by Ashlyn Chase
Angie pulled an invisible zipper across her lips, then mumbled as if she couldn’t talk if she wanted to.
Bliss smiled, and even though she was grateful, she didn’t want her roommate going out into a driving rainstorm just to give them privacy. “Do you really have ‘stuff to do’ or are you making yourself scarce and giving us the apartment?”
Angie grabbed her backpack and slung it over one shoulder. “I really have ‘stuff,’ so you can have the place to yourselves for the evening. I’ll just toss my work clothes in my backpack so I won’t even have to come back to change.”
It took her about two seconds to run to her room and back, still stuffing her black pants and white blouse into the zippered compartment.
She waved. “Have fun.”
“Thanks, Angie.” Drake grinned. “Just knock loudly if you decide to come back.”
Bliss slapped his arm. “Drake, she lives here. She doesn’t have to knock.”
Angie laughed. “Don’t worry. I will.”
***
The minute the door closed, Drake pulled Bliss into his arms and kissed her ravenously. When he finally let her lips leave his, he breathed heavily. “God, I missed you.” He bent his head so his forehead rested against hers.
She smiled and looked up at him through her long, dark lashes. “I missed you too. All those fires… Does anyone know what’s going on?”
He hesitated, not knowing what to tell her. Should I share my suspicions or wait until there’s more evidence?
She stepped away. “You must be frozen. Come in and sit on the couch. I’ll get you some coffee. Or do you prefer tea?”
“Whatever’s easiest for you.”
She smiled softly and left for the kitchen while he found a comfortable spot on the sofa. Maybe, depending on how the evening progressed, he’d know if he should talk about Zina or not. The last thing he wanted to do was spend one precious minute discussing that cow when he could and should be making love to this wonderful, patient woman.
“How have you been?” he called out toward the kitchen.
“Not bad. Keeping busy.”
“How’s the greeting card competition going?”
She rounded the corner. “Snarky, but that’s a good thing.”
“Had lots of inspiration lately?”
She chuckled. “I haven’t started a new line of ‘why haven’t you called’ cards, if that’s what you mean, but I did think it might be a good idea.”
He hung his head. “I’m sorry about that. Last night I was so tired I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.”
The microwave dinged, interrupting their conversation, and Bliss returned to the kitchen.
Drake sighed. I guess I’m getting instant coffee. It’s probably all I deserve.
When Bliss returned, she set two mugs of hot chocolate on the coffee table. Just picking up and holding the warm mug, then smelling the soothing aroma, relaxed him.
He took a sip. “Ah… this is good. You’re the best, Bliss.”
She shrugged. “I know.”
He chuckled and leaned over, giving her another quick kiss.
“I need to ask you something,” Bliss began.
“Ask away.”
“Well, the TV host and producer are visiting a week from Tuesday. They’ll bring a camera crew and will want to talk about how it’s been for me… you know, working on my designs for the finale.”
Drake leaned back and scrutinized her. “And you needed to ask me something?”
“Yeah. They like to meet the people who have been important to the finalist during their time at home.”
Drake felt the tingles at the back of his neck. Did she want him involved in the interview? He’d like to be supportive, but would he be able to with everything else going on? Hopefully, by then, he’d have found and contained Zina, but what if she was still running him ragged? He wished he knew at what point Zina was in her fertility cycle. If she missed her window, maybe she’d forget about him and leave, but somehow he doubted that.
“Would you be willing to sign their release form and let them film you along with me and Angie?”
“I—I will if I can. My schedule isn’t something I can count on right now. I’ve worked a heck of a lot of overtime, and they’ve needed me for every shift.”
“I understand. I just thought it would be cool if they could meet the firefighter who saved my life and tried to save my computer with all my work on it.”
Drake laughed. “You’ll have quite a story to tell them, with or without me.”
She smiled. “Oh, you can bet they’ll eat it up. It’s just the kind of harrowing experience that brings drama to the show.”
They were just getting into the rhythm of an easy conversation when someone knocked. Bliss strode to the door. “Angie must have forgotten something.”
Or changed her mind about drowning outside…
The open door revealed a young man, no more than sixteen or seventeen.
“Hello,” he said formally with a slight bow. “My name is Adolf Balog, and I live upstairs.”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you.” Bliss held out her hand, but he ignored it.
“I’m here to talk to him.” He indicated Drake with a quick uptick of his chin. “S’up?”
“Me? Why?” And why is he acting like we’re buddies? I’ve never seen this kid in my life.
“I need to speak to you privately.” He shot a glare in Bliss’s direction.
Something about this kid didn’t sit right, but Drake’s impending doom alarm wasn’t going off. His curiosity quickly outweighed any reservations he had, plus it seemed like a good idea to put some distance between this stranger and Bliss until he knew more about him.
“I’ll be back in a minute, sweetheart.” Drake gave her a peck on the cheek and stepped outside the apartment, closing the door behind him.
Facing the kid head-on, Drake asked, “What’s this about?”
