by Riley Storm
A tremor shook her body slightly as the tension skyrocketed. Where had it come from? Why had she not noticed its presence before? How was it going to change thi—
Then suddenly Kal was kissing her. He leaned forward abruptly, taking charge of the moment and pressing his lips to hers. Tentative at first, questing, waiting for a response, a sign of approval, that his touch was wanted.
Unsure of what to do, she kissed him back. Apparently that was her body’s automatic response. Her head tilted to the side and she leaned forward into it.
That was all the go-ahead Kal needed. A hand cupped the back of her head, fingers dragging short nails up the top of her spine. More shivers raced out through her at that touch and she moaned softly into his mouth.
A tongue parted her lips in response and Anne sank further into the moment, the heat of his breath washing over her, the pressure of his hand on her neck and the presence of his body so close to her.
“Ew. Gross.”
She pulled back violently, neck snapping around to see Liam standing in the doorway. Anne gasped. She’d totally forgotten that he wasn’t off to school yet, and now he had just seen her necking with Kal!
Liam looked at the two of them—she could only assume Kal was staring too—and it nearly broke Anne’s heart to see the slow look of resignation cross his face while she sat frozen to the chair.
“I knew you were lying when you said you were just fixing things,” Liam said angrily toward Kal, then he turned and fled the room.
Anne turned to face Kal, grimacing. “Sorry, I uh, I should, you know…”
He waved it off, and to her surprise a big, broad smile made its way onto his face. “Don’t apologize Anne. I totally understand. You don’t need to give me any excuse. Go be mom. You’re great at it I’m sure.”
Anne could barely keep her jaw from hitting the floor. That was not the sort of response she expected to hear. Nor what she was used to. Most of the time men wanted to continue, they didn’t want her to stop and attend to her child when they had their own desires and needs.
Yet here was Kal, nonchalantly saying ‘yeah, you go do you’, without a care in the world.
“I…okay,” she said, her grimace turning into a smile. “Thanks.”
This, she realized as she patted Kal on the knee as she got down—why did I just do that?—this is what it should be like.
Maybe…
Anne didn’t let herself think that thought, shutting it down, and shutting it down quickly. She’d had far too many things go wrong in her past, far too many examples that started out one way and ended another.
Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts. Now wasn’t the time for them at all.
Chapter Ten
Anne
She clumped up the stairs, making noise so that Liam would know she was coming. Not that there was any disguising the sounds of her walking up and down the creaky stairs. The building that Rocky’s was built into wasn’t exactly brand new. Not even close.
“Hi Mom,” Liam said before she’d even cleared the top, let alone approached the room they used as their bedroom.
“Hey little guy,” she said, pausing at the doorway to give him some space.
She hated that they had to stay here, that she couldn’t provide him with an actual home, and a place where he could have his own room at least. This way though she was saving themselves the cost of renting another place. It was only temporary anyway.
I hope…
“I’m not little anymore,” Liam said, irritated. “I’m ten now, okay?”
Anne paused. She debated telling him that he shouldn’t take that tone with her, that even if he was mad, it wasn’t the right way to do things. Something—mom sense, perhaps—told her that wouldn’t be the right response. That she would only make things worse with him. Liam was upset, and he wanted her to know.
“You’re right,” she said quietly, sitting on the edge of his bed. Her hand started to automatically reach out to ruffle his hair, but then paused. Again, now wasn’t the time. “So why don’t we talk about this then? That’s what people do when they’re not little. They talk it out. Are you ready for that?”
Liam, who was face down in his pillow, school clothes, shoes and backpack still on, didn’t respond right away. After a moment though he did something that she thought was nodding his head, and sat up.
“Hi son,” she said as he sat right next to her, feet over the edge, dangling freely.
“Hi mom.”
Pause.
“Are we going to move again because of him?”
Anne fought to keep herself from sagging. The fact that Liam was so used to the routine, so used to it being her bad decisions and choices that had them continually moving, it threatened to break her, to have her fold in half.
“The past little bit has been hard on you, hasn’t it buddy?” she said.
Liam nodded.
“You know I’m not doing it on purpose, right? That I’m doing it because I want to find a place for both of us. A place where we can be comfortable and happy. You know that, right?”
“I know,” he said, looking away, kicking his legs in what she assumed was frustration. “I just don’t want to move again.”
“Oh. I know hunny. I know. I don’t want to either. I promise, it’s going to get better.”
“Are we going to stay here?” he asked, finally looking at her.
“I hope so,” she said after a moment, looking at his cute little face, the dark brown hair and wide-eyed look that all kids seemed to have. “I’d like that. How about you?”
Liam shrugged. “It’s alright, I guess.”
She smiled, trying not to laugh at his cuteness overload as he tried to be so nonchalant about everything. Liam was looking for a place to call home as much as she was, and Anne was doing everything in her power to give it to him. The little guy had been a real trooper since…since everything had gone to shit.
This time though, this time Anne was starting to believe that maybe her promises would hold some weight. That they would be truthful. Accurate.
