The Hellhound's Un-Christmas Miracle - Zoe Chant Page 0,34
and Jasper’s mate isn’t a shifter, so it’s only five dragons.”
“Only five dragons.” Sheena sounded like she was testing out the words. “Only five dragons. Only five dragons. What next? Wizards?”
“Not that I wouldn’t pay good money to see a guy shift into a guy with a longer beard and a pointy hat, but—” He put his head on one side. “You did know dragon shifters exist?”
“No!”
“But…” Fleance waved out the window, where the lake was steaming gently. “This is Lord of the Rings country. You’ve got volcanoes, sulfur pools—how are you not crawling with mythical shifters?”
“It’s seriously mostly sheep.” Her eyes were still like saucers. “But… dragons?”
Fleance couldn’t help but laugh. “Our sheriff is a pegasus shifter.”
“Okay, now you’ve got to be joking.”
“He used to work with a guy who could turn into a griffin.”
“A—no.” Sheena folded her arms. “Seriously? I’ve never even heard of mythical shifters. Sure, there are stories about taniwha, but those are… taniwha.” His confusion must have shown on his face, and if he needed any proof that she was the other half of his soul, that was it. He would never have let his emotions show so easily in his old life. Now, he hadn’t even noticed how easily his mask had slid off.
Sheena unfolded her arms to gesture. “Taniwha are… They’re mythical guardians. Of waterways, usually. Actual myths, not real the way shifters are real, though don’t tell my cousin Aroha I said that.” Mid-gesture, her hands seemed to arrive near her head by accident, and she ran them through her curls. “But… actual, real mythical shifters. Wow. The closest I’ve ever gotten to something like that is wondering if people could be shifters of extinct animals, or only ones that are alive now.” She looked at him, slightly worried.
“I’ve never met a dinosaur shifter,” he reassured her.
“Oh, just dragons and pegasuses and hellhounds. No worries.” She picked up her fork and stabbed another ravioli. “And… Are you the only hellhound who lives there?”
“No. It’s me and the rest of my pack. My alpha, Caine Guinness, and his mate Meaghan have lived there for a while. The rest of us are newcomers.” He didn’t mention that he’d slunk away without telling his alpha where he was going. But Caine was smart. He must have guessed.
So long as he doesn’t come over himself or send any of the others. Parker is my responsibility.
“‘The rest of your pack.’ You keep talking about your pack, and alphas. What’s that about? And… you live on the other side of the world, and you somehow managed to turn up at Silver Springs the moment I needed you. How is that possible?”
Left unsaid: If he’d been a day late… He pushed the thought away and made his voice light.
“A hunch.”
“A hunch?”
Fleance met Sheena’s eyes and something shivered inside him. A door he hadn’t even known he’d kept locked trembled against its hinges.
“It was more than a hunch. I’ve known Angus Parker for a long time.”
“You’ve been chasing him?”
“I know his tactics.” That’s one way of putting it. So close to the truth that it’s an even worse lie. Fleance cleared his throat. “Parker has made a career out of using his powers to force people into corners so he could trick them into bad contracts. He started off by terrorizing individuals or small businesses into folding. But after a while, that wasn’t enough. A few years ago, he targeted Pine Valley. It’s a small tourist town, way off the beaten track. The perfect test case to see if he could take on a whole community.” Fleance stared at his wine glass, unable to meet Sheena’s eyes. “And it would have worked if there wasn’t another alpha hellhound already there. Caine Guinness caught on to what Parker was doing, fought him, and forced him to leave Pine Valley in peace.” He sighed. “Without another alpha to fight him, I don’t think even the dragons could have taken Parker out.”
“And you fought him then, with this Caine guy?”
Fleance hesitated. Parker bit her, but she’s already a shifter. She won’t turn. The thought wound itself eel-like around his spinal column. I don’t need to tell her everything. That Parker’s dangerous, yes, that I’ll keep her safe, yes… but I can keep the rest a secret.
Who I really am.
What I did.
What I came here to do, and failed to do, and what I’ll have to do now instead.
I have to lie to her. Because who would want to be tied to what I