The Detective's Dragon

by Karilyn Bentley

  “Gave you my language.”

  “Did it work?”

  “You’re speaking it.”

  “I am?” Way to look intelligent, Parker. Of course she was speaking it. New words swirled in her mouth, lingered on her tongue, clouded her ears. A thick language, like a sausage-and-cream based soup.

  A grin played along the corners of his lips. “You are. Do you feel all right?”

  “My head hurts a bit.” Amazing. She spoke a new language. Now that she was aware of her new ability, she heard the different sounds in her speech. The way the words rolled off her tongue. Or stuck there as the case may be.

  “It will improve. I didn’t want to hurt you, but you needed to be able to speak before the Council if they request without me translating. They will see you more as their equal if you speak their language.”

  Maybe. Or maybe not. A nervous energy surrounded him like a cloud, leaving little drops on her skin. A shiver snuck down her spine. No use huddling on the floor like a scared child. Being a sissy never did her an ounce of good.

  Using Jamie’s broad shoulders as leverage, Parker pushed to her feet. “Ready.” She really needed to stop lying to herself.

  “It will be fine. Do not worry.”

  Why did she feel she wasn’t the only liar in his room?

  Parker looked down at Jamie kneeling at her feet and had a sudden memory of her ex-finance in the same position, proposing. Not a memory she wanted. Especially now. In Jamie’s room. Standing among his things. Breathing a scent distinctly his. A scent that reminded her of strength. Dependability. Love.

  Love? Get a grip on reality, Parker.

  Attraction was not love. But something about Jamie drew her in, made her long for more, for that elusive L word she had sworn never to feel again. She wanted to move in with him. To raise a family. To love.

  Clearly, by transporting to a different dimension, she lost her mind.

  And then she had no more time to think of it as Jamie stood, grabbed her hand and threw them into a transport. They arrived in front of a circular stone building. Imposing gray stone rose toward the sky. Tall, wooden doors outfitted with iron hinges barred the way inside.

  Parker tensed. She’d faced worse. Like administrative leave. But not even those two words compared to the strum of power surrounding this building. She swallowed and rubbed her palms across her hips.

  Jamie paused in front of the doors. Straightened his shirt. Sucked in a deep breath.

  Great. How reassuring.

  “Nothing to worry about.” For whose benefit was he saying that? “Ready?” He grabbed the iron door ring and gave a tug.

  Not really. But seeing as she had no choice in the matter, Parker followed him through the entrance.

  The chill of the building struck her like a falling icicle. She forced her arms to remain at her sides instead of crossing. But the chill didn’t so much come from the ambient temperature as from the forces of power working within.

  A semi-circle of thirteen carved wooden chairs sat against one rounded wall as if presiding over an execution. Balls of light hung in candelabras around the room, casting a harsh glow across the stone walls and marble floors. If the place was built to creep people out, it succeeded.

  Off to one side a group of thirteen men huddled around a table. At the click of the doors, all heads swiveled toward them. A punch of energy hit her in the chest, her heart tripped an uneven rhythm. Jamie stepped in front of her, blocking her with his body.

  “I’m following up with Erik’s report.”

  One of the men, tall with shoulder length black hair who looked no more than ten years older than Jamie, stood. “What report from Erik? Why are you separated?” The man shifted a bit to the side, cutting her with his glare. “And why did you bring a human into the Chamber? Where’s the Halfling?”

  Oh, yeah. This interview was not off to a good start.

  Jamie shifted. “What do you mean Erik did not return?”

  All the men stood, the one speaking moved forward. “Why are you separated?” He again moved to look at her, but Jamie moved with him, blocking her from view. Or protecting her.

  Parker swallowed.

  Jamie drew in a deep breath, releasing it on a heavy exhale. “We were separated when we returned. You know what trouble I have transporting, so it took me awhile to make it here. I assumed he’d already given his report.”

