17. Chapter 17
Daxton stared at Izzy’s reddening face. Behind him, Keiran’s Centurion presence loomed, closing in like a wall.
Daxton’s dragon smashed against his skin, fighting against the little control he had left.
His muscles coiled tightly. He might have shifted if he had not been standing so close to Izzy. The idea of hurting her strangled him.
He tied his dragon down and turned toward Keiran, keeping a firm grip on the duffel bag.
Memories hit Daxton in a flash. Keiran’s warm embrace when Daxton’s Maternal passed, dominance pressing against Daxton as Keiran disciplined him for playing pranks, and joy when Keiran awarded him chief of his own territory.
His heart filled with affection, but the fear of the situation sat heavily on his shoulders.
Curiosity and authority lined the inky black surface of Keiran’s eyes.
Daxton’s beast bristled, riled to meet the strength of Keiran’s dragon.
Keiran’s back straightened. A pressure built in Daxton’s head, his temples protesting the strain.
The unmistakable dominance in the air waged war on Daxton, shoving against him with heat.
He bit back his tongue to keep himself from speaking out of turn.
He felt the thin ice he walked along concerning what had led to Keiran standing before him, but no one would get anywhere near Izzy or take more of her memories. They’d have to go through him first.
That thought struck him with an unsettling reality. To put another’s safety above his own—and above his kind’s—led to a Rogue dragon: the worst outcome for one of Keiran’s chiefs. He needed to de-escalate his protectiveness before it came to that.
Daxton released the strap of the duffel. Izzy dipped sideways from the weight of the bag. Pressing her hand against his back, she caught herself. His mind centered, and the chaos from his dragon subsided. He took a calming breath like she taught him, centering himself away from his fear.
Please don’t move. I need you…
Her touch disappeared, forcing him to tame his once-again tense beast. But the breathing helped.
“I apologize for my behavior,” Izzy said in a hesitant voice. She stepped out from behind Daxton. “You’re Keiran, I presume?”
“Yes,” Keiran said. “Centurion of these great parts, and you are Izzy? Sarah has told me about you.”
She blinked, but to Daxton’s surprise, she didn’t break eye contact when most humans would have turned away from Keiran’s searing gaze. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He nodded in greeting and turned toward Daxton. “I wish I were visiting under better circumstances.”
Daxton did as well. He’d been foolish to believe Keiran wouldn’t track him down for his selfish behavior.
Silas sighed. “On that note, I’m going to go get breakfast.”
To break the searing eye contact with Keiran, Daxton faced Silas.
“Don’t wander off too far,” Daxton shouted.
Silas stopped and grinned. “Think you can take me?”
“You know I can.”
Few dragons could handle Daxton’s complete arsenal, and sparring was a natural outlet among their kind. He itched to let his power loose without fear of hurting someone or losing control. Plus, he still needed to battle Silas for the pent-up aggression he caused earlier.
He’d expected Keiran to check Silas’s ability to wipe her memory, but scaring her with the cliff edge crossed a line for him. Silas could have dropped the Illusion for both of them, but at least Daxton had been aware it existed. It’d been too late for him to warn Izzy.
“We’ll meet again after your lashings,” Silas muttered.
Keiran cautiously stepped forward. “May I inspect our new visitor?”
Daxton froze, growling on the inside as territorial and protective instincts tensed his muscles. Because Keiran had given him the choice and hadn’t made any demands, Daxton inhaled sharply to calm himself. Stepping aside, he provided room for Keiran but stood ready to intervene if needed.
“Do I have permission to smell you?” Keiran asked Izzy. “I want to know why everyone believes you are human.”
“Do you mean to use your Insight?”
His nod included a glance in Daxton’s direction.
Yeah. Just add “I shared too much information” to the list of things to yell at me about.
“Okay,” Izzy said.
She stood tall as he leaned into her neck.
Daxton tensed, body alert and itchy with protectiveness at Keiran’s approach.
Keiran kept his hands crossed behind him as if he understood Daxton’s struggle.
Daxton touched the small of her back, offering comfort.
The curve there was the perfect nook for his hand, and the contact affected him once again, lessening his dragon’s restlessness.
Keiran took a deep breath before stepping away, his expression contemplative. “Human, through and through.”
Daxton continued the physical contact.
“That’s what everyone keeps telling me,” she said.
“Anyway, as I have warned Daxton, I’m not ambassador material, so I’d love to skip the civil chitchat and start with requests.
