I couldn’t see my watch so I had no idea how much time passed. It felt as though hours crept by before the door opened and a clean cut Italian man dressed in a business suit strolled into the room. A suffocating sense of power struck me even before I looked up to see an 8 blazing over his head. His dark hair curled wildly, and his dragon-orange eyes studied my face closely. “Good morning, Signora, I am Paolo, chief guardian of Herculaneum by decree of the Dragon Prince of Naples. My men said you and your mate killed two of the dosens at the Villa of Papyri along with three others.”
“No. That is not true.”
He raised a thick dark brow. “You accuse my men of lying.”
I closed my eyes for half a breath, reminding myself that the scene had been chaotic and confusing. Opening them again, I met Paolo’s gaze steadily. “No. But they arrived after the fight occurred, and so they leapt to a conclusion. Perhaps it made sense in their limited context, but it is not what happened. We were there to consult the Lore keepers, Marie and Daniel. During the conversation, we were attacked by hunters from Weard Enterprises. They attacked without warning or provocation even though none of us were prepared for a fight.”
“Your mate was more than prepared.”
My lips twitched into an unbidden smile. “He is always prepared. He is a warrior.” Clearing my throat, I continued before he could press me on Mathias’ species or other details I couldn’t give. “He defended us to the best of his ability, but the hunters cheated. They fought like cowards. I watched them slaughter both Marie and Daniel. They were coming for me next when my mate stopped them.”
The dragon studied me with unblinking eyes, and I struggled to breathe normally as I watched his number flicker briefly, showing a 9 before settling back into an 8. I hated when the numbers danced higher like that. “What were you seeking?”
I blinked at him. “I beg your pardon?”
He leaned forward, his gaze intent and glowing with fiery orangish yellow, pinning me in place even without the handcuffs. My mouth went dry, and my heart started beating frantically against my ribcage. The dragon’s expression remained intent and focused even as his nostrils widened. “What were you seeking that you needed to consult the dosens at an hour so early no one was around? Avoiding witnesses?”
“It was a private quest,” I mumbled. Clearing my parched throat, I ignored the growing need for water as I clarified, “It was personal. And, no I did not want there to be a lot of listeners when I asked. Besides, my mate and I were supposed to leave today. We could not wait too late into the day before seeking out the Lore keepers.”
“A personal question for two Lore keepers who specialize in the history of the Spotters?”
I barely kept from wincing at the dragon’s dry remark. So much for my hope that he didn’t know what Marie and Daniel had focused their work on, and now . . . I was going to be raked across the coals, then roasted alive for this one.
Deciding there was no other hope for it, I slowly nodded. “Yes. Marie specialized in unlocking knowledge via memories. She helped me with that, and then said she knew more about . . . about my parents. So we came back because I needed to ask more questions about them.” I paused, studying his face. Dragons had exceptionally long lives, and it was hard to tell the age of those who were adults, but not yet elders. There was a chance that he was old enough to know them . . .
I took a steadying breath and said, “My parents were . . . associated with Natalia and Elam Serkan, a Seer and Jinn. They came here on an artifact quest about twenty-six years ago. Marie didn’t know what happened to them after she helped them with information, though.”
The dragon’s nostrils flared again, and a hint of sulfur entered the air as he blew his breath out. “A Seer and a Jinn?” He closed his eyes halfway then murmured, “I remember finding them.”
“Finding them?”
He nodded. “Their bodies were found on the side of Vesuvius, just above this town. It was obvious they had been cut down, but we could not find the culprits.” He paused before adding slowly, “Theirs were the only bodies, however. If your parents were associated with them, they might have been killed or taken. But, Vesuvius was merely the place they had been left, not the site of their deaths, so it is impossible to say.”
I gave a curt nod. “Thank you. That information is . . . helpful.”
The dragon rose, and then he shocked me by unlocking my handcuffs. He kept his grip on my arm, however, as he led me out of the room. We walked down a series of equally bland halls before emerging into a room decked out like an infirmary. Mathias was sitting on one of the beds, shrugging back into his jacket. However, he wasn’t wearing a shirt anymore. Instead, bandages were wrapped around his lean torso, changing it to appear lumpy on his left side.
