Chapter 9
Mari stared out of the tinted car window, her forehead pressed against the cool glass as they drove down the winding mountain roads. They had a few hours of driving just to get to the town where the bear had last been seen and were several hours into driving to the next location where a witness had seen Max.
After some heated debating on several parts, it was decided that Magni would drive with William, the bear shifter, riding up front with him to help navigate. Riley and Val were in the next row of seats, and Mari was cramped into the small, third-row seating of the SUV.
She had drawn the short stick, or at least the short genetics. She made the most sense to cramp into the small space since she was a solid foot and a half shorter than anyone else in the car. While Val rode in the middle seat like a normal person, Riley seemed to think the best solution to the long car ride for himself was to recline his seat back as far as it could go. Riley’s seat effectively cut Mari’s already cramped space in half, and gave him the additional advantage of being able to pester Mari the entire drive.
Night had fallen, and aside from Magni, the rest of the group were attempting to get some rest. Val was breathing quietly, his body somehow folded up against the window. Rhythmic snoring could be heard from the front seat, where Will was passed out. Magni was focused on the road, stoic and alert. Mari had been trying to rest without sleeping, as she wasn’t entirely confident she could sleep without another dream and did not want to experience another dream taking her over in the middle of a car full of her brothers and two men she barely knew.
“Mari,” Riley whispered, nudging her knee with his strong fingers, “Hey, you awake over there?” He was sprawled out across his seat on his side, and had his other arm propped up behind his head. Riley looked every bit the Greek Adonis as he twisted, trying to get Mari’s attention.
Mari rolled her head slowly to the side and eyed the dragon warily in the dark car. She had come to realize that she and Riley seemed to have some sort of an odd, friendly banter that came easily between the two of them, but he was also maddening at times, especially when trapped in the very small, third-row seat of a car.
“No, I’m not sleeping,” Mari whispered back, “There isn’t room back here to sleep if I wanted to. Somebody has taken up what little space I did have with their freakishly muscular body.”
“I’d offer to share, but somehow I doubt that would work in this situation. What are you doing?” Riley was clearly not sleeping, and seemed to think that if Mari wasn’t sleeping either that they should obviously make some sort of small talk as they neared the small mountain town that was their destination.
“I’m sitting here, trying to ignore that my butt is falling asleep but not letting the rest of me actually go to sleep,” Mari admitted begrudgingly. She was moody and sore having spent far too long in the small back seat. She found that the longer the trip extended on, the less she wanted to be stuck in the car. She shifted her weight so that she was leaning on the side of the car, and extended her short legs across the top of Riley’s seat back with a satisfied sigh. It felt immensely good to stretch her legs out, even if it meant putting them in proximity with Riley.
Riley reached up and lifted her legs up and over his head, allowing them to rest across his chest. He let expert fingers massage Mari’s calf muscles, working to help release tension where he could as she relaxed into it. Riley tried to take advantage and moved to slide one hand up the inside of her leg and she swiftly smacked his hand.
“Not even a little bit funny,” Mari cautioned him. She had found that Riley was always willing to push boundaries and buttons when he could. He was the most incorrigible flirt she had ever met, yet somehow she found they were developing a rather odd friendship the more time they spent near each other.
Mari had wanted, desperately, to ask him about his friend since she found out that he was actually the person from her dream, but she just hadn’t been able to work up the courage. Her thoughts were drifting towards sleep, and the anticipation of seeing the dark dragon in her dreams had the topic stirring in her mind.
“So, Uncle Illwyn told me just a little about your friend, the one who turned on you. What happened? What was he like before?” Mari asked the question in a hushed whisper. She felt like she was letting her secret out in the open by asking. She liked to think that her uncle wouldn’t have broadcast something so personal to her for everyone to know, but she wasn’t sure how in-depth the conversation had been the night she had interrupted dinner.
Riley’s hand froze on her leg as her words drifted across the silence of the car. He wasn’t entirely sure why Mari was asking about his former friend. He let his head fall back against his other arm, his fingers tracing absentmindedly up and down Mari’s shin.
“He was like family to me. We grew up together after his family died. You’ve heard of the Kerrigan family, right? That was his parents. After they died, Blake came to live with us. He had always been super dark and broody, but then it was like he met this chick one night and bam…he was brainwashed or something. It was so freaking weird. We fought when he tried, and succeeded, at kidnapping your cousin, Nyal. I had been on a guard detail for him and Blake just showed up.”
Mari frowned in the dark, leaning forward as she listened to Riley’s explanation. Her mind was racing with the information. Mari had heard the story of the Kerrigan family years ago. They were a pair of fire dragons, the father losing control ended up killing himself and his wife, and in the process destroyed an enormous amount of property and lives. The knowledge that the man she had dreamt of was the child of such a family resounded in her mind.
She thought it was no wonder that their connection had been so strong if he was as powerful as the stories indicated about fire dragons. Mari couldn’t help but wonder just what had happened with this woman that had changed Riley’s friend so quickly. She said the name over and over again in her mind, Blake Kerrigan. She finally had a name, though she still had yet to see his face in any of her dreams.
“I’m so sorry,” Mari offered as she felt a wave of hurt, remorse, guilt, and anger sweeping forth from Riley, “You shouldn’t be angry at yourself, though. It sounds like it was his choices, and this other woman. You’re eating yourself alive with this.” Mari laid a hand on Riley’s shoulder as she looked at him in the dark of the car. The dull flash of street lamps flashing through the window masked much of his face.
Mari felt compelled to offer Riley some sort of comfort as she identified what he was feeling. She hadn’t really recognized that she’d let her guard down so much around Riley, but his emotions were broadcasting for her loud and clear. She shifted her weight in the seat, drawing her legs carefully back across Riley’s chest. She leaned over the back of the seat giving him an awkward side hug.
Riley inhaled deeply as Mari’s hair hung over his face for a moment. She smelled like apples and he felt something deep within himself stirred by the hug she’d given him. It was nothing remotely sexual, which was a first for Riley. He was surprised to find himself experiencing what actual friendship with a woman felt like. He still thought Mari was insanely gorgeous and was easily attracted to her, but he could see beyond the conquest for once.
“Thanks,” Riley whispered as Mari settled back into her seat. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the small town, where they were told they may be able to spot Max.
Mari’s mind was weighed down with images and thoughts of what Blake and his childhood must have been like. Blake. She couldn’t help but feel like she knew him already, it was more than just the sex that had happened in the dreams. She felt like she knew exactly what kind of person he was, which made it all the more difficult for her to understand why he was caught up with someone like this woman. Mari was torn between feeling like she was falling headfirst for this man who she’d never met, and concern as this was the same man who was responsible for injuring Riley, kidnapping her cousin, and who knew what else. It was just too much for her to process.