A Dragon's Mark Read online

  She hoped she didn’t miss the ferry, even though they ran every hour she didn’t want to get stuck waiting and then seeing them coming back to the house on the same ferry. She had a friend who ran a private investigation office close to the Pike Place marketplace. She could grab her favorite coffee drink after talking to him and take some pictures of the flowers and the people outside. It was a beautiful sunny day and she was sick of being inside.

  On the ferry, she took the option of getting out of her car and taking the trip on the deck. The wind whipped her hair around so she pulled it back with a scrunchie she kept in her purse. Caye donned her sunglasses and held her face up to the sun as the ferry sliced through the water. The announcement to return to your cars and prepare to disembark came over the loudspeaker. Caye walked along with the other ferry passengers and when it docked she drove off onto land. The ferry station was very close to Pike’s Place. Caye made a stop to her favorite coffee shop and got a white mocha vanilla latte and a plain coffee, no sugar no cream, for Jeff. Jeff was six feet two inches, blond, and handsome as hell. He also liked show tunes and was head over heels in love with his boyfriend, Dale. Jeff was the PI and Dale was the lawyer. They shared an office and more than often Dale helped Jeff handle cases. Caye loved them both so when she stepped in the office and saw Dale sitting on the edge of Jeff’s desk it wasn’t a surprise.

  She held up the cup of coffee. “Before you bitch me out, Dale, I expected you to be in court so I only got one coffee.”

  “Girl, you know I only drink green tea and those spritzy drinks, plus I got my own,” Dale held up his cup.

  “I went by your house and you or your dad haven’t been there for days.” Jeff gave her the I-know-something-is-going-on look.

  “Yeah, there’s a story behind that you will not believe.” She put the coffee on the desk and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Before she sat she also air-smooched Dale.

  “Trust me, there’s a lot I don’t believe but still I roll with it. Hit me,” Jeff said.

  “Okay, so the both of you have to promise to never ever, ever, ever say anything. It’s a matter of life and death for me and dad,” Caye warned.

  “Oh sweet baby Jesus, there a mob hit involved,” Dale gasped.

  She rolled her eyes. “Really, that’s where you jump to? No mob, but I met a guy who can shift into a dragon.”

  They both looked at her for what seemed like minutes before they both started laughing. Dale fell off his perch on the table and Jeff beat his hand on the desk, real professional behavior for two grown men.

  “Oh honey, if he told you it was a dragon, please tell me that what was in his pants was that and more,” Jeff wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes.

  “Seriously, are you two in high school,” she snapped. “I’m serious. Dad saw it and I did too. Have you ever known me to be naive?”

  “No, but a dragon sweetie, the carbon monoxide detectors in the house need to be checked,” Dale said.

  “If you two nutballs would listen to me I’ll tell you everything and why I’m here,” Caye said with irritation.

  “Okay, okay, tell us,” Jeff said “And we won’t laugh.”

  She related everything that had happened the last few days and where she and her father were staying. By the time she was done she could still see skepticism in their eyes, yet belief was there as well. She didn’t do drugs or hallucinate. Caye was as rock-solid as they come and the few friends in her circle knew that well.

  “So you’re saying you are helping one dragon find these other nasty dragons and you need us to help you find records of any newly bought places or derelict ones that these things could be holed up in,” Jeff surmised. “I need something way stronger than coffee.”

  “Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Caye answered. “Aki, that the dragon’s name, he and my dad have been taking off every day and leaving me at the damn huge house by myself. Like they think I’m a girl and I need protecting.”

  “Um sweetie, you are a girl,” Dale pointed out gently.

  She drilled him with a cold stare. “I know, I put my own panties on this morning and saw that for myself.”

  “Ewwwww, she said panties,” Dale muttered.

  “Yeah, like you don’t browse the Victoria’s Secret catalog for them to wear,” Caye said. “Anyway, Dad is going on about his resources and Aki is doing his dragon thing. What should I do, stay home and make biscuits and a pie?”

