How to Date a Dragon

Chapter 9

Zina muttered to herself as she studied a map of Boston. “Stupid human. When I get rid of her, Drake and I can save the species.” She glanced at the bed in her hotel room. “Hell, if it weren’t for her, we’d be making baby dragons right now.” Ah, agony…

The western dragons were given only a month-long mating window every five years, and it was already two weeks into the month. Maybe others had all the time in the world, but if Zina didn’t get pregnant now, it would be a long wait for the next chance. No wonder there are so few of us.

The more she obsessed over how unfair it all was, the angrier she got. Scoping out the city had kept her busy for a little while, but now she was anxious to set her plan in motion. Over the past forty-eight hours, Zina had penciled in X’s on the best targets in the area, then erased each and filled in the space with a red marker after she’d set a fire there.

Her goal was to stretch the fire department’s resources so thin that they wouldn’t be able to respond when she eventually went after her final target. The bar where the stupid human worked. She’d watched her for the last two days and determined the bitch lived in one of the apartments over the bar. Perfect. Zina had shouted with glee when she’d realized she’d be eliminating her competition’s job and home at the same time. With any luck, she’d snuff out the human’s interfering life.

Zina knew when the bar closed and planned to break in from the back at midnight. Then she’d open all the bottles of alcohol and pour them over anything and everything flammable. The fact that she breathed fire was the perfect cover for arson. She didn’t leave any evidence behind—not so much as a matchstick for investigators to find.

“Drake will never know it was me who killed his girlfriend,” she congratulated herself in the mirror. “And I know exactly what to do after the bitch is dead. I’ll swoop in and comfort him in his hour of need. I’ll show him I understand him the way only another dragon can. If that doesn’t work, I’ll use voodoo.”

She whirled away from the mirror and ran her fingers down her long, bumpy dreadlocks. “Go ahead, girlie. Enjoy him while you can. It’s just a matter of time before he understands and forgives my jealous outburst and comes back to me forever.”

This plan had to be orchestrated very carefully. Nothing could be left to chance, so Zina went back to poring over her maps and choosing her timing precisely.

Drake dragged his tired body off to shower and prayed nothing else took him away from his bed for the rest of the night. His pillow beckoned him, and he wanted to lay down his head and kiss it. He hadn’t called Bliss yet, but he was too tired to hold a phone, never mind try to listen and talk coherently. She’d understand.

How the hell had there been so many fires recently? Most were in the middle of the friggin’ night. Some had happened almost simultaneously in the north or west end, and across the river in Charlestown. All in my district. It can’t be a coincidence. But how did Zina know in which district he worked? He hadn’t told her.

She must have followed me. That in itself was unsettling. Or, crap… maybe she grabbed my cell phone while I was passed out on the sidewalk.

So far, none of the fires had the usual earmarks of arson. No accelerant. Nothing to make a spark. And since that fire a couple days ago, no one had seen a suspicious person hanging around and watching. It’s as if she’s deliberately trying to confuse me.

If Drake hadn’t been so tired, he would have spent more time going over the facts, trying to figure out if Zina had something to do with this anomaly and why. He suspected she did.

Maybe if I had found a way to let her down gently… He mentally shook himself. Guilt wouldn’t solve anything. Besides, it was better to know what she was capable of sooner rather than later.

He knew what she wanted. His seed. But if he got her pregnant, it would be too late. A pregnant female had to be protected by her mate. To desert the one extending the species would be unconscionable.

Drake didn’t know anything about the Caribbean dragons. Hell, he didn’t even know there were any before meeting Zina, but her Jamaican accent and Rasta name pretty much proved her origins.

How could Zina be pulling this off, if she happened to be the culprit? She either had help, or she was risking being seen in flight. Both were uncomfortable thoughts.

If he hadn’t been so tired, he would have obsessed longer. As it was, he had to get some sleep, so he made himself put thoughts of arson aside and think of something more pleasant. Perhaps if he thought of Bliss, he’d dream about her. A nice erotic dream where he’d feel her soft skin, taste her sweet mouth, and make love to her with the tenderness she deserved…

As those thoughts ran through his head, he realized he was the one who wanted to make love… not just have sex.

