Entombed Read online

  “Claws? See if I can tear him apart manually? But I have a hard time believing that a creature immune to dragon fire is going to be vulnerable to fang or claw. Especially since Lachlan didn’t know of a way to kill it.”

  “Good point. And here I am without a gun to even test modern firepower on him. Maybe Nate is vulnerable to modern projectiles.” Being unarmed hadn’t bothered Jack up to this point—but then, what good was a gun against a spirit or mind control?

  “That’s easy enough. I can get you a gun,” Elliot said. “I mean, if you’re not too fussy.”

  This wasn’t the first time Elliot had shown glimpses of more behind that shaggy head of hair and scruffy beard than a semi-retired expat beach bum.

  “If you can do it without leaving Sanctuary,” Jack said.

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll see if my reporter buddy can drop it by when she brings the autopsy.” His eyes clouded, but only for a moment. Apparently, keeping busy was good for Elliot’s mental health. For the time being.

  They all sat in Elliot’s room, full on pizza and silent. Finally, Elliot said, “So—bed? Get some sleep before we all keel over? That autopsy won’t be here until tomorrow. And no gun till then.”

  “No,” Jack said. “We’ll start our recon. Better to go while it’s dark. Besides, Marin doesn’t actually need to sleep.”

  “Not true—I just need to sleep less than you guys do.” Marin stood up and stretched. “What do you think, Jack? Abi’s place? There’s a nice little field next to her house, it’s a little outside of town—seems like a good fit.”

  “I’ll text and give her a heads-up just in case she’s awake. Otherwise, we’ll scare the crap out of her when we show up uninvited in the middle of the night. Hell, maybe we’ll get lucky and she’s had a more fruitful conversation with Grandma Abi.”

  “You’re really gonna fly around Corozal? As a dragon?” Elliot peered at Marin, a troubled look on his face. “Don’t you think that’s a little dangerous?”

  “Camouflage,” Jack said. “Besides, humanity is in mass denial of magic. Aliens? Sure, why not. We could be invaded at any moment. But no way anyone is claiming to have spotted a dragon. Now there’s a thought.” Jack turned to Marin. “How many dragons have been misidentified as aliens?”

  “If we’re talking UFOs—which technically aren’t aliens, but simply unidentified flying objects—then…” She sighed. “A good number.”

  “Wow.” Elliot scrubbed his beard. “I mean, that’s an eye opener. But you know what, guys? I really do think I’ve hit a wall. I can’t handle any more magic, flying dragons or otherwise. I’m gonna try to get some sleep, if I can. Good luck.”

  After Jack and Marin left Elliot’s room, they shared a glance, and, at the same time, said, “Abi’s.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The first floor of Sanctuary was dark except for the hall light. It looked like Kaisermann had put himself to bed, probably in hopes of getting a really good, long, dream-filled night’s sleep. Then again, it was close to midnight.

  “Let’s hope our guy Kaisermann comes up with some intelligible dream news from Sally.” Jack opened the front door for Marin. “Given the fact that Lachlan was clueless about aswang and he’s a pretty knowledgeable guy, I have a feeling that our best bet for information is going to be local. Sally and Grandma Abi have to know something that can help us trap Nate again.”

  “Keys.” Marin held out her hand. “And speaking of Kaisermann, didn’t he have an update for you?”

  “Yeah. He had a dream that points to someone being compelled to free the creature. I’m not sure if it was literal, but in his dream, digging was involved.”

  “Don’t suppose there was a specific location mentioned?”

  “No,” Jack said. “That I’d have mentioned right away. Why do you always have to drive?”

  “I’d like to get there before it’s light out and to skip the murderous rage I feel when you drive.”

  “First, I’m an excellent driver; you’re the one who drives like a crazed teenage boy. But I’m good with avoiding a murderous rage.” Jack handed over the keys.

