Madness Unhinged: Dragons of Zalara

by ML Guida

  Agnes frowned. “Is he one of the witnesses?”

  She shook her head. “No. But he swears he has evidence about the case and will only share it with you. He’s getting insistent.”

  By her nervous tone, Agnes thought she’d better go. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Tom waved his hand. “Go ahead. I’ll be out in a few minutes anyway. Agnes?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Be careful. This guy could be the killer coming back to look at his handiwork.”

  “I don’t think anyone would have missed him,” Evans said. “He’s kinda hard to overlook.”

  Intrigued, Agnes followed the officer out of Sharon’s home. Evans hadn’t had to point the man out. Her heart sped when she glanced at him. She couldn’t help but be awed by the sheer size and presence of the persistent man. She had never seen anyone with golden eyes. They were the eyes of a predator.

  Definitely out of her league, but man, he turned on all of her libido senses. Whoever he was, he looked like he’d just got done doing a model shoot for Marvel comics. He was at least a head taller than any man there, and his chest and arms could have flattened a sumo wrestler. His neck was rock solid, the jaw blunted under a veiled week’s worth of bearding, with a deep cleft shadowing the middle of his chin. “He’s the one with the long, black hair?”

  She wondered if it was as silky as it looked.

  Evans nodded. “That’s the guy. Have fun. He doesn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Let me in! I need to talk to her!” He slammed into two officers like a bowling ball crashing into two blue pins.

  The officers staggered, but managed to keep him back. The smaller of the two actually reached for his taser.

  “Stay back or I’m going to zap your sorry ass.”

  They were having a devil of a time keeping the man behind the yellow crime tape. If the man couldn’t tone down his insistent behavior, he’d find himself sitting in the back of a squad car.

  Agnes tucked her iPad underneath her arm. “I’ll take it from here.”

  “I told you that you can’t cross the crime scene tape.” The taller officer had his hands up as if to prevent the overeager man from breaking it.

  Other people were crowded outside and had moved away from him, so the officers weren’t the only ones he was making uncomfortable. She thought about what Tom said and left her libido at the crime scene.

  Although he was no slouch of man, his efforts would have proven useless if the Hulk wanted to break inside.

  The man pointed. “She’s coming toward us. Will you please let me speak with her? It’s urgent.”

  His voice was so husky it made her palms sweat.

  This was ridiculous. She was at a murder investigation, not at a bar. She refused to think about her traitorous body tingling at just looking at this man.

  “Officer.” Agnes lifted the tape over her head. “I’ll take it from here.”

  “I need to see the crime scene,” he blurted.

  Agnes narrowed her eyes. “No, you don’t. You wanted to speak to me?”

  “Yes, in private.” He glared at the two officers.

  An image of what he could do with his lips in private made her squirm uncomfortably. Why was she having hot fantasies about him? She’d never done this before.

  Using her sternest voice, she said, “Follow me.” She led him across the street where a huge oak tree offered some shade.

  He was too close, and she got a whiff of smoke, as if he’d been sitting next to a camp fire.

  She whirled around, frustrated at losing control around him. “What is it that you want?”

  Her voice was harder than the captain’s.

  He hadn’t even blinked, but she suddenly realized his eyes reminded her of a tiger’s, studying her, ready to pounce. His lashes were absurdly long for a man, black as night, framing tiger’s eyes that burned with dominance and arrogance. This was a man used to getting his way. He’d better get used to disappointment.

  She might find him insanely attractive, but she was a police detective used to setting the stage.

  “I have information vital for you.”

  “First of all, who are you?”

  “My name is Anonghos, but everyone calls me Hoss.”

  “Fine. Anonghos what?”

  “That’s just it. We don’t have surnames like you humans do.”

  “Humans? So, you dropped your last name?”

  So, this was a crazy super hero.

  He stopped, then opened his mouth and shut it, as if he realized his mistake.

  “I have never had one. Look, I know how insane this is going to sound, but you have to believe me, or more women are going to die.”

  “I’m listening,” she said calmly, ignoring her cramping gut that was always a warning something bad was going to happen. Her grandmother had always said it was a shining gift, but Agnes always attributed it to good police work.

  “The man you’re looking for is pure evil.”

  A total understatement.

  “Go on.” She wasn’t sure about him and slowly moved her hand toward her gun, not sure what this man was capable of. Her only concern were the curious onlookers who could get seriously hurt.

  “He has a list of women he’s going after.”

  “How do you know this? Have you seen this list?”

  “No, but I know one person who is on it.”

  Uneasiness crept up her spine at his penetrative stare.

  “And who is it?”

  “You are.”

  God, he was the killer. She slowly removed her revolver careful not to make any quick moves.

  Still trying to remain in control, she asked, “Why do you say this?”

  He clasped her shoulders. “Because you’re my mate.”

  A shock shimmered up her arms. Instantly, images flowed through her mind of intimately embracing this man in exotic poses that made her gasp. She jerked away.

  “What did you just do to me?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head, but studied the front and back of his hands, as if he’d felt the same thing she did. “I just touched you to get you to listen to me.”

