Dragon Intrigues

by Isadora Montrose

  “Pirates don’t endow museums. Or are you forgetting that the Drakes just built Mystic Bay a whole maritime museum which brings tourists and jobs to the entire island?”

  “A boondoggle. Notice the highly paid director is one of them.”

  “Dr. Alister Drake* is a veteran of the US Marine Corps and lost both legs serving his country,” she shot back. “The endowment covers his salary. The Drake is a real museum that is preserving our local heritage and boosting the local economy.”

  “Humph. If Quinn Drake hadn’t knocked up that fairy, there would have been no museum. It was just a self-serving gesture designed to deflect criticism from the Drakes.**”

  This was old news, old scandal, and old controversy. Blythe rolled her eyes, and tried to respond calmly. “Quinn and Moira are married, Dad.”

  “Only because her aunt is the mayor.” There was a minute of silence she didn’t feel prepared to fill. “Do you think Mom and I should head home? We could probably get plane tickets the next time the ship stops.”

  And run into a psychopathic pyromaniac? As well as losing the price of that expensive trip of a lifetime? “Nothing you could do about the house burning,” she said as casually as she could. “Hopefully by the time you get back from the Aegean, folks will have some new gossip to chew on.”

  It took another twenty minutes of reassurance to get Dad to agree to continue the cruise.

  *Dazzled by a Dragon

  **Desired by the Dragon

  CHAPTER 8

  Duncan~

  “I don’t give a flying fuck why Lima recruited the bunny. I want her cut loose, effective yesterday.” Duncan Drake kept his temper — barely.

  “And I would remind you, Echo,” Alfa shot back, “that Vector has us stretched thin. Lima either lets the small fry go, or he hires civilians to collect evidence. SPAR has a lot on its plate.”

  For the past eighteen months, psi-weaponry had trickled out all over the Pacific Northwest. Suddenly it had become a torrent. But while SPAR had impounded a variety of psi-arms and caught a few street-level merchants, the guys at the top had remained elusive. They had codenamed the organization Vector, but naming wasn’t neutralizing.

  “Humph. What about my great-granddaughter?”

  “They aren’t married yet. Don’t count your dragonlings before they’re born. She was just supposed to take photos, but the bunny doesn’t take orders well.”

  “Your own damn fault for using civilians,” Drake snapped.

  “Probably. You sure you want a female that ornery in your family?”

  “We like our wives to show a little spirit.”

  “Your call.”

  “I don’t know what it’s like for grizzlies, but dragons don’t fight fate. That little gal is Neil’s one true mate. I don’t want her taken out by some psychopath.”

  Alfa’s sigh reverberated down the line. “About that. I’ve got good news and bad news.”

  Duncan’s neck prickled. “What?”

  “Hyland Ferris is an alias for a lowlife con — in both senses of the word — by the name of Austin Sheppard. Turns out he has an identical twin brother. At this juncture we can’t be sure which of them Blythe was taking pictures of. Maybe both. But certainly the shooter and firebug in Mystic Bay is one Dallas Sheppard.”

  “Why is that bad news?”

  “Dallas has a juvenile record of sorts. He and his brother were adopted as toddlers by a couple who died in a house fire. Cops thought it was arson, suspected the kids, but couldn’t prove anything. Like I said, he’s never been charged, but fires follow him like a bad smell all over the Pacific Northwest.”

  “And? I feel like I’m missing something here, Alfa.”

  “You are. Why is Dallas, who has never been picked up by the cops, never been associated with scamming dames, never been on SPAR’s radar for psi-crimes, suddenly a hit man?”

  “Revenge?” Duncan suggested.

  Alfa snorted. “Maybe. But this pair are flats. They look after their own hides. And more importantly, what does Dallas use to burn Warren’s house and torch his own vehicle? Something your great-grandson identified as a paranormal accelerant.”

  “Huh.” Duncan gave that some thought. “Neil did say the fire came from both ends of the spectrum. You think this is part of Vector’s operation? Maybe Dallas has some sort of pyro-talent.”

