Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1) (14 page)

“Malkum, you here?” Kai yelled towards the back, playing it cool and acting like he didn’t realize that Alvena stood a matter of feet behind him. He went behind the counter and looked up into dark pools of mahogany.

“Hey, I remember you. Alvena, right?” Kai greeted lamely.

“Huh?” Alvena said distractedly as she stared back into his eyes.

“You’re Alvena. Alvena from the airport, right?” He clarified as she looked down at her hand over a page in the binder on the counter.

“Oh. The airport. Right. Yes.” She stumbled over the words, before pointing at the page her hand had been resting on. “I want this tattoo."

Kai looked down at the binder, expecting the “tourist” binder. Instead he saw his Warrior Mark staring back at him.
I knew it! She’s mine. There’s no denying it now.
Not that anyone could have with the way she had made him feel.

“Oh, that’s a good choice?” Kai grinned, “Would you like to see it in person?”

Alvena blinked up at him as her friends looked over her shoulder at the design she had selected.

“What is it, Al?” Nat asked, “Oh, that’s nice. I’m not sure I would want it, but that’s really cool and I guess we don’t have to get the same tattoo like we discussed.” Her voice held a hint of hurt as she looked at Kai, “What do you mean, see it in person?”

“In the flesh...” He said as he pushed his t-shirt sleeve up to show his entire left arm and shifted his body so that it was facing Alvena. She reached up, her fingers hesitated and then she lightly touched a finger to the stark black lines of the dragon. Inside of Kai his dragon roared his approval, finally making its presence known after the quiet of the day before.

“Yes.” She moved her finger along the lines of the design. “Yes. Definitely this one.” Kai grinned at Alvena as he placed his hand over hers on his mark.

“Why this one?” He asked, curious to see what explanation she would give to the instinctive pull she was feeling to the Warrior mark.

“Because he will guide and protect me.” She said and looked into Kai’s eyes. He sucked in a breath at how close she was to describing what the tattoo meant to Kai himself. As Kai continued to hold Alvena’s hand, he was distracted by Nat moving the portfolio over to look at it. She turned the page and at the sight of the black panther that his friend Charlie wore on his left arm, Nat stopped and brushed her finger tips over the image much like Alvena had on his arm.

“I’ll admit that psychic must have some ability, because here’s the panther, but it’s a tattoo not a man.” Nat mumbled to herself, before addressing Al, “I can see the appeal of having a tattoo that looks like this. I’m in Al.” Alvena’s friend said as she shoved the book over to Rogue, “I want this one, how about you Rogue, do you want one in this style? You get one too, then we can all be unique but the same.”

Kai stroked his thumb back and forth over the top of Alvena’s fingers, while looking between her two friends. What were the odds that Alvena’s other friend would choose one of the Thirteen’s Warrior Marks? He didn’t see that happening. The odds had to be astronomical. But he watched as Rogue flipped to the third image, Dar’s, and then the fourth, Malkum’s.
Where is Malkum?
He thought as he watched Rogue, waiting to see what she would say.

Rogue flipped the page back and forth between the two enforcer’s Warrior Marks a few times. She stopped on Malkum’s and ran her finger over his ability symbol. Kai grinned, the Great Spirit and Destiny had a weird sense of timing, but he’d take it.

At that moment, Malkum re-entered the front of the shop with a couple of other binders.

“Kai! Nice of you to make it in.” Malkum grinned at Kai. “Want to help me tattoo some jolies filles?” He said as he winked at Rogue. It always amazed Kai to watch his friend’s lighthearted banter with customers when at any other time he was stoic and a bit intimidating. Good thing Rogue got to see the softer side first. Kai laughed at that thought, his friend was anything but soft.

“I don’t think you will need those portfolios in your hands.” Kai said. “I believe all the lasses chose from the one you left out here.”

Malkum looked down at Rogue outlining his mark with her finger in the book on the counter. He walked up to the counter and asked, “Do you like that one, ma petite?”

