Hazel stood up straighter. “There is absolutely nothing that proves he’s dead. Doesn’t this dragon usually leave a limb or something lying around?”
Mom shook her head. “In the early deaths, he did. But he’s getting better. The last three deaths we had were only known because of cameras or eyewitnesses.
Your father and I are holding out hope that he’s holed up somewhere, but they are looking for evidence the dragon ate him.”
“Fine. Then I’ll just continue my own investigation. Aspen, will you help me?”
Aspen nodded, her lips in a tight line. Hazel was glad she could count on her.
Mom stood. “Stay close to town. Take Paul with you. I don’t want you girls disappearing. We could really use your help in searching around the hot springs.”
“No, I don’t want Paul babysitting me. And no, we’re not going to search the hot springs. You have enough people looking. I think he’s somewhere else.”
Mom swept from the room. Probably to go cry. She never cried in front of them. Hazel wanted to feel sorry for her, but she was still angry they weren’t exploring other options.
“At least we’re on the same page,” Aspen said.
“Yeah. Where do you think he is?”
“No idea. But he’s not dead.”
“I talked to Mr. Daniels, and he said you’d already been there.”
Aspen looked down and fiddled with empty cereal bowl. She was keeping a secret from Hazel.
“Yeah. He didn’t give us much.”
“You know something. I can tell when you are hiding something.”
Aspen looked up and met her eyes. “He’s not dead.”
“So where is he then?”
Aspen sighed. “Don’t know. But I want to head to Florida and ask some questions.”
Hazel narrowed her eyes. “What makes you think Florida?”
“Because that’s where Skye’s from.”
“You said he wasn’t with Skye.” Hazel wasn’t sure what was going on.
“Oh, he’s not. At least I don’t think so. But Skye might know where he went. She was closer to him than any of us at the moment he disappeared. I guess there’s the possibility that he ran off with her, but probably not.”
Hazel sat down. She didn’t think anything would surprise her at this point. Rowan was always a nerdy kid who never even talked to girls. To think that he ran off with one was more unbelievable than getting eaten by a dragon.
“Let me guess, you tried to tell Mom and Dad, and they didn’t believe you,” Hazel said.
“Uh, no. I didn’t tell them.”
“Why not? This could change everything.” Hazel grew more confused by the second.
“It’s complicated. I’m only telling you because I need you on my side, but you can’t tell them either.”
Hazel sighed. “Aspen, I know in your head you’ve worked out why we can’t tell them and that we’ll just find him on our own, but this is serious. We need to tell our parents and alert the authorities.”
“We can’t.”
“Why?” Bringing in the FBI was the best chance they had at finding him. They had resources that she and Aspen wouldn’t have.
“Because of Sid’s family. I told you it was complicated.”
“What does any of this have to do with Sid’s family?”
Aspen looked at the stairs. “Mom might come back down at any minute. Let’s go for a drive.”
Hazel tried to sort out her thoughts as they went outside. She stopped short when she saw Aspen unlock the doors of an Escalade.
“That’s not your car.”
“Mine’s still in the shop. Sid’s sick of my car breaking down, and he’s buying me a new one. In the meantime, I’m driving this thing. Come on.”
Hazel tried to wrap her head around Aspen having a boyfriend who was going to buy her a new car. This one was all decked out. Aspen leaned over and switched on the heated seats.
“Nice, huh?”
“Yeah. Now talk. I wanna know more about Skye.”
Aspen backed out of the driveway and headed into town. She laughed. “Skye’s Sid’s ex-girlfriend and the one that he was supposed to be with. I threw a damper into all their plans.”
Hazel frowned. “I think you need to back up a little.”
“There are things I can’t tell you. Things you’ll learn eventually but for now should be kept secret, so if there are holes in my story, that’s why.”
“Nope. You can’t do that. You need to tell me everything if we are going to find Rowan.”
“Sis, it’s not my secret to share. If you want to know the things I’m leaving out, you need to ask Val. I imagine he’ll tell you. But I’ll tell you everything I can.”
“What’s Val got do with any of this?” So much for staying away from him. If he had answers, she’d have to talk to him. Unless she could convince Aspen to give her the answers first.
“I told you, he’s Sid’s cousin. And this whole mess is because of Sid’s family.”
“Alright, start at the beginning.”
“Sid moved here while we were in Hawaii, and when we got back, he and I hit it off. His family has a lot of money, and I was not in the plans. He wasn’t supposed to hook up with anyone while he was here. In fact, your buddy Teddy told me one time that Sid was not supposed to be with anyone, and then asked me to get lost. A month later Skye showed up and helped us keep our relationship secret. For a while we pretended that they were a couple, and Sid and I only really saw each other in the privacy of his home. Rowan came along for the ride, and he and Skye spent a lot of time together.”
“I never would’ve thought Rowan would run away with a girl.”
Aspen laughed. “Wait until you see a picture of her. Then you really won’t believe it. Seriously though, they probably aren’t together. But Skye might have information.”
“Has anyone seen Skye?”
“Nope.”
“What makes you so sure they aren’t together?”
