The Detective's Dragon

by Karilyn Bentley

  What did he say?

  Jamie translated with mind-speak for Erik, his attention focused on Parker, on her rapid breathing, the tenseness of her frame.

  “Do it Jamie,” Erik hissed. “I’ll be fine.”

  All Jamie saw was Parker. All he felt was her fear. All he wanted was to vanquish the one who caused her harm. The pounding in his veins grew louder as the rage overtaking him ran like a beast through his soul. Without taking his gaze from the giant, Jamie lowered Erik’s feet, keeping an arm around his friend, until Erik leaned against the wall.

  Everything is titanium, Erik’s voice whispered in his mind. I’m useless. But I’ll wager a dozen gold pieces you’re not. Glee laced his words, vengeance riding the undertones.

  Jamie didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Parker’s fear slammed into his gut like a punch, anger spreading instead of pain. His throat ached, red and raw, as moisture coated the outside of his ears. Steam wisped across his vision. Erik’s dark chuckle sounded from a distance, which made no sense as his friend stood only a couple of feet away.

  Nothing he would think on either. Parker was his only focus. Parker was in danger. And he was the tool to wield her vengeance.

  Ripples crashed against Jamie’s skin, waving outward from his spine, down his limbs. His jaw ached, pain spreading into his nose, his face. His lips curled off his teeth. The noise roaring from his mouth sounded inhuman, more beast than male. His fingers cranked into fists.

  Ouch! Jamie glanced to his hands, his claw tipped hands. Claws like a dragon. Like a dragon defending his mate.

  Opening his mouth, he roared, air leaving his lungs in a gush of heat.

  Parker’s mouth joined her eyes in round disbelief.

  The giant shoved her into the wall, double-handed the weapon and aimed it at Jamie.

  Parker rebounded off the wall, spun around, and jumped at the giant’s outstretched arm.

  Bang!

  The weapon’s discharge echoed in the closed space, reverberating in his ears, deafening him. Pain bloomed along the top of his shoulder, and he roared again.

  Parker elbowed the giant in the ribs, fighting for control of the weapon. The giant fired again, but Parker knocked his arm up, causing the next weapon discharge to hit the ceiling.

  Glass shattered and a section of the hall went dark as the light exploded. The giant backhanded Parker, who hit the wall, sinking to the ground, a loose-limbed puppet with its strings cut.

  A red rage slammed over Jamie’s vision, obliterating the pain in his shoulder, focusing his attention on the giant. He hurt Parker. He must die.

  Before he formed the thought, his legs moved forward, streaking down the hall, closing the distance from one beat of his heart to the next. Leaping into the air, Jamie extended his claws, ignoring the flashes of light and dull thuds as whatever the weapon discharged hit the walls. He smacked the giant in the chest, shoving him backward, landing on his chest. One clawed hand swiped the weapon, the metal clattering against the floor as it spun out of reach. His next claw slit open the giant’s throat, spattering blood in an arc.

  The giant gurgled, his hands reaching for his throat in a vain attempt to hold in his life’s blood. Another gurgle and he went limp, his frightened gaze sightless.

  Breath sawed in and out of Jamie’s lungs, steam circling his head, clouding his vision. He destroyed the one who harmed Parker, who threatened his mate. A male always protects his mate. Always.

  Power coursed through his muscles, pride glowing with victory. He drew in a deep breath, shoved his arms out to the sides, threw his head back, and roared. Glass shattered, raining shards from the ceiling as the hall plunged into near darkness.

  Clapping sounded behind him, followed by a shuffle of clothing moving at turtle speed.

  “Good going, scout. Now get us out of here before the real danger returns.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jamie blinked at Erik’s voice. The only light in the hall came from yards away, from one lone ceiling lamp still shining after his glass-shattering roar.

  Roar? Only dragons roared, another ability he’d never accomplished, as defective as his lack of magic. Yet, he remembered the sound escaping his lips like a sword of wrath, the howl of a male protecting his mate. He glanced at the body below him, the throat slit into a gaping maw.

