Chapter 7

Bailey

Freya and I stepped inside Javier’s Bar and Grill. It had been called something else before the dragon apocalypse, but the sorcerer had renamed it after he took over downtown Norman. He kept his office upstairs, where I usually met him for important discussions.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I found him sitting at a table with an array of food spread across the wooden surface. The whole place had a sort of Cheers TV show vibe, except it was empty of patrons aside from the three of us. I was surprised by that. Normally, the restaurant filled up with a considerable crowd around dinner time. Javier would invite select people to dine at a special table with him, showing favor to his most loyal servants. I’d heard there was a lot of competition to be in that group.

“It’s awfully quiet in here,” I said, heading in his direction.

The sorcerer was of Hispanic origin with medium-brown skin and appeared in his mid-thirties. His black hair was slicked back as usual, and he was dressed in business casual, with a dark blue button-up shirt and black slacks. He always looked clean and sharp.

After each of us lifted our tops to show untainted torsos, Javier gestured for us to sit across from him. “I knew you’d be coming and thought we could have a nice meal since we must multi-task these days with so many duties to perform.”

He wasn’t wrong. My stomach rumbled, reminding me we’d left shortly before the midday meal at the fortress. The meeting in Aidan’s office had run long, and so had my private encounter with the pendragon afterward. My body still hummed from that, though I tried to tamp it down.

“If you insist, but…” I began, glancing at Freya.

He gave us a condescending look. “Do you think I’d invite a shifter to sit if the table wasn’t oak and rendered fireproof? You should know by now that I’m no fool. The shifters and I have traded services and supplies for years—even during Nanoq’s unpleasant reign.”

That explained why much of the place looked newer than I recalled. He’d remodeled while keeping the same theme and vibe. I was glad he hadn’t altered the look too greatly since so much else had changed during my long absence.

“Sorry,” I said, settling in a chair. “I hadn’t considered that.”

Freya took the seat next to me, eyeing the food. She hadn’t had time to eat yet, either.

Javier sniffed. “ Mi Querida , I am always prepared for your visits.”

Yeah, and it was a little creepy, but I wouldn’t say that aloud. Good thing the sorcerer could only see present and near future events without any mind-reading skills.

“Is it safe to talk here, or should we wait until we can go to your office?” I asked.

“Here is fine.” He gestured around the room. “I’ve extended the anti-seer protection to the entire building so my people and I have more space for meetings and sensitive projects.”

I didn’t doubt he could manage that, considering how he’d hidden downtown Norman from outsiders—including me—for months after the dragons arrived. There were other rooms upstairs aside from his office where he likely had labs for potion-making. That was one of the tasks assigned to him for the upcoming war, crafting anything that could help with our defense and offense capabilities.

“I suppose you’ve heard about the rebel group,” I said, scooping enchiladas and rice onto my plate. Everything smelled amazing.

Javier wiped his mouth with a red cloth napkin. “Yes. I’m afraid they are proving annoyingly elusive. With my magic drained daily by other tasks, I have little left for anything else. For you, though, I’ve managed to narrow down one place you should look.”

I finished chewing a bite of food. “Oh, and where is that?”

Next to me, Freya tore into her meal with manic glee. Shifters were not known for their table manners. Javier was polite enough to pretend she wasn’t making a mess and kept his gaze averted from her.

“After we’ve eaten,” he said, taking a glass of water. “We will discuss that information and what you can do for me in return.”

I groaned. “Of course, there is a price.”

“This will be mutually beneficial, I assure you.”

“Fine.” I set my fork down. “What is it you want?”

He gave me a nonchalant shrug. “A sample of your blood.”

I certainly hadn’t expected that as an answer and glanced at Freya. Her yellow eyes flared with displeasure. Shifters had little trust for sorcerers outside those living in the Taugud fortress.

“Why?” I asked.

“It is the final ingredient we need for the potion to allow humans to become temporarily fireproof.” Irritation filled his gaze. “Your slayer friend—Rayna—only gave me a single drop to test my theory. It proved successful, but we could only make enough for one person.”

“How long will it last?”

Javier shrugged. “It is too early to be certain, though we hope at least a month, perhaps two. All we can do is keep testing our first volunteer until the war begins to see if they continue to remain unharmed by flames.”

I shuddered, glad I was permanently fireproof.

Freya snorted. “That must be fun for them.”

“They are happy to do it,” the sorcerer said stiffly. “And we only use a small flame to be safe.”

Considering the number of lives his potion could save, I could hardly refuse. It was why we continued to get human volunteers to fight in the war, and we had to keep our promise to them. “Fine. You can take some of my blood.”

“Are you certain?” Freya gave me an alarmed look. “He could use it for anything—not only the potion.”

“The more people we can protect from fire when the Kandoran attack, the better. Every human fighter will need that potion, so I can’t refuse,” I said, sighing in resignation.

“Excellent.” Javier gave me a pleased smile. “Please enjoy your meal, and then we can get to business. Also, I believe a visitor is coming along now who you’ll wish to see.”

I ran my gaze around the room, still finding it empty. “What? Who?”

The front entrance flew open with a bang, and a figure appeared in the doorway.

The bright light behind him made it hard to distinguish his features, but I’d have recognized his voice anywhere. “Wuz up, ladies? Bow before the new master slayer!”

“Dear Zorya,” Freya muttered, sniffing the air with disdain. “He’s even more full of self-importance. Can I take a chunk out of him so we can bring his ego back down to Earth?”

“No. Like it or not, we need him,” I said, giving her an amused look.

She sighed. “Ahhh, more’s the pity.”

