Chapter Four
Connor steeled his shoulders and ascended the porch stairs. The first one creaked under his right foot. The second step gave a sharp groan, and the third he skipped entirely, just in case.
“Connor!” a cheery voice called from among the figures waiting to greet him. “The man is back!”
Connor grinned. Leave it to Dell, the lion shifter, to give him a grand entrance.
“Hey,” he said, shaking hands with Dell. In the few weeks they’d spent apart, Dell had grown a thick mane of a beard — golden blond, like his hair.
Chase greeted him next, wearing his version of a smile. The guy had grown up with a wolf mother — an all-wolf mother, not a shifter. Their dad had met her when he’d tried out wolf form for a while — just long enough to knock up the she-wolf and disappear again, in other words. Chase had only come in from the wild in his late teens. Even after a decade of practice, Chase was still pretty clunky when it came to human behavior. But, hell. Family was family, and Chase was a great man to have on a team.
He drew his hands out of his pockets to shake, but Connor pulled him in for a brief hug. “Good to see you, man.”
Chase nodded by way of reply. Then a tall, willowy figure emerged from the shadows of the house, and Connor straightened quickly. That had to be her. The widow. Or was it?
The other guys watched closely as Connor and the woman approached each other. He sniffed covertly, as did she. She took a half step to the left, and he did the same to the right, circling the way two wild animals might. Finally, the mystery woman stepped into the arc of light cast by the open bulb on the porch and gave a curt nod.
It was the nod of royalty to a commoner, and the woman’s regal bearing reinforced the impression of privilege and wealth.
She was tall and athletic, with long black hair that fell over her shoulders in loose waves, contrasting with the pure white of her pearl necklace. All of which made the gears of his mind reverse back to widow and fragile then grind awkwardly over them a few times. Weren’t widows supposed to be old and gray and fragile? This woman had warrior princess stamped all over her.
“Connor Hoving,” he said, extending his hand, telling himself not to grip as hard as his alpha instincts told him to.
Her grip was steely, her nod curt. “Cynthia.”
She didn’t supply a last name, and he wondered why. Dragons placed ridiculous emphasis on family bloodlines, and he’d been sure she would come out with Llewellyn or Baird or one of the other famous clans on the opposite end of the shifter scale from the lowly Hovings. But nope — nothing. Just a first name.
“Kai will be here soon,” Cynthia said. No nice to meet you or how was your trip.
“Can’t wait.” Dell flopped down on one of the porch chairs and propped his feet on the barrel that served as a table. He leaned back like a man ready to watch a football game, only his grin was aimed squarely at Connor and Cynthia as if that was where the competition might be.
Cynthia swept past Connor and snapped her fingers. “Feet. Down. I just cleaned this place.”
The easygoing lion shifter cracked a huge grin and retracted his feet. “Yes, sir. I mean, yes, ma’am.”
Cynthia stepped around him, rearranging the chairs, fussing over candles set in glass jars. Then she snatched up old magazines and empty glasses from the table and did an about-face into the house.
Connor stared after her. The woman wasn’t fragile. She was a goddamn hurricane.
Dell grinned and spoke into his mind as all closely bonded shifters could. Brilliant mind. Great body. She and I would be a match made in heaven if she didn’t have such a chip on her shoulder.
Tim snorted. As if she’d be interested in you.
Dell’s smile stretched. All women are interested in me. She’s just good at hiding it.
Cynthia strode out of the house and tossed a sponge to Dell. “Wipe the tables. Please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dell said in his easy drawl.
Whatever attraction she’s hiding, Connor said, she’s hiding in the center of the earth. You have no chance, man.
Tim cleared his throat, speaking softly, as most bear shifters did. I suggest you don’t piss her off. She’s in charge, remember? Plus, she’s a widow.
Black widow, Dell chuckled.
“Can you light the torches?” Cynthia tossed Chase a box of matches. “Please.”
