Liar For Hire

by Tressie Lockwood

  Declan guessed her thoughts and cupped her face. He kissed her again. “I will come back for you. Trust me.”

  Trust him. She had spent years ignoring her feelings because she didn’t think she could trust a man who made a living lying. Now he revealed the lies were far more than she could dream up because he wasn’t even human.

  But this is Declan, the love of my life.

  She nodded. “I trust you.”

  “Good.” He hugged and kissed her one last time and then was gone.

  She wandered around the tiny cabin with nothing to do. A peek out the window showed that one of the other men guarded her. She sighed and hugged herself.

  Dropping onto the bed they had slept in the night before, she recalled their lovemaking and warmed from her head to her toes. Longing for Declan washed over her.

  He said he would build her a bigger and better house, and she laughed. Declan had never done anything but charm and tease people into giving him the information he sought. Was he also a secret carpenter? She snorted.

  A sound outside the cabin drew her attention. Before she could get off the bed, the door opened for the second time. In walked Roxie with her boyfriend trailing her.

  Chapter 18

  “What are you doing here, Roxie? I thought those dragons beat your tail.”

  Roxie colored then raised her chin. “I’m the mate of the prince—soon to be king over my people. Why would I be bested by some lower class dragons?”

  Janessa couldn’t believe her high and mighty attitude. “You keep telling yourself that.”

  Behind Roxie, her boyfriend frowned with disgust. He apparently loved this woman, and Roxie couldn’t see it. Or she chose not to. Maybe she had used the man for years and as soon as Declan turned up she tossed him aside.

  “He’s attracted to you,” Roxie admitted, “but that’s not going to last. You’re human after all. The only person who’s right for him is me because I’m his mate. I’m the only one who can accept him as he is. And I can change the others’ minds. It just takes time.”

  “He doesn’t need you.” Janessa grew bored with the conversation. She crossed one leg over the other on the bed and affected a yawn.

  Roxie’s hot gaze slid from Janessa’s face to the unmade bed under her. Her face flamed, and her hands curled into fists. “I’ve had enough of you! Frank, get her. Declan will forgive me for getting rid of you. Then we can live the rest of our lives together and happy.”

  The man lunged at Janessa, but she leaped off the bed, falling to her knees. Before she could get to her feet, he jerked her up by the collar. She kicked backward against his shin. He swore and socked her upside the head.

  Her head flopped backward as pain shot through her skull and down her neck. The man raised his hand again, but Roxie stopped him. “Don’t do it here. He might hear her scream and come to rescue her. Let’s fly. He won’t come back until after the ceremony.”

  “I thought you wanted to see it in case he calls you to the front to announce you as his mate.” The man looked sullen at the possibility.

  “We’ll do it later, maybe at dinner. Come on, Frank. I don’t know when the guard will come back after he realizes he didn’t have to obey me.”

  Janessa dragged her feet. “Hold on. Y’all know I don’t have wings, right?”

  Roxie snorted. “Don’t worry. I probably won’t drop you.”

  “Probably!”

  She struggled, terrified that Roxie might fly up and then drop her on purpose. The thought of it nearly stopped her heart. She opened her mouth to scream as Frank dragged her from the cabin. He jammed a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. She tried biting his hand, but he didn’t even flinch.

  All around them were trees like they were in the midst of a forest. No other cabins were nearby. Voices from others and music drifted in the air. Janessa guessed that Patrick had stuffed her and Declan in a corner of their property out of the way of the festivities.

  Frank threw Janessa in the dirt. His toss was so rough it took her a minute to get her head together. Roxie stirred up a strong wind as she shifted and flapped her wings. Tree limbs bent and waved. Leaves swirled about Janessa’s head. She felt sick to her stomach. As she started to climb to her feet, Frank’s foot transformed and landed on her back, holding her down. She turned her head to the side to keep from being smothered and shivered at the sight of the dragon’s claw so close to her eyes.

  If I don’t think of some way to get out of this, I’m done. Come on, Janessa. Think!

  “Frank, are you going to let her boss you around when she’s not even willing to be with you? What are you getting out of it?”

  A small roar erupted from Roxie. She had lifted up off the ground, but at Janessa’s words she swooped back down. Janessa spoke quickly. She assumed they could understand English in this beast form.

  “After she kills me, she’s going to be Declan’s mate. Where does that leave you, Frank? Alone?”

  Roxie in dragon form took a nosedive toward Janessa, but Frank lunged between them. The two tumbled back and forth, roaring and clawing. For the first time, Janessa felt like she could tell which dragon was Roxie. It had to be the petty super angry one.

  She decided not to stick around to find out. As the dragons continued to battle it out, she got to her knees and crawled in the opposite direction. Once her strength increased a bit, she got to her feet and started running.

  While the music and laughter was loud, she couldn’t tell which direction it came from. Nor was she sure if she should run to it or away. Maybe she should find the nearest road and hightail it out of there.

  When her feet hurt too much to keep moving, and her legs agreed, she stopped running. However, she kept moving. Something told her she headed in the wrong direction. The music wasn’t as loud, and she didn’t hear the people’s voices at all.

