by Melissa Haag
The ride to the island was just as fast as he’d promised. And, the icy wind on my face actually felt good, this time.
When we landed on the same roof as before, I didn’t hesitate to slide off, ditch the bag, and face the door. Oanen’s low, knowing chuckle kept me flushed for an extra few moments while he dressed.
“I like this,” he said, turning me in his arms.
I took a quick peek down and found all his views were covered.
“Disappointed?” he asked.
“Relieved. My face feels like it’s about to burst into flames.”
“It’s almost as attractive as when your eyes glow.”
He kissed the tip of my nose then led me toward the door.
“It won’t be as bad this time,” he promised.
“Does that mean the other body is gone?”
“Yes.”
“Who took it?”
“We have our own version of funeral homes and morticians.”
“Nope. Don’t say any more. I don’t want to know.”
We walked down a single flight of stairs and went to another apartment on the same floor as the previous day. We didn’t proceed past the first door in the hall this time.
“This is the one,” he said.
He opened the door and went inside. Thankfully, there wasn’t any odor. I looked around the barren apartment noting that, unlike the other guy, this one hadn’t collected much. But, then I noticed dents in the carpet.
“Did someone clear this place out already?” I asked.
Oanen snapped a few pictures of the dents with his phone and spent a little time studying the patterns on the floor.
“I’ll ask for more information.”
He moved down the hall. Like a good little shadow, I stuck close.
We found the dragon in the bedroom. The bed was neatly made beneath him, and a folded piece of paper waited on the nightstand.
Enforcer,
Stop looking for him. He’s doing us all a favor.
Magroal
I looked at the smiling dragon’s face, trying to reconcile him with the bitter dragon I’d met the day before.
“He’s the one who ate the burger and left. Call the Council. With my eyewitness sighting of this guy after Nicolette was taken plus his note, they have to let Nicolette go.”
Oanen nodded but continued his examination of the guy and the room. While I waited, I sent a text to Eliana.
Freedom is one phone call away. Get ready to say goodbye to mommy-dearest!
I waited for a reply, but none came. A ball of worry formed in my stomach. This was the girl who rushed out of class to answer my phone call.
Everything okay? I texted after three minutes went by.
Everything is fine. See you soon, hopefully.
Relieved, I tucked my phone away and went to stare out the window. Nicolette would be cleared today, and I still didn’t have a plan. But, it didn’t really matter. While I could already predict what Oanen’s reaction would be, the final decision about what to do was up to me. And there was no way I was going to kill someone else just so I could live.
“That was a big sigh. Ready to go?” Oanen asked.
“Yeah. Did you call the Council?”
“Not yet. I was going to wait until we were back in the car.”
There was no playful striptease on the roof, which made for a colder ride back to Port Morris.
Before we even landed, I felt a strand of wicked calling to me. It grew stronger with each beat of Oanen’s massive wings. I braced myself for the pull.
As soon as Oanen landed, I slipped from his back and raced for the car. At the last minute, I tossed the backpack on the ground then slammed the door shut. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus.
“Hold it in. Just don't let go,” I mumbled to myself.
The intensity of the wickedness crawled under my skin. It begged for my attention. It demanded my intervention.
“You can do this. You can hold it.”
The car door creaked. My eyes popped open, and I stared at Oanen. The orange glow on his face said it all.
“Is everything all right?” he asked calmly, his face a careful blank mask.
“No, I have to go to the bathroom. Get in so we can go.”
He cocked his head at me as he slowly got in.
“You just lied to me.”
“Stupid lie detector. Just hurry up, Oanen. We have to go.”
He started the car and turned around. I refused to look at the man who was slowly walking down the side-street towards us.
“I'm trying to be patient,” Oanen said quietly. “I'm trying to be understanding. But, it's hard to do when you won’t tell me what’s going on. Or worse. When you lie to me.”
The more distance we placed between the man walking down the road and the car, the easier it was to think clearly. It didn't mean I was out of danger. I could now feel the wisps of wicked crawling under my skin. How much longer did I have before I wouldn’t be able to resist it?
“Talk to me, Megan. Now.” The complete authority in Oanen’s voice made my fury stir.
“This is one of those times that you don't want to push, Oanen.”
“This is one of those times I think I need to push.”
I partially growled and groaned.
“Fine. I wanted to whip out my fury card on that guy walking down the street, okay? Given our current goals, I didn't think it was the right time to stop and punish someone. Better?”
In response, the steering wheel groaned under his white knuckled grip.
His fear hit me hard, and I mentally staggered under the weight of it.
“No. There’s more you’re not telling me.”
“Tonight, Oanen. Whether we find anything at this address or not, we’ll talk. I promise. Will you just give me until then so we can focus on helping Eliana and stopping this killer without distraction?”
“The distraction is there, Megan, whether we talk about it or not. But, yes. I’ll drop it for now, and we’ll talk tonight.”
He turned his golden gaze on me.
“No exceptions. No more delays.”
