26. In Which Dragon Humor Is Lost on Sam

Iglanced at Coco, who nodded and waved her hand for me to follow her grandmother. We all went out to the entry and found Benvair down the hall, standing by a framed mirror. Once she saw us, she put her hand on the mirror and a wall panel slid to the side, revealing an elevator. The doors opened and she walked inside, with us following.

"I'm taking you to the crypt. My mate died years ago. Unfortunately, he took the whereabouts of an important document to the grave with him. Find it and you may borrow my treasure."

"I'll try. Spirits often don't linger." At her glare, I added, "But if he's around, I can talk to him."

The door opened and we were deep underground in a dark tunnel carved into rock, lit by torches. Who knew the dragons had their own catacombs? She walked us to the end of the tunnel, to an enormous stone room. Displayed in the center were the curled-up bones of a dragon. Two torches by the entrance flickered over the bones, giving them the impression of movement.

"Ddraig, I've brought someone to speak with you." Benvair extended her hand, allowing me to enter.

The skull alone was bigger than me. I went to it, though, sitting on the floor and resting my forehead against his jawbone. Closing my eyes, I searched my mind for the dead. Dragons, like other immortals, manifested as a black void, but they had a faint red afterimage.

There were only two dead dragons down here. There was probably an ancestral catacomb in the Old World that held the rest.

Ddraig?

Fire blazed behind my eyelids and his massive jaws, filled with razor-sharp teeth, snapped at me, almost taking my head off.

I flipped up off the ground, somersaulting in the air, dropping down eight feet away from the head. Claws unsheathed and jaw distended with wolf teeth, I registered Clive standing in front of me, crouched for battle. The dragon bones lay inert. Laughter chuffed in my ears.

"What the hell was that?" When I noticed Benvair studying me a little too interestedly, I snicked in the claws and reshaped my face.

Clive stood straight, keeping me behind him. "What happened?"

"Stupid dragon tried to set me on fire and eat me!" I'd expected horror, maybe apology. Nope. Both women started to laugh uncontrollably. Coco was bent at the waist, wheezing, while Benvair wiped tears from her eyes.

"I've missed you, Ddraig." Benvair finally said.

How is my Queen Ast? His voice was a deep, gravelly rumble in my mind.

"He asked how his queenest is, but I probably misheard that last word. He has a rather strong burr."

Benvair's eyes glowed as Coco explained. "You heard correctly. Ast is Welsh for bitch."

Why do I have a wolf and a bloodsucker in my crypt?

"I'm a necromancer and your mate has a question for you." Tapping Clive's shoulder, I had him move aside. The old dragon wanted to mess with me. He no longer had the ability to hurt me.

Aye, what say you, Benvair?

"He wants to know what the question is." I didn't need to be close to hear him, so Clive and I moved to the side of the cave while Benvair moved forward. She rested her cheek on the skull and whispered something I couldn't hear, even in a room with stone walls.

Tell her it's in my desk, in a hidden compartment. The claws on the right leg. Tap first third first third. Tell her true or I'll burn you in your dreams.

"What is it with you two? Why do you always lead with the threats?"

"Saves time," Benvair and Ddraig said in unison.

"Whatever. He said it's in his desk, in a secret compartment." They were right bastards, both of them, but knowing how much they missed one another made my heart hurt.

"Coco, take them up to the office. If she finds it, loan her the treasure. If not, kick them out." Benvair hadn't moved.

We left them and returned to the elevator.

Once the door closed, Coco said, "I'm sorry. I know Grandmother can be a lot."

"She mourns for her mate," Clive said, taking my hand. "Survival often depends on biting first and asking questions later."

The elevators doors opened almost as soon as they'd closed. We weren't up at ground level yet.

"Grandfather's office is down here." Coco led us down a carpeted hall, walls plastered the same smoky gray as the main floor. Light fixtures that appeared ancient but used electricity hung from the tall ceiling above.

At the end of the hall was a thick wooden door. Coco tried the knob and it opened soundlessly. She flicked on the light and we all stared at the massive desk.

"Did he sit at this in his dragon form?"

Coco laughed. "Grandfather was a very large man, even taller and broader than George." She held out her hand, inviting me to have at it.

"Okay, he said the claws on the right desk leg." I walked around to the chair, pushing it aside. The desk legs were carved to resemble a dragon's. "Was your grandfather right-handed or left?"

"Right," Coco said.

"Just making sure. He said right leg." Crouching down, I studied the claws at the base of the leg. Clive and Coco watched as I pushed on the claws in the order he'd said. When I finished, I heard a quiet click.

Clive crouched down next to me, running his hand along the leg, feeling for a catch. "Got it," he said. A section of the leg, carved with muscle and sinew, pulled forward, revealing a hollow in the center. Clive reached in and pulled out a rolled-up document. Without giving it a glance, he handed it to Coco.

Coco spread it out on the desk. It was a deed of some sort. She heaved a great breath. "Yes. This is what we need." Rolling it back up, she held it tight and led us from the room. "Grandmother's given me permission to loan you the pendant. Well," she added, hitting the call button on the elevator, "it wasn't a pendant before, but it is now."

We returned to the living room and Coco left the deed on the fireplace mantel and picked up a leather box. She opened it and showed us the contents. It was a carved black stone dragon's head with cabochon ruby eyes. The craftsmanship was astounding. The dragon was so realistic, I half expected it to start breathing fire.

