Dragon in the Rough (Elders Enterprises Book 1) (2 page)

                               
Chapter 2

              Katie closed up her computer, put it in her bag, and signed the last of her paperwork before heading out the door. She had been glad that the night shift seemed to disappear when she came back to the precinct. She really was not wanting to explain to everyone that after her perfect record, she had lost Paul. She had to force herself to relax her fist when her nails started to dig into her hand. Damn it pissed her off that he had gotten away. She again had the feeling that there was some big piece of the puzzle that she was missing, but what?

              Katie thought about it as she walked down the sidewalk. Paul had to be something that she had never come across before. She had spent some of her night looking into some of the possibilities, googling mythical creatures, searching through the thousands of possibilities, only to come up short.

              Without any more information, Katie was stuck. It helped to solidify the need to search through his apartment. To turn over every rock looking for him. To find out exactly what he was. Screw what the file and her boss said, she would uncover what exactly was redacted in his file. If nothing else, it would help give her some insight into his life.

              Katie turned the corner as a slight breeze hit her warm skin, cooling her off. Katie sighed in relief. She had not realized that she had been sweating until then. After today, she was ready to get home, open a bottle of wine, and run a warm bath. She glanced at her watch as she stifled a yawn. “Well, shit,” she muttered when she realized how late it was. By the time she got home she would have just enough time for a quick shower and then go straight to bed. She had a lot of work to do in the morning and she did not need to be dragging because of lack of sleep.

              Katie made it back to her apartment in record time. She fumbled through her purse, trying to find her keys. Once she found them, she unlocked her door and stepped inside. A familiar sensation washed over her. The feeling of being watched. At first it had freaked Katie out, but now that she had become accustomed to it, she actually found it comforting.

              It had been a month since she had come home to this feeling. She had spent days searching her home for bugs or cameras, but found none, so she tried closing her curtains. Still, the feeling stayed. Now, she liked the feeling of it. Katie shook her head. She knew that it sounded crazy, but it made her feel more at home.

              Katie closed her door and made her way over to the kitchen table where she unloaded her stuff. She then turned on her heel and crossed the room to the refrigerator, yanking the door open and pulling out a bottle of wine. She quickly poured herself a glass, downed it and poured another. She then turned and headed toward her room. Katie stopped briefly by her bathroom door but shook her head. She could just take one in the morning, it would help wake her up.

              She walked over and set her glass of wine on her nightstand before she stripped off her clothes, climbing into bed and propping herself up against her headboard. As she finished her second glass of wine, Katie felt a pang of loneliness roll through her. She wished so badly that she had someone in her life. She really did not care if it was family, friends, or even a lover, she just wanted someone that she could spend time with. To relax and laugh with about the small things. Someone to hold her when she had a bad day.

              “That is never going to happen with the lifestyle you live,” Katie said to herself. If she truly wanted to have someone in her life then it would mean that she would have to cut back on work. That was not an option for her. She had made herself a promise years ago to do her part, to hunt down the criminals in this world. Sure, there were probably many others that could do it, but Katie wanted to do it herself. She needed to know that there was some good in the world. That she helped to make it a better place.

              Katie laughed at the thought as she rolled over and turned off her lamp. The last thought that ran through Katie’s head before she fell asleep was Paul. Starting tomorrow, she would go after him with everything she had. She would not allow herself to fail again. Paul was hers for the taking and nothing was going to stop her.

***

              Paul knew the moment that Katie fell into a deep sleep. He held the rock tightly in his left hand and reached out with his mind to connect with Katie. He was surprised when their minds fully connected. The rock was only supposed to give him access to her thoughts, not link their minds together. He started to get the feeling that something more was at play. Was Katie a dragon? Could she be his mate? Paul did not know but the way things were going, he was willing to bet that the answer was yes to both questions. The true question he had to ask himself was if he was truly ready for what was about to happen. He thought no, but did not want to stop. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and let his mind meld with Katie’s.

              When Paul opened his eyes again, he was standing in the middle of a foyer. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He looked up at a spiraling staircase as a long ago yearning swept over him. He knew this home like the back of his hand. He had lived here once with his family, had helped decorate the little pink bedroom that was at the top of the stairs. Paul shook his head. He could not allow himself to go down that road. Not now. He would not allow the heartbreak of the memories that threatened to break through.

              Paul took a long, slow breath to calm himself down. He took a step forward, heading toward the living room. He knew that once he turned the corner, he would be able to look out a wall of windows capturing the surrounding wheat fields that he dreamed about. To watch the waves roll through the fields as the wind blew away all your problems. Oh, how he longed to see it again.

              As Paul took another step forward and rounded the corner, his heart skipped a beat. Katlin stood there gazing out the window. Paul had thought that he had known beauty, but nothing compared to this. Katie’s silhouette against the wide open fields was breath taking. He could stand there and look at it forever. He never wanted to lose this memory, so he stuffed it into a box for admiring later on.

              Paul walked over toward Katie, careful not to make a sound. He wanted this moment to last as long as possible, even though he knew it would have to end. He needed answers and it looked as if the only way he was going to get them was to talk to Katie. To let her know that he was here. How would she react to seeing him? Paul pushed the question away. He really did not want to think about all the different ways she could react.