  “Why don’t you give it for him? And start by explaining why there’s a human hiding behind you instead of a Halfling.”

  “I had dreams about her. We decided to go find her before finding the Halfling.”

  The man raised a brow.

  “We fell through a portal into her world and discovered Kol—”

  “Kol? Erik’s father?”

  “You know him?”

  Another man stepped beside the first. Silver highlighted his long black hair. “We banished him. Of course we know him.”

  “He returned with us.”

  “What? How?”

  Jamie explained how Kol grabbed them when they transported. “His powers returned and—”

  “Nonsense. Powers don’t return once they’ve been stripped.”

  The first man turned to the one who spoke. “It’s happened before.”

  The man shook his head. “Impossible.”

  “He said powers grew back over time.”

  “And he returned with you?”

  “Yes.” Jamie paused. “That’s how we became separated. We thought it prudent to return to the Council and inform them of this matter before we hunted for the Halfling.”

  “Wise choice. He worked with a male bent on Draconi destruction. Who’s to say he doesn’t still want revenge? More so since his banishment.”

  “You still haven’t explained the human female’s presence.”

  Jamie glanced over his shoulder at her, apology written in his eyes. For what? Bringing her here? While power emanated from the men like an aura, they had yet to make a threatening move toward her. Maybe they were about to?

  When he turned back to the men, he straightened his shoulders and drew in a breath. “She returned with me because I believe she’s my mate.”

  Mate? What the hell? Maybe she misunderstood. New language and all. Or not, judging by the males’ reactions. Wide eyes followed by pitying looks. Pitying? What? Did they not find her a worthy match for Jamie? Or did they believe him addled for the suggestion? Either way, heat rushed up her spine, her jaw tightening.

  “Son,” said the first man, whom she assumed to be Thoren given his address to Jamie, “I mean you no disrespect, but we’ve discussed this before.”

  “I know what we’ve discussed, and we were wrong. She is my mate.”

  The older man with the silver streaks glanced at Thoren and shrugged.

  Thoren nodded.

  In the blink of an eye Thoren vanished, only to reappear next to her. Strong arms banded around her waist, and before she could push him away or scream, he transported them out of the circular building. A roar like an enraged elephant filled her ears, cut off as she disappeared.

  Air pulled at her molecules, as if she swam through a lake of molasses. An ear-pressurizing pop sounded as they materialized in the middle of a grassy field. Thoren released her before she could smash his instep, and she stumbled forward, off balance.

  Parker caught her balance and turned, one foot back, hands held loose and ready, but Thoren had already taken several steps away from her. His black brows slashed over his eyes, hands shaking like he grabbed electricity and disliked the burn. With a quick shake of his head, the expression vanished.

  “Sorry. We had to prove to Jamie—” His words hung dying in the air as a roar slammed through the clearing.

  Jamie appeared near her, steam circling his head, tiny red scales rippling up his arms, across his neck. Claws tipped the ends of his fingers, long knives flexing.

  Parker froze. What the hell? Maybe she should have taken him seriously when he said he belonged to
a race that turned into dragons.

  “Leave my mate alone.” A growl tinged his words, warping them into a deep menace.

  Thoren raised both hands, palms facing his son. “Jamie, calm down. We had to perform the test. I’m not going to hurt her.”

  Jamie paused, his gaze raking Parker from head to toe to head. A couple of blinks and he drew in a deep breath, a full body shiver cascaded down his limbs, eradicating the scales. He crossed the few feet dividing them and wrapped her in his arms. The tension holding her upright relaxed at his touch.

  “Don’t ever do that again.”

  “Don’t worry, son. I won’t.” Thoren cleared his throat. “Are you going to introduce us?”

  Do you want to speak to him? Jamie’s voice drifted through her mind, a stroke of velvet against skin.

  Did she have a choice? She rather liked being held. Having a man’s arms wrapped around her in a caring embrace hadn’t happened for a while. And what a surprise to discover being protected instead of doing the protecting felt like a warm bath on a cold day. A girl could get used to being held.

