by Leela Ash
Achilles nodded, though he couldn’t help but feel it was going to be a major waste of his time. They actually expected him to weld?! What for? It was all just an act, and he wasn’t a huge fan of bullshit. So, what was the point? Suspicion or not, they weren’t going to have their neighbors over to watch them work, were they? It all seemed stupid and pointless. What a waste of time.
Still, he didn’t voice his opinion to Apollo. The guy was getting orders from the highest ups, and he was taking his duty as the messenger very seriously. It was lucky that they were working with someone like Apollo, honestly. He was meticulous and determined, just like an alpha should be. Even if he was a dragon shifter.
“I guess I’ll see you later then,” Achilles said, eager to remove himself from the conversation. He had a lot to process. And Veronica was still hot on his mind. If he could just give himself some downtime to process all that had happened, maybe it would stop being overwhelming and he would finally be able to get something important done.
Like looking at the book he had taken from Lester’s home.
Achilles retreated into his cabin and locked the door behind himself. This was a read he didn’t want to have interrupted.
7.
“What’s with you?” Harley asked. They had just come back inside the station after another round of training. He had almost managed to get the better of her, and even when she had gotten the upper hand back, she had gone easy on him. He noticed right away. “You seem pretty distracted.”
Distracted was right. She couldn’t get the images of the Warners out of her mind. The smell had lingered in her car, just as Achilles had warned her. And every time she got in the driver’s seat, the scene of the Warners’ deaths replayed in her mind vividly all over again. Maybe if she was able to get past how bizarre it all was, she could find a clue there of some sort. But it would be nearly impossible to blame Achilles for the visions now. It would have to be some really weird stuff for him to have anything to do with them.
Besides that, she wanted to keep him as far away from her thoughts as possible. For whatever reason, that man managed to intrude on her most personal and private thoughts at the strangest of times. She didn’t want to deal with that. And yet, he was intricately tied in with one of the most intriguing cases she had ever had throughout her entire career. Such was her luck.
“I just have a lot on my mind,” Ronnie said vaguely. Harley was the last person she wanted to talk to about any of this. He was as straight-shooting and no-nonsense as they came. Her father had approved of him and likely would have advocated him as the next sheriff if Ronnie hadn’t been his own flesh and blood. Sometimes, she even thought her father might have preferred a man keep the office, but it was too late to ask him about that now. She had her place in the town and she was keeping it.
Veronica sat at her desk and clicked on the monitor of her computer. She quickly pulled up her browser. She had been doing all sorts of research, knowing that, at any moment, Achilles could show up at the office and demand to speak with her about all of this. She wanted to be prepared with answers and information. Progress. She wanted to know exactly what the hell was going on. It was too strange not to wonder. And as they say, the truth would set her free.
But, truthfully, she was dreading it. The whole thing was sitting all wrong with her. Everything she had seen with Achilles − the strange creatures, the visions of the Warners’ deaths − how could it be possible? While she was prone to accepting all possibilities as her grandfather once had, she still had her father’s stern no-nonsense approach to life, much like her deputy. Everything had to have a logical explanation, and if the only logical explanation was the fact there was serious danger to the universe, then that was bleak. She felt dirty for the knowledge, and stupid for wanting to believe that something so out of the ordinary might be possible.
Sure, she could convince herself she just wanted to catch Achilles in the act, whatever his end game might be, and prove he was a real criminal, and it would be a relief if that were the case. Sort of. At least, it would mean the world turning to darkness had been a lie. But she knew that whatever was going on was likely to be far more sinister than she had any grasp on.
“Hey, I’m going to head out and order lunch. The usual, Ronnie?”
She barely registered Harley’s words as her eyes devoured strange tale after strange tale of accounts witnessed by local townsfolk near the serpent mound. She gave Harley a halfhearted nod and was relieved when she heard the door swing open, slam shut, and the rumble of his patrol vehicle’s engine.
Thankfully, the station had cars for the both of them and they didn’t have to share anymore; otherwise, she would be really worried. If the scent caused her to hallucinate, it would probably cause Harley to hallucinate too. She wanted to keep him around as the variable; the sane one. If nothing else, it would help her stay balanced. And that was important. More so than she could ever even begin to tell.
Especially when her head started getting up in the clouds about some random guy. She was sure he was a vagrant. He had some kind of trick up her sleeve, but what? What purpose would his story serve? How could she even begin to figure out what this man’s motivations were? Maybe he was just simply psychotic and wanting to feed everybody his twisted beliefs about the world so he could finally start to feel less alone.
The thought was kind of sad, really, and Veronica felt her heartstrings being haphazardly tugged by a strange torrent of emotion. Pity at first, then anger at herself for doubting Achilles and even her own experiences. He had saved her life, and here she was, trying to convince herself he was up to no good and that nothing was going to come of her research.