              Paul reached out and placed a hand on Katie’s shoulder. Her skin felt soft under his rough, weather worn hand. She did not jump, but she did go still beneath his touch. God, she wasn’t even breathing. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder. For a moment, Paul could have sworn that he saw pure hatred roll through her eyes. She blinked and it was replaced by confusion.

              “What are you doing here?” she asked in a tone that made Paul want to recoil.

              He pushed past his own fears that she would never be able to accept him for what he was. That all she would ever do was hate him. He wanted more than anything to just pull her into his arms and kiss her until she liked him. He smiled.
Yeah, like that would do me any good,
he thought. Paul cleared his throat. “How much do you know about me, Katlin?” A small part of him wanted her to know the truth but another part wanted to protect her from it. She could never go back to a normal life if she knew about the dragons.

              Katlin put her hands on her hips. “The only thing that matters is that my boss tells me I have to bring you in. Though I’m not sure even that matters right now.” Katlin shook her head. “This is all just a dream anyway. This is my mind telling me that I am so lonely, the only man I can dream about is you. Even if you are downright sexy, it still screams pathetic.”

              Paul smiled. “So you think I am sexy?” Katie blushed, which made him smile even more. He started unbuttoning his shirt slowly. Katie’s eyes followed the movement of his fingers. She licked her lips before pulling the bottom one into her mouth and biting it. That one little movement about sent Paul over the edge. He had planned to just get the information he needed, but that all went to hell when he found out that she thought he was sexy. Instinct told him he should play off of it, to see if she truly loved the way he looked. It gave him hope that she would not hate him forever.

              “I am a single woman, why would I not find you attractive? I mean, just look at you.” She waved her hand over his body. “You look like a character from Magic Mike or maybe a stripper for The Dream Boys. I would have to be a nun to not think you are sexy. But then they might even turn away from the church for a man like you.” She paused and took a breath. “Damn, even in my dreams I jabber on.”

              Paul laughed. It felt so nice that it startled him. It had been years since he felt this kind of joy. “Well, if that is true and this is just a dream, then what is the harm in telling me what you know about me and my kind?” He added in a wink that had Katlin blushing again.

              Katlin looked to be deep in thought before she finally answered. “Well, I guess you do have a point there. No harm in talking things through with myself, so I will tell you.” She paused and bit her lip briefly. “But I have a stipulation first.”

              Paul raised his eyebrow. “What would you like, my lady? I will do just about anything for you.” Paul almost doubled over from the weight of how true that one little statement was. If she asked for the moon, he would do everything in his power to give it to her.

              “For every question you ask, you have to remove one piece of clothing.” A sexy smile spread across Katlin’s lips. “Oh, and stop calling me Katlin. It makes me feel old and stuffy. Katie will work just fine.”

              Paul laughed. He wondered if she was this brazen in real life or was it because she felt safe right now? “Okay, I can do that, but the same goes for you.” He took a step closer, watching the emotions play across Katie’s face. Over the last month that he had been watching Katie, he had noticed that she kept a tight lid on her emotions, never letting anyone know how she truly felt. But in this moment, there was no hiding. Paul’s heart melted. There was so much about Katie that he did not know. He realized then that he would do just about anything to figure out who she was.

              “Fine,” she said as she eyed him. Paul felt as though she could see right into his soul.

              Paul pushed all other thoughts away. He needed information right now and he was not going to get it by standing around analyzing his feelings. “Okay,” he said as he slipped his shirt off of his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. “What do you know about me, Katie?” His voice was huskier than normal.

              “I was wrong,” Katie said as her eyes wandered over his bare chest, making Paul’s heart rate spike. He leaned his head in the silent question when her eyes met his. “You do not look like a stripper or an actor. More like a Gladiator, ripe and ready for battle.”

              Again, Paul laughed. This woman standing before him was very amusing. He was already hanging onto his self-control by a thread. He needed to get answers quickly, then he would let things play out between them. “That, my dear, is not an answer.”

              “Oh, right,” Katie said as blush painted her cheeks. “Well, honestly I do not know much. I was given your file, which is pointless because it’s heavily redacted. Tonight was just a chance run in.” She looked up into Paul’s eyes and tilted her head. “I honestly did not want to take your case. I thought it was going to be too easy and beneath me. Boy, was I wrong.” Katie looked down at her feet. “You are the first person to ever escape me.” She looked so disappointed.

              Paul put his finger under her chin and made her look up at him. “Do not be so hard on yourself.” He gave her a smile. “Did they not tell you what I am?”

              “No,” she replied. “And that counts as a question.” She raised her eyebrow in a challenge.

              “That is true.” Paul’s voice got deeper. He bent down and removed his shoes and socks. Setting them down out of the way, he looked up at Katie and growled. Katie was standing there, in touching distance, fully clothed and turning him on with all that lip biting.

              “So what are you?” she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I know you are not human, you are too quick. Then there are vampires, but since you can go out in the sun I am guessing you are not one of them. You are something else entirely, but what?” Katie pulled her shirt up over her head and dropped it to the floor. “You also have silver eyes. I have never seen anyone with eyes like yours.”

              Paul was losing all self-control, ready to jump over the cliff at any moment. He could not stop himself, and really did not want to. “You are right,” he managed to get out as he stepped closer to Katie and pulled her into his arms. She felt so right up against him. “I am not a vampire. I am something much older. And if I am not mistaken, you are, too. So tell me, Katie, what are you?”