by Leela Ash
He sighed and shoved the list back into his pocket. He would just have to get both. Judging by the bank statement on the other side of the receipt, they could surely afford it. A little bit of sugar didn’t hurt every now and then, did it?
He paused when the doors opened for him, then stepped through cautiously. He was always put off by the automatic entrances in stores like this. He could see the use but didn’t quite trust the technology. Humans weren’t very advanced as far as that went, and he could easily see it backfiring and shutting on him, squeezing him nearly to death. So much for human innovation.
But Carter made it into the store unscathed and glanced around. There were no clerks at the counters. How unprofessional. How had he let Gavin talk him into running his stupid little errands again?
It was probably because Gavin was hard at work trying to get them all home. Everyone was busy today doing their own thing. A few of the dragon shifters were out on a job; not moving but construction. Wyvern Movers were branching out. They had been offered quite a few odd jobs, and one or two of the more adventurous among them had agreed, eager to learn more about the human way of life.
Carter could live without it, though. He belonged back on Fiora. That was final. He missed his home and wouldn’t consider this lesser planet anything even remotely close to somewhere he could get comfortable. He wanted to go home and make sure he stayed there next time. He would never be banished again. He would make sure of it. They were going to regret the false accusations they had made that had incriminated Carter and the others.
But he would forgive them. He would do it because that is what an Elder would do. And he had been studying his whole life to be an Elder. He would try to get his rank back. No matter how difficult that might be.
But first, he had to get some milk.
Carter grabbed one of the carts uncertainly. It was such a strange custom. Grocery shopping was not his favorite thing to do, admittedly. On the plus side, he didn’t have to be there long. Only until every item was crossed off. Besides, it gave him something to do so he could get out of the house and stop thinking about the strange attack the night before. And Amy.
Carter let out a low sigh. Amy had been plaguing his thoughts all night. She was a sickly little creature, as so many humans were, but there was a light about her that had caused him to feel complete peace upon laying eyes on her. And when she had smiled at him, the inferno that awakened was nearly impossible to contain.
But contain it he had, and he had made sure she got home safely, and everything was going to be all right for her, at least for the rest of the night. Maybe he would return to the building where she lived that night, just to make sure she had been able to make it safely through another day. For some reason, he couldn’t relax without knowing she was safe, even though there was no logical reason why she would be in danger again. At least, none that he knew of. The situation had been very strange. He had never encountered one quite like it on Earth. He didn’t recognize the men or the dogs as anything abnormal that he could identify, he had never encountered creatures like it before. Perhaps that was why he was so adamant about making sure she was safe.
After all, it certainly couldn’t be anything more than that, right? He couldn’t allow himself to develop any type of interest in a human. Especially not one so sickly and weak. No, he had a fated mate out there ready for him. And that fated mate would be the one he ended up with. She would accompany him to Fiora and they would live there in peace where they belonged. Nothing like that would ever be able to happen with a human. Especially not a human who couldn’t even stay healthy.
No, dragon shifter stock was hardy and powerful, especially those who were hybrids with the Loni people. The Loni were in danger, it was true, because their talents were very ethereal in nature. But the descendants were another type of people altogether. Though their powers from the dragon part of their blood lie dormant, they were there, ready to be awakened at a moment’s notice.
Carter pushed the cart through the aisles, slowly accumulating the items on the list for Gavin. None of them were particularly fond of the food from Earth. Luckily, there were ways they could spice it up and make it seem a little bit more like what they would eat on their home planet. Gavin was the best at that and had spent many hours in his lab attempting to replicate certain flavors. It was better than eating bread all the time.
He sighed, stopping in front of the produce, when suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar face and his entire body reacted right away. Amy.
She saw him right away too; in all honesty, it was hard to miss the dragon shifters. They were taller and broader than the average human man, with an ethereal beauty that stood out in comparison to the other beings on the planet. Of course, the shifters themselves were only vaguely aware of this feature; although they had quite a few experiences of human females throwing themselves at them. They generally attributed it to their powerful bodies rather than their elegant, regal features.
“Carter?” Amy asked, her voice high pitched. Carter was nearly afraid he had scared her, because there was a wide, wild look in her eyes. She was surprised. But was this a bad surprise? Had he reminded her of the attack? Honestly, he was surprised to see her too. He shouldn’t be too concerned. Maybe they were both just startled.
“Amy,” Carter said, his low voice even. “Hello.”
“Are…” Amy trailed off, and then looked at him again, a small flickering fire of conviction in her beautiful eyes. “Are you following me or something?”
Carter raised his brow at her and then glanced down at his shopping cart, which was full to the brim of the things on Gavin’s list. He had practically bought the store out of paper towels. Gavin’s work had a tendency to be messy. “Why would I be following you?”
Amy gaped at him as she considered the answer to that question and then a flush of embarrassment crept across her cheeks.
