Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
I wished I could be as cool about our situation as Alistair. He oozed confidence, while I kind of wanted to huddle into a ball and shake. It wouldn’t help the situation, but it sure sounded comforting, especially when the Red Caps surrounded me all because Alistair annoyed them.
“The mistress says we can play with you so long as you don’t die,” the biggest of the brutes stated in a raspy voice that might just be worse than nails on chalkboard.
A hooting noise from one of the Blue Men of the Minch spun the Red Cap’s head, and it barked, “He escaped!” before charging toward—
A tiger? Where had it come from?
It hit me a second later when I saw Alistair’s empty cage. What the heck! He never mentioned he could shift into things other than people. Then again, I hadn’t asked, just assumed, but he had informed me he could take the shape of those he’d consumed. Why not animals?
The tiger proved a good choice with its strength, agility, and fearsome claws.
However, while a definite winner against one—the big Red Cap went down—the giant striped kitty still faced three opponents armed with rusty blades, plus four Blue Men charging to join the fray.
One tiger couldn’t prevail against so many threats.
Alistair must have come to the same conclusion because—
Blink and poof. The massive chamber had no issue holding a dragon his size, a dragon that could simply open its maw and chomp its foes.
Crunch. That easily, a second Red Cap went down—and obviously tasted bad since Alistair spat.
A sweep of his tail sent a Blue Man flying.
Another dip of his head took care of Red Cap number three.
As for the fourth, its sense of self-preservation must have kicked in because it ran, unlike the remaining Blue Men, which threw themselves at the dragon.
A dragon who outmuscled, outsized, and outfought them all.
With my eyes so wide I almost lost them, I watched from much too close the skirmish that ended almost as quickly as it began, with Alistair unharmed and all but the single fleeing Red Cap dead.
Rather than immediately change, Alistair swung his massive head left and right as if listening before saying, “The one that escaped is sounding the alarm.”
“How many minions does Tiamat have?”
“More than I’d like to face, I’ll wager.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Get you out of that collar for starters.”
“How? The Red Cap who had the key is the one who ran away.” Talk about bad luck.
The big dragon head lowered to eye my problem. “I won’t be able to pry the collar off without causing you harm.”
“Meaning we need the key.” I tried not to sigh at my dilemma.
“Yes, but in the meantime…” He hooked a claw around the bolt in the stone floor and yanked, pulling it free. At least I wasn’t tethered like a wild animal anymore, but the heavy chain rattled noisily each time I moved.
“How did you manage to squeeze your tiger shape through the bars?” Probably not the right time to indulge my curiosity, but I needed something else to focus on.
“I didn’t. You missed me first changing into a snake.”
“Exactly how many bodies can you swap into?”
“Given how many creatures I’ve eaten in my lifetime? More than you can imagine.”
My jaw dropped, because damn. “Are you saying you could be the cow from that pot roast we ate?”
He shook his big dragon head. “To assume a shape, I have to consume the heart, so grocery-store-bought meat doesn’t count.”
“That’s still insane,” I muttered before adding, “Tiamat obviously didn’t know.”
“Because she only ever saw me take on human shapes. A secret that turned out to be handy, else she would have put me in a more secure prison. Speaking of which, if Fiona is correct, then I need to handle this Malone before we escape.”
“You’re leaving me!” Yeah, that didn’t come out too brave because, if he departed, I’d be all alone in the big scary place.
“You heard her prediction. The doctor needs to be eliminated.”
“Can’t I come with you?”
He shook his head. “You would not only slow me down, but the noise from your chain would make it too easy for us to be ambushed.”
“What if the bad guys return while you’re hunting Malone?”
“Remind them Tiamat needs you alive to ensure my good behavior.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“Scream. Loudly.”
Not the most reassuring set of instructions, but then again, what choice did we have?
If we left before Alistair took care of this Malone, we could be screwing the future.
Still, the words, “Be careful,” almost stuck in my throat, and I swallowed the Please hurry.
Knowing Alistair, he wouldn’t be lollygagging.
He suddenly went from dragon to man, a man who dragged me against his naked body for a hot and passionate kiss that came with a fervent promise. “I will come back for you.”
I sure hoped so because, otherwise, I was as good as dead.
Alistair didn’t remain a man as he headed for an exit but rather returned to the striped tiger of before.
