Justice Unhatched (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 5)

by Sarah Noffke

  Sophia shuddered. “Do you really think he’s still naked? I know what the mythology says, but it’s the twenty-first century.”

  He chuckled. “You are such a millennial.”

  “You take that back,” she fired at him.

  “I won’t.”

  “I don’t take constant selfies and say hashtag awkward, and I’m not obsessed with indie folk music while sipping on an energy drink,” Sophia said in a long sentence, rushing through each word while hardly taking a breath.

  “But you do love to invest in startups and play frisbee all the time, right?” he asked.

  “Obvi,” Sophia answered, trying not to laugh. “And when did you learn about startups and frisbees, old man?”

  Wilder winked at her. “I get around.”

  Sophia did laugh now. “That’s what she said.”

  He shook his head. “Hashtag awkward.”

  “Anyway, my source—”

  “Your top-secret source you can’t share with me,” he interrupted.

  “Yes, that one,” Sophia continued. “They simply said to go to the Sahara, and I’ll find Cupid or he’d find me.”

  Wilder gave her a skeptical expression. “That seems weird. Are you sure that’s what they said? Just drop yourself into the middle of the desert and what you are looking for will find you?”

  Sophia felt the urge to grab her sword. She talked herself down. Don’t cut him…not yet.

  “My contact told me to go with someone I care about, and Cupid would find us,” Sophia reluctantly explained.

  “Oh,” Wilder drawled, sounding pleased.

  Sophia nodded, sidling up next to her dragon and combing her hand down his long blue neck. “So naturally, I’m going with Lunis. That should be enough to draw Cupid out.”

  “Well played, Soph. Well played.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  That was hashtag awkward, Lunis said in Sophia’s head when she slid into the saddle on his back.

  “Seriously, you aren’t allowed to use any hashtag phrases,” she replied.

  But I’m totally a millennial, he argued. So are you two going to be okay on this mission?

  With her single intention, Lunis began to run and launched into the clear skies of Scotland as the sun started to peek over the horizon.

  “Yeah, I’m going to figure out how to make him despise me,” she declared. “By the end of this mission, he will beg Hiker to move me out of the Castle.”

  Well, then it might be a blessing you two are going on this mission together, Lunis said, his blue wings gliding effortlessly through the Scotland skies, headed for the Barrier.

  The pair had taken off before Simi but also, Lunis was faster than the white dragon on most days. Simi had the advantage of wind, employing it to her advantage in multiple ways. Lunis having grown up with his rider gave him advantages over the other dragons.

  He was already bigger than Bell, the largest of the current dragons, and he was still growing by Mahkah’s assessment. Not only did his size, speed, and skills increase on a full moon, but any time the moon was out, no matter what phase it was. The crescent moon at their backs was giving him increased speed, but he’d slow down as the sun rose, taking over the skies.

  It’s pretty interesting the particular case you two are going on, Lunis observed, headed for the Barrier, the terrain below growing smaller as they rose higher.

  “I don’t think it’s that interesting,” Sophia disagreed. “Subner needs me to help with distracting.”

  You conveniently left out who you are distracting, Lunis snickered.

  “I don’t see that it matters that it’s Cupid,” Sophia insisted. “The god matters very little. I have a job, and I’m going to do it. Just like when I helped Wilder to recover Devon’s bow from the Pond.”

  But how do you plan to distract Cupid, Lunis asked.

  “With my devilishly good sense of humor and a fancy dragon,” she answered.

  And when that doesn’t work, he continued.

  “Then I’m going to have you eat him.”

  Lunis glanced over his shoulder at her, his blue eyes sparkling in the morning light. I could use a snack.

  “I think if we take out the God of Love then we will have some explaining to do,” Sophia said with a laugh.

  Okay, I won’t eat him, Lunis grumped. But sooner or later, you need to find someone I can eat. Nothing tastes as good as a human.

