by Susan Illene
“Hell, I’m thinkin’ of kidnapping her myself and making her live in Earl’s neighborhood.” Conrad grinned. “Why should you two get her all to yourselves?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t even think about it.”
He shrugged. “I’d bribe her with my stash of candy bars to stay there, of course.”
I already knew he was joking, but the mention of giving away his chocolate stash settled it. Conrad didn’t share his candy very often. There was only so much left in the world, and people had bigger priorities than figuring out how to make more.
Danae drained the last of her coffee and set her mug down. “Speaking of giving people things, I still need to find a gift for Miles.”
“You haven’t gotten one yet?” I asked. Christmas was only a few days away.
She pulled at her blonde ponytail. “I’ve been busy healing people and missed out on going with you and Trish.”
I glanced toward the curtained window, recalling what I’d seen outside. “The snow is going to make it tough getting around.”
“We got here just fine, didn’t we? The snow isn’t that bad.”
Conrad pointed a finger at his chest. “That’s cuz I drove.”
I ate a few bites of my oatmeal before replying. “At least it’s cold enough the dragons won’t be out today.”
“Exactly.” She smiled. “This is the best time to go.”
“And we could check out the Thamaran side of town to see if anyone knows where they’re nesting,” Conrad said, stealing my apple from me and chomping into it.
I lifted a brow. “Seriously?”
“A man has to eat when he can.”
I considered flinging some oatmeal into his face but decided it would be a waste. “See if I ever bring any of Kayla’s rolls over to you again.”
His brown eyes rounded. “Want the apple back?”
“No.” I scowled at him.
Aidan came stumbling into the dining room. Thankfully, he’d pulled on a pair of pants before making an appearance, but his dark hair was still sticking up in all directions and needed a good combing. He looked at me. “Water?”
“Conrad will get you some,” I said, gesturing at the man in question.
“What? Why me?” He glared. “I ain’t no servant.”
“That’s what you get for taking my apple.”
He made a sound of annoyance. “Fine, I’ll get the damned water, but only cuz ya’ll look like hell.”
While Conrad headed off for the kitchen, Aidan took his chair. “Did I hear there is snow outside?”
“Afraid so,” I replied.
He grunted. “I hate snow.”
“Do you want me to look at your back?” Danae asked, expression concerned.
Aidan straightened in his seat, wincing as he did so. “It’s healing. I will be fine.”
I rolled my eyes. “Which is why you came in here hunched over and scowling? Just let her look at it and see if she can help.”
Danae got up and moved behind him. “This won’t take long.”
“It is unnecessary,” he argued, but still leaned forward when she nudged him.
“There’s no reason for you to be in pain if I can fix it.” Her brows furrowed as she ran her fingers down his spine, energy from her probing magic filling the air. I couldn’t help feeling a stab of jealousy at her being so close to him, but I reminded myself this needed to be done.
Aidan lifted his gaze toward me. “Did she heal you?”
“Yes, and I’m doing much better now.” I gave him an encouraging smile, hoping it would help him cooperate.
“Good.”
Danae sucked in a breath. “Damn, Aidan. You cracked your spine in three places. I can see where your healer began the mending process, but he didn’t finish, and you’re not healing fast enough on your own.”
It was because of the cold. I’d discovered shifters didn’t recover as quickly in the winter because their metabolisms slowed down. The healer had warned me about that while he was here, which was also why he couldn’t help as much as he would have liked. His magic was affected by the weather, too.
“I told him to focus on Bailey,” Aidan said, unrepentant.
Danae made a disgruntled noise and shook her finger at him. “You needed the healer’s help more. I know shifter physiology is different, but it’s a miracle you’re even walking.”
“Exactly my point, but he wouldn’t listen to me.” Aidan could be too stubborn for his own good sometimes.
“Men never do,” she said, then pressed her hands onto his back.
Conrad returned with a cup of water, setting it on the table near Aidan. “It’s called selective hearing. If you nag us about shit, we’ll tune you out.”
Danae grunted her reply. Healing energy filled the room as she concentrated on repairing Aidan’s spine. He clenched his fists on the table and bowed his head, hiding the anguish on his face. It hurt like hell whenever you had to have serious injuries fixed. Almost fifteen minutes passed before Danae let go of him and stepped away, looking at me. “I’m done. He’ll need to rest for today since this was a rather severe case, but he should be fine tomorrow.”
“I’ll tie him down if I have to,” I promised.
Aidan lifted his brows. “Weren’t you planning on going somewhere?”
He must have been listening to us for a while before he got up. “Only if you promise you’ll rest.”
“It is cold outside, and there is snow,” he said, sitting up straight for the first time in days. “You don’t have to worry about me going anywhere.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No tinkering around with any of your projects, either.”
He gulped down some of his water. “We’ll see.”
Knowing him, he’d get the fireplace going full throttle in the living room and work on the stove for our bedroom. The cold only gave him more incentive. “For Danae’s magic to fully work, you can’t strain yourself too much.”
“Then perhaps you should stay here as well so that your knee can finish recovering.”
He had me there. “Fine, but promise me you’ll take it easy.”
