Chapter 3

Chapter Three

T wo weeks after her meeting with Bram, Hayley parked in front of the Protector building once more and exited the car. Since few vehicles were allowed to drive around the clan proper, someone was going to have to help with her luggage.

And that wasn't going to be easy. She eyed her jam-packed car and wondered if she'd gone overboard.

However, she could be here a while and Hayley didn't want to be caught unawares. By what, she had no idea. Still, she didn't want to burden Stonefire with trivial requests. Hence, being overly prepared and bringing enough luggage to survive for months.

A deep male voice came from behind her. "Were you afraid someone was going to steal your stuff and so you brought everything you owned with you?"

She turned and blinked at the tall, blond dragonman—yes, he had the trademark tattoo on his upper arm—and tried to place him. She had met him once before, she was certain of it.

Then she remembered his name. "You're Nathan Woodhouse."

He frowned. "That's right. I didn't think you'd remember."

She tugged on her top. "I'm good at remembering faces and names. I may look a mess, but my brain is quite orderly."

Normally she wouldn't care about the tea stain on her shirt or the smudge of chocolate on her jeans. And yet, as Nathan's eyes took her in, she willed her cheeks not to heat.

Stop it. In general, dragon-shifters won the genetic lottery and were far too attractive for their own good. She only hoped he wasn't one of the dragonmen who knew it and thought he was a gift to women.

He grunted, walked over to her car, and gestured. "Is it unlocked?"

"Er, yes."

Nathan pulled out one suitcase and then the other. Hayley rushed over to grab her handbag and computer satchel. "I can come back for the rest later."

"Oh, it's going to take another trip. But don't worry, I'll get them. My mum would never forgive me if I didn't offer to help."

She studied him. The dragonman was close to her in age, if not a little older. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Do you still live with your parents?"

He paused, turned, and she noticed his flashing pupils.

Before she could make another faux pas—such as ask what his inner beast was saying—he grunted and replied, "No. But you're staying with them, so I was volunteered to help."

"Oh. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He shut the door. "Now, follow me."

Even though Nathan had a bag slung across his body and a giant suitcase in each hand, he walked as if he carried nothing but feathers.

Hayley struggled to keep up with his long strides. "So, is there anything I can do to get your parents to like me?"

"Don't be a demanding houseguest, and you'll be fine."

She pushed her glasses up her nose. "That's not really much to go on, you know."

"Maybe. But it's enough."

He fell silent, and Hayley tried to keep quiet. She really did.

But there was so much she didn't know about Stonefire, and Hayley didn't like being kept in the dark. "I've done as much reading as I can about dragon family life. However, even with Jane Hartley's video series, there's still so much I don't know. For example, I wanted to bring a present, but I didn't know what would be good. Dragons don't drink a lot of alcohol—for good reason, because you don't want a drunk, out-of-control dragon flying around—so I didn't buy wine. I do have some nice chocolates. Well, some. I ate a lot of them on the way here out of nervousness. And then I thought maybe some flowers. But I packed so much and didn't have the room. Maybe I can make them dinner. Or, er, dessert. I'm rubbish with meals but great with baking. Yes, maybe I'll do that."

Silence fell again, and Hayley eyed the dragonman.

However, before she started rambling again, he said, "Biscuits or cakes would be good. Mention you can bake, and you'll get a lot of requests."

She sighed in relief. "Oh, good. Then I'll bake whenever I can. I know my task here will be time-consuming, but still, everyone needs a break once in a while, right?"

He shrugged but didn't say anything else. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet. The last thing she needed was to annoy the son of the people she was staying with.

Except after another few minutes of stealing glances, she figured asking about their work together should be safe. After all, if it took this much effort to get Nathan to say a few words, their conversation could take a while.

"Bram mentioned you'd be helping me. When will we start looking for the records?"

"That depends on how much time you need to get settled."

"Not much. I'm not one of those people who needs to unpack everything first. I probably won't unpack most of it, if I'm honest."

He looked at her askance. "You don't say?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged. "If tidiness and orderliness were important to you, then you would've used a napkin or changed your clothes."

Hayley self-consciously brushed the stain on her shirt. "I was running late."

"Because of your packing?"

"No. Because I was visiting my sister to make sure she's recovering as she should be."

Nathan stopped walking and turned toward her. "And is she?"

The concern in his eyes made her blink. "Um, yes. She's stronger and the doctors think she'll regain normal kidney function, thanks to the dragon's blood."

"Good."

He turned and resumed walking at his breakneck pace.

