The Detective's Dragon

by Karilyn Bentley

  Jamie gritted his teeth at his friend’s teasing. “I am not defective.” Liar, liar, tail on fire.

  “Uh-huh. Just think about it opening. Put your hand on the handle and think about the locks falling away. Unless you know a spell?”

  Jamie closed his eyes, palm on the metal door, and pictured the internal workings of a lock. He imagined his magic leaving his body as a white cloud, misting through the small hole in the knob to surround the tumblers in the lock. With a small click, the tumblers fell into place, allowing the knob to turn. He gave the door a shove.

  Bright flickering lights flooded the entrance, bringing with it a good dose of noise and a strange stench. For a second he feared the same swirling-light-filled passageway that brought them here had returned to take them home. But only the light moved. Jamie doused his palm flame and blinked in the sudden brightness.

  Glowlamps sat high atop metal poles, spaced evenly on either side of a broad street. Strange metal conveyances sped by, each one adding to the pulsing, rhythmic noise. A strange stench hung like a heavy blanket in the warm air.

  “What is this place?” Erik’s wide-eyed, mouth-open expression mirrored his own.

  “I don’t know. Have you heard of a place like this?”

  “Never. Do you feel that strange vibration?”

  “You mean the noise?”

  “No, although that’s bad too. It’s the same feeling as when we were in the cave with the titanium. But unlike then, it feels like my magic is cycling.”

  “Cycling?” Jamie raised a brow. How could magic cycle?

  “It’s odd. I can’t describe it any other way.”

  “You all right?”

  “Of course.” Erik waved a hand, dismissing the issue. “Where’s this mysterious female? She better be worth the trip.”

  A growl ripped the air, and it took Jamie a moment to realize it came from his throat.

  Erik took a step back, brows doing a meet and greet with his hairline.

  “She’s worth the trip.” Was that distorted voice his? Jamie swallowed.

  “All right, then,” Erik cleared his throat, “now that we have that straightened out. How are we going to find her?”

  “Same way we always do. She’s…” he closed his eyes and tried to filter out the noise. No luck with the noise. But he did pick up the female’s signal some distance from them. He pointed in her direction. “That way.”

  “And how are we going to find this building?”

  “Same way we always do.” The building smelled like home.

  “How are we going to get home?”

  “Let’s get my…the female, and then we can worry about it.”

  “How do you propose we do that?”

  “Transport to her.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t form a flame.” Erik held out his palm. A small, thin flame flickered like a dying fire. “Huh. Make that a normal flame.”

  “But you have some power.”

  “Some. Not normal. It feels…strange. I don’t like this place.”

  “Lucky for you, you don’t have to stay here long. We’ll find her and return home.”

  “And I suppose you are going to transport us to her?”

  A corner of Jamie’s mouth kicked up. Why not? Nothing to do but to try. He grabbed Erik’s shoulder. “Watch.” Jamie slipped into the transport as if gliding through water. No hesitation. No wondering if small particles of his flesh would drop out of space, leaving him scattered to the corners of Draconia. No pain like he often experienced. Nothing but throwing his essence through the air, to soar and dip, to seek and find.

  They materialized on a street, this one with less noisy conveyances. Most of the metal conveyances sat quiet in rows as if waiting for the opportune moment to attack. Ugly, noisy beasts. He’d rather face an irate dragon.

  “Thank you for not killing me.” Erik appeared nonchalant, but the stiffness of his posture indicated a string of tension holding him upright like a support beam.

  “Anytime.” Jamie slapped Erik’s shoulder. Tingles sparked across his skin, a prickling awareness of the female’s proximity. “She’s close.” Soon he would meet her. Soon he would save her. Soon he would…

  What exactly?

  One step at a time, Jamie, one step at a time. Turning in place, he homed in on her signal, triangulating her location. Only to come to a stop when a scream pierced his mind. His female. And she was in trouble. He spun toward the sound, eyes seeking the source of her scream. There. At the end of the street. Right in the middle of an energy fluctuation, a huge male towering over her prone body.