I propose an exchange. He mentioned you have records, while I shared a book about my kind with him.
” Her nose wiggled as if warding off a frown.
“Since I assume I’ve passed your tests, I beseech you to let me review what you allow while he fills you in on the Fallen. ”
Daxton smiled. She wasn’t shy about the information she sought, especially considering she made such a bold request of the Centurion.
Keiran’s smile erred on the side of cruel. Daxton stiffened, but he kept himself from jumping between them. This was a battle for Izzy and the Fallen.
“You have courage for someone in potential enemy territory,” Keiran said.
Though she stayed composed, fear trembled along their link.
“I’ll be blunt,” she said. “You made a judgment about me before I even arrived. You must have decided I wasn’t your enemy, or I wouldn’t be standing here.
” She placed her hands on her hips. “My priority is figuring out this link that’s formed between Daxton and me.
That he can fill you in on. Let’s not draw this out.
From the surprise and speed of your arrival, I’m assuming this is a quick layover for you.
You’re as pressed about something as I am. ”
“All right.” Keiran crossed his arms. “We’ll talk later. Sarah requested on your behalf that I bring some of our Archives. You can have full access to the collection on one condition.”
“I’m listening.”
“Daxton’s alias has come under suspicion of kidnapping you since he was the last person in your hospital room before you disappeared. Someone erased the security tapes. Would you clear his name, please?”
Izzy’s face paled as she turned to Daxton. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Because it’s not a problem. He opened his mouth to explain.
She held up a finger. “Give me a moment.” Pulling out her phone, she walked to the opposite side of the Jeep.
Annoyance bristled along his spine. He resisted the urge to follow her.
“Why did you do that?” Daxton asked Keiran as they both watched her. “Dupont is expendable. They can’t arrest a nobody. I could have handled it.”
“You still put us and your company at risk,” Keiran said. “But I wondered how she’d handle it.”
“She’s not an experiment.”
Keiran growled.
The hair on Daxton’s arms rose, energy crackling.
“Don’t let her blind you.” Keiran shifted a step forward. “She may not be our enemy, but we need to learn about her. From her. Like how her kind has kept secret all this time.”
Daxton’s face heated. Keiran was right. As much as he detested admitting it.
“How’s my alias cleanup going in Tennessee?” Izzy asked the person on the other side of the phone.
She, more than likely, expected privacy, but considering she stood near two curious dragons with heightened hearing, she hadn’t walked far enough.
“Fire at a small drug house is a go.” Simon’s British-accented voice sounded muffled and staticky.
What did that mean? Did she have ways of faking her death? The Tattered One might not believe her dead, but it was a good tactic. Daxton wasn’t sure how Simon would pull it off, but the two brains had probably done it before.
“You enjoy this too much,” she said.
“So, why aren’t you sticking your nose in their books or, you know, monster anatomy?” Simon teased.
Daxton’s neck burned, rebelling at Simon guessing at the truth.
She turned so her back met the Jeep. A hint of red splashed her cheeks. Keiran gave him an accusatory look.
“He’s human and has kept her secret,” Daxton said.
Keiran slanted a nod, expression unreadable. The calm before the lecture storm. Always the scariest part.
“Can you make sure Daxton’s alias, Dupont, doesn’t get any heat for this?” Izzy asked.
“Consider his name cleared. Your puppet mum, creepy to watch on the telly by the way, has been going after him. Want me to point fingers in her direction?”
Sadness crept across the link, inciting Daxton’s protective instinct once more.
“No,” she said. “Let her do what she will and keep watching her. Have you figured anything out about the laptop?”
“Actually, I uncovered a lot.” The phone distorted as Simon cleared his throat loudly.
“The alarm was set on your laptop a week ago by someone who had remote access. We have a Class A hacker who’s placed spyware on your laptop.
My guess is that the Archfiend knew where to find you because you used your laptop to research that cave system in Maine. ”
“Makes sense.” Izzy shifted, woodchips crunching under her shoes.
“I sent my own spyware back,” Simon said. “I wasn’t the only one with tricky protection, but the French letter was no match for my jism.”
Daxton’s eyebrows lifted at Simon’s perverse euphemisms, but he understood Simon had information about their hacker.
“Is this about the Tattered One after her?” Keiran asked with heat in his tone.
Daxton nodded.
“An intelligent foe,” Keiran said. “And you brought what it wants straight into Pentros.”