  “You wish. Believe me, a pyro-talent committing arson up and down the West Coast would have been on our radar long ago. We’re understaffed, not brain dead.”

  “So, this is a Vector operation?”

  “You think we’ve got two different sets of paranormal weapon dealers?” barked Alfa. The grizzly had never been what anyone would call amiable, but lately he seemed particularly short-tempered.

  “All the more reason to cut the bunny loose. She has no business tangling with hard-asses like Vector. And another thing, you might want to ensure her partner gets decent protection.”

  “Thanks for the tip, Echo,” Alfa snarled. “What the fuck would I do without your advice?” Not for the first time in recent days, Duncan reflected that the team at SPAR HQ was getting no younger. “And before you suggest it, we’ve already got research taking a second look at the video the girls took.”

  “Women, Alfa,” Duncan corrected. “Molly and Blythe are women.”

  “I knew that.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Neil~

  “Where’s Uncle Wally?”

  Dragon hearing being what it was, naturally he had heard Blythe’s side of the phone call, so he wasn’t exactly surprised that she had her dander up. Apparently his fated mate had a temper. Call him psychic, but he predicted that discovering that the sheriff had made his departure while she was wrestling with her parents was going to erode what little was left of her patience.

  “You’re spending the night here,” he informed her and waited for the explosion.

  But Blythe sat down on the nearest chair looking crushed. She had put her own clothes on before returning to the kitchen, combing her hair and gathering it into a flirty ponytail on the top of her head. Had to be something the matter with him that he preferred her mussed. He might not know much about females, but he had sense enough not to say so.

  “I can’t stay here,” she said primly. “It wouldn’t be right.”

  “I think you forget we’re betrothed.” He gave her his best smile.

  That made her blush and bite her lip. The ponytail danced when she shook her head.

  “Sleeping over is your reward for sticking up for me with your folks.”

  “You know we’re not really engaged,” she said. “We barely know each other.”

  “We’ve known each other all our lives. You’ve sat right there at that table and eaten cookies and drank milk with me.” He pointed. “While your own grandma told us tales of the old days.”

  That made her smile. “Which was a long time ago. I better stay with Uncle Wally and Aunt Melissa tonight.”

  “Can’t. He left.”

  “Without me?” Her mouth trembled.

  “He didn’t much want to. But I pointed out that Ferris might target his house if you were there. You really want to take that risk?”

  “Nooo.”

  He didn’t know if it was that soft wail, or her drooping shoulders, but suddenly he was holding her on his lap and she was sobbing into his shoulder. He wasn’t much for weeping women. But Blythe was different.

  Besides, if ever anyone had the right to a few tears, it was a woman who had been shot at and had her house torched. To say nothing of dealing with that fierce old dragon. Even at his most affable, Duncan Drake was terrifying. And he had been far from affable this evening.

  His shirt was soaked before Blythe rubbed her eyes. He handed her his handkerchief and waited while she unfolded it to blow her nose. His pecker was trying to climb out of his pants. He felt the exact moment she realized what was poking her.

  “Don’t wiggle,” he begged. “You’ll do me an injury.”


  “It’s only pretend,” she whispered back.

  He groaned. “I assure you it’s the real deal, sweetheart.”

  Her hips stopped moving. “I didn’t mean your erection. I meant this engagement.”

  “I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the engagement’s as real as our passion. You’ve got my ancestress’ ring on your finger and Great-Grandfather’s approval. By now half the town knows. It’s a done deal.”

  “What about what I want?” She tried to get her arms free of his. He cuddled her closer.

  “I can smell what you want, sweetheart. Not that you’re getting any tonight.” He kissed her hair. “We’re going to have a bit of a lap dance and then you’re going to the guest room to sleep alone, while I’m going up to the widow’s walk to keep solitary watch.” She stiffened and the scent of fear mixed with the scent of her arousal.

  He rocked her gently. “I’ll leave the hatchway open, and I’ll hear anyone who gets close to the house, long before they’re near.”

  “You think he’ll come after me?”

