by Riley Storm
“Two men followed you to Cerino’s. I was walking up to it when I noticed them. Something seemed off. They were watching it. Watching you. They sat in the same car, but both went in separately.”
She frowned. “But Braz, the only people that came in while I was there, were a random in a suit picking up his food, and Johnny.”
“That would be the one with the blond hair?” Braz asked.
“Yes…but, how did you?”
“He came outside and the two of them talked and prepared to go back inside together.”
Her mind replayed the time inside Cerino’s. They had both been wearing suits. But…
“That just doesn’t make any sense. Why would they be after me? Maybe it was a policeman of some sort?” she just couldn’t buy it.
“I went up to them,” Braz said. “I didn’t get a good vibe, wanted to see who they were, what they wanted. The instant they saw me, they panicked and ran. Two men I’ve never seen in my life. They got one look at me and they knew I was part of whatever they were doing.”
Something clicked into place. “So that’s why Johnny took off in the car. I thought he was pissed because I turned him down for a date. But he was running away from you?”
Braz’s flank stiffened. “You turned him down?”
“Of course I did. I haven’t seen him in fifteen years. Why would I say yes? I’m not here looking for a man.”
Something flickered in the dragon’s expression, but it was too foreign for her to recognize. What had just happened there? What did it mean?
“A police officer, any law enforcement officer, they wouldn’t run from me Grace. They have no reason to. Whoever these people are, they’re not part of the good guys.”
She ran a hand through her hair, the reddish-blonde strands falling slowly back into place. “Who are they then? Why are they after me? I don’t have anything they could want.”
“I’m not sure yet,” Braz admitted. “I didn’t catch one, so I couldn’t ask questions.”
“You couldn’t catch him?”
“It was public,” the dragon said, pouting, a look she never thought it could wear. “I couldn’t use my abilities without risking being noticed.”
“I see. So we have no information then.”
“Not yet,” Braz admitted. “But I have my suspicions, and I know who we can go talk to about it.”
“You do? Wait. We?”
“Well, I can,” he said. “I’ll keep you updated.”
Grace rubbed her face. “Okay. Right. And who is this, exactly, that we’re going to go talk to?”
“A human. His name is Wilson.”
“And he is…?”
“The biggest criminal in Five Peaks,” Braz said calmly, as if that wasn’t a big deal.
“You want to go talk to a mob boss? Just like that? This is ridiculous Braz.”
“He’s a criminal in Five Peaks, Grace. He’s nobody. Certainly not a mob boss. But yes, I’m going to go talk to him. I need to keep you safe until I find out what’s going on.”
“First I find out you’re a dragon. Now I’m finding out that you think some bad people are after me, for absolutely no reason at all. I have nothing they want or need. I haven’t set foot in Five Peaks in four years for a reason you are very well aware of.”
Braz didn’t shrink back from that last comment like she’d expected.
“I will not apologize for what I did,” he said tightly.
“Right. Listen, I’m done. We’re done. Thank you for sharing this. I will take your secret to my grave,” she said solemnly, meaning it. “But I am done. I’m out of here. Five Peaks and I are through, Braz. Over.”
She was slowly learning how to read dragon faces, and just then she was most definitely reading shock.
“What?” she asked, wondering why he was so caught off guard.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.” She shrugged. “Did you think that showing me your secret would just suddenly make me want to change my mind about everything?”
Braz’s giant mouth worked silently for several moments. “I think you’re still in a bit of shock, Grace. You shouldn’t go just yet.”
“Gee, I wonder why I might be in shock?” she said sarcastically. “I almost wish you hadn’t shown me. I didn’t need to know this.”
She saw pain cross his face at her words, and realized that maybe she’d gone too far with that last comment. That wasn’t her normal style at all, she wasn’t rude.
Maybe I am in shock.
Either way, she wasn’t staying.
“Listen, Braz. I should go, I—”
She stopped abruptly as the dragon head whipped up and around, back toward where they had left the cars. The head twitched slightly, and she realized he was listening to something.
Closing her eyes and focusing, Grace heard the faint sound of a running engine.
Braz spoke then, so quietly the words barely reached her ears. “Someone else is here.”
Chapter Eight
Braz
He could hear the voices, the sounds of two men as they talked.
The same men from before.
How did they find us here?
Clearly they were tracking one, or both of them. He suspected it was more likely Grace. Based on their reaction to him earlier, they didn’t know Braz was here.
Or they brought heavy enough firepower that they aren’t worried.
He still didn’t know how the men seemed to know that he was a major threat, but right then, with Grace’s safety on the line, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“We need to go,” he said, keeping his voice low. So far they hadn’t seemed to notice the tracks leading to the clearing, but they would soon enough. The trees would only hide him for so long.
“Who is it Braz?” Grace asked softly.
Whether she believed him or not, at least she was taking his efforts to conceal their position seriously. He’d half expected her to keep talking normally.