  By the time Jack and Marin arrived at Abi’s, it was just shy of midnight. According to the text Jack had received about halfway there, Iris was crashed out, exhausted from a taxing day—or a day as host for an otherworldly visitor—but Abi said she’d wait up.

  The trip didn’t take long—because Marin drove like a nut, but also because everything was closer in Corozal than Texas.

  Abi was waiting outside, likely so they wouldn’t knock and wake Iris.

  After they’d completed their greetings, Jack asked, “Any chance Grandma Abi has been in touch?”

  “Still no word. I wonder if coming back too soon, before she was recharged from the last visit, means that it takes her longer to recover.” Abi wrapped her arms around her midsection. “Either way, no word.”

  Jack scanned the small field next to Abi’s house. It was in full sight of her neighbors.

  She followed his gaze and said, “They’re asleep, trust me. We’re the youngest couple in residence now. There’s one other couple who are in their thirties, but they’re traveling now. The entire community has been conked out since ten thirty—or at least tucked into bed reading a book, well away from the windows. Besides”—she turned to look at Marin—“aren’t you invisible?”

  Marin snorted. “Invisible? Really, Jack?”

  Jack ignored Marin and said to Abi, “Trust me. She’s as near as.”

  “It’s camouflage, that’s all, and you do realize my camo scales don’t conceal you, right?”

  At some point, the thought had occurred to Jack, but he figured they’d be cruising around in the night sky, so who’d see him at this hour?

  He chose to ignore the question and the big, fat moon that was out this evening. “Go on, do your thing.”

  Marin jogged out to the edge of the field, stripped, and then suddenly she wasn’t Marin.

  She was dragon-Marin. It was all rather anticlimactic, minus the naked part. That was just weird. He had zero desire to see his partner without any clothes. Because then he might admire her ass or have some other uncomfortable and regrettable thought, and their relationship was complicated enough without adding sexual tension into the mix. Besides, she had Harry. Thank God for small favors.

  Jack.

  It took him a second to realize her voice had popped into his head. He’d almost forgotten about dragon mind-speaking.

  “You really are much better at that,” Jack said. The first time she’d tried to have a conversation directly inside his head, he thought his ears were going to bleed.

  He eyed her scaly other self. She’d once explained to him that she didn’t just have magic, that she was a magical creature. The long, graceful arch of her neck, the pale iridescence of her scales—she stretched her wings out—and the awe-inspiring breadth of her wings. Yes, she was magic.

  Then he caught the glint of her teeth in the moonlight. Huge, probably terrifying, if he hadn’t known that she was grinning at him. Even in this other form, that grin was all Marin. And the eyes, too. A different shape, not quite reptilian, more like a cat’s, but the green was the same. A brilliant shade that grew brighter as he stared.

  Ready? She posed the question as if she truly wanted to an answer.

  His chance to back out, he supposed.

  He gave the long slide of her back—where he was supposed to sit during their recon—a good look over, and couldn’t quite work out the logistics.

  “How exactly does this work?"

  The closer he stood, the more the reality of her size—and the impossibility of her taking flight—was driven home.

  You climb on my back.

  She made it sound so simple.

  Yeah, this was anything but simple. There was hardly a ladder available. Or a convenient spot to boost himself up. And what about something to hold on to?

  “Uh-huh. And how should I do that?”

&nbs
p; He reached out and touched the scales on her side. As he remembered, surprisingly flexible and soft to the touch—and certainly not something he could grab on to.

  And that was another tidbit he’d almost forgotten. Marin’s scales weren’t as tough as those of an older dragon. While she was technically an adult, her scales hadn’t yet hardened. He didn’t know when that happened, just that hers hadn’t. And he only knew because she’d been injured before.

  Doubt crept up on him, but then the scales under his hand rippled. Marin bowed down and then leaned back on her haunches.

  She spread her wings wide again, something that must have been awkward lying on the ground as she was.

  There’s a ridge just above the point where my wings meet my body.

  Jack found the spot she meant. “Got it.”

