Tempting the Dragon (5 page)

Unfortunately, due to their great size, sightings had abounded. Through the centuries, they’d been alternatively revered and feared, worshipped and hunted.

Now there were so few of them they’d become mysterious. The lake creature that might be real. Or just myth.

Libby no longer cared. After years of doing what she should, she wanted a normal life. With friends and a man.

She wished she could discuss this with Jade. She had, at least inside her head, many times. She could picture how the conversation would go, could see Jade shoving her fingers into her thick silver hair to push it back from her face, and demanding to know why Libby didn’t have those things she claimed to want so badly.

The sad truth was, Libby didn’t know. When she’d been younger, before the illness killed off so many of her kind, she’d fallen in love. More than once. She’d broken hearts and had her own shattered. And then...so many got sick, so many dying, and her father had spirited her away to this small town and ordered her to stay here, away from her own kind, her own people.

“Only until the illness passes,” he said, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll come for you then.”

Except he hadn’t. He’d fallen ill, just like a score of others, and she never saw him again.

These days, her aloneness lay gently across her shoulders like a cashmere cloak. She’d long ago stopped wanting more. She even managed to convince herself that she was satisfied—satisfied—with her life.

And then Amber Burnett had asked if her daughter could take over as caretaker. Libby hadn’t hesitated to agree, even though she usually was the one who chose the next Guardian. After her agreement, Jade had visited Libby for the first time alone.

At first, a young Jade had been terrified of her. Libby had felt the pain of that like a knife stabbing in her gut. For the first time in her life, she’d hated being considered a monster. Once, her iridescent scales had been considered beautiful. Now she’d been relegated to a thing, a creature or a beast, lurking in the depths of Forestwood Lake.

That hurt more than she would ever have believed possible.

Over the past nine years, she and Libby had grown close. Her relationship with Jade gave her hope. Of all the Guardians over the years, only Jade treated her like a friend or a relative, rather than a creature to be feared. Originally, when Libby had first arrived in Forestwood, she’d done as her father requested and set the whole Guardian thing up. She’d chosen a Burnett simply because one happened to be hiking out near the lake. At first, the Burnetts had been tasked with protecting her from outsiders and making sure she had everything she needed to survive. She’d even used a bit of her very basic magical skills to ensure they wouldn’t leave, by making her Guardian become ill if she tried to leave Burnett house.

Since then, Libby had become pretty self-sufficient, except for her crippling shyness that kept her from making friends. After all, if she went to town, she looked like everyone else. Half the time, people had no idea she was actually the “lake beast.”

With all of her kind gone, Libby had felt the weight of her aloneness grow heavier. It wasn’t until Jade had taken over that Libby had realized she didn’t have to live as an outsider. She just needed Jade to help her figure out how to make that happen.

* * *

It had been a long day. Rance had seen the panic and condemnation on that kid Lucas’s face. The sickly sort of disbelief on Jade’s. Though he’d itched to photograph everything, document it for posterity, in that particular instance, he knew better. For the first time since starting out on this quest, he’d felt a faint prickle of conscience, as if the teen might be right and he should focus on other things.

Except he couldn’t. Not if he wanted to bring Eve what she’d asked for.

Deliberately forcing his thoughts to other things, Rance remembered the pub he’d seen on the way to Jade’s house. The thought of pub food—greasy hamburgers and seasoned fries—made his mouth water. Though as a recovered alcoholic he no longer drank, he’d refused to avoid places that served alcohol entirely, viewing it as a way of testing his fortitude. Tonight, this would be exactly what he needed to get his mind off both his predicament and the sexy silver-haired Jade Burnett.

Since the evening air felt perfect, he left the rental car parked outside his motel and walked the few blocks to the bar. The road climbed and dipped, but the Brew and Chew Pub sat halfway up the first hill, making his walk more of a workout than he’d anticipated. Which was all good. Hiking around the lake had made him realize he needed to get out more. He’d even purchased a nice pair of hiking boots so he could do this.

He also needed to change. But in what he assumed must be a community of shape-shifting wolves, his kind of beast would definitely be noticed, so he had to be careful.