With a sigh, Hayley ran after him. Her work with Hudson Wells and Blake Whitby—the two dragonmen she'd spent the most time with in recent years—had been a walk in the park compared to this one. Even Blake's shyness had faded once it came to strategizing how to protect his stepdaughter.

I'll make this work somehow. Hayley wasn't about to let Nathan Woodhouse discourage her. Stonefire had upheld their end of the bargain and she would do her part, too. Even if she eventually had to scream into a pillow to get out her frustration.

She managed to stay quiet as she took in the main section of the clan, the sort of High Street of Stonefire. There were a bunch of shops, ranging from a regular supermarket to a jewelry and tattoo place to a clothing shop. She even spotted a restaurant and what looked like a pub. "I thought you didn't drink much alcohol?"

She waved toward the pub-looking place.

"We don't. At least not often. But it's nice to get a non-alcoholic drink, play some darts or pool, or for some, enjoy karaoke and quiz nights."

"Karaoke? Really? I love karaoke! When is it?"

He frowned. "I don't know. I don't sing."

"Never?"

"No."

"Well, you're missing out. It's sort of freeing to be up on stage, singing as loud as you can, and people uncaring that you're horrible."

"No thanks. I'll stick to darts or pool."

"I'm rubbish at darts. Although maybe you can teach me."

Nathan stopped again. "You're a friendly female, and I'm sure you're brilliant company. But let's get one thing straight—I'm your work colleague, and that's all. Don't expect me to become your best friend."

She peered at him closely. "I'm just being nice. You don't try to get to know your coworkers?"

"Seeing as I've known most of them my whole life, no."

Hayley was about to ask if he ever went to human places, but didn't. She sensed Nathan was close to his limit of her chatter for the day.

A short, curvy woman with reddish brown hair walked up to her, and Haley recognized the most famous human of Stonefire—Melanie Hall-MacLeod.

Melanie stopped in front of her and smiled. Her American accent filled the air. "Hello, Hayley. I heard you were coming to stay! Me and the other humans are going to invite you over for dinner soon. Well, most of us. I think Rafe will feel out of place, being the only man."

Even Hayley knew about Rafe Hartley—he was one of the few human men in recent memory to mate a dragon-shifter; the other two lived on Lochguard. "I hope I can talk with him at some point. I have a lot of questions, and Rafe's situation created a precedent. Maybe I can use his situation someday, if more human men wish to look for a dragon mate."

Melanie nodded. "I'm sure that can be arranged. He's a new dad, for the second time, so maybe not immediately. But Rafe definitely hides a huge heart beneath his tough exterior, much like my own mate, and will want to help. Oh, speaking of which, my mate's waiting for me! Here, give me your cell phone number, and I'll text or call you later. And feel free to do the same, at any time."

Hayley allowed Melanie to enter her mobile number and then tucked away her phone. "Nice to meet you properly, Melanie. And I look forward to that dinner."

"Good, then I'll make sure it happens." Melanie moved her gaze to the dragonman standing next to Hayley. "And make sure to be a good guide for her, Nathan. I know you're not chatty, but still, don't make her pull teeth to get answers."

Nathan rolled his eyes, and Melanie winked before rushing off. Once the dragonman started walking again, Hayley followed. They left the shopping area and were soon surrounded by a maze of cottages. "Which one am I staying at?"

He glanced at her and then back ahead. "It's just up ahead. Didn't they tell you anything about who you're staying with?"

"Just that they're named Denise and Paul, and they have a twenty-year-old son still living at home. You mentioned they were your parents?"

"Yes. My dad, stepmum, and also my half-brother."

She opened her mouth to ask for more information when the door of a cottage opened and a middle-aged dragonwoman appeared. She waved. "You must be Hayley! Over here!"

The woman had brown hair streaked with gray and never stopped smiling. Nathan walked up the steps and kissed her cheek. That made Hayley blink.

Nathan said, "Hello, Mum. I need to go back and get the rest of her luggage."

The woman—who had to be Denise—nodded. "Of course. Hurry up if you want any of the remaining snacks I put out. Your brother already ate most of them without telling me, the rascal. I might have to start locking the pantry."

Nathan's lips twitched, and Hayley nearly did a double-take. He acted so differently with Denise compared to her.

The dragonman replied, "I can install a lock, if you need it. Ryan is old enough to buy some extra food and not steal it from you."

Denise patted his upper arm. "Don't worry about it. Soon enough, he'll leave the house and I won't have anyone to fuss over. Well, until one of you two gets mated or has children." She turned toward Hayley. "I'm Denise, by the way, if you haven't figured that out yet. Oh, come in, come in. Let's get you some tea and biscuits and chat a little. I know you have important work to do, but there's always time for tea and biscuits."

