dragons breath 02 - dancing with flames

by Illene, Susan

  Aidan’s chest was tight as he left the office. He believed his father was proud of him, but for Throm to show his feelings so easily, it must have meant he had little time remaining. There were those who said an elder dragon always knew when his death approached. It left Aidan with a cold feeling inside. Was his father’s seemingly renewed energy a last gasp before he left them for good? He certainly hoped not.

  Chapter 26

  Bailey

  On the way back from seeing Javier, a roadblock appeared up ahead. If I had been listening to the radio while driving, I might have known it was there ahead of time, but I didn’t want Phoebe finding out about Hank. He was our only source of news, and I had no idea how she, Aidan, or their clan would react if they discovered humans had a network for communicating news to each other. Unless a good reason came up to tell the shifters, there was no reason to reveal the radio station to them.

  The road bandits had parked a line of cars across Lindsey Street with armed men and women standing guard behind them. I probably should have turned around and gone some other way, but I was tired, and my shoulder was beginning to ache. Pain made me grouchy. Danae and Trish had been right that I should have given myself another day, but it had been worth going out. I had the location of the missing children, and Phoebe had confirmed her murder suspect.

  “Bailey, what are you doing?” Conrad asked as I kept driving forward. I hadn’t dropped him off at Earl’s since he’d used one of the neighborhood cars to meet me at Aidan’s house earlier.

  “I’m going to talk to these guys,” I said, tightening my hands on the wheel. “It’s getting old going around them every damn time they feel like harassing people who drive down this street. If they want to have a conversation, I’m going to give them one.”

  From the rear view mirror, I caught sight of a semi truck moving to block the street behind us—so predictable. The road bandits never changed their tactics. To make matters worse, they had long since figured out dragons were no longer attacking humans on this side of town where the shifters roamed, so they could rob people any time of day they wanted.

  “What’s this about?” Phoebe asked, narrowing her gaze on the road block ahead.

  Of course, she wouldn’t know. She usually got to fly over all the problems the rest of us faced on the ground. I continued inching my truck forward as I explained the issue. “These guys like to rob people of their cars and anything they’ve got with them. At least once or twice a week they block the road, and if you don’t see it in time to turn around, they trap you.”

  “Do they kill their victims as well?” she asked, a puff of steam coming out of her nostrils.

  I shrugged. “Only if you fight them.”

  “We’re in my territory now. We will have this conversation with them.”

  Conrad let out a martyred sigh from the backseat. “Great. This is what happens when you get two tough women in the same vehicle. They get all macho and shit.”

  “Quit being a baby,” I admonished. “This could be fun.”

  I stopped the truck about thirty feet in front of the road block, shut the engine off, and pulled the keys from the ignition. Grabbing a pair of sunglasses, I handed them to Phoebe and instructed her to put them on. It would be dark soon, but I didn’t want the thieves getting a good look at her eyes if I could help it.

  Several men and women headed toward us with their rifles trained in our direction. They were a little on the grungy side, but they looked like they knew their way around weapons—which I could confirm from a previous experience with them.

  A burly guy with a long beard called out, “Get out of the truck, nice and slowly, with your hands up. Don’t try anything funny and don’t try to be a hero—it’ll get you dead.”

  “He should move to Hollywood and get himself an agent,” I mumbled, pulling my door open. I paused to glance over at Phoebe and Conrad. “Just follow my lead.”

  We got out of the truck and walked toward the armed road bandits.

  “Is this really necessary?” I asked, keeping my hands high.

  A woman with oily-blond hair who appeared to be in her mid-twenties glared at me and then at Phoebe. “What kind of crazy clothes are ya’ll wearin’? It ain’t Halloween for a few more weeks.”

  “Would you believe me if I told you they’re bulletproof?” I asked, keeping my voice light and calm.

  The woman laughed. “We got us a few crazies.”

