“It’s no problem, My Lady.” Darien came over and pulled the covers up over her properly. “You are always welcome in my home.”
Carissa smiled at him sleepily.
“In a while, I have to head out for a bit, but I shouldn’t be long. You’re safe here.”
She nodded her understanding as sleep crept up and stole over her. Finally, a chance to really rest.
8
Wap. Wap. Wap. Noise cut into Carissa’s dream. Who the heck was making that horrible racket? Dragging herself from sleep, she shifted over to her side. Michael’s warmth snuggled into her back as she stared at the doorway through cracked eyes. Her brain worked on the sound. It was something she had heard before. The high whine of machinery shutting down had her sitting up. A helicopter. Who would bring a helicopter up here?
She stopped breathing as a black-clad man with a gun pushed through the door. It took her a moment to recognize the uniform. Eternity! He brother was here! Relief flooded through her. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Shoot. The magic she had used to borrow Michael’s voice had worn off. Oh well, they wouldn’t expect her to talk to them, anyway. She waved a hand in greeting.
“She’s here.” The man spoke into a mic mounted on his shoulder. His eyes swung across the room, searching. “Negative on the target.”
Carissa tipped her head over, making her confusion obvious.
The man circled around the inside of the cabin, looking in every possible nook and cranny. “All clear here.” He stopped at the foot of the bed and turned his back to the wall to watch the room. There was a tension in him that Carissa did not like.
“Carissa!”
A voice pulled her attention from the guard. The king stepped through the door in all his glory. Surprisingly, his ‘glory’ consisted of jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt. Man, he was dressing down today. He paused just inside the door, scanning the room as the guard had.
“Are you all right?” her brother asked as he finally crossed the room to her. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Carissa stood up and hugged her brother. With his golden hair rumpled and dark bags under his amber eyes, Carissa was sure he hadn’t slept since she had gone missing.
Kyle’s hands ran up and down her back, looking for wounds. He leaned away and looked into her eyes. “Please tell me he didn’t hurt you.”
Carissa smiled and shook her head. Other than a few scrapes, she was fine.
“Thank God.” Kyle drew her in for another hug before pulling her down to sit on the edge of the bed. “I was so worried when I got Darien’s message. How dare that man have the audacity to come here after what he put you through!”
Carissa looked at her brother with confusion. Who did what?
Ignoring her unvoiced questioned, Kyle touched her arm again as if confirming that she was really safe. “So, where is he?” The king’s eyes shifted from her to search the room again. The same, nervous tension in the guard rode her brother, too.
There was something they weren’t telling her. Carissa grabbed Kyle’s arm, forcing him to focus on her. Who? she mouthed at her brother. She was pretty sure they were looking for Michael, but something was not sitting right with her. This was not a man looking forward to meeting someone who had saved his sister. He was obviously angry about something.
“Michael Duncan.” Kyle growled the name. “I promise that he will pay for what he’s done.”
Red flags waved in warning. Something was definitely not right. Why? Carissa mouthed again, confused. What had Michael done? Her hand slipped down to cover the little lump of dragon next to her on the bed. He hadn’t moved since she’d gotten up. Hopefully, he would remain asleep until she could figure out what was going on.
“He’s responsible for your kidnapping, among other things.”
A pain shot through Carissa’s chest at her brother’s words. She clutched at the blanket over Michael. How could that be? He had been chained up in the dungeon. He’d helped her escape. Carissa shook her head emphatically, denying her brother’s words. She could not—would not—believe that Michael had had anything to do with her abduction.
“It’s true.” Kyle smoothed his hand over her arm, trying to calm her. “We have him on video carrying you out of the ball.”
Carissa gave him a distressed look. Could it be true? Had Michael helped in her kidnapping, and then the group chained him up in the dungeon? But he had killed at least two of them. He didn’t seem heartless enough to turn on his own people, but, then again, she hadn’t known him for very long. Was it possible?
Tears clung to the edges of Carissa’s eyes. Michael’s betrayal stung her heart more deeply than she cared to think about. Her fingers gripped tighter into the material under her hand. All she had to do was rip the covers back to reveal the little dragon snuggled in the warmth she had left. She’d have to explain his form to her brother, but he would take care of the man. Kyle would see that he got the punishment he deserved.
Deserved… That word hung heavy in her mind. Had Michael really done what her brother said? She had to know. If she gave him over to her brother now, she would never get the chance to confront him. It’s not like he could just transform back to human and answer her questions. She needed time alone with him.
Carissa looked back up to her brother’s concerned eyes. He was waiting for her to come to terms with reality. Carissa nodded her head. She would accept his word for now. He drew in a breath to comfort her but was interrupted by someone at the door.
“Pardon me, My King,” Daniel raised his hand to his heart and bowed when he stopped in the doorway. “The perimeter’s secure, but there’s no sign of Michael. I suggest we get Lady Carissa to safety. I’ll leave a squad here to search for him.”
“Very good.” Kyle stood up from the bed and held his hand out for Carissa.
