Page 10 of Tank

“You’re much calmer than I’ve ever seen you.” He told him that he was in love. “Already? That’s fantastic. I can’t wait to meet my mate. Do you suppose there is one out there for me, too?”

“I have to believe that. Otherwise, I’d be depressed about myself finding one, and you didn’t.” They talked about the things going on in the office and how much more work they were finding when Ace asked him if he wanted to get lunch. “Yes. Do you want me to go and get it? It’s cold out, but I don’t seem to mind it as much as you do. I can be there and back in no time.”

“That would be great.” As soon as they figured out what they wanted, he called the Dairy Bar and ordered. He would be able to pick it up without having to wait for it, and they’d be back to work faster. There was so much going on that they wanted to keep on top of it so that they didn’t get behind again. As soon as he got back, they ate and then cleaned up their mess. It was turning out to be a good day for them.

Tank decided that he was going to try to get the others to call him Sherman. It was a name that he’d never been called but by Serenity. He liked the way that it spilled over her lips and the way she made him sound less like an old, retired football player, like he was. Had his knee not blown out like it had, there is no telling what sort of life he would have had as an athlete.

However, now that he could shift into his other self, something that he loved more than anything else, his knee didn’t bother him anymore, and he was able to get around better than he’d ever been able to. Not only that, but it seemed to him that his whole body was in better shape than it had been because he’d been given extra magic. Magic that he was still discovering daily.

“Can you change your clothing at will?” He told his brother that he could and thought that was the best sort of magic. “Not having to change every time I get something on my clothing sounds like something that I’d enjoy as well. I have to stay clean and pressed while on this job. It’s why I keep another shirt and tie here all the time. It’s so I can look good for the part of mayor.”

“I have the same thing.” The two of them laughed. “I find myself messier now that I can change into something else. I don’t know if I told Serenity that. I hope it doesn’t freak her out the first time it happens to her. Surely she would have told me if something like that happened.”

“More than likely. Since she is in the clothing design business, she must look neat and well-groomed every day.” He said that she wore just jeans and a sweater unless she had to present something to someone. “I would imagine that she does a good job, or she’d not be able to go back after taking time off.”

“I don’t know. I’ve asked her about it, but she blows me off. I think she’s embarrassed about how well she does. That’s what I get out of it anyway.” He thought about how she’d been working until midnight last night while talking to him. “I know that she works hard. She works from her apartment, too. Did I tell you that she’s looking for a place to buy while in New York? It must be hard to find places there. She said that she’s been saving her money since she moved there. Places like she wants cost upwards of a million dollars or more.”

“Christ. And we were complaining about having to pay for our house at only fifty grand when we bought it all those years ago.” Ace shook his head before he continued. “Do you suppose she’ll want to live around here? It’s nothing like New York. All the fast-moving and such doesn’t happen around here.”

“We’ve been talking about it. Like I said, she can work anywhere and get her designs done, but she might miss all the nightlife when around here.” He thought about their last conversation.

She told him that she’d worked hard to get to where she was and wasn’t going to give it up because he wanted her to. He was still having a hard time getting her to believe him when he said he wasn’t going to rule her around. He’d just have to prove it to her when the time came. He could live anywhere with her. He’d miss his family for sure, but it was only a plane ride away when he wanted to visit.

They worked in their different offices until four. Ace was headed home because he had dinner with some of the ladies who called themselves the Sewing Basket. They made blankets that they sold for money to the public. The money, the profit anyway, went to the flower and basket fund for the summer and fall baskets around town. They’d been donating money to the fund for the last decade, and they wanted some kind of recognition. Ace loved to go to those kinds of dinners, and he was happy that he got to go. By five, he was ready to call it a day, too.

“I was wondering something.” He smiled when he heard from Serenity. “Will I be marked in any way? I mean, will I have to be branded so that people know that I’m a dragon and that I’m mated to someone?”

“Not that I’m aware of. I’ve never been marked. Other shifters will know what you are. Humans might guess that you’re a shifter, but they won’t know what you are. Why do you ask? Have you been marked?” She said that she hadn’t, but didn’t want to be marked anywhere it would show while she was working. “I understand that. I’ve never heard of anyone being marked by their mates. I know that sometimes we bite during sex, but that heals quickly and doesn’t leave a mark.”

“Biting during sex? How does that work? Is it painful?” He said that he’d never bitten anyone before. But he would imagine that it would be somewhat. “I guess since you mate for life, you wouldn’t have met your mate until me. That makes sense.”