  “Gimme the keys to the truck,” the burly man demanded, reaching out a hand.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” I said, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “It’s kind of hard to track down dragons and kill them if I have to walk everywhere.”

  He frowned. “You can’t be the…”

  “That’s the slayer!” said a young guy standing behind the cars. He lowered his pistol and started walking up to me. “She looks just like the radio guy said she would.”

  The blond woman rolled her eyes at him. “That’s just whimsy talk. There ain’t no damn dragon slayer—ain’t no such thing.”

  “Actually, there is.” This came from an older woman with curly gray hair. “I caught a glimpse of her a few weeks back, and she’s real.”

  The younger woman gave her a skeptical look. “Are you sure?”

  “Yep.” She nodded. “Same girl, same truck.”

  “But she’s too little,” the blond argued.

  I listened to them with amusement, waiting for them to work it out amongst themselves.

  The older woman muttered an expletive under her breath. “It don’t change the truth and that young man there—” She pointed at Conrad. “He was with her, too.”

  “Are you really the dragon slayer?” the burly man asked, gazing at me closely as if it would be written somewhere on my forehead.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  He glanced down to my sheathed sword. “How many you killed?”

  “I think seventeen or eighteen now.” I wasn’t sure if I should count the one my father finished off. “It’s getting harder to keep track.”

  He rubbed at his beard. “Well, if you’re killin’ them, I reckon we gotta let you go. We already lost a few friends and family to those damn dragons, and we want to see the rest of them gone. Think you can do that?”

  “I’m working on it,” I said.

  Phoebe started to say something, but I shook my head at her. No way did I want to try explaining the intricacies of dragon politics to these people. At least, not until we got the green dragons out of Norman, and the shape-shifters could fully take over.

  “Alright, listen up!” The man turned around and addressed his crew. “This lady here and her friends are not to be bothered. If you see ‘em comin’, you let ‘em pass. Got that?”

  The men and women mumbled their agreements.

  He turned back to me. “Go on, then. We’ll make room for you to pass.”

  “Thank you.” I gestured at Phoebe and Conrad, and we headed back for the truck.

  Once we were inside, Conrad blew out a breath. “I didn’t think that was really going to work.”

  “Something must be done about them,” Phoebe said as I started up the truck. “They can’t be allowed to keep robbing people.”

  I agreed, but we had bigger problems at the moment than some road bandits. If I tried stopping all the criminal activity that had risen up since D-day, I’d never actually get to kill dragons. For now, I just needed people to leave me alone so I could do what I was born to do. Someone else would have to take up the job of policing the human population of the city.

  The bandits pushed one of the cars out of the way, opening the road block enough for my truck to pass. The old man gave me a salute, and I waved back. They might not be the good guys, but I needed to at least act civil with them if I wanted to move about freely. It had gotten old in the last few months trying to avoid their ambush points. The dents on my truck and my broken windows were proof enough of that.

  We continued on our way toward Aidan’s house.
Verena’s place didn’t appear around the area I thought it should be located, and Phoebe didn’t note it. Of course, the country house looked pretty harmless if you didn’t know who lived there. Even if she did see it, she might not have a reason to ask about it.

  The sun had set by the time we got back. I tensed when my headlights flashed on Aidan, who stood in the middle of the field with his arms crossed and a dark expression on his face. How long had he been waiting there?

  “Shifitt,” Phoebe said under her breath. “He is back already.”

  Conrad leaned forward, poking his head between our seats. “Man, he don’t look happy.”

  “He’ll get over it.” I drove past Aidan to park the truck.

  When I went to open the door, he was already there. “Where have you been?”

  “Running errands,” I said, getting out to stand in front of him.

  He narrowed his eyes. “What errands?”

  Phoebe came around to join us. “We just went to see that sorcerer your little spy told us about, brother. Nothing to worry your thick brows about.”

  “You what?” He glared at her.

  She shrugged. “He had information we needed.”

  “I’m beginning to like her,” Conrad said, standing over by the back of the truck where he could keep a healthy distance from Aidan.

