Battle Bond: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons #2) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,35
what?”
“A guy paid me five dollars to deliver a message to the big blonde chick that he said would run out of the yoga studio after an explosion. He said she’d probably be on fire.”
“I’m tall, not big. Don’t call women big. They don’t like that.” I held out my hand, already imagining the idiocy this message would contain if it had come from the panther brothers.
“If you are big, people will fantasize about hurling wrecked balls at you,” Zav informed the kid.
“Wrecking balls.” I gave him a weird look—the kid gave him an even weirder one.
I wasn’t sure if Zav was trying to be personable, but he’d been less alarming when he’d simply been calling humans vermin and telling me how deplorable this planet was.
“Let’s have it,” I told the kid.
He’d taken out a wrinkled envelope, but he hadn’t given it to me. “The guy said you’d also give me five dollars.”
“He said I’d do that while I’m on fire?”
His face screwed up as he considered the logic. “Yes.”
I snatched the letter from him faster than he could jerk it away, then shooed him back across the parking lot. “Thanks. Go spend your big earnings at the arcade.”
He looked like he wanted to object, but Zav frowned at him, made his eyes glow violet, and the kid jumped and ran away.
“Nicely creepy,” I said. “I think the villains in Stargate SG-1 did that.”
“It is sometimes a warning among my kind, sometimes an indication that power is being used.” Zav returned his scrutiny to me.
I had a feeling he thought I knew more about his dragon nemesis than I did. I had no idea how to convince him otherwise.
“Are you stronger than Dob is?” I tore open the envelope.
“The law and the righteousness of my beliefs will aid me against him.”
“Oh man, you’re really screwed, aren’t you?”
What would happen if Zav lost and Dob won? Would Dob be satisfied and go back to his own world, or would he stay here and terrorize more people?
“I am not. But he occasionally uses methods that are unacceptable to the Dragon Justice Court and myself. If we were to do battle, it would be important that bystanders were not nearby.”
I imagined people bursting into flames as dragons battled overhead, spewing gouts of fire everywhere. “Yeah, if you’re going to fight, please lure him away from the city.”
“That will be my goal. But I must locate him first. That is why I am questioning you.”
“I knew you didn’t just come to give me the poster.” I sighed as I read the short note.
Stay out of our affairs, or you and your weapons-making friend will be forcefully deported.
It wasn’t signed, but it wasn’t a big mystery who’d sent it—and tried to bomb the yoga studio.
“Are you sure you don’t have a couple of panther-shifter brothers named Pardus on your list of people to send through a portal back to your court?” I asked.
“I do not.”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to punt them through a portal anyway?”
“Not if they have not committed a crime against the tenets of dragonkind.”
“They’re advertising that they can make weapons to slay dragons.”
“I assume that is untrue.”
“From what I’ve been told, probably. But don’t you think such claims might offend your court?”
Zav tilted his head. “Why do you not slay them yourself? This is what you are known for, is it not? Assassinating the magical.” Judgment oozed from his tone.
“Only if they’ve committed crimes—specifically murder. I don’t get sent out against magical beings unless they’ve been killing humans.” There was also the matter of the ten shapeshifter allies the brothers claimed. At least ten. Who knew how many were in that Northern Pride? Maybe I could get Willard to send me what the office had on them.
“If you cannot give me further information on Dobsaurin’s whereabouts and intentions, I must go.” Zav looked to the sky.
“You have another dragonkind-irking deadbeat on your list?”
“I must find Dobsaurin.” His gaze returned to me, speculative. “I do wonder…”
He was thinking about dangling me out in the woods to attract the dragon. I could tell. But Dob wasn’t from Earth, and he shouldn’t have had time to build up a grudge against me, so I doubted that would work, even if I were willing.
“He’s after you, not me,” I said. “Don’t even think of putting a compulsion on me or whatever you did last time. I’m my own free person, not somebody’s puppet.”
“I must consider the needs of the court over the needs of one