The Lure of a Traitor

by F. L. Jordan

  “So,” he pulled back from their embrace to look down at her face, “anything interesting happen today after you guys left?”

  “Hail and I got lunch,” she tried to act nonchalant, but he caught the blush in her cheeks before she could turn away.

  “How did that go?” he used a playful, teasing tone.

  “Pretty well,” she stuffed food into her face to cover up her smile. “Copper invited Slag and I over for dinner tomorrow.”

  “Do I need to be concerned?” he allowed an air of seriousness to slip into his voice.

  “No,” she stated flatly. “He’s not interested in a relationship, and neither am I.”

  “You’re so full of shit,” Eli laughed. “You used to call me gushing about how cute he was, and you two did make a mighty fine looking couple today.”

  Natalie felt her cheeks redden instantly, “Eli Allen Carter! I was eighteen!”

  “Twelve years later and the man still gets you hot under the collar. Ow!” he winced away from her as she slugged him in the shoulder. “That’s going to leave a bruise!”

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t provoke me!” Natalie knew her face was a deep crimson by now, “I’m going to eat in my room.”

  “Oh come on,” Eli grabbed her arm. “Don’t get pouty on me. I was only teasing."

  "I know," she smirked, "but seriously, I don't stand a chance. He hates witches."

  "Ew, one of those types, huh?" Eli resumed eating.

  "I can't blame him," she admitted through a mouthful of broccoli, "he was blinded by one. I'd hate us too if I were in his situation."

  "Can you reverse it?" he asked curiously.

  "I don't know," Natalie shrugged.

  "You know exactly how talented you are, Nat, stop being so negative," Eli tossed his empty food carton into the trash and reached for one of the sushi rolls.

  Slag was too full to fend him off, not that she would have tried. Eli had set about spoiling her with treats over the last few days. He always made sure he brought home a snack for her at the end of his shift, and though he couldn’t understand her, he would talk to her and tell her about his day. She liked him.

  Slag watched the two humans interact, lazily swishing her tail as it hung from the counter. Family. She had one now, it was nice. She’d been the only egg in her mother’s nest that hadn’t been smashed by local kids. Slag had hatched out in the remains of her siblings as her mother mourned them. Her father had never been around. Stray males rarely stuck around to rear their offspring. When she was only a few days old, her mother became ill. She’d passed away during a thunderstorm with Slag beneath her wing. As a result, Slag slept near Natalie’s chest; solely for the comforting sound of her heart beat.

  “Come here, sleepy,” Slag wasn’t sure when she’d fallen asleep, but she woke to Natalie picking her up. The dragon drowsily curled into the crook of Natalie’s arm, yawning and stretching. The woman’s sweet scent instantly comforted her as she breathed it in. Natalie gently set her on the bed, turning out the light before crawling under the covers. The second she stilled, Slag made her way under the sheets as well, snuggling into Natalie’s side.

  As the little dragon drifted off to sleep, she heard Natalie whisper, “Good night, little one.”

  Goodnight, Slag answered as her mind filled with vivid dreams of happiness.

  Chapter 9

  Natalie closed her locker door lethargically, smoothing down her bright yellow sundress. She and Zach had spent the day chasing down dead ends, leaving her exhausted and frustrated. It felt like the answer to this mystery drug should be obvious, right under her nose, but she just couldn’t see it.

  They'd gone to see the landlord that owned the warehouse. The man had leased the building under a cash only no contract deal, and had been given a fake name. He didn’t care. He was paid in full every month and didn’t ask questions. In fact, he was mad at the police for chasing off his steady source of income.

  Natalie eyed the small silver band on her right hand, twisting it to conceal the five pointed star etched into its surface in her palm. She was worried about Starra. She’d called her at least a hundred times by now, but the woman wasn’t answering her phone. Natalie was worried her friend was dead. Starra liked to party, and had a bad habit of dipping into the products she sold; most of the sisters did.

