Page 26 of The Dragon's Warlock

“That’s what I thought, but her boss told me she was working on a project to help design fingers.” Diem’s nose scrunched.

It took him a second to figure out what she was talking about. “You mean if someone loses a finger in the field, she would have a replacement? That doesn’t sound very state-of-the-art.”

“They were doing full scans of military men. And if they lost a finger, they could recreate it. Not only did the finger look the same, but it would also function the same, all the way down to the touch. This research was the beginning of the future.”

“That sounds amazing, but I’m not sure that would lead someone… holy shit.”

“You figured out what the link could be?” Diem asked.

“Maybe. Shifters can heal fast. Let’s say you almost slice your finger off.”

Diem nodded.

“In a matter of minutes, your body will heal, and your finger will work perfectly. That’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to kill any type of shifter. The healing happens so fast, but if a shifter has tons of wounds, that could cause death.”

He stopped talking when the waitress filled up the table with food. She had to set a few of the dishes on the table next to them. Diem’s cheeks pinked as she looked at it all. The waitress asked them if they needed anything else then left the table.

Diem took a bite of food before saying, “I’m sure if my sister had known about shifters, she would’ve told me.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to sound like an ass, but you’re not even sure if she told you where she actually worked.”

“Now you care about sounding like an ass?” She laughed.

He deserved that. It was his defense mechanism to help deal with the fact that she did things to his body, things he never thought would be possible. Now he didn’t know what it would be like if she wasn’t around.

“Let’s play hypotheticals. If Kayda used her own blood in an experiment, it would change the outcome in a different way than someone else’s blood. And if that information got into the wrong hands, they could easily find out she had a sister. There might be a chance they are using your sister to get what they need. You could be her weakness.”

“But they don’t have me any longer.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know that,” he said.

A movement out the window caught his eye. Fuck. He wasn’t sure how Ursula had found them so fast. Diem didn’t see the threat because her back was to the window.

Gideon reached in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and threw five hundred dollars on the table. It should cover the massive amount of food she’d ordered. “We need to go.”

Diem didn’t ask questions. She was out of her seat a second later. She grabbed a piece of pizza from the table. He couldn’t help but smile.

The waitress was headed their way. “I left enough money on the table, but we need a different exit.”

He had to give the woman credit. She didn’t ask any questions. “There’s a secret door to the left. It will take you to the back of the building.” She eyed him for a second. “Do I need to call Garth?”

She wasn’t a shifter. He would have sensed it the second he walked in. He also didn’t have time to figure out how a human knew about shifters. “Tell him Ursula is in town. He’ll know what to do.”

He tugged Diem toward the back door. It easily pushed open. They entered a dark, narrow hallway. He could barely see as he jogged toward the exit. Diem didn’t say a word, just kept a grip on his hand. When he reached the door, he placed his ear against it, trying to hear what was on the other side.

“This seems a little like déjà vu. Are we going to fight four men on the other side?” she asked.

“Hopefully, we don’t have to fight anyone. And the bitch didn’t see me through the window. What I want to know is how she found us.”

He slowly opened the door and stepped outside. The back alley was empty, but they would still need to get to his car parked out front. When they made it around the front of the building, he saw her standing next to his car.

“I’m going to distract her. When she isn’t watching, I need you to get into the car and make your way back to the fairy garden and wait for me. If I don’t show up in ten minutes, find Garth.”

“Not going to happen. We do this together.”

“We don’t have time to argue. Just do as I ask.” He didn’t wait for her answer or a nod. Instead, he stepped outside the shadow. “Hey, Ursula, what brings you to Florida?”

Her head whipped around, and he led her in the opposite direction of his car. Ursula had her disguise back in place. She looked like a beautiful blonde most men would trip over their feet to get to, but he knew the actual person who hid inside.

Once across the street, he waited for her. Her high heels clicked against the road. What he didn’t expect was for her men to pull a gun on him in broad daylight.

“Move,” she hissed.

He turned and walked back across the street to the alley. At least Diem would make it out. But he wasn’t sure he would.

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