Please always seemed to be an afterthought with her. But, hell. Connor supposed she was trying.
Trying to take my job, his dragon grumbled as Chase lit two rows of tiki torches set into the yard leading up to the porch. Cynthia was giving Kai Llewellyn the kind of reception afforded a high-ranking shifter, which Connor had no problem with. The fact that he hadn’t been afforded the same courtesy didn’t bother him either. He was used to working his way up from the bottom.
Tim looked at him in surprise, as if waiting for him to protest or fight. Cynthia stood at the entrance to the house with her arms firmly crossed, waiting for the same reaction. But Connor kept a neutral expression and his mouth shut. He’d learned a thing or two about patience lately. He could handle this.
Tim hid a tiny smile and shot a thought to Dell, letting just enough of it slip out for Connor to hear.
Oh, yes. This will be interesting, all right.
Dell winked. My money’s on the widow.
Mine is on Connor. Tim laughed. I think.
Footsteps crunched over gravel, signaling the approach of their boss.
“Connor, good to see you,” Kai Llewellyn called with a genuine smile.
That broke the ice, because Connor’s unit and Kai’s had cooperated on several missions, and there was that instant feeling of a common bond and mutual respect. Of course, Kai was one of his bosses now. The big kahuna of Koa Point was Kai’s cousin, Silas, but he was overseas taking care of business interests, which put Kai in command.
“Thanks for bringing us in,” Connor said as Kai came up the porch.
The dragon shifter was about his size, but wow. His entire demeanor was quieter and more relaxed than Connor remembered. Kai’s smile was deep and steady, as if life was treating him well. Was that a positive side effect of living on Maui, or the fact that Kai had found a mate not too long ago?
Perspective, Connor remembered being told. Apparently, life looked different to mated shifters, though he couldn’t imagine how.
He and Kai shook hands heartily, and Connor felt himself relax as Kai made his rounds, giving every man a slap on the shoulder. Just like old times, in other words. Cynthia got one of those European-style, left side-right side pecks on the cheek that old dragon families liked to use.
Dell gave Connor a pointed look. Now, if you were classy, you would do that too.
Connor rolled his eyes. He wasn’t classy. Never had been, never would be.
“Well, let’s get to business,” Kai said, motioning everyone to take a seat.
Everyone sat except Chase, who remained standing in the shadows to one side — a wary wolf habit he’d never been able to shake.
“You’ve met, I assume?” Kai asked. “Well, just in case — Connor, Timber, and Chase Hoving.” He pointed at each of the brothers then at Dell. “Wendell O’Roarke.”
“Dell,” the lion shifter corrected with a pained look.
Connor grinned. It seemed more and more like old times — the good-natured digs at each other, the subtle reestablishment of pack hierarchy.
Then Kai tilted his head. “And I see you’ve met Cynthia Brown.”
He left just enough of a pause between Cynthia and Brown to convince Connor that wasn’t her real name. No self-respecting dragon had a name like Brown. Most of the leading families had ancient Welsh names, and Lord knew they loved showing them off. Cynthia was one of those, for sure. He could see it in her regal bearing, her slightly upturned chin. What made her assume a name like Brown?
He caught Tim’s eye and shot a thought over to all his brothers, careful to veil it from Cynthia and Kai.
Apparently, the black widow has something to hide.
Or hide from, Dell mused, stroking his golden beard.
Kai cleared his throat and went on. “As you know, Silas and I have called you in as backup. We need extra security to keep watch over Koa Point. Our clan has grown a lot lately, with mates and babies and such—”
Kai tried to sound like a gruff army commander at that part, but his eyes went all warm and mushy.
You think Kai and the others are going soft? Dell asked in a private aside.
