by Riley Storm
“We’re making care kits,” Gayle said, gesturing at the cardboard boxes. “Unpack the items here, one of each goes into a pile and then into the plastic bag. Then we hand them out.”
Claire nodded. “What’s in them?”
Gayle led her over to the nearest line of tables and opened one of the boxes to reveal the contents.
“This table does food care. Dried food bars, bottles of water, etc. Basic essentials. That line over there is for things like blankets, underwear, t-shirts and the like.”
Behind them a trio entered, two women and an elderly male.
Claire smiled at them and they smiled back, one of the women waving at Gayle.
“Everyone seems friendly here,” she remarked. “I hadn’t really been expecting that.”
“Balance the Scales is a really great charity,” Gayle said. “Helping out all the people who came to Five Peaks to see the dragons, only to get stuck outside with nothing.”
That was exactly why Claire had chosen it as her volunteer hours location in the first place. Given her…whatever it was with Pietro, something that had to do with dragons seemed appropriate to her.
“Who funds all of it?” she asked. “I’d never heard of it before now, though that probably doesn’t mean much.”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Gayle said. “I know that Clarice Aterna is the head of the foundation, the one who has put it all together. Rumor has it all of the Five are funding it, but I don’t actually know.”
Claire hid a smile. Unlike Gayle, she knew now that the ‘Five’, the founding families of Five Peaks, were actually the cover story of the dragon shifters. The five families were the five different clans that lived around Five Peaks. Hence the name.
“That’s very generous of them,” Claire said, wondering idly if Pietro knew about the effort or not.
“Not generous enough,” Gayle said quietly. “I mean, it is, since it’s privately funded. I just mean that it’s not enough.”
“What do you mean?” Claire asked. “This place is huge.”
“I know,” Gayle said, sighing. “But there are more people out there in need of our help than we have the funding to supply on a weekly basis. So many people who arrived came with nothing.”
“But why?” Claire asked. “I don’t understand that. I mean, I know we have tent cities popping up, but I don’t understand why they think spotting a dragon is going to help?”
“Many seem to think that dragons are like angels,” Gayle said quietly. “That they will be blessed if they see or touch one, and all their problems will be solved.”
Claire sighed. “So petty things like drinking water and food or shelter just don’t matter. Great.”
Gayle nodded. “Exactly.”
She then proceeded to show Claire the most efficient way to unpack, organize, sort, and then re-pack the various items into the bag, supervising as Claire did it a dozen times to show she had it down.
“Good. You’ve got it,” Gayle said. “Now do it for the next eight hours.”
Claire threw back her head and laughed. It was an easy, comforting sound. She’d not laughed much lately, and it felt good.
Being out of the house felt good too. Simply doing something felt good. With the vampires still out there, she’d spent the past two days inside as soon as the sun set. With nothing else really going on, she’d also lacked a good reason to go out.
Now, she was out, during the day, doing something that would help others. It wasn’t a fun job, but it would benefit those in need. She was giving back, instead of taking from, society, and that made Claire’s heart beat with all the right vibes.
This was her second chance, and she wasn’t going to mess it up. It was time for her to grow up and start looking at the long-game in life. Not just today, tomorrow, or the next weekend, but months and years down the line. Those were the things she needed to make her priorities, and her decisions in life needed to reflect them.
The biggest of those decisions that loomed was the burgeoning closeness between her and Pietro. She couldn’t deny that he was quickly becoming a happy part of her life. What she needed, however, was more information. More understanding of what it would be like if she chose him. If she opened herself fully.
Normally, that would only be feasible by simply jumping in and finding out. Life had provided Claire with another option, however, and one she decided it was time she took. Lilly could provide her with an insight into things that Claire could never hope to get from anyone else.
Time to give her a call about life with Trent.
It was time she and Lilly talked about boys, about dragons, and perhaps, about forever.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Claire
A key sounded in the door, and a moment later, Lilly poked her head through.
“Hey, it’s me!”
“Hey!” Claire said, getting up from where she was sprawled out on the couch and going to greet her friend. “Thanks for coming!”
“It was something to do,” Lilly said. “I was getting bored up there every night with Trent leaving to come search for the vamps. The people are nice, but none of them are my friends yet. You know?”
“Absolutely,” Claire said, understanding well the sentiment.
“Where’s Pie?” Lilly asked as she made herself at home in the kitchen, unpacking some things from her bag onto the counter.
Which shouldn’t be surprising, it was her home after all. Claire was just a guest in it.
“This is so weird,” she said. “I feel like the host having a guest over, when really it’s the opposite.”
Lilly laughed. “I know, I was thinking the same thing!”
“Also…Pie?” Claire laughed as Lilly’s laughter subsided.
She was doing a lot more laughing lately, even with the threat of the vampires still looming large. That was completely out of her control, besides staying safe indoors once the sun went down. Her own life, her own decisions, those were no longer weighing on her like they had in the past, and she simply felt lighter because of it. Happier.
“You can’t always call him Pi-et-ro, every time, now can you?” Lilly asked, exaggerating the syllables of his name, pronouncing the first part as ‘pee’. “And you certainly can’t call him Pee. I mean, you could, but that might not go over so well.”
