by Jan Dockter
I have my orders. If I have to drag you back by your worthless tail, I will do that.
Try, spit back Ryan.
As you wish, weyrling. It will be the first of many lessons.
The red dragon drew his body to his full height and spit a stream of yellow fire at Ryan. He ducked and avoided the flames as they sucked the air from his lungs causing him to gag.
Reece, Ryan heard in his head. You are not to harm him.
His arrogant ass needs a good lesson. A few charred scales won’t do great damage.
Do you want to fly the hard way home if you do burn him?
Shut up. He’s listening.
With his sharp hearing the moans of the injured men met his ears. One was breathing raggedly which couldn’t be good.
Come, weyrling. Do not make this difficult.
Who? For you or me? I tell you what. Take your attitude, stick it where the sun doesn’t shine and take it back to Rhea and do not bother me and mine again.
Can’t do that, weyrling. So let’s get this over with.
The red dragon launched himself at Ryan. He and Ryan tangled in a mass of scales, wings and claws. The red dragon snapped at him with his powerful jaw, trying to find a place to sink his fangs into Ryan’s flesh. But Ryan writhed and twisted, and slashed the red dragon with his claws. He hit one lucky blow where the red dragon brought his ugly face too close to Ryan and he slashed him down his eye. His opponent howled and fell away and Ryan thought he had his chance to escape now. He flew over the fire raging in the road, but just he thought he cleared it, he felt a yank at his trailing tail and he fell belly first into the flame.
Ryan yelled his pain as the fire ate his flesh and he thrashed as the other dragons dragged him into a field and rolled him under the flames went out. Ryan lay gasping, his dragon skin screaming with burnt nerve endings and charred scales.
Reece. You better get your ass out of here, the green dragon said. Rhea will fucking kill you for sure.
The screeching of fire trucks horn filled the night but Ryan didn’t know if it was good they did. Certainly, the cops needed help but Ryan didn’t know what they could do for him as a dragon.
I’ll leave, replied Reece sourly. But the pup deserved this.
Reece!
With a heavy flap of wings in the night sky his tormentor was gone but the other stayed.
Ryan, you need to shift.
Can’t. Hurts. Ryan wasn’t one to whine, but he never imagined that this much pain could exist. It felt like little knives stabbed every nerve ending.
It will hurt to do so, but then it will hurt far less in human form. I’ll help. Focus on my thoughts.
Ryan didn’t know what the red dragon could do, but then he heard the dragon’s words in his mind and he got pictures too of him shifting back to human form. He screamed as wings receded, his mid-section narrowed and reformed, his burned fore and back legs straightened and his claws became hands. Finally, the pain eased though it did not stop.
Stand, ordered the red dragon.
Ryan felt lightheaded when he got to his feet.
I will go now. But the queen will want you back, Ryan Kaur. She will send others.
Let her. I will not be unprepared next time.
The green dragon shook its triangular head and leaped then flapped great wings to rise into the night.
Ryan saw the flashes of fire engines’ lights and stumbled back to the road. He was naked again, of course. He was beginning to hate it that he couldn’t seem to keep a set of clothes for more than five minutes. But someone had to show the EMT’s where the cops were especially the one who was the most hurt.
“Help,” cried Ryan when he saw the emergency workers. “Hurry. Two cops are injured.” He pointed in the directions of the fallen policemen.
One firefighter ran to Ryan with a blanket in his hand, then stared at large patches of red on his skin.
“Did you get burned?”
“Yeah. I had to take my clothes off.”
“I can see that.”
Another firefighter with Lieutenant’s bars on his collar walked to Ryan.
“What happened here?”
Ryan stared at him and realized he could never tell the full story of what happened, not without revealing his dragon heritage.
“On the advice of counsel, I decline to answer the question.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Steph
Steph and Ryan’s father spent an uneasy hour hashing out their plans for the next day. She tried to convince him to hire a lawyer specializing in criminal defense but the older Kaur refused.
“You know him best,” Kaur had said.
“But I’m not a specialist in criminal law and in matters like these it pays to have a lawyer who is familiar with the prosecutor and the local judges. At the very least hire someone local as a second chair.”
Ivan Kaur took a sip of his whiskey and tapped his fingers on the glass.
“It’s a good suggestion. But I don’t want it to get out what Ryan’s birth heritage is. I don’t suppose we could hire this person and not tell him.”
“I don’t advise that. He can’t assist in Ryan’s defense without knowing all the facts. It would be unethical of me to withhold them.”
“I know why Ryan likes you,” said Mr. Kaur. “He’s always appreciated discipline, just found it difficult to act in a disciplined manner.”
“Well, the stories about him attest to his wild ways. But he couldn’t have been like that all his life. What was he like as a child?”
Ivan Kaur’s eyes lit up when he told stories of Ryan as a boy. Steph formed the impression that it was Ryan’s father who was the overindulgent parent, while Ryan’s mother was the strict disciplinarian. When they learned through Ryan’s tumultuous toddlerhood of his dragon nature Katherine Kaur, Ryan’s mother, worried to death that Ryan would never be accepted in human society.
