Page 74 of Dragon Detective

Instead, the map led us to the floor of the wine cellar. When we dug down in the marked spot a few feet, we found a small chest full of gold Roman artifacts. I’d donated them to the local museum, and they were planning an exhibition of them soon.

Now I was covering the desk at Monsters, PI, and let me tell you, the phone rang almost nonstop. This business was building a solid rep, and they were going to be busy.

During a lull, Reylor strode down the hall with his latest client, a pixie trying to prevent a feud with her family. He would be performing some delicate negotiations, and I found what little he could share fascinating.

After the pixie flew out the front door, he walked over to stand beside the desk, his warm gaze traveling down my frame. He could heat me up with one glance, and I loved it. Loved him.

We had plans for the afternoon, and the picnic basket I’d packed sat in the trunk of my car.

The phone rang but it was a wrong number.

“Melly should be here soon to take over for you,” he said after I hung up.

The front door opened, and a woman with shoulder length, wavy brown hair and the best eye makeup I’ve ever seen strolled in. She paused and said something to the older woman with her, before they advanced on the desk.

“I’m Reese Hamilton.” She gave us both a smile and gestured to the woman by her side. “This is my assistant, Tracy Davenport.”

Ah, one of Monster, PI’s new clients, the famous thriller author who grew up in Mystic Harbor but moved away five orso years ago. She’d decided to settle in the area and had recently bought a home on the cliffs overlooking the water. Because someone had been threatening her, her assistant had reached out to us to secure a bodyguard on a temporary basis until they could interview and hire permanent staff.

“Nice to meet you both,” I said, and Reylor murmured agreement. “I’m Hannah, but I’m only filling in at the reception desk while the regular guy is on vacation. You’ll meet Blake next week when he’s back.” I tilted my head to Reylor and introduced him. “He’s covering for the owner, Katar, while Katar takes paternity leave. His daughter just turned one month old, and she’s a sweetie.”

“Amazing that he took the time off,” Reese said pleasantly.

I smiled. “He’s a great guy. Reylor can introduce you to Wolfram Zegrath, who’ll be providing the services you requested.”

“Is Wolfram good at this?” Tracy asked in a haughtier tone than Reese. “Because we will only work with the best.”

“He’s an ancient vampire,” Reylor said, and I admired how civil he remained. “No one, and I mean no one, will come close to threatening Reese while she’s under his care.”

“A vampire?” Tracy gasped, her hand fluttering at her throat.

“Cool,” Reese said.

I sent Wolfram a text, and he came down the hall, his black cape swishing around his legs and his red bow tie almost gleaming against his starched white shirt.

When he reached the end of the hall, his gaze landed on Reese, and I could swear he blanched, though that would be hard to do since he was pale already. He came across as stilted and stuffy at first, but I’d spoken with him a few times in the break room, and he was a nice guy. Smart and articulate.

Tracy’s gaze landed on him, and she released another gasp and backed away.

“Oh, cool,” Reese said in a cheery voice. “I assume you’re Wolfram?” She strode over to him and held out her hand. “I’m Reese Hamilton, your new client.”

He stared down at her hand for a very long time before reaching up to take it in his own.

When he dropped to his knees, I was the one left gasping.

Reylor grinned, and later, he was going to have to explain why he found this so funny.

Tracy took stuttering breaths while Wolfram leaned over to kiss the back of Reese’s hand. He gazed up at her with a look I couldn’t define. Was our overly formal vampire softening for one woman alone? Maybe I’d offer to cover lunches here for a bit to see this in action.

“If you’ll come this way.” Wolfram stood and gestured to the hallway. “We can begin.”

“Sure thing.” Reese trotted along beside him. “Can I call you Wolf for short?”

“It’s Wolfram,” he intoned in a deep voice. “Wolfram Xavier Vladimir Zegrath, if you please.”

“Whoa, that’s a mouthful. Do you really drink blood?”

“I’m a vampire, my dear.”

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