Claire giggled, trying to picture his face the first time she called him that. “Maybe not. Although, I was thinking maybe of calling him Ro.”
Lilly considered that. “You were, were you? So you’ve been thinking, been putting effort into a cute short form to call him? Do you perhaps have other questions?”
At Claire’s shocked expression, Lilly just laughed lightly and got out a cutting board from one of the cupboards. One of her bags revealed several cuts of meat and cheese, and she went to work methodically slicing them all up for consumption.
“I’m honestly a bit surprised it took this long,” Lilly said, sweeping the knife under a pile of meat and slipping it onto the board in a long line.
“Why?”
Lilly considered her answer. “I had a feeling, I guess.”
“That’s not all,” Claire said immediately. “Is it?”
“I don’t think so, no,” Lilly said. “But some things aren’t up to me to explain. I couldn’t betray Trent and Ro like that.”
Claire frowned. “Betray them?”
Lilly bit her lip as she worked, preparing their snacks. She seemed to be pondering what she could or couldn’t say, so Claire remained silent and started stacking up some crackers, also pouring out some wine. She paused, then added a splash more to both of their glasses.
“I’m in a hard place here,” Lilly said at last. “You and Ro are getting closer, I think we all know that. But since he’s a dragon, there are things about dragons that I’ve found out that…well if I told you, then it would potentially spoil things.”
Claire scratched at an itch on her face as she watched the troubled look on her friend’s face. “Would it
have changed anything with you, if you’d known earlier?”
Lilly sighed. “Honestly, it probably would have made things easier, but I can only say that in hindsight. At the time, I mean, things were far more contentious between Trent and I than they are with you and Ro. Our desire for each other was burning bright under the guise of frustration at each other. So, I can’t say with you two how it will go.”
“I can’t make a decision on what to do if I don’t have the full picture,” Claire said. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you Lil. Because I need more information. I need to know more about the dragons, about life with one, and just what that entails.”
Claire grabbed the glasses and held out one to her best friend.
“I know,” Lilly said slowly, staring down at the cutting board.
Eventually, she put the knife down and took the glass. The pair clinked them together and sipped. “You have a right to know everything going in.”
“Exactly my thoughts. If I’m going to let things get serious with Ro, I need to know everything. Can’t go getting a boyfriend like you have without knowing what I’m getting into.”
Claire realized she’d never said that thought out loud to anyone yet. Letting things get serious with Ro. Commitment. With a nice guy. Something she’d never really considered before she’d met him.
Maybe I just needed to find the ‘right’ nice guy.
“Mate,” Lilly said.
“Pardon me?”
Lilly looked up, took a drink of wine. She let it linger, swallowed, and then took another. “Trent isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my mate.”
“I’ve heard you use that term before,” Claire said quietly. “But I thought you were just using it as a cute nickname for each other.”
“It’s more than that,” Lilly said. “Much more. In fact, it’s kind of everything.”
“Everything? I don’t understand.
Lilly put her glass of wine down and stared at her friend. “It’s tough to explain; it’s really something you need to experience. But I’ll do my best.
“Tell me everything,” Claire said quietly, preparing herself for whatever her friend was about to say.
“The dragons, their other halves, I mean. That animal part in them. You’ve seen it?” Lilly asked cautiously.
Claire stiffened. “You mean that look in their eye that sometimes seems almost not human? Or during sex, that animalistic tendency that sometimes overcomes them? A more raw side of them?”
Lilly nodded. “Exactly that, yes. Has Ro explained it to you?”
“Sort of. That there is another, like, thing, inside him. It’s not in charge, but it’s distinctly its own thing, and they’re sort of a pair?”
“Yeah. Um, okay, well basically, they only ever fall in love once. With one person,” Lilly said quietly.
“Ro hasn’t said anything about love,” Claire said.
“If he’s anything like Trent, he won’t,” Lilly said with a laugh. “Just because it’s the truth, doesn’t mean they talk about it. Not until they’re sure. Because they don’t want to scare anyone off with the knowledge. Which is why I don’t even know if I should be telling you. But you’re my BFF, so, whatever.”
Claire smiled. “I appreciate it. But why would monogamy scare me off?”
“I’m not doing a good enough job of explaining this,” Lilly said. “They only fall in love once. Ever. Dragons’ love is for life. It’s not like human definition of the word soulmate. It’s a literal thing with them. They mate once, for life.”
Claire sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh. Oh,” she repeated as the implications of that slid home. “No wonder he doesn’t wanna talk about it. That would scare a lot of women off.”
“Especially one dealing with all sorts of fallout from her ex, while being wooed by someone that’s definitely not her normal type.”
“Can I tell you something?” Claire said.
“Of course,” Lilly replied, frowning as if it was a silly question.
“I kind of like that he’s not my normal type,” Claire confessed, the words feeling almost cathartic to finally say out loud. “It’s different, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something…better, about it. About him. I don’t know how to phrase it.”
“Wow, that’s surprising,” Lilly said.
“What is?”
