Snickering, he reached for the blanket. One hand took the blanket, while the other caught Terra’s wrist.
Terra’s eyes shot up to meet his.
“Thank you.”
The warmth in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. The blanket slipped from her fingers as he dropped it and reached up to cup her cheek.
“For everything.”
What was that? Terra glance away as heat crawled up her skin. “You’re welcome.” It was unnerving how his voice made her insides flutter. Pulling away from him, she shut the car door.
Snickering again, he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders so it hung down around him. “Is this better?”
Terra glanced back. “Yes.” It was almost a shame to have him cover up, but she really needed to talk to him without the distraction. She turned around and leaned on the side of the car. “I should let you know that this barn belongs to a friend of the family. He’s a bit of a conspiracy nut, so we’re under surveillance.”
The dragon man nodded.
“So,” Terra eyed him, “who are you?”
He let out a long sigh and turned to lean against the car beside her. “I don’t know.” He shook his head slowly.
Great. He still doesn’t remember.
“Why were those men after you?”
Again, he shook his head slowly. His shoulders dropped into a depressed slouch.
“Then can you tell me what you know about this?” Terra pulled the file out of his bag and handed it to him.
The man took it and looked at it. Shock hit his face. Oh, this triggered some memories!
I know this woman!
The thought echoed around Alex’s brain as he stared at the first profile in the folder. His knees weakened as he slid down the side of the car and sat on the floor, reading the file. He had memories of visits to her. He would bring her flowers; she would serve him tea. Everything was bright and sharp, but there was no sound. Why don’t any of my memories have sound?
Flipping the page, he saw another person he knew. A man. This one collected models of classic cars. The next page contained another person he knew. All of the pages held faces of people he knew.
“I know these people.” Alex said softly as he flipped back to the first page and reread what was there. The account of the woman’s last sighting made his heart hurt. “I wrote this.” He pointed to the paragraph at the bottom.
“So who are they?” Terra asked as she looked down at him.
“Friends,” he answered.
No, that wasn’t right.
“People I visited.”
That was better. They were friends, but he did something for them more than just as a friend. But what? Now that was the question. Alex looked over the file again. All of the people were listed as missing, presumed dead. Each had an account of their last-known sighting. All but one.
Something important ate at the corner of his mind, but the more he chased after the thought, the more skittish it became. Giving up for now, he looked at the pages one more time before closing the file. The pages triggered some memories, but not the ones he needed.
“I don’t know,” he admitted and handed the folder back to Terra.
“Then what about this?” She shifted the bag to show him the symbol on the flap. “You have the same mark on your shoulder.”
He raised his hand and rubbed his fingers over the mark. “It’s special.” He knew he had earned the right to wear it, but he couldn’t remember what it stood for. “I don’t know,” he admitted again.
“There are other things in the bag.” She pulled it off and handed it down to him. “I’m sorry, but I looked through it while you were sleeping.”
Alex nodded and took the satchel. Crossing his legs, he leaned forwards and dumped the stuff out. Damn. There was nothing in there. He shifted through the trash, trying to make sense of it. Gum, matches, a necklace, and a few crumpled dollars. Nothing to help him remember.
The sting of magic bit his fingers when he picked up the necklace. “Shit,” he cursed and dropped the thing. “What the hell is that?” Picking up the pack of gum, he used it to poke at the charm. It felt… evil.
Terra squatted next to him and picked up the necklace. “Some sort of charm.”
He stared at her, surprised. That thing had stung him when he’d touched it. How can she hold it like that?
“That doesn’t hurt?” he asked, bewildered.
Terra looked at the charm. “No.” She flipped it over to look at the back. “It tingles a little, but it doesn’t hurt.” She held it out to him.
“Uh uh.” Alex held out the bag so Terra could drop the necklace in. “I ain’t touching that thing again.”
She gave him an odd look. “It is yours, right?”
“I guess so.” He looked at the charm. “This is my bag, right?” The bag had a familiar feel to it, but he had no way to be sure.
“I found it with you, so it must be.” She dropped the necklace into the bottom of the bag.
Alex looked at the small piece of silver. “Then it must be mine.” He took the file from her and tucked it back in the bag, too. Next, he looked at the gum and box of matches. They were both unopened. He dropped the gum in the bag. The box of matches intrigued him. It had the name of a pub on it—The Dragon’s Flight. “Do you know this place?” He held the box out for Terra to see.
“No.” Terra took the matches and flipped them over. “But there’s an address on them. I’m sure we could find it.”
“We should probably start there.” Alex held his hand out for the box.
She gave it back.
“Maybe someone there will know who I am.”
A small laugh came out of Terra. She rested her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “We will find out who you are,” she promised, “but we should probably start with finding you clothing. I don’t think they would like you in that pub wrapped in just a blanket.”
“Point.” Alex smiled up at her. “Clothing first. Then food. Then we will go hunting.” He didn’t know about Terra, but his stomach was telling him he had missed more than one meal.
“Deal.” Terra pressed down on his shoulder as she stood up.
He let out a soft sigh. The feel of her hand on him stirred things inside him. When she offered to help him up, he took it. Her hand was soft and warm in his. Desire washed through him, and it was all he could do not to pull her in against him. To feel her pressed into his body. His arms twitched with the impulse, but he stopped them before they could act. Alex knew where these feelings came from and understood the forces that drove dragons, but she was human. She would not understand mating instincts. Nor would she understand how his dragon side had latched onto her.
He pulled away from her and reached for the car. “So, where to first?” he asked. Maybe if he put some space between them, his instincts would settle down. Then again, maybe not.
What just happened? Terra looked at her dragon man, confused. She had gotten the oddest feeling when he had taken her hand. The way he touched it. The look in his eye. Desire had shot through her. But then he had turned, and it was gone. Shaking herself, she answered his question. “Meijers.”
He nodded as he climbed in the car.
Terra watched him as he sat in his seat with his head down and eyes closed. There was something about him that drew her. Sure, she had always been a sucker for hard-luck cases, but still, most never sparked the feelings he did.