Page 20

Chapter Twenty

I regained consciousness with a throbbing head and found myself tied to a chair. Not my first time for either, to be honest. However, it should be noted that the dude who thought it would be funny to tie up my drunken ass and stick his dick in my face when I woke ended up needing stitches. The cops, when he called them screaming that I’d tried to amputate his dick with my teeth, showed him little sympathy when they realized what he’d done. Last I heard, Johnny had a gig on Only Fans where he called himself Almost Bobbitt.

But back to my situation: Leo’s betrayal. He was the reason I found myself in this dilemma. My boss had been behind the goons sent to my place. He knew about dragons.

Wanted Abaddon and seemed willing to go to great lengths to steal my Little Fella.

Fuck.

It burned that I’d had no clue, and it annoyed that I’d blithely accepted his invitation to stay in the barn when he was technically responsible for my being homeless. It also pissed me off to no end to realize he’d been watching me this entire time. Spying on my dragon. Plotting to take him captive. What did he plan to do with my Little Fella?

Speaking of the devil, Leo sauntered into his office, a room I’d been inside a few times before, although not as a prisoner.

“Oh, good, you’re awake. When I told Malone to have his crew take you into custody, I didn’t expect them to be so vigorous about it.”

“Vigorous?” I snapped. “They punched me in the head.”

“Which I’ve given them shit for.”

I’d do more than that if I saw those goons again. “Untie me,” I growled, struggling against the zip ties that wouldn’t loosen from around my wrists.

“Not until I know you can be reasonable.”

My brow arched. “That will never happen.”

“I know you’re angry right now?—”

“Angry doesn’t even come close.” Hurt. Disappointed. Murderous…

Leo raked fingers through his hair as he paced. “I’ll admit, things did not play out as planned. I’d hoped by having you nearby that you would introduce me to your dragon, whereupon we could have built a bond and?—"

I cut him off. “Where is Abaddon? What have you done to him?” Before I got knocked out, Leo had said something about sending people to fetch him.

“Before you freak, I don’t plan to hurt him. As we speak, I have a team retrieving him from the barn.” Leo clasped his hands together and rocked on his heels with excitement. “Soon I’ll get to meet him in person.”

“I wouldn’t count on that. Abaddon won’t let himself be captured.”

“There’s nowhere for him to go in this storm, and even if he tried, the tracker we implanted will quickly find him.”

Every word out of his mouth only made things worse. “Abaddon was right. Someone did fuck with him.” My gaze narrowed as I recalled how deeply we’d slumbered. “How did you drug us so we wouldn’t wake during your visits?”

“Not easily. We initially thought of putting the sleeping solution in your food, but given how often he eats, and the fact you don’t always eat the same thing together, we had to come up with a different plan. We had the sprinkler system in the loft drained of water and filled with an odorless sleeping gas. We simply had to activate it remotely and once it took effect, Malone and his team would go in and take measurements and samples.”

“Who’s Malone?”

“Dr. Malone is a renowned cryptozoologist specializing in dragons.”

I snickered. “Wow, he must get mocked at parties.”

“Not in the circles we run in. You see, it’s long been known dragons are real.”

“Known by who?” I retorted.

“The U?um-gal Abarakkum. Which translated is essentially the Dragon Stewards. An ancient sect who used to care for the mighty beasts before they were eradicated.”

“And you’re a member?”

Leo nodded. “As was my father before him. He introduced me to the group. For the longest time, the stewards have been seeking out unhatched eggs but not having much luck. The dragon females tended to scatter their clutches to increase the odds of viability. However, finding those eggs proved difficult. Too many volcanoes, you see.”

“Yet you claimed you knew Tseax had one.”

Leo’s bright smile made my fist itch. “Only because of a stunning breakthrough. About a decade ago, in the remote Peruvian Andes mountains, we discovered the home and hoard of a female dragon. Long dead, unfortunately. No flesh remained and her bones were brittle with age. You’ve seen them in my collection in the basement.”