“I don’t know.” He wanted to tell her the truth, but she’d named one of them. Like she knew them. That complicated things, and Grace wasn’t fully aware of the danger to her just yet. He couldn’t risk her simply trying to march over there and confront the known man, thinking everything would be okay.
“So let’s sneak around them and leave,” she said, starting off.
“No,” Braz said, his tail curling up to block her.
He couldn’t risk it. If these men had brought backup, he would be risking exposing Grace to injury, or death. That wasn’t something he was willing to do.
So he was going to do something he didn’t normally do. Retreat.
“Get on my back,” he hissed. They were starting to look around for signs. It wouldn’t be long before one of them saw the path he and Grace had taken to get to the clearing.
“One more time?” she asked. “It sounded like you said I should climb on your back.”
“Because that’s exactly what I said. Come on, get on. We can’t wait around much longer.”
“How did they find out where we are?” Grace asked suddenly. “That makes no sense. We’re off the road, in the middle of nowhere. They shouldn’t be able to find us.”
There was no time for her to have a panic realization. Braz swung his head around, lowering it to her level so he could use one of his eyes to look directly at her.
“Grace Layla Atkinson. Stop it. Listen to me. I need you to get on my back, and now, okay? We have no other choice. Everything else is too dangerous, and there’s no time to explain why. We have to leave, now.”
If it were just Braz, he would have taken the men on. Even if they’d brought heavy firepower, unless they’d somehow found another dragon to help them, they wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Not if he used the full arsenal of his tools.
To do so though would leave Grace exposed and vulnerable. He couldn’t protect her and deal with all the men. Not without knowing what was on the other side of the trees. It was a gamble, and he’d only just seen
her again after five long years of wishing and hoping. He wasn’t about to lose her so soon.
“This is insane Braz. There has to be another option.”
“You can yell at me and tell me what we should have done later,” he insisted. “Please, humor me for now and let’s get out of here.”
The voice of the taller, older male sounded out. He had found their trail through the trees. Time was running short.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Grace hesitated still. “You want me to climb on your back?”
He extended a wing, like a ramp. “Yes, please. Right at the base of my neck. Hold on to the horns. There’s no time, please Grace.”
Braz’s pleading finally had an effect on her, and she cautiously ascended the wing.
“Faster, please,” he urged. The instant she was seated he spread his wings. “Don’t scream or cry out, okay? You’re going to want to, but you must remain quiet. And keep both hands on the horn.”
She removed the hand from where she had clamped it over her mouth.
Braz padded over to the middle of the clearing, wings spread wide, and with a mighty push of his legs and heave of his wings, they were airborne.
It was still bright out and, though they were deep in the dragon-owned mountains, he stayed just above the trees, skimming so low that sometimes an extra tall trunk tickled his belly.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” Grace repeated from her seat. “I am not doing this. This is insane. I can’t be doing this. No way.”
“Why not? Look at the view. Enjoy the feel of the wind on your face. You are safe with me, Grace Atkinson. Of that I swear.”
I would never do anything to put you in harm’s way.
He thought about the men back at the clearing. The men chasing after her. His mouth pulled back in a terrifying approximation of a smile, teeth as long as a forearm glinting in the sunlight.
And I vow that nobody else will hurt you either. You have suffered enough pain because of me. No more.
“I see a clearing over there,” Grace said, speaking with clearly clenched teeth.
Braz was busy watching where they were going, but he could sense the tension in her. She wasn’t panicking, which was good, but neither was she relaxing and enjoying the ride. He needed to set down sooner rather than later if he wanted her to maintain her calm.
“On it,” he said, gently banking in a wide loop toward the clearing.
They were a long, long way from where they had left the cars, over the middle of forested mountainside. It would have been easy for Braz to fly them close to where he lived, and then carry her in his human form back to the Clan Aterna family home. It was his preferred destination.
But sticking Grace in the middle of a couple of dozen shifters didn’t seem like the wisest move. Not yet. She needed longer to come to terms with what was going on, with the newfound world she was aware of. Then he could maybe introduce her to his family.
You’ve got a few other speedbumps to reach before you get there though.
He tried not to think about that.
Catching the air with his wings, Braz settled in gently to the clearing. A flock of birds took flight, and something the size of a deer went crashing through the underbrush and away to the north, but otherwise they landed calmly.
The instant he settled down and extended his wing, Grace was sliding down it, then jumping off halfway once she could get her feet on solid ground. It was equal parts amusing and disappointing. Braz wished he could do something to assure her that he wasn’t in the slightest bit a threat to her.
“Okay,” she said, putting her hands on her waist.
Braz looked at her blankly. “Okay…what?”
“Poof. Abra Cadabra! Transform. Morph. You know, do your thing. Do your…do your stuff.”
Braz’s head drooped. “You mean…shift? Back to my human form?”
“Yes. Yes, exactly that’s what I mean,” she said. “Right now.”
“No can do!” he exclaimed, tucking his wings in and settling down on his side.
Grace watched this happen for several long seconds. “What do you mean, no can do Braz? Stop this madness right now. Shift back, and let me see you.”
