyelids slightly and gave her a cute face she stopped fighting Kathryn and accepted the resume.
As they headed out from that store, Kathryn accepting his offered arm without complaint after walking into her eighth store of the day. He could sense her mood was improving. She was so focused on walking herself and giving out her resumes that his actions were going unnoticed.
“We should have come here yesterday instead,” she remarked, sitting back into her chair with visible relief.
Callan made a note not to let her walk into any more stores. If she fell, the embarrassment he knew she would feel—however unnecessary—would prevent her from coming out again. That was something he had to prevent at all costs. The joy of seeing her happy was all that mattered to him.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go home so we can get some food.”
He frowned, thankful for the distraction as his mind started clamoring for his attention. Uncertain that he wanted to give it time to think, he focused on Kathryn.
“Are there not food places inside the building?” He knew there were; they’d walked past an entire section devoted to it several times, and the smells of it permeated most of the mall, driving him absolutely wild. He was starving, and his stomach hated him for denying it for so long the tantalizing feast it could smell in the air.
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly. “There are. But we have food at home I can have.”
Right. She probably didn’t have money to buy anything. Callan might not have his treasure, but Colonel Mara had arranged for a sizeable stipend for him to spend while he was signed on with the program. More than enough that buying a late lunch for two would not make a dent.
“I’m sorry, Kathryn,” he said, not sorry at all that he got to prolong his time with her. “But we’re eating here. I can’t wait. It’s my treat today since I know you didn’t plan for that.”
She moved to protest but he shook his head. “No, I’m forcing you into staying, so I’ll grab the bill. You can help me decide what to get, since I don’t know what there is.”
The dark browns of her eyes darkened some more, and he knew she was close to balking at the charity, but his logic was strong enough that resisting would almost be rude. At least by helping him choose she would be contributing. In the end she sighed and started wheeling off in the direction of a sign that read Food Court.
He frowned. Was the food to be judged by others, put on trial if one place did not provide a satisfying enough meal? There were some bizarre human rituals that he just didn’t understand in the modern world. Perhaps this was another one of them. It would prevent places from serving meals considered unacceptable at least, forcing them to always provide excellent service and quality. Maybe that was the reason for the constant trials.
Kathryn moved off into the crowd and suddenly he moved to catch up. Leaving Kathryn alone was not acceptable. He needed to be around her at all times. He nearly collided with her as she came to a halt in front of a booth, the orange and brown two-letter sign a different contrast compared to the other logos which tended to be a bit brighter.
She asked him a question, but he was too busy reeling from the last thought he’d just had.
Why do I need to be near her at all times?
Looking into the admittedly beautiful features of Kathryn’s face he saw the rounded cheeks and oval face hidden beneath her curled hair for the first time in a new light. A light he’d never expected to see in a woman again.
No. It can’t be.
But it was. His dragon was crying out to him in triumphant victory, screeching like the ancient bird of prey that it was, announcing to him with utter certainty that Kathryn was not just his “client.”
She was also his mate.
His legs wavered and Callan was forced to find an empty nearby seat, settling into it so abruptly the metal squealed and bent slightly under his weight. The noise drew attention from plenty of others as they all watched Kathryn roll up to him, her features drawn in concern.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded, trying to keep calm as his heart thundered incessantly against his chest as she reached out and put her hand on his knee.
“Breathe,” she said softly, her voice smooth and reassuring against the calamity occurring within his skull as it threatened to get out.
It was impossible, he told himself. Beatrice was dead. He’d seen it happen himself. The pain was still there. Every day since he’d been awakened he mourned her in some way, ensuring that her spirit knew he missed it. Though they hadn’t yet had the chance to be fully mated, there had been no doubt in his mind that she was to be his.
So how was this possible then? He ached from the truth of the matter, but it went against everything he thought he’d known. Everything he’d believed. Everything that he’d wanted to tell Beatrice before she left the world, and him.
“Callan. Callan!”
He was rocked back into the world by Kathryn’s sharp insistence, her voice finally penetrating the murk that had filled his brain, leaving him confused and vulnerable.