  Jamie swallowed. Held his hands before his face. Claws dripped with blood. Claws. Not fingers. Claws. He sucked in a breath, heart thumping an uneven beat. How did he change? Forget the how. Why didn’t he change all the way? A partial change was next to impossible. Only Draconi with the strongest magic managed to pull off that feat.

  “Come on, scout. Snap out of it. We don’t have all day.” Erik leaned against the wall arms crossed, resting his injured foot on the toes, one eye reduced to a slit. Despite his nonchalant words and posture, tension rolled off him like a gathering storm. He stood where Jamie left him, a stone’s throw away. As if he feared getting too close to Jamie.

  Why? Oh, right. Claws. Steam. Roar.

  Jamie closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, letting the air invigorate his senses, cleansing away his rage. Claws retracted, transformed into skin and fingernails. A quick glance to his hands and he sighed in relief.

  “I’m all right.”

  But was Parker? Goddess, how could he have forgotten she lay unconscious?

  Jamie scrambled to her side as she moaned. “Parker?”

  “Mmmm.” Her lids fluttered open. “What? Where?”

  “We’re underground. You were knocked out. Are you all right?”

  She flexed her hands and feet, wiggled her jaw. “Oh, right. I remember. Yeah. I’ll be okay. At least I can move.” She pushed to a sit, Jamie supporting her back. Her gaze pushed past him, landing on the giant. She swallowed. “Is he dead?”

  “He won’t hurt you again.”

  Her gaze lifted to his, eyes flaring. “You killed him?”

  Shouldn’t she be glad he ended her threat? Wasn’t that what males did for their females? Jamie gave himself a mental smack. He needed to stop thinking of her as his. Which was hard to do with his hand supporting her back. He wanted to touch her. Needed to touch her. Like he needed air to live. Fool. What was wrong with him?

  Maybe he should start by answering her question and keeping his thoughts to himself. Which shouldn’t be hard to do since she was human.

  A fact he needed to remember.

  He gave a brief nod.

  “Damn.” She ran her hands through her hair. Not the reaction he craved. A long pause. “Thank you. I think.”

  “You think?”

  “I’m a detective. Despite what you might have heard, we on the police force do not try to kill suspects. We prefer to arrest them.”

  “Arrest them?”

  “Hurry up, Jamie.”

  His name passing Erik’s lips snapped his head toward his friend. Anger at the disruption boiled through him, an unwanted surprise.

  What was wrong with him? Perhaps the thrill of using magic, of knowing he possessed powers. He ignored the suspicion his anger issues had more to do with defending Parker and less to do with experiencing the rush of knowing his magic worked.

  “We’re—”

  “I don’t care. We need to leave. Now. He’s coming back.”

  Had Erik hit his head? Despite the low light he should see the giant’s lack of movement and smell the blood. “He’s dead.” Jamie gestured to the body.

  “Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said? That giant is not the threat. My father is.”

  “Your father?” All right, it seemed as if partially turning into a dragon eliminated his listening skills and caused his mouth to gap. With effort he snapped his lips closed. “I thought he died years ago.”

  “You thought wrong. Now, hurry up.”

  “What is your friend saying?” Parker tugged his sleeve.

  “We need to leave. Do you need me to carry you?”

  She shook her head, the ends of her black hair brushing the edge
of her jaw. “No, I’m fine. Just help me up.” She held out her hand, and Jamie pulled her upright.

  He put an arm around her waist, but she pulled out of his grip to kneel beside the giant. She grabbed the black weapon, pushed a button that caused the handle to elongate, looked at what lengthened, and slammed it back into the weapon. Then she frisked the giant, hands moving through his pockets with the speed of a thief.

  “What’s she doing?” Erik asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  When she reached his back pocket, she pulled out a metal rectangle about the size of the weapon’s handle.

  “Ah-ha. The extra clip.” Parker stuck the rectangle in her purse and stuffed the weapon in the back waistband of her pants.

  She stood, patting the weapon. “This will come in handy.”

  “What kind of a weapon is that?”

  “A gun.”

  “Gun?” His tongue teased out the strange word.

