Seth stepped back and looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “So, does this mean you’re going to let me take you on a date?”
Claire laughed, and felt herself blushing again. “I suppose so. We did things a bit backward, didn’t we?”
Claire suddenly felt shy and hopped down to grab her clothes. She wasn’t normally what you’d consider the “wild child” type. She didn’t usually sleep with men she hadn’t even dated yet, and she’d never had sex on an office desk before. But there was something about Seth that drew her to him in a completely irresistible way.
“Hey,” Seth said, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms, pressing her against his chest with her armful of clothes smooshed between them. “We did things perfectly. We’re two people who are obviously attracted to each other and care about each other, and we decided to embrace those feelings. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Claire sighed and nodded, then let her head rest against Seth’s chest. He put his chin on top of her head and they stood together like that for a few seconds. Claire loved how warm and strong he felt. Her body still felt a little bit like it was on fire, and she tried to memorize the feeling.
She felt Seth take a deep breath, then, and he started to speak. “Besides, there’s something I need to tell you. I think that—”
He stopped midsentence and suddenly stood up straighter.
“Holy shit.”
Claire pulled back and looked up at him. “What? What’s wrong?”
His gaze was fixed on the computer screen, which was still playing back the video from the Bureau of Magical Artifacts. Claire turned around and looked at the screen just in time to see a pair of men wearing black hats disappearing off the screen. Her heart started pounding in her chest.
“That’s them. It has to be.”
“Looks like we found the real culprits behind the ‘accidental’ explosion,” Seth said in a grim voice. “Now is when the real fun starts.”
Chapter Ten
Seth hit play for what must have been the hundredth time. He and Claire peered at the screen as the video footage, now enlarged and playing back in slow motion, showed two men in black ski hats entering the intake room. The men never looked up at the camera. Seth wasn’t sure if they knew where the camera was located and were avoiding it, or if they just managed through dumb luck to never show their faces.
They did appear to be nervous. One of the men kept a lookout near the door to the room while the other man searched through its contents. He seemed to be having trouble finding whatever it was he was looking for. He dug through piles of artifacts, tossing aside whatever got in his way. The first several times they had watched the footage, Claire had railed against the man on the footage.
“Look at him!” she’d said. “He’s tossing around priceless objects like they’re trash! He should be ashamed of himself!”
Seth agreed with her, but he doubted that this man cared enough about honor and rules to feel ashamed. His brief encounters with the Dark Warriors had convinced him that they cared about one thing, and one thing only: power. Everything they did was an effort to grab more power for themselves. Which meant that whatever they were looking for in that room must be an object that held great power. But what? Anything that was known to have strong powers would have been put in immediate high-security safekeeping. It would not have just been tossed in a room with a bunch of other weaker artifacts. Was there something in that room that the Torch Lake artifact specialists didn’t realize was truly special and powerful?
This time as they watched, Claire silently observed the man as he searched. She didn’t yell at him, but Seth could still see the anger in her eyes. And of course she would be angry. This man had been involved in blowing up her workplace and nearly killing her, and now he was treating precious magical artifacts like junk while looking for something to steal.
“There he goes,” Claire said, and Seth turned his attention back to the screen. Still in slow motion, the video showed the man picking up a small sack. It looked like there was writing on the sack, but the grainy quality of the video made it impossible to read, or even to see what color or material the sack was made of. Seth watched as the man held the sack up to his ear and shook it. Whatever he heard confirmed for him that this was the sack he wanted. He gave a thumbs up sign and then turned to run. Both men left the room at a run, which wasn’t surprising. The time stamp on the video showed that it had been thirty-seven minutes since the explosion had happened. The men were no doubt getting nervous that their window of time to look through the room without being caught was running out.
Seth hit pause on the video and leaned back in his chair, letting out a frustrated grunt. “It doesn’t matter how many times we watch this. I don’t think we’re going to be able to see what’s written on that bag, or get any clues as to what’s in it.”
“Agreed,” Claire said. She rubbed her eyes, and then her forehead. Seth glanced at the clock on his wall. It was nearly seven, and neither he nor Claire had eaten much for lunch.
“We should call it a night and get some dinner. Maybe fresh eyes in the morning will help us.”
“Maybe we should just show it to the High Council first thing tomorrow.”
Seth frowned. It was his turn to rub his forehead now. “Fine. You’re right. I was just hoping to have a more complete idea of what was going on here before talking to them. I hate it when they start asking me a bunch of questions and I’m unprepared. But they might actually know some of what’s in that room much better than even the employees at the Bureau of Magical Artifacts would. I know that Councilor Isviar in particular loves to go see when new stuff is brought in. Researching these artifacts is a hobby of his.”
Claire slumped in her chair. “Hmm. Is there any reason you and I couldn’t just go over there and look in that room? I mean I know it’s secure but it sounds like you have pretty high security clearance. Maybe the guys over at the Bureau would let you look. Hopefully they’d let me look with you, but if not then I can suck it up and wait outside.”
Seth slapped his forehead. “That’s a great idea. Why didn’t I think of that before?”
