Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1) (6 page)

“I think we blew a tire.” She responded through clenched teeth.

“Just let her concentrate Nat!” Al squealed from the back seat.
Dang it! Why do I seem so freaked compared to them? Why are they not freaking out? They could have crashed and flipped the freakin’ car!

“Breathe Al.” Rogue coaxed from the front seat as she pulled the car to the side of the road. “I got this.”

Once Rogue had the car stopped and made sure that everyone was safe, all three women got out to check the damage. The car sat on the side of the road with its headlights shining down the berm. The headlights of the few passing cars, providing a strange strobing light, as all three women stood staring at the front right tire in the light from Nat’s pocket flashlight.

“I thought tires didn’t blow out like this these days. Didn’t you say that you just had the tires replaced Rogue?” Nat asked, always the logical one. Yes, logical and cautious that was Nat.

“I did. I don’t understand it.” Rogue said distractedly. “I’m so sorry. I just spent several hundred dollars to make sure the car was safe for the trip. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. These things happen. So, let’s get the spare and get this thing changed.” Nat said as she headed to the trunk. “You have a spare, right?”

“Oh… yes.” Rogue said as she followed Nat.

Al watched nervously as Nat and Rogue proceeded to get the spare and the jack out of the back. Al was thankful that it was the right side tire, so they wouldn’t have to stand on the edge of the lane with passing traffic in the middle of the night. As Nat rolled the spare tire to the front of the car, Rogue struggled with the jack as a truck pulled up behind their stranded vehicle. A young man stepped out of the stopped truck, his cowboy hat sitting on his head and his boots looking scuffed and well worn.

“Y’all need some help?”

“Sure, that would be great?” Rogue replied.

“Rogue!” Nat said under her breath and grabbed her by the arm as she started to head towards the man. “We don’t know him.”

“No worries Nat, it’s just southern hospitality.”

***

Kai’s phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket. Seeing Charlie’s number he pressed his finger to the screen to answer.

“Go.”

“Kai, something’s up.” Charlie said through the background noise of passing traffic and the wind whipping across the phone’s mouthpiece. “I’ve been following the girls, but I had to keep a bit of distance because there’s not a lot of cars on the road this time of the night. Then, all of a sudden I was passing them. Their tire blew Kai.”

“What! How in the world did their tire blow? I thought you checked out Alvena’ s friend and she had just had her car worked on? I would never have left her if I knew the car wasn’t safe Charles.”

“I know and she did Kai.” Charlie responded with aggravation.
Using his first name may have been going too far.
Kai thought.
But, I need him to understand the severity of this. If something happens to Alvena…

“I don’t think there is any way the tire would have blown out like this on its own. Luckily, there was an exit right after I passed them and a large wooded area along the road.” Charlie continued. “I parked my bike and ran through the trees. I’m watching them right now, but there is some country knob helping them change the tire." Kai let out some inventive curses. His dragon roared, not at all happy at the idea of some stranger near his mate on the side of a dark road.

“Do you think someone did something to the tire?”

“I don’t see how. The only thing that seems plausible is that someone shot it out, but how would they have done that? I was behind them, but not by that far. I would have seen someone set up to shoot at them.”

“Shite! Should you intervene?”

“No. The traffic has picked up a bit and I don’t see anyone else stopped but this guy and the girls. But, I really don’t think he is the one that did it. The panther says he’s irrelevant.” Charlie and Kai sat in silence until Charlie spoke.

“Kai?”

“Yeah?”

“Who is the tall one with the blond hair?” Charlie asked.

“Oh, that’s Nat, why?”

“She’s mine Kai. The panther says she’s mine and I agree.” Silence once again resonated from both sides of the phone. “Kai, make sure she sees my mark?”

“Absolutely, my friend… absolutely.”

