New Atlanta

2048

 

 “You do know this is illegal, right? And you’re a cop. No, you’re the Chief of cops.”

Dane stilled his hands. He was picking the lock on Marley’s back door. In broad daylight. Looking over his shoulder, he told Mason, “Yeah, well, some of us don’t have the luxury of safeguarding our mate twenty-four hours a day.”

Mason shrugged unapologetically. “Dude, how is breaking into your mate’s house safeguarding her?”

“I’m trying to see how easy it is to get in,” Dane lied. Fuck, this was a bad idea. He should have never gotten the young Gargoyle involved in his plan, but he didn’t want to be caught sneaking into Marley’s house. He’d not told Mason the truth of why he was breaking and entering. The less the young male knew, the better. In Dane’s mind, it was for a good cause, and if Marley found him inside her home, he would admit to why he was there. When the lock clicked over easily, he made a mental note to have Julian install a security system on the small, two-bedroom house his mate shared with Cammie Ferguson. Marley and her best friend were currently at Frey’s gym taking a self-defense class. At least that’s where they went every Saturday morning. Even if they became proficient, they wouldn’t be able to fend off someone who could break in just as easily as Dane had.

If Dane had his way, Marley would be moving in with him into their new home soon. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Cammie; he did. Being his mate’s best friend, she was going to remain an integral part of Marley’s life, and as such, he wanted to keep her safe as well.

Before he entered the kitchen, Dane told Mason, “Just keep your eyes and ears open, yeah?”

“Yeah. I’d hate to have to explain this shit to Rafael.”

So would Dane. He stowed the tools back in his pocket and stepped into the small house. He didn’t bother looking around since he was on a mission. He headed straight for Marley’s bedroom. His mate’s lingering scent nearly took him to his knees when he stepped through the doorway. Her bed was a rumpled mess, much the same way it had been the last time he was in her room. He took a good look around, searching for the one thing that brought him to her home in the first place. A jewelry box sat on the far end of her dresser, and Dane strode to it. Her dresser was rife with miscellaneous bracelets, earrings, and picture frames. Why have a jewelry box if you weren’t going to use it?

Not seeing her birthstone ring she sometimes wore, Dane opened the drawer at the bottom of the box, having to shake it to get it open. It was filled to the top with more jewelry than Marley could possibly wear in a month. No wonder her dresser’s covered. Dane dug around until he found a ring at the bottom of the drawer. When he pulled it out, his heart knocked hard against his chest, and his beast growled.

Easy, mate.

The round diamond in his hand taunted him. It didn’t matter that it was small. What mattered was it appeared to be an engagement ring. Dane sat down hard on the bed, pinching the band between his fingers so he could stare at the gem. Who had given his girl a ring? Did he still mean something to her?

Dane knew a lot about Marley, but even with all the talking they had done on their previous dates, there were things he wanted to know before he told her the truth of the Gargoyles, like who gave her the diamond. He had no idea how old the ring was or if it even fit her hand still. Did it matter that she’d been engaged before? Not really. What mattered was who broke it off and why. Dane wasn’t ready to give his heart to Marley if hers belonged to someone else. She already has your heart. That was true, but he wouldn’t tell her that yet.

He had planned on borrowing whatever ring he found and putting it back at the first possible moment, but somehow it didn’t feel right taking that particular ring, even if he intended to return it. Dane wished he had someone to talk to. Someone who could tell him everything would be okay and to trust the mate bond. Why would she have been engaged before if she was supposed to be his? His thoughts turned to Abbi. Frey’s mate was married when they met, so Dane couldn’t use that as an excuse to keep Marley at arm’s length. He’d done that for too long. No, he would continue with his plan, but he was definitely going to find out more about the pretty waitress before he took the big step. Instead of pocketing the ring, he slid it on his pinkie as far as it would go. He would have to give the jeweler his best guess on what size Marley needed. A sharp whistle rent the air, and that was his cue that time was up.

