“Are you going to try and keep her?”
Yup, he went there. “How can I?” Michael let out a forlorn sigh. “She’s the king’s sister, and I… well, I’m a security guard.” When it all boiled down, that’s all he was. Protection for dragons.
“One hell of a security guard,” Terrence scoffed at him. “Michael, you have one of the most prestigious jobs on the planet. Very few can even make it into your position. You work long, hard hours to make sure that people like her are safe in this world. You deserve something nice.”
“Even more reason to let her go. I don’t have time to pursue her, even if she wasn’t out of my league,” Michael pointed out. His insides screamed that he was wrong, but he ignored them. He was starting to get good at ignoring them.
“And that’s it,” Terrence huffed. “You’re just going to let her go?”
Michael looked at Carissa longingly, but nodded.
“Man, if I was in your shoes, I’d start by tagging that.”
“What?” Michael snapped.
“Hell yeah. Look, you have a fine piece there, and she’s obviously into you.”
“Says the man who’s ready for zombies,” Michael scoffed. “When was the last time you got out of here?”
“Hey, zombies could happen,” Terrence said defensively. “Anyway, I was out last Thursday.”
Michael raised an eyebrow at this.
“The gun show was in town, and I needed some more powder.”
“Terrence. Once-a-month tours of the local hardware supplier do not make a social life,” Michael pointed out. “You need to get out of this hole. Your grandmother left you a very nice farmhouse that’s falling to pieces just outside. Hell, once this thing’s blown over, I’ll get some of the guys together, and we’ll come out and help you fix it up.”
“Sure, put me out there in the open, undefended.”
“Aliens are not going to come kidnap you, the government doesn’t want your brain, and Bigfoot has better things to do than flounce through your flowerbeds.”
“And when we were kids, dragons didn’t exist.”
“Touché.” Michael had to concede that point.
“What are you going to do about the dragon thing?” Terrence changed the subject.
Michael ran his hand through his hair, ruffling up the white locks again. “I don’t know.” He sighed. “Carissa said the hormone thing should settle out in a few days.”
Terrence shot him a cheesy grin.
Michael had accidently mentioned his brooding. That had been an interesting conversation. “And I think I’m getting the hang of the rest of it.” Except for that reptilian voice that was currently laughing at him. What the hell did it know that he didn’t? “I’m going to have to stop in for a psych eval, but I’m sure I can handle anything unexpected.”
“Yeah man, whatever.” Terrence gave him a skeptical look. “The way I see it, Carissa’s responsible for you being a dragon. She should be the one to teach you what you need to know.”
Michael glared at him as that inner voice agreed with Terrence.
“She could at least help you with the hormone problem.” Terrence snickered.
Michael sighed, trying to ignore the screams of Mine! in his head. “I’ll think about it.”
“Do that. You deserve someone nice.”
Terrence did have a point there. Michael’s last girlfriend had started out nice, but she had gotten rather needy fast. She told him that he was spending too much time at his job and had given him an ultimatum; so, he let her go. That went over about as well as porcupines at a petting zoo. And it didn’t help when his neighbors called the cops. They took one look at his Eternity identification and hauled her to jail, leaving him to clean up the three windows she had broken. Terrence’s old-fashioned clock chimed six times, drawing Michael back to the present. Hell, was it that late already?
Terrence stood up and stretched. “If you plan to take this to Daniel tomorrow, you’d better get some sleep.”
“True.” Michael stood up and looked around the room. Terrence had one bed and that nice, cozy beanbag. Michael had spent several nights stretched out on the oversized thing, but Carissa was currently occupying it. He looked up to Terrence for an answer to his dilemma.
“The beanbag’s big enough for two.” Terrence chuckled before heading for his bed.
Michael looked down at it. He had slept double on futons that were half the size of that thing, but to cuddle up against Carissa… Could he do that? The voice in his head told him definitely. But, should he? That he wasn’t sure about.
Terrence chuckled again as he clicked off the overhead light, dropping the shelter into its nighttime mode.
