In a Dragon’s Dream by Riley Storm Page 0,63
don’t you tell us what it’s like?” he purred, moving closer. “Should we be afraid?”
“Yes. Yes! Terrified.”
“Why?” he asked, trying to make his voice quake. “What should be scared of? Cratom and the Cado? Do they have a plan?”
“Yes, a plan. A horrible plan. Cratom has the plan. In his crypt!” the shifter said, tilting his head down to stare at Rakell.
“Why should we be scared of it?”
The Cado laughed. It was a terrible, horrible thing, like fingernails on a chalkboard. He finished his rant in a whisper. “Be scared of the thing in the shadows.”
Then he went limp.
Rakell smiled. “Gotcha,” he snarled, feeling certain he’d understood what the Cado was saying.
“What the fuck was that?” Pierce asked, staring at the Cado, then at Rakell.
The Teres head went over to the maimed shifter and felt his neck. “He’s dead. He literally died of fear.”
That was unexpected.
“We know where Cratom is. Anzer will be with him,” Rakell said dismissively, his focus elsewhere now that he had what he wanted. “We need to go after them. Now.”
He headed back for the door, the way he had come, leaving Pierce to deal with the dead prisoner.
“What are you talking about? Where are they?” Pierce asked, frowning.
“The crypt?” Rak said with a shrug. “There’s only one place that could be. Five Peaks cemetery. I’m going there, and I’m going to find Anzer.”
He started walking away again. Pierce intercepted him before he could get to the first set of double doors.
“Easy there,” the Teres head said, placing a hand on Rak’s chest, careful to avoid the wound on his stomach, though it was already healing well. “Hold on.”
“Why? We have them, Pierce. We know where the guy who ordered the hit on Laura is. I’m going to find him, and I’m going to end this.”
“Think, Rakell,” Pierce said forcefully. “Push your emotions away, and actually think for a second here. There are a lot of things we don’t know about.”
“Like what?” Rakell said crossly. “They’re somewhere in the cemetery. We need to get there before they flee.”
“Right. And you, on your own, are just going to what? Waltz in there and take them all on? You’re good, but Cratom and his guys would get the best of you if you’re alone. This isn’t a one-man wrecking show sort of option.”
“Then I’ll get my team,” he growled. “I’m sure Blede and Vlad will want a shot at Cratom too.”
“You’re probably right,” Pierce agreed. “But there will still be more of them than you, especially if we’ve forced them all into the one base of operations now. You need more. Let me call for extra help. Give me some time. We’ll go there in force. Nobody will escape.”
Rakell growled angrily. He wanted vengeance now, but he also knew that Pierce was right. Gathering more strength would be the way to go. The Cado were not much for stand-up fights but, if cornered, they would be extremely dangerous. It would be best to go in with numbers.
“Anzer is mine,” he snarled, naming the Cado he was certain had conspired to go after Laura.
“Sure, of course,” Pierce said. “Nobody will argue that. Let’s use our brains. You heard him. He said be scared of the shadows.”
“The thing in the shadows,” Rakell corrected absently. “Probably just scared blabbering.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Pierce said thoughtfully. “He died without us causing him any more harm. Have you ever seen that?”
Rakell snorted. “You know I hate this place. I don’t come down here for half the interrogations. You tell me.”
“I haven’t,” Pierce said. “Fear isn’t something any dragon usually shows. Can you recall another one so scared?”
He couldn’t, and said as much. “It’s probably just babbling. I mean, I took his arm from him, ripped his leg nearly off. Destroyed another ankle, snapped his bones. He was probably almost on death’s bed before we even got him here.”
Pierce didn’t look satisfied. “I don’t like it.”
“He gave us what we wanted. Given how scared he was, I doubt he lied.”
Pierce thought that over. “You might be right.”
“Can we begin assembling the assault team now?” Rakell asked.
The sooner the danger was over, the sooner things could ease with him and Laura. She could go back to her house. Repairs could be started on her office. Once she wasn’t confined to his house, perhaps she would be able to come to a decision on her feelings toward him.
A good decision, I hope. Rakell wasn’t going to force her to say anything she didn’t want of course, but