Chapter 6
Chapter Six
SEB
So much for the witch idea. Zoe Willow will not be helping us.
Whatever occurred before, she’s either lost her ability or lost her drive to do magic.
Either way, she’s not a good fit. It’s hard for me to imagine what scenario would cause this to be true, but I know she wasn’t lying.
Her voice may reverberate with magic when she sings, but it couldn’t hide her disappointment.
And her expression as she turned down what was obviously her dream offer was nothing short of devastated.
The scent of salt in her tears lingers in my nose.
If Zoe had any choice, I am sure she would have said yes.
As it is, I’m afraid I destroyed her tonight.
I picture her crying in that insult of a dressing room, and my dragon roils inside my skin, begging me to go back there and kiss her tears away, push that short white dress up around her waist and pound into her until she can’t remember any sadness at all. I growl.
What an incredibly inappropriate thought.
I am not the type of executive that has affairs with the talent.
I’ve always lived by the motto that you do not dip your pen in the company ink.
That’s a good way to get into some serious legal and ethical trouble.
My inner dragon may be a horny, unrefined beast, but even in my alignment, I know better.
Any relationship with Zoe Willow would be an unpredictable and complicated mess, and that is something my dragon and I do not need in our life.
Unfortunately, my body disagrees. I glance down at my growing erection as my car and driver pull up, readjusting myself as William hops from the driver’s side and opens the door for me. I slide into the back seat, and he returns to the wheel, adjusting the cap of his uniform.
“Remus called while you were indisposed,” he says as he pulls into traffic. “Sounds important.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and see several missed calls from Remus. I’d turned off the ringer during Zoe’s show and been so enraptured by her performance and our discussion after that, I hadn’t even noticed the vibration in my pocket. I hit the call button and bring it to my ear.
“Seb, thank the creator,” Remus says in lieu of hello. “I need you to get down here right away. It seems we underestimated what’s going on with the Order.”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“There’s been another murder, and it has the Order’s calling card all over it. It’s just you and me on this one. Ellison is back in New York with Connor and Fiona, and Lucas went to Maryland to try to track down the bomber. I need your help making sense of this. I’m sending you the address now.”
“I’m on my way.” I groan as I end the call and forward the address Remus sends me to William’s phone. “Sorry. There’s been a change of plan. We need to head to the Laguna Beach area immediately.”
“No problem, sir. I’m on it.” He taps a few buttons on the console, and the directions to Remus’s destination come up.
We travel in silence for a few minutes, me shifting uneasily in the back seat as my partial erection presses painfully against my zipper.
I consider putting up the divider and rubbing one out in the privacy of the back seat, but I know from experience it won’t help.
A dragon in his alignment needs sex, preferably with their mate. No other medicine will do.
William glances at my squirming in the rearview mirror and clears his throat. “Do you need me to make a stop on the way? Mia’s residence is en route.”
Mia is a fellow Taurus dragon and does indeed live in the area.
We’ve used each other before in years past to stave off the strong mating instincts our dragons force on us during our alignment.
William has been with me long enough to know, and it’s not a bad idea, actually.
Among dragons, it’s perfectly acceptable to have such arrangements.
It’s just sex, after all, not mating. A salve that barely eases the pain of an open wound.
A no-strings-attached arrangement. I’d have jumped on the suggestion in the past.
So why do I find that the moment I consider saying yes, my erection is gone and my dragon is suddenly uninterested, almost repulsed, by the idea? My brow furrows. Problem abated. “Thanks, but no. I’m fine. Remus needs me there as quickly as possible. Brotherhood business.”
He sends me a little nod. “Understood. I’ll have you there in no time.”
I lean back in my seat, surprised as my inner dragon sends me mental images of carrying Zoe, the scent of her hair, the way her arms had wrapped around my neck. That’s weird. Crap, I hope he’s not developing a fixation on the singer. If so, he’s going to be sorely disappointed.
I redirect my attention to my email as my blood heats again. It’s done. The decision made. I will not bother Zoe Willow again.
Over an hour later, we pull up the drive of a beachfront property past a small contingent of police cars. I recognize Remus’s army-green Jeep by the VENMINK plates. I hurry inside.
Remus meets me at the door. “It’s a crime scene. I influenced the lead detective to let us in. Gave an insane excuse of being insurance investigators. Best not to draw attention to yourself,” he mumbles. “If he starts asking questions, we’re screwed.”
“What happened here?” I whisper.
He gestures with his head toward the hall.
As we walk, I watch him fade, camouflaging himself before we enter the bedroom.
