Saba stared at the page in dismay. She'd been so certain that all they needed was to threaten the white dragon with the book, and he'd slink back to Dragonspace with his tail between his legs. But of course he'd have a contingency plan in case the book fell into the wrong hands.
Lisa closed the book with a thump. "Well, that's useless."
"Perhaps not." Malcolm straightened up, his eyes quiet but holding grim anger. "The white dragon has bound me with my name. Could the silver dragon use the book to unbind me?"
Was it Saba's imagination, or did Malcolm carefully not look at her? He stood on Lisa's other side, his tall body graceful despite his bulk.
Lisa shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. I need the bind-er, not the bind-ee. I could erase the knowledge of your name from his head if he was standing in this room, but I can't from a distance. I'm sorry, Malcolm."
Malcolm tilted his head to one side as he did when his thoughts moved rapidly behind his quiet expression. He was very dragonlike when he did that, reminding Saba how different they truly were. "Then I will have to find him and bring him to you," he concluded.
"Easy as that, is it?" Saba asked.
Malcolm's mouth set in a grim line. "Yes. And then we return the book to the archive. Finished."
Saba wondered what all he meant to be finished with. The white dragon, this adventure, Saba? She was surprised he hadn't demanded that Lisa remove the knowledge of his name from Saba's mind right then and there.
Caleb's eyes began to gleam in a menacing way. "And what about the white dragon? We let him go?"
"No," Malcolm answered. The word was fiat and final. "We hunt him." He gave Caleb a thoughtful look. "A warrior would be useful in this hunt."
Caleb glanced reluctantly at the little bundle in his arms. The twins were so small, so vulnerable, and so beautiful that they tugged at Saba's heart. She'd always loved children but had little opportunity to be with them—as an only child, she had no nieces and nephews to adore. Being honorary aunt to Lisa's two was the best she could hope for. And perhaps one day, she would have a child of her own.
The child in her imagination suddenly took on Malcolm's black hair, fearsome scowl, and beautiful eyes. She quickly banished the vision, not wanting to taunt herself with it.
Lisa held out her arms for Li Na. "You go, Caleb. The faster we solve the problem of the white dragon, the easier we all will sleep. I'm fine now, really. I can protect them."
The steely look in her eyes lent strength to her words. A female dragon, from what Saba had learned, defended her hatchlings with a ferocity that would make the most power-mad dictator blanch. Lisa's twins weren't exactly hatchlings, but the protectiveness Saba sensed from Lisa was intense. The children would be safe with her, and Saba also wouldn't stand for anyone trying to harm them.
Caleb handed over the baby and gave Lisa a loving kiss, tugging another string in Saba's heart. "All right." He twined his hands together and stretched his arms, muscles bulging. "Let's go. I'm hankering for another good fight."
Axel rose from where he'd stayed out of the way. "I'll come with you. I'm a good hunter."
Malcolm and Caleb exchanged a glance, then Caleb shrugged. "I'd welcome the help," Malcolm said.
He started to follow Caleb and Axel out the door, then he turned, as though remembering something. He strode straight to the bed, lifted Saba off of it, and gave her a hard kiss.
The kiss went on and on, Malcolm's mouth hot with the remembrance of sex and the promise of more to come. Saba's hands stole around his waist, one sliding toward his backside before she could stop it.
He thumped her back down, stared at her a long moment, then turned on his heel and walked out the door. Saba wiped her bruised lips with a trembling hand and exchanged a smile with Lisa, Saba's shaky, Lisa's knowing.
Lisa opened her mouth to comment, but the door banged open one more time, this time Axel returning.
"I'll keep them out of trouble, ladies, I promise." He poked Li Na in the belly, saying "blurp," then turned and went out the door after Caleb and Malcolm.
"I never know what to make of Axel," Saba said, looking at the closed door.
Lisa fingered the gold clasp of the book. "I'm not certain what he is, but he doesn't feel evil. I think I'd know if he were a danger, especially to the babies. But I sense protectiveness from him." She left off her speculation and bent her gaze on Saba. "All right, what is going on between you and Malcolm?"
