No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5)

by Lauren Lively

  Chapter Five

  Glyn

  The morning sunlight streamed in through the windows and lit up the entire room. I watched Onda sleeping, enjoying the way the light seemed to cast a soft, glowing aura on her skin. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I'd fallen in love with her the moment I saw her – as cliché and school-boyish as that sounded. But it was the truth.

  Because of the lives we lived and the duties we were charged with, our paths didn't cross nearly as often as I would have wanted. But she took her vows and her duty every bit as seriously as I did. Which was something I loved about her.

  But it also meant that we spent a lot of time apart. My hope was that one day, we would be able to give up this life. Retire, so to speak, as all Rangers eventually did. And when that day came, my hope was that we would return to Chondelai to live out our lives. Together.

  That day though, wasn't going to be anytime soon. So, the only thing left for us was to relish and cherish every moment we did have together.

  “Why are you watching me sleep, creeper?” she asked.

  I'd been so caught in my reverie and dreams of a life with her back home, that I hadn't realized she'd opened her eyes and was staring at me, an amused smile playing upon her lips.

  “Is it wrong to appreciate the most beautiful work of art you'd ever seen?” I countered.

  She laughed. “You are so cheesy,” she said. “But I love you for it.”

  Brushing a strand of hair from her face, I leaned forward and kissed her lightly. “And I love you, Onda,” I said. “With every bit of my being.”

  Her smile was soft, but the look in her eyes told me my sentiment was returned in kind. I kissed her again, running my hands along the smooth skin of her body. Our kissing, fueled by desire, grew more urgent and I felt my body responding.

  And then the phone rang. Because, of course it did.

  I pulled her tightly to me and held her close for a moment. “Think if we ignore it, he'll go away?”

  She laughed softly. “I think if you ignore it, he'll show up here.”

  I sighed. “You're probably right.”

  I rolled over and grabbed the phone off of the nightstand and held it to my ear. “Quint,” I said. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” he said, his voice tight. “I need you and Onda in my office. Now.”

  “How did you know –”

  His chuckle was soft, but he couldn't hide the tension in his voice. “There's very little that goes on in this city I don't know about,” he said. “Now c'mon, chop chop. I need you both. We've got a problem.”

  He disconnected the call and I dropped the phone onto the bed. Onda was looking at me with curiosity in her eyes.

  “Well, he knows you're back in town,” I said.

  “Of course, he does,” she replied.

  “There's apparently a problem,” I said. “He needs us down in his office.”

  She sighed and looked at me, traced her finger across my bare chest and looked at me wistfully. I felt the same way she did. There is nothing more I would have loved in that moment than to spend the day in bed with the woman I loved.

