Page 22 of Cruel Daddy Dragon

I try to distract myself, staring at the paperwork I was trying to fill out. God, this statement is taking forever… It’s just a boring personal statement about a pedestrian thievery that’s going to turn out to be Roscoe—because it always is. It isn’t jobs like this that make me feel like I’m living the dream, exactly, but I welcome the distraction today.

A call comes through the radio:

“Sheriff?”It crackles,“Come in, Sheriff.”

Thank god, a better distraction. I press the button:

“Go ahead,” I answer.

“Check out the tracker—are you free to take job 63?”William says through the radio,“I know you were doing paperwork, but I’m still dealing with some trespassing kids.”

“Let me look,” I say.

I click on the tab of tracked phone calls to see what the 911 operator has written down, and I see job 63. The caller says that people are in her backyard. Apparently, she has not seen these people, only heard them.

I sigh lightly.That’s Roscoe, isn’t it?

That little scamp sure does get around… I can’t think who else it would be. Even the local kids don’t have a lot of interest in trespassing in old ladies’ gardens; it’s boring in there. Who else would be in a random person’s garden? But then my heart drops a little when I realize another option:wait, what if it’s Eclipse?

I don’t know whytheywould want to be in a civilian’s garden either, but after they kidnapped me, it doesn’t seem like anyone knows what they’re up to; Lena’s been very insistent I come round and spend time with her—very,veryinsistent. Subtlety has never been her strong suit, which tells me the dragon group is freaking out a little bit over what they did to me.

But I am a police officer first and foremost. If someone else is in danger, I need to go in and protect them.

So I click the button for the radio.

“Yep. Copy that, Will. I’ll attach myself to 63.”

“Copy that. Thanks, Sheriff.”

***

The call starts out as pedestrian as it can get; I arrive at the property on the call and knock on the door. It’s opened by a very frazzled old lady—a regular, in fact—and she worriedly explains about the strange noises she’s heard in her backyard. Usually, I’d tell Mrs. Harrison that I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, but this time, I just nod somberly at her.

“I’ll check it out, Mrs. Harrison,” I assure her, “I promise.”

She gives me a grateful smile and lets me in her house. As I walk through her house, I get my cell phone out and get Lena’s phone number up. I don’t have any of the dragons on speed dial—which I realize is an idiotic move on my part—but I’m sure one of them is lurking nearby anyway, and calling Lena is as good as calling Cyrus nowadays, considering how they’re joined at the hip.

Once I have Lena’s phone number up, I draw my gun with my other hand. Then, I dare venture into the backyard.

It looks so ordinary—flower beds lining either side, an apple tree in the center. A marble statue that doubles up as a bird bath next to the tree. Honestly, there are not many places a human being can hide here; that eases a little of the adrenaline coursing through me. I’d be shocked if a human child was lurking somewhere around here, considering the space we’re working with, let alone one of those monstrous, hulking shifters.

That’s what I think, but then asnapnearby has me bristling again. Another lightcrackcauses me to wheel around, my gun pointed at the sound.

“All right, come out slowly!” I order, “Police! I am armed—come out with your hands up!”

More rustling. I isolate the bush that it’s coming from and creep closer.

That can’t be a shifter… that can’t be Eclipse… there’s no way that’s a dragon…

I chant affirmations in my head, but my heart still hammers in my chest. I’m panting ever so lightly in a small panic.

I’m getting closer… I’m almost there…

Something rockets out of the bush at me. I step back. Aim my gun. Get ready to fire and—

I realize in time and groan.

“Oh,Roscoe!” I sigh.

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