The Detective's Dragon

by Karilyn Bentley

  Mates. Goddess’s toes. How was he going to tell Parker he was her mate?

  First things, first, Jamie. You need to get out of here and find her before you can tell her anything.

  He tried casting the spell again. More smoke, a larger sting searing his skin. No loosening ties. Bloody dragon eggs. Why didn’t his magic work? Best guess? The electrical weapon disrupted his powers. Would they return, or would he remain as powerless in this world as he was in Draconia?

  No time to think on that either. Experiencing the power magic provided was a new skill. Until coming here to save Parker, his magic resembled a newly hatched young’s, a far cry from the power he should possess. But that lack of magic caused him to learn a whole different set of skills. Skills more akin to a human instead of a Draconi used to relying on his magic for everything.

  Like how to remove cuffs without magic.

  Of course, his practice cuffs had been made of rope, not some strange material. And the escape plan only worked if his captors left his ankle knife. Which he carried despite being teased by the other reconnaissance experts. Unlike Erik, his energy balls fizzled and dissipated into smoke more often than they held form and hit true.

  Practice meant his knife always hit true. Something not even Erik managed to accomplish. Not that Erik threw knives. Or that Jamie’s knife throwing skills meant his friend stopped with the teasing.

  If the knife remained, then escaping just became easier.

  After some twisting, he determined the knife remained inside his boot. Thank Goddess. More squirming and he managed to unsheathe it without slicing himself open. Excellent.

  A couple of sawing motions later and the ties popped off, freeing his wrists. Blood rushed into his hands, welling along the raw skin where the ties cinched his wrists. Ouch, ouch, ouch. He shook his fingers until the tingling stopped. At least he didn’t need to worry about the shallow cuts bleeding. They appeared to have already clotted.

  Now to escape. Find Erik and Parker. Leave.

  But what would they do with Erik’s father? Leave him behind? Return with him to Draconia? Assuming they could return to Draconia. How did they return to Draconia?

  All questions for later. For now he needed to free Erik and Parker. Then they could discuss where to go.

  Two strides later and he leaned against the door, the chill of the metal soaking under his skin. He shivered and pressed his ear against the door, listening.

  Nothing.

  Were the guards silent? Or missing?

  Jamie tried the knob. Which didn’t turn. Locked. Leaving his hand on the knob, he closed his eyes, picturing the internal workings of the lock, and cast a spell. Four tries later and the lock clicked, allowing him to twist the knob.

  Freedom. And a possible return of his magic.

  Jamie eased the door open, glancing up and down the hall, ears straining for voices.

  Nothing but the hum of the ceiling lights.

  Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and searched for the essences of Erik and Parker. Parker’s spirit blinked in first. To his left. Unharmed but frustrated. Erik was to his right. Pain radiated from his essence. Not fresh pain, thankfully. Dull pain, the kind muted by medicine given to ease suffering.

  His friend needed a session in the healing ward of the Temple. Not another round with his father.

  Jamie took a step in Erik’s direction and stopped. Should he rescue his friend first or Parker? Less chance of Parker getting hurt if she stayed in her room.

  Provided she remained there and wasn’t moved. Who knew what was planned for her. Or any of them, for that matter.

  Jamie took another step. Stopped. Erik was hurt. In pain. Woozy. And his foot was stuck inside a healing boot, which prohibited him from walking fast. Or well.

  No. If he rescued Erik first, then he’d need to carry the male. Rather hard to escape while hauling dead weight. Easier to have help carrying his friend. As much as he hated putting Parker in a position of possible conflict, things would go faster if he rescued her first and then Erik.

  Even if it meant more danger for Parker. No matter what he did, danger walked her path. Just because she was unharmed sitting in her cell didn’t mean she’d stay that way.

  A snarl turned his lips. A male always protected his mate. Even if said mate didn’t want him. Well, to be fair, he’d never asked her. Maybe she would want him.

  A grin replaced the snarl. She would want him. He would ensure she wanted him. Somehow.

