Chapter Twelve
“What do you mean, she isn’t here? The woman has a broken leg!” Michael ran his hand through his wind-blown hair and glared at Pendragon. “You were supposed to protect her!”
The dragon snorted. “That woman is more wily that Gwenhwyfar ever thought of being!”
“What do you mean by that?” Michael demanded.
“She told me she was really tired and needed a nap, but I guess she was conspiring with that ex-husband of hers.”
“Ex—was Robert here?”
“He arrived shortly after you left this morning. At first, she didn’t seem too happy to see him, but then he sat beside her on the sofa. I tried to intervene, but she sent me back to the office.”
Michael groaned. “This just keeps getting worse. Now that bastard knows you are here! He’s seen you.”
Pendragon rattled his scales and huffed. “Well, he was touching her. Tanio’s orders were for me to protect her. Of course…” He cast a baleful eye at Michael. “I could do that much better in my correct form. The man would be nothing but ashes on the rug right now.”
“Great. Then Sophie would be a suspect in her ex’s disappearance, if not arrested for murder.
There will be no fire-breathing at mortals!
” Michael began to pace around the empty living room.
“I’m going to have to get you out of here before he returns with the police.
There have been APB’s out for you ever since the first sighting. ”
“Humph,” Pendragon said grumpily. “I could handle the police too.” He sighed resignedly. “She told him I was a rare Gila monster. Do you know how humiliating that is? I am not a lizard!”
Michael paused in his pacing. At least Sophie had the quick sense to come up with something halfway believable. It might buy them some time to get away. But where in the hell could Sophie have gone with a still-mending leg?
“She didn’t leave with him, did she?”
The dragon shook his head. “They were standing by the door, talking too low for me to understand, since my hearing has been affected by this puny little body I’m inhabiting.
Maybe he came back for her. I don’t know.
Like I told you, she said she wanted privacy while she slept and closed the door to the bedroom.
I remember Ygraine was the same way, wanting to spend time in her chambers, although Uther usually joined her there.
” He stared unblinkingly at Michael. “I didn’t think you would want me to intrude. ”
Michael swept his hand through his hair again.
“You’re right. Who would suspect that she’d leave, in her condition?
But where could she have gone?” He pulled out his cell and hit Smith’s contact number.
A brief conversation ensued and he slid the phone back into his pocket.
“The butler said he didn’t know anything about her disappearance,” Michael said.
He didn’t want to think that she’d go off with her ex, but the guy was persistent.
Michael had done some research on Robert and found that he won nearly all of his cases.
That made him a shrewd and persuasive opponent.
Had Sophie succumbed to some offer to take care of her?
Michael’s aura flashed red at the thought of the bastard even touching her.
Pendragon’s head snapped up, his spikes rising.
Michael drew his power back in. He needed to think logically.
Inciting the dragon certainly wouldn’t help.
“There’s no sign of a forced entry,” he said as an afterthought.
“I would have heard that or any sound of a struggle,” Pendragon said. “I was napping in the office across the hall.”
“Napping? Why weren’t you on watch?”
The dragon gave him a disgusted look. “What was I supposed to watch for? You’d warded the windows. The doors were locked and the woman was asleep in her bedroom.” He managed to look indignant. “Dragons like to doze, you know.”
Michael shook his head and moved past him to the bedroom.
The coverlet on the bed was smooth and showed no signs of anyone even lying down.
Nothing else in the room seemed disturbed either.
He opened a closet door. Items hung neatly side by side, color-coordinated.
How like Sophie to be that organized. He couldn’t tell, though, if anything was missing.
Shutting the door, he glanced at the dresser where a few toiletries sat, along with a figurine of a prancing horse.
And propped up beside it was a small envelope with his name on it.
He hurried over and ripped it open. Quickly, he scanned the short note and raced back to the living room.
“She left,” he said waving the paper at Pendragon. “Says she had a kind offer for complete care during her recovery and she’ll be in touch when she’s well.” He glanced down at it. “We’re not to worry.” He crushed the paper in a wad in his fist.
Damnation! She must have returned to her ex. He had money and servants to care for her, no doubt. The feeling of betrayal struck sharp as a blade in Michael’s back. The wily one in the debacle was not Sophie but that conniving bastard Robert.
