Page 17 of Tamhas

7

Tamhas

Itook a shower and decided to see what might be on television. I’d never been much of a TV watcher, more of a reader, but my mind was all over the place. I was fairly certain any attempt to read a book and make sense of it would be utterly futile.

There was nothing as painful as killing time. Ordinarily, I might have shifted and taken to the sky. There was hardly chance of that in an airport—granted, humans wouldn’t be able to see me as I flew, but that wouldn’t stop a plane from hitting me. Or me hitting a plane.

Unlikely, but not worth chancing.

I caught sight of my reflection in the window as I sat at the foot of the bed, scrolling through channels. She’d seen me before, Keira had, and I’d seen her. She’d seemed to find me attractive. I supposed most women would—we were all physically attractive in the clan, men and women both, as though whatever made us different from humans also set us apart as physical specimens.

As for her? Gorgeous. Those blue eyes… Eyes a man could drown in. Perhaps even a dragon. A firm, strong body. Thick, blonde hair I could bury my hands in and…

And perhaps there was something I could do to relax before going to sleep, after all.

Which, naturally, was when the phone rang.

I growled in frustration, just knowing it would be Alan—who else would unwittingly destroy my arousal?

“Yes?” I asked on answering. No more attempts at keeping things light.

He clearly agreed with me. “You need to get back here. Now.”

“Whatever happened to allowing me to—”

“That was before the woman used your name.”

My throat threatened to close. “What?” I choked.

“She said she was there looking for you, Tamhas. She said your name,” he hissed. “Would you like to explain how a tattooed blonde happened to be looking for you? In front of the cave? Or do you expect me to believe it’s all a coincidence?”

I’d seen those tattoos—at least, what little was visible on her shoulders when she’d worn a tank top during our video chats. And that long, golden hair.

“What is her name?” I dared ask.

“Keira, not that it matters.”

I clenched my fists. Oh, damn, Keira. What did you think you were doing?

Alan was unaware of the shock he’d thrown me into, still raving. “Do you know what I care about? The half-moon birthmark on the back of her neck and the fact that she told me she was looking for a friend named Tamhas. Get your ass back here, now.”

If he’d been using one of those old phones with a receiver, I could imagine he would’ve slammed it down to punctuate his demand.

My hands were shaking as I lowered the phone to the table, until it sat just beside the plane ticket I no longer needed.

* * *

It was onlya matter of hours until I pulled my suitcase from the back of the SUV and walked through the dark, damp night to the cave mouth.

Four dragons circled in the air overhead, three more than we normally used to keep watch at one time. I spotted Isla up there, likely flying as a way to vent her resentment at having been beaten up by a human woman.

I’d have done the same thing.

Did they know what brought Keira to us? Did they know it was me? I made it a point to avoid looking up. I dreaded what I’d find inside. What had they done to her?

What had she done to them?

She’d kicked Dallas’s ass. I couldn’t help but admire her for it, even if the very fact that she was capable of it was a bit unsettling. More than a bit. It meant she was special, for certain.

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