  Cracking wood somewhere behind her set her teeth on edge. She took a peek and cried out at the dragon ripping through the sky. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was angry, and he—or maybe it was she—was ready to kill.

  Janessa stopped running and turned to face the looming giant. She tried to scream, but fear closed her throat. Another attempt brought the smallest sound. “Declan, help me.”

  Even someone standing next to her wouldn’t hear that mess. And there was no guarantee that he would hear if she yelled. He was in the middle of a celebration that his people were gathered together again. Before he left the cabin, he had looked so happy, happier than she had ever known him to be.

  Declan had been by her side for a long time, and he had never failed to look out for her. This time was different. She was far apart from him, and he had no reason not to throw himself into the festivities of the day. When the party was over, it would be too late for her.

  She looked around and found a thick heavy branch. Backing up toward a tree, she held the branch in front of her like a sword. Her hands shook as she tried to steady it.

  “Declan!” she screamed.

  The dragon swooped down from the sky. It tore through tall trees, destroying limbs and raining leaves. Janessa’s fingers grew numb. The limb she held bobbled. She shut her eyes and then forced them open. If she had to, she would go down with a fight. Maybe she would put one of his eyes out.

  The thought almost made her laugh. The dragon attacking was covered with those shimmery scales from head to foot, even over his eyelids.

  In one last effort, she raised the limb higher. The dragon was feet away from her. It ripped through a branch thicker and heavier than the one she held in her hand, crumbling it like a toothpick. Her resolve wavered.

  A roar split the air, deafening her and apparently the dragon attacking her. The enemy tumbled sideways, crashing into a few trees. Fire followed the roar, igniting the sky and the trees, sucking up all the oxygen around Janessa. She dropped the limb and fell to the ground.

  Her vision grew dim. Her head dipped. She tried to stay upright, but found it almost impossible. The dragon that
had been about to attack her smashed into the ground just feet from where she stood. The roaring fire breathing dragon landed in front of her. All around it were flames and black smoke.

  “Oh God…” she mumbled and pitched forward.

  Someone caught her, strong comforting arms.

  Chapter 19

  Eight months later…

  * * *

  Janessa stood in the front yard of her house, kneading the muscles in her lower back. She shielded her eyes against the sun with the other hand. “I thought you were coming to lunch, Declan.”

  Her fiancé straightened and flexed his back. His sweat-slickened muscles drew her gaze. Working on the roof of their new home had turned his skin a beautiful bronze, and her senses stirred. He was so darn tempting. Even pregnant, she wanted him.

  “I am,” he called down. “I will. Wait, why aren’t you resting?”

  “Because I’m cooking lunch.”

  He frowned. “Where is the maid?”

  “Look, just because you’ve adapted to being the big man on campus, and everyone fell in line with your rule doesn’t mean I’m used to having help. It’s weird.”

  He dropped down from the roof to the ground like it was nothing. She would have broken her ankle if she did some mess like that. Declan grinned. He couldn’t get enough of freely being himself in front of her—his healed self. Neither could she get enough of seeing him happy.

  He took her in his arms, watching out for her swollen belly, and kissed her. Then he rubbed a hand over her stomach. “If you’re not happy, my love, tell me. I’ll make it better. I can’t promise I’ll get rid of the help because I don’t want you overdoing it.”

  “I’m not complaining because I’m seriously tired all the time. The help is welcome. I’m just saying I’m not used to it, and I won’t let it go too far when it comes to cooking for you.”

  His grin grew bigger. She rolled her eyes at him, laughing.

  “You’re getting excited because I want to be the only one cooking for you, aren’t you?”

  His eyes widened. “Who me?”

  “Yes, you.”

  He drew her back when she would have moved out of his arms and massaged her back while he held her. She almost melted into a puddle on the ground.

  One of his men ran up. “Sir, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  Declan didn’t pause in rubbing her back. “What’s up?”

  The man hesitated and glanced at Janessa. “In private, sir.”

  Janessa pulled out of Declan’s arms. He was hesitant to let go, but she pushed his chest. She and he both knew many of his people hadn’t yet accepted her. Many did, and some bent over backward to try to please her—hence the maid and other helpers.

  Everyone acknowledged that Declan was the established leader of their people. Apparently, the fact that he could breathe fire—something only those in his line could do—his position wasn’t to be disputed without a fight. After he breathed fire to rescue her from Roxie and her boyfriend, none of Patrick’s men wanted to come against Declan.

  By the time the dust settled with putting out the fire Declan had started and with Declan caring for her after she fainted, Patrick had disappeared into the night, along with his daughter and a small handful of his most loyal followers.

  Oddly enough, Patrick’s future son-in-law stayed with Declan, letting his fiancée go. No one knew where any of them went, and so far Declan didn’t give an order to locate them.

  Janessa wished stupid Roxie and her boyfriend had disappeared, but it was too much to ask. The two of them ended up begging Declan for forgiveness and pledging loyalty to him. Janessa remained skeptical, but they kept their heads down.

