| |
We talked to the cops and I saw Nicole switch from a freaked out, panicked mom to an utterly together person. She was good at that. She always seemed to be able to shift into whatever gear was needed for any situation. It was a necessary skill to have for the wife of a high-powered CEO. It was hardly something I would have thought of looking for in a mate, but it was certainly a bonus. I managed to call work and let them know what was going on. That was followed by a lengthy discussion with Joanie. I told her that this relationship status had just changed. That got her all riled up and excited but then I had to break the news about Tyler.
“I will be here for whatever you need,” Joanie said gravely. “Tell me when you want it to hit the press and I will be on it. But you probably want to go by the cops or...”
“Yeah, I’ll get back to you.”
I hung up and stood there, watching the cops wrap up their questioning of Nicole. They’d still be around to sweep the place for clues. And then...and then what? And then we were just supposed to wait and be patient and hope for a break? That didn’t seem likely. Dragons aren’t known for their patience. I’d already gotten several texts from my guys in the Dragon Boy’s Club expressing solidarity and telling me they’d drop everything whenever I needed them. It made me feel slightly better. But every time I looked up at Nicole and saw the pain in her eyes, I felt like shit again.
What if this was somehow my fault? I’d put Tyler out there after thinking I wouldn’t. I’d taken him out with us for one of my bullshit fake relationship events. And now this...
“Are you going to be here a while?” I asked the lieutenant who was supervising the investigation of the scene.
“A few hours at least,” she said, nodding.
“I need to...” I swallowed, rubbing my neck. I’d taken off my tie and jacket. I was still wearing my suit that I’d worn to the banquet. I felt disgusting but clothes were hardly my biggest problem right now. “I need to check on something.”
I hated to leave Nicole but at least she wouldn’t be alone. I just couldn’t stand the idea of not following up on Nicole’s father as the villain behind this. It made too much sense to me. I only hoped it was true so we could get Tyler back as soon as possible. There was also the thought that, if it was her father, he would never hurt Tyler. He wanted him as an heir even if he was perhaps delusional enough to think he could simply steal him away without any consequences. But I also didn’t want it to be true at all. I hated to think of Nicole being hurt that way, even if she hadn’t really spoken to her father in years.
“Nicole, I’m gonna go for...a minute.” I felt guilty even though I was leaving on her behalf. She looked at me a little confused, but I think she was so caught up in trying to keep herself together that me being gone for a while was likely only a blip on her radar.
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Where are you going?”
I glanced around at the cops. I was happy to have the help of human law enforcement but if I was right about Nicole’s father, that brought things into the realm of shifter business. There was no room for even well-meaning human systems and institutions when it came down to shifter business.
I pulled Nicole aside and said too low for the cops to hear, “I’m going to check on your father.”
I’d almost gone without telling her. But we were done lying to each other. Communication. I’d just promised it to her. I couldn’t go back on that promise now. Especially now.
Nicole looked faintly horrified and said, “Do you really think-”
“I don’t know,” I said quickly. “Maybe not. Maybe I’m crazy. Wouldn’t you rather be sure though?”
“Yes,” Nicole said, sighing. “Okay. Yeah. You know where he lives? He’s in Long Island-”
“Yeah, he’s not hard to find,” I muttered. I kissed her softly and turned to go.
It was getting on into late morning, but I was in a rush. I ran toward the East River, dodging cars and everyone just going about their day. I ran as hard as I could. Even with the possibility of the rumoured ward over the city that protected shifters, I wanted to be as careful as I could. I found a deserted enough looking spot and before I could think too much about it, I shifted and took off into the sky, soaring high above the city and into the clouds and in the direction of Donald Perkins.
***
THE FLIGHT FELT GOOD for my muscles even as they were still sore from sleeping on the ground. But the fire of my dragon self had me as riled up as I’d ever been as I soared through the sky. I remembered Donald Perkin’s address from a profile on him a long time ago. It wasn’t hard to remember. He lived on a pretty big estate. He’d been rich back when Nicole was little, but he’d made his real money when she’d run away and left home. Now, from what I could tell, he was just a lonely old dragon shifter with a lot of money and power but nobody who loved him.
