Page 19 of Dragon Dreaming (Dragon Intelligence Agency 2)

Chapter Seven

“Okay, let me see if I’ve got this right,” Chase, her least favorite person on the planet, asked for the fifth time. “You have no clue where Hammond Whatever the Hell, III is, because…”

“Because…” Van cut off his temporary boss. “…the last time anyone laid eyes on the rich boy Wizard was at Crimson Moon,” Dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, he turned to Lottie and winked, “Take it away.”

“Andyes, we went back to the resort and looked. Even had the entire staff armed with the talisman crafted by Seraphina and Merlin searching for the last week under every rock, up every mountain, and in every frikkin’ redwood.”

“Like my gorgeous Mate said,” Van nodded, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb as Lottie wished for their third debriefing in the last ten days to be over so she could go back to being alone with her Dragon and getting to know him better in all the best ways. “We’ve looked everywhere. My guess is Vanessa sacrificed the poor SOB and we just haven’t found the body yet.”

“If there is a body,” Chase grumbled before snapping back with, “Speaking of Vanessa Marron, you do know that she’s locked up tighter than a nun’s knees on Easter Sunday in Valley Hills Home for the Supernaturally Criminally Insane, right?”

“You might have mentioned it a hundred or so times,” Lottie sighed. “Can we…?”

“Umm, you can tell me one more time what happened to Oriens. I just can’t…”

“Remember how to come in out of the rain?” Lottie sassed, pushing to the edge of her chair and reaching across the desk.

Taking a hold of Chase’s wrist, she directed, “Close your eyes. I can’t believe I have to do this, but if it will shut you up, I’m game.”

“Don’t be that way, Lottie,” Chase almost whined and for the first time, she thought he might not be the biggest jerk in the world. Then he added, “I like you, I just have to cover all our asses, ya’ know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do,” she ground out through gritted teeth. “You mean – save your own ass – and if some of it happens to spill over to Van and I, well, you don’t really give a shit.”

“But I…”

“Oh, do hush up, Chase,” she deadpanned. “Close your eyes and watch the show.”

Knowing he would follow her instructions because if nothing else, Special Agent Chase Kensington wanted to look good to his bosses, Lottie squeezed her Mate’s hand and drawing on their combined Magic whispered, “Reveal.”

Letting the hand holding onto Chase’s wrist relax as a replay of everything that happened when Van came rushing into her Coven’s mansion and saved the day started. Speeding forward, she slowed the images to normal speed just as the blade of Van’s sword stopped just inches above Jianna’s head.

“What the fuck, Ji? Get out of the way! This bastard’s gotta die.”

“Nope, no can do,”the Valkyrie shook her head.“How many times does someone have to tell you – the darkness cannot be destroyed. Without it there can be no light, no good, no faith, no hope, no love, nothing. It takes a delicate balance to keep our universe spinning and destroying the Oriens, one of the four sub-Princes of Hell, the infernal King of the East will most assuredly, without a single doubt knock everything we have ever known, everything we know, and everything that is destined to happen completely and totally tits up.”

“He tried to take over the world, ordered the murder of Lottie’s mom and her entire Coven, made Vanessa hurt Prue and Lottie… Oh, my Goddess!” Van roared, throwing his sword back into the ether as he sprinted across the demolished room that used to be one of the most elegant formal dining rooms in all of south Texas.

Transforming back to his human form, he slid to a stop, gently wrapped his arm around Lottie’s still-bleeding neck and held her close. “Get them down, Daig. Get them down now,” Van roared, his voice thick with emotion and fear.

Pure, white Dragon Magic filled the air as Van whispered, “You’re gonna be alright, Lottie. I swear you’ll be alright. Then you’re gonna accept my apology and become my Mate so I can make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

Untied in the blink of an eye and in the arms of her Mate, but still unconscious, Lottie watched as Van and Daig healed both she and Prue, making sure they were as good as new before allowing them to wake. “Thank the Heavens,” Van whispered, raining kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, and most importantly her lips.

Fast forwarding because Chase Kensington did not to see how she kissed her Mate with every emotion, all the love, and all the adoration in every fiber of her being. He also had no business knowing that right then and there she not only accepted Van’s apology but agreed to be his Mate forever and then some.

Stopping just as Prue was waking up, she advised, “Now, pay attention. This is the last time I play DVR for your personal edification of the facts surrounding the return of Oriens to Hell.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Chase breathed, making Lottie grin from ear-to-ear and whisper directly into Van’s mind,“There might be hope for him yet.”

Tuning back into the replay she was magically producing, Lottie chuckled. It was one of her favorite parts.

“Ummm, guys,”the Valkyrie cleared her throat. “You might wanna…”

Still kissing her Dragon as if he was the air she breathed, Lottie just barely pulled away and grumbled, “Hush up, Jianna. Van and I are makin’ up over here.”

“Yeah, well, you might wanna pause on the kissy face. We’ve got company.”

Lifting her head and opening her eyes, Lottie was ready to curse a blue streak when the orb of bright white light that Jianna was pointing to expanded to encompass the entire room. Out of the brilliant glow of pure moonlight came a flock of white doves, a frolick of Crystal Fairies, and two silver Sleipnir Mares.

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