“Oh. Well…” She trailed off, then looked away and studied the contents of his cart. “It’s just I’ve been on edge after what happened. I was just surprised to see you.”
“I was surprised to see you too,” Carter admitted. “This is an odd place to meet.”
He had to stop himself before speaking what he was really thinking. It was far away from her apartment. But Amy hadn’t known that he had followed her to her apartment to make sure she was safe. If she had, then it would make her question all the more pointed.
“It’s actually not that odd. A lot of random encounters happen at the grocery store. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone needs to get groceries at some point. I just haven’t seen you here before.”
“I’m not usually the one who does the shopping,” Carter said, a small smile playing at his lips.
“Oh,” Amy said. She seemed crestfallen. “Your wife? Or girlfriend?”
Carter blinked. Girlfriend? Ew.
“No, although I am dating, women do not buy my groceries,” he said firmly. “I live with my brothers. We own a house together. And a business! Wyvern Movers.”
“Oh,” Amy said, at first darkening at the mention of Carter dating. But soon, her eyes were back to lighting up as she brought a memory to the surface. “You’re one of the new guys. From out of town.”
Carter nodded. “I am. We are…” He frowned as he struggled to remember the word Gavin had taught them to say. “European. It’s actually pretty big to be called a town, though, isn’t it?”
Amy considered this. “Well, I guess it feels like a town. I grew up in a pretty small neighborhood. We all know each other there. Anyone from the outskirts are kind of considered out of towners. If we don’t know them, it’s pretty odd. It seems like everyone around here knows me or has at some point or another.”
Carter blinked. “That’s not possible.”
Amy paused, clearly caught off-guard. “I didn’t mean it literally.”
“I didn’t mean it literally either,” Carter said. “It just isn’t possible to know a person the way you mean. I’ve met you
and I don’t know you.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Carter regretted them. There was a nagging thought in his mind that was disputing this fact. Somehow, this strange little thought wanted him to believe that he did know Amy. Possibly better than he had ever known anybody. Maybe even better than she could know herself.
But that was ridiculous thinking. How could he possibly? It wasn’t as if they were fated mates or anything. How could he be when she was simply a sickly human? The thought made his face harden and he waited for Amy’s reply.
“I guess not,” Amy said. “Not very intimately at any rate.”
Carter nodded. “Right. Well…anyway, are you okay? After everything?”
Amy looked down at the floor and considered the question before turning a sharp gaze onto Carter.
“I’m all right,” she said slowly. “I had a weird dream about it, though.”
Something about the tone of her voice, or maybe it was the attractive rosy flush on her face and the piercing look in her eyes, made Carter’s chest tighten. He swallowed hard, his throat extremely dry when he answered.
“A weird dream?” he asked. Why did it feel as if she was connected to him in some way? She wasn’t a descendant, and there was no reason or point to dating someone outside of being fated mates, so what was this strange attraction?
“Yes,” Amy said, her eyes steady on him. The energy she was outputting now was inviting and fiery, and Carter could sense it immediately. Raw passion. Desire. She wanted him.
For some reason, the knowledge set Carter’s body ablaze. Fated mate or not, he was responding. And he hated himself for it. He was already destined to be with someone. Someone he hadn’t even met yet. How was it possible for him to be having such a powerful reaction to this woman?
It must be all those movies that Gavin had been force-feeding them since they’d gotten to Earth. Being around all these fickle humans and their strange customs was having an adverse effect on him. There was no other explanation whatsoever.
“Are you okay?” Carter asked, though he knew perfectly well what she was feeling, even if he didn’t know what it was that she was thinking or what the dream had been about.
“Yeah. It was just very strange. There were a lot of wolves and they were…a lot scarier than what we saw last night. But you were there too…”
She trailed off and cast her eyes away from his, to focus on one of the rolls of paper towel that were stacked in his cart.
“I see,” Carter said.
It was kind of killing him not to be able to be out with it all. Humans didn’t know what it was to be able to read someone else’s energy. They had small capabilities at times that they brushed off as intuitions, but they generally had a hard time with it.
And even when they could read it, they didn’t understand and sense the nuances the same way a dragon shifter would. Or any other shifter, really. Carter knew there were other shifters somewhere in the world, but finding them was difficult, and generally not worth it. They seemed far too hostile. They would never trust anybody outside their own kind. Carter wouldn’t blame them. He didn’t trust the humans either. And yet, he couldn’t get enough of Amy.
He tried to keep the dragon within himself at bay as he waited for her reaction, watching as she began to walk backward toward her register.
“I should get back to work. It was good to see you again, though,” she said, smiling shyly at Carter. The look nearly made him want to take her as his own right then and there.
But that was ridiculous. Why would he feel this way? No, he was clearly not thinking straight. He was just being protective. Too much adrenaline and emotional investment in the girl’s safety. He certainly wasn’t going to be the kind of man who just hooked up with a female for his own gratification. It wouldn’t gratify him. It would only complicate matters and make him less eligible to become an Elder.
