1303 The Dragonslayer (The 13th Floor) (9 page)

“I can’t find it!” Lois had thrown everything from her bag onto the floor. She rifled through the papers in the living room like a whirlwind. “I don’t know where it is!”

“Calm down.” Xan strode into the living room and held up his hands. “Let’s clean everything up. Shake your clothing and the papers. Maybe it’ll fall out.”

“Okay, okay.” Lois shook and tossed. Xan followed her, picking up the discarded clothing and checking it once more before he folded them.

“Maybe I left it at my condo. God, what happened to my condo? We left dead dragonkin there.” Lois slumped down onto the couch and pressed her head to her knees.

Xan placed her clothing in her bag and checked that as well. “Everything would be cleaned up and taken care of. The Governor wouldn’t want any evidence left of his offspring.”

Sorting through the papers, he piled them on the coffee table and could breathe a little easier being able to see his floor again. No ferret messes on it, either. At least none he could see at the moment.

“I’m going to be cursed forever.” Lois groaned and flopped over on her side. Huff hopped up and bounded over to paw at Lois’ side. “Go away, brat. My life is ruined.”

Huff sat up on her hind legs as Lois buried her head under her arms. Xan wasn’t sure if she was crying or not as he hesitantly approached the couch. Reaching out, he rested a hand on her leg and slowly caressed it. A warm flush went through him, and he wasn’t sure what to say. Then he caught a gleam in the ferret’s mouth.

“Lois,” he said in a soft tone, not wanting to scare the critter away. “I think Huff found your coin.”

Lois bolted up into a sitting position. Her sudden movement didn’t startle the ferret at all. Scooping up the animal, Lois plucked the coin from Huff’s mouth. “You little thief. Or were you bringing it to me? In that case, you’re my little hero.”

Grabbing a piece of paper, Lois scrunched it up into a ball and threw it. Huff dove after it, caught it, and rolled merrily around on the floor with it.

“All right. Let’s clean ourselves up and put on our Sunday best. We’re going to church.” Lois whooped as she stood. Yanking Xan up by his shirt, she kissed him and skipped off to the bathroom.

Even with the coin in his hand, he didn’t feel cursed at all in that moment.

CHAPTER 11

Xan leaned on the wall just inside the door that led to the roof of the building that surrounded the city’s center. Too close to the Governor for his liking, but the way the center was set up, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He hoped with the removal of the curse, his luck would change and there’d be enough chaos so he could slip away after he did his duty.

Lois had been furious he wouldn’t bring her with him. He tried to reason with her, and when that didn’t work, he locked her in the bedroom. The lock could easily be picked, but he patted the wall next to the door and asked silently the door not open for her.

To whom or what he was asking, he didn’t know. He only wanted Lois to be safe.

The Governor had chosen Carmine’s heart to give his speech. The circle was blackened from fire and the beautiful fountain was rubble. Water no longer bubbled up from the pipe, but the eternal flame had been snuffed out. Xan hoped that was a sign of the old dragon’s life coming to an end.

His rifle was loaded and ready. The safety off. He needed only to crawl out onto the roof and peek over. One shot was all he needed. One perfect shot.

Xan had killed fifteen dragons in his life. Not one of them had known who fired the shot. This time, his prey knew his face, and Whittaker knew it was coming soon. Xan only hoped that by taking this chance, he was doing it sooner than the Governor expected.

A few brief wails of a siren and the sound of vehicles entered the city’s circle. The media and Whittaker’s most fervent supporters cheered. Xan didn’t need to see below to know what was happening. He could picture the slow progression of the cars in his mind and where they stopped. The makeshift stage was already set up.

He’d be shooting from the left side. Head on or behind would be too obvious. A side shot would throw people off. No one would be looking in Xan’s direction to see where it came from. It would give him a better chance to get away afterward.

