by Autumn Dawn
Kjetil issued a command, and a crossbow bolt pierced one of the bladders. It popped, oozing pink glop.
“It doesn’t explode,” Juniper said cautiously. “What about fire?”
“If it’s flammable, we don’t want to set it ablaze, or the others could ignite.”
Turned out it wasn’t flammable. Sticky, thick and odorless, the crud continued to expand, smothering plants and threatening to turn her yard into a pink swamp. She formed wooden boxes to hold it, but the stuff kept crawling out.
Kjetil called F&R.
“It’s a magic fueled chemical,” a tech announced, “and a pretty nifty fire retardant. Unfortunately, we’ll need to use chemicals to neutralize it, and I’m afraid it’s going to be extremely hard on your plants. We’ll need to transport it off site, but it’s going to take special permits to move it. We don’t want the infection spreading.”
“Will the wooden boxes contain your chemicals?” Juniper asked anxiously. Her boxes were getting huge, and she didn’t want to do this all day.
The tech eyed the containers. “Temporarily, but we’ll still have to take the stuff away afterward. Let me talk with my team.”
Two hours later, Juniper slumped against her doorframe, watching a semi-truck and boom load steaming boxes. Maybe she should install a truck stop.
Kjetil rubbed her shoulder. “I need to go to work.”
“Yep. I need to check on the cocoa plants, work out some bugs. God willing, we won’t have any more fun surprises today.”
They didn’t…not for two more days.
“It looks like a puffball mushroom,” Gilly said as she peered out the window. “I remember stomping those as a kid. It’s fun to watch the powder inside poof out.”
Except, these puffballs contained a powder akin to bear mace.
“Oh, dear God!” Trapped in the tree, she wiped her face. The tree was rapidly filtering the air, but they’d had vents open in the greenhouse. They’d rinsed their faces, but both were coughing and red eyed. “Those poor wolves. They were out there.”
“Daisy’s going to move out if this keeps up,” Juniper muttered. Not that the woman had said anything, but this was awfully extreme. No one at the University would want to come to a war zone, either.
They had a powwow with the wolves in the Dragon Tree when the air was breathable.
“It’s not plant based and it doesn’t feel like Bramble magic. Someone has to be doing this,” Juniper said flatly. Her eyes were still bloodshot and her skin itched. Kjetil was at work, but he’d been in touch by phone. It wasn’t as if he could have helped if he’d been here, but he’d done what he could. She missed him.
“It’s not by air, we would have caught anyone on foot, and there’s been no suspicious traffic,” Jordan Grimm said. The lean blond wolf pointed at a holographic image of Bramble Burn. “Options?”
“Projectiles seem unlikely,” another wolf said. “We have motion and heat sensors.”
Juniper made a note to talk with Kjetil. Hunting lodge, her foot. These guys were doing military training here. It was about time he leveled with her. He might work with F&R, but that wasn’t all he did. If his dad led the local pack, what was Kjetil’s pack job?
“We know if a squirrel moves out there.”
Hm. Her eyes landed on a fly trapped in the window. “How about a bug?”
All eyes on her, she said thoughtfully, “There was a guy back home. He liked to scare the girls with bugs, and it was easy for him, because he could control insects. I’ve never heard of another like him, but he was friends with my brother.”
“Bugs,” Jordan mused. “No one ever looks for those. How would they have planted the goo and mace? Is it possible to make weaponized seeds?”
She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking aloud. “They weren’t seeds; more like magical chemical packets. Who makes that kind of thing? Why would they bother using it on Bramble Burn, and is Justin involved?”
“Good questions. Meanwhile, we need to investigate the bug angle. They could be out there now and we’d never know. Can you find a magic signature, Juniper?”
Juniper grimaced. “It’d be like finding white on rice on a paper plate in a snowstorm. The Bramble is bright, and I’m looking for a speck. I’ll take a stab at it, but that’s not what I’m trained for.”
“Can you use the plants?” Gilly spoke for the first time. “Make a special Venus fly trap or something?”
Juniper stared at her. “And Mom said all that TV would rot your brain.”