  Steam formed in the back of Jamie’s throat, billowed out his ears, and circled his head.

  Erik hissed as he saw the scene. “Let’s get the bastard.”

  ****

  Parker slumped to the sidewalk as Grizzly dropped her arm to cover his head against exploding light fixtures. As usual, none of the shards hit her, but that brought little comfort since her body refused to move and ached like a semi had run her over. In seconds, glass would stop falling, and Grizzly would grab her again.

  Then she heard what sounded like a champagne cork popping and two too-sexy-to-look-upon men appeared behind Grizzly. Appeared. As in one second not there and the next, poof. Not that she wasted much thought on how they arrived. Her eyes fastened on the taller, brown-haired man, her body responding with a fluttering shot of desire. Which was crazy. In more ways than one. When his gaze locked on hers, her mind froze as if joining her body in its rebellion.

  While the black-haired man took a swing at Grizzly, Hottie hurried to her side. Which sent a wave of panic through her that released another burst of energy. Car alarms beeped a ruckus from the parking lot down the street.

  Hottie paused, head tilted to the side as he stared at her. Then he knelt, placed his hand on her arm, and everything stilled.

  Well, almost everything. Heat rushed from his touch straight to her core, spreading tingles in its wake as hibernating hormones roared to life. But the energy rush emanating from her body calmed.

  His low voice asked her a question, but damned if she knew what he said. Between the drug and his accent it was a wonder she even heard him. He seemed to realize her lack of understanding and closed his eyes. Something pressed against her brain, like butterflies trapped in her skull, a gentle beating of wings brushing through her memories. What the hell?

  Grizzly grunted as the black-haired man punched him in the stomach, then swung a punch that had the taller man ducking to avoid it.

  Hottie opened his eyes, and the fight vanished into background noise. His gaze stole hers as surely as if he committed a smash and grab. Nothing mattered but him. Which was ridiculous on so many levels. “Are you all right?” His heavily accented words stroked across her flesh, a soft brush of feathers on skin.

  Parker tried to open her mouth and form words, but nothing worked right. So intent on the man kneeling in front of her, she missed the black SUV that stopped feet from where the black-haired man and Grizzly were fighting. A tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the car and took a step toward her until he noticed Grizzly’s fighting partner.

  Teeth gleamed white in the shadows as the man from the SUV gaped at the fight. His surprise didn’t last long as he reached into his pocket, ran behind the black-haired man, and pressed a Taser against his shoulder. The fight came to an abrupt end as the man dropped to the sidewalk in a heap of convulsing limbs.

  Hottie turned in the direction of the SUV, sucking in an audible breath as he looked at SUV man. As if he knew him. Did he?

  What if Hottie and SUV man worked together? And the fight was a distraction to gain her trust? But why bother drugging her? And what kind of drug had she been given to still be able to think with a paralyzed body?

  She. Couldn’t. Move.

  Parker tried to scream. To open her mouth and scream her fears. To scream for help. Nothing. Another wave of panic energy swarmed inside her, looking for an explosive release.


  Hottie placed a hand on her arm, and her energy wave flowed into his palm and up his arm as a dull ripple of light. Shadows like snakeskin played across the side of his neck, disappearing into his wavy hair. Clearly a trick of the light. Or lack of light in this case.

  Grizzly took a step toward them.

  Hottie released a growl that reverberated through her skin. He dropped her arm and, in one smooth move, rose to his feet.

  Sirens sounded nearby, their welcome wails headed right toward her. About time someone came to her rescue.

  SUV man glanced toward the sirens and let loose with a curse.

  Hottie leapt at him, clearing the distance between them as fast as a caped superhero. He landed in front of the Taser-wielding creep, one arm cocked back, ready to punch, only to drop to the ground, limbs twitching.

  SUV man pocketed his Taser as he shook his head at the downed man. Maybe Hottie wasn’t working with him. Or maybe he was, and this was all part of some sick plan. Or maybe she had entirely too much whiskey and was hallucinating.

  Yeah, right.

