How to Date a Dragon (15 page)

There had to be someone. A maiden aunt who’d enjoy the company, perhaps? He’d explore that idea and others in the morning. If he could make her concentrate on her real business and forget about working at the bar, that might help. She had completed her designs and placed them in a safe-deposit box, hadn’t she?

Wait
a
minute…

What if he could get her to stay with Sadie? The woman was a psychic. She might be able to warn Bliss ahead of time if someone was coming after her.

Drake felt better. Just having an idea that
might
work helped.

He curled his arms around Bliss until she was snug, being careful not to wake her. She cuddled into him and sighed. At last his eyelids became heavy and his mind, well, lighter than it had been.

***

Drake sat across from Sadie, hoping the psychic would hear him out. He had ordered a White Russian and set the one-drink minimum on the table in front of her. If all else failed, he could simply ask her for a reading. Maybe the cards would provide some insight.

“I’m hoping you can do me a favor, Sadie.”

“You came bearing gifts, so I’ll see what I can do.” She lifted the White Russian in a mock toast and took a sip.

“Bliss is in danger.”

“I know.”

Wow. Either she really is psychic or Bliss had said something to her.
He was fairly sure Bliss wouldn’t talk about dragons and such—especially when she had sworn not to. However, she still claimed to be questioning her own sanity.

“How much do you know?”

Sadie set down her drink and began shuffling her tarot cards. “I knew getting mixed up with you was going to bring her stress. I told her as much, but her heart chose you anyway.”

“Her heart?”

“Of course. Don’t tell me you think she’d go through all this for just anyone—or simply to be nice.”

He smiled. No. Bliss wouldn’t put up with anyone’s crap “just to be nice.” She would, on the other hand, tell another guy who’d put her through this to open his Hall-Snark card.

“I appreciate knowing that, but now I need to know how to keep her safe. I was thinking that maybe she could stay with you for a while. Perhaps you could use your psychic ability to give her a heads-up and keep her out of harm’s way.”

Sadie puffed out a breath.

“What’s wrong?” Drake asked.

“I live in a room the size of a closet.”

“Oh.”
Damn
it. On to plan B.
“Maybe the tarot cards can give us another idea.”

She nodded. “I’m glad I don’t have to convince you of their value… or my abilities. That much is refreshing.”

“I’ve heard your accuracy is pretty amazing.”

She squared up the cards and laid the deck in front of him. “Cut it.”

He picked up about half the pile and set it to the side, then piled the other half on top. The whole time he was thinking of Bliss, so he figured he must be imparting some kind of positive energy into the cards.

Sadie shuffled them again and then fanned the cards out in front of him. “Pick three, but don’t turn them over.”

He did as he was asked, taking cards from different areas.

Sadie flipped them over and muttered something under her breath.

“What?” He didn’t tingle, but he could tell from her expression there was some kind of bad news in the cards.

“They’re all reversed.”

Glancing at the cards, he saw every one of the pictures had landed upside down. “I guess that’s bad?”

“Not always.” She gathered up the remainder of the cards and shuffled the deck again. Sadie set the pile in front of him and he cut it again.

She shuffled and fanned out the rest of the cards. “Pick three more.”

He did the same thing as before. Sadie flipped them over and sighed.

“What? Is someone going to die or something?”

“Not that I see here, but there are a lot of sinister events revolving around you. Bliss is better off where she is.”

“You’re not just saying that because she serves you drinks, are you?”

Sadie reared back, her eyes wide. “How could you even think that?”

“I’m sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’ve had very little sleep and I’m not myself.”

She relaxed, but the frown remained.

“Can you tell me what the cards indicated? What made you think she was safer here?”

She lowered her voice. “I know more about the paranormal than you might think.”

She
knows?
“I see. But I don’t understand what that has to do with Bliss.”

“Don’t you realize how much protection she has here that she wouldn’t have anywhere else?”

Drake glanced over at the bar. Two shapeshifters and a wizard were chatting casually while keeping up with a basketball game on the overhead TV.

“Shit. You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. What better protection could she have from a misguided paranormal being? Here she’s surrounded by a number of super-strong, super-protective supernatural friends. Each one of them believes in the value of their shared safe place. That means no one messes with their status quo.”

Drake felt like an idiot. Why hadn’t he thought of that before?

“You’re too close,” she said, as if she’d heard his internal question. “You feel like
you
need to be the one to protect her. The thing is, every one of them would be happy to help. All you need to do is ask. Let the others know the scope of the problem, and they’ll give you all the support you need.”

