I opened the door to my bedroom and walked back out into the living room to the sight of Cody's strong back as he stared out of the sliding glass doors. The snug shirt he wore gave an excellent view of the delicious expanse of muscles underneath.
"Here's your jacket," I said, laying it on the couch where he'd been sitting. "I'll think about whether or not I'll take your job. Like I mentioned, bring whatever information you have tomorrow. I'd like to know what I might be searching for." The last time someone had held back info, the person I'd love had died...and that part definitely was my fault, whether I wanted it to be true or not.
But I couldn't keep beating myself up over past failures. I’d learned a very hard lesson, and someone I'd loved had paid the price. Now I was hopefully smarter, and maybe I'd be more aloof about relationships in the future, especially when they intersected my career. For better or worse, I was a treasure hunter. This was my living, and I needed to stop hiding from it.
"Thanks." He turned to face me, and took a few steps to cross the space between the window and where I stood by the couch. "I didn't catch your name before...?" He held out his hand to me, and I looked at it a moment before accepting his.
"My name is Morgana. Since you found out about me, I would've thought that you might know that already." Shrugging a shoulder, I grabbed my notepad from the end table and flipped to a blank page to jot down my number.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He gave me a roguish grin, and I caught myself melting a little. "Someone told me about you through e-mail. They didn't know who you were, just that there was someone who finds things that lived in these cabins by the creek."
"Good to know." I raised both of my eyebrows, surprised that I'd managed to get a reputation among people in town. Who was talking about me? Who would come looking for me once they knew my talents? The idea concerned me. If Cody had found out about me, then other, less savory types might as well.
He nodded. "It's all good. No worries."
Still, my feeling of unease didn't go away. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow at four o'clock. How about Woodland Creek Coffee?" I forced a smile.
Cody grabbed his jacket from the couch and nodded. "Yeah, sounds great. I'll be there." The atmosphere of the room shifted, as if he could sense my discomfort. He turned away from me, and I followed him to the door.
After seeing him off, I decided to call Kevin back. He probably wouldn't be going to bed anytime soon. He always claimed he did his best work in the wee hours of the morning. But it was better that I see what he wanted sooner, rather than later. He'd sounded too relieved when I'd picked up. That meant something.
The phone rang and rang and rang. Of course, he wasn’t answering. I sighed. It figured. He was probably back in his basement with his earbuds in again. It was any wonder he could still hear with how loud he played them.
I dropped onto the couch and brought my knees up to my chest. Cody's smile had dazzled me in a way no other guy had since Ezra. He'd been the one for me. For me to have any shred of emotions kind of scared me, but maybe it was good to feel again. I didn't want to be the hollow shell of a woman that I’d been when I'd come home from South America.
Chapter Eight
Morgana
I arrived a little early for my meeting with Cody. I'd wanted to gather my thoughts before seeing him again. Last night, I hadn't been fully on my game. The conversation with Kevin and the hard flight had both thrown me off. I needed to brush it all off and think about the work. I'd gone into isolation before to keep myself from getting hurt again, but now I thought that if I could throw myself back into my work, I might start healing.
Granted, this might not be the best return to treasure hunting, but at least it was something. My usual contacts had dried up a little after I'd fallen off the grid. If I showed them I was back, I could get my spot back. And if I wanted to pay my bills, I needed this job.
Woodland Creek Coffee was located in Old Town. Its atmosphere was cozy and quaint. Kind of like the town itself, which was charming in its own way, with everything one could possibly need. That was one of the reasons I enjoyed living here, even if I didn't roam around town often. People sipped their coffees as they read their books, used their computers, or just gossiped. Two people glanced up as I entered, but most kept their attention elsewhere.
I wasn't really one for coffee, so I ordered a hot chocolate before claiming a quiet spot in a corner away from the other patrons. When Cody got here, I wanted some semblance of privacy, even though I knew the town had other shifters. Old Town was the go-to locale for magical beings. The only way we'd get true privacy would be to go back to my house, but last night had been so awkward. I didn't trust myself to have him back there.
The steamy dreams I'd had of him made heat warm my face despite the cool weather outside. Cody seemed like a nice guy. I didn't want him to get tangled up with me.
My phone buzzed, and I looked down at it to see I'd gotten a new e-mail from another potential client. When it rained it poured, it seemed. My thumb hovered over the e-mail icon, but just then the door chimed to signal a new arrival. Cody. I quickly slid the phone into my purse, knowing I'd be able to check it later.
He sauntered over to the table first, sliding that mass of well-defined muscle into the chair before me. I bit my lower lip, hating the shift in my thoughts. Like he was some hunky piece of...man. I shook my head.
"Hey, Morgana. I hope you weren't waiting too long. I got a later start than I'd planned. I dropped off my books at my dorm room before heading over, and my roommate felt like talking."
"No problem." I hadn't realized he had that far of a walk, or I would've met him closer to his campus. Not that there seemed to be much over there, but I guess it didn't matter now. "Are you going to order something before we get started?" I nodded to the counter where a young barista watched us, or more likely him, while we talked. I looked away from her, because if I didn't, I might march over there and get in her face. Couldn't she see that we were together here? Of course, not as a couple. No. Just business.
"Yeah, if you don't mind, I think I will." He headed over to the counter, and I watched him go, grimacing at the fact that my eyes raked over him the way his had done to me last night, resting on his perfectly molded backside. He glanced over his shoulder at me, and I caught his grin. How had he known I'd been staring? I turned back to the table, fixing my gaze on my cooled hot chocolate as heat burned my cheeks. How freaking embarrassing...
I reached into my purse for my phone to check the e-mail, when he came back to the table with a coffee and two pastries. He set one in front of me, and I looked up in surprise. I was never one to turn away a pastry, though.