  “No,” he lied. Ferris’ accomplice was an unknown quantity, possessed of who knew what paranormal talents. Maybe he had already left the Old Forest and was slinking back to the Drake compound. “But I’m not taking any chances. So until he’s in custody, you’ve got a bodyguard.”

  “Oh.” She relaxed infinitesimally. “Can I sleep on the third floor?”

  “Sure. We don’t keep the beds made up there, but we can find some sheets. And you can have the room nearest the stairs to the lookout platform.”

  “Thank you. But we’re not really engaged,” she insisted.

  “Let’s fight about that some other time. Right now I want to know how you got into my house without me seeing you.”

  “There’s a tunnel under the front porch into the root cellar,” she said.

  “A tunnel?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Dug by rabbits, I take it?”

  “I assume so. You have to admit that dragons are better equipped to deal with bad guys than rabbits.”

  “Does anyone in my family know about your rabbit hole?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I would think so, or the house would be full of skunks. Real skunks. Something is keeping critters out of the basement.”

  Dragon magic. Sealing a doorway was a minor aspect of every dragon’s talents. “Got any other surprises for me?”

  “Lots, but not off the top of my head.”

  Bunny spunk was in the ascendant. His work here was done. “Let’s go, Buttercup, we have chores to do.”

  “Chores?”

  “Battening down the hatches and making up a bed.” He hated to do it, but he picked Blythe up by her waist. He took a deep breath and her heady scent made his head swim. He could do this. He was strong. He had fortitude. He was a Marine. He set her down on her feet and rose to his. “Let’s get those sheets.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Wally~

  “This was no electrical fire,” Fire Investigator Bruce Swann said. “I’ve got my people preparing samples for the lab, but I think you’re looking at arson, Sheriff.”

  “What we figured,” Wally responded.

  “Gotta say, your fire department did a damned good job of putting out the fire before it could spread. Homeowner is going to need a new roof, and there’s a heap of water and smoke damage, but it could have been a lot worse with a rural location like this.”

  “Hmm.”

  Swann was a good man, but he wasn’t from Mystic Bay and he wasn’t any kind of a sensitive. There was no way that Wally was going to attempt to persuade him that a frost dragon had extinguished the fire before the fire brigade arrived. Mystic Bay might be a refuge for sensitives, and known for its woo-woo tourism, but when you dealt with the state authorities, it was best to avoid all discussion of the paranormal.

  “Your niece is the homeowner?” inquired Swann tactfully.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You better tell her that if we find out for certain it’s arson, her insurance company won’t pay out until the arsonist is caught. The usual precaution in case she paid a firebug to burn it down herself.”

  “She didn’t,” Wally said. “But just the same, I’m glad we’ve got a suspect.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Ex-boyfriend,” Wally explained. “Went by Hyland Ferris, but that isn’t his true name.”

  “Fast work,” approved Swann.

  “Well,” Wally said modestly, “I like to keep an eye on strangers, and when they’re courting my own niece.” He shrugged. That was all true. It was suspicion of Ferris that had made him alert Neil, probably saving Blythe’s life.

  “Record?” asked Swann.

  Ferris, not Neil. “Not for setting fires. Done time for forging checks and running cons on old ladies. Got a string of aliases as long as your arm.” Ferris had been one busy psychopath. “I’ll have my people email you the file.”

  “Appreciate it.” The investigator stroked his mustache. “You arrested the suspect yet?”

  “Nope,” Wally said casually. “He left the island. But I’ve put out an APB out.”

  Babcock had pretty much been forced to waste the state police’s time since he couldn’t admit that Austin Sheppard aka Hyland Ferris aka Martin Biller aka John Todd, etc., etc. was in SPAR’s capable hands. Probably on his way to that shadowy location known only as the Facility. From whence few paranormal criminals returned. Wally didn’t exactly approve, but at least the asswipe was off the streets.

  SPAR had run Sheppard’s prints and turned up his criminal record and a twin brother. Dallas Sheppard had a clean record. On the other hand Duncan Drake had reported he was a suspected arsonist. Wally had assigned a deputy to search Austin’s room at the Bayberry B&B. He wasn’t hopeful, but maybe the Sheppard brothers had gotten careless.

