The urge to hug him returned, and I wished he would allow it. I didn’t often feel like hugging people—it wasn’t as if I got that from my mom, who’d always insisted that nods and handshakes were acceptable ways to greet old friends—but I felt a tangle of guilt and appreciation for Zav that would be easier to express with a physical gesture. I was horrible at conveying feelings with words.
“I’ll understand if you tell your court what really happened,” I said. “It’s not right that you should be blamed. If they come after me… I’ll deal with it.” How I would deal with it, I didn’t know, but keeping my cloaking charm activated all the time came to mind. Too bad the magic faded and had to be renewed every hour or so. I would have to set the alarm to wake myself up multiple times every night.
“You are not powerful enough to deal with it.”
Even though I wanted to bristle and point out that I could handle myself, we both knew I couldn’t. Not when it came to dragons. I resented that, but what could I do to change it?
“You’re right, but it’s my problem, not yours.”
Zav opened his mouth, but his nostrils twitched, and his gaze slid from my face down to my groin. No, I corrected. To my pocket. Surely, my groin did not excite him.
Remembering the pants fastener I suspected belonged to the male dark elf, I fished it out. Had Zav sensed it? I hadn’t detected magic about it. Maybe he recognized the dark elf’s scent and had caught a whiff. If so, he had a bloodhound’s nose.
Zav stepped closer to look down at the brass fastener in my palm. His powerful, electrifying aura increased as he drew closer, making my skin tingle and putting thoughts of more than high fives in my head. I ruthlessly shoved them aside and made a mental note to pick up my loofahs and shower belongings before driving away, so I could thoroughly scrub my skin that night. Maybe the vampire alchemist Zoltan could make a magical cleanser guaranteed to remove dragon aura. Too bad his rates were exorbitant.
“One of your dark elves showed up at a pub in Seattle,” I said.
“Baklinor-ten.”
“His mate was supposedly there once too. They installed a pleasure orb that’s got people so into it that it’s killing them.”
Zav nodded, not reacting with the surprise I expected.
“Their science experiments are part of the reason I was sent to retrieve them. They killed three islands’ worth of shapeshifters on Osgashandril.”
“How many people is that?”
“About thirty thousand.”
I rocked back. “They did that with those orbs?”
“I have not seen the orbs specifically, but on Osgashandril, they created artifacts that killed people slowly over time and from a distance, so there was no possibility the shifters would detect them and retaliate. At first, I thought the dark elves came here to escape the court’s wrath, but it’s possible this was their destination all along, to reunite with their kin who’ve always lived hidden in the Underworld here and to do something to the inhabitants of your planet.”
“Something like killing them?” I had been disturbed by but not worried about the dead woman on the floor in Rupert’s pub, but if those artifacts could kill thousands of people… that was definitely something to worry about. I needed to get this new information to Willard.
“Yes.”
“You said that’s part of the reason you’re after those two. What was the other part? That they stole your artifact?”
“Yes. They might have gotten away with the rest if not for that. I was affronted by the blatant crimes, but in general, my kind think little of the animal shifters of Osgashandril and might not have investigated their deaths.”
“Why are you different?” I didn’t doubt that he was, now that I’d met two dragons that fell firmly into the asshole camp, but I was curious.
“I was raised to be honorable and believe it is our right to maintain order in the Cosmic Realms. Crimes among the lesser species can have repercussions that affect all.” He plucked the fastener from my hand. “I may be able to use this to find him.”
“You’re welcome.” I thought about objecting to him taking it, but it wasn’t as if I knew anyone else who could sniff a button and find a dark elf.
“In addition to being interrogated by the court, including my own mother, I’ve had my competence questioned—mostly by the Silverclaw Clan but also by others—because I haven’t retrieved those two criminals yet.” He closed his fist around the fastener. “I will now make finding them my priority. You will come with me.”
“I see you haven’t learned how to say please yet. I’m on my own mission.”
“You must stay with me for protection. Shaygorthian will find you again, and he will learn the truth if I’m not close enough to stop him from probing your thoughts.”
“You’ve never been able to read my thoughts. Or so you’ve said.”