The unhurried pace of the locals as he strode past them made Rance smile. In larger cities, these people would get mowed down by the fast-walking crowds. Even compared to Houston, Forestwood seemed positively bucolic. Here, even though he would have thought they’d take the scenery for granted since they lived here, every person he passed appeared to be engrossed in the picturesque storefronts with blooming flower boxes and towering trees, enjoying one another’s company. Inhaling deeply, Rance could smell the scent of hamburgers and fries cooking somewhere drifting on the breeze.

Unable to resist, he got out his camera and snapped a few shots. Then, because he never knew if he might want to take another, he kept his Nikon in his hand, secured by a neck strap.

His spirits lifted. All in all, this began to look like it would be a perfectly great night. The possibility of achieving his goal put a spring in his step and hope in his heart.

Even better, he felt like he might fit in while here, despite having only been in town a couple of days. No one stared at him or gave him sideways glances. No, sir, generally the locals didn’t even appear to act like he might be out of place. Which was in stark contrast to the way they’d acted when he’d first arrived in town.

In fact, one might consider them a bit
overly
friendly. Especially the other men. Rance noticed every single guy—old or young—gave him a broad beaming smile. Sometimes a wink, or a dip of the chin, and even once a thumbs-up. All very convivial and jovial, almost like they were congratulating him for something, though he had no idea what. Maybe word had leaked out that he’d seen their lake creature? Judging from the teenager they’d run into at the lake, he wouldn’t have thought that’d be a good thing.

In fact, it was beginning to creep him out.

Ahead, he saw the sign for the Brew and Chew Pub.

Finally reaching the bar, he yanked open the surprisingly heavy red painted wooden door and went inside. As the door swung closed behind him, he blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the dimness.

The inside smelled like heaven. Grilled burgers with onions and fries. No cigarette smoke, for which he felt grateful. In fact, several no-smoking signs were prominently displayed.

One empty bar stool in the middle of the bar beckoned him. Red pleather, he thought as he took a seat. While he waited for the bartender to notice him, he thought about grabbing a menu, but decided he didn’t need it. He already knew what he wanted.

When the bartender—a tall, thin guy with a close-cropped head of gray hair—appeared, he slid a tall glass of draft beer to Rance. “Guys at the pool table bought it for you,” he said, grinning.

“Why?” Perplexed, Rance eyed the drink, his mouth suddenly dry with longing. He even reached for the glass, feeling the cold sweat on his palm before turning and raising it in a salute of thanks in the general direction of the pool area.

Cheers erupted.

When Rance turned back, he carefully relinquished his hold on the glass and slid it away from him. “I don’t actually drink,” he said. “Could I get a ginger ale instead?”

“No problem.” Dumping out the beer, the bartender, whose nametag read Earl, refilled the glass with a can of Canada Dry. “You’re kind of a local hero today. Do you want to see a menu?”

A local hero. Deciding food trumped hearing gossip, Rance shook his head. He’d ask why later. “No need. One burger and fries is what I need.”

“Double or triple?”

Since he needed meat, Rance opted for the triple.

“Coming right up.” Earl left to go put in the order.

The guy on the bar stool to the right of Rance swiveled around. “Lucky bastard,” he said, grinning. “Not sure how you managed it, but every single guy in town wishes they were you.”

Now Rance knew he had absolutely no idea what this man meant. He took another pull on his ginger ale and shrugged. “Thanks, I guess. Though to be honest, I have no idea what all of this is about.”

The other guy’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, but just then Earl appeared with Rance’s dinner.

“Here you go,” Earl said, sliding the plate in front of him. “The cook had started making one for my meal, but I’m letting you have mine. Hope you enjoy. And, Ted—” he shot Rance’s neighbor a warning look “—let this guy eat in peace, will you?”

Mumbling what sounded like a disgruntled affirmative, Ted turned back to his beer.

Mouth watering, Rance grabbed the burger and dug in. He tried to make himself eat slower, but the food tasted so good and he was so hungry he practically inhaled it. Luckily, he had the soft drink to help wash everything down.

When he’d cleaned his plate and drank all his ginger ale, Earl brought another. “This one’s on the two guys at the end of the bar.” He jerked his head toward them and they waved.

“Okay.” Rance began to wonder if he’d inadvertently wandered into a gay bar. “Listen, Earl. Why is everyone buying me drinks?”

