Chapter Nine
Silas sat in his office, looking out over the sea. Over a week had passed since his return to Maui — an exhausting week of long hours spent trying to track Drax’s movements and the diamond. A week brightened only by his encounters with Cassandra, even if she often mystified — and even defied — him.
“Spunky, huh?” Kai had commented after the dinner in which Cassandra had taken over the bar.
She was more than spunky. She was strong. Confident. Alluring. In short, dangerous in ways he’d never anticipated.
Still, he tapped his fingers on the huge oak desk, counting his problems.
Drax. The missing Spirit Stone. The death of his great-uncle, which had created a power vacuum in the dragon world. A vacuum Drax — and others — would be all too happy to fill. And on top of all that came the usual issues of being a shifter in a human-dominated world. Rumors were swirling around Maui about an anonymous investor intent on developing Koa Point and the adjacent property into yet another luxury resort.
The problem with rumors was that they often stemmed from the truth, and he genuinely worried for the future of Koa Point. Rumors also drew the attention of outsiders, and sooner — not later — he’d have to make some kind of public statement to dispel them. Not only that, but those rumors had reached the shifters of Koa Point, and while he hated keeping the truth from his friends, he was bound by oath to do so, at least for the time being.
He stared into the distance. His problems were like the whitecaps frothing up the surface of the Pacific — line after line of them, whipping in an angry wind.
Pacific. Peaceful. His dragon snorted. What fool came up with that name?
Magellan, he said. Or wait. Was it Balboa?
His dragon’s ears popped up, seizing the opportunity. We can go to the library and see.
Silas gripped the edge of his desk. No, he couldn’t, because Cassandra was there.
Right there, down the hall, his dragon murmured, tempting him.
He kept his eyes aimed steadfastly out over the view. Cassandra was the swell underlying the whitecaps, making them crash upon the shore. Yet another complication at the worst possible time.
My mate is not a complication, his dragon growled.
Silas clenched his jaw. Those very words defined complication. Now more than ever, he had to calculate every step carefully. Everything was at a tipping point, and one misstep — one distraction — could have terrible consequences. It was no time to allow emotion to cloud his judgment and lead him on detours he absolutely, positively couldn’t risk.
Yes, she was his mate. His dragon knew it, and his human side recognized that too. It was undeniable, the pull she had on him. A pull infinitely greater than the laughable influence Moira had once had over him. But he had to deny the attraction. Somehow. If he didn’t concentrate fully on Drax, he risked everything he loved — even Cassandra.
Love her, his dragon growled. Need her. Can’t live without her.
He made a face. He’d always figured he was doomed to a long and lonely life, but maybe fate had put him down for short and lonely instead.
Keiki hopped into his lap. The kitten had a knack for finding him when he was at his most agitated and settling him down.
Cassandra does that too, his dragon pointed out.
She did, which was part of the problem. Having her nearby filled the emptiness that threatened to make him a bitter old man long before his time. But her proximity excited him too — and worse, his dragon.
She excites me, all right. His dragon grinned.
She’d spent the past days in the library, burying her nose in books, muttering to herself at times. Trying out spells?
He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride at the idea of Cassandra mastering new skills thanks in small part to him. But he could practically hear the tortured sounds of his ancestors rolling in their graves.
Why would you want a witch to increase her power? Who knows how she might abuse it?
“Just one-eighths witch,” he whispered to no one in particular. And judging by the way she banged her fist on the table at times, she wasn’t making much progress.
“Fuck!” Cassandra shouted, right on cue.
He chuckled in spite of himself. Delivered in her faint New York accent, her curses always made him grin. She could swear like a sailor — or a no-nonsense bartender, he supposed.
A second later, she threw out a quieter, “Sorry,” and his smile grew. She was just as aware of him down the hall as he was hyperaware of her. The question was, did she feel the undeniable attraction too?
Keiki purred, demanding more attention.
“You’ve been helping Hunter, I see,” he murmured, wiping a patch of grease from Keiki’s back.
She closed her eyes in a feline yes.
He looked down over the estate. So much at stake there. So much he had to protect.