“Is that it? Is that all the cards can tell me?”

“What else do you want to know?”

“Are you telling me to avoid her for her own good?”

“No. Not at all. Just don’t spirit her away from the safest building in the city.”

“But what about at night? I can’t always sleep here.”

Sadie lowered her eyes and smiled, as if she were in on some kind of secret. “Even at night there are protectors here.”

“What kind of protectors? You can’t be talking about the family from the third floor.”

“No, not the Balogs. But there are… others.”

“Others? What others? Does Anthony live in the building?” He had always wondered where the vampire owner lived, but he didn’t think there was an apartment on the fourth floor. He’d only seen two buzzers. One for the second floor and one for the third.

“It isn’t important that you know who they are. They don’t want to be bothered, and if you go poking around, you might not like the consequences.”

“Huh?”

“Leave it alone, Drake. You have enough to worry about.” She began to gather up the cards but stopped when he laid his hand over hers.

“Wait. These sinister events… Is there more than just the increased number of fires? Are there others involved in setting those?”

Sadie replaced and leaned over the cards, studying them for a few moments. “I don’t see a whole lot of different events, and all of them seem to be perpetrated by one individual.” She pointed to the Knight of Swords. “One very dangerous, determined individual.” She gathered up the cards, marking an unmistakable end to the discussion. “Watch your back, Drake.”

He honestly didn’t care about anything other than Bliss at the moment. As long as she was safe, he’d cope with whatever else happened.
If
only
she
were
a
dragon
too, I’d know that Bliss could defend herself.
Unfortunately, the odds of a mortal surviving a dragon attack were slim.

He suddenly thought about his mother. He was sure she’d had good intentions when she asked him to save their species, but even she wouldn’t have wished Zina on him.

“Thank you, Sadie. You helped tremendously.”

She nodded. “Thanks for the drink. Next time, buy one for yourself. You need it more than I do.”

***

Bliss had never felt so isolated in her life. Drake had asked her not to leave the building until he was able to deal with Zina. That meant she had two options. Sit in her apartment and try to work on another card, or sit in the bar and socialize. She had tried watching TV, but there was nothing on she wanted to watch. Angie didn’t have a way to record shows, and Bliss hadn’t planned to live there long enough to care.

She didn’t dare get hooked on a soap opera. Her schedule wouldn’t allow for it, although she’d heard viewers could miss several episodes and still pick up where they’d left off. Sounded like some kind of ripple in the time-space continuum.

She really didn’t feel like socializing. Something as bizarre as learning there were dragons in the world made “Look at this adorable necklace I got at a flea market” seem inane. She didn’t think she could concentrate on designing her cards, and there might not be any books that would hold her attention when her mind inevitably wandered to dragons…
Hey, wait. Maybe I can find an ebook on dragons!

It was a long shot. She was fairly sure anything she read would be legend, but as Drake had said, “Legends come from somewhere.” Maybe she could do some digging and find out more than what she knew now… which was next to nothing.

She grinned.
Wouldn’t it blow Drake’s mind if I could spout a few dragon facts he hadn’t told me yet?

But what if she blew her own mind? And how would she know fact from legend? She dropped down onto her bed. “Argh! All this stuff is mucking up my mind.”

Damn
it. I’m going to talk to the one person who has never deserted me. The smartest, most loyal friend I have… me.

She rifled through her purse and grabbed the little notebook she carried just in case ideas struck while she was on a subway or shopping or anywhere away from her computer. It came with a little pencil she liked because she could erase the stupid words and leave only the good ones when she eventually made it home.

She wrote,
Dear
damn
diary…

“Heh-heh. Good start. Give yourself hell, Bliss. If anyone can take it, you can.”

What
was
I
thinking? Maybe my mother was right.
“No, no. Scratch that.”

She flipped the pencil over and scrubbed the ridiculous words off the paper.

A
dragon? Seriously? A dragon. I think I’ve finally met a guy who might be worth a shot, and he turns out to be some kind of circus freak.

I’d never have believed him if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Transform? Yeah, right… Then he did it! Ack!

I
keep
waiting
to
wake
up
and
find
out
this
is
just
a
crazy
nightmare. Nope. I’ve pinched myself and then slapped myself for pinching myself. Still not popping out of any coma.

I’ve even wondered if I was drugged. Drake never slipped me any pills. He didn’t even bring me a beer. Nope. Nothing went into my mouth except, well…
him. Heh-heh.