  “Meat and potatoes too, they can’t eat just biscuits and pie,” Jeff teased. And was on the receiving end of her withering stare. “Okay honey, tell us what you need.”

  “Help me find some good places to search and then we stake them out,” Caye cajoled. “Come on, this is better than chasing down some cheating spouse and filing papers all day.”

  “Do we get to meet the dragon?” Dale asked.

  “If we find something good, I’ll let him make the decision and tell him you helped,” Caye held up her hands. “I’m technically not even supposed to say anything, but you guys are my besties.”

  “Okay, it’s a deal. How long do you have?” Jeff opened up his laptop and pressed the power button.

  “They’ll be gone all day and into the night,” Caye said. “I think dad is having way too much fun at it.”

  Jeff stared at his computer as he spoke. “It’s better than him sitting home thinking about your mom and scaring your dates. By the way, is dragon-boy dateable?”

  Caye scooted her chair next to him and Dale got one from the corner and did the same. “Yeah, he’s hot, we kissed but he has this, I’m-a-longer-thing going on. He said, and I quote, ‘this can’t happen.’ We’ve been pussy footing around each other in that big house.”

  “Hmmm, sexual chemistry, me likey,” Dale whistled.

  “Jeez, with both of you over my shoulder and breathing down my neck how am I supposed to work,” Jeff grumbled.

  “The same way you do when we always do it,” Caye murmured. She poked him in the shoulder. “Make this thing do stuff.”

  “Like I say that when you use your camera and lenses,” Jeff pointed out.

  “That’s an art,” Caye retorted.

  “Children, don’t make me bring out the wooden spoon, play nice,” Dale teased.

  They all laughed and then focused on the computer. She had missed this the last few days, being with her friends and doing what she did every day. For the moment Aki wasn’t in her mind and it was like any other day in Seattle even though this investigation was about him. If she thought about the kiss and his lips on her and how his body felt she’d go insane with need. He obviously wanted her to stay far away so she was going to do just that. Later that afternoon, with prospects on paper of a few derelict warehouses and hotels in their hand, Jeff and Dale followed her out to the car. They whistled at the Mercedes and how sleek it was. Jeff insisted on driving in case they had to evade unwanted attention.

  She let him get away with the comment. She knew it was just because he wanted to drive the convertible. They spent the rest of the afternoon taking pictures and eating fast food while they watched. They found two places with suspicious activity and she took pictures with long-range lenses that Aki could take a look at when she printed them off her computer.

  It was dark when they came back to the office. She looked wishfully at Pike’s Place, it was empty and all the vendors were gone. Taking pictures of everything was on her list but she’d missed out. She consoled herself that it was always there, the flowers, the people, the sights, smells, and sounds. She’d take her pictures again and enjoy every moment of it, very soon. Around the area was deserted and it seemed she had missed the last ferry.

  “You have two options. Either stay with us tonight and call your dad to let him know you’re safe, or drive around the lakes to the bridge,” Jeff said.

  She didn’t get a chance to take an option, a roar sounded and they all looked around in fright. The dragon form of Aki landed in the vendor area of Pike’s place. He crushed some of the booths un
der his massive frame. Caye was still in awe with his magnificence while Jeff and Dale were busy screaming.

  “Sweet baby Jesus!” Dale screamed.

  “Will you two shut it, this is, Aki,” she said. The noise ended immediately.

  He shifted and was moving seconds afterward. His face was a mask of fury as he walked over to them. Aki was totally nude and pure muscle, she heard Dale gasp and Jeff whistle.

  “Well hello, hello,” Dale murmured.

  “Aki, you seriously damaged the vendor’s booths, these people need them for their livelihood,” Caye said.

  He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a shake. “Are you mad, you left the safety of my home for a tryst? Your libido couldn’t hold out for a few days, and not only one man but two?”