His dragon murmured in agreement, not even swiveling its ears toward the secret cave where his modest treasure hoard lay hidden away. If he’d learned anything over the past years, it was that the most precious things had no monetary value at all.
He picked up a pen with his free hand and tapped at his long to-do list.
Eloise Vedma — contacts, background. He crossed that one out. His informants on the East Coast had sent him a dossier with everything they could find on the witch, which wasn’t much.
Call lawyer. He made a face, thinking of his uncle Filimore’s will — the parts he knew about, at least.
Prep for meeting with zoning committee. Although he’d been assured local zoning laws would prevent an underhanded investor from developing Koa Point, he wanted to triple-check for any loopholes that someone else might exploit. Someone like Drax.
Charity gala Saturday. Tux. Speech. Date.
The Tux and Speech were crossed out and ready to go, but Date still glared at him.
He’d rather avoid the event — and the attention it was sure to bring — but Maui was a relatively small island, and speculation was already rife about the inhabitants of Koa Point. Making occasional appearances at public events was the best means of keeping gossip mills satisfied with the kind of inconsequential tidbits they craved — who was wearing what, saying what, being seen with whom. That way, people had something to talk about but not too much to talk about.
Still, walking into those events felt like running a marathon across a minefield. And bringing a date — or not — was the biggest issue of them all.
He frowned, looking at the calendar. It was already Saturday, and he still hadn’t decided on whether to go with a date or alone. Appearing alone would advertise his status as an eligible bachelor and open the floodgates to every man-eater on Maui — and there were plenty of those, all looking for a fine catch.
Not an eligible bachelor, his dragon snarled. I found my mate.
Silas shut the thought away.
Appearing with a date — which would be easy to arrange, even this late in the game — had a way of focusing the attention on the woman. Who she was, what she was wearing, how heavily she was involved with him. Which had its advantages and disadvantages. The difficulty was finding a date who would be satisfied with one evening and nothing more — no candlelight dinner, no meaningless sex, no relationship. None of that had ever interested him.
Except now. Now, he could picture it perfectly — walking up a red carpet with Cassandra’s elbow hooked around his. Surprising her with dessert at one of Maui’s best restaurants afterward, where he would have called to arrange the best champagne and a rose-strewn tablecloth. Leading her up to his bedroom at the end of the night and never letting her go.
Never letting her go, his dragon murmured dreamily.
He grimaced. None of that was going to happen. He couldn’t let it.
Why not? We need a date, and Cassandra is perfect, his dragon said. We could take her.
Oh no, he couldn’t. No way.
Why not? his dragon shot back.
Because he was far too attracted to her, and they were getting dangerously closer every day.
Images flashed through his mind. Images of Cassandra’s fingers wrapped around his. Gripping tight at the height of sex. Soft and relaxed the morning after. Tickling him as he woke, telling him how good she felt.
My mate is perfect, his dragon insisted.
He snorted. Perfect. Right. So perfect, who knew what he might be capable of?
I’ll be a perfect gentleman, his dragon said, nodding eagerly.
That, he had to see.
What he really needed was Ella — the desert fox shifter who had been the only female member of his Special Forces unit. Ella was single, pretty, and best of all, there was absolutely nothing between him and her other than the mutual respect each member of their unit had always had for one another. She’d even flown in from Arizona a few times for that reason, joking that a boring night out with him was still worth the week she spent on the island afterward.
But he hadn’t thought far enough ahead, so he was still stuck.
Cassandra. Cass-an-dra, his dragon said, breaking her name into syllables to get the idea through his thick head. A woman we actually love. One dinner out would be perfect. She’ll get to know us better. To trust us.
Which made sense until he remembered he didn’t trust himself, not when it came to her.
He pushed himself out of his chair and started pacing down the hall. No matter how he played it, getting close to Cassandra wasn’t an option he could afford. It didn’t matter how the idea made his heart jump up and down, or that she put an achy lump in his throat every time he saw her. For her own sake, he had to resist his mate.
But we need her, his dragon pleaded.
Of course, he needed her. She was the only one who knew the whereabouts of the diamond.
What do we care about the diamond? the beast roared.
Truthfully, he didn’t. But keeping the Spirit Stone away from Drax was his duty. Only that would secure peace for the shifters of Koa Point — and for dragons everywhere. He had to keep the big picture in mind.