Connor hid a grin. Maybe that was that perspective thing. In any case, he’d never call Kai or any of the others soft, even if the love bug had infiltrated Kai’s elite military team. They were all hitched and breeding like bunnies from what Connor had heard. Boone and Nina, the wolf pair, had baby twins, and word had it that Kai and his partner, Tessa, were working on some baby dragons of their own. So, yeah, it made sense to bring in outside help — top military guys who wouldn’t be distracted by that kind of thing.
Except, damn it, Connor was drifting off already.
I wonder what Jenna is doing now, his dragon sighed, flooding his mind with all kinds of fantasies he couldn’t entertain. Like spending a pleasant evening under the stars with her, or taking her on a walk down the moonlit beach. Maybe even kissing her and—
“—which means we’ll be relying on you to keep a constant lookout,” Kai said, nailing each of them with a firm look.
Connor blinked and focused on Kai a split second before the dragon shifter caught his eye.
Cut that out, he barked at his inner beast.
Cut what out? it murmured dreamily, still imagining impossible things. Like wading into the ocean with Jenna and maybe even going for a midnight swim.
Which was nuts. He hated open water. Looking at it was nice from shore, and flying over it was great. But splashing in the water? No way.
Connor rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder, trying to remain focused.
“We’ve been subjected to a number of attacks over the past months, so security is our top priority,” Kai said with gravity. “Part of our plan is to use you as extra eyes and ears — not just on your security rounds, but also on the side. Connor will pilot the occasional helicopter charter for us, and we’ll help the rest of you find part-time work in the community — jobs that will help you keep your feelers out for trouble we might miss otherwise.”
Connor nodded. He’d been warned about that, and it made sense.
“Of course,” Kai said, “that can wait until you’ve settled in and fixed this place up. Everything other than security is secondary, but we expect steady progress all the same. Any extra time you have, you’re free to use to fix up your own places. How you work out the details is up to you, but we’ve decided on two lines of command for now.”
Dell winked at Connor. For now proved that Kai was thinking what Connor was thinking. Once he, the guys, and Cynthia had worked out their own hierarchy, a real alpha would be named, not just a temporary one.
“So,” Kai continued, “Cynthia is in charge of the plantation.” She sat a little straighter as Kai ticked various points off his fingers. “Renovations, budgeting, duty roster — that’s all her domain. Connor, you’re heading up the security detail, and the other guys report to you.”
That meant it was Connor’s turn to sit straighter and return Cynthia’s cool look.
“So that’s the chain of command. You guys answer to Connor, who coordinates with Cynthia, who answers to me. Got it?” Kai finished. His voice took on an edgy, alpha growl.
Cynthia gave a firm nod, while Connor replied with a curt “Roger.”
The security job was perfect. Having Cynthia whoever-she-was keeping an eye on him like an underage den mother was not. Still, he kept his best poker face on as he shot her a look — a look she returned, totally cool and poised.
So, yes, he’d have his work cut out for him with the Ice Queen there. But it was just a question of time before he proved himself top dog — er, dragon — here.
I wish we could trade her for Jenna, his dragon hummed absently.
Connor nearly snorted out loud. That would be nice, but not exactly a formula for success in this job.
Kai nodded and went on. “Like I said, the details are up to you…”
That was code for May the best dragon win. Connor grinned at Cynthia, who glared at him.
“The main thing is for you to keep a tight watch on things and be ready for action whenever the need arises,” Kai said. Then his harsh eyes softened, and he broke into a friendly smile. “But tonight is a night off for you guys. Hunter and Dawn are patrolling tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll show you around and really get started.”
Connor nodded, and the rest of the guys looked to him to reply as the leader of their little band. But before he could so much as clear his throat, Cynthia jumped to her feet.
“Thank you, Kai,” she said the way a keynote speaker might after a glowing introduction. “Since there’s so much to do, I’ve taken the liberty of making a duty schedule to get us off to a good start. Any objections?”
Connor opened his mouth. Dell raised his hand. Chase stopped pacing, and Tim’s thick eyebrows shot up. But Cynthia plunged ahead as if the nanosecond she’d given them was plenty.
