Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

SIMON

Ogden was gloriously gorgeous.

I kind of noticed that when we were down by the lake, but I'd tried my best not to look at him too much. I mean he was naked, and my mama had drilled it into me that ogling was bad manners.

But he wasn't naked now.

Instead , he was wearing gray freaking sweatpants that revealed things I had trouble ignoring. And the way he tied up the T -shirt to reveal that sliver of skin along his tight abdomen? My tongue nearly fell out of my mouth, but I wasn't a disgusting dog. We cats didn't let our tongues loll out of our mouths.

Cats purred.

But I shouldn't do that either. He was a stranger, and I'd seen him naked, and I'd summoned him, and… The whole situation was messy. I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. Except my chest kept rumbling and vibrating and… I needed it to stop. I thumped my chest a few times to interrupt the purring before things got out of hand.

I was making a mess of this. Did he think I was channeling some latent caveman impulse by hitting my chest like that? And if he did, would he be wrong? After all, I was itching to throw him over my shoulder and haul him off to my apartment, where no one else could see him in those stupid sweatpants.

How could anyone look as good as him with so little effort?

Ogden didn't look like he'd been dunked in water earlier. Every hair was in place. And he didn't smell like the lake either. Not really. Sure , there was a bit of a lake scent about him, but under that was the most delicious scent I'd ever smelled. It was like catnip, only a thousand times better. My body rippled, and I fought back the urge to shift. I couldn't let that happen. If I did, I would probably end up in his lap, rolling around on him like a weirdo, rubbing my scent all over him.

" Thank you, kitty cat," Ogden said as he returned my jacket. The same jacket he'd been naked in.

I took it from him, barely resisting the urge to push my face into the lining and inhale his scent.

" Let's sit and you can tell me what happened tonight." Van waved to the cushioned chairs around a shiny wooden table. Unlike some of my rowdy brothers, I'd never been to the police station before reporting the wolves all those months ago. That time, I'd sat beside Dot's desk while she made some notes. This time, we were in a separate room, but I doubted this was the interrogation room. It was too nice.

Van and Ogden sat down at the table like normal people, but I didn't move from the doorway. I wanted nothing more than to sit beside the dragon, but would that be weird? I didn't know him. He'd probably want a bit of space. It sounded like he'd had a pretty awful day, and part of that was my fault.

" I'm not sure I should be here," I said, my gaze darting over my shoulder to the hallway.

" Come here, Simon ." Ogden patted the chair beside him. " You can't leave me yet."

I jumped forward and sat in the chair he indicated, like an obedient dog. Thank the Eternal Magic that my brothers weren't here to see that. They'd never let me hear the end of it. Across the table, Van lifted one eyebrow.

I didn't want to know what he was thinking.

" Okay , I need to tell you what happened. I know that," Ogden said, meeting Van's eyes steadily. " But I need your help first. When the time for our negotiating expires, I can't go back without gear. The only way I'll stand a chance of escaping again is if I'm armed from head to tail. Something magical would work best, I think, but something mundane might work in a pinch, like a blowtorch." He nodded. " Yeah . That might work. But not one of those wimpy ones used for crème br?lée. I'm talking a powerful one, like something a bank robber would use to break into a safe."

" I know you believe what you are saying to be true, but I'm going to need more information." Van eyed the dragon. " Let's start with your name. "

" Ogden Walsh ," he said with a resigned sigh.

" Okay , Mr . Walsh . What can you tell me about how you came to be in Willow Lake ?"

Ogden smiled, and it lit up his face. His laugh lines crinkled, and his pretty blue eyes sparkled and… Ugh . I bit back a groan. Seriously , no one should be that attractive. " Please , call me Ogden . Even my lawyers don't call me Mr . Walsh ."

Van nodded and made a note. I wanted to ask why Ogden needed lawyers, but I didn't. Maybe he was a criminal mastermind, and if he was, I felt a strange compulsion not to get him into trouble with Van . I probably watched too much TV if that was my first thought, but whatever.

" Last night, after I closed up the bar for the night, I went to the lake for a little dip."

" Do you do that often?"

" Almost every night. No matter the weather."

Van made another note.

" And then…" Ogden frowned. " Actually , I'm not sure what happened. I remember changing into my bathing suit." He turned to face me with a sexy smirk. " It's a tight little number I got in Monaco the last time I was there."

A tight little number … Meow .

My cheeks burned. I tried to swallow so I wouldn't drool. Ogden grinned as if he knew exactly what he was doing to me. When a little purr squeaked free, he winked at me.

Van cleared his throat. Right . He needed answers. " So you changed. Then what?"

" I went down to the water…" His words trailed off and his forehead furrowed. " Huh … "

" You don't remember?" Van asked.