Chapter Twelve
We parked across the street from a house that looked exceptionally normal. The well-kept, three-story home was squished between two not so nice-looking houses. Those houses matched the rest of the neighborhood, which was why a tingle kept worming around under my skin. I itched to get out of the car and confront the sources. But, I knew better than to give in. Instead, I tried to focus on Oanen’s half of the conversation with the Council.
“Megan spoke to him the day after Nicolette was taken into custody. It proves she’s not responsible.”
A long drawn out pause followed that statement. I tried to read Oanen’s expression for clues, but he wasn’t giving much away. Not since my promise to talk after we were done here.
“I disagree,” he said, “and can confidently speak on Megan’s behalf that she disagrees, too.”
I frowned. I trusted Oanen. He knew me well enough to speak on my behalf if he thought it necessary. Why was it necessary, though? The evidence couldn’t be any clearer.
“No. Nothing has changed. She seems more tired and not as quick to anger.”
“She’s sitting right next to you, too,” I said, “and feeling plenty of anger. What’s going on?”
“I understand,” he said, just before hanging up.
Without me needing to threaten bodily harm, he turned toward me and started talking.
“They don’t believe Nicolette is innocent and won’t remove her house arrest.”
“What? Are they deaf or blind? Or just stupid?” I clenched my fists and wished I was in Uttira.
“Neither. They believe she’s working with someone or maybe several people. Adira wouldn’t give me more information than that. She asked how you were doing and if you’ve run into any wicked.”
That just pissed me off more. She knew something. I was sure of it.
“Fine. Adira
and the Council are once again useless. No offense to your parents.”
“None taken. I agree with you. They’re up to something. We’ll need to prove without a doubt that Nicolette is innocent by finding the real killer.”
He looked at the house, again.
“I think it’s time to say hello,” I said, reaching for the door.
Sleeping in until noon meant that we hadn’t had much daylight when we started out. After going to the island then heading to New Jersey, not much remained. As we let ourselves in the gate, a hint of twilight creeped into the sky.
“I want you to stay behind me,” Oanen said softly, holding the gate so I could pass.
“Fine.” I knew he was trying to watch out for me. But no matter where I stood, if the hooded guy was truly wicked, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back. Even if Oanen was in the way.
I followed him up the steps and waited on the small porch as he knocked.
A curtain to our right moved a few moments prior to the door opening. Instead of the guy from the bar, a young woman looked at us questioningly.
“Can I help you?”
“I hope so,” Oanen said. “We’re looking for someone.” He pulled out his phone and showed her the picture of the hooded man.
I saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes before she looked up at us.
“Sorry. I can’t help you.”
“Can’t or won’t?” I asked.
“My name is Oanen Quill. This is Megan Smith. We’re here on behalf of the Uttira Council,” he said. “And, you know what that is because you knew not to lie just now. How do you know this man?”
She started to shut the door.
Oanen stepped forward to block it with his hand. As soon as his palm crossed the plane of the threshold, he flew backward. He hit the fence with a metal clatter and crashed to the ground.
Rage filled me, and I turned to the door.
“Elizabeth Sias, open the damn door.”
“Megan, quiet,” Oanen said. The strain in his words made my anger worse.
I fisted my hand, ready to beat down the puny panel keeping me from kicking the ass of the girl who just fried my boyfriend.
Oanen’s fingers captured mine.
“I’m fine. And you just figured out her name,” he said softly. “And, right now, she’s talking on the phone. I’m trying to listen.”
His explanation and a quick glance at him calmed some of my anger.
“It’ll take more than a fence to hurt me. You know that.” He kissed my temple gently then slowly tugged me away from the door.
“We’re looking for a man named Zayn. Elizabeth knows him well. She told him not to come home.”
“So a girlfriend, wife, or relative.”
“Exactly what I’m thinking. And if that’s the case, he’s on his way here because he’ll want to keep her safe.”
“She’s not in danger.”
“He doesn’t know that. And right now, she’s watching us leave. When the car doesn’t move, she’ll let him know.”
We got back into the car. Street lights came on, and the curtain in the window moved again.
“Stay here. No matter what,” he said reaching for his door.
“Where are you going?”
“To the roof. I’ll be able to see more from up there.” He paused and gave me a stern look. “Say it. Say you’ll keep your butt in that seat no matter what.”
My fury stirred again, and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
“No. What you really want me to say is that you’re cute when you’re all domineering. Not going to happen, bird boy. Bossy isn’t attractive.”
His pupils dilated noticeably.
“Megan…”
“I will stay in the car. Now, stop being a bully and go fly away.”
He exhaled slowly and left the car without kissing me, an indication of how far I’d pushed him.
Sulking, I watched the house.
What the hell was my problem? Everything was off. My temperature. My mood. My ability to sense any wickedness. My ability to send the wicked to hell. I was a broken fury. And if I wasn’t careful, I was going to break one of the few things I still had going right.
Restless and feeling sorry for myself, I pulled out my phone and called Eliana.
“Yeah, what’s up?” she answered, sounding annoyed.