It wasn’t that easy, of course. She could grow fly traps, but she didn’t want them to eat random bugs. It would help if she had a bug to study first, so she sat in a recliner in the rec room and meditated. When she focused on the grass, she felt the vibrations of teeming insects, but no special magical spark.
Finally, she opened her eyes. “This isn’t working. We need a specialist.” She conferred with Jordan, who promised to look into it.
Gilly thanked her sparring partner and joined Juniper in the lift. “I like these wolves. They’re dragon strong, but faster. I never have to pull my punches with them.”
“Was that a problem?” Juniper said absently, still thinking of bugs. There must be a way to detect them.
“If you’d spar with me more often, you’d realize how much I hold back,” Gilly said dryly. “Unless Dad was around, it was hard to find partners back home. I kept breaking them.”
Juniper frowned. “Not my first love. You know I did the bare minimum for self-defense. My magic always made a better tool.”
Gilly pursed her lips. “You did have a terrible time with forms.”
Juniper rolled her eyes as they stepped outside and did a quick scan, but everything seemed fine. “Not everyone…” A sharp spike pierced her foot, through the boot and into soft flesh. She screamed and lost her balance. One knee hit the ground and was stabbed, followed by her palms. She curled instinctively and rolled in razor shards, shrieking and bleeding.
Dragon claws snatched her, and Gilly flew her to the balcony outside the wolf lodge.
“Easy, sis! I’ve got you,” she said, cradling her protectively. “Medic!”
There was an uproar as wolves ran to investigate. Gilly placed Juniper in a kitchen chair as Jordan fetched the first aid kit and did a quick evaluation. “You’re going to need stitches,” he said, ripping away the jeans at her knee. He sniffed. “Doesn’t smell poisoned, but we need to check these tendons.”
“I can fly her,” Gilly volunteered.
“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” Juniper insisted, trying not to writhe with pain. “I hate it there.”
“Too bad,” Gilly said.
Jordan plucked something that had dangled, unnoticed, from her thigh and studied the bloody object. “Looks like a glass caltrop.” He dropped it on the table. It clinked, but didn’t break.
“They’re escalating,” Gilly said grimly.
Jordan injected Juniper with pain medication. “Let’s get this boot off.”
She didn’t want him touching her foot, but Gilly held her shoulders steady while he removed the boot and wrapped her foot. “How bad is it?”
“You’ll need stitches,” he said, wrapping the wounds along her leg and arm before investigating her bloody hands. “Hm. That has to hurt.”
“The medicine is helping,” Juniper slurred. Whatever it was made her sleepy.
“I’ll call ahead and let them know she’s coming,” Jordan said as he finished. “You could carry her, but with your permission, it might be better if I ride along and hold her on your back.”
“Absolutely,” Gilly said quickly. “Bring her to the balcony.”
Juniper lay in the hospital bed in a hospital gown, groggy with medication. She had a clothespin-like clip on one finger, monitoring her pulse and oxygen level. They’d already removed the IV, having dosed her good to repair the tendons in her knee and right hand. She would have been grumpy, but she was too high to care.
Kjetil was there, Gilly
having left to get a snack. “I don’t know if you’ll remember this, but we’ve brought in someone to track and eliminate the bugs. She’s very good at what she does. We’re also having the trees and yard warded.”
“Hm. Good idea,” she murmured.
“I’m moving into the Dragon Tree.”
“Okay. Why?”
“Because my girlfriend’s father is going to kill me if I don’t start taking better care of her. I’m also setting up a generator and an entertainment center in your tree, with satellite. You’re going to be off your feet for a while.”
“Nope. Too much to do,” she murmured, closing her eyes.
“We’ll see,” he said, as she nodded off.
“Juniper,” Kjetil said warningly. He stood in her bedroom door, arms crossed as she ignored the stupid wheelchair to collect her belt and jacket. The unicorn glue was speeding the healing process, but it would be a couple of weeks before she was back to normal.