“I…” He shook his head. I can’t do this. Not right now. “I
’m sorry. I have to go.” Standing up, he reached into his pocket and tossed several bills at her. “Here, this should cover your meal. Have whatever you want. The car will be waiting at the same entrance we came in. It will take you wherever you want to go.” He stumbled away. “I’m sorry!”
Pushing through the crowd, he ran off into the mall, desperate to get away. The pain was too great, stabbing huge nails deep into his heart with every beat of the massive organ. He didn’t know what to think as his heart refused to calm, beating faster and bringing with it more pain, a never-ending cycle. This was impossible. No dragon had ever had two mates. It was wrong, somehow, it had to be. Callan couldn’t betray Beatrice like this and live with that sort of guilt.
Chapter Seven
Kathryn
“Are you ready to talk about it now?”
“Talk about what?” She picked up her sandwich and started working on the second half of it, the first half of the ham and cheese delicacy sitting comfortably in her stomach.
“Well, just let me know when you are.”
Kathryn’s teeth ground together as her mother tsked gently as she went about cleaning the kitchen, a sure sign that she was not impressed with her daughter.
“When I am what, Mother?” She managed to stop it just short of a snap, but the set of her mother’s shoulders said she was aware of how close it had been as well.
“Willing to tell me what happened yesterday.”
“Right. That.” She wolfed down another bite, then washed it down with some water, careful to use the non-chipped side of the glass lip. “I don’t know.”
“Oh come now, Katy darling. I’m your mother, you can talk to me. I know you aren’t twelve anymore, but that’s supposed to make it easier now that you realize me not being ‘cool’ has nothing to do with it.”
“Mom, enough. What I meant was I don’t know what happened. I’m confused, though obviously I must have done something wrong.”
After eying her daughter for a moment, Audrey Pine nodded sharply once, walked over to the fridge, and removed two red cans with white writing. Then she grabbed two clean, relatively unchipped glasses from the cupboard and popped several ice cubes from the tray into each glass. With swift, practiced movements, she opened both cans and emptied the fizzing contents into the glasses. Then she moved one in front of Kathryn, while keeping the other for herself.
“Seriously? A cola? Mom, this is not like what happened with Doug. We don’t need to be breaking those out.”
As a child drinking of cola or soft drinks of any kind had been practically outlawed in the Pine household. Only on very special occasions, or very bad ones, had her mother offered her a glass. Considering nothing special had happened, it was therefore the opposite. The last time they’d drank one together had been when Kathryn had arrived back home with no job, no money, no fiancé, and no ability to walk. It had been a dark day, and her mother had done what she could to help, including the drinking of a cola, a drink that was generally outside their budget.
“It’s already open,” her mother countered gently. “So have some and tell me what happened.
Wondering why her mother was treating the weird actions of her pseudo-nanny so seriously, Kathryn took a slow sip and told the tale.
“It’s that simple. We decided to stop for food, he started acting all weird, looking at me strange and such. His face was white as a ghost and I swear he was seeing them too. His pupils were huge and his eyes kept going out of focus.”
“He’s a drug addict then?”
“I don’t think so. It was too sudden, too abrupt and…” her brain replayed the incident over and over again. “Honestly, Mother, it felt like I was somehow a part of it. He was looking at me so intently, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.” She shook her head, frustrated. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I know it involved me somehow.”
“And you’re sure you didn’t do anything? Run over his foot and break a toe perhaps?”
Kathryn glared. “I am not that clumsy, no. Besides, have you seen the size of him? I’m pretty sure his little toe would crumple the wheel if I so much as nicked it.”
Her mother laughed. “You have a point there, dear. He is in rather good shape isn’t he?”
That’s an understatement, Mother. You should see the way his biceps flex when he—
Except she wouldn’t be seeing it anymore.
“What happened next?”
“He took off.”
“Just like that? He left you alone? My daughter, he left her alone?”
Kathryn knew her mother was far more furious than the slightly elevated tone of her voice indicated, but that was simply how she was. Calming her down soon was the most important thing.
“Not entirely, Mom. He gave me more than enough money to buy food, and he found another way home, because the vehicle was waiting right where he’d said it would be. The driver helped me in and everything.”
