Page 14 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
“What happened?” I asked.
She rubbed her soot-covered face. “Four men came to my house. They told me if I didn’t stop working with the dragons that they would kill me. I’ve gotten some threats in the past month or so, but I didn’t think they’d resort to this level of violence. When I refused, they squirted some liquid on the front of my home and lit it on fire. I tried to escape from the back door, but they shot at me, and I had to hide inside.”
I glanced toward the house. Freya had left us to go over and blow her own flames. Hers appeared to be canceling out the fire, to my surprise. Up until now, I hadn’t known a shifter could do that, but the issue had never come up while I was around before.
“If you didn’t think the group was dangerous, why did you send someone to get me?” I asked, confused.
“Actually, I didn’t.” She gave me a rueful smile. “Was it Larry?”
“Yeah, but he said you made the request.”
The councilwoman let out a sigh. “He and his friends have been watching me since the threats started, but until today, it seemed overblown. I suppose I should be grateful he came to you when he did.”
No kidding. She’d have been dead if we hadn’t intervened, and even then, it was close.
Then something alarming occurred to me. “If they’ve been keeping an eye on you, why didn’t they save you?”
“Oh, my God.” Nadine’s eyes rounded, and she struggled to her feet. “There were two of them standing outside earlier, but I didn’t see them anywhere when the other men arrived.”
I gestured wildly to get Freya’s attention. The shifter stopped what she was doing and turned toward us. She’d doused most of the fire on the house, so it would probably die down on its own at this point. “We’ve got two missing guys. Can you help me find them?”
Please let them still be alive,I thought.
“Yes. I will check in that direction first.” Freya gestured toward the side of the house where the fence was sagging.
“Sounds good.”
I took stock of our surroundings. There were many places where the men could have gone, considering we would have noticed them if they’d been near the front yard or street. Most ofthe homes on the block remained intact, with residents clearly living in them based on their upkeep. We would have to contend with fences, sheds, and other obstacles during our search.
Some people gathered across the street to check out the burned house. No one stood out as suspicious, and most appeared shocked by the scene, but could the attackers have returned to ensure their job was done?
I leaned toward Nadine, whispering in a low tone. “Do any of those people look like your arsonists?”
“No.” She shook her head. “They’re all folks who live around here.”
I beckoned a few who had begun to edge closer. Two guys and a woman in their twenties appeared especially upset by the damage and looked like they could be useful.
“Can you all help us look around for a couple of missing men?” I asked, looking each of them in their eyes. “They were guarding the councilwoman’s house earlier, and I’m afraid something might have happened to them.”
They exchanged looks, and then the girl with short brown hair stepped forward with a kind smile for Nadine and me. “No problem. We saw them earlier and know what they look like. If they’re around here, we’ll find them.”
I appreciated her positive attitude.
The group took off, splitting in different directions. Freya returned from the back and shook her head when I gave her an inquiring expression. I wanted to search as well, but I was afraid to leave Nadine alone. Just because the bad guys were out of sight didn’t mean they hadn’t stuck around to watch from afar.They’d meant for the councilwoman to die, and we’d thwarted them.
Freya stopped next to us, scanning the area with focused intensity.
“Did you notice anyone suspicious around here as we flew toward the house?” I asked her.
Her lips thinned. “I thought I saw some movement here.” She pointed at the front lawn. “But the fire drew my attention, and as we got closer, I didn’t see anything more.”
“They must have noticed you coming their way,” I surmised.
Freya tossed her long, blonde braid over her shoulder. “Yes, I do tend to send men running away at the first sight of me. It can be a blessing and a curse.”
In her dragon form, she had amber scales with a red undertone. Now that she stood as a human, she was beautiful with lightly tanned skin, orange eyes, and a strong bone structure like a Valkyrie. She towered over me. When she truly wanted to scare people away, she shifted to her half form—a rare ability among her kind—and became something resembling a scary monster. Ruari, her mate and Aidan’s brother, had been terrified of her in the beginning. Now, he seemed to love and embrace that part of her.
“At least you look intimidating. I gotta start cutting holes into people before anyone decides I might be a threat,” I said, glancing down at my toned yet petite form.