"It's obsidian, which is best for keeping you safe from sorcery. It's also a stone that's been in our possession for centuries, so it is infused with the magic of generations of dragons. I added a bit to protect your mind specifically from your aunt and put it on a spelled chain, in case you need to shift."

When she tried to place it around my neck, I stepped back. "I can't. What if I lose it or break it? I'd never forgive myself and your grandmother would be well within her rights to burn me alive. And that would cause a war between the dragons and the vampires, or at least one very pissed-off vampire. No. I can't take that. I'll figure something else out."

"Put it on." Benvair appeared at the doorway and went straight for the deed rolled up on the mantel. Like Coco, she read it and let out a breath. When I continued to hesitate, she pinned me in her dragon stare. "You've recently become useful to me. Don't die," she ordered as she strode back out of the room, deed in hand.

Clive's hand was at my back, urging me forward. "I've seen my future. Put the damn necklace on."

Knowing he was right, I leaned forward. Coco secured it around my neck, the flat, obsidian disk lying below the notch at the base of my throat. "It's warm."

"Dragons." Coco shrugged. "We like the heat."

Clive and I thanked her and left. The night air had lost its chill. Either Abigail had been continuing to mess with my temperature or I now had a personal heater. I was pretty sure it was the latter.

Once we were back in the closed car, Clive leaned over and kissed me. "Well done, you." Starting the engine, he put the top down again, put it in gear, and drove us out of the neighborhood before he spoke again. "You now have dragon allies, and not the grandchildren who hold little sway. The grand dame finds you useful." He squeezed my knee before turning onto Lincoln Boulevard.

Clive turned on low, bluesy music and we settled in to the drive. I had a bad moment when he crossed the Golden Gate, the lights flashing as we passed beneath. The last time I'd been on this bridge, I'd been paralyzed in the flatbed of a truck with three wolves hell bent on torturing and killing me.

Clive took my hand and kissed it, no doubt picking up on my thoughts. Placing my hand on his thigh, he shifted gears as we came off the bridge and shot off into the dark. We passed through a tunnel and then were driving through Sausalito, a gorgeous little town on the bay, filled with shops and restaurants on the water. On a Sunday afternoon, the outdoor tables and nearby walking paths were overflowing with tourists.

Clive's phone lit up, Liang's name on the screen. He tapped the phone, declining the call.

"We're not going to have another enemy gunning for us, right?"

He glanced over at me and shook his head. "I'm still too angry to speak with her. Perhaps in a few years I'll accept her call. Russell has spoken with her. She's back in New York. She understands that while I have chosen not to deliver her true death, I have chosen to cut her from my life. If she ever raises a hand against you again, nothing will stop me from taking her head."

"I'm sorry."

"None of this is your fault. Come now; let's forget about her."

Cutting to the west, Clive left the 101 and took Highway 1, the coast route. It was after midnight and the road was empty. Whitecaps broke on the ocean, rushing toward the shore to crash on rocks and wash up on beaches. Tall grasses on either side of the lonely road whipped back and forth in the wind. And above it all, a waxing moon silvered the landscape. A few more days until it was full, but even now the desire to set my wolf free was powerful.

He pulled to the side of the road and turned to me. "Would you like to drive?"

Giddy at the thought, I studied what was no doubt a ridiculously expensive sportscar. "Are you sure?"

"The only way you learn is through practice."

"Yes!" I jumped out of my side and met him in front of the car

He smiled down at my obvious delight. "Your eyes have lightened, more wolf gold than Sam green."

"Soon," I said as we climbed back in. "Although now I have two necklaces to keep track of. Good thing I'm a lone wolf. Can you imagine the snickers from the other pack members if I showed up for a moon run wearing jewelry?"

Clive laughed and my heart bubbled. Nothing made me feel better or more right in the world than the sound of Clive laughing. It was a little unicorn of joy. A millennium of battle and death and scheming and betrayal had worn Clive down. He was powerful, feared, and Master of the City. What he hadn't been, according to Russell, was happy. Russell feared Clive was losing what was left of his humanity. He believed that had changed when I arrived in San Francisco and Clive began taking an interest in my well-being.

The scarred, beaten, terrified little wolf I'd been had pulled at his heartstrings, as I'd reminded him of his brutalized little sister. Things had changed between Clive and me months ago, when the attacks began. No longer stern vampire and bookish bartender, we opened up and fell in love. Perhaps my aunt deserved a thank-you for that.

"No," he said, catching the tail end of my thoughts.

The engine was still running. Remembering everything Dave had taught me about driving a stick shift, I put it in gear, pressed down on the gas, let up on the clutch, and stalled it. Clive said nothing, looking out at the moonlit night, while I restarted the car and tried again. This time, I got it going. Alone on a deserted highway, I was flying down the road in no time. Freedom.

"Heartbeat about a quarter mile ahead."

I eased up on the gas and dropped the speed back to the posted limit. "Handy skill for avoiding speeding tickets."

"Isn't it?" He grinned.

Once we passed the black and white cruiser tucked into a side road, I opened it up again and we flew down the road. As we approached Point Reyes, I saw a sign for Drakes Bay.

Pointing, I asked, "Our Drakes or a different one?"

"Hmm? Oh, ours. They've owned this outcropping of land west of the highway for hundreds of years. Officially, it's a marine conservation area, a large, pristine estuary. Unofficially, it's where the family comes on moonless nights to shift and fly out over the ocean."

"I'd love to see that." Imagining it made me happy.

"Shall we discuss the wedding?"

When my hand flinched on the stick shift, he laid his over the top and squeezed as we raced up the dark road toward Bodega Bay.