overtime, and they’ve needed me for every shift.”

“I understand. I just thought it would be cool if they could meet the firefighter who saved my life and tried to save my computer with all my work on it.”

Drake laughed. “You’ll have quite a story to tell them, with or without me.”

She smiled. “Oh, you can bet they’ll eat it up. It’s just the kind of harrowing experience that brings drama to the show.”

They were just getting into the rhythm of an easy conversation when someone knocked. Bliss strode to the door. “Angie must have forgotten something.”

Or changed her mind about drowning outside…

The open door revealed a young man, no more than sixteen or seventeen.

“Hello,” he said formally with a slight bow. “My name is Adolf Balog, and I live upstairs.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you.” Bliss held out her hand, but he ignored it.

“I’m here to talk to him.” He indicated Drake with a quick uptick of his chin. “S’up?”

“Me? Why?” And why is he acting like we’re buddies? I’ve never seen this kid in my life.

“I need to speak to you privately.” He shot a glare in Bliss’s direction.

Something about this kid didn’t sit right, but Drake’s impending doom alarm wasn’t going off. His curiosity quickly outweighed any reservations he had, plus it seemed like a good idea to put some distance between this stranger and Bliss until he knew more about him.

“I’ll be back in a minute, sweetheart.” Drake gave her a peck on the cheek and stepped outside the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Facing the kid head-on, Drake asked, “What’s this about?”

The kid extracted some kind of powder from his pocket and tossed it up in the air. It shimmered gold as it covered both of them, and the next thing Drake knew, he and the stranger were… somewhere else. Bright sunshine streamed through a glass dome, telling him that much.

A woman with long, white hair came forward. She wore a long white dress belted with vines. Something about her was familiar. Others in plain white robes that he didn’t recognize were scattered in small groups but paid little attention to them.

The woman crossed her arms and said, “I’ll take it from here, Balog Junior.”

The kid bowed and retreated. Drake glanced behind him and noticed a bank of elevators toward which the young man strode. Apparently that was the way out. Good to know, if he needed to escape.

“What is this place?”

The woman tipped her chin and studied him. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

Drake didn’t remember precisely where he’d met her, and he really wanted an answer to his question first, but he seemed to be at a disadvantage. He’d have to wait for an explanation.

“Not really. Who are you, and how did I get here?”

“I’m Gaia. Mother Nature. Goddess and creator of lesser gods, goddesses, and other living things. How you got here isn’t important. Why you’re here is.”

“All right.” He mimicked her crossed arms, trying not to let her intimidate him. “Why am I here?”

“You’re a dragon. And to answer your original question, you’re still in Boston. This is where much of the Supernatural Council is based now.”

“But it’s a sunny day. I must have lost some time getting here, because when I left it was a rainy night in Boston.”

“That was to keep the city from burning to the friggin’ ground! You didn’t lose any time. Unless you’re a nonbeliever. You must know Mother Nature can create any kind of damn weather anywhere she pleases, right?”

“I—I guess so.”

“So, because Boston is important to the Council, I like to keep the place in balance and harmony. You know, four seasons and all that shit. Rain and snow are necessary. That doesn’t mean I like to live in them.”

Drake couldn’t help wondering if he had fallen asleep on Bliss’s couch and was having some kind of freaky dream. What had he had for lunch? Oh, yeah. Tacos. Maybe they were a little too spicy.

“I can tell by your vacant look that you’re not convinced.”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just… reserving judgment.”

She jammed her hands on her hips and leaned toward him. “I’m not here to be judged. You are.”

“Me? What did I do?”

Her expression and posture relaxed. “Maybe nothing,” she said in a calmer voice. “But you can’t deny that fires have been plaguing Boston and that dragons have an affinity for fire.”

Drake was shocked speechless by the implication for a moment. “You think I’m setting the fires?”

She began to pace with her hands clasped behind her back. “You have to admit, it’s more than coincidental that your uncle was the one who set the Chicago fire. That’s when I took your family’s fire away. You probably explained it as evolution.” She laughed.

“That was you?”

“Of course, but let’s not get off track. I happen to know Boston was your uncle’s next target, and he wasn’t about to be stopped by his lack of dragon fire. He actually captured a young fire mage to do the job for him.”

He knew his uncle had been involved in some dirty dealings, but Drake had helped his detective friend Nick put the guy away, and then his uncle had a heart attack in prison. Drake didn’t even attend his funeral. So why would this… goddess blame him?

She stopped pacing and tapped her lower lip as if reasoning something out. “Now, what could I take away to make sure he didn’t succeed?”

He didn’t answer right away.

“I won’t wait for your poor little pea brain to figure it out. I’ll tell you. I took away your family’s immortality.”

“Is that why my mother died after only a minor accident?”

“Yup. It turns out your family isn’t bulletproof anymore.”

“Are you saying I’m no longer fireproof either? I could burn up and die in any fire I try to put out?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Dragon clans are connected, so what I’m saying is, be careful if you want to survive.”

Holy shit. That explains how my family had lasted for hundreds of years but suddenly small things like heart attacks and accidents managed to kill them off. Prior to that, Drake’s great- grandfather had been beheaded… and now the guy who did it was being called a saint, just because he knew how to kill an immortal.

“I see the wheels spinning in that head of yours. So, if you have anything to tell me, I suggest you do it now. I want to know who’s responsible for setting my city on fire, damn it!”

Drake’s knees quivered and felt weak. “Y—yes. I may have some information. May I sit down, please?”

She smiled smugly. “At last. A bit of respect.” She pointed to a spot on the floor between them where a small bistro table with two chairs suddenly appeared.

Chapter 10

Drake tried to hold her steely gaze and fight off the urge to hyperventilate. It wasn’t every day a guy was dragged off to the Supernatural Council, accused of crimes he didn’t commit, and then told he’s suddenly mortal!

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