  “Leave her, we don’t have time,” the creep said as emergency siren lights flashed across the darkened street. “This one,” he gestured toward the no-longer-twitching black-haired man, “has more potential. We’ll return for her when he’s secured.”

  Grizzly snarled at her before helping put the downed man into the backseat of the SUV. Two door clicks later, the SUV sped off, leaving her and Hottie alone on the sidewalk.

  Fuck. When she said she wanted to get shit-faced, this was not what she had in mind. What had Grizzly given her? Her muscles ached like she’d run a marathon and then tried cliff diving without a wingsuit. Even sucking down a breath became difficult. But still doable. For the time being.

  Panic set in, racing along her veins, sending chills down her spine. Paralyzed. On the sidewalk. After a kidnapping attempt. Talk about the cherry on her messed up day.

  Then Hottie groaned.

  Chapter Three

  The rise and fall of a metallic wail snapped Jamie to attention. He rolled over, his muscles finally obeying his brain’s order to move. Pain flickered along over-excited nerve endings as he drew in a breath. How did these people harness a jolt like a lightning bolt into a weapon? Luckily the full-body muscle spasms stopped, but he had no idea how long he’d lain upon the hard stone-like ground unable to move.

  To make matters worse, the weapon-holder—who he swore was a Draconi—had captured Erik. Jamie focused on his friend’s essence, trying to see how far away he was.

  There. To his right. Moving away from him at less than half the speed of a dragon.

  Panic quick-stepped his heart, pounding an erratic beat behind his ribs. How was he supposed to get to Erik? How—

  Oh, right. In this world, transporting was his friend. All he needed to do was lock onto Erik’s signal and transport.

  No problem.

  Jamie swallowed. Not a problem at all. He loved a good adventure. Although finding Erik in this strange world failed to be the adventure he wanted.

  Jamie rolled to a sit, his gaze focusing on the slumped, unmoving shape of the female. How could he not have thought of her?

  Right. Burst of corralled lightning from unknown weapon.

  What did he do now? His friend was in danger. His female lay injured on the ground. And he’d just been hit by a jolt of harnessed lightning. What should he do? Protect his female or find his best friend? How could he leave either behind?

  So much for thinking adventures grand.

  A cold sweat beaded across his forehead. The choice hurt, but ignoring the female, his female, hurt worse than leaving his friend to the ravages of fate. Erik was capable of turning into a fire-breathing dragon. The female lying on the ground looked like a fragile doll. What kind of male would he be if he left her on her own? He’d see her to safety and then hunt for Eric.

  Jamie tried to stand, thought better of it, and crawled to her side. Her cool skin on such a warm evening surprised him, and her shallow breathing didn’t help matters.

  “Where is your healer?” Surely these people had a local healer he could take her to.

  But she didn’t answer. Didn’t even move her head.

  What felt like eels squirmed in Jamie’s stomach as his breath caught. Was he too late to save her? No, she still breathed, and if she still breathed then she could be saved. Provided he could find a healer.

  The metallic wail grew closer, intensifying into an ear-piercing screech. Jamie clasped both hands over his ears, as if that would protect his sensitive Draconi hearing. The people living in this place must be half-deaf. How else could they stand the almost constant clamor?

  Within seconds, two conveyances pulled up, one a large box on wheels, the other shorter and more elongated, both with flashing round light globes on the top. Two uniformed males jumped out of the box on wheels, while a male with a different uniform got out of the shorter conveyance. All three approached him, firing questions in a language he barely understood.

  More clamor. But at least the wailing on the conveyance stopped.

  Earlier Jamie dipped into the female’s mind, reading her language pattern, translating her words into his and back again. Slow going, but effective at learning a new language if given enough time. But with the new arrivals talking at once, gesturing between him, the female, and the building, learning their language patterns was almost impossible.

  Almost.

  Jamie gestured between the female and him. “Hurt.”

  His lone word brought on a new flurry of activity.