  A girl also needed to make her own way instead of relying on a man.

  Parker placed her hands against the firm muscles of Jamie’s chest and pushed until he loosened his grip. She needed answers to a plethora of questions. Might as well start with chatting up his father.

  “Sure.”

  Once Jamie released her, she turned and stuck out her hand, speaking over his introduction attempt. “I’m Detective Parker.” As she failed to find a Draconi word for detective, she used the English one.

  After a brief glance to Jamie, Thoren grasped and released her offered palm, then rubbed his hand on his pants. His brows drew together and relaxed as he gave her a nod.

  “Detective,” he stumbled over the unfamiliar word, “Parker, it is a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps you will care to join my mate and me for the evening meal?”

  Food sounded wonderful. When was the last time she ate? Scratch that. When was the last time she slept? Not since her capture, which was how many hours ago? Shouldn’t it be the middle of the night or early morning? Instead, afternoon sun shone warm on her face. Either she was held in that cell for longer than she thought or time ran differently here.

  Something she should have paid more attention to upon landing in this world.

  And she might want to pull her thoughts out of introspection and focus on her surroundings. Along with answer Thoren’s question.

  “I would love to.”

  “Good. Are you,” he gestured to Jamie, “able to return to the Chamber for further questioning?”

  “As long as you don’t disappear with Parker.”

  The tips of Thoren’s ears reddened. “I apologize. We did not expect these results.”

  Jamie shrugged. “Neither did I.” He glanced at her, a grin tingeing his lips. “But I’m glad it happened.”

  “What do you mean, you didn’t expect the results? What results? Him to come after me?” Parker asked.

  “You mean you haven’t told her?”

  Now it was Jamie’s turn for red ears. “Until now, I only suspected she was my mate. And it doesn’t seem to work the same in her world.”

  “What are you talking about?” She had a sneaking suspicion their conversation had something to do with Jamie’s announcement she was his mate.

  “Oh, ho,” Thoren barked a laugh. “Good luck with that explanation.”

  Jamie snorted, then turned to Parker. “I’ll explain later. We need to return and answer questions. Then we can eat. All right?”

  “All right.” The delay would give her time to add more questions to her almost overflowing list. What did he mean by mate? She assumed that meant spouse, but without her consent, how could he say she was his?

  Wait a minute. What did she know about their wedding rituals? Nothing. Maybe she unknowingly made some gesture or mentioned something that caused them to become wedded.

  Damn it.

  Although to be fair, if she had to marry someone, Jamie would top her list. Nicer and more caring than her ex-finance, she doubted she’d find him in her bed with another woman’s legs in the air. She hadn’t known him long, but at least he listened to her.

  On the negative side, he apparently possessed the ability to set the bed on fire. Literally.

  Now, metaphorically. Yep, she could get with some metaphorical setting of a bed aflame.

  Jamie raised a brow, his lips twitching.

  Damn it. Did he read her mind? Heat splashed into her cheeks. His head bent, lips whispering against her ear.

  “We can try that later. If you want.”

  Embarrassment and sexual heat took turns assaulting her. Yeah. He heard her. Damn it. She needed to learn to keep things to herself. Or maybe he needed to learn not to read her mind.

  Yet another thing to discuss.

  “Ready to go back?” Thoren’s eyes twinkled as his gaze bounced between them.

  Jamie nodded. “Might as well get it over with.”

  “I used to feel the same way.” Thoren placed one hand on Jamie’s shoulder and the other on Parker’s.

  “Ready?” Jamie grabbed Parker’s hand, and they transported back to the Chamber.

  This time they landed inside before the same gawking men. Direct path to the firing squad. And, yep, they all stared at Jamie as if he grew a third arm. Even Thoren, who waggled his fingers like they stung.

