“You need to calm down,” Liam set the letter down.
“What?”
“You’re turning purple, love. I can’t have you shifting in my house. I’m sorry. I don’t do this job for the money, but I also don’t have anywhere else to live. So you see, Cadence, if you shift into a dragon right now, especially if it’s your first shift, you’re going to completely destroy the house boat, and then I’ll be stuck with no money, no job, and no place to live. You understand.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. Good. He would help her learn to shift and he would teach her how to keep her dragon-side under control, but it would take time and patience and practice. He had all of those things. Helping Cadence would not be a problem.
Keeping his heart from wanting her: that would be the problem.
He liked her. She was sweet, but she was brave. When he’d told her about her father, Cadence had fractured, and that broke Liam’s heart. She had been sad, devastated, but she hadn’t let it keep her down. She wasn’t going to let one setback hold her back for the rest of her life. No, she was going to keep moving forward.
She was going to get through this one step at a time.
“Breathe in and out,” he said, setting the letter down.
“How do you know so much about shifters?” She whispered.
Liam raised an eyebrow. “You do know what your daddy’s job was, right? That’s my job now, Cadence. I take care of the dragons. I’m a guardian, of sorts.”
She stopped and cocked her head. “That sounds lonely.”
Her words surprised him, but she was right. Too right. His job was a lonely one, and it was something most people wouldn’t understand. Liam didn’t have the luxury of dating people, of falling in love. That was much too dangerous for the type of person who looked after dragons. That was much too deadly.
If he met the wrong person and let his guard down, they could release information about Dragon Isle to the world. If he dated someone who simply wanted access to the island, that was just as bad.
Cadence looked nervous, but she kept breathing. Soon, the deep purple hue faded from her skin.
“Much better, sweetheart.”
“You help the dragons,” she said slowly.
“I do.”
“Is it a pretty good job?” She whispered.
“Are you asking me if it pays well?”
Cadence nodded, and Liam laughed. That wasn’t a question he’d been expecting.
“I suppose it pays all right,” he chuckled. “I don’t have many expenses. I live pretty simply. I do get paid for boating the dragons to and from the island, though.”
“This might be a stupid question,” she asked slowly. “But why don’t they just fly?”
“How much do you know about dragons?”
“Not enough,” she admitted. “Considering…you know. My condition.”
“First off, you’re a dragon, love. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s certainly not a ‘condition’ to be afraid of. Your mom might not have wanted to admit what you were, but Willie knew, and he loved you all the same. He tried to find you, Cadence. He looked for you. We both did. Your mom left with you in the middle of the night, though, while Willie was off helping a shifter. He didn’t know what had happened until it was too late.”
“I know. I remember. It all happened so fast.”
“Well, the thing about dragons is that they get pretty big. I’m guessing your mom wanted you to live a normal life. Being a shifter? Well, that’s about as far from ordinary as you can get. Shifting into a dragon, feeling the wind on your face, and flying free? Those are all incredible things, but dragons are also at risk for things most humans never worry about.”
“Like what?”
“Poachers, for one.”
“Is that an issue?” Cadence looked surprised. She had likely never thought about the dangers of being a dragon. No, if she was anything like most people, she had thought about all of the benefits of dragon life and none of the risks. That was fine. She didn’t need to spend her life worrying about danger, but she did need to be aware.
“Sometimes. It’s not common around here, but the clan leader of Dragon Isle is a good man, and he’s put precautions in place to keep everyone safe. That said, most dragons don’t fly directly to the island. They tend to take a boat back and forth, lest they make themselves a target for poaching or unwanted attention in general.”
“So you do that for them,” she said. “You’re like, like a dragon keeper.”
“Something like that,” Liam smiled.
Cadence sipped her tea and set her glass down. Then she started chuckling, reached down, and pulled Mischief up into her lap.
“Aw, you have a kitty. Hey, buddy.” She pet Mischief’s face and rubbed his soft fur.
“His name is Mischief.”
“That’s a good name,” Cadence said seriously. “I like it. So,” she turned back to Liam. “What should I do?”
“That’s a bold question. You really want my opinion? You barely know me.”
She shrugged. “My dad trusted you. I trust my dad.”
“What you do is up to you. You’re back now. Willie left me in charge of the harbor and his boat, but he was your father, Cadence. If you want it, it’s yours.”
“What?”
“You can have it. You can have the boat. It is named after you, you know. You can have the business, and the harbor. You can have all of it. I’ll stay and help you, or I can walk away. Whatever you prefer is fine.”
“But,” she shook her head. “Why would you do that for me?”
“Your dad loved you,” Liam said, and Cadence’s eyes began to tear up again. “He would have wanted you to be happy, to be taken care of. If you like, I’ll take you to the island in the morning, and you can meet your birth mother.”
“What? She’s here?”
“She lives on the island. She’s a nice woman. You’ll like her.”
“I…I..” Cadence put Mischief down and pushed away from the table. She walked around to Liam, and then she did something he was not expecting. She plopped onto his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and just hugged him. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she whispered.
“I think you just did.”