Amazed, page 20
“I assure you, nothing will happen to my Cassie that she doesn’t want to have happen,” Markos said. “I will protect her with my life, as would my family.”
“Well, in that case.” Miranda sighed. “I suppose dragons are acceptable when it comes to your protection, Cassie. Perhaps not quite as efficient as chameleons, but adequate.”
Markos turned and widened his eyes at Cassie, as if to ask whether she was joking or not. Cassie could have told him that Miranda did not joke around, but she was too busy trying to keep from laughing at the incredulous looks on all of the dragons’ faces.
“Tell me truly, Cassie,” Miranda said. “Are you truly happy then?”
“I am. I’ve found my place, and it may not be with the chameleons, but it is home.”
“All right then. I’m very happy for you. And I’m sure your parents will be relieved as well.”
Cassie doubted that. They’d never cared about her, not in the way they did Darren, who truly was a perfect chameleon. She’d be willing to bet he’d come all this way against their wishes, yet somehow with their blessing. He was a truly exceptional conman. He could charm the habit off a nun if he wanted to. He’d probably manipulated this entire visit, just to be sure she was safe and to con the council into acknowledging her freedom.
“Well, now that we know you’re okay, I guess we can head out,” Darren said.
“Or you could stay.” Cassie smiled at her brother. “There are plenty of hotel rooms available. You could stay tonight and head back tomorrow. I just received a shipment of Incognito that hasn’t even been opened yet.”
Darren grinned. “You know I never could resist your infamous Blasts.”
“And I’ll have an Iced Charm, if that’s okay,” Miranda said.
“You got it.” Cassie pulled away from Markos and grabbed a bottle of Incognito and several of the human brews Markos had scorned a while back. “Jackson? Bruno? Vanessa?”
“Just shots for me,” Jackson said.
Bruno nodded his agreement.
“Do you have anything from the other realms that you suggest, Cassie?” Vanessa asked.
Cassie grinned. “Oh, boy, do we!” As she got busy making everyone’s drinks, she chatted with Vanessa about some of the options and with her brother about what was going on in their respective lives since she’d walked away from the Coalition.
When Vanessa turned away to speak to one of the shifters, Cassie leaned over the bar and settled her hand on her brother’s. “I know what you’ve done for me, Darren, not just here today, but my entire life. I will always be grateful to have had such an amazing big brother watching out for me.”
Darren looked uncomfortable, as he always did with praise of any kind, but then he unbent enough to lean over and brush a kiss across her cheek. “Be happy, Cassie. That’s all I ask. Just be happy.”
Chapter Nine
“ARE YOU EVER going to share with me the secrets of your Coalition?” Markos asked. The bar was now closed, the employees had all gone home, the Coalition had checked into the hotel, and the two of them were sitting at a table, enjoying a drink together and some appetizers they’d scrounged up from the bar’s kitchen.
Cassie grinned at him. “What makes you think we have secrets?”
“Seriously? Did you not hear my family arguing about earth chameleons? Not one of us had any idea chameleons were in this realm since as far as we know, no dragon has encountered one in living memory.”
Cassie giggled.
“It’s an unbelievable feat, Cassie. Shepel came to get me while Yerel stayed to ensure your safety. We all believed you were being confronted by five dragons. Until you introduced Darren as your brother, I had no idea he was a chameleon. That’s unheard of.”
“But it’s what chameleons do. We blend. You even said that. I don’t understand why you’re so surprised.”
“Because chameleons don’t make very good dragons. It’s easy enough to seem dragon, but it’s incredibly hard to be one. But we truly believed they were dragons.”
“But that’s what we do.”
“I know, Cassie. And it usually works on most creatures of the realms, but I’m telling you, the longer a dragon is in the presence of a chameleon, the more convinced the dragon becomes that the dragon it scents is not really a dragon at all. I don’t know how else to explain it. We just know. Which is why it’s so weird that none of us knew, and even weirder still that after drinking with them all night long, if I didn’t know any better, I’d still think they were dragons.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. Humans are incredibly smart, so chameleons have to be completely and utterly perfect in this realm to achieve any level of con.”
