“We fly airplane,” Minuet declared in excitement. “Cord said.”
“That’s right. We’re going on an airplane today. Do you know what that is?” Kelly asked her daughter as she lifted her for a big morning hug.
“I knows it,” Minuet declared indignantly. “It shiny wings in sky.”
“So when do we leave?” Kelly asked her daughter.
“Anytime you’re ready,” Cord answered as he slid an arm around her waist and dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“Don’t these planes have schedules?” Kelly asked a bit amused as his hand glided down her back and over her butt.
“I’m sure they do,” he said casually. “But since we have to drive off and not head for an airport, I’ve arranged for us to drive to the mall and be picked up in the parking lot by a limo. We have to get to the East Coast to catch the commercial fight, so we’ll take my jet to New York.”
“No bags?” Kelly asked as Minuet returned to her seat and Kelly took the cup of coffee Cord had fixed for her.
“No, we’ll get what we need when we arrive,” Cord assured her.
“I guess I’d better call my prospective employer and tell him that I’ll not be showing up Monday.” Kelly took a long sip of coffee. It was made perfectly.
“I’ll be happy to take care of that,” he said a bit too quickly.
Kelly was slightly surprised at Cord’s offer. “He’s never met you. How could you do it?”
“Pick up the phone and tell the person on the other end that you will not be available for that job,” Cord supplied.
“Ah, that’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” Kelly assured him, unsure what this really was about. It seemed strange for Cord to make that offer.
“Here’s your cell phone,” Cord pulled it out of his pocket. “I cancelled the land line a little earlier. Hope you don’t mind.”
“No.” Kelly took her cell from him, her puzzlement growing. “We’ll not need it now. Did you call and cancel the appointment?”
“I paid the workman and sent him on his way half an hour ago.” Cord turned to the stove. “Would you like scrambled eggs on toast? Minuet and I have perfected it. She puts the toast in and I supply the eggs when it’s done.”
“Sounds lovely.” she smiled at Minute who’d run to the toaster. There was a stout wooden stool for her to stand on and she was carefully dropping two slices in the slot. “You are very good at that.”
Kelly stepped out the back door to make her call, unsure why she was uncomfortable to do it in front of Cord and Minuet. Her prospective boss answered his line and was not surprised to hear from her. Molly had spoken with him yesterday and mentioned that Kelly’s plans had changed as well. The man was abrupt. Kelly could understand that. He’d just lost one highly skilled employee and the other person he’d hired. Now he had two vacancies instead of one.
Cord’s eyes were on her as she returned to the kitchen. He took the frying pan off the heat and strode over to her, taking her coffee cup and putting it on the counter before gathering her in his arms. “What did the bastard say? I can maim him for you.”
Kelly gently grasped bulging biceps as she looked up at her bristling dragon and she had to laugh. “What? Of course he was upset. He needs someone doing the job. Two of us just bailed on him.”
An eyebrow on Cord’s forehead rose slowly. “I couldn’t care less. If he was rude to you, I’d like to know,” he said, the rumble in his voice sinking right down to her bones.
“He was civil,” Kelly said around a smile tilting up her lips. Her body rubbed up against his as her arms went around his neck to pull his head down. Her voice was barely a whisper in the hopes that Minuet would not hear it as she directed. “Now kiss me, sexy beast. Jealousy seems to have turned me on.”
Cord growled as his lips dipped willingly to her mouth. The kiss sizzled with frustration as he plunged into her. His back to Minuet, Cord took full advantage as his hands grasped her ass and pulled her into his body.
Needing to express desire was foreign to him and yet inescapable. Never before had he sought what he wanted from Kelly now. He was seeking her response, hungering for her in ways that had nothing to do with feeding from her. It wasn’t comfortable.
His tongue swept in her, and fire shot down her body. Kelly rippled in pleasure as he took her in that kiss. Oh yes, the dragon was possessive. It was immensely flattering though unwarranted in this case.
She was a little uneasy about what would happen if someone did make a pass at her. It wasn’t as if it happened all the time. She saw herself as very average looking, except for the tall part. Men liked to look at tall women, they lost nerve past that. But who could think about stupid men when a dragon was doing this?
A little body barreled into the back of Cord’s legs. “We hugging?” Minuet asked. “Me too.”
She wiggled around and Cord reached down with one arm, lifting her easily to be included in the hugs, which was all they were doing now.
Breakfast went quickly. Minuet was too excited to let Kelly linger over it.
“Can I bing bears?” Minuet needed to know.
“Of course, but only one,” Kelly admonished.
The list of questions was endless. It was impossible to stem them. Her quick mind kept jumping to pertinent questions. “Does shiny wings has potty?”
Cord left most of the answers to Kelly as he checked the house and locked up. It was ten a.m. when they climbed into Cord’s truck and headed toward the city. They left the truck in the mall parking lot, getting directly into a waiting limo.
The big car, while exciting at first for Minuet, soon lost its glow as they still had to drive an hour to the large city. As they entered the suburbs, Minuet became quiet. Shortly she was cuddled up beside Kelly, her eyes closed.
“Tired, sweetie?” Kelly asked.
“I sleep,” Minuet agreed.