Hey, I wonder if dragon penis can cause hallucinations? Naw. That doesn’t make sense. Because if it does, that means he’s a dragon and I didn’t hallucinate anything but the truth.

“Oh my God.” Bliss slapped the side of her head and stared at the words she had just written. She sighed and mumbled her own reassurance. “It’s okay… no one is going to read this. Just go ahead and let out all the crazy.”

And
while
we’re at it, no wonder he said he can’t get me pregnant. We’re not even the same species! Oh, man. If we ever got married, my mother would be in seventh heaven until she learned that little fun fact. Then she’d descend to the seventh circle of hell and never be
seen again.

Why
do
I
care
what
my
mother
thinks? Haven’t I always known she means well, but…

Yeah, there are no words following that “but.” Never have been. Never will be. Some things are better left alone.

So, back to Drake. What am I supposed to do with this information? He seemed relieved after he told me, but now I’m the one who’s all jiggy. I don’t know how I’ll feel next time I look at him… if there is a next time. Didn’t he say that biker chick was probably setting the fires and he had to stop her?

I
may
not
have
known
him
long, but one thing I’m certain of—he won’t hit a girl. I doubt he’d even fight back unless his life depended on it, and it well might. She must be some kind of psycho to beat him up and then set fires all over the place. All because he brought me flowers? I swear, if he lives through this, I’ll ask him
never
to
bring
me
flowers
again.

Bliss set down the paper and pencil. She rose and paced as the gravity of the situation sank in. She’d always coped with unsavory situations using her signature flippancy and irreverence. She wasn’t feeling very flippant at the moment.

Drake had greeted the other paranormals at the bar and gathered them together in the back booth. Kurt, the wizard; Tory, the shapeshifting coyote; and Nick, the werewolf. As they were waiting for Anthony, the vampire bar owner, to join them, Drake asked, “So, are there others we should invite to this meeting?”

Kurt, Tory, and Nick all exchanged glances.

At last Nick said, “No, why? Have you heard about more?”

“Yeah. Sadie said something about the building being protected even after everyone leaves for the night.”

Nick chuckled. “I guess she’s talking about the house brownies. I don’t know how much protection they’d provide. They’re about a foot tall.”

All three of the other men stared at Nick. “House brownies?” they repeated in unison.

“Yeah. They were the first paranormals Brandee had ever seen. I’m glad my wife was introduced to the supernatural world though them. They don’t present much of a threat. They’re only goal is to clean the bar, and they’re happy to do so as long as there are plenty of peanuts and pretzels to eat. If someone insults them, they might play some kind of harmless prank but that’s about it.”

Drake’s irritation rose. “Then why did Sadie think they’d provide plenty of protection for Bliss after dark?”

“Maybe because they’re down here in the bar after hours and could signal an early warning,” Nick said. “From what I understand, they eat a few snacks, then they clean the place until dawn as a thank-you.”

“Actually…” a deep voice said.

Drake whipped around to see Anthony standing behind him.

“They’re quite protective of the place. As long as they feel valued, they will continue to keep everything in perfect condition. I can’t tell you how many times Ruxandra has had a fit and trashed the bar. The brownies always put it back together before morning.”

Anthony dragged a chair over and sat at the end of the booth.

“Where is Ruxandra these days?” Tory asked.

Anthony chuckled. “She thinks she’s punishing me by depriving me of her presence.”

“Wow.” Nick leaned back, looking impressed. “Well done. What did you do to make her think that? Did you say, ‘I can’t miss you if you won’t go away?’”

The others laughed, but Anthony shook his head.

“No. She’s vain enough to have come up with that all on her own. In fact, she’s probably on another recruiting mission, finding just the right guy to make me jealous.”

Tory grinned. “Hey, maybe she’ll find someone she likes better and finally dump your ass.”

“I’d never get that lucky.” Anthony sighed. “I made her, so she’ll always feel… obligated to me. Never mind her. What did you call us together for, Drake? I assume it’s not to talk about my vampire ex-girlfriend.”

“No. I want to talk about my very human,
very
special
girlfriend. I need your help to make sure she’s safe.”

Nick immediately went into his private investigator mode. “Why? What’s going on?”

“The female who kicked the crap out of me last week… she’s a dragon and I think she’s kind of like Anthony’s Ruxandra. She’s hard to get rid of and jealous of any woman she perceives as getting in her way.”

All four guys groaned.

