by AJ Sherwood
“That sounds wonderful, Lisette,” Cameron murmured.
Dieter drove them into town and found a parking spot on a quiet street not far from the town’s center. The sun was setting behind the mountains, painting the sky soft shades of orange, pink, and purple. The streets were less crowded now without the festival, but here and there Cameron spotted banners and pennants emblazoned with dragons.
They all slid free of the vehicle, and Alric came around to where Cameron stood and slid his hand back into Cameron’s. Despite being hungry, a part of him just wanted to stroll through the town with Alric, talking about a lot of nothing. There was something so calming when they were together that Cameron didn’t want to let it go.
“Look at that,” Cameron said, pointing toward a bright red banner waving in the light breeze. A black dragon with its wings spread wide was splashed across the middle, as if the artist had caught it mid-flight. “They’re still celebrating you even after the festival.”
“Well, I say they celebrate me with food. I’m starving,” Dieter announced. “Why don’t we try that Italian restaurant just down the block?”
“Dieter! Cameron is visiting Germany for the first time. He did not come here for Italian,” Lisette snapped.
“Yes, but I like pasta noodles,” Dieter replied as if in a pout.
Cameron’s shoulders shook with silent laughter, and when he looked over at Alric he swore the man was struggling not to laugh as well.
“I like Italian,” Cameron offered.
“But is it what you’re in the mood for? You are our guest,” Alric said.
“I—”
“Don’t stop moving, but we’re being watched,” Lisette interrupted. She and Dieter had been walking in front of Cameron and Alric. The dragon king immediately tightened his hold on Cameron, who couldn’t help shifting just a tiny bit closer to his companion.
This was unbelievable. He’d finally gotten Alric on a date and fate had to throw a monkey wrench into the system. Had Cameron done something to offend the dating gods? Was a virgin sacrifice in order?
“Where?” Alric asked, keeping his smile in place even if it looked a little stiff and forced now.
“Across the street in front of the candy shop,” Lisette said with a carefree chuckle.
“I don’t see anything,” Dieter grumbled.
“They’re cloaked. I can’t see them either, but I can smell the spell,” Lisette murmured as she leaned close to her mate but still spoke loud enough for them to hear her.
Cameron watched the spot Lisette had pointed out from the corner of his eye as they continued to stroll down the street, getting closer to the store. “I see a slight shimmer. Should we head back to the castle?”
Chaperone or no, Cameron had no desire for this evening to end already, but he also didn’t want to put their lives in danger because of him. He also wasn’t sure if Lisette was a target as well since she was a mage.
“No,” Alric announced in a hard voice. “I will not be run out of my town. I can summon more dragons for protection.”
Date night was getting decidedly more crowded, but maybe Cameron had been silly to think dating while his life was being threatened was a smart idea. He was about to suggest they head back to the castle and raid Alric’s kitchen when his phone started ringing. He stopped and grabbed for it, smiling up at Alric.
“Cassie’s ringtone,” he said by way of explanation. He was a little surprised to be hearing from her since she was supposed to be on her date. Something about a picnic at the zoo, he thought she’d said. “Hey, Cass. Can I call you—”
“They found me!” she shouted, and Cameron’s heart stopped.
“What?” he gasped. He stood in the middle of the sidewalk, no longer able to take another step. He certainly didn’t give a shit about the fact they were being watched. His sister was in trouble.
“Asshole met me at the park before I could get to Dana. Had these weird glowing eyes. Chased me home.”
“Cassie! Call the police!” He turned his eyes up at Alric, and the dragon looked just as helpless as Cameron felt. His sister was on the other side of the world being chased by these people, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Under Cassie’s frantic pants, he could hear the pounding of footsteps and then the slam of a door.
“Cameron?” Alric prodded, and Cameron suddenly realized they couldn’t hear what he was hearing.
“Cassie said someone is chasing her. Someone with glowing eyes. Like the people who grabbed me.”
Alric released Cameron’s hand only to grab his arm, turning them back toward the car. “We’re leaving now.”
“Lisette, in front, please,” Dieter ordered. “I’ll cover the rear.”
The mage, in a bright summer dress with her neatly styled white bob, hurried to the front of their little quartet and set a brisk pace back to the car. Cameron couldn’t think about where they were or if they were still being watched. He clung to the phone, listening to his sister.
“How many are after her, Cameron?” Alric demanded. Cameron repeated the question to his sister.
“Just one. I think I lost—Oh no he didn’t! He did not just break my window!” Cassie snarled. “I’m putting you on speaker while I grab Cheryl.”
“Damn it! Cassie, don’t get Cheryl! Call the freaking police!” He caught small glimpses of people staring at him in shock and confusion, but he didn’t care.
“What’s going on? Who’s Cheryl?” Alric asked.
“Cheryl is what she calls her baseball bat,” Cameron snarled. “She named it after a girl she dated. It’s actually a compliment.”
As he and Alric climbed into the backseat of the sedan again and Dieter peeled out of the city, racing back toward the castle, Cameron lowered his phone and pushed the button to switch over to speaker phone. Sounds of Cassie shouting curses and threats accompanied by a series of dull thuds filled the silence of the car.