“Perfect. As you can see here, I’ve color-coded the schedule by person and task.”
Everyone squinted as she produced a whiteboard out of nowhere, propped it on a spare chair, and tapped along the neat columns and rows. “Connor can fill in the security rotations here. I have rotations for cooking, cleaning, and grounds work. But our priority — besides security, of course — needs to be setting up some kind of common space.”
Connor felt obligated to object, except he’d come to that conclusion himself. Damn.
Tim caught his eye. Are you good with this, man?
Connor wasn’t good with Cynthia snatching power, but no big deal. She could be as organized as she wanted. In the end, an alpha was an alpha, and that would be him.
Now about Jenna, his dragon murmured, drifting off again.
Cynthia went on without skipping a beat. “And in this column, you’ll see—”
“Pink,” Tim growled, stopping her short.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Why do I get pink?” Tim pointed at the whiteboard.
Dell cackled and smacked Tim on the back. “You get first cleanup duty too. Enjoy.”
Cynthia frowned. “Does color matter?”
“It does when it’s pink,” Tim grumbled.
Normally, bears were among the most amiable of shifters, but once something rubbed them the wrong way…
“Real men don’t mind pink. I’ll take it.” Dell grinned, reaching for the board.
Cynthia looked on, aghast, as Dell licked his thumb, smudged out Tim’s name, and filled his own, then swapped their other duties around. His crooked print stood out beside Cynthia’s neat letters.
“Problem solved.”
Cynthia stared at the desolation of her tidy plan.
Why can’t she be more like Jenna? Connor’s dragon sighed. Jenna was fun. Sparkly, even when she was worried about something.
He considered the schedule and shook his head. “Nope. Big problem.”
“What problem?” Cynthia asked.
Kai stood with a sigh and turned to go. “Ah, the Hovings at their best. I’ll leave this to you, Cynthia. Goodnight, gentlemen, ladies.”
Connor swore Kai grinned as he disappeared into the night.
“Big problem,” Dell agreed, pointing at the whiteboard.
“Huge problem,” Tim said with a grave nod.
They all leaned closer and tut-tutted in unison.
Cynthia jammed her hands on her hips. “What problem?”
Connor pointed. “You’ve got Chase on kitchen duty this week. Not a good thing.”
Dell shook his head. “Never a good thing, Cynth.”
“Cynthia,” she insisted.
Dell went on as if he hadn’t heard. “The only thing Chase can cook is spaghetti.”
Chase shrugged at Cynthia. “Sorry.”
“Seriously, for our own preservation, we want Dell in the kitchen,” Tim said.
Dell blessed Cynthia with his cheekiest grin. “Well, I hate to boast, but I am a good cook. Steaks, burgers, you name it.” He kissed his fingertips and flicked them outward like a prize chef.
“Burgers?” Cynthia frowned.
Out of nowhere, a thin voice cried out and frantic steps pitter-pattered down the hall.
“Mommy! Mommy!”
Connor turned as a little kid in dinosaur pajamas ran out of the house and threw himself into Cynthia’s arms. “The witch came back!”
Connor spun in a quick circle, on high alert. What witch? Where?
Cynthia pulled the boy into a tight hug, and just like that, the warrior princess morphed into a doting mom. All the guys leaned away, exchanging looks of surprise.
“The witch and the monsters!” the little redhead cried.
“No, sweetie,” Cynthia cooed in a totally different voice. A warm, calming voice that promised a world full of law and order. A world in which everything would somehow turn out all right. “No witches here. We came to a nice place.”
“But I saw them,” the little guy cried. “And Daddy…”
Connor’s chest tightened as he recalled Kai’s words. Widow…hard times…fragile…
Connor looked on as Cynthia rocked the boy the way his mom used to hug him after a bad dream. Then he cleared his throat and looked away. That mother-kid bond was sacred, and he wasn’t about to mess with it. He and Cynthia could subtly wrestle for leadership of this little pack some other time. Tonight, he’d give her a break.
