by Amelia Jade
“Is everything okay?” he asked when she hung up the phone.
“What do you mean?” came the apprehensive reply.
“Nothing, it’s just…” he trailed off, sweeping his hand around her place. “I didn’t notice it yesterday, but your place seems…messy,” he said with a wince. “I hate to bring it up, but if there’s something wrong, let me know.”
Mia flushed red with embarrassment, and he hated himself for bringing it up, but he needed to know.
“Nothing more than what you already know,” she told him. “It’s just that I haven’t had much desire to do anything since Trevor was taken.”
Garrin started to ask who Trevor was, and then realized she meant her brother. It was the first time he’d heard him referred to by name, so it caught him off guard. His eyes flicked over to the folder on the island. He badly wanted to go through it, but Mia didn’t want him to do it while she was around, so he’d have to wait, despite his burning curiosity.
Still, he needed to do something.
“How long until the pizza arrives?” he asked, an idea coming to him.
“Thirty minutes or so they said.”
“Perfect.” He snapped his fingers energetically.
“What?” she asked suspiciously, drawing out the word slowly.
“That means we have half an hour to clean. Let’s get to work.” He frowned. “Why are you looking at me like I have two heads?”
“Because I think you do! You want to help me clean my house?” she asked.
“Sure. It’s only for half an hour, until the pizza gets here. Then we’ll have earned it,” he rationalized.
Mia sighed. “You are one interesting fellow, Garrin Richter. One very, very interesting fellow.”
He beamed. “Thank you! That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me today.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, let’s get to work.” Mia rummaged under the sink for cleaning supplies. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
Garrin came over and nudged her with his hip. “Oh come on, there are worse things that could be happening.”
“Perhaps,” came the slow reply. “But I could also think of better things to be doing,” she said somewhat suggestively.
He coughed to cover his surprise and flicked the tap on to start running water to do the dishes in it.
The cool water was a welcome, and rather needed, distraction, even if it was only running over his hands, and not…elsewhere.
He’d have to turn up the heat in it soon though. Hopefully the rest of the room didn’t go with it…
Garrin focused in on the dishes and scrubbing them clean, letting that occupy his attention for the moment, and not the way Mia’s hips swayed as she moved around the kitchen bagging up some of the garbage and other detritus that had accumulated, taking it out to the trash bins.
No, he tried not to focus on them at all.
He failed miserably at it, but he did try!
That counts, right?
Chapter Six
Garrin
He tried to shove aside the press of Mia’s body as he’d hugged her good bye the evening before. Right then he had far more critical things to concentrate on.
“This is an insane plan.”
“Of course it is,” he replied to the speaker. “But that doesn’t make it any less necessary.”
Alexander Grigory, commandant of the Green Bearets and the man that Garrin looked up to more than anyone, leaned back in his chair and regarded him with a long, slow look.
“Are you sure you aren’t trying to do this because you’re crazy for her?”
He fought down a growl at the words, surprised at the anger they evoked within him.
“My own personal feelings aside, sir,” he said, stressing the formal term to indicate his dislike of the question, “this is the right thing to do, and you know it. Major Eidelhorn asked me the same question, and he was satisfied with my answer.”
“Jarvis always was a smart one,” Alexander remarked calmly, taking no offense to Garrin’s response. “But I am not so easily convinced. How can you know you’ll be able to pull this off?”
Garrin reached into one of the pockets of his pants and pulled forth three items and tossed them across the desk to his superior. They were taken from the folder Mia had provided him. Once he’d gotten back to his office and had a chance to look through it, he’d known their chances of success were much better.
Alexander leaned forward and snatched them up, regarding the square objects for a moment, and then setting them back down.
“What does this prove?” he asked.
“Those are Polaroids, sir. Pictures taken to ensure Mia—Miss Jameson,” he corrected, “knew that they did indeed have her brother.”
“So?”
Garrin rolled his eyes. “Come on Alex, don’t play dumb with me. You know as well as I do what’s visible in the background.”
“So it looks like the Warden Prison. That could just be misdirection.”
The Warden Prison was where the Fenris Wards, the equivalent to the Cadian Guardians, kept their prisoners. It was a fairly well-known building. The Wards made a point of talking about how impregnable it was, and how well fortified they kept it. Assaulting it was not an easy task.
“Of course it could be. But why would they bother? That’s a lot of layers deep, to think that they need to mock up the prison just for the photos, in case she betrayed them and handed them over.” He snorted. “We haven’t been on the offensive at all with Fenris. The last thing they’ll expect is us to fly in, raid them, and snatch the prisoner from there. It’ll be a smash-and-grab job. Complicated one, but straightforward enough.”
“How are you going to get in and out?”
“I have a meeting with Daxxton Ryker in…twenty minutes,” Garrin said, glancing at the clock behind Alexander.
“Dragons?” the commandant asked in surprise, almost choking on his water.
Garrin just glared.
