Page 9

Chapter Nine

“Can I help you?” I politely asked, wondering why these officers would be outside my door. While I might be a tattooed girl with a filthy mouth and indigenous heritage, I obeyed most laws. I didn’t murder or steal, but I did like to speed. However, I doubted that brought them knocking.

“Hello, ma’am. Pardon our calling so early. We’re here to advise you that there is a health department order decreeing that any debris spewed by the volcano found on your premises needs to be handed over immediately.”

I blinked. “Er, what? Why the fuck would the health department give a damn about rocks?” My mouth spoke before I could stop it.

“There is concern about possible toxicity in the stones recently emitted by the volcano. As such, the health department created a task force whose job is to collect all samples and remove them for your safety.”

I glanced beyond the chunky officer’s shoulder and noticed people in hazmat suits in my yard, poking around. Two of them were bent over the fire pit.

My stomach tightened as I immediately wondered if they were looking for Abaddon’s egg. Wouldn’t matter if they were, since his emergence had shattered his shell into tiny little chunks.

“Wow. I never knew lava rocks could be dangerous.” I clutched my hands to my chest and opened my eyes wide.

“This is just a precautionary measure, ma’am. Do you have any of the debris inside your home?”

“Goodness no. My place is too tiny for me to be storing rocks,” I scoffed. Then, because they were already poking, I admitted, “I did find a few and threw them into my firepit which I’ve been burning. Will the smoke I inhaled harm me?”

“Most likely not, but you might want to schedule a physical with your family physician just to be sure.”

“Oh, I will.” Not actually, but I pretended to play along.

“While we’re here, have you seen any strange animals lurking around?” the officer asked.

“I see all kinds of creatures seeing as how I live in the boonies,” I admitted with a laugh.

“This wouldn’t be your usual run-of-the-mill wildlife. It may have looked like a lizard. A local man had one escape from a tank and is eager for its return.”

My blood ran cold because he obviously lied. The RCMP wouldn’t be going door to door looking for a regular pet reptile. They sought Abaddon because he was special, but no way would I hand him over. I’d seen enough movies to know what awaited Abaddon if the government managed to capture him. “You’re looking for a lizard? I haven’t seen one. Is it dangerous?”

“We would recommend caution. If you do see it, you can call this number.” He handed over a white card with a number embossed on it and nothing else. Stranger and stranger. Shouldn’t it have a name and the logo of the agency on it?

“What’s this lizard look like?”

“Four legs. Tail. Scales.”

“That’s a pretty generic description.” Once more my tongue ran away before I could stop it.

The officer shrugged. “The owner didn’t have a picture but figured we’d ask since we’re already doing the rounds.”

“I will keep an eye out,” I promised, keeping my hands clasped to ensure he didn’t see them shaking.

“If you could stay inside while we look around and gather any stray chunks. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Not long being an hour of them hunting.

I watched them through the curtain with my coffee cup in hand. The RCMP officers stood smoking by their truck while the hazmat suit wearers literally performed a perimeter sweep, walking in a line, their heads swiveling to and fro. The pair from the firepit lugged off two sealed cases, taking everything in the pit, including the ash.

When they left, the tension in my body only barely eased. I called out to Abaddon. “It’s safe to come out now.”

“Humans are strange. Collecting lava rocks,” Abaddon huffed as he waddled into view.

“It’s more than strange because I’ve never heard of such a thing happening.” I’d done my research on volcanoes since the eruption. While some of the emitted gases could be poisonous, the rocks were benign.

I know what my granny would have said. They were looking for the dragon egg. I tended to agree.

“A good thing I hatched before they came around,” Abaddon pointed out.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Did you hear them asking if I’d seen a lizard?”

“Yesss,” he hissed. “The hunters already seek me.”

“But how would they know to look for you? You said it yourself, you were in that volcano a long time. There’s no way they could have known you’d emerge in the eruption.”

“I don’t know how they’d be aware of my birth.” Little Fella shrugged. “But can we discuss this later? I am starving.”

“You just ate a whole loaf of bread plus all the peanut butter and jam.”

“My tummy is rumbling.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course it is.”

