by Storm Cree
“We didn’t find anything about controlling it, but I suppose Rhys and I can keep looking. Are you sure you’ll be okay until we find something?”
“I don’t think you need to keep looking. While I was standing in that blaze the noise was immense, but I knew I had to find her. So, I concentrated and was able to block out most of the noise and focus on what I was searching for. It may be awhile and I may have to suffer through some nasty headaches, but I think if I keep trying, I can get this under control,” Nick replied.
“And you did say that since you did that yesterday that everything has sort of evened out,” Jagger added.
“What does that mean?” Destrain asked.
“Right after I found a way to control it and found little Cammy, the roar of everything stayed normal, and it hasn’t flared back up yet. Right now, just sitting here talking with you, your voices are normal. It doesn’t sound like you’re all screaming at me.”
“Well then, that’s great. I wasn’t looking forward to telling you how to take it away anyway,” Dain said.
“How was that?” Jagger asked curiously.
“To take them away we would have had to break your mating bond, which would have been very painful for both of you,” Dain answered.
“What? Are you fucking kidding me? There is no way I would have let you do it anyway if that was the only way,” Nick grumbled.
“After it was gone, you could have reclaimed each other, reforming the bond, but controlled this time. I think that if you only take small sips from your mate, it will allow you to reinforce the mating bond and keep these new powers under control,” Dain replied.
“Rune said that in time Nick could learn how to control them and be able to call on them only when he needed them,” Jagger said.
“Rune?” Destrain asked, his shock apparent in the expression on his face and the horror in his eyes.
“You spoke with someone named Rune?” Dain asked.
“You know him?” Nick asked.
“I know of him, but have never met him. He’s the fairy’s creator. Not that he created the fairies, but he creates for them, like I do for the pixie. He’s the one that created that spell that kept us all captive for all those years. He’s―” Dain stopped. His breathing increased and his eyes filled with anger.
“He’s a monster. And if he is here in Maddox, we need to find him and destroy him,” Destrain said through clenched teeth.
“I won’t pretend to know what you’re talking about or know of all the suffering your people have endured at the fairy’s hands, but I will say that I think you have been misinformed about Rune. I think you may want to talk to him and hear what he has to say,” Jagger said cautiously.
“What do you mean?” Destrain asked.
“Don’t tell me you are going to try to meet with this…this…evil being, and give him a chance to spell us again?” Dain asked indignantly.
“Maybe we can offer a few things first before you make up your minds? Then we can call Logan and he can tell you what he knows,” Nick offered.
Destrain stared at him for a moment, then looked to Dain. Jagger could see something unspoken pass between them before Destrain turned back to them. “Tell me everything you know. Then we’ll figure out our next move where Rune is concerned.”
CHAPTER 10
"You know what, Dallas, I don't care what you think, you're wrong. There is no way that there was a delay timer used. I didn't find any indication of an accelerant inside the warehouse and all indications for the Maddox Hotel is faulty wiring," Angelo snapped while walking into the fire station.
Nick looked up, seeing Dallas following Angelo, yelling back, "Bullshit! I installed that alarm myself and there is no way in hell it set off that damn fire."
"You saw the frayed wires as well as I did, Dallas. You must have nicked the wire when you installed it," Angelo replied, knocking on Nick’s door.
Dallas followed Angelo, snarling, "I didn't nick the fucking wire, Angelo. I have installed too many of those damn things to have made such a rookie mistake."
"Guys! Guys! Guys! Stop yelling. Dallas, sit down, Wyndingo should be here any minute and you two can tell us your findings at the same time," Nick said firmly.
Angelo tightened his lips and rolled his eyes. "There isn't much to tell. Both buildings show electrical fire."
"I'm telling you that this was deliberately done, and you just don't want to listen. Pull your head out of your ass, Angelo, and get your head in the game," Dallas ground out.
"Dallas, stop talking," Wyndingo warned from the doorway.