“Everything okay?”
“Get off my pillow. I told you not to do that,” she said in a strained and slightly muffled voice. Before I could ask what she was talking about, her words became clear again. “I need to find Piepen a better home.”
A high-pitched squeal came from the background followed by fervent begging.
“You do what you need to do,” I said, feeling bad I’d made a mess for Eliana. It seemed I was on a roll for messing up relationships.
“Thanks. I gotta go.”
The line went dead.
Sighing, I pocketed the phone and leaned back in my seat. Rather than focus on the wisps of wicked around me, I closed my eyes.
“You can do this, Megan.”
* * * *
“Wake.”
The word echoed in my mind, pulling me from a deep sleep. If not for the ache in my shoulder and the chill penetrating my legs, I would have tried to ignore the command. Uncomfortable and more than a little cranky because of my discomfort, I opened my eyes to look for my pillow and blanket.
Instead of seeing familiar bedroom walls, I saw a face I knew well from the picture on my phone.
“You,” I said, trying to sit up. I couldn’t get my hands under myself.
“Here,” he said, reaching for me. “Let me help you.”
He helped me from my side-lying position to sitting up against a beam.
I frowned at my bound hands and feet, confused. I couldn’t remember confronting him or trying to send him to hell. Nothing new hurt on me. No burns. So then, what had happened? How was I no longer in the car, and why wasn’t I angry?
Giving my bonds an experimental tug, I studied the now unhooded-man.
“Zayn, right?”
“Correct. And those are magic bindings,” he said. “Like last time.” He tilted his hand and studied me. “How did you get out of the last ones?”
“Why don’t I want to send you to hell?”
He smiled slightly.
“Because I’ve been good lately, not breaking any rules. Human or non-human.”
A shimmer in the air just behind him caught my attention. I sat in the center of another large space. A table lit with a dangling overhead light lay just behind the guy squatting before me. However, between him and the table, a shimmer of something moved in the air, creating a bubble around us.
“More magic?” I asked.
“Yes. For your protection. I’ve invited a few people here and wasn’t sure if you’d be ready to face them.”
“What do you mean?”
He shifted slightly on the balls of his feet, pivoting just enough to expose the three older men sitting at the table. Their rough, weathered faces were turned in our direction. Their dark eyes were filled with a weary acceptance I’d seen before.
“They are dragons with more years than either of us can hope to see. And with those years come a lot of mistakes.” He shrugged lightly. “Or, rather, choices a fury might not agree with.”
That last statement drew my attention back to the hooded man.
“You know what I am and took me anyway?” I asked.
“I know what you are, and I know once you understand, you’ll have no reason to come after me.”
“I doubt that.”
“You’ve said it yourself. You have no desire to punish me. That’s because I’ve done nothing wrong.”
My gaze flicked back to the dragons.
“Why do I need protection from them?”
His grin widened.
“This shield isn’t to protect you from them but from yourself. You’re a fourth-generation fury, and I don’t want you burning yourself out
. The last thing I want is for the other three to come after me because I wasn’t careful.”
I snorted.
“Right.”
“What part do you doubt? My fear of you or my care?”
“Any of it. All of it.”
“I know a lot of things I shouldn’t. Trust me when I say I will take the utmost care of you. Now, be patient and listen. You’ll understand what’s going on soon enough.”
He patted my stretched-out leg and stood, leaving the shield. As soon as he stepped through it, the shimmer turned into an opaque green like I was sitting in an upside-down glass bowl. My ears popped painfully, but I could suddenly hear things. Seagulls crying out. Distant traffic. The quiet murmur of deep voices coming from the table.
I could also feel.
One of those three dragons was not like the others. Oh, they all had a level of wicked that made my skin feel too tight. But, one of them had done things that begged me to send him straight to hell. My gaze locked on the one with longer, grey-streaked hair he kept back in a low ponytail.
I opened my mouth, the words to demand a confession from Rylee McGoan on the tip of my tongue. However, not a sound emerged.
Rage clawed at my middle, and I struggled with my bonds.
“We’ll need to speak quickly,” Zayn Sias said. “I don’t know how long that spell will hold her.”
“Why is she here? Why are we here?” the dragon closest to me asked. His dark eyes watched me instead of Zayn.
“She's here as a witness. You're here because each of you has spoken to me about your desire for the old ways to return. About your discontent with the way things are now.
“I cannot change your lives for you. I cannot miraculously fulfill your dreams of flying free or eating whatever you'd like. None of us can break those rules without consequence. And that's why she's here. To be a witness. So that she knows, and so that you know, what I'm saying is the truth and what I'm doing is within the bounds of what we are allowed to do.”
While he spoke, my anger and the need to free myself intensified. Knowing what would happen, when I gave into the urge gripping me hard, didn't even give me pause.
My gaze remained focused on the furthest of the three men; and the intense, burning need to punish only grew stronger with each passing second. The space within my magic cage began to warm and reflect an orange glow. And, it wasn’t just from my eyes.
