Dragon's Touch (Book 1 Linty Dragon Series) (8 page)

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Ms. Dragon. There are many people here who would relish owning one of the dragons in your keeping. My family has a history of owning dragons, much as George’s does, where one or more of your dragons had played a part in their ancestors’ lives. Our ancestors went to war with dragons at their sides, the beasts are ferocious and fiercely attached to the original families they fought for. We are one with our dragons, no matter if they are owned by you or not. This goes back to the fifth century or maybe even before that,” Perkell said with a flick of his bony hand.

“You might wish to reconsider your decision to keep all the dragons that might have been illegally gained, when you are approached,” Perkell said in a flinty voice. “Life could become dangerous for you and your dragons, if you don’t take care.” With that, he excused himself and left me standing alone in a crowded room where people gave me furtive looks and then whispered to one another.

I’d set the champagne glass on a tray as a waiter slowly moved past, when my elbow was cupped by a strong hand. Cullen whispered in my ear before he kissed my brow. Surprised, I smiled, and once again pretended all was well.

My smile widened as I turned to him and accused, “You threw me under the bus, thanks a lot.”

His eyes flashed a bit and then he said, “Is that an American term for leaving you hanging in the wind?”

“Yes, and don’t do it again,” I said keeping the grin in place.

“Get used to it, this situation will become far worse before it gets better.” We strolled onto the enormous stone patio where a trio of string musicians played. No rock and roll here, just sophistication, heavily bejeweled, gorgeous women dressed to the nines, who accompanied men that looked like death warmed over. What the hell had I been thrown into?

“Would you mind telling me why we’re here instead of going out to dinner as you promised?”

 “We’re about to have dinner, and I wanted to make you aware of what you’ll be up against once you completely take on the role of dragon keeper. There isn’t one person in this place that doesn’t yearn for your dragons. They’d kill each other to get their hands on them. Essie made it clear the dragons weren’t to be had for any amount of money in the world. On top of that, there are people in your family who wouldn’t hesitate to make a fortune from ridding themselves of the dragons. Linty, you must remember that your dragons have power beyond anything you ever dreamed of, and you’re to protect them at all costs. Understand?”

Anxious, I nodded. Adrift in strange waters, I was worried about drowning, and that wasn’t an option if the tone of Cullen’s voice was a measure of how important my circumstances were, as well as the safety of the dragons. I had to find the dragon book, access the locked room, and take control of my life, besides figuring out who killed Gran and why.

“Why would these people want the dragons? They’re inanimate objects now and I don’t think they can be returned to life, even if these people think it’s possible.”

His snicker became a deep laugh, and I had the feeling I was very wrong, but didn’t know why.

“That’s a discussion for another time, not now,” Cullen remarked.

Dinner was announced and the crowd filtered into a room so long and deep that I couldn’t imagine what it took to clean it, set the table, or serve the food before it grew cold. I was out of my depth, for certain.

Following Cullen’s lead, I sat, sipped, ate, and chatted with the person to my right. Cullen sat on my left and nudged me when I entered dangerous conversational ground. It didn’t take long before I learned to sidestep a double-edged question. Unwilling to enter a place where I would find myself at a loss, I smiled and merely uttered things that sounded stupid, even to me. Imagining this must be how politicians lived their lives, I remembered how the American senator had acted when I’d been invited to visit her country home in upstate New York.  There’d been no real answers to questions from guests at her dinner party, but mere nods or laughter over banalities. Gosh, that stunk. I gazed up and down the length of the table, heard a few words here and there, and didn’t pay attention to too much of what was said.

As dessert was served, my mind flicked over the problem of entering the locked room without damaging the door, the importance of finding the key, or maybe learning to pick the lock if it were at all possible. I sat back, listened to others at the table and glanced at those who gave me strange looks. I checked my dress to make certain I hadn’t slopped food down the front and then patted my mouth with the napkin should there have been crumbs lingering on my lips. Satisfied that all was well with my physical appearance, I decided to smile at those who stared. This was met with surprise, and I wondered why. My guess was these folks would never be my bosom buddies, and while I didn’t care, a sense of aloneness enveloped me more than it ever had.

