to distract her.
“Home,” Kaya gushed in a way she rarely did. She was the no-nonsense sister, not the impulsive, emotional one. And damn, if Kaya had fallen head over heels in love with a wolf she claimed was her destined mate, what chance did Karen have?
“You should see how clear the mountains are this morning,” Kaya said. “The air is so fresh, and the creek is sparkling in the sun…”
Karen pictured the jagged peaks, the babbling brook. She inhaled, imagining the clean mountain air, remembering the timeless peace of her great-great-uncle’s old place, which was Kaya’s now. Karen had never been interested in ranching, but she’d been ankle-deep in the creek’s cool water prospecting for precious gems more times than she could count.
She wiggled her toes in her sandals. Yeah, it would be good to head home. She’d been away too long, chasing rainbows. Looking for something more exciting, though all she’d discovered was that the grass wasn’t greener — not in New York, not in Miami, not in LA. And definitely not in Vegas.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to live anywhere else,” Kaya enthused.
Karen smiled, picturing the faraway look on Tanner’s face when he’d told her about his mountain home the first night they’d met. He’d gone on and on about the night sky, talking about stars like so many neighbors and gushing about old stands of pine and spruce like they were buddies of his. Her soul hummed just thinking about it. Maybe she and Tanner could head back to the Rockies, too. She could go back to prospecting. Her dragon had a nose for the best stones and gems, and she’d always earned enough at it to do fairly well.
Honest work,
her dragon nodded.
Right,
she snorted.
As if it wasn’t your idea to go after the diamond in the first place.
The diamond is different. It should be in the hands of dragons, not vampires.
And just like that, all her rage and bitterness came back. She’d show Schiller and his bloodsucking band what an angry dragon could do.
“How’s Trey?” she asked, trying to keep her sister distracted.
A dreamy sigh floated over the line. A month ago, Karen would have rolled her eyes, but now… She remembered the electric hum that warmed her body when Tanner touched her and nearly made the same sound.
Mate,
her dragon murmured.
My mate
.
She thumped her head against the side of the phone booth. God, why was the attraction so hard to fight?
Why bother resisting?
her dragon shot back.
Because she had her pride. Because Tanner worked for the enemy. Because she had a diamond to steal. Because…because…
No matter how many good reasons she came up with, they all fell flat in her mind.
“So you’re off to a good start?” she asked, only half paying attention to the conversation.
“Well, getting this place up and running will be a lot of work,” Kaya said. “But it’s going great. Really great — having a project to work on together, making a future…”
Karen suppressed a little sigh. Jeez, that sounded nice. She’d spent the last two years bouncing from city to city, looking for something she had never really managed to define.
We were waiting for our mate,
her dragon whispered.
It hadn’t felt like that at the time, but the second Tanner had bumped into her in a Vegas bar, the world had zoomed away, and suddenly it seemed as if every step in her life had been leading toward that momentous occasion. As if fate had been steering her all along. Working the wanderlust out of her system, learning from a thousand bitter mistakes — all so she’d be ready to settle down when the time came. With Tanner, her destined mate.
She could picture it perfectly. Him and her, working side by side in a quiet valley at the foot of the mountains. She could prospect for gemstones, he could log the choicest lumber. They could fix up a little cabin with a big fireplace and huge views and…
Someone tapped on the glass of the phone booth, and she snapped her head
“Home,” Kaya gushed in a way she rarely did. She was the no-nonsense sister, not the impulsive, emotional one. And damn, if Kaya had fallen head over heels in love with a wolf she claimed was her destined mate, what chance did Karen have?
“You should see how clear the mountains are this morning,” Kaya said. “The air is so fresh, and the creek is sparkling in the sun…”
Karen pictured the jagged peaks, the babbling brook. She inhaled, imagining the clean mountain air, remembering the timeless peace of her great-great-uncle’s old place, which was Kaya’s now. Karen had never been interested in ranching, but she’d been ankle-deep in the creek’s cool water prospecting for precious gems more times than she could count.
She wiggled her toes in her sandals. Yeah, it would be good to head home. She’d been away too long, chasing rainbows. Looking for something more exciting, though all she’d discovered was that the grass wasn’t greener — not in New York, not in Miami, not in LA. And definitely not in Vegas.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to live anywhere else,” Kaya enthused.
Karen smiled, picturing the faraway look on Tanner’s face when he’d told her about his mountain home the first night they’d met. He’d gone on and on about the night sky, talking about stars like so many neighbors and gushing about old stands of pine and spruce like they were buddies of his. Her soul hummed just thinking about it. Maybe she and Tanner could head back to the Rockies, too. She could go back to prospecting. Her dragon had a nose for the best stones and gems, and she’d always earned enough at it to do fairly well.
Honest work,
her dragon nodded.
Right,
she snorted.
As if it wasn’t your idea to go after the diamond in the first place.
The diamond is different. It should be in the hands of dragons, not vampires.
And just like that, all her rage and bitterness came back. She’d show Schiller and his bloodsucking band what an angry dragon could do.
“How’s Trey?” she asked, trying to keep her sister distracted.
A dreamy sigh floated over the line. A month ago, Karen would have rolled her eyes, but now… She remembered the electric hum that warmed her body when Tanner touched her and nearly made the same sound.
Mate,
her dragon murmured.
My mate
.
She thumped her head against the side of the phone booth. God, why was the attraction so hard to fight?
Why bother resisting?
her dragon shot back.
Because she had her pride. Because Tanner worked for the enemy. Because she had a diamond to steal. Because…because…
No matter how many good reasons she came up with, they all fell flat in her mind.
“So you’re off to a good start?” she asked, only half paying attention to the conversation.
“Well, getting this place up and running will be a lot of work,” Kaya said. “But it’s going great. Really great — having a project to work on together, making a future…”
Karen suppressed a little sigh. Jeez, that sounded nice. She’d spent the last two years bouncing from city to city, looking for something she had never really managed to define.
We were waiting for our mate,
her dragon whispered.
It hadn’t felt like that at the time, but the second Tanner had bumped into her in a Vegas bar, the world had zoomed away, and suddenly it seemed as if every step in her life had been leading toward that momentous occasion. As if fate had been steering her all along. Working the wanderlust out of her system, learning from a thousand bitter mistakes — all so she’d be ready to settle down when the time came. With Tanner, her destined mate.
She could picture it perfectly. Him and her, working side by side in a quiet valley at the foot of the mountains. She could prospect for gemstones, he could log the choicest lumber. They could fix up a little cabin with a big fireplace and huge views and…
Someone tapped on the glass of the phone booth, and she snapped her head
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