by Lola Kidd
Leigh bit her lip. “Who do you work for?”
He caught her eye in the rearview mirror before answering. “I work for a private company. We have drivers available twenty-four hours a day.”
“So, you don’t work for Jasper or the governor?”
“No. But I do drive them often.”
Leigh nodded and gave him her address. There was no way she could swear him to secrecy, but at least if he didn’t work for Jasper, there was a chance he wouldn’t say anything to him.
She could see apprehension spread across the man’s face when she gave him the address. To his credit, he didn’t say anything. He must be getting paid handsomely if he was willing to go to the Wasteland at night.
The streets were deserted when she got home. She thanked the driver and handed him a tip. He waited until she had closed the front door and turned off the porch light before driving away.
“Where have you been?”
Leigh jumped at the sudden noise. “Dad? What are you still doing up?”
Her father turned on the lamp next to the couch. “I had trouble sleeping and didn’t want to wake your mother. I was just about to go upstairs when I saw the lights in the driveway.”
“I was just out for a nighttime walk. I had to call a cab when I got too tired to walk home.”
The lie sounded lame. She wouldn’t have believed it herself.
“What’s going on in here?” Her mother came into the living room wearing her red silk robe. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and her face still had creases from the pillow.
“I think our daughter has been sneaking out,” her father said.
“She’s much too old for that,” her mother said dismissively. She laughed and looked at Leigh for confirmation.
Leigh couldn’t smile back. She looked down at the floor. “I was sneaking out.”
Her father crossed his arms triumphantly. “See? But why would you sneak out? You’re an adult. We only ask that you let us know where you’re going. It’s for your own safety.”
“Yeah. About that…” Leigh took a deep breath and looked at her parents. “I went out to the old dry well. I think some men followed me there.”
Her father uncrossed his arms and gripped the sides of the chair. “Why do you think that?”
“Because a dragon came down, and they attacked it.”
Her mother put her hand over her heart. “A dragon? How do you know the dragon wasn’t trying to hurt you?”
“Because the dragon was a friend. If he hadn’t been there, who knows what could have happened to me.”
“This is exactly why we tell you to keep us informed!” her mother cried. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Leigh nodded. “Nothing happened. It was scary, but I knew the dragon wasn’t going to let anything happen to me.”
“Did you see their faces?” her father asked in a tight voice.
She shook her head. “No, but it was a brown bear shifter and a big snake. It was huge, so maybe a boa constrictor or something like that.”
“I’ll get my men on this immediately.”
Her father’s face was a mask of rage. He was off the couch and out the door before she could say anything more. By the look on his face, she knew someone was going to get terribly hurt or even killed that night. Her father was going to do whatever it took to find out who had followed her into the woods.
Leigh hated when he got like that. There was no way she could deny that he worked in the shadowy underground of the shifter world.
She went to the couch and put her hands over her eyes. “I can’t take this anymore.”
Her mother came and sat next to her and patted her on the back. “I know it’s hard. I’m sure it was very scary for you. Don’t worry; your father will take care of it.”
“With violence,” Leigh said bitterly. “I need to get away from this place.”
“Just wait until this wedding is done. We’ll all be safer.” Her mother rubbed her back more slowly. “Speaking of the wedding, who was the dragon who protected you? I’d love to have him over for dinner to thank him.”
“It was no one,” Leigh said.
“Really? Because the only dragon shifters I know of are the Collins family. Were you out at the well meeting someone?”
Leigh shook her head. “No. I was out there alone. I was trying to clear my head. It was a long day for me.”
She had been trying to forget about Jasper. If he hadn’t made her so annoyed, she wouldn’t have needed to go out to the well.
“Your cousin told me that you tried that mating app. I know you were matched with Jasper Collins, and I know that you and your aunt went to his place this evening.”
Leigh pulled away from her mother. “Seriously? Fine. Yes, I was matched with Jasper, and yes, I started working with Auntie Melly. But that was because her assistants were awful.”
“So, you have zero interest in him?” her mother prodded.
“None,” Leigh said firmly. “I didn’t even know that Fabia had signed me up for the app.”
“Even after seeing him, you still don’t even want to try dating him? You know, he seems like he’d be exactly your type.”
“Mom, give it up. I want to marry a human.”
Her mother’s jaw dropped, and her face crumpled. Leigh thought she was going to cry, but her mother pulled it together.
“I had suspected, but it’s a different thing to hear it said out loud. I can’t believe you want to reject us like that.”
“This isn’t about you. This is about me and my plans for my future.”
“That’s because things have been hard for you here. Once the wedding is over, it’ll be much different. And, besides, Jasper lives in the human world. Isn’t that exactly what you want?”
“You say it’ll be different, but it won’t be for me,” Leigh said. “I’m not a shifter. And, yes, the Collinses live in the human world, but they’re very much shifter-oriented. I don’t want anything to do with that anymore.”