  “Let me guess.” She cocked a brow. “You’ve never seen one.”

  “How does it kill?”

  “It shoots bullets.” She pulled out the metal rectangle. “The bullets go in the clip.” She shook the rectangle, or clip. “Load the clip into the gun, aim and fire.”

  “Like an arrow but smaller.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Stop talking and start moving.” Erik pounded a fist against the wall, his gaze darting toward the light and back to them, his jaw clenched tight.

  “What’s his problem?” Parker asked.

  “We need to leave.”

  “Never said otherwise.” Her brow furrowed as one hand touched his shoulder below the cut caused by the gun. “You’ve been hit!”

  Blood tickled as it oozed down his chest from the slice on his shoulder. Her eyes caught his gaze and time stilled, the corridor and sense of urgency fading into insignificance. His heart pounded a fast tempo, seeking a kindred soul, each beat pulling him closer to Parker. Her pupils expanded, capturing him in her gaze, promising to never let him go.

  Erik’s fist pounded against the wall, and Jamie jumped, the communion with Parker evaporating.

  “No time for that, Jamie. Grab her and go. He’s coming.”

  Jamie blinked. Daydreaming fool.

  “Hurry.” Jamie grabbed Parker’s hand, tugging her toward Erik.

  When they got to him, Jamie dropped Parker’s hand and wrapped an arm around his friend’s waist, pulling Erik’s arm across his shoulder. Parker mirrored his movements on Erik’s opposite side, her arm brushing against Jamie’s as she grasped Erik’s waist. Together they hurried into the overlarge area of hulking metal objects, walking as fast as Erik’s hobbles would allow.

  “You came through here?” A good dose of incredulity rode Erik’s words.

  “Through a ventilation pipe.”

  Erik barked a laugh. “You are one brave male, scout. Not sure I could have done that.”

  Jamie shrugged, flinching as the movement stung his cut shoulder. “It was a clear shot to the bottom.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it was. But I’m not sure I could have done the same.”

  Jamie gritted his teeth. Erik gave him a compliment, not a patronization. “Of course you could. Maybe not here, but you could back home.”

  “I’m not so sure of that. Do you know where we’re going?”

  “Of course not. I’m leading you into the unknown.”

  Erik grunted and hobbled faster. The meager light from the hall faded until inky fingers enveloped them in darkness. Their footsteps echoed in the space, a reverberation of urgency and unease. Jamie formed a flame in his palm, the light casting elongated shadows across their path.

  Erik sucked in a breath. “What are those shapes?”

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Everything in this world is made of metal. Parker,” he switched to her language. “Do you know what those shapes are?”

  “Part of the ventilation system, but other than that I don’t know.”

  Jamie translated to Erik.

  His brows popped. “Amazing. These people have ways of pumping air underground without magic.”

  “Magic does not seem to appear in this world.”

  “And yet, I feel a small current in your female. A vague buzz where her arm touches my back.”

  A growl attempted an escape. Jamie swallowed the noise. No need to get upset with Erik. He might have dragoned out minutes ago, but his more rational self knew he could not take Parker for a mate. She was human. Besides, why would she want a Draconi with malfunctioning magic?

  His inner beast howled, splintering his heart. Since when did he have an inner beast?

  “I think it’s right up ahead,” Parker pointed to a gap between the metal objects.

  Air pushed against his skin, evidence of the pipe’s surface opening. So where was the pipe?

  Parker pointed to a grate in the wall. “I think we came in through there, but it was a little hard to tell since we just materialized in this room.”

  “Can you transport all three of us at once?” Erik hopped to the wall and pressed his back against the odd stone-like material.

  Could he? “I don’t know.”

  “What did he say?”

  Jamie turned to Parker. “He wants to know if I can transport all three of us.”

  “Can you?”

  “I have never tried before.” He probably should refrain from mentioning that until today he’d never transported anyone else. No sense in making her more uncomfortable than she already was.

  A shout sounded from the hall, voices raised in anger.

  Erik cursed. “I told you he was coming, and did you listen to me?”

