by Chant, Zoe
“Georgia? What’s wrong?”
Georgia opened her mouth to tell him, but when she looked at the mountain lion again now there didn’t seem to be anything strange about it. Feeling foolish – after all, it was only a curious animal, and one that was shut on the other side of a sturdy door at that – Georgia shook her head, pointing.
“Sorry. I guess he just startled me, that’s all. I kind of just looked up and he was there.”
Garrett raised his head to follow her gesture, and his eyes narrowed.
“No, you did the right thing.” His voice sounded strained. “I want you to wait here. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Oh no, just leave it, Garrett. It’ll wander off on its own in a bit. I just hope it has the sense to stay out of any hikers’ way.”
Garrett turned to look at her, his face tense. “I forgot – you can’t sense it,” he said after a moment. “Georgia, that’s not just a mountain lion. It’s a shifter.”
Georgia’s eyes flew back to where the mountain lion was still standing by the door, though now its hackles were slightly raised, its head lowered. As she watched, it drew its lips back to reveal its fangs – a sure sign of aggression.
“What does it want?” she whispered.
“That’s what I’m going to find out.”
Alarm uncoiled through her belly. “Garrett, are you sure? You need to be careful!”
Garrett reached out for her, stroking his hand down her arm. “Believe me, I will be,” he said. “But don’t worry too much. I know she looks fierce, but I can handle things. If it comes to it, I can shift – and even the biggest mountain lion is no match for a dragon.”
Georgia had to admit that was probably true, even if she had yet to see Garrett in his shifted form.
I’ll have to get him to show me, she thought hazily as she watched him cross the living room to the door. The thought that this powerful man could turn into an even more powerful dragon filled her with excitement.
Nonetheless, her heart was in her throat as she watched Garrett opening the glass door, without so much as a hint of fear of the fearsome creature on the other side of it. She’d reflexively called the mountain lion he, but Garrett had called it a she – she supposed being able to sense sex went along with being able to sense the creature was a shifter.
She wondered if shifters could recognize each other in their animal forms if they’d only met before as humans, or vice versa – clearly there was a lot she still had to learn about the world she’d stumbled into.
It was possible that this was simply one of Garrett’s colleagues, and they had a perfectly good reason for being here, Georgia thought. She knew Garrett had told her to stay where she was, but she couldn’t help edging closer, trying to see more of what was going on. She heard the low rumble of Garrett’s voice, before the mountain lion snarled, baring more of its teeth.
Georgia’s breath caught in her throat, but she tried to remember what Garrett had told her.
You better be careful, kitty, or the big bad dragon will make you into kitty steaks, she thought. At least, she assumed Garrett was a dragon with all the trimmings, fire breathing and all, even if he didn’t have a hoard of gold. Yet another thing she’d have to ask him.
For a moment, the lion crouched, its massive shoulder muscles rippling, as if it was preparing itself to pounce. Georgia’s eyes widened, fear tearing through her – but then, to her shock, the lion didn’t pounce at all, but began to change.
Its fur shimmered, becoming human skin, while its back legs elongated. The lion sprang up, straightening its back, becoming bipedal. Long dark hair fell down its – her – newly vertical back.
Oh, Georgia thought, her hand going to her mouth. So that’s how they do it.
Despite the fact the mountain lion had become a woman – and one who was clearly far smaller than Garrett in both height and width – Georgia still couldn’t let herself relax. Garrett showed no sign of recognizing the mysterious woman, so it was clear she couldn’t let her guard down just yet.
Gripping the kitchen counter so hard her fingertips turned white, Georgia carefully counted the steps to the knife block. Living alone for such a long time with only herself to protect her son had given her a lot of habits like that, and she wasn’t sure she liked them.
Be careful, Garrett, she prayed, hoping he could hear her.
Chapter 8
Garrett narrowed his eyes as the woman stood before him, an unfriendly look on her face. He couldn’t sense any immediate threat from her – but then again, there wasn’t a lot most shifters could do against him, unless they caught him by surprise before he had a chance to shift.
Or they have dragonsbane on them, he thought, almost reflexively rolling his shoulder at the memory of the pain of the bullet that had gone through it a few years ago. It had been a long time ago now, but the pain still felt fresh in his mind. It had been unlike anything he’d ever felt before.
An ordinary bullet would have caused an injury, of course, but unless it hit a vital organ he would’ve been able to shrug it off for at least a while. But a bullet covered in dragonsbane was a different thing. Dragonsbane slowed his healing almost to that of a human’s, and caused a range of other nasty side effects besides. But dragonsbane also had a very particular scent, and his dragon senses could detect nothing of the kind on the woman in front of him.
“Is there a reason why you’re here?” he asked, trying not to sound overtly hostile despite the fact he wasn’t feeling too friendly right now. The woman had frightened his mate, after all.
“I could ask you the same thing,” the woman spat. “I don’t recognize you. Why are you interfering?”
Garrett shook his head, raising his hands. “Wait a minute – interfering? With what?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know.” The woman bristled, resembling her mountain lion form more than a little, before deflating slightly. “Though I suppose it’s possible you don’t. Most of the shifters who come to stay here from far away don’t know.”