  From the titanium in her arm? Did titanium sting when touched by a Draconi? And if titanium was their bane, how could he touch her and still transport?

  Maybe that’s why he’d given her a bunch of puzzled looks. And why Erik’s transports ended with them falling from the sky.

  The tall man with silver streaks in his dark hair cleared his throat. “You said Kol returned with you, and you and Erik were separated. Where is Erik now?”

  “I don’t know. I thought he returned here.”

  “Do you think Kol captured him?”

  “No. Kol disappeared some time before Erik left.”

  “Where do you think Erik is?”

  Jamie swallowed. “I do not know where either of them are.”

  Good answer. She didn’t know where Erik and Kol were either, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take a fair guess. The two were together. Someplace.

  “We need to find them. Thoren, you and Enar go with Jamie to search for Erik, while the rest of us will organize a search and find party for Kol. Where did you last see him?”

  Jamie told him where the cave was located.

  Parker glanced up at the ceiling far above her head as the others organized a search party. Windows framed the upper reaches of the circular room, allowing light to filter down through floating dust motes. Besides the thirteen carved chairs and the large table with what appeared to be a deck of cards spread across the top, the room boasted multiple candelabras with round pale balls in the holders instead of candles. What odd lights.

  “Jamie,” Silver Streaks spoke, snapping her attention back to the wall of men, “you and your mate are dismissed. Wait for Thoren and Enar outside, please.”

  Jamie nodded, grabbed her hand and led her out the double wooden doors. Outside the air felt muggy as if hours before a storm.

  “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”

  Parker raised a brow. “What’s your definition of too bad?”

  “Answering questions with questions is an evasive technique.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Phil.”

  “Who?”

  “Never mind.” What harm would it be to tell him? “It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

  “Good.”

  On to more important things. “What’s this talk about us being mates?”

  Huh. Looked like a man really could become as still as a statue. Jamie swallowed as his ears and cheeks reddened.

  “We need to talk.”

  “Yeah, you think?”

  Pop! Parker started as Thoren and a tall man in his mid-fifties with blond h
air going silver appeared before them. The man tilted his head her direction.

  “I’m Enar.”

  “He’s Thoren’s best friend and like an uncle to me,” Jamie said as he gave the older man a one armed male hug complete with back slapping.

  “We’ll drop your mate off with Keara,” Thoren said, “and then search for Erik.”

  “Thank you, but no.” Raised brows greeted her statement. What? They didn’t think a woman could track a missing coworker? Some things remained the same no matter where she went. “Back home my job involves tracking clues and finding criminals. I can be of assistance.”

  “You are allowed to go on missions?”

  “They aren’t missions, they’re cases. And yes. I track criminals.”

  “That’s what her title, Detective, means,” Jamie grinned at her. “She’s part of her town’s security and tracks law breakers.”

  At least he didn’t seem to mind her occupation.

  Thoren exchanged a look with Enar, and both men shrugged. “Very well. You can come with us.”

  How generous of him. “Thank you.”

  “Where do you think he is, Jamie?”

  Jamie glanced at her. A tickling, like butterflies brushing her skin, fluttered across her mind. You were right. Just don’t tell them. I want to get to him first.

  Parker’s eyes flared. Nice to know he had the guts to admit he was wrong. Okay.

  Does okay mean all right?

  A grin twitched her lips. Yes.

  Good. Thank you. He spoke aloud to the men. “I don’t know. Maybe he thought I would reach the Council first and decided to go hunt for the Halfling. We didn’t think it wise to appear with Parker and no Halfling. But Kol’s return meant we had to.”

  “I find it unlikely that he would try to find the Halfling alone. But if you believe he might, then we’ll travel to the border and try to obtain clues.”

  “Then we’ll travel to where we came through the wards and see if we can follow his trail from there.”

  “Tell me where, and I’ll take you there.”

  Jamie smiled and wrapped his arm around Parker’s shoulders. “I can take us.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course.”

  “How?”