Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (35 page)

The show opened with a stage full of scantily
dressed women dancing to an upbeat jazz tune. Serafina was
beautiful as always but the mating mark had been hidden and the
dragon was less than pleased. I forced myself to concentrate on the
show and not the fact that dozens of males were currently drooling
over my mate while she danced on stage in a corset and thigh-high
fishnet stockings. The show continued and eventually transitioned
to a skit about a politician who liked to spank his secretary
between meetings. The crowd seemed to get a kick out of it, which
was no surprise given the fact that most of them held some kind of
political office.

About halfway through the show Ivanna excused
herself and went to the ladies room. A few minutes later Travali
and Bran had a heated exchange in whispered voices then they both
stormed out of the theater. Garrek looked at me with raised
eyebrows but all I could do was shrug. I had no idea why the two of
them were acting so strangely. Just before I decided to
investigate, Rook stepped into the doorway and gave me a signal
we'd worked out years ago. It meant I needed to vacate the area
immediately because something was about to happen and he'd already
reset time. My first thought was to grab Serafina off the stage but
I had to trust Rook would take steps to ensure her safety. I made
it to the receiving area outside The Gateway and couldn't believe
what I was seeing. Doyle was restraining Detective Ruby who seemed
to be trying to tell me something but couldn't with Doyle's hand
covering her mouth.

"What's going on here?" I asked Rook.

"Angela dropped by to tell me about another
body being dumped nearby. We were standing over there discussing
why anyone would want to make it look like vampires are leaving
their victims at our back door when a bomb went off inside The
Gateway."

I started heading for the stage and Serafina
but Rook jumped in front of me. "She'll be fine, I promise." I held
his gaze for a moment and decided to trust him. "Anyway, since the
bomb takes out the table you were sitting at and everyone seated
there, I set the clock back to get you out of there." He glanced
over at Detective Ruby then said, "When I jumped back into my body
she asked me what the hell just happened."

"What?" I must have misunderstood him.

"She came back with me. When she figured out
what I'd done she ran into The Gateway and told everyone to get out
because there's a bomb. Of course, then I had to jump back again so
here we are."

"And Serafina?"

"She's outside of the blast radius. She will
not be harmed by the bomb at all, I promise." Rook was tense and I
knew that if I tried to get to Serafina he would stop me. Anything
I did to remove her from danger would interrupt the show, which
might in turn make people who are supposed to die leave before the
bomb goes off. Rook would be held accountable for changing their
fates by his Elders and they would punish him severely.

I tried to find something to distract myself
while we waited for the bomb to detonate. "Why did Travali and Bran
take off just before you came in to get me?"

"I can't say for sure but I'd bet Travali
knows about the bomb. I think Garrek is the target. Maybe you too,
but he knows I'm watching your back."

I was about to ask if he knew where Travali
had gone when the bomb went off. The noise was deafening as the
explosion rocked the building. A heartbeat later pandemonium
ensued. I had one thought in my mind as I pushed my way past the
crowds streaming through the exits - Get Serafina out of here. When
I reached the stage I stopped breathing for a moment. Rook had been
wrong. All the dancers had been hit by the blast. Some were dead.
Others were injured and bleeding, dragging themselves from the
rubble. The stench of burning flesh and smoke filled my senses.
Where was Serafina? My eyes jumped from one dancer to the next but
she wasn't there.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. She was
alive. I could feel her through the bond. She was frightened but
seemed to be otherwise unharmed. But where was she? I headed
backstage calling her name. When I reached the dressing room she
finally answered me. Once I'd removed enough of the debris blocking
the doorway I saw her huddled under one of the dressing tables. The
relief I felt was immeasurable. She leapt into my arms hugging and
kissing me, running her hands over my body searching for injuries.
I knew this because I was doing the same to her.

"Oh thank God Dragon, I was so worried about
you. I was back here changing for the next act when I heard the
explosion, then the door was blocked and the ceiling was falling so
I crawled under this table..."

