Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

" M ick," I said in alarm.

Mick couldn't answer in words while he was dragon, but his growl rumbled back to me. He'd seen the light streaking past.

Had it been the same kind of lightning that had attacked the hotel? Or a chance beam from something else? Or the piece of magic mirror on my motorcycle, pissed off that we'd left it behind?

We hadn't entirely deserted the mirror—I had a shard in my pocket and Mick would have brought one, which would now be in the backpack.

I hunkered down in Mick's talon as the air grew colder. I wore a leather jacket, as we'd been riding across the desert on a cool day, but it wasn't enough for the high altitudes Mick was reaching.

He'd never climb so high that I couldn't breathe. Mick had to breathe as well, so he stayed far below the heights that aircraft was able to reach.

I saw no more streaks of light as we flew. It might have been a chance flash of a car's mirror or some such, but I didn't truly believe that.

Once Mick leveled out, doing smooth glides instead of climbing, I could peer down between his claws and discover where we were.

To my surprise, we traveled east. I saw the tall mountain that bordered Albuquerque, and beyond that, more desert, which segued into green circles of irrigated fields.

I'd expected us to go west, out over the Pacific, where Mick's lair lay. I'd been to his home a couple of times now. It was a remote island of tropical beauty, though not so remote we couldn't go to Honolulu for a fine dinner or walk beautiful beaches on Kaua'i.

Mick sped along, the farm fields giving way to oil wells pumping at the ends of dirt tracks in west Texas. Next came the greener areas of the Hill Country and east Texas, and the bayous of Louisiana. From there, Mick dove out over water, heading south across the Gulf of Mexico toward the Caribbean beyond.

Dragons liked remote islands—these were dotted all over the world, some inhabited, many not. I hoped Mick wasn't going all the way to Africa—I'd need a break before that—but soon he slowed and began to circle.

An island lay below us, compact and green. A mountain rose from the middle of it, its peak shrouded with rainclouds, while the rest of the land folded down to pristine, bright beaches. When I'd been younger, I'd thought all Caribbean islands were flat, but I realized that came from watching movies, filmed on cays or in sets. When Mick had taken me on a vacation to St. Lucia, I'd learned that my preconceived notions were wrong.

This island was isolated enough that I couldn't see any other land from here, nor did I see any hotels or houses dotting it. It likely had escaped development because it was too remote and rugged. There was barely any level land between mountain and sea, which would make any kind of building difficult. There was also the question of what nation had claimed it.

Or possibly it had simply gone unnoticed. If Cesnia had spent centuries here, she might have shrouded it from the world. Dragon magic could do that.

Mick had found it without a problem, but if he'd been friends with Cesnia, she might have shared the secret with him. However Mick knew, we'd arrived.

As he circled the lone mountain once more, I spied a place in the dense forest that had been charred, as though dragon fire had burned it. I didn't have time to observe more before Mick abruptly dove through the dense clouds. I yelped as freezing dew enveloped me.

We came out of the thick fog to a green valley tucked between the sharp sides of vegetation-covered cliffs. Mick glided over this valley a few more times before he landed on a pruned and curiously neat meadow.

Mick opened his talon, steadying me as I staggered onto the lawn. He moved away to morph into his human form.

I was astonished to behold a long, low house made of pale stucco that hugged the edge of the meadow. The abode had wide windows that must give a fabulous view of the mountain on one side, sea on the other. Tall trees and borders of bright flowers framed this lovely home.

"Cesnia lived here ?" I blurted out.

Mick chuckled, his body warm behind mine. "You think all dragons dwell in caves? Caves are great for storage and keeping others out of your business, but they get a little uncomfortable."

Mick was building a house on his island, which was going to be luxurious when finished, but I'd assumed he was doing this because he was mating with a human. I was grateful to him for providing me a place to sleep, though I'd told him it didn't have to be much.

Now I wondered if he was constructing it to replace whatever home he'd destroyed in one of our adventures a few years back. I didn't want to bring up bad memories, so I didn't comment.

"What exactly are we looking for?" I asked.

Mick gently pried the backpack from me and withdrew his clothes. He didn't have to dress himself on my account, but a thin rain was falling, soaking us thoroughly. The temperature now that we were out of the clouds was warm, but I kept my jacket on to stay dry.

"Any indication of what dragon killed Cesnia," Mick answered. "Also, a hint of what she intended for her egg. I'm hoping she already sang it its name, or that might be up to us."

"Up to us?" I regarded him in alarm while he leisurely pulled on his jeans. "How would I know how to name a dragon? And how to sing those notes?"

"If we need to adopt him as our own—there's a ritual for that—then we'll be able to give him a name. The dragon in the shell already knows it, and sort of tells us what it is. That's the theory anyway."

