Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

“That fiend!” Alex shouted as he stomped around the parlor.

We had returned to his abode and informed Alex and Helen of what we had found. Needless to say, the local dragon lord was not pleased to hear the turn of events.

Helen gently grasped his arm and arrested his pacing. “There’s no need to for anger. After all, we are still unsure if Baddock is truly the man behind the kidnappings.”

Alex scoffed. “That snake would like nothing more than to get his slimy claws on either of you!”

“But how do we prove it?” I wondered as I looked up at Will who stood at my side. “We don’t really have enough to tell Folcred, right?”

He folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. We only have a vague connection through Lady Gottspake’s magic and the information from the Agency agents who kidnapped you, neither of which would even lead to his being questioned.”

“I may have a way of luring out the Agency men and catching Baddock,” Helen spoke up.

All eyes turned to her and Alex lifted an eyebrow. “How?”

Helen grasped my hand and smiled at me before she returned her attention to her mate. “Rose and I will be bait.”

My mouth fell open and Lord Torch’s face was a picture of horror. Even Will didn’t look too pleased. Torch was furious. “You will do nothing of the sort!”

Helen frowned at him and her evil eye was something to behold. “Do you have a better plan?”

“I would rather sacrifice myself than allow you to risk your life!” he countered.

She put her hands on her hips. “Lord Alexander Torch, ruler of past kingdoms and my mate, you will do no such thing!”

Her fury quelled some of his ire but he still shook his head. “I will not have you in such danger-”

“We will be in less danger than we are now,” she countered as she stabbed a finger at the front window. “Any moment we may have an attempt on our person but if we bring them to us we will have the advantage. You also forget that Rose and I are not completely without skills. I will see their auras through the walls before they see us and her sword is more than a match for any foe.” I wanted to second her on that but even I had my doubts about my limited sword skills.

Still, I looked to Will for support. “It worked for the Grimton,” I reminded him.

Will sighed. “Unfortunately, her plan is a sound one.”

“Sound?” Alex snapped as he glared at the other dragon. “You would risk your mate?”

Will’s eyebrows crashed down. “You have lost your spine as well as your confidence in your mate. I trust mine. Will you trust yours to keep herself safe, at least long enough to handle this plan?”

Alex looked as though Will’s words had slapped him. He turned his face to the side and gritted his teeth. His hands balled into fists at his sides and a few mumbled words left him. “Damn it. . .”

A gentle smile slipped onto Helen’s lips as she stepped closer to him and set her hands over one of his trembling fists. “I can do this, and I know that because you will be near me.”

Alex’s tense stance relaxed but he still searched her face. “You are sure about this?”

She nodded. “More sure than anything else, other than that I love you.”

He wrapped his arms around her and they embraced in a long, passionate kiss. I stepped up to Will and found him grinning at me. “Care to follow them?”

I smiled. “I’ll do anything you want after we get this over with.”

“Then we should do so tonight,” Will suggested as the other two parted to turn to us. “If Baddock is our culprit then he doesn’t have much time left to carry out his plans. A trap by us will be too tempting for him to ignore.”

“So how do we use ourselves as bait?” I wondered.

“I thought you and I could go shopping,” Helen suggested as she clasped her hands in front of herself. “It’s been so long since I saw the shops that I am eager to see the latest fashions.”

“Focus, my love,” Alex scolded her with a slightly sharp tongue.

She sheepishly smiled up at him as she placed a hand against his chest. “I will try, dear.”

I let out a deep sigh. “Well, I guess we’d better get to it.”

“Raines will be the driver,” Will suggested as we walked out into the entrance hall. “I trust him above all else to help you get out of any trouble.”

Alex strode over to a rope and pulled it. “Then I will have him fetched immediately.”

While preparations were made, Will pulled me aside and grasped my shoulders in both his hands. He looked me in the eyes. “You’re sure you can handle this?”

I gave him a shaky smile. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

He pursed his lips. “Unfortunately, it appears not. Can you handle your sword?”

I looked down at my hand and flexed my fingers. A little bit of heat emanated from my palm. “I think I can. If anything, helping you will give me the strength to make it come out.”

Will studied my face a moment longer as though memorizing it before he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to my lips. I would have wanted a longer encouragement but a call came from the front door.

“The carriage is here!” Helen shouted at us.

I took a deep breath. “Well, here goes.”

We joined the others at the door and Will slipped my coat on my shoulders while Alex gave instructions to Raines. “You will travel slow enough that we may follow on foot. Veer into the loneliest side street you find and arrest your pace even further so as to catch the attention of any followers.”

Raines nodded. “As you wish, sir.”

A thought struck me and I looked up at Will. “What about Folcred? He would want to know about this.”

Will smiled as he led me down the stone path to the awaiting carriage. “I will alert him.” He waved a hand above his head.

I followed his gaze and beheld a tramp lying on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. The vagabond didn’t twitch a muscle at Will’s hail.

“You think that’s him?” I wondered.

“A vagrant wouldn’t dare sleep on the ground in this neighborhood without knowing he would be able to fend off efforts to shoo him away,” Will explained to me as we reached the carriage. “A proper badge would fend off any objections.”

Alex opened the door for Helen as Raines climbed into the box. The other dragon lord helped his bride inside and reluctantly released his hold on her. Mine was much the same as Will assisted me into the cab but kept a grip on my hand.

“You have to let go,” I teased.

“I hope for only this once,” he whispered.

He released me and shut the door. I couldn’t deny feeling more than a little fear as the carriage rolled forward. Helen pushed the side of her arm against mine. “Courage, Rose. Nothing will happen to us so long as our dragons are near.”

“But what about them?” I countered as I twisted around to look out through the rear window. The pair had already vanished.

Helen set a hand on my shoulder. “They will be fine. We must focus on our own role in this charade.”

The carriage leisurely rolled through the darkened streets of the capital. The crowds of the day had vanished and people now loitered around in groups singing in drunken tones ballads of yesteryear. Others flitted under the streetlamps toward the well-lit restaurants and those few shops that remained open after sunset.

I grabbed the leather strap above my head as the carriage turned and rolled onto a particularly bumpy road. The close-built walls on either side loomed close to the windows and the wheels occasionally scraped the bricks, forcing the carriage to hop up before crashing back down to the hard cobblestones.

My heart beat loudly in my chest as tension rose in the carriage. Even Helen sat stiffly and with one hand grasping her leather strap.

Our vehicle had bounced halfway down the alley when something dropped onto the roof. I slammed my back against the seat as Raines gave a shout. The next moment, a sharp blade cut through the cloth and wood of the ceiling, and the roof was peeled back.

We found ourselves staring up at a man in a black cloak. The bottom half of his face was covered by a handkerchief and his black-gloved hands held matching short sabers. Raines stood behind him with his whip in hand and our driver cracked the weapon over the man’s head.

The attacker turned and sliced Raines’ whip in twain before he lunged forward to impale our driver. Raines stumbled back and fell backward onto the carriage box. A single word came from his lips.

“Lentaa!”