Markos thought about that a moment. “Huh. That actually makes sense. Of all the non-paranormals in all the realms, humans are definitely the most innovative and resourceful. They aren’t held back by the limitations of their species, but instead are constantly seeking new heights. It would make sense that paranormals must be extra careful to avoid detection when among them. I’m disappointed though.”
“Why?”
“None of us can count you or your Coalition in the competition.”
“What? Why would you even want to?”
“Uhhh, because the competition is fierce and the winner gets a year’s supply of Dragon Flame? You have no idea how much Dragon Flame we can consume in a year. Not to mention the cost. It’s unreal!”
Cassie giggled. “So why can’t you count us then?”
“Because you’re my mate which means I had an unfair advantage.”
“You did?”
“It’s how I knew what you were. Mates can see through any illusion or disguise to the true nature of their other half.”
“I had no idea.”
“Yep, and none of us actually figured out the truth about the Coalition. We thought they were dragons. We didn’t see through their disguise so we can’t count them either.”
“No offense, but it seems like it would be pretty easy for a dragon to cheat in this competition.”
Markos looked horrified. “Cheat? There’s no honor in winning that way!”
Cassie sighed. “You have no idea how much your integrity is turning me on right now. You’re like the anti-chameleon and I absolutely love it.”
Markos’ eyes heated up, sending a zing of electricity down her spine. He stood quickly and held out his hand. “Ready to call it a night, love?”
Cassie set hers in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
He gave an extra tug at the end and she stumbled into him. He swept down and caught her lips in a passionate kiss that sent electrical charges whipping through them both.
“Coming through, coming through!”
Cassie broke away from Markos and watched as Travis and Max filed past, a giant chalkboard being dragged between the two of them. “Hold up. Is that—”
“The betting board from Shenanigans I?” Dan asked as he swept by with what seemed like the entire Shenanigans crew from both bars pouring in behind him. “Yep, yep, it is.”
“What on earth are you guys doing here? It’s three o’clock in the morning and the bar’s closed.”
“Sorry, Cassie,” Travis called from where he and Max were setting up their board next to hers. “Rules of the game. Winnings are to be distributed immediately.”
Cassie shook her head in exasperation. She glanced up at Markos and was surprised to see he was grinning, though she probably shouldn’t be. He was male, after all. She brushed a kiss across his cheek, murmured, “I’ll be right back,” and pushed her way through the crowd to where Travis stood. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”
“I’m not really sure how you’re going to solve this dilemma,” Glory said. “Cassie’s a chameleon and no one guessed that.”
“True,” Travis observed, looking at the boards. “And no one bet her asshole ex would reveal all in front of the bar.”
Cassie grinned at the description, but felt the need to clarify. “He’s not really my ex, seeing as we never actually went on a date.”
Travis waved a hand. “Semantics.”
“So who gets the money then?” Cole demanded, holding up an envelope stuffed full of cash.
Cassie walked over and grabbed the envelope from him. “Is this the money from Shenanigans I?”
“Yep.”
“Well, then, I propose it go to Travis.”
A roar of protest went up. “He’s the one who set up the betting board in the first place!”
“Yes, and if he wins, I’m taking half,” Glory announced. “After all, it’s my bar too.”
Cassie shook her head at Glory. “Sorry, but you weren’t the first one at your bar to figure out I’m a chameleon. That was Travis.”
Glory frowned.
“But we hadn’t even placed any bets when he figured things out!” Max protested.
“Yeah,” Pete agreed. “It’s because he figured it out that we set up the betting board in the first place.”
“Which means you were betting against him,” Cassie said. “So Travis wins.” She walked over to him and held out the envelope.
Phoenix intercepted it with a quick snatch and grab. She peeked inside and crowed, “Yes! This can buy a lot of eucalyptus leaves and Incognito!”
Travis rolled his eyes, but he had a huge grin on his face, so Cassie didn’t think he minded much.
“What about the money from Shenanigans II?” Shepel held up a similar envelope stuffed with cash. “And you can’t give it to Markos. He had an unfair advantage.”