If she had to tell her son that they were leaving town again, Anne would probably break down and cry. She just wanted to be able to tell him that it was over. That their running from one problem to the next was done.
That they had a home.
“Yeah,” she said once her emotions were under control again. “You’re right. It’s alright.”
She dragged the last word out a bit, trying to make light of everything. Liam laughed a little. Then he looked up at her.
“What about that guy?” he pointed at the floor, to which she took him to mean Kal.
“What about him?” she asked.
“Is he going to be another one?”
Does my son think I’m some kind of whore? That was the first thought that went through her mind. But after thinking it over, she realized he meant, was Kal another bad guy. Another reason for them to move.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“I hate him.”
Anne fought to keep from making a big deal out of his words. After all, Liam didn’t even know Kal, so there was no way for him to hate him. Plus kids used that word rather easily, and their opinions could change in a heartbeat. She had to pretend like he was serious, for now.
“Oh. Well, I promise buddy. It’s not going to be like the last time.”
Liam sighed. “You said that the last time too.”
Anne bit her lip. She wanted to tell Liam she was sorry, that she didn’t keep meaning to find assholes. But the truth was, she had kept falling for the wrong guys. Was that her curse? Was she doomed to never find someone that could treat her right?
Maybe I should just stop. Just focus on Liam only.
A huge wave of guilt washed over her. If she was going to do that, then why hadn’t she started doing so a long time ago? Why did she keep letting herself fall for some guy that entered her life not long after she moved somewhere?
The best time to start w
ould have been two years ago. The second best time to start is now.
Maybe that’s what she would do then. All focus on Liam, and her bar. Nothing else. Nobody else.
Could she do that?
“I’m hungry.”
Anne started, bringing herself back to reality, once again reminded of Liam’s youth by the sudden change of his mood. He was done talking about Kal, about moving. His focus was on food now.
“Well come on then buddy, let’s go get you some food, shall we? Fill that tummy of yours you monster!” she said, raising her voice with a gentle roar as she attacked her son with the tickles, before wrapping him up in a big hug.
“I love you son, you know that right?”
He nodded. “I love you too mommy. Can I have food?”
She snorted. “Of course, let’s go.”
They got up off the bed and headed for the stairs.
She watched him go down first, her mind wandering back to his thoughts and feelings on Kal.
Could it be that Liam sensed something about Kal that she didn’t? Was she blinded to his true self?
Chapter Eleven
Kal
“Where are you?” he muttered, staring at his phone, waiting for the reply.
It had been three days since he’d last talked to Gunnar. They only exchanged texts sporadically since both of them had been discharged, mostly to make sure the other was okay. Kal also used it to keep up on any news within the dragon world.
Gunnar had chosen to stay with Clan Atrox, his home, and he passed word of the goings on to Kal whenever they did end up talking. That was how Kal had found out about his fellow Clan Aterna member having his treasure stolen and the attempted theft of all of Clan Aterna’s communal funds. He was still proud of Pace for seeing that one through till the end. Kal hadn’t known the nerdy guy had it in him!
But now he’d been waiting three days for his last reply and, so far, hadn’t heard a thing.
Which is why he was sitting in his truck high up on Mount Atrox, just around the corner from their mountain compound. Kal knew he was probably over-reacting, that Gunnar was just busy, or off on some sort of adventure, but he would feel better hearing that directly from his friend. Or from someone else in Clan Atrox.
And I’d feel a whole heck of a lot better about all this if I hadn’t received that letter this morning either.
Kal sent another text.
Where are you?
Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel he waited for a reply, hoping that he would get one. That Gunnar would text him back, apologize and say he’d just been really busy lately, that he was sorry.
All he got was silence.
Unease was setting in. It just wasn’t like Gunnar to be so unresponsive. Sighing, Kal threw the truck into drive and went the last half-mile until he came to a slow halt outside the gates to the Clan Atrox home.
Getting out of his truck he walked up to the front gate.
“Hey, can Gunnar come out and play?” he said whimsically to the concealed speaker and microphone next to the gate.
There was a pause, then the person on duty let him in, the gate silently retracting far enough for him to walk through.
“Thanks,” Kal said, waving a hand at the guard house as he went past. “’Preciate that.”
He received a wordless wave in response, which was about all he had expected. Dragon comings and goings from different clans weren’t rare, but they weren’t an everyday thing either. The clans mostly kept to themselves.
Kal walked up to the house. He and Gunnar had served in the Gate Guard for ten years together, graduating from training in the same class. That shared bond had brought them together, turning them into friends, and on more than one occasion Kal had come to visit his friend.
That knowledge served him well now as he entered the house and made his way through the hallways to Gunnar’s door. He paused before knocking, telling himself again that he was being overly paranoid.
“Kal?”
He turned at the voice. “Hello Victor,” he said, greeting the head of Clan Atrox by name. “How are you?”
“Good, good. How are you doing? I’d heard you had sort of…you know…”
“Fallen off the map?” Kal supplied, not bothered by the fact that word of his decision to leave Clan Aterna had spread to the other clan heads, and likely everyone else.
