Dragon's Touch (Book 1 Linty Dragon Series) (11 page)

“Odd? How exactly?”

“She began to talk about the dragons as though they were living creatures. It got to a point where I thought she’d been alone too long, and I offered to hire a companion for her. She flatly refused, of course. I was unable to live here at the time, though I did drop in as often as I could.”

Snidely, I remarked, “You mean, you came to see her when it was convenient for you, when you weren’t off on some grand adventure?”

“Linty, I’m not an adventurer. I’m a finder of unique objects,” Dad said curtly.

I snorted and muttered, “Right.”

His brows rose at my remark and he said, “Getting back to Mother. I realized she was being influenced by the dragon keeper responsibility. Buyers would come to finagle a deal with her to get the dragons they sought in order to complete their own collections. They were quite insistent and it frazzled her nerves. This all took place while you were far away from what was happening.”

“Gran mentioned there were people who tried to coerce her into selling the dragons, but she stood fast, and refused to give in. That was around the time she met Cullen Vaughn, wasn’t it?”

Dad gave a slight nod. “He’s not the nice person you think he is, but he stopped the harassment Mother got from those who were after the dragons. She came to trust him, or so she said, and I think he protected her as much as he could.”

“Surely, he did that because he wanted the dragons for himself.”

“He never said, and she didn’t either. The entire collection of dragons has remained intact for centuries, as Mother insisted it was supposed to.” He drank the last dregs of coffee from his cup and then asked for more. “I do know Charles would sell them off to the highest bidders.”

I agreed and obliged by filling his cup again, brought pastries to the table, and saw him shake his head when I offered him the plate. “Rest assured, if I have anything to do with it, Uncle Charles will never have the chance to sell the dragons.”

“There’s something you should know about the dragons, Linty. Mother often ranted on and on about them being dangerous if awoken. She said once that happened, they would be freed from their statuary form and could wreak havoc before returning to their natural habitat. At that time I didn’t take her seriously, though she remained adamant over it. Once I learned more about the dragon seekers who tried to purchase the dragons, I began looking into those people and their backgrounds. I’m afraid many of them are confident that they can bring the dragons to life.”

My mouth hung open, I knew it because I sucked in a huge breath. The words Drake whispered earlier found their way into my head once again, and I knew what Gran had said was true, even though I was reluctant to believe it. “So you came to finally believe the dragons are simply encased in these statue-like outer shells?”

With a nod, Dad leaned his elbows on the table, cupped his coffee mug in both hands, and stared at me over the rim of it. “I have. Buyers would try their best to bring them to life, and one of them may already have the key to doing so. Believe me, if they don’t own the dragon needed to complete their collection of five dragons, they won’t be able to succeed. Why do you think it’s so important for you to live here with the dragons, like Mother did, and so many before her have? This house is hallowed ground for the dragons, a duly respected place for those who believe in magic, spells, and whatnot.”

I leaned back, fiddled with my fork, finally dropped it onto the plate and poured a glass of wine for me, and a whiskey for Dad. He grinned, took a swallow, and then waited as I digested all he’d imparted.

“Essentially, what you’re saying is, if I have this
key
, I should safeguard it from all the other collectors. If I mess with it, the dragons will be freed from their inanimate form and wreak havoc? And, if the land is hallowed, then why was Gran murdered?” Drake’s ability to flick his tail, grin, puff smoke, and speak to me left little doubt about the key and its powers.

He inclined his head and said, “The hallow only protects the dragons from harm. I can’t imagine who would poison Mother. You believe me, don’t you?”

Pensive, I hesitated to answer and then said, “Drake has spoken to me for as long as I can remember, though I always thought I had imagined it. He responds to me for some reason.” I drank the wine, poured a second glass, and grimaced over the fear that I might become an alcoholic if I kept this up.

Dad’s eyes widened, his expression stiffened, and he stared at me in silence.

“It’s true, Dad. He insists I find the key so he can help me solve the mystery of Gran’s death. Gran left me a letter stating I should trust Drake and allow him to work with me to find her killer.” I waved my hands as he opened his mouth. “Still talking,” I remarked as he would have interrupted my word flow. “If I bring Drake to life using this
key
, will all the other dragons be freed at the same time? Is the key a real key or a spell, or what?”