  “You really shouldn’t say that.” Sophia pretended to tense on the back of her dragon.

  Don’t worry, I won’t eat you, he offered. I’m not a cat. Those jerks turn on their owners faster than any animal. Sleep for more than twelve hours and they start nibbling.

  “We should probably pass this along to Liv,” Sophia suggested. “I always knew Plato couldn’t be trusted.”

  That cat is the only reason she is alive, Lunis stated. But he does cheat at poker.

  “How do you know that?”

  We play, Lunis explained.

  “When?”

  When you are sleeping, he answered. You sleep a lot, human.

  “Just don’t eat me,” Sophia begged as they exited the Barrier. Soon she’d need to create the portal, but they slowed down to allow Simi a chance to catch up. With a thought, her dragon slowed, gliding on the chilly wind.

  So how are you going to get Wilder to despise you, Lunis asked as the white dragon and his rider pulled up next to them. His dark hair flew back from his face making him appear more rugged than usual.

  Sophia sighed, pulling her gaze away from him. “I don’t know. I’ll figure something out. Maybe I’ll make a few racist statements.”

  There you go, Lunis laughed. You don’t mess around when you want someone to not like you.

  “Operation Loathe Sophia is important,” she insisted. “I can’t fail.”

  What if you make sexist statements? he offered.

  “Or told knock-knock jokes,” she teased.

  Hey, I happen to like…Oh, I see what you did there, he grumbled. Why don’t you keep using all those puns? That’s pretty annoying.

  “Totally, right after I offload the large supply of bad jokes I’ve stolen from you,” Sophia joked.

  Have you heard the one about the deaf magician, Lunis asked.

  She opened a portal, shaking her head, but deciding to play along anyway. “No, I haven’t.”

  Neither has he, Lunis said, roaring with laughter as they flew through the portal.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The heat in the Sahara was real. Really sticky, hot and instantly overwhelming.

  Well, I figured out how you can turn Wilder off you, Lunis commented, circling over the red desert below. It looked like waves of the ocean with ripples created by the wind and sand dunes. In the distance, there were palm trees and more blue sky than Sophia had ever seen.

  “How is that,” Sophia asked, grateful for any tips on how to make Wilder not like her. Even more useful would be tips on how to make her not have feelings for him.

  Just hang around in this desert for a few minutes, he stated, preparing to land. You are already starting to smell ripe. No offense.

  “None taken,” Sophia answered with a laugh. “I think I’ll stick with my bad puns and your jokes.”

  And racial slurs, Lunis added, landing on the sandy desert.

  “You know why I love bad puns so much?” Sophia asked.

  Why?

  “Because that’s how eye roll.” Sophia was laughing out loud as Wilder and Simi landed next to them.

  “What is so funny?” Wilder asked her, appearing amused.

  It isn’t funny, and that’s the point, Lunis explained dryly.

  Sophia slid off her dragon, pulling off her cloak immediately and wishing she wasn’t wearing heavy, hot armor. “I was going to wear camouflage pants,” she offered as Wilder joined her.

  Don’t, Lunis warned, shaking his head.

  “Yeah,” she continued. “But I couldn’t find them.”

  Wilde
r rolled his eyes. “That one was cute.”

  You’ll have to try harder, Sophia, Lunis said in her mind.

  She nodded in reply. “Don’t worry. They will get old. Just wait until I start making jokes about blondes.”

  “But you are a blonde,” Wilder argued.

  “Yeah, and I’m a total airhead,” she told him.

  “Is that why you landed us here instead of…” He turned in a complete circle. “I don’t know, anywhere else.”

  She shrugged. “It was here or over there where there’s sand. Or over there where there’s also sand. Did you have a specific place you wanted to land?”

  He fanned himself. “In the air-conditioned place.”

  “I think there’s a Starbucks that way.” Sophia pointed toward the palm trees in the distance.

  Maybe we should scout, Simi offered.

  “That’s a good idea,” Wilder said. “Soph and I can go on foot.”

