After talking to the manager, who was justifiably angry about the damage and trauma, Nick decided to head home.
He drove the speed limit, which was unlike him. Usually he drove as though he were in the Daytona 500. He also took the long way home.
Nick was eager to be home. That was part of what bothered him. He wanted to be there with Lana so much. He wanted to talk to her, look at her, and breathe in her sweet scent of lavender and vanilla.
However, being in the same space as she was and not able to touch her was pure hell—especially since he knew that she craved his touch as much as he wanted hers. He just couldn’t make it right in his head.
In spite of his procrastination, he soon found himself parked in the driveway at home. Taking a deep breath, he headed in.
Expecting to see an anxious and restless Lana, he was shocked to see her sitting on the couch, drinking a soda, watching Criminal Minds. She was so engrossed in the show that she barely acknowledged Nick’s entrance.
He sat down next to her.
“Hi, how was your day?” Nick asked.
“Shh,” she said. “Have you seen this show? The man is supposed to be in charge, but it is really one of the women who is always in charge and gives the information to solve the crimes.”
Nick smiled and nodded.
During a commercial, Lana asked Nick, “Is there any more information about Lucy?”
Nick said, “No. We went to their house. It was a nice place in a decent neighborhood. The house was a complete disaster. It was clear that there had been a fight of some type. There were a few traces of blood, but there wasn’t enough to suggest that anyone had been seriously hurt or killed.”
“That’s good. Where could he have taken her though? Is there any place around their house where he could stash her?” Lana wanted to know.
“To be honest, I think that he took her back to the shifter world. As a matter of fact, I think that might be where he has taken all of the girls. It is easier to hide them there and no one is actively looking for them in that world,” Nick answered.
“So, why is he still here in the human world?” Lana asked.
“Whatever his plan is, he isn’t done yet. He still has business here. I’m pretty sure that he has a group of other dragon shifters, and maybe even others, who are working with him. They are likely the ones taking care of the prisoners,” Nick said.
Lana jumped up from the couch. “We have to go back to the shifter world, immediately,” she said.
“Wait,” he said. “We don’t know where they would be in the shifter world. We might guess that it is on the fringes of Northland, but we don’t know for sure. Plus, that kingdom is so huge, without knowing exactly where to look, we could search for years and not find anyone. I’m hoping to gather a bit more information here and then we’ll head over. As long as Dizag is here in this world, nothing will happen in the other world, since he is likely the boss.”
Lana nodded, but looked unsure.
“I promise that I want to find Lucy and the others as much as you do. As soon as I know anything, we’ll go over,” Nick said.
Lana seemed to be reassured, so she sat back down and was once again enthralled with the antics of her new television hero—Penelope Garcia.
Nick was relieved that she had found something to keep her occupied. It kept the sexual tension at a minimum.
He ordered some Chinese delivery. She wasn’t sure how to eat the rice and vegetables, even with a fork, let alone chopsticks. However, she figured it out pretty quickly and ate everything. Then, it was back to profiling and snappy banter.
Bedtime arrived too soon for Nick. He had been enjoying the evening just relaxing with Lana and hanging out.
This evening, Nick kissed her on the cheek and walked straight to his room, not lingering near her door. He wasn’t even going to tempt himself.
He had settled into bed and was almost asleep when his phone buzzed. He checked the time and groaned. It was almost midnight. However, he was wide awake when he saw who was calling.
“Brady. What’s up?” Nick asked.
“I need you and Lana to come down here as fast as you can,” came Brady’s cryptic reply.
Nick hurriedly got dressed and knocked on Lana’s door. When he didn’t get an answer, he opened the door and walked over to her bed.
For just a moment he looked at her, sound asleep, snoring softly. Her hair fanned around her, and her face looked ethereal. He hated to wake her up, but the tone in Brady’s voice made it evident that the call was urgent.
He leaned down and shook her gently. She woke up in a panic, her eyes wide with fear. She let out a little squeak.
“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to scare you. Brady called and he needs us down at the club as soon as we can get there,” Nick said.
Lana nodded.
Nick left, and within a couple of minutes, Lana was ready. He was impressed with how quickly she could move. She had pulled on a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans that fit her perfectly. Her beautiful long mane was pulled into a messy bun on the back of her head.
His heart skipped a beat as he studied her for a minute. Without even a swipe of makeup, she was simply gorgeous. She was such a rare beauty, natural and unaware.
Nick felt himself becoming aroused just by looking at her, and he had to adjust his jeans. Finally, he snapped out of his trance.
“I didn’t know that women could get dressed that quickly,” he said, smiling at her.
“I’m not a typical woman. Plus, you said it was urgent,” Lana replied.
Nick nodded. “Brady said it was. Let’s go.”
Neither of
