Page 51 of The White Dragon's Dilemma

Iolaire assented.They had their immediate family safe in High Reach and they had to getinsidethe store.The Spirits were clustered thickly by the second story.The bomb was there and it was only a miracle that it hadn’t gone off.He could have had Iolaire simply cover the building with its body, but the bombers--and there were people in there, he could hear heartbeats even over the roar of the crowd--would be dead and maybe innocents too.No, he had to get the bomb out of there without ripping off the top of the building.

“Iolaire!”King Anwar’s voice broke through to him. The Silver Dragon Shifter had left his car and was striding towards them.He was a handsome man, face full of concern, as he called their name again. “Iolaire, what are you doing?”

Caden wondered if Anwar thought he was stealing his thunder or something from the way he had been described the night before.But the Silver Dragon Shifter appeared concerned and not angry.

Here goes nothing!

Caden then shifted into his human form.There was a collective gasp before there were hundreds of flashes as people took pictures of him--in the nude, of course, great, just great--as he grasped Anwar’s left bicep.

“There’s a bomb!Up there!We have to get it out of here before it goes off!”Caden pointed towards the second story.“Help me!”

He didn’t wait to see if Anwar was coming, but insteadjumpedup to the second story.One leap.He knew he could do it.He grasped the bottom of the window frame and was about to smash it open when a beam of light streaked overhead and the window simply disintegrated.

Light as a weapon! Wow!

Caden though did not have any more time to admire Anwar’s abilities.He pulled himself up and through the window and into the second floor.Anwar was by his side, having jumped up easily as well.

The two of them saw the following.There were over two dozen barrels--from the smell of them they had fertilizer in them--filling the front room.There were three people there.Two men and a woman.They were all three hunched over a timer.They hadn’t quite finished with the bomb yet.

This would have destroyed more than a whole city block…

Caden did not think.Later, Anwar would tell everyone that Caden’s eyes went a spooky white as he sent a wave of ice at the three of them.Ice wound around all three of them, freezing them in place.The timer fell from nerveless hands.He then heard some running footsteps downstairs.There were more than these three in on the plot.

Two men raced from the front of the building.No one stopped them because they didn’t realize who they were.Caden leaned out of the building and extended a hand towards the running men.Ice shot towards them.Ice wound around the fleeing men’s legs and immediately took them down.There were screams from shocked people, but mostly there was stunned silence.

“Look after these…people,” Caden’s voice was deep with disdain and barely repressed rage as he spoke to Anwar.

The Silver Dragon nodded and looked a little wide-eyed himself.

Caden jumped from the second story window and landed in that classic superhero pose before straightening up and stalking over towards the still-struggling men.They were on their fronts.He flipped them over.When they saw him their eyes went huge and their nostrils flared with fear.

“You are going to tell me,” Caden intoned as his eyes narrowed, “absolutelyeverything.”

LOVE OVER HATE

Valerius watched as Caden froze the bad guys to the ground on the television his staff had rolled in. Raziel let out a bark of laughter, belching black smoke and fire, thoroughly pleased at Caden and Iolaire’s performance. Valerius felt his heart leave his throat and settle back in his chest again.He had not been afraid for Caden.No bomb could have hurt him or Iolaire, but the loss of human lives would have been terrible and would have scarred his mate forever. Illarion grunted beside him.Valerius eyed him.

“He is a mighty little thing, I suppose,” Illarion stated with a sniff.

The Green Dragon Shifter was not the only Dragon to have sought him out in the throne room when Anwar’s entourage had arrived.Allof them had.

Esme gave Illarion a narrow-eyed look.“Inanyestimation, Caden and Iolaire were brilliant.Little thing indeed!”

Mei’s lips twitched before she said, “The press appears to agree with you, Esme.Half a dozen helicopters are circling his location and look!The reporters are running, even in their high heels, towards him and Anwar. What a way to introduce yourself!”

“Anwar will be pleased with the added attention,” Esme remarked with a shake of her head.

“Humans First were counting on that, which is why they likely chose his parade to rain upon,” Mei answered.

Indeed, the helicopter feeds showed reporters rushing from their marked places on the route to where Caden appeared to be interrogating the suspects.The Claw were also converging on the spot.The reporters and the guard were practically bumping into one another in their haste to get to Caden. Simi and Ngoye were not among them, as Valerius had ordered the two Claw captains to go to the Humans First safehouse where Rose and Wally had overheard the bombing plot.

Humans First had likely abandoned the spot already when they saw that their plan had failed, but there was still a chance that they could be captured. If not now, they would be later.Valerius would make sure that there was nowhere in this world that was safe for them.He even had Marban directing his people to go into every hidey hole that Reach had to find them.But even with his best people looking for Jasper Hawes and company, very capable Claw captains were running things down on the ground.

Not that Caden appears to need them,Valerius thought with a touch of pride.

Caden crouched down by one of the bombers and lifted his chin.Icicles appeared in the bomber’s hair when he did not respond to Caden’s question.To get Caden and Iolaire this angry was difficult. But innocent lives had been at stake.

“Iolaire’s initial landing though…” Tez waved his right hand through the air while his left was curled around his chest.“It needed more finesse.They must be taught to landgracefully. No thumping! The ground shook and Iolaire’s tail took out some cars.”

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