Valentine (The Dragon Kings Book 3)

by Kimberly Loth

  He rubbed his chin. “I remember seeing the jeep, but I don’t think Rowan was driving it. In fact, I’m not sure I saw Rowan at all. But I didn’t look in the car too closely. I recognized it as Aspen’s jeep, and I just let it go through.”

  “So you didn’t see who was driving it?” Hazel leaned forward, her knees bouncing.

  “It was dark. But I don’t remember thinking anything unusual. I figured Aspen was driving.”

  “Did you actually see Aspen driving?”

  “I told you that I didn’t look that close. But a blonde girl driving a jeep passed through those gates all the time. What was I supposed to think?”

  Hazel knees stopped bouncing. “Are you sure it was a girl?” This was something. Had Aspen been lying about where she was that night? Did she have something to do with Rowan’s disappearance? Or was she just hiding what she knew?

  “I dunno. Maybe. I really can’t remember. I don’t remember thinking anything looked unusual. But maybe. It was dark.” The man looked flustered. “I don’t know why you guys keep coming and asking me questions. I told Aspen I didn’t know either.”

  “Aspen came to see you?” Hazel wasn’t sure anything else would surprise her now.

  “Yeah, the day after he went missing. I feel horrible about it. Especially because I wasn’t really paying attention. If I had been, maybe I’d be more help. But your sister came in late all the time. Really, by then it was early morning. I was just ready for my shift to be over.”

  Hazel stood, not really caring much about his guilt. “Thank you, Mr. Daniels. I appreciate what you told us.”

  As soon as they got in the car, Hazel turned to Paul. “We need to go back to the spot where they found the car. Then I want to check out the jeep.”

  “Sure.” He rested his arm across the back of her seat. He didn’t touch her, but she knew he was moving in that direction. She had to bite her tongue. She wanted to tell him to not use this situation to try to win her back, but she didn’t want to lose her ride. Plus, he was good at listening to her think out loud.

  The spot the car was found was easy to find. There was police tape all around the area, though it was already starting to sag.

  “Has it snowed since he went missing?” Hazel asked, realizing that would be a problem.

  “Yeah, but not heavily. We can probably still see the tracks and footprints.”

  They found the tire tracks. Hazel searched the area around them. Footprints were everywhere.

  “There’s no way to tell if he walked or not. Too many people have been in and out of here,” Hazel said as she studied the footprints that were slightly snow covered. This wasn’t going to work. Maybe she could see the original pictures from the scene.

  “How do you know this stuff?” Paul asked.

  “I took a criminal justice class last semester. It was one of my favorite classes. I got an A.” She had wondered if maybe she should pursue a career in forensics. Her counselor told her it was time for her make a decision about her major.

  Paul laughed. “Hazel Winters, detective. It has a nice ring.”

  “Ha ha. I’m just glad I took the class now. Who knew I’d have to use the things I learned this fast.” She wasn’t an expert by any means, but she could sure try.

  Paul leaned down next to her and studied the footprints on the ground. “Your parents told me there were no footprints. But I can see a few where he got out of the car, but nothing after that. He could’ve easily walked on the road. They plowed it that night, so there’s no way to tell.”

  Hazel walked over to where the snow had been torn up and mixed with grass and dirt. It was right in front of the jeep tracks.

  “What happened here?” Hazel asked.

  Paul rubbed the back of his neck. “No one knows for sure, but there is speculation.”

  “And that is?”

  “Dragon.”

  Hazel shook her head. No way. If that was the case, then he was dead. “I have a hard time believing Rowan would get out of the car in the first place. But he definitely wouldn’t if a dragon had landed in front of him. He’d hide in the car.”

  Paul blew on his hands. “It’s possible he got out of the car before the dragon landed. It’s cold. You ready to go?”

  Hazel nodded. “Do you know where the car is?”

  “No, but your parents will. Let’s go.”

  The sky turned gray as they drove toward the visitor center. “Is it getting dark already?” Haze asked, looking out the window into the shadowed woods.

