Windy City Dragon

by Genevieve Jack

  He shook his head. “Maybe in time, once you’ve proven yourself as a vampire. You can’t allow the coven to question your loyalty.”

  “But—”

  His expression hardened. His hand slashed through the air between them. “Enough. The decision is made. The real estate agent will be here this week to list this place. I suggest you tender your resignation at Lurie Children’s Hospital as soon as possible.”

  For a long moment, she tried to think of an excuse, some reason that would be acceptable to him that would allow her to keep her home, her human life, and her only safe way to see Tobias. But she knew her father, and she understood why he was doing this. It all made sense now. Tristan was the one who had drawn unworthy on her wall and also the one who’d told her father it was there. He was trying to break her. Trying to get her to relinquish her crown. She wouldn’t do it.

  “Yes, Father.” Her heart broke to say it.

  He stood from the sofa and spread his arms. She accepted his embrace.

  “Change is always difficult, but this will be for the best. Trust me.” He pinched her chin and offered her a wide smile.

  “Yes, Father.” As soon as he was out the door and had disappeared into the night, the tears came, and this time they didn’t stop until she was fast asleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It took energy not to worry. As Raven sat in front of the fire, her hand stroking Artemis’s back, Gabriel at her side, she tried not to dwell on what she’d just learned. The act of worrying was too exhausting, too pointless. Richard had called. A man fitting the same description her sister had given them—definitely Scoria—had come into Blakemore’s Antiques looking for her and Gabriel. Richard and Agnes had been ready with the story they’d agreed upon: Gabriel had sold the store and decided to travel with his new bride. Last they’d heard, Gabriel and Raven were in New Zealand.

  She hoped the Obsidian Guardsman would fall for it. She prayed he’d give up and return to Paragon.

  “We can’t go home to New Orleans,” she said. “Not until we know he’s gone.”

  Gabriel didn’t answer. He looked into his mug and mumbled. “What’s the deal with Chicago coffee? This stuff is strong enough to melt paint off the walls.”

  “Gabriel? Are you listening to me?”

  Her love’s face looked like stone, half his features dark, the other half flickering in the firelight. “Tobias wanted us gone last week. Technically, we were only supposed to be here one night. Yes, after I cured Sabrina he said we could stay, but who knows how long she and her coven will allow us to remain here? I don’t trust her, not after what Madam Chloe told us and with what I know about vampire nature.”

  Artemis hissed loudly, jumped down, and ran away.

  “I agree,” Raven said to the cat. She stood and paced to the mantel where she stared into the fire, her anger burning as hot as the flames. “Tobias needs to come to terms with the fact that his girlfriend’s coven considers other supernaturals the enemy. He’s in danger here.”

  “You’re right.” That wasn’t Gabriel’s voice.

  Raven slowly pivoted to find Tobias standing behind the two wingback chairs in his living room. She thought he looked older than the last time she’d seen him. Sadder.

  “I have been unfair to you, and for that, I apologize. Sabrina confirmed that you were telling the truth. She insists we stay apart for my protection. She warned me that her coven might be watching us. Regardless, she promises she won’t tell her coven about any of us.”

  “Oh, Tobias. I’m sorry. I know you care for her.”

  “It is what it is.” He looked absently toward the fire. “We’re on good terms. Still have to work together.”

  Raven winced at Tobias’s tortured expression. She searched for the right thing to say. “I read in the paper today that one of your patients has been miraculously cured and will be released from the hospital soon.”

  He scoffed. “Thanks to both of you. It was the amulet. A little girl named Katelyn is alive because of you.”

  Raven and Gabriel exchanged glances. “Oh. Well, if it weren’t for you, it wouldn’t have found its way to her.”

  Tobias hung his head. “So, it sounds like the two of you will be staying longer than expected?”

  “We have a situation,” Gabriel said. “There have been two sightings of an Obsidian Guardsman in New Orleans. We think Scoria followed Raven back from Paragon.”