"Shhh, you're safe now, I've got you." I
tucked her hair behind her ear so I could see her face clearly. So
close. I kissed her again needing to feel her alive and well before
I reluctantly stepped away from her. "Come on; let's get you out of
here."

"Wait, what about my mother Dragon? I saw her
and Claire backstage right before I came in here to change. Do you
think they made it out okay?" I could feel the panic rising in
her.

"I'm sure they're both fine. If Claire had
your mother backstage then she must have known something was going
to happen. If not they would have remained in their seats watching
the show. I'm sure we'll find them outside with the others."

She searched my eyes for a moment then nodded
and I led her quickly to a nearby emergency exit. There wasn't
anyone in this area of the building, all the screaming guests were
still in the main part of the theater or already out on the
grounds. Once we were outside I found Rook in the chaos surrounded
by security staff members about fifty feet from the building. As we
approached he finished issuing his orders and everyone set out to
follow his instructions. I heard sirens in the distance and knew
rescue workers would be here soon.

"Rook, have you seen my mother and Claire?"
Serafina asked from beside me.

"They were the first ones out here. Claire
said she was taking your mother somewhere safe. She said they'll
stop by your apartment in the morning," Rook answered.

Before he could update me on where we stood
Detective Ruby pushed past Doyle and slammed her hands against
Rook's chest making him stumble back a few steps. "What the
hell
is wrong with you? How could you just let those people
die when you knew what was going to happen to them?" She was
shouting at the top of her lungs but no one was paying any
attention to her except for our small group. Everyone else was too
preoccupied with helping the injured and putting out the fire still
burning in the building behind us.

"It doesn't work like that," he growled
through gritted teeth. "Once someone is marked for death I can't
change that fate." He was trying to remain calm but I could see he
was unraveling quickly.

"You saved him." She stabbed her finger
towards me.

"He's different, I'm his guardian. I'm sworn
to save him and his mate no matter what the cost to myself or
anyone else. But I can't intervene when anyone else is slated to
die."

"Who the fuck makes stupid rules like
that?"

"His Elders, and believe me when I say you do
not want to cross his Elders," I stepped in before she pushed Rook
too far. "If you had succeeded in warning the people in The Gateway
and even one person who was meant to die survived, Rook would have
been stripped of his powers. Then he would have been banished to a
world so horrible you couldn't imagine it in your worst nightmares.
And after all that, the Elders would have set time back again so
that whoever you saved would die here tonight just as it was
originally planned. So you see, even if he tried to save those
people, he wouldn't have been able to pull it off. It doesn't
matter if he wanted to save them or not."

She looked from me to Rook then demanded, "Is
that true?"

"Every word," Rook confirmed. I could see how
tense he was and I wondered if Detective Ruby knew how close he was
to losing control. "You have no idea what it's like to know people
are going to die. To have the power to save them and still not be
able to do anything to stop it from happening. Right now my mind
keeps going back to the first time that bomb went off. We were so
close. The force of the blast actually threw us a good fifteen feet
through the air. What if you had died in that explosion? I wouldn't
have been able to save you dammit!" His eyes were wild, frightened,
and by the time he finished he was shouting. He grabbed her arms
and shook her. "What if I'd lost you tonight?"

They stared into each other's eyes for half a
second then Rook kissed her. Judging by the way she clutched him to
her body I'd say it was a hell of a kiss. When he finally lifted
his head she shoved him back. "Stay the fuck away from me Mr.
Delaney, don't you ever come near me again." She turned and ran
into the darkness.

"Angela!" Rook shouted at her back. His body
twitched like he'd go after her but then he didn't. Instead he
turned around and drove his fist into the nearest tree trunk. The
wood split and the top of the tree fell to the side.

"Rook, she's not going far. You'll have a
chance to make things right with her."