“You seriously think they’ll agree to go along with that?” Alex laughed, not holding back at all. “You are more delusional than I thought, Garrin, if you think they’re going to lend you any support for this.” He shook his head. “I’ll approve it, because I understand.”
The commandant’s eyes clouded over, and Garrin fell silent.
Yes, yes, Alexander of all people would understand.
“But I don’t think you’ll get that far with Daxxton.”
Garrin rose from his seat. “We’ll see. I think he might surprise you.”
Alexander regarded him levelly. “Daxxton the person might. But King Ryker, on the other hand, has to look out for all of Cadia. Remember that when he gives you his verdict, Garrin. He has to play out the big picture, and can’t just act on his personal whims.”
“I know. But I have to try, Alex. I have to try.”
The commandant nodded, and he turned and strode from his office.
They weren’t at Base Camp today, but instead Garrin was back in Cadia itself. He was in the Guardian Headquarters at the moment, where Alexander spent much of his time. Garrin didn’t envy him that at all. While he got to supervise the day-to-day running of the Green Bearets, and interact with the recruits and others from his office at Base Camp, Alexander was forced to chum it with the politicians.
Perhaps I shouldn’t bitch quite so much about not getting out into the field. I get to do it so much more often than he does. I couldn’t last more than two days in his world, let alone the two decades he’s managed it.
Once again, he was astonished by Alexander’s strength. The man had become commandant at a young age, when the previous commandant had retired abruptly, without warning. As colonel at the time, Alexander Grigory had automatically assumed the post. Many had believed he would fail, but he’d shown them all wrong, and was now perhaps the most beloved leader of the Green Bearets in their history.
And if he said Garrin was going to have a hard time convincing Daxxton to lend the support of
the dragons, then it was likely he was going to have a damn hard time of it.
Long strides carried him down the stairs and along the hallways until he emerged into the heart of Cadia itself, a thoughtful look on his face.
All around him shifters moved along the streets. It was Sunday, and that meant that many of the businesses were closed for the day, as the community took a breather before starting the new week. While most shifters tended to be atheists—being a half-man half-animal hybrid didn’t fit with many religions—they still adhered to many of the values preached.
One of the biggest ones was needing a day of rest.
So it was that he wandered his way through the streets, passing any number of other shifters as he went. Most walked about in their human forms, enjoying the bright sunlight of an early spring day. Warmth and fresh scents were in the air, and it was a delightful day to be out and about.
But even as he said that, a pack of young wolf shifters went streaming around him, yipping with excitement as they chased the one at the fore, who had something in its jaws.
Overhead a pair of Pegasi dipped and dove in an intricate dance, their grace and strength beautiful to watch, snagging the attention of more than one set of eyes on the ground below.
A solitary tiger prowled down the center of the cobblestone road, pausing to stretch languidly before continuing along its way, seemingly oblivious to those around it.
Garrin caught himself smiling. This was Cadia at its finest. This, and these people, were what he and the Green Bearets fought to protect, to keep safe.
Sometimes it was good for him to be given a reminder of that, and he made a note to start rotating men through the town of Cadia, to give them a reminder of why they were fighting, to help keep them sharp.
Ahead loomed the tall, domed Administration building, where the politicians and bureaucrats worked. The white marble exterior was all columns and archways, adorned with many living plants. Creeping vines covered one entire wall, helping to provide even more greenery to the scene.
Despite the beautiful look of it, it was perhaps Garrin’s least favorite building to be in. But it wasn’t the architecture that made it so. No, it was the inhabitants.
Politicians.
Lying, scheming scumbags, the lot of them.
The vehemence of his inner dialog was nothing new. Garrin was a career military man, and he preferred to deal in openness and directness. These people, on the other hand, spoke in tongues, operated in back rooms and almost never said what they meant, instead speaking around the truth, so that they could never be called on it.
He detested them with every fiber of his being, and wished they could all just be done away with.
“Can I help you?” A young woman sat at the reception desk, idly twirling a pen around and chewing gum, looking for all the world as if she wished to be anywhere but where she was.
Garrin wasn’t overly enthused with the tiger shifter’s attitude, but he didn’t have time to put her in place either, to teach her to respect those around her.
“I have a meeting with Daxxton Ryker. Colonel Garrin Richter,” he said smartly.
“Uh-huh,” came the reply, followed by a smacking of gum.
He bristled at the dismissive tone.
“I’m supposed to be in his office in exactly,” he checked the clock on the wall, “four minutes.”
“Daxxton is running behind today,” she drawled. “So you’ll just have to wait until I tell you.”
Garrin snapped.
His growl filled the room and he leaned over the counter, his massive frame casting a shadow over the young woman.
“Daxxton Ryker never runs behind,” he said, his voice ground out, like the clash of two tectonic plates.
The woman looked up at him, her eyes darting about nervously. Garrin doubted anyone ever stood up to her. But he recognized her type. She liked to make people dance to her own tune, to feel more powerful than she actually was. It was a pathetic game, one that most people often grew out of as they entered adulthood.
This young tiger obviously hadn’t learned to just do her job, and leave the power-mongering to others.
