I kept my distance from Conrad the rest of the evening. We’d almost made a huge mistake. Despite my attraction, I didn’t trust him. He’d shown up out of nowhere and within days had integrated himself into our lives. I didn’t know why Simon and Tristan seemed to like him so much, but I refused to let my guard down. I’d never claimed to be a romantic. And while I could understand lust easily enough, when Conrad kissed me, it felt like he’d been expecting so much more than I was willing to give. More than I was able to give.

He was human. And even if I were to decide I wanted a soul mate, I didn’t think it would ever work. I adored the humans in my life. My sister-in-law was a blessing from above. Jordan made Zoey extremely happy. But I didn’t think I had what it took to spend my life with another person, dragon or otherwise. Not to mention that my instincts told me something wasn’t quite on the level where Conrad was concerned. But my instincts hadn’t always been correct. Could I have been so wrong about Conrad? Was I denying myself his touch simply because I’d had a few bad experiences?

I excused myself early and went back to the inn. Visions of my encounter with Conrad played on repeat in my head. I didn’t want to think about him. I needed to rid myself of this odd obsession, so a friendship with him would be possible and a relationship wouldn’t be tempting. At least then I wouldn’t be on high alert every time I saw him. But I was worrying for nothing, right? He was only here for a short time.

I approached my room and noticed my door was slightly cracked. I knew I’d locked up behind me. Panic ripped through my chest as I entered the room and found it had been ransacked.

I went straight to the bed and flipped up the mattress. It landed with a thud against the opposite wall. The lockbox was gone.

“Damn it all to hell!” I shouted.

I slammed the door shut behind me as I stomped down the stairs and into the lobby. Sindi had just hung up the phone as I reached the check-in desk.

“Have you seen that little squid-faced pile of shit in here tonight?” I asked.

Sindi’s brow raised. “You’ll have to be more specific. I know a few who fit that description.”

“Bradly Russo.” I put my hands on my hips and tapped my foot with impatience. I needed to find him fast.

“Oh, that little squid-faced pile of shit. Yeah, he was here not twenty minutes ago.” She pointed to the door. “He left, heading toward the square.”

“Thanks.” I ran out the door and looked around. A few people milled about the square, but the hour was late enough that most of the normal nighttime crowds had thinned out.

“Looking for someone?” Conrad’s voice was amused.

“You have a talent for knowing the worst possible time to talk to me,” I muttered. “Why aren’t you still at my brother’s?” I continued to scan the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bradly.

He shrugged. “I was worried about you. We didn’t get to talk after making out, and I wanted to be sure you were okay.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why do men assume that women are so fragile that they can’t handle their emotions after sex?”

“I never said that. I said I wanted to be sure you were okay. You seemed pretty mad at me.” He grimaced. “And we didn’t have sex, although I’m still up for it, if you are.”

“I don’t really have time for this right now.” I ran across the street to the square, trying to determine which way Bradly might have gone.

Conrad’s heavy steps were right behind me. “What are you looking for?”

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. “Someone stole something from me. I know who did it, and I need to find him. Now.”

Conrad’s face changed from amusement to concern. “What did he take?”

“A lockbox,” I said. “It had some family heirlooms in it. I can’t lose them.”

He nodded. “How can I help?”

I frowned. The last thing I wanted was to owe Conrad, but we could cover more ground quicker if we split up. “You take the south side of the square and then the west. I’ll take the east side and move to the north. We’ll meet on the corner. Ask people if they’ve seen Bradly Russo, and if so, which way he went. They’ll know who you mean.”

He nodded. “One problem.”

“What?” I sighed.

“I don’t know who he is. I might walk right past him.” Conrad had a point.

“You can’t miss him. Dark hair, beady eyes, short and plump. He looks like a pale Oompa Loompa.”

“Wow, that’s quite a description,” he said.

“It’s mostly accurate,” I replied.

“Okay then, see you at the corner.”

Conrad followed Main Street as I made my way up Eleventh. I peeked my head between buildings and in doorways, hoping someone had seen him, or that I would spot him. Nothing. Once I reached City Hall, I ran into an elderly man I’d seen a time or two at Coffee Haven. I couldn’t remember his name, but he’d always been friendly.