After the ring was back in the bottom of the drawer, Dane looked around her room. He had already invaded her privacy when he did a background check. He felt like an ass for even being in her home, but now that he was there, he got a good look at what he was in for when they became mates. It would be up to him to keep their house tidy, something he took great pains doing in his apartment. Growing up, his mother instilled in him the importance of keeping things neat and in their place. When he joined the military, Uncle Sam reinforced it.

Dane left her bedroom and stopped in the small living room before meeting Mason outside where a paperback romance novel caught his eye. When Dane glanced at the cover, he noticed it was about dragons. Curious, he lifted the book and sniffed. His mate’s scent filled his nostrils, so he tucked that little bit of knowledge away for a later discussion. He wasn’t a dragon, but he was a shifter. Locking the back door behind him, Dane left Marley’s house to head downtown.

As he drove, Dane asked Mason, “How much do you know about Willow?”

“Honestly? Not much. It’s not like we’ve had many heart-to-hearts.”

“Don’t you think you should get to know her before you mate with her?”

“Who says we haven’t mated?”

Dane looked over at the young Gargoyle and studied his face before turning his attention back to the road. “If you had, I don’t think you would have gone with me so willingly. From what I can tell, as soon as you seal the bond, you don’t want to be away from your mate at all.”

“I guess since she’s fated to be mine, I’ll find out about her as we spend more time together. I don’t think the fates would put me with someone I shouldn’t be with. What about you? How much do you know about Marley?”

“Not enough, that’s for sure. I’m definitely going to rectify that starting tonight.”

“I’m supposed to meet Willow at her place for supper, and then we’re going to talk. I’m pretty sure she’s going to give me an ultimatum.”

“How do you feel about that?” Dane asked.

Mason shrugged. “I don’t need one. I know we’re supposed to be together, and after seeing how fragile life is, even for Gargoyles, I’m ready.”

“Wow. Okay. Do you need to ask any questions?”

“No, but thanks. Rafael and I have already had that discussion. I know what to do; I just don’t want to hurt Willow.”

Dane had thought about that as well, but his beast had assured him they wouldn’t lose control. “Do you communicate with the shifter inside?” Dane asked.

“All the damn time. It’s like having an annoying twin in my head. Do you?”

“Yes. It’s strange having another voice in my head that wasn’t there before. But I trust it. Trust its instincts. It’s made me a better cop, and it also assured me we wouldn’t hurt Marley when we seal the mate bond.”

“Gods, I thought I was going crazy,” Mason muttered.

“You didn’t ask Rafael about the extra voice?”

“Hell, no. I’ve already screwed up enough. I didn’t want him to think I was off in the head.”

Dane knew what Mason was referring to. When he was assigned to watch over Kaya, Vincent Alexander abducted her right out from under Mason’s nose. It took the young male a long time to get over letting his King down. Dane had been almost as upset as Rafael when it happened. Kaya had been his boss and friend for years, and he considered her family long before they both became part of the Stone Society. Things were so different than they had been even a year ago. Now, he had a large biological family he had yet to meet most of, and he was part of a brotherhood, both he was still getting used to.

As he parked, Dane turned to Mason. “I’m pretty sure Rafael would be willing to answer any questions you have about being a shifter. I know I’ve asked my fair share from Jasper.” Mason didn’t respond. Instead, he followed Dane quietly into the jewelry store. The young male wandered off while Dane spoke to a salesman about diamond rings. Remembering the small, round diamond in Marley’s jewelry box, he pointed to one that was square and rather large. As he looked over all the different shapes and sizes, he settled on one that wasn’t too ostentatious. He wanted his mate to have a ring as stunning as she was, but he didn’t want to overdo it, either.

By the time he was ready to go, both he and Mason had purchased rings for their mates. “I figured I’d go ahead and get something while I was here. I don’t plan on proposing yet, but I want to be ready,” Mason said.