“Well, then, I’ll just give it to Logan.” And she handed off the envelope to the fairy, who grinned.
“What? Why?” Markos scowled. “Cassie, that fairy’s a menace. Why would you give him money? It will only encourage him to hang around.”
Cassie grinned. “Because Logan’s the only one of the lot of you who’s known what I am from the minute we met.”
“Hey!” Markos exclaimed in protest.
“Sorry.” Cassie giggled. “You had an unfair advantage, so you don’t count.”
“The fairy shouldn’t count either.” Markos glared at Logan, who grinned back at him.
“Yeah, Logan didn’t even vote for chameleon,” Dan said. “He voted that you were a fairy like him.”
“He also claimed you were hiding your wings like any good fairy would,” Phoenix said. “Are you saying he lied to us?”
Cassie shrugged. “He was being kind, protecting my secret.”
“Why was it such a big secret anyway?” Lara asked. “You could have just told us.”
“Eh, chameleons aren’t exactly beloved the world over,” Karl said.
“Exactly,” Cassie said.
“But why not?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you’re perfectly nice, Cassie.”
Cassie grinned. “Thanks, but I’m not exactly the typical chameleon.”
Travis let out a bark of laughter. “You can say that again.”
“So what exactly does a chameleon do?” Phoenix asked. “Are you a shifter?”
“Not really,” Cassie said. “I mean, I could probably blend in with a group of actual lizards if I had to, but that’s not really what we do.”
“They’re masters at blending,” Markos explained.
“It’s why everyone always thinks I’m one of them. It’s rare that we get discovered. It usually only happens when people start talking about us with others, so there’s subtle magic in play that often keeps people from discussing what species they think a chameleon is.”
“That’s kind of cool,” Phoenix said. “So if you wanted to infiltrate a wolf den—”
“Well, I could definitely appear to be a wolf, but they would know I wasn’t one of their wolves, which might still get me killed.”
“Huh.”
“I mean, some of the magic’s just effortless, like blending in, but if I wanted to do something dangerous like infiltrate that den, I’d have to concentrate a bit more, try to take on the scent of specific wolves in the den, rather than just a generic wolf, if that makes sense.”
“So are chameleons spies and undercover cops then?” Harry asked.
Cassie and all the shifters burst into laughter.
“Not exactly,” Cassie giggled. “That’s what makes them so infuriating. Imagine how much good chameleons could do if they decided to solve crimes or protect people.”
Phoenix grinned. “They’re bad guys, aren’t they?”
Cassie groaned. “The worst. I don’t really understand why, but as far as I know, there isn’t a single chameleon in the history of the world who has chosen to use their gifts for the greater good. Instead, they use them to become the perfect criminals. It’s like we were born for a life of crime.”
Markos growled, “They were, maybe, but not you.”
“It’s the bear in you,” Glory announced. “It’s clearly superior to the chameleon.”
Max groaned. “Great. I’m never going to hear the end of this.”
“It’s the best piece of evidence I’ve ever gotten hold of, proving the superiority of bear genes,” Glory said. “It’s why I’m always right, Max, and you should just resign yourself to that reality.”
“It’s true,” Cassie said solemnly. “And when you add in the fact that Glory hasn’t been hindered by that pesky Y chromosome, you really don’t stand a chance against her, Max.”
The men all groaned while the women giggled.
“Here’s what I can’t get over,” Cole said, “the fact that we had no idea. I mean, you’ve worked at the bar for years, Cassie, and I never suspected you weren’t a cougar.”
“I didn’t either,” Dan agreed.
“I was so sure you were a witch,” Megan said.
Her sisters both nodded in agreement.
“You know what? I think I do deserve half that pot,” Glory said unexpectedly.
Phoenix huffed. “And why exactly is that?”
“I guessed she was a bear and it turns out I was right!”
“She’s mostly chameleon,” Phoenix said. “You heard Miranda. It’s been five generations!”
Cassie grinned. “That’s true. I’m only about seven percent bear at this point.”
