Bad Dragons: Special Edition Complete Series Page 14

  We walk until we reach a tall house rising above many of the others, looking more old-fashioned than most. At the top is a big observatory and a spire and, if I’m not crazy, a telescope.

  Rainier stops at a pair of tall, iron-looking gates and pulls a key out of his robe.

  He unlocks the gates, and they swing open as if pulled by invisible force.

  Rainier waits for us to enter and then closes the gate behind us, leading us over the cobbled walkway to the side door of his tall, odd-looking house.

  If not for the pristine metal, it would look like the kind of place where kids would make rumors about a crazy old wizard.

  The odd house on the street, even in this odd, small town.

  But as Rainier leads us to the door and opens it for us, I realize I have even bigger problems.

  Griffin and Seth don’t know I know Rainier.

  Are they about to find out?

  20

  “We can talk in the observatory,” Rainier says, leading us up a long, winding spiral staircase that creaks with our weight. “It helps me keep an eye on the town when things are… unstable.”

  “Makes sense,” I say, staying close to Griffin for protection.

  I wonder what he would do if I slipped my hand in his right in front of everyone.

  He still seems far from me at times, and I’m not sure it would be welcome.

  It was a little eye opening to see him incinerate a group of wolves for me. It reminds me that beneath his prickly exterior and sensitive interior, he can still be a giant beast when he wants to be.

  That’s kind of hot.

  Seth is still sulking, and I’m getting a little nervous watching him as we head up the stairs, almost three flights.

  His skin is getting even paler, and I can see his hands shaking even in his pockets.

  I hope we find something to help him soon.

  Finally we reach a large wooden door, and Rainier opens it and gestures for us all to come in.

  I stare in wonder as I enter the room, seeing windows in a paneled circle all around us so I can look down on every side.

  “Take a look,” Rainier says mildly. “You can see most of our world from here.”

  I take his suggestion, walking to stare down at the town square where we had just been fighting.

  In the reflection of the window, I see Rainier pulling up a chair for Seth, obviously making sure he is comfortable.

  He was a nice person when I met him before, but even though I told the dragons they shouldn’t read my mind, I need to be careful not to think about this.

  Especially Rainier’s kiss.

  He said he didn’t want to be behind. Lee said he and Rainier are dragons.

  Griffin said there was a group of six. Are Lee and Rainier part of that?

  Also, how does Rainier have a home here yet still do experiments in the other world?

  The whole thing is enough to give me a migraine, so I walk around to the other side to look out at the vast forests and cloud-covered mountains. The foggy landscape all around gives me a desolate, wistful sort of feeling.

  I turn just as Rainier walks up next to me.

  He lowers his hood, and when I look up at him, wondering how I’m supposed to act right now, he gives me a wink, then looks back to the window.

  With his hood down, he still doesn’t look quite like he did in the library. For one, the glasses are gone. For two, he looks much more confident.

  Without the glasses, I can see his eyes better. I still note the gray eyelashes, but now I also notice that his eyes aren’t merely gray or silver.

  They are dark gray for the most part, mingled with a lighter gray, but the outside ring is pure silver, and it even shines when it catches the light.

  Like actual silver is showing through him.

  He cocks his head at me, and I notice he still has his ponytail of thick, just-past-his-shoulders hair. It’s a multitude of grays, the color of fog over mountains.

  His gaze is sharp as he eyes me appraisingly, and then his mouth curves in a warm smile, though it doesn’t feel warm to me.

  “It is good to finally meet you,” he says. “I’ve heard rumors, but it’s different to actually see a human in the Blur.” He extends a hand. “My name is Rainier, the silver dragon.”

  I shake his hand, and it’s warm and firm and strong.

  His face is handsome, his nose a little more hooked than the others, his features slightly more striking but in a way that makes him look regal and fierce.

  Why do they all have to be so good-looking?

  “Maybe one of them told you this already, but we are born to be attractive to your kind.”

  “Right,” I say. “Right, I keep forgetting that.” I rest my palms on the glass, watching street sweepers cleaning up the ashes of Griffin’s foes. “Is Griffin going to be in trouble for fighting?”

  Rainier raises an eyebrow. “Why would he? In this world, you can take anything you want if you have the power to. You can defend anything also. It’s every creature for himself.”

  “Right,” I say. “Still, that was…”

  “Necessary,” Rainier says. “They would have kept coming.” He puts a hand on Griffin’s shoulder, but he jerks away. “You did the right thing.”

  “I never did like killing,” Griffin says, leaning against one of the metal joints between the window panels.

  I walk over to him, pulling him into a hug because I feel bad he had to do something he didn’t want to for me.

  He looks down at me but doesn’t hold me, although he seems to appreciate my hug.

  He puts a hand in my hair and rubs it affectionately, but when he sees Rainier watching, he stops.

  Is he ashamed of me?

  “I’ve killed before,” he says. “With much less reason.”

  “Ah, so it’s a redemption arc, then?” Rainier asked. “How do you think she got here?”

  My face heats because now I know Rainier is lying to them, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it.

  Seth lets out a groan from his chair, and Griffin and I rush over to him, Rainier following behind.

