“You have no idea.”
Jim shook his head, still in awe of the amount of food she had consumed.
“Will you be good to do this right now?”
“Oh, definitely,” Kristen replied. “That’ll hold me over for a few hours.”
“Jesus.” He shook his head again. “What’s the plan?”
“You keep watching. I’ll go to the top of that skyscraper behind the Independence bank and jump over to the roof.”
Jim looked at the span between the two buildings and uttered a low whistle. “Won’t you fly in?”
“No, I think your instincts are right. She has to be hardwired to watch the sky for dragons. It’s better if I don’t use that body unless I need to. Don’t worry about me, I can clear that. Will you be here?”
“Actually. I think I might go next door and try the Lafayette version.”
“Do you have a radio?”
He took one out and handed it to her. “Tell me when you’re on top.”
Chapter Seventy
Jim left and went next door. Kristen gave him a few minutes to order and settle in at the one window in the front, then headed to the building behind the bank. It had a corporate logo on the top of it. She had no idea how long it had been there and didn’t really care. Once inside, she rode the elevator to the top floor, flashed her badge, flexed her aura against the guard watching the boardroom, and found the stairs to the roof. Unfortunately, she realized that the distance between the two buildings was much farther than it had looked from the ground.
Still, she’d been in prison for two weeks, her dragon powers cut off from her. Now that she was free again, she itched to use them. And if she didn’t clear the gap, well, she could always transform into a dragon and fly the rest of the way, right? She’d never done that before, but she could certainly try. The worst-case scenario was that she’d fail at that transformation, activate her steel skin, and make a crash landing. Yes, that would crack the street and no doubt alert Constance that they had located her, but she didn’t see another choice.
Aware of the risk, she positioned herself at the back of the roof, took a deep breath, and sprinted to the opposite edge.
She let every ounce of her dragon powers course into her muscles as she moved faster and faster, her feet a blur. At that speed, she covered the entire building’s roof in less than five seconds until she stepped onto the far ledge and leapt across the gap.
For the first half of the jump, she thought she might actually make it. She virtually soared, not carried by the wind or wings and with nothing affecting her except gravity.
But gravity continued to tug.
Kristen was more than halfway when she realized that she wouldn’t make it to the other roof, but she was too close to transform into a dragon. With her current momentum and trajectory, she’d impact into the side of the building, reveal her presence, and cause damage to a landmark of Detroit that only Timeflash would be able to fix.
A little desperate, she tried something new and transformed, but only partially. She focused on her hands and only her hands and willed her fingers to extend into her dragon talons. To her surprise and amusement, it worked.
Eddies of silver shards of metal surrounded her hands as she careened toward the building. Her palms grew, her fingers extended, and her fingernails transformed into claws as sharp as razors and as hard as steel.
And not a moment too soon.
She pounded into the Westin Book Cadillac like a cartoon character into a painted wall. For a moment, she seemed stuck there, pressed against the glass like a fly, but gravity soon took control and she started to slip.
Her slide took her about a floor down before she found a crack in the surface that made up the outside of the building and found purchase. Of course, that wasn’t quite soon enough, as her body dangled in front of a window that revealed a man leading a blindfolded woman. The bed was covered in rose petals, and the room was lit with candles despite the early hour. He removed the blindfold, and the woman—seeing her body dangling outside the window instead of the impressive view her paramour no doubt wanted her to see—screamed in terror.
Kristen winked and began her climb to the top. Once she knew to focus on the surface of the building and avoid the windows, it was actually fairly easy.
Her claws were able to chip away at the stone-like surface—probably concrete? She didn’t know much about architecture despite Detroit having so much of it. Whatever the material was, her talons gripped it easily and she hauled herself up one hand at a time until she was on the roof. Once her feet were on a solid surface, she thanked Constance for not choosing one of the newer, all-glass hotels. She probably would have fallen already if it had been one of those.
It was amazing that she had scaled a vertical surface and was hardly winded. Oh, to have her powers back was a sweet thing. She walked quickly around the perimeter of the roof looking for exits. There was one on each side, plus a sky bridge connecting the building to the one next door. She couldn’t exactly watch them all at the same time, but she found that as long as she remained standing, she could dart between three sides of the building rapidly enough to see any people walk out. The side of the hotel that Jim was on had the valet parking, which she thought Constance would probably use, given her obvious resources.
It wasn’t the most ideal stakeout as there were multiple exits, but it would have to do. They were still lucky that they’d found the woman at all, she reminded herself. If they managed to snag her on the same day she was released from prison, she imagined it would impress the rest of Dragon SWAT.
She considered calling them because she could use the eyes, but that would mean pulling them away from being able to swoop in to stop Obscura if Lumos saw her attempt anything. Kristen couldn’t allow that. She knew she had to stop this dragon-killing woman, but she couldn’t do so at the risk of her family’s life. Still, maybe she should contact them anyway. At least one of them could join her—Heartsbane maybe, since apparently, she was fond of the Steel Dragon. But before she could follow through on that thought, Washington contacted her on the radio.
