CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Ryan

 

wasn’t thrilled that Watins appeared and gave a crock of nonsense for his defense though he certainly was happy that he was out of jail. His father was equally thrilled.

“Let’s get our lawyer and go out to dinner?”

“Watins?’

“No. I’ll make sure that jerk gets fired good and proper. I don’t want him around my business ever again.”

“Good,” said Ryan. “I feel the same way.”

Ryan wanted to celebrate with Steph and thought that maybe tonight he would ask her to marry him. Though Steph and he knew they would be together always he wanted to make it official for the whole world to see. With a smile on his face he looked through the courtroom for her. When he didn’t see her there he walked through the atrium and then searched for her outside.

Steph!

But there was no answer to his call to her mind and Ryan began to get worried.

His father walked out the courthouse steps. “Where’s Steph?”

“I don’t know, dad. I can’t find her.”

“She must be here somewhere.”

“The last person she was with was Watins.”

“That snake,” hissed Ivan Kaur. “Of course he wanted to speak to her. Probably lured her outside too.” His father pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

Ryan’s heart skipped a beat while he waited with his father for someone to pick up the line.

“Damn right I want to leave a message. You tell Alan Watins I want a call from him immediately,” said his father. “This is Ivan Kaur, and yes, he has my number. He damn well better have it.”

“Damn ass,” said his father. His face was white and his hands were shaking with anger. He made another call.

“Roberts, I need a location on Alan Watins as soon as possible. No. He’s kidnapped Ryan’s—he kidnapped Steph Brooks, the new lawyer I hired. No. I didn’t ask you to do a background check on her. Just find him.”

“Do you think,” said Ryan, “that will do any good?”

“Roberts is the best. That is why I hired him.”

“But, dad. The more we learn about Watins, the more we find he is involved with the dragons. He could have her anywhere or do anything to her. Damn it, dad.”

“I know. It’s my fault. I never should have got involved with him in the first place. But when he promised a child when the wait was so long anywhere else—”

“Dad. Did he hold that adoption over your head?”

“Not in so many words. But I always felt grateful and he didn’t mind taking advantage of that. And now he has Steph. Son, I’m so sorry.”

“We’ll get her back. Wherever she is, I’ll find her.”

“Can you do that? Find her as a dragon?”

“I don’t know. There is so much I don’t.”

His father made another call, turning his back to Ryan as he did it.

“Okay. Okay,” he muttered. “Thanks.”

He faced Ryan again. “Yes. You should be able to hone in on anyone that you have an emotional connection with. Do you have that with Steph?”

“Yes, Dad. I love her.”

“I was hoping that you’d say that. I think she is a wonderful girl.”

Ryan smiled. “Good. Then we are agreed. Now how am I supposed to hone in on this emotional connection?”

He grew antsy as they drove out to the country but his father didn’t want there to be any witnesses to Ryan shifting to his dragon form. But their driver pulled into the first of the many Connecticut State parks they came too and Ryan got out.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Is there anything you need?”

“Something to stuff my clothes in.”

“You’re in luck,” he said as he pulled out a backpack from behind his seat.”

“What? It has something in it.”

“Something I think you might need.”

Ryan unzipped it and found a significant stash of cash in it. “If you find her, don’t come back right away until we know it is safe. I have a passport for you in there and had one for Steph too. And there is something else there too, just in case.”

Ryan felt around inside until he felt all the things his father mentioned. He hugged his father, something he hadn’t done in a long time and probably something he should have much more often.

“There’s an international phone in there too, in case you need to call. Be safe, son.”

“Thanks, Dad. For everything. I promise you I’ll come back and make you proud.”

“You already do. Now, go.”

Ryan walked into a stand of trees and took off his clothes and shoes and stuffed them in the bag. He let out the strap as much as he could then slung the pack over his shoulder. He hoped that would work because the idea of carrying the thing in his mouth while he was flying did not appeal to him at all.

He stood in the grove as the afternoon sun trickled down on him, hoping that no one happened upon him while he was naked. Ryan didn’t need to be arrested again.

He thought about Steph, how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to be with her. He got an image of her standing in on a grassy oval with a ruined building around it and he knew where she was. He grew furious then, knowing she was taken there against her will.

She was probably frightened and she most definitely was alone in that nest of vipers. And with his anger his body expanded. Instead of being in the middle of a stand of trees, he brushed up against them. With a huge roar and a great leap from his hind legs he was airborne.

He had one purpose now as his wings beat against the air taking him higher. He loved the feeling of wind against his wings but he wasn’t going to get lost in the sensation of flight. He had to get to Steph.

His heart hammered in his great chest as he gained altitude, then sensing the right moment and taking a deep breath he dove. Ryan fixed his thoughts on Steph willing his dragon body to take him where she was.

He dropped rapidly into the atmosphere. In his haste, he was going too fast. The friction of his passage danced along his scales bringing back the memory of pain from the fire. But nothing was going to stop him. He scanned the area below and found the grassy oval and the ring of ruined building. Looking even closer he saw Steph with her glorious red hair standing near the stone table and the dragons that surrounded her.

They were waiting for him.

Ryan dove, roaring his displeasure. He wasn’t going to hide. He was outnumbered so he had to make a show of bravado to pull off he plan he formulated in his head.

He lighted on the ground, flapping his wings. And then he transformed.

Steph’s eyes widened and then she ran to him.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“They knew I couldn’t stay away.” He slung the backpack off his shoulder and placed it in front of him. It would like he was trying to be modest. But Ryan’s plan depended on an object his father placed in the backpack. He felt around for it, covering his actions by Steph standing in front of him.

“Come here, baby,” he said, pulling her to the side with one hand. As he did he pressed the object into her hand she placed it behind his back. He leaned to her ear. “Go for Rhea,” whispered.

Steph stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Ok, baby,” she whispered.

“Stand away from my son,” said Rhea haughtily.

“No, Steph, you stay right here.”

“Rhea,” said Reanne. “You should reconsider this. If you harm his mate, Ryan will not ally himself with us. It is better if—”

“Silence,” yelled Rhea. “I did not ask for your editorial, Reanne. No dragon will mate with humans. Period.”

“Sorry, Rhea,” said Ryan. “It already happened. You can’t change me and Steph no more than you can swap the moon for the sun.”

“I will kill her myself,” said Rhea advancing.

“You know,” said Steph. “I’ve heard of monsters-in-law before, but this is ridiculous.”

“What are you talking about?” said Rhea advancing on the pair. She was within ten feet of them, which for Steph was just about perfect.

“Now, sweetheart,” said Ryan.

Steph whipped out the gun Ryan had pressed in her hand and aimed for the space right between Rhea Gentrix’s eyes. She released the safety, took a quick breath and squeezed the trigger just as she was taught. The report of the pistol rang on the decayed walls of the one great palace.

Rhea screamed, and her face morphed strangely from human to dragon to human again. She stood with a look of total surprise on her face and then fell to the ground twitching.

“It doesn’t seem to be a kill shot,” Steph said.

“Doesn’t need to be,” said Ryan. “Hold this.” He stuffed the backpack into her hands and then shifted as the other dragons ran toward Rhea and shifted and leapt into the air again, holding Steph as close to his heart as he could while they flew away from the dragon palace.