by Leela Ash
No, she was just going to remain cool and aloof with Norris no matter how hot her instincts for him happened to be. That was the best approach. It was impossible to determine whether or not his intentions were pure or if he was still just trying to avoid issues with his company.
She had a strong fear that maybe he was somehow so caught up in his delusion of grandeur and wealth that he would do just about anything to maintain the façade that he was a successful business person. And of course, that meant making sure that there was no bad publicity about this company, right?
“Lisa?”
She heard his voice before she heard the steady knocking at her door, and Lisa’s heart leapt to her throat.
“Norris,” she said, opening the door quickly. She hoped that he wouldn’t be able to sense the eagerness of her voice, and he greeted her with a friendly smile. The sight of him on her porch was breathtaking, and she was quiet for a few moments before she returned the smile.
“Hi,” Norris said, his voice a welcome, silky sensation to her ears. “Are you ready for work? We can go now. I don’t want you to be late.”
In truth, if they left now they would probably be early, unless, of course, he ended up in another car accident. It was probably better to leave early.
“Yes, I should probably get to work now. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I was having a really hard time talking to the insurance company. They really don’t seem to care about my situation at all. And my friend, Tammy, works right now and I just didn’t have anywhere else to turn.”
“Maybe I should have a talk with the insurance people,” Norris said. “They can’t treat you like that. They don’t know who I am.”
“They don’t know who you are?” Lisa said asked, raising her eyebrow. “You really think it’s that impressive that you own a moving company?”
Norris blinked hard and looked at her as if he didn’t know what in the world she was talking about. Finally, he smiled again and shook his head. “You’re right, I guess they wouldn’t care about something as silly as that. Still, they should really try and treat people better. I’m sorry to hear you are having a hard time today.”
“It’s all right,” Lisa said. “Don’t worry about it, everything will get sorted out and it’s going to be fine. Let’s just get going. I really want to make a good impression.”
Norris nodded and led her to his car. Today, it wasn’t a moving van. It was actually a fairly nice red sports car. She wasn’t sure whether or not she trusted being in a car with this man behind the wheel, and suddenly felt stupid. And right after he had just totaled her vehicle? And to top it all off, it was probably his fault. The insurance companies were still waiting for verification about who was at fault before she got a rental car. That was why she had been forced to talk to him in the first place.
“I’m sure you will absolutely be able to make a great impression. You seem like a very great woman. Everybody is bound to be impressed,” Norris said, opening the car door for her again, just as he had when she had gotten into the taxi. “I’m sure you are going to make a great healer.”
Healer. There was that term again. Why couldn’t he just say nurse or aide? She sighed and shook her head, wondering how it was that he came to be so bizarre. Really, he was so strange. And yet, there was something about him and his mannerisms she just couldn’t help but like. Maybe there was something wrong with her too.
“Thank you,” Lisa said, trying to ignore the strange warmth his words inspired within her. Why did he care what she did? And how would he know anyway? He knew nothing about her. And yet, the compliment left her buzzing pleasantly for a few brief moments before Norris spoke again.
“So, do you want to go out with me? I think this is meant to be.”
He was staring at her evenly, his gaze unwavering from behind the wheel of his car. His handsome face was gentle but serious, and the question hit Lisa like a ton of bricks. Meant to be? What in the world?
“You think what?” Lisa asked, turning her gaze to him in surprise. She suddenly regretted getting in the car with this man. What in the hell had she been thinking? Maybe it would have been better to rely on a taxi after all.
“I believe in fate. Don’t you? And I believe this was meant to happen in the way that it did. So, I want to know if you want to go out with me.”
“That may just be the most direct and abrasive way anybody has ever asked me out on a date before,” Lisa said, staring at Norris from the passenger’s side of the sports car, trying to hold back a small bubble of laughter. It was weird. But it was also charming. And then a small spark of irritation chimed in as she remembered why he was there in the first place. “I’m not going to go out with you. You totaled my car. I could have died. You could have easily killed me!”
“But I didn’t. And that was fate!”
Norris turned to her briefly and flashed her a quick, heart stopping smile. She had to recover for a moment before turning her gaze back to the road, her eyes still burning from the imprint of his face in her mind.
“Well, you can think about it, anyway,” Norris said, returning his eyes to the road ahead of them. “Because I think this is meant to be. I met you for a reason. And I think you probably feel the same way as I do.”
Lisa turned as far away from Norris as possible and stared out the window, fuming. Who the hell was he to make such assumptions? Why was this handsome man so infatuated with her, and why was it that she found herself flattered more than angered by the attention? She hated herself for it, and in turn, decided she hated Norris for it more.
“You really shouldn’t make presumptions like that, Norris,” Lisa said, finally preparing herself to speak the words that had been bubbling in her chest since she first heard the ridiculous notion that his almost killing her may somehow mean they were meant to be together. Was he insane? More than that, it was uncanny how he had been able to pinpoint the reality that she had, in fact, had a premonition of the same kind before their vehicles collided. No, this was just way too freaky. She had to stay away. She had to shut him down. Hard.
