Page 18

Chapter Eighteen

Maddox gave me a toe-curling kiss before taking a blanket and pillow to sleep in the barn. Me, I sat upstairs watching television with Abaddon—who happily ate my share of the popcorn that Maddox brought. Along with the microwavable kernels, fresh from the store, Mads also supplied dinner from a local rib joint that included stuffed baked potatoes, coleslaw, a six-pack of beer, and a two-liter bottle of Fresca for Abaddon. Call it being overly cautious, but it wouldn’t hurt to eat things we knew hadn’t been tampered with.

Eleven came and barely even a yawn. At midnight, I went to bed and lay staring at the slanted ceiling. Eventually, I fell asleep to my first restless night. I kept waking up, frantic, until I felt Abaddon’s solid weight draped across me.

I roused well before dawn and was on my second coffee when Maddox joined us.

He took one look at me and said, “Looks like we both slept like shit.”

“Ya think?” I drawled, sipping my chest-hair-strength coffee.

“Should you be drinking that? I thought we were avoiding stuff in the barn in case it’s been contaminated.” He indicated my mug of java.

“At this point, I’d welcome a nap. More seriously, though, I don’t think it’s the food putting us to sleep. While tossing and turning, it occurred to me that we never eat the same thing every night. Not to mention, Abaddon sometimes eats a gazillion times his body weight, so how could someone put a sleeping agent in our food without causing harm?”

Maddox pursed his lips. “Good point.”

“How did your night watch go?” I asked as I turned to the coffee maker to get him a cup.

“As far as I can tell, no one entered the barn.” He’d laid a noisy trap across the doors, cans that would have rattled if knocked over. “Have you checked the outside footage?”

I nodded as I handed him a steaming mug. “No time skips.”

To which Abaddon replied, “They must be aware that we’re wise to their tricks.”

“How?”

Before my paranoid dragon could reply, Maddox had a theory. “If they can tap into the camera feed to turn it off, then they could have seen me.”

Not exactly a reassuring answer, which caused me to grimace. “Meaning your stakeout last night might have been a waste of time.”

“Not really. We’ll just have to be wilier the next time.”

“Wilier how?”

Maddox had some ideas, and we implemented them over the next few days. He took an Uber to the ranch after dark and walked from the gate to the barn so his truck wouldn’t be seen and no one would know he’d come. We continued to only eat food freshly purchased from a restaurant or store. The door to the loft gained its own set of noisy dishes that would fall over the moment someone tried to swing open the door. We even disconnected the cameras one night so no one could spy at all.

To no avail.

No one visited and Abaddon didn’t incur any new injuries, and all of our noisy traps remained untouched—except for the night Princess knocked over the stack in the barn, startling Maddox awake.

After a week, I finally had to tell Abaddon, “I think we might have overreacted.”

“You would ignore the evidence?”

“What evidence? An injury that could have been because of your molting?” I stated as I put our dinner cutlery in the dishwasher.

“And the video that stops?” Little Fella reminded.

“I happened to mention it to Leo today, and he informed me that the cameras recently underwent maintenance and went offline to update some software.”

My dragon didn’t seem convinced. “My enemies are lulling you into a false sense of security.”

I slammed the dishwasher shut and started the cycle. “Or you’re letting your fear of capture color your perception.”

Not a reply he appreciated. “I’m going to practice flying in the barn.” He went to the computer desk and used his claws to tap a few keys, no longer needing me to turn off cameras or open doors. My growing dragon learned new skills at an insane rate.

I slumped on a kitchen stool, tired after a stressful week of waiting for something to happen. Maddox wouldn’t be swinging by tonight as he had an early shipment in the morning. You’d think I’d be happy to have some alone time, given he’d been around every single day.

Nope. I missed him terribly.

A still-grumpy Abaddon joined me around ten.

“How was the flying?” I asked.

“Better. I managed to do eight laps of the barn before I tired,” he proudly stated.

“Damn. Look at you. Getting so strong.”

His chest puffed. “This is only the beginning. Eventually I’ll have the stamina and size to bring you on flights with me.”

My jaw dropped. Me? Riding a dragon?

