“It’s a Lo—” Brigs started.
“London Fog,” Alex supplied, cutting off Brigs’ answer.
Brigs grinned again. “One of the few drinks that will relax an uptight dragon.”
“Not uptight,” Alex grumbled, but he didn’t move.
Brigs laughed again. “Alex, you are one of the most tightly wound dragons I know. But that’s what makes you so good at your job.”
Another irritated noise came from the man relaxing in the booth, but he didn’t move or protest.
Turning his attention back to Terra, Brigs smiled again. “He can get a little caught up in the details, but he’s very good at solving problems once you get a cup or two of tea in him.”
“Tea?” Terra asked again as she glanced into the cup. It was definitely some form of milk tea, but it had a floral taste to it that she couldn’t place. Very tasty.
“Well, not the tea.” Brigs shrugged.
“Lavender,” Alex supplied the answer.
Terra stared down into her cup. Now that she knew what that floral taste was, she recognized it. “Lavender?” She looked back up to the men.
“Aye. It’s one of the few things that will affect a dragon,” Brigs explained, nodding towards the relaxed man in the booth. “For Alex, it opens his mind.”
“Catnip for dragons,” Alex muttered as he took another sip.
Brigs laughed again. “It has been called that.” He turned his attention back to Terra. “But you have to be careful with it. A little can help you relax, but a lot can wind you up. And some dragons are more sensitive to it than others.”
Alex made a confirming noise in his throat before taking another sip.
“But most know their limits,” Brigs added.
Interesting. Terra sipped at the warm tea. “What happens if they get too much?” she asked, glancing over at the way Alex was resting in the booth.
Brigs grinned. “Get three cups in him, and you’ll find out.” His voice held a hint of mischief to it. “But make sure you don’t have anything planned for the rest of the night.”
The suggestion in the man’s tone surprised Terra. She glanced at Alex again. Did Brigs just imply that lavender would increase a dragon’s desires? If that was the case, maybe she should take the cup of tea away from Alex. After that kiss in the elevator and his confession at breakfast, she wasn’t sure what would happen if he continued to drink that stuff.
“Alex.” The serious tone Brigs took washed all thought out of Terra. “Can you tell me what happened with Melanie yesterday?”
Terra tensed up, waiting to see how Alex answered. Obviously, his crashing in her backyard had something to do with this woman.
Alex sat quietly for a moment before answering. “Not right now.”
Brigs shot Terra a glance before nodding. “Do you need me to call Sanders? He’s been blowing up everyone’s phones looking for you.”
An annoyed noise came for Alex. “No. I’ll deal with it.”
“Well then,” Brigs thumped the table gently, “I’ll leave you to your tea.” He stood up and spun the chair back to the table where it had come from. “Let me know if there is anything I can do.”
Alex made another soft noise in agreement, and Brigs turned to leave.
“Oh.” The man stopped and turned back. “Since the weather’s been bad, we moved your bike to the barn.” With that, he turned and left.
Terra watched as Alex raised his hand in acknowledgement. He dropped it back to the seat and sat there, quietly sipping on his tea. She tried not to fidget in her seat as her curiosity grew. It was obvious he remembered something, but she had no idea how much until he decided to say something. And he didn’t seem like he was going to say anything at the moment.
“Well?” Terra pushed when she couldn’t stand the suspense anymore. “Is it coming back?”
Alex let out a long breath and sat up. “Yes.” He set his cup on the table and reached for the leather jacket Brigs had left. “But not fast enough.” Digging in the pockets of the coat, he pulled out a phone and a wallet. “Let’s see what we can find here.” Concern crossed his face when he looked at the phone. “I think this is going to take me a minute. Why don’t you look through this?”
Surprise hit Terra as Alex held his wallet out to her. Reluctantly, she took it. “Are you sure?” she asked, holding the folded leather. It didn’t feel right digging through his wallet.
“Mmm,” he answered as he scrolled through the missed calls and messages on his phone.
Terra glanced at the screen. Someone was really trying to get ahold of him. There were a lot of missed calls. Turning her attention back to the wallet, she looked at it, considering her options. Why the hell not? He’d given it to her for just that reason.
Flipping the leather open, she searched in it and found his driver’s license tucked into a slot in the front. A card stuck to the back as she pulled the thin plastic free. It fluttered to the table and landed faced down. Terra set the wallet down and picked up the fallen card. On the front was the same symbol from Alex’s bag and a number, but nothing else. Setting it on the wallet, Terra turned to study Alex’s ID.
Alexander Fied. Born 1856. Holy hell! The man was over a hundred and fifty years old! Terra sat, shocked by the information. There was no way that could be true. He didn’t seem anywhere near that old.
“Mmm.”
The noise that came out of Alex shook Terra out of her shock. He reached over and carefully took his ID out of her fingers. “Alexander Fied.” The tone of his voice told Terra that he accepted this information as his.
“I told you I was at least as old as that woman.” He turned the card so Terra could see it again. “Well, at least we have a place to start.” He picked up the card on his wallet and stared at it for a moment before tucking both it and the identification back into the billfold. Pulling out a ten, he dropped it on the table and stuck everything back into the pockets of the jacket. “Come on.”
Terra looked up when he patted her on the leg and slid from the booth. She watched him stand up and slip into the soft leather jacket. It settled around him like it was supposed to be there. Yes. She may not know much about the man, but that was definitely his coat. Dread crept into her heart as she slid from the booth.
“So, what now?” she asked, not knowing if she wanted the answer. Terra wanted to smack him when he made another one of those contemplative noises. Didn’t the man know how to give a proper answer?
Alex led her through a door in the corner and up a ramp. “I need to find out what happened yesterday,” he finally answered.
A sigh slipped from Terra. Of course, he needed to find out what had happened. And now that they had found out who he was, he didn’t need her help anymore.
“Well then, if you don’t need me anymore, I’ll just…” her words trailed off. She couldn’t finish that sentence. If she left now, she knew she would never see him again. The men that had broken into her house were only a passing thought compared to the heart-deep pain she was feeling. How could she have grown so attached to this man in the very short time she had known him?
“No,” Alex said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. “You can’t leave yet. It’s not safe for you to go home.”
A mix of emotions washed the pain away. It was nice that he thought about her safety, but it was disappointing that that was his only protest. Had that tea brought him to his senses about the whole mating thing? She shook off that thought and shifted away from him. She needed to get a grip on herself. Obviously, Alex had a job to do, and she needed to let him do it.