“We both loved him and wanted the best for him. The hypnosis was a difficult decision but after that the sudden shifts stopped though Ryan became more of a daredevil. If we ever needed to find Ryan all we had to do was look for the most dangerous place on the estate and he’d be there. Poor Katherine nearly had a heart attack several times from his antics. I thought that channeling Ryan’s energy into sports would calm him down and it worked for a while, but the problem was, no one, no human was real competition for him. As he grew older, well—”
After that conversation the elder Kaur suggested Steph get some rest and because of the aches in her muscles she agreed. Now soaking in the wide tub in her ensuite bathroom, Steph thought of all the things she learned about Ryan. Being the top dog all the time, commanding his parent’s attention and later the attention of his teachers it couldn’t have been easy for Ryan. No one likes to stand in the spotlight that much or to have everyone expect so much of you. Steph, the only girl in a family of four beefy boys and a Marine father had to fight for attention. She had to prove she wasn’t a delicate flower that couldn’t take the heat.
In that way then, she and Ryan were opposites. She had to prove herself and Ryan wanted to disprove himself. But maybe that was because Ryan knew in his core that he was different and not the person they molded him to be.
Steph sighed and sunk deeper in the warm water. Every part of her was bone tired and she needed sleep.
She jerked when banging on the bathroom door woke her from when she dozed off.
“Steph,” called Ivan Kaur. “Ryan’s in trouble.”
Swiftly she rose out of the water and slipped on a robe.
“When is he not?” said Steph.
“There was a terrible accident while the police transported him to the station. I couldn’t get all the details, but the two police cars were destroyed. Ryan got burned-”
Steph gasped.
“Don’t worry, Ryan is okay. But Steph, there was some witness who claimed that it was Ryan who transformed into a dragon and destroyed the police cars and injured the officers.”
Th
is was very bad. Dragons were tolerated to a limited extent. A lawless dragon would get no mercy from the courts.
“I’ll pack,” she said.
“I have maids on that already. Three bags will be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Three, you’re not—”
“No, someone has to put out fires here. I have a good friend with a vacation home in the Maldives.”
“Maldives?”
“No extradition.”
“Mr. Kaur, what you propose is illegal.”
“I’m not going to have my son hauled off to jail for something he didn’t do.”
“You sure he didn’t?”
“Ryan’s been arrested more than once. It doesn’t bother him. You saw how calmly he walked out of here. No. You two lay low while I hire some people to investigate this—all of it. I’m beginning to wonder with the force of everything coming at us if there isn’t someone behind this.”
“The queen of the dragons,” hissed Steph.
“Who?”
“Let me dress. I’ll tell you in the car.”
Driving to the hospital Steph told Mr. Kaur what little she knew at Ryan’s encounter with the queen of the dragons. Ivan Kaur’s face drew up in concern.
“How many?” he asked.
“Sir?”
“How many dragon babies were placed for adoption?”
“I don’t know.”
“Though some things I’ve wondered about over the years have fallen in place,” he said as if talking to himself. “Still, we need to get Ryan out of the country first.”
“I think Ryan can handle that part,” said Steph. “Though he did say he needed a picture of the place he was going to.”
Mr. Kaur took out his phone and his fingers moved over the face of it. “What’s your email address?”
Steph told him her personal address that she rarely used since she was fairly sure her work email was deactivate. Soon a picture of a tropical manse popped up.
“Show him that. Hopefully that will work.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” muttered Steph.
“You are only doing what your employer instructs you to do. Here,” he said handing her a backpack. “This should give you enough cash to pay for what you need when there.” He pointed to two small duffels on the floor. “Things you’ll need before you can get to store or market. There are some clothes.”
“Mr. Kaur, as your lawyer, I have to advise you that what you are doing is illegal and can get you arrested.”
“That’s okay. I’ve made arrangements for my companies to operate should that happen. Now, let me airdrop some contact information into your phone. One of those numbers is Ryan’s mother. Should you fail to reach me, you can her.”
“I thought you two were separated.”
“You’ll find, my dear, that absence does make the heart grow fonder. We’ll always care about each other and Ryan. Sometimes a little vacation makes things fresh again.”
They pulled up to the regional hospital and quickly found Ryan’s room after a brief verbal scuffle with the nursing staff.
“This is his father and I’m his lawyer. You can’t deny either one of us entrance,” proclaimed Steph loudly. The nurse trying to block them muttered by, led them to Ryan’s room. They found Ryan handcuffed to the bed with two policemen standing outside the door. The officers didn’t want to let them in but Steph repeated the line about being his lawyer and she showed them her New York attorney ID card and after turning it over with suspicion let her and Mr. Kaur in.
“Dad? Steph?”
“Are you okay, son?” asked Ivan Kaur.
“I’m fine. Got some minor burns, but otherwise good.”
Steph gripped the bars of his bed. “Are you sure?”
“Sure, babe. I’m just a little tied up right now.” He rattled his handcuffs with a grin.
Steph leaned over the rail and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Can you shift?” she whispered.