  You can boost yourself using that ridge. Try not to step on my wings— Ow.

  “Warning first next time. And sorry.”

  A grumbly noise sounded inside his head. That noise, coming from inside his own mind, was just a touch too creepy. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

  Legs in front of my wings, and try not to bang my sides with your big, boot-covered feet.

  “Is that all?” he asked.

  Mostly just the banging thing. Avoid that and maybe we’ll make it more than a few yards.

  “Downright confidence-inspiring. Thanks for that.”

  “What did she say?” Abi asked, finally breaking her silence.

  Jack figured she’d been too awe-struck by the silvery , iridescent dragon in her field to say much before that point. A sentiment he completely understood. But she seemed fine. No fainting or running for the shotgun, so that was good.

  “Ah, basically I was warned against kicking the back of the seat, because I’m apparently a small child going on a long car ride.”

  Marin’s long and very agile neck curled back around to present him with a glowing green glare. Her head was covered in scales, so he didn’t know what gave her away, but she looked just as peeved now as she got sometimes when she was human.

  “What? Like I’m going to try to make a nuisance of myself mid-flight?” Although he was glad for the hint on boosting himself up. Those little ridges were at just the right height.

  Once he’d settled himself on her back, he checked that everything he’d brought with him was securely fastened to his person or his clothes. No wallet, keys, or gun, but he’d brought his cell and a knife. He and Marin had managed to rig his case with a tether that he hung from his neck. In a pinch, he could still dial the thing. Abi had loaned him the knife. Not that it would do him a hell of a lot of good, since he never trained with a knife anymore. And there was also the fact that he’d likely be dead if he got that close to Nate.

  Ready?

  “Yep.” He waved to Abi.

  “Be safe.” She stepped back with a skeptical look on her face. Clearly he wasn’t alone in thinking maybe this wasn’t the safest of ventures. But if it was really that dangerous, Marin wouldn’t have given it the okay. He didn’t think.

  He shifted his legs a few inches forward as her wings began to move. And that was when he remembered he’d seen her launch herself into the air once before. An impossibility made fact through sheer strength, magic, and willpower.

  He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and waited for the heaving of muscle, the massive push of her haunches against the earth. He’d forgotten this part, and just hoped that Marin didn’t lose him in the takeoff. At least he’d still be close to the ground…maybe.

  But then he felt a gentle push of a breeze against his face and opened his eyes. “Holy shit.”

  They were in the air—and he didn’t have a damn thing to hold on to. “Wait— How did… But I didn’t even feel you take off.”

  A chuckle tickled his brain. You do know I’m too large to be lifted physically by my wings.

  “I’m not a complete idiot. I assume that’s where the magic comes in.”

  Right.

  She let him chew on that one for a bit.

  “So I’ve been worried about falling off, and you’ve known all along that I couldn’t…because of the magical component to your flight.”

  She chuckled again inside his head. Oh, no. You can definitely fall off.

  Yeah, that was too much to hope for, in retrospect.

  “Any chance you plan to try to catch me if I do? And before you answer, you should know I’ve left my interest in the partnership to my niece—so no easy outs on our partnership."

  A niece?

  The question rang just a little too loud, and he winced.

  “Tone it down, will you? You know I have a sister. Is it so shocking that she would have offspring?”

  No, just surprising that you would acknowledge her.

  “Oh, she’s one of the few good ones in the bunch. Doesn’t moan and complain about my unsuitable life choices. Of course, she’s only sixteen, so there’s time yet. But about that falling-catching thing?”

  Absolutely, I can catch you…I just can't promise that you’ll be in one piece afterward.

  “Lovely. Just keep doing what you’re doing and we should be good.” Jack finally had a look around. It was a freakishly—or magically—smooth ride. “Hey, I can still see you. Did you forget to camo yourself?”

  I should be blending in nicely with the night sky about now. I don’t know why you can still see me. She paused, and Jack could almost hear her think, like a heaviness inside his head. I’ve never had a hitchhiker before.

