by Bethany Shaw
“When did your bad luck begin?” Laik asked.
Elly heaved in a deep breath and let it out. “A few weeks ago after I left my job at Palmer, Inc. It started out as little things, but has gotten worse since my move to Vegas. And here I thought Vegas was supposed to be lucky.”
“That’s a common misconception,” he chuckled before sobering. “Why did you quit Palmer, Inc.?”
How much should she tell him? What did it matter? Might as well get it all out.
“My boss, Ian Palmer, got weird, so I quit. I’m not just talking a little weird, either. He became possessive. Ian wanted to know where I’d be at all times, what I was wearing, and who I was seeing. I tried to blow it off. The pay was great and my student loans are insane, but then one day he insisted I move into his house with him so he could keep an eye on me. He didn’t like the fact that a guy from accounting had asked me out and that I’d accepted. Ian said I couldn’t be trusted by myself and I needed to be supervised by him twenty-four-seven. I told him hell no and quit on the spot. Then he got downright creepy. He made it so I couldn’t even get an interview anywhere; one of the secretaries told me as much when I called to follow up on my resume. Ian started following me around—everywhere. I couldn’t get him to leave me alone. Everywhere I went, he was there. He proposed to me one night. I turned him down again. He said that I had to be with him or else. That’s why I packed up and left,” she admitted.
“Really? It was that bad? Did you go to the police?” Laik asked.
“I did after I quit. He showed up to one of my dates and threw a huge tantrum. He threatened to make my date disappear—needless to say, I didn’t get asked out a second time. I called the police when I got home to file a complaint. They didn’t believe me. In fact, they tried to turn things back around on me, like I was stalking him. I didn’t try to call them again after that. Who knows what they would have accused me of?” She looked away as she fisted her hands at her sides. It was silly to think that any of her misfortune since leaving LA had to do with Ian, but the timing was too much of a coincidence. Don’t be crazy. It’s not a coincidence. He threatened you and promised you would pay if you angered him. His threat had been real—real enough to make her leave LA that night. I just wish I knew how he was doing this to me. She debated whether to tell Laik about her theory. He’d probably think her loony for suggesting her bad luck had to do with Ian. “Anyway I came out here and got a job at the Old Moon Resort and Casino.”
“I’m guessing Acelynn helped you out with that, too,” Laik grumbled, with a huff.
“Yeah, she did. Why?” she frowned. Was he upset Acelynn had helped her?
“I’m not sure you’ll be doing any dancing,” Laik said, as he tucked a piece of medical tape over the gauze to hold it in place.
Elly sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t want to dance tonight, and ironically, now I can’t. Perfect.” How the hell am I going to come up with my share of rent if I can’t work? Acelynn’s done so much for me. I can’t let her down now.
“Why didn’t you want to dance tonight?” he questioned.
Elly shrugged. “The outfit is ridiculous, for one. For whatever reason I’m moving like I have two left feet. I loved cheerleading and soccer and always felt I was coordinated. Now I’m terrified I’ll hurt myself or someone else. I’m probably being silly for this, but when I went to school and studied business I thought I’d be doing something more prestigious than being a back-up dancer to an Elvis impersonator on the Las Vegas Strip. My parents would flip their lids if they knew. But it’s work, and Charlie does an amazing Elvis impersonation. The dances we perform don’t really go with the flow of the music, if you know what I mean.” The dance was sexy and more seductive than dancing to the beat of the music. It was an odd combination, but the show was always sold out according to Charlie.
“I’m sure everything will work itself out,” Laik assured. “All done.” He set her foot down.
“Thank you for your help,” she whispered as she got lost in his gaze again. Damn him and his amazing eyes.
“My pleasure. Let me clean this glass up, and then I’ll whip you up something to eat. Stay right there,” he instructed as he went to the corner and grabbed the broom and dustpan. He swept the broken pieces into a pile, then crouched down, collecting the shards on the dustpan. He gathered her crispy pastries from the counter and tossed them out with the shattered glass.
Elly bit her lip as she watched him. Laik seemed perfect, but then again, so had Ian when she’d first started working for him. She just hadn’t realized how big of a creeper he was until it was too late. What if she was wrong about Laik too? I need to stay away from guys, regardless of how sexy they look. With my bad luck, God only knows what will happen.
“What can I make you?” Laik offered as he stopped back in front of her.
Elly opened her mouth and let out a breath. Her belly rumbled at the prospect of food, but if she were going to follow her own rules, she’d be better off going back to bed. There was probably a granola bar or something stashed in there anyway.
“Thanks, but I think I just want to go to bed.” She shoved off the counter, but her feet never touched the floor.
Laik whisked her into the air and carried her to her bedroom, setting her on the plush mattress.
She blinked up at him, surprised by his actions. Men like Laik weren’t real. They only existed in fairy tales. He was too perfect. There had to be something wrong with him and she wasn’t going to find out what it was.
“Sweet dreams, Elly,” he breathed.
“Thank you for all your help tonight,” she told him.
Laik reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. He licked his lips as his mouth inched toward hers. Elly gasped in a ragged breath, letting her lips part in anticipation. She shouldn’t kiss him, but God, she wanted to.