“Of course.” He nodded. “But I also ask that you try not to get shot again while you’re out—or break any more bones.”
I smiled and stood, intending to head for the bedroom to change clothes. “Of course. I’ve met my quota for the week.”
Conrad laughed. “I’ve heard that before.”
“Me, too,” Danae said, shaking her head.
Chapter 8
Bailey
By the time we left the house, the clouds had broken, and the sun had started shining, turning the snow into slush on the roads. Danae was the one driving Miles’ SUV for this leg of the journey. It made for a harrowing experience riding along with her because she slipped and slid her way through the streets like someone skating on ice for the first time. Miles was going to be pissed when he saw the dent she put in his fender after slamming into a street sign.
We finally pulled into the Sooner Mall parking lot, hopped over a couple of curbs, and stopped next to the Dillard’s store entrance. I was fairly certain we were partly on the sidewalk because the passenger side of the vehicle was sitting up higher. It was hard to be certain with all the snow still on the ground, though.
Danae turned in her seat and smiled brightly at Conrad and me. “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Not at all,” I said, unclenching my hands from the dashboard. Even the most inept forensic analyst could have gotten my fingerprints off of there.
Conrad, who was lucky enough to be sitting in the backseat, uncovered his eyes and gazed wildly around. “Holy fuck. If I ever have to choose between ridin’ with you again or lettin’ a dragon carry me through the sky, the dragon gets my vote. Ain’t no way you’re driving back.”
“How is it that you were the one to drive over to my place if this is her boyfriend’s vehicle?” I asked. It was something I’d been pondering along the way, but I’d been too busy
praying for deliverance to bring it up. Conrad could have saved us both from multiple near-death experiences if he’d discovered her poor driving problem sooner.
“Miles insisted I take the wheel.” He unbuckled his seatbelt. “Now I know why.”
Danae jerked the keys out of the ignition. “Great. Everyone has to be a drama queen today.”
“I don’t get it,” I said as we got out of the SUV. “You drive just fine when the roads are dry.”
She came around the vehicle to join me on the slippery sidewalk, almost falling along the way. “I grew up in Arizona, and the military always stationed me in the south, so I never had to deal with snow that much. I’m trying to get better, which is why I wanted to drive. You can’t improve if you never practice.”
True, but I preferred she practiced alone—fifty miles from town.
“By next winter...” Conrad paused to pull his knit cap over his head. “There probably won’t be enough fuel left for us to go anywhere. Hope you can ride a horse better than you can drive.”
Danae scowled at him. “Don’t tempt me to shoot you.”
“It’s too damn cold out here to be shootin’ anybody.” He hopped up and down on his feet. “Let’s go inside.”
The wind had picked up, chilling us to our bones. I could handle freezing temperatures better than most, but even I had my limits. We headed for the entrance, pulling the doors open as quietly as possible. There was no telling what we might run into inside, but I hoped the snow kept most people home. Of course, most of the folks around town knew the cold weather sent dragons into hibernation, so they might take advantage of the situation. I hadn’t seen a single one flying in the sky on the way over—not even the usual patrols from Aidan’s clan.
I took the lead going inside while my friends put their backs against the wall next to the entrance, blending with the darkness. With my enhanced vision, I took a good look at the spacious store. It was a mess. Clothing racks were knocked over, display cases smashed, and there were layers of mud caked on the floor.
One of the entrance doors didn’t shut properly, and another one had the glass shattered out of it. The wind howled as it snaked its way inside. I wrinkled my nose, taking in the scent of fresh feces that had to be somewhere to my left in the men’s clothing department. Just because all the public bathrooms had overflowing toilets these days didn’t mean people should do their business anywhere, but some of them didn’t care. I would never understand why it was that difficult to find a bush to go behind.
After a full minute of taking in my surroundings, and not seeing or hearing anything suspicious, I gestured at Conrad and Danae. They came out of the shadows, flipping on their flashlights. Half the merchandise in the store had been taken and most of the rest damaged by people trampling all over it. The mall had been one of the first places hit after the apocalypse with everyone looting whatever they could find of value. That didn’t mean there wasn’t anything left worth finding, though. You just had to look a lot harder.
Danae perused the broken display cases where I was fairly certain jewelry used to be. Occasionally I spotted a small ring or bracelet hidden in the mess, but most of the merchandise was gone. I pocketed anything that looked like it might be made out of precious metal for Aidan. He’d showed me his hoard recently, which was now hidden in our house, and it was full of gold and jewels. He had a nose for discerning what was real or fake.
“Aha!” Danae said, then covered her mouth and looked around.
I joined her. “I’m fairly certain no one is in here, but if they are, they’re hiding and don’t want to be found, either.”
“Look.” She leaned down, brushed aside some glass, and picked up a black Armani watch off the floor. “I don’t know how, but this is still here.”
“Maybe because of the dark color other people missed it. Good catch.” I gave her a pat on the back.
Danae smiled. “Miles will love this.”
“That’s nice,” Conrad said, coming to stand next to us with a gleam in his eyes. “Wish I’d found it.”