Claire shrugged. “I think we’re both reaching the point of exhaustion. And staring at a computer screen for hours watching the same grainy security video over and over certainly doesn’t make it easy to think clearly.”
“I guess not. But it seems like such an obvious solution now that you said it. I bet I could convince them to let me take a look. And they’d probably let me take you in, too. As long as I vouched for you.”
“You would vouch for me, wouldn’t you?” Claire asked, giving her voice a dramatic flair.
“I suppose so,” Seth said, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on her forehead. “You seem like you’re alright.”
Claire rolled her eyes, and Seth laughed. But the truth was he thought Claire probably deserved to look in that storage room even more than he did. Sure, he was the one with security clearance, but he only had that because he was a dragon, and everyone trusted dragons completely. Claire was the one who had actually seen the intruder at the television station, and insisted that something be done about it. Seth had seen the fire in her eyes when she talked to the High Council the other day. He knew she wasn’t going to give up until she had solved the mystery of this explosion.
And he loved that about her. She might seem quiet and laidback when you first met her, but if you got in the way of something she believed was important, she wasn’t afraid to get in your face about it. He liked to make fun of Councilor Morgan for his stubborn streak, but he had a feeling that Claire could give the Councilor a run for his money if she really wanted to. That girl knew how to dig in her heels.
And that feisty girl had actually let him make love to her. Seth was still pinching himself. He had been looking forward to spending more time together while watching the video footage, but he had never in his wildest dreams thought that they would end up making love on his desk on the morning
of the first day. It had been a rash thing to do, but both of them had been overcome by desire. And now that he’d slept with her, Seth knew without a doubt that he wanted this girl in his life permanently. He hoped she felt the same, but he hadn’t had a good moment to talk to her about it. Their day had been filled with trying to figure out more about the intruders into the Bureau of Magical Artifacts, and any time Seth started to mention their relationship, Claire blushed and changed the subject. Seth had finally decided to give her a little time to process everything before trying to seriously broach the subject. This day had been a bit overwhelming, in more ways than one.
“Come on,” Seth said, standing to his feet and reaching to hit the power button on his computer screen. “We’re not getting anywhere by watching this over and over. Let’s go see if there’s still anyone around at the Bureau of Magical Artifacts.”
“This late?” Claire said, sitting up with a surprised look on her face. “I would have thought we’d need to wait until tomorrow morning.”
Seth shook his head, already reaching for his keys. “Maybe not. There will still be guards there, and they might be excited for the chance to let someone look in the room. It’s something to do besides just stand around, you know?”
Claire stood too, then. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to try.”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Seth agreed. “It might actually be nice to look around during off hours when there are a lot fewer people to nose around and ask what we’re doing.”
Seth drove them both over to the Bureau of Magical Artifacts. As he’d hoped, the building was almost empty, and the guard at the front desk was happy to see them.
“Well, well, well, if isn’t Mr. Seth Morley,” the guard said. “I saw you on TV the other day. Before the explosion. Must have been something else, to be in a building when an explosion went off, huh?”
The guard shook his head back and forth in amazement, and Seth felt Claire stiffening next to him. He knew Claire didn’t like it when people acted like the explosion had been a spectacle of sorts. She’d complained quite a bit about the way people watched the news over and over, gawking at all the damage like a bunch of tourists at a famous landmark. But now was not the time to reprimand the guard for his sensationalist tendencies. Seth quickly jumped in to speak before Claire could say anything.
“Let’s just say it’s not an experience you’d like to repeat. I’m glad to see you recognize me, though, because I need your help.”
“You do?” the guard asked, sitting up straighter and puffing out his chest a bit. “I’m always happy to help a dragon.”
Seth pulled his Torch Lake Security clearance card out of his wallet and showed it to the guard. “Yes, well, as you can see here, I’ve got Top Security clearance, so I’m not asking you for anything that’s against the rules. I would like to look at the intake room for magical artifacts, though. This is Claire Marsh, my assistant. I’d like to take her with me, too, if your rules allow for it.”
“Well, certainly, Mr. Morley. You just come with me and I’ll take you to the room myself. And your assistant is welcome to tag along with you, as long as you keep an eye on her. I don’t usually allow guests, but seeing as you’re a famous dragon I know I can trust you.”
Seth winced, trying not to let his discomfort over that statement show on his face. He didn’t like it when people bent security rules, not even for him. With the Dark Warriors apparently on the move, it was important to remain vigilant on security matters. Seth felt a little guilty over letting the security guard give him special treatment, but he tried to push away the feeling. After all, he legitimately did have top security clearance, and he knew for a fact that Claire was not going to cause any trouble.
“Let’s go then,” Seth said, perhaps a little too gruffly. “I’m eager to take a look at what’s in there. Do you know if there are any employees here who would be familiar with exactly what inventory is in that room?”
“Well, if anyone would know it would be the guards that regularly stand in front of those doors. The guy who’s there right now, Barry, can probably tell you quite a bit. He’s usually the one on watch when deliveries are made, because most deliveries are made late at night. That’s his favorite shift. He says he loves the quiet, and I can’t blame him.”