Kai was shocked that Charlie thought one of Alvena’s friends was his mate. For two of them to find their mates so close together after all of this time searching… Destiny and the Great Spirit were definitely finally helping them out. Knowing that Charlie would be protecting his own mate, helped Kai calm his dragon and their instinct to shift and fly to Alvena. Not that Charlie wouldn’t protect the lasses without one being his mate, but there is just something about a Dásreach male’s protective instinct when a mate was involved.

Charlie growled.

“That prat is lucky her other friend isn’t my mate. With the way he’s flirting, he’s lucky my mate got back in the damn car. Don’t worry, Kai, I’ll stay with them.” He said with another growl.

Kai thought about Alvena and her friends on the side of the road and what could have happened if her friend hadn’t been so good at controlling the car. Kai was beginning to think he hadn’t been crazy after all for having Charlie meet him at the Memphis airport and then follow them. However, Rogue had obviously stopped the car safely or Charlie would have said something and they had no evidence that it was foul play. Kai said a prayer to the Great Spirit for his mates safety. He couldn’t have found her, hell he and Charlie couldn’t have found them, just to lose them to some stupid accident.
But, was it an accident?

“Should I send someone to check around the area?” Kai asked Charlie as he heard mumbling on the other side of the connection.

“Fucking tosser.” Charlie mumbled clearly before answering Kai. “I doubt we’d find anything. At the speed they were going, I’m sure they went at least another mile or so before stopping after the tire blew.” Charlie was quiet a moment, then continued, “My best guess is that someone shot the tire out Kai, but why would someone shoot their tire out?”

“I have no idea Charlie, none at all. Just stay with them. Bring our mates in safely.”

“On my life, Kai.”

***

Nat and Al had gotten back into the car and were sitting turned in their seats so they could watch Rogue as the Mississippi country boy put on the spare. Rogue chatting with him the whole time.

“I could have changed the tire.” Nat grumbled.

“I couldn’t have… maybe I should learn.” Al said back.

“Definitely, you really need to know how to take care of yourself Al. I’ve seen too many times when people trusted the wrong people and got burned.”

“Yeah, I know about getting burned.” Al said on a sad sigh.

She hated to think of her past relationships, many of those with men and friends had not been good ones. But, her memories always seemed to resurface and remind her why she couldn’t trust her own judgment. She sighed and checked on Rogue, who waved at them with a grin. Rogue was so ready for a relationship. She had told them about her cancer scare right before they had all met. Something like that changes someone, and it had forced Rogue out of her comfort zone. She had her life checklist, the things she was doing for herself. Thankfully, time with the Book Worms was on that list. Because, no matter the past, Al knew that her judgment about these women wasn’t wrong.

“I’m sorry Al; I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I know you know about the asses of the world.” Nat interrupted her thoughts.

Al laughed, “Sounds like an organization, do they pay dues?”

“You silly woman,” Nat smiled over the seat at her. “I just meant that you’re safer if you know how to take care of yourself. If you don’t depend on someone they can’t leave you high and dry.”

“I know you’re right, it just never seems important. Do they even have classes for stuff like that?”

“Yes, they do. You need to make the time for things like this Al. Besides, use Google. It’s your friend.” Nat grinned over the seat, “I learned a lot by watching YouTube videos. I can change my own tires and oil. I can tune up my Camaro all on my own. If I can figure out what is wrong I look it up online, buy the parts, and do the work myself. It’s a lot less expensive and I don’t have to deal with men who think women don’t know anything about cars."

A car door slammed, and the girls watched as Rogue talked to the cowboy through his rolled down window. The man rummaged in the seat beside him and after a few minutes he handed Rogue a small piece of something white. Probably paper. Rogue sauntered back.

“Look at her sway that ass of hers?” Al said to Nat.

“Yep, she’s got it going on.” They giggled as Rogue opened the car door to get back in the driver’s seat.

“Jeb says we’re almost to Jackson, so we have about 3 more hours.”

“His name is Jeb? Pft. Figures.” Nat said sarcastically with a grin thrown in Al’s direction.

“What? What’s wrong with his name?” Rogue said a bit of ire in her voice.