“But you’re working with Auntie Melly on the wedding. Why would you do that if you don’t care?”
“Because I want this to go well for all of you.”
Leigh stood up from the couch and went to her room. She’d had enough dramatic conversations for the day. First the issue with Jasper, and now something with the gangsters. Even after the wedding, things might not be different, but they would be better.
She had to stick to her plans. She needed to leave the Wasteland and her family’s dealings behind. As much as she loved them, it was the only way if she wanted to be free to live her life.
All she had to do was withstand Jasper’s advances and stay out of his clutches. Together, she and Auntie Melly would make sure that this wedding went off without any incidents. Then it would be up to her family to make sure that they benefited from the change. She didn’t know what they would choose, but she hoped her father would get out of the business.
Either way, it wasn’t her problem to worry about. After this wedding, she was only going to be worrying about herself.
Nineteen
“Thank you so much for all your help.” Roger grabbed Jasper in a big bear hug. “I never could have done any of this without you.”
Jasper knew that was true. He’d put so much work into this wedding—but at this point, hard work was a blessing. These last few days had been messing with his mind.
After Leigh had left him in that clearing, he hadn’t known what to do with himself. He’d figured that after completing the marking, she would come to her senses and fall into his arms. At the very least, he’d expected that she would be attached to him and would want to come back for seconds.
That hadn’t happened. He hadn’t seen her or spoken to her since the night he’d rescued her in the woods for the second time. Her aunt’s two assistants had done all the go-between work, or her aunt had spoken with him herself. He hadn’t even seen her at the wedding. He’d expected to see her running around nonstop at the recepti
on. Interestingly, he had seen her parents. He was trying to go talk to them when he got sidetracked by Roger.
“Where’s the bride?” Jasper asked.
“The girls are still taking pictures. Cindy wanted pictures with all the babies.”
“Understandable. Aren’t you going to be called back in for pictures soon?”
Roger turned and looked at the mansion. “Probably. You know, I’d better get going and check on that. Don’t go too far, though. This party is just getting started.”
Jasper surveyed the grounds. They’d expected a lot of guests at the reception, but the place was overflowing. He had no idea where all these people had come from. Roger must be much more popular than the pollsters had led him to believe.
He made a beeline for the area where the shifters seemed to be gathering. There he saw a cluster of people that included Leigh’s parents. But before he could reach them, one of Melly’s assistants stepped in his way.
“Melly would like to talk to you,” the assistant said.
He nodded and followed her back to the kitchen, where Melly was working. She looked like she was exhausted.
“How’s it going?” he asked her.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, but no one has seen Leigh for a while,” Melly told him. “I didn’t know who else to ask. I know you’re busy, but have you seen her?”
Jasper shook his head. “No, but I can go find her if you like.”
“That’d be great. I can’t find a minute to get out of here. I don’t think I have enough food for all these people. You didn’t tell me the whole town would be here.”
“I didn’t think they would be.”
Jasper left her and went to search the rest of the party. He was surprised to finally find Leigh out behind the kitchen. She was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.
He put a hand on her shoulder. “Leigh?”
His dragon didn’t think anything was wrong, but she did smell strange. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was off.
Leigh opened her eyes and yawned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. What are you doing here?”
“I did plan this wedding. I think I need to be here.”
“That’s right. We’re at the wedding.” Leigh looked around, confused.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes, just a little tired. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. What did you want?”
“Your aunt is looking for you.”
“Thank you.”
She walked off without another word. She didn’t even look back in his direction. It was like the mate mark had had no effect on her at all.
“Hold on,” he walked after her. “Are you sure you aren’t sick? You don’t smell right.”
She yawned again. “Then don’t smell me. That’s a pretty rude thing to say, you know.”
“You’re going to lecture me about being rude,” he snapped.
“No, I just want you to leave me alone. I have a lot of work to get done today, and you’re keeping me from it.”
“You were asleep against a wall when I found you,” he said. “I’m worried about you. You aren’t yourself.”
“You barely even know me,” she said dismissively. “I’m fine. Trust me.”
“I understand that you’re a proud person, but you need to take care of yourself.”
“I’ll take care of myself when the wedding is over,” she said warily. “We’re almost there. As soon as today is over, I can go back to my old life. No more pressure and no more stress.”
“Except for that whole crazy-shifters-want-to-kill-you part.”
“That’s being handled.”
“By whom?” he demanded. “You’re being very cavalier about this whole thing.”
“This isn’t your problem, Mr. Collins,” she bit out. “This has nothing to do with you. If you’re worried about me doing a good job, don’t be. This thing is going off without a hitch. If you’re worried about my personal life, don’t. It has zero to do with you.”
He couldn’t argue there. If she didn’t want to be with him, he couldn’t force her to take care of herself or take a break. But that wasn’t going to stop him from being worried.
