Chapter 1 #3
“Our parents need to learn how to behave,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“We’ll split it fifty-fifty, and I’ll pay you back for my share.
That way, I’ll feel better about being impulsive and reckless.
If we own the property, we have a good reason to come back here often, and we can work on solving the mystery without drawing unwanted attention. ”
“You’re owed restitution from the mercury dragons, too. It wouldn’t surprise me if they offer you the mansion as part of what you’re owed.”
“That’s a bit much, isn’t it?” On what planet was a kidnapping worth them compensating me with an entire mansion? “And what do you mean that’s only part? That place is huge!”
“We were both traumatized into shifting for the first time, that’s why.
Apparently, there are a bunch of rules about compensating baby dragons if an act of violence leads to their first shift.
As we were both forced into shifting outside of the natural order of things, we’re owed.
Dragons are responsible for members of their clan; it helps with general policing.
As nobody wants to pay for the idiocy of another dragon, clans tend to be really strict with their members’ behavior. ”
“You mean like how your dad punishes his kids extra if they screw up as a cop?”
“Exactly. Your parents are responsible for themselves and for you; while they have related dragons in the area, they are not officially part of the main clan. My father is responsible for all the Millson dragons in Dragon Heights as well as a few other yellow dragons who are part of the clan but weren’t born into it.
Dad still holds responsibility for me and will unless we officially form our own clan.
Your parents will hold responsibility for you until we’re married, and our marriage documents will determine who gets to hold responsibility.
Honestly, I expect we’ll form our own little clan, as we both are the kind to hate having others hold additional responsibility over us.
In bad news, having our own little clan means our punishments are harsher because we don’t have the backing of other dragons.
It’s something we’ll have to talk about later. ”
As Erik loved everything about weddings and planning ours, I would suffer through his enthusiasm and do my best to muster some enjoyment of the process.
“We can talk about it once we’re home. I know nothing about how clans are established, why we would want to establish a clan of our own, or anything like that. Would we have to change our names?”
“No, we don’t unless we want to. We could take your family name for the clan, though.
If we do that, we’ll be one of six or seven clans with the same name, and that’ll drive my father absolutely wild.
He leads the only Millson clan in Dragon Heights, and he means to keep it that way.
The Ramons clans are flighty and egotistical and make clans whenever one of the bolder hatchlings decides he or she has had enough of their parents. ”
I laughed at the thought of having a cousin or some other relative hitting the end of their rope. “I mean, I can understand it. My parents are something else.”
“Your parents are extreme, and your mom wasn’t even born a Ramons dragon.
She took your father’s name because shocking everyone by doing so amused her.
She’s a Scaretti dragon, and the Scarettis haven’t forgiven her yet for daring to throw in her lot with a navy.
She sometimes shows up at her former clan to beat the crap out of her parents, siblings, and grandparents because she thinks it’s funny to remind them they couldn’t control her then and they can’t control her now.
” Erik tapped at his phone’s screen. “There. I have put in a purchase offer for the property, and I’ve begun processing the payment.
As we’re paying in cash, there’s no actual approval process; it’ll automatically become ours as soon as the payment clears. ”
“Don’t we need a real estate agent to handle this?”
“Not in this case, as it’s the city that’s selling the property.
They provide all the paperwork, register everything with the state, and otherwise spare us a great deal of hassle.
According to this, we should have a deed ready for signing in two weeks, but the property will be ours officially as soon as they receive the money.
The deed will be backdated to when the bank clears the transaction. ”
If only everything in life were so simple. “What would have happened if we had needed a mortgage?”
“Suffering and a need to hire a real estate agent to help us deal with everything.”
For someone who wanted to rise through the ranks of the police force, Erik hated certain forms of paperwork, including leasing agreements and anything dealing with a bank account. In some ways, his aversion to financials had given me a chance to truly shine.
He handled the people, I handled the numbers, and together, we’d solved more than a few mysteries that had flummoxed our fellow officers.
I feared the Valley of Thorns would vex us in many ways, especially with our reckless dive into property ownership.
“I’ll talk to my father about the building problems, you talk to your father about getting us a proper road in and out of here.
If anyone asks, we decided to detour here after puttering around on the internet revealed this property was up for grabs.
Six hundred acres for two hundred thousand is a pittance, and our parents are going to be proud of us. ”
“It’s true. Our house cost a lot more, and we don’t have a yard. Once we decide to have kids, we’ll be able to set them loose in the woods to play. We might not even see them for most of the day.”
I raised a brow at my yellow dragon. “That’s how we end up with extra clutches, sir.”
“Could I talk you into actual clutches and not singlets? I’d like two or three at a time.”
“Two or three at a time is something we can discuss,” I conceded.
“But first, we solve this mystery. There will be exactly zero clutches until these victims see justice. They might not get their day in court, and they might not get compensation, but at the very least, we will find the truth about their deaths.”
“I wonder what my father will do if I tell him my ability to reproduce is dependent on this case being solved. I bet we’d get a lot of extra resources that way.”
I laughed at the thought of his father being manipulated with the prospect of grandchildren.
“He’ll have a temper tantrum, that’s what he’ll do.
Invite me over for your next big family dinner, and if we haven’t solved the case by then, you can pitch a fit while I bask in the glow of having true power over your family. ”
“Sunday night after work,” he informed me. “Most of us have off work in the evening on Sundays right now, so that’s when we do our larger family gathering for the week. I’ll make sure they know you’re coming. Our carbunclo should be enough to bring them out in force. Tourmaline, too.”
“They are the best little babies, and I will fight anyone who thinks otherwise.” I kept my eyes on the road, wincing every time I brushed up against branches or into thicker clusters of weeds. “I don’t suppose that website has any information about the house here?”
“Not really. It’s listed as in ruins, which is why the appraisal came back so low. In good news, it’s not trespassing; buyers are welcome to look at the site before making an offer, and there’s no requirement to notify the government of visitation.”
“Well, that would make using the property for murder easy.”
Erik sighed. “Unfortunately. When we get out, make sure you have your firearm ready. If there are any serial killers out here, shoot first and ask questions of the body.”