Undiscovered

by Sara Humphreys

  “Yes.”

  Zander moved past her and headed down the steps toward his Harley, which was parked at the curb in front of the building. Rena locked the door of her office as the roar of his motorcycle filled the air, and the sound sent a shiver up her spine. When she turned around, Zander was staring at her and revved the engine again, as though taunting her.

  There were about fourteen hundred miles between them and their Montana destination. Plenty of time for her to get the answers she was looking for and to find out what else Zander was hiding.

  Chapter 7

  Riding all the way to Montana with Rena snuggled up against his back was going to be torture. Hell, the ten-minute trip to the old man’s nursing home made Zander break out in a sweat. He opted to wait outside while she went in to visit Vito. He hoped some distance would help him regain control over his body’s reaction to the nearness of hers.

  The cruel irony of the universe and the fates was never lost on him, but being around Rena sure as hell brought it to the forefront. His body might not be cooperating, but Zander’s brain sure as shit had to. He would not let history repeat itself and screw up the one last chance to free his brother.

  Mind over matter. He kept repeating the mantra to himself over and over. His body was reacting on an animalistic level, but his brain, the one with five centuries worth of experience, was in control.

  It had to be.

  Zander refused to allow his starved libido to run the show. All he had to do was get Rena to the Amoveo ranch and then let nature take its course. Rena would awaken Zed and lift the curse. Then Zander would hightail it out of there, so she and his brother could complete their mating bond and live happily ever after.

  If he stuck around the two of them, he would only be a distraction.

  Rena’s warm, curvy form had fit against his with torturous perfection, and when she settled her hands over his stomach, holding on for the ride, it took significant willpower to keep his eyes from shifting. The primal urge of the beast surged as Rena’s body and sweet scent surrounded him, but Zander managed to keep the eyes of his dragon at bay.

  It may have been five centuries since he had experienced any of his clan abilities, but his instincts were still there and surprisingly sharp. He suspected it was because Rena had made direct contact with his memories and was well on her way to mating with Zed.

  Some effects of the curse were beginning to fade, but it wasn’t enough.

  To top it all off, Zander’s body and mind were at war. He was completely conflicted, and it was his own damn fault. Stupid, stupid move. If he hadn’t kissed her, then maybe he wouldn’t be feeling so confused.

  He swore under his breath and tugged the strap of his duffel tighter against the back of the bike. Kissing her had been careless and foolish—a dangerous mistake he would not be repeating. He had allowed his animal instincts to take over, but he couldn’t afford to let it happen again. Zed sure as hell couldn’t afford it either.

  Only Rena could lift the curse entirely and bring his brother out of the dreamrealm, and Zander refused to get in the way of that.

  No matter how alluring she was.

  Shit.

  Frustration tinged with anger and resentment fired through him, but he stuffed it back down. Being pissed off and horny wouldn’t help him or his brother. Zander shoved his hands through his hair in an almost violent gesture before looking at his watch. The woman had been inside for almost half an hour.

  They didn’t have time to waste.

  The clock was ticking, and his patience was waning. Feeling restless and tired of wallowing in his private pity party, Zander headed up the walkway of Sunnyfarm Retirement Community. When he stepped inside the cool, air-conditioned lobby, his senses were assaulted by a heady combination of too much perfume and whatever the dining room had served up for breakfast. None of which helped his grouchy mood.

  “Can I help you?”

  Zander snapped his head toward the female voice, and he must have been glowering. The young woman behind the counter was peering at him warily over her wire-rim glasses. Not that he could blame the girl. He was a stranger and wasn’t exactly looking his best. He ran one hand through his shaggy hair as he walked over to the desk and forced a smile.

  “You okay, mister?” She pushed her glasses up the rim of her nose. “You lost or something?”

  “No. My friend is here visiting someone, and I just wanted to see how much longer she was going to be.” Zander glanced around the bright reception area with the simple but welcoming decor with a homey feel to it. “Her name is Rena McHale.”

  “Oh! Of course.” A big smile bloomed on the young woman’s face, and her entire demeanor changed at the mention of Rena’s name. “She’s here all the time visiting Vito. He’s lucky, you know. Some of the folks in here never get visitors. It’s kind of ironic too, because he never even remembers that she was here.”

  “I see.” Zander nodded his understanding. “Can you tell me where to find her?”

  “You just missed her,” the girl said brightly. “Rena went upstairs about five minutes ago.”

  “She’s been in here for over half an hour,” he grumbled. “She just went up there now?”

  “Oh, she was in the business office for a while, but now she’s up on the third floor with Vito.”

  The business office? He immediately thought of the money she had taken from the desk. Zander glanced around the lobby and noted the expensive lighting fixtures and lush furnishings. This place wasn’t cheap, and he could only imagine what the medical expenses were like.

  Was Rena supporting the old man?

  The girl pushed a clipboard toward him. “I’ll just need to see your ID and have you sign in.”

  Zander flashed her his driver’s license, one of many forged IDs he had had over the years, and signed in as she requested.