Saba wanted to keep her feelings for Malcolm to herself, but it was impossible to lie to Lisa. "I have no idea what is going on between us. Everything and nothing." She leaned her head in her hands. "I'm miserable. The last thing I need is for him to stay, but when he does leave it will tear me in two."
She felt Lisa's sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "I know. Love is the hardest thing in the world." Saba looked up to see Lisa's gaze wander to the babies sleeping together in the crib, her expression so tender it brought tears to Saba's eyes. "But it's worth it, Saba. It's very much worth it."
They both gazed at the babies, so beautiful and vulnerable, emotion preventing them from speaking.
Then they broke into laughter, Lisa snatching up her cup of water as Severin suddenly morphed into a miniature dragon and set the sheets on fire.
The darkness had no name and no thought, but it had awareness. It didn't really understand the concepts of witch or dragon or demon, but it knew that it touched them and they touched it.
It was ancient at the same time it was newborn, and it slithered through the molecules of air until it coalesced enough to become tangible. It had been trapped for such a long time in a place it didn't understand, a place of knowledge, words, thoughts, and records of deeds, knowledge filling and spilling everywhere, shoving out that which became the darkness. And then the one with the thoughts as sharp as steel and mind like white light had come and freed it.
Not on purpose; the being called the white dragon hadn't been aware of what he'd done. The darkness had ridden on the magic with the dragon to an entirely new world. It was puzzled, interested, and fed on the same magic that the clumsy beings called witches did. The witches tried to shut negativity out of their rituals, which the darkness collected and added to itself. And when the dragon had fed itself, the fear and horror from his victims had only helped the darkness grow.
And then it had touched one it knew. A familiar mind, belonging to a very strong being it had met before, long ago. At that time, part of the darkness had ridden on this strong witch's dreams to the human world—and then vanished. The darkness that had made it to her world had been consumed by something, the remaining darkness did not know what.
This time, it would be more careful. It would study, learn, and find a place where it could gather and build upon itself. The strong witch was the key, it was certain. It slithered away, storing knowledge, waiting for its moment…
* * *
Chapter 17
Malcolm, Caleb, and Axel began their search at the pagoda, with the idea that the magic from the white dragon and Annie the witch might start them on the right trail. As the three men made their back way to Japantown, which was not far from the hospital, Axel relayed what he'd discovered buried in the basement of the house in Pacific Heights: the bones of the white dragon's victims. Caleb glowered, and Malcolm's anger stirred.
"He's nothing but an animal," Malcolm said.
"No better than lesser dragons," Caleb agreed. "Mindless beasts."
"But dragons in Dragonspace eat humans," Axel pointed out.
"That's different," Caleb answered. "That happened long ago when the way between the worlds was thinner, and the men caught were trying to poke swords and spears into dragons in order to impress people. But you don't feed on those you choose to walk among, in their guise. That's just—disgusting."
"Mindless," Malcolm echoed. "But white dragons were never known for their brains."
They walked along Post across from the Japan Center, the place now teeming with tourists and locals
, and headed for the small park that housed the pagoda. Axel walked next to Malcolm, shoulders hunkered, hands in his jacket pockets. "So, you and Saba. How's that going?"
"What is between Saba and me is none of your business."
"I think it is," Caleb said on his other side. "She's our friend."
"And you two were really steaming up the place last night," Axel put in.
"You should have seen how protective he was of her last year when we were fighting another witch and a pile of demons," Caleb said.
Malcolm scowled. "Because you and Lisa almost got her killed. You should be more grateful to her—she saved your butt more than once, I remember."
"And yours. She's good at saving dragon butts." Caleb gave him a pointed stare. "She saved you last night, too. It was a pain in the ass to drag you to shore—I would have left you to sink if she hadn't insisted I help."
"Sounds like you owe her a lot," Axel remarked.
Malcolm growled. "We are here to track the white dragon, not discuss my personal life, which I emphasize again is none of your business."
