by Liv Rider
“Are you sure?” Mitchell sounded worried. “Am I going too fast? I’m sorry, you’ve just learned that shifters exist, and here I am, talking about details that don’t even matter.”
Shaun looked at the lake for a moment. Mitchell must’ve noticed he was looking uneasy, but had jumped to the wrong conclusions about why. That was definitely for the best. “I enjoy hearing about the details,” he replied, because it was true. “It’s just weird there’s this secret side to Lewiston I knew nothing about that, but I guess that’s the point.”
“Yeah, it is.” Mitchell hesitated before continuing. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you end up in Lewiston?”
Shaun froze on the path. After the rehearsal dinner, and after what Mitchell must’ve heard from Natalie and Caroline, it was a perfectly reasonable question.
Mitchell paused a few feet ahead of him. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business. I can go back to answering questions about shifters, if you like. Or we can talk about something else, like your bar. I’d love to hear more about it.”
Shaun knew Mitchell wouldn’t ask him about his past again if he didn’t want to talk about it, and the other man sounded genuinely apologetic.
But tomorrow there would be more guests from Millersburg. Mitchell would spend more time around Caroline, Natalie, and their husbands. They’d already told him a few things, that much was obvious. No doubt they’d tell him their version of what had happened tomorrow.
The thought that they might convince Mitchell he was a car thief made him sick to his stomach. And hadn’t he done enough lying today?
Here was one thing he could tell the truth about, and it meant not talking about Chris or the bar he supposedly owned. He didn’t want Mitchell figuring out he’d been lying about that, and the inevitable disappointment that would follow.
Of course, explaining about his past also carried the risk of disappointing him.
Shaun looked at Mitchell, who was still patiently waiting a few feet away. He pushed aside his nerves and gathered his courage. “It’s a long story.”
8
Mitchell
Mitchell was going to throttle his brother once he got back.
Okay, he would let Dale get married first, then he would throttle his brother.
He couldn’t believe Dale and Emily had brought up the concept of fated mates in front of Shaun. He understood they wanted to tell him the complete truth, but they were lucky Shaun had been too busy coming to terms with the fact shifters existed, or he would’ve seen right through the unsubtle way they’d talked about it. Not to mention the unsubtle way Dale had left him by the side of the lake with Shaun while he’d flown off with Emily.
He had the right idea, his dragon piped up. We should’ve taken our mate flying too!
Mitchell sighed, trying to ignore his dragon.
He thinks we’re gorgeous. His dragon preened. He thinks we’re amazing.
He thinks his boyfriend is gorgeous and amazing too. Mitchell tried to ignore the feelings Shaun’s words had inspired. The way Shaun had touched him, his hand solid and warm against Mitchell’s neck. The way Shaun had looked up at him, wonder in those beautiful brown eyes.
But right now, Shaun looked nervous.
Mitchell glanced over at the Inn, then smiled at Shaun. “Well, we’ve still got some way to go and I’m all ears.”
“You must’ve heard most of it from Natalie and Caroline by now.” Shaun sounded resigned.
Mitchell felt a stab of guilt as he nodded. “Some of it. It was kind of unavoidable during the rehearsal. But if you’d rather not talk about it….” Shaun’s visible unease was more important than his own curiosity.
Shaun kicked at a pebble. “It’s all right. The rest of the Millersburg party will be here tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll fill in the gaps for you otherwise.”
If the other guests from Shaun’s hometown treated him the way Natalie and the other bridesmaid had, Mitchell would have a tough time keeping a lid on his dragon.
They hurt our mate, his dragon hissed. We will hurt them.
“Okay. What would you like to tell me?” It was only fair it was up to Shaun to decide what he did and didn’t want to share.
Shaun was silent for a long moment. “You asked why I moved, right?” he asked, and continued when Mitchell nodded. “You're from a small town yourself, so you know what it’s like. Once you get a certain reputation, it’s impossible to shake. Unfortunately, my reputation is…not great. Most of it deserved.”
