Authors: Mackenzie Lucas
“
Did you see who shot you?
”
“
No.
”
Anger at what the bastard had almost gotten away with pounded through Grayson.
“
But I know who did it.
My partner, Michael James.
”
“
How can you be so sure?
”
David circled Grayson, a quiet predator.
“
I smelled him. His stink permeated every dragon sense I possess. He was also the one who recommended the champagne to
Cate
.
Told her where to order it as a special gift to me.
I don
’
t know how he pulled it off. But I plan to prove it. I also plan to find evidence he embezzled millions from our company. Right now he
’
s throwing hints that
Cate
is the culprit.
”
David sucked in an angry breath.
“
He needs to be stopped.
”
“
Yes, I
will
stop him.
As soon as I reconcile with
Cate
.
”
“
No. You
’
ll prove it before you beleaguer
Cate
.
”
It was Grayson
’
s turn to glare at David.
“
The hell I will.
”
“
You will. And I
’
m here to enforce it. He
’
s a threat to you and your family.
”
“
You mean
Cate
? He
’
s a threat to her? She
’
s in America, safe from Michael
’
s machinations.
”
“
It takes only one plane ride, Grayson, and it could all be snatched away from you forever. You have much more to lose than your pride this time.
”
A tingling foreboding crawled over
his skin. The dragon caught
scent of trouble and roused
from its slumber, shaking its scaly head, groggy as if waking from a deep calming enchantment.
“
Tell me what
’
s at stake.
”
“
You
’
re going to be a father, Grayson.
Cate
will bear you a son by the end of the year. She and the boy will be in confinement for five years.
”
Oh my God. The dragon bellowed inside.
Raged.
A son.
Grayson harnessed the monster, yanking hard at the tether to keep control. He squeezed his eyes shut against the transition that threatened at the news. He took a deep breath.
Then another.
Pulled on his hoard.
Added another
element
to his hoard.
A son.
Something else, no someone else, precious to him.
“
I can
’
t see her?
”
“
No, Grayson. You know the rules. No adult males around mother or child for five years. Until the transition occurs or doesn
’
t occur.
”
“
I
’
ve mastered the beast. I won
’
t hurt them.
”
“
Stronger men than you have failed, Grayson. No. Sorry.
”
Tears smeared Grayson
’
s vision. God, he just wanted to protect her and the baby. He needed them to be well.
Safe.
Provided for.
He understood the restriction in his head, even if his heart couldn
’
t comprehend the need in this moment. Dragon males were a threat to their own children until the child turned five years old. They were predators like lions. If the beast perceived the child as
an impediment
--
either coming between him and
his mate, or between him and food, the dragon would eat his young. He couldn
’
t take that chance. Sadness and regret warred within him. If only he hadn
’
t squandered his time with
Cate
. Maybe they could have
found a way to get
through this together, instead of alone on two separate continents.
“
I understand.
”
No words had been harder to utter in his life.
“
Good, then we
’
ve got work to do. Looks like Michael James also sent a letter to
Cate
waiving your custodial rights to the baby. The woman believes you
’
ve abandoned her in her time of need.
Time to expose a rat and reclaim your life, old man.
”
The bellow Grayson let out rattled the whole house.
It was a war cry, loud
and clear
. And if Michael James couldn
’
t hear it in London, the bastard soon would feel the brunt of Grayson
’
s wrath.
Chapter Five
Two Months Later (June 10) - London, England
“What do you mean he
’
s gone?”
“Di
sappeared,” David Pierson said.
“
Michael James vanished two nights ago. He entered
Scala
in King
’
s Cross at midnight, shook the Scotland Yard tail in the crowds.
And
voilá
.
Gone
.”
“How is that even possible? How the
fuck could he just up and disappear
in the midst of one of the biggest corruption investigations the city has ever seen?” Grayson paced, pent-up anger rolled through him, threatening to capsize his tenuous hold on the dragon. “They planned to arrest him today.”