Nick looked over and saw his longtime friend and Dain standing in the door. "Dain, I didn't know you'd be here."
"I am the Regent to the King, Nick. Our concern is keeping our town safe and with the fires and Rune running around out there, Destrain and I want to make sure everything you may need is available," Dain explained.
"I still think you have Rune pegged wrong, but right now I need to find out what's going on with these fires. My band hasn't been here long, but I can tell you two fires in less than one week is unusual," Nick stated.
Dain sighed, "You're right. The people of Maddox come first and foremost and it seems, for now, that the fires are the top priority." Walking to one of the chairs and sitting, Dain looked at Angelo. "I'm surprised to see you here, Angelo. Any word on Manny yet?"
Nick could see the despair in Angelo's eyes. "No. It's going on three weeks and we haven't found a trace of my son. It's as if he walked off the face of the earth." Wiping his eyes, Angelo whispered, "But we are not giving up."
"Maybe you should let Dallas handle this one, Angelo," Nick suggested sympathetically.
Shaking his head, Angelo replied, "Thanks, but no. I need to be doing something. Sitting at home staring at the phone is just making me crazy."
Dallas sat forward. "But it could be muddling your conclusions as well, Angelo."
Angelo turned so fast, Nick was shocked he didn't get whiplash. "You know, Dallas, you really should eat a breath mint. That shit coming out of your mouth gives a whole new meaning to the term dragon breath."
"And you need to see someone about meds, but I don't think they've come out with something for stupidity yet," Dallas snapped back.
Angelo snorted, "I guess not, since you're not already on it."
"Enough!" Wyndingo slapped Nick's desk, knocking the phone off the cradle.
Dallas bared his neck and Angelo folded his arms and turned away. Dain snickered, "Well, that was enjoyable. I almost wish I had brought popcorn."
Wyndingo gave Dain an annoyed look. Just as Dallas opened his mouth, Wyndingo snarled, "Don't start, Dallas. Angelo is here to certify you so you can take over as the chief arson investigator for Maddox. That means you are the one to investigate, but Angelo is the one that makes sure it is to the specifications of the state of Colorado. Angelo, you are to just observe, assist, and then certify. You cannot take over this investigation. Now, I want to hear what Dallas has to say and then you, Angelo, can jump in to explain why you think he's wrong. Does everyone understand my directives?"
Angelo gave a sharp nod. Dallas did the same.
"Good. Dallas, what did you find at that warehouse?" Wyndingo asked.
"I went through the video footage of the fire, spoke to the witnesses around the scene, and then went into the warehouse to look around," Dallas explained.
"What witnesses? No one told me about witnesses." Angelo interjected.
Dain asked, "I thought the warehouse was abandoned?"
Dallas sighed. "There were no employees or victims in the warehouse, that we knew of. However, there are a lot of homeless people in that area. They use the abandoned buildings as their homes. I spoke to a young man named Jensen Manner. It took a while but he finally admitted that he had slept in the warehouse that night. He heard the door bang, and saw a man with a badge. The guy came in, walked around, and then left. Jensen said he took the opportunity to get out before the guy returned and arrested
him. He was rummaging through the trash looking for something to eat when he smelled smoke. He ran to the nearest store and told them to call 911."
Nick was incredulous. "Are you trying to say you think a cop set that fire?"
Shaking his head, Dallas replied, "No. I'm not saying anything about who did it. We're not there yet, Nick. I'm saying that Jensen was there all night and someone entered the place and in less than thirty minutes it was on fire."
"But the fire moved too slow to be a torcher. An arsonist starts a fire for one of six reasons, vandalism, excitement, revenge, crime concealment, profit, and extremism. They want whatever they are burning to go up and go up fast," Angelo argued.
Nick watched Dallas draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The man looked at Angelo as if he wanted to knock the shit out of the guy. Once the tight angry lines smoothed out, Dallas replied, "You're right about the whys of arson, but some arsonists don't mind a slow burn. You can't use that logic to rule out that someone intentionally set that fire."
