Page 20 of Bewitching the Dragon
“So?” Argyle said.
“Wait. Rojo—” Ketu started to say, but Rahu cut him off.
“So she was in that deli too, and she was scared. I could see it in her eyes when I got there. She practically leaped into my arms she was so happy to see me.” He’d been hoping she would, at the time, public displays be damned.
Argyle scowled. “That means nothing.”
“Why did I drop what I was doing and go straight to that place? I didn’t know she was there. Hell, I didn’t even know why I was walking down the street until I saw her standing inside that deli.”
“She does not know of her powers. How could she use them?” Argyle argued.
“Latent magic is strong,” Mildred supplied. “Especially if it’s been dormant for—how many years?”
“Twenty-five,” Rahu said.
Mildred nodded. “That’s a lot of power.”
Argyle was already shaking his head. “It’s too dangerous. I will not risk her life because you want—”
“You’re risking her life bynottelling her,” Rahu said.
Somebody whistled shrilly. Rahu whipped his head around to face Antoinette, who was removing two fingers from her mouth.
“Now that I have your attention,” she said and then waved at Ketu, who clearly wanted to speak.
“Rojo dragons,” he said. “Rahu, remember when they kidnapped Petra and Noah’s baby?”
Rahu nodded. “Yeah, it was them. They took off when they spotted me, and I took her straight to her house and then came here.” He narrowed his eyes and glared at Argyle. “I assume you were one of the gargoyles perched on the front porch?”
Argyle arched one brow. Rahu took that as a yes, which was why he hadn’t kissed Becca out there on the sidewalk, even though, damn, the woman was getting harder to resist by the minute.
In retrospect, though, he should have given in to the impulse. Hell, what would Argyle have done? He couldn’t very well have shifted in front of Becca.
Even though he should be able to, because damn it, she should know about his kind—her kind. She should be aware of her supernatural side. Jesus, there wasn’t even a “supernatural side.” She was 100 percentnothuman, and she had no freaking clue.
“She really is in danger,” Ketu said, “and not just from warlocks. I’m not going to tell you what to do regarding letting her know what’s going on, but I do think she needs more protection than the gargoyles can provide.”
“My brethren are the most elite protectors of our species,” Argyle stated hotly.
Ketu raised his hand and shook his head. “I’m not disputing that, Argyle. I’m saying she needs protection against other dragons, and that’s where we come in.”
“We should convince her to stay here,” Antoinette said. “That way, there are dragons around all the time. And if you want to add gargoyles to the mix,” she said, nodding at Argyle, “feel free. There’s plenty of room.”
“Wait a minute,” Rahu said. “If we aren’t supposed to tell her about dragons and gargoyles, how the hell do you think moving her here is going to work?”
“It’s not like we walk around in dragon form all day,” Ketu pointed out.
“The Elders approve of this idea,” Mildred piped up.
“We do?” Hank asked.
“Yes,” Mildred said with a firmness that did not allow for discussion.
Argyle released his military stance and paced to the window, rubbing his hand over his bald head as he walked. “I cannot be here, not in human form. I spend too much in Pacey’s company. I cannot risk her asking too many questions.”
Rahu was suddenly all for this idea of moving Becca to Antoinette and Ketu’s mansion.
Antoinette took charge at that point. “Ketu, pull together a group of trackers. Rahu, you go with him and fill them in on what you know, no matter how insignificant you think it is.”