An eerie, green glow from the small panels flooded the room with just enough light for Michael to make out shapes. Letting out a sigh, he kicked off his boots. Unless he wanted to brush the papers off the table, there really wasn’t any other place to sleep.
Pulling the beanbag away from the wall, Michael lay down on the high side, pushing the filling around until the surface was nearly flat. Letting out a sigh, Carissa rolled over. Michael froze as she snuggled into his side, with her head nearly on his shoulder. Her hand came to rest on his chest. Damn, she felt good. Slowly, he drew in a breath and wrapped his arm around her. Carissa let out a contented sigh before dropping back into a deeper sleep. Maybe Terrence was right. Maybe he had a chance.
Mine! the voice screamed again.
Or maybe he was just a delusional idiot with wacked-out hormones. He adjusted his ever-present issue and closed his eyes. Matching his breathing to her steady rhythm, he tried to shut up the voice telling him to claim the luscious creature next to him. He was mostly successful, but man, were his dreams going to be carnal tonight.
14
“Are you sure about this?” Carissa looked at the little dragon next to her.
Michael nodded his head, unable to speak. The magic holding Tilly’s voice had worn off during the night, so Carissa had to borrow his.
Carissa looked over the dash of Terrence’s pickup truck. The thing drove amazingly well for the condition it appeared to be in.
When she woke up this morning wrapped in Michael’s arms, a lot of things passed through her mind, but turning him in hadn’t been one of them. Yet, here they were, sitting in the lot across the street from the main office of Eternity. Michael had woven a strong case for this course of action. It had the highest possibility of working, but it made Carissa uneasy. If just one thing went wrong, Michael would be in the hands of Eternity. And if the information he had discovered was correct, there was no way he would live to see a fair trial.
Carissa looked at the guarded gates one last time before opening her borrowed leather jacket and letting the little dragon crawl inside. When he poked his head back out, she kissed him on top of it. “For luck.”
Michael purred at her and nuzzled her cheek before retreating back down inside the coat.
Carissa took a fortifying breath and tucked the thick, manila envelope inside the coat with Michael. He had explained how that one folder held everything he had collected on the missing dragons and the ring responsible for taking them. Terrence had made a copy just in case. It was amazing how paranoid one person could be.
Zipping the jacket up, Carissa got out of the car and hurried towards the building. She knew the moment the guards at the gate recognized her. There was a flurry of activity as calls were made for additional men.
“Lady Markel!” A broad man in a black uniform met her halfway across the street. He latched onto her elbow and pulled her back to the safety of the building. “Are you all right?” he asked, looking over her.
Carissa nodded her head to reassure the guard. For this plan to work, they had to think she’d freed herself, and that meant no voice.
“Get her inside.” The broad man handed her off to two more men, who rushed her past the standard checkpoints, unmolested. Being kidnapped sure made secure places easy to get into.
Carissa
clutched the neck of her jacket together as they walked down several halls. She had been in this building enough to recognize the route to medical. That was not where she needed to go.
“This way, My Lady,” the guards said, trying to redirect Carissa when she made the turn she wanted.
Carissa pushed their hands away and ignored them. Unsure of whom to actually trust, Michael had made it clear that she should only talk to Daniel.
“Please, My Lady, this way.” The man tried to stop her.
She ignored him and took the hall that would lead her to the main offices. When his hand gripped her elbow, restraining her, Carissa wheeled around, breaking his grip. “I’m here to see Daniel,” she informed her guards before turning back to find her destination. “I know where Michael is.” This got their attention.
The second man reached for her shoulder and stopped her again. “Tell us.” There was a definite note of anger in his voice. Oh yes, these men would definitely hurt Michael. Were they involved, or just upset that one of their number would hurt the people they were sworn to protect?
She turned away from them and tried to continue down the hall. “I will speak with Daniel.”
“Then come with us to medical, and we’ll get him for you,” the first man pleaded.