She stuffed the watch into her jacket pocket and zipped it closed. “It’s mine now until I give it to Miles.”
“Well, if you’re good to go, let’s head over to Claire’s.” He gestured toward the entrance that led to the rest of the mall. “I wanna see if I can find something to give Lacy for Christmas.”
Lacy was Conrad’s ex-girlfriend’s daughter.
“I thought you and Jennifer broke up,” I said.
He shrugged. “She still wants to be friends.”
He’d been rather upset when he’d had to choose between hunting dragons with me or keeping his girlfriend. In the end, he’d decided it was more important to save people and sacrifice his love life. I was glad I didn’t have to make that kind of choice with Aidan. We could hunt dragons and save people together while still maintaining a relationship.
The three of us made our way down the main corridor of the mall. It wasn’t nearly as big as the ones I’d visited in Dallas or Oklahoma City, but it had enough stores you could find most of the things you wanted—when it was still open and running anyway. We moved as quietly as we could, dodging trash, debris, and other items people had thrown onto the floor. Danae and Conrad kept their flashlights pointed ahead of us. Though there was mostly dried mud caking the tile, I spotted a few spots that looked like blood.
In the first couple of months after the dragons had arrived, I’d heard about numerous shootouts at the mall and a lot of people getting killed. Their bodies weren’t here anymore, but it was possible The Crossroads Church had picked them up and buried them. They often did that sort of thing. It was rather comforting to know that despite the turmoil and chaos afflicting Norman, there were people still looking out for each other—whether it was me fighting dragons, medical personnel working at the hospital, or a church laying people to rest. There was still hope that we would survive and rebuild someday.
We stopped in front of Claire’s. Conrad headed inside while Danae and I kept a lookout in the corridor. We hadn’t spotted anyone along the way, but I’d caught the sound of hushed voices more than once as we passed various stores. No one had revealed themselves, though. Plenty of people were like us and just wanted to find things to take without having to fight.
Danae and I paced, staying alert for anyone who might come along. It had been about ten minutes when footsteps sounded down the corridor. Danae and I ducked behind a free-standing booth and pulled our pistols, holding them at the ready. Whoever was coming was not trying to hide their presence at all. As they got closer, their voices rose up, and I recognized one of them.
“It’s Hank,” I said, standing up.
Danae frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Look.” I pointed down the corridor.
She poked her head around the booth. Hank, two men, and three women came into view, not appearing the least bit worried they might run into trouble. Just about everyone knew the one and only guy who broadcasted on the radio. He made it his mission to get to know people from Norman all the way up to Oklahoma City, and sometimes even visited the smaller towns outside the metropolitan area. It was how he kept up with the latest news.
Danae gave up her hiding spot, moving to stand next to me. “What is he doing here?”
“No idea.” I waved, and called out, “Hey, Hank!”
“Well, hello, darlin’. It’s good to see you alive and well,” he said, looking pretty much the same as the last time I saw him. Hank was a tall man in good physical shape who was probably in his early forties. He had shaggy brown hair and a thick mustache that covered most of his upper lip. As usual, he wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but he’d added a heavy, brown jacket to his attire today. “Heard you had a run-in the other night with those rogue dragons.”
“How did you find out about that?” I asked. I hadn’t noticed any humans around while Aidan and I were on the rooftop.
He grinned. “You know I’ve got sources everywhere.”
It
must have been someone watching from a nearby house or building. Just because I didn’t see them didn’t mean they weren’t there. I lifted my brows. “If you’ve got such great sources, I don’t suppose you know where the rogues are hiding out?”
“Afraid not.” He shook his head. “Dragon nests are almost impossible to find unless there are a lot of them flying in and out of there. Heard there’s some kind of magic that keeps people from noticing them. I can tell you the rogues were spotted in Oklahoma City last night before the snowstorm arrived. They killed a few people and burned up an entire neighborhood.”
My stomach knotted. I rarely went north to the city because it took too much gas for my truck, but there weren’t any other slayers to cover the area, which meant I should have been going there more often. My father had left me with the responsibility of protecting everyone in the metropolitan area. How I was supposed to patrol that much ground, I didn’t know. Wayne had help taking care of Tulsa, whereas I was on my own for most of the city.
“Think they’re going to keep causing trouble up there for a while?” I asked.
“You know as much as I do on that one, darlin’, since you’re the expert.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I just report what I see or hear about and hope it helps people.”
Hank had been broadcasting a lot more details about dragons recently to his listeners, including things I didn’t know about. I couldn’t fathom how he’d begun to pick up so much intel.
“If you do hear anything on the rogues, please let me know or pass the details on to Earl.”
“Will do.” He turned and introduced Danae and me to his friends—who were all carrying pistols or rifles. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he’d brought a security detail for this particular stop. “We’re going around making sure everyone knows about the Christmas Eve party Javier is holding downtown. There will be plenty of food and activities, so you don’t want to miss it.”
“I’ll be there,” Conrad said, coming out of Claire’s with a bag of goods. Guess he’d found a few things worth taking. The store was once stocked with all sorts of merchandise young girls loved like hair accessories, bracelets and earrings, and makeup.