  The shape-shifter glanced at him and then at me. “What is he doing here?”

  “It’s a long story, and if we could go inside, we’ll tell you all about it.” I grabbed his arm, and he reluctantly followed along with me. “So how did the peace treaty thing work out?”

  “It is done,” he said, speaking through gritted teeth.

  I smiled at him. “Good. I knew you could do it.”

  He worked his jaw. “Thank you.”

  We entered the house and everyone took a seat in the living room. I let Phoebe tell her side of the story first, revealing the news about the killer and why I’d had to come with her. He listened to her finish without interrupting once.

  “So not only is Ember a murderer, but she has also betrayed our clan,” Phoebe said, shaking her head in anger.

  “We will deal with her as soon as we return to the fortress,” Aidan reassured his sister, then turned his attention to me. “And you made a deal with the sorcerer as well?”

  I lifted my chin. “The dragons needed to be killed anyway. It wasn’t that big of a deal to collect the scales if it meant I could get the location of the children.”

  “And you got it?” he asked. There was something deadly quiet about his tone.

  “Yes.”

  His gaze ran over to my shoulder. “Was it worth risking your life?”

  I unconsciously rubbed my arm. “What are you talking about? It’s just a flesh wound.”

  “You walked stiffly when we came into the house, you’ve hardly moved that arm, and the skin is permanently scarred. I suspect you were hurt days ago, and that a dragon must have sunk his teeth into you for it not to heal completely.” He shot a look at his sister. “How bad was she hurt?”

  Phoebe spread her hands in innocence. “I have no idea. I didn’t see her until yesterday, and all I know about is her shoulder.”

  “Tell me, Bailey,” Aidan commanded.

  “I’m fine.” Good grief, he was acting more protective than usual.

  Aidan leaned forward and grabbed my left arm, lifting halfway up until I cried out. He hadn’t moved it in a direction that would have hurt if I hadn’t injured it. He let go, but kept his gaze hard on me. “You have a friend who can heal injuries. I suspect if she did not help you with this one, it is either because it was beyond her abilities, or she was too busy healing other parts of you.”

  Conrad cleared his throat. “Actually, it was both.”

  I gave him an incredulous look, which he ignored.

  Aidan directed his gaze on the younger man. “Tell me”

  “Her shoulder was bitten and crushed by dragon teeth. Danae couldn’t do anything for that. She just healed Bailey’s cracked skull, broken leg, and busted ribs—which was from falling off a three-story building. I don’t even know how she survived all that.”

  “You traitor,” I bit out.

  Conrad shrugged a shoulder. “You don’t want to listen to anybody else, but I figure you might listen to him. I told you not to push yourself so hard.”

  “She was already tired when this occurred?” Aidan asked.

  “Yep. I tried talking her into taking a break, but she just wanted to get those scales.”

  I leaped to my feet. “To save the children!”

  “Come with me,” Aidan said, taking hold of my right hand.

  He dragged me upstairs to the bedroom he used when he stayed at the house. Shutting the door, he spun me around and trapped me against the wall with his arms braced on both sides. For a minute, we stayed like that—close, but not quite touching. The heat from his body warmed my skin, and his breaths tickled my cheeks. I had no idea what to say or do. He’d averted his face, hiding any clue of his thoughts from me.

  Finally, he met my gaze. “Don’t put yourself in danger like that again.”

  “It’s sort of my job—which you trained me to do.”

  He lifted a hesitant hand and cupped my cheek. “Why is it that no matter how hard I try, I cannot help caring about you?”

  I put my hand over his. “Sometimes I want to ask you the same question.”

  Aidan searched my face. For what, I didn’t know. “If something were to happen to you, I’m not certain what I would do—but it would not be good. Please do not put yourself in unnecessary danger.”

  I swallowed. It wasn’t often he let me see this side of himself. “I wouldn’t have if children weren’t involved.”