His mind wandered back to Lois again. She’d been so relieved to have the curse removed. Xan performed a simple blessing with a sprinkling of holy water. The coins were doused and rubbed with it.

Lois had wet her hands and swiped them over her face and through her hair. She’d smiled at him, claiming they couldn’t be too careful. Drops clung to her cheeks and eyelashes like miniature gems. A bejeweled princess he would make sure didn’t need rescuing.

Xan was still picturing her gorgeous eyes and the way her clothes clung to her curvy body after being soaked in Mammoth Cave when he heard Carmine’s mayor address the crowd. He gave his own heartfelt speech before introducing the Governor. The mayor sounded exhausted on every level and nearly in tears by the time he handed off the mic to Whittaker.

There was an extended applause. If the poor folks only knew they were cheering for the monster that had brought this misery upon them.

His plan was to wait through most of the speech. Let the audience become focused on the Governor. Xan wasn’t going to kid himself that the old dragon would let down his guard at any point, but the police and military members present would likely be expecting something right away rather than near the end.

The Governor was gracious and expressed his sorrow for the people of Carmine. “We must band together, stay strong, and rebuild this city. Carmine was founded on a dream and built by hard-working citizens. It was God’s will to remind us, all of us, to cherish what we have. With His love and that of our fellow man, Carmine will shine like a beautiful dream again.”

His words sounded heartfelt, but Xan knew them to be hollow.

Silently, Xan eased open the door and crawled to the ledge with rifle in hand. He kept low, barely breathing, and heartbeat steady. No clue there was anything coming if the old dragon could pick out one individual in many.

It was then that Whittaker’s speech was interrupted. But not by Xan.

“Governor!” Lois’ powerful voice didn’t have to strain to be heard above the speakers. “Governor Whittaker, did you hear that your colleague’s daughter Alyssa Forrest has been found?”

No. What was she doing? How did she get out of the apartment? She couldn’t be here. He needed Lois to be somewhere safe.

“I hadn’t heard.” The Governor replied in a flat tone. His voice then rose to one more hopeful. “Thank you for passing along the good news. In dark times like this, we must rely on God and take joy in the victory of a child returned to her loving family.”

“Governor,” Lois shouted again. “The girl has claimed you were holding her prisoner.”

The crowd erupted in gasps and murmurs.

“What do you have to say to this? Was there political motivation behind the kidnapping? Is this how you gain support from your colleagues? Or is there something more sinister behind it?”

Xan brought a hand to his head and rubbed his temples. He shook. Fear and anger roiled through him. The only thing that kept him silent and in control was the fact the dragon couldn’t do anything in public.

Lois had just marked herself as the next person to go mysteriously missing, though.

More rumbling from the audience and other reporters called out questions. Lois didn’t stop. She kept yelling out her accusations.

“I have here a list of several missing young women over the past decade. All with similar traits and backgrounds to Alyssa Forrest. The pattern is easy to see. The same sort of pattern made by a serial killer!”

The crowd exploded. Whittaker called for order, asking everyone to calm down, but no one was listening to him anymore. Whether the accusation proved true or not, Lois had just ruined his career. Now the old dragon had lost his lair and his path to power.

Xan put his eye to the scope and moved into position to shoot. Most of the police and military were busy trying to keep order in the crowd. Lois was caught in the middle of the throng of people. The blouse she wore was a stunning deep blue helping her stand out, and over it, hanging open and nearly engulfing her body, was one of his long black coats. Xan felt a bit of relief that she was safer within the crowd than out where she’d be easier to grab.

He focused on Whittaker. Two of his bodyguards were in front of him, shielding him from the rioting crowd and trying to encourage him to leave the stage. The Governor’s furious gaze was locked on Lois. He stood unmoving, hands clenched, and color in his face.

No one protected Whittaker on the side. Xan had a clean shot.

