by Meg Ripley
“Anyway,” Garrison said pointedly, not wanting to waste any more time on idle chit chat. He had enough going on without it. “What’s the update? You said in your text that there have been quite a few calls lately.”
Hudson nodded. As their communications specialist, the lion shifter had recently installed a new system at the headquarters for the Force to receive calls. It recorded, transcribed, and downloaded everything so they could sort the calls by urgency. “We really have. Most of them sound like they’re short missions and not all that far away, so we should be able to get them wrapped up pretty quickly.”
Garrison listened intently as Hudson went over the basics and they all planned out how to divvy up the calls, glad to dive into his work. He liked staying busy, and this was a different kind of busy than his day job gave him.
“The one problem we’re left with is this cluster of calls here.” Hudson opened a file that showed numerous calls that had come in over the last few weeks. “This is all in the Lake Tahoe area, on the border of Nevada and California. Any one of these calls alone wouldn’t really merit our attention. A missing person here, a forest fire there. Not something I’d pay attention to. But even the local conclave has called us about it. There are too many strange happenings, and no way to explain it all. I’m afraid this isn’t going to be a quick turn-around.” He frowned as he looked at the group.
Garrison knew exactly what he and the rest of them were thinking. They all wanted to be with their mates and families for Christmas, and he couldn’t blame them. A shiver of irritation rippled the scales under the surface of his skin, and he did his best to ignore it. “I’ll go.”
Drake turned quickly to look at him. “Are you sure? You said you had a lot going on with your company, and the mission is going to take a while. I could go since I don’t live all that far from that area.”
“Sure, but you also have a cub who needs you. I’m not sure Nikki would be too pleased, either. Roy can handle anything I’ve got going on here, and whatever he can’t handle, I can fix with a phone call or two.” Maybe he could use a bit of an escape, anyway. He liked his work, but the idea of getting the hell out of Dodge for a while sure was appealing.
“If you’re sure,” Flint said as he kicked back and let his booted feet drop to the floor. “I’m sure I could convince Audra to take a camping trip for the holiday.”
Garrison raised one dark eyebrow. “I get the chance to turn this into a skiing trip and you’re going to steal it out from under me? I don’t think so. I’m going.” He dropped his hands to the table with a slap. “Besides, it’s nice to see we have a call that doesn’t involve clans fighting with each other this time.”
“All right. We can knock the rest of these out and maybe get a bit of a vacation ourselves.” Hudson turned off the screen.
“You?” Leona questioned. “Are you actually going to rest? Because I wouldn’t be surprised if I caught you heading to the office on Christmas morning.”
“You know me well, but I promise I won’t be doing that,” he returned. “Especially since I can just work from home.”
His mate gave him a playful slap, and the team began filtering from the conference room and back to the garage. Hudson and Leona walked just in front of Garrison, their arms entwined. He watched as they nuzzled and whispered to each other. It didn’t matter that the lions had already been together for several months. They still acted like teenagers. Drake and Flint might not have their mates there in D.C. with them, but Garrison was still very aware of the difference he’d seen in his comrades. It wasn’t a bad change, and neither was the change it had brought about in the SOS Force, but he had a hard time ignoring it.
As he hopped back into his truck and cruised toward home, he suddenly understood exactly why he was thinking about it so much. They all had someone, and Drake and Flint also had children to go home to. He was the only one by himself, and that was perfectly fine. The big difference was the time of year. Christmas lights had been strung in every window and on every tree, and there wasn’t a single commercial or TV show that wasn’t about being with family and loved ones. That was wonderful if you had someone. But Garrison didn’t.
He drove out to the edge of the city, where the big buildings and highways finally exhausted themselves, giving way to smaller homes and narrower roads. His bungalow hadn’t looked like much when he’d bought it, but it was steadily becoming one of the nicer homes in the neighborhood now that he’d replaced the siding and had torn out the raggedy old fence that used to encircle the yard. There was no decorated tree in the picture window like his neighbors had, and he didn’t come in to the smell of a freshly cooked meal or a mug of hot chocolate.
Instead, he moved through the cool rooms to the spare bedroom he’d set up as a library. He sat for a moment in his armchair and stared at the volumes he’d gathered of various dragon lore. There were old manuscripts from China, fantasy tales from England, and modern tales from America. Garrison read these with amusement most of the time, but he looked at them now as his enemies. They were simply teasing him, because he knew there were no others like him. There were plenty of bear, wolf, and lion shifters throughout the world, and his fellow members of the SOS Force would never know just how lucky they were to have that knowledge. But dragons? He was the only one.
“No time to start feeling sorry for myself now,” he muttered as he shoved himself up out of his chair. “Time to get packing.”
2
Maren Stone surged through the water, feeling the cool liquid slide over her scales. She was so hot, and it didn’t matter that it was winter. The fire that burned inside her ruled everything, and only the lake water seemed capable of dampening it down every now and then.
She dodged to the side to avoid a boatload of tourists and scowled up at them, even though she knew they weren’t likely to see her. Maren’s deep blue coloring kept her well hidden beneath the water. At least, most of the time.
