She laughed. “That’s the thing. It’s not. I’m happy. I enjoy my life and my flings. I don’t want the intensity of a serious relationship. Because I can’t handle the aftermath when it inevitably falls apart.”
Val stood close to her. He took both of her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. “I have never felt this way about anyone before. I love you.”
Hazel let out a loud laugh and ripped her hands from him. She backed away, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been taking lessons from Teddy, huh?”
“What are you talking about?” His face flushed. He’d just opened up to her, and she shot him down.
“Teddy used those exact same words the day before he disappeared.”
“I didn’t…I don’t even talk to Theo. I meant them.” One of these days he was going to beat the crap out of Theo for what he did to Hazel. But first Val had to convince her he wasn’t like him.
“Yeah, that’s what he said too. This isn’t going to work. You’ll break my heart, and I don’t think it can survive that again. I’ll take you home, and then I’ll call Paul to take me to Florida.”
She ran from the room. He didn’t follow. He’d opened up too soon, and now she would keep him at arm’s length. Not only that, but he’d run her right back to that idiot Paul. Dammit. He wished someone had taught him how to do this. Because he was blowing it big time. Some king he would be. He couldn’t even get the future queen who’d already sealed herself to him to love him.
VAL TOSSED AND turned all night. His bed was comfortable, but he flung his pillows everywhere. Hazel’s words kept bouncing around in his head. He didn’t know how to show her he wouldn’t hurt her. He supposed he could talk about the mark and what it meant. Would that convince her?
He checked his phone throughout the night. One a.m. Two a.m. Four a.m. He finally got up at six.
No one else was up yet. He went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out an apple. When he turned around, he was surprised to find a pretty redhead sitting at the kitchen table. She smiled at him.
“You must be Val.”
“I am. You are?” He took a bite of the apple, sleep fogging his brain.
“Pearl. Obsidian’s sister.”
Sid had mentioned his sister was on the council. “What brings you here?”
“Nothing good.” She sighed. “I wished I’d lived five hundred years ago instead of now.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone I love is going to die.” Her face was pale, and her shoulders tight. Val tried to make sense of what she was saying. He wanted to say something that would make her feel better, but he couldn’t think of anything real.
Runa came flying into the room. “There you are, Val. I couldn’t find you.” She landed in front of Pearl. “I woke everyone else up. They’ll be down in a minute.”
“Thank you,” Pearl said and patted Runa on the head.
Runa growled. “I’m not a dog.”
Pearl gave her a grin. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Within minutes, Sid and Aspen joined them. Val tried to clear the sleep fog from his brain, trying to understand what was going on.
Pearl jumped up and threw her arms around Sid. She quickly let go of him and addressed both Sid and Aspen. Val felt like an intruder. “I was up north with Theo spying on the arctic dragons, and, Sid, I’ve got bad news.”
“What?”
“Olwen is dead.”
“What?” Sid whipped his shirt off and ran to the small bathroom off the kitchen. Seconds later, he came back, with his fists clenched.
“What’s the matter?” Aspen asked.
“Jolantha is gone as well,” Sid said, pointing to his chest.
“What?”
When Sid had transformed as a dragon a few days ago, there had been seven seals on his chest. Now there were only five.
“Does that mean they’re being targeted?” Pearl asked.
“Probably. Dammit. I shouldn’t have the let the council talk me out of finishing the seals.”
“It was necessary. To keep the peace. You didn’t want to be the first dragon in thousands of years to take the throne by force when it was freely given,” said Pearl.
“Except now the rest of them are in danger.”
“Runa’s here, so we can keep her safe. We can probably bring your mom and Runa’s mom here. Damien will be harder because he’s too big for the house and can’t transform into a human.” Aspen let out a deep breath.
“So what are you going to do for my dad?”
Sid put his hand on Val’s shoulder. “We’ll get a few royal dragons to stay with him. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of him.”
Val studied the marks on Sid’s chest. “What about Skye?”
Sid squeezed his eyes shut. “She’ll be a target. An easy one, since she has no idea someone is hunting her.”
Aspen crossed her arms. “Unless they’ve already got her.”
“She’s still alive though. Or her mark would be gone. Why kill the others but keep her alive?”
Pearl leaned against the counter near Sid. “Information. She knows a lot about you.”
“We’ve got eagles and dragons all over the country looking. There’s been no sight of her.”
Val thought quickly. Hazel wanted to find Skye just as much as they did. “What if you send me and Hazel to Florida? You’ve had dragons searching. Maybe you need a couple of humans to see if we can round anything up. Based on what I’ve seen, Rowan is either dead, or he’s with her.”
Aspen nodded. “That’s a good idea, but I’m going with as well. She won’t go alone with you.”
Val wanted to object, but he figured she had a point. Sid stared off into space for a few seconds. “That’s a decent idea. It’s something we haven’t tried yet. If they weren’t in danger before, they’re in danger now.”
Aspen hopped down off the counter she’d been sitting on. “I’ll go get Hazel. Let’s go find my brother.”
HAZEL STEPPED OUT of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, opened the door, and stopped dead. Aspen stood right in front of her.