“No monsters here, Joey,” Cynthia murmured in a voice that cracked a tiny bit. “Daddy fought bravely so they’ll never come again. They can’t follow us here.”
Jesus. Now the widow part is making sense, Tim said in a hushed tone.
Okay, maybe we should give her a break, Dell said.
I guess I could live with pink, Tim muttered.
Cynthia stroked the child’s rumpled hair. “No monsters any more. We’ll never see them again.”
She sounded pretty convincing, but the tremble of her hand said she wasn’t so sure.
Connor took a deep breath as he turned to look out over the gently sloping grounds and out to the moonlight rippling over the ocean. Jenna had been scared too. On the run from something — or someone. Why was the world full of shitheads who wouldn’t leave innocent people alone?
Maybe we can fly tonight and find Jenna, his dragon said. To check on her, I mean.
He took a deep breath. He hoped to hell Jenna didn’t have the kind of trouble Cynthia had. As a human, that was unlikely, so he had to keep his focus here. A good leader protected his pack — and that meant Cynthia and her son.
“Hey there, little guy,” Dell said, turning on his best big-brother voice. He sank down to his haunches as the boy peeked out from his mother’s arms. Dell opened his eyes wide, pretending to be impressed. “Wow. Are you a real dragon?”
The boy nodded silently.
“That’s so cool. Your mom is too?”
Joey nodded solemnly.
“That’s amazing. You know what I am?”
Joey shook his head.
“I mean, other than being your new friend.” Dell winked and poked his thumb at his own chest. “Lion shifter here. That guy over there is a grizzly,” he pointed to Tim. “And Connor is a badass dragon.”
Connor straightened. Badass might be overdoing it, especially since he was supposed to be turning over a new leaf. But, yeah. No one messed with him.
“And Chase over there is a wolf. You know how he got his name?”
Joey shook his head again, watching Dell uncertainly.
Cynthia did too, but Connor knew where Dell was taking this. The guy had the ability to make shell-shocked kids in the world’s meanest war zones smile.
“He used to chase his tail.” Dell turned his finger in a circle to mime the action, and Joey broke into a faint smile.
Chase grinned and turned slowly, faking surprise as he looked behind him. “Hey, what happened to it?”
The little boy giggled. “You don’t have one.”
“Not when he’s human, he doesn’t,” Dell said. “But when he turns into a wolf, it’s there. And you know what? He’s a really ferocious wolf. All of us get that way when we shift, and we beat the bad guys every time.”
“Every time?” The little boy’s eyes went wide.
“Every time,” Dell said solemnly. “So, since you have your mom here — and she’s scary as anything…”
Cynthia shot Dell a look that was equal parts watch it, buster and grateful mom.
“…I can promise you no monsters are going to come along. Not with all of us here to protect you. From now on, your greatest danger is Chase’s cooking.”
The little boy giggled and looked up at his mom.
Cynthia hugged him and nodded. “He’s right. So how about we get to bed? It’s late.”
“Is your meeting finished?” the little boy peeped, rubbing his hands in nervous circles.
Connor’s heart melted all over again. The poor little guy had probably been given a stern warning not to disturb his mom at work, or else.
Remind you of anyone? Tim murmured into Connor’s mind.
He closed his eyes. Yep.
He and Tim knew a thing or two about single moms and absent fathers. Their mother had done her best, working two jobs to keep them afloat. It was a wonder he and Tim hadn’t gotten into more trouble, considering all the times they’d had to fend for themselves while their mom was at work.
“I just need to finish the schedule,” Cynthia said, reaching for her whiteboard again.
Dell hooked his foot around the chair it was propped on and slid it out of reach. Then he faked a huge, slow yawn, letting just enough of his lion fangs show to impress the kid. “Nah, it’s definitely bedtime. And you know what, boss?”