Rogue glanced up, “Yes.”

“It’s the one I have.” He continued as he pushed his left sleeve up to expose the Warrior Mark on his arm.

Nat looked between her friends and the two guys, the couples eyes were locked together as if they were the only ones in the room. She moved Rogue’s hand out of the way and turned to Charlie’s Warrior Mark.

“Does someone you know have this one?” She asked loud enough to gain the men’s attention. Malkum and Kai looked at the book. They both grinned and said, "Charlie.”

“Fuck.” Nat whispered as she stared at the design in the image below her fingers.

Kai continued, “The first several are all ones that friends of ours have.”

Chapter 9

As Kai waited for the lasses response that they chose the Warrior Marks that he and his friends wore, the glass from the front windows exploded inward. Shards of glass rained down on all of them. Without event thinking, him and Malkum jumped the counter and began pushing the girls to the back room of the shop. As a pop, pop, pop noise sounded from behind them, Kai moved to cover Alvena and her friends with his body. What the fuck!

The moment they had the women through the curtain, Kai noticed Nat’s combat stance. Her eyes were shifting back and forth looking for danger.

“That was fucking gunfire.” She yelled. “Who the hell is shooting at your shop?”

“How the fuck am I supposed to know!” Malkum growled back. His stance was protective behind Rogue.

Rogue had already dug her mobile out of her bag. Pressing the on button, she began to dial 911. But, before pressing send, she looked at Malkum, “What’s the address here again?”

“Wait a minute. I don’t hear anythin’.” Malkum said as he moved the curtain to re-enter the front only to be pushed back by more bullets. He turned to Kai, "I think we better leave through the back. My truck is parked out there.”

Kai nodded his acceptance.

“Oh, hell no! You so did not make a decision without talking to us?” Nat demanded.

“I know you did not just say we were leavin’ the scene of a crime.” Rogue added.

“We’ve done it before, Rogue.” Alvena said in a monotone voice.

“Right now I don’t care about the damn law, but I make the decision about what I do.” Nat firmed up her stance, “The Marines told me what to do. No one does anymore.”

“We need the cops. We need help.” Rogue yelled.

“Who the hell cares,” Alvena’s voice rose in fear, “I don’t want to die.”

“Enough.” Malkum’s intense stare, nothing like the one he had turned on the women just minutes earlier. This look like ice, focused on the women, and affectively stopped all of them from arguing.

“It’s for the best if we don’t stay here, because whoever that is may come in the shop after us.” Malkum stated and looked from one woman to the next, only moving his eyes to the next one as they nodded their understanding.

“Lasses, we don’t know what is happening, but Malkum knows what he is doing. He has training.” Kai moved Alvena to the back wall next to the door, which he opened a crack. His dragon senses were on high alert as he searched for anyone in the back alley. He didn’t detect any danger, but he wouldn’t allow his and his brother’s mates to go out the door until he was sure it was safe.
Mates. All three of them are our mates.
They must be protected.

“Hey, Malkum, throw me your keys and I’ll get the truck moved up to the door.”

Malkum tossed the keys to Kai, who caught them and looked down at Alvena, “Lass, can you stay here until Malkum lets you know it’s safe to get in the truck?”

His mate stood very quiet, her breathing shallow and fast from fear, but she shook her head yes. Kai ran a finger down her jaw, then tweaked her nose.

“That’s a good lass. It’ll just take a minute for me to get the truck.”

Kai opened the door, verified that the coast was clear, and quickly rushed out the back. The door quietly closing behind him, someone obviously stopped it from banging loudly and causing unwanted attention to their plans.

He quickly scanned back and forth around the area behind the shop. He partially shifted, his eyes and sense of smell enhanced by his dragon. Not seeing anyone, he approached the truck and just as he began to get in to the large black F150, a scream sounded from the back of the shop.

