“So, Greek goddess huh? What’s that like?” Geez, that sounded like a bad pick up line. QUICK! Drink bad coffee and act like you didn’t just hit on her.
“Could be worse, I could be an Oread,” she said with a shrug.
Hailey had no idea what an Oread was. She hadn’t made it to “O” in her encyclopedia of weird things yet.
“Mountain Nymph,” Lia explained as if just remembering who she was talking to. “It’s alright I guess. I’m just in need of something new. I’m tired of the inspiration thing. Lately I’ve been more of a detective than a Muse of Comedy.”
She got that. Hell, after five minutes of doing something Hailey often got bored, she couldn’t imagine going at it for thousands of years.
“So give me the dirt on the men in your life. Now don’t give me that look. Take pity on the measly human girl who only has books and BOBs to keep her company on lonely nights. I’m sure a hottie like you has at least a man, if not a whole damn temple of willing participants in your life. I bet he’s the God of Abs or something.” Hailey rambled on about the imaginary man she could see Lia with and was well into her description before noticing the muse’s smile had vanished.
“Did, don’t anymore.”
Well ok then, Hailey thought.
“Have any family?” Hailey asked as a quick subject change. Lia relaxed the death grip on the steering wheel. Hailey wrote out a mental post-it.
Note to self: don’t bring up boyfriends ever, ever again.
“Yeah, I’m the second youngest of nine girls. It sucks most of the time.” She added, “I’m also related in ways no one ever wants to know to practically every god and goddess in the Greek pantheon. I’m pretty sure a few of my uncles are also my cousins, and possibly nephews.” Lia glanced over at Hailey’s confused face. “Don’t even bother trying to figure it out. Let’s just say that my family tree resembles that of the Lanister’s from Game of Thrones.”
“Ouch.”
“Yep. So what about you, any brothers or sisters?” Lia changed lanes and checked the rearview mirror.
“Yes, well no. Not anymore. I had a younger brother but he died when he was six, leukemia.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is. My parents checked out mentally for most of my childhood. It wasn’t until I came back after college that they decided to be parents again. I moved out almost immediately. Now that I’m gone they’ve checked out again. It’s been weeks since I last heard from them,” she added with a sigh,And it would be weeks before they remembered about her and the birthday they forgot. It really didn’t bother her. She was used to being on her own and actually preferred it that way. But the rejection still stung.
“Family can suck sometimes.” Lia checked the mirrors again and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.
“Something wrong?” Hailey turned in her seat to look at the cars behind them. She didn’t see Godzilla chasing them down the highway and assumed everything was okay.
“No, just paranoid.” She glanced once more into the mirror and shook her head. “I have the opposite problem you do. My family is always in my business and never leaves me be.”
“Is that why you are helping me? To get away from them?” Hailey asked.
“One of the reasons.” She smiled sadly and frowned as her eyes caught the mirror again. “Hey, could you ask your fire breathing friend what he thinks of the silver BMW two cars behind us?”
“Looks to me like we have a tail,” he told Hailey. “I’m fairly certain it’s one of Silas’s men. Can Lia lose them?”
“What!” Her heart gave one large thud after another as she saw the car in question.
“Hailey, focus.” Rightm he was right. They knew this was going to happen. No reason to be surprised. She turned back in her seat and relayed what Dak had said.
“We can try,” Lia said as she took the next exit and headed into a Wal-Mart parking lot. Hailey applauded her genius. It was a busy day at this particular Wal-Mart. Lia almost ran over three people and a cart as she navigated them through the aisles of parking spaces. The BMW was on their ass the entire time, not bothering to hide anymore.
Luck was on their side when the BMW got stopped behind an elderly woman with a walker in the crosswalk. Lia used the distraction to her advantage and left the parking lot through the back exit. They drove to the next shopping center just down the road and parked somewhere in the middle.
“What are we doing?” she asked as Lia got out of the car.