  “Thanks. Take the elevator to the third floor, then go to the left, and they’ll buzz you in.” She lowered her voice in an almost conspiratorial whisper. “It’s the Alzheimer’s and dementia wing. They have to buzz you in and out so the residents who live up there don’t have a mishap.”

  “Right. Thanks.”

  Zander strode to the elevator bank and passed a stately looking elderly couple who were on their way out of the building. Hand in hand, they moved slowly to the glass doors, smiling at him as they passed. How many years had they been together? Likely more than most. What was that like? To experience life, day in and day out, with another person? To share each other’s hopes and dreams?

  He had no idea and likely never would. A solitary existence was all he knew, and if this damned curse wasn’t lifted, it was all he would ever know.

  Zander stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the third floor. Rena’s sweet, fruity scent lingered, and the instant it filled his head, a surge of lust swelled. Damn it. He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and curled his fingers around the spirit stone. Having the weight of the lumpy piece of quartz against his palm helped calm his body’s instinctive response to her energy signature, the one infused with a hint of pears and vanilla. The memory of their kiss flickered through his mind, the sugary taste of her haunting him too, but he shoved it aside.

  There was no point wasting time with thoughts about what could never be.

  As soon as the elevator doors slid open on the third floor, Rena’s energy signature floated around Zander seductively. It permeated the hallway in enticing pulses. He pushed the button on the wall and waved at a nurse through the glass windows in the door. The older woman with lovely ebony skin smiled broadly and waved him in as the door swung open.

  “Well, now,” she said jovially. The nurse gave him a look of appreciation. “Who might you be?”

  Zander was never a fan of being in the spotlight, and his instinct was to shrink from the attention. He had spent countless years flying under the radar and
doing his best not to be noticed. When you didn’t age like a regular man, it was best to keep your head down before eventually moving on.

  He rarely stayed in one place for more than a few years.

  Zander scanned the area, and his energy signature immediately connected with Rena’s again, putting him at ease. He sensed a peaceful contentedness within it that was distinctly different from what he’d noticed before. Ever since he had found Rena, the woman’s energy had been swollen with tension, like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Even in the dreamrealm. But not now.

  A sense of serenity and happiness soaked her energy pattern. A smile tugged at Zander’s lips, and he absently rubbed at the warmth that began to seep through his chest. What the hell was he doing, getting all sappy and mushy over a woman’s feelings?

  “Hello?” The nurse snapped her fingers. “You awake, handsome?”

  “Yes. Sorry about that.” He blinked and let out a short laugh, doing his best to be friendly. Which wasn’t exactly his comfort zone. “I’m a friend of Rena’s.”

  “Are ya now?” Her accent, one that conjured images of blue oceans and sandy beaches, brightened the reception area like the sun. “I been hoping our girl Rena had herself a nice boyfriend. She’s always tellin’ me she don’t have no time for a man, but now I know that she just wants to keep ya all t’ herself.”

  “Just a friend,” Zander said with a wink. He flicked his gaze to the white name badge on her scrubs. “I’m Zander. It’s nice to meet you, Maude.”

  “Pleasure’s all mine, darlin’.” She laughed, flashing him her pearly-white teeth. “You can go on down to the sittin’ room. Straight down the hall. On the left-hand side. Ya can’t miss it. Vito likes to sit by the window, and I believe Miss Rena is in there with him now.”

  Zander nodded politely and followed Rena’s energy signature down the long hall with the pale-blue carpet. He passed a few rooms, each occupied by one or more elderly residents. Their energy signatures were even weaker than typical humans, which was common when someone suffered from a mental or physical ailment. A twinge of sadness tugged at his pathetic excuse of a heart, and Zander rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.

  Most emotions made him uneasy, and he had always viewed them as a form of weakness. Except rage and frustration. He practically wore those like a damn suit of armor. They were familiar and comfortable and had been his travel companions for centuries. Zander was a pro at wielding them like weapons and using them to fuel his mission.

  Anger simmered in his blood, and in some ways, it had become as much a part of him as a physical body part. Rage lingered beneath the surface, ready and waiting at all times to serve him if and when he needed it. And over the course of five centuries, he’d sure as hell needed it plenty of times.

  Besides, being pissed off kept most people at bay. Love was what had gotten him in trouble in the first place, and all the acts of kindness he had committed over the centuries had done nothing to help him free Zed.

  Lost in his thoughts and a fair amount of self-pity, Zander turned the corner into the large common room. The sun-filled space was enormous, with a series of couches, armchairs, and coffee tables arranged in clusters throughout. There were two gas fireplaces, one at either end, and a bank of windows covered the wall across from the entrance. He scanned the room quickly, and though he could feel Rena’s energy signature, it was suddenly muddled, like a song filled with static.

  She wasn’t in there.

  Anxiety flickered up Zander’s back as he stood in the doorway and shifted his steady gaze around the room. There were two older women chatting on a sofa with a nurse seated next to them. Three elderly men, all in wheelchairs, were parked in front of a television that was airing an episode of Bonanza, but all of them were asleep.

  There was one other man in the room.

