Speaker 1: Dragon called a slow burned, sexy paranormal romance written by
Carl Lockhart and Cassie Alexander, read for you by Victoria
may Hi. This is Cassie Alexander, and welcome to chapter five.
Damien walked Jamison work while feeling his phone burn a
hole in his pocket. Could she not just listen to
him for once? Why was she always so goddamned obstinate?
Because of you, his dragon said, accusingly. He was currently
on his dragon's shit list since he'd been the one
in charge of chasing Andy off. He'd had his worst
week with the beast inside him yet, and any opportunity
his dragon had found to hurt him, he had done so.
If he thought his dragon was pissed off about bringing
him to Earth and leaving the realms, it turned out
that was nothing compared to making the dragon leave the
woman it thought was their destiny. It was for her
own good at the time, he reminded himself and his dragon.
His dragon made a dismissive rumbling sound to tell him
what he thought of. That got it, Jamison said, pointing
with his human hand at a string of coordinates on
his screen, saving Damien from additional internal arguments. The only
information he'd had to work with was the phone number
the girl had given Zach. It had been a burner,
of course, and Zach had paid for their food and
hotel that night, so there was nothing else to go on.
Jamison had figured out which store the burner came from,
and while it hadn't had a security camera indoors, the
liquor store next door that she'd visited, Tobias Soda had.
Once Zach confirmed the woman's face, it had just been
a matter of letting Jamison's machines around them commune with
assorted databases, searching for other locations where she'd been. This
is the place been spotted near the most. Jamison went on,
making his computer replace the numbers with a map Starview
apartments starve you huh, starry Sky Starview ironic now, Austin stated,
twisting to glare at his brother. Zach growled in response.
Boys Damien tisked, inspecting the stills of the woman on
the screen entering and exiting the apartment from thirty different angles.
She was blonde and slight, the kind of woman you
could knock over with a stiff breeze. Maybe Zach was right,
and someone had put her up to tagging him because
she didn't appear a Machiavelian in the least, I'm cross referencing.
Hold tight, Jamison stared off into the distance. His metal
hand was detached and his wrist was plugged into the
machine via a socket. Damien wasn't rightly sure how everything
with Jamison worked, even though he'd funded it personally. The
screen began to fill with a sordid driver's life since
photos and leasing paperwork. Damien leaned forward to watch the
man in action. Have I mentioned lately? I'm glad you're
on our side. Have cyborg arm. We'll travel the digital highway,
Jamison said, grinning, bringing up three final photos, then dissolving
two away so that only one was left. That's her right.
Zach pushed his brother out of the way, inspecting the
screen for far longer than it should have taken. Yes,
he whispered, Kit Johnson, Apartment three C. Jamison pronounced pooah.
Austin shouted, clapping Damien's arm. When do we ride? Damien
took his hand off his phone, where it had been
lightly resting the entire time. Now, he said, we ride, Now,
Grab guns, get ready, Austin whooped, see you at the
tour bus in fifteen, He shouted and ran for the
door while Zack clenched his jaw. I want you to
drive and be our eyes, jameison until Max to be
ready to ride cleanup crew, Damien said, standing. She told
me her name was Stilla, Zach said to himself. Damian
put a sympathetic hand briefly on Zach's arm before walking out.
Going to meet this ware woman was good, Damien supposed,
because it stopped him from going to Andy's hospital and
wrestling his coat off of her. That did assume that
she was wearing it, though, and hadn't what thrown it away,
consigned it, frozen it in carbonite, he snorted, and stalked
back to his bedroom so he could change clothes. He
didn't need a tactical suit like Zach and Austin would
likely put on, but he probably ought to wear black
for the occasion. He closed his door and had his
clothes half off when he heard a knock. Boss asked
a feminine voice from the other side. Millicent aka Mills,
his resident witch and secretary. Hang on, he said, and
finished changing as quickly as possible. Come in Mills was
mid forties with salt and pepper brunette hair she'd never
cut according to her coven's principles. It would wind down
to the floor and then some if she didn't keep
it up in an ornate bun She had devoted her
life to her magical arts, and Damien reaped the rewards
of her vast knowledge due to the fact that they
respected one another and her curse. When Millicent was sixteen,
an older and more powerful rival for her boyfriend blessed
her so that she could never tell a lie, as
lies were the grease of human society. It behooved her
to run with a slightly less than human crowd. Need
back up, she asked, knowing full well what his all
black outfit meant. Grimalkin instantly appeared to wind around her
ankles and yowl at Damien. Don't you dare take her?
If all of you go and leave us behind, we
order secret cheeseburgers. Damien bit back a smile. Depends on
why you're visiting dressed her, not his cheese obsessed cat.
Woo's up. I think I finally found the dress you
were after. She held up two photos, one of them
was Andy in a gorgeous black silk dress snapped by
paparazzi when they left a restaurant last week, and the
other was clearly that same dress on a model on
a runway. Damien knew which photo he preferred, reaching out
to take it from her. Andy's face was partially hidden
by her coat's collar, but you could still see the
blue streak colored through her black hair as it swung
around her, and her beautiful dough brown eyes slightly widened
in surprise. For the first time in his life. He
was glad to have been stalked by a photographer, and
he wished that he had more and better pictures of her.
He'd bought these from the man through a third party
at an exorbitant rate, but at least this way all
of them stayed out of circulation and were just for him.
So Mills began stalling, like she sometimes did for she
had to tell someone bad news because she couldn't help it.