Laik blinked, shook his head and strolled out of her room, tugging the door shut behind him.
Elly flopped back on her bed as her bedroom door clicked shut. What the hell just happened with Laik?
Chapter Three
Laik stared at the bottle of salve in his hands as he leaned back into the couch cushions. It was against the rules to use supernatural products on humans but what was happening to Elly was unnatural. She was a victim of the magical world, and he wanted to help her, even if he shouldn’t. Part of his job was to keep humans from finding out about the supernatural community. If he was going to help Elly, he didn’t see there would be much choice but for her to find out about some supernatural creatures.
After last night, he was convinced Acelynn was right. Elly was cursed. I’m going to break the curse and make Ian Palmer pay for hurting her.
Elly’s bedroom door creaked as it opened and he turned around on the couch, watching as she hobbled out. Her charcoal hair was tied up, but wisps fell in her face, and he couldn’t help but fixate on her beauty. She still wore her short shorts and tank top that fit her like a second skin. It was early in the morning, but he wouldn’t mind if she kept her PJs on all day.
“Hi,” she said, waving at him as she limped into the kitchen.
“I hope you’re not trying to cook again,” he teased as he stood up and strode toward her. If he wasn’t so drawn to her, he might have noticed the offensive charring odor before the food had become unsalvageable. Elly was mesmerizing. His eyes followed her as she limped across the room. He’d offer to help, but wasn’t sure she’d want it.
Elly chuckled and shook her head. “No. I learned my lesson last night. It’s cereal for me this morning. I can’t burn something if it doesn’t need to be cooked.” She reached up into the cupboard and pulled out a bowl before grabbing a box of cereal off the top of the fridge.
“I could make something if you’d like,” he offered.
“You cook?” she questioned, turning to him.
“Doesn’t Acelynn?” Laik wondered, as he frowned. Cooking had been ingrained into them
since birth.
“Come to think of it, yeah, she does,” Elly commented.
“Our mom taught us both how to cook. She loved cooking and wanted to make sure we’d be able to take care of ourselves,” he explained. “I baked my first meal at six.”
“Wow!”
“Yeah.” As dragon shifters, their appetites were ferocious. They had to know how to cook if they wanted to be able to eat. Of course, when he’d been a kid, fast food hadn’t been invented yet. At one hundred and fifty-three he’d seen a lot of change.
“I’m good with cereal, thanks. I have to get to the Old Moon Casino. We have a show today at one,” she explained. “I don’t want to eat anything too heavy. I’m hoping I’ll be able to dance today.” She bit her lip and sighed as she poured some cereal into her bowl.
“I have something for your foot. I think it will make it easier for you to dance,” he offered, showing her the salve.
“What is it?” she questioned, squinting to read the bottle.
“Old family secret,” he told her. Dragons used the salve all the time to help injuries heal faster. Youngsters usually got the transition from human to dragon quickly; it was the learning how to breathe fire that was problematic. If it weren’t for the quick healing salve, the supernatural doctors would be inundated with burned dragon teens.
“As much as I’m not looking forward to dancing,” she paused as she closed her eyes and laughed. “I can’t believe I just said that. I’ll take any help I can get. I’m just worried I’ll make a fool of myself in front of hundreds of people.”
“Do your bouts of clumsiness happen at random or at specific times?” Laik wondered.
“I guess I’ve never really thought about it. Do you think it could be happening at specific times?” she asked as she opened a drawer and took out a spoon. The flatware slipped out of her fingers and clanged against the tile floor. She huffed as she bent down to pick it up, wincing as she stood and whacked the back of her head on the still-open drawer.
“Are you okay?” he asked, cringing as she cursed under her breath.
“Yeah.” She nodded as a rosy, red blush crept over her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her head as she limped to her bowl. “I’m terrified I’m going to go up on stage, fall on my butt, and have a wardrobe malfunction. Could you imagine? Knowing my luck, someone would catch it on camera and upload it to YouTube or Facebook and it would go viral.”
Laik swallowed as an image of her dancing came to mind. He wouldn’t mind if one of her rosy buds peeked out, but then again, that wasn’t something he wanted anyone else to see.
“There is a reason they call it Sin City,” he said with a chuckle.
Elly shuddered. “I just need to get used to the idea that I’ll be performing in front of a different kind of audience than I have in the past and pray I don’t have any incidents,” she said as she put her spoon in her bowl and got out the milk.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he tried to assure her; but, given her luck, he wasn’t entirely sure.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Acelynn invited me to the show this afternoon. I hope you don’t mind,” he told her. It was a lie. Acelynn hadn’t invited him, but his sister wouldn’t care if he showed up. Shifters didn’t share the same modesty humans did. He was going to make sure nothing happened to Elly.
“Oh,” she squeaked. “Yeah. That’s great.”
Laik chuckled. He was surprised her nose wasn’t growing like Pinocchio's.
Elly carried her bowl over to the kitchen table, stumbling a little as she went. She hissed and he gritted his teeth watching as a rivulet of milk cascaded down her muscular calf then splattered onto the floor. Damn! Her legs are magnificent.