“But he left you alone.”
She sighed. “Mother, I may be in a wheelchair, but I’m in my mid-thirties. I think I can navigate a shopping mall on my own now. Please, have some confidence in me.”
Eventually the elder Pine relented, letting that subject drop.
“So what exactly did you do wrong then?” she asked instead.
Kathryn finished her sandwich and washed it down with some cola, the cool ice brushing against her upper lip as she sipped and sending a shiver down her spine. The entire act of that left her feeling tired.
“I don’t know,” she said, yawning, the exhaustion not fading. It had been like that all evening and into the next morning. Bits of energy scattered amongst larger periods of tiredness. “All I can guess is that he got fed up with me at last and that it was all too much of a hassle in the end. Maybe he didn’t realize what he was signing on for?”
Her mother snorted, a full blast of air from her nose. “Darling, you can’t be serious? Two days of walking through the mall is too much for him? He didn’t realize he might have to, you know, go places with you? Come now. You’re being naïve and you know it.”
Maybe she was. But maybe she wasn’t. Her mother hadn’t seen the way Callan reacted. The troubled uncertainty and haunting pain in his eyes. She had. Whatever it was, it was no little thing to the big man. Something had happened to affect him so completely. She just didn’t know what.
Downing the last of her cola, she looked longingly at the glass, but knew better. Colas were treats, not a commonplace drink. She couldn’t justify a second one. Not over something like this, an issue she’d forget about in a weeks’ time.
“I’m going to go to my room,” she said somberly, black clouds gathering over her head.
She needed to have a good cry, and then get back to figuring out how she was going to go about rebuilding her life. All of that before her afternoon appointment, if she had the energy to go to it.
Her mother didn’t say anything as she wheeled from the room, and for that Kathryn was beyond grateful. She’d never been able to provide much in the way of material wealth in her life, but when it came to emotional support and know-how, her mother had been second to absolutely nobody. She knew when to butt in and when to leave her daughter alone so well it was almost uncanny.
Hitting the brakes, she prepared to haul herself out of the chair and into bed, even as a modest surge of energy filled her body. Not wanting to fall for that trick, knowing exhaustion would once again follow, she ignored it for what it was: a fleeting, waning sense of false hope.
There was a knock on the door.
The floor creaked uneasily as her mother went to answer it, an unsettling fact given her mother’s rather diminutive form. One day it was just going to give out under someone if they didn’t get it fixed.
“Kathryn!”
Her eyebrows slammed down as a mighty frown creased her forehead. Who the hell could possibly be at the door for her? Unless…
“Who is it?” she asked as the glowing face of her mother popped through t
he doorway.
“Take a guess.”
That could only mean one person. “He’s late,” she growled. “I’m in bed.”
“Oh please, you just got there. Get up and go say hello.”
Buoyed by a feeling of anger that fueled a burst of energy, Kathryn got out of bed and, disdaining the chair, walked to the front door. It was wide open, the stiff breeze fluttering at papers stuck to the wall on her left, threatening to take them down.
In the midst of it was the hulking form that could only be Callan. One hand was hidden out of sight as he casually leaned on the doorframe.
“What do you want?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her, forcing her legs not to wobble.
“To apologize for my actions yesterday,” he said formally.
“Right.” She turned to go.
“I’m sorry, Kathryn,” he said quickly, and she heard the house groan as he pushed off the doorframe and stood up. “I should not have done that. I have no excuse.”
She paused, the sincerity of his voice getting to her, making her want to hear him out, even if experience told her she shouldn’t.
Experience? What experience? He’s your assistant. Nanny. Caretaker. Whatever! Stop thinking of him like a boyfriend who wronged you.
“No, you don’t have an excuse,” she said, exasperated. “But it still happened. You left me in the middle of the mall, Callan. With only the vague promise that I would have a way home.” She shrugged. “You don’t like doing this, I get it. You signed up for all the wrong reasons, probably as a way to try and make you feel better about yourself. But I don’t need you. I was doing just fine before you, and I’ll manage fine now. So you can go.”
“I know you don’t need me,” he replied, not backing down. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be of help.”
