Chapter 25
Graham
“And how long have you been having these dreams?” Desmon asked Meera back at his library.
We were spending altogether way too much time in Desmon’s library when I’d rather be back at the penthouse.
I stood behind Meera’s chair, my arms crossed as Desmon had asked Meera to recount everything she could remember about the dreams. I’d known about them, but not all the details.
It had taken me every ounce of control not to growl when I’d found out that the dream dragon had offered Meera a life with him, full of treasures and riches.
“Graham told me about your first dream. And I was sure the instances were not related since the ones bringing in the ghouls are untrained. I still don’t think they are the same people, but perhaps different groups after the same thing. How many times have you had this dream?
“She’s been waking up every night with them,” I said. “And I’ve checked with Sybil too. She hasn’t detected any magic breaching our wards.”
Seth nodded. “Sybil’s good. She’d know if something breached her wards.
But the only way to really know if magic is involved is if she or I were there when the dreams happen.
A spell could’ve landed on her before she reached Redrock and stayed dormant when not active to avoid detection.
If we are actually dealing with a dragon, then he’d have access to strong magic.
Nothing like the amateurs who sent the ghouls. ”
I gritted my teeth. This meant Seth thought there was a distinct possibility that there was a very real dragon offering Meera a very real life of luxury. I didn’t like it. Fuck, I abhorred it. I wanted to pick her up, carry her back to Redrock, and hide her away in my suite forever.
But if Seth was right and the dreams really were the result of magic, then it was clear that the dragon could reach her, even in the penthouse. I didn’t want that happening, not even in a dream.
“Were you able to figure out who sent the ghouls?” Desmon asked Seth.
“No, unfortunately they exploded before I could ascertain that,” Seth said, leaning casually against a shelf. “But I learned enough.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“The spell on the ghouls is the set-and-forget type, meaning it doesn’t end until it runs its course and reaches a predefined ending.
Whoever cast the spell was a lazy fuck too; they only defined two outcomes.
Success, which entails removing Meera as a threat.
And failure, which has Meera handing Omelet over to the dragon.
And since Meera has clearly handed it to Desmon and the spell is still running, I’d say the spell was crafted with another dragon in mind. ”
“One of the parents,” I said, nodding. “Doesn’t that mean the wizards must know who they are?”
“Not necessarily. They could use the DNA from the egg. They are relying on the possibility that the spell knows, even if they themselves don’t.”
“DNA?” Meera asked.
“It could be something tiny, like the residue from the scaly shell rubbing on fabric. Like I said,” Seth crossed his arms over his chest, “it’s risky business. But it clearly found dragon DNA or else the spell would’ve backfired in their faces.”
“So those ghouls are going to keep coming after me until either I’m dead or I hand the egg over to the right dragon?” There was a note of panic in Meera’s voice that had my stomach in knots.
“I will protect you,” I said solemnly.
“Thank you, Graham. I know you will. But I can’t have you protecting me forever. I have a life I need to get back to.”
“I know one of the parents,” Desmon said, surprising us all.
“Who?” I asked.
“Not anyone Meera could return the egg to.” Desmon leaned back into his high-backed leather chair. “I recognized it the moment I saw the green on the egg. The dragoness lost a competition with me several years ago and has been forced to sleep for a hundred years.”
“A hundred years!” Meera gasped. “But it can’t wait that long!”
“It won’t. It can’t. It will hatch soon,” Desmon said. “Gillisandra most likely considered the egg forfeit. But it tracks because it explains why something as precious as a viable egg was left unattended.”
“Gillisandra can’t be the only parent,” Seth said. “And the father will have to show up if he wants his child back. Meera can hand him Omelet then, that is, if you are willing to part with it.”
“For a price, of course,” Desmon agreed.
“Wouldn’t the egg hatching break the spell?” I asked. Then Meera wouldn’t need to meet this dragon in person and possibly be tempted by the life he could give her. I had a lot of wealth saved up from years of hoarding my own treasures, but it was nothing even close to what a dragon could offer.
I was suddenly back in that awful wizard’s possession, sneaking out of Seraphina’s window and desperate to prove that I was worthy, and realizing that I’d never be good enough.
“Won’t work,” Seth said. “It might just transfer to the dragonlet. Or worse. The spell might decide that the only option left is to remove Meera from the equation.”
I growled at the distasteful idea. “What about finding these wizards and taking them out? Don’t most spells only last until the caster dies?”
“Might work. Or it might not. But it still leaves us with an egg. Don’t dragons contract eggs and sperm for all their offspring?” Seth asked. “Won’t there be a trail?”