Garrett wasn’t really feeling patient enough to deal with cryptic messages or vague implications right now. “What are you talking about? Tell me plainly, or leave and don’t come back. You scared the hell out of my mate.”
The woman glanced through the glass doors to where Georgia was still standing in the kitchen.
“Your mate is human? Well, I didn’t know that, did I? I just wanted to tell you to keep your nose out of my business with Barston.”
What business? Garrett was about to demand, when he suddenly realized what she must be talking about. “Has this got something to do with the wolves who almost killed someone yesterday?”
The woman snarled. “They didn’t almost kill anyone. No one was hurt at all.” She took a deep breath and seemed to pull herself back slightly. “Not that I completely approve of what they did, either. I told them to go cause some trouble. I didn’t specify what. Maybe they went too far. But it did make the resort look unsafe.”
Garrett’s dragon reared up, furious. This is who is responsible? We should make her face justice, right now!
“Look unsafe?” he growled, and the woman looked up at him, fear glimmering in her eyes as she sensed his dragon’s rage. “It was unsafe. I wasn’t joking when I said someone could have been killed.” A sudden chill seized his heart as he thought of Logan. “Are you planning to do anything else? There are children –”
The woman looked up at him, eyes wide. “What? No! We would never harm children! I have kids of my own – they’re the whole reason I’m doing this! I didn’t want those idiot wolves to harm anyone – I just wanted to show him he couldn’t get away with this. That someone wouldn’t roll over for him just because he has money!”
Garrett was only wearing his boxer briefs – shifters didn’t have the same taboos around nudity as humans did, even though as a mystical shifter he could choose to carry his effects with him when he changed forms – otherwise he would have showed her his Shifter Patrol Corps ID. He
might not have it on him, but it didn’t change the fact he had the authority to arrest her.
“I’m with the Shifter Patrol Corps,” he snarled out, reaching out to put a hand firmly on her shoulder. “Do you understand what you’ve just admitted to?”
The woman’s eyes went wide, her mouth falling open, but she collected herself quickly. “An agent? I should have known, then. You’re all on his side – if I’d known, I never would have come here. Go on – arrest me then. Prove to me you’re just like all the others: corrupt and greedy, and willing to take Barston’s side just because he’s got money and power. You aren’t interested in justice – only in looking after yourselves.”
Garrett growled, instinctively defensive. His dragon was still infuriated at the way this woman had frightened his mate and put people in danger yesterday – and now she dared to call the Shifter Patrol Corps corrupt? Red misted his vision.
“Garrett, wait.”
Georgia’s voice cut through his rage suddenly, her voice clear and calm steady. He looked toward where she was standing by the slightly open living room door, her fingers resting against it.
“Georgia, you need to stay back,” Garrett said, his dragon’s protective nature taking him over. The thought of his mate in any kind of danger made it howl with fury.
“I’m perfectly safe as long as you’re here,” Georgia said. Her face was pale, but her voice was completely steady. “And I want to hear more of what she has to say.”
The woman sent a disbelieving glance in Georgia’s direction. “You? A human?”
“Yes. Me. A human.” Georgia returned the woman’s look steadily. “You’re talking about someone with money and power being corrupt, and I want to know more.”
Garrett shook his head. “Georgia, this is shifter business. If this woman really has been causing problems for the resort, then –”
“– Then you can arrest her later,” Georgia said, moving her gaze to him. “We can still take the time to find out why she did it.”
Garrett shifted uncomfortably, everything in him protesting at Georgia’s words. The idea that a shifter criminal might be anywhere near his mate filled him with instinctive protectiveness. His dragon was puffing smoke, fire building in its belly.
And yet…
He couldn’t really refuse a request from his mate like this. Georgia wanted to know more – and in truth, it was his job as a field agent to find out more about the crimes that had been committed. And now that his dragon’s rage was clouding his head less, he supposed it was true – if this woman was making an accusation of corruption in the Shifter Patrol Corps, then it was his duty to take it seriously and listen.
“All right, fine,” he muttered, though he didn’t take his hand off the woman’s shoulder. “But if I sense any danger from you, I won’t hesitate. Are we clear?”
The woman’s eyes flashed. “Clear.”
“You can start by telling me your name,” Garrett said, opening the glass door wider to let her enter.
“Ilara,” she said. “Ilara Warren. If you knew anything about this area, you would have heard of my father, Jory Warren.”
Garrett shook his head as he directed her to sit at the dining room table. “Well, I’m not from around here. So you’ll need to explain in full.”
He looked around, about to motion to Georgia to keep her distance – he might be willing to talk to Ilara for now, but he still didn’t trust her – only to find Georgia emerging from the bedroom, holding two more fluffy white robes.
“Aren’t you two cold?” Georgia asked, holding the robes out. “I mean, uh –”
Ilara rolled her eyes. “Humans,” she muttered under her breath, but nonetheless, she nodded. “Fine, if it’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
Garrett took the dressing gown from Georgia, draping it over Ilara’s shoulders. She slipped her arms into it, tying it closed around her waist without any further grumbling as he put on his own.