  Strange images of space ships and dragons popped into her head, replacing the sexy pictures, and she shook her head. They felt real, too real.

  She stepped away. “Stay where you are.”

  Her stomach twisted into tiny knots, and her heart beat wildly in her chest. She shouldn’t have come over here alone. He could easily overpower her, but he hadn’t made any sudden moves. She whipped out her gun and aimed it at his heart. “Freeze. You’re under arrest.”

  “On what charge?”

  “For threatening a police officer.”

  His mysterious tiger’s eyes burned brighter, and she thought she detected a low animal growl. “You don’t know what threatening is.”

  Four police officers surrounded him, their guns drawn.

  “Don’t make me shoot you.” Agnes flicked off the safety.

  “I won’t. But we’re not done yet.”

  She shoved her gun back into her holster. “Read him his rights.” Unfortunately, she was shaking violently.

  He had to be the killer, but why did every ounce of her rebel? She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was making a deadly mistake.

  3

  Hoss’s hands tingled after briefly clasping Agnes’s slender shoulders. He shook with desire, and his nostrils flared. What was happening? He’d never responded to a woman like this before. And he was famous for seducing the women of Zalarian, leaving a trail of broken hearts, before they had been annihilated.

  But none of them had been his designated mate.

  Determined to stay in control and not end up like his weak father, he took several deep breaths until he was sure he wouldn’t transform and kidnap his mate, who looked at him warily.

  He stared into her fearless grendor-shaped eyes that mesmerized him. Grendors were fierce predators on Zalara and their eyes were shaped like d
iamonds. If she weren’t careful, her spunk would get herself killed.

  He was barely aware of the security officers surrounding and aiming their weapons at him. A puny officer grabbed each of Hoss’s arms and clamped handcuffs over his wrists. “You have the right to be silent.”

  He could easily break free if he wanted to, but it would violate the Confederation’s directive–planets with inferior technology were not to know of their existence.

  “You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

  He quit paying attention to the officer rattling off more of his rights. How could touching Agnes’s shoulders so briefly send him over the edge? She was a dangerous temptation––one he refused to sample.

  But even as the thought entered his mind, his gaze was drawn to her blouse that was opened at the top. A glisten of sweat caught his eye, and he glanced at her full breasts, large enough to satisfy the hunger of a man. Her gun was sheathed on a belt that curved around the wide hips of a strong and amble woman. His heartbeat quickened, and he was one step away from doing something really stupid. He gulped deep breaths, trying to remain calm, but every twisted nerve was on the brink of unraveling.

  Breathe, just breathe.

  He slowly realized she was studying him, as if to see what he would do.

  Trying to be his normal debonair self, he flashed her a smile. “Finding any answers?”

  “Maybe.”

  Her confident voice triggered a warning inside him.

  “You need to be careful.” Hoss’s grin faded. “You’ve no idea of what he’s capable of.”

  The puny officer clasped his arm. “Shut up.”

  “No.” Hoss jerked his arm free. “Listen to me, you’re in danger. The bastard’s going to keep on killing.”

  “Wait, officer.” Agnes held up her slender hand. “You know who did this?”

  Hoss nodded. “He’s just begun. The body count is going to rise.”

  “Is he your partner?” she asked softly.

  “No. You’re not listening to me.”

  He couldn’t hide the anger in his voice, and it was louder than he wanted. Most of the women he’d been with would have of shrunk from him, but not Agnes. She studied him as if waiting for him to stew in his own juices until he revealed unwanted secrets.

  He met her curious gaze. She’d better get used to bitter disappointment. He’d a lifetime of hiding the skeletons rattling in his soul.

  Another larger officer came along the other side of him. “He’s yanking your chain, Detective.”

  Agnes winced.

  Hoss growled, his dragon threatening to cut loose on the taunting man, daring to ridicule her. The officer’s face paled, and he kept his trap shut.

  She lifted her chin. “I’ll be the judge of that, Officer.” She did the strangest thing and pulled out a flat screen out of her jacket, then took a picture of Hoss.

  He frowned. “What are you doing?”

  “Studying you, of course.” She examined the screen rather than looking at him, as if she could discover some of his secrets.

  He thought humans only possessed the polygraph machine to discover whether someone was lying, which wasn’t reliable. Had humans discovered something he wasn’t aware of? He squirmed uncomfortably, his palms growing sweaty, at the idea of her unraveling his past.

  She tilted her head at the car. “Take him down to headquarters. I’ll question him later.”

  He had to be imagining it. There was no way the little screen would reveal to her his secrets. Human technology was centuries behind developing such a device.

  Before the two security guards led him away, a gray-haired man crowded between them. “Agnes, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Tom.”

  He gave Hoss a death glare. “This man’s dangerous.”

  “I realize that, Tom.”

  Tom jerked his thumb. “Take him to headquarters.”

  As the officers were leading Hoss away, Tom lowered his voice, but not so low that dragon ears couldn’t hear.

  “Agnes, your intuition isn’t going to tell you a thing. Your brother never would have stooped to relying on mumbo-jumbo.”

  Hoss glanced over his shoulder.

  Agnes’s cheeks burned red. “I realize that, Tom.”

