Then she turned and walked away, hurrying after her sister-in-law toward the car. “Wait up.”
Margie didn’t stop until she reached the open trunk of the car. “Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”
“Staying here with Kelos?” Amber turned to look at the house, silhouetted against the dark sky, with only the faint glint of the light breaking up the shadow.
“Yes.” Margie hugged herself as she followed Amber’s gaze. “The idea of coming here was to stay with Shawn. Who you know and trust.”
“I trust Kelos. I thought you did, too.” Amber was too tired to have this conversation. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. In the safety of Kelos’s arms. She closed her eyes and chased that thought away. She needed to keep her focus on what was important and her feelings for Kelos would only complicate things.
How did she already have feelings for Kelos?
“We’ve only just met him, and we’ve come here to his hillbilly house in the middle of nowhere.” Margie dragged a hand through her hair.
“Hillbilly house?” Amber’s jaw tightened as she repeated her sister-in-law’s words.
“You know what I mean. The place looks as if it’s about to fall down.” Margie tugged a couple of pieces of luggage out of the trunk and set them down on the ground.
“Kelos will protect us. That’s more important than a nice house,” Amber countered.
“It’s not that the house isn’t nice. It’s just…broken.” Margie curled her lip in distaste. “I hope it has indoor plumbing.”
“Margie, I’m tired, you are tired. Let’s get some sleep and then we can assess the situation in the morning.” Amber grabbed the remaining luggage and tucked it under her arms. “Kelos will think we’re permanently moving in.”
Margie snorted. “No chance of that.”
“Margie,” the warning in Amber’s voice wasn’t lost on her sister-in-law. “I know this is tough. I know you’ve given up your old life. But please don’t be rude.”
“Rude?” Margie’s eyes widened.
“I don’t want a fight, but you do have a habit of speaking without thinking about how it sounds to others.” Amber’s words were harsh, but true. Margie often spoke without considering other people’s feelings and she didn’t want Margie insulting Kelos. She suspected dragons needed handling with kid gloves. At least the ones she’d seen in movies always seemed to be proud and easily offended.
Amber leaned back on the car and took a breath, fighting to compose herself. Was he really a dragon shifter? Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined dragons were real.
“I promise to mind my manners,” Margie’s tone was petulant. “But if the roof caves in or a wall falls down, I will be the first to tell you, I told you so.”
“You will be the only person to tell me I told you so.” Amber winced at her curt words. “Sorry.”
Margie dropped the suitcases to the ground and leaned on them heavily, her hand on her side as if she could not breathe. Amber placed the luggage she was carrying down on the ground and went to her sister. “I miss Fabian so much.”
“I know you do.” Amber rubbed her sister-in-law’s back. “And soon this will be all over, and you’ll be with him again. All of you will be together again.”
“Do you really think that?” Margie glanced up at Amber. “Do you really believe we’ll get our lives back?”
Amber shook her head. “I don’t know about getting your lives back…”
“We’ll have to live in the witness protection program.” Margie wiped her hand over her eyes. “It’s not what I want.” She looked toward the house. “I want the children to go back to school. I want them to be able to play safely outside with their friends.”
“I know.” They had been over this again and again while they drove to Cougar Ridge. “But we need to take it one day at a time.” She helped her brother’s wife to straighten up. Amber doubted Margie’s life would ever be the same again.
Fabian was about to testify against the rich and powerful Roman Ostabell. Ostabell owned an investment firm that had been laundering money for years. Fabian had unwittingly stumbled across evidence of the money laundering and had agreed to testify anonymously. Unfortunately, with the court case looming, his identity had been leaked and Fabian and his family had been moved to a safe house.
The house hadn’t been as safe as promised and a further leak had put Fabian’s family in danger. A rogue officer working alone had been blamed for the security leak. But Fabian hadn’t been convinced and so he’d called Amber and asked her to take his wife and children somewhere safe.
Amber had answered his call. And their trek across the country to Shawn’s house in Cougar Ridge had begun.
Where this adventure would end, Amber was no longer sure. Margie wanted her sister-in-law to tell her it was all going to be okay. That this would all be over soon, and she could go back to her old life. It was a promise Amber wasn’t willing to make.
“Okay. I’m sorry for being a bitch. I am grateful to you and to Kelos. I’m just… I’m so out of my depth, out of my comfort zone that I don’t know what to do.” Margie sniffed loudly and picked up the two suitcases. “I’m sure I’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep and a nice breakfast.”
Amber hid a smile. Her sister-in-law was a completely different person to Amber, with a completely different outlook on life. “I’ll pop into town early in the morning and grab some stuff from the grocery store.”
“That would be great. I doubt Kelos has any cereal the kids will eat.” Margie sighed again.
“I was thinking that the guy probably didn’t do a grocery shop that included having four extra people as guests,” Amber said a little curtly.
“No, of course not.” Margie followed Amber around the back of the house. “I am grateful, you know?”
Amber stopped at the door leading into the kitchen and turned to face her sister-in-law. “I know you are. It’s just that sometimes, people like to hear it.” She tilted her head to one side. “I don’t mean me. I’m used to you. But others…”
“I’ll make an effort.” Margie looked up at the house and shook her head. “Let’s go in.”