  “Scoria? The captain of the Obsidian Guard?” Tobias laughed. “You must’ve made an impression for Brynhoff to send the big guns after you.” He arched a brow at Raven.

  “He’s actively hunting me,” Raven said. “I can’t go back there.”

  Tobias sighed. “I knew returning to Paragon was a bad idea.” He cursed.

  Raven braced herself. With everything going on with Sabrina and her coven, it was natural Tobias would want them to leave.

  “You can stay here for as long as you need,” Tobias said.

  Raven breathed a sigh of relief.

  “On one condition.”

  Raven looked at Gabriel, who seemed as surprised as she was. “What condition is that?”

  “I need you to place protective wards around this house and Sabrina’s apartment. Her place was ransacked last night. And if what I suspect is true, she’s been followed. We’re being watched. We all need protection.”

  “By the Mountain, that woman seems to have a target on her back,” Gabriel said. “Who did she piss off?”

  “There’s another vampire. Tristan… He’s second in line for the throne and a real asshole.”

  Gabriel sucked air through his teeth. “That could get ugly.”

  “What am I missing?” Raven asked.

  Gabriel’s dark eyes locked onto her. “Vampires, at least the ones in Paragon, are community oriented in a violent way. She’s going to be the queen bee of a swarm capable of draining every human in this city. Once she is crowned, she will have dominion over them. From now until her coronation, she’s at great risk. If… What was the vampire’s name?”

  “Tristan,” Tobias said.

  “If Tristan can kill her or force her to step down before her coronation, he can grab that power for himself. Once she is crowned, the coven will be sworn to protect her. Tristan would have to overthrow the entire coven to take charge.”

  Tobias frowned. “Sabrina said something about that. She thinks the answer is us staying apart. I think she needs my help to get her to the finish line. Thus the wards.” He nodded at Raven.

  Gabriel glanced at Tobias. “You can lay the protective wards yourself. When it comes to protection, dragon magic is just as effective as that of a witch. We’ve had to protect our treasure for our entire existence.”

  Tobias shook his head. “I don’t trust myself. I’ve used more dragon magic this past week than I have in decades. I’m out of practice.”

  “Maybe, given the danger we are in, it’s time to dust off your ring.” Gabriel looked pointedly at the large sapphire on Tobias’s finger. “When was the last time you spread your wings? You are a dragon, after all. How can you deny what you are?”

  Raven held up a hand. “Gabriel, give it a rest!”

  The two brothers turned surprised expressions toward her. It wasn’t like Raven to lose her temper, but she couldn’t take a moment more. She turned back to Tobias. “If you don’t feel comfortable casting the protective spells, I’m happy to do it.”

  “Thank you.” Tobias looked genuinely relieved.

  “You’re welcome. And thank you for letting us stay.”

  Tobias shrugged. “To be honest, it’s refreshing having you around. It’s been a long time since I had any sense of family in my life. Considering what’s going on with Sabrina, it’s a comfort to not be alone. You were right. We’re not in Paragon anymore. It’s silly for us to act as if we are. Gabriel is right too. I’ve denied what I am for far too long. If this thing with Sabrina has taught me anything, it’s that.”

  Raven thought Gabriel’s e
yebrows were going to shoot through the roof. She gave him a warning nudge to keep his I-told-you-so to himself.

  She placed her arms around Tobias’s slumped shoulders, brushing off Gabriel’s jealous glances. “We’re here for you, Tobias. We’ll help. Any way you want us to. I’ll lay the wards tomorrow.”

  “Thanks,” he said, pulling back from Raven’s embrace. “And if you don’t mind, please keep this on the down low. Sabrina wasn’t exactly keen on the idea. And we don’t want to gain any more attention from her coven.”

  “Done,” she said. “It will be our secret.”

  “There’s one more thing,” Tobias turned toward Gabriel.

  “What’s that?”