I love her.

The revelation should have made him uncomfortable. That meant he was giving up on his dream of having children, on his promise to his mother, on his species, but the thought didn’t trouble him. Instead, he drifted off to sleep with a smile.

Mother Nature paced with her hands clasped behind her back, her mood in stark contrast to the beautiful spring day outside her glass bubble. As if the other gods and goddesses could sense her frame of mind, they gave her a wide berth.

Finally, she halted, threw her hands in the air, and yelled, “What the fuck is going on out there?”

Apollo, probably realizing he was one of the few gods she could almost stomach, approached her cautiously.

“Gaia. Would you like me to summon Mr. Balog for you?”

She snorted. “Balog. What good would he be?”

“Perhaps he’s heard some rumblings among the paranormals in the Boston Uncommon bar? After all, he lives on the third floor of the building and keeps an eye on the patrons for you.”

“You mean my little spy might come in handy?”

Apollo shrugged. “It’s worth a try. After all, these fires are occurring in multiple locations, almost simultaneously. They seem beyond a human arsonist’s capability. We know they generally work alone.”

She blew out a deep breath. “I suppose so. I can’t stand the thought of my beloved city being ravaged by these fires—and if I find out it’s a paranormal doing it…” She shook her fist. “I’ll… I’ll—Gaaaah!” A cold wind rushed through the room, causing the gods to pull their togas tighter.

Apollo slapped his hands over his ears, expecting thunder. The other gods wisely decided to stay out of it and carried on with their poker game.

“Fine. Fetch Balog. Let’s see if the little weasel knows anything.”

“As you wish, Goddess.”

“Wait! Bring me that dragon who frequents the bar too—in his human form.”

“But I thought you took away his fire-breathing ability.”

“I did. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss it. Perhaps he’s working with someone else. Didn’t we find out he was related to that asshole who started the Chicago fire over a century ago?”

“Yes. But—”

“But nothing… Bring him to me!”

“So, Bliss…” Angie began as she placed the washed and rinsed dishes in the drainer.

Bliss looked away from the pouring rain out the window and wiped dry one of the mugs they’d had their coffee in that morning. “Yes?”

“We know each other well enough now to ask personal questions, don’t we?”

Bliss leaned away and eyed her roommate. “How personal are we talkin’?”

“Don’t worry. I don’t want to know what brand of tampons you use or anything…”

“Since you can just look in the bathroom vanity, that would be a waste of a personal question.”

Angie chuckled. “Yeah. And believe me, I don’t give a rat’s ass about that. What I really want to ask you has more to do with work.”

“Okay. Have at it.”

“You seem to be a really good cocktail waitress. Since you get to live and work with wonderful me, why are you slaving so hard to get your other business off the ground? You seem to spend every free moment on the computer.”

Bliss worried her lip and thought about how to word it for a moment. It wasn’t as if she hated waitressing. In some instances it could be a lot of fun. But working in a bar for the rest of her life wasn’t her idea of fulfillment. How could she say that to Angie without hurting her feelings?

“Well, it’s like this… I used to work at a job I hated. The pay was okay, but my boss was mean and the work was boring. Yet, I continued to work there simply to make the rent. And I should let you know that rent is absolutely essential. If I lived with my parents for one more flippin’ day, I’d have wound up in an asylum.”

“Ah. So you’re not making enough money at the bar?”

“Huh? No, that’s not it. The money is fine. I need a place to live and enough money to pay the bills while I get my portfolio back on track. The waitressing is great for that, and even though my diplomatic skills are tested from time to time, it’s not like being president of the United States.”

“But why is the card business so important?”

“Other than the fact that I love doing it? Well, there’s my sister.”

“Your sister? I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Yeah, she’s in India. My big sister went and fell in love with a guy from West Bengal. Now she lives there.” Bliss stifled a sigh. How proud would she be at this moment, watching her little sister take her original idea and catapult it into the spotlight?

Bliss didn’t even know if India would see the show. It hadn’t aired anywhere yet, of course. The whole thing was taped first and released soon afterward—and did the orphanage where her sister worked even have a television? Her village barely had electricity.