As she undulated through the lake, Maren was grateful that at least it was the cold season. That kept most of the tourists off the beaches in the northern part of the lake, as their thin human skins kept them restricted to boating and skiing. During the summer, though, they always flocked to the beaches and dove into the waters. The water was deep, but with so many people around, it was getting harder to move without being seen.
Moving away from the boat docks and toward one of the few spots along the shoreline that wasn’t completely crowded with people, Maren remembered what things had been like when she was younger. That had been hundreds of years ago now, but she could still see it in her mind as though it had been last week. She and her family were rare creatures even in that time, but the natives who lived nearby never disturbed them. They stayed in their own settlement, venturing into the woods to hunt, but always making sure they never got in the dragons’ way. Every now and then, Maren and one of her elders would see the natives standing on the shoreline, pointing in awe.
That distant reverence had disappeared when the new settlers came through. They took the land as their own, cutting down the forest as they searched for gold and sought to make tourist traps for those who would come later. The trees grew back over time, but Maren could still remember when things had grown so barren that the place was nearly unrecognizable. By then, her family had passed on, and there were few places for someone like herself to hide.
That was when she started spending most of her time in the water. She loved the way it felt against her scales. Swimming was a similar sensation to flying, except it was much safer. There were times when she’d gotten careless, sparking rumors of a monster, but there were so few places left to hide.
Now the forest was thick and verdant, with plenty of places to hide. The difference now was that there were so many more people to hide from. They’d come in waves after the gold seekers had gone through, looking for this paradise of a lake they’d heard of. They flocked to the area to vacation, building their homes and their boat docks all along the shoreline, carving
out new places for themselves and all the while not realizing they were ruining her land.
Maren hoisted herself out of the water, feeling it funnel around her scales and drip to the ground. The stretch of asphalt in front of her was empty for the moment, and she took advantage of that timing to slip across the road and into the trees before yet another SUV full of drunk sorority sisters or a family of tired kids and angry parents came screaming by.
A sense of relief enveloped her as soon as she entered the woods, but Maren knew it was a false one. This place was just getting too inhabited. Her little cabin had been stumbled upon more than once, and while she’d managed to hide out long enough for any curiosity seekers to move on toward the ski slopes, it disturbed her.
Maren’s pointed claws scraped against the bed of pine needles as she wove through the trees, fluttering her wings to rid them of the last bit of water before they iced over. She headed up into the foothills, inhaling the fresh air deep into her lungs and feeling that fire burn inside her once again. It was more pleasant now that she’d had a long swim, a sign of life instead of an overwhelming instinct that she could hardly control. There had already been enough accidents with her natural talent; she didn’t need more of them.
As she headed for home, she thought of just how much things had changed since she was a child. It wasn’t just the presence of humans or the constant mushrooming of their homes and resorts around the lake. It wasn’t just the fact that it was hard to keep herself out of the public eye. Most of all, it was the fact that she was alone.
“Someday, you might have to leave this place,” her grandmother had said when Maren was just a girl.
“But I like it here,” Maren had protested. They were in human form then, lounging on the shore of the lake and watching the sun rise. The porch lights from the resort cabins across the water winked at them through the trees. In that time, there was still plenty of unoccupied shoreline where the dragons could move about easily. “Why would I ever want to leave? Especially if you and Grandpa are here?”
Grandma had frowned, the permanent wrinkles on either side of her mouth drawing down and growing deeper. “I like it here, too, but Grandpa and I won’t always be here.”
Maren hadn’t liked that answer. “Of course you will. We live for centuries.” She’d just learned that word and what it meant, and she was excited for the chance to use it.
“We do, but that doesn’t mean we live forever.” Grandma had thrown her long braid over her shoulder then and tipped her head back toward the sky. “Eventually, we all have to return home. We only get to stay here for a short while compared to how long this land has been around. Granted, we’re here longer than many other creatures, and perhaps that’s why some think of us as wise and even godlike creatures, but we’re still mortal.”
Drawing her finger through the sand, Maren had done her best to make a picture of a dragon. It wasn’t very good, but she was still learning. “And that’s when I have to leave? When you leave?” She didn’t like to think of her grandparents going to live among the stars without her.
Grandma had sighed. “Maybe sooner, and it might be better if it’s sooner. There are too many people here, and not enough dragons. You need to go out into the world and find someone like yourself, someone to be with.”
“But I want to be with you,” Maren argued.
Her grandma had always been patient with her, no matter how many silly childish thoughts Maren proposed. “Of course you do, dear. But eventually, you’ll need to be with someone in a different way. I know you’re too young to really think about it or understand it right now, but eventually you will. You’ll understand that someday, I promise. But the fact is that there aren’t any other dragons here, and you’re going to want their company.” Grandma had then wrapped a comforting arm around Maren’s shoulders and pulled her close.
There was no greater feeling than having someone you love pull you in tight like that, and Maren still wore that memory like a blanket around her shoulders. She hadn’t liked what her grandmother was saying, though as an adult, she could appreciate exactly why they’d had that conversation.
