by Anna Lowe
“Here. Put some ketchup on it,” Dell whispered, handing Joey the bottle the moment Chase stepped into the kitchen.
Cynthia stopped talking to Jenna long enough to poke through her dish. “Isn’t there a single vegetable in this?”
A good thing Connor wasn’t sitting closer to Cynthia. She might have heard his growl.
Jenna heard it, though, and she turned to him with wide eyes.
“Spaghetti Bolognese doesn’t need vegetables,” Dell pointed out.
“It could, though,” Cynthia said, not getting the point. Connor would have to have a word with her, for sure.
Jenna looked between him, Cynthia, and the kitchen, slowly catching on.
Dell nodded. “It could have vegetables when it’s your turn to cook. Oh, wait, I have a different idea. Chase and I can swap. He does my chores, I take his turn to cook.”
“I don’t know,” Jenna said as Chase came out from the kitchen. “This spaghetti is delicious.”
Connor could have hugged her right then. And really, the spaghetti wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t great.
“The garlic bread is good too,” Connor murmured, using the cheap excuse to look in Jenna’s eyes. They were shining again, and the hesitation had faded all the way to the back.
“It is good,” Dell agreed. Then he pointed his fork at Cynthia. “But I can make spaghetti with vegetables. In fact, I can make a lot more. Like steak. Meatloaf. Coq au vin.”
Cynthia’s jaw dropped. “You know what coq au vin is?”
Dell smiled. “Of course. French for fancy chicken.” He kissed his fingers and flicked them outward. “Old family recipe. I only use genuine Burgundy, of course.”
He was working Cynthia hard, that was for sure.
“I can make lobster,” Dell went on casually. “Grilled swordfish. Sushi. Pizza…”
“Pizza!” Joey bounced up and down.
“Or are you more of a seared foie gras kind of girl?” Dell asked Cynthia.
Seared what? Tim asked in a quiet aside.
Shut up. It’s working, Dell shot back.
Cynthia’s mouth hung open. “You know how to make seared foie gras?”
“Lady, I can make anything you want.” Dell leaned forward, going into full seduction mode.
Connor thought Cynthia was going to drool, but she caught herself and took a hasty swig of wine. Then she pressed her napkin delicately to her lips and said, “I suppose we could make one change to the schedule.”
Dell gave Joey a high five and reached for the whiteboard.
“I’ll do that,” Cynthia said quickly, grabbing it out of his hand.
Way to go, man, Tim chuckled.
Cynthia, meanwhile, took her napkin, neatly wiped Chase’s name off the cooking roster, and substituted Dell’s in her perfect script.
“Where did you learn to cook?” Jenna asked.
Dell yawned. “The army.”
“What?” Cynthia screeched.
Dell grinned a mile wide. “Ha. Gotcha, Cynth.”
Cynthia scowled and opened her mouth to protest, but Dell didn’t give her a chance.
“I come from a family of chefs. You can say I’m the black sheep of the family.”
“Do lions come in black?” Joey asked.
Connor tensed the second Jenna did. “Lion, huh?” she murmured.
Dell looked at her, then Connor, then back to Jenna, and spoke carefully, like he knew he’d messed up.
“Yes, ma’am. A very nice lion shifter.”
Jenna made a hmpf sound and pointed at Tim. “And you are…?”
Connor blinked. Wow. Jenna could be as bossy as Cynthia sometimes. Only Jenna being bossy was cute, not grating.
“Um…a very nice bear?” he managed.
Connor exhaled. Bear sounded better than grizzly, for sure.
Jenna’s finger jerked one spot over to Chase.
“Wolf,” he growled.
Connor kicked him under the table.
“Very nice wolf,” he added.
Jenna rolled her eyes then smiled at Joey. “Obviously, you’re a mighty dragon. Which means your mom is a dragon too. Right?”
Cynthia nodded, and everyone went quiet as Jenna turned to Connor. “And you?”
His throat had gone all dry, so he took a sip of water before answering. “Dragon, of course.” He tried to make it sound as natural as possible, though every nerve in his body was tight.