I pushed back my chair and ran over to give him a hug. “Glad you made it. Doing okay?”

When I’d stopped by Conrad’s house the day before, he’d still been in the throes of it. Rosalie and Rayna had assured me he needed another day to finish and said it was best not to bother him. I felt terrible I couldn’t have helped in some way, considering he’d been by my side when I’d gone through the agony of becoming a full slayer. It was one of those things you didn’t want to do more than once in your life. Unfortunately, I had too many duties these days and couldn’t spare much time, even for a close friend.

“You were right that it was painful as shit,” Conrad said, shaking his head.

I gestured at him to follow me to the table. “How are you feeling now?”

“Strong as hell and faster.” He settled into the chair beside Javier and began plating hisfood. “Also, ready to kill some dragons.”

Freya leaned forward and snarled at him.

Conrad put up a hand. “Alright, alright. You gotta chill, girl. Obviously, I didn’t mean you . I ain’t got no doubt you’ll be kickin’ ass in this war, and you’re definitely someone I’d rather toss at my worst enemy than fight myself.”

It was all I could do to hold back a snicker. I’d truly missed him over the last few days.

“If you just finished your transition, what are you doing here?” I frowned at him as the implications hit me. “You should be out hunting with Rayna to get your first kill. The urge will be the strongest right now until you get a handle on it.”

It was impressive how well he was doing sitting across from Freya without showing any sign of wanting to attack her. Maybe years of exposure to dragons and shifters had made a difference, or it could have beenbecause of the slow method he used to become a slayer. We had no way to be sure, though it was a relief. It took months for me to build my tolerance.

Conrad gestured at Javier. “Our resident vampire here asked me to stop by and donate some blood. If I want my girl to be safe durin’ the battle, gotta get that potion for her.”

“Seriously?” I turned toward the sorcerer. “You already had a slayer to help?”

“Vampire? Your imagination needs work, infant slayer.” He turned his attention to me as Conrad sputtered. “The more who donate, the more doses we can make.”

It was hard to argue that point. “I’m going to need that formula so I can send it to the coalition. They’ve got plenty of sorcerers there who can start making it, so we don’t have to provide any to them when they arrive.”

“I don’t like sharing,” he sighed, leaning back in his seat. “But I suppose it is for the best, considering we can’t possibly manufacture enough for their troops on top of everything else we must accomplish. You will get it before you leave.”

“Thank you,” I said, relieved he didn’t put up a fight.

We spent the next few minutes consuming our meal and discussing unimportant things. While I needed to get on the hunt for bad guys, I also had to keep my strength up with food. Javier had so much to offer on the table that all of us could get our fill with plenty to spare—not that Conrad didn’t try to finish it all off. He kept up with Freya while still managing to eat in a civilized manner with no mess. I’d never seen anyone more fastidious in every aspect of his life, except during battles where he became the complete opposite. A psychologist could probably make all kinds of theories about that behavior.

After we finished, the sorcerer grinned and rubbed his flat stomach. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken the time to eat so much.”

“Interesting.” I cocked my head. “Are you going to tell me what I need to know about this group I’m investigating?”

He took a sip of water. “I admit I have not had as much time and energy to keep track of the happenings in town as usual. I can tell youthat you should watch the intersection of South Porter Avenue and East Symmes Street.”

“Why?” I frowned at him. “Are they active in that area?”

“My visions have been fewer and farther between lately due to draining my powers for other purposes—it was a wonder I saw you coming. Rather, one of my people informed me two days ago that they witnessed suspicious behavior near that intersection. I haven’t had a chance to follow up, but I trust you will.”

“What kind of activity?” Freya asked.

He shrugged. “They said it appeared a large group held a meeting in a building no one uses anymore, and they kept a guard posted at the door the entire time. He also said several of them carried crates and large bags when they left.”

That did sound a little suspicious, though I rarely went to that part of town anymore. I couldn’t say what was normal these days, but if Javier thought it was worth investigating, that meant something. He had excellent instincts.

“Okay, we’ll check it out,” I said, standing.

Everyone else also rose to their feet, but Javier pointed toward the back of the restaurant. “I’ll take your blood now, and then you can be on your way.”

Oh, right. I’d become complacent during the meal and had forgotten the less pleasant part of our visit. If it could help protect people, though, I had to do it. He wasn’t wrong that the more potion they made, the better.

“How many people will it help with Conrad and me donating?” I asked as we followed Javier past rows of tables and a long bar.

“I estimate about one hundred per slayer donation.”

Damn, I’d hoped for more, considering it wouldn’t even cover all of Miles’ human troops. “I’ll try to convince Rayna to donate more as well.”

“That would be excellent.” Javier glanced back at me. “Since you are quick healers, you regenerate your blood faster, so you could come back every few days to provide more—if you feel inclined.”

Conrad and I glanced at each other with wry expressions.

“Told you the damn guy is a vampire in disguise,” he said, shaking his head. “He’d drain us dry if he could get away with it.”

It sure felt that way, but could we refuse?

“Alright, I’ll come back again,” I agreed begrudgingly.

Conrad sighed. “Me too, Nosferatu.”

Javier chuckled. “You’re both true patriots.”

Freya stepped forward and gave him a stern look. “You’re lucky we think you’re useful, or I’d find a use for your blood—to paint the walls of this quaint little place.”

The suave sorcerer gave her an appraising look, undaunted by her threat. “It’s too bad you’re mated. I do appreciate females with a proclivity for violence and death.”

“You would,” she said, sneering.

Well, our day was off to a good start.