  “So for all you know, everything is completely normal—or your camo doesn’t work with a passenger on board and we’re hanging out in the sky for all to see. Got it. Good news.”

  Don’t be a smartass. It’s working.

  “Uh-huh. So, by my count, we’ve passed the north end of town three times. Are you sure your sense of direction isn’t on the fritz along with your camo skills?”

  We’re doing a spiral moving out from town. You want me to cruise over the center of town, where there’s not only a very small chance of finding Nate’s cage—it would hardly have remained intact over the years in the city center—but there are also more residents to spot the blurred speck in the sky? You do remember I’m not actually invisible.

  “Hey, how is your quickie part-dragon explanation okay, but my much more accurate explanation of your cloaking camo thing not?”

  A broody silence filled his head. It was unnerving how much she could convey with no words when they were mind-speaking.

  We’re approaching the disappearing-rats town.

  “What? Oh, right.” On the drive out to Abi’s that evening, he and Marin had discussed the possibility that the rat-free town was tied to Nate.

  It made sense that a creature that had lived in hibernation for so many years would be hungry when it woke. Maybe those rats hadn’t scrambled away in fear of some great evil creature. Maybe they’d simply been consumed.

  An apex predator didn’t always hunt the biggest game, especially if it was in a weakened state.

  As Jack considered how desperate Nate had to have been to consume rats—the nasty creature clearly had a strong preference for human heart and maybe liver—something flashed in the corner of his eye.

  What followed was a sound he hoped never to hear again: a high-pitched squeal of an animal in pain. The sound vibrated through his head, and the pain made his gut churn.

  Marin.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jack had never had a migraine before, but based on the description, he was pretty damn sure he had one now.

  Whether the pain in his head distracted him or Marin’s magic delayed the reaction, it was several seconds later that Jack realized they were rapidly descending. Not quite diving…

  Maybe diving.

  “Marin?”

  She didn’t respond, and Jack felt his chest constrict. He wasn’t a huge fan of heights, but crash-landing dragon-style seemed like a bad plan.

  “Marin.” He’d swear the gen
tle puff of air he’d felt as they’d glided through the air had turned brisk. They had to be dropping at a decent speed now. Or it was his imagination. Or it wasn’t. “Marin!”

  Shut up. I’m concentrating.

  And now she couldn’t fly and talk. That scream in his head had probably lasted about half a second. It had felt longer because of the whole piercing-pain thing. But because it had stopped immediately, he hadn’t thought serious injury.

  “How bad is it?”

  Shut it.

  And then he realized—she was barely able to flap her wings. Something had damaged them. He hadn’t seen anything, heard anything, except her mind-jarring cry. Jack scanned the sky. But even with the aid of the moonlight, he couldn’t see much. And after one glance down, he figured that was a bad idea. They were still high enough to do some damage.

  Hopefully, Marin’s eyesight was a little better than his at night. The purpose of the flight had been to hunt for the aswang’s—Nate’s—unique magical signature, and Marin didn’t need good light for that. Tracking was more of a scent-taste skill, so far as he could determine.

  They’d slowed their descent. They must have, or they’d have been tiny smudges of bone, flesh, and blood in the earth otherwise. Marin still wasn’t moving her wings freely—Jack craned his head this way and that, trying to figure out what she was doing to slow them down. Her sides were heaving, but that could be from the pain of her injury.

  They were gliding at a comfortable rate down to the ground now.

  I’m heating currents to create some lift.

  “You’re manipulating the air. Seriously?”

  He felt the heavy weight of disapproval in his head.

  “Not doubting, just finding that amazingly cool. And wallowing in gratitude that we’re not minced flesh and pulverized bone.”

  Don’t get too excited. Where did he go?

  Nate. The attack had been Nate. Of course it was. Of course the creepy heart-ripping-out monster could fly. Of course.