“You said those belonged to dinosaurs!” I accused.

“Because I couldn’t exactly tell you the truth and quite frankly, they do have much in common. Anyhow, this dragon hoard contained dozens of scrolls written by its servant. It took years before we could properly translate them. The parchment was understandably fragile, the ink used faded, and then the language not something you can pop into Google Translate. But after much care, attention, and research, we did it. We managed to decipher a few of the parchments, including one that listed the locations of a clutch that contained seven eggs.”

The pain in my wrists from the tight plastic was the only reason I didn’t suspect I was hallucinating what sounded like the plot of a fantasy novel. “You have a map to the eggs.”

“Not exactly. Keep in mind, back then people and dragons didn’t have the same means as we do to create accurate maps. What we got instead were general descriptions such as ‘over the mighty sea, past an island and mountains, the spreading forest parts for the cone that rises.’”

“You figured out the Tseax from that?” I didn’t hide my skepticism.

“Actually, Tseax was one of several cones we were watching.”

“Didn’t you claim you caused it to explode?”

“I did.” Leo looked gleeful. “It occurred to me that I might die of old age, waiting for a volcano to erupt and hatch a dragon. So I had Malone work on a way to activate it. Don’t ask me to explain how he did it. I’m just the money man in all this. What luck the first one that exploded bore fruit.”

“Why are you talking to her about our work?” The sharp bark came from the man who entered. The same suit that I’d met at my trailer who tried to falsely arrest me.

Leo cleared his throat. “Pip, this is Dr. Malone.”

My gaze narrowed. “I’ve already met the asshole.”

“To think, a mighty dragon took an uncouth, trailer trash female as his servant.” Malone tsked.

“Better trailer trash than a jerk off who thinks it’s okay to drug people and experiment on them while they sleep,” I retorted. “Although, I’m a little confused. Seeing how you tried to kidnap Abaddon from my place, why didn’t you take him while we were unconscious?”

“I wanted to,” Malone grumbled. “Leo wanted us to wait.”

“The habitat I’m building wasn’t ready yet.” Leo sounded almost apologetic. “Besides, we were fascinated by the way the dragon interacted with you. What an intelligent creature. We learned so much watching.”

Nausea hit me as I realized not only had I been drugged and vulnerable, but I’d been spied on too! Watched while I dressed or walked around in my underwear and nothing else. When I took a shit. When Maddox and I fucked.

Leo must have read my expression because he shook his head. “We had no interest in you, Pip. Only the dragon.”

“Did it ever occur to you to talk to me about this? We’re supposed to be friends. But no, instead of saying, ‘Hey, listen, I know you’ve got a dragon and guess what, I’m totally interested,’ you went straight to trying to forcibly nab him. Then you put us in a glass house like we were some exhibit there for your amusement.”

“I’ve already said I didn’t handle this well but I promise to make up for it.” Leo waved his hands as if it were of little matter. “Once the dragon is secured in his new habitat, he’ll see the benefit. As much food as he needs. People to care for him around the clock.”

I interrupted. “I doubt Abaddon will see it that way.

“Which is where you come in. You can explain we mean him no harm. That his best chance at survival is with us.”

I snorted. “All that spying and you obviously didn’t learn much about Abaddon.”

Malone’s phone beeped. “It’s Kaitlyn. I’ll return in a moment.”

The asshole stepped out of the office and I stared at Leo. “I thought we were friends.”

“We still are. Once you and Abaddon are settled in, you’ll see. Things will work out. You’ll both come to understand that I am determined to help the dragon thrive. Perhaps he can help us find some of the other eggs so he isn’t alone. A female would be nice. Did you know that, unlike humans, dragons, even those born of the same mother or fertilized by the same father, have completely different genetics?”

“And?”

“And it means that they can procreate without issue, unlike human siblings. Malone thinks it’s because the birth rate is so low that this was nature’s way of improving their viability.”

