A rusty bell rang over his head as he opened the door to the diner and took a seat in the booth near the window on the far side of the building. It had become second nature to map out a room the second he walked in. The booth was near an emergency exit, and he could watch the front of the diner from there. The aroma of bacon and eggs filled the air.
He barely glanced at the middle-aged waitress as she took his order. His thoughts were on the coffee she poured. Kirin was tired from the night before and hoped the second cup of coffee would kick his ass in gear. The council had sent him on a different case each day for the past week, and it was time for a few days off. Kirin planned to collect his paycheck and spend a few days as his dragon.
He downed a dozen-egg omelet and three servings of bacon with an additional four coffees before he paid for his breakfast. Kirin wore his sunglasses the entire time because it was easier when dealing with humans. Still, the minute he gazed over the rim of his glasses to see better while he pulled out his cash, the waitress commented.
“What interesting eyes you have. What is that shade? Not exactly hazel. Kinda… golden brown, emphasis on the gold.”
He nodded, gave her a healthy tip, and exited the diner. When he looked back before he got on the bike, he noticed the old lady’s eyes turned in his direction.
Kirin had just started his bike when his phone vibrated. He sighed. It was his younger brother, Kia.
“What’s up?” he asked gruffly.
“Just making sure you didn’t forget that we’re celebrating Conley’s birthday tomorrow.”
Kirin groaned. “He’s two hundred thirty-four. It’s not like it’s his twenty-first or hundredth birthday. Hell, he’s not even two hundred fifty. So why do we have to make a big deal out of it every year?”
Kia snickered. “Because he’s the baby. I’m the middle forgotten dragon. And you’re the big-brother dragon who flies under the façade of being a badass but is really a bunny inside.”
“I’ll make you regret those words,” he teased. “Don’t make me burn you, little brother. I know where you live.”
“Coulda fooled me. You could fly here in twenty minutes, but I haven’t seen you in six months. Since the Fourth of July, actually.”
Kia wasn’t one to mince words. It wasn’t that Kirin didn’t want to see his brother, but when he finally got time off work, he wanted nothing more than to relax in his house.
“I’ve been busy with work.”
Kirin could almost see Kia roll his eyes. “You mean being Gideon’s lapdog.”
“I’m helping protect our kind and keeping the humans from finding out about us.”
“Really? Have you ever stopped and asked what the person did before you brought them in? You don’t have to answer that question. I know the answer. Just because Gideon is the head of the West Virginia Council doesn’t mean you should do what he says without looking into his request.”
He gripped the handles of his bike, needing somewhere to direct his anger. His younger brother had a point, but it didn’t mean he had to constantly drag up the same argument. “Have you found something I should know about?”
Kia was a tech genius, and Kirin had no doubt he’d spent many hours hacking. Kirin worried every so often whether the council would tell him to bring his brother in. That would be the day Kirin would stop doing what the council wanted. His family was off-limits, and he would do anything to protect them. Maybe Kia was right when he’d called him a bunny rabbit.
“Nothing concrete yet, but something seems off. If you would ask more questions instead of only collecting your check, I might have something to go on.”
A dull throb ached between Kirin’s eyes. “I will keep an eye open.” If he asked more questions, Gideon would catch on quickly. Nobody reached a thousand years old without being skeptical about everyone. And even if Kirin did get the info, he would put his brother in danger as he researched the council.
“The last person you brought in didn’t get a trial. They executed him last night. Doesn’t that feel off to you?”
“How the fuck do you know that? I was about to head in and see if the council had processed him. I will say one thing—he was a hard motherfucker to take down. If I had a say, I would execute him. Fucker took a chunk out of my side.”
Kia let out a sigh. “Of course he was. The guy you brought in was a council member from Virginia. Do you understand what will happen when their council finds out who took him in?”
“Why didn’t he say anything? He fought me from the second I found him.” The dull pain had turned into a full-blown headache. Kirin would need to look over his shoulder constantly for the next few weeks.
“Do you ever stop and ask questions, or do you just try to take the person down so you can collect your money? Kirin, you used to question your assignments in the past, but now you go and do what Gideon says blindly for the money and try to finish as fast as you can.”
“Fine. I will ask more questions. But you’d better stop hacking the council.”
Kia laughed on the other end. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. But I have to go. Don’t forget about Conley’s birthday. Mom’s coming. We will talk more.” Their mom lived on an island off of Hawaii, and she didn’t make it back very often.
When Kirin looked up, the waitress from earlier was staring at him through the dust-covered windows. Not paying her any more attention, Kirin started his Harley and let the vibration flow through his body. As he rode through the winding roads of West Virginia to the office, the conversation played back in his mind and left a bad taste in his mouth, but he pretended the problem was the subpar coffee.
3
Talia
Talia stepped back when Gideon burst through the door. She wanted to be anywhere except that cold room. Over the years, Talia had come to learn that Gideon had a short fuse. That day was no exception. When he entered the room, his powers made the air thick and hard to breath. With a menacing step, he walked toward her, nostrils flared and jaw clenched. A chill ran down Talia’s back. She’d seen Gideon angry before, but that had been nothing compared to his current state. She needed to put her big-girl pants on and go head-to-head with the High Council leader if she planned to help the girl.
With each passing second, the air became heavier, and Gideon’s eyes turned from deep brown to black. She didn’t understand how he knew she’d lied… well, stretched the truth. Arrow had rushed out the door the moment Gideon entered. For being the council enforcer, he’d left the room fast. If Alida is so dangerous, why would the enforcer leave me alone with her and the head of the council?
She waited for Gideon to speak first, hoping he would explain what she’d done to anger him, but he continued to glare at her with his black eyes.
“Hello, Gideon.” Talia licked her lips. “I grabbed the knife where I assumed the killer would’ve gripped. The vision didn’t show Alida stab either of her parents.”
Gideon’s powers continued to vibrate around the room, and it felt suffocating. His eyes were on the young girl at the table, not her. Alida hadn’t even flinched since Gideon had barged through the door. She didn’t even look up from her hands.