Amber opened the kitchen door. The smell of tea and toast reached out to her and her stomach rumbled. “I didn’t realize I was hungry.”
“I figured you might feel better if you ate something. You both look tired,” Kelos said as he placed the hot buttered toast on the table. “Sit. Eat. I’ll take the luggage upstairs.”
He grabbed the bags from Amber and took them upstairs, he was back for the rest of the suitcases before they had a chance to sit down.
“Kelos is certainly fit,” Margie commented, watching the dragon shifter with open admiration as he headed down the hallway. “I bet he’s one of those shifters. A nice wolf or a bear…” She sighed theatrically.
“You are a married woman,” Amber reminded her. She kept her tone light, but a pang of jealousy stabbed her in the heart. Kelos was hers. She was his mate.
“There’s no harm in looking,” Margie purred and then laughed at Amber’s shocked expression. “You know there is no other man for me. Your brother is everything I want.” She sighed, all trace of humor gone. “I just wish he hadn’t gotten us mixed up in this mess.”
“I wonder how Fabian is.” Amber took out her phone and checked for messages. There were none.
When he’d called Amber and asked her to come get Margie and the kids, he’d also asked her to pick up a new pay-as-you-go phone. He’d been concerned that his phone was bugged although he had no proof. Just to be safe, Amber had grabbed a new phone for her brother as she raced to collect Margie and the kids. The deal was that Fabian would call to check in on his family when he thought it was safe. They were not to call him unless it was an absolute emergency.
After his initial call the day they had left the safe house, there had been no contact.
“He’ll be fine. In a nice hotel room, with room service,” Margi
e tried to reassure Amber, but she didn’t sound convinced.
“I don’t expect he has an amazing view like we do.” Amber listened to the sounds of the breeze through the trees. It was so peaceful here. So easy to forget that only a couple of days ago she’d picked up Margie and the kids and sworn to keep them safe when their lives were threatened.
Margie seemed to have forgotten, too, as she took a piece of toast and sniffed it before taking a bite. And then another. “This is good. Homemade.” She arched her eyebrows as if baking bread at home was pure alchemy.
Amber pushed her fears to one side. There was no use dwelling on the things she couldn’t change. “See, you will settle in here.”
“Just because I like the man’s toast does not mean I’m going to stay.” Margie scanned the room with a critical eye. “Although, the kitchen doesn’t look too bad.”
“I worked on the kitchen first.” Kelos entered the room, his movements almost silent. “I like to cook.”
Margie’s cheeks flushed with color as she realized Kelos might have overheard more of her words. “How long have you lived here?”
“Not long. I have traveled a lot of my life but always seemed to return to Bear Creek once or twice a year. A couple of months ago I decided it was time to settle down and make a home.” He glanced at Amber and she ducked her head and bit into her toast. She had been staring. She couldn’t help herself, there was something about Kelos that drew her in and left her wanting more.
“Amber likes to travel. You could share stories when you sleep together.” Margie smothered a mischievous smile as Amber nearly choked on her food. “I meant sleep in the same room. On the sofas.”
Kelos looked at Amber levelly, either ignoring Margie’s attempt to stir things up or not understanding their desired effect. “I have brought clean pillows and blankets down. The sofas are comfortable. I slept on them for a few nights before the bed was delivered.”
“Thanks, Kelos.” Amber picked up her tea and took a sip. “I can’t wait to see the house in the daylight. How high up in the mountains are we?”
“The views of the town below are stunning from the back yard. We’re just above the lower slopes and close to the trails that lead toward the highest peaks. I like to walk the trails in the evenings when I’ve finished work.” He picked up his mug of tea and took a gulp.
“Maybe you could show me around tomorrow.” Amber wanted to get Kelos alone and talk to him about their current situation. It would be easier without Margie who would balk at the idea of staying here for long. However, for Amber, Kelos and his house presented the safest place for them to hole up until the court case was over.
They were hidden from the road but at the same time, there was an escape route out the back if they needed it. She only hoped that the dragon shifter wouldn’t mind having so many house guests.
All she had to do then was convince Margie this was the safest place for her and the kids to hide out. Surely her sister-in-law would see sense. To do that, Margie would have to see past the current state of Kelos’s house.
“I’d love to show you around.” Kelos placed his mug down on the table. “What are your plans?”
“Plans? For tomorrow or longer-term?” Amber asked, suddenly worried that staying here might not be an option after all.
“For tomorrow. I have to go to work but I could call and tell them I can’t make it if you need me to hang around.” Kelos’s eyes rested on Amber and the now familiar feeling of warmth that she experienced when he was close spread through her body. Her cheeks turned pink as the heat continued to creep upwards and she longed to fan herself to cool her heated body.
When Shawn had talked about shifters knowing who their mate was as soon as they met, he had never mentioned that their mate would experience the same kind of sense of recognition. Not when they were a non-shifter. But here it was.
“No, you should go to work,” Amber insisted. “We’ll be fine, no one knows we’re here, and Shawn said he would come by.” The words tumbled out of her mouth as her cheeks flamed red. What she really wanted to say was—Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Ever.