  “Uh, what now?” She was totally confused.

  “Don’t play coy with me, I may have fallen for it before but here you are, with two men while your father is at my home frantic,” Aki snarled. “Have you no care?”

  “Whoa, hold up, you think the three of us…” Caye started to chuckle, then laughed so hard she couldn’t stop the tears. Jeff and Dale were looking on with interest, but mostly at Aki’s body.

  “I don’t see what’s so funny,” he snapped.

  “It’s funny because they’re together as a couple and they’re more interested in looking at you.” She stopped laughing as quickly as she started and stood straight and tall. Fire flashed in her eyes and the amusement was replaced by anger.

  “Oh shit, it’s hurricane Caye,” Jeff murmured. “Step back, Dale honey, this is not going to be pretty.”

  “How dare you come in here all dragon-fire and wrong assumptions, destroying shit and accusing me of not caring for my father,” she seethed. She poked him in the chest and he stepped back. Caye stalked him like a cheetah. “The two of you left me in the house alone and expected me to do what, stay there and paint my toenails? I have a job, hell I work with these two on occasion while you’re there assuming I’m scared of spiders and need protecting.”

  Caye threw her hands in the air and let all the tension from the past few days vent in her anger. “We found some seriously good information that can be of use to you. But no, you come in here, see two guys and one girl and make me the meat in their sandwich. Why would you care anyway, huh?” She poked him in the chest once more. “You kissed me and then went all ‘I’ve-got-angst’ on me. I’m not a teenage girl who’ll think it’s cool. I’ve got a life, Aki, and if you don’t want my help let me know. You and my dad can go hunt your Shen and I’ll stay with my friends until I can go home. Either way, trust me I’m not lying in bed thinking about you.”

  “Really, you’re not thinking about me?” Aki said.

  She lifted her head so she could look up at his face with her hands on her hips. “Hell no, I’m not.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until her head swam. The man could kiss and everything melted away as he devoured her lips and plundered her mouth. He growled low in his throat and this time he didn’t push her away. She could feel herself drowning in his green gaze.

  “You may not be thinking about me, but you are always in my thoughts,” he said huskily.

  “You suck, you don’t play fair,” Caye’s voice trembled and her heart ached. “Don’t kiss me again until you know what you want, please don’t touch me. I can’t live with the confusion of it all.” She walked over to her friends. Dale and Jeff looked like they wanted two chairs and a bowl of popcorn to watch the show. She went and sat on the hood of the Mercedes and waved her hand toward Aki. “Guys, meet the dragon. See, I’m not crazy.”

  “You sure as hell are not,” Jeff said and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Aki is it? Yeah, so how do you do that?”

  “And please tell me how you have abs up to your neck,” Dale replied. “You do know you’re naked, right?”

  “It is my pleasure to meet friends of Caye,” Aki shook his hand. “But now you’ll have to come with us, anyone who knows about me or has been with Caye can be in danger from the Shen.”

  Jeff pulled himself to his full height. “I’m a black belt and I have a carry permit, I can take care of me and my man.”

  Aki inclined his head. “I’m sure you can but the Shen do not come as just one, they come as a legion. They cannot use you for breeding so they will kill you both. Caye cares for you, please do me the courtesy of staying at my home for her peace of mind as well as my own. I would not want to see you harmed because of me.”

  “I’m game, we don’t have any cases pending.” Dale rubbed his hands together and added a bit too eagerly. “So do we get on your back?”

  “How about we drive the car back around the island, it’s just an hour and a half,” Jeff chuckled.

  “I’ll ride with you,” Caye said to her friends.

  “I can take you on my back,” Aki said gently.

  She shook her head. “I’d rather not.”

  He nodded. “I’ll follow you from above. I’ll have repairmen out here to take care of this first thing in the morning.”