  Lunis gave her a sneaky expression. Tell him the deaf magician joke.

  She shook her head. “I don’t remember how it goes.”

  The dragons took to the air, Lunis blending into the blue and Simi looking like a dragon-shaped cloud.

  “What was that about?” Wilder asked, amused.

  “My dragon tells the worst jokes and thought you’d enjoy them.”

  He laughed. “The fact your dragon tells jokes at all is pretty impressive. Simi laughs at mine only about half the time.”

  “That’s a lot,” Sophia jabbed. “I’ve heard your jokes. They aren’t funny half the time.”

  He pretended to be hurt, holding his hand to his chest as his mouth popped open. “You scare me, Sophia.”

  “Then Operation Loathe Sophia is off to a fantastic start.”

  “Oh, is that a thing?” he asked.

  “It’s now,” she answered, holding out her arm. “Well, shall we go and find Cupid?”

  “That way?” he questioned, arching an eyebrow at her.

  “Which way do you want to go?”

  He rolled his eyes, pointing in the opposite direction. “He is obviously this way.”

  “Then maybe you should go one way and I’ll go the other.”

  He shook his head. “No, that isn’t how it works. Your source said you had to be with someone you care about, and since Lunis is gone, you are going to have to settle for me.”

  It was Sophia’s turn to roll her eyes. “Fine.”

  They started walking in the random direction Wilder had chosen in silence. After a bit, he started, “So maybe this is as good as time as any to talk about us.”

  “A sheep, a drum, and a snake fell off a cliff,” Sophia said in a rush.

  He gave her a sideways expression, encouraging her to continue.

  “Baa-dum-tsss,” she finished, laughing at her own joke.

  “Wow, that was horrible,” he said, not amused.

  “As intended,” Sophia assured him.

  “As I was saying,” Wilder continued, a serious expression on his face.

  “What religion are you?” Sophia asked, hoping she could use that as kindling to make the Operation Loathe Sophia fire hotter.

  He gave her a curious expression. “I’m agnostic.”

  “Yeah, I figured you’d safely ride the fence like that,” she jabbed. “How about your nationality?”

  Wilder did laugh now. “You know I’m Scottish and can’t use forks and apparently chopsticks. Also, you can’t understand a word I say, and I drink way too much.”

  “This isn’t going to work if you make the offensive statements for me,” she muttered, kicking up sand.

  “Then it isn’t going to work, and you should abandon this mission of yours.”

  Sophia shook her head. “How about greatest dreams and aspirations? I’m sure I can poke some holes in those.”

  “You already have,” he said, giving her a tender expression that made her want to punch him in the face. It might actually work. If they sparred, then she could take all her frustrations out, maybe out strategize him and then kick his ass. He couldn’t like her then.

  “You can’t best me in a fight,” he told her, grinning.

  Sophia’s mouth popped open. “How did you know I was thinking about that?”

  “Because when you spar or are about to, with me, you get this look on your face. Currently, you are wearing it.”

  “Oh, yeah, well, when you are thinking, you twist your tongue in your mouth.”

  “It’s cute you noticed that about me.” He batted his eyelashes at her.

  “It rarely happens,” she fired.

  Undeterred, he laughed. “Because I never think. What can I say, you make me lose my wits.”

  Sophia halted and swung around to face him as she pulled out Inexorabilis. “Come on, then. Let’s do this.”

  “Are you serious?” he asked. “It’s hotter than hell out here. We are walking through a giant desert, looking for Cupid, and you want to throw down right now?”

  “Why not?” Sophia fired. “Unless you’re scared and think I can kick your ass.”

  His chin tilted back as laughter spilled from his mouth.

  “What are you laughing at?” Sophia tapped the side of her sword against his shoulder, trying to encourage him to pull his own weapon.

  “You,” he responded. “You are ridiculous.”