“What the? Why are you standing outside my door?”
Aspen rocked back on her heels. “We need to go to Florida. Today.”
“Why?”
“We have reason to believe that Skye and Rowan, if he’s with her, are in danger.”
“Why?”
“People like Skye are turning up dead.”
“Like Skye?”
Aspen pushed Hazel toward her room. “Skye was pretty tightly woven in the dragon world, like Sid and Val. Two of their family members ended up dead last night. We need to find her.”
“What about Sid and Val?”
“They are going to warn the others that are in danger.”
Hazel brushed past Aspen to her bedroom. “But aren’t they in danger as well? Who wants to hurt them? Why?”
“Sid’s family has been in charge of the dragon stuff for a long time, and someone else wants to take over.”
Aspen wouldn’t meet her eyes. Hazel stepped into her closet to get dressed. Something was off. But Hazel could focus on that, or she could help solve the problem at hand. She could worry about the mystery of Sid and Val’s family later.
“Any idea where to start the search?” She pulled a sweatshirt over her head and tried to process this new development.
“Everglades. We’ll talk to the rangers. Flash around pictures. Do whatever it takes to find them.”
“We need to tell Mom and Dad.”
Aspen grabbed Hazel’s arm. “We can’t.”
“What are we going to do, just disappear and let them think we’re never coming back either? We need to tell them something.”
“Fine, but you can’t tell them that Skye or Sid is involved.”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “Fair enough. I’ll come up with something.”
Aspen nodded and followed her downstairs.
Their parents were sitti
ng at the table eating breakfast. Mom looked up. Her eyes were red and her face blotchy.
“The search is over.”
Hazel sank into her chair, a knot forming in her chest. “Did they find his body?”
“No, but all hope is lost. He’s gone.”
Hazel put her hands over her mother’s. “Maybe not.”
Mom shook her head. “Don’t start. He’s dead. We need to accept that.”
“No, I don’t think so. Listen, yesterday I checked his room. His drawers are empty, and his suitcase is missing.”
“You think we didn’t do a thorough search? We scoured his room the day he disappeared. His suitcase is in the garage. We never put it back after the trip to Hawaii, and he had a lot of clothes in the wash. You’re searching for clues that aren’t there.”
“I have a friend who spotted him in Florida. I think he ran away. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but I want to follow this lead.”
Mom narrowed her eyes at Hazel. “That’s impossible. You will stay here and help us. We cannot keep chasing irrational leads. He’s dead.”
Hazel crossed her arms. “Aspen and I are going. We’ll be back in a couple of days.”
Mom and Dad looked at each other. “No. The funeral is on Tuesday. You’re not leaving.”
Aspen leaned forward. “We can be home by Tuesday. That only gives us a couple of days to search, but that should be enough.”
After a few seconds, Dad sighed. “I don’t know about this.”
If Dad was speaking, it was a good sign. He usually let Mom be the bad guy, but if they were going to get away with anything, he’d be the one to let them.
“Look, we’re going to do this whether you approve or not. You may believe he’s dead, but we don’t.”
Mom squeezed her eyes shut. “You’re right. We can’t stop you. But promise me something. If you don’t find anything out there, will you please try to move on?”
Hazel nodded, hating the lie. But she needed her mom to feel okay about something.
“How are you getting there?” Dad asked.
“Flying. Sid’s paying for the tickets.”
“Be safe. We’ll see you girls on Tuesday morning.”
Back at Sid’s house, Hazel waited in the foyer for Aspen, who needed to pack up her own things. Sid had booked them on a two o’clock flight. Runa flew into the room.
“Where’s Aspen?” Runa hovered in the air in front of her.
“Upstairs packing.”
The little dragon turned and flew up the stairs, just as Aspen was coming down them. Aspen was looking at her phone, and Runa was looking at herself in the mirror on the wall. Before Hazel could shout a warning, they collided. The suitcase went flying, and Aspen fell down after it, Runa tumbling with her. Hazel’s heart raced as she caught her sister at the bottom.
“Are you okay?”
Aspen rubbed at her head. “I think so.” Then she glared at Runa. “You’ve got to look where you’re going.”
Runa hung her now red head. “I’m sorry. But in my defense, you weren’t looking either.”
Aspen rolled her eyes and grabbed Hazel’s hand. “Help me up. Change of plans. Skye’s been spotted.”
“What? Where?”
Hazel hoisted Aspen up, and she immediately collapsed again, her face twisted.
“What’s the matter?”
“My ankle. I can’t stand on it.”
Val came running into the room. “What happened? I heard a crash.”
“Aspen fell down the stairs. Let me see your ankle.”
It was red and starting to swell. “We need to get you the doctor.”
She took a deep breath. “No, I’ll be okay. Look, you need to go find Skye. She’s in Yosemite.”
“Is Rowan with her?”
“I don’t know. Our source was looking for Skye, not Rowan.”
“Is she okay?”
“Don’t know. She was seen hiking. She could be hidden somewhere. You’ve got to go. Val, go with her. I’ll be fine. Sid will be home soon. He can take me the doctor. This is more important.”
