by Rinelle Grey
She knew it did. And from the tight set of Brad’s mouth, so did he. “All right,” he allowed. “But if you encounter a dragon, don’t be a hero and fight, get back to the car as quickly as you can.”
“That’s the plan.” As if she was stupid enough to take on a dragon face to face herself. If she had fire or lightning, maybe, but with wind?
Despite her assurances, she could feel Brad’s eyes on her as she walked up the steps towards the door. Hopefully he wasn’t so focused on her that he wasn’t also keeping an eye on the treeline and the sky. Danger could come from either of those places as easily as from inside.
Lyrian took a deep breath and pushed the slightly ajar door open cautiously.
Her nose told her there was no dragon here now.
But there had been.
As she walked through the house, the other dragon’s scent was everywhere. Along with someone else’s.
Not a second dragon, as the first one had threatened, but a human. More than one.
That made her extra cautious. She checked every room twice.
But the house was empty.
She headed back outside, hoping that there had been no problems there either.
Brad stared at the door when she came out, his expression anxious. She gave him a smile, hoping to reassure him. “It’s empty,” she called out.
Brad immediately glanced around at her words, as though he thought they might summon a dragon from out of thin air. But nothing happened.
Lyrian came down the steps and headed to Anarian’s side of the car. “I’ll get Anarian out.”
Brad switched off the engine and nodded.
Then suddenly, his face froze. “Luna. She’s not barking. Where is she?”
An intense guilt hit Lyrian.
In their rush to leave, she’d forgotten all about Henry’s old dog. “She should have been fine,” she protested. “A little hungry maybe, but she had plenty of water. And we’ve only been gone two days.”
“Stay here while I check,” Brad said firmly.
This time, Lyrian was happy to agree.
She had a soft spot for the old dog. Though Luna had been suspicious of her initially, she’d warmed up to Lyrian quickly. If that dragon had hurt her…
“She’s gone,” Brad called out.
Lyrian’s heart constricted. She was going to kill that dragon. Just as soon as she had some help.
Brad came back around the corner, his face confused. “Someone’s unclipped her lead and taken her. Why would anyone do that? Who?”
Lyrian frowned. “There have been humans here as well as the dragon. At least two different ones. Maybe one of them took her?”
That would be a far better alternative than the dragon.
They didn’t eat dogs, the carnivore’s meat tasted strong and unpleasant, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t kill one. But they wouldn’t take it away to do that.
Brad was frowning. “Humans? Here? Who? Why?”
Lyrian shrugged. She didn’t have the answer to that any more than he did. “I don’t know. Henry knew the neighbours, but he didn’t speak to them much. Still, maybe one of them heard Luna barking and come to get her.”
Hopefully. Luna was somewhere safe.
Brad was still frowning. “Maybe,” he conceded. But he didn’t look convinced. He scanned the sky again, then turned to the treeline.
The area was still completely empty. “We’ll stay here tonight, then move on in the morning,” he said. He didn’t look at Lyrian, just turned and headed into the house.
Chapter 22
Brad felt uneasy as he entered the empty house. Lyrian’s explanation for what had happened to Luna was reasonable. Likely even.
But he still didn’t like the fact that something had changed while they were gone. It was hard to believe it was innocuous.
If it weren’t for the fact that he needed his phone so badly, he wouldn’t be risking this. But the lack of all the information he could access through it was hampering his decision making. They didn’t have any other options.
He headed straight for the coffee table, where he’d left the phone.
But it was empty.
All the hairs rose on the back of Brad’s neck. He searched all the other surfaces he could find, knowing even as he did so that it wasn’t there. His suspicion was easily confirmed. The house wasn’t very big, and there weren’t many places he could have left it. And it wasn’t in any of them.
Someone had taken his phone.
Yes, it was the latest model and worth a bit. Possibly someone had wandered into the house and picked it up. Maybe even the same neighbour Lyrian thought might have come for Luna.
But somehow, he didn’t believe it.
Never accept the harmless explanation when there could be a dangerous one.
If one of those dragons had his phone, then…
Well, they couldn’t do much with it. It was pin coded, and even if it wasn’t, checking his social media and contact list wasn’t really going to help anyone. Especially not when his entire life was thousands of miles away in America.
So why did he feel so uneasy?
Lyrian walked in with Anarian, looking around the house and sighing as though she’d come home. “I’ll just change her nappy, then we can get some dinner.”
Like they’d just returned from a shopping trip.
Brad was glad she was relaxing. No point in her being uptight, it would only stress Anarian. But he couldn’t relax. Not until he knew what had happened.
As she headed into the bedroom, he headed for the landline. It was late, but if Nate left now, he could be here by morning. Then Brad would feel a whole lot better.
But the number rang out.
A terrifying scenario started to run through Brad’s head.
If the dragon had his phone, it had Nate’s phone number and address in it. If the dragon had gone after his brother…
Brad took a deep breath to calm the panic. That made no sense at all. A dragon wouldn’t travel all the way to Sydney looking for his brother just to get to him. Nate was probably just out. He’d ring his cell.