But the research was speaking for itself. The strange happenings were going on long before Achilles and the others had arrived in town. In fact, they had been going on long before Achilles had probably even been born. How old was he? He looked at least a couple of years older, but his face was youthful despite its serious nature. There was something almost boyish about him that she couldn’t help but find herself charmed by.
Whatever mystery it was that her grandfather and Lester were interested in solving, Veronica found herself drawn to it as well.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by a sudden sparkling energy. It crackled through the room, and when she pulled her eyes up to meet its source, she was appalled by the leap her heart took. Achilles was there. And he looked better than she remembered him looking. She was disgusted with herself.
“Welcome back,” she said, trying to keep her voice even.
He was walking toward her, his gait something that could almost be considered menacing, but she had a feeling this was just how he walked. It was assertive, to say the least. Not necessarily a bad thing. At least, not in the right situation. But did he ever relax?
“Thanks,” he said, sinking easily into the chair across from Ronnie. She half expected him to kick his feet up on her tabletop and was pleasantly surprised when, instead, he folded his hands neatly and placed them politely in his lap.
“I have a few things of note here for you,” Veronica said, quickly shuffling her documents into a stack beside her desk and reviewing the documents left on her screen before pressing the print button. Soon, the small office was filled with the gentle whirring of the machine being put to work, and the two sat in silence, waiting for it to finish.
When it finally stopped, Veronica gathered the papers and handed them to Achilles. His brow shot up in surprise and he was soon devouring every word on the pages in front of him. He seemed to have forgotten that Veronica was even there. Not that she minded.
It was fascinating to see him so consumed in the lore of the serpent mound.
“Is it going to be of any help?” she finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen comfortably between them.
“More than you know. Thank you,” Achilles said. He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement and turned to leave.
“What, that’s it?”
She hadn’
t meant to speak the words out loud, and Achilles turned to face her, his face drawn in confusion.
“What’s it?”
“You’re not going to explain any of that to me?” Veronica asked. She rolled her eyes inwardly, annoyed with herself. Nice cover. She had secretly been more disappointed that this tall, dark, handsome man had come in and left nearly as swiftly as he had entered. They had hardly spoken two words to each other, and she was left with a nagging dissatisfaction. Now, she had his full attention, but wasn’t certain she still had his respect…
“Well, for now, yeah, that’s it. I have to take a look at all this new information before I can do anything with it. Not that I want to get you involved in anything I’m doing with the information.”
Veronica stood, staring Achilles in the eye.
“And why not?!”
Achilles looked exasperated. “I already explained all of this to you! It’s dangerous. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Well, it’s going to be my problem and my responsibility if you get hurt,” Ronnie countered. “I run this place.”
“I am nobody’s responsibility but my own,” Achilles said evenly. The serious expression on his face nearly chilled her, and she had to look away. He seemed as serious about his independence as she was. She couldn’t help but wonder what had driven him to be that way. She didn’t meet a lot of men with resolve like his. Especially not in those parts. But she couldn’t let herself get distracted by it or let him throw her off her trail. They had a job to do, and together, whether he liked it or not. Finally, she found her balance again enough to speak.
“Didn’t you say this was a time-sensitive issue? Why are you refusing my help on this?” She met his eyes as she demanded her answer. This didn’t make sense to her at all.
Achilles sighed heavily. She could tell she had him there.
“All right. But I can’t let you put yourself in any more danger. It was bad enough to see you near the Kila monsters. We have to be more careful than that moving forward, all right?”
Ronnie nodded eagerly. She wanted nothing more than to be able to figure out what in the hell was going on. If she could tie it all together, then who knew how much damage she might be able to prevent? It would all be worth it in the end. She just knew it. If only he would cooperate with her. For the time being, Achilles was the closest chance she had at finding answers. But would he mislead her? For whatever reason, she wanted to trust that he wouldn’t. Still, there was no way to be sure.
“Well, then… let me get through all this information and if there’s anything else you can do for me, I will be in touch. Okay?”
Achilles was looking at her intently, and that painfully acute energy between them was hanging thick in the air. She wondered if he noticed it too. He didn’t seem to acknowledge it if he did.
“Okay.”
Achilles nodded as he turned away. She noticed his shoulders sag in defeat for the briefest of moments before he resumed his typical assertive gait and left the station. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. There was work to do.
8.
Wow, Achilles thought to himself as he headed back to base. He had never met anybody quite so stubborn! At least, nobody human. Maybe people in his shifter colony could be a little tenacious, but Veronica? There really was no reasoning with that woman. It was as if she had no regard for herself or what could happen to her being right in the line of fire. Reckless! That’s what she was.
Then again, he had dropped quite the bombshell on her. If someone had suddenly informed him that the universe was well near doomed, he would have a fire lit under his ass too. In fact, he did, didn’t he? For a human to respond that way was actually pretty admirable, to be honest. Veronica had wasted no time in getting him as much information as she could, and from the looks of it, it was useful information. If only she didn’t insist on being so damn involved.