“I’ve only attempted to skim your surface thoughts, not do a vayushnarak.”
“And that is what?”
“A forced reading. It’s painful for the recipient.”
“Tell me about it.”
Zav opened his mouth, but I lifted a hand.
“No, that was sarcasm. I know all about it. Trust me. He was digging in for a few minutes there before you arrived.” I touched my temple and winced. It was sore, and my fingers found dried blood.
Zav leaned over to see the side of my head and his jaw clenched, a muscle high in his cheek tensing.
“You will stay with me,” he growled, his tone sending a little shiver down my spine, “and I will protect you.”
“How about you stay with me and I’ll educate you in the ways of human hand gestures. Next, we can cover fist bumps.”
“I have a mission to complete.” He rubbed the fastener between his thumb and forefinger and looked toward the west, toward Seattle.
“So do I. Here. In Idaho. Goblins are stealing from a town on this lake.”
Zav stared at me. “Goblins always steal. That’s not a crime; it’s a cultural manifestation of their inner feelings of insignificance and lack.”
I was positive he’d feel differently if a goblin stole some vaunted dragon artifact. “There could be more to it than the stealing. Also, my family is here, so I have to make sure they’re not in danger.”
“You have family.” Was that a question or a statement? Zav sounded puzzled.
Maybe he couldn’t imagine me and my sharp tongue attracting a husband.
“My daughter and ex-husband and mother are all in the area for a vacation. I have to make sure they’re safe.”
“You will not be safe.” Zav flicked a hand toward the sky in the direction Shaygor had gone.
“I never am, but that’s the job. When I finish here, I’ll come back to Seattle and help you with the dark elves.”
Willard would likely have an assignment related to them for me as soon as I returned. She’d been on the verge of giving me one for weeks, and now she had more data about the orbs.
Zav scrutinized me in that haughty way of his, that way that made me feel like he found me exceedingly strange and a pain in the ass—insomuch as dragons had asses—and I hoped he wasn’t thinking about magically compelling me to come with him. We’d had a deal for my last mission, and he’d agreed not to do that, but Dob was dead and that mission complete. Zav might go back to his old ways.
“They may be in more danger because of your presence,” Zav said, his tone surprisingly reasonable and without—as far as I could tell—magical manipulation. “It will be better for you and them if you come with me. Goblins are not a concern. Dragons are.”
The argument struck me harder than others would have because it was so close to my existing fears. But…
“I can’t be sure the goblins are the only problem.” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “Someone knocked the road into the lake back there. I doubt it was goblins.”
“It could have been. They make mechanical contraptions with what they steal.”
“I have to find out.” I took a step back to stand beside the driver’s side door. “Thank you for coming to help me, Zav. I’ll do my best to avoid this new dragon.” I tapped my cloaking charm to activate it. It couldn’t make my Jeep disappear, but it would make me fade from sight, smell, and magical senses, though he would continue to see me at this close a range. “If you want, you could stay and help me investigate Harrison. With you, I could probably finish more quickly and then go assist you with the dark elves.”
His chin rose. “I do not need a mongrel’s assistance.”
“I didn’t say you needed it.” It drove me nuts when he called me that instead of using my name. “Just that we could both assist each other and maybe finish our tasks more quickly that way.”
“My task is of paramount importance.”
“I already told you why I don’t agree with that,” I said.
“I cannot help it if you do not acknowledge the wisdom of dragons.”
“Can you help being so exasperating?”
His eyes narrowed, reminding me of the icy look he’d leveled at Shaygor. The very dangerous icy look.
“If you do not come with me,” he said, “I will not be able to protect you from other dragons.”
“I understand. We’ve already covered that.” I tapped my charm. “I won’t let him find me.”
Zav was probably worried that Shaygor would catch up with me again, scour my mind, and find out the truth. Then he would be in hot water for having lied to his people. What if he forced me to go with him to prevent that?
After a long moment—I refused to look away or back down from his stare—Zav stepped back and transformed into his dragon form.
He will be able to smell your blood in your offspring, Zav warned telepathically as he sprang into the air. Do not draw his attention to your kin.