It took me a little longer than I wanted to find old Donald’s estate. I lost my way a couple times and got turned around and ended flying lower, beneath the cloud canopy, until I finally came across the familiar, sprawling Colonial style mansion I’d seen in a few magazine stories in Business Week about Donald Perkins and his billions. By all rights, Nicole was the rightful heiress to this fortune. She didn’t seem to care about that at all. It made me love her all the more.
I landed far enough away not to be noticed, at least not by Nicole’s father. I was able to actually land on his property and get around the front gates. I ducked behind a huge sculpted shrub, near the wide, circular driveway in front of the mansion. I gave it a few minutes but nobody came out screaming about invading dragons, so I figured I was safe.
Nicole’s father was mainly retired now. What business he still conducted, was mainly from home according to what I’d heard about him. Anyway, I hoped he’d be home now.
I looked down at myself and frowned. I was rumpled and looked like somebody who had slept in their tux in Central Park. I buttoned up my shirt and smoothed back my hair, straightening my jacket and dusting myself off from the dried mud. If nobody looked too closely, I might still pass for presentable. Now I jogged up to the front doors and took a breath.
This was either going to go bad quickly or a little later. But even if Mr. Perkins didn’t have Tyler, it was inevitably going to go bad.
I rang the bell twice before the front door was answered by a butler in a black suit who looked at me with some surprise, perhaps recognizing me, before he could school his features into blank courtesy.
“May I help you, sir?” The butler said, frowning. He glanced out toward the front gates and I could tell what he was thinking. I was wearing a rumpled suit but it was designer. And he certainly recognized me. What happened next was just a matter of how much he knew about whatever Donald Perkins might be doing...which still might have been nothing.
“Hi. Good morning. I’m Justin King. I’m the CEO of Koinage. I’m here to speak to Mr. Perkins,” I said, trying not to sound as upset as I was. “It’s a matter of some urgency...regarding his daughter.”
“His daughter,” the butler said, frowning. It was possible he didn’t even know Perkins had a daughter. Somehow that made me angry too. “I’ll um... I’ll tell him you’re here, sir. Please come inside.”
He definitely did recognize me from somewhere then, I thought. Otherwise he likely would have treated me like some crazy person off the street. I nodded curtly and stepped inside, all my senses raised as I glanced around for anything telling. I sniffed the air as subtly as I could, trying to sniff out Tyler. I couldn’t smell him. He was still little. His scent wasn’t as potent as it would be later once he obtained his shifting abilities. I also wasn’t as sensitive to his scent as Nicole doubtless was. I could smell Perkins though. He was definitely here somewhere.
“Mr. King!” Perkins kept me waiting a few minutes but he did finally appear. He was wearing a golf shirt and looked the very picture of a wealthy man relaxing on a week day because he was retired. Donald Perkins had a shock of silver hair and a thin moustache.
I had never liked Donald Perkins, and even if he had nothing to do with Tyler’s disappearance, he had been a shitty father to Nicole. I felt sort of vindicated in having never liked him.
“Mr. Perkins,” I said, nodding once. I had no idea how this would go and I really had no plan. He certainly knew I was dating Nicole now. This was going to be dicey no matter what. “Sorry to bother you so early.”
“That’s fine.” He looked wary. I wanted to think he looked shifty-eyed but I didn’t know if that was just something I wanted to see. “Can I help you, Justin?”
“Maybe,” I said quietly. “I think you might now that I’m dating your daughter. Nicole...”
I kept my eyes on him, watching him, trying to sense any rising fire within him. He must’ve sensed it in me already. He would know I was a shifter right away. It was actually a little odd he hadn’t mentioned it. It made him a bit suspect.
“I know that,” he said quickly. He shrugged. “I haven’t spoken to my daughter in a very long time. We never did seem to get along.”
“Yes, I know...”
We were standing in his sitting room. It felt like the kind of place where people waited, with its marble floors covered in pricey area rugs and high ceilings. He had a sword hanging over a fireplace that kept catching my attention. It was iron. Iron was a remarkable thing in the home of a dragon shifter. Iron could pierce dragonhide. Putting that sword there was doubtless warning to any dragon shifter that might come in the house. He wanted you to know he could kill you if you threatened him. Now as I looked at him, I could see that in his eyes.
“So?” He said, sounding a little snappish. “What is it? I doubt you’re here to get my blessing.”