Cord observed the active child’s subdued behavior with growing concern. In the short time he’d known her, Minuet hadn’t take a nap and only wound down late in the day. Considering her excitement about the trip, this change in behavior was even more unexpected.
“Is she okay?” he asked Kelly softly has as Minuet dropped into sleep.
“I don’t know. I didn’t expect her to be this calm about traveling,” Kelly said as her hand moved over Minuet’s hair in a comforting mother’s pet. “She doesn’t have a fever and I don’t see any other signs of illness.”
“Her body is working properly,” Cord assured Kelly. “I can monitor her heart and several other involuntary functions. I’ll let you know if anything changes. For right now, if she wants sleep, it’s probably what she needs.”
At the airport, the driver was able to take them on the tarmac to park next to Cord’s plane. Minuet woke up but was strangely groggy. Cord carried her on to the plane.
Having no bags made boarding and takeoff occur with amazing speed. It seemed to Kelly that everyone they met in the process managed to bow slightly to Cord. Perhaps that was the influence of money.
Cord certainly knew how to make things happen, always ready with a plan and the means to execute it. It was more privilege than she was used to.
Cord settled them in plush chairs and Minuet dropped back into a deep sleep. A few minutes later the pilot taxied onto the runway and they had a short wait for their turn to take off. Once in the air, Minuet sat up slowly.
“How are you feeling, honey? We have chocolate I think. Would you like a candy bar? If it’s okay with your mom,” he corrected himself quickly.
“A chocolate bar sounds good,” Kelly agreed. The boost of sugar in Minuet’s system might help, she figured.
Minuet went with Cord to find the chocolate, behaving more like herself. Cord’s jet was exciting, but this time she settled in the window seat with her candy. They had food and a potty on the jet as well. Minuet approved of the arrangements.
As they approached the East Coast, Cord made a point of watching Minuet’s reactions. Sure enough, the closer
they came to the mega-populated area, the more subdued Minuet became. By the time they landed, Minuet’s head was in her mother’s lap and she was sleeping once more.
The jet pulled to a stop. “Stay right there,” he told Kelly. “Let Minuet sleep. I have a feeling I know what the problem is, I have to make some arrangements.”
“Well? Tell me what you think it is,” Kelly said sharply. “And is there a problem? Is there something you don’t want to tell me?”
“I think the problem is the density of population. She’s too young to understand what’s pressing on her through her gifts. Self-preservation is natural instinct and the very young don’t question it. Sleep is a way of cutting herself off, calming all the different things she feels that she has no way of communicating to us.
“I was going to take you ladies shopping this afternoon, but right now I just want to get us out of here. She’ll be fine when we reach Scotland. The population where we’re going is even less than the town we just left.”
“I hope you’re right,” Kelly said worriedly.
“Me too,” he agreed quietly. “We can’t be sure until she’s ready to talk about it.”
Cord went up to talk to the pilot. Unfortunately he needed an international pilot and that would take a little time. As long as Minuet slept peacefully, it would be okay.
He needed a way to shield her from whatever was crowding into her soul. Until Minuet found a way to talk about the problem, there was no way he could enter her mind and figured it out. Without her consent, an attempt would make him part of the problem. Knowing all this didn’t make it easier to watch her fight her own battle. That was his job and she didn’t know how to let him help.
All he could do was make his ladies comfortable and get them out of here as quickly as possible. The plane was fueled and ready for the international pilot when Minuet opened her eyes and grasped her head.
“Bad, berry bad. Make it stop,” she cried softly.
Kelly had her in her lap. “Honey, what’s bad? What can we make stop?”
Cord dropped to his knees in front of them, his arms going around both as he questioned. “Show me, Minuet. Show me in my mind so I can help.”
In the next slot, another private jet had just pulled up. Minuet showed both Cord and Kelly the evil she couldn’t escape in sleep. Aboard the jet were several passengers whose sole purpose in life was death. They carried death with them, on them, in them. Immediately Cord recognized assassins. Minuet’s impressions were not specific, she simply felt the complete absence of mercy in them and it physically hurt her.
“Minuet, will you let me help you sleep like I did for Mommy when she was hurt?” he asked softly. “I have to go take care of a problem and I don’t want you to be in pain.”
Big eyes gazed at him for a moment. “Cord gonna fix?” she asked.
Little Miss Miracle went to the heart of the issue again. “Yes. I can’t let them hurt people, you know that.”
Minuet regarded him a few more seconds. “I sleep.”
“Good girl. I’ll be back in a few minutes and everything will be all right,” he assured her as he placed his hand on her forehead. Minuet closed her eyes and a moment later she was deep in sleep again. It was Kelly who looked at him with the worried face.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Take care of the problem.” Cord stood. “This is what I do.” He faded from the light spectrum humans could see and made his way to the other jet.
Cord stopped beneath the plane to reach for cold control. Enjoying the kill was a dark danger of the animal DNA. Lack of emotional involvement had always been an edge for the three dragons of the elements. They made deadly opponents because there was nothing that mattered to them besides reaching the goal. He was different now. He hoped that difference would not be a handicap in combat.