“Don’t start! It’s been two days, I’m rested and cranky, and I have trees to grow. The bugs are warded off, the first cocoa beans are fermenting and I’m sick of TV.” She was going nuts, dying to get to work, and they were babying her.
“The bug mage is dead. His body was found floating in the river yesterday. He died of crushed bones and internal bleeding.”
She stilled. She’d never liked the guy, but it was an ugly way to die. “Do you know who did it?” Did Justin know? Did he have anything to do with it? She rubbed her arm, worried.
“No. Whoever did it is still out there.” He came closer and touched her cheek. “That’s why you need to listen. I won’t try to keep you from your job, but you have to understand I won’t let you skimp on security. Gilly will be airborne, watching the sky, and you’ll remain in the SUV at all times. Your escort will be in hummers, and we’ve brought the big guns.”
“They weren’t small before,” she observed wryly. She sank into her wheelchair with difficulty. When he frowned, she raised her hands. “I get it. You’re trying to help. But this reminds me…” She wheeled the chair into the living room, desiring more space for this conversation. “When were you going to tell me you owned your own security firm? I assume you’re working for Indris.”
“You answered your own question,” he said. His posture was relaxed, but she caught a subtle tension. “If you’re wondering, it has no bearing on my feelings for you.”
She pursed her lips. “No? Isn’t there a conflict of interest falling for the client’s daughter?”
He crossed his arms. “No.”
She waited, finally prompting, “Why not?”
“My intentions are honorable, for one. Your father would rip my guts out if he thought otherwise.”
True. Indris didn’t need to posture to drive his point home. Everyone knew dragons were possessive, with short tempers…and Indris had hired bodyguards behind her back.
She blew out a breath. “When did he hire you?”
“When he found out you bought Bramble Burn.”
She groaned. She’d been so proud of her independence, too. She sensed a motorcycle pull up and had the tree open the door for Grigori, who’d been running errands. He had bags in both hands, and she could smell curry.
“Hey, Jun. I delivered your truffles, and the chef is asking about…Oh. Hi, Kjetil.” Grigori set the bags on the counter and glanced at his list. “Cocoa nibs. Are you planning to make any?”
“I could. Grigori, are you working for Indris?”
He froze, then carefully set the takeout container on the counter. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I mean, did Indris tell you I was hiring?” She noted his shifting feet and said tartly, “It’s fine. I know he hired Kjetil, too.”
His eyes flew to Kjetil. “Um…”
“He works for me,” Kjetil said calmly. “It’s a condition of his probation.”
“He stepped in when my gang was beating me up,” Grigori explained, looking pained. “I stopped them from mugging an old lady. She was a neighbor, and my mom used to invite her for dinner…” He clammed up, embarrassed.
“The judge decided there was hope for him and released him to my supervision. I did not approve his moving his family here, by the way. If it hadn’t been for the flying snakes, I think they’d still be here.”
Grigori looked stubborn. “We don’t need charity. I had it handled.”
“Riiiight,” Juniper drawled. She didn’t want to get into that now. Later, she’d be interested in interrogating Grigori, but she had stuff to do today. “Before we get sidetracked, is there anyone else I should know about? Is Daisy a secret agent, too?”
Kjetil snorted. “No. She’s just a college student who’s too stubborn for her own good.” He looked aggrieved. “She’s every bit as fascinated by plants as she seems, and almost as difficult to guard as you.”
“Should I be jealous?” she asked tartly. She was used to being the only one who riled him. She didn’t enjoy feeling petty, but she didn’t want him feeling heated over another girl.
His eyes sparked. In answer, he pinned her wrists to her chair and gave her a long, possessive kiss. When her breathing was ragged, he murmured, “No.”
“The Chandra’s sent food,” Grigori said, ignoring the byplay. “They used the insurance money to buy a food truck. Mr. Chandra invited you to stop by and asked about saffron.”
“Right,” she said, a bit foggy. “There’s a packet in the greenhouse inventory.” She needed to get out of the house before her wolf convinced her it was a good day to stay in.