  The two men from the box on wheels brought out a mattress on wheels. Wheels, wheels, wheels. Everything in this land ran on wheels. And squeaky ones at that. They screeched along his nerves with every turn. And the questions from the remaining male didn’t help matters.

  Jamie knew he needed to say something, to explain himself, but leftover remnants of the electrical blast coupled with the noises of the town and frantic movements of the males tangled his thoughts and revved his heart rate. A cold sweat beaded on his forehead and he wiped it away with his hand. Take a deep breath, Jamie. Think.

  He needed to learn the language and fast. And the best way to do that was to dip into one of their thoughts, like he did earlier with the female, but for a longer period of time. The longer he stayed in a mind, the greater the potential for harm, not to mention the impoliteness of invasion.

  But he had little qualms about jumping into the thoughts of the male in front of him. Necessity overruled politeness.

  The male rubbed his forehead as Jamie slipped into his mind. Lucky for him, this male thought in pictures, which made learning the language easier. By the time the two males placed Jamie’s female on top of the mattress and attached some tube to her arm, he understood enough of the language to speak it. Not fluently. That would come later.

  But he didn’t have to be fluent to tell what happened to the male in charge of security. Or, as the male called himself, a cop. Which was a strange word for those who guarded their people.

  “We were attacked.” And Erik was stolen. Now that Jamie’s muscles stopped tingling, he was more concerned about his female than his friend. Erik was a powerful Draconi. Whose powers seemed to be dampened by this place. Maybe he should be more concerned about his friend.

  The sound of metal doors clanging turned his head toward the box on wheels, or as the cop thought, an ambulance. His female had disappeared inside the box. A ball of ice slammed through his stomach, into his veins, frozen shards stabbing his heart.

  “Where,” he cleared his voice, trying to eliminate the un-male-like high-pitch. “Where are they taking her?”

  “To the hospital. She your girlfriend? Wife?”

  “Hospital?”

  The cop raised a brow. “Where you from?”

  “Draconia. Where is this hospital?”

  “Where’s that? Eastern Europe?”

  The ambulance rolled away, taking Jamie’s breath with it. He ne
eded to go with her, to ensure her safety, to question the healers at the hospital. At least he assumed hospitals had healers. The cop had thought doctors, but the idea behind the mental picture seemed similar.

  “I’m sorry, I need to go with her.”

  “Answer my questions, buddy, and we’ll see about taking you to see her.”

  Jamie stared after the box on wheels taking the female away. His female. Although thinking of her that way was insane. He didn’t even know her name.

  But not protecting her, leaving her alone in the box—no ambulance—with two males, went against his base instinct. He could no more abandon her than he could cast a spell in Draconia.

  “Thank you for your help, but I must go to her.”

  “Now, wait a minute…hey!”

  The cop reached for him, but Jamie jumped into a transport, disappearing into an invisible cloud, his essence flying toward the female. He landed in a crouch on top of the ambulance. Wind slammed against his body, threatening to topple him, unsuccessful only because he flattened against the roof and cast a spell to hold himself in place.

  And it worked. The spell. Worked. A jolt of joy shot through his heart. He, the deficient Draconi, cast a working spell. After years of waiting, of wanting, his magic ran thick in his veins like blood, integral and life-enhancing. And the knowledge invigorated him. A male could get used to this power.

  If he wasn’t careful, his newfound magic would go to his head. Provided the wail of the flashing globe lights on top of the ambulance didn’t kill him first.

  How did these people live with the noise? He wanted to clap his hands over his ears, but they were busy helping him hold on to the ambulance, which flew through the streets with the speed of a dragon. Minus the wings. What kind of magic powered this conveyance?

  After a ride resembling a flight on a dragon’s back but with less wind and more bumps, they arrived at a tall building. Pulled right up under a stone-like awning, the wail ceasing at the same moment as the growling vibration. Perhaps the growl was the magic powering the ambulance.

  But he had no time to ponder the oddities of this place as the uniformed males jumped out, running through sliding glass doors with the mattress-on-wheels carrying his female. Jamie released his spell and hopped to the ground. A quick glance showed no one noticed him.