  “Yeah, the sun sets at around five-thirty. You might have to wait until tomorrow to see the car. You interested in dinner tonight?”

  Hazel thought about this morning. Seeing Teddy. She needed to talk to Aspen, but she didn’t particularly want to see Teddy, and she knew he’d be there. Plus, there was Val. She couldn’t allow herself to see him again. She wanted answers, but her head spun with all the questions. What Aspen was up to and the deal with Val needed to wait until after she found Rowan.

  “Sure. I’m supposed to meet up with Aspen, but I’d rather stay with you.”

  Paul was easy. There were no expectations, no commitments. Well, he might be angling for something more, but he also knew she would run if he got too close. He could take her mind off things for a few hours, and she could still focus on Rowan. Val though, she’d give him her heart without even knowing what happened.

  VAL LOOKED at the phone in Aspen’s hand.

  Going out to dinner with Paul. See you tomorrow. We need to talk.

  “Why isn’t she coming over tonight?” Val asked. “And who is this Paul?” Val clenched his jaw. Hazel should be here with him, not out with some other guy.

  Runa, who had been sitting on the other side of Aspen, stuck her head up. Today it was jet black. “I’d say she’s ditching you. But that’s just my opinion.”

  “Runa!” Aspen exclaimed. “That’s not nice. Apologize.”

  Runa brought her face only a few inches from Aspen’s nose. “No. Who seals themselves to someone and then avoids them? She’s not coming because she’s scared of what will happen if she sees Val.”

  Val’s stomach tightened. He knew she was speaking the truth. Hazel told him she didn’t want anything serious. And if she felt any of the same things he did during that kiss, she’d know things had to be serious.

  Aspen pushed Runa out of her face and frowned at Val. “I think she’s right. Hazel is terrified of commitment. You probably make her feel things she doesn’t want to. And it’s all that one’s fault.” Aspen pointed to Theo.

  “What’d I do?” he asked around a mouthful of ice cream.

  “You ditched her in California. The week after that we spent the entire time crying on each other’s shoulders. She loved you. In fact, she never had a serious relationship after that. She’s spent the last few years trying to forget you.”

  Theo pushed his bowl aside and leaned forward. “Aspen, we’ve been over this. You know I couldn’t stick around and risk sealing myself to her.” Runa stuck her head in Theo’s bowl and licked his ice cream. He jerked it away. “Get your own.”

  “You ate it all, you dummy. Aspen said she’s not going to the store until tomorrow.”

  “Actually, Theo, can you go for me? I’ve got to deal with my sister, and we need to figure out how to expand the search for Rowan. I’m afraid they’re going to declare him dead tomorrow.”

  “Can’t,” he said. “I’m heading up to Alaska first thing in the morning.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot. What do you think you’ll find?”

  “The prophecy said that an evil queen will rise from the arctic tribe, but Winerva was the only one who made sense. Seeing as how you killed her, we don’t know who it is. It’s hard to fight against an unknown enemy. Me being gone will allow Val to pursue Hazel unimpeded too. Where is Sid anyway?” Theo asked.

  “Visiting his mom. I stay home when he goes to see her,” Aspen responded.

  “Why?” Val asked.

  “Bec
ause she hates me. But Sid visits her a lot since his dad died. I don’t mind as long as I don’t have to go with.” Aspen scratched Runa under the chin.

  “What happened to his dad?” Val asked.

  “He was tracking the human killer and was murdered.” Aspen wouldn’t meet Val’s eyes.

  “They think that dragon got your brother, right?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think so. Rowan may be a chicken, but he’s a smart chicken, and he wouldn’t give himself the opportunity to be eaten.”

  “Doesn’t it feel like the human killer is just one step ahead of us all the time? It sounds like last year you thought you got him. Twice. And he’s still out there. Is it possible there’s more than one?”

  Aspen shrugged. “Maybe. Especially after the death in Hawaii.”

  “Do you think this has anything to do with the prophecy?”

  “What makes you think that?” Aspen asked with a cock of her head.