But all his dragon saw was a thousand pleasant pictures of him and Cassandra courting. Loving. Living happily ever after.
He kicked the floor as he walked. Wishful thinking. And oops — he nearly kicked poor Keiki. She had taken to following him and doing her best to mimic his moods. At the moment, that meant lashing her tail and glaring ferociously at everything in her path. Then she looked up at him, sweet as can be, as if to ask, Did I get it right?
His chest tightened. Some role model he made. He scooped her up and tried tenderness instead.
We could have kids, his dragon mused. With Cassandra. They would turn out great.
He steeled himself against the suggestion. Destiny was just testing his resolve, seeing if he had the backbone to be the dedicated leader the shifter world so sorely needed. And a strong leader made personal sacrifices for the greater good.
Fine, his dragon huffed. We still need a date for the dinner, though.
No, he didn’t. He could damn well go alone. So what if that made him go all hollow inside?
The clock down the hall ticked, setting off a countdown.
And so it went for the rest of the miserable afternoon. He went through the motions of showering, shaving, and putting on his tux, trying to keep his mind blank. Then he walked down to the garage, mentally dragging his feet, if not actually scuffing his leather shoes. It was just like his father used to say: life was full of unpleasant business, and great men — and dragons — proved themselves by enduring such tests.
He avoided the meeting house where the others were ready to spend the evening in a much more pleasant way — at home, with people they knew and trusted, just being themselves and having a good time.
“Hey, Silas!” Tessa called. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
He patted his pocket, wondering what she meant. His wallet was right where it should be, and the key to the car would be hanging in the garage. So what did she mean? He turned around, and—
His breath caught. Not at the sight of Tessa walking toward him, but at the woman at her side.
A woman with glossy brown hair done up in an intricate twist. The late afternoon sun glinted in her brown eyes, making them sparkle and shine. Her sleeveless chiffon dress hinted at every glorious curve without revealing much skin, because she was too classy for that. The fabric swayed in the breeze as if inviting him to dance. And damn — he nearly took her hand and did just that.
“Cassandra,” he murmured. Well, he did on the inside, even if he couldn’t actually push a sound past his lips.
Then he noticed the color of her dress and stopped short. It was black with a hint of red, exactly the color of his dragon.
Destiny, his inner beast breathed.
Her shoes were black, and the shawl thrown over her arm was ivory.
“We drew straws for who would have to go out with you tonight,” Tessa said with an exaggerated sigh. “Guess who lost?”
Cassandra’s eyes sparkled as if she’d won, and something inside him swelled.
“What do you think?” Tessa prompted. “Nice dress, huh?”
It was an amazing dress, but he couldn’t think. Not with his dragon turning cartwheels in his head. Cassandra was beautiful. Well, even more beautiful than ever. Classy. Perfect. And she was coming straight for him. No hesitation. No sign of regret.
The closer she got, the harder his heart thumped. Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t release his gaze.
“Ready to go?” she asked, as if they had a date or something.
You do have a date, you idiot, his dragon bellowed into his mind.
He blinked a few times. No, it wasn’t a dream. And yes, she really was holding his hand.
“We told Cassandra how often you get stood up by your dates, and she felt sorry for you,” Tessa winked as if that had ever been a problem. “Isn’t it nice of her to fill in this last-minute?”
“Very nice,” he agreed.
With a click and whirl, the gears of his mind creaked back into action, and he realized Tessa had set it all up.
Wait a minute, Tessa. What have you done? he barked into her mind.
She grinned and stepped back into the shadows, leaving him and Cassandra alone.
Me? Nothing much. Just doing what a powerful alpha can’t manage to do for himself.
“If you don’t want me to come…” Cassandra said, lowering her eyes.
His hand shot out and grabbed hers. “I’d love for you to come.”
Cassandra looked up, beaming, and he nearly had to take a step back from the effect she had on him. It was ridiculous for a grown man to get so excited over one night – and over a woman who’d been strong-armed into being his date. But okay, he could live with being ridiculous, as long as she was his.
She is mine, his dragon growled. My destined mate.