“Where is everyone this morning?” Elly questioned as she sat down. She grabbed a napkin from the table and blotted at her leg before focusing on her breakfast.
“Acelynn and Charlie went to pick up Ava,” he told her.
“Oh,” Elly sighed. “I bet her car broke down again.”
“I think that’s what Acelynn said,” he said with a nod. “What time do you have to be at the Old Moon?” he wondered.
“Eleven. We have to allow enough time to get into costume and warm up,” she replied.
Laik looked at the clock. She had at least an hour before she would have to leave. Good. I’ll have a little more time with her. Not that I should want to spend more time with her. She’s a human. I’m not interested in human women other than protecting them from the supernatural world.
“How long are you in town for?” Elly’s lilting voice broke his train of thought.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he admitted. A lot would depend on the woman in front of him. “At least a week. Maybe more. It depends on how quickly I am able to finish my business.”
“What is it that you do?”
Damn, she’s asking a lot of questions. I’m going to have to be careful how I answer them.
Laik cleared his throat. He told lies all the time to protect the supernatural creatures in the world, but he didn’t want to fib to Elly. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a choice. Humans weren’t supposed to know about the magic in their world unless there were extenuating circumstances. “I’m a freelancer working for the gaming commission. I work undercover at casinos around the United States and make sure they follow all the laws and rules they are supposed to.”
“Cool. It must be fun to travel around the country,” Elly giggled before sobering. “I thought Acelynn invited you here?”
“She invited me to stay when she found out I was coming,” he amended as he watched her eat. Her red lips were full and he loved the way that her tongue darted out to wet her mouth between bites.
Elly finished her cereal in silence and got up to set her dirty bowl in the sink. She hobbled to the counter and set her dish inside.
Laik followed behind her in case she fell. He’d hate to see her hurt again, and he didn’t want her to forget about the salve. She turned around then moved like she was going to her room. His hands reached out and he grasped her hips, pulling her backwards. He lifted her up and set her on the counter. She screeched, lurching forward, causing him to clutch her close. His body fit perfectly between her thighs and he gazed down at her creamy skin.
“What are you doing?” Elly gasped, her eyes widening as she clasped his shoulders to catch her balance.
He held up the salve with one hand, giving it a shake. “I don’t want to forget to put this on,” he told her. There was no need for her to walk around on an injured foot when he could cure her right now.
“Do you think it will really help?” Elly inquired as he pulled back. She lifted her injured leg over the other and unrolled the bandage.
“It’s worth a try,” Laik said. He reached out and grazed his fingers over hers as he took over removing the bandage from her foot. Her fingers were warm. His fire burned hot in his belly as the image of her grasping his shoulders as he thrust into her flitted through his mind.
Damn, I need to focus. I am not pursuing this attraction. She is a human!
The dragon within him bubbled beneath the surface as his cock twitched. All he had to do was peel off her skintight clothes so he could claim her right here, right now.
“Does it look bad?” Elly asked.
Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He blinked them away, forcing his mind to focus. Why was Elly having this effect on him? Humans were cute, but he’d never craved one before. In his experience they always reacted badly when they learned about the supernatural community. His father was a prime example.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she worried as she leaned forward.
Her hair tickled his chin as she bent over to look at the bottom of her foot. He breathed in her aromatic perfume and closed his eyes, forcing his hormones to calm.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” he rasped as he released her foot and twisted the lid off the salve.
“Thank goodness; you had me worried,” she told him a
s she sat up at the same time he bent down to gaze at her foot.
The back of her head clipped him under the chin and he swore as his teeth pricked his tongue.
“Oh geez, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Elly mumbled as she slapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m such a klutz. Please tell me you are okay.”
“It’s my fault,” he told her while massaging his jaw. He flicked his tongue over his mouth but didn’t taste blood.
“Are you okay?” she questioned again as her cool fingers reached up, tickling his stubbly jaw.
“I’m fine,” he promised as he wrapped his hand around her wrist.
Elly’s eyes flicked to his and her breath caught in her throat as he stared at her. She was mesmerizing, and he wanted nothing more than to capture her plump lips with his mouth.
He leaned forward, grazing his mouth over hers. Elly gasped but didn’t pull away. Laik cupped the back of her head, drawing her closer as his tongue slipped between her lips.
Elly’s hands went to his chest, her soft fingers pressing against him as she pushed him away. “I’m sorry, I can’t,” she whispered as her gaze darted to the floor.
Laik stepped back. His thumb trailed over his mouth where her kiss still lingered on his lips.
“I came to Vegas for a fresh start,” she began as she tucked wisps of hair behind her ear. Her eyes fixated on the floor, refusing to look into his. “I don’t think it’d be wise to get involved with my new roommate's brother.”
“I’m sure Acelynn wouldn’t mind,” he replied. Hell, his sister would probably be thrilled. She was always complaining that he didn’t have enough fun. His dragon was rallying him to kiss her again, but he knew that he shouldn’t. Elly is human, he reminded himself for the millionth time.
