Damn, but she had him twisted up inside.He leaned so close that their noses almost touched.“Ruby.”This time he could hear that intimate tone she’d been accusing him of.
“Yes, Cyn.”
“Don’t toy with my Dragon.Trust me, you will not like the price.”
15
Whatwasthe price of toying with Cyn’s Dragon?Ruby wondered as he drove like a maniac through the city streets.He’d cranked the stereo, and a rock band was singing about being bad company.That fit Cyn right about then, so she decided to back off from provoking him further.The price might be crashing the car.
Cyn was cool, calm, inured to things that would freak out others, like, say, demons, or a woman holding a gun to his chest.So, inciting a reaction in him satisfied her on some deep level.Ooh, how he’d gotten pissed—no, territorial—when she’d talked about Grayson.Sure, the Caido was gorgeous, but Cyn was the man who did it for her.
What was the deal with her Dragon Prince?Well, notherprince.
“What’s this Darren’s last name?”Cyn asked.
“I don’t know.They were simply Aunt Magda and Uncle Darren, though I knew they weren’t real family.I’d hate to think he’s Mr.Smith.”
“He’s the one person who knew what your father was doing.”
“Or not.I can remember Darren’s snide comments about my father being secretive about his work.It seemed to really bother him.”
“Right now, he’s the only lead we have.If he isn’t behind this, maybe he can shed some light on the people behind the private lab they both worked for.”
“Let’s go by the Yard,” she said as they approached one of the nearby exits.“I don’t have a lot of things from my childhood, but I do have pictures of my parents.I’m pretty sure Darren and his wife are in them.Maybe there’s a last name on the back.And I’d like to eyeball my place, make sure everything’s all right.”
“That place means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
“It’s my life, my livelihood.Where I spent time as a kid when the world was good, and where I grew up and learned responsibility.And it’s my one link to my mother.”Damn, her voice had quivered.“This Mr.So-called Smith knows about the Yard, no doubt.”
Cyn must have picked up on the emotion in her voice because he gave her a soft smile and switched lanes to take the exit.“Which is why we have to approach it very carefully.We have to assume something’s waiting for us.You can sense magick, if you tune in to it.”
“So, we can tell if there’s a demon lurking around?”There was some relief in that.
“Yes, but there are ways to mask it, too.And some aspects of the Hidden don’t give off a signature.”
“Well, that’s just great.”
As he pulled onto another road, she said, “Yesterday you advised me to never kill out of high emotion.You described the feeling of someone’s blood gushing over your hand as something you knew firsthand.”She’d been holding a letter opener to his chest.It seemed surreal now, and so long ago.“You said we shouldn’t go there then.Can we go there now?”
He looked like he was going to say no, but he released a breath instead.“Being in the Guard is like being in the military.Sometimes it’s kill or be killed.”
“What kind of people did you have to kill?”
“Those who violated Rule Number One.Crescents who succumbed to the lure of their magick, which means they lose their conscience and start using their powers for bad.Demons.Dragons infected by Red Lust.”
“What’s that?”
“Remember when I told you about Breathing Dragon, how Dragons can take each other’s power?When I healed you, I Breathed out, sending my essence into you.If you kill a Dragon, you can Breatheintheir essence and assimilate their power.You have to be very careful if you manage to kill an old soldier like me.Take more than you’re ready for, and Red Lust throws you in a bloodlust frenzy.”
“Oh, boy, that sounds like fun.Think I’ll pass on that whole Breathing thing.”
“No, take the power, if it comes to that.You need all you can get.”He drove slowly past the Yard doing that magick sensing thing probably.
She tried to see past the sentimental aspect of the Yard and focus on anything out of the ordinary with her sixth sense.It was her ordinary sense of sight that zeroed in on the gap in the front gate, right next to where she’d hung the CLOSED FOR FAMILY EMERGENCY sign she’d made before they left.
“Someone’s here,” she said.
She couldfeelCyn’s energy snap tight.Weird.He pulled way off to the side and killed the engine.