I hurried to him and he grasped my hand, but kept his attention fixed on the dragon. He tilted his head slightly. “Thank you for your hospitality. I appreciate not being left to bleed all over your floors.”
Squeezing his hand tighter, I turned an apologetic look on the dragon. “He truly is thankful. He’s just terrible at expressing gratitude when he’s wounded.”
“I am not.”
“Yes, actually you are,” I stated through clenched teeth. “Now, shush.”
Mathias’ mouth twitched with a crooked smile, and I wanted to smack him for it. Now was not the time to be poking at dragons. Lunatic Ten.
I quickly turned my attention back to the dragon. He nodded slowly. “My prince has given clear orders. The two of you are to be released. However, you are to leave Herculaneum and the rest of the territory of Naples, and never return. Your presence is no longer welcome in my prince’s territory.”
“We understand,” I said before Mathias could do anything. “Please offer our thanks to the dragon prince for his mercy.”
* * *
Chapter Fifteen
Mathias
Breathing was a mite more difficult than usual as I leaned against the lorry’s window. Feeling Lauren’s gaze on me, I opened my eyes and forced a faint smile. “I’m fine. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”
“You’re capsized in the passenger seat, Mathias. I am absolutely certain that I do not want you anywhere near the steering wheel. Especially when you look paler than milk.” Lauren’s hands tightened around the steering wheel until they turned white. “They’re dead.”
My brow furrowed as I attempted to keep up with her leap in conversation. Then, I noticed the tears shimmering in her eyes. “Your parents?”
She gave a short nod and sniffed. “It was probably the only outcome, right? I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s been decades. But, I was . . .”
“I understand.” Pausing to catch my breath, I bit back a groan since I did not want Lauren to pull off the road and stop. “What else did they tell you?”
“Their bodies were found on Vesuvius, but they weren’t killed there.”
“Dumping ground,” I murmured.
Lauren made a low noise, and I grimaced. Ignoring the pain the movement caused, I forced myself to sit up and reach over to touch her leg. “I’m sorry. That was a bit too blunt.”
She shook her head and wouldn’t look at me. “No. It . . . It is true, and it is in the past. There is absolutely nothing I can do for them now.”
“It’s a pity we weren’t invited to use the airport at Naples. It would have been fairly easy to get an airship to Egypt, Cairo most likely. Then, we would have made our way from Cairo to Jerusalem, and from there we would have taken a quick jaunt into Jordan. We would have been in Petra by the end of the week.”
“We can’t go to the Jinn yet.”
I eased back to lean against the passenger window once more. This time I stretched out my legs on the long bench, not quite touching Lauren, as I closed my eyes. “Yes, I know. We need to let Raz Yakov know about this Crown of Nimrod. Where did he say to meet him?”
“Tourist area of the Colosseum, during the day.”
“Seems reasonable,” I muttered. A
bsently touching my side, I added, “Wouldn’t want to run into any patrons when I’m in this sort of shape. It would no doubt lead to a ghastly display of hubris.”
“Your hubris is only ghastly when you decide to tweak a dragon’s nose, dear,” came the soft reply.
I opened my eyes to frown at her. “I don’t have hubris and if I did, it wouldn’t be found in ghastly displays. They would be . . . impressively noble.”
“Of course, they would be, dear,” she murmured as she reached out to pat my leg. Then she added in a lower voice, “Those dragons did not check him for a concussion.”
I chuckled breathlessly. “Cheeky little Spotter.”
* * *
Lauren
The Colosseum seemed far too peaceful by daylight. It seemed too untouched by the violence of its past, of the games it was built to hold. I tightened my hold on Mathias’ arm as we entered with a tour group filled with 5s and 6s. It seemed too easy compared to the last time. Far too easy when a protective glamour didn’t appear. Of course, the group we joined was led away from that section of the Colosseum.