“A very nice dragon,” Dell added with a sly look.
Jenna swung her jaw from side to side, and Connor drew back, anticipating the worst. But all she did was scan all the faces at the table and mutter, “Of course.” Then she took a quick swig of beer and stared into her glass.
Who knew what she might have said next if Dell hadn’t saved the day. He stood, making his chair screech, and reached for the serving bowl with a look that said he was having way too much fun.
“Seconds, anyone?” Dell grinned.
Chapter Twelve
“Holy shit, Jody.” Jenna pushed her sister when they met outside the garage to drive to work the next morning. “How could you not tell me about dragons?”
It was time to head over to Teddy Akoa’s surf shop for another day of work, but she was still reeling from the previous night. Up to then, she’d been gradually getting used to the idea of shifters — as long as they were nice, furry shifters that resembled the stuffed animals she’d covered her bed with as a kid. Bears, wolves, and tigers could be nice and cuddly, right?
Dragons, on the other hand…
She might have jumped away from the dinner table last night if it hadn’t been for little Joey. If a cute kid could be a dragon shifter, then maybe she could learn to deal. Maybe. But the fact that Connor was a dragon shifter still blew her away. She’d kissed him, for goodness’ sake!
Her blood heated, thinking of how Connor had walked her home after dinner. Keeping his distance yet wrapping her in his body heat at the same time. Every time he looked at her, his eyes were ablaze with desire, and when he’d leaned against the doorframe of the cottage to say goodnight…
I know you might not agree, but I think that was the best dinner I ever had.
Oh, yes? she’d managed. Was the spaghetti that good?
He’d smiled that half smile of his and cupped her face. Not the spaghetti. The company. Everyone who means anything to me was there — okay, except my mother — and everyone was all right.
His eyes flared on everyone who means anything to me, telling her just whom he meant.
She ran a hand down his arm, looking at his dog tags, taking a deep breath. Peace, food, and good company. A reminder of the things that really mattered in life.
That deep breath turned out to be a good thing, because a second later, she was kissing him long and deep. Deep enough to close her eyes and imagine scenarios that had seemed a lot less crazy in the heat of the moment than they did now. Like hooking up with Connor and staying in Maui a little longer. Maybe even a lot longer. Like trusting the little voice that told her he was the one.
It was Connor, not her, who’d broken off the kiss, and even that was a close call, because their lips stayed stuck together a little longer than their bodies did. Then they, too, gave up, and all she could do was stare into Connor’s bottomless eyes.
Goodnight, he’d whispered, stroking one thick thumb against her cheek.
Goodnight, she’d replied, clinging to the doorframe, lest she cling to him instead.
So, yes. The previous night had been equal parts crazy and magical, and her mind still spun with it all. Was the man she’d fallen for really a dragon?
Jody just opened the door to the Land Rover and motioned her in with a casual, “Dragons aren’t what you have to worry about. Vampires are.”
Jenna slid into the back seat and buckled in — as ever, the baby of the family — with Jody and Cruz taking the front seats.
“Don’t worry about dragons?” Jenna protested, thinking along the lines of big, hunky ones who steal my he
art? But she couldn’t exactly say that, so she came up with something else instead. “Big, fire-breathing dragons who sneak up on you in the middle of the night?”
And just like that, her body heated, replaying the way their first nighttime encounter had turned into a kiss.
Jody whipped her head around. “Who snuck up on you in the middle of the night?”
Cruz frowned in the rearview mirror, looking ready to murder someone. “Yeah, who?”
Jenna waved her hands. That was not what she’d meant.
“Dragons don’t hunt down mermaids,” Jody assured her as they zoomed along the coastal road. “It’s vampires you have to watch out for.”
“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?”
Jody and Cruz exchanged looks, and finally, Cruz gave a curt nod. “We called in a couple of experts. Vampire hunters. They’re in LA now looking into it. Intensively. In the meantime, you’ll be safe here.”
