“But you’ll try.”
She shovels in another bite of pancakes loaded with whipped cream. “Yeah, I’ll try, and not just because you’ve won me over with free pancakes.”
I chuckle. “It was the whipped cream, wasn’t it?”
“Definitely.”
Chapter Nine
SEB
While my mind keeps drifting back to pancakes with Zoe, Remus is staring at me like he wants to hurt me.
“Have you gotten a referral from the witch yet?” The Gemini sits across the table from me in my heavily guarded cabin in the San Gabriel mountains, sipping a cappuccino out of a mug that reads “Treble Maker.” I’m sure my Firetender Patrick chose that one on purpose. Totally coordinates with the death rays Remus is sending in my direction.
He’s pissed because he’s had to shutter his tattoo parlor temporarily under the guise of suffering a long-term illness to conform to the new dragon lockdown. It’s the only way for us to stay safe. We’re playing a game with the Order, and all the rules have changed. Our only defense right now is to see them before they see us. That means living in properties owned by investment firms with no identifying dragon information and staying out of the public eye.
I, too, have taken a leave of absence from most of my duties at Full Throttle in order to hole up in this cabin in the mountains. Every person on this property is either a dragon or a Firetender, a human sworn to serve us. Every security guard here also carries a gun and monitors the gated property electronically. This place is safe, but it’s not a long-term solution.
“She hasn’t contacted me yet, and I haven’t had a chance to follow up. I’ve been a bit busy fielding questions and protests about the new safety protocols.”
“Go today, Seb. I know it scares you. You hate walking into situations where you don’t have control. But it has to be done.”
I rub my eyes. He’s right about me having reservations. “It’s possible she couldn’t find anyone. Considering what I offered her, I think she’s tried her best, but she made it sound like not all witches feel favorably toward dragons. The only thing worse than not having a witch is having a witch who wants to kill us.”
“Don’t think like that. You’ve got to try. If we understood the magic of their rings, it could change everything for us.”
I sigh heavily through my nose. It’s only been a couple days, and I’m already getting complaints. People are going to come out of their skin if I don’t do something soon. “Look, she’s performing again on Saturday. I can check with her then.”
“Saturday?” Remus curls his lip. “People have turned their lives upside down for you, Seb! You can’t wait another five minutes, let alone five days.”
I run a hand through my hair. It’s getting long and I seriously need a cut, but I’ll have to wait until I can get a private barber in, preferably a dragon. “What would you have me do, Remus?”
“Seek her out tonight. If you know where she’s been performing, there must be someone there, a manager or something, who knows how to reach her.” He points an accusing finger at me. “This is your job, Seb. Get it done.”
I rub my chin with the side of my hand. Fuck, I need a shave and a shower and a weekend off. “Fine. I’ll go today. But I’ve been thinking, Remus. Witch or no witch, we need to take action. Whatever we learn about the ring, it’s not going to be a quick fix, which means we’ve got to be strategic about what we do next.”
“Fuck. Why do I feel I’m not going to like this idea?”
“It’s well past time we turned the tables on the Order. So far, we’ve been at war, but only they have been fighting. We’ve been running. We need to fully activate the brotherhood. Have everyone, all twelve of us, pair up and start rotations. Take them out before they take us out.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You want us on the offensive?”
I nod. “Ellison has the list of order members from our rolls. I have a feeling that won’t be accurate any longer, but Mason’s mate Reagan is a journalist, and her friend Imana works for a vigilante organization. Last month at Connor’s, I heard she has her own list, and if I were a betting man, I’d put money on that one being more up-to-date. She’s some kind of tech genius.”
“You want me to talk to this woman?”
“Yeah, I need you to go to Thornsboro and convince Imani to share what she knows, any information she has on the Order. Get Reagan to help you. Then we can call the team together and start targeting members to neutralize.”
“You mean, we kill them.” He frowns.
“That’s one possibility, but it isn’t the cleanest, given how powerful these guys are. I think we aim to cut off their rings, even if we have to take their hands. They’re helpless without them.”
“We either collect bodies, or we collect rings,” he mutters. Remus sets down the mug. “My father told me stories about the war, before Donovan brought about the accord. I never thought it would come to this.”
“Me neither.”
He nods and stands from the table. “I’ll find Reagan and Imani and get that list.”
