The knocking woke Liam from a dream.
At first, he thought the houseboat was banging against the side of the dock, but then he heard the sound again. Mischief mewed loudly and Liam hopped out of bed. He glanced at his phone. It was nearly midnight: much too late for visitors, and much too late to take anyone to the island.
“Probably just some dragon wanting late transport, buddy,” he said quietly to Mischief, who had already curled back into bed. Liam pulled his pants on, but didn’t bother with a shirt. He would have to tell whoever it was to come back tomorrow. He didn’t do late night transfers. Everyone knew that.
There were plenty of hotels in Nellenston where dragons could get lodging for the night. They didn’t have to rush back to the island in the darkness. Liam certainly wasn’t taking a boat out this late unless there was a serious emergency, and in that case, the dragon could just fly.
The problem with flying was that it put you at risk, and it drew attention to the little island. Dragon Isle was no secret in shifter communities, but the rest of the world barely noticed its existence because the residents were so good at keeping to themselves.
A dragon flying over open waters, even at night, was a recipe for disaster. There were some dragons who could become invisible, but they were few and far between. The rest of them relied on Liam to get them to and from the island discreetly, and he prided himself on doing just that.
Still, he needed to answer the door. There was a chance it was someone coming to report a problem with one of his boats or an issue at the harbor, so he’d get up and talk to them. He shook his head, trying to wake himself up, and headed upstairs.
The houseboat was small, but cozy. It had been badly damaged after Willie’s death, but Liam had fixed it up and remodeled. It looked like a home now. It looked like his home. He had his entire bedroom decorated with superhero and anime gear. His sister made fun of him constantly, but Liam liked it.
He loved living on the water, loved his boat.
He was just ready for change.
The knock sounded again.
“Coming!” He called out, and strode across the living room space. He reached the door and opened it. Then he stopped. It was pouring rain, and the woman standing in front of him looked like she’d been outside for the entire storm.
She was beautiful: like an angel, like a vision. She was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen in his damn life, and she was completely drenched. Liam didn’t speak, and neither did she. He just reached for her and pulled her inside before closing the door behind her. Then he grabbed a blanket off a chair, wrapped it around her, and guided her to the couch.
“I don’t want to get your couch wet,” she said slowly.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Do you want something to change into?”
“You don’t even know who I am,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You don’t know why I’ve come,” she tried again.
“Do you want clothes or do you not want clothes?” Liam raised an eyebrow. “Because as far as I’m concerned, it’s the middle of the damn night and you seem to have some sort of death wish.”
“Is Willie here?” She asked, looking around. “Can I talk to him?”
The whole world seemed to stop when she said those words.
There was only one person who didn’t know about Willie’s passing, and it wasn’t for lack of trying on Liam’s part. He’d reached out to both the woman’s adoptive mother and her birth mother. He’d contacted lawyers and even hired a private investigator, but he’d never been able to locate the woman Willie had adored with his entire heart.
“Sit down, Cadence,” he said quietly. His voice was low. This was going to be hard for her to hear, and it was going to be hard for him to say. It had been ten years since the old man died, and it had been a violent, gruesome death. This wasn’t something Liam could play off. He couldn’t promise that Willie had died quietly, that his death had been peaceful or sweet.
It hadn’t been.
“How do you know my name?” Her eyes widened as she looked Liam up and down.
“Sit,” he repeated.
“No!” She dropped the blanket and took a step forward, suddenly looking fierce and determined. “I am not going to be bossed around, sir! I am not going to sit down just because you, a stranger, told me to! Now tell me who the fuck you are, how you know my name, and where the hell my father is!”
“He’s dead.”
The words were flat and empty. He said them as plainly as he could, and he was happy his voice didn’t crack. It didn’t matter, though. He might as well have screamed them out because Cadence turned white and dropped to the floor in a heap. She started bawling immediately, and Liam dropped beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m too late,” she whispered. “How did this happen? What happened? Why is he dead?” She cried, and Liam held her tightly. Soon he was just as wet as she was, but it didn’t matter. This was Cadence.
This was the girl he’d been waiting for.
“It’s going to be okay,” he promised, and then he started to cry, too. Liam knew there was nothing wrong with a man crying. Willie had taught him that long ago. Liam had been just a kid when he showed up on the docks, just a young punk who had lost his little brother in a car crash. He’d been a child, and then he’d been forced to grow up faster than any boy should have.
“Please,” Cadence whispered, pulling away. She reached for Liam’s face and touched it. Her hands were cold, and damp. “Please, tell me what happened.”
“It was a decade ago,” Liam said. “He was killed. I tried to find you to tell you, Cadence. I told Maryanne, but she didn’t know how to get in touch with you.”
“That’s not true,” she shook her head. “Mom and I always kept in touch. I called her every Sunday: like clockwork.”
“She told me there was no way for me to contact you about Willie’s death,” Liam said slowly, realizing what had happened. “I didn’t listen to her, Cadence. I hired a private investigator to find you. I did everything I could. Your father loved you very much, and I thought notifying you of his passing was the least I could do.”
“My mom didn’t tell me,” Cadence said slowly, realization dawning on her. “She knew, but she didn’t tell me. She continued crying, but her tears were silent now, rolling down her cheeks in waves.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“None of this is okay. How will I ever be okay? I need answers, and my dad is gone.”
“I can help you.”
Then she started crying harder. Liam’s heart felt as though it would tear in two. The truth was he wasn’t the best at dealing with women. Yeah, he had Janae and his nieces, but that was different. Cadence was different. She had just gotten the worst news of her life, and Liam was the one who had to help her through. The problem was that he didn’t know how to do this.
Willie had been so much better at dealing with stuff like this. When Connor passed away, Willie had taken Liam under his wing and promised that everything would be okay, but he’d done more than that.
He’d given Liam something to do, something to take care of. He’d given Liam a purpose in life, and that purpose had been to guard the harbor, to guard the dragons. His purpose had been to take care of an island of creatures so fantastic, so incredible, that nothing else mattered.
Soon the pain of losing Connor began to fade, and the feelings of pain were replaced with other emotions.
Contentment.
Happiness.
Hope.
He could do that for Cadence, Liam realized. He might not be able to bring Willie back, but he could help Cadence learn to cope with her father’s death. He could help her realize that everything was going to be okay. He could help her find passion.
He could give her hope.
First, he had to make sure she didn’t get sick.
“Cadence,” he said. His voice was firm, steady. He felt neither of those things, but he had to be in control for her. For Willie. He had to do this for his friend. “You’re going to go downstairs and get undressed, and then you’re going to take a hot shower. Can you do that for me?”
Cadence stood up slowly and looked at him. Her eyes were weary, and she looked so tired. He wondered how long she’d been traveling for. How long had it taken this woman to make it to Nellenston? How long had she journeyed to come find her dad?
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“There’s a robe in the bathroom you can wear,” he said. “And I’ll put some clothes on the bed for you. Then we’ll make some tea, and we’ll sit at the table, and I’ll tell you about your dad, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, and she looked relieved he was taking charge. Years ago, Liam had been far too scared to do anything like boss people around, but sometimes you had to step up and do things that made you uncomfortable. Cadence didn’t need Liam to feel bad for her. She needed him to help her, and this was how he was going to do it.
First, she would dry off. Then they would have tea. Then he would tell her everything he knew about Willie, and he’d tell her everything he knew about where she came from.
That was why Cadence had come back, he knew. He’d read the letter Willie left. He knew all about little Cadence and who she really was.
The problem was that she didn’t know, and Liam was going to have to be the one to tell her.