He took a sip of his coffee before reaching for the backpack at his side. "This is what I could find on the artifact. We didn't have any pictures of it directly, but there are a couple sketches from some book on Native American shamanism." He sighed. "Sorry I couldn't come up with anything more precise. But I went back to the forest and took a couple of pictures of the damage with my phone." He slid an orange folder toward me, and I peeked inside to see some photocopies from a book and a few printed pictures of what looked like the aftermath of a bomb going off in a clearing...or a tornado, except with glitter and Christmas tinsel? That startled me a little. From the large collection of boulders, it seemed to be near the area where I’d found the golden ball the other night.
He wasn't my usual clientele, but I could tell this talisman meant a lot to him. However, I had bills. Would he be able to pay me for my time? I hoped we’d be able to work something out. I couldn't disregard his problem on the basis of payment alone, especially seeing the devastation done to that section of the forest. If whoever wielded the artifact used it in the town, people could get hurt, and I wouldn't have that on my conscience. Besides, his parents could have money... It was a family artifact after all. But he’d said they were rebuilding after the tornado. I wasn't heartless.
Cody sat back in his chair, watching me as if he searched for something in my face. I guess I didn't blame him since I'd been pretty reluctant to work for him last night. I still wasn't sure that this was something I wanted to get into, but it was the right thing to do. As long as I didn't have anyone else around who might get hurt, I would make sure to protect those in need from what might happen if the talisman was activated again. It didn't matter what happened to me. I’d survived unfortunate situations before.
"So, what do you think?" he asked when I'd let the silence between us carry on longer than I probably should have. "Will you take me on?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it, searching for words. "Yes, I'll do it." After I took another sip of my hot chocolate, I slid him a form I gave all my clients. "Sign and e-mail this to me at your convenience. Once that's done, I'll get to work."
He jerked upward in his chair as if shocked by my answer. Before I knew what he was doing, he pulled a pen from his pocket and skimmed the page quickly, before signing it right there. I grimaced at his eagerness, but maybe I'd be the same way in his position. When he slid it back my way, I folded it in thirds before putting it in my purse. "Great. I'll get started today." I lowered my voice to make sure no one around could easily overhear, and tapped the folder. "Do you have the coordinates of where this happened?"
He frowned and shook his head. "No. I didn't think to look them up, but I could take you by there if you want."
The thought of spending more time with him was appealing, especially in a place where we wouldn't be under the watchful eye of the barista, but I shook away his offer. If whoever had done that sort of magic was still around, I didn't want him to be in any more danger than necessary. "No, that's okay. I'm sure I'll find it."
"You're sure?" He raised an eyebrow at me as if I was crazy.
I was kind of used to that.
As a Raven shifter, I could cover a helluva lot more ground than any person on two legs. My position in the sky granted me a broad panorama of the forest in great detail with my raven's eyesight. We were used to going on less information than what he'd provided. Besides, I'd been near that area during my previous flight, so I knew approximately where to go.
He shifted in his chair as if anxious. His eyes darted around the room, and I spotted a wizard from one of the founding families. I could never remember their names, probably because I wasn't sure I wanted to get mixed up with them. Magic and mayhem weren't high on my list of things to mess with, given my history.
"Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand over his before I realized what I was doing.
He froze and looked at me in the eye. Something was different there, a little more primal than it had been. I cocked my head to the side, my raven flapping her wings in frustration. "Sorry." I started to pull away, but he held onto my hand.
"I'm okay. I just get a little antsy when I'm indoors for too long." He smiled, but it was a toothy grin that spoke of some fanged animal rather than the cool, calm guy I'd met last night.
For a moment, I considered pulling away a little more strongly, but I knew he wasn't trying to intimidate me. Perhaps he wasn't human. I couldn’t decide if I thought he was something more. I was intrigued, but it wasn't my place to ask, especially not here in front of all these people. While the supernatural was an open secret around town, I didn't know if he was open with that side of him or not.
"Mind if we get out of here and take a walk?" he asked. "I could use some fresh air."
Glancing back toward the counter at the nosy barista, I nodded, taking my paper cup of half-drunk hot chocolate with me. I could use some air too. Too bad people didn't look kindly upon women stripping naked and turning into ravens in the middle of town, or I wouldn't have need for a car. My natural form was a much more efficient method of travel. Although, there was something about those powerful machines. I looked to my black Dodge Charger, parked in front of the coffee shop, and smiled. Just because I preferred flying didn't mean I couldn't enjoy earthly luxuries.
We walked along the sidewalk on Old High Street, past a tattoo shop, the real estate office, and a bookshop. A companionable silence stretched between us. We cut across the road and behind the Pond & Duck Restaurant to a walking path that circled the lake. He didn't say much as we watched the ducks quack at us, but neither did I.
"So," I said, finally breaking the silence between us midway around the lake. "Anything else you can think of regarding this talisman?" I glanced to my right at him. My gaze zeroed in on the way his shirt clung to his muscles. I couldn't fight my growing attraction for him, even if it was the last thing I wanted.
Focus on the job, not on him.
He shrugged. "No. Just be careful." Something in the way he said that made me pause. Perhaps he cared about what might happen to me… Or I could be hunting for something scarier than I realized.
Chapter Nine
Cody
After seeing Morgana stare at the barista more than a few times, I knew she was growing as uncomfortable in the coffee shop as I was. The wizard and other magical beings in there set me on edge when we were discussing such a sensitive subject. Besides, my coyote couldn't stop drooling over how beautiful Morgana looked today in her tight black empire waist top and blue jeans that hugged her every curve. It was all I could do to keep my mind on the subject. I should've been concentrating on getting back the talisman, but I really just wanted to know if she had a boyfriend.