“What happened?” Mitchell wondered about that ‘most.’
Shaun looked down at the path. “I wasn’t any good in school. Not like Emily, anyway. I hated homework, hated having to sit there quietly, and hated being told what to do.”
“Don’t most people.” Mitchell remembered his own time in high school. It was a school for shifters. It meant that apart from the usual rules about running in the hallways, there were extra rules about not shifting or claiming that you couldn’t attend because your animal was nocturnal and you had to sleep during the day. He hadn’t been a fan of sitting quietly and listening when all he wanted was to fly.
“Most people don’t drop out.” Shaun gave Mitchell a wan smile. “Most people don’t hang out with friends who drink regularly before they’re 21 or smoke weed or get into fights in the local mall or get caught trying to buy booze with a fake ID.”
Those things all sounded like reasons someone would get in trouble with the police, but none of them were so bad that it explained why Natalie and the others still whispered about Shaun behind his back. “Sounds like you kept busy,” he replied, smiling. He didn’t want Shaun to clamp up or assume Mitchell was judging him over this.
Shaun laughed, sounding relieved. “Yeah, guess so.”
“But that’s why they don’t like you? For stuff you did in high school? Or, well, outside of school.”
Shaun shook his head. He looked down at the path again as they walked. “No, there’s more to it. It wasn’t just dumb teenager stuff. It was also dumb early twenties stuff.”
“Adolescence.”
Shaun snorted at his correction. “All right, dumb adolescent stuff, then.” He sighed again. “The people I hung out with, most of them were older than I was and involved with more serious things. I’ll admit, I bought beer for teenagers throwing a party. I shouldn’t have, but I did. Never bought them any strong liquor, though, no matter how much they insisted or offered to pay. They don’t know how much trouble I saved them, both in hangovers and in trying to get vomit out of their parents’ expensive couch.”
“They should thank you,” Mitchell replied lightly. So far, he could see why Shaun had gotten his reputation as a troublemaker. If he’d been a shifter in Mitchell’s district, Mitchell would’ve stepped in. But Shaun must’ve cleared up his act at some point, or he wouldn’t be a bar owner right now.
Shaun laughed. “They should. I got no appreciation, none.” He was silent for a moment. “But I was telling you about moving to Lewiston and why Natalie keeps saying I shouldn’t go near the parking lot.”
Mitchell remained quiet when Shaun fell silent again. He didn’t want to rush him, and from the way Shaun kept not looking at him, it wasn’t easy for him to talk about this.
“Like I said, some of my friends back then took things further. Turns out they had friends who stole cars, and they wanted in. They offered to let me in too. I said ‘no’ immediately. I wanted nothing to do with that. It’s dumb, I guess, to say ‘no’ to that while I was fine with everything else I did.”
“Stealing cars is a lot more serious than buying alcohol for teenagers.”
“It’s still wrong.” Shaun sounded angry. “I did a lot of things I shouldn’t have back then. No wonder my friends thought I’d be fine with being a car thief on top of it.”
“But you turned them down.” It wasn’t even a question.
“Yeah, several times.” Shaun was looking out at the lake again, avoiding Mitchell’s eyes. “They, um, didn’t like me not wan
ting to join, kept telling me how good the money would be, that kind of thing.”
“They tried to pressure you.” He’d heard that before from younger shifters. The temptation of quick money and the manipulation from people who were older and apparently cooler than you was a dangerous mix. And the criminals usually went for someone they thought was weak and easy to manipulate. It took guts to stand up to that.
Our mate is brave. His dragon shared Mitchell’s pride.
“It’s so obvious in hindsight, now that I’ve seen it happen to others. You know, in the bar when someone tries to persuade someone else to have another beer, come on, where’s the harm, have some fun. That kind of thing. In my case, they dropped it after a few weeks. I heard nothing more about it, and I thought they’d decided not to go through with the plan.”
“But they did.” Mitchell saw how it all fit together.