  “Well, the prophecy said that species would fight against species. This is the way the humans are getting involved. Plus, look at the hawks. Why did they attack me? Didn’t Sid say hawks attacked his dad as well? That was when he was tracking the human killer. There has to be a connection.” Val could feel the pieces fitting together in his head, but parts were still missing. He didn’t have all the information he needed.

  “You’re right. We’ve been looking at this wrong. Maybe everything is linked. Maybe the war’s already started. We need to brainstorm this more with Sid when he gets home. I think you may be onto something. Perhaps if we start looking for connections, we’ll find them. Maybe Rowan’s disappearance isn’t even part of all this.”

  “So if the war has already started, that means it’s even more imperative that I take a queen, right?”

  “Yep. You are poor weak dragons without us.” She gave a small chuckle.

  “So what are we going to do about your sister?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How can I take her as my queen if she’s avoiding me?” He glanced down at the phone again. “And who the hell is Paul?” Jealousy rose in his chest. He should be the one taking her out to dinner. Not this Paul guy.

  “Paul was her boyfriend in high school.”

  Val didn’t like the sound of that. If she was running around with Paul then she wouldn’t need him.

  “I thought you said she didn’t date after Theo.”

  “Oh, she dated, she just never committed to anyone. Paul was around more than most, but she went out every weekend with different guys. I’m pretty sure she kept that up in Hawaii. When I went with her to the beach to see her surf, there were no less than five guys who all seemed to be enamored with her. She keeps guys at a distance, but they all think they can break through her barrier. I sure hope you can, or we’re all in trouble.”

  “Why?” Val asked.

  “Sid has me, and that means he has all the power of all the dragons. But you don’t have any of the gifts of the other dragons, and you won’t get them without Hazel.”

  “What?” Val asked. Sid explained a little of this earlier, but he was still unclear on the details.

  “You mean you don’t know how the bonding ceremony works? You’re a dragon.”

  “It’s different for the king,” Theo said.

  “Oh. I just assumed,” Aspen said.

  “The gifting happens occasionally when a dragon is bonded with someone not of their race. They take on the gifts of the other one, but only the king has all of them, and he gets them from his queen,” said Theo.

  Val sat back and ran his hand through his hair. “Are you saying I’ll get all the gifts from the dragons?” Holy hell. The implications of that were huge. To have the ability to read minds, judge the feelings around him, and even heal.

  Aspen nodded. “Except longevity, as Winerva hasn’t been replaced yet. I thought Sid was going to talk to Olwen, but then Rowan got kidnapped, and all plans went out the window.”

  “I’ll talk to Olwen while I’m up there,” said Theo.

  “Who’s Olwen?” Val asked.

  “He’s the arctic dragon who pledged loyalty to Sid. He could possibly be our only ally in this.”

  “Oh, good. Then Sid can have a full council again.” Aspen twirled her hair, staring off into space.

  “So what can you do?” Val asked, hoping she’d tell him more.

  “Well, you saw that I can heal. I can speak any language fluently. The other day there was a volunteer who was helping out in the search for Rowan. He’s from Russia and only spoke a little English. I had an entire conversation with him without even realizing I was speaking another language. Scared the crap outta me.”

  “What else?”

  “Let’s see. Supposedly I can lift heavy things, hide from people when I don’t want to be seen. Oh, and I can read minds. But I never use that. I keep it shut off.”

  “Seems like that would make you a good spy.”

  “Probably. But for now, I will keep it tucked away. I don’t want to know what other people are thinking.”

  Personally Val thought that would be a nice gift to have. If he knew what Hazel was thinking, then maybe he’d have an easier time winning her over.

  HAZEL’S PHONE chirped. She rubbed her eyes and picked it up.

  Where the hell are you?

  Hazel grinned. Aspen pulled no punches. None of your business. Where the hell are you? She loved Aspen more than just about anyone else. Especially because Aspen could say anything to her, and she wouldn’t be offended.

  At home. Mom said you didn’t come home last night.