“I’m unsure,” Dad said with a shrug of one shoulder.

“So how do we find out? I’m unwilling to begin a trial and error solution, especially if I end up with a slew of dragons walking the earth, breathing fire, and doing as they please. That scares the bejeepers out of me, Dad.”

“Me, too. There has to be a book here somewhere, filled to the brim with information on what to do, and not do, where the dragons are concerned. And, by the way, when I mentioned the key, I wasn’t talking literally.”

“According to Drake, there’s a key that unlocks the secret to the dragons. Whether it’s a spell, or incantation, or a darned rubber stamp, I don’t know, I just know there’s a key.” I didn’t say the door at the end of the upstairs corridor was locked, and that I hoped that’s where the key came into play. Not giving up that information to anyone, nope, never.

“Be prepared for a variety of visitors who will try to wrest the dragons from you. Stand strong and firm, and refuse their financial offers, or they’ll never leave you alone. The situation might take a dangerous turn, as well if someone tries to steal them.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the dragon keeper, but I’ll do my best. Wouldn’t the dragons have been stolen when Gran went to the hospital? No one was about when I arrived.”

“I’m sure Mrs. Douglas employed a watcher.”

“You mean someone was keeping an eye on the place until I arrived?” I shivered and thought back to my sense of not having been alone when I went to the cemetery and on my walk through the woods.

 “I’m sure of it. Mrs. Douglas knows there must be someone present if the house is empty for extended periods of time. She knows more about that than I do. You might ask her.” Taryn shook his head and said, “Mother couldn’t have been thinking clearly when she dumped this responsibility onto your shoulders. I should have paid more attention to what she was up to, even though she never mentioned feeling unwell. Had she said as much to you?”

Gathering the dinner plates and leftovers, I put them on the counter and rinsed the plates in the sink before stacking them in the dishwasher. These actions gave me time to think, to form an answer that wouldn’t sound bitchy. It would serve everyone well if I eased off on my resentment, even though it boiled just below the surface.

When I’d finished setting things right, I leaned against the counter with arms folded and mentioned Gran had been under the weather for a while, but that she had refused to say how poorly she felt. “She realized she was being poisoned at the end, with no idea how. I’m working the possibilities out in my mind as I deal with the overwhelming issues at hand.”

Dad heaved a sigh. “What I’d like to know is, who had access to Mother besides Mrs. Douglas? Vaughn was here, but not daily, and he never made her meals, did he? What about Smythe, has Mrs. Douglas mentioned how often he was about the place and if he was alone with Gran for any length of time?”

I shook my head. “I’m not aware of Vaughn cooking for her. He did say they would visit and have a meal, but I always thought Mrs. Douglas had prepared them. As for Smythe, he came and went as he pleased, I guess. Whoever poisoned Gran, it would be someone who could come and go without being suspected.” I ran my hands over my face, yawned and said, “Good grief, I’m tired.”

The chair scraped against the floor as Dad rose. He tossed back the remainder of the whiskey and handed me the glass. “Thanks for dinner, and I appreciate you not tossing me out or disbelieving what I’ve said. I must go to London tomorrow, but I’ll return in a few days. Trust no one, stay sharp, and be on your guard, Linty. Whatever you do, be careful someone doesn’t poison you as well.” He kissed my forehead, and I walked him to the door.

I flicked the outer lights on as he took the front steps on light feet. Briefly, he turned and waved and then left the property. I stepped back, locked up, and wandered through the house onto the rear patio. One way to reach the patio was through the kitchen door, the other was through double French doors in Gran’s library.

The evening’s conversation rolled through my head as would a freight train in overdrive. Try as I might, I couldn’t fathom all that had been shoveled into my brain. I worried over the peril of awakening the dragons, if that was even possible, or if I should leave them as they were now. The softness of the chair cushions relaxed me, and I stared at the stars in the sky, all the while wondering where a dragon’s natural habitat lay. Would they live in Katmandu or someplace in the far reaches of China or Russia? A place uninhabited by humans? Those places were becoming more and more rare as people filled the planet to the brink of failure. Gone was the possibility of living in the wilderness where a natural lifestyle could be maintained. Even Alaska was becoming overpopulated, and that was a shame. One day there’d be no wildlife. I sighed, brought my thoughts back to Dad’s warnings and then jumped when Cullen Vaughn stepped from the darkness into the light.