He stood there with his back to me taking
deep breaths while he reined in his emotions. I'd never seen Rook
lose control like this. The fact that he was obviously in love with
Detective Ruby was shocking enough, but learning she's a conduit
was beyond believable.

Doyle had been quiet through the entire
exchange, but now he said, "When all this is over the two of you
are going to explain to me what the fuck is going on. For now, what
do you need me to do?"

"I need you to take Serafina home and keep
her safe," I replied calmly.

"I'm not going anywhere, I want to stay and
help. There are so many injured people," she insisted.

"Inhaling all this smoke is not good for the
baby. You need to get away from here. Please, Serafina, I need to
know you and the baby are safe. I have to stay here, but you need
to take care of yourself. Doyle can escort you home and I'll send
one of our doctors to look in on you shortly."

I knew if it hadn't been for the baby she
never would have agreed to leave, but after a moment of
deliberation she kissed me softly. "Stay safe, I don't know who is
responsible for this but they may have something else planned for
tonight."

"I will, and you do the same. Don't let
anyone in the apartment unless Doyle clears them." I hugged her one
last time not wanting to ever let go, then she was gone.

Rook and I met with rescue workers when they
pulled up and after a little bit of mind control they agreed to let
us be in charge of the scene. I grabbed one of our medics and sent
him to look in on Serafina then we went to work putting out the
fires and accounting for all the guests and staff members. It was a
long night and when it was over there were more than two hundred
injured and forty-seven dead including Garrek, five other council
members and four United States Senators.

Most of the building was left untouched
thanks to a ward Solomon through up between The Gateway and the
main hallway. The concierge staff was busy consoling guests and
comping rooms. An incident of this nature would be very bad for
business but a mental suggestion here and there would go a long way
towards rebuilding public trust. The secret service agents on duty
were outraged that something like this could happen but I reminded
them that they had our full cooperation and their own people had
cleared the grounds and the theater prior to the festivities.

Most of the human rescue workers and police
had departed but Detective Ruby remained behind. She was making a
great effort to pretend Rook was invisible while we discussed the
events that had taken place.

"I've been watching you closely all night and
somehow you've tampered with the memories of every single law
enforcement agent and rescue worker at this scene except for mine.
Why is that? Don't get me wrong." She held out her hand in a stop
motion. "I want to know how you're doing it too. But right now I'm
more concerned with why you left my memories intact."

Given how Rook felt about her I decided to be
honest. "I can't alter your memories."

Her brows flew up then her eyes narrowed.
"And how would you know that?"

I glanced at Rook then answered, "I've tried,
many times, and after what happened earlier tonight those failures
make a lot more sense."

She glared at Rook. "Have you ever tried to
fuck with my head before?"

He stood there with his hands in his pockets
and shook his head sadly. "I don't have that ability, and even if I
did, I've already told Dragon that I was glad he couldn't get into
your head. It felt like a betrayal even knowing he tried."

She was clearly surprised by his admission
and took a moment to compose her thoughts. "So let's say you could
have tweaked my memories, what would I be writing in my report
about this incident? Because I'll be honest, I've seen some pretty
amazing things here tonight that would win me a quick trip to a
psychiatrist and a nice long vacation if I included them in my
report."

I grinned at her. "Well, I wouldn't mention
that bit about traveling through time."

"That one was obvious, but how do I explain
the man who transformed into a wolf before my eyes, an invisible
wall that contained the flames within The Gateway, and the fact
that one redheaded dancer was able to kick a hole through a brick
wall so that dozens of guests could escape the fire unscathed." She
waited expectantly for my response.

"You could tell the truth." I shrugged and
Rook narrowed his eyes at me. "The man was actually a shapeshifter
who lost control when he was frightened. It happens, especially
when we're young or out of practice for some reason." Her eyes
widened and I continued. "Solomon cast a spell over The Gateway, a
protective ward that kept the flames from spreading further into
the building. And since Scarlett is part vampire and part bear
shifter, breaking through a brick wall wouldn't take much effort
from her at all."