Cynthia raised one thin eyebrow.
“I’m sure we can take the rest as it comes.”
She stared at Dell like he was speaking a foreign language. One after another, Cynthia looked at each of them until her gaze rested on Connor. Other than the chirp of crickets and the quick whoosh of a swooping bat, the place was totally silent, the air charged.
Connor stared back at her, quietly resisting the urge to take command. Yes, there was a hierarchy to be sorted out. And, yes, he wanted to be the one who came out on top. But he wasn’t going to use Cynthia’s moment of vulnerability to assert his power.
“Bedtime,” he agreed quietly. “Chase and Dell can take the first watch tonight, with me and Tim taking over after that. Okay with you?”
Cynthia gave him a long, hard look like he was trying to trick her instead of offering a peace pipe. What kind of world did she come from? Some fucked-up world, for sure.
And just like that, he thought of Jenna’s sunny smile and the way she’d bounced into her sister’s arms. Maybe what his mom used to say was true — that common shifters had it better than the upper classes, what with all their backstabbing and archaic laws.
“Kai said it was a night off,” Dell protested.
Connor shook his head. It was never a night off. Not in his world.
Cynthia nodded at last. “Okay with me.” She took Joey’s hand and headed inside, then paused at the doorway.
“Oh, wait. I have to show everyone their rooms—”
Tim shot Connor a look. God, she’s already assigned us barracks. Act quick.
“I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Connor said as gently as he could. “Goodnight.” He waggled his fingers at Joey, who waved back.
Cynthia fingered the string of white pearls around her neck, then went inside after uttering two quiet words.
“Thank you.”
Her words hung in the air, fluttering there like a pair of doves, and eventually wafted away with the sea breeze.
No one said anything after that, not for a long time, at least. Every man sank into his own thoughts while the stars slowly arced overhead. At some point, Chase and Dell lumbered off to start their patrol, and Tim headed for one wing of the big plantation house. Connor had gotten a second wind and wasn’t ready to sleep. Instead, he stood on the porch and gazed out at the sea, wondering if he’d ever find the inner peace to enjoy the view that stretched all the way over the plantation to the sea. For now, all he could do was mull over everything he’d seen and heard that day.
Starting with Jenna. Where was she? What had brought her to Maui? But his thoughts wandered over to Cynthia too. On the surface, the two women had nothing in common, yet both appeared to be on the run.
He dug his nails into the porch railing. Damn it. Both those women had gotten under his skin, if in totally different ways. Cynthia was like a long-lost sister appearing out of nowhere, the way Chase had a decade ago when he’d had nowhere else to turn. Jenna, on the other hand, knew all about trust and support. What she needed was protection, and beyond that — well, what did she need?
A mate. A powerful, loving one, his inner beast growled.
Did she? Or was his dragon projecting his own needs onto Jenna? And if so, then, shit. What did that say about him?
We definitely need her, his dragon insisted. And she needs us.
A voice chuckled faintly in the back of his mind. That no-good, gossipy voice of fate.
Both those women have to do with your destiny, dragon. Both of them will help you prove yourself.
Connor frowned. He didn’t want or need help to get ahead.
The voice grew blustery then dropped off again, like a boxer past his prime. You do not get to choose the path to your destiny. Only the choices you make once the journey begins.
He snorted. Right. Choosing paths. Making decisions. Some shifters had an unshakeable faith in fate, but not him. Fate had fucked with him from the day he’d been born, and it was messing with him now. Trying to distract him from his true course.
Whatever that may be, his dragon sighed.
He frowned at the deepest, darkest part of the sky. Whatever that may be.
Tim ambled out of the adjoining room, scratching his chest. “What are you thinking about, man?”
Sleeping Beauty. Destined mates. A peaceful existence in a quiet corner of the world.
“Work,” Connor lied, then slowly stood. “Good night.”