  Jamie strode in the direction of Parker, knife at the ready, his gaze seeking movement, his ears searching for sounds. So far, so good.

  Which, come to think of it, was worrisome. Where was everyone? Shouldn’t someone be guarding their doors? Watching for signs of their escape? Or were they being allowed to escape for some nefarious purpose?

  The quiet of the hall echoed in his ears, ramped his heartbeat to a loud internal thunder. His scalp prickled and he ran a hand over his head to soothe the tingles. He needed to focus on freeing Parker. Not worry about the eerie vibes reverberating through the hall.

  Parker’s essence shined as a bright light on his internal grid, unharmed and drawing nearer with each step. There. Behind the door on his right. A quick glance up and down the hall showed no one but him and his knife. Excellent.

  Jamie tried turning the knob. No surprise on the lock. This time his magic flowed from his hand with a thought and the lock clicked open as if he'd used the spell his entire life. . Another glance up and down the still-empty hall and he twisted the knob, pushed open the door.

  Parker stood beside the bed, one foot forward, hands loose at her sides. Her defensive posture was…attractive. What kind of male was he to find a female needing to defend herself attractive?

  The kind who wanted the female. The kind who knew if she found herself in trouble, she would be able to fight instead of curl in a ball and cry for help. He still wanted to protect her. To keep her from harm. To fight to defend her. But, yes, her unflinching determination turned him on. Not that he’d tell her. Not yet anyway.

  Parker relaxed her stance once she recognized him. “Thank goodness you’re okay. I was worried.” Red stained her cheeks, and she glanced at the ground, clearing her throat. Her gaze then met his, dropped, and met his again. “What’s your plan for getting out of here? I was awake when they brought us in, but trying not to act like it so I missed seeing how to escape.”

  Jamie walked into her cell, closing the door to a crack. “I woke in the cell. But I can find the way out. Don’t worry. We just need to get Erik. He’s slow with the healing boot.”

  She nodded. “And apparently there’re others in here.”

  “Others?”

  “Yep. Erik’s father, Kol, said he had other humans here. He wants to get home. Was that you in my mind earlier?”

  “Yes. Sorry to startle you. I wanted to ensure you were all right.”

  “That’s sweet.” A smile tinged her lips. “You were right, you know. He is good at convincing. I wanted, still want, to help him return home.”

  “Tell me about the others.”

  One finely shaped brow arched. “Okay, then. He said he needed us to help him and that there were others here with abilities.”

  “Like yours?”

  “Not exactly. At least I’m assuming not exactly. But yeah. Like mine.” Another splash of red colored the rich brown of her cheeks.

  What irony. She feared using the power he craved. She shouldn’t. Magic was a blessing. “Don’t be afraid of your power. Learn to control it. We’ll work on it after we find Erik and leave.”

  “What about Kol? We need to call the police once we’re free.”

  “Police?” The answer popped into his mind as soon as he asked. The security forces. The cop. Or detective in Parker’s case. “That’s right. You are a police.”

  “Not a police. Part of the force. Or I was.” Another burst of red stained her cheeks as her jaw tensed. “Never mind. How do you propose we leave?”


  “What do you mean was?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “How do you propose we leave?”

  He should work on leaving. Instead, he wanted to learn more about her life. Jamie crossed his arms, widened his stance. “You first.”

  She sighed. “They accused me of something I didn’t do and suspended me. I’m trying to get reinstated.”

  A snarl turned his lip, his blood roaring at the pain in her voice. Her protection and detection work meant a lot to her and to have that taken away made him want to claw those who upset her to shreds.

  Which wasn’t going to happen. Calm, Jamie, calm. His beast, that inner dragon he always assumed he was missing, roared a challenge. His mate hurt, and he needed to kill the ones who caused her pain.

  How did mated males get anything accomplished? It took all his will not to hunt and kill the ones who hurt Parker. He closed his eyes and tried to shove his newfound beast back to its hiding place. Escaping took precedent over an irrational murderous urge. He hoped.