“Yeah.” Victor nodded tightly, clearly trying not to pry.
“Needed to figure some things out,” Kal said, hoping to put the clan leader at ease. Then, before he could consider what he was saying, he blurted out another line. “I’m working on something now though. When I’m done, you’ll have to come check it out.”
Victor’s eyebrows went up slightly. The statement must have taken him by surprise. For a moment Kal wondered just what the word about him going around was. Did everyone know he’d become a drunk? Was his location not as private as he’d assumed?
“A project? Interesting. Well, you put the word out, I’m sure we’ll come take a look at…whatever it is you’re doing.”
Kal smiled. “Excellent.”
Maybe he could convince some of the other dragons to come into town more often too. During his ten years of service, Kal had made a lot of contacts across the five clans. Most of them had disagreed with the treatment he, Gunnar and the others had received, and had told him as much.
Perhaps he could leverage that now. Get them to come to Anne’s bar. They would certainly drink plenty of beer, and well, they were all quite generous.
A home away from home, maybe, a hangout in the city. Now that was an idea worth pondering.
“You’re here to see Gunnar I take it?”
Kal blinked as Victor spoke again, focusing on the conversation instead of his idle daydream. “Yes.”
“Well, I haven’t seen him lately. Tell him to stop being a hermit, will ya?”
Victor threw back his head and laughed as he wandered down the hallway. Kal tried to join in the sounds, but the feeling in his stomach was growing stronger. So Gunnar hadn’t been seen by anyone recently either?
It wasn’t unusual for dragons to head out into the mountains for days at a time, or to retreat to their vaults for self-contemplation. The mountains were riddled with their secret compartments after all. There was no better way to achieve true isolation and privacy. There was no reason for Victor to be worried about one of his clan. Not yet.
Kal, on the other hand, was growing terrified that something had happened to his friend. Nervously he reached out and rapped on the door. There wasn’t an answer, though he hadn’t expected there to be one.
“Gunnar?” he called.
Still no answer.
Finally, Kal reached out and tried the handle. To his surprise it was unlocked. With a grimace and a mental apology to Gunnar for invading his privacy, he pushed the door open.
“Fuck.”
Kal surveyed the ransacked room. It didn’t feel good to know that his unease had been justified. He’d wanted to be wrong, dammit, but looking at the state of his friend’s room, there was no doubt that someone else had been through it.
Something was going on. Kal slipped inside, pushing the door closed behind him. Whoever had gotten to Gunnar, they had managed to do so while he was inside the Atrox compound. That meant someone on the inside. Kal couldn’t trust anyone who happened to walk by. For all he knew they might be in on it.
He would have to be very careful who he informed of this, until he knew more.
Now the ominous letter he’d received that morning stood out even more. Had Gunnar received one as well?
Feeling awkward about it, Kal started going through Gunnar’s desk and his personal items. If he could prove that Gunnar’s disappearance and the letter were related, maybe he’d have enough to go to Logan, his own clan head, and demand that an inquiry be made.
An inquiry from outside Clan Atrox, so that nobody who had turned traitor was involved.
Another thought entered his mind. Mayb
e it was Gunnar who had sent Kal the note in the first place.
No, that didn’t make any sense. It would have been far, far faster to send a text. A phone call would have explained everything. There was no need for the anonymous note. Someone else must have sent that.
Cursing, Kal looked faster. He didn’t want to get busted in Gunnar’s room. It looked too incriminating, and his reputation was already suspect after the incident at the Gate.
His search turned up nothing. No letter, no mystery envelope, no indication of who had come for Gunnar, or why.
“Maybe Gunnar was angry and did this?” he mused, trying to understand, to make sense of everything. Even if Gunnar had done that, why not respond? Where was he?
Kal didn’t like it, and his skin was already beginning to tingle. He was exposed inside Clan Atrox’s compound. There were no friendlies here. If Victor or someone else had turned against Gunnar, they could easily make Kal disappear too.
Time to go, he decided abruptly, straightening and heading for the door.
Kal needed to get back to Five Peaks and disappear for a bit again. Now.
Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, he pulled out his phone and pretended to be distracted on it. There was only one other person that he passed on the way out. It wasn’t a dragon that Kal recognized, so he simply exchanged a nod of heads and went out the front door.
Back past the guard house, where he exchanged another lazy wave. The wait for the gate itself to open seemed like an eternity. At one point Kal almost turned back to the guard to ask him to hurry it up, but he knew that if he acted at all nervous, someone would eventually catch on.
“Thanks!” he called as it slid open and he headed out.
The gate closed behind him and he sagged with relief, heading straight for his truck, digging in his pocket for his keys.
Safe and soun—
Light and stars exploded across his vision as something hit him from behind. Kal crumpled. Only his training saved him as instinct kicked in and he tucked his body into a forward roll on the way down, shooting himself as far forward as he could.
He got to his feet unsteadily, turning to see what had happened.
Two shifters that were unknown to him were already coming at him, one of them holding a metal pipe with a very distinctive dent in it that he was positive was now contoured to his head.
