Page 27 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
I ran my gaze around the room, still finding it empty. “What? Who?”
The front entrance flew open with a bang, and a figure appeared in the doorway.
The bright light behind him made it hard to distinguish his features, but I’d have recognized his voice anywhere. “Wuz up, ladies? Bow before the new master slayer!”
“Dear Zorya,” Freya muttered, sniffing the air with disdain. “He’s even more full of self-importance. Can I take a chunk out of him so we can bring his ego back down to Earth?”
“No. Like it or not, we need him,” I said, giving her an amused look.
She sighed. “Ahhh, more’s the pity.”
I pushed back my chair and ran over to give him a hug. “Glad you made it. Doing okay?”
When I’d stopped by Conrad’s house the day before, he’d still been in the throes of it. Rosalie and Rayna had assured me he needed another day to finish and said it was best not to bother him. I felt terrible I couldn’t have helped in some way, considering he’d been by my side when I’d gone through theagony of becoming a full slayer. It was one of those things you didn’t want to do more than once in your life. Unfortunately, I had too many duties these days and couldn’t spare much time, even for a close friend.
“You were right that it was painful as shit,” Conrad said, shaking his head.
I gestured at him to follow me to the table. “How are you feeling now?”
“Strong as hell and faster.” He settled into the chair beside Javier and began plating hisfood. “Also, ready to kill some dragons.”
Freya leaned forward and snarled at him.
Conrad put up a hand. “Alright, alright. You gotta chill, girl. Obviously, I didn’t meanyou. I ain’t got no doubt you’ll be kickin’ ass in this war, and you’re definitely someone I’d rather toss at my worst enemy than fight myself.”
It was all I could do to hold back a snicker. I’d truly missed him over the last few days.
“If you just finished your transition, what are you doing here?” I frowned at him as the implications hit me. “You should be out hunting with Rayna to get your first kill. The urge will be the strongest right now until you get a handle on it.”
It was impressive how well he was doing sitting across from Freya without showing any sign of wanting to attack her. Maybe years of exposure to dragons and shifters had made a difference, or it could have beenbecause of the slow method he used to become a slayer. We had no way to be sure, though it was a relief. It took months for me to build my tolerance.
Conrad gestured at Javier. “Our resident vampire here asked me to stop by and donate some blood. If I want my girl to be safe durin’ the battle, gotta get that potion for her.”
“Seriously?” I turned toward the sorcerer. “You already had a slayer to help?”
“Vampire? Your imagination needs work, infant slayer.” He turned his attention to me as Conrad sputtered. “The more who donate, the more doses we can make.”
It was hard to argue that point. “I’m going to need that formula so I can send it to the coalition. They’ve got plenty of sorcerers there who can start making it, so we don’t have to provide any to them when they arrive.”
“I don’t like sharing,” he sighed, leaning back in his seat. “But I suppose it is for the best, considering we can’t possibly manufacture enough for their troops on top of everything else we must accomplish. You will get it before you leave.”
“Thank you,” I said, relieved he didn’t put up a fight.
We spent the next few minutes consuming our meal and discussing unimportant things. While I needed to get on the hunt for bad guys, I also had to keep my strength up with food. Javier had so much to offer on the table that all of us could get our fill with plenty to spare—not that Conrad didn’t try to finish it all off. He kept up with Freya while still managing to eat in a civilized manner with no mess. I’d never seen anyone more fastidious in every aspect of his life, except during battles where he became the complete opposite. A psychologist could probably make all kinds of theories about that behavior.
After we finished, the sorcerer grinned and rubbed his flat stomach. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken the time to eat so much.”
“Interesting.” I cocked my head. “Are you going to tell me what I need to know about this group I’m investigating?”
He took a sip of water. “I admit I have not had as much time and energy to keep track of the happenings in town as usual. I can tell youthat you should watch the intersection of South Porter Avenue and East Symmes Street.”
“Why?” I frowned at him. “Are they active in that area?”
“My visions have been fewer and farther between lately due to draining my powers for other purposes—it was a wonder I saw you coming. Rather, one of my people informed me two days ago that they witnessed suspicious behavior near that intersection. I haven’t had a chance to follow up, but I trust you will.”
“What kind of activity?” Freya asked.
He shrugged. “They said it appeared a large group held a meeting in a building no one uses anymore, and they kept a guard posted at the door the entire time. He also said several of them carried crates and large bags when they left.”
