Page 27 of The World She Never Knew Existed

He finished off the coffee and put the dishes in the dishwasher, thinking about Clara. There was something very special about that woman, and he would love to spend more time with her. However, if they did decide to take their relationship any further, he would have to figure out a way to tell her the truth about himself. He wasn’t sure how he could do that without showing her. That could be dangerous, depending on her reaction.

Dillon’s manager was opening the store that day, so Dillon drove to his usual parking spot on the mountain. He hiked quite a ways, making sure that there was no one around him. He undressed and quickly stashed his clothes before shifting into wolf form and running the rest of the way to the portal.

“It’s good to see you again, Dillon,” Chloe said.

She almost sounded like she was purring.

“Hello, Chloe. Everything been quiet around here?” he asked.

“Yep. No one has come this way in a few days,” she said. “Are you staying long?”

“Nope. I’m just going to go in there, talk to the dragon king for a minute, and head back to town. I can’t afford to be missed, and the Faisons know everything that goes on in that town.”

“That sounds kind of creepy. It sounds a lot like the book,1984by George Orwell.”

“The Faisons do act as the Big Brother, but it isn’t quite as bad as the book,” Dillon said.

He passed through the portal and went to the dragon king’s palace.

After they greeted one another, Dillon told the dragon king about Raf’s request to join the poker game and about the two new hunters that the Faisons hired.

“Daniel said that he saw them hanging out with Crystal, and you know that she has a special hatred for shifters since the battle with Noah and the other shifters,” Dillon said. “That makes for a nasty trio right there. The shifters in the area are in even more danger than before.”

“Just keep reminding them to be careful,” Draco said. “There isn’t much else that we can do. Fight the hunters only if you need to defend yourselves. The first time that a shifter makes an unwarranted attack on a hunter, all hell will break loose.”

“That is what we keep preaching,” Dillon said.

“As for the poker games, I think that Jesse is right. Just keep having them like normal. It is a lot less suspicious that way,” Draco said. “Make sure that you keep your alarm set so that no one can install any listening devices. Do you trust your manager?”

“Implicitly. He is a shifter and has as much to lose as the rest of us if the Faisons figure out his identity.”

“Is there anything else going on that I need to know about?” the dragon king asked.

“No, not as far as I know. Brent does a good job keeping me updated about what is going on at the resort. Daniel, Bernie, and them do regular patrols as much as they can,” Dillon said.

“Okay, keep me informed,” Draco said.

Dillon nodded and headed back to his shifting spot. After making sure that there were no humans nearby, he transformed, dressed, and headed back down the mountain to his truck. His thoughts once again turned to Clara.

11

Clara

Clara wiped down the counters and tables lost in thought. She thought back to that morning and smiled. She thought that she was tired after their love making, but her eyes popped open at exactly the same time as they always did. Clara had thought about just slipping out of the house, but somehow, that didn’t seem right.

She had briefly wondered whether Dillon would be annoyed if she went through his refrigerator and cupboards but figured that he wouldn’t. She found what she was looking for and started making breakfast. At first, she felt a little awkward, but the feeling dissipated after they started talking.

She wondered what in the world got into her. John had been her first and only lover until last night. She hadn’t even had sex with John for about six or seven months before their separation. It had gotten to the point that she couldn’t stand the thought of him touching her. Dillon was the only other man that she had ever been with.

I can’t believe that I had sex with the man on the first date,she chided herself.He must think that I’m completely easy.

Although she was afraid that Dillon would think badly of her, something deep inside of her told her that he didn’t. The conflict was driving her crazy.

Ah hell. I don’t know what to think,Clara thought.

She wasn’t sure what Dillon had felt and wished that she had the courage to ask him.

Clara thought that she could hear the conversation.

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