"But it's fun to watch you turn red," Axel laughed. "All right, have it your way. You be nice to Saba, though."
Caleb nodded. "I'm right there with him. She's my . friend."
Malcolm refrained from rolling his eyes and increased his stride. The last thing he needed was relationship advice from a thick-headed golden dragon and an annoying imp. But then, he sensed a peace in Caleb that hadn't been there before, the same peace that Malcolm had seen in Lisa. The bond the two of them shared was not a burden; it gave them more strength together, and the arrival of the babies had pulled them still closer.
He remembered again how Saba's face had softened when she'd greeted the twins. She wanted that, the closeness of a family. Strange concepts to a dragon who'd spent two millennia alone in contemplation—by choice.
They had to wait for a crowd of tourists who were looking over the pagoda, led by a shrill-voiced tour guide. "This is a small, wooden pagoda, the gift of a Japanese artist from Kyoto. At the Japan Center, we'll find the Peace Pagoda, one hundred and fifty feet high and made of stone, another gift from Japan, given to the city in 1968…" Her voice faded as she led her group away.
Once the tourists had dispersed the three of them ducked inside the wooden pagoda, Malcolm first. The magic that had engulfed him when the white dragon led him in yesterday now smelled stale, and the tingling indicated that the door was nearly gone. The white dragon hadn't come back this way, and likely Annie's magic wasn't strong enough to keep the doorway viable for long.
"We'll have to go back to the bridge," he told Caleb. "Try to pick up his scent from there."
"I last saw him hightailing it west, over the Pacific," Caleb answered, one broad hand on the doorframe. "He might have been able to get back to Dragonspace."
"Only if he found a witch stronger than the one he has now. Saba and Lisa are the only ones I know of at present who can create a door."
"Which doesn't make me like the idea of leaving them alone in the hospital," Caleb said darkly.
Axel barked a laugh. "I'd think twice about taking on the two of them, even if I was a dragon."
"I have to agree," Malcolm answered, although his instincts urged him to rush back to Saba and stand guard over her. "Together they will well be able to withstand him in his human form."
"It's not your kiddies waiting there all vulnerable," Caleb muttered.
"Go back, then," Malcolm told him.
Caleb shifted, debating. Golden dragons didn't like debate—Malcolm could see each thought flickering over Caleb's face, the pros and cons of continuing the hunt or returning to watch over Lisa. A black dragon would have calculated ninety-seven different possibilities at lightning speed, a golden dragon had trouble with two.
At last Caleb shook his head. "I want to find the bastard and end this."
End this. To a golden like Caleb that meant killing the white dragon, which suited Malcolm. He nodded. "Back to the bridge, then."
They took a taxi to Fort Point, under the south end of the bridge, the middle-aged female cab driver looking delighted to have three large handsome males in the car with her. Axel parted from them after they piled out, saying that while he could fly, he couldn't keep up with dragons, and he had a few ideas of his own to follow up. Malcolm sent him off with curt thanks—he still didn't know whether to trust the man but if Axel brought results, he'd be grateful.
Caleb and Malcolm strolled along the cliff paths that ran west and south of the bridge looking for a good place to strip off their clothes and become dragons. The day that had begun with sunny warmth had become cold and damp, fickle San Francisco weather, perfect to send all but the most enthusiastic joggers and hikers indoors. They walked into the woods where it was quiet and proceeded to remove their clothing.
"How did the white dragon manage to poison Lisa?" Malcolm asked as he folded his clothes into a bundle so he could carry them.
Caleb, already naked and flexing his muscles, answered. "She already wasn't feeling well but thought going out to our favorite restaurant would cheer her up. It wasn't far, and I didn't see the harm. I blame myself." His expression turned bitter. "I wasn't paying attention. Instead, I was enjoying being with Lisa. He must have gotten into the kitchen and slipped a human poison into her soup."