***

Al was surrounded by Nat and Rogue as they kept her backed into the wall by the door. Once again she felt like a liability. Her brain was disconnected from the action happening around her, her body moving mechanically, the fear causing her breathing to increase and her chest to tighten. Al kicked herself for being so weak, she couldn’t afford to have a panic attack. She would get her friends killed, if they had to take care of her.

She was once again amazed at how fast her friends had jumped into action, but not her, she had once again shut down and waited for someone else to save her. Kai. Her hero. That’s who she wanted to save her. But, who was he and this friend of his? She had barely met Kai, spending only a few pleasant hours on the plane chatting with him. Even so, she felt that she could trust him.

Miss Cleo’s words echoed through her mind,
“Trust in him, he will guide you and protect you.”

Al internally smacked herself up beside the head for staking her life on some vague words said by a self-proclaimed psychic.
Ugh! But, he went out there alone. I won’t forgive myself if something happens to him.

As Al continued her inner monologue of castrating herself for being weak and worrying about Kai, loud crashes sounded at the front of the store and boots crunched across broken glass. Movement from Malkum drew her attention. He had his finger to his lips letting them know to keep quiet. He looked from the back door to the entrance to the front several times, before nodding his head and motioning for them all to head to the exit door to the back alley. Obviously, he decided it was safer for them to get out of the shop immediately, than wait for Kai.

Malkum quietly opened the door to the outside, the sunlight slanting across the floor. He glanced into the alley, then propped the door open with his hand. He motioned for the women to move under his arm and go out. Nat moved quickly, pulling Al by the hand, and Rogue followed last. Just as Al passed through the doorway and Rogue was under Malkum’s arm, a loud crack ricocheted throughout the small back room. Malkum’s shoulder jerked forward and something splashed out from it and splattered on the door. Everyone stood in shocked silence for a split second before everything seemed to speed forward. Rogue screamed.

Malkum shoved them all completely out the door and looked Rogue in the eyes, “Go with Kai." He then slammed the door shut behind them.

Rogue turned back to the door, banging her fists against it, tears streaming down her face.

Nat grabbed both Al and Rogue’s hands and began dragging them away from the building, just as Kai ran up. Gunfire, crashes, and yells sounded from the other side where they had left Malkum. Al’s heart ached for the man they had left behind and for her friend who was so distraught over him.

“Follow me. The truck is just around the corner there.” Kai pointed in the direction they should go.

Al felt herself detaching from the situation. An odd feeling of nothingness settled over her. She realized that she must be going into shock.
Funny how I know that.
Her legs moved mechanically and they soon approached a huge black truck with the driver’s side door hanging open.
Kai must have left it open.
She thought as they all stopped beside the vehicle. Kai grabbed her hand and pulled her around to the passenger side as he yelled for the others to get into the backseat of the extended cab. He opened the door and she looked inside.
Leather… nice.
When she didn’t move, he grabbed her up in his strong arms and lifted her into the truck.

“Alvena, you need to put your seat belt on, can you do that for me?” Kai asked.

“What about Malkum? Aren’t we going to wait on him?” Al asked hollowly. She could hear Rogue quietly crying from behind her and wanted to help her friend.

“No, my sweet. He will handle whoever is inside, so we can get away. I have to keep you and your friends safe.” When she didn’t reach for the seatbelt, Kai pulled it out and reached around her to click it closed. “There. Now you just take deep breaths and I’ll get you and your friends to safety. Do you trust me to do that, Alvena?”

Al gazed into his eyes, searching for answers that she didn’t know how to ask the questions for, and saw something strong and safe there in the depths, she nodded her head. He placed a soft kiss on her nose, closed the door, and raced around the front of the truck to get into the driver’s seat. Kai clicked on his own seatbelt before reaching for the key in the ignition.
It all seemed so normal
.

“You lasses buckled up in the back?” He asked over his shoulder as he turned the key, the truck roaring to life. Al heard two affirmative answers from the back seat and Kai threw the truck in gear and raced down the short alley, taking the turn out of the alley onto Chartres Street with the tires squealing.