“Because Skye wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone. She had no reason to run away and take Rowan with her. She’d know we would think a dragon ate him. She wouldn’t put us through that. But if she doesn’t know he’s missing, she might not know she has information that could help us find him.”
“Were they a couple?”
Aspen laughed. “No. I always told Rowan he was fighting a losing battle, but near the end it was hard to tell. She seemed to really like him. Rowan thought he had a shot.”
“Why isn’t anyone worried about Skye missing?”
“Because Skye disappears from time to time, and apparently it isn’t that big of a deal. But she was the last one who saw him before he disappeared.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because Mr. Daniels said a blonde girl was driving the car.”
“And Skye is blonde?”
Aspen grinned. “Very. A knockout too.”
“So how are we going to find her?”
“We’re not. Sid and his family will take care of it. I trust he’ll find Skye.”
“But you just said we were going to Florida.”
“No, I said I wanted to. We’ll help field intel. But we’re not leaving Gardiner. There is one more thing you should know. And I don’t want you to freak out.”
Hazel clenched her fists. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to take any more. “I’m past freaking out.”
“There is a small possibility that they are together but didn’t run away.”
“You just said they weren’t together.” Hazel voice raised a few octaves. She was about ready to throttle Aspen for being so cryptic.
“No, I said they probably weren’t together. This is the other part.”
Hazel raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“A family feud is starting. There are a lot of puzzle pieces, but the more research we do, the more we realize that they may all be connected. Including Rowan’s disappearance. They might have been kidnapped.”
“What?” Hazel’s voice came out in a squeak. “We’ve got to go to the FBI.”
“No, we can’t. They won’t help us with this.”
Hazel was baffled. Why on earth would her sister want to hide something that could help them find Rowan? She was being completely unreasonable.
“Are they some kind of mafia or something?” Hazel couldn’t imagine what would make her sister keep something this big a secret.
Aspen shook her head. “No, look, I’m going to let Sid and Val explain. We’re going to help in the search, but we can’t tell Mom or anyone else.”
“Why did you tell me?”
“Because you deserve to be part of this.”
Aspen pulled onto Shelby Lane, and Hazel’s stomach twisted for a very different reason.
“Do we really have to go here?” Val would be there. She had to focus on Rowan. She couldn’t risk Val distracting her. Memories of that kiss haunted her more than she liked to admit. She desperately wanted a repeat, but knew that would be foolish.
“That was my first reaction too.” Aspen laughed.
Hazel looked quizzically at her. “Why’s that?”
“Sid looks just like Marc. Found out they were cousins. But he’s dead now, so it doesn’t matter.”
“This just gets weirder and weirder.” She wanted to slow down, process everything her sister was telling her, but they arrived at the house, and Hazel knew the stories would have to wait.
“You have no idea, Sis. But don’t worry. Theo isn’t here. He’s out of town.”
Hazel got out of the car and stared up at the monster house. “It’s not Teddy I’m worried about.”
Aspen nudged her and grinned. “I like Val. He really likes you too.”
“You would like him.” Hazel snorted.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He’s all batty about dragons. He told me on the airplane.” If Aspen wasn’t already with Sid, she’d be worried about her sister making a move on Val. Maybe she would anyway. Hazel wasn’t sure if she liked or loathed that idea. If Aspen went after him, then she’d be able to write him off.
Aspen leaned against the car. “What happened on the airplane anyway? Val seems pretty in love.”
Hazel smiled in spite of herself. If Val was talking about her, then Aspen wasn’t going to even consider him. “We talked the whole plane ride. It’s not a big deal.”
Aspen wiggled her eyebrows. “Did you kiss him?”
Hazel blushed and didn’t say anything.
“Yeah, nice. He’s excited to see you again, but he won’t be back for a couple of hours. The boys wanted to give us some time to talk.”
Hazel followed Aspen into the house. She shut the door, and something flew right at her head, and she ducked, covering her head.
She peeked through her hands. A strange creature sat on Aspen’s shoulder.
Aspen was looking at the little critter with exasperation. “Runa, I told you not to come out until Hazel went home.”
The creature stuck her tongue out at Aspen and spoke. “Since when have I listened to you? She’s got green eyes too.”
Hazel sunk to the floor, a little lightheaded. Her head raced to understand. But nothing made sense.
“What is that?” It looked like a giant lizard with wings. But was all sorts of crazy colors. Maybe she didn’t get enough sleep the night before. She closed her eyes for a second then opened them again. Nope the creature was still there.
The lizard hopped off Aspen’s shoulder and stuck her snout in Hazel’s face. Hazel backed away.
“I’m a dragon.” It cocked its head from side to side. Maybe it would open its mouth and incinerate her. Her confusion turned to fear, and her palms began to sweat.
“Why is it talking?” Hazel fought to keep from stuttering. Her chest was tight, and her breath was coming in rapid bursts.
The little dragon jerked its head back and looked at Aspen. “Did she just call me an it?”
Aspen shrugged. “Sorry.”
She had to be hallucinating. There was no other explanation. Maybe it was the combination of lack of sleep and bad coffee. Perhaps her mom had goofed and somehow spiked her coffee like she did for Rowan when he was having a panic attack. Medicines like that could cause hallucinations. Couldn’t they? Once again, Hazel squeezed her eyes shut and hoped that when she opened them, the dragon would be gone. But she wasn’t that lucky. She made eye contact, and it puffed its chest out and stretched its neck high.