But that rang out too.
Brad stared at the phone, trying to ignore the unease growing in his heart. Yes, there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for Nate not answering his phone. If this was the first time, Brad might even convince himself they were likely.
But this was the second time he’d called his brother and been unable to reach him.
Something had to be wrong. But what?
Lyrian came back into the room with the baby. “Are you okay?” she said with a frown.
“Nate’s not answering,” Brad said, trying to keep the concern from his voice.
Apparently he hadn’t been very successful. Lyrian came across and put her hand on his arm, and Brad stiffened before he could stop himself.
She was trying to comfort him. She didn’t mean anything more by it than that. But every touch just reminded him that she’d only slept with him to heal herself. That this need he felt for her was a lie.
Lyrian sensed his discomfort and pulled her hand back quickly. “I’m sure he’ll answer later. Or maybe he’ll call you.”
Her voice was stiff too, and Brad regretted her withdrawal as much as he welcomed it.
He tried to distract himself, distract them both, by explaining the rest of it. “He can’t. My phone isn’t here. Someone must have taken it. Probably the same person who has Luna.”
“Can’t you ring it?” Lyrian asked. “It would be nice to know Luna was safe too.”
Brad had thrown that in to make Lyrian feel a little better. So she didn’t worry. But now he had to explain. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. Taking someone’s phone isn’t quite the same as taking a neighbour’s dog to look after it. If they took the phone, it was because they wanted to steal it.”
Lyrian’s eyes widened. “Why would anyone do that?”
Her innocence was so alluring. She thought everyone was
good in the world. That everyone did the right thing.
Except for those enemy dragons of hers, of course.
He could see her get it, just at that moment. She drew in a sharp breath. “What if the Trima dragon took it?” she said.
“Exactly,” Brad said firmly. “And if we ring it from here, they’ll know we’re here.”
Lyrian’s expression fell. “So coming here didn’t help at all?”
Brad heaved a sigh. She was right. It had been pointless. He’d put Lyrian and Anarian at risk, all for nothing.
And now Lyrian was worried too.
Brad felt bad. She’d looked so happy to be home when she’d walked in. It had to be extra hard for her, all this moving around with a baby. “No, it has helped,” he said firmly. “We have somewhere comfortable to stay tonight, and I can still access the internet on Henry’s computer. I’ll send Nate a message, check for any more news on Lisa, and search out her name a little, see what I can find.”
Lyrian nodded. “That sounds good. I’ll get dinner.”
Brad’s stomach rumbled at that. “Excellent plan,” he agreed.
Lyrian smiled. “Can you hold Anarian while I cook?”
Brad’s heart lifted at the suggestion. He’d been so busy the last few days, he hadn’t had much time to spend with his daughter. “I’d love to.”
He sent his brother a message, but though he waited for a while, there was no reply. Brad told himself that his brother might not be online. That he’d get the message when he came on again.
That everything was all right.
To distract himself, he ran a quick search on Lisa, but it didn’t bring up much information at all. No more news articles had followed the first one, and there were far too many Lisa Evans in the city for him to be able to pick one as her with any certainty.
So instead he pulled up some cat videos for Anarian. The baby watched them, enthralled. She even giggled once or twice, the sound tugging at his heart strings and making them melt.
For a moment, he had an idea of what his life might be like if he didn’t have to leave.
Sitting here in the evenings, entertaining Anarian while Lyrian cooked them dinner. Or cooking something himself while he watched Lyrian play with the baby.
His heart ached for that.
He’d never wanted a family. Always said he’d been too busy for one. He’d figured he’d be a bad father, too involved in his work to be involved in a family. He hadn’t wanted that for a baby. He’d felt he was better off single.
Unfortunately, the time for that had passed.
He was a father now, whether he was good at it or not. There was no turning back the clock on that.
It was just that he couldn’t have the happy family that he’d had a glimpse of. That wasn’t for him.
Sometime soon, he didn’t know if it would be in the next few days, or take weeks, but eventually they’d find Lyrian’s brothers, and he’d go home.
All this would be over.
He should enjoy it while he could, but it just made him feel sad.
Lyrian came back in with two plates heaped with macaroni cheese, and the smile on her face made Brad feel like a fraud.
She seemed to have accepted the fact that he was leaving. Or she didn’t care.
Brad tried to tell himself that was a good thing. It would mean she wasn’t hurt when he left. But nothing he told himself eased the ache in his his heart.
He did his best to hide his feelings as he brought the baby over to the table and sat down. He told Lyrian that Nate hadn’t seen his message yet, and that he hadn’t been able to find anything more on Lisa, and her face fell. But not for long. Brad watched as she teased and played with the baby, his heart getting heavier with every moment.
He was glad when the evening was over, and he was lying in the bed in the spare room, alone, trying to ignore all the memories of the time he’d spent here with Lyrian twelve months ago. He wasn’t sure how long he let himself be caught up in the past. The house was still and silent, but he couldn’t sleep.
