Page 19

Chapter 19

Interview With A Dragon

Blake

My heart still hammered even as we sat around the long table in the castle’s main dining room. Night had fallen, the heavy scarlet-red drapes drawn across the windows. Pizza boxes were spread down the table. The smell of pepperoni and cheese filled the room. I couldn’t really eat, though, only munching on some garlic bread and drinking around three gallons of water.

Xavier sat next to me. He hadn’t left my side since we made it back to the castle. I wondered if he could tell how shaken I still was. Even when I took a moment by myself to shower and try to calm down, Xavier had waited for me outside the bathroom. Like a friendly cat not wanting to be far from their owner. It comforted me. Xavier, in general, comforted me. I didn’t think that came in the job responsibilities of a bodyguard, but the golden dragon was quickly proving to be much more than just a bodyguard. He was kind and funny and caring and had a magnetic pull about him that drew me in, closer and closer. My thoughts had wandered these past couple of weeks. They’d gone to territories I hadn’t thought about since my last boyfriend. There was an urge to reach out to him, to hold his hand. I thought back to that first day we met, when I’d stuck my foot directly into my mouth. I remembered how my hand felt in his. It had been an immediate sensation of warmth. And there was definitely a flirty kind of energy between us that only helped to enhance my feelings about him.

And yet here I was, an awkward virgin who didn’t know how to make the first move or pick up on signals. The thought of making a fool of myself again prevented me from seriously considering that something could be bubbling up between us. It was all a fantasy. One that would end when Xavier’s job was over.

Damn. What a sad day that would be.

The rest of the family had joined us at the table. Xavier’s brothers and sister gathered the moment they found out what happened, along with their partners. I sat across from Damien and Robby, trying not to focus on his smooth, porcelain-like skin. Yes, he was a vampire, but he was nothing like the one who’d attacked us at Kalen’s house.

I looked down at the bandage around my forearm, where the vamp had sunk her fangs into me. I’d fully heal by tomorrow, at least physically, but mentally, that would take much longer. I wondered if my therapist would be available for a FaceTime call.

“How’s it feel?” Xavier asked me. He looked down at my arm, concerned.

“A little sore but fine overall. Still shaken.”

“It’s okay, you’re safe.” Xavier put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side.

“You’re right. I am.”

“You are.”

I leaned my head on his shoulder. My heart rate slowed, and the slight tremble in my hands and the tightness in my chest eased. He was like an aloe balm spread across a raw burn. “Thanks for saving me back there.”

“It’s my job, remember?”

“Well, you’re great at your job.”

“Does that mean I get a promotion?”

“What’s above being a bodyguard?”

Xavier shrugged. “A body worshipper?”

My heart froze. Literally stopped beating. I coughed. Cleared my throat. Lifted my head and looked into his expressive gaze. A dark curl of hair fell onto his forehead.

He continued, his grin mischievous, his voice low so that his family wouldn’t hear over the general chatter in the room. “I’m certain I’d be just as good at it.”

“You’ll need to have another interview for that.”

“Pencil me in for later this evening, then.”

Holy fuck. His hungry stare drilled a hole directly through my soul, lighting me on fire. The anxiety I’d been feeling gave way to something else. A simmer in my body that made me hyperaware of the pulsing that began between my legs. I sat up straight, pressing my legs together. He couldn’t be serious.

Could he?

“I’ll see if I can clear my schedule,” I teased, hoping he didn’t look down. If he did, he’d notice how ready I was for this interview .

Claire clinked a fork against her glass. Our attention was drawn to the head of the table, where she sat. She wore her hair loose, falling down over her shoulders in dark waves, onto the charcoal-gray robe she had on. Two golden necklaces glittered against her skin, matching the thick golden snake bracelet on her wrist. “Pizza’s been devoured, and wine’s been downed, so I’m thinking now would be a good time to talk about what brought us all here.”

Warrick pushed his glasses up from the tip of his nose. He was the youngest brother and one who had instantly clicked with me. We had the same energy, and I appreciated that. “Yes, I agree. Now, one by one, everyone go around the table and tell me why I’m so awesome. Dawn, since you’re rolling your eyes, you go first.”

Dawn laughed and nudged her little brother with a shoulder. “You’re awesome because you keep my plants alive when I’m away. There. Now, let’s get to the bigger topic.”