“Most women don’t like that,” Lisa continued. “You are moving things far too fast, and it really isn’t healthy. You have to let things like this unfold and take the time that they need so you get to know each other better. What if you started dating me and it turned out I was a serial killer, or I talked with my mouth full or something else that might make you really miserable? You would regret saying things like that and getting my hopes up about us being fated to be together forever. Especially, if it turned out you didn’t mean it.”
She stopped herself, suddenly realizing she was more concerned about his words being insincere than she was about the strangely forward and direct way he had presented such an absurd notion to her. But if she was being honest with herself, it was true. She had somehow felt a strange stirring in her chest on seeing his face the first time. Maybe things were playing out the way they had been intended by the universe. But how was she ever going to know whether or not that was true? It was kind of cruel to play on someone’s emotions bringing fate into it like that.
Still, she wasn’t going to go on a date and find out the hard way that it was all just a delusion. No, she was going to play it smart and keep this man at arm’s length. Who knew what he really wanted from her? He was probably just out to save himself any more trouble with the law. She couldn’t trust a damn word he said.
And in any case, under normal circumstances, why would a man who looked like this be interested in her? He could have been a model or a movie star, and probably had women lining up all around the block just to catch a glimpse of him. And Lisa was as plain as could be and used to bogus guys after her out to get something for themselves.
So there had to be an ulterior motive for his attention, didn’t there? Why would he even give her the time of day? Did he think she was stupid or something? She certainly wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to fall for his bullshit. No, she was going to make sure that everything
was as safe and risk-free as possible. Especially, now that she had already made the mistake of getting in his car.
“I think that if I was going to date you and you were a serial killer or something, the universe probably wouldn’t have told me that it was okay to ask you on a date. I mean, that’s just me though. It seems to be the logical reality of the situation. My fated mate is a beautiful woman, not a monster.”
“It’s only logical if you believe in fate in the first place,” Lisa said, flustered by the flattering remark and raising a brow at Norris. “How do you know that you’re not just making things up and it’s all just going to crumble as soon as we sit down at the table together?”
“Because I trust in fate,” Norris said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world and she was kind of slow for not really understanding it. “I’m not quite sure why that’s so difficult for you to comprehend.”
“Don’t condescend to me,” Lisa said, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t want you to treat me like I’m stupid just because I don’t believe in silly fairy tale notions right off the bat with strangers who are probably just trying to butter me up.”
“Butter you up?” Norris asked, wrinkling his nose. “I don’t even like butter.”
The absurdity of the statement brought an unintentional laugh to Lisa’s lips and she shook her head. “Who doesn’t like butter?”
Norris shrugged a single shoulder and kept his eyes straight on the road, not offering any more information to her.
“Anyway,” Lisa continued, taking it as an opportunity to reject him further. “I’m not going to go out with you. And I don’t believe in fate. And I don’t think we were meant to be together. I think that’s all ridiculous and crazy.”
“You’re entitled to your beliefs,” Norris said, with a slow nod. “But I think that maybe by the time this grand opening happens, you are going to be there with me. And we’re going to having a blast on a date together that you agree to. Because I think that’s the way the universe wants things to work. And I think that you and I are meant to be together.”
“Really, dude, you have to stop laying it on so thick with girls you just met,” Lisa said. She was angry. Not because he had totaled her car, but because she wanted so badly for him to mean what he was saying and there was no way in hell he possibly could. When something felt too good to be true, it usually was. She had learned that the hard way. And if he was trying to set her up for rejection, she had to act fast. Protect herself. “It honestly makes you sound a little bit crazy and desperate. And I don’t know why a man like you would be crazy and desperate, because you are pretty attractive as far as that goes, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea here. I’m not talking to you because I’m attracted to you. I’m talking to you because you messed up my car and I need to get to work. It’s as simple as that. Let’s just keep this on the business transaction level only. Stop being creepy.”
Normally, Lisa would be feeling nervous at this point to be unloading all her personal thoughts and beliefs onto a strange man who could clearly do whatever he wanted to harm her. She was as vulnerable as could be, sitting in the passenger side of the stranger’s car with nobody to help for miles.
Who knew what he could do if he were angry and had it in mind to do something bad? And yet, she couldn’t keep the words from spilling out. Something about Norris made her feel comfortable enough to speak her mind fully and entirely so that there would be no miscommunications between them whatsoever. How did she know that he was receptive to it? She just kind of assumed he would be. And her fear of rejection urged her on and told her to put up as many barriers as possible.
Or maybe she just wanted to put him in his place because he seemed like such an ass. Whatever the reason, she found herself surprised by just how easy it was to express herself with him. And she wasn’t even afraid of anything bad happening to her. Was it that she somehow trusted this man? It seemed ridiculous, but maybe that was the case. Why else would she be going off like this?
