Page 4 of Anaki

“Orders?” I stopped along the path. Even the squirrels stopped chattering to listen in.

I didn’t get orders from Locke or anyone from the inner circle. Orders were for special missions, duties to perform in the club. The inner circle met at the church for deeper discussions that I wanted no part of.

I’ll stay behind the bar, thanks.

“What sort of orders?” I jerked my head back and forth.

Bear sighed deeply enough for his bear to come through with a heavy growl. I patted him on the head and made a cooing noise. “Easy there. Let’s not get our berries in a twist.”

Nadia snorted behind me and grabbed my hand. Instantly, my nerves were relaxed, and Bear shook his head dramatically.

“I don’t know why I like you so much,” he grunted and put his hand around the back of my neck to pull me closer to him.

I hummed when his enormous chest warmed my face. The connection of a brother and sister, in both of them, kept my sleeping dragon calm while I was near. I wondered if Bear and Nadia could feel the change in me when we were apart for a time, and when we were close.

“Let’s get some food in you, then we will explain. After the act you pulled down by the lake, I don’t think you should go,” he muttered the last part under his breath.

I whipped my head at him. “Go? Go where? And I am the one who is supposed to be feeding the both of you tonight. Not the other way around.”

At least, I thought it was my turn to cook dinner.

Nadia snorted. “Way to withhold information for less than ten seconds.”

We all walked up the steps, and Bear pressed his fingers into his eyes. “A mission, Anaki. But you are getting a physical first.”

Chapter Two

Anaki

Ikept quiet as we walked into the dimly lit cabin, the only sound the gentle ticking of a grandfather clock.

I didn’t have an appetite as I helped plate the food. A large roast cooked in the crock pot where I had put it that morning, in the their kitchen. Surprise crossed their faces, and I shrugged my shoulders.

The meat was tender and the vegetables steamed to Nadia’s preference of slightly crunchy. She was originally half fae before turning into a full bear by Bear’s bite.

Nadia winked at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes, before we sat down, a silent thank you passing between us. My prior dark thoughts turned to a guilt that hung over me like a storm cloud.

How dare I think such things when I have such great friends? They would miss me, hell, if I were gone and could look back, I would miss them, too.

I wiped my hand over my face, trying to school my expression. No one wanted a depressed dragon at their table. No one wanted to see a bartender with more baggage than the drinker.

With a sigh, I extracted the crumpled, grease-stained napkin from my lapand twisted it between my fingers, the texture strangely comforting as Bear attacked his third helping of roast. With the speed of a starving bear, he ate the food, smearing it across his beard; Nadia giggled as she stood to wipe away the mess.

I coughed to break the intimacy between the two. Not that I didn’t adore watching them. It brought hope that I might have what they have one day, but I was still raw from my earlier near-drowning.

“Can you tell me what the mangy mutt wants me to do?” I took my fork, stabbed it into the meat, swirled the sauce around the plate and stuck it into my mouth.

Even the flavor was dull, and the roast was my favorite. Did it need more salt? More seasoning?

Bear ignored me and licked the corners of his mouth.

“This taste alright to you?” I pointed at the dull, colorless slop on my plate.

Nadia licked her lips and took another bite. “Yes, same as always. Are you sure you are alright?”

I chuckled and took another bite of the flavorless meat. “Just making sure it is to your liking. I couldn’t remember if I put in everything. Mind was wandering today.”

“As it should,” Bear interrupted. “Locke being back has put everyone on edge. Especially since he’s found his mate.”