What in the world was she thinking? She, of all people, should respect the boundaries of human limitation. Not only was she a delicate mass of flesh and bones but she supposedly had responsibilities. She’d mentioned that she had her town to look after.
Humans were fragile. And the evils they were facing were beyond comprehension for most of them. Even the humans who had an inkling of something greater going on were unlikely to act. And why would they? There was nothing they could do. Most humans liked to bury their heads in the sand about these types of things and dismiss anything out of the ordinary as simply nothing to be concerned about. He couldn’t really blame them on that front. It was scary! He understood that. What he didn’t understand was Veronica. Despite encountering some of these awful monsters head on, knowing exactly what she was up against and how terrifying and dangerous it might get, she was still eager to help. She wanted answers.
He wished he had them. Not only for himself but for the men he was working with. Apollo and Atlas were both working their hardest to figure things out before it was too late to fix anything. How useless would he feel if something were to happen to them and he wasn’t able to stop it? What kind of hero would that make him?
And if Achilles couldn’t stop it, then Veronica would absolutely be in over her head. A spike of anger – and something else – surged through him. Why didn’t she just mind her own business? Why was she sticking her neck out for this? There were some things humans were better suited for. Saving the universe was clearly not one of those things. And yet, now, he had this annoying little shadow. One he felt responsible for and would make him feel utterly lost if he failed.
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his cell phone chiming. He answered it automatically, without stopping to check who the caller might be.
“Achilles.”
His blood turned to ice upon hearing the sinister voice on the other line.
“Who is this?”
“I see you’ve been snooping around in places where you don’t belong. I’d be careful if I were you. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to that pretty little police officer you’ve been hanging around with.”
The line went dead, and Achilles stared at the phone. What the hell was he supposed to do with that?!
A blinding rage bubbled in his chest, and Achilles gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned paper white. Hopefully, back at base, the others had made some progress, but it was doubtful. Apollo had been hell-bent on getting the base operational. It was consuming far more of his time than seeking answers. But that was to be expected. He had recently found his mate, and he and Quinn were in the nesting part of their relationship.
Achilles seriously doubted the soundness of the elders insisting on them all finding mates when there were so many more important things going on. Didn’t they understand that the biological instincts of a shifter were to fiercely protect and serve those they had chosen as their family? What room did that leave for seeking and obliterating evil?
A gnawing twinge of understanding unwelcomely found its way to Achilles’ mind. He would take on the world to protect those he cared for but having people to care for was a liability. Like Veronica…
Not that his feelings for her had anything to do with it. What feelings? He didn’t have any feelings. Well, he had one feeling. And that was annoyance. Intrusive little human, thinking she knows best when the reality was, she was probably going to put them all in enormous danger.
Achilles rounded the curb and finally saw the sign for the bed and breakfast. He was nearly home and still had no idea what he was going to say to Apollo. He couldn’t know that Achilles had disobeyed orders. But what if what had happened was a clue somehow? And who the hell had called him?
Achilles’ chest was tight as he parked. He would just keep this to himself for now. He still didn’t really have any answers and pissing off his friends wasn’t going to help him get any. He would just have to figure this one out on his own. And when he did, of course, they would be the first to know.
But he couldn’t risk being confi
ned to the base. Not when Veronica was going to be getting herself into trouble because of him. If he hadn’t been snooping around at Lester’s house, the asshole creatures would never have been there. They must have sensed him somehow. And it had put Veronica in a tremendous amount of danger. That was his fault. All because he hadn’t listened to Apollo.
Would Atlas say something? He had all but shrugged off Apollo’s orders. Atlas had tried to stop him, but it hadn’t done any good. Regardless, Atlas would have no way of knowing what had happened to him. For all he knew, Achilles had just sniffed the place out and come home.
Except that he hadn’t come home. He had been attacked and spent the better part of the night with a human who was asking too many questions. He couldn’t imagine how angry the others would be if they found out Veronica was dangerously close to the evils they were facing. That she had actually faced them for herself, and now she was asking way too many questions.
If she uncovered it all and somehow sabotaged the mission, or God forbid, got herself killed, it would be the end of his work with the Shifter League. How could he live with himself if that happened? As much as he hated to admit it, being part of this group was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He would keep his secret and protect the foolhardy woman at all costs.
***
Everything was going well at the base. Things were getting set up and becoming operational. Because of the progress they were making, Apollo was in an oddly good mood. Achilles knew it wouldn’t last long if he knew the truth; if he knew about the attack and the strange old man who had apparently uncovered things about the shifters that the rest of his human counterparts had dismissed as lunacy. Not to mention, Veronica. Whatever that might mean to them. Man, he had messed up.
But Apollo was uncharacteristically unaware of Achilles and his brooding emotional state, and only greeted him with a brief but enthusiastic “Hello!” Achilles nodded his greeting and sidestepped the man, who was motioning a pair of men carrying a heavy piece of equipment toward him.