Several screams came from the crowd, and Xan directed his sight to it. Some people were trying to push forward, hollering at the Governor. Others were trying to run away, but found themselves squished in by the cops and soldiers surrounding them. A few people were so desperate to get away they attacked the armed peace keepers. The tasers used weren’t quite so peaceful and only incited more chaos.

Xan finally spied Lois in the crowd. She was still trapped in the middle, but she was still standing. A man pushed her from one side, and she elbowed him in the chest. His head was lost in the mass, but Lois still held hers high.

Though he was still concerned for her, Xan felt a surge of pride that she could hold her own. He never wanted to put her in danger, but she’d created a situation where he could make his kill and escape into the melee. Later he would make his apologies and ask her out to dinner. Celebrate her bravery and lavish his gratitude upon her. Perhaps another kiss or two, or a whole night of kisses.

When he turned his scope back to the Governor, Whittaker was looking directly at him. Xan cursed and fired, but it was too late. Whittaker dodged to one side, and within a blink of an eye, he was spreading his wings with a deafening roar.

The screams below grew in volume. The dragon had revealed himself. Not just in front of a small group, but television cameras recording live feeds and phones that could take pictures and post instantly to the Internet. The shock of the world knowing that dragons still do exist was just as frightening as what Whittaker would do without the constraints of secrecy.

Whittaker spun and breathed a spiral of fire into the crowd. The heat and force of it shook even the building Xan perched upon. A black cloud of smoke sat over the city’s heart. Even as it slowly rose, the stench of burning flesh hit Xan first.

Xan’s heart lurched. He couldn’t catch his breath. The dragon had burned dozens of people.

He had killed Lois.

All the wounds combined in his life had never hurt like this. Even his father’s death had not made Xan feel like he was losing control of both body and mind.

Stomach rolling, he fired and missed. Shooting again, Xan might’ve grazed the great wing. He couldn’t see past the burning tears in his eyes.

The dragon swept his tail through the crowd. Police and military alike turned their weapons onto Whittaker, but they had little effect. One brave soul even tried to tase the beast, but was smashed with a swipe of his leg.

Whittaker lifted off the ground. The rush of air knocked over anyone near him who was still standing. Another roar broke windows and drowned out the screams. Sirens sounded, but they seemed far away rather than just down the block.

Xan stood. No need to hide his presence from anyone anymore. Death filled the sky above him. It was at once magnificent and terrifying.

The dragon sent a mouthful of flames upwards. Xan could feel the heat even though he was below. All his years as a dragonslayer, he never thought a dragon would kill him. Especially not a dragon in his natural form.

Xan had destroyed the dragon’s lair and rescued a maiden from him. The hoard was lost and Lois has ruined Whittaker’s career. The dragon had nothing to lose.

And in one breath, Whittaker had taken the one treasure in Xan’s life. Xan hadn’t even known just how much Lois had meant to him until he no longer had her. He wasn’t worthy of such a brave beauty. A warrior woman.

He’d missed, and he not only failed himself, but failed her. The latter cut him to his very core.

If Whittaker was going to kill him, Xan was going to take him to Hell with him.

Xan lifted his rifle and fired again and again. At the same time, Whittaker turned his fire downward. It didn’t quite reach Xan, but his skin was reddened, feeling so close to being blistered.

If any of the bullets made it through, they didn’t hurt the dragon. His wings still flapped and slowed as he descended upon the top of the building.

Running to the other side of the roof, Xan didn’t take his eyes from the monster. He wished he had his family’s lance. To die as his ancestors did would be grand, but there would be no noble death for him. His lady had been killed because he hadn’t acted swiftly and surely enough.

His fingers found the release and dropped the empty magazine from his rifle. Snatching a new one, he slammed it into place. Xan couldn’t hear it click as the dragon landed. He ran behind the small brick roof bulkhead. Flames rolled along either side of it.

A noise came from the dragon. Something like a laugh.

Could Xan peek out with his rifle and get a lucky shot before he was burned? He didn’t think so.