“Fine. Whatever. I just want to make sure that you aren’t in any trouble.”
“Thanks. I’m not.”
“Was it really that long ago that you and I had a nice day picking out pillows?” he asked her quietly.
“It seems like a lifetime ago,” she said sadly. “That’s the past. What’s done has been done. There’s no going back to the way things were.”
He nodded and let her go. His dragon wasn’t worried at all, but Jasper was crushed. She didn’t seem to care about him anymore. Even if she did, she was going to deny it. Leigh was so stubborn he could see her keeping it up for years. Even if she was his mate, it seemed like he had lost her. He might as well have let her die in the store. The end result was the same.
Jasper knew he should be happy that she was still alive. But he wasn’t that big a person. He didn’t know how he was going to keep on living knowing his mate was out there but wanted nothing to do with him.
Twenty
Leigh didn’t know what was wrong with her. Sleeping on the job wasn’t like her at all. She was sure this had something to do with Jasper and his mate mark.
“You’re looking for me?” she asked her aunt as she walked into the boiling-hot kitchen. It was a madhouse in there. There had to be at least a couple of dozen people running around, in semi-organized chaos.
“Can you save your parents some seats?” Auntie Melly asked.
“Seriously? They have assigned seats.”
“Yes, but I want to make sure no one else takes them. And if they are taken, find some different seats and then text them where to find you.”
Leigh went out into the reception and was immediately overwhelmed. It was much worse than the kitchen. There were people everywhere; there had to be hundreds of wedding crashers. She managed to find a table with two seats open, and the rest of the guests at the table were shifters she was familiar with.
She texted her parents and sat waiting for them to come. In the fifteen minutes it took for them to make their way over to the table, she had to turn away more than two dozen people who wanted to take their seats.
“Thank you so much for saving us some seats,” her mother said as she sat down. “How are things going back there?”
“I’m not sure,” Leigh said. “I’m trying to stay out of the kitchen. I’m not much use when it comes to cooking.”
“I think you’ve done more than enough,” her father said. “Are you going to sit with us?”
“I don’t think I can.” Leigh leaned in to whisper. “These aren’t even your seats. There’s someone else sitting in yours. There aren’t enough seats for everyone here, if you haven’t noticed.”
“This is great,” her mother said. “People are really excited about the wedding. They must really love Roger and Cindy.”
“Or there are some people who want to kill Roger,” her father said matter-of-factly.
Her mom looked horrified. “Shut your mouth. No one is going to try to assassinate Roger.”
“I know you think he’s a great new shifter hope, but don’t be so excited. He’s still human, and he might not have our best interests at heart.”
“I don’t know, Dad,” Leigh said. “He’s great friends with the Collins family, and he does have a shifter son-in-law and grandson now. I think he’s changed his tune.”
“I like the man, but that doesn’t mean I trust him,” her father said. “Even you hate shifters, and you’re a part of a shifter family. I don’t think you’re the exception.”
Leigh’s face burned. “I don’t hate shifters. Obviously, I love you and the rest of our family very much.”
“I know, darling,” her father said. “I’m just trying to point out that most humans aren’t okay with this. I can easily see someone from town tr
ying to assassinate him.”
“Stop saying that word,” her mother said. “It sounds like you want it to happen. You were pro-Roger and pro-legislation the last time I checked. Why don’t you act like it?”
“I’ll try. But with that jackass walking around, it can be a little hard.”
Leigh could only imagine who he meant by “that jackass.” She knew her father was as unenthusiastic about the mate mark as she was. Jasper was lucky that her father hadn’t done anything to him.
It was strange to hear her father talk about people trying to hurt Roger. No, more than that—it made her really uncomfortable. They still hadn’t talked about the people who had tried to hurt her or what had happened to them. Leigh wasn’t sure she was ready to broach the subject with her dad.
“Speaking of that jackass…” Her father glared in the direction of the door.
Jasper had entered the ballroom with his younger brother. They looked around and walked over to one of the tables with free seats.
Leigh tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Jasper. As if he knew what she was thinking, he caught her eye and started walking toward her.
“I need to go back to check on Auntie,” Leigh said quickly.
She walked away from her parents to prevent a confrontation. She didn’t want to ruin the wedding with them making a scene. With her luck, that would be the big news of the evening.
Leigh left the reception and headed for the garden behind the mansion. Jasper followed her until she was deep inside the garden. He didn’t approach her until she’d stopped and had sat down on a bench.
“Still taking a break?” he asked her.
“I don’t need to do anything right now.”
“I see.” Jasper came a little closer. “Tell me something, would you? What do you have against me?”
“What do you mean?” Leigh asked, confused. He knew what her problem was. Why was he asking again?
“You know you’re my mate now. You know that I want to marry you. Still, you refuse to even give me a chance. You must have something against me.”
She shook her head. “This has nothing to do with you. I don’t want to be with a shifter.”