“Nothing. Sorry. I’m just having
Deliverance
flashbacks.” Al laughed at Nat’s movie reference. Her friend knew her love of them.

“Nice Nat. Have a little faith in the compassion of your fellow man. Southerners believe in hospitality. A man always stops if he sees a lady broken down on the side of the road.” Rogue responded petulantly. “I know New York is very different than the South, but you shouldn’t be so judgmental Nat.” Nat looked like someone had just stolen her signed copy of
First Grave on the Right
by Darynda Jones. They hadn’t meant to upset their friend.

“I’m sorry Rogue. I think my adrenaline from the near death experience has me saying stuff I shouldn’t. Forgive me?”

“I guess.” Rogue responded with a grin. “As for Ms. Giggles back there, are you goin’ to need to make another stop?”

“Look, I for one am feeling like I need to get to my hotel room. Take a shower and relax. How about getting back on the road?” Al coaxed as she ignored Rogue’s ribbing.

“Definitely.” Rogue and Nat said with a laugh. Rogue pulled back on I-55 and the women began discussing their plans for their time in New Orleans. Al knew she wanted to visit a certain tattoo shop, Nat wanted to walk the quarter, and Rogue voted for a night tour or maybe a walk through a cemetery.

A little over five hours later, which included several rest stop breaks for Al and a long stop for breakfast, they pulled up to their hotel, the Melrose Mansion.

Chapter 4

As Al finished drying her hair after her shower, she gazed in amazement at the beautiful room she and Rogue were sharing at the Melrose. The dramatic contrast of black and white everywhere and the beiges and taupes as accents, were all so dynamic yet soothing to her. She would never have thought she would like this color scheme, but it worked in the mansion. Not to mention, the marbled bathroom with the Jacuzzi tub she hoped she got the chance to use, which was well worth all they were spending on the room. She was so glad that they had splurged to spend their first week here. Only a block from the Quarter, she could pretend that their suite was an apartment and that they lived here. If only. She had always wanted to travel and eventually move somewhere other than Ohio, but being excessively shy made it hard to go on a trip alone, let along moving away from all she knew. Al was a creature of habit, her fears of the unknown keeping her where she had always been… in Delmar, Ohio. In the past, her panic attacks had kept her from doing so many things, but she hadn’t had one in a few years. Her last one had been right before meeting the Book Worms. She saw meeting the Book Worms as a sign that she was meant to see more than Main Street in Delmar, her apartment, and her job. She often dreamed of the places in her books, of living somewhere more… well, more exotic or maybe just different from where she was from. With her gals behind her, she knew she was going to see the world.

Al walked out of the bathroom to find Rogue standing in front of the tall windows. She was looking down at the courtyard from their second story room with a coffee in her hand. They had arrived this morning, grateful for having already scheduled an early check-in, and it was now late afternoon. With her and Rogue settled and showered, they were to meet Nat below so they could discuss and finalize their plans for the next few days. Nat wasn’t comfortable sharing a room, so she had her own, which worked, because Al didn’t think any of them wanted to be sleeping on the floor for a week – at which point they would be switching to the host hotel of the convention they were attending, a hotel much cheaper than the Melrose.

Al was stuffing her dirty clothes in a laundry bag when Rogue looked over her shoulder at her and smiled.

“So Al, are you excited to finally be here?”

“Absolutely! This place is amazing and I’m sure the city will be just as much so.” Al replied.

“I’ve been down here a few times, and have always wanted to stay in the Melrose.” Rogue sighed. “I have to thank you and Nat for allowing me to live a dream. I owe you one, especially since you’re having to share a bed with me so I can afford all of this.”

“Hey, it helps me out too.” Al said as she dropped the laundry bag and walked over to the window where Rogue now stood facing her. “You… well, I don’t think I would ever have gotten to travel here if it wasn’t for you and Nat. You know how hard it is for me to do things on my own. Being shy sucks. I can't do the simplest things without feeling like I’m going to have a panic attack most days. I’m just thankful that I haven’t had one in a while.”