Karen Whiddon – Tempting The Dragon (страница 13)

“It isn’t like Di to just disappear,” Jade mused. “Unless she’s pulling some sort of stunt for attention.” Attention appeared to be the one thing Diamond couldn’t seem to get enough of. Add to that the fact that several of Di’s close friends had done this exact same thing, and Jade figured they considered it a trend or something. Jade had never pretended to understand how her cousin or her friends thought.

Amber’s frown deepened. “You do have a point, but I can’t see her willingly causing her mother this much worry. Something must have happened to her.” She took a deep breath. “Will you help?”

“Of course. What would you like me to do?” When her mother raised her gaze, Jade knew. It always came down to this. Anytime someone had a problem, the family sent Jade to talk to Libby. To be fair, they had no choice, as Jade was the only person Libby would speak to.

When Libby agreed to respond to Jade’s questions, her answers were always correct. Not seventy-five percent of the time, or ninety. But one-hundred-percent, every-single-time correct. Worse, when Libby went into one of her trances, she’d relay to Jade her visions. Often, these were ten times more vivid than any dream.

Of course, the family knew Jade had magic, though they erroneously assumed she could do more with it than she could. And everyone regarded Libby as a Seer as well as a lake creature. Because there was no way any normal person could have all the answers. Only those who had been caretakers before her knew the truth. Amber knew. The magic was real and special. Because Libby wasn’t a normal person, or even a normal shape-shifter. She was one of a kind. Maybe the last of her kind. And Jade believed fervently that Libby didn’t deserve to be bothered with small stuff.

Jade had gotten to the point of hating to have to ask favors of Libby. She wasn’t sure her cousin Di taking off for a few days warranted asking for magic.

“Please,” her mother pleaded, correctly interpreting Jade’s hesitation. “Your Auntie Em specifically asked me to ask you since you and she are so close. She knows your connection to Libby. If I still had the ability, I’d ask her myself.”

And therein lay the problem. No way could Jade say no now. Not to a worried-sick parent and her favorite aunt. Even if her cousin was a little bit...wild. Jade wondered if her aunt Emerald knew that several others in the crowd Di ran around with had taken off at various intervals for a few days, only to reappear suddenly, acting like nothing had happened.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Grabbing her stainless steel coffee mug, she poured one more cup, keeping herself busy as she added cream and sugar, and stirring.

“When?” Amber pressed. “Can you run out there this morning?”

Reminding herself that her mother felt a sense of urgency even if Jade did not, Jade sighed. “Remember, you asked me to open up your store for you?”

“I can take care of that.” Amber stretched. “I feel much more rested. So you’ll talk to Libby today.”

Jade nodded. “Yes, of course. After I get DOL open and make sure my employees show up, I’ll head on out to the lake.”

“Oh, thank you.” Amber gave a wan smile over the rim of her coffee cup. “Let me call Em. She’ll be so relieved.”

Jade slipped out of the room as her mother turned away to make the call. What was Diamond up to? While of course Jade hoped her cousin was all right, if this disappearance was some sort of prank, Jade would let the younger girl have a stern lecture. The time had come for that girl to grow up and start thinking of others besides herself.

At least they had Libby. Either way, she knew Libby would be able to help.

Pushing away the bad mood that now threatened to ruin her day, Jade took deep breaths and willed herself to return to the calm, serene happiness she’d felt earlier while having her first cup of coffee. She had to get the doggy day care up and running for the day and no one could be out of sorts around dogs. The thought made her smile. It seemed the pups could always sense emotional distress and would work extra hard with wiggles, wagging tails and doggy kisses to cajole a smile or a laugh.

As a shape-shifter, sometimes she thought the dogs sensed the inner wolf inside her. Other times, she guessed they didn’t even have a clue.

Arriving at DOL, she hurried inside and unlocked the door. Inside, she went from room to room, flipping on lights as she passed through. She checked to make sure both the indoor and outdoor play areas were clean and ready. After she’d made sure the gates were closed and the toys put up, she was ready. Dusting her hands off on her jeans, she smiled as she heard the sound of a car pulling up. The day had just begun.

Some days, her morning crew barely beat the first of the dogs. People liked to drop off Fido or Lucy before work and pick them up after. After a day of play with the other dogs, by the time the client returned to collect their pet, the animal was exhausted in a happy way. People loved it, the dogs had a great time and everyone won. Jade laughed out loud sometimes when she realized what a terrific job she had.

By the time the sun shone in the cloudless blue sky, Jade had a packed house. Her employees were already outside in the play yards, which were segregated due to dog size. Happiness colored the air, making the place practically sparkle with joy—on the faces of both dogs and people.

She didn’t want to leave. How many people could say that about their jobs? Still, duty called.

“I’ve got to go run an errand,” she told Sue, her most long-term employee. “Keep an eye on things until I get back, okay?”

Sue nodded, her short gray pixie cut swinging. “Are you going to...the lake?” Her hushed, almost reverent tone made Jade smile. Everyone acted as if visiting Libby was some sort of sacred duty. Which in a way, it was, she supposed. Though not like the others appeared to think. She didn’t bring offerings of food, though occasionally she’d take out a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses for the two of them to share. There were no rituals involved, no magic. Nothing but a little conversation. If Libby happened to be swimming as her beast, she’d emerge from the lake and shift into her human form, heading into the small cabin she occupied year-round. There, she’d put on one of the numerous dresses she owned, some of them reminiscent of years gone by. She’d brew a pot of tea, and she and Jade would hang out.

Hanging out with the lake creature. Who knew what people would think if they realized? She supposed the shape-shifters in town wouldn’t be surprised, but the humans would be simply flabbergasted. As far as they were concerned, the lake creature was a myth, like bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. Long ago, the local shifters had made it law to keep Libby’s existence a secret from the rest of the world. This, they reasoned, was the only way to protect her.

Until Rance had shown up, this law had worked for decades.

Today Jade would take the proper precautions to make sure she wasn’t followed—Rance Sleighter immediately came to mind—and drive out to the lake to have a chat with Libby. She hated to have to ask the other woman to access her prophetic abilities, but she would. She had to ask about Diamond vanishing.

Until she knew more, Jade decided not to say anything about her cousin’s disappearance to anyone outside of the family. News—aka gossip—traveled fast in a town this size.

“Yes, I am going to the lake.” Her grin widened at Sue’s gasp. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

* * *

Though showing up again at Burnett House unannounced would have Jade Burnett considering him a major pain in the ass, Rance hadn’t gotten to be an excellent photojournalist by worrying about annoying people. Plus, if he were completely honest with himself, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Jade and her exotic green eyes. He’d actually caught himself viewing the photos he’d taken of her again and again. Even if he hadn’t been chasing a story, he knew he had to see her again.

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