Earl scratched his head. “You really don’t know?”

“I have no idea.”

Ted snickered.

Ignoring him, Earl leaned on the counter. “Two words. Jade Burnett.”

Chapter 5

S
ince he still didn’t understand, Rance took another sip and waited.

“Every guy in this town has been wanting to date her. You’ve been seen hanging out with her on more than one occasion. Most of the guys are taking bets that you’ll be the one who finally breaks through.”

Though he knew he shouldn’t, Rance had to ask. “Breaks through?”

Earl’s grin widened. “You do know she’s a witch, right?”

“I’ve heard that, yes,” Rance answered cautiously.

“She has...powers. If you get my drift.” And Earl actually winked.

Though Rance now had a good idea where this was headed, he figured he might as well make the bartender spell it out.

“What kind of powers?”

Next to him, Ted tried to stifle a laugh and ended up spewing a mouthful of beer all over the bar.

Earl tossed him a rag. “Clean it up,” he ordered, before turning his attention back to Rance.

“Listen,” Earl said, lowering his voice. “There isn’t a single guy in town who hasn’t tried to tap that. And her rumored powers are the main reason why. Sure, she’s gorgeous and sexy as hell, but if the stories are true...”

“Stories?” Despite the anger beginning to simmer inside him, Rance deliberately kept his face expressionless and cocked his head. “What kind of stories?”

Grinning, Earl shook his head.

Apparently, Ted couldn’t take it anymore. “Sexual powers, you idiot,” he said, unable to contain his glee. “And we’re counting on you to let us know if it’s true.”

Rance had to suppress the sudden, strong urge to punch the guy in his face. All of them, in fact. Poor Jade. He couldn’t help but wonder where all this had come from if no one had gotten near to her.

“Does Jade, er, know about this legendary power of hers?” he asked, jaw tight. “Is she aware what y’all are saying about her?”

“Y’all?” Earl shook his head. “You ain’t from around here, are you?

“No, obviously I’m not. You didn’t answer the question. Does Ms. Jade know?”

Earl shrugged. “I don’t know. This is a small town, so I imagine she might.”

Damn. Rance had to look down at his hands to hide his fury. “I’d like the check, please,” he said. Getting into a bar brawl wouldn’t do anything to help his position in this town. “And don’t ever let me hear you talk about Jade like that again.”

The walk back to his motel wasn’t enough to dispel the turmoil inside him. Despite knowing the rumor had to be complete and utter nonsense, even the thought of it fueled his already deep desire for Jade.

Frustration coiled inside him. He wanted to claim her as his. Part of him already had. And truth be told, a lot of it was sexual. Jade Burnett’s beauty attracted him. His inner beast roared, reminding him of his earlier resolution to change and let his other self run free.

Perfect. Exactly what he needed to do. As long as he took precautions not to be seen. His kind was not only rare, but largely misunderstood among other shifters.

Increasing his stride, he continued on past the intersection where the business part of town gave way to residential. The well-kept houses were fully restored and beautifully landscaped. As he passed one house with colorful flower gardens, he could smell the heady scent of lilac.

For some reason, this made him think of Jade, with her clear green eyes and uncertain smile. No wonder she seemed a little standoffish. People spreading wild rumors about her would have a way of messing with her self-confidence.

Yet despite all that, or because of it, he couldn’t keep himself from picturing her naked underneath him, her perfect skin gleaming in the moonlight.

Aroused and furious, he picked up his pace, heading toward a wooded tract of undeveloped land he’d seen when driving around. As soon as his feet left the pavement, the sound of the fallen leaves crackling underfoot began to soothe his restlessness. He inhaled sharply, pine and earth and wood, continuing on, in search of a meadow or a large enough clearing to accommodate him once he assumed his other form.

Finally, deep within the forest, he found a meadow. The overgrown wild grass rustled in the light breeze, and above, the black night sky twinkled with a thousand stars. Rance made a slow turn, listening, scenting, just to make sure no creatures other than wild ones roamed near. The last thing he needed was for an errant pack of wolf shifters to see him.

Even though the wolves and the dragons were allies, until their Pack council found a way to announce the existence of his kind, he and all the few others like him had been asked to keep everything low-key.