Dane dropped the male off at his apartment so he could get ready for his date with Willow. He wished the Goyle luck and told him if he needed anything to call. Dane drove back to his own apartment, hands tight around his steering wheel. Before he’d gone to Marley’s, he’d only been a little nervous about their date that evening. He was taking her to Chez Vaison, one of the nicest restaurants New Atlanta had to offer. He was torn between digging deeper into her past and letting her tell him on her own. Dane had never been in love before. At first, he wasn’t sure if he was in love with his waitress or if it was the mate bond that lured him to her relentlessly. Now, he had no doubt he loved her and wanted her for his mate.

As he stepped off the elevator, his phone pinged with an incoming text. Not fucking today. As Chief, he was responsible for the people of the city, but he’d put his date with Marley off too many times. The Unholy were causing more chaos than normal, and Dane had a bad feeling it was only going to get worse. When he saw it was Mason, he blew out a deep sigh.

Thanks for today.

He wasn’t sure exactly what Mason was thanking him for, but he responded with You’re welcome.

 Dane went to his closet and found the bluish-gray button-up Marley never failed to comment on. She said it made his blue eyes pop, whatever that meant. Pairing it with black dress pants and a striped tie, he hoped she would find his appearance even more appealing. He didn’t know who her heart had belonged to in the past, and he needed every advantage over her ex-lover’s memory.

 

 

Marley stopped abruptly in the living room, and Cammie ran into her back. “Do you smell that?” she asked her best friend.

“Smell what?” Cammie asked as she pushed past Marley with her packages.

“It smells like…” Dane. Marley shook her head and laughed. “Never mind. I think I’m so revved about tonight my mind is playing tricks on me.” Taking her own packages to her bedroom, Marley hung the dress neatly in the closet instead of letting it pile up with the rest of her strewn clothes. She really needed to pick up in there in case Dane brought her back to her house instead of his apartment after their date. She didn’t want to mess her hair up after spending an hour having it professionally done, but worse than that, she didn’t want him to see the wreck that was her room.

It took half an hour, but everything was either in the dirty hamper in the laundry room or in the closet where it should be. She decided to dust as bad as she hated the chore, and when she went to move her jewelry box over, she noticed the drawer wasn’t closed all the way. That was odd, because Marley couldn’t remember the last time she’d opened it. It was likely Cammie had rummaged through it looking for a different type of necklace. Letting the thought go, Marley headed to the kitchen to put the dusting spray away.

Instead of going to their regular self-defense class at the gym, she and Cammie went shopping. Marley had never been to Chez Vaison. She had no idea what the chief of police saw in her, but she would take the attention while it lasted. They had been on several dates where they spent most of their time talking. Getting to know one another. There were plenty of things left to be said, but she prayed tonight they would get physical. It was killing her to keep her hands to herself. If Dane wouldn’t think badly of her, she would rip his clothes off and have her way with him. The cop was too enticing.

It had been over two years since she’d been intimate with a man, and she was due. The sexual tension between her and Dane was off the charts, and she was ready to move things along. Marley planned to find out later if they were on the same page.

It was a couple of hours before he was due to pick her up, so she decided to read. Cammie had changed into her work uniform and headed out for her shift at Dexter’s Sports Bar and Grill where she waitressed. She wouldn’t be home until well after midnight, so Marley and Dane would have the house to themselves if they came back there. It was already clean, but for a moment, she worried what Dane thought of where she lived. He’d been there several times, and he never turned his nose up. As a matter of fact, his apartment wasn’t much larger than her house.

Marley’s parents’ house wasn’t big, but the three-bedroom rancher had been a home filled with love, at least on her mother’s part. Her parents were still together after almost thirty years. Marley could only hope to find a love like theirs. While her father wasn’t a big fan of Marley’s, he did love her mother something fierce. Marley thought she had found that kind of love when she was younger, but it turned out she was wrong. Instead of dwelling on something negative, Marley picked up the paperback she’d been reading the night before. Instead of it being open to the last page she read, it was closed. A chill ran down Marley’s spine. Cammie never touched Marley’s books. The girl hated reading, and besides that, she had no reason to bother it. This was Marley’s end of the couch.

Shaking off the wariness, Marley scanned the words until she found the last page she’d read, letting herself get lost in the make-believe world, pretending Dane was the dragon shifter, and he was coming to save her.