  Seth writhes around and stares up at us, his eyes glowing green at the center. His face is almost gray.

  “When is the last time he had serum?” Rainier asks, lifting Seth’s hand and then dropping it.

  It lies in his lap, twitching limply.

  “A day ago,” Griffin says. “Not long.”

  “He’s getting worse,” Rainier says, taking a step back to look over him. “Here, I might have something.”

  He crosses the room, which is decorated with interesting, antique-looking furniture, and heads over to what looks like an old desk.

  Then he opens one of the drawers, rummaging in it for a moment before he finds something and pulls it out.

  He lifts it into the air, staring at it. It’s a vial of blue liquid… Could it be…?

  “Bring it here,” Griffin says, watching Seth nervously.

  “Should I hold him?” I ask, coming closer to stroke Seth’s face. He jerks away from me, but I cup his cheek and it seems to soothe him.

  “It’s painful,” Rainier says, kneeling and placing the vial into the right spot on Seth’s coat. “I feel for him. This whole thing has been the hardest on the black dragon.”

  “Why is he in pain all the time?” I ask, feeling my heart pounding in my chest.

  “Just the burden of the black dragon,” Rainier says. “It would have been best for him to have a partner.”

  “He still could, right?” I ask. “Where is the blue dragon? Couldn’t you all still pair up? I know something went wrong, but if he still needs someone…”

  “It’s too late for that,” Griffin says, standing and turning away, walking back to the window. “Thanks for the serum.”

  Rainier nods, placing a hand to Seth’s forehead as he slowly calms down.

  He looks at me, panicked, his eyes darting, and then they close, millimeter by millimeter, until he’s f
inally calm.

  I let out a sigh of relief and stroke his face a few times, feeling affectionate.

  He seems to think there is some way I could help him.

  If there is, I will do it in a second.

  Rainier is standing back now, just watching me, then turns to look at Griffin. “You should go out and buy more serum. If you two are traveling together, you will need backups.”

  “We were traveling to you, mainly,” Griffin says. “We hoped you would have answers.”

  Rainier stares at Griffin with clear gray eyes. “About what?”

  Griffin nods to me. “About what she is doing here.”

  Rainier stares at me now, then nods. “I can check with a few sources. I assume you won’t want to talk until Seth can participate.”

  Griffin nods. “It was his idea to come here.”

  “I see Seth somewhat regularly,” Rainier says. “Mainly when he needs serum.”

  “How do you have so much of it?” Griffin asks.

  “I’ve learned to synthesize it, obviously.”

  “Ha-ha, what, is there like a secret lab in the basement?” I ask.

  Rainier nods at me. “Of course there is. I’m a scientist.”

  “Rainier goes back and forth between worlds,” Griffin explains. “So he can study both of them.”

  “That’s bold,” I say, staring out the window. “This place is dangerous.”

  “It’s not so bad for dragons,” Rainier says, walking back over to Seth. “I’ll take him to a room where he can rest.”

  Griffin gets there before Rainier can and elbows him out of the way to pick up Seth. “I got it. What else is brute force good for?”

  Rainier just shrugs at him and heads to the doorway. “I’ll lead the way.”

  I can sense tension between Griffin and Rainier. History, though I’m not sure what it means.

  I wish I could read their minds right now.

  I also want to know what else Rainier can do, other than make things float like that. That was cool.

  Rainier takes us all the way down to the main level and through a hallway to another set of doors, which lead into a main living room.

  He passes through it and leads us to another hallway and a room on the right. Then he opens the door to it so Griffin can carry Seth in.

  Griffin lays Seth down a bit gently, and I’m struck once again by how soft this big man can be.

  He catches me looking, and that flush covers his cheekbones, making him turn away.

  “Are you going to be okay if I go to find serum?” He checks Seth’s pulse and looks relieved when it’s normal.

  “I’ll be fine here with Rainier,” I say. Finer than he knows, since Rainier is the one who sent me in the first place.

  Hopefully, he can finally give me some info on what I’m doing here and help me with—

  “I’ll arrange for dinner,” Rainier says, ushering Griffin and me out of the bedroom so he can close the door behind us.

  Presumably to let Seth sleep.

  “I’ll be back,” Griffin says. He stops and pokes Rainier right in the chest, though it gets no reaction from the other dragon. “Don’t let anything happen to her or I’ll kill your ass.”

  Rainier raises an eyebrow coolly. “You would try. But not to worry. I haven’t lost my privileges in the other world. I’m not about to give them up over a human.”

  Griffin looks shocked, then rubs his neck. “Ah. Yeah, I guess so.”

  Rainier turns to me. “Would you like to have tea with me up in the observatory?”

  I did like it up there. Maybe I’ll be able to see Griffin as he looks for serum.

  “I guess so.”

  “Good, then we’re all agreed,” Rainier says, clapping his hands together. When we are back at the staircase, he opens the door outside for Griffin. “Just knock when you’re back. We’ll have dinner in a few hours.”

  Griffin starts to leave but turns back at the last second, glaring at Rainier. “I told you don’t touch her.”

