“You’ll text so that I know you’re okay?” Genuine concern radiates from him.
I nod again. “Absolutely.” I shouldn’t be doing this without a partner. It’s dangerous. What choice do I have?
“You have a key to the door, use it, I’m heading to bed early.” He yawns behind his hand. “It’s been a long day.”
“I will. I’ll stay until eleven, and then I’ll head to the motel for some shut-eye. I’ll be back bright and early.” That’s how I’ve been running this operation. I stay an hour or two after Lyre goes to bed, and I’m back an hour before he wakes up in the morning. Unfortunately, he’s an early riser, so I’m here before the birds start tweeting. I hold back a yawn.
“Maybe you…” He pushes out a breath. “Do you want to crash in my spare room? I don’t like the idea of you driving up and down. It’s not safe.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. “I can take care of myself. I have my guns and my knife and my hands.” I hold them up. I’m not staying here…with him. That would be…it would be inappropriate.
“Guns…plural.” He has this humorous glint in his eyes. “Even after I broke your Glock?”
I smile. He has a good memory. “Yes, plural.”
He looks surprised. “You’re badass, Morgan.”
I can’t help but smile at the compliment. “Exactly. I’ll be just fine. I’ll catch the harpy for you. Dinner was great.”
“I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.”
I shake my head. “You’re going to turn me soft. Keep the blinds closed and the curtains drawn.”
“I will,” he says.
I walk to the stairs and start going down.
“Just coffee, then,” he yells after my retreating back.
“I can’t say no to coffee,” I respond. I don’t raise my voice. I know he will hear me. I check through the front windows first, careful not to alert anyone outside. Then I head to the back and do the same there. When I’m fairly sure all is clear, I go out of the rear door and onto the beach. I don’t immediately head back to my lookout spot. I pull out my phone and dial a number I haven’t called in a while.
“Morgan,” Tom answers; there is an urgency in his voice. “You finally returned my calls.”
“Hi, Tom,” I say.
“Where the hell are you? Please tell me your calling means you’ve come to your senses and are coming back.”
“Not until I have her.”
“If you come back now, I might still be able to save your job,” he pushes.
“I don’t care about the job. I don’t care about anything but making this right.” Tom starts to say something, but I talk over him.
“I don’t have too much time,” I say. “I’m calling for information.”
“You’re suspended…about to be fired, I can’t give you anything. I can’t!”
“I’m calling you, Tom, not the Order. Not my boss. You!”
There is a long pause. I can hear him breathing, as well as some background noises. Otherwise, I might think he dropped the call. “Okay,” he finally says. “What do you need?”
“Have you ever heard of a dragon demigod?”
“A what?”
I thought so. I like Lyre. I want to trust him. I need to know more about him in order to do that. “A dragon demigod,” I repeat. Tom has been a part of the Order for years. He’s seen it all.
“Why? What’s happening?”
“Please just answer the question. I’m not with the Order, but I do need to know what you know about this species.”
“Sounds like a hybrid, and I know those exist.” I can hear he’s thinking it through. “I’ve never heard of that particular hybrid.”
Damn!
“I have heard of demigods,” he adds.
“Oh, okay. Tell me more,” I say.
“Yep, before your time. Ran into a couple fifteen years ago…might be more.”
“And?” I chew on my bottom lip.
“It was a long time ago. There were so few cases.”
“You must have something for me.” I try not to sound desperate. “What are they like?”
“They can go both ways. There were cases where we exterminated, and cases where we left alone. It’s been a while, Morgan. Have you run into a hybrid?”
At least I know that demigods exist. Hybrids exist, as well. So, for me, him being a dragon demigod is highly likely. I just don’t know how his type of hybrid species is wired. Lyre doesn’t strike me as the type that needs exterminating, but I can’t let down my guard, since you never know.
“If you’ve found one of these hybrids, you need to call it in officially. Let us handle it,” he says. “Better yet, come back and let’s get you cleared so that you can go—”
“No!” I say. “I’m not coming back until I finish this.”
“You’re throwing away everything, Morgan. Andy wouldn’t want this.”
My heart squeezes tight. My chest actually hurts. “I need to go, Tom. Thanks for your help.”
“I managed to get some info for you on harpies, that’s why I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Well, one of the reasons.”
“You should have left me a message.” I try not to sound frustrated.
“I don’t like leaving messages. I’m a one-on-one person, you know that.”
It’s true, I do. I make a noise of agreement.
“I ran into a buddy of mine, he used to be a Seeker, retired a couple of years back. He said he encountered a harpy back in the day.”
“Really?” I feel my chest expand and contract; my heart is galloping in my chest. “What did he say?”
“Just that they can be persuasive. He said…” He sighs. “I’m trying to think of the word he used. Um….” He pauses for a few beats, and I want to pull my hair out. “Seductress or temptress…I think it was one of those. Said they’re really good. Good enough to make men stupid. When I tried to get more from him, he clammed up.” He takes a breath. “I get the distinct impression he may have fallen victim. He said that women were far less vulnerable, so that’s good as far as you’re concerned. You never know, though,” he quickly adds sounding animated. “You need to be really careful, Morgan. Don’t approach this hybrid either.”
Too late for that!
“Don’t trust it,” he adds. “Let us—”
“Thanks for all the help,” I say. “I need to go, Tom. Bye.” I end the call, pulling in a deep breath. Is he right? Am I being a fool? No! I just need to be careful. I need to stay on my guard. I’m glad I managed to convince Lyre to let me stay. Especially after what Tom told me about the harpy, who is coming back. I slowly make my way back to my lookout point. All is quiet, but it’s not going to last. I’ll bet good money on that. I’ll bet money I don’t even have, that’s how sure I am.
11
Two days later…
Lyre