Malcolm recalled the vision he'd had while perched on top of the bridge, when the silver dragon had swirled around him. "More likely, he got a minion to do it for him," he said, remembering the guilt he'd felt from someone in the kitchen. "He either marked someone who worked there already, knowing you and Lisa went often to that restaurant, or he got one of his minions a job there. That is why neither you nor Lisa sensed a white dragon lurking nearby. I'm betting the poison would have killed a normal human being."
"That's what her doctor said. He was surprised Lisa survived, but he took the babies out to keep them from being affected by the poison, even though there was a risk they'd die being born too soon. The white dragons—Roland—will pay for that."
Malcolm fully expected the white dragon to pay. He stretched his own limbs, easing the stiffness from his injuries and the sex he'd had most of the night with Saba. Being with her had refreshed him, and he felt ready to fly.
A branch cracked, and Caleb and Malcolm whirled. A man and woman in jogging clothes came loping into the clearing and stopped dead at seeing two naked men there.
Malcolm eyed them coldly, hands on hips, but Caleb flashed a grin. "Kind of nippy today, isn't it?"
The joggers started to edge away. The man said, "Hey, we're cool with it," then they both looked embarrassed and hurried back to the path.
"I love teasing the natives," Caleb said. "Ready to fly?"
Malcolm studied the sky. "We should wait for more cloud cover."
Caleb spread his arms, and his form elongated into that of a glittering golden dragon, his blue eyes bright with anticipation. "It's close to Chinese New Year. They'll think you're a kite."
He leapt skyward, speeding above the clouds in a heartbeat. Muttering choice words under his breath about golden dragons, Malcolm let his dragonness take over and followed.
Lisa made Saba lie down. She needed sleep if she would be in any shape to help later, Lisa said. Saba, exhausted from the ordeal on the bridge and overwhelmed by Malcolm, didn't fight the suggestion very hard.
The hospital staff already adored Lisa—everyone adored Lisa—and found Saba a small guest room where she could quietly rest. They would summon her, they promised, if Lisa needed her. So Saba obediently stripped to her underwear, crawled into bed and was asleep almost instantly.
She dreamed of Malcolm, of course. But not of Malcolm making love to her, not of his tall, raw-muscled body glistening with sweat, not his long black hair sliding on his shoulders, his eyes holding back his thoughts.
She dreamed of Malcolm dressed in a formal dark kimono, kneeling and facing her across a low table, his hands on his thighs while she performed tea cer
emony for him. They seemed to be in a teahouse, a traditional one, with tatami mats, an alcove with a single flower in a vase, and a door so low you had to crouch to get in, in order to remind you of your humbleness.
Saba had her tools laid out before her, and the water was just starting to boil on the brazier. She'd even formed the ash into pleasing shapes with her charcoal spoon, a tedious process, and felt a beam of pride that they looked so nice.
She was in kimono, too, one of cool silk and bright colors, the rigid sash, the obi, tight beneath her breasts. She made sure her sleeves stayed away from the fire as she ladled the water into the stone tea bowl, then she carefully warmed the whisk with the water before she agitated the green tea in the bowl.
Finished, she carefully laid down the whisk, then turned the tea bowl a perfect one hundred and eighty degrees, bowed, and presented it to Malcolm.
Malcolm bowed in return and accepted the bowl. He turned the bowl once, sipped the tea, then gave her a solemn nod as though approving.
She wondered dimly why on earth she dreamed this. The tea ceremony could be a courtship ritual, but she found it odd she'd dream about herself and Malcolm in such constrained formality. Their relationship had been all about wrong timing, danger, and binding magic. This—watching each other over the barrier of the low wooden table—was almost calm.
And yet, hot. Something was wrong in this elegant little room, something sinister and ugly. She looked down at the table and found her tools in a jumble. Frowning, she set down the cup Malcolm had returned to her and straightened them again. It was very important that the tools were positioned perfectly in a pleasing pattern, Kameko always said. Pleasing the guest was what tea ceremony was all about.
But no, the chasen kept rolling, the tea bowl turned into a glaring green plastic cup, and the fire in the brazier suddenly leapt high. Malcolm was frowning his disapproval, and still he said not one word.
The Black Dragon Page 20