“Yes. Either someone tipped him off, o
r the man has a sensitive internal meter for impending trouble.”
“We found the diverted e-mail monitoring system a month ago.
A
ny leads he got from my communications were planted.”
“Yes, but that isn
’
t the only way he monitored the investigation. I
’
m sure he had informants wherever he could find them.
Women, mostly.”
Grayson stopped in front of his window and stared into the dark ribbon of the Thames from his office in Canary Wharf, the prestigious business district built on the old West India Docks where Cooper & James leased space. He clenched and unclenched his fists, rolled his neck first one way, then the other. Tight pain gripped his shoulders and squeezed his muscles. “How could Scotland Yard screw this up? And why are we just hearing about this now?”
“The constables were scrambling. They thought they
’
d let us know the bad news when they had a better idea where he
’
d gone.”
Grayson turned to his mentor, the man who had moved in two months ago and refused to leave until Grayson weathered this ordeal the right way and reclaimed his wife and child.
“And?”
“No one can steal from your hoard unless you allow it. We
’
ll go after him.”
“We both know that
’
s not true after the last two months. Someone has been stealing hoards.
Adjust that statement to
no human can steal your hoard,
and you might be closer.
”
“Any leads?” David said.
“No. I
’
ve recovered property, jewels, and liquid assets for two of the three mages targeted. I
’
ve got a long way to go to find the culprit and make anything stick.”
“We
’
ve found one connection between all the mages--their offspring attend
Chadsworth
’
s
.”
“Interesting.
I
’
ll look into it and see if I can find any tangible lead
s
back to the school
.” He scrubbed his face. “I know what you
’
re doing. Y
ou
’
re trying to distract me from the topic at hand, Michael James. I can handle the news. Tell me. You
’
ve done your job well. My reformation is almost complete. Where
’
d he go? Fiji?
Borneo?”
The chuckle died on his lips at the sober expression on David
’
s face.
A prickle of fear washed over him.
“James was identified on a flight to Pittsburgh.”
Terror clutched his chest in a painful vice grip. “He
’
s gone to find
Cate
?”
He’d given her what she asked for, but he couldn’t afford any more time if Michael was on the loose.
Cate
was in real danger.
He
’
d always known exactly where
Cate
had gone, even without David
’
s confirmation two
months ago. The mark he
’
d given her that earth-shattering day in February acted better than any Global Positioning System on the market.
Whether she knew it or not, she was part of him.
They were linked.
He felt her moods.
Knew her intimate longings.
Experienced the changes in her body.
Could communicate with her, if he chose to do so.
But he hadn
’
t.
Out of respect for her
request for
space and time away from him.
He
’d kno
w
n
what
she
wanted, even if she wouldn
’
t admit it to herself. She wanted him. And it ripped
him apart
know
ing
he couldn’t earn her trust from an ocean away while he’d been trying to pin a crime on the slimy
git
, Michael
James
.
“Yes. I
’
ve booked flights for us later today. In the meantime, I
’
ve
alerted
her handlers in the area. They
’
ll be on the lookout for Michael until we arrive. He won
’
t take one step on her property without them knowing. They
’
ll apprehend him.”
Grayson jammed his fingers through his hair. How could he protect
Cate
from this distance? By the time they arrived in Pittsburgh, it might be too late. His wife and his child might be snatched away from him.
Michael could steal nothing away from him he didn
’
t allow.
Grayson
repeated the mantra to himself. And he
’
d never allow
Cate
or his baby to be stolen away from him.
Ever.
If he believed this, then why did fear bind him so completely and make him feel helpless?
Magic
k
didn
’
t always cooperate. Hoards had been plundered in Europe in recent months. Mages
’
lives wrecked. Their hoards ransacked and what they treasured most misappropriated like a
magickal
shell game where dragons, who were at the top of the food chain, found themselves at a disadvantage for t
he first time in millennia.