I chose to do something quick and easy, handing him an entire box of Raisin Bran which he declared boring. I promised to buy him something better when I went shopping. At this rate, I might have to pay an exorbitant fee to get a large grocery order delivered. I couldn’t keep popping out shopping every other day, soon to be daily.

I’d deal with the grocery issue later. First, I wanted to search the internet to see what I could find out about the RCMP and those guys in the hazmat suits. Something that strange had to be documented somewhere. The regular news outlets had no mention of it—no surprise. I ended up finding posts about it on X and Reddit.

Anyone else have govnt SOBS demand to come on your property and search for lava rocks? I told them they could kick some and to come back with a warrant.

Are the rocks from the eruption dangerous? I just had the three I found confiscated.

And then on Facebook marketplace, of all places, I found an ad seeking to buy any rocks larger than six inches from the recent Tseax spewing.

Why were they being collected? The search for stones combined with the supposed lizard on the loose story really sounded as if someone knew a dragon had hatched. I glanced at Abaddon, watching The Simpsons , sitting with a rounded belly, and getting bigger by the day. How long could I keep his presence a secret, especially if people did actively pursue him? I didn’t want to see him locked away in some government lab. Abaddon hadn’t done anything wrong.

Yet.

I couldn’t help but remember the dragons in the movie Reign of Fire who burned the world and hunted humanity. I could only hope my chunky lizard wouldn’t do anything so evil.

The paranoia the RCMP incurred prevented me from leaving the trailer at all. Instead, I dug through all my cupboards to keep Abaddon fed. I kept the curtains shut and potatoed myself on the couch with my laptop, going down some internet rabbit holes as I tried to find answers.

A rumble of an engine midafternoon had me suddenly jerking upright. That sounded like?—

“About time he came to report for duty,” Abaddon grumbled, sliding off the couch. “He better have brought snacks.”

I eyed my outfit. Disreputable didn’t even start to cover it. A threadbare tank top, short cotton shorts, my hair in a messy bun. Did I have time to throw on the robe I’d worn this morning to greet the cops?

Knock. Knock.

Nope.

Sigh.

Not that my looks probably mattered after last night. Although, I did wonder why Maddox had come by.

Before I could fling open the door, Abaddon leapt up and grabbed the handle, yanking it down.

My brow arched. He had gotten bigger if he could reach. Smart, too, using his body weight to activate the lever.

A plaid-wearing Maddox—who looked delicious in his snug jeans—stood outside holding flowers in one hand and a giant watermelon in the other.

To my surprise, Abaddon bowed his head and said, “I would like to express my regret for my behavior the previous evening. It was unbecoming of someone of my stature.”

My jaw dropped.

“Already forgiven, bud.”

“Excellent.”

Maddox turned his attention from the dragon to me and smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey. What are you doing here?” I sounded terse, mostly because I wasn’t sure how to act. Maddox didn’t seem angry.

“I thought I’d check in on you and Abaddon, and I wanted to apologize for how things ended last night. I should have known better than to leave Princess alone with Abaddon. She’s not good with other animals.”

“Ha. Told you she taunted me,” my dragon huffed.

“And you fell for it,” I chided in reminder.

“Next time, we’ll make sure to keep them in separate rooms,” Maddox stated.

“Next time?” I blurted without thinking.

“That is, unless my cooking sucked and you’d rather I never attempt it again.” Before I could reply he thrust the flowers at me. “These are for you. And this”—he crouched and held out the watermelon—“is for our dragon friend.”

“Ooh.” Abaddon dug his claws in the melon and to my surprise had the strength to hold it up, if awkwardly, given its size.

“Um, you can’t eat that in here.” I could just imagine the mess. But then I remembered my morning visitors. “Fuck, he can’t go outside either.”

“Why not?” Maddox asked.

“The RCMP were by this morning with some dudes in head-to-toe protective gear.”

“What for?”

“Collecting lava rocks. Oh, and I was told to keep an eye out for an escaped pet lizard.”

Both our gazes went to Abaddon who sniffed and licked the outer watermelon rind.

“Do they know about him?” Maddox murmured.

“You tell me. I couldn’t find any reason why they’d be after the volcano’s rocks, and the lizard story seemed just a little too pat. Then again, it’s not as if they’d come out and admit they were looking for a dragon. I take it they didn’t swing by your shop?”