“So what does she have to do with the card business?”

“Oh! Yeah, I didn’t quite connect the dots for you, did I? She started the business. When she decided to move to India permanently, she offered me the gig. It was her baby and I don’t want to let her down.”

Bliss finished drying and putting away the last of the clean dishes and folded the towel. “My sister may have started it, but it’s turned out to be more than that for me. I found it’s a great way to express my snarky sense of humor and stay independent. I love being my own boss. It was such a happy day when I could give my nasty old boss a big raspberry.” She grinned, thinking about the day she quit her boring, frustrating, sometimes revolting tax job.

“Okay, I get that, but you seem so driven. How are you having any fun? I haven’t seen you with Drake in days.”

“Drake’s been crazy busy at work. Haven’t you noticed all the fire engines whizzing past and sirens blaring lately?”

“Yeah… Hey, if you need someone else to hang out with, we could do something together.”

Crap, how can I make her understand?

“I have an important deadline. I’ve got this huge finale coming up. When my building burned, all my work went up in smoke. Actually, it melted, but that’s beside the point. I still have a contract with the show, and if I don’t make good on my promise of delivery, I’ll screw up their ending, lose all credibility—and probably have to pay back the advance money they gave me to produce the designs.”

Angie shrugged. “Okay, I guess I can see what you’re up against. If I can help out in any way… take over some of the chores or anything…”

“Aw, that’s sweet of you, but I’d never take advantage of a roommate that way. I need to pull my weight.”

“Well, it seems like you’re pulling a lot of weight everywhere. You’ll burn out if you don’t give yourself a break.”

“Actually, there is something you can do.”

“Really?” Angie perked up. “Name it. I’d love to help.”

“The producers are coming to check up on me in a couple weeks. A little less than two weeks, actually. They like to meet the important people in the finalist’s life. That’s usually the people they’re living with.”

Angie gasped. “Are you saying I might be on television?”

“You’ll have to sign a waiver, giving them permission to use the film with you in it.”

Angie whooped and jumped into the air. She looked like she was headed for Bliss with a headlock of a hug.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. Phew, saved by the fist.

“I’ll get it,” Angie volunteered. She was still grinning from ear to ear. “Anything I can do to help out a TV star.”

Bliss rolled her eyes.

When Angie opened the door, Drake was leaning against the door frame, looking soaked and haggard.

“Drake! We were just talking about you,” Angie said. “Come in.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You were?”

He entered slowly as if they might have been berating him.

“Yeah, I mentioned to Bliss I hadn’t seen you around much, and she said you’ve been really busy.”

He shrugged out of his raincoat. “Not my choice. It’s been crazy lately. Believe it or not, this rainstorm is a welcome relief. A good soaking like this might keep fires from starting and give us a few minutes of peace.”

Angie took his coat and hung it on the coatrack. “Thank God it’s not snow, or we’d be buried!”

Bliss came over to give Drake a kiss and noticed Angie had pulled on her own raincoat. “Are you going somewhere, Ange?”

“Oh, yeah. I have stuff to do, and then I think I’ll go in to work early. You two will have the place to yourselves.” She winked.

“Just don’t tell anyone what we were discussing, okay? I don’t want it to turn into a circus.”

Angie pulled an invisible zipper across her lips, then mumbled as if she couldn’t talk if she wanted to.

Bliss smiled, and even though she was grateful, she didn’t want her roommate going out into a driving rainstorm just to give them privacy. “Do you really have ‘stuff to do’ or are you making yourself scarce and giving us the apartment?”

Angie grabbed her backpack and slung it over one shoulder. “I really have ‘stuff,’ so you can have the place to yourselves for the evening. I’ll just toss my work clothes in my backpack so I won’t even have to come back to change.”

It took her about two seconds to run to her room and back, still stuffing her black pants and white blouse into the zippered compartment.

She waved. “Have fun.”

“Thanks, Angie.” Drake grinned. “Just knock loudly if you decide to come back.”

Bliss slapped his arm. “Drake, she lives here. She doesn’t have to knock.”

Angie laughed. “Don’t worry. I will.”