“Now,” Garrett said, sitting down across from her. “Tell me what this is all about. No vagueness. No half-truths. And if I find out you’ve lied to me, you won’t get a second chance. Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” Ilara said frostily. “Though I don’t expect you to listen to me in the first place.”
“Try me.”
Ilara looked up into his eyes, her distrust plain. Finally, she let out a deep sigh, her shoulders slumping.
“You said you’re not from around here,” she said quietly. “So you won’t know the history of this land. This used to be our land – my family’s land. We lived here for generations. My father was the alpha of these parts, and he ran things well and kept everyone in line. At least, until Laurence Barston showed up.”
She paused. Garrett wanted to press her, but he made himself hold back. Instead, he looked across to where Georgia was perched on the arm of the couch, listening intently to Ilara’s story, her dark eyes intense.
“My father was always a trusting man – too trusting, if you ask me. Otherwise he never would have been taken in by a shithead like Barston. But he showed up, saying all the right things, making him think that unless he agreed –”
“Wait, slow down,” Garrett said, raising his hands. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. What is it that Barston convinced your father to do?”
“Give him the land,” Ilara said. “Let him own it, under human law. He said that if my father didn’t do it, some human would come along and buy it all up, and then we shifters wouldn’t be safe here anymore. We’d be in danger from hunters while we were in our shifted forms, and we’d have to make sure no one ever saw us shift. But he said that if he owned it, he’d make sure none of that ever happened. He’d buy the land to keep it safe for shifters, and sign an agreement with my father that the land belonged to Barston in name only, and he could keep looking after it and the shifters who lived here like he’d always done.” She stopped, taking a deep breath. “He lied. Obviously.”
“Why would your father believe him?” It was Georgia who spoke up next, her voice soft.
Ilara’s eyes flickered to her, then away. “I was too young to know all the details. But Dad said Barston made himself seem like a billionaire who’d made his fortune in the human world, and now wanted to give back to shifters and help keep them safe. Like I said, my dad was trusting. And naïve. And he’d lived here on this land all his life – how was he supposed to know about what scum some shifters could be?”
A look of despair crossed her face, and almost despite himself Garrett felt sympathy for her flutter in his heart. His dragon was certainly listening intently – but then, his dragon was quick to rouse, and just as quick to have its heart melted. It was a creature that ran entirely on emotion and instinct. And, just as with Georgia’s mitten, it couldn’t stand the idea of someone being robbed of something that belonged to them.
“Of course, he kicked us all off the land as soon as he could,” Ilara continued softly. “Said my father had sold it to him, and we had no right to it. He just laughed when Dad tried to tell him they had an agreement, and told him to call the cops about it if he liked. The human police wouldn’t do anything, of course. Barston really did own the land, according to them.”
If what she says is true, then this is an injustice, Garrett’s dragon said. Barston has broken shifter law, and he needs to pay.
His dragon didn’t care much for human law, either – it was only sometimes with difficulty that Garrett convinced it that it couldn’t simply go rampaging through a mob base or enemy hideout, breathing fire and coating its claws with blood.
What it did care about was safeguarding the innocent.
Not that Ilara can really call herself that, though, Garrett reminded himself.
“So these wolves were sent here by you – they weren’t guests of the resort? Barston lied to me?”
Ilara’s lip twitched. “Barston is a liar,” she said with mock patience. “So yes, I’d say he lied to you.”
“You and your wolves haven’t exa
ctly made a great first impression on me,” Garrett growled. “So I’d watch the smart talk if I were you, especially since you’re asking for my help.”
Ilara bristled, her eyes narrowing. “If your help comes at a price, then no, I’m not asking for it. My father died broken and penniless, feeling like he’d let everyone he’d ever known down because of what Barston did to him. I’m not going to take this lying down anymore. I’m trying to hit him in the only place he cares about – his bottom line.”
“By what, terrorizing innocent resort guests?” Garrett growled. “How’s that going to hurt Barston?”
“By making them stay away!” Ilara burst out. “If the resort gets a reputation for being unsafe, then no one’s going to bring their family here, are they? But I just wanted the wolves to go and cause a ruckus, not do… whatever it is they did. I just meant for them to pretend to start a fight amongst themselves, or pretend to get hurt on the lake, something like that. But you know what wolves are like – they egg each other on, get excited.”
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you sent them to cause trouble,” Garrett said. “Someone could have got hurt.”
“I know.” Ilara sounded genuinely remorseful. “And I am sorry.”
Garrett shook his head, running his hand over his face. He had every reason to doubt Ilara’s story was true, but he didn’t think she was lying.
“Why didn’t you call the Shifter Patrol Corps?” he asked. “We have agents who deal with –”
“I did!” Ilara suddenly grew furious once again. “And what do you think they told me? ‘Without seeing the agreement, there’s nothing we can do’.” She parroted their voices. “Like hell. They just didn’t want to do anything, because Barston has all the money and power, and because Jared Crane knows all the agents around here. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d been paid to look the other way.” Her eyes narrowed. “And if you want to turn a blind eye, just like the rest of the Shifter Patrol Corps, then go ahead. I don’t need you. I’m trying to get back what’s been in my family for generations for the sake of my kids. I have to.”