“Ah, yes, it looks like he’s available,” she stammered, glancing at her computer screen.
Garrin snorted, partially in contempt of her, but partially at the technology as well. He knew it was a necessary evil, but he detested it nonetheless.
“Thank you,” he said in a dry, slightly amused tone, and strolled through the now-unlocked door and took the stairs up to the executive offices.
He glanced at the clock on the wall, and at exactly eleven o’clock he rapped sharply on the door twice, and waited.
“Come in.” The response came after a very short pause.
The voice itself wasn’t quite as deep as his, but it was almost melodic in its composure, radiating power even through the thick dark-stained oak door.
Garrin entered, approached the desk, and saluted with parade ground precision.
“At ease, Colonel,” Daxxton Ryker said, rising from behind his desk and extending a hand.
He took it, squeezed solidly, and shook it. Garrin carefully did not squeeze too hard. This was not a man to get into a contest of power with. Garrin would lose, and lose badly.
The man sitting across from him wasn’t as tall as Garrin, nor was he as broad of shoulder. But his golden-tanned skin seemed to simply radiate a power that filled the entire room, making the massive bear shifter feel absolutely tiny.
Now that’s power.
“Please, have a seat,” he said with a graceful wave.
Garrin sank into one of the sinfully comfortable leather chairs, being very careful not to sigh with pleasure. He made a mental note to inquire on where he got them from. He wanted one for his place.
“So, what can I do for you, Colonel?”
Here it was.
“I came here to request dragon assistance for a mission I need to conduct.”
The impassive face across from him hadn’t moved much since he entered, but now one of the eyebrows quirked upward. It was a slight, miniscule reaction, but Garrin knew that was saying a lot for the wily dragon.
“What sort of assistance did you have in mind?”
“I am planning a deep strike into Fenris to rescue a human hostage,” he said, and then explained all about Mia, her brother, and his proposed plan of action.
Daxxton sat there throughout, listening intently, his face carefully schooled into a neutral reaction. When Garrin finally finished, he inhaled slowly.
“You’ve heard the rumors?” he asked at last.
Garrin blinked.
“Uh, excuse me?” he asked with as much politeness as his addled brain could muster.
“That the humans might intervene against Fenris, as a result of the dam incident.”
Oh. Those rumors.
Garrin had heard of them, like most everyone had by now. The humans had launched an investigation, and it was rumored that they were considering military intervention against Fenris.
Garrin wasn’t sure how he felt about that. While it would certainly ensure that his own men, and Cadia as a whole, suffered far fewer casualties than they normally might, it also brought about a whole new set of problems. Never before had humans interfered in shifter business. This set an uncomfortable precedent for that, and one that Garrin couldn’t help but believe might eventually backfire on his own kind.
“I had heard of them. Though I’m not ready to give such things much credibility.”
“Understandable,” Daxxton said. “I have access to other sources, however, and I can tell you that, while nothing is official, the odds are currently leaning heavily in that direction.”
“I see.”
“Do you?” Daxxton asked.
“Honestly sir, no, not really. What does that have to do with my request?”
“It means that agitating Fenris further is not something that the King of Cadia can really support.”
Garrin pursed his lips,
bowing his head slightly as he prepared his counterargument.
“Don’t bother,” Daxxton said, preempting him. “I, as King of Cadia, cannot endorse this mission.”
Something in his voice caused Garrin’s head to snap up, meeting the golden-brown eyes of the most powerful man in Cadia.
But they looked back at him with calm regard, not betraying anything that the man may have been thinking.
He choked down his anger at the abrupt refusal of his idea.
“Very well,” he said formally and rose. “Thank you for your time.”
“My door is always open to you, Garrin. I am just sorry that my office cannot endorse this mission.”
Once again something in his voice rang out to Garrin, but the bear shifter couldn’t place it.
“Understood, sir,” he said, saluting once more and then exiting the office.
But his mind was no longer on what Daxxton had said. He had another, bigger problem.
How the hell am I going to tell Mia?
Chapter Seven
Mia
She lounged in bed, enjoying the lazy day. It was noon and she’d just begun to contemplate actually getting out of bed. With nothing planned and her house freshly cleaned after her and Garrin’s whirlwind efforts the day before, she could afford to do nothing but sleep and perhaps take a bubble bath.
Even as she thought it, Mia decided that would be the perfect way to cap off a day of doing nothing. Those days were far too rare recently, and she intended to take full advantage of it. As she stretched and took up the whole bed, her mind wandered to the day before.
Garrin had helped her clean her house, and then they’d enjoyed the fruits of their labors with more pizza than they probably should have eaten. A smile tugged at her lips, the memory of the two of them lying on her couch, holding their stomachs and complaining about being too full.
That had eventually turned into watching a movie and maintaining proper distance between the two of them. Mia had felt the tension building in the room. It had been so thick she could have cut it with a knife. Yet despite it all, they had both stayed on their own ends of the couch, neither willing to make the first move.