Fuck, that would be cool.

Abaddon yawned, his jaw dropping open wide enough to eat a cat—which made me thankful they’d become friends.

“Seems like we’re both tired.” Most likely because of our shitty week of restless slumber. “Shall we hit the sack early?”

“Let me place the trap first,” Abaddon said.

I saw no harm and even helped him create the tower of cans that would be knocked over if anyone opened the door. That night we both fell asleep, deeply and soundly. So deep, we never heard the stacked cans toppling.

The next morning, I eyed the scattered mess on the floor. No Princess to blame. It definitely wasn’t me. Might have been a rodent, although I’d seen no sign of any. Abaddon remained abed and I wondered if perhaps he’d done it given my statement the previous night.

I picked up the mess before heading over to the computer to pull up the previous night’s footage. I got a pop-up message.

Unavailable.

No matter how I tried to access it, none of the camera feeds would load. I fired a text to Leo. Are the cameras doing maintenance again?

His reply arrived not long after. Network glitch. Apparently, my IT guy forgot to offload the files and the server ran out of space to store recent security videos. Should be fixed later today. After which I’m firing his ass!

Plausible, but suspicious, too. Little Fella wandered from the bedroom and grabbed a box of dry cereal which he then proceeded to eat in front of the television. The weatherman waved his arms around as satellite predictions played behind him showing an approaching snowstorm. Only October and way too early for the white stuff, but tell that to Mother Nature, who was about to blast us.

Now you might wonder what a motorcycle-riding gal did when the weather turned to shit. It depended. Rain? I had gear to keep me dry. Cold? I wore layers. But snow? That shit always kept me home, hence I fired off a text to my boss.

Snow in the forecast. Think I’m gonna stay put today.

Blinking dots appeared as he typed back. I can give you a ride. You’ve got the final touches on Bruno’s tat today and I know he’s leaving soon to visit family out east so he’ll want it done before he goes. We’ll leave the shop early though so we don’t get screwed on the roads.

Fuck. I’d forgotten about Bruno. At least I had a ride. The Suburban could easily handle a storm.

I’ll meet you at the house in twenty, I texted back . Enough time for me to change and make sure Little Fella had enough food for the day before I rode my bike over and parked it.

“Don’t leave.” Abaddon didn’t turn his head but knew I readied to go.

“I won’t be gone more than a few hours. I’ll grab some pizzas for us on the way home.” Although how I’d explain to Leo why I needed four for just me would be interesting.

“Stay. I have an ominous feeling.”

I crouched by his side. “I know you hate it when I go to work, but given the favor Leo is doing us, I can’t screw him over by refusing to do my job.”

“You wouldn’t need a job if I had a hoard.”

“I look forward to the day I can retire on your dime, but until then, I’ve got to make money to feed you or we’ll be stuck dining on ramen noodles and lentils.”

“I like the noodles.”

“You’d hate them quick if you had to eat them multiple times a day. Now give me a hug.”

We’d taken to doing embraces on the regular. Weird, I know. I mean, who intentionally squished a dragon? Me, apparently. I squeezed the sturdy body tight and murmured, “I’ll be home before you know it.”

“With pizza?”

“Yes, pizza.”

“Meat lovers?”

“Yes.” I’d learned my lesson the one time I came home with a veggie-only pie.

I headed out wearing a few layers, because only an idiot didn’t leave the house prepared for the weather when the meteorologists were crowing this hard about it. Yes, I’d be ensconced in a luxury SUV with heating, but sometimes vehicles broke down, or required digging out of snowbanks, or tires changed. Better to peel layers than freeze.

I rode my bike down the road to the main driveway and up to the house. The Suburban idled out front. I parked and headed for the passenger seat, sliding in to Leo’s upbeat, “Morning, Pip.”

“Hey, boss. Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem. How’s things at the barn?” he asked as he put the truck in gear.

“Good.”

“And the boyfriend?”

For some reason my cheeks heated. “Also good.”

“Seems like a nice guy.”

Leo had met him when Maddox popped by to do lunch with me but they’d not really had a chance to socialize. “He’s great. I’ll talk to him about a night we can have you over for dinner. I’ll have him make his crazy ass yummy chicken parmesan.”

