Epilogue
Silas looked around the meeting house. Not long after Cruz and Jody made their hasty exit, all the other couples did, too. A little more subtly, perhaps, but all more or less along the same lines of, If you’ll excuse me, I really have to go shag the amazing mate I adore.
The sea breeze toyed with a napkin on the table, and the clock ticked as he stared off into the distance. An eternity later, it ticked again. Hell — if a minute was that long, how would he ever drag himself through all the years remaining to the end of his life?
He slid a heel across the woven mat floor, watching the shadows of the palms outside. Sunshine flooded the world everywhere but the place he inhabited. There was one exception, though — Keiki. She jumped, scampered, and pounced, chasing the ball of yarn across the floor like a mortal enemy, eviscerating it with tiny claws.
Silas curled his fingers and looked at his nails. In dragon form, they would extend to huge claws. Claws he would love to sink into Drax, the dragon lord who’d stolen everything from him. Everything. A long list unrolled in his mind.
Family treasures.
Personal treasures.
Moira, his inner dragon added, mentally spitting a plume of fire.
His heart ached just thinking about her. He didn’t want to believe his ex-fiancée was at the heart of the recent attacks. But then again, he hadn’t wanted to believe she would leave him, and leave him she had. For Drax.
Drax, who rubbed salt in his wounds at every turn. Drax, who seemed intent on dominating the shifter world. Drax—
He cut off the thought. Drax didn’t deserve to take up so much of Silas’s time or his tightly wound emotions. Neither did Moira. They were the losers; he was the winner — the one living at Koa Point with a group of men and women he respected and admired. A joyous group, especially lately, what with love blossoming all around. He was happy for them. Truly. His friends deserved their happiness — even grouchy Cruz, who had found an amazing woman to make him see the sunny side of life. Bit by bit, each of his brothers-in-arms had inched his way over to a quieter, more meaningful life.
Everyone except him.
Keiki purred and butted against his legs until he picked up the yarn and wound it in. She attacked it as he went, throwing her furry body this way and that, honing her fighting skills.
“Skills I hope you never have to use, little one,” he whispered, tossing the yarn again.
She scampered after it, rolling head over heels in her own private battle.
He smiled — a little, at least. That kitten had the heart of a dragon. A pity she wasn’t a shifter.
The sound of the dishwasher hummed in the background. Thanks to everyone’s combined efforts, the place was neat, tidy, and ready for the next communal meal. He really had no reason to hang around now that the meeting was over, but he had no urge to head home. The house he lived in — the owner’s place, high on a bluff — was huge and airy. In some ways, the perfect dragon’s lair. In others, a prison of his own making. Solitary confinement for a dragon who’d been rejected by the woman he loved.
We didn’t love her, his dragon said firmly. Not truly.
If that was the case, why did it hurt to breathe when he thought about Moira? Why did all his dreams revolve around what might have been?
We never loved her, his dragon insisted. We just thought we did.
He snorted at the beast’s pride. Love was all in the head anyway.
Love is in the heart, and hers is made of stone. It always was. His inner dragon stretched his wings and lashed his tail.
Keiki trotted back and jumped into his lap, purring until he petted her the way she liked best. Ever since her two closest buddies, Cruz and Hunter, had partnered up with their respective mates, Keiki had sought out his company more and more. As if it was her mission to bring a little cheer to grouchy, scarred bachelors like himself.
She meowed so loudly, he could swear she was claiming all of Koa Point as her own. Sassy little thing.
He frowned as he petted her soft fur. Koa Point might be Keiki’s realm for now, but it might not be for long. The rumors about developing the property weren’t just rumors, and he wasn’t sure he had the power to ward off the threat.
Keiki swatted playfully at his sleeve as if to belabor the point the others made from time to time. Who’s the owner of the estate? Is it you? Who has the power here?
In truth, it was a long story, and a complicated one. And once he got to the end — if he ever reached the point where he had to reveal it all — everyone’s jaws would drop. But he wasn’t ready to share that yet. Not until he knew more about encroaching threats from the outside world. The danger wasn’t imminent, and the others might as well enjoy their well-deserved downtime before the proverbial shit hit the fan.
As for him, he’d remain watchful. Vigilant. And above all, unemotional. He’d be the one they could all count on when push came to shove. A good unit relied on its leader, and a leader couldn’t afford to become distracted by petty details like love.
“Hey,” a voice pulled him from his thoughts. It was Tessa, sweeping back into the meeting house.
He forced the frown from his face. He really didn’t want a lecture about how much he needed to relax.
“Hey,” he murmured back.
“I forgot this,” she said, touching the Lifestone. She laughed. “I know, I know. It’s not something I ought to forget. But sometimes…”
Her cheeks turned pink, and it was easy to guess the words she had swallowed. Sometimes, you get so lost in the lure of your dragon that everything else fades to background noise.
The phone rang — definitely not background noise — and Silas shot a glance at it, annoyed. He’d already had a long talk with Ella, their informant, and wrapped up all the loose threads surrounding the Waterstone. Or so he thought. Had Ella found another morsel of information or another startling surprise? Or was it the developer, calling yet again to try to sweet-talk Silas into a deal he would never support?
“Do you want me to get that?” Tessa asked.
No, he didn’t. He wanted the outside world to leave him alone for a little while. Just long enough to get his head — and heart — in the right place so he could carry on without showing the strain. Well — he knew Tessa saw through the chinks in his armor, but if he could pretend they didn’t exist, she could pretend, too.
He nodded, trying to roll the tension out of his shoulders.
“Koa Point. Hello?” Tessa answered the phone, her usual bright and cheery self. A second later, her smile fell away, and her brow furrowed. “Who may I say is calling?”
Silas made a face. So, it wasn’t Ella. More likely the developer or the lawyers he hadn’t been able to get off his back.
Tessa’s face went chalk white, and she froze before walking stiffly toward him.
“It’s for you.” Her voice wavered as she held out the phone.
He took it, ready to get whatever unpleasant business over with. “Hello?”
Tessa slowly backed away, giving him his space. The line was silent for a moment or two before coming alive with a voice that sliced straight through his heart.
“Silas.”
It was a statement, not a question. The woman on the other end of the line sounded a little breathless. Or was she faking the hint of emotion the way she had faked so much else?
He remained perfectly still. Everything but the throbbing vein at his temple. Finally, he grunted his reply, working hard to keep the pain out of his voice. The betrayal. And worst of all, hope. Hope that would kill him if he didn’t watch his step.
“Moira,” he murmured, wondering what she’d say next.
* * *
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