“Those were some fly moves. I thought you were a dragon, not a spider lady.” She wasn’t at all concerned about people overhearing him and could hear the rumble of Lafayette Coney Island in the background. Everyone inside was trying to be heard over everyone else. It was as a good a place to conduct a stakeout as any and less obvious than a quiet car, in fact.
“If you tell a soul about that, I’ll eat you.”
Jim chuckled. “After what I saw you do to that food, I have no doubt that you would.”
A few minutes passed and Constance didn’t exit the building. A little bored, she wondered about her ex-teammate. He’d really gone out on a limb for her, especially if he’d cashed in as many favors as he said he had. “Why did you do this for me, anyway?” she asked. “We’re not exactly a team anymore.”
“Are you kidding?” he asked, humor in his voice around a mouthful of Coney Island.
“Pretend I’m not and enlighten me.”
“I feel like I owe you more than a little, Kristen. You saved my life when we first met and Shadowstorm sent his men to kill me. I thought I was outmaneuvering dragons but instead, was saved by one. Did I ever thank you for that one?”
“But everyone has saved your life. That’s how it works. We’re cops, remember.”
“Yeah, that’s true, but you saving me goes further than rescuing me from being eaten. I was mad back then, Kristen.”
“Back then? It wasn’t exactly a long time ago. Less than a year.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jim replied, “but it feels like a lifetime. You gotta understand, I hated dragons. It had reached a point where that was why I got up in the morning. Every day, my time was spent thinking about what I could do to stop them, to bring them down, or to hurt them. That’s partly how I became known as the Wonderkid. I wanted to be perfect and flawless, to build a reputation so I could have access to those scaly lizards. I did
n’t know what I’d do beyond that, but I knew I would fuck them up.”
“Uh…scaly lizard right here.”
Jim laughed. “Yeah, I know. That’s what’s so crazy. Meeting you, and since then, Dragon SWAT, has shown me that not all dragons are bad. I obviously still have major issues with them being the behind-the-scenes ruling class, but my life’s goal is no longer to infiltrate as an army of one. You burned the hate out of me. It might sound trite or whatever, but there it is.”
“And now you’re willing to risk your job for a dragon. It’s wild that you’ve come so far. Maybe dragons can change too.”
“Risking my job? What are you talking about?”
“Are you telling me Drew knows you’re here?”
“At Lafayette Coney Island? Okay, he doesn’t know that I sold my taste buds out, but yeah, he knows I’m here on a stakeout with you. He made me promise to call it in if we actually see the suspect. The rest of them want to come play too.”
Kristen smiled. “Of course they do.”
“You softened my view of dragons in general, but knowing an officer of Dragon SWAT doesn’t exactly let any of us sleep easy, you know? Especially now that Obscura is out again. The way we all see it, we’re part of this one way or the other. It’s better to be out in front of it than caught unawares.”
“Well, I’m thankful for you.”
“See? There it is again, changing my damn presuppositions about dragons. You’re welcome, Kristen. Shit, you’re welcome, Lady Steel.”
She continued her laps around the roof but saw nothing at all. Heads merely looked like heads from this height, even with her dragon powers. She was considering calling it a day when Jim’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Shit, Kristen, we have movement.”
In an instant, she moved to the side of the building above the front door. “Which one? What kind of hat?”
“She’s not wearing one. I guess she must be very confident that no one has identified her yet. She’s walking around in broad daylight without trying to hide.”
“I see her,” she replied, and her heart stilled its rapid thumping. Her gaze settled on the woman who’d killed at least two dragons and, she felt confident in her belief, that she’d attempted to kill Death as well. This was the woman who’d shot her with a gun, eluded her, and stood against her dragon powers in combat. She claimed she was her mother—or something like her mother anyway—and she wanted to simply swoop down, snag her in her talons like an eagle catching a fish, and carry her up above the skyscrapers. Despite the urge, she wouldn’t.
For starters, she wouldn’t get any answers if she did that. She wished she didn’t care about what Constance knew—didn’t care that the woman thought of herself as her mother—but she needed to know what she knew about these weapons and their connection to her. She needed to know if the magical powers the assassin had displayed against her the last time they’d fought were from a team of mages and if they were—which was what she believed—if she was the leader of that team.
But, perhaps most frustratingly, she couldn’t snatch her quarry from the air because she knew the Dragon Council would ignore her version of events if she did. Not that she would get in trouble, far from it. She had a feeling that if she flew down, scooped Constance up, and killed her, most dragons would turn a blind eye. Stonequest—much as she respected him—would almost undoubtedly be relieved and consider the case closed. He didn’t want to believe that humans were killing dragons, so if she removed the one human he was willing to believe was capable of such an act, he would be more than happy to close the file and move on.
Kristen couldn’t allow that. She knew Constance had allies and had seen them help her outside Windfire’s house and on motorcycles. What she didn’t know was if they were simply paid lackeys or fellow mages complicit in the conspiracy to kill dragons. She wanted to believe that if she stopped the killer, the murders would cease, but she couldn’t be sure. For all she knew. there could be some kind of worst-case scenario plan for the group to initiate if something happened to their assassin.