  “What did they accuse you of?” All right. His voice sounded normal, well, mostly normal. Only a bit of a growl laced his words.

  “My partner came in drunk. I reported him. They put him on leave. Then some of his friends, fellow detectives, rolled on me. Claimed he’d done it before and I hadn’t reported it, which got me in trouble. Now I’ve explained my sorry life. Spill it on how to get us out of here.”

  “That’s horrible. Why would they do that?” How dare they hurt his mate. He’d…sheath his claws and listen. Not turn into a demented dragon.

  “You’re not going to get us out of here until I spill all, are you?”

  Jamie shook his head, grasped her hand with his free one. “I don’t like it when you’re upset.”

  One side of her mouth twitched. “They’re jealous. I got promoted, and their friend didn’t. I’m a woman and did a better job than they did. Typical misogynistic behavior. It might be the twenty-first century, but they still think women are better suited for housekeeping than police work.” She shook her head. “But my ex-partner said he’d call the captain, my boss, and explain what happened. Nice gesture on his part. The captain might not listen to him, though, since Schultz was fired. In that case, I’m on my own. One way or another, I’m fighting to be reinstated.”

  Jamie pulled her to him, dropped her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping the knife pointed down at his side. After a brief hesitation, she returned his hug, resting her head against his shoulder.

  “I’m glad you’ll be getting back your position.”

  “Thank you for listening.” She leaned back, one brow raised. “Now are you going to tell me your plan for getting out of here?”

  The deep mahogany of her lips beckoned and he dipped his head, pressing his lips to hers, drinking in her essence. Heat spun through his veins, spiraling lower, until he wanted nothing more than to lay her back on the bed and claim her as his.

  Right. Because bedplay ranked higher than escaping. Idiot.

  Parker pulled back at the same time he did. “While I would love to continue…”

  “I know. My apologies. We need to free Erik.”

  “We also need to see how many others are being held.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t transport everyone.”

  “Not asking you too. We need to know so we can call the police when we’ve escaped. Let’s move.”

  True words. He knew better than to lounge around while on a mission. But he enjoyed kissing Parker. Enjoyed watching a blush creep across her dark skin. Enjoyed the way her eyes glittered when she looked at him.

  Sap, sap, sap.

  “Erik’s this way.” He dropped his arm from her waist and gestured with the knife toward Erik.

  “Nice knife.” Parker stared at his knife like one would a prized possession.

  He almost handed it over, but stopped himself halfway to her palm. Her defensive abilities might attract him, but he wanted to be the one to defend her, not give her the only weapon.

  “Thanks.” Jamie poked his head out the door. Still no one around. A fissure of unease skittered across his skin. “No one’s around.”

  “That’s strange.” Parker’s whisper caressed the skin of his neck and another set of chillbumps peppered his flesh. “Maybe they have cameras.”

  “Cameras?”

  “You know. Devices that take pictures and then stream them to a live video feed.”

  Her words bounced through his mind and he ground his teeth trying to deduce their meanings. Live video feed? Stream? If only he could see what she meant.

  A quick hop into her mind and he saw what she meant. Amazing. The magic these people possessed rivaled a Draconi’s. No, not magic. Technology. He saw that word inside her head too. Technology. Very few of Parker’s people possessed magic. Even fewer possessed the ability for mind-speaking.

  “You’re in my mind.” Her voice remained even, but he caught the tremor hiding behind the tone.

  “I’m sorry.” Not really. He wanted to know everything about her. Inside and out. But starting with invading her privacy probably wasn’t the best way of going about things. “I didn’t understand what you were saying.”

  “Don’t have cameras back home, eh?”

  “No. And while we have streams and rivers, that’s not what you meant.”

  “Yeah, I suppose being here is difficult for you.”

  Her lips drew closer, her gaze jumping from his eyes to his lips. He closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers, the softness of her skin urging him to take the kiss deeper. Longer. Forever.

  Jamie pulled back. Mission, fool. Mission.