  He left Swann and his people combing the crime scene and headed into town. Deputy Wolfmann had gone over Sheppard’s room and dusted it for prints. He shook his head. “Nothing, Sheriff. Clean as a whistle. It’s been scoured and not by the staff. Mrs. Berry locked up the room yesterday afternoon when her housekeepers found the sheets soaking in the bathtub — in bleach.”

  “Suggestive.” Obviously someone didn’t want a DNA test.

  “Yes, sir,” agreed Wolfmann.

  Vera Berry was Wally’s second cousin. A confident and assured blonde his own age. She was happy to answer his questions. “Naturally we kept an eye on a fella who was dating our Blythe. Gina Flores noticed that both sides of his bed had been used. Wouldn’t be the first time two people tried to pass as one. They made up the bed on one side, but Gina is an expert.”

  “Huh.”

  “She thought I should ask you to investigate so we could charge Mr. Ferris the full rate for two people,” she continued.

  “But you didn’t,” he pointed out.

  “Nope. Didn’t get around to it. But Gina collared a couple of drinking glasses that same day.” Vera produced a zippered plastic bag. “Saved them for you.”

  “Well, now,” said Wally. “That was very thoughtful.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Blythe~

  The sun woke her. It splashed across her face and made her blink. She was in a white room she didn’t recognize. Make that off-white. A rich symphony of cream and ivory. The Egyptian cotton sheets slid smoothly across her skin. A silky nightgown was bunched around her armpits and falling off her shoulders. She sat up clutching the bedcovers to her chin.

  “Mornin’.” Neil held out a mug of coffee. He didn’t look as if he had been up all night, but he had changed his clothes. He looked crisp and put together. How could boots, jeans and a sports shirt look so effortlessly elegant on him?

  She suspected her cheek was sleep-creased. Her hair well past a mess. “Good morning. What time is it?”

  “Eleven.”

  She sipped coffee. It was high-octane but creamy, just the way she liked it. “I never sleep this late.” She had missed daw
n and her morning browse.

  “You had a little trouble falling asleep.” He drank from his own mug.

  Neil had checked on her every hour or so, reporting that except for sighting members of the Air Patrol in the sky and the sheriff’s deputies watching her house, all was quiet. Every time she had closed her eyes, she had imagined being caught in the blaze. It had been after three the last time he had peeked in her open door.

  “I slept well once I went down.”

  “Uh-huh.” He looked smug.

  “Did you play sandman?” She dimly remembered Granny saying something about dragon sleeping spells.

  “Just a small charm to ensure dreamless sleep,” he assured her. But he looked worried. As well he might.

  “People who don’t dream go crazy,” she pointed out with a mildness she was far from feeling. “Don’t do it again without asking first. There are worse things than nightmares.”

  “No, there aren’t,” his voice was flat.

  She so didn’t want to go there right this minute. “How’s the knee?”

  “A little stiff, still scarred, but bearing my weight nicely. Thanks for asking.” His voice was dry.

  “You should have tried shifting as soon as you got out of the hospital.”

  “You know how your mom was upset because she believes I killed Randall?”

  “Hmm.”

  “She’s correct. I did. As a punishment, Great-Grandfather forbade me to fly for ten years. I’m not supposed to fly until October.”

  “Oh.” Neil’s voice had been flat, but somehow she knew he wasn’t unmoved. “Was that why he spent twenty minutes reaming you out last night?”

  “You heard that?”

  “Just call me Big Ears.” She sipped at her mug. “Did you do it on purpose?”

  “What? Kill Randall? No. But he’s just as dead as if I meant to extinguish his fire.” His face set in stone.

  Time to change the subject. “So your grandpa is still mad at you?”

  His face melted. The corner of his mouth went up on one side. “Great-Grandfather acknowledged that saving the guest house and the forest were more important than obeying his edict. But he wasn’t happy about the mate hunting.”