“Oh, yeah.” Shaun laughed bitterly. “There was a car theft epidemic in Millersburg that lasted two weeks. Natalie’s car got stolen as well. It’s a small, quiet town with not a lot of crime, so everyone panicked. The police was more used to missing dogs and handing out tickets for speeding or parking violations.”
“Explains why the car thieves picked the place.” They’d gone for an easy target.
Shaun nodded. “Anyway, long story short, the police questioned me about it, and I told them everything I knew. They caught a lot of the people involved, and since some of them were friends of mine, people assumed I had something to do with it.”
“And that’s why they all think we should keep a close eye on our cars.” Mitchell shook his head. All that gossip. All those snide, underhanded remarks. It was all over nothing. It explained why Natalie, Caroline, and their husbands didn’t sound or look like they were lying about Shaun. They genuinely thought he had something to do with it.
“Pretty much. It didn’t take long for me to move away after that. Having friends get arrested, being questioned, and knowing the police thought I was guilty…. I had to do something, and I couldn’t do it back home.”
“Right, your reputation.”
“Exactly. So, I called around and some old friends in Lewiston let me crash on their couch.”
“And then you stayed.”
Shaun nodded. “Once I moved I made a fresh start. Ended up working at Orion’s and got my GED.”
Mitchell was impressed. “How did you get into bartending?”
“Coincidence and luck. A friend of a friend was working at Orion’s already, and he helped me get that job.”
“But you’re the one who kept that job.”
Shaun’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then he laughed. It was real and genuine, and a joy to Mitchell’s ears. “I guess so. Hadn’t looked at it like that.”
“I had a former Keeper of the Peace tell me that. When I first started, I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing half the time and I only had the job because they couldn’t find another dragon shifter.”
His dragon cringed at sharing something so personal. We cannot show weakness in front of our mate!
Mitchell didn’t enjoy talking about his own insecurities either. Admitting self-doubt wasn’t something you did as a dragon shifter, but he wanted his mate to know he wasn’t alone.
“You did?” Shaun sounded skeptical.
“Sure, I’d watched my parents do it, but that’s different from doing it yourself.” And his father hadn’t been the best example. Maybe it would have been different if he’d seen his mother at work more often, but she insisted on leaving her job at the front door as much as possible. His mother always said every Keeper had to find their own way.
They had both taught him everything they could, but the difference between that and being Keeper of the Peace himself was like learning all the rules for driving and then getting behind the wheel for your first time on the road.
“After about six months, the Keeper of the Peace whose district I had taken over asked me how it was going. She told me that if I wasn’t suited for the job, the council would’ve taken steps by now to have me removed. She had even given them instructions on how to do that, should it be necessary. Yes, me being a dragon shifter got me that job, but I kept it because I was good at it and learning how to be better.” He was certain Denise still kept tabs on the goings-on in her old district through the grapevine, and he hoped she liked what he’d been doing.
“You had a trial period and a performance review?”
Mitchell laughed. “Yeah, you could put it like that.” He was glad Shaun had opened up to him. Yes, his mate had made mistakes when he was younger and had broken the law, but Shaun owned his mistakes and made changes. “And you should be proud of yourself.”
Shaun laughed bitterly. “Oh yeah, I’ve got so much to be proud of.”
Surprised, Mitchell stopped walking. “But you do. You made a fresh start. You turned your life around. Not everyone manages that. And I’m guessing you’ve stopped selling alcohol to minors.”
“Of course! I’d be—I’d lose the bar if I did that. I’ve spotted my fair share of fake IDs.”
“See, all because of your own experience from the other side of that.”
Shaun still looked skeptical, but smiled. “Guess being a troublemaker has its upsides.”
“And I’m glad you told me and trusted me.” It warmed him to his core.
“I’m glad I told you too.” Shaun let out a long breath, running one hand down his face. “At least one person knows I’m not about to run off with their car.”
“It’s a rental.”
“Definitely not running off with your car,” Shaun joked.