He didn’t have time for all this reminiscing. He had a very real problem to deal with.
He’d pinned all his hopes and plans on finding his phone. It hadn’t even occurred to him that it wouldn’t be here. Or that Nate wouldn’t answer when he called.
What would he do if his brother didn’t find his message?
What would he do if something had happened to Nate?
It couldn’t have. Brad refused to believe it.
If he thought hard enough, he could almost imagine he could hear his brother’s voice.
The phone rang loudly in the silent night, startling him.
Brad jumped up and raced to answer it, his heart thudding. “Yes?”
“Hey, bro, what’s up?”
It was a relief to hear Nate’s voice. “Everything,” Brad said with feeling. “But first, where are you, and why haven’t you been answering your phone?”
There was a pause. “I’m the one who should be asking that,” Nate said. “What the hell happened?”
Brad felt guilty for the conversation he’d left half finished. “I did try to call you back, but you weren’t answering.” He hesitated. There was so much to say, so much to explain. And it was going to be hard to get Nate to believe any of it.
It would be so much easier if he were here. If Brad could show him.
“You know when you asked if I needed help? Well, I do. Can you come up here?”
“I’m already here, bro,” Nate said quickly. “I’m at the pub in Mungaloo. I came up straight after that call. But you weren’t at the house, and I couldn’t find you. I’ve been looking everywhere.”
His brother’s voice was worried. And… something else.
Why was he at a pub? Why wasn’t he here at the house if he’d come up to Mungaloo?
Things just didn’t add up.
What was Brad thinking? This was his brother. Hanging around dragons must have messed with his head if he was doubting Nate. Brad was sure he had a reason for choosing the pub over Henry’s house. Turning up here and finding everyone gone after that phone call must have been a shock.
It would be a bit creepy to hang out here after that.
“I’m sorry,” Brad said again. “Things have been a little… crazy.”
“Yeah, so I gathered. Do you want me to come out now?” Nate said immediately. “I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
Brad did. He’d feel so much better as soon as he saw his brother.
Yet, something held him back. “There’s no rush,” he told Nate. “The morning is fine. It feels better just knowing you’re here.”
It felt weird, not trusting his brother. But somehow, Brad would feel a whole lot better if Nate arrived in daylight. It would be safer for his brother too, he told himself. But it didn’t convince him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
If it was just him, he wouldn’t hesitate. But Anarian was here too, and Lyrian. Both hopefully sleeping soundly, trusting Brad to keep them safe.
They’d be fine here until the morning. Then, when Nate arrived, they could all plan their next move together.
Despite his concerns, it felt good knowing that in the morning, he’d see Nate.
That he wouldn’t be doing this on his own anymore.
Chapter 23
Lyrian stared nervously at the big, dark car that pulled into the driveway.
What would Brad’s brother think of her? What would he think of Anarian?
And most importantly, would he agree to help them?
The man who climbed out of the car looked so much like Brad it was uncanny. Their faces were so similar, Lyrian wasn’t sure she could tell them apart.
But unlike Brad, who wore a button up shirt with a collar, Nate wore a casual grey t-shirt. His hair was more untidy, more rumpled than the always neat Brad.
And for some reason, when he smiled, it had no effect on Lyrian whatsoever.
The smile Brad gave though, w
hen he saw his brother step out of the car, made her stomach do flip flops. He seemed so happy, so carefree.
Something he certainly hadn’t been with her last night.
Oh, he’d tried to hide it. Tried to be cheerful and happy, and play with Anarian, but she could see that he was hurting. All because of her.
She never would have imagined, back when he’d visited the first time, that they’d end up here. Of course, because of that, it hadn’t occurred to her to explain the whole story to him.
If she’d known it would come back to bite her now, she would have told him everything.
Or maybe she wouldn’t have slept with him at all.
It was all too hard, and right now, she needed to focus on finding her brothers. Maybe once that was taken care of, she’d be able to figure this out.
Or maybe it would be too late, and she’d just have to accept what she had.
“So this is the mysterious Lyrian.”
Brad’s brother walked up the stairs, Brad just a step behind him.
Nate smiled at her, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Instead, he searched her face, as though looking for something.
Lyrian tightened her arms around Anarian and lifted her chin as she stared back at him.
“Yes, this is Lyrian.” Brad’s voice was short, and he didn’t look in Lyrian’s direction. Probably he didn’t want to answer questions about their relationship right now. But it also meant he didn’t seem to notice that his brother was acting weird.
“And this is Anarian?” Nate stared down at the baby, then across at Brad, as though comparing them.
It hit her what he was doing.
She was so surprised she blurted it out before thinking. “You don’t think she’s Brad’s baby.”
To his credit, as soon as she said the words, Nate’s face reddened, and he immediately stammered an apology. “No, that’s not it at all…” He trailed off.
Brad frowned, Lyrian was relieved to notice. “Why on earth would you doubt that?” he demanded. He put an arm around Lyrian’s shoulders, and she was grateful for the support.
Grateful that it was automatic, even after the last few days.