  Rainier raises his hands. “And I told you I’m only interested in science. Obviously.”

  Griffin finally accepts that, and a thrill of nervousness goes through me as his red head disappears through the door, which closes behind him.

  I look at Rainier, feeling awkward, but he just turns and leads the way back up the winding staircase, which doesn’t creak as much this time.

  “It’s not used to that many dragons at once,” Rainier says. As he leads me into the observatory, he lets out a sigh. “Finally, we got rid of them.”

  21

  “Rid of them?” I ask nervously. “What do you mean?”

  He hops in a chair and swings his legs over the side of it, staring at me in a way that looks bored. “We couldn’t talk with them around, obviously. So how is it going, dragon heart?”

  “Okay,” I say irritably, walking over to his chair and putting my hands on the arms because I want him to take me seriously when I say this.

  “Everyone needs to stop calling me that because I still barely know what that means. And it’s going bad because I keep getting kidnapped or attacked, and Griffin and Seth are going through a lot to protect me. And they want me, and I don’t understand why or anything.”

  I let go of his chair with a sigh and turn away from him, rubbing my arms. “You and Lee didn’t tell me enough.”

  “A feature, not a bug,” he murmurs as he stands and pulls me into his arms.

  I’m shocked by the contact, by his arms moving around my waist and shoulders, the way his lips come down to brush my neck.

  “I’ve been waiting to see you again, dragon heart.”

  I try to push away from him. “I’m not a dragon heart. I’m just a human, and I need you to answer my questions.”

  “You came here with just a blank contract in order to save your sister. I’m pretty sure you’re a dragon heart at this point,” he says confidently.

  He pulls me back in tighter and his lips gently graze my neck, just the merest suggestion of a kiss. “I’ve been thinking of you. I just had to be sure.”

  I finally manage to push myself forward and out of his arms, and I face him, fists clenched, cheeks burning. “So you were testing me?”

  “You made it here, didn’t you?” He reaches for me again, frowning when I move out of his grasp.

  “I thought you weren’t interested in humans. Just science.”

  He laughs at that, then pulls his robe over his head. He’s wearing a black V-neck sweater that emphasizes his impressive chest and powerful arms. Plus khakis that encase muscled legs.

  He doesn’t look like any scientist I’ve seen.

  He shoves his hands in his pockets, still achingly handsome, and I’m far too aware of the way I was affected by his last kiss.

  “You’d do well with Lee and me as your partners.”

  “So can it work? Can dragons like you mate?”

  He cocks his head. “I don’t know if it applies to losers like Griffin. After all, Lee and I still have privileges in the other world.”

  “Where is he, then?” I ask, looking around us. “Because he used to show up, but he hasn’t lately.”

  “Lee does what Lee wants. But at least he was right about you.” He takes a step toward me.

  My hands clench into fists. I don’t even know if I should be scared.

  There’s just something about him that pisses me off.

  “They were right,” I say. “You’re fake as hell.”

  He throws back his head, laughing, then fixes me with a totally serious face. “I’m whatever I want to be at any moment. That makes me flexible. Not fake.”

  “Fake,” I say, putting my hand to my throat nervously. “I can’t trust anything about you.”

  He looks hurt by that, and there are definitely storms in his eyes as he takes another step. “Our kiss wasn’t fake. I’ve been wanting to do it again, dragon heart.”

  “No,” I say. “I don’t want to even be touched by someone who cou
ld call Griffin a loser.”

  His eyes widen, then calm, and he takes a seat on the arm of a chair next to him, then slouches down inside. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that.” His tone is arch. “But you don’t know our history, so you’ll have to forgive us for not getting along.”

  “I want to know more about the dragons,” I say. “About their pairings. About this world. About what… mating is.”

  Rainier peers at me. “For what purpose?”

  I flush. “Seth seems to think I can help him.”

  Rainier laughs softly, tossing back his hair. “No one can help him, I’m afraid.”

  My stomach sinks almost instantly. “What do you mean?”

  “I just mean that even if you mated with him and Griffin and got one of the dragon powers, there is no guarantee it would be what he needs. He needs a blue dragon, and we don’t have one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We don’t have one. Just like I said.”

  My heart thuds. “Oh.”

  Rain begins to fall outside, and I stare at the land as it’s covered in a fine mist that blurs everything.

  “How the Blur got its name,” Rainier says, and I can feel him watching me.

  I still can’t get a read on him. Whether he is good or bad. He was rude to Griffin, but he still helped Seth, so I guess I should be—

  My thoughts are interrupted as I hear him push his chair back, the legs scraping across the floor.

  I feel a lock of my hair lifted gently, twirled around Rainier’s finger. “Did you miss me, dragon heart?”

  “Anna,” I say, irritated that I have to keep repeating it. That it’s all I am to these men.

  Suddenly, I’m angry. At being brought here because of what I can offer them. At realizing I won’t know if any of them want me for me or because I’m of use to them. Maybe of use to them.

  “You’re useful,” Rainier says, releasing my hair and then brushing it away from my shoulder as his hand plays under my robe. Before I can protest, he pulls it off of me, leaving me only in my gray hoodie and jeans as I was before.