  But duty called. And when it did, Onda and I were always quick to answer.

  ~~~ooo000ooo~~~

  We were sitting in Quint's office less than an hour later. As if his duties as a Warden didn't keep him busy enough, he'd somehow found the time to open one of L.A.'s trendiest restaurants and nightclubs, Heat. It was where Hollywood's movers and shakers, the rich and the powerful, came to see and be seen.

  I'd never understood why he'd chosen to open a restaurant, but that was Quint. He did things he enjoyed. Things he was passionate about. Plus, he said it provided him with a solid enough cover, since the Dragonborn weren't exactly out and about in society. He blended in with the humans a lot more seamlessly than some of the others.

  And Quint's idea was apparently so successful, it was a model the Council back in Chondelai were said to be considering for all Wardens.

  “Onda, nice to see you back in town,” Quint said. “Though, it would have been nice if you'd have checked in with me when you got back like you're supposed to – but I'll let that slide for now. We have bigger problems on our plate at the moment.”

  Onda didn't even flinch as her Warden slightly chastised her – in fact, a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. She knew she should have reported into Quint yesterday when she got back – but she chose to come see me first. Though, Quint probably expected no less from her. Some called her defiant, but she never disobeyed orders or was a liability in any way. In fact, she was nothing but an absolute asset, truth be told. She was fierce as a fighter, loyal to a fault, and if you were ever in a pinch, there is nobody you would rather have at your side – or watching your back.

  I knew that Quint liked Onda tremendously. He respected the hell out of her and knew her value. Which was why he put up with her mild insubordination – or as he called it, her willful nature. Other Wardens didn't care for Onda, didn't want her in their territories because they felt she was a loose cannon who couldn't be controlled. But Quint wasn't like the others. He saw through to the core of a person. Saw what they brought to the table and didn't judge them by whether or not they checked in with him in a timely manner.

  Though many of the Wardens were rooted in the old ways, Quint was a lot more forward thinking. A lot more – modern, I supposed. He was a good man and, Onda aside, there was no other Warden I would have rather been placed under.

  He knew and accepted the fact that Onda marched to the beat of her own drum. Onda was just a bit – different. But she could always be counted on when the chips were down. Always. And that was one of the many things I loved about her.

  “What sort of problem?” I asked.

  Quint wasn't a man who was easily stressed or shaken. In fact, he was one of the toughest men I'd ever known. So, to see him clearly a bit rattled and in a bit of distress caused me some concern. Not a lot, but some.

  “As you may have heard, our Rangers have been turning up dead,” he said. “Several of them in different parts of the country.”

  “I have,” I said, “There were a few in Oregon recently, right?”

  “Yes, but there's been another,” Quint said. “Right here in L.A.”

  His words made my blood run cold as a dagger of ice pierced my heart. This wasn't somebody we didn't know in the far reaches of the world. This was one of our own, someone we'd fought with. Had gone to battle alongside. It was a friend, or at the very least, an ally.

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Zistra,” Quint said softly, casting his eyes down to his desk.

  I looked over at Onda who gasped, softly. Taking her hand in mine, I gave it a gentle squeeze as I tried my best to comfort her. I knew she appreciated the gesture, but Onda held herself together well. But I knew her well enough to see that shadow of sadness cross her face. She held it in check, always the professional, always the warrior, but I knew that inside, she was weeping.

  She and Zistra had been friends. They'd been close. She'd once called Zistra her Blood-Sister – which was a high compliment in our culture. One of the highest. And so, I knew that Zistra's loss was going to leave an open hole in her heart.

  “She will be missed,” was all Onda said, her voice carefully controlled and devoid of any emotion.

  “That she will. And she will be honored,” Quint said, watching Onda closely. “I know you and Zistra were once close friends, so I understand that this may be difficult for you. If what I'm about to ask of you is too much, just say the word. The last thing I want is to cause you any distress – or put you in a situation that's dangerous if your emotions are clouded. It's perfectly understandable, Onda. I will never put you in harm's way.”

  “I'm fine,” Onda said, holding her head up high. “Tell us what you need from us.”

  Quint gave her a long, level look – as did I. Onda was always able to control her emotions. Keep them in check. At least, in publ
ic. I'd been with her on more than one occasion when she'd let her walls down and let the emotion behind them come flooding out. I'd held her close as she sobbed more nights than I could count.