“No...” I rubbed my hands together. This was a risk if I was wrong. But I would always protect Nicole and Tyler with my life. I had to take the chance. “I don’t know if you’re aware that Nicole has a son...”
I saw his eyes flash. It was quick but it was there.
It was him. I knew it as much as I’d known that Tyler had been missing in the first place. Donald had him. I was sure of it. It was just a matter of finding him in here. Mr. Perkins frowned and scratched his head and the tiniest prickle of doubt nagged at me.
What if you just want to believe that because it’s easier?
“What about it?” Mr. Perkins finally said. He knew something then. He’d taken much too long to reply.
“He’s gone missing,” I said flatly. “And he’s only four-years-old. Nicole and I came from the New York Good Citizen’s Banquet and he was gone. Babysitter on the floor knocked out.”
“Oh...” Mr. Perkins turned, and walked to a wet bar in the corner, pouring himself a drink. “That is very disturbing. I had no idea.”
Yeah, definitely him, I thought.
I clenched my fists at my sides. I felt so sure. I felt it in my bones. I just had to angle my way past him...or something.
“Yes, very,” I said, nodding. “We’re desperate, as you can imagine. I was just wondering, I guess... If you knew anything about it?”
“Why would I know anything about it?” He said quickly. “As I’ve just said, I haven’t spoken to Nicole in years.”
“I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask,” I said carefully. “We have to do everything we can to get him back.”
“Of course,” Mr. Perkin said slowly.
I could see it. I could see it so clearly in his eyes. That was what made me say: “You always did want an heir. Didn’t you?”
It happened so quickly, I could hardly process it. Suddenly Mr. Perkins was shifting. I saw his eyes flash with the fire of his dragon and then in an instant he was a huge old dragon with silver scales. The room was so big, he wasn’t bumping the ceiling as he loomed over me. I saw him inhale and ducked back, intending to shift and fight.
Except that I couldn’t shift.
There was something blocking me. That wasn’t too surprising really. If you were a shifter with the resources, you could get a talented witch to cast a ward on your property to block other shifters from transforming. I’d never bothered to do it myself, but then I didn’t consider myself to be somebody with many enemies or reasons to keep other shifters away like Mr. Perkins apparently did.
Mr. Perkins breathed a burst of flame and I shouted and ducked behind a chair that immediately caught on fire. I whipped out my phone and texted my boy’s club ‘911’ as quickly as I could just before ducking away again as another wave of flame rolled toward me. I glanced at my phone and saw that the message hadn’t sent. There was no reception.
This was not ideal.
But he had Tyler. Of that, I was positive. And I wasn’t about to leave while Tyler was being held hostage here.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I muttered.
Mr. Perkins was pissed. He was tromping all around his own sitting room, knocking over tables and chairs and shattering what were doubtless priceless antiques and pieces of decor. A vase shattered and I ran and jumped over a chaise lounge as another wave of fire rolled out and the front wall burst into flame.
The guy was destroying his own home.
Sword, I thought. My mind on a loop. I stared at it from my briefly safe position behind the chaise. I was going to be on fire in two seconds. I needed to move faster than the fire, climb up on that mantle, and grab the iron sword. Mr. Perkins might have put it there to scare away his enemies, but he’d also put a weapon that could fight dragons in plain sight.
Do it, I thought I felt radically at a loss not being able to shift and up against another dragon. But this was all I had. This one shot. DO IT.
I surged forward and felt the awful heat of the fire coming toward me just as I leapt past it and I scrambled to climb the mantle, using the iron barred screen in front of the fireplace as a step to lift me up to the wall. The sword was attached to the wall and there was a terrible clattering as Mr. Perkins’s dragon turned, his tail making a hole in the doorway behind him, his great body smashing whatever had not already been smashed. I closed my eyes and yanked with all my strength and the iron sword came away abruptly, my own force throwing me back to the floor where I landed painfully, half on top of Mr. Perkin’s great clawed foot.
But I had the sword.
I sprang to my feet and thrashed a little haphazardly, catching Mr. Perkins’ leg well enough that he jerked back and blood was drawn. I swung at him while climbing back over the furniture and into the great hallway toward the main staircase. The mansion was on fire, flames licking at the walls. From the corner of my eye, I saw the butler appear and run off again. I suspected he knew what sort of creature he was working for, if not what he was capable of.
Tyler, Tyler, Tyler...
