“I’ll see if I can get one for you. My boss has some in her vault. I’ll put in the request before I go on this mission, so it’ll happen whether I die or not. But only if you do these last exercises with me.” I smiled and raised my eyebrows.
Amber sat up. “Do you seriously think you’re going to die? Why would you go?”
“For Zav. For Earth. For Nin’s gnomish grandfather who’s going to pay me a lot if we succeed.”
“Nin? Is that the woman with the local business that Dad keeps supporting?” Amber squinted at me.
“Uh, does he?” I wondered if Amber had gotten a vibe that Thad thought Nin was cute—or whatever had prompted him to ask me for her food truck name. And if so, what did she think? Amber had spent the summer trying to get rid of the last girlfriend. “He said he was going to go down there for lunch the other day.”
“He’s been down there three times this week. He keeps bringing back food wrapped in brown paper. Who puts rice in brown paper?”
“It’s a traditional dish.”
“And traditional brown paper?”
“Maybe.”
Amber’s nose wrinkle didn’t have anything to do with armpit sweat this time. “Why can’t he just be single for a while? Like until I go to college.”
“Maybe he’s lonely.”
“I’m here.”
And a delight, I was sure. I kept myself from saying that.
“I just don’t want another bitchy woman in the house wandering around in his robe.” Amber rolled her eyes. “So disgusting. And they’re always angling for things from him. What is up with that? Dad isn’t that rich.” Another eye roll.
“I think it’s too early to know if they’re even going to date, but I’m positive Nin wouldn’t angle for anything from anyone. She’s determined to make her way in America on her own. And she is. Her business does very well.”
“Does she have a BMW of her own so she doesn’t have to ask Dad to buy her one?”
“I’m sure she could have one if she wanted one, but she’s frugal. She’s saving for a house and to bring her family to America.” I decided not to mention how large Nin’s family was, though I was tempted to torment Amber by saying that if Nin and Thad got serious, Nin’s mother and grandmother and sisters might all end up in her house, wandering around in bathrobes.
My eyes must have twinkled at this thought, because I got another suspicious glower.
My phone buzzed, giving me a reason to step away without explaining my twinkle. It was Willard.
“Hey, Willard. Do you have any extra magical swords you don’t need?” I wandered over and sat on the brick fire pit.
“That’s not what I called to talk about.”
“It’s what I answered to talk about.”
“Funny. I got your message about this mission you’ve decided you’re taking. You left more details than usual. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
“I felt safe being thorough to your voice mail, since it couldn’t interrupt me to tell me how unwise I am.”
“I’m hoping the cell carrier adds that feature soon. Tell me you’re not planning on going to this dangerous place on another planet to attempt to sneak past a passel of enemy dragons with nobody but Zav and Nin’s grandfather.”
“I’m not sure if Zav is coming. We think they’d detect him.”
“Oh, even better. An ancient gnome is your only backup.”
“Sindari is coming.”
“And he likes fighting dragons?”
“No, he reminds me how dumb I am every time I do it.”
“I’m starting to like him.”
“Nin’s grandfather isn’t that ancient—gnomes live for centuries—and he says he knows the way in and where all the booby traps are.”
“If that’s somehow enough and you can sneak past all the bad guys, which one of you medical experts is going to cure the infected dragons so they can leave? I assume you don’t plan to carry them out on a sledge.”
“Zoltan’s working on a dragon version of the formula that cured Ti.”
“And you know how to inject it? And you’re sure it’ll work on dragons that have been in some kind of magical hibernation for years? And that there won’t be complications?”
“No, but I’ll ask Zoltan for instructions.” Complications? I hadn’t considered that. What if the dragons keeled over and needed a dragon doctor? “Possibly a flow chart.”
“You should take a team of qualified personnel. I’ve called Dr. Walker to see if he’s willing to go with you.”
“I’m sure your handsome shifter doctor is lovely, but I don’t want to take a stranger along, and I don’t know why he would go with me on a dangerous mission anyway.”
“Because I’d pay him. That’s how it works.”
“The government is willing to invest in this mission?”