Happiness welled up inside of him at seeing Shaun more at ease and relaxed. “Good. I’d hate for you to run off.” He wanted to reassure Shaun there was nothing for him to worry about anymore. Mitchell would be by his side tomorrow, and deal with anyone from Millersburg who looked at him wrong.
Drop them into the lake from a great height! His dragon sounded more and more excited by the idea.
“Yeah, my sister would kill me if I missed her wedding.” Shaun gave him another pleased smile.
Mitchell could look at Shaun smiling like that all evening. “How did you find the time to be here? I had to make some arrangements with my council members and they can deal with minor issues, but I do not look forward to returning on Monday.” There’d be a lot of work waiting for him. “And the weekend must be the busiest time at your bar.”
There was a flash of panic in Shaun’s eyes again. Mitchell had noticed it before. It happened every time the bar Shaun owned came up in conversation. Something was going on, and it was something Shaun didn’t want to talk about, since he kept changing the topic. Mitchell wondered why. Was the bar not running well? Was he counting the days until he’d have to file for bankruptcy? Or was he worried about the bar while he was away?
We will come to his aid! his dragon insisted.
He’d have to say there was a problem first, Mitchell thought. And then he’d have to ask for help.
He reminded himself that Shaun’s problems were none of his concern. Shaun had already opened up to him about his past, and it was unfair to keep pushing him to talk about things he was reluctant to talk about. But something besides his past was bothering Shaun, and the urge to find out and help niggled away at Mitchell.
“Yeah, Fridays and Saturdays are usually packed.” Shaun’s eyes were on the path in front of them. “But there’s a great staff who can handle it. We don’t have a lot of rowdy nights, fortunately.”
“You must’ve trained your staff well, then. With my council, I know they’ve signed up for three years, so there’s some time for them to learn. But with you, someone might leave after a few months.”
Shaun nodded, still focused on the path. Was he worried about tripping since it was getting so dark? “Yeah, getting good staff and keeping good staff can be difficult.”
“At least you have some control over who works for you. I mentioned I work with
a council of elected shifters, right? I can’t control who puts themselves up for election, or who gets voted onto the council.” He wasn’t allowed to vote in the elections for his district, which he agreed with. It was important that he was unbiased. But sometimes, Mitchell wished he had some influence on the outcome.
“Job interviews are hard. But it sounds like you have it worse. That council seems important, from what you said. The damage a bad bartender can do is limited.”
“It’s still a lot of responsibility. How long have you owned the bar for?”
“Oh, a few years.”
“That’s pretty impressive. I’ve seen several shifters start one in my distract with varying levels of success. Most of them don’t even last a full year.”
“Oh, um, well, I took over from the previous owner, so he did the groundwork, you know. Building up a good reputation in the neighborhood, getting good staff….” Shaun trailed off.
Mitchell didn’t want to tell Shaun not to sell himself short again, but it was tempting. “And you’re the one who kept that bar,” he said pointedly, and smiled at him.
“Right!” Shaun’s laugh was forced and a little too jovial to be sincere.
Mitchell didn’t like the tension radiating off of Shaun. It worried him more than it should. What was he struggling with? “Taking over an existing bar sounds more sensible than starting a new one.” Maybe Shaun didn’t think he’d earned his success because he hadn’t done everything himself?
“Yeah, that’s why I did it.” Shaun’s tone was clipped.
Mitchell sighed. It was obvious Shaun didn’t enjoy talking about his bar, and that he wouldn’t tell Mitchell why. As desperate as Mitchell was to find out more and help him, it wasn’t his place to push Shaun into telling him. He should respect Shaun’s choice and drop it. “So, looking forward to tomorrow?”
“No.” Shaun let out a laugh and shook his head. “Sorry, I was just thinking about the other wedding guests.”
Mitchell wanted to hit himself. He should’ve known Shaun wouldn’t be looking forward to that. “No, dumb question. I hope they won’t give you a hard time.” Great, now he had switched topics to something else Shaun didn’t want to talk about.