Her jaw dropped open. “You have… What?”
Cruz just shrugged, like everyone had a network of supernatural buddies to call on for help.
“Anyway—” Jody motioned around “—we’re not worried about vampires coming here. They wouldn’t dare.”
Jenna wanted to snort. Of course not. Cruz stood guard over Teddy Akoa’s surf shop all day, every day, as long as Jody was there.
“Anyway, I’m sure you’re safe on Maui,” Jody said. “It’s when you go home that I worry about.”
Jenna sat back and stared at the ocean as the car rushed along the road. Did that mean she could never go home? On Maui, she was surrounded by elite military men and tough shifter women day and night, but it wasn’t as if she could take them with her when she went home.
And just like that, her mind skipped back to Connor. So tough and hard on the outside — but damn, were those lips soft.
A frigate bird swooped high above the coastline, and she followed it with her eyes. Now, that would be useful — flying like a bird. Better yet, like a dragon. Let a vampire try to get her then.
She closed her eyes, imagining what it would feel like to spread her arms, change them to wings, and take off into the air. Within a few wingbeats, she’d be high in the sky — or turning to dive-bomb her vampire attacker with a long plume of fire.
Ha! Take that! She pictured herself roaring as the vampire turned to a pile of ash. Then she’d do an aerial victory lap and—
In her mind’s eye, that sweeping arc turned into a daring dive into the sea. Deep, deep down, where the sunlight started to thin out and the pressure increased. And when she imagined surfacing, she saw herself in human form, sweeping her hair back as if she’d just been out surfing.
She found herself smiling. Maybe you couldn’t take the mer out of a mermaid, even in a watered-down mermaid like her.
Mermaids — and dragons — occupied her mind for the rest of the day. Well, at least in the quieter parts of her workday. She thought she’d learned everything there was to know about shaping surfboards from her dad, but Teddy Akoa really was a master, and even sweeping up the sawdust in his workshop would have taught her new things. Teddy was quiet, calm, and unpretentious — the very image of a Zen master, especially with his wizened islander looks and long, skinny beard. He treated Jody and Jenna like the daughters he’d never had and even joked at turning the shop over to them one day. Which got Jenna thinking. Maybe Surf Chique didn’t have to remain a pipe dream. Maybe she and Jody really could start their own line of custom boards…
…if she ever solved her stalker problem, that is.
The second she returned to the estate that afternoon, she pored over the shifter book Jody had loaned her for anything on dragons.
Among the most magnificent of shifter species, dragons are also those whose behavior is most difficult to categorize or predict.
She snorted. Great.
Great dragon lords were legendary for their steadfast commitment to duty, honor, and clan.
Well, that didn’t sound so bad.
However, jealousy, inbreeding, and a hunger for power led to infighting and feuds among the leading dragon clans, and certain individuals earned bloodthirsty reputations. They stopped at nothing in their quests to amass great treasures, power, harems—
“Harems?” Jenna yelped. Her eyes bounced up to the illustrations at the top of the page. In one corner was what appeared to be a good dragon protecting other creatures under his outstretched wings. In the other, a dragon with an evil grin torched a medieval village to bits.
So — were dragons good or bad? Which was it?
There are good shifters too, you know, Connor had said. The ones who know right from wrong. Who’ll never, ever let you down.
She chewed that one over as she turned a page in the book.
Among the most legendary of this species were the mighty dragon queens. Though few in number and rare in modern times, such queens were credited with having changed the course of shifter history. Some for the better, ushering in periods of peace and prosperity. Others brought about dark eras in the entire shifter world due to their treachery, deception, and unparalleled greed.
“Moira,” Jenna muttered. She didn’t know much about dragons, but Jody had given her a crash course on the drive home. The shifters of Koa Point had recently vanquished an evil dragon lord named Drax. But his mistress, Moira, was still at large, and no one knew whether to fear her next move or write Moira off as defeated for good.
Jenna slammed the book shut. None of that helped solve her current dilemma. Connor had scared her shitless that night she’d been out wandering. If he had been a vampire, she would be dead.