“They have been following us from the motel so they must have hidden a tracker somewhere.” She was on her back checking under the car by the time Hailey got out. It just seemed wrong to have a beautiful muse under a car in a grimy parking lot. But Hailey knew nothing about this sort of thing so she kept her mouth shut.
Lia wiggled her way back out from under the car with a small black box in hand. She smiled as if saying “Told ya,” and walked past Hailey. Reaching under the bumper of the car beside them, Lia secured the tracker. “That should give us a little head start. Let’s go.”
They traveled back roads the rest of the way, which was fine with Hailey because the scenery was amazing. The mountain air never had appealed to her before but from what she read last night, it seemed dragons were connected to nature. She felt settled in amongst all of the trees on the small winding road. The feeling of life she loved so much about a city was here too, just in a different form. Never had she thought to consider the countryside as a viable living option.
“I feel it too,” Dak said quietly. “If we have time, sneak away later and I will show you what it really means to be a dragon.” Pervy thoughts ran through her head about a faceless man with a deep, spine tingling voice, and then logistics. Yeah that is definitely an impossible arrangement, she mused.
“I’ll try, but no promises. And no funny business either,” she added as an afterthought. Lia was politely ignoring their conversation.
“Ah, sweet innocent Hailey, I don’t do funny business,” Dak purred.
“What kind of business would you call it then? Wait a minute. Did you just call me sweet and innocent?” Hailey was offended and slightly turned on.
“But you are sweet and innocent. I’ve been around for weeks and you have not so much as touched yourself, let alone had sex.”
“It’s called a dry spell and a voice in my head! Not innocence.” Asshole dragon.
“Pardon me, I’ve been mistaken then.” He was smirking. Don’t ask how she knew, but she could tell.
“Yeah, you have been. Now please keep your flirting to a minimum. It’s creepy and weird.”
Lia snickered beside her. “Shut it muse.”
“Shutting.”
*****
He had never had his flirting called creepy and weird before. It was strangely refreshing. Back before the curse stole his body and life from him, Dacea had his choice of women. With his position they tended to flock towards him in droves, each one flinging herself at him. To their disappointment he never thought of them as anything more than a way to spend an evening.
Then there was Hailey. He found that he enjoyed their verbal sparring, probably more than he should. She was constantly surprising him. Dacea’s previous assumptions of her were proving to be false. Her strength lay in that of her mind and wit. She might not know how to wield any kind of weapon but she had logic. That was often the greatest kind of strength. It gave him hope that they might actually get out of this situation relatively unscathed.
But then there was the fact that she was his Mate, and when they were free of each other would he merely leave her? He had mixed reactions toward that thought, which was a bit of a surprise. He had never wanted a Mate, his first love had left him broken hearted, and the desire to find his Mate became nonexistent. And yet, here she was, flirting with him no doubt.
Darby would catch on quickly, he thought. She knew him better than anyone and would see immediately what Hailey was becoming to him. As bad as it sounded, he hoped her
grief over Lennox would shield him from the questions she would inevitably ask.
Chapter Six
They exited the highway at their GPS’s direction and drove through a small town called Harper, which only contained a Dairy Queen and a gas station. After failing to convince Lia and Dak to stop for a Blizzard, Hailey relayed Dak’s directions to Lia. He warned them the GPS signals tended to get lost this far into the mountains. A few turns later and they were on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, Blizzardless.
“So who exactly is this person again?” The car bounced along the road. Hailey grabbed hold of the door for balance.
“A friend.” Mr. Tightlipped was back.
“Yeah, I got that part Dak. Wanna explain more?”
“No.”
Hailey ignored his dismissal and continued on with her questioning. “Was she your girlfriend?”
“No.”
She was slightly relieved at his answer, but then thought, “Wife?”
“No. Now drop it. It’s the next driveway on the left.” She told Lia, who nodded and turned on the headlights. The next driveway was a good mile down the road. Darkness was settling in around them as they drove further into the forest. At the driveway, Lia turned and they began the trek up the side of a mountain.