I follow his example, stepping quietly into a crime scene that stinks of blood and the smoky scent of dragon.
A man’s naked body lies at the center of the room, surrounded by crime tape and forensic labels.
His head is missing.
Remus elbows me in the side and points to the wall.
Nailed to an enormous oil painting of a dragon is the head.
Blood tracks from the severed neck to a pool on the floor that still looks wet.
Painted to the side of this grisly scene are the Latin words, “Astra inclinant, sed non obligant.” The same inscription that appears on each of the Saint’s Order rings.
Remus nudges me and gestures toward the hall. We creep past the investigators, down the hall, and into an empty bedroom where we can close the door.
“Who was he, and why do you think he was targeted?”
Remus frowns. “Reed Follis, art professor. Popular among the local gay community.”
“How do you know that?”
Remus holds up his phone and starts showing me social media and Grindr accounts. “His last post was about meeting someone for a drink.” He holds out his phone. On the screen, a social media post by the deceased reads, “Sometimes love requires you to take a leap of faith.”
“You think someone seduced him and came back here with him to kill him.”
“It’s a theory.”
I lower myself into one of two leather chairs in the room. I feel as though someone has delivered a serious blow to my gut. “Fuck. Do you know what this means?”
Remus crosses his tattooed arms over his black T-shirt. “It means the Saint’s Order has targeted another dragon in the general population, unprovoked and on their own property. He must have concealed his ring too, or it was an initiate who didn’t have one yet.”
I nod. “Two attacks. Days apart. On either side of the country. We knew the Order stopped observing the accord the moment Donovan died, but this is bigger than that. This is war. They are actively hunting us, Remus. This will not be the last attack.”
Rubbing his jaw, Remus asks, “What do you want to do?”
I hate that it’s my call to make, but this can’t wait for another gathering of the four. “Let’s send out an alert to all registered dragons. Code red.”
Remus’s eyes flare. “You’d send the entire species into hiding?”
I square my shoulders. “What other choice do we have? After these two murders, it’s clear that any interactions our people have with humans pose a risk.”
“You’re talking about shutting down businesses. Pulling children out of schools.” Remus grabs his head. “What about the witch? Did you get her to agree to help us?”
I shake my head. “It was a false lead. She can’t perform the magic we need.”
Remus frowns. “Can’t or won’t? I could have sworn I felt her power in my head.”
“She said no, Remus.”
“What about a referral? Did you ask her for the name of another witch?” Remus’s hands land on his hips.
I become intensely interested in an imperfection in the arm of the chair. “It didn’t occur to me in the moment.”
Remus scoffs. “Maybe you can track her down again. Get inside her head. If we find out where she lives, we can enter her dreams and strongly encourage her to help us.”
It’s a completely unethical and unjustified idea.
Zoe isn’t our enemy, and entering her head without consent would be wrong.
Funny, Remus is usually the easiest brother to get along with, quietly intelligent and articulate.
But a dragon born under the sign of Gemini is as unpredictable as an evil twin.
When he’s triggered, you never know what you’re going to be up against.
I stand and stride toward him until we’re face-to-face.
“You wouldn’t even use your customer files to contact her, Remus, because you felt it would cross some ethical boundary.
Don’t expect me to invade her psyche without her consent and force her compliance.
I won’t do it. I’m a dragon, not a monster. ”
He lifts his chin in a gesture of agreement and acceptance. Silence stretches between us. “But what about the other part? Will you ask her to help us find an alternate witch?”
My dragon suddenly roils, excited for an excuse to see her again. “Yeah, I’ll ask her. That’s a good idea. The logical next step.”
He shakes his head. “I’m scared, Seb, for our families. For our futures. Do you think this is what the Oracle saw coming? Why she had Solomon step down?”
I shrug.
“What do we do now? How do we protect our people? It’s been decades since we’ve had to fight. How do we tell them they’re not safe anymore? How do we protect them all? They’re counting on us.” Remus rubs his temples.
Since the day I ascended, I’ve been proud to be a Zodiac brother, but right now, I lament my alignment.
I’m the one in charge, and I have to make the call.
“We have to be honest. Even if I can find a witch, it will take them time to work their magic. I know you don’t like the idea of issuing a code red, but I haven’t changed my mind about that.
It’s the only way to keep everyone safe.
When we leave here tonight, we need to activate the warning protocol.
Get the word out that every dragon needs to go into hiding until further notice.
Tell them we don’t have a way to protect them just yet. ”
“That’s not a permanent solution.” Remus shakes his head. I understand his frustration. This isn’t going to be easy on any of us.
“No, but it’s the only one I’ve got.”