“Not going to happen,” he told her with polite denial. He hoped.
“Why not? What’s going on now?” she asked, crossing her arms and pinning him with a glare.
He would have laughed at the idea of a human’s glaring affecting a dragon, but this was Grace. Keeping her on his good side was what Braz most definitely wanted to do.
“Grace, what did I do right before I shifted into my dragon form?” he asked.
She was quiet, thinking. “I…I don’t quite remember,” she said with a wince. “It’s kinda blurry.”
“I got naked,” he supplied.
“Oh right.” She looked away.
Was she blushing?
“I’d forgotten about that part,” she admitted. “Not that, um, you know, not that you were forgettable. But like, with the dragon, and the scales and the transforming, it sort of, you know. I…yeah.”
Braz very carefully did not snicker. So she’d liked seeing him naked? Interesting. Maybe things weren’t quite hopeless yet. It had been a long time, but that didn’t mean…
“So if you shift back, you’re naked,” she continued. “That’s what you’re saying?”
“Yes. We left my clothes back in the clearing.”
“Cause somebody said we had to leave, fast.”
Braz grimaced. He’d been thinking about Grace’s safety, not his own decency. To a dragon, nudity was nothing. It wasn’t what he’d thought of first. He’d needed to make sure she was safe and away from the unknown men. Then he could proceed.
“What do you suggest we do then?” she asked quietly.
“Stay here until it gets dark,” he said promptly. “I’ll then take us back to the cars. If those men are still there, then I can fly us back to my house up on the mountain. You’ll be safe there. If they aren’t there, we get the cars, etc.”
“So what you’re saying, is you want me to spend the next eight odd hours out here. With you. Just the two of us, in the middle of nowhere. Me, and you, a dragon.”
Braz lay his head down on the ground, resting his neck. “It looks that way Grace. I didn’t plan it, but then again, I didn’t realize they were tracking you either.”
“Tracking me,” she said quietly. “How?”
“Did either one of them touch you?”
She was silent for a moment, likely replaying the encounter with the one she said she knew. “No. He sat across the table from me.”
“Then they must have been watching you even earlier. Put it on your car,” he said thoughtfully.
“Great. Just great. Are you sure there’s not another way?”
“I’m not willing to risk your safety Grace. We just have to wait it out.”
I just got you back. I’m not going to lose you again.
Not that he’d ever really had her. But this time, this time there was no cheating asshole in his way.
Chapter Nine
Grace
She was stuck in a forest, on the side of a mountain.
That alone would have been enough cause for alarm, by just about anyone’s standards. Grace, though, had somehow managed to top that all off by being stuck in a forest on the side of a mountain with a dragon.
“You’re actually really a dragon,” she said, giving voice to her internal thoughts.
“You believe?” Braz asked with only the barest hint of trepidation.
“Or this is the most lucid, logical hallucination anyone has ever had,” she told him. “I’m not panicking, you’re making rational arguments and explanations. It just, adds up. I mean I got on your back and we flew. I didn’t spread my arms wide and scream that I’m on top of the world. I was bloody terrified of the experience.”
Braz stayed silent, watching her, but letting Grace do the talking.
“I can’t believe it. A drago
n. That I’m stuck out here with.”
She didn’t want that, hadn’t asked for it, but it was what she’d got. They had hours to kill before the sun set enough that Braz could fly them back in secrecy. Was she really going to sit there in silence the entire time? Dragon form or not, it was still Braz. They had been friends for a while before…before.
May as well talk to him, pass the time.
“How have you been, Braz?” she asked quietly. “What have you been doing since I left?”
The dragon head twisted slightly so he could look at her straight on. It was unnerving to only have the attention of one of his eyes, but like many lizards, the dragon’s eyes were set more to the side of his head, than in front. If she was far enough away, he could look at her with both, but up close like this, only one eye at a time focused on her.
Most unnatural to her.
“Not much,” he said quietly. “Keeping my head down, doing my job. Trying to stay out of trouble. No major life changes, if that’s what you’re asking.”
What did he mean by that? What sort of life changes was he referring to?
“Your job,” she said quietly. “I don’t recall you ever actually revealing what that was. You always kept it so darn secretive. Like everything else.”
Braz looked away. “Sorry about that,” he said quietly. “But you know why now at least.”
“Yeah.” She didn’t say anything more, waiting for him to elaborate on the job. Grace was curious. What did dragons do for a living?
“I work in the mines,” he explained. “Helping to increase our clan’s wealth.’
Grace raised her eyebrows in question. “What mines? The mines around here haven’t been operational in nearly a century. They all ran out.”
Braz snorted. “Not even remotely. There’s plenty of gold and gemstones buried here. You just have to know where to look.”
“And I suppose you do?”
He just grinned.
Grace rolled her eyebrows. “Okay, fine. Be that way.”
“I will,” he said with a little laugh. “Thanks.”
She couldn’t help but smile back at him. It was contagious, his attitude. Every time she was around him, Grace had always felt happier. Or just happy.