Michael tossed the paper down. Robert may have won this round, but he certainly had not won the war. The battle hadn’t even begun.
****
Balor leaned back from the computer screen and chuckled. It was the first truly good laugh he’d had since that manuscript had been found.
Morgan sidled up behind him, pressing her breasts against the back of his head as she slid her arms around him to stroke his chest. “What amuses you?” she asked.
‘This is just too rich,” he answered, clicking on the mouse to rerun the video he had just watched. “I knew it was a good idea to have Caldwell get that webcam inside the Cameron woman’s house. Look.”
Morgan squinted at the frozen screen. “That looks like a large, red dog. No…wait. It’s a huge lizard.”
Balor laughed again. “That is the red dragon.”
She leaned closer over his shoulder. “Do you mean the one that got the media all stirred up? How did it get reduced in size?”
“Not sure. Probably some deity’s work.” For a moment, his mouth tightened, remembering that he had once had that status. Damn those Avalon bitches. “One thing’s for sure. Pendragon would not have given up his size willingly.”
“Is it permanent?” Morgan asked as she pushed aside the robe to fondle his bare skin.
“Probably not. Being shrunk…” He grinned as he grew harder with Morgan’s ministrations.
“…keeps him under the radar from the media. Most likely it was the warlock’s idea.
He’s going to need the press to go away before he and the vet can take off searching for the Sword.
Too bad she had to get into that wreck, though.
Now we’ll have to wait as well.” He gave Morgan a quick glance when her hand froze in place. “Why did you stop?”
“Huh? Nothing.” She resumed pumping him with her hand. “Do you like it like this?”
“You know I do, pet,” he answered. “It’s just a good thing I happened to be following the woman. She’d have bled out if I hadn’t stopped.” Morgan’s hand stilled again and he gave her an irritated glance. Her face was unnaturally pale, like some vampire had drained her. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I just didn’t know you were the good samaritan.”
Baylor laughed again. “It’s probably the only time in my life I’ve been called that.
I only did it because we need her alive.
Somehow, she’s tied into finding the Sword.
Until that happens, it behooves all of us to make sure no harm comes to her.
” He gave Morgan a calculating look. “Don’t let your jealousy for the warlock get in the way of your good sense, my pet. ”
If anything, Morgan turned paler. He would have to think about that. Right now, though, he had more important things to deal with. He pushed her hand away. “Later.” He reached to fast-forward the video. “Do you know who the man is sitting on her couch?”
Morgan looked at the screen. “Yeah. That’s her ex-husband. He calls at the office. I think he wants to get back with her.”
“Well, the sound isn’t good on this, but it seems she’s not all that agreeable. It seems he’s threatened to expose her little secret.” Baylor clicked the video off. “Perhaps if he had the dragon, he’d have a little more leverage. You can help with that, pet.”
Morgan frowned slightly. “You want me to go to Sophie’s house and get the dragon?”
Balor shook his head. “No. Pendragon is far stronger than he looks, even in his small size. As you could see from the webcam, the dragon is very protective of the woman. I want you to accompany the ex over there. No doubt Pendragon will emerge to defend her again. I’ll have you slip a magic lure over his head. Once that’s done, the dragon is ours.”
She gave him a quizzical look. “Ours?”
“Figuratively speaking. The ex can use the dragon as blackmail to woo his wife back.” Balor looked at Morgan.
He was almost fond of her, but there certainly was no reason to tell any mortal why he wanted the dragon captured.
With the Pendragon captured and killed—perhaps he’d let Sigurd help with that—it would be another obstacle out of the way.
And he’d be one step closer to achieving ultimate power.
****
“If you’ll let me return to my original form, I can hunt for her,” Pendragon grumbled as Michael opened the door of his apartment for them to enter.
“Too risky,” Michael replied. “We don’t need to be attracting media attention right now. Besides, I plan to have Sophie back here before Balor finds out she’s gone.”
The dragon snorted. “How do you plan to do that since you don’t know where she went?”
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he suspected she was housed at Robert’s place. “I’ve got an idea,” he said.
“Take me with you, then.”
“Nope. I can hardly be seen walking the streets with you,” Michael said.
“I’m supposed to protect her.” Pendragon puffed smoke. “If something happens to her, Tanio will never let me return to my full size.”