She pulled the knife out of its scabbard and turned the blade in the afternoon light. At one angle, the steel shone with a hint of gold, and at another, red. Could it really kill a vampire? Did she want to find out?
She picked up her phone, suddenly intent on calling her dad and asking for the number of her aunt — the one who everyone had always thought crazy because she believed in supernatural beings. Jody had said she’d failed to get any useful information out of Aunt Frida, but it was worth a second try, right?
But the moment Jenna turned on the screen, she stopped cold at the incoming message it displayed. Her thumb shook over it for a full minute before she finally worked up the nerve to read.
Enjoying your sunsets, my pet? So am I. And soon, we will enjoy them together. Forever.
She jerked her head up to look out the open door of the guesthouse. Shit. Her stalker was back. Was he out there somewhere, watching her?
The hair on the back of her neck stood as she forced herself to study the message, searching for hidden clues. Sunsets implied Maui, but the sun wasn’t setting yet, and the text was two hours old. So maybe he wasn’t actually spying on her at that moment. But, shit. Just the fact that he was texting gave her the creeps. Was he a human stalker? A vampire?
She would have loved to run to Jody with the phone, but she had already taken enough of her sister’s private time. Besides, Jody and Cruz were like a couple of happy honeymooners, and for all she knew, they were lounging around naked in the rock pool near that treehouse of theirs. The other shifters who lived on the estate were the same way. Hunter, the bear, was so in love with Dawn that he practically bumped into things. Boone and Nina never stopped cooing at their babies — and each other. Did she really want to burst everyone’s happy bubble with a text that could have been sent from the other side of the world?
Besides, she’d reported the older texts. What clues could this new one possibly contain? Not only that, but Cruz had called out a team of vampire hunters. What else could she ask anyone to do?
Nothing. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything she could do.
She threw the phone down, picked up the knife she’d left on the bed, and stared at the razor-sharp edge. God, could she even bring herself to slash at someone with that thing?
A second later, she nodded firmly. Hell yes. She could if someone threatened her.
; But how exactly did one use a knife in self-defense? She turned it this way and that. Would she use a stabbing action or a slashing motion? Should she target the heart?
Slowly, she slid the knife back into its scabbard, strapped it into the position Connor had shown her, and stood in the wide-legged stance she’d learned in self-defense class. Then she pulled out the weapon as quickly as she could. But, damn. Was she supposed to hold the knife out in front of her or back with her weight on her right foot? And which way was the blade supposed to face? She tried it one way, then the other, then started all over again out on the beach where she had more space. If the stalker was out there watching, fine. Let the creep be warned he’d picked the wrong chick to mess with.
“One. Two. Three.” She counted under her breath, trying to break things down. A lightning move to pull the knife out of its sheath, a tight grip, and a quick swipe at an imaginary enemy.
A dozen tries later, she kicked the sand. “Damn it.” Her lightning wasn’t all that fast, and her swipe traveled at a different angle every time. Either it was time to give up or time to find help.
She stood there for a minute, undecided. A crab scuttled over the sand. A gull cawed. A coconut fell from a palm tree with a dull thump. Every scratch in the bushes made her flinch.
“Find help,” she muttered, raising her chin as she strode toward the path to the center of the estate. But a few steps later, her determined stride fizzled out. Who exactly could she ask for help? Cruz?
God, no. Cruz was great, but he had to be the world’s most growly, overprotective tiger shifter. Not that she knew many, but even so. She couldn’t picture him as a patient, encouraging coach.
Who else, then?
Her body leaned right, where the path to the adjoining plantation lay, and a little voice cheered inside. Connor! Connor!
She sure wouldn’t mind a lesson or two from him. But would he be game?
You don’t want to teach me?
I want it too much.
Could it be that she wanted him a little too much, too? Maybe she ought to ask one of the other guys of Koa Point to help her. Kai. Boone. Cruz…
Connor, the chorus in her mind insisted as her feet started leading her down the path to his place.