“Hi.” I approached him. “Would you happen to have seen a friend of mine? He’s short, dark hair and eyes, kinda round—”

The man nodded. “Yeah, I just saw a guy like that running up Eighth Street with a box in his hands.”

“Thank you!” I shouted as I sprinted toward Eighth. Conrad must have seen me running because he followed me. I ran almost three blocks before realizing I was near Havenwood Heights.

“Fuck!” I kicked a tree and shouted again. “Son of a bitch.”

Conrad jogged up behind me, only slightly out of breath. “Did you see him?”

“No. I was told he went this way.” I looked around and then remembered that Bradly used to have a small shack out in the wooded area that stood between the back of Sun and Moon Academy and Alverson Road. “I think I know where he is.”

I jogged back the way we’d come, pacing myself a little better than the first time. I needed to reach my Jeep and find his place before he figured out a way to open the lockbox.

Conrad kept up, and when we reached my Jeep, he climbed in the passenger seat.

“Really, you don’t need to help,” I said.

“I want to. I promise not to put my hands on you.”

I glanced at him with skepticism.

He grinned. “Or my lips. Or any other part of my body.”

I felt a smirk coming on. It wouldn’t help my cause if he realized he could make me laugh. I cleared my throat and started the car. “Fine.”

I backed out and hauled ass across Main until I hit Fourth, then drove north until Fourth became Alverson Road. As we neared the edge of town, Conrad spoke up.

“So, what’s in this box that’s so important?” he asked.

“I told you, family stuff.” I pulled into a small cutout near some trees and cut the engine.

“What kind of family stuff?” He was annoyingly curious.

“A salad shooter,” I said and hopped out of the car.

“A what?” His voice held disbelief.

“Haven’t you ever seen a salad shooter?” I asked. “They’re hard to find, and this one is special.” I knew he heard the sarcasm in my voice.

“What, was this one passed down from Thomas Edison?” He crossed his arms as he approached me.

“Exactly. He invented them.” I was no longer paying attention to him. I was mentally plotting out the land and trying to remember exactly where that little weasel’s hideout was.

I glanced at Conrad, who now stood at the edge of the tree line, looking into the dark expanse of the forest. I needed to shift. Making good time was critical. I also had a better chance of spotting the shack from the air.

“Hey, Conrad, would you mind looking in the back of my Jeep for some flashlights? I’m pretty sure I have some in there somewhere. We don’t want to head out into that copse of trees without them.”

He nodded and jogged to the door. Once he’d crawled in back, I took off at a run. I didn’t have time to undress, and for a brief moment, Zoey’s idea of Velcro clothes came to mind. Maybe she was on to something there. I allowed myself to shift as I ran, my clothes tearing from my body and falling to the forest floor. Being naked later would suck, but I’d worry about that when the time came.

I remembered there was a small clearing up ahead, so I pushed my way through and then stretched my wings. With a few powerful flaps, I was high in the air. Activating my camouflage, I started circling the area, diving here and there to move in for a closer look as I expanded my radius. For a few minutes, all I saw were trees. My vision wasn’t as sharp at night, so I was having to move slower than I liked to.

Then I saw and smelled a small trail of smoke coming from what appeared to be leaves and branches. It had to be Bradly. I made a light landing and slowly pushed my way to the spot where his shack was hidden. He’d covered the roof to match the forest floor, and if it hadn’t been for the fireplace, I probably would have missed it.

I shifted back to my human form and crept to the door. I listened but could only hear light humming. It sounded as if he were alone. That would sure make it easier.

I glanced down at my naked body. “Well, Bradly, get ready for a thrill. It might be the last thing you ever see,” I whispered.

I pulled the door open slightly, trying to be as quiet as possible. The candles and glow of the small fireplace gave off a dim light. Bradly had his back to the door and was bent over a small table. His humming was off-key as he fidgeted with whatever was in front of him. I could only assume he was working on my lockbox, or rather, Brandt’s lockbox.

One glance around the room revealed that he spent a lot of time there. Rickety wood walls were lined with shelves containing pots, pans, canned goods, and dishes. A small mattress was nestled in one corner of the room, blankets thrown haphazardly on top. Dirt covered every inch of the floor, and I couldn’t tell if it was truly a dirt floor, or if he was just a disgusting pig. My money was on pig. The beat-up wooden table he worked at sat in the middle of the room.