The minute the door closed, Drake pulled Bliss into his arms and kissed her ravenously. When he finally let her lips leave his, he breathed heavily. “God, I missed you.” He bent his head so his forehead rested against hers.

She smiled and looked up at him through her long, dark lashes. “I missed you too. All those fires… Does anyone know what’s going on?”

He hesitated, not knowing what to tell her. Should I share my suspicions or wait until there’s more evidence?

She stepped away. “You must be frozen. Come in and sit on the couch. I’ll get you some coffee. Or do you prefer tea?”

“Whatever’s easiest for you.”

She smiled softly and left for the kitchen while he found a comfortable spot on the sofa. Maybe, depending on how the evening progressed, he’d know if he should talk about Zina or not. The last thing he wanted to do was spend one precious minute discussing that cow when he could and should be making love to this wonderful, patient woman.

“How have you been?” he called out toward the kitchen.

“Not bad. Keeping busy.”

“How’s the greeting card competition going?”

She rounded the corner. “Snarky, but that’s a good thing.”

“Had lots of inspiration lately?”

She chuckled. “I haven’t started a new line of ‘why haven’t you called’ cards, if that’s what you mean, but I did think it might be a good idea.”

He hung his head. “I’m sorry about that. Last night I was so tired I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.”

The microwave dinged, interrupting their conversation, and Bliss returned to the kitchen.

Drake sighed. I guess I’m getting instant coffee. It’s probably all I deserve.

When Bliss returned, she set two mugs of hot chocolate on the coffee table. Just picking up and holding the warm mug, then smelling the soothing aroma, relaxed him.

He took a sip. “Ah… this is good. You’re the best, Bliss.”

She shrugged. “I know.”

He chuckled and leaned over, giving her another quick kiss.

“I need to ask you something,” Bliss began.

“Ask away.”

“Well, the TV host and producer are visiting a week from Tuesday. They’ll bring a camera crew and will want to talk about how it’s been for me… you know, working on my designs for the finale.”

Drake leaned back and scrutinized her. “And you needed to ask me something?”

“Yeah. They like to meet the people who have been important to the finalist during their time at home.”

Drake felt the tingles at the back of his neck. Did she want him involved in the interview? He’d like to be supportive, but would he be able to with everything else going on? Hopefully, by then, he’d have found and contained Zina, but what if she was still running him ragged? He wished he knew at what point Zina was in her fertility cycle. If she missed her window, maybe she’d forget about him and leave, but somehow he doubted that.

“Would you be willing to sign their release form and let them film you along with me and Angie?”

“I—I will if I can. My schedule isn’t something I can count on right now. I’ve worked a heck of a lot of overtime, and they’ve needed me for every shift.”

“I understand. I just thought it would be cool if they could meet the firefighter who saved my life and tried to save my computer with all my work on it.”

Drake laughed. “You’ll have quite a story to tell them, with or without me.”

She smiled. “Oh, you can bet they’ll eat it up. It’s just the kind of harrowing experience that brings drama to the show.”

They were just getting into the rhythm of an easy conversation when someone knocked. Bliss strode to the door. “Angie must have forgotten something.”

Or changed her mind about drowning outside…

The open door revealed a young man, no more than sixteen or seventeen.

“Hello,” he said formally with a slight bow. “My name is Adolf Balog, and I live upstairs.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you.” Bliss held out her hand, but he ignored it.

“I’m here to talk to him.” He indicated Drake with a quick uptick of his chin. “S’up?”

“Me? Why?” And why is he acting like we’re buddies? I’ve never seen this kid in my life.

“I need to speak to you privately.” He shot a glare in Bliss’s direction.

Something about this kid didn’t sit right, but Drake’s impending doom alarm wasn’t going off. His curiosity quickly outweighed any reservations he had, plus it seemed like a good idea to put some distance between this stranger and Bliss until he knew more about him.

“I’ll be back in a minute, sweetheart.” Drake gave her a peck on the cheek and stepped outside the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Facing the kid head-on, Drake asked, “What’s this about?”

The kid extracted some kind of powder from his pocket and tossed it up in the air. It shimmered gold as it covered both of them, and the next thing Drake knew, he and the stranger were… somewhere else. Bright sunshine streamed through a glass dome, telling him that much.