Chapter 6

It didn’t occur to me that I’d heard much, but on the ride home, Cullen pressed me for answers to his questions.

“What was the outcome of your eavesdropping at dinner? You were quite alert to the many conversations being carried on at our end of the table,” Cullen demanded to know.

“Frankly, I didn’t garner much that made sense to me. Let me think about it until tomorrow, and we’ll discuss it then.”

His eyes never wavered from the road, but the tension in his body chilled me to the bone. This was a dangerous man and my “spidey senses” flipped into overdrive.

“You’ll tell me now while it’s all still fresh in your mind,” he insisted. “Our brains have a way of changing things we think we heard when we have time to think about it. Recount what you heard.”

Try as I might, I couldn’t imagine that any of what had been said would be important, but then, I wasn’t Cullen and he seemed to have an agenda all his own. I had already wondered what interests he and Smythe had concerning my dragons and the affairs at Dragon Estate, but maybe it was time I took a closer look at why they seemed so vested. Perkell had made his wants clear, and the fact that I might be in jeopardy over my refusal to part with even one dragon sent a chill down my spine.

“The man next to me was interested in the conversation I’d had with Perkell. Why? I don’t know, but he kept yammering about ownership of dragons and the responsibility of being a keeper. I don’t think he was happy when I stopped talking to him and chatted with the woman next to him.”

“What was she interested in besides more jewelry?” Cullen asked snidely.

I snickered and said, “She wondered if I’d talk to her sometime about Drake.”

At the mention of her request, Cullen swerved a bit on the road, slowed the car, and pulled off to the side. Darkness engulfed the car, leaving a clear view of the stars twinkling in the sky above us. A shooting star trekked across the heavens and I followed it with my gaze.

“She what?” he insisted.

“Just what I said, she wants to talk to me about Drake and his background. Her family is quite interested in him, or so she said. I was about to ask about everyone’s pursuit where Drake is concerned, but I didn’t have a chance. The rude man across from her put a stop to the conversation which meant I couldn’t get more from her on the subject. Why is everyone after Drake, anyway?”

His sideways glance was quick and his rigid features hinted that I didn’t know a damn thing, or was that my imagination at play again?

“You don’t really know about Drake’s past, do you? How could Essie expect you to take on the role of dragon keeper when you aren’t educated in his lineage? Christ.” Cullen sighed, ran a hand through his dark hair and started to drive onto the road again when I reached out and said, “Beware!”

He looked around, stared in the rearview mirror, and then gave me a quick glare. “Really?”

He’d let his foot off the brake when a car careened around the corner, narrowly escaping a collision with us. The car sped off into the night, Cullen braked, slammed the shift stick into park and asked, “How did you know there was a car coming?”

With a slight shrug, I said I had no idea, but simply knew it.

“We really need to talk, alone, with no interruptions from anyone. Are you up for a long night or what?”

“Not if you plan to go on about my stupidity and treat me as though I’m an idiot. And, you will tell me as much as I tell you, understand? I’m working in the dark where these collector’s and some of their prior ownership of the dragons are concerned. Remember this, I haven’t had a lifetime spent with the dragons, I had to sneak to read Gran’s dragon book, and frankly, I was just a kid when I read it. I probably didn’t retain half of the information in those pages. So back off.”

By now, we’d driven through the gates of Dragon Hill Estate and Cullen parked the car in the rear of the yard. We took the short flight of steps onto the patio, where I waited while he took my key to open the back door.

I grabbed his arm and whispered, “Drake is upset.”

His head whipped around in my direction and he stopped cold. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he peered into my eyes. “Why?”

“I think someone’s in the house, possibly messing with him.”

He took a breath, shook his head briefly, and crept into the kitchen on silent feet. I took my shoes off and followed him inside, gratefully staying just behind him. We’d entered the living room where light glowed from the fireplace and cast shadows that moved in a faltering dance. I scanned the room and peered at Drake. From this distance, I could see his eyes glow and a tendril of smoke rise from one nostril. What might have been a trick of light rather than what it really was, I even thought he’d flicked the chevron point of his tail. I’d read a myth once that it was a telltale sign of annoyance when dragons, cat-style, flick the tip of their tail prior to a full-on assault.