  Jamie peered into the darkness, trying to discern the corridor among the multitude of objects. Would the kidnappers know where to find them? Could he carry all three of them in a transport?

  All Draconi—well, all except him, until today—could transport another with them, along with varying objects. But each Draconi had limits on how much they were able to carry, limits usually identified when they were younger—and without the pressure of advancing villains.

  Could he carry two others? Nothing but to try.

  Jamie grabbed Parker around the waist and reached a hand to Erik. His friend grasped his outstretched palm, hobbling until he hugged Jamie with one arm.

  “You’d better know what you’re doing, scout.”

  Jamie ignored the jab, took a deep breath and concentrated on transporting them to the surface. Any moment now they’d shatter into pieces.

  Or not.

  Footsteps echoed, tinny thuds reverberating off metal, voices joining the cacophony.

  His heart pounded as a cool sweat coated his forehead. He couldn’t transport. Goddess’s toes. He needed to get them away. Now. Before they hurt Parker.

  Jamie closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and ignored the bead of sweat dripping off his cheek. He would transport them out of here. No other option existed. He opened his eyes, stared at the grate. Remembered the feel of his body as it exploded into tiny pieces.

  A beam of light slammed into the ventilation grate, causing Parker to gasp, disrupting his concentration.

  “They’re over here!” Footfalls darted closer. Swaths of light joined together, exploding across his shoulders like a fire.

  A snarl twisted his lip. He needed to save Parker. Steam bubbled in his throat, wisped out his ears, his fingers tingling as claws poked through the skin. He tightened his grip on Parker, pictured the surface, the hum of night, air tickling their skin. This time they flew, their bodies reduced to their smallest components, rushing up the ventilation pipe, soaring above the ground. Like a dragon with no body.

  The terminal loomed below, bright lights zooming by as they zipped past. Where to land? Not near the vicinity of the pipe. Someplace farther away, harder for the kidnappers to find. Someplace dark, where they wouldn’t be seen.

  Which was harder to do than it sounded. Lights and metal objects abounded in this place. H
e spotted a darkened shadow and materialized in the lee of what appeared to be an abandoned building. Less chance of being noticed.

  Erik stumbled against the side of the building. “For a minute there, I didn’t think we’d make it.”

  “Are you okay?” Parker spoke simultaneously, her fingers touching his upper arm, blotting out Erik’s words.

  “Okay?”

  “You’re bleeding. It looks like you were just grazed, but that is still bound to hurt like hell.”

  Jamie inhaled, hoping the inbound air would help interpret her words. What a strange language. Nothing to do but ask. Even if it made him seem a little odd.

  “Grazed? Hell?”

  “The bullet cut the top of your shoulder but did not go into your body. That’s the best scenario. But it still needs treated. As does your friend’s ankle.”

  “Treated by a healer?”

  “A doctor. Yes. We need to go to the hospital.”

  “That’s where you were. Right?”

  “Yeah. But we need to try a different one. I’m still supposed to be in St. Anne’s. We’ll go to Denver General. They’re good with gunshot wounds.”

  Erik cleared his throat. “You need to let me in her mind so I can learn the language.”

  Jamie growled, a low-pitched warning. The last thing he wanted was Erik running around in Parker’s mind. Never mind his friend made a good point. Parker belonged to him. His to protect. A male never allowed another to read his female’s mind.

  Of course, a female Draconi would be able to block any male who tried, but Parker was human and could not defend herself. At least not against mind invasions.

  “All right, scout,” Erik held up his hands. “You could just say no.”

  Jamie scrubbed a hand down his face. Did all mated males feel this way toward their females? He squeezed his eyes shut. She was not his female. Parker was human. Not Draconi. He could not bond to a human.

  Right?

  Goddess’s toes.

  “No. Read mine instead.”

  “I’ve been trying. You don’t understand half of what she says either.”

  “I understand the words, just not the context.”

  “So translate for me because I understand neither.”

  “She wants us to go to the hospital, which is their healing ward. And yet it’s nothing like our healing ward. Or the Temple. And all the healers aren’t female, so I’m not sure how good the care is.”