My alarm didn't ease. "Sounds very mystical and dragon-y."

"I don't understand how it works, myself. Apparently, it's a two-way song between mother and baby dragon. "

Whatever happened, it sounded both scary and nice. I remembered my cousins when they were pregnant, talking to their babies before they were born. A similar thing?

"I'm not a dragon," I pointed out.

"And I'm not a mom." Mick's eyes twinkled. "Let's hope she already named him."

"How will we know?" I thought about the prettily decorated egg that I was already worried about. I should call home and make sure everything was all right. I pulled out my cell phone, which remarkably was still in my pocket, intact.

"There will be residuals of the name lingering inside the egg." Mick scanned the clearing and the cliffs above us, always on the lookout for trouble. "Not the name itself, but a note here and there. I might be able to hear it, since I'm a dragon, but you might not. Then again, you possibly could." He studied me in that what-a-curious-specimen way he sometimes had.

"Why? Because I know your true name?"

Mick shrugged. "You've been exposed to my name and know what it sounds like. You could recognize notes that other humans wouldn't. Also, you have more magic than anyone I've ever met."

"Gabrielle's pretty powerful," I reminded him. "She's nearly kicked my ass several times."

"Not the same." Mick reached for my cell phone and slid it back into my pocket before catching my hands to tug me close.

I became aware that we were entirely alone in this place, and that Mick hadn't bothered to finish dressing. Warmth penetrated my bones, and not just because of the subtropical breezes .

Mick drew me to him, arms holding me steady. I rose on tiptoe to meet his kiss, which heated parts of me that were not already steaming.

I hadn't had much time to be with Mick, between my hotel being consistently full and him flying off to ingratiate himself with my family. It was nice to stand here and kiss without hurry, surrounded by scented yellow and orange flowers. The sound of a hidden waterfall among the cliffs was soothing in the quiet.

Mick's hands went to my hips, his strength fanning excitement through me. He was always gentle—then again, we could get into things that only a dragon and a Stormwalker could handle. We had safety words, but to date had never used them.

Before I could become too hopeful, Mick eased the kiss to a close and rested his forehead against mine. "When we're finished," he whispered.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "It will be great."

I looked forward to Mick and I shutting ourselves into his new house on his island, where we could keep out the world and all the terrifying things trying to kill us. We'd bask in each other there, reveling in our aloneness.

Mick touched my cheek. "You're an amazing woman, Janet."

I wished we weren't on a dire quest and that I wasn't so worried about those I'd left at home. When we had time to celebrate, it would be incandescent.

"You're not so bad, yourself," I said. "So, do we explore the house?"

Mick's eyes flicked to dragon black before resuming their deep blue. "That would be a good place to start. I think her cave is up there." Mick pointed to the top of the cliff. "We'll have to fly."

Oh, goodie. I hoped we found all the information we needed inside the house, so I could keep my feet on the ground for a while.

Mick led the way up the flower-lined walk. I let him, because if there were booby traps to stop intruders, he'd find and disarm them. I'd flail over the wire that sent sharp stakes springing out from a concealed crevice, but Mick never would.

We made it to the house without mishap. No traps, Mick told me, which troubled him, I perceived.

The front door wasn't locked, but why would it be? We were on a remote island that didn't have a place to land a boat. Cesnia wouldn't fear any intruder except the dragon kind, only admitting those she'd invited.

We entered the house to find a wide, tile-floored foyer and airy rooms that led one into another. The entire back of the home was open to a terrace, which was like an outdoor room. A round dining table suggested Cesnia could eat a meal out there while enjoying the view down the cliff to the ocean crashing below.

"What happens during a hurricane?" I asked. No windows or doors blocked the way from the outer terrace to the living room. "The rain and wind just come on in?"

"This island is pretty far south and west in the Caribbean Sea," Mick said as he studied paintings that hung on one wall. "Hurricanes mostly sweep from the Atlantic up the eastern islands and north. Also, there's this."

He lifted a remote from the long table under the paintings and clicked a button. I jumped back inside the living room as thick glass walls slid from recessed panels across the terrace's opening. The strong breeze died, as did the birdsong and whisper of wind-stirred plants.

Mick set down the remote. "That will keep out any weather." He moved to study the panels. "Looks like multi-layered glass with air cushions in between. Nice."

I knew he was contemplating installing this kind of sliding door system in our new house.

"Why did Cesnia leave it open?" I asked. "If she'd gone out to fight whoever attacked her, wouldn't she have shut the windows? Even if she didn't worry about burglars, a rainstorm could have come up."

"I don't know." Mick's uneasiness returned. "She must have meant to leave for only a short time. Or else someone came in here and took her away with them. He didn't bother closing anything behind them as he hustled her out."