  Natalie wished their coven mother hadn’t gotten them involved with such practices. It had been the key reason she started looking into becoming a cop. She wanted to prove that witches could be trustworthy and valuable to society. Thanks to the Empirical Coven’s involvement with drugs and sex work, if Natalie revealed what coven she had been a part of, no one would value anything that came out of her mouth.

  “Nice dress,” Amber said as she approached her own locker.

  “Thanks,” Natalie smiled, letting her hair down from its bun. Her long curls cascaded over her shoulders and midway down her back as she tucked the pin into her purse.

  “Dayum, gurl,” Amber jested as Natalie shook her hair loose. “You’re going to drown a few men with that sex appeal.”

  Natalie laughed, “Maybe they shouldn’t be so thirsty.”

  Amber fanned herself sarcastically, “It’s too hot in here for me. You got a date or something?”

  “Not really, just dinner with a friend,” Natalie tucked a curl behind her ear.

  “Is he cute?” Amber wiggled her eyebrows at her.

  “Very,” Natalie couldn’t hide the blush, “but we’re just friends.”

  “Uh huh,” Amber looked her over, “looking awfully cute for ‘just friends’.”

  Natalie rolled her eyes at the woman and turned to go, “See you tomorrow.”

  “Don’t leave tonight without a kiss!” Amber shouted after her, laughing as the locker room’s door closed.

  Natalie ignored the stares as she walked through the station. Now that she’d made a few friends, they felt more like surprised awe than hungry desire. As she clocked out for the day a low whistle came from behind her. She turned to find Lawrence smirking.

  “I don’t know who you’re hunting,” he said as he clocked in, “but knock ‘em dead.”

  Natalie rolled her eyes, “Just dinner with a friend.”

  “Will there be wine?” he asked, “Because if there’s wine, he won’t be a friend for long.”

  “I’m telling your wife that you’re harassing me,” Natalie chuckled, “have a good night, Laws.”

  “You too,” he winked at her and headed to his desk.

  Why was this always what happened when she dressed up? Couldn’t she look nice without everyone assuming she was going on a date?

  Natalie stepped out into the warm evening air and whistled. Slag was at her side in seconds. She’d told the little dragon to meet her there so that they wouldn’t be late. They made their way to Zach’s apartment, stopping at a local grocery store on the way to pick up a customary bottle of wine and a present for Copper. Natalie had read that it eases the tension between two dragons if the one entering the other’s territory provides a peace gift.

  It wasn’t long before the two of them stood outside of Zach's apartment complex. Natalie admired the small lump of amber that Slag had picked out for Copper as she pushed the call button. To her surprise, he didn’t check to make sure it was her, he just let her into the building. She guessed that Copper had been the one to hit the button.

  Natalie climbed the stairs and found his apartment with ease, knocking twice before stepping back from the door. The smell coming from within made her stomach growl in anticipation. A few seconds passed before Zach opened it, a smile on his face. Natalie was surprised to find that he had also dressed up, wearing a black polo and pressed khakis, though his stockinged feet lacked shoes.

  “Come in,” he stepped aside for her to enter. “Shoes off by the door, please.”

  “Oh my God,” Natalie teased, “you do have manners.”

  “Ha ha, very funny,” he closed the door and she placed the bottle of wine
carefully in his hands. “What’s this?”

  "What's it feel like?" Natalie asked sarcastically.

  "Wine, smart ass," Zach scoffed and she laughed.

  "There he is," she kicked her sandals off next to his sneakers beside the door and turned, taking in his pristine apartment. "Now, where is Copper?"

  "He was on the counter," Zach pointed towards his kitchen.

  Natalie spotted the glint of copper scales from within a large cat bed that sat in the far corner of the counter top. He was completely hunkered down, only the top of his head visible. The little beast's intense eyes locked on her own dragon.

  "Oh, I see him. Want to meet Slag?" Natalie had a feeling Copper wasn't wholly comfortable having another dragon in his home.