I tuned out the guide’s thickly accented English as he recounted the stories of the Colosseum. I didn’t need to imagine the bloodthirsty cries of the audience or the sand being stirred up by gladiators. I had already lived through it. And, I never wanted to come near this place again.
The murmurs of the group faded as I focused on scanning the area of the only other low number I would likely find. Where was he?
Mathias leaned more heavily against me, and I knew I would need to get him to the safe house quickly. I studied the golden numbers once more. Mathias leaned his forehead against my hair and murmured, “See anything of interest?”
“Not yet,” I whispered. My gaze fell on a wooden bench in the shaded area of the Colosseum. “Come on. Over here.”
He grunted, but didn’t protest as I guided him over to the bench. I eased him down and kept a hand braced against his shoulder as a precaution. If he collapsed here, we would likely end up in a clinic again. Mathias raised his right arm and swiped away the perspiration dotting his forehead. “We need a better holiday, love.”
I laughed softly. “Yes, we do.” I looked around, then stiffened as I caught a glimpse of a three on the other side of the Colosseum. For a moment, I considered going to find Raz Yakov and then I glanced back down at Mathias. Despite his pretense that he was just fine, he probably should have been in bed. And, he definitely shouldn’t have gotten out of the truck to come up to the Colosseum with me. Of course, the stubborn fool refused to listen me when I suggested that he stay put so I could meet Raz Yakov.
Noticing he had somehow turned even paler, I quickly sank down on the bench beside him. Leaning in close to give the impression of a couple distracted by each other, I murmured, “Are you all right? Do I need to take you to a healer?”
Mathias grimaced and forced a smile that I didn’t believe in the least. “No, no, don’t worry about me. I will be just fine. I just . . . I just need to catch my breath is all.” He closed his eyes as he muttered, “I’m having an absolutely smashing time in Italy. May we never have to come back.”
Torn between laughter and sympathy, I could only shake my head. “You poor thing.” I kissed his cheek and then whispered in his ear, “Two minutes and then we leave.”
“Without meeting your friend?” he murmured, eyes still closed. “I think not.”
I opened my mouth to argue with him, to tell him in no uncertain terms that his wellbeing was far more important than attempting to meet an elusive Spotter. Then, a gravelly voice interrupted me. “Lauren Hope, you came back.”
A mix of relief and anticipation coursed through me as I looked up to see a 3 glowing above short cropped grey hair. Light brown eyes peered out from beneath wild eyebrows as Raz Yakov looked from me to Mathias, his thin lips pursing. He wore the same simple garb of a long sleeve white shirt combined with dark pants and vest that complimented his dark olive complexion. His gnarled hands rested on a walking stick, but they trembled slightly as he looked at the space above Mathias’ head.
I nodded to him. “Raz Yakov. I was afraid you would no longer be waiting for us.”
“I had almost given up hope that you would return,” he stated, eyes still fixed on Mathias’ number. “Today was the last day I was coming up here. I expected you to find answers from the Lore keepers much sooner.”
“Unfortunately, we encountered some . . . delays on our way to Herculaneum.”
“Herculaneum,” Yakov interrupted, his light brown gaze flicking to me. “I told you to go to Pompeii.”
“There were too many Weard hunters there to make the journey safe. And, we knew the Lore keepers would be in Herculaneum.”
His thin lips pursed once more before he nodded. “Yes. It makes sense. Forgive me for not thinking of it sooner.” He glanced warily at Mathias and his number again before adding, “Well? What did you find? Anything? Was there any truth to the story?”
I nodded. “Yes. We spoke to two Lore keepers whose study focused on Spotters. They were able to share a story about a particular artifact tied to our people. Unfortunately, we were ambushed by hunters and the Lore keepers were killed. Two of them escaped as well. We fear they will take the information to whoever it is that is running Weard Enterprises now.”
“What information?”
I quickly told him everything I knew about the Crown of Nimrod and the fact that it was tied to the seven wonders of the ancient world. When I finished, Raz Yakov rubbed his jaw with a gnarled hand. “The Crown of Nimrod . . .”