You want me to buy one for her, Damien's eyes narrowed,
yes in her size, and have it sent to her immediately.
He cleared his throat, pen and paper, grim Please Grimalkin
paused in his ankle wind to point his tail, and
Damien followed it to the bar, where his cat had
materialized his request for him send her this with the
dress later, Damien said, as he signed a slip of
paper to send with the dress to Andy, not from
your uncle d and brought it back over to present
to Mills, who'd started typing on her smart watch. So
it's very, very expensive, she said. She glanced at the note,
not from your uncle. Long story. Damien half expected her
to cry. If she was forced to be utterly honest
with everyone, it would be unfair to not expect the
same in return, and money is no object when it
comes to Andy. She held her wrist out to him.
Even this much, the dress was already in a shopping
cart online, and its price was a number with many
many zeros, Damien grunted. Of course, Andy was worth all
his wealth ten times over. Only no wonder. Andy assumed
he'd gotten that dress for her rather than her uncle
at that price. Mills, why didn't your background check mention
she had an uncle, Because she doesn't, Damien. There's no
one in her life who could have bought this for her.
But she didn't buy this for herself, he said, pointing
at her watch, Mills frowned at the screen, taking her
time before she spoke again, and then to only say agreed.
He knew what it meant when she was quiet. What
are you thinking that your girlfriend is poor and that
this is couture, she said, holding up the runway photo.
It just came out in Italy last month. It's exclusive
as hell and painfully hard to acquire, even before the
price tag. So either it's a truly exceptional knockoff or
Andy's uncle, she said, making air quotes around the word
has both funds and connections. Damien felt truly wounded, a
rarity for him. She's not my girlfriend, you asked, remember,
Mills said, before grimacing. She was a little or you
wanted her to be. I'm sorry, you know I can
sometimes read your aura when you're feeling human. Damien closed
his eyes and ignored her. Who would be close enough
to Andy to send her that dress, but then choose
to let her live in Debt in an apartment with
a roommate, worried about a degenerate brother. It wasn't his
business anymore, but anyhow, Mill said, I'll see that the
transaction goes through smoothly, and I'll mail it to her
with your note right away. Good, thank you, Damien said,
his mind whirling, Grim sat down on his haunches and
looked up at Mills cheezburgers, Grim asked her forlornly, even
though she couldn't understand him. She leaned over to pick
him up and cradle him so she could rub his belly,
and Damien snorted in the realms that kind of behavior
would be unbecoming. Earth was rubbing off on Grim. Other
than that, will you be needing me? She asked, No,
stay home, relax for once, order yourself some dinner. Damien said, Oh,
we were already going to do that, weren't we, mister Grimsley,
Mills said, while bouncing Grim, who was purring loudly enough
that Damien could hear. He looked at the photo of
Andy she'd left with him as she started for the door.
He'd gone through these photos this past week, again and again,
searching for something. He didn't know what, though, until just
this moment, he wanted a sign that Andy would be
coming back to him. Damien jogged for the door and
leaned out to shout after her. Mills, Damian, if you
ruined cheeseburger night for me? I swear, Grim growled clearly yes.
Boss Mills paused and asked, Oblivious to Grimm's concerns, he
stared at the photo a moment more. Something didn't add up.
It wasn't like he and Andy had had a chance
to discuss their families. But run another background check on Andy.
He called down to her right away, Mills said, then
started down the stairs team on his five and counting.
Austin yelled from below her in the entryway, not even
bothering died the excitement in his voice. Damien enjoined Austin
at the bottom of the stairs. The wear shifter had
put on all of his tactical gear, not because he
needed any of it, but because he enjoyed it. Damien
suspected it reminded him of his time in the military.
Zach came down at exactly fourteen minutes and fifty nine seconds,
dressed in street clothes. He wasn't even wearing black. Austin
looked between the two of them, What am I running
this mission alone? I'm sorry? Did I need something more
than being able to turn into a fire breathing dragon,
Damien said fine. Austen aloud, then glared pointedly at his
brother But what's this, he asked, looking Zach up and down.
Were you planning on asking her out on another date?
We don't always have to kill everything all the time, brother,
Zach said, in a clipped tone. Uh, yeah, we do.
It's why we're here and what we are good at,
Austin said, then looked over to Damien. This is your fault,
all the diplomacy bullshit you've been teaching him. Damien snorted
and considered Zach's current state. The man hadn't even brought
a gun, although they could outfit a small swat team
with the contents of their SUV the tour bus if
they had to, you agree this needs doing. Yes? If
he didn't, they would leave the wolf at home. Yes,
and I'm going, Zach said, with a tone that broached
no disagreement. To fight her with what your dress belt?
Austin pressed, You don't have to shoot everything when you
can use your words, Zach said, She is a person,
not and unearthly. Would you listen to that, Austin asked Damien,
as though he'd already chosen a side. He's like he
doesn't want us to have any fun at all, he said,
before bursting out the front door to trot down the
front brick stairs toward the garage. Fun Zach mouthed at Damien,
assuming Damien had his back, making air quotes around the
word with an eye roll, before following his brother. Damien
walked out right after them. Of course, they both assumed
he'd taken their side. It wasn't hard for him him
to seem impartial. He had no skin in their personal argument,
and he was only interested in interrogating the girl. But
beyond that, he knew that they were both wrong. He
knew from personal experience that words could be weapons strong
enough to pierce through dragon scale