"I have a hard time believing dragons could be hustled anywhere," I said. "You told me lady dragons are seriously fierce. She'd have put up a struggle, but I see no sign of that here."

I wandered from the living room to a kitchen with long counters, multiple cabinets, and a vast kitchen island with a granite top. Up-to-date appliances as well. I could imagine Elena salivating over this setup.

Beyond the kitchen was another sitting area that contained a large sofa positioned to look out tall windows toward the mountain. Past that was a bedroom that had me salivating—huge, comfy bed, massive walk-in closet, and a bathroom with a circular tub in the middle of its tiled floor.

Cesnia hadn't kept many clothes, I saw as I entered the closet, but what hung there were beautiful sleek gowns plus chic casual clothes. Colorful sarongs were folded neatly on a shelf, and even her tatty shorts and T-shirts were enviably pretty. Cesnia had also collected kick-ass shoes to go with the gowns. A dragon who knew how to dress.

"Did she go to many formal dinners?" I asked Mick as I emerged from the closet. "There are no labels in her dresses, which means they were made for her. By famous designers, no doubt."

"Cesnia had many friends in the human world." Mick rested hands on hips as he turned in a slow circle in the middle of the room. "She went out on the town—whatever town—as often as she wanted."

"I'm starting to wish I was a dragon," I said.

The corners of Mick's eyes crinkled. "It's not a bad existence, but I like you the way you are."

"Yes, why have a dragon, when you can have the daughter of a crazed hell goddess who's seriously unstable whenever a storm happens?"

"Exactly."

I flushed as I wandered past him into the bathroom, which was like paradise in marble. A lot of bamboo as well, in benches, towel racks, and little boxes for accessories. A stand of bamboo grew outside the window, which would shade the room from the intense sun when it was out.

I compared this marvel to my tiny bathroom with its white tile and old-fashioned fixtures. Dragons knew how to live.

"No signs of a struggle at all," I told Mick when I came out. "I'd say Cesnia left the house voluntarily and thought she'd be back soon. I'm guessing she went out to meet someone."

"Agreed." Mick had focused his intense gaze on the wall beside the bed. It was an interior wall, opposite the long windows and the perfect view. "But friend or foe? Her killer? Or someone she thought would help her?"

I closed my eyes. I'd solved puzzles in the past for people who'd come to me looking for missing persons or wanting to know why their apartment was haunted. I could see auras both of people and of events. Ghosts are really the taint of a terrible act clinging to a place, not the shade of a deceased person. Some humans are sensitive to such things without realizing it, and they interpret the feelings as a haunting.

I searched for the auras in this room and quickly found a few. Cesnia's was most prevalent, of course—gold, shot through with sable, blue, and flecks of white. Beautiful, matching the colors present in her house.

The darkness of Drake lingered here, and I felt a frisson of their passion. Drake kept himself in tight control at all times, but that didn't mean he didn't have emotions, only that he didn't like to share them.

Drake had shared his emotions in this room, that was for certain. I didn't find any lingering fear, only desire and happiness.

I perceived the residual of Titus's aura as well, his more multi-hued and changing, like his eyes. His presence wasn't as prevalent. Drake had been here more often.

I then sensed the aura of the egg, gold and greeny-white like the jade of its shell. I experienced Cesnia's joy as she tended it, and then the tiny dragon's bewilderment at Cesnia's sudden absence.

Tears welled in my eyes. I sensed Drake's dark aura again, sliding in, and then he and the egg were gone.

I opened my eyes to find Mick watching me in worry. "You all right?" he asked softly .

"Yeah." I wiped my cheeks. "Nothing violent happened here. Cesnia was thrilled with the kid." I balled my hand. "I really want a talk with whoever ended that elation."

"Me too." Mick's tone was grim. "I found something I want to explore. Come with me? There's a bigger rainstorm on its way, so if you don't want to risk it, I'll go myself."

Now that he'd mentioned it, I felt the light rain intensify. The long-leafed trees outside the window bent with growing wind, and the clouds we'd flown through thickened, blotting out all light. Not a hurricane or even a thunderstorm was on its way, but a good, heavy tropical deluge.

"You want me to stand here playing with the rain while you disappear who knows where?" I asked in mock incredulity. "Waiting and worrying about you in the middle of a storm? That will not go well."

Mick sent me a smile. "I wanted to give you the choice."

"I choose to come with you. Where are we going?"

Mick opened a drawer in one of the nightstands. He fished inside it then made a noise of satisfaction when he pulled out another remote.

He clicked it, and the entire wall behind the bed dissolved. No sliding glass this time. It simply vanished.

"We're going there." Mick gestured to the darkness behind the bed. Without waiting for me to respond, he strode inside and was instantly lost in the shadows.