Page 30 of Dragon's Honor

“About three years ago, I was attacked. I was saved by a wolf. It was raining and dark. I watched him turn from a wolf into a man. It was…” she put her hand over her heart, “amazing. And terrifying. He made sure I was okay and then he got me home and then just like that he was gone.”

Finley stared at her in deep thought. She had so many questions. There was no reason to believe the woman. She could’ve been a complete nutter.

“Did you see him ever again?”

“I started my website. Other people started posting their experiences and then it just sort of took on a life of its own. About six months ago, a man came into my shop. I swore I’d seen him before. He ordered a coffee and then there was my necklace on the counter. I’d lost it that night the wolf saved me. I chased after him, ran out of the shop as fast as I could. But he was gone.”

“Did this happen in Miami?”

Nadine shook her head. “Minnesota. I moved down here last year to take care of my grandmother. This is her shop.”

Finley sipped her coffee, trying to make sense of the hundreds of questions she wanted to ask all at once.

“Did anything happen with your dragon?”

Finley shook her head. “Sadly, no. I sat on the beach as long as I could, but the storm was bad that night and I was afraid my equipment would get ruined. I packed it in. I’ve gone back a few times, but it’s stupid to think I would just see a dragon.”

“Not stupid. Hopeful.”

“Hopeful? Is that what I am?”

“You don’t seem scared,” Nadine pointed out. “At least not about your dragon. You said you had a encounters? Plural.”

Finley sighed and nodded. “I don’t like to talk about it much. I was a little kid, and I remember it vividly, but it feels like a bad monster movie. A dark and stormy night in an alley with a man with fangs.”

Nadine cringed. “That sounds terrible. I would be terrified all the time.”

“Were you?” Finley asked. “That night with the wolf?”

Nadine looked a little wistful. “At first, but then…I just wanted to know more about the man. He clearly wasn’t going to hurt me. Would’ve defeated the purpose of saving me. It was incredible to watch. I just wish I knew why he’d saved me and if he did come back, why didn’t he say something?”

“That’s a tragic mystery. I would go out of my mind.”

“Sounds like you are already over your dragon.”

Finley smiled. “I suppose you have a fair point.”

“Have you heard of something called Dragon Fire?”

Ash sat forward. “Where did you hear that?”

Finley raised an eyebrow. “You’ve heard of Dragon Fire?”

But Nadine nodded right along. “It’s this drug that burns people from the inside out. The police are trying hard to keep it out of the papers, but it’s all over the internet now. There have been incidents all over the city involving people burning from the inside out. It’s always nine.”

Finley’s brow furrowed. “What’s always nine?”

“The number of people who die from Dragon Fire. It’s always nine. Except for the incident…”

“At Club Opal,” Finley finished with wide eyes.

Ash let out a low rumbling growl.

Nadine’s eyes widened to match Finley’s. “You were there. I remember now from the footage.”

Finley nodded her head woodenly. “I didn’t…know there were other incidents. I heard a breath of something called Dragon Fire that night at the club, but I didn’t know…what it meant.”

Ash grabbed Finley’s wrist and yanked her around, so she was looking at him. “You need to drop this questioning right now.”

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