  Caye handed the keys to Jeff once more and got in the car. She heard the gasp from the men and knew that Aki was returning to his dragon form. She almost turned to watch but she resisted, she was in the middle of the greatest adventure of her life and somehow she almost wished she were at home doing nothing and eating Oreos in bed. Aki caused so many different emotions inside her and made her want things she obviously couldn’t have. The car shook as he took to the air, then Jeff and Dale got in the car. She sat in the back seat, arms folded and definitely not happy.

  “Honey, are you okay?” Jeff asked.

  “Men suck,” she muttered.

  Dale squeezed her hand. “Ain’t that the truth? How about we veg when we get there and eat junk food?”

  She shrugged. “Sure, its stocked like Willy Wonka’s freaking factory.”

  “I like it already,” Jeff said. “Babe, there is some serious chemistry between you two but we all know fire burns bright and hot and may not be good for us.”

  “Yet we go touch it anyway.” Caye sighed and leaned her head back. “I’m tired, let me know when we get there.”

  “Okay, you rest your eyes,” Dale said quietly.

  She wasn’t sleeping, they knew it and so did she, but she appreciated them giving her the silence and the time to herself. She didn’t know what was going to happen with Aki but she did know one thing, if he wanted her he sure as hell had to come and get her. She never chased a man and she wasn’t going to start now. Put up or shut up, she thought.

  Chapter Five

  The next day Caye stayed in her room and set up her equipment that was basically her laptop and a photo printer. At home she’d converted the basement from a family room to a workspace and even had a darkroom. Everything could be digital but she still loved the process of photography and carefully exposing film. Right now there wasn’t time to play with her art and what she loved. The quicker she got information and Aki could find the answers he sought, she could go home and put him out of her mind. Of course she knew she was fooling herself, there was no forgetting Aki. Even if he left tomorrow and she went back to her normal routine, everything about him was imprinted to her memory.

  There were two sites that had strange activity for being abandoned. One was a derelict factory outside of Kent and the other was unusual. It was an old four-story hotel that had been condemned right off the interstate. But there were enough overgrown trees and shrubs to offer anonymity for anyone using it to be hidden from sight. It was dark when they checked out the last two places, but her high-resolution camera took great nighttime pictures. It was the reason why she was at the Chihuly Garden on the night she pulled Aki from nowhere. That thought reminded her that her deadline was looming to get those pictures to the magazine.

  She still needed her livelihood and a paycheck so she put the SD card with the surveillance aside. She focused on her actual commission and picked the best pictures for what the trav
el magazine wanted to highlight. Caye worked quickly and efficiently to get the package perfect before zipping the file and sending them off to the editor she was working with. Downstairs she could hear Jeff and Dale exclaiming over everything in the house. Her father was playing tour guide and cook. God only knew where Aki was but he had to be close by. She wondered how he was dealing with the invasion going on in his house. I hope they’re driving him insane, she thought wickedly. She lay each picture on the bed to dry so the ink wouldn’t smear as she printed them out. When she was done she stacked them carefully and went downstairs. Everyone was in the kitchen and her father was making hot paninis on a long griddle. He was secretly in love with Aki’s kitchen, she saw how he eyed the copper pans.

  “You’re just in time to have lunch, Dad’s making grilled chicken and Italian pesto panini,” Dale gushed. Her friend called her father dad, he certainly didn’t mind adopting both Dale and Jeff as his boys he liked to say. She was happy because it took the pressure off her of him asking about a grandson.

  “You’ve been holed up for a long time,” Jeff commented. “Hiding out?”

  She gave him a dark look. “No, I was working smarty pants. I had the Seattle Travel Guide commission to send out before the deadline.” She dropped the stack of photos on the table. “Plus, I had to get these zoomed in to people and printed off so Aki could see. Where is he anyway?”

  “He’s outside doing some martial arts thing,” Dale said and fanned himself. “Better than watching HBO.”

  “Your husband is right here and you’re lusting after a guy,” Caye pointed out.