“I have found none. Though I have a guess of who the father could be,” Desmon said.
“Gillisandra is a conniving female. She could’ve acquired the necessary DNA through trickery, which is highly likely.
That would mean that whoever the father is hadn’t known about it until it surfaced after her incarceration.
If they did, they’d make every effort to find it, whether to hatch it themselves or destroy it. ”
“Destroy?” The look of horror on Meera’s face was unmissable
“No dragon would want his DNA in another’s hand,” I explained.
“So if he could not acquire the egg before it hatched, he might choose to destroy it any way possible instead. I know it may sound heartless to human sensibilities, but dragons are not human, and they don’t abide by the same moral code. No offense, Desmon.”
Desmon waved his hand dismissively. “It has taken me decades of working with monsters and humans to understand their strange ways. I know my mate will insist I help free Meera from the spell, and if it puts another dragon in my debt, then I don’t see why not.
We will track down this dragon from your dreams and set up the transfer. ”
“Wait!” I stepped forward, like I was trying to stop the plan with my body. “Meera doesn’t have to be there physically, does she? Can’t she just leave it somewhere for him to pick up?”
“That won’t work,” Seth said. “Unless you want Meera to be constantly worried about the ghouls showing up again. Magic can be very literal sometimes, and in this instance, the spell is looking for the moment where she literally hands it over.”
“I can handle a few ghouls. I can’t protect her from a dragon. What’s stopping the other dragon from just squashing her and Omelet in one fell swoop to get rid of them and avoid being in your debt? There’s no guarantee he even wants the egg. He could see it as a threat. The dream could be a lie.”
“You doubt my ability to protect a human.” A wisp of smoke rose from Desmon’s left nostril.
Shit. I hadn’t meant to imply that or set off a dragon. “No. I’ve been tasked to protect her and—”
“Well, in that case, you and Redrock are released from service. You are no longer responsible for her safety. Thank you for bringing her and the egg to me. Meera will stay here.” Desmon stood, signaling the end of the conversation, and stepped out of the library.
Stay here? With What’s-His-Face the fire ifrit?
I paced the room fuming, as Seth and Mateo looked on, amused. What the hell were they staring at anyway? They had their mates. They are happy. It wasn’t their female being paraded in front of an unknown, powerful, and most likely dangerous entity. We were talking about a dragon here.
Well fuck them. They didn’t matter. I turned to the only one who did.
I turned to Meera. “You don’t have to do this.
“But I should. I can’t hide from ghouls forever.”
“I’ll protect you.”
“You can’t protect me forever either. I have a life to get back to, and so do you.”
“You can move here. You’re a realtor. It will be perfect. Darlington is up and coming; there are so many new developments.”
“It’s not that easy. And I don’t want to hide for the rest of my life. That’s no life at all. What if I want to do something on my own? I can’t have you show houses with me.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, why not?”
I could feel her getting frustrated, so I backed off. Even to me, this was starting to sound a little crazy… obsessive even. Where the hell was all this coming from?
“Children, children. Let’s not fight about this.
” Seth came to stand between us, and I had to resist the urge to shove the annoying but much-too-intelligent wizard aside.
“Besides, Graham, it’s not just you against a dragon.
What are we? Chopped liver? We’ll make sure she’s protected.
Meera won’t have to do anything she doesn’t want. ”
And therein lay the crux: What if she wanted to leave with the dragon and live the extravagant life he promised her?
“One more thing,” Meera said. “Let’s say we break this spell, but what about Karim and the people he worked with?”
“What about him?” Seth asked. “We already found him dead in Mumbai, so we know he’s not after you anymore. And the people he worked with blame him, not you.”
“What?!” Meera yelled the word.
Shit! Seth had sent me a message yesterday with all the details.
I’d read it, but since we still had the ghoul problem, I’d decided not to tell Meera yet.
Partially because she was laughing, playing in the pool with Tansy and Lillian, and I didn’t want to mess up the mood, but also because I hadn’t wanted her to think about her ex.
Hell, I’d delete every instance of him from her mind if I could.
“Oh. I sent Graham the information yesterday morning. I’d thought he’d—”
The cold look on Meera’s face was enough even to stop Seth from uttering another word.
“Welp, my job here is done,” Mateo declared. “Good luck, buddy.” He clapped me hard on the back on his way to the door.
“Yep, good luck.” Seth sent me an apologetic look, a new one for him, and followed Mateo out.
And I was left alone with an angry Meera.