The kid extracted some kind of powder from his pocket and tossed it up in the air. It shimmered gold as it covered both of them, and the next thing Drake knew, he and the stranger were… somewhere else. Bright sunshine streamed through a glass dome, telling him that much.
A woman with long, white hair came forward. She wore a long white dress belted with vines. Something about her was familiar. Others in plain white robes that he didn’t recognize were scattered in small groups but paid little attention to them.
The woman crossed her arms and said, “I’ll take it from here, Balog Junior.”
The kid bowed and retreated. Drake glanced behind him and noticed a bank of elevators toward which the young man strode. Apparently that was the way out. Good to know, if he needed to escape.
“What is this place?”
The woman tipped her chin and studied him. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
Drake didn’t remember precisely where he’d met her, and he really wanted an answer to his question first, but he seemed to be at a disadvantage. He’d have to wait for an explanation.
“Not really. Who are you, and how did I get here?”
“I’m Gaia. Mother Nature. Goddess and creator of lesser gods, goddesses, and other living things. How you got here isn’t important. Why you’re here is.”
“All right.” He mimicked her crossed arms, trying not to let her intimidate him. “Why am I here?”
“You’re a dragon. And to answer your original question, you’re still in Boston. This is where much of the Supernatural Council is based now.”
“But it’s a sunny day. I must have lost some time getting here, because when I left it was a rainy night in Boston.”
“That was to keep the city from burning to the friggin’ ground! You didn’t lose any time. Unless you’re a nonbeliever. You must know Mother Nature can create any kind of damn weather anywhere
she pleases, right?”
“I—I guess so.”
“So, because Boston is important to the Council, I like to keep the place in balance and harmony. You know, four seasons and all that shit. Rain and snow are necessary. That doesn’t mean I like to live in them.”
Drake couldn’t help wondering if he had fallen asleep on Bliss’s couch and was having some kind of freaky dream. What had he had for lunch? Oh, yeah. Tacos. Maybe they were a little too spicy.
“I can tell by your vacant look that you’re not convinced.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just… reserving judgment.”
She jammed her hands on her hips and leaned toward him. “I’m not here to be judged. You are.”
“Me? What did I do?”
Her expression and posture relaxed. “Maybe nothing,” she said in a calmer voice. “But you can’t deny that fires have been plaguing Boston and that dragons have an affinity for fire.”
Drake was shocked speechless by the implication for a moment. “You think I’m setting the fires?”
She began to pace with her hands clasped behind her back. “You have to admit, it’s more than coincidental that your uncle was the one who set the Chicago fire. That’s when I took your family’s fire away. You probably explained it as evolution.” She laughed.
“That was you?”
“Of course, but let’s not get off track. I happen to know Boston was your uncle’s next target, and he wasn’t about to be stopped by his lack of dragon fire. He actually captured a young fire mage to do the job for him.”
He knew his uncle had been involved in some dirty dealings, but Drake had helped his detective friend Nick put the guy away, and then his uncle had a heart attack in prison. Drake didn’t even attend his funeral. So why would this… goddess blame him?
She stopped pacing and tapped her lower lip as if reasoning something out. “Now, what could I take away to make sure he didn’t succeed?”
He didn’t answer right away.
“I won’t wait for your poor little pea brain to figure it out. I’ll tell you. I took away your family’s immortality.”
“Is that why my mother died after only a minor accident?”
“Yup. It turns out your family isn’t bulletproof anymore.”
“Are you saying I’m no longer fireproof either? I could burn up and die in any fire I try to put out?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Dragon clans are connected, so what I’m saying is, be careful if you want to survive.”
Holy shit. That explains how my family had lasted for hundreds of years but suddenly small things like heart attacks and accidents managed to kill them off. Prior to that, Drake’s great-grandfather had been beheaded… and now the guy who did it was being called a saint, just because he knew how to kill an immortal.
“I see the wheels spinning in that head of yours. So, if you have anything to tell me, I suggest you do it now. I want to know who’s responsible for setting my city on fire, damn it!”
Drake’s knees quivered and felt weak. “Y—yes. I may have some information. May I sit down, please?”
She smiled smugly. “At last. A bit of respect.” She pointed to a spot on the floor between them where a small bistro table with two chairs suddenly appeared.
Chapter 10
Drake tried to hold her steely gaze and fight off the urge to hyperventilate. It wasn’t every day a guy was dragged off to the Supernatural Council, accused of crimes he didn’t commit, and then told he’s suddenly mortal!
“First off, did you know I’m a firefighter?”
“I haven’t really been paying attention to you… until now.”
He heard the veiled threat loud and clear. It was time to clear up some of these misunderstandings. “Goddess, I’ve dedicated my life to fighting fires. I’ve witnessed the destructive power dragons possess, and it hasn’t filled me with a sense of superiority or imperviousness. If anything, it’s given me a sense of responsibility. I’ve never used my fire for anything but light and heat in the safety of a rocky cave.”
She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Say I believe you… What’s going on out there?” She pointed a long, tapered finger at the bottom of the glass dome.