“It certainly sounds like she’s got everything well in hand,” Lisette said after a rather violent string of swearing.
“How many are there?” Alric inquired.
“She said just one.”
Dieter chuckled. “I think I like her.”
Cameron let out a little groan and rubbed his eyes. His heart was still racing, but he felt a little calmer than when she first called. Knowing she had Cheryl helped. “No, he’s probably right. Cassie has taken lots of self-defense classes as well as some martial arts. She’s not shy about handling things herself.”
Footsteps approached the phone and there was a thud accompanied by some heavy breathing before Cassie’s voice filled the car.
“There. I got him,” she announced, sounding like she’d just squashed a spider.
“What the hell, Cass!” Cameron shouted. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking this asshole interrupted possibly fun, sexy times, and broke my motherfucking window,” Cassie snapped at him. And then in the blink of an eye, her tone became light and cheery. “Is Alric around?”
Cameron groaned and flopped back against the seat. Alric smoothly wrapped one arm around Cameron’s shoulders, pulling him in tight while leaning close to the phone.
“I’m right here, Cassie. Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“Hi, Alric! I’m fine, I promise. Not a scratch on me.”
“We’re all very glad to hear that.”
“Because I’m going to strangle you when I see you,” Cameron growled.
“Do you think this guy is with the people who tried to grab my brother?” Cassie asked, ignoring Cameron’s threats completely.
“I think it is very likely.”
“So…do you want him then? Do you have, like, any dragons close by who could pick him up?”
Alric hesitated and Cameron gasped, jerking sideways so he could glare at the dragon hold him.
“No! You call the police and let them arrest this asshole!” Cameron demanded.
“Cassie, I would like to send dragons t
o interrogate him and bring him back to us, but that will take several hours. You would need to secure him,” Alric said, wincing at the dark look Cameron was leveling on him.
“No!” Cameron said.
Cassie laughed, and Cameron didn’t know who he wanted to strangle more—his sister or Alric. “Oh sure! I’ve got plenty of duct tape laying around here. I can wrap him up like a Christmas gift real easy.”
“Cass,” Cameron started again, his voice pleading.
“Cam, I’m okay. I swear it. The asshole is out cold and bleeding into my freaking rug. I’ve got Cheryl and six rolls of duct tape. He ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
Cameron sighed and rested his head on Alric’s shoulder. Once his sister made her mind up about anything, there was no arguing with her. It did sound like she had everything under control.
“You’re killing me,” Cameron muttered.
“Love you too, little bro.”
“Plug your phone in and call me if there’s any trouble. We can’t be sure that he was alone.”
“I will.”
“I’ll call you back the moment I can give an estimate of when the dragons will arrive and who it’s going to be.”
Cassie gave an excited squeal before hanging up.
Silence fell over the car again as they neared the castle walls. To his surprise, Lisette spoke up first.
“I’ve just got to say it. I like her. She’s got spunk.”
Alric’s chest shook slightly with a soundless laugh, and Cameron managed a small smile. Dieter spoke about which dragons to send to his sister while Lisette talked about sending a small group of mages and dragons back to the city to investigate what they’d seen near the candy shop.
Cameron closed his eyes against the swell of anger and fear in his chest. His sister had a great knack for finding trouble, but this scared him more than any she’d faced before. These were mages. They could do magic. He couldn’t count on his sister’s wits and fighting skills to keep her safe. They needed to fight magic with magic…and dragons.
A hand tightened on Cameron’s shoulder, and Cameron rubbed his cheek against Alric’s shoulder, a part of him wishing he could just climb into the man’s lap. He felt so damn helpless.
“They came after my sister,” Cameron whispered.
“I know. I’m so very sorry, Cameron. I will keep her safe. I will protect both of you no matter what.”
Alric’s fierce words helped to ease some of the knot, making it a little easier to breathe. Cameron had seen how Alric watched over and cared for his people. If he included Cameron’s family in that group, then he believed they would be safe.
Cameron was fit to be tied by the time he made it back to the castle. Alric called Baldewin on the way back up the mountain, and he issued orders to both Baldewin and Sasha to go immediately to protect Cassie.
Baldewin met them at the door, a satchel with a very long handle sitting at his feet. The female dragon next to him had a similar bag. Cameron gave her a good look over as he climbed out of the car. He remembered seeing Sasha before, being introduced to her, but he didn’t know her all that well. She looked something of a cross between a bodybuilder and a model. She was another blonde, blue-eyed beauty who was more striking than pretty with her strong bone structure. Cameron wasn’t sure why Alric had chosen Sasha, other than she gave the impression of being tougher than boulders.
“I need an address,” is how Baldewin greeted him.
Cameron smacked his forehead for not considering the logistics of sending help. “I’ll text it to you now. How soon can you guys catch a flight?”
Baldewin snorted as if he’d just asked a silly question. “We’re flying, young mage. No planes for us, although we’ll take one on the way back to accommodate your sister. Lisette, I have the Noh Amulet on me.”
“Wait,” Lisette cautioned, hurrying around the front of the car. “I’ll put some power in it so it works. I assume Cassie is a mage but test her parents and grandmother too while you’re over there. Make sure.”