Drake continued while he had the floor. “She hasn’t left the area. I think she’s been setting all the fires, but I have no proof. No one can find any signs of arson, but that just makes it even more likely that it’s her. Unlike myself, she can still breathe fire, so she could easily touch off a wooden building or a pile of brush and leave no evidence behind. Also, I think she’s targeting me since most of the fires have been set all over my district. And she may be using her wings. That puts us all at risk for discovery.”

“Wait,” Anthony said. “You work in
this
district, don’t you?”

“Yeah. So far she’s stayed away from this particular street, but I have a terrible feeling she’s saving it for last.”

“Crap,” Nick said. “Do you know where she’s staying? Maybe we can set up a sting.”

“No. I haven’t seen her, but I’m sure she’s around. I have this sixth sense that tingles whenever danger is near. It’s been driving me crazy—especially when we’re out on a job. If she’s watching, she’s very good at staying out of sight.”

“So, how can we help Bliss?” Tory asked.

“Look, I know this is going to sound like I broke the most important paranormal rule of all, but I had to…”

The others waited for him to say whatever he had to say.
Shit. I
did
break
the
most
important
paranormal
law
of
all.

Drake leaned in and lowered his voice as he confessed, “I told Bliss about dragons. I even had to show her my transformation before she’d believe me.”

Kurt gasped. In a whisper he asked, “What made you do that?”

Nick held up one hand. “I understand. I had to do the same thing with Brandee. My brother had to tell his human wife, Roz. As long as you and she never tell anyone else, and I assume you swore her to secrecy, I think you’ll be okay.”

“I did. And she promised not to tell a soul. She knows no one would believe her anyway. Hell, she almost had
me
committed.”

Nick cleared his throat. “It’s a little early though, Drake. I thought I jumped the gun with my wife. But Brandee and I knew each other as friends for a long time before we ever dated. Are you sure you can trust Bliss?”

“She had to know about Zina. If something happened to Bliss because I kept her—well, blissfully ignorant, I’d never forgive myself. I got her to agree to stay out of sight. If the dragon bitch sees her as a threat to a relationship she wants to have with me…”

“Then she’s toast… literally,” Kurt said.

Tory scratched his head. “What makes you think Zina still wants you even after you rejected her?”

“Because I’m the only one left to breed with—other than her brother, that is, and I don’t think she’s desperate enough to consider that idea. Can you imagine inbred dragons?”

“God, no,” Anthony said. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and appeared thoughtful. “It looks like you’re right. Bliss needs our constant protection. I’ll escort her home and keep an eye on her until she’s safely locked in. Someone else will have to escort her
to
work because of my daylight limitations.”

“I’ll be glad to do it,” Nick said.

Anthony thanked him with a nod. “If this Zina is anything like Ruxandra, your girl will probably be in danger the minute she’s alone.”

Nick folded his arms. “Remember when Ruxandra tried to harpoon Brandee?”

Drake’s jaw dropped. “She threw a harpoon at your wife?”

“Yeah. That was back when she thought there was something going on between her and Anthony.”

“There wasn’t,” Anthony said with finality. “I never even smile at my staff, if I can help it. I know how jealous Ruxandra is.”

Nick sighed. “We pretty much had to prove to her that Brandee was with me, not Anthony. Even after that, Anthony had to be careful not to even look at her. A human stands no chance against most paranormals. Add to that female jealousy…”

Drake groaned and dropped his head into his cupped hands. “But if Ruxandra comes back, Anthony won’t be able to help.”

Kurt, who was sitting next to him, patted his back. “Don’t worry, buddy. We’re all capable of protecting her and willing to step in. Anthony can handle Ruxandra if necessary.”

“But won’t that put your staff at risk?”

Anthony lifted his chin and frowned. “I’ll have you know I’ve always protected my staff. I don’t care if they’re being threatened by another vampire or an ordinary bully. I’d put my undead life on the line for any one of them, and Ruxandra can go to hell if she doesn’t like it. I think she understands that now.”

“Let’s hope so,” Nick said. “Because here she is.”

As predicted, Ruxandra waltzed into the bar arm in arm with a handsome stranger.

Crap,
Drake thought.
I
don’t think I can take much more drama.

***

The next day as Bliss opened the office door to drop off her purse before work, she spotted Claudia bent over an open drawer. Unable to stifle an irresistible tease, she wolf-whistled.

Claudia snapped to attention and swiveled to see Bliss grinning at her.

“Oh, it’s you. Thank goodness. I thought I was going to have to kick one of the customers out of the inner sanctum.”

“Nope. It’s just little ol’ me.” She hung her purse on a hook in the closet provided for the employees.