Oh, God! She had to do something fast. She couldn’t leave Michael here. Daniel’s men would find him. But how was she supposed to get him out with Daniel and her brother there? She took her brother’s hand and stood up as she thought. Kyle pulled her over and wrapped his arm around her to escort her out. This was not going well.
A flash of gold and bronze caught Carissa’s eye as Kyle led her to the door. Her gown! Michael’s coat was folded under it. Carissa pulled against Kyle’s arm as inspiration struck.
“What?” Kyle looked down when Carissa resisted him.
She held out the front of her borrowed robes and pointed to her dress balled up next to the bed.
He looked from her to the bundle, then back to the man following them. “Get Carissa’s things.” Kyle tried to lead her on to the door as their guard bent to gather up her dress.
Carissa threw off her brother’s hand and backed away from him, shaking her head.
Kyle looked at her, concerned.
She held up the borrowed robes.
“We can return Darien’s robes later.”
Carissa shook her head adamantly and took the bundle of her clothing away from the guard.
Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “Fine,” he agreed. “Do you need a hand getting dressed?” When Carissa shook her head, he ushered everyone else out so she could change. “You have five minutes. Bang on something if you need help.”
Letting out the breath she’d been holding, Carissa quickly shook out her dress. Darien would have gladly let her keep his robes, but this was the only way to get the men out of the room. Slipping into the horribly wrinkled dress, Carissa grabbed up Michael’s coat. What the hell did he have in those pockets? It weighed a ton. Ignoring the weight, she slipped it on and zipped it part of the way up. Using the strap at the waist, she cinched the bottom closed. The leather puffed out around her slight frame. Perfect.
Flipping back the blanket, she snatched up the sleeping dragon and fed him into the jacket. Michael squeaked as she stuffed him in. Carissa shushed him as she rolled up his tail and tucked it in, too. Her brother would be back in if she didn’t hurry up. She
patted his bulk as she turned to head out. It was the best she could do. Now, she just had to pray it worked.
***
What the hell, woman? Michael tried to yell, but it came out as a garbled, squeaking noise. Waking up to someone stuffing you inside a jacket was not his idea of a good morning.
Carissa shushed him as she pushed him the rest of the way in and zipped up his jacket.
His jacket! What was she doing wearing his jacket? Michael shook his head and crawled around her back in the bulge the oversized coat made around her middle. At least she belted the bottom tight so he wouldn’t fall out.
“Are you ready?”
The muffled voice made Michael freeze. He recognized that voice. Oh, God! The king was here! Now he was really going to be in trouble. But why had Carissa stuffed him down inside his jacket? Carefully, he crawled up the inside of the coat, trying to see out. Pressure stopped his movement. Was she holding him down?
“Isn’t that Michael’s jacket?”
That voice Michael knew well. Daniel! He wiggled to get out. He needed to see Daniel. The pressure increased, holding him away from his goal. What was Carissa thinking? He needed out.
“We’ll need to take that in for evidence.”
This comment from his boss made Michael freeze. He felt Carissa clutch at the jacket protectively. What was going on out there?
“Please, My Lady,” Daniel continued. “It may have leads to his whereabouts. We need to find him as soon as possible.”
Carissa held the pressure on him so he couldn’t move.
“Just leave her be.” The king’s voice came from just above Carissa’s shoulder.
Michael felt his arm press into the leather as he drew Carissa into a protective hold.
“I’m sure she’s having a hard enough time as it is. I’ll get you his damned coat later.”
Michael shivered at the anger in the king’s words. Something was definitely not right.
“But, it might help us find him,” Daniel pressed. “He never goes anywhere without that thing. He’s damn good, and we need every edge we can get if we are going to stop him before he strikes again.”
What?
“Just leave it,” the king growled.
Michael clung to the inside of his jacket as he processed the conversation. What did they think he was doing?
The gentle swaying of Carissa’s body told him they were moving again, but where were they going? Michael hated not being in control. Listening closely, he could hear the high-pitched whine of a helicopter starting up. Carefully, he inched up so he was pressed between his jacket and Carissa’s chest in an attempt to see out. Michael could just see Daniel through Carissa’s fingers. She had raised her hand in an attempt to keep him hidden inside the coat. Daniel looked pissed.
Normally, Daniel was a fairly easygoing individual. Something really bad had to have happened for him to be that angry. Inching back down, Michael tucked himself in against Carissa’s stomach to listen. Maybe he could find out what was going on. The noise from the helicopter made eavesdropping difficult until they were tucked away inside the soundproof interior.
“It’s not something you should be worrying about, My Lady.”
Daniel’s words made Michael freeze again. What had Carissa asked him? God, Michael wished she had a voice. It would make eavesdropping so much easier. The tuft of his tail smacked him on the nose as he fidgeted, waiting to hear more. Chomping down on a few of the tassel-like ends, he worried them with his teeth in an attempt to keep from bolting from the coat and demanding to know what was going on.
Carissa shifted as if she were talking with her hands.
“Truly,” Daniel tried again, “I’m sure you don’t want the details.”
Carissa made a sharp motion that made Michael bite down on his tail a little harder.
“Just tell her.” The king’s voice came from somewhere to Carissa’s right. “You know she won’t stop until you do.”