I was narrowly singed, sparks flying toward me, flames bursting out of Mr. Perkin’s mouth as I swung again and sliced his throat, though it was likely not a fatal wound. He reared back and howled his anger and it gave me the time to run up the stairs as fast as I could manage.
The mansion was going to burn. Mr. Perkin’s endless thirst for an heir was going to undo him. But I couldn’t worry about my life now. I needed to find Tyler. The place was huge and at the top of the stairs, I stopped and shut my eyes. I inhaled, sniffing, concentrating as hard as I could on Tyler and the memory of his still baby-like little boy scent. It was hard to sort that scent out from the fire and Perkins’ musk but I ran to one end of the hallway, sniffing furiously. I turned a corner and then I caught it, clear as day. I wasn’t crazy. He was here.
My son...
He was here. It was unmistakable. I threw open door after door finding the master bedroom, a guest bedroom, a bathroom, and office and then-
There was a nanny or some kind of caretaker. She was an older woman and she smelled like a fox shifter of all things. Tyler was in a child-sized easy chair, curled in on himself, his eyes red and teary. The room had clearly been prepared for him, it looked like the room of any small child whose parents were incredibly wealthy; a massive teddy bear sat in one corner. The nanny was standing in front of him, looking panicked. She’d clearly heard all the commotion and must have smelled the fire. That she hadn’t come running out to find safety for Tyler told me all I needed to know. She knew what Mr. Perkins was. She was relying on him to get rid of the interloper and then everything would be fine.
“Justin!” Tyler was jumping out of his chair and running toward me and I would’ve cried, I was so moved, if the situation hadn’t been dire.
I must’ve looked like a mad man. I was sooty now, in the remnants of my designer tux, as I stood there, wielding a huge, iron sword. But Tyler knew me. He knew me and he trusted me and he ran to me now and clung to my leg. The nanny reared back and flattened up against the wall and I glared at her, holding the sword aloft.
“What’s a back way out of here?” I said coldly. “Now.”
“H-he’ll go after you,” she said breathlessly. “He’ll find you-”
“Jesus, get the hell out of my way.” I dropped the sword and picked Tyler up in my arms and the nanny bolted past me, saving her own skin. I ran to the window and mercifully I could open it. There was a ledge and a thick lattice along the side of the house. If I was very careful I could climb down to the ground, even with Tyler in my arms.
He was weeping now, clinging to me like a scared kitten and I held him tight, my heart clenched in my chest.
“It’s okay, Tyler,” I said softly, even as I climbed out the window. The smoke was billowing now into the room. The entire place was aflame. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’ve been such a brave boy. I just need you to be brave a little longer. But I got you. It’s gonna be okay.”
“I’m scared,” he said, whimpering, crying into my jacket.
“I know, Tyler.” I had him now. I was climbing now, as carefully as I could. I went as slow as I could manage even as the fear began pouring through me. I could hear Mr. Perkins in there as he was destroying his house looking for me. He would catch up with us quickly if he was even in his right mind. “I got you. I got you...”
One rung of lattice at a time. I didn’t think we were going to make it. I saw the nose of Perkin’s dragon peeking through the window right above me and I looked down to see several feet to the ground.
“Hold on tight, kid.” I held onto Tyler and then I jumped. The jolt of a landing sent a shock of pain through my feet as I landed with Tyler in my arms but I didn’t fall, at least.
On the ground, it took me half a second to get my bearings but then Perkin’s head was whipping around, destroying the room he’d built for Tyler. I started running, straight ahead, an all-out sprint into the woods beyond the mansion, and into the depths of the estate. It went on, seemingly, forever. I was running on blind faith that the shifter-resistant wards didn’t encompass the entire property. Tyler clung to me like a good little soldier, and I heard Perkins’ plaintive screeching behind us as I made for the tree line. Finally, I could feel it; the power to shift. Perkins was coming but I was out of his sight now as I ducked behind a tree and I set Tyler down.
“Hold still one second, Ty, okay?”
Tyler only nodded, his big brown eyes still red and teary. I patted his head and then all at once I shifted. I heard his gasp but there was no time to get him used to what I had to do next. It might be terrifying to him, yet it was the only option.
I grabbed Tyler with the talons of my right front leg, holding him firmly in my grip, and set off, flying high into the sky.