The short episode in the desert had gone well, but he realized he hadn’t been detached that time either. His goal had been protecting Kelly and Minuet. The single-minded drive to achieve that objective had given him the familiar coldness required for efficient combat.
Aware of his new limitations, Cord was cautious as he approached the parked airplane.
No stairs had appeared for this plane. That wasn’t a problem for a dragon. Climbing into the bowels of the plane through the wheel well, he easily gained access to the cabin. Inside were four males. The papers in front of them and their conversation betrayed their intentions to the invisible guest standing beside them. The targets were elementary schools. They planned to blow up three schools on the last day of classes to maximize the chaos.
Their plan was detailed, the objective date over a year away. This was going to be the last time three of them saw each other.
Cord refrained from helping them to that goal instantly though he had to consciously stem the rush of saliva to his mouth. The beast wanted a kill, up close and personal. Something with fangs and talons would have been gratifying. Considering all the possible outcomes, four dead bodies would cause too many problems. He needed an outcome that exposed their plan to the humans and allowed him to get Minuet and Kelly out of here as fast as possible. A murder investigation would accomplish none of those goals.
That was a compelling reason, but not the one that saved these men’s lives. He would not bring death on his plane with Minuet. She would feel it and this trip was already difficult enough.
Cord needed security forces to raid the plane but a few political issues stood in the way. The men arrived as employees of an embassy though they planned to disappear shortly. The plane was property of an American ally from the Middle East. Since they hadn’t entered the terminal, they were still in international space. The only thing that would get U.S. personnel on the plane was an emergency that required an investigation. Cord would make sure there was something to find during that investigation.
Cord exited the plane, sealing the closed cabin door from the outside by directing heat to fuse the metals. Under the plane, he needed something slow burning with a high smoke yield. The tires would work. In case the boys inside knew they could escape out the wheel wells, Cord sealed those hatches as well.
With a thought, he heated the rubber of a wheel and billowing smoke erupted. Emergency proceedings started as a worker noticed and fire trucks were scrambled. Flames lick up the wheel wells to heat the cabin as Cord watched. The men inside realized their plane was on fire and tried to get out. Now they were banging on the windows. Cord pulled back the fire with a thought. Dead was not how he wanted them, at least not yet.
A little smoke in the cabin and its occupants passed out. Cord made sure it was done just as emergency crews were pulling open the door that hadn’t opened for the men inside. He directed the events while standing under his own plane, still cloaked. With this many people around, he had to continue moving very slowly. Just because the humans could not focus on him didn’t mean he wasn’t there. His movement caused a ripple in their visual field that could be followed.
Soon coughing men were led out of the plane and being taken to the airport medical facilities, just where Cord wanted them. As soon as an investigator got in that cabin, he would find a reason to hold the men. After that their plan would be exposed as well as where they had just come from. Cord and made sure the investigators would have enough information to be looking for this sort of plot in the future. They were in New York, a place where investigators were particularly sensitive to foreign nationals with bomb-making instructions and carefully marked locations on a map.
The last conspirator to exit the plane stiffened as his feet hit the ground, his head turning swiftly to gaze directly at the private jet Cord was standing under. His expression did not change but his eyes did. For less than a second they glowed as if under ultraviolet light and then it was gone. That look shot through Cord with the power of a lightning strike.
The man could not see him, but eyes, even strange eyes, were not the only thing evil used looked with. Now Cord was doubly sorry he couldn’
t simply dispatch them. There was more to these people than he was comfortable with. He was distinctly disturbed by the fact that he’d never seen anything like this before.
Shielding his activity while using this much paranormal energy could be tiring. Had he let a little hint of what he was slip out? No, he’d been standing beside this man in the plane and the individual hadn’t known he was there. That left a much more disturbing possibility.
Had the guy felt Minuet? That was the more likely answer and one that caused Cord’s lips to draw back over gleaming fangs. The reaction was instinctive, his transformation to savage instantaneous at the hint of a threat to his family. At least he remained cloaked from human eyes. It was definitely time to go.
Chapter Eleven
The international pilot arrived in the confusion. Cord entered the plane and went to the back to materialize as if he had been in the sleeping quarters. Moving through the cabin, he dropped a kiss on Kelly’s forehead as she looked up at him with knowing eyes. In the cockpit, he conferred briefly with the pilot on their flight plan. The tower let them know takeoff would be delayed because of the chaos beside them but only for another ten minutes.
In the cabin, Cord sat across from Kelly and Minuet. Closing his eyes, he reached out with senses to continue influencing the men investigating the contents of the neighboring airplane. He also ensured the four occupants being treated for smoke inhalation were detained. By the time the pilot called back to tell them they were clear for takeoff, the four men were under arrest and the investigating officer had an amazing amount of clear evidence of the plot.
They pulled away and Minuet’s eyes opened to look directly at Cord. “Bad man mad,” she stated flatly.
“Did he talk to you in your mind?” Cord wanted to know.
“Yellings,” she said. “Him think I big.”
“Have you answered him, Minuet?” Cord asked calmly.
“No.”
Cord smiled at her. “Then he wasn’t yelling at you, baby. Don’t worry about it.” He tried to sound casual for her.
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