“I can talk because I’m part river dragon.”
“Do they all talk?” Hazel squeaked, still not sure what was going on. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to process what she knew about dragons. It wasn’t much. Maybe only river dragons could talk.
“Of course. Everyone knows that.” The dragon turned her head back to Aspen. “Your sister isn’t very smart. Why does Val like her?”
Hazel kept her body pressed against the wall. “Why’s it talking about Val?”
“Runa, you’ve scared her. Can you go back to your room until I explain some things to my sister?”
“Rowan was supposed to be afraid of everything, and he wasn’t scared of me.”
Hazel leaned forward, both fascinated and horrified by the dragon in front of her. She was real. Not a hallucination. Her skin was a mottle of many different colors, and she had bright yellow wings. Hazel wanted to touch her skin, to see what it felt like, but the dragon turned around and narrowed her eyes.
“Why are you scared of me?”
“Because an animal just spoke to me. I don’t know many speaking animals, do you?”
“Sure, they all do. Only most do it with their minds.”
“You’ve said enough. Room. Now.”
Runa huffed and spread out her wings and took flight. She hit Aspen right on the head as she flew down the hall. Aspen rubbed her head and held her hand out for Hazel.
“Sorry about her. I’d hoped to explain a few things before she showed her face.”
Hazel took Aspen’s hand and pulled herself up. “Is she your pet or something?”
Aspen laughed. “Runa is no one’s pet. She’s just staying with us for a while. She doesn’t want to go back home.”
“Why not?”
“Her father kept her locked up in a cave.”
“Sounds cruel.” Hazel was trying to wrap her head around the fact that dragons could talk. That they were able to make decisions like humans.
“Oh, it’s not. Most underground dragons go blind in the light of day, but because she’s part river dragon, she can come out. She stowed away with me when Sid and I came back from DC last year. We don’t have the heart to send her home.”
None of what Aspen said made sense, so Hazel grabbed onto the one thing that she understood. “When did you go to DC?”
Aspen gave her a crooked grin. “That is part of much larger story. You ready to have your mind blown?”
“I just met a talking dragon. I don’t think you could surprise me even more.”
Aspen snorted. “Famous last words.”
“Come on, let’s go into the theater room. It’s the most comfortable. Sid and Val will be back in a couple of hours, and we’ll eat. They can tell you everything, but now that you’ve met Runa, I can tell you about the dragons.”
Hazel tried to watch where she was going as she walked down the hall, but there was so much to look at. Every few feet there was another old painting, and ancient-looking statues filled every cubby. She’d never been anywhere so opulent.
She pointed to a picture as Aspen opened a door. “Are these authentic?”
“I think so. But art has never been my thing. I didn’t think it was yours either.”
Hazel leaned forward and studied the red and black painting. “It’s not, but I took an art history class last semester. This looks like Picasso.”
“You’ll have to ask Sid. I have no idea.”
Hazel followed Aspen into the room. It was dark, cozy, and
comfortable. Aspen flung herself down on the massive couch, and Hazel followed, facing her sister.
“It’s time for you to explain.” Hazel was tired of having way more questions than she had the answers to. She wasn’t used to being left in the dark.
Aspen hesitated. “Sid and his family are liaisons between the dragon world and the human one. It’s why we went to DC. We had to meet with the president to talk about the dragon killings.”
Hazel gasped. “You met with the president?” She had truly thought nothing else would surprise her. But every time Aspen opened her mouth, she said something unimaginable.
Aspen grinned. “Yeah, I told her off too.”
Hazel shook her head. “Only you would do that. Why?”
“She talked about nuking the dragon homes.”
“A lot of people think they should. The dragons are too dangerous to keep around.”
Aspen face went red, and she motioned toward the door. “Did Runa look too dangerous to keep around?”
“She’s tiny, and she can talk. I still can’t believe she can talk.” Hazel knew she was making Aspen angry, but at this point she didn’t care. She wanted answers, and she’d get them even if she and Aspen weren’t speaking by the time this was over.
“They’re intelligent beings. They all can communicate.”
Hazel had to think on that. Those massive flying beasts could communicate with humans?
“Wait. Paul said he saw you riding a black dragon. I thought he was just seeing things. But it’s true, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I’ve befriended a lot of them, but the black one is my favorite.”
Hazel backed away from Aspen, reality setting in. Her heart beat a little faster. “They’re eating people.”
“No, only one dragon is eating people. Believe it or not, the dragons want to find him as bad as we do. We shouldn’t kill them all just because one of them is evil. They’ll find him, and things will all go back to normal.”
“No it won’t. You can’t just unknow this stuff.”
Aspen laid her hand on Hazel’s. “It gets better. I promise. Look, I was shocked when I found all this out too. Now it doesn’t faze me.”
“But you’ve always liked dragons. I don’t.”
Aspen was probably giddy as all get out when she discovered the dragons could talk to her.
Valentine (The Dragon Kings Book 3) Page 9