  Hazel looked at the time and then at the sleeping man next to her. She had to admit last night was nice. She was used to waking up next to different men, but since she didn’t spend more than a few weeks with them, they never hit the comfortable stage. Paul was comfortable.

  It’s only six-thirty. Why are you up so early?

  Because I haven’t seen my sister since August, and I wanted to spend time with her.

  Hazel’s stomach clenched. She wondered if Aspen had been thinking similar things as her. Right now, she only had one sibling, and she didn’t want to take that for granted. No. She couldn’t think those thoughts. Rowan was alive.

  Give me thirty minutes, and I’ll be there. Don’t leave.

  I might. Mom’s driving me crazy already.

  Hazel set the phone down and rolled over. Paul was still out. She felt a tinge of guilt for staying with him. He would expect her to act like they were dating again, but if she were being honest with herself, she did it to drive away thoughts of Val.

  She couldn’t get his face out of her head. Or his voice. Or his smell. She was a lost cause. Paul was sweet, but the whole time they were together, she was thinking of Val.

  He blinked his eyes open, smiled, and placed his hand on her cheek.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  She gave him what she hoped looked like a genuine smile.

  “I have to go. Aspen’s at home waiting. Can you drive me?”

  “Of course. What time did you want to do dinner tonight?”

  The poor guy. This was so unfair to him. “I’m spending the day with Aspen.”

  “Oh, well, then, what time will you be back? We can watch a movie or something. I don’t care how late it is.”

  Hazel slid out of bed and talked without looking at him. She couldn’t do this staring into his eyes. “Paul, you know this doesn’t mean anything. I have to stay focused on the search for Rowan, and then I’m going back to Hawaii. I appreciate you carting me around yesterday.” She turned and faced him. He needed to see she was serious. “And last night was wonderful, but it can’t happen again. I don’t want to get wrapped up in anything that will distract me.”

  He frowned. “That’s okay. I can wait. Maybe I can put in a transfer to Hawaii.”

  Hazel grabbed his hand. “No, Paul, this isn’t going to work. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

  He sat up and pulled her closer
to him. “Maybe not now. But someday you will, and I want to be that person you finally settle down with.”

  She crawled across the bed and kissed him gently on the lips. “Tell you what. When I decide I’m ready to get married and have babies, you’ll be the first one I call.”

  He gave her a grin and her stomach fell, thoughts not on him, but Val.

  Hazel entered the house and heard raised voices. They weren’t yelling, but it wasn’t a happy conversation. In the kitchen she found her mom and Aspen.

  “We need to expand the search.”

  Mom put her hand on Aspen’s. “Look, the car was found in Yellowstone. He’s not somewhere else.”

  “He might be. Come on. Let me at least explore other possibilities.”

  Hazel took the seat next to Aspen.

  “Sweetie, all the evidence points to him being here. We found the car on the road here. He’s not somewhere else,” said Dad.

  Aspen crossed her arms. “You can’t know that.” Hazel agreed with her sister, but she kept her mouth shut because Aspen was better at convincing them of things than she was.

  Mom sat back and sighed. “Well, where do you think he is?”

  Aspen threw up her hands. “Who knows? But we’ll never know if we don’t at least try. He has a better chance at being alive if he’s not in the woods.”

  Hazel’s chest tightened at that thought. If Rowan really never left the park, then his chances of survival at this point were slim to none.

  Mom rubbed her eyes. “I want to believe you, but I can’t. Not when all the evidence says otherwise. Give me one good piece of evidence, and we’ll expand the search.”

  Aspen deflated. “It’s just a feeling.”

  Hazel put her arm around Aspen’s shoulder. “I agree with Aspen. For all we know he got in a car with someone else and took off.” Hazel hated the idea that they were giving up. It was too soon.

  “If he was in the park, the chance that he’s alive isn’t good,” said Aspen.

  Dad nodded. “I know, but we want to search around the hot springs and geysers again. If he’s not there, then the dragon probably got him.” Dad’s voice cracked.