  Parker blinked. Shook her head. Pointed to the left. “Erik’s this way, right?”

  Jamie nodded. “Stay behind me.”

  No one challenged them as they walked down the hall toward Erik’s cell. Shouldn’t someone be around? Instead of lowering his guard, the absence of security hyped his awareness. He heard breathing, dozens of separate breaths behind the closed doors.

  Parker spoke true. Others were held in these cells. Friends or foes? Innocents or guilty? Once they rescued Erik, he’d open a door and discover who lay inside.

  No one stopped them as they walked to Erik’s cell. No one stopped them as Jamie used his magic to unlock the door. No one stopped them when the door opened.

  As soon as Jamie stepped into Erik’s room he realized why.

  Goddess’s toes.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Parker froze as Kol rose from the chair, lowering the smartphone in his hand as he stood. A shit-eating grin crossed his lips as he gestured at them with the device.

  “The video feed plays on this phone. I must admit, the technology almost trumps magic. Almost. But I digress. Please come in. Shut the door behind you.”

  Parker cut her gaze to a wide-eyed Jamie. Clearly he expected to find Erik alone in his room, not chatting it up with his long-lost father. In all fairness, she’d thought the same. And look where that got them.

  Idiot. She should have known all that quiet in the hall only meant one thing. She hadn’t expected the video feed to connect to Kol’s phone or for Kol to be in Erik’s room. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  Maybe they really suspended her for being a less than stellar detective.

  Click. Dreaming idiot. Lost her thoughts, she failed to realize Jamie closed the door and stepped in front of her, shutting them in with a desperate man. Not good. Desperation made for an unstable mind, one who would do anything to get what he wanted. No matter the cost.

  “My son claims you are Draconi.” Kol’s gaze raked Jamie from head to foot, a quick raise and lower of his brow indicating he doubted the fact.

  Erik’s eyes widened, his head jerking once—startled or in denial?

  Jamie tightened his grip on the knife, stillness descending upon him, predator to Kol’s prey. Tattoos like red scales scurried along the nape of his neck.

  Parker blinked and the scales disappeared. Was she seein
g things?

  “Do you doubt your son?” The warning tone in Jamie's voice prickled her skin.

  Kol stopped a foot from Jamie, apparently oblivious to the waves of predation surrounding him like an ambush. Or maybe he didn’t care.

  “Draconi don’t have your coloring. Nor do Halflings. What are you?”

  Interesting. Something Jamie never mentioned. But why should he? He just met her. The knowledge failed to stop an ache from setting up residence in her chest. Damn it. She just met him. Well, yesterday, but still. Close enough. No way she should be upset he didn’t tell her everything about himself in the short period of time they’d known each other.

  And yet. She was. So much for logic. Look what happened the last time she fell like a gavel for a man. Someone else’s long legs wrapped around his waist. No thank you. Not again. She learned her lesson.

  Damn stupid chest ache. Her internal conversation only made it worse.

  “Leave him alone, Father.” Erik stood, swayed, and took a stumbling step forward. Kol steadied him with an arm around his waist.

  “He needs to explain himself, son. Stop defending him.”

  Erik’s eyes narrowed, but before he could speak, Jamie countered, ignoring Kol’s question. “Why were you banished?”

  Kol gritted his teeth, dropped his arm from Erik’s waist, and sniffed the air around Jamie. “You smell Draconi. Magic. A scent I miss.” Sorrow laced his voice. “Do you know how hard it is to be away from that smell? To live among humans? Won’t you help me return home?”

  Help him return home. Yes, she needed to help him. She needed to send him home. She wanted to send him home.

  Jamie reached for her hand.

  The instant his skin made contact with hers, her rush to help Kol faded. Parker shook her head. He lies, he lies, he lies. Convincingly, but lies nonetheless. She could not believe him. Could not. Would not. Jamie tightened his grip on her hand as he spoke, the warmth from his touch an imprint sinking through her skin into her heart. “Your magic doesn’t work on me.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous," Kol said. "My magic does not exist in this world.”