“He’s older. He may not need to,” I said. “Or maybe he’s protecting the weave by not using it as much. I’ll have to ask him.”
I rubbed the spot on my forehead where Casimiro kissed me. I felt comforted and uneasy at the same time. Slipping my sunglasses on, I hurried my friends to our seats. We were on the top balcony, peering down at the stage and the entire venue. When the music began, the audience quieted down but the rhythm and power Casimiro had shown me still resonated in my body.
“Do you see anything?” I asked Joachim.
His eyes became unfocused as he took in over six thousand people. “Nothing yet. But it may be a fainter trace that I’m used to.”
Disappointment surged, but I forced myself to enjoy the concert. Jane and I sang along to the words and danced. During one love song, I had to sit down I was blushing so hard. Casimiro had pin pointed me and sang the explicit lyrics as if they were for me alone. I was fanning myself with the program for two songs after that.
During the intermission, we walked through the crowds. But Joachim didn’t find any new Queens.
“I’m sorry,” he said during the encore.
“It’s all right. It was worth a shot. We got to listen to a great concert.”
“You got to kiss a rock star,” Jane pointed out.
“I’m the one who is sorry, Joachim. I wasted your time.”
He shook his head. “Searching for human girls to rescue is never a waste of time.” He seemed so sad for a moment that I had to touch his arm.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m just thinking of Mei Hua.”
Something sparked in my chest and I felt a connection. It was a pull that made me eager to leave. To get out past the crowds and towards something. “Who’s Mei Hua?” I rubbed my chest.
“She is the girl I tried to save. But she wanted to be a dragon. She wanted to leave China where she was worthless and go somewhere where she would matter. Mei Hua wanted to be powerful. And I failed her.” Joachim gripped my arm. “I won’t fail you.”
“I know,” I said. “I think. I think maybe I can find her for you.”
“Would that you could.”
The connection felt like a rubber band. “Can we get out of here?”
“You don’t want to party back stage with Casimiro?” Jane wailed.
“You can,” I said. “I want to go.”
“No, it’s no fun without you.”
“Thanks.” I gave her a quick hug.
We were in the limo when the connection left me. I gasped, feeling cold and empty where the link once was.
“What’s the matter?” Jane said.
“Heart burn,” I replied automatically and accepted the two antacids she handed me.
Joachim accepted my statement with a frown.
I stared out into the night sky, however, and couldn’t shake the feeling that Mei Hua and I had connected for a brief time.
Chapter Fifteen
Kill or be killed, but don’t get caught by a Queen – unless she ordered it.
JANE DECIDED TO TAKE the day off from the embassy, so I didn’t have to scramble with her over the bathroom. I was so used to having a house all to myself, it was taking a while to get used to a roommate, a bodyguard, and the idea that I didn’t have a place called home.
I supposed I could head on down to Florida and crash at my parents’ place, but the thought of Mei Hua and how no one found her yet haunted me. I rubbed the center of my chest where I felt the pull, but it was just a memory.
The drive to work was uneventful. Joachim seemed distracted and tired, so I didn’t want to bother him. He tagged off with Jack as my bodyguard du jour – much to Arianna’s glee.
Glad someone was happy.
I did get a nice surprise when I saw that the university had arranged to have the new furniture delivered. It almost resembled like an office again. I spent most of the morning rearranging and taking off the plastic and tags after tossing Jack out of the hangar so I could get some work done without Arianna trying to flirt with him.
I was hoping Reed would call and tell me he was sorry for being such a douche bag yesterday. I rolled my eyes. Yeah and while I was wishing, maybe Reed would also say he had changed his mind. He would not share me with anyone one else and we would be live happily ever after.
I called up Jane as I was wrapping up.
"You want me to bring anything home for dinner? It seems the least I can do for having me and my court." I laughed nervously. I had a court.
"The pleasure is all mine, my Queen."
"Oh, blow it out your ass," I said with a grin.