“You know of it?” Mathias asked gruffly.
“I had heard whispers of such an artifact. One that was tied to Nimrod. I never realized it was also tied to the Spotters, not really. If anything, I believed it was one of those stories where it was more fable than truth.” He scratched at his jaw as he added, “It would not be the first time a paranormal artifact was muddled into a norm legend. Excalibur is one. If anyone could figure out which water nymph stole it, there would be a fight between the Fae and the dragons to claim it. Since Arthur was a dragon shifter. Naturally. But, Excalibur was Fae crafted.”
“The Crown of Nimrod is far more dangerous than a single sword,” I said, trying to keep the older Spotter’s mind from distraction. It was too important to lose focus now. We had to have a plan.
I quickly looked around to make sure we were still relatively alone and then lowered my voice as I asked, “What will you do?”
“Me?” He barked a laugh and tapped the end of his walking stick against my leg. “Look at me, girl. My days of adventuring are long gone. As I told you before, I cannot leave Roma. If Weard is hunting you and has succeeded in injuring your Ten, your Myrmidon, what chance do you think a broken old man will have against them. I leave Roma, and I lose all my protections. No, the risk is too great.”
“We cannot leave the artifact out there where Weard can find it. If they find all the pieces and restore the Crown of Nimrod, we have no idea what sort of destruction they can cause with it.” I hesitated then added, “They have captured Spotters. If the artifact is wielded by a Spotter, they already have a piece of the puzzle at their disposal. It’s only a matter of time before they come to open blows with the dragons and Fae. Then, where could you hide? The neutral cities won’t be respected. Weard does not care about such things. They have only grown worse in the last few years since their change in leadership. Some rogue dragon that won’t be content to leave the peace intact. Everything our ancestors fought to protect, everything we went into hiding to protect, all of it will be destroyed. You must know this as well as I.”
Raz Yakov’s wild eyebrows lowered until they nearly obscured my view of his eyes. “You think a rogue dragon has taken leadership of Weard Enterprises.”
“It is the only thing that makes sense,” I said quietly. I rubbed Mathias’ arm as he braced himself against his knee. “What are we going to do about the Crown of Nimrod?”
Yakov�
��s craggy face lowered and then he stated gently, “I believe there is only one solution. The only way to keep Weard from getting its hands on the artifact is if the Spotters retrieve it first.”
I straightened in my seat, eyes widening. “You know another Spotter.”
He chuckled, not quite mockingly. Then, he tapped my leg with the walking stick once more as he said, “Yes. I know you.”
I shook my head. “No. I can’t do that.” I glanced at Mathias who was slouching now. His face had gone milky white again and his breathing was shallow enough that I wasn’t certain he was paying attention to the conversation. “We cannot do that.”
“Think on what you said, child. Allowing Weard to take possession of the Crown of Nimrod, when they have at least one or two Spotters in their hold as well, would bring unimaginable destruction on the paranormal community. Then, it will spread to the norms.” Yakov looked from me to Mathias and then back to me as he added, “You would turn your back on the only chance to stop them? You might as well participate in the destruction yourself.”
The words pierced me to the core. I bit back an instinctive protest as my mind offered proof of the truth. The seer in Venice, he had called me the Destroyer. He had said that I would cause the destruction of our world. And Weard . . . Weard never would have known to even look for the Crown of Nimrod if I hadn’t gone to Herculaneum.
I glanced at Mathias. His injuries were my fault. Again. Because once again, I had put him in a situation where he needed to fight all because of my hunt for my past. My parents . . . My breathing hitched slightly at the thought of them. They had died for this, they had died to keep the Crown of Nimrod out of Weard’s control.
I couldn’t turn away now. No matter how much I wanted to disappear before Weard could track us down again. This had to be done. The crown had to be found. I was not going to be the Destroyer. No matter what the seer saw, I would not be the Destroyer.
Looking up to meet Raz Yakov’s hopeful gaze, I offered a curt nod. “All right. I’ll do it. I’ll find the Crown of Nimrod.”
Hunt by Numbers Page 15