Driveway was an understatement. This was a road that happened to lead to a house. No driveway should be this long. They rode for a few minutes before they reached the clearing and Darby’s cabin. The house was lit up; it seemed every light was on in the two story cabin as if awaiting their arrival.
In the car Hailey and Lia played rock, paper, scissors for who would knock on the door. Hailey lost. They hiked to the steps of the cabin, taking their time since she had no idea how to explain the situation to this stranger. “Hi, you don’t know me but I have a mental dragon who says he’s a friend. Oh what lovely curtains you have.” Dak wasn’t helping either; he was hiding something about this woman. Hailey told herself that she only wanted to know because she was nosey, but really they had turned over a new leaf in the past day and she considered Dak a friend. With friendship comes trust. A place he must not be at with her yet.
Darby was watching them through the window, it didn’t seem like a good sign that she was not meeting them outside. At the door, Hailey didn’t have a chance to knock on the door. It opened in a rush and a rifle was pointed at her head through a screen door. On the other end stood a woman in her early 30’s, she looked like a pixie with her choppy black hair. Of course this thought took on a life of its own and she tumbled into a mental ADD tangent about if pixies were real.
“Who are you?” asked Darby, breaking her concentration surrounding thoughts of pixie dancing skills.
“Um, could ya point the gun somewhere else? We’re friends with Dacea.”
“Friends are we? I thought I was the bane of your existence?” She had a gun in her face and he was cracking jokes. Men.
“Shut it dragon breath,” Hailey muttered.
“Who are you talking to?” Darby looked to Lia who just shrugged. She seemed completely undisturbed by the gun. Guess if you’re a goddess then it would take more than a bullet to kill you.
Hailey tapped her head, “Got voices.” The gun wielding crazy lady narrowed her eyes at Hailey.
“Why ya’ll here?” She had a hint of a southern accent. Not for the first time, Hailey wished she too had an accent. Sadly she was raised in Pennsylvania, home of cheesesteaks and the nonexistent accent.
“Well, as I said, we are friends with Dacea. He’s actually the voice I was telling you about. We came to ask for your help.” As an afterthought she added, “It was his idea.”
Hailey couldn’t say she had ever had a gun pointed at her head. It was not an experience she would recommend. Her heart was at a constant hard pounding rhythm.
“Hailey, let me calm her down.” The sadness in his voice distracted her from the gun and her own mental rambling. What was this woman to him? She felt his mental push and soon enough she was the backseat driver of her own body.
“Darby. Stop.” Her voice wasn’t her voice anymore. It still sounded the same but with an authority that she just didn’t possess.
The gun lowered a fraction and Darby’s eyes narrowed. “Dacea?”
“Yes, you know it’s me. We are here about Lennox and the predicament I now find myself in.”
“He’s dead isn’t he.” Not a question, but a statement. She knew, probably felt it when it happened. But Darby would hold onto hope until she had confirmation.
“He is.”
The gun lowered and Darby pushed the screen door open. “Come in and tell me how my Mate died. Then fill me in on where the hell you have been.”
They followed her inside. The cabin was just as he remembered it. Nothing had changed in the last four weeks, which was a small comfort. The door opened into a large room which included a small kitchen and the living room. He knew from experience that there were two rooms and a bathroom off to the right, and the stairs in the living area led to a small loft. Lia was already seated at the table; he took the empty spot to her left.
“Tell me about my Lennox.” Her back was towards them as she made coffee.
“It was Silas. He found us in Philadelphia. I believe he has the Council in his palm, probably had a Blue track us. Darby, if I would have known he was on to us, I never would have left. I’m so sorry. God, this is my fault.” Her shoulders were slumped over the coffee pot. Lennox had been his best friend, his brother. His death devastated him like none had before. But Dacea couldn’t imagine how his Mate felt at this moment.