I reached for the dragon's hand, needing to offer some sort of comfort. Why I thought he'd find comfort in holding my hand, I didn't know. His face didn't register any obvious distress, but his fingers tightened around mine.

" No … I don't remember what happened next." He frowned. " I woke up, naked as the day I hatched, in a large-ish crate or cage thing. It wasn't super big. I couldn't stand or stretch out my legs, but I could sit up in it. Magic coated the cage, reinforcing the bars enough that I couldn't bend them or break the lock."

" A cage?" Van's face contorted like he'd tasted something vile.

Ogden nodded. " That's why the blowtorch might work. The magic on the cage will probably repel other magic, but they might not have protected against a mundane approach."

Van leaned forward. " What else did you see?"

" A bunch more cages, all filled with other supes." Ogden stared at the wall behind Van , as if envisioning the scene in his head.

Van's body went eerily still. The only movement was the creepy fire dancing in his eyes. " What can you tell me about where you were being held?"

Ogden's hand squeezed mine. " The walls were concrete and so was the floor. I couldn't see the ceiling because the top of the cage was solid, but I know the lights were fluorescent. They hummed and gave off that awful glow that makes everyone look sickly."

" You didn't recognize it? "

Ogden shook his head.

" Shit ," the hellhound muttered. " Okay . I'm going to call in a few other people to hear this, okay?"

" Whatever you think is best," Ogden agreed. " But hurry. We need to get everything sorted before my time runs out. Do you have a gun I could borrow?"

" I can't give out guns, but we'll figure out something. Do you think you could pull another person with you going back?"

Ogden considered the question, then shook his head. " I don't know, but it seems unlikely. The way the magic felt when it pulled me through… It seemed specific to me."

" Good to know. Okay . I'll be right back," the hellhound said as he left the room.

" I can't believe you were in a cage." I wanted to cling to Ogden and make sure he never went back there again. " What if I hadn't blown on that whistle tonight? I've had it for months without doing that. What If I'd waited another few months or years or…?"

Ogden peered into my eyes. " But you did."

" But what if?—?"

" Don't think of that," he said. " I'm beginning to suspect the Eternal Magic had a hand in this."

" You think so?" My eyes widened. I couldn't imagine the Eternal Magic taking an interest in me.

But I was wondering if perhaps she had even bigger plans for the two of us. This connection between us might be just a product of the summoning magic, but what if it was more?

Before we could say any more, Van returned with a large box filled with a variety of strange looking gadgets. The ozone-licorice scent emanating from the contents suggested that at least some were magical. " The others will be here soon. In the meantime…" He pulled a small device from the box and presented it to Ogden . It was the size of a fly and looked like a bit of circuitry. " This is a tracker. Keep it on you just in case things change before we have a new plan. It'll let us track you down to wherever they're keeping you."

" Where am I going to stick that? Based on what happened last time—you know, the whole naked part—there aren't a lot of places to hide something like that. Even if it is small." Ogden poked at the tracking device. " Can I swallow it?"

Van lifted an eyebrow and looked at the device. " I've never been asked that before, so I don't know. Put it in this pouch for now." He plucked up the device and tucked it into a small pouch with a long string loop before offering it to Ogden again.

Ogden put it around his neck and tucked it under his borrowed shirt.

" Okay , now try this," Van said. He held out a belt made of thick leather with pouches hanging off it.

Ogden squished up his nose. " What's that?"

" Put it on and we'll fill it with supplies."

" Fine ," he muttered. As soon as he fastened it around his hips, Ogden let out a long and soul deep sigh. " Does it have to be so… utilitarian?"

Van ignored Ogden's complaint and presented him with a wide assortment of both magical and mundane weapons, including wire cutters, screwdrivers, a magical pocketknife capable of slicing through spells, and a spray that when deployed could temporarily suppress magic in anyone it hit. Being so close to all those dangerous implements made my skin crawl, but I couldn't make myself leave.

I didn't understand it. At all. I should have shifted and ducked out of the room as soon as Ogden put the tracker on. He didn't need me anymore.

" That's all I have here that I can give you," Van said.

Ogden adjusted the belt. The contents of his pouches rattled against one another. " This is a start."

" Just don't take off the tracking device. We'll need it to find you." Then Van eyed Ogden's forearm, which he'd been scratching while we talked. " What's the matter with your arm?"

" Just a bite, I guess."

" When did you get it?"

" When I woke up this morning."

I leaned over to see the spot he'd been itching. Red , irritated skin surrounded a little mound on Ogden's forearm.

Van tilted his head. " We should get it looked at. Most insect bites don't bother supes for so long."

Ogden and I both looked at the bump a little closer.

" Yeah . I'd wondered about that. If I'm still here in the morning, I'll go then. Is there a supernatural doctor in town?"

I hated the reminder that he expected to be returned to that cage soon.