  By the time Janessa reached her cabin, one of the women who assisted her stood in the doorway, holding out Janessa’s phone. “Ma’am, I was just about to bring this to you.”

  “Stop calling me ma’am, for pete’s sake. I’m younger than you.”

  The woman apologized. “Sorry, Janessa. Here you are.”

  The phone rang, and Janessa noticed the call came in from her sister. She hurriedly answered since she hadn’t spoken to Lachelle for a while—not since her sister had gone on an extended trip with her new beau and only checked in whenever she got around to it.

  “Lachelle!” Janessa waddled to a chair and dropped into it. She noticed the thickness of her ankles and frowned. “How’s it going? I can’t believe you finally called. Tell me you’re back in town so I can come visit.”

  “Not yet, but soon.”

  “Are you bringing him to meet me? Mom and Dad are complaining that you’re keeping him a secret, and I don’t know what to tell them.”

  Janessa didn’t complain too much, especially since none of her family knew exactly where she lived or that her fiancé was a shape shifter. That secret would keep until her grave, if she had anything to say about it. Declan tried his best to convince her to let the apartment go, which she rented to keep up appearances. So far, she wasn’t having it.

  “Since it’s you, I think I can tell you.” Her sister sighed dramatically. “He’s the one, sis. I’m sure of it. We’ve even talked about having babies.”

  “Whoa, that’s huge.”

  “His name is Skip, and he’s wonderful.”

  Janessa frowned. Where did she know that name from? Then it came back to her, the guy who had been researching shifters and had led her to the bar where she met Roxie. In fact, it had turned out that every person in that bar was a shifter, except her and Skip. What was his last name?

  “Skip what?” she asked her sister.

  Lachelle laughed. “Oh, I see, you want to make sure I checked him out thoroughly. Girl, do you know who you’re talking to? Anyway, it’s Skip Hunter. Real white boy stuff, right?”

  Janessa pretended to laugh as a cold chill raced down her back. How much of a coincidence was it that Skip Hunter—she was sure it was the same guy—would meet and fall in love with her sister?

  “Where did you meet him?”

  Lachelle launched into a long and detailed story, singing this guy’s praises the whole way. No matter what she shared, Janessa couldn’t help feeling suspicious. She had nothing to go on. After visiting that bar with him and having Declan rescue her, Janessa had heard no more from Skip. Now he was in love with her sister and talking about having kids?

  After Lachelle agreed they would meet for dinner in a week’s time, Janessa ended the call. Declan strolled in the door a few minutes later. He took in her expression and rushed to her. “Are you okay?”

  She swatted his hand away. “I’m fine. I just heard some interesting news.”

  “We can discuss it over lunch.” He started to rise and hesitated. “Are you sure you’re okay? You know you can talk to me.”

  God, she adored this man. “Was the news you got something bad?”

  “Not sure. I’ll know more later.”

  He was always open and up front with her now. She touched his cheek and felt the new growth there. Her entire body was so starkly aware of him—on every level.

  “This life and everything about it is so new. Even after eight months of knowing what you are and watching you lead your people like you were born for it, I’m mind-boggled. Not to mention…” She rubbed her belly. “I’m terrified of giving birth in a couple months. I mean what if something goes wrong?”

  “You’re imagining a horror film, aren’t you?”

  “No,” she lied.

  He pulled her up from the chair and sat down to place her on his lap. As she laid her head against his shoulder, he whispered soothingly in her ear. He was the most loving man on earth.

  “Remember, baby. My people are healers. Birth will be a breeze for you.”

  “You forget I’m not a shifter. This baby is going to hurt coming out one way or another.”

  He ran a hand down her back, and she could have sworn warmth spread throughout the area, relieving some of the achy muscles. “You once helped me to heal, and I promise to
help you. Do you believe me when I tell you everything will be fine?”

  She gazed into his eyes. “Absolutely. I know now that you were always honest and true at your core. I trust you, and I love you, Declan.”

  He kissed her long and deep, and she forgot all about lunch and the fact that they weren’t alone in the tiny cabin. A clang of a lid against a pot broke them apart, and Declan chuckled before kissing her again.

  “In two months, we’ll prove to any doubters that you are my intended mate by you giving birth to my baby. Directly after that, we get married. Are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  He set her on her feet. “Good. So am I. No one will ever come between us again, and we will never be apart. I guarantee it.”

  * * *

  The End

  About the Author

  Tressie Lockwood has always loved books, and she enjoys writing about heroines (and this time a hero) who are overcoming the trials of life. She writes straight from her heart, reaching out to those who find it hard to be completely themselves no matter what anyone else thinks. She hopes her readers enjoy her stories.

  A Note From Tressie,

  I would like to thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to review it and to let a friend know about me. A good review can help an author reach more people, and others will take a chance like you did. Thank you for your help, and happy reading.

  - Tress

  Also by Tressie Lockwood

  Shona and Neena

  * * *

  Planning His Wedding

  The Bribe and the Baby

  * * *

  The Sartoris

  * * *

  Accepting His Name

  Raising His Baby

  Reaching His Heart