Lilly’s face was calm, composed as she stared at her friend. “You. Acting like a mature adult about boys.”
Claire’s mouth dropped open. “Oh no, you did not just say that!”
Lilly dissolved into laughter, and a moment later Claire was leaning over the counter as well.
“It’s about time, isn’t it?” she said once she could breathe again, swiping away at tears in the corners of her eyes.
“Yeah, it is,” Lilly said.
Claire smiled, but inside, her heart was thundering still, though she was no longer laughing.
Did Pietro already expect her to be with him for the rest of her life? Did he think she was his mate? Or was she just some fun to pass the time?
And if she was his mate…how did Claire feel about that? What if she wanted to choose otherwise?
What would happen then?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Claire
The wind was blowing steadily, a warm breeze that lifted her hair and made it bouncy but didn’t whip it around into her face. She spread her arms wide for a moment, taking in the warmth of the summer morning, enjoying the feeling of the heat on her face.
The sun was up in the sky, and warmth was slowly beginning to join it, washing away the coolness that came with every mountain night. It was a fresh morning, and Claire had a skip in her step to match.
Claire was feeling like a new woman. She’d rid herself of the worst of her past and was now making amends for what she’d done. It was behind her, and that was an amazing feeling in itself. When it was accompanied with the joy in her heart—that maybe for once in her life, she’d found a good guy, one whom she liked, who treated her right—it just made the day worth living to the fullest.
She was far from decided on Pietro, especially after what Lilly had told her regarding dragons and mates. That was something she still wasn’t sure about but, for now at least, nobody was forcing her to make a decision. Nobody was telling her what she had to do. Pietro was simply trying to win her over the old fashioned way.
By being really awesome. He didn’t force her into anything, didn’t push her to get more serious. They were just having fun, and she cherished that. Fun was something Claire sorely needed.
Sure, he was still overprotective when the sun was down, wanting to do his best to ensure she was inside, behind a strong threshold that would keep the vampires out. She didn’t blame him for that. After all, he felt somewhat responsible. After the other night, Claire wanted to feel safe too.
But right now she was free. The sun was up and shining, the strength of its ultraviolet rays an anathema to vampires, according to Pietro, or Ro, as she’d affectionately begun to call him after using the nickname for the first time with Lilly. He hadn’t resisted. In fact, she thought he was secretly enamored with it.
“Morning,” she said brightly as she passed an elderly couple in the park, on her way to Gayle’s house.
Claire and Gayle were carpooling. Pietro’s truck was still being repaired after the vamps had done a number on it, so she’d lent him her car and was letting Gayle drive her to the tents Balance the Scales had set up on the outskirts of town. There, she would put in another eight hours of community service.
“Good morning,” the woman said cheerfully. Then she gently elbowed her companion. “Say hello, Thomas. Be nice.”
“Oh. Hello. Good morning,” the man said, smiling at her. “Sorry about Liddy. She’s a chatty one.”
Claire smiled, forced to cover up a snicker as Liddy turned a look on Thomas.
“What?” the older man said, lifting the one hand that wasn’t on a cane, protesting his innocence. “You are!”
&nb
sp; “Come on, you old fart, we’ve got another lap to go. Doc says you need to get more walking in, you know that.”
Thomas grumbled something, and Claire continued on her path, no longer needing to cover her mirth at the cute older couple.
Now, that was love.
Her mind shied away from the word for a moment, but the day was simply too beautiful for Claire to care. She let the thoughts of love and happily ever after slide on over her. She wasn’t going to stress on those. Not today!
Exiting the park, she waited for a pair of trucks to pass before jaywalking, skipping over the lawn and into the parking lot of city hall. Gayle lived in a row of townhouses just behind it, and there was a path out back that would be much faster than walking all the way around by following the road.
A car came along behind her, and Claire shuffled to the side as it passed slowly, the driver hunting for the perfect parking spot. She wished him luck on his search, wondering if he would find it. At this time, the spots were mostly empty, so the odds seemed in his favor.
Just pick one, she thought to herself as the car kept on driving, turning the corner and disappearing behind the building itself. Silly driver. There are plenty of good spots that—
“Ack!”
It was the only sound she could make as someone loomed up between two trucks as she passed and clamped a hand over her mouth, hauling her down into the shadows between vehicles.
Doors opened on both trucks, blocking her from view of any casual passerby. She kicked and struggled mightily, but the person holding her had arms of steel, far too strong for her to overcome. She tried to open her mouth wide, in hopes of biting down, but the cool prick of metal under her chin made her go still.
“That’s what I thought,” her captor sneered as a familiar face came around and efficiently tied her legs together at both the ankles and then the knees. “Give him your hands as well. Wrists together.”
Reluctantly, Claire extended her hands as ordered so that Lyle could tie them together as well.
“In my truck,” Pete ordered once Lyle was done, and the two of them put her into Pete’s truck with the help of Jones, who casually came around and lifted her by her ass with a chuckle. Pete got in the back seat with her, his hand still over her mouth, the steel blade of the knife occasionally flashing into view as he sat down on the rear bench seat.