  Most people believed that because Onda was Ice Clan, she had no emotion. The Ice Warriors were typically among the fiercest in Chondelai – and most assumed it was because they were emotionless. While it was true that the Ice Clan was usually reserved and aloof, it was a mistake to believe they had no emotions. They were just better than most at keeping them behind their high, thick walls and removing all emotion where it wasn't useful. Where it didn't serve a purpose. More to the point, they removed emotion from situations where it could get them hurt or killed.

  But as Onda showed me, she had very deep, very profound emotions – she was just picky about who she shared them with.

  Apparently satisfied – or at least mollified slightly – that Onda was going to be okay for whatever assignment he was about to give us, Quint nodded. Personally, I would have rather had Onda sit this one out. Zistra was close to her when not many people were. She needed time to process. To grieve. But I was not going to be the one to tell her that. It would likely earn me an ass-kicking if I suggested it.

  “I need the two of you to look into the murder. I want to put an end to this once and for all. I want no more Rangers dying and I want you to find out who's behind this,” Quint said. “You two are the best Rangers I've got. And I think having you both on the job – together – is wise given the fact that something is out there killing our kind. In fact, I'm going to start asking Rangers to pair up until this threat has passed. It's not easy to kill a Dragonborn, so whatever is out there is going to be tough.”

  “What are we dealing with, Warden?” I asked.

  Quint sighed, rubbing his temples. For the first time since I'd known him, he looked tired. Quint was a man who had boundless energy. Or at least, he had. I had to imagine that having his Rangers murdered in his own backyard was taking a toll on him. I couldn't imagine the politics of the situation, as it was playing out among the Council back in Chondelai, were making things any easier on him either.

  I hated and loathed politics. The Council was nothing more than a nest of vipers. All of the backbiting, backroom deals, and deceit that flowed out of the Council was nauseating. That was one reason I liked being a Ranger assigned to the world of man – I was well away from that garbage.

  But for somebody like Quint, somebody who had to straddle both worlds and deal with those vipers – it had to be rough some days. The fact that Rangers were being murdered couldn't have been sitting well with the Council and I had no doubt they were putting a big-time squeeze on the Wardens to find answers.

  “Honestly? I don't know what we're dealing with,” he said softly. “But whatever it is, it's killed too many of our kind as it is. It needs to stop here.”

  “It will stop here,” Onda said, her voice cold. “We will put an end to it.”

  “Could it be that human warrior group?” I asked. “That – Order of Midnight, I think they were called?”

  Quint shook his head. “Doubtful. I'm reasonably certain whatever it is, it can't be human,” he said. “But other than that, we know nothing. Whatever it is, it's strong and brutal, obviously. But it also has to be intelligent and cunning to take down this many Rangers. It's asking a lot of you both, but are you up for this?”

  I didn't even have to look over at Onda to know her answer. “Of course,” I said. “Always up for a challenge.”

  She nodded. “You know we'll take care of it, boss.”

  “I knew I could count on you two,” he said. “Just be careful out there, okay? I know I don't have to remind you to look out for each other.”

  He shot us a knowing smile. Our relationship was one of the worst kept secrets around. Not that we tried to hide it, but we also didn't feel the need to advertise it out in the open. Everyone who knew us knew we were soul mates, and one day, we'd become bonded lifemates as well. It was cliché as hell, but we were two halves that made one whole.

  So no, Quint didn't have to remind us to keep an eye on each other. It would be impossible for us not to. It was simply second nature to us.

  Chapter Six

  “So, if I were the big, bad guy, where would I hide out in L.A?” I pondered out loud. “There really aren't all that many places to hide if you ask me.”

  “Maybe he's hiding in plain sight,” Onda said quietly. “Maybe we're looking right at him and just don't know it.”

  Hordes of people surrounded us as we walked down Hollywood Boulevard. There was a movie premier or something going on, which meant there were more people on the streets than usual. I already hated Hollywood as it was – but moving about with this many people on the street was beyond crazy and made me hate it that much more.

  The paparazzi and curious onlookers crowded around, pushing and shoving, jostling for position as they tried to get a look or a picture of whatever celebrity was getting out of their car and heading for the theater. Personally, I couldn't have cared less about celebrities or film premiers. To me, they were nothing more than annoyances that put more people on the street and made things even crazier than normal.

