“My phone has GPS, genius. You have less than five minutes before my father and his men arrive.”
Zacharias looked like a deflated balloon. “The Talons were going to disclose to the Grey Council that my daughter’s mother was a Water Wizard. The Grey Council is paranoid about diluting the blood lines. The report would be as good as a death sentence for her. What was I supposed to do? She’s all I have.”
“Where’s her mother now?” Stryker said.
“Dead, or at least that is what I was told. She disappeared three years after Katherine was born.”
AJ’s eyebrows drew together. “You told everyone at work that your daughter’s mother overdosed.”
“A story. I wanted Katherine to hate her. I thought it would end the questions. It only made her more curious.”
Dragon Stryker tried to access the childhood memories of his human side. They were still as hard to grasp as wisps of smoke, but he knew Zacharias’s daughter would doubt the story her father spun. Even human children could remember events and voices experienced at a young age. But Zacharias’s daughter was half Wizard, which meant her memories likely went even fartherback than when she was two or three years old. No wonder she had questions. The child’s memories didn’t match the stories Zacharias was trying to sell. When AJ turned toward Stryker, she seemed to have the same thoughts.
“We’re off topic,” AJ said. “Who was your contact?”
Zacharias stood straighter, as though welcoming the shift away from his daughter. “The Earth Wizard Vlad, and occasionally the president of the Talons would drop by unannounced. I got the impression someone else was pulling their strings. They always seemed nervous.”
“Any idea who?” AJ asked.
Police sirens blared from a few blocks away. Zacharias twitched as though hit and glanced over his shoulder. “You’re sure your father will protect me?”
“That depends. A lot of what you told us is what my father already suspected. You need to give him something new.”
Zacharias pointed a shaking finger toward Stryker. “I thought it was obvious. The giant is your proof the Talons’ theory is real. Look at him. He’s a shapeshifter. A Dragon. I recognized the signs, but I wasn’t sure until I saw him fight. The Talons never wanted to kill Wizards, or at least not all the Wizards. Some they killed because they got too close to the truth. The goal all along was to find a way to transform Wizards into the most feared fighting machines created. Dragon Wizards. But to do that they needed Wizards with a strong connection to Dragons.”
Police cars surrounded the building and blocked the area, trying to control the growing crowds as pedestrians shoved for a better view of what might have caused the emergency.
“You have to get me out of here,” Zacharias said in rising panic. “Something’s wrong. How did they get here so fast?”
“The police are good at what they do,” AJ said. “Stop changing the subject. What else do you know?”
His voice shaking, he glanced between the crowd below and the entrance to the apartment. “I might have an idea who is really behind this. I can’t be sure. I need more time.”
In the next instant the door burst opened with such force it broke free of its hinges, flew halfway across the room and crashed to the ground. The hallway was dark, with only the glint of metal.
AJ raised her hands. “Don’t shoot,” she shouted. “We’re unarmed. I’m Detective Lyons’ daughter, AJ Zollinger.” Over her shoulder, she said, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure my father knows you’re going to help us.”
Men wearing masks, helmets, and tactical uniforms, moved in, their guns raised.
“Trap!” Stryker shouted as he shielded AJ with his body.
Weapons fired in a blur of gunfire and choking smoke. Bullets struck Zacharias with such force he lifted off the ground.
Stryker gathered AJ in his arms and dove through the balcony’s railing, unsure if he would shapeshift into a Dragon or plummet to the ground.
****
Spotlights searched the night sky, crisscrossing over the clouds in a frantic dance. The rain, however, had taken a momentary break, as though assessing its options. If the slate-grey, fast-moving clouds were an indication, the break wouldn’t last long. In his human form, Stryker, with AJ held at his side, had landed on the rooftop garden sanctuary of a luxury hotel that overlooked Puget Sound and a giant Ferris wheel. He had not beenable to shapeshift into a Dragon. Evidently, he was still getting the hang of it. Instead, using a combination of his superhuman core and dumb luck, he had ridden the air currents and landed on the rooftop. The hotel had created a parklike setting, complete with trees, a winding river-rock path,fountains, and—fortunately for him—a tourist shop with “I love Seattle” clothing.
AJ was convinced that the men who had shot and killed Zacharias and then turned their guns on them were not connected with her father or the Seattle police force. It was obvious they hadn’t come to rescue AJ but to kill Zacharias and any witnesses.
Stryker did not know if her assessment regarding her father was true. What he did know was that there could be only one reason to search the skies. Someone knew what—or more importantly, who—they were looking for. They were searching for a Dragon.
“You can fly?” Teeth chattering, she rubbed her arms, with the classic deer-in-the-headlights expression. “That’s cool.”
He shrugged. “More gliding and jumping than flying, this time,” Stryker said with a grin. He should have known she would have questions.
She rubbed her arms again. “You’re right. It was seriously scary. When I was younger, my father used to tell me bedtime stories of fantastical creatures. I thought he had a wonderful imagination. Now, I realize all the stories were true. So, you said you were a Dragon Wizard. What is that…exactly?”