" Yep . I'll phone and make sure they see you. If you aren't here, we'll sort it out after we find you and have dealt with those bastards." Van left to make the call .

" Do you really think it is a bite?" I asked as I brushed my thumb over the bump.

Ogden shuddered. " I hope that's all it is."

Mama always said cats were excellent judges of character and I trusted my instincts. Ogden didn't deserve any of this, of that I was sure. The idea of someone experimenting on him was driving me nearly feral.

Van returned with a group of people. Willow Lake was small enough that I knew almost everyone, but I hadn't been prepared for the demon and his team to walk in. I don't know who I expected… Maybe Hayden ?

Gage's face didn't reveal any emotion, but I still got the sense he was surprised to see me here. It wasn't that long ago that I'd been sitting with him at the pub… you know, right before I bolted and made everyone wonder what was wrong with me. Since Gage and his team had moved to town, some locals tried ingratiating themselves with the demon, including Mama . Not me, though. I'd done my best to stay under their radar.

It looked like I was fully on his radar now, with a big neon arrow pointing right at me.

Could this day get any worse?

I shrank down in my seat. My gaze darted to the door. Could I shift and run? Could I get out the door before anyone stopped me?

No . I couldn't leave Ogden .

Hairballs and rocking chairs! How was I going to survive this?

The demon's horns glinted under the office lights as he sat across from me. When his gaze met mine, I swallowed and managed a brief nod in acknowledgement. The others followed in behind him and sat down at the table with a familiarity that suggested this wasn't the first time they'd all gathered here.

" Let me introduce everyone," Van said. He nodded toward Gage first. The horned demon radiated power from the far side of the table. " The demon is Gage . He's recently bonded to Willow Lake , so he's stable. He leads an investigative team sanctioned by the Supernatural Council . I invited him and his team here because they found a warehouse with a bunch of caged supes recently during another investigation. Around that same time, our local oracle had a vision of more imprisoned supes. And now, here you are, talking about exactly that. It seems highly probable this is all connected with the SC's ongoing investigation."

Ogden glanced at the others. " And who are the rest of these people?"

" The wolf is Adrian ." Van waved toward the muscular blond man with a very defined jaw line. The first time I'd ever seen Adrian , a strange wolf shifter, I'd run away. Okay . I ran away from a lot of situations, but it was better to be safe than sorry, as Mama said. But except for Hayden and Oak , wolf shifters didn't have a great reputation. Adrian was okay, though, I guessed. Although a lot of that had to do with my opinion of Jeremy . Jeremy was quirky and weird, but I couldn't see him putting up with a nasty mate. The wolf was also a lot less intimidating with a pale green batch of hair and skin along his temple that marked him as Jeremy's fated mate. The color and pattern almost made him look approachable. " He's mated to Jeremy , who is sitting beside him. "

" Hi ! I guess I know why Simon didn't reply to my text earlier," the smaller man said with a wide grin as he waved enthusiastically at us. Jeremy's pale green markings matched Adrian's , but I thought they suited him better.

And for the record, Jeremy's implication that I usually replied was a lie. Today had not been the exception.

" Is it true you're a dragon?" Jeremy wiggled in his seat. He held a pen against a pad of paper, ready to take notes.

" Yes ."

" Do you have a hoard? Can you really breathe fire? Does your?—?"

" Save your questions for later, Jer ," Adrian whispered in his mate's ear, cutting off his questions.

Jeremy pouted, but everyone ignored him.

" Beside Jeremy is Davina . She's a medium and Gage's second." She still reminded me of an old-time movie star, except she was all sharp angles, narrowed eyes, and pursed lips. " Then , on the other side of the table, we have Teague , who is a death mage."

I squirmed as the mage's eyes went to Ogden and then to me. He might look nice and innocent like the stereotypical guy next door, complete with freckles and all, but I wanted nothing to do with a death mage, thank you very much. I didn't know what his magic did, and I didn't want to know. The word death said it all. I was glad he was sitting far, far away from me. My nine lives were precious. I didn't need to think about death for a long, long time.

" The centaur is Isaac ."

Isaac lifted his hand in a wide, sweeping motion like his big body couldn't do small gestures. His long bleached blond hair and bright smiling face always struck me as strange. It wasn't natural for someone to smile that much. It just wasn't.

" And the shadow jumper beside him is Nelson ."

The dark-haired man scowled at the mention of his name. Not too friendly, that one. I didn't know what a shadow jumper was any more than I knew what a death mage was, but Ogden's eyebrows lifted at the mention of Nelson's magic.

" There are a few others we'll be bringing in to help us too, but this is the core team." Then Van nodded at Ogden . " Could you repeat what you told me earlier about the room with the cages?"

" Wait . What about Hayden ?" I asked. " Shouldn't he be here?" I trusted the alpha wolf more than I trusted anyone else at this table… well, except maybe Van .