“I look forward to it.”

We spent the rest of the drive discussing upcoming clients and the possibility of attending an ink convention in Vegas. I pretended as if I’d actually be there, when in reality I had no intention of going. Abaddon couldn’t be left alone for that length of time.

Bruno came in for his appointment and I went to work, intent on the art, so focused on my task I didn’t realize the storm hit earlier than expected until Bruno was leaving and I looked outside.

“Oh shit.” Thick snowflakes swirled, a brisk wind whipping around the fluffy stuff.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got my winter tires and four-wheel drive,” Leo boasted.

Only slightly reassuring.

“Where’s Kalypso?” I asked, noticing her usual spot was empty. When I got into the tattoo zone, I phased out everything else around me.

“Gone an hour ago. She didn’t want to disturb you and left the second the first snowflake fell.”

Smart. She didn’t have far to go but I knew for a fact her car did not like winter conditions.

“We can leave now if you want,” Leo offered.

“Actually, Maddox already said he’d give me a lift home. He’s closing shop early because of the storm.” I’d no sooner finished speaking when the lights went out. Not just in our shop. A glance through the window showed the whole street had gone dark, making this a power failure and not a blown electrical switch.

“I really should get a generator installed,” Leo grumbled as he headed for the washroom to turn on a tap to make sure the pipes didn’t freeze. This wasn’t our first rodeo with a power failure during subzero temps.

As I began putting on my layers to join Maddox up the street, my phone beeped.

Sorry, babe. Doesn’t look like I’ll be able to leave anytime soon. According to the hydro outage map, shop might be out of juice until tomorrow. I’m gonna have to stick around and keep an eye on the genny.

Having chatted with him about the pet store business, I knew this had happened in the past where he’d had to monitor his generator to ensure the heat lamps kept running for the lizards. While I would have loved to hang out with him, keeping his other lizard warm, I couldn’t leave Abaddon alone in this storm. Although, I doubted my dragon would be too happy when I arrived without the promised pizza. I couldn’t exactly grab any with the power out up and down the street.

It’s okay. Leo offered me a ride. I’ll text you when I get home.

K. Be careful. Luv u.

I blinked, but there it was. The L word. And he’d said it first.

Leo returned, grumbling. “We’d better not be out of power for days like the last time.”

“Guess it will depend on the storm,” I murmured, recovering from my shock as warmth spread through me. I debated firing back a text saying Love you too , but hesitated. What if he thought I only said it because he had?

“You ready to head out so I can lock up?” Leo asked.

“Yeah, but change of plans. Turns out I’ll be riding with you, after all. Maddox is stuck at the shop until the power’s back on.”

“That sucks. Will he be okay?”

“He’s got a genny but he’s got to keep an eye on it and his lizards.”

“Speaking of a generator, the barn doesn’t have one. I kept meaning to get it installed but then Frank died and well…” Leo shrugged. “If you lose power, you can stay at the house, which does have one.”

A great offer but for one thing. I couldn’t leave my dragon alone nor could I bring him to Leo’s place.

“I’m sure it will be fine. The barn has a fireplace to keep me warm. It will be like when Granny fired up our little woodstove.” Which heated the front of the trailer like crazy and had me sweating on the couch.

“Well, if it happens and you change your mind, give me a ding and I’ll grab you.”

“As if I’d make you drive and risk an accident.”

“Who said anything about driving the truck? I’ve got a new Polaris in the garage that I’ve been itching to try out.”

Ooh, a snowmobile. I hadn’t ridden one of those in years. The old Artic Cat I used to have died and I never replaced it.

We chatted about sledding during the drive, a perilous thing as the snow fell thick and furious. The wind made matters worse, whipping it across the road, forcing Leo at times to slow to a crawl as we lost sight of the road.

While early afternoon, the storm made it seem as if night had already fallen. The bright headlights made almost no difference. What usually took twenty minutes instead became a journey of almost an hour. When the ranch gates came into view, relief filled me until I noticed them gaping wide.

“What’s going on? Why’s the gate open?” I asked.