“It’s not your fault. He wanted to go after that lead on the missing Blue as much as you did.” She said and turned towards them, her eyes red and puffy from tears. Three large cups were placed on the table. “I’m glad at least one of you made it. I don’t think I could handle losing both of you.” Darby took the seat across from him and sent him a gentle smile. “Now tell me how you ended up in this human.”
Darby listened to their story, never interrupting to ask a question. Even as he spoke of the fight that killed Lennox, she stayed steady. Darby sat and studied Dacea as he spoke. She could see past Hailey’s appearance onto him. She had questions alright, but ones that Hailey did not need to hear.
“So you want to know if there is a spell to break your bond.” Darby looked disappointed. If he could, he would tell her that their bond was not like hers and Lennox’s. It wasn’t one made out of love. Hailey did not want him as a Mate. Over the past few weeks she ignored him, yelled at him, thought seriously about getting medical help, and when they did speak it was always an argument. He had his own mix of feelings on the subject too.
“You know a way, don’t you?”
“I might. I’ve been doing more research since you left and I will need to do a little more. It’s not safe though. It’s dark magic. Darker than I’m used to.”
“Dak?” It was the first word Hailey had spoken in over an hour. “What is this bond she keeps talking about?” He refused to tell her that they were Mates. He didn’t want her to feel obligated to stay with him.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.” She started to mutter obscenities and couldn’t help but laugh. One thing to be said about Hailey, she had spunk. “Did you just call me a Pompous Ass Captain?”
“Maybe,” she said trying not to laugh herself.
Dacea realized he was being rude and focused back toward the conversation but now with a smile on his face. Darby was shaking her head with a look of disbelief. “What?” he asked her.
“Nothing. Just I’ve never seen you laugh like that before.” He ignored the underlying meaning behind her comment and took the conversation back.
“Tell me about Red. How have they been?”
“It’s bad. Silas declared war. He’s been hunting them for a few weeks now.”
“Probably since he thought he killed me.”
“Most likely,” she agreed. “But rumor is people from all septs have bee
n disappearing. I think Silas is behind it.”
“You’re right, he is,” Lia all but whispered. He had forgotten she was even there.
“How do you know this?” Dacea narrowed his eyes and looked at Lia again; most of her veneer was sliding away. He saw through the careless blonde act she had been giving Hailey, had seen the cracks starting even last night. Why would a Greek goddess care what was happening in the dragon world? “What aren’t you telling us, Lia?”
“I’ve watched dragon politics for years now. Let’s just say, I have a vested interest in seeing Silas taken down.” She met Dacea’s eyes; sadness like that only comes from losing someone close. “From what I can tell,” she continued, “Silas has been kidnapping Red for weeks now. He tortures, then kills them when they are no fun anymore.”
Small puffs of smoke came from his mouth as she spoke. The rage hit him hard as it often did. His dragon was untamed when it came to the protection of those he cared for. His fire, usually lying dormant, was actively growing, threatening to reduce him to nothing more than ash. Dacea could feel it burning hotter with every frenzied thought. These were his people, his line, his family, and he failed to protect them.
“Silas,” he growled, “will not get away with this. I will not stand by and let my people die because Green is run by a mad man on a power trip.” He was on the brink of changing. The dragon crawled just below the surface of his skin. Just the idea of stretching his wings and going to burn something had his skin pricking with need.
Lia began to edge to the other side of her chair. He caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his predatory gaze on her. Hailey’s voice was an irritating buzz in his mind. He wanted to swat at it like a fly.
“Shit.” Darby grabbed his arm and hauled him outside. He growled but Darby only pulled him harder till they were out the door. Only Darby could lay hands on him in this state and be able to walk away. He would never harm her no matter how crazed he was. “Go change and get this out of your system. Come back when you’re calm enough to talk.”
The Hailey Holloway Complete Series Page 4