Man, these men were pushy! A thought hit Carissa that made her smile as she ignored her escort. Her brother had probably been livid when he’d found her gone. Kyle would have definitely threatened all of them if they didn’t find her unhurt. That would explain why they were so determined to get her to medical. Carissa ignored them and hurried down the hall to Daniel’s office. Someone had probably called the king as soon as she had crossed the road… She had to hurry before he showed up. Now that was truly a scary thought!
Carissa’s feet picked up speed, and she raced down the halls, trailing the bewildered guards after her. Seeing Daniel’s office door open, Carissa burst into the room without knocking.
Daniel’s surprised face looked up from behind his desk.
“Leave us.” Carissa added a hint of magic to the order and slammed it into the men huffing behind her.
Both of them stopped dead in their tracks and left.
A moment of silence followed as Carissa met the green eyes of Eternity’s director.
He looked her over.
Michael’s ratty leather jacket and oversized clothing probably made her look like some homeless kid. It didn’t help that she had twisted her hair up in a loose bun that was starting to come undone. Realizing that she probably did look somewhat abused, she took as regal a posture as she could muster. That may have also explained why the guards were so adamant about getting her to medical.
Daniel rustled some papers on his desk before speaking. “Do you think it was wise to send them out with such an open order?” He looked past her to the open door.
Carissa almost laughed; of all the things he could say, he was worried about his men first. That was one of the things she loved about him. Always looking after his people. “They may wander around for a bit, but they’ll be fine.” Carissa relaxed. Daniel would listen to her.
Nodding his head, he accepted her words. “And how are you?” He turned his attention to her again.
“Unhurt.” Carissa turned and shut Daniel’s office door, locking it. This was a conversation they needed to have in private. “I’m not interrupting anything?” she asked, turning back to him.
He looked at the closed door and raised an eyebrow. “Nothing important.” Standing up, he turned a chair around for her. “What can I do for you?” He showed Carissa into the seat and sat in another so they were almost facing.
Carissa took a deep breath and considered him. Daniel was shorter than Michael was. He was also broader in the shoulders. A fairly handsome man with nearly black hair and brilliant green eyes. A long, thin scar marred his left cheek from his temple clear to his chin. Carissa had often wondered about that scar. She shook her thoughts away and returned to the subject at hand. “Michael is innocent.” This definitely got Daniel’s attention, if the raised eyebrows were any indication.
He looked over her clothing again, noting who they really belonged to. She could see his nose flare slightly as he drew in her scent.
Oh yes, he would smell Michael on her. Plus a few other things that would raise odd questions.
“And where is he now?”
“Safe.” Carissa met his eyes. She could see the desire to believe her words there, but she could also see doubt. Unzipping her jacket partway, Carissa pulled the file out. “I think this may help.” She held the envelope out for him.
Daniel took the package and opened it. “What is it?”
“Michael’s last mission files.” Carissa waited as Daniel poured over the results Michael had laid out for him.
Distress crossed his face as he read on. “If this is true, we have a serious problem.” Daniel flipped over the next page, reading the report.
“As if the problem wasn’t serious before this,” Carissa scoffed.
Daniel just shook his head slowly and closed the file. “I have a few questions.” He laid his hand on top of the closed file. “Please don’t take offense to this, but how do I know that Michael isn’t forcing you to do this?”
“He’s not,” Carissa answered.
Daniel considered her for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh. “Where is he?”
“Safe, but he’s willing to come in to talk if you can assure he’ll remain so.” Carissa looked towards the door. “A few of your men seemed a bit upset when I mentioned him.”
Daniel laughed heartily. “A bit upset” was probably a slight understatement. “It would help his case greatly if he turned himself in.” Daniel sighed. “But, if what you have here is true, that might be an issue. See, this person volunteered to head up the hunt for Michael.”
“Michael was afraid of that.” Carissa let out an ironic laugh. “If I make arrangements to bring him in—to you—can you assure me his safety?”