Once he returned to Fiora and was able to get back in his original position of prestige, he would finally qualify for the academy, where he would learn the secrets of the ancient knowledge that ruled the shifter worlds. Until then, though, he was just as useless as the rest of the shifters. His work had amounted to nothing. He was no closer to being an Elder than someone like Gavin. It was discouraging, and it had embittered his heart.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of optimism when he watched Amy turn away and head to her cash register.
“See you,” he said. “Really soon. Probably when I check out.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him and laughed; a remarkably beautiful sound that electrified all of Carter’s senses. He turned away quickly before he allowed himself to register the fullness of the pleasure that Amy introduced to him. No, he wasn’t going to allow it. He had a fated mate to wait for. Interest in a sickly human was simply a waste of time.
He snuck a secret glance at her as he disappeared down a different aisle. It would do neither of them any good. It wouldn’t be meant to last. Not when she wasn’t his fated. He would have to get over this strange infatuation as quickly as possible. It was what was best for the both of them.
7.
Amy sighed and glanced at her watch. The bank was going to be closing soon, and if she didn’t get her paycheck deposited, she was going to have a hell of a time paying her utilities. She sighed impatiently and tapped her foot. It seemed like the line in front of her was creeping at a snail’s pace. Everybody got paid on Friday in these parts. Why didn’t she use a different bank?
“Amy!”
Amy nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a deep, familiar voice from behind her.
“Carter?”
He beamed and waved at her. He was at the very tail end of the line and seemed to be completely at ease waiting on it. It had been about a week since they had last seen each other, and Amy was starting to feel herself getting fatigued again. Another bout of illness was sure to be plaguing her soon, whether she liked it or not. That made it even more important for her to make it to the counter before the bankers dismissed the rest of the customers in line. They were cruel bankers in this place. They had nothing to lose.
“Hi,” he said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Was this customary for Europeans? Just speak as loud as they want in a crowded place like a bank? She found herself feeling embarrassed, and yet she was so relieved to see Carter again that she couldn’t help but smile at him and reply.
“Hi,” she said, trying to keep her voice hushed as an example to him.
“Is this your bank?” he asked, not quite getting the hint.
“Yes,” Amy replied, laughing despite herself. She could feel the line of people glaring at them, but for some reason, that didn’t bother her. Not when Carter was right there. The man somehow brought her a sense of joy and abandon she normally didn’t feel with anyone. Then again, she had always been sickly. Most men weren’t exactly tripping over themselves to date her or even say hello. Maybe she was just flattered by the attention? She was trying not to read too deeply into the man’s attention. He was probably just curious about her well-being. They had met under some pretty extreme circumstances, after all…
“It is the bank of my brothers as well,” Carter said.
Amy once again glanced around at the people in line and sighed heavily to herself.
“I’m just going to go stand back in line with you, is that all right with everybody?”
A collective sigh of relief seemed to surge through the bank as Amy lost her place in line and moved back with Carter. She probably wasn’t going to get served today anyway. The tellers could be real jerks sometimes. And she knew one of them from high school. Carol Hahn, who had always treated Amy like she was diseased or contagious or insane because of her illness. It was always painful to end up in her line. If it wasn’t the best bank in Brookside, she would have definitely switched by then. But Amy needed to be money-conscious, especially with her illness. Everything was always tight.
“Hi,” Carter said, smilin
g charmingly at her when she moved her place in line. “It’s funny to see you again.”
“Yeah,” Amy said, peering into Carter’s handsome face. “I didn’t know when I would see you, if at all.”
Amy was feeling a little bit embarrassed still, but glad that Carter was keeping his voice down. She smiled at him, her cheeks flushed a light red. He was even more handsome up close. How was that even possible?
“Are you all right?” Carter asked, suddenly frowning. “Is something the matter?”
Amy tried to shake off whatever strange expression she might be making and smiled pleasantly. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Nobody has been bothering you?” Carter asked, his deep voice suddenly low and serious. He looked at her, his gorgeous eyes unwavering. Amy found herself lost in them for a moment before responding.
“No,” she finally said, brushing off thoughts of grumpy Eric and the potential issue with Carol. “Nobody has been bothering me.”
“Good.”
Carter straightened himself and suddenly looked as if he hadn’t spoken at all about anything that was even remotely negative. The line crept forward, and he nudged her gently so they could follow along. Maybe there would be time for everybody to be served after all.
“And what about you?” Amy asked, suddenly realizing that although she was pleased to see him, she knew virtually nothing about this man. “What have you been up to lately?”
She wished there was a way that she would be able to get to know him far better. But they were in the bank. Hardly time for casual conversation. And besides, why would he want to open up to her about himself? He couldn’t possibly be interested. He knew she couldn’t take care of herself. And it was no secret that she was a far cry from healthy. Nobody wanted to date a sick girl. Not even someone from out of town who may or may not know better.