Baldewin just nodded.
Cameron got sidetracked from his question and asked the more immediate one. “If they all test positive, will you bring them all back?”
“We’ll have to,” Sasha answered, then look to Alric. “Correct, Hoheit? If they found Cassie, they can find everyone else too.”
“Correct.” Alric turned to Cameron, his hands splayed apologetically. “I do not wish to force anyone’s hands, but their safety is our priority. We need them here to safeguard.”
Cameron actually would prefer it. “I’ll call my parents, then, and Halmeoni. Tell them what’s going to happen. Baldewin, that’s Cassie’s address. Make sure to say hello before barging in, otherwise you’re getting a baseball bat to the face.”
Baldewin grinned at him. “I like your sister already. Sasha, let’s go.”
They grabbed up bags, throwing the handles over their necks before shifting into dragon form. The bags they must have had custom made, as the handles were just long enough to go around their necks and fit to the base of their throat. In seconds, they shook out their deep, maroon colored wings and were flapping and lifting off. Cameron ducked in closer to Alric to avoid their beating wings and the backlash of wind. Once they cleared the rooftop, and he could hear again, he asked Alric urgently, “I still don’t understand why they’re not flying via jet over there? Wouldn’t that be faster?”
Alric clearly had other things he needed to get to—he was antsy and shifting on his feet, but he took a moment to answer. “In fact, we can fly as fast as a commercial jet. Or near enough to make no difference. By flying directly there themselves, they avoid the delay of airports. They’ll reach Cassie in roughly seven hours.”
A dragon’s speed was that of a jet’s? Seriously?! Cameron stared at him for a long second, trying to compute that and mostly failing. “Wow. Yeah, okay.”
Alric’s head turned, and he started shifting that direction before catching himself. “Cameron, I’ll come to you later and we’ll speak, but I have to attend to several things right now.”
“Yeah, it’s okay, go,” Cameron urged him. Alric’s responsibilities were more important than answering all of his questions right now. Cameron could ask them later.
Alric gave him a thankful nod, his hand squeezing Cameron’s once in reassurance before he turned on his heels and hurried off. He called out to people as he made his way quickly into the castle.
Giving himself a shake, Cameron went into a different door, heading up to his bedroom. There were things he needed to do as well. Once there, he threw himself into the chair in front of the cold fireplace and applied himself to making many, many phone calls. Starting with his parents.
The bad guys had caught his family unaware twice. It was time to reverse those tables and get the upper hand as much as possible.
The phone calls didn’t go all that well. Cameron spent a good three hours talking to everyone. His parents were understandably upset someone was targeting their children. They wanted both him and Cassie to come home—and what good would that do? Cameron argued against it, Cassie argued against it, and in the end his parents relented and agreed that being surrounded by dragons did sound safer.
With them settled, it became a waiting game. Cassie kept her phone on her, Facetime up so that he could keep an eye on the situation. They didn’t say much to each other, just waited. Cameron paced the room more than once, burning off nervous energy. Cassie, on the other side of the ocean, did the same.
Dieter joined him seven hours in with a relieved smile. “Cameron. Sasha just called. They’ve landed outside of the city and they’re in a taxi now, heading toward your sister.”
He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Thank god. Hear that, Cassie?”
“Loud and clear,” Cassie responded, sounding relieved.
Dieter came over to lean over his shoulder and see the phone. “Hello, Cassie. I’m Dieter. We haven’t met yet. I am the king’s advisor.”
&n
bsp; Cassie waved back. “Hi, Dieter, nice to meet you.”
“And you. We want to fly you back on a jet. It’s a bit hard for us to hold a passenger for such a long flight. May I have your information so that I can buy a ticket for you?”
“That’s sweet of you, Dieter. Sure. Um, while you’re doing that, can you buy one for Halmeoni?” Cassie rolled her eyes a little. “She’s already packed and on her way over here. She said if I’m going to see you guys, she is too.”
“Of course. I’ve brought my laptop up with me.” Dieter held the slim silver casing up in illustration. “And I can buy your tickets at the same time.”
Cameron would rather not have his grandmother there while they interrogated a bad guy, but there was no stopping the woman. He’d already had this argument with her and lost. Halmeoni was far, far too excited about all of this.
A knock sounded on Cassie’s door and she abruptly stood up and demanded, “Password!”
Baldewin, bless him, played along like a champ. “All dragons are sexy.”
The picture on the phone jerked as Cassie jogged for the door. She opened it wide, and Cameron caught snatches of Baldewin and Sasha entering. “Thanks for coming so quickly. That stalker bastard is in the living room. He woke up about an hour ago.”
“Has he said anything?” Sasha asked in her low alto voice.
“Hasn’t had a chance,” Cassie replied. “And hello, I didn’t get your name?”
“I’m Sasha.”
Cameron rolled his eyes. He could hear it in Cassie’s voice. His sister had just decided Sasha was yummy beyond words.
“Cassie, if you don’t mind, we’d like to test you first.”
“Yeah, of course. I want to know if I’m a mage too.”