Ryan’s face drew up in consternation. “I’m not sure I can. It was my dragon form that was burned badly. It was awful changing back to human.” He shuddered.
“Mr. Kaur?”
“Let me see what I can find out,” he said turning away from both of them and concentrating on his phone.
“What happened?” asked Steph gently.
“The two dragons that chased us in Scotland showed up. I don’t know how they found me, but they ripped open the police cars like tin cans and tossed the officers out like they were dolls. One of them tossed me into the fire they started in the middle of the road and my dragon burned.”
“Ryan,” she said. “Do you hurt now?”
“No. It’s healing quickly. Courtesy of my dragon blood I suppose. What hurts is not being with you.”
“I am here now,” she said softly.
Mr. Kaur turned back to them. “My contacts say that both dragon and human bodies heal at the same time. Shifting from one form to the other facilitates healing as the body is forced into the other shape. So, another shift should finish off what healing you’ve done.”
“Okay,” said Steph. “We’re getting you out of here, Ryan.”
“What? No. Dad? Is this your crazy idea?” he said to Ivan Kaur.
“I won’t have you locked up.”
“Well, maybe I should be locked up. Did you ever think that? These dragons are insane and I’m just as crazy as the rest of them.”
“Now, Ryan,” said Mr. Kaur. “I don’t believe that for a minute. I may not be your biological father, but I raised you. I have to think that you’ve taken some of what I taught you to heart. In fact, I know you did. From what Roberts told me you could have left but stayed to help the officers. That’s not a crazy person, son.”
“Roberts?” asked Steph.
“The head of the security firm my father hires,” said Ryan. “So if that is true, dad, I’m not leaving. I’ll face my accusers.”
“That’s a noble thought,” said Ivan Kaur, “but not practical. There is supposed to be a witness.”
“And ten-to-one if you find that witness you find one of the dragons that did this. Dad. You have to find that witness.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ryan
Ryan steadfastly refused to do what his father wanted. Yes, he could run, but he’d only expose Steph to more danger. The dragon queen wanted him for whatever crazy plan was in her head and she’d keep sending her minions after him. There was some mechanism he did not know that allowed her soldiers to keep finding him—that much was clear.
“Okay, son,” said Ivan Kaur, “we’ll play it your way. I’ll go talk to the doctors.”
Ivan Kaur left Ryan and Steph alone. Ryan couldn’t think of a time when he saw his father so defeated, but if Ryan escaped he knew in his heart he’d ruin his father’s businesses and all he worked for.
“Ryan?” said Steph gently.
“Yeah, babe. I’m okay. Just hoping that dad finds that dragon and we can get the additional charges dismissed. I’m not worried about the kidnapping charge. That is, unless you plan on pressing charges.”
“I don’t know,” said Steph. “You did manhandle me pretty well.”
“I wouldn’t call it manhandling,” he said with a wink.
Steph’s face turned serious. “You don’t have to do this. We can leave.”
“And wreck my father’s business in the process? No. I don’t care about myself and Dad can take care of himself. But thousands of people work for my father and they’d lose their jobs if Kaur Industries went under. And that doesn’t include the hardships the various suppliers that sell goods and services to the business.”
One of the police officers entered the room.
“That doctor is releasing you now into our custody, Kaur.”
Ryan didn’t care about being brought to the jail or being processed into a cell. But he did care very much about what his father and Steph were facing. As the police brought him into a transport wagon he worried that his fath
er was placing himself and the business at risk. He suffered the indignities of processing with the grace that he could. It was his own reckless actions that brought him here in the first place. He shouldn’t have driven so fast on the road that he caused an accident.
Ryan spent an uncomfortable night in the cell tossing and turning this time worrying that he placed Steph in an impossible situation. If it hadn’t been for him she would be still be working for Peters, Watins and Roe none the wiser about dragon shifters working her way up the corporate ladder.
But that wasn’t entirely true and Ryan knew it. The whole pairing a dragon with a seneschal thing was part of Rhea Gentrix’s plan to bring her children back into her fold. Thinking about Rhea angered Ryan. He didn’t understand how one person, okay, dragon could be so callous toward her children. She may have thought that the children she adopted out would naturally follow her plans. But Ryan never would and he suspected that once they knew many of the other adoptees would feel the same way.
But first they had to be told.
Ryan figured he should be the one to tell them.
After he got out this legal mess, of course.
Having a new purpose calmed Ryan. He could do some good in the world. Anything he could do to alert other of Rhea’s children would be a worthy purpose. He finally got a few hours sleep before the guard woke him.
“Here are clothes your father sent for court. You better get moving. We’ll be loading the van in a half-hour.”
Of the other two other men going to court he was the only one wearing a suit and tie. One didn’t look at him and the other sneered. There was no convict camaraderie in this small space that rocked side to side as they moved down the road.
“Hey,” said one. “I know you. You’re that dragon.”
“I’m no dragon,” said Ryan.
“The news said you were.”
“Whoever said that got their facts wrong.”
“They say,” said the other man, “that there is a witness.”
Ryan looked off to the side. “Then they lied.”
“You’re rich,” said the second man as if that was a crime.