My nose still wrinkled because ew, brother sister sex.

Malone stalked back in. “The dragon’s killed most of the team.”

If I could have, I would have fist pumped at the news.

“Oh dear.” Leo finally lost his jubilant smile.

“This is your fault,” Malone accused Leo. “If you’d let me take him down earlier before the storm took out the power, we’d have been able to scoop up his sleeping ass and relocate him without any casualties.”

“The dome wasn’t ready,” Leo muttered.

“Ready or not, it’s time to stop fucking around. I told Kaitlyn to warn the creature to cooperate or we’ll harm his servant.” Malone jerked his head in my direction.

I had to wonder if the threat would work. Abaddon seemed fond of me, but at the same time, he could be arrogant. And let’s be honest, he most likely valued his life much more than mine.

Malone glanced at his phone and sighed. “The dragon is demanding proof we have her in custody.”

“I’ve got this.” Leo whipped out his cell and started a FaceTime call featuring me front and center.

When the screen loaded, I almost gaped at the flames eating the interior of the barn. Sitting there amidst the inferno—looking majorly pissed—was my Little Fella.

I did what any good pet owner—and friend—would do. Told him to escape and got slapped for it. Coppery blood ended up in my mouth because my lip split on my tooth. The pain didn’t bother me as much as Abaddon’s agreement.

He was turning himself in to save me.

Aw. He did like me.

Despite Abaddon’s capitulation, Malone made a phone call and barked out orders. “Tell the team to get suited up ASAP. The creature’s on its way. I want everyone equipped with a canister of sleeping gas, which means masks on. While the creature has agreed to hand itself over, it might try and fight at the last minute.”

As Malone stalked off, preparing for the drag-ageddon, Leo crouched by me. “Don’t look so worried. Malone’s not going to hurt him.”

“Doesn’t sound like it,” I muttered.

“I’m afraid he still sees dragons as vicious monsters and not the intelligent, thinking beings that they are. But I do.”

“You forget, Abaddon is still pretty much a baby, or would that be teenager in dragon weeks? He might not react the way you expect.”

“Then help me. Help us. Explain to him we don’t wish him any harm.”

“You want me to lie.” A flat reply.

“I see you’re not ready yet to change your way of thinking. I’ll let you ponder it while I go and check the last-minute preparations for the habitat. I am hoping the crate of Cheetos I ordered arrived. I’ve noticed how fond he seems to be of them.”

The casual way he dropped that—a not-subtle-at-all admission of the spying—pissed me off. Leo left, giddy with excitement, while I stewed. Worried about Abaddon. Frustrated at the situation.

If only I could set myself free, maybe I could do something.

Being a big movie buff, I knew of one trick that people tied to chairs tended to do, but it would hurt. I grimaced before attempting to rock the seat. Sturdy fucker wouldn’t even wobble, which made me doubt falling over would snap it into pieces. The next thing folks did was find something sharp to slice their restraints. A glance at the desk in front of me showed a smooth, glossy surface. Leo didn’t use his office for much more than show.

A clatter of boots and people shouting indicated something was happening. The next few moments seemed to involve those outside the office scattering as it soon grew quiet. Too quiet. What was going on?

A distant scream that cut off abruptly made me stiffen. Sounded like Abaddon might have arrived, but apparently not to meekly turn himself in.

My lips curved. “That’s my Little Fella.”

Crash. The sudden noise made me frown, especially seeing as it was followed by the noise of a revving motor. Had someone crashed into the house?

I got my answer when the door to the office was flung open and in stalked Maddox, my big, beautiful boyfriend.

“Pip, thank fuck you’re okay,” he exclaimed.

“Hey, babe. I’d give you a hello kiss but I’m kind of tied up.”

His expression turned rigid as he took in my state. A pocketknife emerged as he knelt behind me. “Give me a second to get these ties off you,” he muttered tightly as he began to saw at my wrists.