  “I’m so ridiculous,” she said, continuing to knock the side of her sword into his shoulder. “Why don’t you teach me a lesson.”

  Easily he deflected her blade, spinning her around in a swift move and grabbing her from behind, pinning her hands down. Over her shoulder, he spoke into her ear. “Would you stop this?”

  “Stop what?” she challenged, struggling to free herself from his tight grip. “If I’m insufferable, you simply have to say so.”

  “No, this whole thing you are doing to make me not like you, only makes me like you more.”

  Sophia grunted, dropping her weight, but Wilder had anticipated this and fell with her, flipping her over and straddling her. The sand was scorching hot on the back of her hands he’d pinned to the ground. “You are pretty corrupt if my attempts to make you loathe me only make you like me more. Maybe you need therapy.”

  He laughed. “It makes me like you because it’s so Sophia-like. You always employ strategy. And your bad jokes are very endearing.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, struggling to free herself from his grip but to no effect. “I’m going to start spouting prejudiced statements soon. There’s no way you can find that endearing.”

  “Maybe I will,” he countered.

  “Wild,” she started, her resolve waning as she looked into his eyes. “We—”

  “Shh.” He looked up suddenly.

  Sophia narrowed her eyes at him. Just when she was about to cave, he pissed her off. “Don’t shush me.”

  “Soph,” he whispered. “You hear that?”

  She clapped her mouth shut, listening. Actually, she didn’t hear anything, but now she was paying attention, she did feel a rumbling underneath them.

  In an instant, Wilder jumped off her and yanked her up to her feet. “Just when I had you where I wanted you, something had to ruin it.”

  “What is it?” Sophia asked, now hearing what he was talking about. It was a rattling sound, and it was growing louder, and the ground under their feet was visibly trembling.

  “Trouble,” Wilder said, pulling out his sword.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  From the sand of the Sahara Desert, a thing that could only be described as a giant worm shot out of the Earth. The scream that spilled from its mouth nearly made Sophia drop her sword to cover her ears. She recalibrated her hearing so her senses weren’t so acute.

  “What the hell is that?” Wilder yelled, putting his back to Sophia’s and holding his sword the same as her. He scanned the area, looking for other potential monsters to spring up from the desert floor.

  “Angels above,” she said in a hush. “It appears the movie Tremor
s is about to get real.”

  “Please explain,” he urged as the thing writhed in the air before flopping down in front of them, throwing up a cloud of sand and covering them instantly.

  “It’s a movie from the nineties,” she said, watching as the ground began to ripple behind the giant worm thing. Sophia grabbed his arm and pulled him away. “Run!”

  “Nineties?” Wilder asked, taking her lead. “You weren’t even born then.”

  “And yet,” she continued, sprinting as the ground behind them exploded from the monster surging after them. “I’ve seen the movie and know how to get away from this thing.”

  “How?” he asked, almost passing her.

  “Call our freaking dragons!”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The dragons weren’t responding. Sophia had only had that happen once, the nightmarish time Gordon Burgess used magical tech to sever their connection.

  She continued to try and communicate with her dragon as they sprinted across the desert, running as fast as her feet could take her. That wasn’t nearly fast enough. The giant worm was tunneling behind them at an alarming rate. There wasn’t anything in the distance but sand and more sand. They needed something that got them off the ground. The palm trees in the distance weren’t really a great option.

  A dragon. That would be nice, Sophia thought.

  She was just about to call out to him again when Wilder grabbed her and halted suddenly. Sophia twisted around, wondering what suicidal idea he was playing with.

  “It’s stopped,” Wilder said between ragged breaths.

  Sophia shook her head. “No, it’s just changing its strategy.”

  “What is that thing? And what is this movie it’s from?” Wilder asked.

  Sophia sucked in a breath, her chest aching from the heat and running. “First, can you communicate with Simi?”

  He shook his head. “No, for some reason, I’m blocked. It’s most likely to do with the magnetic field of the Sahara. We have had this issue before.”