Sensing nothing other than an owl in one of the nearby trees and a rabbit cowering under a bush, he stripped off his clothing. He dropped to all fours and initiated the change. He couldn’t wait to soar into the air, rushing toward the stars. Flying felt so weightless, and the distances he could travel in a few hours, brought its own kind of freedom.

Except flying could be dangerous. His heart sank as he considered his choices. Then, with a rush of excitement, he realized what he’d do instead. The cliffs overlooking the water weren’t too far away. The vastness of Forestwood Lake beckoned. There, he could dive deep into the water, unseen by anyone who walked the land. For his kind, swimming felt akin to flying, except for the necessity of holding one’s breath.

And if he happened to run into the local lake monster, even better.

* * *

The unsettled feeling had come over Jade during the night, startling her wide awake at 3:00 a.m. Lying awake in her bed, desperately wishing for sleep, she’d seen shadowed images. A beast of some kind, flying. At first, she thought Libby was making contact—her charge had done that before—but this felt different. As if someone or something was watching her, hearing every breath, feeling every stuttering pulse of her heart. Her necklace even felt warm, but that could have been because of her rising bodily heat. Now every nerve ending along her skin came alive as she waited, wondering what she was supposed to do.

When she finally fell asleep, she saw his face again. Rance. In her dream, she reached for him as he came in for a kiss. The instant their lips touched, she knew...

Because she shied away from the knowledge, she’d startled awake again. This time, her clock read five-thirty, which meant she could get up and shower.

Once she was dressed, she snagged a cup of coffee and carried it out to the front porch like she always did. Settling in the large wooden swing, she took a sip and watched the sky lighten as the sun readied itself to come up over the horizon.

Today, she fully expected Rance Sleighter to make an appearance. Her entire body heated as she pondered what she’d do if he tried to kiss her. And then, she wondered if she’d be disappointed if he didn’t.

Inside the house, all was silent and still. Her entire family still slept. Her mother, Amber, didn’t believe in getting up before sunrise and Pearl and Sapphire were teenagers. Enough said.

This morning in addition to opening up Dogs Off Leash, she’d be helping out her mom by opening their store, Jewels and Essence. Over the weekend Amber and Opal had each taken turns, since they’d given their healthy-oil classes to twenty-two attendees who’d signed up in advance. That part of the business had really taken off. While interest in aromatherapy had blossomed worldwide, Jade had a feeling the popularity of theirs had a bit to do with the way the townspeople believed she had magic.

Opal and Amber weren’t bothered by this. In fact, they capitalized on it whenever they could. Pearl and Sapph rolled their eyes and giggled whenever the topic of magic came up.

It appeared the only one bothered by the rumors and gossip was Jade, the so-called sexy witch. When she’d first learned of the tales of her sexual prowess, she’d been mortified. And then, the embarrassment had settled into a simmering anger, which made her retreat from any attempts at dating. Of course, it didn’t help that she’d recently turned twenty-nine and, with thirty looming on the horizon, was more than ready to settle down and have a family. With the ridiculous expectation looming over her, all any of the men in this town were interested in was seeing if it was true.

Recently, she’d signed up for an online dating service and was careful only to go out with men from one of the neighboring towns, where they’d have no idea who she was. So far, while she hadn’t met anyone she couldn’t resist, none of the men she’d dated had any preconceived ideas about her. That had been a relief.

She yawned and checked her watch. Time to finish her coffee and get inside and eat. Her first clients would be dropping off their dogs at 6:00 a.m. sharp.

When she’d decided to open Dogs Off Leash, her mother and grandmother had scoffed. Her aunt and uncle had rolled their eyes and her sisters couldn’t have cared less. Only Grandpa Sam had clapped her on the back and told her he thought she had a fine idea. Since Grandpa rarely spoke to anyone since the dementia had taken hold of him, Jade considered his words a high compliment.

In the year and a half since her doggy day care had been open, business had been brisk and increasing in increments. She’d taken her profits and reinvested in the business, adding on to the fenced dog play areas and hiring additional staff.