“What are you doing here? I thought you needed to keep an eye on your shop?”

“Turns out Suzy was out of power, too, and since she lives only a block away, offered to mind the genny and the store so I could run out and check on you. While en route, Abaddon texted me to say you were in trouble.”

“ I’m in trouble? He’s the one in real danger,” I exclaimed. “Leo was behind those attempts to kidnap Abaddon. He sent that fucker in the suit, who goes by the name Malone, and those goons to my trailer. Turns out, Abaddon was right. They were spying on us at the barn as well as drugging us at night to take samples from Abaddon.”

“Those fuckers!” Maddox swore.

“Now they’re planning to stick Abaddon in some kind of cage to study him. We have to get him away from here.”

“Don’t worry about bud. He’s holding his own outside and making those thugs regret their life choices.”

The plastic tie fell from my wrists and I pulled my arms forward as I stood to rub the sore spot. “He’s in danger. Malone’s got his goons armed with sleeping gas.”

“Those cannisters they tried throwing?” Maddox chuckled. “Yeah, between the blizzard conditions blowing the shit away and Abaddon using them as target practice, that ain’t working out so well for them.”

As if to prove that point, shouting erupted, followed by a drawn-out, gurgling shriek.

My brows raised. “Guess Malone wasn’t exaggerating when he said Abaddon was killing his goons.”

“Bud is pissed. His text to me was: Since you’re not here to do your job, I shall have to go myself to save Pip from her evil employer and his minions. ”

For some reason that made me chuckle. “Sounds like my Little Fella. Although, I’m not sure I approve of his murderous retaliation.”

“You’d prefer they captured him?”

“No, but let’s see if we can wrangle him and get out of here before he does something we can’t hide.”

As we exited the office together, I noticed the front door caved in by Maddox’s truck, the engine sputtering, the front wheels still spinning. Swirling through the gaps, snow entered the house, bringing a chill.

I uttered a low whistle. “Damn, that’s going to take some work to buff out.”

“Just a little,” Maddox quipped. “Shall we go give bud a hand?”

The sudden brightness as flames jetted made me think that going out the front door might not be the best idea. I thought of the layout, the ranch-style home offering many exits, but we had to be careful. Malone and his goons were out there hunting my Little Fella. I wouldn’t want to get darted—or roasted—by accident.

“Let’s try popping out via the French doors in the living room so we can figure out what’s going on instead of diving right into the action.” I dragged Maddox left into a room that could have fit my trailer several times over. It held a few leather couches, the biggest television available to buy, and an eclectic display of art on the walls that had me pausing suddenly as I really looked at it.

“What’s wrong?” Maddox asked.

“It was in front of me the entire time.” I pointed. “Leo’s obsession with dragons.”

Previously I’d assumed the many paintings displaying fantastical landscapes were just because Leo thought them cool, but I realized now that each and every one displayed a dragon of some sort, whether as a tiny speck in the sky or wrapped around a pile of treasure. Add in his admission that his dinosaur bones were in actuality dragon ones, and I couldn’t believe I’d never realized Leo’s fixation. Then again, even if I had noticed I’d have played it off because dragons weren’t supposed to exist.

Opening the French doors let in a blast of cold air and snow that had my teeth chattering. I still had on my jacket, albeit unzipped, and my boots, but hadn’t worn a hat or gloves on the ride over so my hands immediately got cold.

The dark and blustery storm made it impossible to see much. The artic whistle of the wind was eerie, especially when you added the shouted, “Where is it? I lost it?” immediately followed by a shrieked, “Oh fuck! Argh….” The tapering scream came from the same direction as the sudden orange glow.

Another goon turned to charcoal.

I probably should have felt some kind of chagrin. After all, these people hadn’t signed on with Leo to die. However, what else could my dragon do? Let himself be captured? Any animal threatened would fight back. And humans were no different. I know I would totally love to give Leo a bitch slap or two or three. As for Malone… if I ran into him again, I might find out if I had it in me to kill.

