“Go do what you need to. I’ll…” She paused as she thought about her choices. “…wait here.” It was the only idea that fit. She couldn’t go home yet, but she didn’t really have anywhere else to go.
Alex chuckled and pulled her back into his side. “No,” he said as they turned a corner and stepped into what looked like a locker room. “I need you safe.” He stopped and moved her around so she was facing him.
“And this place isn’t safe?” she asked, worried. Glancing around, she searched for possible dangers. There wasn’t anything unusual. A soft laugh rumbled up between them.
“I’m not sure.” Alex tilted his head as if he were thinking hard. “Something isn’t sitting right with me, but I can’t identify it.” He looked back into her eyes. There was a heat there that set Terra on fire. “And I’m not about to risk it.” Sliding his hand up to her head, he weaved his fingers into her hair and leaned in. The kiss he laid on her lips was hot, passionate, and possessive.
Terra moaned lightly as he pulled her closer and deepened the embrace. Her hands slipped up inside his coat as he held her. If she had any doubts about his feelings before, this burnt them up.
After a few moments, he pulled back reluctantly. He took several short breaths before pulling her in to rest her cheek on his chest.
Terra held on for dear life as she waited for the tingling racing through her body to subside.
“I will not take chances with you.” The words rumbled from his chest. Had Terra not been leaning against him, she might not have caught them. After a few more minutes, he pushed her back so she was standing on her own. “Come with me.” Taking her hand, he led her deeper into the room.
Three rows of lockers stood with benches between them. Alex stopped at the end of one of the rows and turned to face a locker. He jiggled the handle on the thing, but the door was stuck tight. Terra grinned when he made another one of those contemplative noises and reached up and banged on the top corner of the door. The door swung free, revealing a whole world of things.
Alex grinned as he reached in and started pulling stuff out. “Shoes.” He lifted a pair of heavy boots from the bottom of the locker. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” Stepping back, he sat down on the bench and slipped his feet out of the slippers Terra had gotten him.
Terra glanced in the locker, eager to find out what it could tell her about Alex. The inside of the door was covered in photos. Most of them were men or dragons. She scanned the faces. Several of them were repeated in the photos as their owners posed together. Alex was in many, but he was always the one standing on the edge of the group. She glanced back at him as he settled his feet into his boots. He was the standoffish type. She looked at the photos again. Not a single one of them was of Alex and what could be a girlfriend. A hundred and fifty years old, and the man didn’t have a girlfriend. That was kind of sad.
“That is so much better.”
Terra turned as Alex stood up and picked the slippers up.
He tucked them into the bottom of the locker and slipped his coat off. Holding the jacket out, he turned to Terra. “Here.” He shifted it around so she could put it on.
“What?” Terra looked at the coat, confused.
“Put this on,” Alex said as he wrapped the soft leather around Terra’s shoulders. “You’ll need it.” He made Terra slip her arms down the sleeves so it was on properly.
“Why?” she asked. The smooth leather jacket had a thick lining. It would be nice outside, but the temperature in the building was almost too warm for it. Especially with the heat Alex’s body had left in it. Mmm, it smelled like him, too.
“Trust me.” Alex turned back to the locker and pulled a black motorcycle helmet from the shelf at the top. “You are going to want it in a minute.” Turning, he slammed the locker door shut and led the way to another door. “Come on, I have something I need to check out.”
Terra stood there and considered her dragon man for a moment. Ever since he had gotten his memories back, he had become cryptic. And Terra wasn’t sure she liked that very much. “Where are we going?” she asked as she moved over to him.
Alex let out a deep breath before answering. “There was something I was supposed to do yesterday, and I need to find out if I did it.”
“Check on Melanie?” Terra asked.
Alex nodded and ushered her out into the main barn. “Yes.” He sounded grim. “I don’t think things went very well, but I have to go find out.”
Terra nodded. If there were something he needed to do, she would help however she could. Turning her attention to the large room, she looked around. There wasn’t much going on here. A few racks of things sat along one wall, but most of the space was empty. A large door hung open on one side of the room. Alex’s gentle hand on her back guided her into the room and pointed her to the corner where a lone motorcycle sat by itself. It could have been a Harley, but Terra wasn’t sure.
“Come on,” Alex said again, ushering her across the room. Stopping next to the bike, he turned and slipped the helmet onto Terra’s head. “You probably won’t need this, but…” he let his words go without finishing.
Terra smiled as he worked the strap tight under her chin. “You know, we could take my car,” she offered.
“True.” Alex grinned as he went to the motorcycle and started it up. “But then I wouldn’t have an excuse to keep you close.” He held out his hand for Terra.
Taking his hand, Terra climbed on the bike behind him. Soon, Alex had the bike out the door and was tooling down the road as Terra held on to him. She rested her head against his back to better enjoy the ride. God, she hoped he knew where he was going.
The wind that had been pulling the warmth from the leather jacket slowed as Alex turned down a dirt road. Terra sat up more as Alex guided the bike between the deep grooves of the path. It was a good thing they hadn’t brought her car. It would have never survived the trip over the rutted-up road. As it was, Alex had to take it easy, or the uneven ground would bounce them both off the bike. Terra gritted her teeth and clung to Alex’s warm back as they went.
About a half a mile of hard riding brought them to a tall farmhouse. The building was well maintained and looked quite pleasant. Alex stopped the bike in front of the building but didn’t turn it off.
Terra waited as he watched the front of the house. Tired of being on the bike, she shifted so she could get up and stretch the cramps out of her back and legs. Unused to sitting in that position for so long, she was ready to get off the bike for a while.
Alex’s hand came down on her leg, stopping her from getting up. “Not here,” he said softly and kicked off, setting the bike back in motion.
Confused, Terra turned to look at the quiet farmhouse. Movement from one of the curtains caught her attention. “Someone’s there,” she yelled over the sound of the bike.
“I know,” Alex called back, “but it isn’t who we’re looking for.”
“How do you know?” she yelled back. Hadn’t they just traveled a long way over rough roads to find out what had happened yesterday?
Alex sat quietly for a moment as he guided the bike back down the dirt road. “The window was broken.”
Okay… Confusion welled up inside of Terra. What difference does a broken window make? “Explain,” she called.
Shaking his head, Alex took a long, deep breath before answering. “I can’t. My instincts tell me something’s wrong, and I’m not about to take any chances at the moment. Give me a little time, and I’ll figure something out. ”