Maddox shook his head. “No.”

“Odd,” I muttered. “You’d think they’d have questioned the one shop that sells reptile supplies.”

Abaddon began gnawing on the green shell and I had a nightmarish vision of my future mopping watermelon juice from my floor.

“Guess I should have brought him a different treat.” Maddox pursed his lips.

“Not your fault. I’m just a little leery of letting him outside now.” It then hit me where he could eat it with minimal damage. “Abaddon, mind eating that thing in the shower where I can sluice away the mess after?”

The dragon paused his lovemaking of the melon for a second to eye me. “As if I’d leave anything behind.”

“Watermelons can be messy, so please, if you don’t mind.”

He uttered a forbearing sigh. “If I must.”

“Want me to carry it for you?” Maddox offered.

“Mine!” hissed the dragon as he waddled to the tight bathroom.

One problem averted. I slumped onto the settee and buried my face in the flowers. Their sweet scent soothed.

Maddox perched beside me and the scent of him proved even more tantalizing than the blooms. “Do you think they’ll be back?”

“Who knows. They took all the rocks I’d dumped in the fire pit, including the shell pieces.”

“Think they’ll recognize what they are?”

“To look at them, they appear to be rocks. But who knows what they might discover if they analyze them more deeply.”

“Given how far the volcano spread its debris and how many rocks they’ll be collecting, it could take a while.”

“Or not,” was my morose reply. “The question is, do I wait to see if they figure out Abaddon hatched or flee ahead of their attempt to take him?”

“To go where?” he asked. “It’s not like you can hop a plane with him.”

“And he barely fit in my saddle bag last night,” I commented. “Guess I could use my savings to buy a car.”

“But again, to go where? He’s going to get bigger. You’d need a place with space but few eyes, which kind of already describes where you live.”

“Except for the fact the cops know I’m here. I might have to get off the beaten path. Go off into the wilderness, maybe, and become a mountain woman. There are enough untamed forests around we could probably disappear.” Not ideal, but at the same time I couldn’t see myself handing over my Little Fella.

“Becoming a hermit is a bit extreme and would make us dating hard.”

My heart stopped and I glanced at him. “I can’t believe you’d still want to, seeing as how my life has become a tad complicated.”

“Yes, you have a dragon problem and possibly might be on the government’s radar, but what can I say? I’m curious to see all your tattoos.” His gaze went to my thigh and the ink on it that stretched upward and under the hem of my shorts to my hip.

My blood heated and my voice emerged husky. “Why Mad, are you trying to seduce me?”

“I would if I didn’t think we’d get interrupted in the next five minutes.”

I chuckled. “As if he’ll take that long.”

Sure enough, out came the dragon, his belly distended. A burp escaped Abaddon. “That was most excellent, my protector. You are forgiven for having a most foul feline in your possession.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“As to the dilemma about my being discovered, fear not, woman. Once my wings sprout, the hunting humans will not be able to catch me. Should they come again, I shall fly off out of their reach.”

“Need I remind you that you don’t have wings,” I pointed out.

“Yet,” Abaddon stated. “Shouldn’t be long now.”

“Let’s say for the sake of argument you get them, how are you going to fly off if you’re stuck inside and they’re blocking the door?”

“My protector will keep them occupied whilst I slip away.”

“Maddox doesn’t live here, so you can’t count on him to distract them,” I reminded. “Not to mention they’ll have drones.”

“Those spying machines are no match for a dragon,” he scoffed.

I wish I had Abaddon’s confidence. “Let’s say you do manage to give them the slip, where would you go?”

Before Abaddon could reply, Maddox snapped his fingers. “We need a safe house, or in this case, safe cave where he can flee if something happens. Between the Hazelton Mountains to the east and the Kitimat Range to the west, we should be able to find a place for Abaddon to go where he won’t be found.”

I mulled over the suggestion. “Those areas are ripe with wildlife, meaning if he can hunt, he wouldn’t go hungry.”

“Hunt?” My dragon perked his ears.

“There’s lakes and rivers and creeks, so plenty of fish. There are small critters like squirrels and rabbits as well. You’d have to be careful of bears, though. There’s grizzly, black, and kermode bears in this area as well as moose, which can be vicious.”