Slowly, breathlessly, he turned toward the garage and stuck out his elbow. And slowly, gingerly, Cassandra wove her arm through his.
Heat rushed through his veins as she nestled closer, and his dragon cooed.
“Have fun!” Tessa called, obviously pleased with herself.
And off he and Cassandra went on a real date.
“Are you sure you want to go?” he murmured, giving her one last out.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Cassandra chuckled. “I do this all the time. Going out with desperate men, I mean, just to make them feel good.”
“Well, I don’t do it every day,” he whispered, leaving it at that. Let her read between the lines. Let her puzzle out how special this was to him.
He walked her to the center bay of the garage then to the left side of the car. “It’s a right-side drive,” he explained, lengthening his stride to get to the passenger-side door before she did.
“Mercedes 300 SL, right?” she asked as he popped the gull wing door up. “1954?”
He stared at her. “1955.”
“Ah, of course,” she said without missing a beat. A moment later, her eyes flashed merrily. “I used to work in a bar with a classic-car theme. You can quiz me on the way.”
He would rather quiz her on every facet of her life. To get to know her better. To fill in all the years he’d missed sharing with her. Sure, his East Coast sources had reported everything they could find, but so much was missing. Her interests. Her passions. Her favorite jokes, flavors, and poems. All the important things.
“Thank you,” she said, gliding gracefully into the car.
“My pleasure,” he murmured, trying not to stare at the long, bare leg that appeared between the side slits of that elegant dress.
Normally, he would bang the door down without a second thought, but this time, he placed both hands on the edge and lowered it with a careful click. Then he paced around to the driver’s side and slid in. They drove the first few minutes in silence, and he wondered what was going through her head.
“So, do you do a lot of these events?” she asked in a voice that gave nothing away.
“Too many,” he admitted, looking straight ahead.
She tilted her head at him. “Then why do you go?” She took a printed leaflet off the dashboard and squinted as the car rolled down the coastal road. “Are you really that committed to the…um…”
“The Society for the Benevolent Protection of Native Hawaiian Wildlife? Three Paws Rescue Center?” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong — the causes are great. Of course, if I could just send in a check, I would. But events bring attention to those organizations and raise public awareness, which brings in more money, more volunteers, and helps change mind-sets. I just wish the same could be accomplished without the media attention or the crowds.” He tugged at his collar.
She laughed. “And here I was thinking you were a philanthropic James Bond.”
He snorted. “Not that glamorous, believe me.”
He wished he could explain it. Yes, he had a healthy bank account, and yes, he was lucky to live on an amazing estate. But he would be just as fine – even better off, maybe – living a simpler life in a smaller place. A smaller world, if that made any sense.
And a mate, his Dragon added immediately. I could live anywhere as long as I had my mate.
The Mercedes zoomed down the Honoapi’ilani Highway, and he pointed to the right. “There. See that food truck?”
She nodded as they flashed past a boxy, silver truck parked in its usual spot at Puamana Beach Park.
“I’d rather have a seven-dollar dinner at a place like that then the thousand-dollar feast tonight.”
She looked at him. Really looked at him. “So why not do it? Why not just go?”
He stared through the windshield, wishing he could explain what crushing duty felt like. The obligation to carry on the family legacy.
And anyway, it was too late. The food truck was already far behind, and he had a gala to get to on the other side of Maui. He checked his watch.
Plenty of time, his dragon whispered in his mind.
And just like that, his mouth started watering for a good old-fashioned Maui poke bowl or a fish taco. Something straight and simple he could eat with chopsticks or his bare hands rather than picking exactly the right silverware for each course.
He revved the engine higher as they reached the low saddle of land that united the two halves of Maui. Haleakala rose to the right, wearing her usual crown of clouds, and the jagged West Maui mountains poked up to the left. The windows he’d had retrofitted to the fixed frames were open, and the wind whipped his hair. Cassandra rested her head against the headrest, soaking in the views.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
He looked from side to side, taking in the magic of Maui as if for the first time. The scraggly, abandoned fields of sugarcane. The patchwork colors on the mountain slopes. The rich, humid scent of the tropics. Funny how having Cassandra enjoy something made him appreciate it too.