“A female dragon is visiting Boston. I think she’s from the islands.”
Mother Nature’s eyes narrowed. “Which islands? I made over a million of them.”
“I don’t know, specifically. Somewhere in the Caribbean. She has an accent… maybe Jamaican. Her hair is…”
Gaia held up one hand. “Don’t tell me… black with a white streak in her widow’s peak?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Mother Nature turned her face away and muttered, “Shit.” She rose and began to pace again.
Drake wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he had to ask. “What? Who is she?”
Gaia sighed deeply. “The clan is small. That’s the good news. Only one female and her brother are left.”
“And the bad news is?”
“They’re extremely dangerous.”
She stared at Drake, sizing him up, as if she was deciding whether or not she could trust him. “Look, I’m not proud of this, but when I created dragons I didn’t foresee the problems they would cause if they came up with their own agendas. I had a completely different purpose for them.”
“Really? What’s our purpose?”
“You mean, what was your purpose… It was a long time ago, long before humans invented the airplane.”
He raised his eyebrows. “So we were supposed to be the first Cessnas?”
“Right. I tried flying horses, but they died out too easily. I thought I’d make a tougher animal that lived in caves. When I saw them shivering with cold I felt for them, so I gave them a way to light a fire for warmth—with their breath, so naturally they had to be fireproof. And then, because I’d gone to so much trouble, I made them almost impossible to kill. Boy, was that a mistake. Suddenly, they felt all powerful and thought nothing of swooping down and burning up some of my favorite creations. Forests. Villages. Innocent people.”
“So, what did you do?”
“I marked the whole race for extinction. Your parents hid you well in Canada, or you wouldn’t be here like the rest of the Eurotrash I took out. But you seem like a good guy.” She rose and paced as she finished her story.
“Before I could wipe out the dragons of Central America, one momma dragon saw what was going on and sought out a voodoo priestess. She managed to put a spell on those kids to protect them, even from me.”
Mother Nature let out a long sigh. “Because they grew up with no parental guidance, they’re… well, I hate to label anyone, but does the word sociopath mean anything to you?”
“Uh, kind of. I’m not a shrink, but I could look it up and learn about it if you think it might help.”
“Nothing will help, but you might as well know what you’re up against.”
Drake’s dragon warning tingles vibrated wildly.
“Here’s what I want you to do,” Mother Nature said. “I want you to trick her into coming to me.”
“Huh? How?”
“That’s your problem.”
“Look, with all due respect, I want nothing to do with her. She already attacked me, and now that I know I’m not immortal and she is… Besides, I don’t even know where you’re located and how to get back here.”
Mother Nature threw her hands in the air. “Must I do everything?”
One of the robed gentlemen strolled over to them. He was not a handsome man. Some might even call him ugly. His face was wrought with deep lines. His eyes were too small and his nose was too large. “Gaia, may I be of service?”
She closed her eyes and mumbled something that sounded like “brownnoser,” then turned to the god with a bright smile. “Thank you, Hephaestu
s. Actually, your help would be very much appreciated.”
Drake’s eyes widened. “Hephaestus? Greek god of fire?”
The gentleman straightened and puffed out his chest. “That’s me. You may have heard my Roman name as well. Vulcan. You may call me either.”
“Which do you prefer?” Drake asked.
“Actually, I like Vulcan. It reminds me of my workshop in my Italian volcano.” His smile faded. “Although on earth these days, people seem to think I was named after a race on a TV show.”
“Oh, that would be Star Trek,” Drake said. “Great show.”
“That’s little comfort.”
Mother Nature snickered. “Well, it looks like you two are hitting it off, so I’ll let you get on with your business.”
“Wait,” Drake said. “My girlfriend.”
Mother Nature frowned. “Sounds like a complication. I hate complications.” She let out a defeatist sigh. “What about her?”
“I was just visiting her. I was only there a few minutes before that Adolf kid practically kidnapped me and dragged me here.”
“Is she human?”
“Yes.” And in some ways, you remind me of her.
Gaia’s eyes widened. “She didn’t see you disappear, did she?”
“No. We were out in the hall. I closed the door, but right before I did, I told Bliss I’d be right back.”
Mother Nature laughed. “Yeah… never say that.” Then she pointed straight at his chest. “And never—I mean never reveal your knowledge of this Council. As far as you’re concerned from this moment forward, we don’t exist. Got it?”
Drake glanced around. “Did somebody say something?”
Gaia patted him on the head. “Good boy.”
***
Bliss paced across the living room, wondering what the heck was taking so long. “We finally get some time together, and some kid comes and takes him out in the hall,” she muttered. Well, too bad. I’m not going to stand for it.
Prepared to do battle, Bliss marched over to the door and threw it open. Odd. There’s no one here.
She heard a cough coming from the bottom of the stairs. Thinking Drake might have been beaten again, she hurried down the steps. At the landing where the stairs took a right turn, she stopped. It was Angie. She was sitting on the bottom step, reading a book.