Did my dragon take the warning to heart? Nope. He licked his lips and hummed. “Yum.”

“Don’t let your large appetite lead you into tangling with something bigger and meaner than you.” I wagged my finger.

“Might be a bit late in the day for us to go trekking,” Maddox remarked. “And we’ll want to bring some supplies to leave in whatever den we find for Abaddon. If you’ve got time tomorrow, though, I can get Suzy to come in and cover for me.”

“I can’t tomorrow morning, but I’m free in the afternoon, say around one-ish?”

He smiled. “Then it’s a hiking date. I’ll head out now while the stores are still open and grab some things.”

“Are you sure? I could go.”

He raised a brow. “I doubt you could pack a sleeping bag, water bottles, and enough snacks for our friend on that bike, although I’d like to see you try.”

My lips twisted. “Good point. Let me know how much the bill is, though. I’m paying.”

“Or, how about you buy me dinner?”

“More like a few by the sounds of it.” Then so he wouldn’t think I was complaining, I smiled and added, “Hope you like steak.”

“I’d be a beef-ivore if I didn’t like carbs so much,” he admitted.

“I like everything!” Abaddon declared.

“I’ll walk you to your truck,” I stated, wanting a moment alone without a dragon interjecting every two seconds.

As we walked the few yards to his parked vehicle I murmured, “I was surprised to see you. I thought for sure you’d be pissed.”

“I was in the moment, but more mad at myself. I know Princess can be a diva about her space. I am also aware she’s not a lizard lover, hence why she’s not allowed around the cages in the shop. I shouldn’t have left her alone with Abaddon. In my defense, I wanted to kiss you and didn’t know how to accomplish that with our pets watching.”

The admission had me both flushing and laughing. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I’ve wanted to kiss you since we first met. You have very nice lips.”

Those lips curved. “If it helps, I’ve wanted to do more than that.”

“Now she tells me,” he complained.

“You don’t have to go shopping. You could stay.”

“I could, but then Princess would probably piss on my pillow, and since I doubt I can get Suzy to stay the whole day, we’d have nothing for his dragon highness. Not to mention, your bed is a tad small for the three of us and what I’d like to do with you.”

I snorted. “Damned pets.”

“Yeah, good thing we love them or we’d kill them.” He dragged me close, his hands starting at my waist and slipping to my ass. “But despite all the reasons I have to go, a part of me wants to say fuck it and seduce you right here on the hood of my truck.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed.” According to my very roused libido, I would actually be very interested.

“I am. I want to seduce you in a bed where I can properly explore every inch and where you won’t need a tetanus shot because there’s a bit of rust coming through the paint again.”

I outright laughed. “Keep making excuses.”

His hands squeezed my cheeks. “Stop tempting me or I will turn into a randy teenage boy who fumbles and botches our first time together.”

“You’re a very interesting man, Mads,” I murmured against his lips.

“Says the woman with a dragon,” was his reply before he kissed me. Kissed me long and hard, but even better, those hands on my ass—the ass barely covered by my tiny shorts—pushed up the fabric and cupped the bare cheeks.

Mmm.

I hummed against his mouth and he responded with his tongue. A fierce duel ensued with much licking and sliding and sucking. But we didn’t just kiss. I explored those broad shoulders and his hands… well they delved between my legs, my shorts no hindrance to his questing fingers.

When he penetrated me with a digit, I gasped into his mouth and my hips jerked.

He turned me so that he spooned me from behind, his lips teasing the shell of my ear as his hand worked me, two of his fingers dipping while his thumb somehow managed to rub my clit.

I moaned. I writhed. I enjoyed myself riding his hand and to my surprise came quickly, my pussy clenching his fingers.

As my climax eased and my body relaxed, I murmured, “Damn, Mad. Wasn’t expecting that.”

“Think of it as an appetizer to keep you going until the real deal,” he whispered in my ear.

“Or we could have that meal right now?” I whirled in his arms, tilted my lips for a kiss.

“If I don’t leave now, I’ll never make it to the store in time. But trust me, it will happen soon. Real soon,” he growled, grabbing my hand and placing it on the bulge pushing the groin area of his jeans.

I couldn’t wait.