  "I'd love to," Zach set the wine bottle down on a nearby coffee table and held his hands out towards her. Natalie lifted her dragon from her shoulder and gently placed her into the man's arms. He cradled her kindly and tenderly examined her with his fingers, a frown forming on his lips, "I thought you said she had broken bones?"

  "She did," Natalie admitted, "I bought a healing potion at the market and it worked wonders."

  His frown deepened, "You should be careful giving magic based items to a dragon, Natalie. It can alter their metabolism."

  "I just didn't want to see her in pain," she hadn't realized that, and now suddenly hoped Slag wouldn't have any issues in the future.

  "I get that," he continued to feel the little dragon in his arms. "Her scales are healthy at least. She definitely still needs some groceries, though."

  "Yeah," Natalie reached over and scratched Slag's chin, "we're working on it, aren't we, girly." Slag purred and Natalie heard a rustle come from the kitchen. She looked up, surprised to find Copper had moved from his bed to the back of the couch in front of her. He was frighteningly quiet. He was also glaring at Zach with hostility, clearly not happy that his human was holding another dragon.

  "Slag brought you something, Copper," Natalie pulled the gemstone from her purse and gave it to Slag.

  The grey dragon burst from Zach's arms and landed in the center of the living room. Copper zipped over to her, standing protectively between Slag and a nearby chest. Slag dropped the lump of amber and flicked it towards him. Copper's eyes locked onto the shiny object, glinting with desire. He looked between the stone and Slag a few times before picking it up and turning to the chest. He pushed the lid open and tossed the amber inside, rummaging around for something. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for and closed the lid, offering a small iridescent grey lump to Slag.

  "What's happening?" Zach whispered.

  "He gave her a gift," Natalie whispered back.

  Surprise washed over Zach's face, "He must really like what she brought him."

  "She picked out a chunk of amber because it was the same color as him," she told him, watching her dragon happily accept the gift. She expected Slag to come back to her, but instead the little dragon squeaked and bounced around Copper. He looked at her like she was insane.

  After a few seconds, Slag slowed her movements, confusion covering her features, Don't you know how to play?

  Zach burst into a fit of laughter, "Give up trying to play with him, Slag. He's never been too interested in that sort of thing."

  Slag flicked her tail in annoyance, looked Copper over once, grabbed her gift and returned to Natalie's side. She dropped the lump of melted metal into Natalie's purse and settled into place on her shoulders. Copper flew back to his bed on the kitchen counter, laying his head over the edge so he could watch them. At least his hostility had lessened.

  Zach picked up the wine bottle and walked towards the kitchen, his movements confident and sure. Natalie followed him, taking a seat at a large maple wood dining table.

  "So, what kind of wine did you pick out?" he asked, pulling a corkscrew from a drawer.

  "A sweet white," she admitted shyly, slightly offended when he tossed the corkscrew down and pushed the bottle aside.

  "Typical woman's wine," Zach reached below his counter, pulling a dark bottle from a wine cooler, "and not a good choice for tonight's dinner."

  "Maybe I would have picked something else if you'd have told me what we were having," she retorted. She'd asked several times during the day, and he'd told her it was a surprise each time.

  "Filet mignon, roasted potatoes, and butter sauteed carrots and green beans," she watched as he pulled the cork and reached for two glasses.

  As the crimson liquid poured from the bottle Natalie spoke up, "None for me, please. Red wine and I don't agree." It was easier than saying she lost all sense of self preservation when ingesting the stuff, and would likely end up trying to seduce him halfway through dinner.

  "You're missing out," Zach sipped the glass and smiled, "but then again, I'll never drink the bottle you brought, so would you like me to open it as well?"

  "Sure," she hadn't intended on drinking anything, but a glass or two wouldn't hurt. "Need any help?"

  "I'm beyond proficient in my own home, Ms. Lock," his tone was slightly defensive.

  "That's not what I meant," Natalie sighed and crossed her arms, turning away from him, "but I offered, so you can't say I was a rude guest."

  This isn't going as well as I thought it would, Slag whispered to her.