“Fair enough,” Warrick said, sitting back.

“Xavier, want to give us a rundown on what happened today?” Maddox asked. Sea-blue scales glittered above his dark brown eyebrows. He sat next to his partner, Caleb, who had a hand on Maddox’s forearm. They were a cute couple. I started to wonder how these dragon boys were so lucky at finding their perfect match when I couldn’t even get someone to take my virginity.

Xavier started from the beginning. Cassius and I didn’t have to add much, his version of events being spot-on. When he finished, the table had grown completely silent.

“Fuck,” Robby said.

“Yeah, exactly,” I replied. There were some chuckles that rose from the table.

“So they’re after you?” Claire asked. She looked out the window with a pensive look. “Interesting…”

“We all thought they were after me. I thought the attack on the White House was because of me, but it’s been Xavier this entire time.”

Dawn cocked her head as she looked at her girlfriend. “What is it, hon?”

“It’s well… odd timing. There was another reason why I wanted us to get together today. Not just because of the attack, but because I found something out. There’d been rumors floating in my whisper networks. Rumors about the Chaos King.”

“What is it?” Damien asked, leaning forward on the table. He twisted a silver ring around his finger.

Her eyes went to Maddox and Caleb. “It’s not great, I’ll tell you that. Apparently, those Moriarty paintings you both destroyed… they weren’t a map to Niazatos’ prison. They were an actual lock. Well, a portal to the actual lock. When the paintings were destroyed, a magical shock wave erupted and broke the lock behind it, along with the amphitheater you two were in.”

Jaws dropped all around the table. It grew as silent as a graveyard. Caleb blinked a few times as if there were dust in his eyes. “Seriously?” he asked.

“Seriously.”

Robby had a hand over half his face as he asked, “How do you know? ”

“One of my close friends went to the site of the prison herself to check. She found the lock shattered.”

“Your friend… knows where he’s kept? And she was brave enough to go?” Warrick asked, sounding shocked.

“Not exactly. She astral projected. It took her a lot of energy and skill. She almost died in the process. And she’s still not entirely sure of the physical location of the prison. But it was successful, and she came back with the knowledge that, yes, one of the locks had been shattered.”

“Shit,” Maddox grumbled, head falling into his hands. “I knew a huge earthquake underwater wasn’t a good sign.”

“You most certainly did not,” Caleb said. He dropped his head into his hands with a sigh.

“Fuck,” Xavier said.

This was a worst-case kind of scenario.

“How many locks are left?” Cassius asked.

“Three,” Claire answered. “And with one gone, those other three are weakened.”

“Fuuuuuck,” Xavier said. He ran a hand through his curls. The gold scales around his wrist shone under the light of the chandelier hanging above us. “So now, on top of having to worry about a group of sadistic assholes wanting to go back in time and stop Niazatos from ever getting jailed, we also have to worry about the present-day Niazatos breaking free.”

“Not great,” Dawn said. She rolled her neck, stared up at the ceiling. My anxiety started to rise up again. My blood pressure spiked. I could hear the pulsing in my ears. How could this be happening? And how had I landed in the center of it? This was supposed to be a fun summer full of California sun and grad school shenanigans, not death and destruction and the promise of a world-ending evil being unleashed.

“Okay, let’s focus on one thing at a time,” Damien said. He appeared to be the most levelheaded of the brothers. Not that Xavier was a loose cannon, but I could tell that the siblings all turned to Damien for some guidance. He had that air to him, like someone who constantly had his shit together even when the sky was falling all around him. “How can we stop this Time Turner group from using the starlight dagger? You said they had a laboratory? That has to be where they’re holding the dagger.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know where that laboratory is,” Xavier said. “And the one person who may have been able to tell us is dead.”

“But we did get a name,” I said. “The Carpenter’s real name is Simon.” I turned to Cass as I said it. He winced. Barely noticeable, but I didn’t miss it. I knew my best friend. And I knew he had recognized that name from the moment it was said. I could choose to let it slide, not put him on the spot, but if he knew something that could help us, then he had to say it.

Why wouldn’t he?

“Who is he, Cass?”

Everyone’s focus in the room shifted. All eyes went to Cassius.

“You know him?” Xavier asked, shocked.

Cassius swallowed. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He looked down at his tightly clutched hands. His tan skin went pale around his grip. He shook his head.

“He’s my uncle.”