“He still has a lot to answer for.” Daniel considered her for a moment before nodding his head. “Yes. Bring him in, and I will make sure he’s safe.”
Carissa mulled over his answer, but movement under her coat made up her mind. Michael obviously trusted this man. “Do you have a spare set of clothing?” She stood up from her chair.
“Of course.” Most dragons kept at least one change for emergencies.
“May I have them?”
Daniel gave her an odd look but retrieved a uniform from the bottom drawer of his desk.
It would be too small for Michael, but it would be just a bit large on her. Opening her coat the rest of the way, Carissa let Michael crawl onto Daniel’s desktop.
Daniel’s mouth hung open as he took in the small, white dragon. Looking from the dragon to Carissa and back, he started to speak, but stopped.
Amusement lit Carissa’s eyes as Daniel impersonated a goldfish out of water.
After about the sixth time of trying to start, he finally settled on, “I see,” and sat down. Which didn’t make much sense. It was obvious Daniel didn’t fully comprehend the situation.
“Michael?” he finally asked.
Michael nodded his head.
“He can’t talk right now. I have his voice,” Carissa added.
“I see.” Daniel just sat there and stared at the dragon on his desk.
Carissa picked up the uniform and quietly changed clothing. Obviously, Daniel needed a moment to wrap his mind around this.
***
If dragons could smile, Michael’s grin would have been ear to ear. Daniel was not an easy man to surprise. He had been around long enough to have seen damn near everything, but this clearly astonished him. Michael stretched his wings before folding them neatly to his back. He sat up on his haunches and wrapped his tail around his feet like he had seen Daniel do so many times.
“Michael?” Daniel asked again.
Michael crossed his front legs over his chest, another trick of Danie
l’s, and nodded his head again. He could see his boss’s mind slowly kicking back into gear.
“White.”
Michael nodded.
Daniel’s hands shot out and grabbed him. Michael tried to squeak in protest as his boss flipped him around, looking at him as if he had never seen a dragon before. “Tufted tail!” Daniel didn’t quite yank on his tail, but it was close. “Boned frill!” The pressure of Daniel’s fingers on the back of Michael’s head was almost painful. “Horns!” Daniel finally held him out at arm’s length, looking into his face. “But white!”
Michael could understand Daniel’s distress.
Dragons all shared the same fundamental shape, but each color had its own, distinct trait. Green dragons, like Daniel, were sleek and smooth from nose to tail. Blue dragons sported backward-sloping horns. Red dragons had tufted tails. Black dragons were graced with a boned frill. But it was the royal, gold dragons, the ones directly descended from the original king, that sported all the traits.
“Not white,” Carissa added.
Both men looked over at her.
“What?” Daniel asked, not processing things well.
“He’s not white. His scales lack color.”
This comment had Daniel flopping Michael around again, inspecting his scales.
“Translucent,” Daniel muttered, holding Michael almost upside down while looking at his wings. “What have you done?”
Carissa came over and gently took Michael from Daniel’s hands, righting him.
He purred silently as she rubbed him under the wings. God, he loved the way she touched him.
“Your clothes are behind the desk.” Carissa set him down on the floor. “Get changed.”
Michael rubbed his shoulder against her ankle before heading around the desk to shift. He could feel Daniel’s eyes as he disappeared behind the desk. Oh, this is going to be good.
Michael’s shift came easier this time. No pain or waiting to relax, just thinking human and letting go. He could really get used to this. A snicker slipped out of him. He was going to have to get used to it. Carissa had already told him the change couldn’t be undone. Rubbing his hand through his hair, he sat up and looked over the desk at Daniel.
“White!” Daniel squeaked upon seeing Michael’s hair.
For a man of magic, Daniel sure wasn’t taking this well. Michael bit back a smile for the moment and reached for the clothing Carissa had left. Mmmm, they were still warm. And they smelled of Mine!. Ignoring his inner voice, Michael breathed in a great lungful of that sweet scent as he dragged his shirt on. God, they smelled good together. Once dressed, he stood up to face his boss.