Val nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
He ran up the stairs two at a time. Hazel glared at Aspen. “Did you do this on purpose?”
“What, hurt my ankle?”
“Yeah. So I’d have to go with Val.”
“What the hell? Do you think I care about your freaking love life? Rowan is out there. Mom and Dad think he’s dead, and this is our only lead. I wouldn’t joke about this.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I just thought... It seemed contrived, that’s all.”
Hazel turned away, but just before she did, she could’ve sworn she saw Runa wink at Aspen.
Hazel helped Aspen into the kitchen where she eased into a chair.
“How bad does it hurt?” Hazel asked.
Aspen grimaced. “I could use some ibuprofen.”
Hazel dug around in her bag. “Of course. Here.” Hazel hated seeing her sister in pain. Aspen was always strong and moved forward with what seemed like superhuman strength. To see her hurt was disconcerting.
Runa settled on the kitchen table. “I’m really sorry.”
Aspen scratched Runa’s chin. “It’s okay, but you really do need to start paying attention.”
Hazel sat down across from them, still unsure of the plan. “So did our flights get changed?”
“Hang on. I’ll take care of it.” She pulled her phone out and started texting rapidly.
“Why did your flights get changed?” Runa asked.
“Because we’re going to California instead.”
Runa gasped. “The ocean is in California. I’m coming with.”
“No, you’re not. We’re looking for Rowan. We don’t have time to watch you too. Besides, we’re flying on an airplane.” Hazel wasn’t crazy about Runa. Plus this was the first possible lead they had, and she wasn’t about to let a little dragon ruin it.
“Please. I can help.”
“Airplane. You can’t fly on an airplane.” Runa didn’t know how to take a hint.
“Oh yes I can.” Then Runa disappeared out of the room.
“She realizes that you can see the ocean in Florida too, right?” Hazel asked Aspen.
Aspen shrugged and laughed. “You’re probably not going to win this one. I bet she ends up on the flight with you.”
Val entered the room with his hands in his pockets and his head down, followed by Runa. “Tell them I can help. Pleeeeeeaaaaaase.” She landed on the table with a bag clutched in her claws.
“What’s this?” Aspen asked.
“A cat carrier. No one looks too closely, and I can meow. Listen.” She let out an awful screech that had them all covering their ears.
“Don’t do that again,” Hazel said and opened the cat carrier. She couldn’t believe she was considering taking Runa with them.
“You know, she really could be helpful once we hit California,” Val said. “She can fly and cover more ground than we can do on our own.”
“Won’t people be suspicious if they see her flying around?” He had a point though.
“River dragons will sometimes get that far north. If she changes so she’s pure yellow, she can pass for one of them.”
“So I can go?” Runa bounced up and down on the table.
“Calm down,” said Aspen. “That entirely up to Hazel.”
Hazel couldn’t help but wonder if she was about to make a big mistake.
“DO YOU WANT the window or the aisle?” Val asked.
Hazel shrugged. “It’s all the same to me.” Truthfully Hazel was scared to death, but it had nothing to do with the plane. Though she was sure that would come soon. The last time she was on an airplane with Val, she’d had the kiss of her life, and as good as that was, she didn’t want a replay because she wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk away again.
“Why don’t you take the window? I think I hogged it last time.”
Hazel handed Runa to Val, shoved her backpack
in the overhead, and slid into the seat. First class. Again.
The flight attendant stopped Val.
“Oh, is that a cat or dog?”
“Cat,” Val said.
“I love kitties,” she said and stuck her face close to the mesh lining at the front of the carrier.
Runa growled and the flight attendant jumped back, putting hand on her chest. The problem with Runa growling was that it was quite a bit louder than a normal cat. Not to mention that sometimes smoke came out.
Val quickly handed the carrier to Hazel.
“She doesn’t like flying,” he explained to the startled flight attendant.
“I guess not,” she replied.
Hazel slid the carrier under the seat in front of her, and Runa grumbled something about it being too small.
“Be quiet,” hissed Hazel. “It’s a short flight. You’ll be fine.”
Runa answered by shoving her face against the mesh and glaring at her.
Hazel looked out the window and felt Val shift in the seat next to her. The plane pushed away from the gate, and Hazel’s nerves got the better of her again. She gripped the edge of the seat and hoped Val hadn’t noticed. She forgot all about Runa.
“Can I hold your hand again?”
Hazel didn’t look at him, but she offered him her hand. He took it, and she felt her nerves calm. Once the plane was safely in the air, she let go and exhaled.
“Thank you,” she said and looked at him. Big mistake. Why’d he have to be so beautiful?
“Anytime.” He gave her a grin, and her stomach fluttered. “Have you ever been to Yosemite?” he asked her.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful. Full of mountains and trees and waterfalls.”
“Sounds like Yellowstone.”
Hazel shrugged. “It’s a different kind of beauty. Just like every beach is different even though they are all made of sand and water and setting suns.”
“I’d like to go to the beach with you sometime.”
Hazel flinched. “Maybe.” They had a short flight. Only an hour, but he was trapped and couldn’t escape. She leaned closer to him. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
Valentine (The Dragon Kings Book 3) Page 11