“What do you do for work?” Margie asked, her eyes flicking back and forth between Amber and Kelos. Had she sensed the tension in the air? Sexual tension. Amber blew the air out of her cheeks and then hid behind her teacup. She wasn’t ready for a barrage of questions from Margie. Not when she had so many unanswered questions herself.
“I work at the local sawmill,” Kelos said. “They’re good people. And my boss will understand if I call and say something has come up.” He stared at Amber for a long moment before he tore his gaze away.
“The sawmill.” Margie nodded. “A hands-on kind of man.” She pressed her lips together then abruptly stood up. “I need to sleep.” As she brushed past Amber, Margie placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“Goodnight.” Amber kept her eyes lowered as Margie left the room. Her mouth was dry, and her tongue felt too big, as if she would never be able to form a coherent word again.
Was this her fate? Did being the mate of a shifter mean she’d spend the rest of her life as an emotional mess? Or maybe she just needed to break the tension between them and get him out of her system.
Chapter Five – Kelos
“Okay, so, do you want to show me these blankets?” Amber asked as she drained her cup and got up from the table. She went to the sink and turned on the faucet. “I’ll just wash these first.”
“No, it’s okay. I can do that.” Kelos was out of his chair and by her side before she’d had a chance to squirt dish soap into the steaming hot water.
“I’ll wash, you dry.” Amber looked up at him and grinned, but her tiredness showed in the pinched lines around her eyes and mouth. “I insist.”
He bowed his head. “I’m not going to argue.”
“Then you can show me the blankets.” She shivered. “I just want to wrap myself up in a cocoon and close my eyes and pretend none of this is happening.”
“I’m sure you deserve to forget about it all for a night.” He gave a short laugh. “I’m sure you deserve to forget about it for longer…”
“One night is better than nothing.” She stifled a yawn. “That’s if I do sleep. It’s not easy to close your eyes and let go of the world around you when there might be people lurking in the shadows who want to hurt Margie and the kids.”
“Is the threat real?” He grabbed the dishcloth and started to dry the dishes Amber had placed on the drainer.
“Yes.” She paused, her hands buried in the soapy hot water. “My brother isn’t the kind of person to overreact. When he called me, I could hear the panic in his voice.”
“You must be close to your brother if he called you to take care of his family.” Kelos watched her closely and heat crept across his skin at the thought of his arms cocooning her away from the world. They could create their own little bubble under the blankets in his living room.
“We are close.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Although, I don’t know what use I’ve been other than to drive Margie and the kids here. If anyone came for them, I doubt I’d be strong enough to deal with them.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Protecting his mate was his number one priority. Perhaps he should call in sick tomorrow.
“I never expected to meet my mate.” She stared down at the soapy water. “I can’t let whatever it is between us compromise Margie and the children’s safety.”
“I know. Their safety is our number one priority. I promise I’ll put them first.” He smiled coyly. “It goes against all my instincts since my mate is supposed to be my number one priority.”
She laughed nervously and scrubbed the inside of a coffee mug, the water in the sink sloshed around as she worked. “Sorry I’ve made you change the rules.”
“Rules are there to be broken.” He leaned over her shoulder, his arm rubbing against hers. She tensed and dropped the mug back into the water, sendin
g soap suds sloshing over the side of the sink. “I make you nervous.”
She swiveled around to face him. “Yes. You do. I never expected to feel this way. Not when we’ve only just met. I mean, Shawn told me what it’s like for a shifter when they meet their mate, but he never mentioned the effect it would have on me.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know.” Kelos leaned forward, his breath caressing her neck and she shivered and licked her lips in anticipation. “As far as I am aware, Shawn has never met his mate. So how could he know?”
Amber’s eyes narrowed as she watched Kelos. “Are you fishing for information?”
“Information?” His brows knitted together. “About Shawn?”
“Yeah. Well, his daughter. Jane.” She tilted her head to one side.
“No.” Kelos shook his head. “Jane is Shawn’s daughter. He’s a good father. That’s all I need to know. Where she came from and who her mother is… That is Shawn’s business. Unless he needs my help.”
“When he moved back to Cougar Ridge, he said lots of people asked questions.” She smiled softly and placed her hand on his chest. “But you are not one of them?”
“I wasn’t around when he first moved back,” Kelos murmured, lowering his head. His tongue snaked out and he moistened his lips. He could almost taste her.
“Where were you?” Amber purred as she slipped her hands around his neck and leaned forward.
“Here. There. Wherever the wind blew.” He dropped the dishcloth on the countertop and cupped her face in his hands. “I drifted around. I had no purpose.”
“But now?” She tilted her head back and kissed the line of his jaw. Kelos tensed and closed his eyes as sensations flooded his body. In all his long life he’d never experienced such overwhelming emotions. It was as if a fog had penetrated his brain and he couldn’t think straight.
“Now, I want to build a home.” He opened his eyes and drank in the beautiful soft curve of her cheek and her piercing blue eyes. Bluer than the clearest skies over the highest peaks where nothing stood between him and the heavens above. “I think I knew you were coming.”
Kelos: Spring (Shifter Seasons Book 4) Page 4
