Their meeting, their tentative friendship, their budding romance and then the sky falling down on him and discovering the legend of the dragons was real, not just real, that they were people and his mother was one of them.
This was so fucked up.
He stared at the passing trees lining the road winding through the mountains. He was so fucked up.
His father’s words steam rolled over everything else. They had elicited so much turmoil in him he couldn’t speak beyond, “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
It was all he could say, again and again. The shock had hit him so hard, and he could see how much it pained Jonathan.
It ripped into his father to have kept this secret from him—that there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn’t a secret he’d ever wanted to keep but held it alone for all of these years while they both grieved the loss of her.
All through their meeting with Mrs. Wolf, she reminded him of Elora in so many ways. He was in a fog.
He needed time to process it. All of it. But there wasn’t time.
Dusk fell as they drove along the winding tree-lined roads to town. It was fully dark when they parked the car outside a club that was already lit up, with patrons lined up at the door. Odson brought them in through the back where the bass of the music beat through the walls and along the floors of offices and kitchens at the back of the building.
“Through here,” Odson said, pulling open a door to music and flashing lights which assaulted their senses.
The place was already full. The hair on his nape rose. He’d spent enough time in clubs to know this one was different. The atmosphere was charged. Odson was unfazed; he worked here, this was natural for him. Kymri and Marli, however, were on their guard.
Odson approached a broad-shouldered man seated at the bar who turned and stood, greeted Odson with a friendly hug, and introduced a petite woman beside him.
Jori glanced back to Kymri, who remained close to him, noting that Marli was no longer with her.
Odson spoke to the guy behind the bar who nodded and waved him back toward the door they’d just come through. “Come on,” he said over the pounding music, leading them and the new couple back toward the office area.
As soon as they were in the quieter space, Odson introduced them all. “Jori Mountainside, Kymri Steelscale, this is Agent Carson Perenga and Lirikai. Carson’s an old friend, works for the Feds. Where’s Marli?”
“She’s looking around the club, she’ll be back in a minute,” Kymri said.
Odson turned to Carson, “Remember that island in the middle of the Atlantic?”
Carson nodded, “Trouble?”
“Yeah.”
“What do they need?”
“Intel if you can get it? Three dragon males attacked the island. I want to know where they came from.”
“I’ll see what I can get from satellites.”
Odson nodded, “Thanks.”
Carson grinned, “Boss sends his love.”
Odson snorted, “Sly bastard owes me a fresh round of cards.”
The agent stepped forward, linking his fingers through Lirikai’s, “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“On behalf of my queen and our people, thank you,” Kymri said.
“I remember her, before your people moved to the archipelago,” he said to Kymri. He smiled at Lirikai, brushing his lips across her fingers, “You’d like her.”
Jori extended his hand to Perenga, “Thanks, man.”
Perenga studied him a moment, “You’re the internet celebrity that went missing in the Bermuda Triangle. I’ve seen your show—it’s good. Too bad it got complicated for you.” He grinned.
“Yeah, well, who’d have thought this shit was real?”
Carson laughed, “You have no idea, man, no idea,” he said, dropping his gaze to Lirikai again.
“Are you both, ah—dragons, too?”
Carson shrugged, “A dragon, yes, but not like this guy,” he said clapping a hand on Odson’s shoulder.
“I am Barra’kidai,” Lirikai said.
“Interesting,” he said, as though he had an idea what a Barra’kidai might be.
She chuckled, “Barracuda.”
Jori managed to not jump out of his skin when long jagged teeth descended from her pretty mouth.
Carson laughed again, “Good luck, man.”
Kymri and Jori followed as Lirikai led Carson out of the room.
Jori noticed the awe on Kymri’s face.
“A Barra’kidai,” she breathed.
Seriously, was his dragon woman fan-girling right now?
He shrugged when she turned her gaze up to him.
“Now she is a legend.”
17
“I’ll be right back,” Marli said to Kymri.
“Where are you going?”
She was already moving away and didn’t bother shouting back over her shoulder. Dancers closed around as she moved through the space. Marli would have been tempted to lose herself among them if it weren’t for the glimpse of a familiar face by the bar. By the time she reached it, he was gone, and she turned to see where to. Her backpack was in the trunk of Odson’s car, but that didn’t mean she was defenseless. She did have to be careful, though. This was a paranormal space for all sorts, and while she was a dragon—top of the food chain, as far as she was concerned—that didn’t mean other types weren’t a threat. She’d gone nearly full circle by the time she homed in on him, confirming her suspicion.
Dragonsdammit, he was here.
The fine hairs on her body rose.
This place was a neutral zone and she’d promised Odson to maintain the peace within the walls.
Where were his two buddies? Why was he here? Was it coincidence?
Marli didn’t believe in coincidences.
Three male dragons here. And if things went sideways, she doubted a single individual in this place would help.
They were on their own.
She squeezed her way back through the crowd toward the offices where she’d left Kymri and the others. “Where is everyone?” she demanded of Odson.
“What’s wrong?”
“They’re here.”
“Shit. Jori and Kymri went for a walk; they needed to talk. Carson and Lirikai took off to get the Intel we asked for.”
“The leader is in the club; I couldn’t see his wingmen.”
“Show me. I want to see his face. We’ll figure out a way to take them down later.”
Marli led him back out to the crowded space. He was nowhere to be found.” She turned to Odson shaking her head. He pointed toward the door and they made their way out.
The outside air was frigid on her skin compared to the close confines of the club. The streets were empty save for a solitary figure leaning on Odson’s car parked under a flickering lamp.
Odson barreled in his direction, Marli close behind, nearly running into him when he stopped short.
“Stenlen.”
“Old man.” He grinned. He inhaled deeply through his nose; his gaze fixed on Marli. “Ah, I’ve been looking for you.”
“This him?”
She nodded in answer.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, of course,” He held up his hands, stepping away from the car toward Odson. “Why else would I come to a nowhere shit hole like this?”