“But where are the other dragons?” young Maren had puzzled. She’d seen human children playing together on the shoreline or in the water, and she’d longed to shift onto two legs and run with them. But there had never been anyone else for Maren to play with who was like her.
This question had brought forth a deep sigh from Grandma, and the smell of old coals was suddenly in the air. “I’m afraid I don’t know, my dear. Maybe you’ll have to be an adventurer of some sort and find out for us. I’m sure they’re somewhere.”
Maren had always been secure and happy living there by the lake with her grandparents, but in that moment, she’d felt as though the world was being tipped out from underneath her. “When do I have to do that? I don’t want to leave you.”
“Oh, not now, sweetheart.” Grandma had tightened her grip on Maren’s shoulders. “Not for a long time. You need to be old enough and experienced enough to get through the world on your own.”
“Won’t you guys come with me?”
“No, my dear. This will be something you’ll have to do on your own. You won’t need us anymore by then.”
“That’s not true.” Maren had wrapped her arms around Grandma’s soft middle. “I’ll always need you.”
Another sigh escaped from the old woman. “But not always in the same way. Trust me.”
Now, Maren moved quietly up the path, letting the swiftly fading sunlight help camouflage her against the trees. At that time, she hadn’t understood just what Grandma had meant. It all sounded so distant and cryptic, just like anything else adults had to say to children. But she understood now what Grandma had understood then.
Glancing up at the stars, Maren had to wonder if there were other dragons out there in the world as her grandmother had promised, and if any of them were as alone as she was.
When she reached the door of her home, a small place she’d built with her own hands that accommodated both her human form and her dragon one, Maren hesitated. Something was pulling at her, and it was something she didn’t like. She’d learned to listen to her instincts a long time ago, even when she didn’t know what they were trying to tell her. Something was afoot, and it wasn’t time to settle in for the night just yet.
Maren stepped back from the cabin, letting her body guide her. She only went a few steps back down the path before that pull brought her to the east and over the next ridge line. Slinking along, pausing every now and then to listen, she made her way through the woods until she reached the edge of town.
It was getting late, but things never stopped in a resort town. There was something for tourists to do at any hour of the day or night, as long as they were willing to pay for it. Apparently, those who weren’t tourists were still busy as well, because what she found was a massive construction site at the back of the Lakefront Hotel and Casino. A curved concrete wall was being poured, and the dirt inside it had been hollowed out. This particular casino butted right up to the edge of the woods, and Maren continued to make her way closer. She had no idea why an operation such as this should have anything to do with her, and yet she’d been pulled there for some reason.
A large man in a cheap suit stood near the construction site talking to a man in a hard hat. “I told you it has to be deeper than that! We have no idea just how big this creature is.”
“Isn’t that going to make it hard to build a tank big enough, then?” the other man asked. What if it’s some ancient dinosaur living on the bottom of the lake? You’d need a whole damn zoo to keep it enclosed.”
The casino owner threw his hands in the air. “Don’t challenge me! Unless, of course, you want to hear about the last man who worked for me and didn’t do as I asked. They say the cold water of this lake preserves bodies quite well, so I’d have to take some extra measures, if you know what I mean.”
“Understood, sir.” The man in the hard hat turned away to
speak to his crew. A large piece of machinery soon drove inside that curved wall and resumed digging.
The casino owner, meanwhile, joined another man in a suit. “I know what they’re thinking, George. I know what they’re all thinking. They think I’m batshit crazy. But I think I can make more money off this venture than any of these ski lodges and boat rental companies.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Vince.” George was slimmer and his suit fit better, but he was clearly not the one in charge by the way he bobbed his head at every word said by the bigger man.
Vince took a cigar from his jacket pocket and snipped off the end. “Of course I’m right. I wouldn’t have been able to build up the biggest, most profitable casino outside of Vegas if I didn’t know a thing or two about money and how to get it out of people. And that’s without breaking any kneecaps.”
George forced out a laugh.
There was a pause while Vince puffed on his cigar to get it started, letting the smoke rise up into the night air. The harsh work lights accentuated the deep lines along the sides of his mouth. “What do you think, George? Do you think I’m crazy for all this?” Vince gestured around him at the construction site.
“No, sir,” George answered. “Not at all. Like you said, you know a thing or two about making money. Besides, why should all these little tourist shops cash in by selling their Tahoe Tessie souvenirs and taking people out on boat tours to look for the monster? They’d pay a lot more for a snow globe or a magnet with that creature on it if they’d actually seen it for themselves, and they’ll get to do it right here. The only thing is…” The slim man trailed off, flicking his fingers nervously against his suit jacket as though brushing something away.
“What?” Vince demanded, his attention finally pulled from his cigar. “What’s the only thing?”
“It’s… It’s nothing, Boss. I was just wondering how you’re going to actually catch this monster. I mean, people have been talking about it for decades, or maybe even longer than that. But I don’t know how we’re actually going to reel it in. You feel me?”