Page 6 of An Accident Waiting to Dragon

Immediately, the younger man grabbed a handheld console from the table, typing away. A minute later, they were connected by video call. Delilah Blakesly stared back at them from the screen, professional in a pristine white suit with her raven hair gathered back elegantly. Her jade green eyes didn’t so much as glint. The woman was as coolly collected, as always. The owner and operator of Brimstone Inc., a company that provided myriad services to the supernaturally inclined, Delilah was mysterious in that no one knew exactly what she was or what her powers were. But she’d helped Asher’s people many ways in the past—big and small—and Ladon and Skylar both trusted her.

So, Asher trusted her too.

Apparently, so did his dragon. Not a single growl.

“What happened?” Meilin asked, not bothering to fill the rest of them in on what this was about in the first place.

“My courier has disappeared.”

Courier? He slid a glance to the green queen. What important item did she need Delilah’s courier for?

“Where?” Meilin prompted.

Delilah waved a hand, and the screen immediately changed to show a map with a small red dot moving across Australia. It was headed north. Then it stopped. No more blipping dot.

“I have a tracer on her,” Delilah told them. “Last contact was just south of Darwin, fifty-two minutes ago.”

Ladon leaned forward. “What is she delivering?”

Delilah paused infinitesimally, glancing toward Meilin as if checking for permission to share that detail. “A rainbow basilisk egg.”

Interesting.

“Aren’t those incredibly rare?” Skylar asked Ladon.

Ladon only nodded.

But Delilah heard her. “Yes, they are. Rainbow basilisks are coveted for multiple benefits—healing, future telling, and so forth. It was found by one of the green dragon colonies in Australia.”

“Why bring it to dragons and not basilisks?” Skylar asked.

“Basilisks need dragon fire to hatch.” Delilah hesitated a tiny moment.

And Meilin was the closest dragon leader, which explained why it was being brought here.

Delilah cleared her throat. “The last known rainbow basilisk hatched at the end of the Great Darkness that enveloped the world.”

Seven hells.

Asher hadn’t been alive for that. Dragon shifters lived almost two thousand years, but that had been long before even the oldest dragon now alive could remember. A war of creatures of darkness against those who wielded light. “Are you saying that’s what we’re headed for?” Ladon asked, words clipped. “Another Great Darkness?”

Delilah spread her hands in a gesture that indicated even she wasn’t sure. Which was saying a lot. The woman seemed to know everything.

“What do we know about the courier?” Meilin demanded.

With a slight nod, Delilah expanded. “We know she secured the egg from your colony. She checked in with me before starting out. They’ve confirmed she left unhindered with no sign of danger.”

“Have you sent someone after her?” Meilin asked.

Delilah linked her fingers together. “That’s why I’m contacting you. She’s the best at what she does. If her signal went out, it’s either because she’s dead or, the more likely scenario, because she wanted it to. A signal to me that she’s in trouble.”

“What’s the protocol?” Asher asked.

“She can ditch the egg and run, or she goes incognito, acting as a human. I have certain signs to look for to tell me where she is.”

“Which is more likely?”

“She’ll exhaust all options to finish the job before she ditches the egg.”

---