That meant she had to catch her, either in the act or close enough to it that Stonequest couldn’t deny what was happening.
She had to show both worlds—human and dragon—that the only way to avoid conflict was to work together to protect each other.
So, despite her inner urging, she let Constance get into a car.
“Kristen—dammit, Steel Dragon, are you gonna pursue or what?”
“Negative. Not while she can see me.”
“Do you want me to tail her in my car?” Jim stepped out onto the sidewalk.
“I don’t. I have the make and license plate. Stay there.”
“Damn it. Are you sure about this?”
“I am. Now, stay put.” She waited for Constance to turn a corner and jumped from the top of the building.
It was a risky move but she simply had to try it.
As she fell, she transformed into a dragon. The wind whipped at the silver particles around her until they transformed into her wings, then caught those two silvery sails and slowed her. She cruised lower and lower toward the streets of Detroit until she landed outside the front of the hotel.
The response was not what she had hoped for. Her plan had been to get in the car with Jim and tail Constance, hopefully back to her base. That plan evaporated quickly though.
The people of Detroit had seen their currently most famous celebrity and they wanted selfies.
“Oh, my God, it’s the Steel Dragon,” someone shrieked and everyone on Michigan Avenue came to see.
Kristen, still in her dragon form, tucked her wings and wrapped her tail around her. Both appendages could sometimes move instinctively, and she didn’t want to inadvertently hurt anyone. This only caused more people to snap photos.
“She’s posing. Steel Dragon, blow fire in the air.”
She rolled her eyes and obliged the fawning masses. A gout of flame seared the air high above the crowd and she spread her wings. She couldn’t help but think about Keith and his obsession with social media. He’d no doubt see the moment and be jealous he wasn’t there.
“You saved my husband from a pawn shop robber with a shotgun,” one woman shouted, tears in her eyes.
“You’re a goddamn hero,” another man said and nodded sagely like she was a firefighter or a retired cop.
“You saved my daddy.” A little girl fawned over her and went so far as to hug the giant, fire-breathing dragon’s leg.
“I’m sorry. Pardon me, but can you please give me a little room,” Kristen said as she tried to make space without much success.
No one was scared of her, not at all. When she tried to back away and accidentally bumped someone with her tail, the crowd merely laughed. She felt more people touch one of her back legs. Apparently, that was a popular photo spot.
“Hey there, Steel Dragon, can I get an autograph?” someone shouted. Jim winked and grinned, obviously amused at the situation.
As soon as he said that a queue began to form of people who wanted her autograph.
“I don’t know about that. The thing is, we’re on official police business and I can’t stay for long,” she said, still in her dragon form.
“Oh, no worries there, ma’am. The rest of the team has been contacted and is on their way.” Behind his smile and the joking demeanor, there was a hardness in his voice. That meant she had to get moving. He did his best to keep the situation from getting out of hand—ever the perfect cop—and didn’t want to start a panic or even give people a reason to worry that something was wrong on social media.
“Okay. Sure. Great. Hey, everyone, would you like a real photo opportunity?” Kristen asked.
The crowd cheered.
The Wonderkid raised an eyebrow. He looked curious but confused. She had read his signals and knew they needed to go, but if he intended to act like nothing was wrong for the benefit of the crowd, two could play at that game.
“All right, I need everyo
ne to take a few steps back. You guys know I haven’t been a dragon that long. Sometimes, my wings and tails still get away from me.” She pretended that her tail twitched of its volition and damaged a newspaper stand.
People gasped and took a few steps back but still didn’t look particularly scared. More like excited, she decided. Still, they gave her the space she needed, so that was good.
“How about you, sir—the guy with chili stains on his shirt?”
Jim actually looked down, only to find nothing there, of course. Any Detroiter knew how to eat a Coney Island. Plus, he was the Wonderkid. She would have to rib him for that later.
“Would you like to climb on my back for a photo?” she asked him in front of everyone.
The crowd absolutely lost it. Everyone cheered and practically begged him to climb on the Steel Dragon, no doubt so he could hurry and get off to give them their turn. People even took a few steps farther back. They understood the value of a good photograph in the modern age. It was better to give them some room so their own social media feeds would have clean pictures.
Her friend didn’t react other than to widen his eyes in surprise.
“What’s the matter? Afraid?” Kristen challenged him.
“I’m merely a little concerned about climbing on the back of a dragon who saw a chili stain where there wasn’t one.”
She grinned. Oh, he’d pay for that remark, that was for sure.
“Maybe it was an old stain. My mistake. Now, will you climb on or should I let a brave little girl get up before you do?”
That finally forced him into action. He took a deep breath, walked through the crowd, and stood beside her. The spectators took pictures as she lowered her dragon chest and let Jim step on her elbow to swing himself onto her back so he was seated in front of her wings.
The Steel Dragon (Steel Dragons Series Book 2) Page 50