"What did you find inside the building?" Wyndingo asked.
Dallas sat back in his chair with a deep sigh. "That's just it. I didn't find anything, yet."
"And the fire at the Maddox Hotel?" Dain asked.
Dallas looked at Nick and then Wyndingo. "We've been going to each of these places to make sure that all the businesses are up to code. I just put in a new alarm system a few days ago. I'm telling you that there was nothing wrong with the wiring in that building. Baxter didn't spare any expense and he really kept that building up to code, even with all the bullshit this town went through."
"Baxter?" Dain asked sounding just as confused as Nick was.
Nodding, Dallas replied, "Baxter Kenny, the owner of the hotel."
"I spoke to him myself. What he described was exactly what you would find with an electrical fire. He and the kitchen staff were talking, the alarm went off, they smelled smoke, and he got everyone out as fast as he could. The burn pattern shows that it was in the walls and the material in that building was so old it didn't take much to spread," Angelo argued.
Nick could see Dallas's eyes crinkling in thought, his eyes were moving around not focusing on anyone, and his breathing had changed. This was a man with something to say. "What is it, Dallas?"
"It's the account Baxter gave that makes me think arson," Dallas replied.
Angelo tossed his hands up. "Not every fire is arson, Dallas. Sometimes bad things happen to good people."
Dallas snapped, "Are we talking these fires or your son?"
Angelo drew in a sharp breath and paled.
"Dallas! That's out of line!" Wyndingo growled.
The man looked down and started picking at some imaginary lint on his pants. He turned to Angelo, saying in a sincere tone, "I'm sorry, Angelo. Wyn's right. That was uncalled for and I was wrong to say it, but you're wrong as well."
Dallas stood up, and began to pace. "Baxter said that the alarm went off and then they smelled smoke. That isn't the right order for an electrical fire. Normally, we smell wires burning and the fire is already in the walls so there should be some kind of smoke smell catching their attention. I asked that man three times and he was positive of the order of events."
Nick looked at Angelo. "What is your take on this?"
Angelo looked at Dallas not saying a word.
"Angelo?" Dain asked.
Slowly Angelo looked at Dain. "Dallas has a point. They should have smelled something before that alarm went off. We need to check out those buildings again. We're missing something."
Nick asked the question he knew Dain and Wyndingo wanted to know the answer to as well, "So, are we looking at an arsonist?"
Angelo sighed, "I can't answer that yet, Nick. Dallas and I have to go back to the scenes, however, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm leaning towards dragon breath’s theory."
Nick was shocked when he heard Jagger ask, "Why would someone want a slow burn?"
Nick jumped up and went to his mate. "Sweet baby, I didn't hear you come in."
"You shouldn't be in here. We were in a private meeting," Wyndingo said gruffly.
Nick turned on Wyndingo, snapping, "Do not speak to my mate like that, not now, not ever."
"No, Wyndingo is correct. I shouldn't have just come in. I was standing outside, waiting to talk to you and I heard what Dallas and Angelo were saying. Angelo said that arsonists like to see their work go up quick, yet the one at the warehouse was slow. So, the question is, why?" Jagger explained.
"Well, we're trying to figure that out, Jagger. Now if you will excuse us," Wyndingo said firmly.
Jagger looked hesitant to leave and Nick could tell something was wrong. "Jagger, is there a problem?"
Nick realized something. Jagger was trembling. "Jagger, what's wrong?"
Jagger pulled a note out of his shirt pocket. Nick took it, then read it. He felt a fury like never before. His roar filled the room.
Dain grabbed the note and read it aloud, "Leave before someone dies."
CHAPTER 11
"Jagger, I know you've already been asked these questions, but I need you to go over it all again, step by step," Pauly stated firmly.
By the Gods, Jagger was tired of all the damn questions. He knew they were important, but right now he just needed the comfort only his mate could provide.