She was still laughing when I hung up.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I half expected to see Reed’s grim face or Jack wanting to use the men’s room. But when I opened it, I found myself staring at Bernardo, the dragon who’d tried to kidnap me. His face was mottled and pitted with acid burns. I whipped off my sunglasses, hoping he would remember the Don’t hurt the Queen law.
"Jack!" I screamed, slamming the door shut.
Bernardo powered it back open and I went sprawling on the floor.
"What do you want?" I asked, wishing the shotgun wasn’t in the other room.
"You," he said.
"Jack is in the other room and Reed will be here any minute."
"Liar. Reed is on death row. He won’t see the light of day for a long time."
His information was a little old, but I wasn’t going to correct him.
"Esmeralda will have you executed for harming me."
"I’m not harming you. I’m bringing you back to Mexico."
"Oh, God, not again. My jet lag has jet lag. If Esmeralda wants to talk to me, can’t I give her my cell phone number?"
"No. Now come with me quietly."
"Or what?"
He produced a Taser.
"Those things hurt," I said. It would definitely round out my week. I could add being Tasered to the so you think you had a bad week list, right after the entry for being spit in the face by a black dragon.
"You can’t force me on a plane with that."
"We’re not taking a plane."
"You can’t carry me in dragon form. You aren’t built for it."
"I am," Jack said, walking in.
I had been wondering where he’d been and how this bozo got passed him. I expected Arianna to take over, but there was only unbearable sadness.
"What’s going on, Jack?" This couldn’t be happening. Jack was a good guy. He flirted with me. Arianna was in love with him. I flinched away from him when he reached for me.
"Don’t touch me." My voice was ragged with unshed tears.
"Just get on my back and hang on."
"I hate flying like that. It’s so cold." I backed away.
"I’ll keep it low."
I took off for the back storage area, my only thought to lock myself in. Jack was suddenly in front of me, blocking my path. The kidnapper laughed.
"Why are you doing this?" I searched his face for a clue.
"Favor for the Queen."
"But I’m a Queen."
"Yes, you’ll be our Queen," the kidnapper said and roughly grabbed me by the arm to pull me out of the hangar.
Where the hell was Joachim? I thought as Jack shifted in the parking lot and the other dragon shoved me aboard the large red dragon. Joachim had to be lurking around somewhere. Didn’t being kidnapped count as an event for the Order of Dragon Slayers? Didn’t he say he wasn’t going to let what happened to his lost Queen happen to me? What about Casimiro? He said he was my protector.
I opened my mouth to scream, and Jack launched himself into the air.
No one came.
Not Joachim.
Not Casimiro
Not Reed.
"Jack, what’s going on?" I asked when we straightened out and flew just above the tree line. He was keeping his distance from Bernardo and, as promised, flying low enough that icicles didn’t form on the end of my nose. I
wished someone would look up and see us and maybe call the embassy.
"Do you see how dangerous it is for a Queen to be on her own?" he asked.
"I’m not alone. Reed’ll be on your ass in a heartbeat. He just went out for bagels."
Jack’s laugh rumbled through his whole body. "You’re a terrible liar."
"Oh shut up, you schmuck." I punched him on the armored plates. It hurt me more than it did him. "What’s going to happen to me in Mexico? You can’t be working for the cultists."
"Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous."
"What does Iron Britches want with me?"
"That’s what we’re going to find out."
"Does Reed know about this?"
"Would Reed let you fly away with me if he did?"
I bit my lip. I didn’t know the answer to that. He was probably sick of my shit. He seemed so cold after arranging me to meet with Rathin. Maybe he had heard about Casimiro giving me the protection kiss and decided I was his problem now.
"Are you going to want me to have your eggs?"
Jack’s flight stopped, and for a moment we just glided. "Are you asking me?"
"I don’t know. Would you fly me away from Bernardo and it would be just you and me forever?"
"No," Jack said. "It doesn’t work like that. I’m not selfish."
"Maybe I am," I said.