  “Next time, wait for me.” He pulled me into a hug, careful of my shoulder. “If I know I can’t stop you, I will always fight by your side.”

  I rested my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes, breathing in the musky scent of him. The only time I ever felt totally relaxed and safe was when I was with Aidan. It seemed like the more we fought our attraction, the stronger it got.

  “We’re going to scout the dragon den tomorrow,” I said, opening my eyes and gazing up at him. Aidan was about eight inches taller than me, making it a bit of a stretch.

  His lips quirked. “I’ll come with you.”

  “It’s easier if Conrad stays here tonight so we can go first thing. Phoebe was already planning to come earlier than you guys usually get up. If you come with her in the morning, we can hopefully get there before any of the Shadowan are awake,” I said.

  Aidan scowled. “I don’t like that boy here.”

  “You know he’s just a friend, right?” I asked, wanting to get that point cleared up once and for all. Conrad wouldn’t be so defensive all the time if Aidan didn’t make him that way.

  “He is with you all the time,” he argued.

  I lifted a brow. “Kind of like Donar is with you all the time? Conrad watches my back, he makes me laugh sometimes, and he’s there to pick me up when I fall—literally, sometimes. That is it. There is nothing between us except friendship, and there never will be anything more.”

  Aidan was quiet for a moment. “With males and females, such relationships can change.”

  He was going to force me to say something I really didn’t want to admit, not even to myself, but maybe it was time to fully clear the air. We’d been dancing around this topic ever since we first kissed, and I could see that he didn’t know for sure where he stood with me. Maybe we couldn’t be together, but at least we could be open about our feelings.

  “Aidan.” I took a deep breath. “As long as you’re in my life, I don’t think I can ever look at another man the way I do you. That’s just…that’s just the way it is whether I like it or not. Please don’t worry about Conrad because he is not you, and that’s all there is to it.”

  Aidan expelled a breath. “It should not relieve me as much as it does to hear that.”

&n
bsp; I grabbed hold of his camrium vest. “So can Conrad stay the night then?”

  He worked his jaw. “Yes, but in a different room.”

  “You’re impossible.” I shook my head. Not that I planned on sharing a room with Conrad when there were several available in the house, but it still seemed ridiculous that he had to make that a condition.

  “Perhaps I am,” he admitted.

  Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and we broke apart.

  “I guess you should go catch that murderer,” I said.

  He nodded. “My sister and I will return in the morning.”

  Our gazes lingered on each other a moment longer, and then he opened the door and walked out.

  Chapter 27

  Aidan

  Aidan and Phoebe flew toward the fortress, sailing through the clear night air. From above, they couldn’t miss the numerous torches lighting the keep and castle. He’d always thought this was the best time to fly. Dragons were most alert when the moon rose, and their senses became more acute.

  She’s not as bad as I thought she’d be, Phoebe said, breaking into Aidan’s thoughts.

  He glanced over at his sister. You mean Bailey?

  Yes, who else would I be talking about?

  I am surprised you asked for her help. The last thing he’d expected was to find his sister and the dragon slayer together when he returned. Rather, he’d come to his empty lair and worried something had happened to Bailey. She wasn’t one to stay out late into the evening. If they had not returned minutes after he arrived, he would have gone searching for her. His beast had been in such a panic it only made Aidan’s concern worse.

  It was not as if he spent every day with the slayer, but for some reason being so far from her this time bothered him more than normal. He had felt on edge the entire trip. Aidan had told himself he simply wanted the comfort of home, but he’d lied to himself. His beast had somehow sensed something was wrong with Bailey. Considering the extent of her injuries, she could have died, and he had not been there. That bothered him on a deep, primal level that he could not deny. Just because she had grown strong did not mean she never needed help. Even Aidan had strong warriors to assist him including Donar, Falcon, and his sister. Bailey had Conrad—a weak, little human. The young man may try his best to watch over the slayer, but he was no match for a dragon.