" I texted him. He didn't respond," Van said.

" But we all know he doesn't check his messages," I argued. Heat rushed over my face as I struggled to stand up to Van . Everyone was watching me, but I didn't back down. Ogden needed help, and getting the best help around was the least I could do for him. Hayden was second to none when it came to helping people, ask anyone in Willow Lake . I lifted my chin and met Van's fire-filled eyes. Hellhounds were so freaky when they did that.

Normally , I'd have slipped under the table and shifted under the intensity of Van's stare, but I didn't this time. Oh , how I wanted to, though! My hair felt all puffed up, the back of my neck tingled, and my claws poked out through the ends of my fingers and toes. My socks would be ruined. But I didn't back down.

Finally , Van sighed and pulled out his phone. Hayden picked up on the second ring. The hellhound explained the situation and Hayden's curse, even over the phone, was loud enough to fill the room.

Ogden leaned toward me. " Who is Hayden ?"

" Our alpha."

Hayden must have heard my whispered response because he proclaimed he wasn't "the fucking alpha" loud enough even the mage and the medium flinched. That said something because their kind didn't have great hearing. Then he said he'd be right over, just like an alpha would.

While we waited for Hayden , I tucked Ogden as close to me as I could. I wanted to pull him into my lap, but I talked myself out of it. I didn't understand my need to touch him. I didn't understand my desire to put myself between him and the rest of the world.

For one thing, he was a dragon. He didn't need me to fight his battles. And more importantly, I was so far outside my norm that I could have been on Pluto . This was not like me. At all. But I couldn't stop.

Ogden didn't seem to mind. He wasn't huddling at my side like a frightened kitten, but he also hadn't moved away from me either. In fact, I suspected he was enjoying my attention based on the way his hand kept stroking my leg.

His one foot swung back and forth like a metronome, brushing my leg with each swing. Jeremy tried asking a few questions, but he stopped after getting the look from Gage . I recognized that type of look; Mama had used it a lot on us when we were younger. It meant quit talking and behave.

After that, we all waited in awkward silence. My phone pinged, announcing a message. Then it pinged two more times. With my free hand, I pulled out my phone, convinced I would find a bunch of messages from my mama asking why I was at the police station again. Instead , a series of texts from Jeremy filled the screen. I glanced over at him, but he was pretending to whistle while doing his best to look anywhere except at me or the dragon at my side. I opened my app.

Jeremy : Is he really a dragon? That's amazing. I didn't know dragons existed. So freaking cool. Where did you meet? Did he tell you about his hoard? Is it something random, like scratch and sniff stickers from the ‘80s? Can he fly? What color are his scales? Does he have scales? I bet he does. What do they feel like? Are they soft? Leathery ? Like a fish's scales? If he flies, do you think he could carry someone? Did he grow up in a castle? Or a cave? Can he breathe fire?

Jeremy : Shoot . I hit send before I meant to.

Jeremy : Crap . Adrian is getting suspicious. I'll ask more questions later. Oh ! Maybe this weekend when we meet up to watch " Lord of the Rings " you can bring him too. Do you think he would want to come? Can you imagine talking about Smaug with a real live dragon? Amazing ! *thumbs up emoji* *high five emoji*

Another ping. Another message.

Jeremy : Wait … Is Smaug in LOTR ? Or am I confusing things with The Hobbit ? I'm so freaking excited about meeting a dragon IRL that I'm losing my mind. Either way, ask him if he wants to join us!

I blinked at the messages, then looked up at Jeremy again. Ogden looked at my screen and snorted.

" Jeremy ?" Adrian , catching the exchange, frowned at his mate. " What did you do?"

" Nothing ," Jeremy said quickly. His fingers were crossed as he scratched his temple.

Van sighed. " I know when people lie. You know I do."

" Come on! There's a dragon. Right there!" Jeremy waved his hand toward Ogden . " Of course I have questions."

Ogden smiled indulgently at Jeremy . It was the same expression old people used when talking to precocious children. " Perhaps we can talk later."

" Yes !" Jeremy did a fist pump before he turned to his mate. " See ? If I hadn't done anything, I wouldn't get to talk to a dragon later."

Adrian narrowed his eyes and growled at Ogden . The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and I hissed loudly. My claws pushed free. If Adrian was closer to me, I would have swatted him. A few claws across his nose would do the trick.

Jeremy brushed a light kiss over his wolf's cheek. " There , there. You'll always be my favorite. You know that."

The tension disappeared as Adrian's wolf preened under his mate's attention. Ogden smiled at me, obviously delighted by my reaction. Then I realized what I'd done.

Holy , holy, holy.

What had come over me? I couldn't challenge a werewolf! Things like that cost cat shifters their nine.