Grayson had first-hand knowledge
of the cases
because he
’
d been cleaning up the messes all over the EU, taking on clients through Cooper
&
James, applying forensic accounting and legal investigation to recover what he could for other mages.
Three cases in the last two months alone.
“Grayson, look at me.” David stepped in front of him, his quiet command snapped Grayson
’
s attention from
the
fear of what could happen back to the present.
He ground his teeth, the muscles in his jaw protesting.
“She can take care of herself,” David said. “
Cate
will be okay. Trust me. I
’
ve seen her handle you and you
’
re a
helluva
strong dragon. Michael James will not be a problem for her. He
’
s a human with no known
magickal
ability. She can deal with him.”
“James is a sneaky bastard. She doesn
’
t know he
’
s evil. He
’
ll do anything to get what he wants. And he wants her. This feels bigger than Michael.”
“Yes, but if what you say is true, that Michael wants
Cate
, then he won
’
t hurt her.”
David stood
looking out the
windows
. He whipped
around
as Grayson’s last comment sank in.
“What do you mean, bigger?”
“I don
’
t know yet.” Grayson rubbed his jaw. “A feeling is all I have right now. But Michael
’
s been circumventing us at all points.
A little too easily for my liking.
Something
’
s not right. That worries me. And then the timing with all this hoard
business .
. . I don
’
t know. I don
’
t like it. I
’
ve never been one to believe in coincidences.”
“Neither do
I
. We
’
ll keep alert. If
magic
k
is involved, we
’
ll know it.”
Grayson didn
’
t voice his concerns that it might be more than
magic
k
, that it might be dragon
magic
k
. He wouldn
’
t impugn the
whole
Dignity
of dragons
or challenge the leader of the North American Consortium on a hunch. No, he needed tangible proof.
“Michael won
’
t harm her, Grayson.
Cate
is strong. Stronger than she was a year ago when she subdued you. I think she can control him until we get there. If not, Hattie will help her. Or Declan.
Or
Anu
.
She
’
s a gifted healer and
spell
caster
. She possesses great power in her own right. We
’
ll get to the bottom of this.
W
e
’
ll find out
what’s going on
.”
“I know. And yet I worry. She can
’
t stop bullets. And if Michael finds himself trapped, he
’
ll strike out like a wounded animal. If he can
’
t have her, he
’
ll make sure I never do either.”
#
The Next Day (June 11)
Cate
’
s
skin crawled. For the second time in fifteen minutes, she looked around to see who
might be watching
her. Someone
magickal
lurked nearby. She glanced over her shoulder, gripping her purse a little tighter.
No one.
The shop windows remained empty along Main Street. The closest pedestrians
hightailed
it to the golden-domed, limestone courthouse that dominated the square, obviously late for court dates in the hamlet of Mystic Springs, population two-thousand-one-hundred-ninety-five.
She
’
d driven the sixteen miles from Chatelaine
’
s Rest to Mystic Springs to get out and mingle with other people. Yes, she
’
d needed a few things, but she
’
d felt lonely. Even with Hattie
, her midwife companion,
around, she
’
d wanted to know she wasn
’
t the last human being on Earth. She never imagined she was an extrovert, but her seclusion over the past four months proved how important her social network had been back in England.
She stopped, lifted her face to the early summer sun
,
and pretended to study the old
wrought
iron Victorian clock in the square while she scanned her surroundings through her dark sunglasses. The street remained clear, as far as she could see. The invisible threat worried her. The historical landmark chimed as the hands landed on ten o
’
clock.
Time to work a little magic of her own.
Cate
tugged at the chatelaine under the waistband of her jean skirt. She knew where each object hung on the
magickal
chain--charms that could easily pass for normal household items from a by-gone era. To the casual observer, she seemed to tuck her shirt into the
back of her skirt. In reality, s
he
’
d retrieved an old pair of spectacles. Round wire rims with tinted blue glass.