All dragons had a special gift, and mine was stealth. It helped me in both my human and dragon forms. A light step allowed me to sneak in and out of my father’s house many times as a teen. My ninja-like gifts had made me popular with the seedy crowd, such as Bradly and his ilk, when I’d been dumb enough to lend my services. Since fae possessed keen senses, I relied heavily on that gift now as I snuck inside the shack.

I tiptoed behind Bradly until I was only a couple of feet away.

His head popped up, and he stopped singing. He sniffed the air, his body appearing stiff and on alert.

“Hey, asswipe, that doesn’t belong to you.”

He gasped and turned around, the lockbox clutched firmly in his hands. Then he looked at me and dropped it on the ground. I let him take in an eyeful. It wouldn’t matter what he saw once I’d fed him to one of my friends—or ate him myself. That thought almost made me gag. Friends it was.

“Uh . . . how’d you . . .” He gawked, staring at my womanly body parts. Parts he’d probably only ever seen in pictures. “You’re naked.”

“Yep, and you’re dead.” I stepped forward, and he lunged for the box, landing on top of it. I grabbed him and held him up in the air, the box dangling from his fingers.

“Let go, and I might have mercy on you.”

He gasped and twisted, trying to wrench free. “No, I need the ring!”

“What?” I asked.

“You wouldn’t let me finish telling you. I need the ring! I want out of this town. I can’t be followed.” He grunted as I dropped him.

“That’s all you wanted?” I asked, still not sure I believed him. “How do you know there is a ring?”

He rubbed his lower back and stood up. “Because Ani told me about it. She said she gave you a ring, so you could leave town without a trace.”

I glowered at him. “Ani should really keep her mouth shut. If the Court finds out about her shenanigans, they’ll string her up by her toes.”

Bradly nodded, then resumed staring at my naked torso.

“Do you have a blanket or something I can cover up with?”

He shook his head.

“Fine, give me the damn box.”

He handed it to me, and I turned from his view. I punched in the code and heard the lid click open. When I turned back around, I found he’d been staring at my ass.

I held the ring out to him. “Here, take it.” I snapped the box shut. “But if you ever tell anyone where it came from, I will deny it. It’ll be your and Ani’s word against mine. I’m not the town saint, but they’ll all believe me before they believe you, got it?”

He nodded.

“Great, now I don’t ever want to see your grubby little face again.”

I turned—to see Conrad standing in the doorway. His jaw hung open, and his eyes shifted from me to Bradly, then to me again.

“Oh, dear goddess,” I groaned. This just became way worse.

He held my shredded clothes in his hands. “What the hell happened?” He glanced at Bradly. “Are you having sex with this troll? Is this why you keep shutting me out?”

“Hey now, there’s no need to be nasty.” Bradly bristled.

The very idea. I started laughing. I know I should have been embarrassed and angry, but goddess help me, I started laughing.

Conrad looked at me like I was a lunatic, which made me laugh even more. Behind me, Bradly released a nervous laugh, and Conrad shot him a look that could have turned him to stone.

Bradly stopped his laughter abruptly and said, “I need to get out of town. Now. Please leave.”

“My, we are in a hurry,” I drawled. “What did you do this time?”

“Nothing. Go away.” His face pinched together in frustration.

I shrugged as I turned and walked toward Conrad. The lockbox was in my hand as my other reached for the clothes he held. Once I’d stepped outside the door, I sat the box on a stump and examined what remained of my jeans and sweater.

Conrad stood behind me, and I could feel his eyes on me. The urge to laugh faded, and now I was acutely aware of his nearness. Of the fact that I was naked in front of the man I so desperately wanted but should never touch.

His warm hand brushed the back of my neck, and I froze, unsure of his next move. I felt his breath for a brief moment, then his lips touched the spot where my spine and shoulders met. His warmth spread through me, and I closed my eyes. Then his jacket was placed around me.

“Zip it up,” he ordered.

I turned to face him, my emotions in turmoil as I followed his command. He handed me the lockbox, then looked down at my bare legs and feet. “I’m not gonna ask right now, but I will eventually.”

Then without another word he picked me up and carried me out of the forest.