  “I need your help tracking a werewolf.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  March roared in like a lion, and Chicago loomed, a city of steel and ice on the horizon, the wind becoming a sharp edge that made everything more difficult. Tobias disliked both the cold weather and the distance that had formed between him and Sabrina. Sure, he’d occasionally bumped into her in the hall or in the break room, but she’d kept their conversations painfully short. He took to leaving her animal crackers at the nurses station. Those she never turned away.

  At least he knew she was safe. Raven had placed protective enchantments around her apartment and balcony. No one who meant her harm could make it past the barrier.

  The space between them did have one major benefit. He’d had time to try to track down the wolf who’d stabbed her. Gabriel had helped him return to Maverick’s and then to the museum. The werewolf had been bleeding the last time Tobias had seen him. His scent should have been easy to track. But the trail ended at the street. Someone had helped him. And all of his leads on the triangular tattoo the wolf was sporting had ended at the museum. The werewolf hadn’t been seen in Chicago since.

  Dragons were excellent trackers. Two dragons were almost impossible to elude. Two dragons and a witch? Tobias was not only sure the werewolf had left the city, he was certain that the car used to take him there hadn’t come back.

  Good news when it came to keeping Sabrina safe, his top priority. If he didn’t keep her safe, who would? For as long as he’d known her, she’d never put herself first. Not with her patients. Not with her coworkers. She wanted to keep him safe and to be the best coven master she could be. In her mind, both of those things meant staying away from him. But no amount of time or space would ever dull his need to protect her.

  Funny, he’d never realized the power the vampire community held over Chicago. In all the years he’d worked here, their existence had never been an issue. Then again, his life was about as mainstream and human as a supernatural’s could get. If it hadn’t been for the kiss he’d shared with Sabrina, he would have gone on admiring her from a safe, detached distance.

  But he had kissed her, and his inner walls had crumbled. She’d won his heart and enchanted his dragon. With one kiss, she’d awakened his inner beast.

  To numb the pain, he threw himself into his work. On this day, he found himself again in room 5830, under far different circumstances than when he’d put the amulet around Katelyn’s neck. The girl was going home. Every doctor on her case had run every test imaginable and could find no reason to keep her. The humans called her a walking miracle. In some ways, Tobias agreed. His coming across Maiara’s healing talisman was a miracle in a way, and it warmed his heart to have put it to good use.

  “I just want to thank you,” Katelyn’s mother said. “The official story may be that this was the result of spontaneous healing, but we know your exceptional care had something to do with it.” She pulled him into a hug, her wiry arms and bone-thin fingers strong against his back.

  Often Tobias had seen the woman hunched over Katelyn’s bed, her human body sagging under the weight of the bad news that had seemed to flow from the walls at the time. Today she was better. Eyes brighter, spine straighter. Although the older woman was painfully thin, she had always struck Tobias as being solid, as if she were made of bricks instead of flesh, a tower of strength wrapped in cardigan sweaters and bolstered by hospital coffee. Her hair had grayed over the course of her daughter’s illness, but the rest of her seemed impervious. The experience had galvanized her. Pulling back from the hug, she had tears in her eyes. It was the first time he’d seen her cry.

  “I don’t think I can take the credit for this one,” Tobias said. “Sometimes there are forces greater than ourselves at work in our lives. All we can do is be thankful, cherish the days fate is merciful enough to give us. Katelyn is a great kid. It makes me happy to know I played a small part in her recovery.”

  “We won’t forget you,” Katelyn’s mother said.

  Katelyn herself walked to him, her body growing stronger by the day, and he bent to accept her hug. She’d grow again now that she was well. He hoped he’d have the chance to see her again years from now, a normal teen with normal problems.

  “Thanks, Dr. Toby.” She cupped her hand around his ear and whispered, “I won’t tell our secret.”

  “What’s that?” her mother asked.

  Tobias stood and guided Katelyn toward her. “A game we used to play to pass the time.” The smile he flashed was both meant to put them at ease and end the conversation. “I’ll call someone to escort you out. You get one last ride in a wheelchair.”