Michael chuckled at Daniel’s exasperated sigh. Obviously, this was not something he wanted to go into.
“I still can’t believe it was Michael.” Defeat was strong in Daniel’s voice. “And to think, he actually volunteered.”
Michael spit out his tail. There was only one assignment he had volunteered for recently. That was chasing down the persons responsible for the dragon disappearances. No, they couldn’t think he was involved with that… could they?
“As I’m sure you’ve heard, about a year ago, dragon pheromones started showing up in clubs around the country.” Daniel’s voice was heavy. “We originally thought it was a group of dragons looking to make some extra cash, but the stuff was extremely concentrated. So, we started digging. We were able to link several missing dragons to the pheromones being sold. All the dragons had the same M.O.: loners, like Darien. Ones that only ventured out when they had to. It must have been months before we realized dragons were being targeted. I sent out men to check on as many as we could. God, I was amazed at how many were missing. Ten in this area alone.” Daniel let out an angry growl.
“Michael and his partner, Jareth, volunteered to head up the investigation. They were to look for any suspicious activity. A week ago, Jareth sent me a report of everything they had found. Stories and eyewitness testimonies of the missing dragons’ doings.
“There wasn’t much to go on, but several people claimed to have seen Michael with a few of the dragons just before they disappeared.”
Michael squirmed inside the jacket. He wanted to scream. That’s not what they had found!
“He’s also one of the few people with access to the solitary dragons list. I had Jareth looking into Michael’s recent activities. Apparently, Michael made several trips in the last few months, right around the time the dragons disappeared.”
Michael thrashed in anger.
Carissa’s arms came down, squishing Michael into her body, holding him still.
“At that point, Michael hadn’t sent in a report, but he was always one to check his facts carefully and present them in person. I was going to question him when he came in. Everything Jareth found was circumstantial, and I had a hard time believing Michael could be involved with these abductions. I’ve known the man for a damn-long time.” Daniel let out a forlorn sigh before continuing. “Then Michael disappeared, too. Jareth said he went to get some coffee and never came back.
“I wanted to believe that he had a reasonable explanation. Then you disappeared.” The tone of Daniel’s voice got bleaker, if that were even possible. “I spent hours going over the video surveillance from Baron Estivis’ ball. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him come out carrying you.”
Michael squirmed against Carissa’s still form. He wanted to thrash someone. How could they make her believe he was responsible for her abduction? Her heart rate and breathing had gone up drastically. The coat puffed out as she squeezed her arms into the sides of the leather. Michael stretched to see her. Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked down at him. Hurt hung on every part of her beautiful face.
Reaching a clawed foot up to touch the front of her corset, he met her accusing stare. No! Shaking his head, he tried to convince her of his innocence. He had not done what they were claiming. He wanted to boil out of his hiding spot and deny the accusations, but he didn’t have anything to offer as proof. Carissa’s hands over the leather convinced him to remain where he was.
A wave of golden hair hid her face from everyone else as she considered him. She sniffed back tears before raising her head and nodding towards where Daniel must be seated.
God, she had made some decision for him, but what was it?
“Don’t worry, Carissa,” the king tried to calm his sister. “Justice will be quick for him.”
Shit! That sounds like a royal decree! Had they already sentenced him without hearing his defense? Carissa must have picked up on the same note. Her back had gone very rigid.
“No, no. We haven’t sentenced him yet.”
Carissa must have m
outhed something to him.
“He’ll be given a proper trial if he turns himself in, but I have authorized Eternity to use force if he resists.”
Oh, crap!
“He’s an Elite, after all,” Daniel added.
Well, thank you, boss! Michael chomped back down on the tip of his tail to keep from growling. He could just see how this was going to turn out. If it had only been the disappearances, he might have had a chance by turning himself in and fighting the charges, but Carissa’s kidnapping had ensured that the Elites would shoot first and ask questions later. He was as good as dead.
9
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Carissa pushed her brother’s hands away and took off to her private quarters without answering him. She needed to get away from everyone. She could feel Michael wrapped around her middle. He had let out a constant string of angry rumbles since Daniel had finished. Thankfully, the noise of the helicopter had drowned out the sound. Didn’t that man know the first thing about hiding? Had his coat been any tighter on her, his constant fidgeting would have been a dead giveaway. She was going to have words with him as soon as she could speak again.
Slamming her door shut, Carissa yanked open Michael’s jacket and dumped him out on her bed.
He rolled around in a tangle of wings before righting himself and chattering at her angrily.
Like he had any right to be angry! She had protected him from her brother and Daniel. If he had done any of the things they had accused him of, then she was going to be in a world of trouble. She was already going to get it for turning him into a dragon.
Carissa watched as Michael paced laps around her bed, chittering on. He was really worked up about something. Too bad he hadn’t figured out how to speak dragon. Then she might have been able to tell if Daniel’s story held any grains of truth.
Suddenly, he stopped and turned to her with imploring eyes.
What could he want? Carissa sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to be able to just crawl into bed and go back to sleep. Carissa tried not to think about the few hours of rest she had just gotten. It had been so nice cuddled up with Michael, even as a dragon.