“Cassandra,” he ventured. “Why did you agree to come with me tonight?”
“Maybe I’m keeping an eye on you. The way you’ve been keeping an eye on me.”
He tried joking that off. “Funny, I thought I was just being a good host, giving you the run of the estate.”
She nodded. “You have been a great host. Gracious, polite, considerate.”
His gut warmed, hearing that from her.
“And you’ve been keeping an eye on me,” she added.
Okay, so he had — sometimes too closely for his own good. But hell, she’d been doing the same to him.
“We used to have a rule against allowing humans on the estate,” he said, as if that explained anything.
“Humans?” she snorted. “Dragons are what worry me.” He shot her a critical look, and she backpedaled. “Well, maybe not all dragons.”
His dragon grinned. I knew she liked me.
“But wait a second,” she said. “You had a rule against humans? What changed?”
He ran a hand over his chin, thinking back. “Well, Tessa came along and ended up staying with Kai. Then Nina was in trouble, and we couldn’t turn her away.” He laughed. “Boone definitely couldn’t turn her away. Then Dawn and Hunter finally got together, and Cruz found Jody…”
He trailed off. Somehow, the changes at Koa Point had snuck up on him. Changes for the better. One by one, his shifter brothers had found their destined mates. He never believed it might happen to him, but now…
He held his breath and looked into her shining eyes.
I believe, his dragon said in a reverent hush.
Did Cassandra believe? Did she even know what she was getting into with him?
Sugarcane stalks waved from the roadside like scarecrows, mocking him. A car beeped from behind, and he wrestled his gaze back to the road.
“Anyway, we dropped the rule,” he finished, and they both left it at that, drifting into silence again.
A tour bus had pulled over, and people stood on the side of the road taking pictures of Haleakala in the saturated afternoon light.
“Oh. I should warn you there will be cameras at the gala. Reporters, I mean.” His heart thumped harder. Damn it, she’d balk for sure, and his date would be over before it really began.
Cassandra just nodded casually. “Tessa told me.”
Silas made a mental note to get Tessa a bouquet of flowers. Better yet, a basket of fancy cooking oils or herbs that might help her develop new recipes for the cookbook she was working on.
“And you’re okay with that?” He looked at Cassandra.
“Drax already knows I’m here, right?”
Silas’s jaw went hard. He gave a curt nod and tried shooing hate out of his heart, at least for one night.
“All right, then.” She waved a hand and winked. “Just make sure they get my good side.”
You only have a good side, his dragon said.
And just like that, the tension eased out of his body again. So much so, he was tempted to turn down the coastal road to Hana, just to stretch out the trip. As in, stretched out by hours and hours.
We could stay out all night. His dragon nodded eagerly.
Of course, he did no such thing. All too soon, they reached the outskirts of Kahului, and he dutifully turned into the left lane to head for the Arts and Cultural Center where the gala was scheduled to take place.
Cassandra pointed ahead. “What’s that way?”
“The beach,” he said, a little too wistfully.
So close, his dragon whispered.
“Oh. Nice.” Cassandra said in a perfectly neutral voice.
He drummed on the steering wheel, waiting for the signal to turn green.
Still plenty of time for a little detour, his inner beast purred.
But a detour wasn’t part of his plan. The plan was to attend the dinner, get it over with, and then go home.
Of course, that was before he had Cassandra as a date.
Live a little, his dragon said.
Silas had lost track of how many times in his life he’d ignored that advice. He never lived a little. He always stuck to his plan.
The car behind him beeped, and Silas glanced up to find both lights green — the left turn and the one straight ahead. He pulled slowly forward, then…
He grinned. Maybe he would live a little for a change.
He gunned the engine and cut into the next lane, driving straight through the intersection instead of making the turn. Cars beeped in protest as he sped ahead.
That’s my boy, his dragon cheered.
Cassandra chuckled. “Oh, is this the back way to the Arts Center?” she asked in a faux-innocent tone.
No, it is not the back way, he chastised his dragon. This is the way to the beach.
And with any luck, to one of the best food trucks in Maui, the beast snipped back.
He checked his watch and finally gave in. “I guess you could call it the scenic route.”
Sure can, his dragon said, looking over at his date.