“What are you trying to do, scare me to death?” I yelled.

He put his hands up and said, “Sorry lass. I thought your father would never leave, and I wanted to give you time to relax. You’re looking a bit stressed.” He dragged a chair next to mine and stared at me.

Sarcastically, I said, “I thought I’d have some peace and quiet time to myself, you know?”

He nodded, smiled, and said, “Get use to being interrupted, you’re about to suffer the consequences that are common for a dragon keeper. Men, and women, alike, will come to you with all sorts of deals, queries, stories, and whatnot to pave their way to a dragon purchase.”

“So my father says. It’s going to be a royal pain in the ass, for sure, and scary as all get out. I plan to tell them all to leave and never return, because the dragons are not for sale.” I glanced at him and gawked at his amused expression. “You think this is funny? I think it rots, and that I may be in for a bit of trouble from these seekers. Am I in danger?”

“I don’t think the situation is funny, just your American attitude. You’d never know you were born in Scotland, or lived here as a small child if it wasn’t for the slight hint of the brogue you never quite lost. You’ve become quite Americanized.” He chuckled and then turned serious. “I’ll watch over you, but you must be on your guard. The dragons can’t help you in their present state, and if you do wake them, it could be disastrous for everyone.”

“You believe they can be awakened, then? Or were you eavesdropping while my father was here?”

“I admit, I did hear what was said, but I already know more about the dragons than your father ever will. I’ve been down the road you are currently travelling, lass. It’s rough, pot-holed, and bumpy as hell. We’ll traverse it together, and I’ll do what I can to assist you.”

“Why?” I really needed to know.

“Because you’re worth it.” He stared into my eyes until I looked away.

“You don’t know that,” I murmured.

“Ah, you’re wrong, I do know,” he whispered and took my hand in his.

Electricity from his grasp sent shock waves along my arms. I was on fire, all the way to my soul. I pulled away from his touch as his eyes glittered. Was the man half-dragon? Did he have dragon blood? Where had those thoughts come from?
Don’t be silly.

“Would you care for a drink?” I asked.

“No, sitting here with the stars dancing in the moonlight is enough for me. Thankfully, it’s not raining.”

“Then tell me, what kind of key am I supposed to find, if any?”

“The key isn’t what you should be worrying about, it’s the book you need to find. It will explain everything. The book holds clues to the key. You’ll be in danger. Many want the book, many have tried to find it, and many have killed for it, only to find what they seek is beyond their reach.”

Holy hell. I shivered, sank farther into the chair, and wished I’d never heard of dragons, folklore, or even become a book restoration specialist.

“In your career, have you come across books that have mentioned dragon keys?”

“Not that I remember. I deal with rich collectors of mostly ancient ecumenical tomes that deal with the Roman Empire, Christianity, and the like. First issue bibles, that sort of thing. Rarely do I take time to read them all, but I have had the honor of dealing with artisan works in book form, though. It’s all fascinating.”

“Then we’ll have to seek out those who have books on dragons and see if they need your services. I’ll put the word out tomorrow.” Vaughn glanced at his watch and then said, “Make that today.” He stood up, said goodnight, and sure footedly walked into the darkness from which he came.

Yikes, I’d been told many things throughout this night, more than I could comprehend even. I raced indoors, plucked a notebook from Gran’s desk and scribbled as much as I could of the evening’s happenings. I read it over to see if I’d left anything important out. I sat back, peered through the office doorway and took a moment or two to view the dragons in the cabinet. Drake, the beautiful beast, stood nearby overseeing the others encased behind glass doors. I turned and asked aloud, “Where will I find the dragon book? What is the book I am looking for, what does it hold that I must know?”

He said nothing, his eyes didn’t glow, he remained still and silent. I gave him a haughty glare, returned to the sofa with the notepad, and shoved aside the photo albums from the closet in Gran’s room. I read the notes again and then pulled the albums closer.