Juniper sat in the passenger seat of the armored van, secure in the knowledge her wolf escort would shoot if necessary. It was kind of nice to have backup, she admitted privately. She glanced outside at Kjetil’s wolf form, pleased that he cared enough to protect her, but…
He was a distraction. It was getting harder to keep distance between them, and the kissing didn’t help. Every time he touched her or smiled, she melted. If this kept up, she might as well toss her goals and dreams out the window and douse them with gasoline.
Her life was stressful lately, and he’d like nothing better than to lend her a shoulder to lean on. She was touch hungry, and he loved to touch her in passing, to stroke her cheek, the small of her back or shoulder. It was innocent, yet fire spread under her skin, liquid and hot. She wanted to lean into it and touch him back.
Every inch of him was hard, a warrior toned and ready to…
Her control faltered. She shook her head and glared at the fruit trees she was shaping. Her personal problems could wait; work first.
“Incoming!”
She glanced up, but didn’t see cause for worry. She knew their visitor.
She checked her work. She’d finished a trio of dancing, three-in-one pears. Each tree was shaped like a two dimensional stick figure dancer and grew green, yellow and red pears. A few amber pears filled with pear juice dangled on “strings”, swaying gently in the light breeze. She hadn’t started the Chinese lanterns yet, so she was a bit put out when the green dragon swooped in and transformed into a man. “Hello, Breaker. Give me a moment to finish up.”
Breaker inclined his head to Kjetil’s silent werewolf form and watched as she added the finishing touches. “Very nice. How close do you have to be to do this kind of work?”
Cranky with fatigue, she took a drink of the juice her escort handed her before she nodded at the trees. “You’re looking at it. I’d wear out fast if I reached farther.”
“But you could if you had to?”
She frowned. “Probably. I couldn’t do as much and it would be inefficient. Why?”
He glanced at her seated form, noted her condition. “Why don’t we talk in a more secure location? I’ll meet you at your tree.”
The park was pretending to be normal, and it only took minutes to get back to the Iron Oak. Breaker was waiting in the parking lot, within the first ring of lower security ward stones. They prevented violence and monsters, but permitted dragons and
shape shifters. The second set of stones could be opened only with Juniper’s express permission, or by those with authorized keys.
“I see your father has been busy,” Breaker observed, having followed the van into the park.
She gave him a resigned look. “This was Kjetil’s doing. He had it done while I was recovering.”
Breaker looked at him with interest. “I’d heard you were courting.”
In human form, Kjetil helped Juniper out of the van and into her chair. “Yes.” He didn’t seem inclined to chat.
Juniper sighed. “Come in and have some something to drink. Might as well be comfortable.”
Gilly was there and managed to remember her manners, greeting Breaker properly before putting refreshments on the table. She kept her distance, busying herself in the kitchen. It looked like she was making cookies.
Breaker took a drink of iced tea and asked, “How big of a battery would you need to cause trees in a park to eat people?”
Juniper blinked. “This sounds suspiciously like an inquisition. Should I get a lawyer?”
Breaker shook his head. “Your brother is escalating. First he ruined one of your trees, and then your park was attacked. It’s reasonable to ask what his power limits are.”
“I’m not convinced he had anything to do with the caltrops,” she said slowly. “The first two, yes, but…”
“You may not be the best person to evaluate the threat.” Breaker exchanged glances with Kjetil. “Even Indris agreed he’s too close to the situation, which is why I will be conducting the dragon investigation in his stead. I can always speak to your grandfather, but he doesn’t like dragons, and the feeling is mutual.”
She couldn’t fault his reasoning. Her grandfather had warred with his share of dragons. He was civil to Indris and Gilly, but he would never permit them inside his wood. She didn’t like the prejudice, but the old elf was set in his ways. “I see.” She considered her words carefully, but didn’t see how answering could hurt. “For Justin to do what happened outside the Lemon Tree would take a crazy juicy battery. We’re talking a walnut-sized diamond, or a fist-sized emerald; a man’s fist, not mine. I use amber because it’s easily available to me and disposable, and I don’t need ridiculous stores of energy. That, and it’s explosive under the right circumstances.”