Nathan nodded at Hayley before walking back toward her car. She shouted, "Wait, don't you need the keys?"

"You left it unlocked, and it's not the type of car to auto lock itself. I'll be fine."

He was…correct. And apparently quite perceptive. "Er, okay. Do you want me to come with?"

"No. Chat with my mum. When I get back, we can talk about our work schedule."

As soon as Nathan strode off, Denise guided her inside the house and said, "Don't mind Nathan. He's a lot like his father, in that he doesn't talk a lot. But behind that grumpy exterior, he's a big softie for those he cares about." She motioned for Hayley to sit at the kitchen table. "Now, you must have questions. We're all grateful for what you did for Blake and Hudson and their mates. So ask me anything and I'll try to answer. It's the least I can do."

Hayley sat and readjusted her glasses. "You don't owe me anything. It was the right thing to do, after all. Both dragonmen clearly loved their mates and cared about their stepkids. If they weren't dragon-shifters, no one would've tried to take away the children. Maybe one day it'll become the norm, but until then, I have to help fight and make changes using my best strength—the law."

Once Denise flipped the kettle on, she turned and said, "Which is brilliant."

"Er, yes. I suppose. But my work here, collaborating with your son, should help the dragons in the UK even more."

"Yes, my son. Well, the oldest one. In reality, he's my stepson. And I only came into the picture for him when he was in his late teens. But I love him like my own, and eventually I think he came to feel the same. How much has he told you?"

"Er, pardon?"

"About us, himself, his history? He's single, you know. Although he came close to mating a human at one point. I'm glad he didn't, since she was afraid of his inner dragon and it devastated him. But you don't strike me as someone who's afraid of dragon-shifters."

"Er, not really, no."

Denise nodded. "Good. And what about you? Do you have a male or female of your own?"

Hayley blinked. If Nathan was too quiet and distant, his stepmother was the exact opposite. Still, she felt obligated to answer, "No, not at the moment." She paused, intending to stop there. However, something about Denise made her feel like she could confide in this near-stranger, and she blurted, "Men tend to be intimidated by me. Well, by my brain and success, rather."

After pouring the tea and placing the mugs on the table, Denise fetched the plate of biscuits and sat across from Hayley. Her pupils flashed to slits and back to round again. "Tell me all about it, lovey. You look like you need to get something off your chest."

Hayley sipped her tea and stared into the mug, doing her best not to cry. She'd often had chats like this with her mum before she'd died.

Ten long years with no motherly chats. No laughing over something stupid, or Hayley just venting about her latest case or disastrous date.

Denise placed a hand over hers and squeezed. "What's wrong, Hayley?"

She cleared her throat. "Sorry. It's just that my mum died nearly ten years ago, and I was remembering how we used to sit down and talk over tea and biscuits, just like this."

The dragonwoman squeezed her hand again. "Well, for as long as you're here, feel free to chat or rant at me anytime you like. I'm mostly retired—I used to be a teacher but now only really help with the human and dragon kid events—and I have loads more free time. My sons are busy, and my mate runs the local pub here and sometimes keeps long hours. And I never had a daughter, either. I could be your sort of dragon foster mum for a bit, if you like?"

After glancing up and seeing the kindness in Denise's eyes, Hayley nodded. How some humans could equate dragon-shifters with monsters, she had no idea. "Yes, that sounds lovely. I'll probably be busy most of the time, but it'd still be nice when I can manage it."

"Good." Denise removed her hand and picked up a biscuit. "Now, tell me about the arseholes who were intimidated by your brain. Sometimes, I wonder about human males. Rafe Hartley is an exception, of course. But I hear so many awful stories from the human females I work with on Stonefire. I'm glad, in the end, they found nice dragon-shifter mates instead."

She searched Denise's gaze. "Are you sure you want to hear me complain? I mean, we've barely met."

"Of course I'm sure. Besides, a clear mind will help you not only work better but also help you handle my older son better. So, let's hear it."

As Hayley vented about her ex-boyfriend, the one who'd also worked with the law and constantly tried to offer the worst advice about her cases, she felt a little lighter. Once her mother had passed, she'd often had these kinds of chats with her sister. But then her sister had gotten sick, and they hadn't been able to meet as often.

And strange as it was, Hayley felt as if she'd known Denise a while. And by the end of her venting session, they were laughing.

Then Nathan returned, and the atmosphere shifted yet again.