“I’ll figure something out. This sounds important and like it would be good for Earth if Zav’s family came out on top.” Willard sighed. “I’m tempted to come along with you. If this all goes sideways, maybe someone with a diplomatic streak could keep you from getting killed.”
“And that’s you?”
“I’m more diplomatic than you.”
“That’s saying amazingly little.”
Willard snorted. “You’re at least taking Walker. I insist.”
“This isn’t a mission that you assigned me. You don’t get to insist.” I was arguing more out of habit—and because I didn’t know this doctor well—than because I thought it would be a bad idea to have someone with medical expertise along. A big feline shifter ought to be able to fight to some extent too.
“Consider it assigned. If you free all those dragons, and if we can strike up some kind of treaty with Zav’s family to order dragon-kind to leave Earth alone, I’ll pay you double your usual fee.”
I thought about pointing out that Ti had already offered a ridiculous amount, but Nin would punch me if she were there and tell me that a smart businesswoman got paid twice for the same service if possible. Besides, Willard always paid. I didn’t think Ti would swindle me, but there were no guarantees in life.
“You’re the boss.”
“How rare for you to acknowledge that.”
“I’m sucking up so you’ll get my kid a sword.”
Amber had wandered over and was listening to my side of the conversation. She raised her eyebrows hopefully.
“Does she know which end goes in the dragon yet?” Willard asked.
“She’s my daughter. She’s smart enough to know about pointy ends.”
“I’ll have Corporal Clarke bring some weapons we’ve already researched over for you to pick from. Now that she’s learning how to defend herself, I was actually going to ask if you thought she should have something magical, since she’s a dragon magnet.”
“So I didn’t have to suck up?”
“Nope, but I appreciated it. Next thing, you’ll be calling me colonel instead of Hey, Willard.”
“Now you’re just getting delusional.” I gave Amber a thumbs-up as I ended the call.
“Thanks, Val,” she said. “I hope you don’t die.”
“So you get your sword?”
“Just ’cuz.” She shrugged. “You know.”
My daughter didn’t want me to die. Was that considered a breakthrough? A ridiculous amount of emotion welled up in my throat, and I barely managed to keep my eyes from filming with tears.
I was positive Amber would freak out if I hugged her, so I kept myself to a casual return shrug and said, “Yeah. I know. Ready to learn the moves for defending against paw swipes from shifters in animal form?”
Amber rolled her eyes and slouched away with melodramatic weariness. “I guess.”
So this was motherhood. Huh.
21
After checking on Zoltan in the basement—Zav was looming over his shoulder and watching him fiddle with a microscope—I went to bed early. Even though it had been a couple of days since my battle with Shaygor, I’d been tired all week. As usual, I wasn’t sleeping well, with either insomnia or nightmares plaguing me most nights, but unlike usual, the weariness was palpable during the days. My edge was gone, and with this mission looming, that worried me.
I flopped into my bed, hoping for one good night of sleep.
Zav, his nights occupied by being poked and prodded—and infected—by Zoltan, hadn’t suggested sexy times, but I wondered if that would help. A little stimulation and exercise before bed? I also wondered if we might miss our chance if we didn’t do it soon. If one of us didn’t walk away from this mission, would the other regret not having truly become mates? In all senses of the word?
With that bleak thought in my mind, I wasn’t surprised when I had nightmares as soon as I fell asleep. A giant bee that breathed fire chased me through downtown Seattle, and I tried to escape it by riding on the monorail to the Space Needle, but a pack of werewolves wielding bows and arrows was waiting to jump me when I got off.
I woke up with sweat dampening my nightshirt and my braid wrapped around my throat. My phone told me I’d only been asleep for twenty minutes. I slumped back on my pillow exhausted and annoyed with the stupidity of my imagination. Bees? I was attacked regularly by dragons, and my brain conjured up giant bees?
My phone buzzed, and a text illuminated the screen. Your dragon is being difficult.
Zoltan? With the dream still fading from my mind, it took me a moment to gather my wits.
Of course, it is Zoltan. Who else contacts you in regard to your dragon?
More people than you’d think, but not usually people living in the same house.
I assumed you did not wish me to enter your bedroom uninvited.
I imagined waking up to vampire fangs in the dark—that would be as bad as the giant bee. Right. I’m on my way down.