Even better, she loved her business. Every morning she greeted the day with a smile on her face, eager to get to work. Raised as a child without pets, she adored being around the dogs, often sitting on the floor and rolling around with them. Even Sapph had taken to stopping by to play, much to the amusement of her twin sister.

Once she’d eaten, Jade hurried to her room to grab her watch since today she needed to make sure to be aware of the time. With the timepiece clasped securely around her wrist, she went back to the kitchen, intending to make one more cup of coffee to take with her. When she got there, she stopped short, surprised to find her mother sitting at the kitchen table, her head down.

“Mom?” Jade hurried over, alarmed. Amber never rose before sunrise. “Is everything okay?”

When Amber raised her face, her cheeks were wet with tears. “Your cousin Diamond has gone missing.”

Diamond, aka the Wild Child. Still... Jade stared. “But she just came to the family meeting the other day.”

“I know.” Amber sighed. “My sister says she didn’t come home after that. They assumed she went out with friends, but she’s not answering her cell. They have no idea where she is and they’re worried sick.”

This said a lot. Amber’s sister Emerald wasn’t the dramatic type. If she was worried, this meant she believed she had good reason. Of course, ever since Diamond had started running around with a partying crowd, Jade had been concerned enough for the both of them.

“What are we going to do?” Jade asked quietly. “I assume we’re going to organize a search or something?”

“I don’t know. Em said something about Diamond’s new boyfriend. No one has actually met him, but Di never stopped talking about him.”

Which meant, Jade thought privately, he probably didn’t exist. It wouldn’t be the first time her cousin had made up a boyfriend. Especially since none of her friends had actually seen him.

“It isn’t like Di to just disappear,” Jade mused. “Unless she’s pulling some sort of stunt for attention.” Attention appeared to be the one thing Diamond couldn’t seem to get enough of. Add to that the fact that several of Di’s close friends had done this exact same thing, and Jade figured they considered it a trend or something. Jade had never pretended to understand how her cousin or her friends thought.

Amber’s frown deepened. “You do have a point, but I can’t see her willingly causing her mother this much worry. Something must have happened to her.” She took a deep breath. “Will you help?”

“Of course. What would you like me to do?” When her mother raised her gaze, Jade knew. It always came down to this. Anytime someone had a problem, the family sent Jade to talk to Libby. To be fair, they had no choice, as Jade was the only person Libby would speak to.

When Libby agreed to respond to Jade’s questions, her answers were always correct. Not seventy-five percent of the time, or ninety. But one-hundred-percent, every-single-time correct. Worse, when Libby went into one of her trances, she’d relay to Jade her visions. Often, these were ten times more vivid than any dream.

Of course, the family knew Jade had magic, though they erroneously assumed she could do more with it than she could. And everyone regarded Libby as a Seer as well as a lake creature. Because there was no way any normal person could have all the answers. Only those who had been caretakers before her knew the truth. Amber knew. The magic was real and special. Because Libby wasn’t a normal person, or even a normal shape-shifter. She was one of a kind. Maybe the last of her kind. And Jade believed fervently that Libby didn’t deserve to be bothered with small stuff.

Jade had gotten to the point of hating to have to ask favors of Libby. She wasn’t sure her cousin Di taking off for a few days warranted asking for magic.

“Please,” her mother pleaded, correctly interpreting Jade’s hesitation. “Your Auntie Em specifically asked me to ask you since you and she are so close. She knows your connection to Libby. If I still had the ability, I’d ask her myself.”

And therein lay the problem. No way could Jade say no now. Not to a worried-sick parent and her favorite aunt. Even if her cousin was a little bit...wild. Jade wondered if her aunt Emerald knew that several others in the crowd Di ran around with had taken off at various intervals for a few days, only to reappear suddenly, acting like nothing had happened.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Grabbing her stainless steel coffee mug, she poured one more cup, keeping herself busy as she added cream and sugar, and stirring.

“When?” Amber pressed. “Can you run out there this morning?”

Reminding herself that her mother felt a sense of urgency even if Jade did not, Jade sighed. “Remember, you asked me to open up your store for you?”

“I can take care of that.” Amber stretched. “I feel much more rested. So you’ll talk to Libby today.”

Jade nodded. “Yes, of course. After I get DOL open and make sure my employees show up, I’ll head on out to the lake.”