Dragon Heartstring(16)

“Are you aware of the upcoming hearing on banning Volt guns?”

“Am I aware of it?” he scoffed. “We’ve been planning for the barricades and protesters for weeks. The whole precinct is ready for the damn thing to be over.”

“Good.” That put my mind at ease. Some.

Max’s easy nature disappeared. The pensive detective looked back at me. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Well, hopefully nothing. Can we meet up for a drink soon?”

“Sure. Just give me a call when you’re free.” Someone called his name beyond the comm. “All right. I’m coming,” he said with a wave, then turned back to me. “We’ll talk soon, Cade.”

I nodded and clicked off. I hoped there was no need to involve Max in this. But the look on Aron Grayson’s face a few minutes ago told me otherwise.





Chapter 6





Spire Maiden was the first nightclub designed to appeal to both Morgons and humans here in Gladium. Hell, I doubted there was any club anywhere else in another province that was quite like it. Of course, it was the project of Lorian Nightwing, Sorcha’s husband and mate. The two had teamed up to create a beautiful feat of architecture and design that was comfortable for both species.

The interior was open fully to the night sky several stories up so that Morgons could move freely by flight from one floor to another. But rather than a stairwell flush against the walls, there was a glass elevator right next to the dancefloor. Genius, really. The elevator was obviously only for humans, but was put in as a centerpiece, not an afterthought, keeping them part of the party as they ventured from one floor to the next.

Tonight, the lights were dimmed, but it was still well-lit in the interior, and the buzzing of overlapping voices filled the room rather than blaring house music. There was a band setting up. A Morgon stood on stage tuning his guitar. Another one worked with amplifiers and walked over to ask him something. Both Silverbacks were similar in build with long blond hair.

“Welcome, brother.” Jessen waltzed up to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Glad you could make it.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss one of your charity events.”

Jessen seemed to fill her time organizing fundraisers more than anything else these days.

“Well, this is going to be a fun one. Not the same old boring thing. We’ve got a band and great atmosphere.”

“I like the same old boring thing.”

She hooked an arm through mine and guided me into the crowd where servers carried silver trays of wine and hors d’oeuvres.

“You know you could’ve dressed down a bit.”

“I came straight from the office.”

“Demetrius. You were at the office till just now?”

I made no reply.

She rolled her eyes with a sigh. “You’re going to die young if you keep up this stressful pace.”

“I enjoy work,” I said as she stopped a server and lifted two glasses of red wine before handing one to me.

“Well, tonight, try to take your business cap off and enjoy the party.”

Across the room at the bar, Lucius stood talking to his cousin, Paxon.

“I will.”

“I’ll catch up to you later,” she said before welcoming someone new.

I made my way through the crowd, draining the glass of wine before I reached him. Lucius faced me as I approached, his midnight black wings opening slightly.

“Cade,” he said with a nod. “You remember my cousin, Paxon.”

“Yes. Hello.”

The man with identical wings standing at his side tipped his drink to me.

“Would you like something stronger?” asked Lucius. “You look like you could use it.”

“Hell yes.”

Lucius held up two fingers to the bartender who promptly delivered two glasses of the amber liquor, Brevette, a fine import from Primus. Lucius handed over a glass. I wasted no time and knocked back a gulp that burned sweetly down my throat. As I hoped, it took the edge off my nerves with the news I had to deliver. Reminding him of the day I stood on the side of that arrogant bastard, Aron Grayson, was not something I wanted to do. But it was inevitable. I had to be sure my sister and nephew were kept safe.

I glanced at Paxon, wishing he would go away. Lucius seemed to know exactly what was going on in my head because he said, “Paxon, why don’t you give us a minute.”

His cousin studied me for a second longer, then gave a nod and headed over to his wife, Ella, who was one of Jessen’s best friends.

“All right, Cade. I’ve waited long enough. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

I gulped down the rest of the Brevette and slid the empty tumbler onto the bar. “I had an interesting visit this morning.”

“Oh?”

“From Aron Grayson.”

The man’s eyes flared an otherworldly blue, and his pupils narrowed into serpentine slits. An electric current lit the air and raised the hairs on my arms. I knew enough from my sister to understand this happened to Morgons when their dragon rose to the surface. For Lucius, all it took was the mention of Grayson.

“What the fuck did he want?” His vocals were more growl than words.

“Lucius, I need you to keep calm and not lose it over this.”