“Before I forget again. You can change your clothing at will. I wouldn’t do it out in the open unless it’s an emergency, but when you get up in the morning or whatever, you can just think about what you want to wear, and you have it on. It doesn’t matter if it’s jeans and a shirt or a formal gown.” She must have tried it because she was laughing when she got back to him. “It’s pretty nice to be able to do that. I’ve been making sure I’m neat too while I’m at work today.”

“I can see all kinds of things that I could use it for. If I want to see a design that I’ve been working on, then all I’d have to do is think about it. This is going to come in handy.” He said that he’d never thought about something like that. “I’m going to use it all the time. I hope there’s no limit on it.”

“Not that I know of. No one has ever mentioned it before.” He was going to ask Kings as he had been chosen as king of their kind a while back, but had decided that he didn’t want the job. “I’ll ask around and see what I can find out. I doubt it, but you never know with magic.”

“Let me know what it is you find out. I’d hate to get used to something like this only to have it go away.” She laughed a little. “Being your mate might have better perks than I thought. Magic is kind of cool, don’t you think?”

“I’ve had it all my life and am only just getting used to using it. I love the fact that I can bring things to me and change my clothing.” She said that she’d made herself a cup of tea yesterday and had only used her hands to heat up the water. “Now that’s something I’m going to have to try. I could blow on it before to get the kettle hot, but I never thought of using my hands to make it work.”

They talked while she made her dinner and he cleaned up his room. He wasn’t sloppy or anything, but there were times when he would leave things out that needed to be put away. Just as he was hanging up his coat, she said that she was tired and had to get some sleep. He told her that it was only five more days before they saw each other again and had some decisions to make. She said that she had a list of things, too, that she thought were better for a face-to-face conversation.

“I’m looking forward to it.” After closing the connection, he finished up in his bedroom and went to the kitchen to find himself something to eat. They had staff living in the mayor’s house, and he enjoyed not having to cook for himself. But tonight the cook had been off, and he had to forage for himself. There was plenty that he could cook, but he didn’t want to. Getting dressed in something warmer, he made his way to the Den and decided to have a good burger and fries for dinner.

He wasn’t surprised to find Kings there with his mate. The two of them had been out inspecting other places that needed to be upgraded around town so that they could tell Ace about it. They were helpful in making sure to keep on top of things, and he was delighted to know that they were thrilled with the projects they could see going on.

“We walked by the pool and couldn’t believe how far along it is. By May, they said they’d start filling it so that it would be ready for the summer fun. And I was glad to see so many lifeguard stands up too.” They had run an ad that said that if you wanted to be a lifeguard, they’d pay for the training and hire you on at the pool. They were getting paid too, and that was a big bonus for them. They had twenty-six teenagers sign up for the training and were happy that they’d have enough workers for the summer rush. “Another thing that I couldn’t believe looked good was the outside of the senior center. Getting all those bushes trimmed back and the building painted did a good job on it. I was surprised that it had so many windows in the place, too. That must be nice for them to have all that sunshine coming in.”

“They have a new furnace as well as an oversized air conditioner. It was difficult to cool the place off when it was really hot out. And we didn’t want our citizens to be too hot while hanging out together.” He asked how that was paid for. “A little bit came out of the Citizens fund, but most of it was grants. We also got a small business loan at a low interest rate to redo the kitchen. It was in terrible shape because no one cared about it. Now it looks brand new.”

“You’ve done so much for the town that I sometimes have to remind myself that you’ve only been here for about six months or so.” He corrected him. “That long? Christ, I had no idea that it had been that long since we got in contact with you through the DNA company.”

Tank had gotten something in the mail that asked if they wanted to find out who they were related to. It was for shifters, so that didn’t come up as strange when they saw their blood was different from humans. But it had come back that they were related to the Savage dragons, even though that was their last name too. They were distant cousins, but it never seemed to bother the others how far distant relatives they were. They had brought them under their wings, so to speak, and had brought them into their lives. It was the best decision that he thought that he’d ever made by sending it in.

While he joined them for dinner, they talked about the things that were going on around town. Not only was the pool going to be ready by summer, but the pool house with snacks was going to be going up soon, too. All it took was a few grants, to get plus some low-interest loans, and the town was looking good. Even the sidewalks were looking better than they had in a while, and that was good too.

After having a nice dinner with Kings and Skye, they parted ways. He had things that needed his attention, and there were things that he could put off until tomorrow. When he got back home, tired all of a sudden, he went to his room to get ready for bed. It was only nine o’clock, but he’d been up most of the night last night talking with Serenity. Smiling, he pulled the covers off the bed and flopped down on the mattress. He thought that he’d be awake for a while, but was fast asleep even before his head hit the pillow. Christ, he was tired.