Jack let out a great shuddering breath, but he didn’t breathe fire or do anything dramatic. I tried to enjoy the view and ignore just how damn uncomfortable sitting on a flying tank was. In the end, I considered flinging myself off but I was too afraid. I amused myself by trying to mentally contact Casimiro and when that didn’t work, trying to re-establish the link I felt to Mei Hua last night.
If I thought New York to Paris was a long flight, technically Connecticut to Mexico was a shorter one. But they were both draining. And I was frightened about what Jack and Bernardo weren’t telling me and Arianna’s sadness. There wasn’t any procession to meet us this time at the top of the temple.
After Bernardo and Jack shifted back, I was taken deeper into the pyramid until I was so far below ground we could have been in China.
"In here," Jack said and tried to lay a comforting hand on my arm.
And for the second time this week, I cracked a dragon across the face. I tried to put a little more English into it, but unfortunately, I was still human.
"We will not forget this," I said, including Arianna in this.
"I understand," Jack said and gave me a gentle shove that still spilled me on my ass far away from the closing door.
"Ni hao." A Chinese woman uncoiled from a large bed in one corner of the room. She was dainty, with ankle-length black hair that hung loose. Silver bells tied in some braided strands tinkled when she walked. She wore peacock-colored silk robes and platform sandals and moved with a lethal grace. She smelled like tiger lilies and peach schnapps. A Queen. Not one of the five, because I didn’t recognize her. "I’m Mei Hua."
"Carolyn." I waved. "Why aren’t you in dragon form?" There was certainly enough room in here.
"Why aren’t you?"
"I can’t yet."
"You’re close," she said. "I remember how it was before my first shift."
"Can you shift? Can you fight?"
"Fighting is futile. It hurts less in this form." She crouched down beside me and helped me to my feet.
I didn’t ask what hurt less. She had delicate hands that still possessed the power of a dragon. "Do you know Joachim?"
She gave a sad smile and nodded. "Did Joachim offer you a chance to remain human?"
"It was too late for me."
"That’s too bad. I wish I had taken him up on his offer." She gave a shuddering sigh. "I would have been poor and hungry, but I would have been able to see the sun at least."
"How long have you been here?"
"A few years. I’ve lost count." She shook her head and walked toward a table set in the corner of the cavernous room. "Would you like something to eat? Some tea?"
I was exhausted, but I had to eat to keep up my strength. "Please," I said. To my surprise, it was a brisk green tea that exploded flavor in my mouth.
"Nothing but the best," she said bitterly. "There are robes in the closet if you wish to get out of those rags."
I stared down at my wind-ravaged clothes. I’d managed to ruin yet another set of designer garb. The robes sounded warm, and I dug around until I found one that was a heaver silk. Dragons liked silk. Most of them wore nothing else.
"Are you the only one here?" I asked.
"Not anymore." She smiled and refilled my cup. I was feeling much better once I changed and had a chance to slow down and enjoy the second cup of tea.
"There are burritos and chalupas on the dais, if you’re hungry."
"Have you had a lot of time to plan your escape?" I asked with my mouth full. My plan was eating as much spicy food as possible to fuel up my breath weapon and then running like hell through the aftermath.
"There is no escape," Mei Hua said. "Even if you could power by the guards that come in to replace the food and chamber pots..."
My nose wrinkled in disgust, but I figured it was too much to ask for indoor plumbing in a temple.
"Or the dragons that come to rut. They rarely let down their guard, and you would find yourself in a maze. A maze filled with enemies and men who may have never had sex with a woman of their species."
I flinched at her emotionless honesty, but I wasn’t ready to give up. "Let’s say you were paying attention and counted how many stairs to the top of the pyramid. And let’s say you were lucky enough not to run into any more guards. How would you get off the top? Could you fly us?"
"They cut my wings." Grief shook her entire body. "It was the only reason I wanted to become a dragon. I wanted to fly."
"That’s terrible," I said.
"Could you carry us?"