The guard continued ranting, saying something about how much things had changed since he was a kid, when times were simpler and there wasn’t so much noise everywhere. Seth tuned him out when he started ranting about the digital overload in the world. Seth had bigger problems right now than kids with Smartphones.
Seth had just remembered that there was another piece to this puzzle. A guard stood posted at the door to the intake room at all times. The video footage Seth and Claire had been watching was from a camera on the inside of the room, and hadn’t shown the outer entrance. Seth had been so caught up in trying to figure out what it was that the intruders were stealing, that he’d neglected to check out the footage from outside the room. How had the Dark Warriors gotten past the guard? Of course, they could have drugged him, but then the guard would have realized when he woke up that something was amiss. Similarly, if they had attacked and subdued him by force, the guard would have reported that. But, as far as Seth knew, there hadn’t been any reports of a guard being attacked. Was it possible that a guard here was on the side of the Dark Warriors?
Seth shuddered. The Dark Warriors seemed to be growing stronger every day. They were getting sneakier, too. If they really had managed to plant a guard in here, then where else had they gained a foothold? Although things in Torch Lake seemed calm and safe at the moment, this whole situation had been a reminder that now was not the time to let down their guard.
The guard chattered away the whole time they were walking to the intake room. Seth had been more right than he knew when he’d guessed that these guards would be eager for company. He couldn’t blame them. Standing watch all night must be a boring, lonely job most of the time. When they finally arrived, the next guard seemed just as happy to see them as the first.
“Hey Barry,” the first guard said. “We’ve got a dragon shifter here who wants to take a look at the intake room. Think you can help him out?”
The second guard, Barry, smiled from ear to ear. “I’d love to. Seth Morley, right? I saw you on TV.”
“Yup, I’m Seth. Apparently I’m famous from doing one little clip.” Seth laughed as he reached his hand out to shake Barry’s. “And this is Claire. She’s helping me out with a little project I’m working on. I’d like to see what kind of stuff you have in the intake room, if you don’t mind.”
“He’s got Top Security clearance,” the first guard said. “I checked his I.D. and everything.”
“Well then, it’s alright with me,” Barry said. “I can take it from here.”
The first guard saluted, bid Seth and Claire farewell, and then took off down the hallway, whistling as he went. Barry, a burly wolf shifter, turned to open the door of the room, which was secured by an electronic keyboard. He had to input a long code, and then verify his identity on a fingerprint sensor. Seth exchanged glances with Claire. This didn’t seem like the sort of room that would be easy to break into if you didn’t have someone on the inside helping you out. Seth desperately wanted to talk to Claire about this problem, but they couldn’t discuss it in front of the guard. They had both agreed that they would not talk about the real reason they were here. The High Council should be the first to know about the possible breach in security, so as long as there was someone else around, Seth and Claire would pretend that they were here to see the intake room out of intellectual curiosity.
Seth and Claire stepped into the room, and Seth got his first in-person look at the chaos. The grainy security footage had not done this place justice. Artifacts were piled everywhere. There were wands, swords, pots, books, and even blankets. The room was very colorful, with hues of purple and green dominating. But every color was represented at least a little bit.
“Are these all wiza
rd items?” Claire asked. She was looking at an old medallion that might have been gold at one point, but was so old and unpolished that it looked like brass.
“No, these are a mix of wizard and dragon items,” Barry said. “The ancient dragon shifters had a lot of magical artifacts, too. That medallion you’re holding is from an old dragon king, actually. I would say the majority of stuff in here is from wizards, though. Most of the dragon artifacts end up going to the Redwood Dragons Clan in California for safekeeping. They have a lot of vaults down there.”
Seth let his hands run over a pile of old armor. His fingers left streaks in the dusty surface, and he sniffed back the urge to sneeze. “This place doesn’t seem to be organized all that well.”
“No, not really,” Barry agreed. “Councilor Isviar has been trying to get an organization system in place, but he’s had a hard time of it. The rest of the High Council doesn’t seem all that interested in sorting through this mess. The things that are of great value or that are known to be very powerful are moved out right away. Everything else ends up in this pile of chaos. I’m probably one of the few people who has a good grasp on what’s actually in here. I see most of the deliveries, after all. And I’ve been working here for years—since the very beginning of Torch Lake.”
Barry puffed out his chest proudly, and Seth smiled at him. “You must have seen quite a lot of stuff coming through here, then. What are some of the more interesting things you’ve seen?” Seth was hoping that something Barry said might give him a clue as to what in here might have been worthwhile enough for the Dark Warriors to come after.
Barry scratched his chin. “That’s a hard question, man. There’s been some crazy stuff. A sword that could sing. That was interesting. A pearl necklace that could shoot out poison darts. Councilor Isviar loved that one. Hmm…”
Seth stood with Claire now in front of the spot where they had seen the Dark Warrior find the bag. The pile of stuff was a mess, but it didn’t stand out from the other piles. Everything in here was a mess, so it was hard to see that this pile in particular had been sifted through recently. Seth glanced at Claire, who shrugged. So far, this little expedition wasn’t telling them much that they didn’t already know.
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