Page 4 of In the Line of Fire
I crossed my arms over my chest, my nostrils flaring as my brows drew together. My sister knew better than to talk about my shit with other people. My tendency to be close-mouthed about my life went into overdrive when it came to the woman who was meant to be mine.
“Don’t get all pissy with me.”
Trey’s shoulders shook with the laughter he must have been holding back at my sister’s retort. I wasn’t surprised, though. Denica knew me too well. No matter how irritated I was, I’d never do anything to hurt her.
Connor’s eyes went wide as he mouthed, “Pissy?”
Rolling her eyes, Denica acted as though she hadn’t noticed their reactions. “It’s a good thing I mentioned it to him because he may know why she’s been so hard to track.”
“Shit, really?” My dragon roared to the surface, pushing against my skin and demanding that we find out what Connor knew.
“Yup.” She flashed him a smug grin, happiness shining from her green eyes that were so similar to mine. “And from what he told me, there’s a really good chance that his dad used to be friends with her father way back when.”
I shifted all of my focus to Connor. “Tell me everything you know.”
He jerked his chin toward the house. “Let’s go somewhere we can’t be overheard. If your mate is what I think she is, then the information I need to share with you should be kept to a small circle of people. Her kind tends to stay under the radar because their safety often depends on secrecy.”
I followed him inside, my patience wearing thin in the short time it took to reach his office. As soon as the door shut behind us, I demanded, “What kind of creature do you think my mate is?”
Connor strode around his desk and dropped onto the chair behind it, scrubbing his hands over his face. “When I was nine years old and discovered what my dad’s old friend could shift into, I made a promise never to reveal the secret to anyone.”
I stalked toward his desk and slammed my hands against the hard surface. “We might be talking about my mate, Connor. And even if she’s not what you think she is, you can trust me to never share what you tell me with anyone. I have a lot of experience keeping other people’s secrets. I never would’ve lasted as the council’s top enforcer for so long if I wasn’t damn good at keeping my mouth shut when needed.”
“I know you’re trustworthy.” His eyes flashed gold, his tiger near the surface. “Breaking my promise goes against everything inside me, but I’ll tell you what I know. If your mate turns out to be my dad’s friend’s daughter, they’ll understand why I did it. And if not—”
“They never need to know,” I finished for him, willing to promise anything if it’d help me find my mate after all this time.
“Right.” He nodded and reached for his keyboard, tapping at the buttons before turning the monitor so I could see the screen.
He’d pulled up a site about Greek mythology. My eyes widened when I saw the page he clicked on from there. “You think she’s a phoenix shifter?”
“It fits with what your sister was telling me about the problems you’ve been having with her scent trail.”
Phoenix shifters were even more rare than dragons, and possibly even more secretive. But I knew enough about their abilities to seriously consider what Connor was suggesting...and to kick myself for not coming up with the possibility myself. When the ramifications of exactly what would cause a phoenix shifter’s trail to disappear registered in my brain, my dragon roared his fury inside my head. “It only makes sense if she’s died each time I’ve been unable to track her further.”
“Fuck,” Connor groaned, his head rearing back. “You’re right.”
“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve lost her trail?” I gritted out, a muscle in my jaw jumping from the effort it took to remain calm. Going off half-cocked wouldn’t help my mate if she was in danger.
“Once is too many as far as I’m concerned.” He leaned back to pull his cell phone from the front pocket of his jeans. “Want me to call my dad’s friend to ask if his daughter is having the kind of trouble that ends with her dying and being reborn in fiery ashes repeatedly?”
I gave him the only possible answer. “Fuck yeah, I do.”