“And yet, she’s more bear than chameleon,” Glory said. “Seven percent of bear is like ten thousand percent of any other species.”
Max groaned and rolled his eyes while Markos and the dragons all chuckled.
“Fine,” Phoenix said. “You can have seven percent of the winnings then.”
Glory rolled her eyes. “Just keep it. You can treat me to a drink at the bar one day.”
“Oooh, a couple shots of Incognito coming up.” Phoenix bolted toward the bar.
Glory raised an eyebrow. “Incognito?” She glared at her brother, Travis. “So that’s how you figured it out. That’s totally cheating!”
Travis just grinned.
“Drinks on me,” Logan announced, sending up a cheer.
Cassie sighed. “It looks like we’re not shutting down anytime soon.”
Markos grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders. “I’m pretty sure Glory, Travis and Phoenix can handle this crowd if you want to sneak out.”
Cassie faced him and jumped up, hitching her legs around his hips and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She settled her forehead against his and stared into his eyes. “I’m ready when you are, my lightning love.”
“Ah, Cassie, mate of my soul.” He tilted his head and captured her lips in a searing kiss. “Let’s go home.” Markos turned and headed for the door, lightning zipping back and forth between them.
As they moved past the various tables, Cassie caught bits and pieces of conversations along the way.
“Hey, Lily, when are you going to take us on this tour of room thirteen?”
“Logan, don’t encourage her. How many times do I have to tell you? There’s no such room in this hotel.”
“Do you honestly think that was a good idea?”
“Well, Lily’s the one who hired me to cast the spell, so I guess she gets to decide when to take it down.”
“I heard there’s a ghost in this hotel.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Glory! Everyone knows there’s no such thing as ghosts!”
Then they were in the hallway and it was blessedly silent.
Cassie broke their kiss and leaned away so that she could look in Markos’ eyes. They stood in the silence of the hotel hallway for a long moment, then they both burst into laughter.
“I shouldn’t be laughing,” Cassie giggled.
“How can we not?” Markos asked. “What’s that earth saying? It’s either laugh or cry?”
Cassie nodded. “Yep, that’s the one.”
“Right. Well, I have a feeling things are going to get out of hand around here fast.”
It’s a season full of shenanigans in Holidazed!
Grab your copy today.
Thank you for reading
Please consider leaving a review on
your favorite book site.
Discover more stories by Pepper at
www.peppermcgraw.com
If you would like to be notified of Pepper’s new releases,
please sign up here.
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Pepper McGraw publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-P-JYWH-MBAOB
https://books2read.com/r/B-P-JYWH-MBAOB
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
Did you love Amazed? Then you should read Holidazed by Pepper McGraw!
An anthology of the final four books in the SHENANIGANS series.Kitty Sweet's been a cat for a while now. Long enough to have forgotten her real name and form, which is a bit of a problem now that she's finally met the man of her dreams in SPOOKY SHENANIGANS. Luckily, the witches have a plan, if only they can keep room thirteen under wraps and the poltergeist from stirring the cauldron, of course.It was just supposed to be a one-night stand. Instamate and babies weren't on the menu. So why is Adam's one-night stand wandering around on pack lands, a ridiculous pink poodle at her side? Even worse, how has she managed to con the women of his pack (not to mention, his mother!) into adopting them both? Things are getting completely out of hand in HOLIDAY SHENANIGANS.Every year, it's the exact same thing: sweethearts, love spells and all kinds of romantic shenanigans. Well, as far as Val's concerned, that's all on hiatus this year because she's going on vacation in VALENTINE SHENANIGANS. Of course, the year's romances may all fizzle and burn in her absence, but no matter. This V-Day, Val's not bringing the romance along.Darren's a chameleon who understands the value of a good con, which is how he knows the leprechauns are up to no good in LUCKY SHENANIGANS. Now he has to somehow protect his sister and her friends from the trickiest leprechaun of them all, a woman he's beginning to suspect is his destined mate.It's an eventful holiday season, one that will leave the Shenanigans crew feeling completely HOLIDAZED.