  He slipped out the door to notify the medical assistant at the desk that Katelyn was ready to go. He’d cheated death with this one, but he didn’t care. He’d do it again a thousand times. Only he wondered in the back of his mind if there would be repercussions. Would fate ask him for payment in the future for the death he’d stolen from her? If so, he’d happily pay the price.

  He finished signing Katelyn’s discharge papers. When he looked up again, he started. Sabrina was there, and she didn’t look happy.

  “It’s good to see you,” he said, moving around the desk. “It’s been a while.”

  “I’m sorry, but I told you…” She brushed her red bangs from her forehead. All vampires were pale, but Sabrina’s complexion was even whiter than usual. And she seemed sad somehow. Something was wrong. She was dressed in street clothes and still wearing her coat. “You know why I had to stay away.”

  “There’s something I have to tell you. It’s important.” He looked at his watch. “Can we conveniently bump into each other in the break room later?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not here to work. Actually, I just tendered my resignation.” Her voice cracked. He could tell she was trying to hide it, but he heard it loud and clear.

  “Why?” It didn’t make sense. For as long as he’d known Sabrina, he had never questioned her love for the job. For her sake, he carefully sanitized his expression to one practiced and impassive, his doctor’s mask: analytical, practical, no-nonsense. It was also a lie. Tobias felt ripped apart. His inner dragon coiled and hissed, urged him to throw her over his shoulder and take her somewhere he could force her to stay near him. He kept that part of himself carefully under control, hid it as well as he could from those piercing green eyes that he swore could see right through him.

  She pulled a Kleenex from her pocket and blotted under her eyes. “I can’t tell you that. Not here. Not now.”

  “When?” Too much emotion. The mask was slipping.

  They were interrupted when Katelyn, pushed in a wheelchair by one of the volunteers, emerged from her room with her mother following behind her. The family headed for the elevators at the end of the hall, disappearing out of sight.

  “How did you do it?” Sabrina whispered. “You never told me how you healed her.”

  “I’m still waiting for your explanation of why you’re resigning. I think this is a case for quid pro quo.”

  She turned away from him, but not before he saw a tear roll down her cheek.

  “Talk to me.”

  “It’s too risky.” She looked over her shoulder.

  “Sabrina, please…” He rested his hand beside hers on the nurses’ station, not
touching but close enough that the space between their fingers seemed to carry an electric charge. Would a shock ensue if he touched her?

  She wiped her cheeks. Their eyes met, and for a long moment he resisted the strong desire to kiss each of her eyelids. Kiss away the tears.

  “It has to be somewhere secret and in full daylight,” she whispered, her eyes darting over her shoulder.

  Tobias frowned. What had happened to her? Had Tristan done something terrible to her? He’d kill the vampire. “Lincoln Park Zoo. Polar bear exhibit. Noon tomorrow.”

  She nodded once, pulled her coat tighter around her, and left. Everything in him screamed not to let her go, to haul her off to his treasure room where he’d hoard her like the wealth he kept there. Only, he hadn’t maintained a treasure room in a century and he wasn’t a monster. As much as he wanted to act like a beast, he forced himself to let her go. And counted the seconds until he could see her again.

  Sabrina materialized in the tunnels, completely alone. It was the middle of the day. The coven was sleeping. At least she’d have this when she was master, a few stolen hours of alone time when she didn’t have to worry about Tristan or anyone else following her. Then again, that wasn’t entirely true. She would always have to look over her shoulder. Maybe not because of Tristan, but they had other enemies.

  Jaw clenched, she made her way to her father’s chambers. It would be another hour before he was up and there was something she needed to do before he woke.

  “Good morning, Sabrina,” Paul said, his Chicago PD uniform looking a bit crumpled at the end of his long shift. “You’re up early.”

  She held up the notebook in her hand. “I wanted to inventory Dad’s apartment for decorating purposes before I move in. I thought it would help if I did it while he was sleeping. He doesn’t get much privacy during the night.”

  Paul laughed. “Ain’t that the truth. I just want you to know, I’m willing to stay on as your security detail once your father is gone. I like it here. You people have been good to me.”