“What should we do?” Maddox asked.

I cupped my hands to my mouth. “Abaddon, where are you?” I called for my Little Fella, wanting him to know I’d escaped.

No reply.

“Hey bud, I’m with Pip. Can you hear us?” Maddox added his voice.

The pair of us took turns calling for the dragon. We were noticed, just not by who we wanted.

A guy in bulky snow gear that included some kind of apocalypse mask appeared suddenly in front of us and aimed his tranquilizing gun at us. “Well, well. If you ain’t the chick that’s been hiding the dragon. Hands up, both of you,” the guy barked.

“You don’t want to hurt us,” Maddox stated, lifting his hands. “You’ve seen how the dragon reacts to threats.”

“Yeah, but I’ve also seen how he dotes on this bitch. He won’t dare roast me if I’m holding on to you.” The guy lunged for me, and Maddox stepped forward to intercept, his fist flashing out and hitting the fellow in the jaw. Given the goon stood slightly larger than my boyfriend, it didn’t knock him down, but Maddox was just getting started.

The boys traded blows as I stood there shivering. Turns out I should have been more aware of my surroundings because I never heard the person who snuck up behind me and wrapped an arm around my throat.

I got dragged against another dude who shouted, “I’ve got your girlfriend. Stand down or I will snap her neck.”

Maddox slowly stood and straddled the guy he’d pummeled to the ground and scowled. “Let her go and walk away.”

“Like fuck. Farris had the right idea. I saw in the videos how much that lizard likes the woman. She’s my ticket out of here.”

“You want to leave, then go. But I’d strongly suggest you do so without Pip if you’d like to live to see tomorrow.”

“I’ll let her go once I’m clear of the dragon.” The guy tightened the arm around my neck enough I could barely breathe.

It should be noted, I’d been in this situation before and almost died. Again, one of my bad choices in boyfriends. The last time, I’d stomped on his instep before elbowing him in the gut. This fellow, while smaller than my ex, wore some heavy-duty winter boots and a thick parka, making that method of escape less than feasible. But after the choking incident with my ex, I’d taken some self-defense classes and had specifically asked the instructor how to deal with this situation if it ever happened again.

It had been a few years, but I still remembered the steps. I parted my feet and bent my knees slightly. I already had a grip on his choking arm and I kept it firm as I abruptly leaned forward. The rapid movement set the thug slightly off balance and as I felt his weight on my back, I flipped him, breaking his hold on me.

The goon hit the ground and before he could recover, something swooped from the snowy sky and spat a hot stream of fire. The brightness of the blast had me blinking. Disbelief had me gaping. Shock kept me silent as I watched my first body burn alive.

Damn.

The heavy weight that settled on my shoulder helped snap me back to the moment.

“Abaddon,” I exclaimed happily.

“Hello, Pip. I’m here to rescue you,” my Little Fella announced.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” I asked.

“Bah. The enemy is much too slow and stupid for someone of my greatness. Today’s warriors are not of the same caliber as those who hunted my ancestors.”

He must be fine for his arrogance remained intact.

“Good to see you, bud,” Maddox stated.

“About time you showed,” my dragon replied. “Now, duck.”

Rather than ask why, Maddox swiftly crouched and more flame jetted from Abaddon, this time striking the goon who’d been about to strike Maddox from behind.

Hard to feel bad for the idiot who saw what happened to his buddy and still thought, Hey, let me do something stupid that will get me killed.

The warmth of the two roasting bodies plus Abaddon did much to ease the chill of my body, however, sticking around didn’t seem like a good idea. Who knew how many more of Malone’s thugs lurked or what evil tricks the doctor might attempt next.

“Time we blew this joint. I know where Leo keeps the keys to his cars and stuff. Let’s grab a set and run while we can.”

That seemed like the best course of action, but wouldn’t you know it, my dragon disagreed.