“Power must have gone out. When that happens, a safety feature opens the gate to ensure we can exit. There’s a built-in battery that stores just enough power to run the mechanism.”

I frowned. “I thought you had a generator.”

“I do, but it only runs the house. Didn’t see any point in extending it any further.”

The snow lay thick on the ground, but I could see ruts where vehicles had passed. “Guess you’re going to get to try out your new sled when you run me over to the barn,” I stated as Leo crept up the driveway, but he didn’t take the fork for the barn but rather headed for the house.

“As mentioned earlier, there’s no backup power for the barn. You’ll be more comfortable at my place.”

Me yes, but what of Abaddon? I couldn’t leave him alone in this frigid storm but how to turn down the offer without sounding nuts? “Appreciated, but I’ll be fine. I’ve weathered worse.”

“You’re worried about the dragon.”

At his statement, I went rigid. “Excuse me?”

Leo sighed. “You know, I’d really hoped you’d tell me about him yourself. I thought we were friends.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A lie spoken through stiff lips.

“You don’t have to pretend, Pip. I know about the dragon that hatched after Tseax erupted. Which was a surprise, I’ll admit. I mean, we suspected there was an egg in the cone. When we managed to get the volcano to activate, we expected to see the critter shortly thereafter, only it didn’t appear. Hence why we started searching to see if the egg got expelled. What a task hunting for all the rocks that hurtled out of it. My team collected every sample they could find and even questioned people to see if they’d sighted a lizard. Imagine my shock when you told me you’d acquired one as a pet. Right away I knew it had to be the dragon.”

My mind digested everything Leo said and pieces began falling into place, leading to a shocking conclusion. “You sent those assholes to my trailer.”

Leo pulled up in front of his house and put the truck in park before replying. “Yes, and I do apologize for their less-than-amicable manner. Kyle and Brittany are kind of intense about their work.”

“What work? What the fuck is going on Leo?”

My boss, my friend, a guy I’d known for years, turned and smiled. “I’ll explain everything inside. You know, I’ve been dying to talk to you about this. I’m so glad we can finally be truthful. It’s been torture holding in my questions. Even harder waiting to finally meet the hatchling in person, although he’s not really a baby anymore, is he? They grow so fast.”

With every revelation that spilled from Leo’s mouth—a man I thought I could trust—my panic grew.

I have to get to Abaddon.

I grabbed at the door handle, wanting to get away from Leo. Oh the irony that I’d brought Abaddon into the grasp of the very man who sought to capture him.

The door didn’t budge. A glance at Leo showed his hand resting on the master control switch.

“Unlock this door,” I demanded.

“In a moment. You really shouldn’t be running off in this storm. You might lose your way and freeze to death. We can’t have that. I need you, Pip. Your dragon does, too. He appears very attached to you.”

“You leave Abaddon alone,” I growled.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. His existence is much too important, but at least now you don’t have to hide him anymore. I’d hoped to have more time to prepare his new quarters but the storm forced my hand. Fear not, the accommodations I had built should be adequate for the moment. Oh, and before you worry, a team was dispatched to fetch the dragon as soon as the power went out. Dragons don’t like the cold, you know. Especially the fire breathers.”

He knew so much and every word out of his mouth only served to chill me further.

“Don’t you dare hurt him.”

“Never!” Leo huffed. “On the contrary, the dragon shall be treated like a king. The habitat I had designed offers plenty of space for a growing dragon and his servant. You’ll be glad to know I had my construction crew add some amenities for you. After seeing your bond, it became obvious we should keep you together.”

“You’re going to make us prisoners.” A dull realization.

“Temporarily. It’s only until you both realize that I, and those I partner with, have your best interests at heart. We want dragons to return. To flourish.”

Somehow, I doubted that, hence why I suddenly lunged and head-butted Leo, blinking back tears at the sharp pain as I scrabbled for the switch to unlock the doors.

Click. I pulled away from Leo and quickly exited the truck into the blizzard, immediately stung by the cold and snow. However, the extreme weather wasn’t what foiled my plan to flee.

That would be the guys in snow gear who suddenly appeared and sent my consciousness spiraling into darkness.