Now I was broke, but mostly happy. I wouldn't be broke for too long, though. Greg had to pay out the ass to get me to sign the divorce papers. I hoped he enjoyed life with Heather, the new paper thin blonde who couldn't properly pronounce cinnamon. No, Heather. It's not cimmanon. She looked like she had never bent down to get a casserole out of the oven, much less sprinkled cinnamon sugar on a piece of buttered bread. She was the kind of person who had "people" do that for her.
Greg had wanted people. Not me. And it was one of the many things that made our marriage a test of mettle for me.
My gaze strayed again to the simple leather wallet. Something about that man ... Tanner ... made me question everything. The way he'd looked at me. It was like he saw right through me. And when I touched his palm. I shivered. It was like I could see directly into his soul. He was a man who'd had his heartbroken but who could still reach out and see the good in people. I thought Greg was like that, but looking back there were so many red flags he could have been a construction site. But I'd never gotten a glimpse into my ex-husband's heart like I'd been given into Tanner's. He'd loved someone once. So deeply it had left an imprint on his palm. And he had the chance to love someone again. Even more so. A sigh escaped me. Whoever it was would be one lucky girl.
My fingers reached out to touch the wallet and before I could stop myself, I'd slipped it into one of my pockets. He wasn't going to get his cash back, but the least I could do was make it a little less of a pain in the ass for him.
The DMV was a special hell reserved for bad people. I took people's driver's licenses on purpose, especially if they were a dick to me.
Not people like Tanner.
I stood in the dark in a well-lit neighborhood full of cute historical homes. A streetlight showed the details of Tanner's home as I hovered at the edge of an alleyway across the street. The home was smaller than I expected and painted white with black shutters. Hanging baskets of mounding flowers hung on the beams of the wrap-around porch. An old wooden rocker rested by the door. This couldn't possibly be his house. It looked too homey ... too sweet. Tanner's powerful build and intense gaze flashed through my mind. The way his dark hair ruffled in the breeze and his too perceptive green eyes peered into my being made me shiver.
I wrapped my sweater a little closer around my body and stepped out into the night. I couldn't see the telltale sign of a camera anywhere, so I figured I was safe to drop this and run. With one last look around me, I hurried up the steps and set the wallet down right by the screen door. I rang the doorbell twice in quick succession and ran down the stairs. Slipping back into the alley, I shrouded myself in darkness and waited to see if he would wake up.
I didn't have long to wait. A light clicked on and the front door opened. Tanner looked straight ahead, then down at his feet. He plucked the wallet up and opened it. It was hard to tell, but I thought I saw a hint of a smile on his face. Then he looked directly at the spot I was standing in and I could have sworn a strange golden glow rolled over his eyes. I dared not move for fear he'd sniff me out of hiding, but why was he looking here? There was no way he could see me.
Right?
He stood there long enough to make me second guess every decision I'd ever made in my life, then he nodded once and shut his door.
A long exhale escaped me. What the fuck had just happened? Every single nerve in my body felt exposed. He couldn't have seen me. I was in the pitch dark of an alley. No street lights shone down on me. But I couldn't shake the feeling he knew exactly where I'd been standing and had chosen not to call me out on it.
I waited a long time before I stepped out from my hiding place and rushed back to my car a couple of blocks down.
The odd feeling of whatever this was between us not being over stayed with me for the rest of the long, sleepless night.
4
Tanner
She took the cash but gave me back my driver's license. A chuckle escaped me as I shut the door behind me and walked back into my kitchen. I had no real need for the license or anything in my wallet. It could all be replaced in a matter of hours with the connections we had. Her bringing it back, though? That had much deeper implications.
Mates were drawn to each other. They had a hard time staying away and would find reasons to be around each other while the process took place. This left me in an odd position because of Clara.
Was the fae using magic on us to get us to do her bidding or was she my mate? Yes, I was drawn to her, but I hadn't felt that odd zing of acknowledgment like I had with Ella.
I knew the moment she'd stepped close to my house, and I knew as soon as I opened the door the place where she hovered in the dark to watch me. I wanted to go to her, but I had a feeling I'd scare her away. Grifters didn't just bring people back their stolen items. Ella probably was suffering from a lot of confusion right now and trying to sort through her feelings.
I'd give her twenty-four hours and then I'd go find her. In the meantime, I needed to talk to Clara. She had some explaining to do.
The next morning, I got up early and headed over to Beastly. I never knew when or why Clara would show up, but she wanted something from me so I had no doubt I'd see her some time today. The door to the bar was unlocked, so I walked right in. Theo stood behind the bar and grunted at me as I put on my apron.
"Long night?" I asked. He and Molly had their hands full right now with their kiddo. I couldn't imagine having a dragon child, much less one that was half-dragon, half Hamrammr like his wife. They'd already had to call out a general contractor to their house. Twice. Once for serious water damage in a room with no water faucet and the other for the destruction of a retaining wall. How they explained that away, I'll never know. Their homeowner's insurance must be through the roof.
Clara sat at the bar nursing a Bloody Mary. I shuddered. Those drinks were terrible. Tomato juice was the devil's drink. I preferred beer or wine and when I was in my own house, I preferred flavored vodka and fruity drinks. Never would I drink those in front of my brothers or at the bar. I'd never live it down.
"Good morning," I said to the both of them, my gaze lingering on Clara. As always, I felt a jolt of awareness when I looked at her, but this time I probed it a little more and what I found troubled me. It still didn't feel the same as Ella. Dragons weren't all that susceptible to magic, but sometimes we could be trapped. None of us had the experience of dealing with a fae, so if she was trying to ensnare me, I wouldn't know it right away. It had been some time since I'd first met her so maybe her magic was wearing down. If that's what it was.
"Do you have a moment, dragon?" she asked me.
"Tanner," I said. "My name is Tanner."
Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly right before they narrowed in contemplation. "I know your name. Come sit with me for a while and let us discuss the terms of our agreement."
It was too early for a real drink, so I poured myself a fresh cup of coffee from the machine Blaire had thoughtfully brought in some time ago, and headed over to one of the tables. Clara settled herself across from me and dug out a manila envelope from her purse.
"This is all feeling very cloak and dagger now," I drawled as I watched her. Her arms were corded with muscle and she was much stronger than she looked. Magic beat off her, but I couldn't see any spells connecting us to one another.