“Didn’t you wear a coat? It’s still raining, isn’t it?”

“No, sweetie. It’s just a light mist and it takes two seconds to walk from my home to work. Gotta love the commute.” She didn’t mention having a big ex-cop escort her the few steps between her apartment and the bar.

“Glad to hear it. So, how’s it going otherwise?”

“Otherwise? You mean like job-wise? Relationship-wise? Health-wise?”

“Sure. Why not? How’s every little thing?”

Bliss shrugged.
How
do
I
tell
her
everything’s fine except, oh yeah, I found out I’m dating a dragon?
“You know… the usual.”

“Good. Sometimes the ‘same old, same old’ is a welcome relief.”

Bliss would have argued that point a few days ago. Now it seemed like sage wisdom.

“You know something? Lately I’ve been wondering if my mother isn’t kind of right. I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to live in the suburbs in a nice home with a nice, normal man and maybe raise a couple of sweet kids?”

Claudia almost dropped the folder she’d been holding. “Who are you, and what have you done with my friend?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to give you a heart attack. It’s just that… you know. Things have been a little crazy in the city lately. First all those fires, now all this rain…”

Claudia raised her eyebrows. “You don’t think they have fire and rain in the suburbs?”

“Oh sure… rain maybe, but the fires? At least in the burbs you don’t have to worry about one home wiping out a whole block.”

“Are you worried about Drake?”

Bingo, but not because he’s a firefighter.
“Maybe a little.”

“He’s a professional, Bliss. He knows what he’s doing, and from what I hear, he loves it. You shouldn’t ask him to quit if you really care about him.”

“Yeah, he’s really… into it.”

“So, is he
into
you?” Claudia sported a playful grin.

“Uh… you could say that.” She couldn’t help the soft smile. “He told me he loves me.”

“Awesome. You two make a cute couple. Are you thinking of moving to the burbs and raising kids?”

“Probably not.”

Bliss remembered what Drake had said when they first hooked up.
I
can’t get you pregnant.
She was in such a lust-induced haze that she hadn’t paid much attention at the time. Now it made perfect sense.
I’m not a dragon. How could we possibly have children together?
Another thing made sense, too. Zina’s claim on him.

Claudia must have noticed a change in Bliss’s mood. She scrutinized her friend. “You look… sad. Is everything okay? Really?”

Bliss pasted a bright smile on her face. “Of course. I’m fine. Everything’s great. I’m just worried about the contest.”

Claudia didn’t look like she quite believed her. “Okay. You know if you ever need to talk, I’m right here.”

“Thanks. I know.” She strolled toward the door. “I’d better get out there and serve those thirsty customers.”

For once she was grateful for a busy bar. She wouldn’t have time to ruminate, obsess, and otherwise drive herself crazy over the heady new situation that had slapped her upside the head.

***

About midway through her shift, Bliss heard sirens blaring… and they were getting louder. That meant they were close and getting closer.
Shit. Not again.

Drake was working an overnight shift. He was probably in one of the trucks, if this was a fire. She hoped she was hearing police sirens instead.
How
sick
is
hoping
for
a
robbery
or
attempted
murder
instead
of
another
fire?

She grabbed a rag and strode to the table nearest the window, hoping to get a peek as either fire or police vehicles roared by.

Flashing lights lit up the night.
Please
be
blue, please be blue.
When the sirens deafened her, both red and blue light bars whizzed by. That meant both police and fire were responding.
Crap. Well, maybe they needed the EMTs, not the firefighters.
Somehow she knew that wasn’t the case.

As the sirens slowed down and stopped altogether, she realized the incident couldn’t be far away.

Suddenly the front door burst open and an excited man she recognized as a semi-regular shouted to the whole bar: “Hey! The bank on the corner is on fire.”

Some of the customers took it in stride, not moving from their bar stools. Many got up—joking about cold, hard cash turning hot and crispy—and followed Phil out the door.

The
bank
on
the
corner?
Horror struck Bliss like a punch in the chest. “My designs!”

She threw the rag on the floor and charged out of the bar. Running at top speed, she made it to the corner before the firefighters had completely unfurled their hoses.

She spotted Drake. Part of her wanted to rush over and beg him to rescue her safe-deposit box. The other part of her knew she should stay out of the way. He didn’t need to get suspended twice in one month. Besides, how could he get into her safe deposit box without her key and the bank personnel? That’s why they called it a
safe
deposit box. She cupped the sides of her face and gazed in horror.

She watched him work. He strapped on his protective gear and rushed up the steps.