“I understand, I’m sorry to have made you uncomfortable,” Norris said quietly. “I will stop speaking to you now. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to change my mind. Instead, I will choose to wait for my belief to come to pass. You’re going to see what I mean soon enough. I know it.”
Lisa shook her head in exasperation and sighed heavily. But she was secretly pleased by the strange and compelling thought that maybe there was a fate, and that if there was a fate, that it could tie her together with a man that made her feel such extreme longing and annoyance all at once. Who knew what was going to happen? But she was suddenly a little bit excited to find out.
6.
“Something feels really weird about all this,” Max said, looking around the underground base they had been working hard to put together. “I know it’s probably what is necessary to keep all of the artifacts safe, but doesn’t it seem like it makes it more vulnerable to have them all in one spot?”
“I don’t know what else we are supposed to do about it,” Gavin said. “We need to make sure that whatever negativity has been lurking around here isn’t going to affect the safety of the sacred objects. We have a moral obligation to ensure their safety. I know it seems like a bad idea, but it’s probably worse to just leave them out in the open where anybody could grab them, right?”
“I suppose so,” Max said thoughtfully. “At least there will be some security. What do you think, Norris?”
Norris had barely been paying attention. All he could really think about was the car ride he had shared with Lisa that morning. He had been so pleasantly surprised to hear her voice on the other end of the phone when she had called to ask him to pick her up and take her to work.
That elation hadn’t even wavered after she had shut him down and more or less told him what a loser he was for coming on so strongly. She had practically told him off, letting him know she wasn’t interested in him at all and that he was being creepy by saying anything about their meeting being fated.
As amusing as it was, there was also some part of him that was deeply unhappy because of it. He wanted so badly to be able to call her his own. It seemed impossible, but there had to be a way to get her to come around.
Maybe if he explained the entire situation to her, she would be able to understand better. He knew it was important for the shifters to maintain their secrecy, but what if one of the sacred mates was on the line? Wouldn’t it be better to be honest with her and secure the union as opposed to deceiving her and not being as open and honest about the situation as possible?
Besides, some humans already had a prior knowledge basis about shifters existing in the world. Sure, most of them weren’t aware that there were any Dragon shifters per se, but wolf and bear shifters had been rumored among those out west further. Maybe it was about time he told her exactly what was going on. How would she be able to resent him for that? Especially, when she was part of something so significant herself without even realizing it.
“What?” Norris asked, looking up at Max, his eyes cloudy as he tried to figure out the best course of action to take with Lisa. “I don’t know. It’s good to have everything safe, right? At least security will give it all a chance to stay safe if there is some kind of altercation, right? The universe is full of people who are out to destroy the shifter magic that keeps us all alive and powerful. You never know who might be out there.”
The answer seemed to satisfy Max enough to drop the subject, and he nodded, turning back to Gavin.
“That’s probably true. It just really makes me nervous. What if it’s infiltrated and everything is taken at once? We will be at square one.”
“Well then, we can make another bunker,” Gavin said, sighing in exasperation. “You know that this took us a long time to build and secure the one we have already. But it’s not impossible to make another one.”
“Well, you are the mastermind at work here, Gavin,” Max said, giving the man’s shoulder a friendly punch. “I trust your judgment implicitly
. I just want to make sure that if anything happens, we are not going to be completely screwed over. This is everything we have left of home, you know? It would be devastating to lose it all in one foul swoop.”
“I understand your concerns,” Gavin said. “But really, one base is all you need. If you make it secure enough, then it won’t matter. This is the place where you’re going to want to keep everything.”
“That’s the key there, though, isn’t it?” Max said. “I know you’re incredibly intelligent and all, but I just really don’t feel comfortable with the inferior technology from Earth to protect something this important. There really could never be enough security here for me to believe that everything is going to be okay and turn out safe and sound if our location is compromised.”
“But it really wouldn’t just be reliant on Earth’s technology. It’s a little bit insulting for you to imply that the only security here is just going to be the inferior technology of Earth,” Gavin said, his face setting in determination and frustration. “There will be round-the-clock surveillance. We will have Dragon shifters posted to stand guard twenty-four hours a day. We will take turns. Have different shifts. Norris has already volunteered to take the first week. Haven’t you, Norris?”
Again, Norris was lost in thought and had hardly been paying attention to the conversation. “What? Yeah, sure Gavin. Whatever you say.”
Gavin shook his head and sighed. He knew exactly what was on Norris’ mind, but he was staying true to his word and wasn’t going to bring it up in front of Max.
“Well, I guess it will do for now,” Max said. “At least until we have another base underway. To borrow a human phrase, I don’t want to keep all our eggs in one basket, you know?”
“Yes, Max. I understand. But this is all we have available for right now. It’s just going to have to do. I know it isn’t exactly as top of the line as what we might find back home, but at least we will know where everything is at all times and it won’t be lost in the clutter and confusion of the house or at the cabin.”