  We'll go after dinner, Natalie whispered back. She wanted to leave now, but felt she at least owed him the honor of eating what he'd made. Something felt off. Copper had invited them over under the pretense that he wanted to meet Slag, but the animal clearly had no interest in doing anything with her. What was the little lizard up to?

  "So you're just going to sit there and be unsociable, Copper?" Natalie called him out. "This was your idea."

  Copper thought for a moment, looking between the two humans and then back at the scrawny little dragon that sat on Natalie's shoulder. Every fiber of his being wanted to snap at the creature and chase it from his home. He flicked his tail in annoyance and crawled from his bed, leaping gracefully onto the table and coming to sit in front of the two females.

  Show me how to play, Copper asked and a crash came from the kitchen. Zach had dropped Natalie's wine glass due to the surprise of Copper's request. The thin walled goblet sent shards all over the kitchen.

  "Let me help," Natalie hopped up, and to Copper's surprise, Slag ignored him and started picking up glass as well. He’d expected the street dragon to have little concern for his humans.

  "For once," Zach was frozen in place, "I'll accept the offer. I don't really feel like getting glass in my feet. Copper, grab the broom."

  Natalie put her sandals back on and took the broom and dustpan from the little dragon as he pulled it out of a nearby closet, "Don't move, it's everywhere."

  "Didn't plan on it," Zach remained still as they worked, groaning when the oven's timer went off. The cheesecake he'd made was going to burn.

  "I got it," Natalie grabbed the pot holder next to the stove and opened the oven. "Uh, which one?"

  "The dessert," he sighed. That was supposed to be a surprise. He hadn't planned on making it, but wanted to impress her for some reason. Copper had judged him heavily when he purchased the ingredients. He wouldn’t admit to either of them that he’d been stressing out about this dinner since Natalie had agreed to it. He hadn’t cooked for anyone other than himself and Copper for three years.

  Natalie pulled out the cheesecake and closed the oven door, setting the pan on a nearby cooling rack, "Where did you learn to cook?"

  "My mom," he admitted, "I used to follow her around the kitchen. One day she put me to work."

  "She must be a hell of a chef," Natalie complimented him, "because it doesn’t smell half bad in here."

  "If I wasn't surrounded by a mine field I'd deck you," Zach laughed as she continued to sweep.

  "Ha! You couldn’t hit me if you tried," Natalie swept up the pile of broken glass and reached for a paper towel, wetting it in the sink. Using the damp cloth, she picked up all t
he little shards the broom had missed.

  She tossed it in the trash and dusted her hands, "There, all clean."

  "You're sure?" Zach moved to take a step.

  "No, watch out!" Natalie shouted, doubling over with laughter when he froze.

  "That's cruel," he growled at her, grabbing a dish cloth from the sink and throwing it at her.

  "Pot, kettle, we're both black," she smiled and tossed the rag back into the basin. "Sure you don't want some help, butter fingers."

  "No, go sit," Zach pointed towards the table angrily before he retrieved a new glass. He poured her wine and handed it to her just as his second timer went off. Dinner was done.

  Natalie watched with great interest as Zach pulled plates and silverware out, loading them with good smelling food. She also noticed that he took out two smaller plates and filled them with fresh cuts of fish, boiled eggs, and some dried grasshoppers. He served their food first, and then retrieved the plates intended for the dragons.

  Copper obediently sat in his spot, waiting for Zach to pray. To the creature's surprise, the man didn't do it. He simply dug into his meal. Copper pushed his confusion aside and started eating, watching Slag examine her plate.

  The little thing looked between her food and Natalie's with confusion, sniffing the dried bugs vs. the steak. Copper stopped chewing and stared in utter disbelief as Natalie cut off a piece for her. Zach never let him eat his food.

  Natalie noticed Copper's irritation and cut off a small piece for him as well. He stared at the chunk of meat, torn between his desire to eat it, and his loyalty to Zach's rules. He looked between his human and Natalie. She winked at him and smiled, letting him know she wouldn't tell. Even Slag encouraged him.