  The self-assuredness in her voice had vanished.

  He whirled around, easily breaking free from the two security guards. Fury burned inside Hoss’s chest, the dragon threatening to fry the old fool into a crispy critter. “You think you’re more equipped to find the killer?”

  Hoss didn’t bother hiding the scorn in his voice. Tom actually took a step back, his face paling.

  The officers seized Hoss’s arms again.

  As Hoss was being restrained, Tom puffed out his chest. “I am the senior detective, and yes, I am more capable.”

  His arrogance would only play into the Mistonian’s trap. Hoss narrowed his eyes. “Then, you’re a fool.”

  Tom’s face turned five shades of purple. “Get him out of here.”

  The two men led him away.

  “Do that again and I’ll taser you,” the bigger of the two men warned.

  Hoss ignored him.

  Blast it! He should have held his tongue, but no one here, including Agnes, knew how dangerous Daidhl was. Hell, he didn’t even know if he had the ability to stop him. The Orion’s navigator wasn’t his mild self anymore and most likely was dead. The Mistonian controlled his empty shell. Cosima had said the Mistonian possessed hidden powers, but besides being able to turn invisible, he had no idea what else the bastard could do.

  When they reached the car, the officer opened the door. “Lower your head.”

  Hoss practically had to kneel on the ground to get into the vehicle, which was too cramped for his long legs. His knees were scrunched up to his chest.

  He took another look at Agnes, who was concentrating on looking at her screen, which he hoped was just a way of her solving cases. Something was odd about her.

  Once again, he’d lost his cool over this woman. He’d never reacted with such anger over Topaz correcting a female crew member he had been involved with. Sleeping with women without a commitment had always been his style, but with Agnes, he’d wanted to fry Tom for ridiculing her.

  He froze, remembering how his father used to be so protective over his mother, but his mother had mocked him. No matter what he did, his mother rejected him, breaking his spirit. Hoss refused to end up a broken man. He needed to solve this case, mate with Agnes, then get the hell away from her.

  He leaned his head back on the leather seat. Agnes wasn’t a match for a possessed Daidhl. He needed to convince her that she was in danger. She said she’d talk to him later. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too late. He kept thinking of the murdered woman and wondered whose mate she was designated for. Unless another species magically materialized, the Zalarian would never be mated and his lineage would die.

  The security officers started the car. He’d read about these contraptions that were so much slower than their spaceships.

  Yellow tape was draped across the front door of the little, white house. Officers milled around in the front yard, while others kept curious on-lookers back. Hoss wished he had the power to see through walls like some of the other aliens, but Zalarians didn’t possess this ability. “What happened to the woman inside?”

  The smaller of the two glanced in the rear review mirror. “That’s none of your concern.”

  “Oh, so you don’t know.”

  “Yes, we do.” The brawny one scowled over his shoulder as he was driving. “The woman was–”

  “Keep your mouth shut, Johnson,” the other one yelled. “And keep your eyes on the road.”

  Hoss stopped trying to goad them when neither would bite. They weren’t as dumb as he thought. After a short distance, they parked in front of a two-story, red-brick building with a huge glass pane window. A semi-circle stone wall sat in front with a mountai
n logo and the name Arvada Police Station written on it.

  Johnson, the husky officer, opened the car door. “Watch your head.”

  Hoss didn’t bend low enough and smacked his forehead on the rim of the car. Pain blinded him for a minute as dizziness swirled around him. He was roughly drawn out of the car, nearly stumbling onto one knee.

  “I told you to watch it.”

  Johnson’s hard voice penetrated the fog in his brain.

  “Your compassion is overwhelming,” Hoss muttered, trying to control the anger burning inside him.

  “That’s what you get for attacking an officer,” the scrawny one growled.

  “I wasn’t attacking her.”

  “That’s not what I saw,” Johnson grumbled.

  Hoss wasn’t going to get anywhere with these two self-righteous humans. They’d already made up their mind. “I want to speak to an attorney.”

  “We’ll notify one for you.”

  By his tone, it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

  He was escorted to a Plexiglas window where an older brown-skinned woman with glasses sat. Her eyes widened when she looked at Hoss. “What do you have, Simms?”

  The skinny man gripped Hoss’s forearm. “Attacking a police officer, Evelyn.”

  Evelyn frowned. “You don’t look injured.”

  “Wasn’t me. He attacked Detective Malloy.”

  “What? Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine. She foolishly met with him alone.”

  Evelyn glared. “I’m sure she had a good reason.”

  Johnson laughed. “She did. She thought she could read his mind. Stupid mistake.”

  Evelyn boosted her double chin in defiance. “She just investigates differently.”

  Simms mumbled underneath his breath. “For a fruitcake.”

  Hoss glowered. “Don’t talk about her that way.”

  Simms rolled his eyes. “Buzz us in, Evelyn.”

  Evelyn pushed a red button. “Sure thing.”

  A metal door clicked then slid opened. Johnson and Simms led him through the doors to another front desk.

  Johnson unlocked Hoss’s handcuffs.

  “Take off your Batman utility belt,” Johnson said.

  Hoss lowered his voice. “No.”