"Jagger, tell Pauly what you told us," Nick encouraged.
Sighing heavily, Jagger answered, "I was in my office going over the profits from the night before. Blake called me to say that Logan, Gage, Tyler, and York were there to go over the alarm system. When I went out there, Logan told me Dallas had asked them to check all the new alarm systems installed around town. He just wanted to make sure that there wasn't a fault with the wiring system."
"In case Angelo was right about the wiring, I wanted to make sure the new systems weren't either flawed or incompatible with the wiring systems of these old buildings," Dallas explained.
"Makes sense and nice proactive move," Wyndingo said approvingly.
"So, you went back to your office and the note was there?" Pauly asked.
Shaking his head, Jagger replied, "Blake was making breakfast and it smelled so good, I thought I'd join him for a bite."
"But you're a vampire, you don't eat food," Pauly replied in confusion.
"I do now. It's one of the many bonuses I have from finding my Nick," Jagger said as he looked at his mate with all the love a mate could have.
Nick leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Jagger's lips. The world around them disappeared as the kiss deepened. Nick's hands slowly moved to Jagger's nipples. He felt the light pinch and moaned his pleasure. Damn, he wanted his mate. The only thoughts Jagger had right now were to get his mate naked and inside him as fast as possible. If Jagger had his way, Nick would never leave his body.
A loud banging followed by their names being screamed, "Nick! Jagger!" had them reluctantly coming apart.
"Finally, damn, I thought you two were going to have at it on the damn desk," Dain muttered.
"Dain, you are a real cock blocker, you know that? Nick and Jagger were just getting to the good part," Angelo complained.
Pauly cleared his throat and if Jagger wasn't mistaken, his voice was a bit strained, "Um, you were saying you stopped to have breakfast with Blake. What time was that, Jagger?"
Jagger thought for a moment, before saying, "About nine thirty or so."
Pauly wrote something down, asking, "Then what happened?"
"I went back to my office and returned to my work. I flipped a couple of pages and that's when I saw the note inside. I immediately left my office and came here to show Nick," Jagger explained.
Pauly was looking at the note, asking, "Did you lock your office when you went out to talk to Logan?"
Shaking his head, Jagger replied, "I don't have to. It automatically locks behind me and can only be opened if you have the code, which I change daily."
Pauly's brow rose. "That's a hell of a security syst
em for a club."
"It was like that when I became manager," Jagger explained.
Dain immediately explained, "That room was already set up like that when we inherited the building with the purchase of the town. Rumor has it that the place, along with a couple of others, were used for some nefarious deals before the ATF, FBI, and Homeland shut them down. It's how we got this town and Courtland for damn near cost in the first place."
"What in the hell were they doing? That is a shit ton of the government initials," Nick gasped in shock.
"I don't know the whole story, but it seems the Mayor, chief of police, and many of the business owners in Maddox, were in the gun running and white slavery trade. It was going on for over thirty years. The government had tried several times to take them down, but every time they found someone that would testify, the witness was found dead. That is, until an anonymous phone call along with faxed evidence was sent to the FBI. The identity of the whistle blower is still not known, and no one knows when the trial is going to be. The council was warned that they didn't catch everyone and to watch out for nefarious activity that may still be going on," Dain explained.
"And why was I never told about this? I'm the chief of police here, Dain! I should have been informed!" Pauly shouted angrily.
Dain nodded. "You're right, Pauly. It's just that we've been so focused on rebuilding Maddox, the things that were going on with Rhys, and the attacks on Crystal. Honestly, Pauly, I just didn't think about it."
"You didn't think about it?" Pauly repeated in disbelief.
Dain's brows furrowed, as he snapped, "No, Pauly I didn't. Now I apologize, but give me a break here. I've been going back and forth between Maddox and Crystal since I arrived on this realm. With everything I already mentioned and trying to help our shimmer become accustomed to their new home, I just didn't think about it."