I tried to lighten my spirits by reminding myself I’d always wanted a cat.
I’d never gotten one because I worked long hours and didn’t feel it would be fair to a pet.
However, I doubted Alistair would be the type to let me stroke the fur between his ears.
Heck, likely we wouldn’t be together for long once we escaped.
While he might seem passionate about me now, it wouldn’t last. We came from two different worlds.
He was practically immortal, and I was… me.
With Alistair gone and the monsters left to guard dead, the big room smothered me in silence.
I swear I didn’t know quiet could be so heavy.
The only noise came from me. The slightest movement caused the chain attached to my collar to rattle.
Since sitting stiffened my limbs and made my butt cold, I stood and slung the chain over my shoulder. It rattled as I paced.
Step. Jingle. Step. Jangle. Step. More jingling. Turn and back again.
The noisy rattle hid the return of the doctor, and I only realized his presence when I pivoted.
I halted and stared at him before exclaiming, “What do you want?” Because Malone approached me with grim-faced intent, made all the more ominous by the mask covering half of his face.
“Your dragon lover is rampaging through the palace.”
I almost smiled. “What did you expect?”
“I expected that cunt to know how to secure him.” Malone glanced at the cage.
“I’m going to guess he isn’t just restricted to shifting to human bodies.
” Before I could reply and tell him to shove something where the sun didn’t shine, he answered himself.
“Stupid Tiamat, she never even guessed his ability went beyond mimicking humans.”
Hearing her name had me blurting out, “She’s just using you.”
“I’m aware.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Malone eyed me with a smirk. “Who says it is one-sided?”
My lips pinched. “What are you getting from this?”
“For one, I’ll be clearing my name, and those who ridiculed me will be ruined.”
“You’re going to tell the world about dragons.” I quickly added, “If you do that, they’ll be captured, maybe even killed.”
“Some will be. A small price to pay for my fame.”
“What’s the other reason to help her?”
“Money. I am running low, and she’s got enough treasure here to take care of that.”
“Why do I get the impression that’s not everything?”
“Curiosity is probably my biggest driving force,” he stated.
“There is something deeply satisfying about being the first to discover something. And while they might be arrogant cunts, the dragons can provide a dearth of knowledge about our past, about ancient remedies, about things we probably never imagined. I mean, look at the creatures serving that cunt Tiamat. Real monsters and not just legends.”
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
“Because the cat wasn’t as smart as me,” his smarmy reply. “Let’s go.”
“Excuse me? I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Who said you had a choice?” he snapped, lunging for me. I evaded his grasping fingers and whirled to run. However, the damned chain dragged behind me, and that bastard simply had to stomp on the end to halt my flight.
I gasped and choked as the collar dug into me. I could do nothing as Malone wrapped the loose end of my chain around his forearm. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” I didn’t want to follow. Alistair expected to return and find me here.
“Where I tell you to and shut your yapper. I don’t need you advertising our location.”
Me stay quiet? Not likely. As he dragged me through some tunnels, some strewn with bloodied and broken bodies that didn’t move—but smelled and oozed fluids—I spoke if only to keep my sanity. “How did you find Tiamat’s cave?” The reason this nightmare began.
“Quite by accident. I’d come across more than a few legends in that area about a dragon, but it was a painting found in an attic that showed the creature sitting on a recognizable mountain ledge that led to me mounting an expedition.”
“Seems kind of odd you were the first to find Tiamat’s cave. The Rockies are well-travelled, and surely others saw the picture and sought the cave too.”
“Those who went before me didn’t have the foresight to blow a hole to get inside. A good thing I found the bones, or I’d have really regretted all the bribes I had to hand out for officials to look the other way.”
“Did you know Tiamat’s spirit was in that thing you picked up?”
“No, but I should have suspected something because, the moment I touched it, I had a sudden urge to travel to Scotland.”
“But held off, obviously, because I remember you announcing your discovery to the world.”
“And still being soundly mocked despite the evidence,” he growled. “They accused me of faking the discovery. Ruined my attempts to have the remains carbon and DNA tested,” he growled, yanking me along in his agitation at the reminder.
“What happened to the stone heart after you brought it to the loch?”
“I tossed it in the waters, and Nessie found it. To this day still wears it.”
It hit me suddenly. “It’s in the pendant around her neck.”