  Sitting alone, he was slightly hunched over in a wheelchair with his back to Zander. A shock of white hair was coiffed neatly on his head, but it was his energy signature that captured Zander’s attention. It was a low, pulsing stream far thicker than a typical human’s, especially one with dementia.

  And it was filled with static.

  Humans didn’t have static in their energy patterns.

  “What the hell?” Zander whispered.

  He took a step closer, but Rena’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

  “Hey! What are you doing up here?”

  Her energy signature, once again strong and clear, swirled around him like a tornado. The easygoing feelings he had sensed from her earlier were gone.

  Thanks to him.

  Zander turned around to find her looking as irritated as she sounded. Her dark eyes were stormy, and she had two bottles of water clutched in her hands, which were clenched into fists. For a split second, he thought she was going to punch him right in the jaw.

  “Where have you been?” he asked tightly. “We need to get going.”

  “I was solving world peace,” she said sarcastically. “What does it look like? I was getting Vito some water. His medication makes him thirsty. You’ll just have to hold your horses while I visit with him for a few minutes. I usually see him every day, and I want to let him know I’m going to be away for a while.”

  “Does it matter?” Zander glanced at the old man. “I thought he didn’t remember anything.”

  “It matters to me,” she said quietly. “You need to work on your sensitivity. You know, for a guy who’s been around as long as you have, I would think you’d have better people skills.”

  Rena went to walk past him, but Zander stepped to the left, blocking her path.

  “We don’t have time for this.”

  “He’s the most important person in my life, so I always have time for him. Maybe if you cared about someone other than yourself and what you want, you’d understand that.”

  Zander blanched but held his ground. Maybe he was being insensitive, but after getting so close to an answer after five hundred years, waiting longer was torture. He sucked in a slow breath but was greeted with the scent, vanilla and pears, which only muddled his brain.

  Why did she have to smell so damn inviting?

  Focus, he thought. Jesus. Get your head on straight.

  “What have you been doing in here all this time?” He swallowed a groan when her body heat flickered over him in wicked, little waves and bit out, “It’s been close to an hour.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I had to take care of Vito’s bill.” She tilted her chin defiantly and held up the two bottles of water. “This stuff ain’t cheap, and I’m not talking about the water. I told you I had more than one reason for taking this job. The money you paid me is going to cover the next year of his care, and when you pay me the rest, it’ll cover another.”

  “You’re telling me that you support him?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about his family?” Zander asked, tuning into the man’s unusual, static-filled energy signature again. “Where are they? Why aren’t they handling this?”

  “Like me, he doesn’t have any. His wife is dead, and so is his kid. I’m all he’s got.” Rena poked him in the chest with one of the water bottles and gently pushed him back. “Now, please move your big, brooding self out of my way. We’ll take off in fifteen. Okay?”

  Undeterred, her warm, brown eyes held his gaze. The woman was unyielding, stubborn, and tough as nails. She was also loyal, and that was a quality lacking in many. Shit. It was lacking in him.

  “Fine.” He flicked his eyes to her mouth, and his gut tightened before he quickly looked away. “Fifteen minutes.”

  Zander stepped aside but kept his sights on her. He leaned against the doorjamb and folded his hands in front of him as she settled into a chair beside the old man. It didn’t escape Zander that the moment she smiled at Vito, her energy sign
ature lightened.

  All the tension eased away.

  The ache in Zander’s chest, the one that had ebbed and flowed ever since finding Rena, began to throb as she flashed a gorgeous smile at the old man. Her entire face lit up and matched the luminous swell of her energy. He almost didn’t recognize the sensation at first. It was both foreign and hauntingly familiar. Like a tsunami, the realization washed over Zander with such force, he could have drowned in it.

  Love.

  Pure love, like that of a father and daughter, flowed between Rena and Vito. It was authentic. Untainted by greed, jealousy, or pride or any of the other ugly human emotions that could swiftly and completely corrupt something genuine. Any doubts he might have had about Rena being the answer to his prayers were swept away in the tide. If her devotion and commitment to Vito were any indication, then this woman would be a good mate.

  For his brother.

  Not him.

  Damn it.

  “Hey.” Rena waved him over and pulled him from his self-pitying thoughts. “Come here. I want you to meet Vito.”

  She wanted to introduce him? Great. Zander sighed and pushed himself away from the wall. He didn’t want to get involved with Rena any more than he had to. After all, she was going to be Zed’s mate, not his. But he also had to play nice, because there were a lot of miles between them and Zed.

  “Vito?” Rena settled her hand on his forearm and rubbed gently, her demeanor tender and sweet. A far cry from the tough girl she pretended to be. “This is the man I was telling you about. It’s thanks to him that you’re gonna be able to stay here and in your private room.”

  As he got closer to Rena and the old man, the buzzing and static in the guy’s energy signature grew louder. Zander’s brows knit together, and his mouth set in a tight line. With each step closer, his anxiety ratcheted up a notch. The guy’s hands curled over the armrests of his wheelchair, and a flash of gold caught Zander’s gaze. He shut his eyes for a moment, not entirely believing what he had seen was real.