I grabbed Cullen’s sleeve and pointed to Drake. He nodded, took my arm tightly in his hand, and shoved me forward into the room with the glass cabinet filled with dragons. Drake’s stand held front and center place in the room. Pissed over the fact I’d been forced to enter first, I caught my balance and walked slowly toward the dragons.

Dream-like I lifted a hand to Drake and murmured, “Suaimhneas.” A Gaelic word for rest, I watched his eyes dim, his tail still, and the smoke from his nostrils vanish. I regarded the other dragons and noted some of them had been moved, or possibly they’d moved on their own. At this point, I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t, I only knew the dragons hadn’t been alone.

“Tha sinn duilich ach cha deach càil a lorg?” I asked Drake softly. Who had been here, I wanted to know.

 I got nothing from him, not even a mere glimmer of recognition in his eyes, only silence. With a glance over my shoulder, I realized Cullen stood directly behind me, staring as if I were from another galaxy. With a shake of my head and a voice filled with angst, I turned and said, “Are you trying to scare me to death, or what?”

His answer was odd, as was his tone. “I didn’t know you spoke Gaelic.”

“I don’t speak Gaelic, what are you going on about?”

His disbelieving eyes stared into mine as he remarked, “Linty, you just spoke to Drake in Gaelic.”

Wide-eyed at his insistence, I thought hard for a moment and then shook my head. “I didn’t, I simply told him to be at rest and then asked who’d been here. You must have misunderstood.”

My insistence must have gotten through to him, because he turned away and took a seat on the sofa.

“Have you come up with any other tidbits you might have heard during the evening?” he asked.

I’d given it some thought on our journey home after he’d badgered me nonstop for the first half of the ride and knew I’d heard more than was physically possible for other people, or maybe my hearing was keen. I had never been aware of it before, but then, my circumstances had changed greatly in the last forty-eight hours.

“There were mumblings about dragon ownership and how my father should have been next in line to take the dragon keeper position. How these people found out I’m the dragon keeper is mystifying in itself.”

“News travels fast, and I think you’ll find Smythe mentioned it, or his secretary did. I saw how people regarded you, and that you weren’t afraid to face them squarely. That will work in your favor, Linty.”

“At first, I thought I’d dribbled food down my dress, but realistically, the looks and glances started the moment we walked into the mansion. Why?”

“I heard someone say how much you resemble your mother. That could have been the reason, though the fact that you’re the keeper, of the largest known dragon collection, could account for it as well. You’ll be sought after, cajoled, threatened, wined and dined, all in an effort to wrest the dragons from you. Be prepared, trust no one, and for goodness’ sake, stay alert to every nuance that comes your way. These people can be deadly.”

I snorted and laughed. “Most of the men already look dead, never mind deadly.”

He smirked and agreed. “We’ve got to come up with a plan to thwart what I fear will be the challenge of your life.” He flicked off the upcoming hurdles that gave me the shivers. “First off, staying alive, after you’ve made it plain the dragons are off-limits, will be paramount. Secondly, we’ll find out who murdered Essie. That person needs to pay dearly. I’m sure Essie wanted more time in order to tell you what you need to know to keep the dragons safe and sound. The third thing you’ll encounter is family pressure to give up the job you’ve been given, and to leave the estate in the hands of one of your relatives.”

“My father won’t want this place, or the care of those dragons. He’s too busy gallivanting around the world to pay any heed to them or their needs. The house and land would also pose a burden for him. Hell, I hampered his lifestyle, and he shuffled me off to private school as fast as he could.”

“You sound a little bitter. Are you holding that against your father and Essie?”

“I’m not sure exactly how I feel about it. In some ways I do, but in other ways, I have done well on my own. On one hand, I got to see a fair amount of America and traveled extensively. I learned how to eat and act in public the way well-heeled people do, and that accounts for a lot in the present circumstances.”