A woman with long, white hair came forward. She wore a long white dress belted with vines. Something about her was familiar. Others in plain white robes that he didn’t recognize were scattered in small groups but paid little attention to them.

The woman crossed her arms and said, “I’ll take it from here, Balog Junior.”

The kid bowed and retreated. Drake glanced behind him and noticed a bank of elevators toward which the young man strode. Apparently that was the way out. Good to know, if he needed to escape.

“What is this place?”

The woman tipped her chin and studied him. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

Drake didn’t remember precisely where he’d met her, and he really wanted an answer to his question first, but he seemed to be at a disadvantage. He’d have to wait for an explanation.

“Not really. Who are you, and how did I get here?”

“I’m Gaia. Mother Nature. Goddess and creator of lesser gods, goddesses, and other living things. How you got here isn’t important. Why you’re here is.”

“All right.” He mimicked her crossed arms, trying not to let her intimidate him. “Why am I here?”

“You’re a dragon. And to answer your original question, you’re still in Boston. This is where much of the Supernatural Council is based now.”

“But it’s a sunny day. I must have lost some time getting here, because when I left it was a rainy night in Boston.”

“That was to keep the city from burning to the friggin’ ground! You didn’t lose any time. Unless you’re a nonbeliever. You must know Mother Nature can create any kind of damn weather anywhere she pleases, right?”

“I—I guess so.”

“So, because Boston is important to the Council, I like to keep the place in balance and harmony. You know, four seasons and all that shit. Rain and snow are necessary. That doesn’t mean I like to live in them.”

Drake couldn’t help wondering if he had fallen asleep on Bliss’s couch and was having some kind of freaky dream. What had he had for lunch? Oh, yeah. Tacos. Maybe they were a little too spicy.

“I can tell by your vacant look that you’re not convinced.”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just… reserving judgment.”

She jammed her hands on her hips and leaned toward him. “I’m not here to be judged. You are.”

“Me? What did I do?”

Her expression and posture relaxed. “Maybe nothing,” she said in a calmer voice. “But you can’t deny that fires have been plaguing Boston and that dragons have an affinity for fire.”

Drake was shocked speechless by the implication for a moment. “You think I’m setting the fires?”

She began to pace with her hands clasped behind her back. “You have to admit, it’s more than coincidental that your uncle was the one who set the Chicago fire. That’s when I took your family’s fire away. You probably explained it as evolution.” She laughed.

“That was you?”

“Of course, but let’s not get off track. I happen to know Boston was your uncle’s next target, and he wasn’t about to be stopped by his lack of dragon fire. He actually captured a young fire mage to do the job for him.”

He knew his uncle had been involved in some dirty dealings, but Drake had helped his detective friend Nick put the guy away, and then his uncle had a heart attack in prison. Drake didn’t even attend his funeral. So why would this… goddess blame him?

She stopped pacing and tapped her lower lip as if reasoning something out. “Now, what could I take away to make sure he didn’t succeed?”

He didn’t answer right away.

“I won’t wait for your poor little pea brain to figure it out. I’ll tell you. I took away your family’s immortality.”

“Is that why my mother died after only a minor accident?”

“Yup. It turns out your family isn’t bulletproof anymore.”

“Are you saying I’m no longer fireproof either? I could burn up and die in any fire I try to put out?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Dragon clans are connected, so what I’m saying is, be careful if you want to survive.”

Holy shit. That explains how my family had lasted for hundreds of years but suddenly small things like heart attacks and accidents managed to kill them off. Prior to that, Drake’s great-grandfather had been beheaded… and now the guy who did it was being called a saint, just because he knew how to kill an immortal.

“I see the wheels spinning in that head of yours. So, if you have anything to tell me, I suggest you do it now. I want to know who’s responsible for setting my city on fire, damn it!”

Drake’s knees quivered and felt weak. “Y—yes. I may have some information. May I sit down, please?”

She smiled smugly. “At last. A bit of respect.” She pointed to a spot on the floor between them where a small bistro table with two chairs suddenly appeared.