  I cast a sidelong look at Onda. Her face was carefully composed and betrayed not a single thought or emotion from her – in other words, it was business as usual. I wanted to talk to her, ask her how she was doing. But I knew that she might not want to talk about Zistra's death. I had to be content knowing that when she was ready, she would come to me and open up the floodgates of emotion once more.

  It just killed me to know that she was hurting and there was nothing I could do to alleviate her pain in that moment. But that was Onda's way. I'd long ago had to learn to accept it and to never push her. She'd come to me when she was ready.

  “I highly doubt our bad guy is going to show up here in the middle of a red-carpet premier,” I said. “All the killings have been done well away from crowds. Hidden in the darkness.”

  “I agree,” Onda replied.

  We walked on a little bit farther, trying to formulate a plan. When I turned to her to suggest getting off the main street, I saw that she was staring off into the distance – she looked like she had an idea.

  “Let's head further down and turn off,” she said. “Get away from all of these people.”

  As we pushed our way past an obscene amount of people, some guy in the crowd reached out and grabbed onto Onda's arm.

  “Miss, you're beautiful,” he said, his eyes bloodshot, his breath reeking of decay. “Mind if I paint you?”

  On the ground beside him as he sat in the doorway of yet another in a countless number of Hollywood tourist shops, were paintings he had for sale. They'd all been done on cardboard he'd ripped off of boxes or whatever he could find. Sadly, he was actually pretty good. He had some talent. Of course, he wasn't Van Gogh, no, but he had a knack for faces. With some quality training, he might actually be really good.

  But instead, he was on the streets, peddling his wares and wasting his talent. The track marks on his arms showed that he had a bigger problem than just a lack of art education. And it also helped explain how he'd ended up peddling his paintings in a doorway on Hollywood Boulevard.

  Onda yanked her arm away from the man and glared at the man. No one – and I mean no one – grabbed onto her and got away with it without losing a limb or suffering an embarrassing beat down. Onda didn't like to be touched by anyone ordinarily. She maintained a pretty healthy bubble around her that she preferred people stayed out of. And she would most definitely kick the ass of anybody who didn't respect her boundaries. I'd seen it happen on more than one occasion.

  Which was why it meant so much that I was allowed to hold her hand, embrace her and touch her in places no one else would ever dream of. Not if they wanted to keep their hand attached to their arm, anyway.

  “No thanks,” she said.

  At least she took some pity on the homeless man and didn't just come at him with fists flyin
g. As she looked at him, her eyes softened a bit and her body relaxed – she'd pulled herself back from the urge to start swinging. Which was impressive – ordinarily, if Onda hit the red line like that, there was no going back.

  “Come on, Glyn,” she said.

  I couldn't fault the man for wanting to paint her. Just like I couldn't fault the men – and women – who stared at her in awe and wonder as we walked through Hollywood. And even in Hollywood, the world of glitz and glamor, the land where beautiful women were a dime a dozen, Onda drew attention where ever she went. People couldn't seem to stop themselves from stopping whatever they were doing to stare at her as she passed.

  She'd been offered modeling contracts more times than I could count. It never failed when we were out among people – somebody would run up to her, tell her she was the most beautiful women they'd ever seen, and that she should consider modeling for them. While she was never rude, Onda was also very firm and very clear that they needed to walk away and leave her alone – something that never failed to make me laugh. Which, of course, usually earned me a slap upside the head.

  There were indeed many beautiful women in the city. But Onda – she was different. She was more than just beautiful. She was ethereal. Onda drew the eyes of almost everybody when she walked by them, and yet, she didn't even seem to notice. She never seemed to pay the admiring stares any attention.

  Onda stuck to her job, never falling behind and never failing. And never getting a big head over the attention. To her, other people's idea of beauty wasn't important. It wasn't anything worth spending even a second thinking about. To Onda, doing the job and being the best Ranger she could possibly be was all that mattered. She left vanity and notions of beauty to the people it seemed to matter to the most – the vain and the shallow.

  We walked for a few blocks before we turned off the main strip.

  “You know, we're not going to find him just because we're out here looking,” I said. “It's like a needle in a haystack. We don't even know what we're looking for –”

  Onda pushed me up against the side of the building, pressing her body into mine. She ground herself against me and stared up at me with a devious grin on her face. While I always enjoyed having our bodies pressed together and would never turn down an opportunity, I was a little curious about the timing and the location.