“I do believe her.” O’Malley faced the dragon with a pale face and a breathless voice.
The dragon took two steps forward and swished his tail like an angry cat. There was no time to waste if they wanted to get to the building, grab the evidence and then get back again before anyone even knew they had left.
“Okay.” O’Malley shot forward. On nimble feet he bounced onto the dragon’s bent leg and then flung himself onto his back as if it was second nature. “I’m ready.”
Kelos’s dragon bent his legs, crouching low against the flat roof of the warehouse before he propelled himself upwards into the sky.
He stuck to the square of darkness above the building, hoping it would give him enough cover that no one below would see him. With one downward flap of his wings after another he climbed higher, keeping his body within the confines of the unlit sky until he figured he was high enough that only the keenest of eyes would spot him.
“Incredible,” O’Malley’s voice filled with awe was swept away on the downdraft as they soared above the city.
Once satisfied no one would see him, Kelos leveled off his flight. Only he had no idea where to go.
“North.” Out of the corner of his eye, the dragon could see O’Malley with his phone in his hand.
The dragon dropped his right wing and turned his huge body to face north. With slow but steady beats of his wings, he took them north, toward their destination. When they drew closer, O’Malley called out more directions which he reinforced by placing his hand on the dragon’s shoulder.
“That one.” O’Malley pointed to a tall building with a huge neon light on the roof. There was no way Kelos would be able to hide from prying eyes. But they had come too far to turn back, and they could not risk going into the building through the front door.
He wanted to tell the cougar shifter to hold tight as he formulated his plan in his head. But since his dragon couldn’t speak, he simply hoped O’Malley had a secure seat or that he could shift in midair and land on two feet if necessary.
The dragon flew over the building, his speed slow as he hovered forty feet above the neon sign. Then he dropped, his wings tucked behind him as he fell forward into a dramatic dive. O’Malley leaned forward, his hands grasping the horn on Kelos’s dragon’s back as he tried to stop himself from going right over the dragon’s head. Keeping a small part of his awareness on the cougar, the dragon continued his rapid freefall, aiming for the center of the building’s roof. He particularly wanted to avoid smashing into the neon sign. Nothing drew attention to a dragon like a crash landing amid sparking electricity.
Keeping his nerve, he aimed true, adjusting his trajectory by shifting his center of gravity by small increments while also taking into account the cougar shifter on his back.
When he was ten feet above the roof, he flung his wings out and slowed his descent, landing with a thump. Immediately he tucked in his wings, the tips of which brushed the edge of the neon sign but not with enough force to break it.
“That was wild!” O’Malley dropped down to the ground, his face flushed pink and his hair on end as he rushed around to the front of the dragon. “I thought I was going to die for sure.”
“You don’t look too upset about your near-death experience,” Kelos said as he shifted back to his human form and scanned the roof.
“The thing you have to remember about near death is they are just that—near.” He ran his hands through his hair. “That was a thrill.”
“Okay, well, let’s see if we can complete the next phase of the operation without a brush with sudden death.” Kelos ran toward the west side of the building. “We need to get through this door.”
O’Malley hunkered down and took a look at the lock. “I could kick it in. But since we don’t want anyone to know we’re here, I’ll pick it instead.” He thrust his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black case which he quickly unzipped. Inside was what looked like metal toothpicks.
“You are full of surprises.” Kelos watched the cougar shifter as he inserted one of the picks into the lock.
“Aren’t you glad you brought me along?” O’Malley asked.
“I certainly am.” While O’Malley worked, Kelos pushed his senses out to their limit. There were a handful of people in the building. Some stationary, a couple who were possibly security guards patrolling the corridors while three people were in the downstairs lobby. Joanna was right, there was no way they would have gotten in through the front door.
“We should hurry.” Kelos was impatient to move.
“Give me a second,” O’Malley ground out.
Kelos stood in silence, keeping an unseeing eye on the people in the building. By their movements, he assumed they had no knowledge of a dragon landing on the roof of the building. However, it was unlikely the two men would get in and out of the building without being seen.
“Here, you might want one of these.” O’Malley handed Kelos a black ski mask as he stood up.
“You unlocked it?” Kelos asked as the cougar shifter pulled on his own ski mask and then turned the handle of the door.
“I’m not just a pretty face.” O’Malley winked and then entered the building, going down the steps on light feet, his eyes scanning the area for any cameras that might be watching.
I think it’s safe to assume this is