"No, I can’t fly on command yet. Maybe if I have another dream and I shift in the dream, you and I can get out." My shoulders slumped.
"What is it?"
"I’m a Western dragon. I’ll never get my fat butt up the stairs." Then a thought hit me. "But maybe we don’t have to take it that far. All we have to do is make enough of a racket so the Queen or those loyal to her see what’s going on."
"My dear," she said. "It is the Queen who brought us here."
I stopped eating because my stomach was churning enough with that statement. "Why?"
"Because she’s tired of servicing every stud that wants his eggs to hatch. She wants all the luxury and none of the work. She has her select few and then she takes the others that don’t please her as much and brings them down here."
"Surely there are some dragons who won’t do it."
"Not so far," Mei Hua said and gestured to a silken nest where there were three eggs. "I think one of them is a girl. I can’t imagine what will happen to her. Yet." She trailed her fingernails over the eggs. They were the size of a bowling ball, but looked lighter. "I can’t bring myself to smash them. It’s my fault. I should have listened to Joachim."
The door opened again, and Jack came in carrying a duffel bag.
"Was he one of them?" I pointed.
Mei Hua shook her head.
"Jack, listen to me." I ran over to him. "You have to know this is wrong. You have to see it doesn’t have to be like this."
"I’m sorry, Carolyn."
"You’re innocent, right? This is a sting operation you and Reed cooked up to expose Esmeralda and all the other dragons. Right, Jack?" I tried to shake him, but he was too big. "How could you?"
"You don’t understand."
"Explain it to me."
"Some other time." He leaned his head in to kiss me and then caught my hand when I went to crack him one again.
"She has eggs." I pointed.
Mei Hua hissed and crouched defensively over them.
A muscle in Jack’s jaw twitched. He dropped the duffel bag and walked out. I did a flying leap
on his shoulders, and it occurred to me as I hung there, what the heck was I going to do now?
He sighed and his shoulders shook.
"It’s not funny, asshole."
"If you wanted a piggyback ride, all you had to do was ask."
"No thanks. I’ve had just about enough of riding you."
"That’s a shame."
"Oh, Jack why did you have to be a traitor?" I slid off his back, burying my face in my hands. I would not cry.
He didn’t turn around as he went out the door.
I peered into the duffel back. More clothes. A decent pair of sneakers and a thick hardcover book. I sat down and pulled the book out. It was an old history book, with a gilded edge. No, not gild. Gold.
"What the heck?" I opened it up and gasped at the sacrilege. Someone had glued the pages together, but cut out a small rectangle in the center. I started to splutter in indignation when I realized a cell phone was inside the rectangle. There was no way I was going to get cell reception in the middle of a pyramid in a heavy jungle canopy. And they shouldn’t have vandalized a book like that. But I turned on the phone and pulled up the antenna.
"What’s that?" Mei Hua said.
"I think it summons the cavalry." I pressed redial, but nothing happened. "Maybe it’s a tracking device. Or maybe it’s Jack fooling around." But I didn’t think so. The gold on the book was a big clue. "I really don’t like the idea of sitting sweetly and waiting to be rescued."
"It’s better than the alternative," she said. "What happens if you try to escape and you miss your own rescue?"
She had a point, but I hated waiting.
"Well, I guess we should get you packed," I said after a few moments.
"Why?
"Because we’re going to be rescued," I said. "We need to make sure your eggs are secure."
"They’ll never let us out. That tracker is to show more males how to get in here to us. To me, really, as they won’t bother with you until your first shift."
"That’s a depressing thought," I said. "The question is how big of an asshole is Jack?"
"He’s a dragon, right?"
I glanced around the large stone room. There weren’t any windows and just the one door. There were a few large beds and an area on the floor covered with thick furs and cushions. I eased over to one of the beds and sank down. As far as beds go, if I wasn’t in a forced-sex cell, this might have been the best mattress I’ve ever sat on.
The Queen's Wings: Book 1 of The Emerging Queens Series Page 16
