After checking under every bed and in every closet, he was positive that Dizag wasn’t anywhere in the house.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he said, “That was just that monster playing games with us.”
“More like with me,” Lana said. “He wanted to let me know that he knew where I was staying and that I wasn’t safe anywhere.”
“I would protect you with my life,” Nick said, angry at Dizag for invading his house and terrifying Lana.
“He would kill you as soon as look at you. As you said, he is sneaky, and dragons are able to ambush people and take them unaware. Besides, you aren’t always able to be with me. Sometimes, you have to go into the office. If he wants to kill me or capture me, he’ll do it. He was letting me know with the lick,” Lana said, dejectedly.
Nick pulled out a chair. “Have a seat. I’m going to get my first aid kit and take care of that burn,” he said.
When he pulled off the gauze pad that Colleen had put on her face, he winced. It was already soaked with blood and yellow pus from the blisters.
He grabbed a clean sponge and squeezed warm water over the wound, trying to clean it out without touching it. Then, he made a mixture of thyme, coconut oil, and aloe vera, spreading the concoction over the entire area.
“That will help with the pain and help decrease the inflammation and chance of infection.”
“Thank you,” she said, softly. “I’m exhausted, so I’m heading to bed.”
“Okay,” Nick said. “Call if you need anything.”
She nodded, hugged him, and headed down the hallway. He didn’t follow, as he didn’t trust himself. He wanted to crawl into the bed next to her and hold her tight to him, keeping her safe from everyone and everything that might hurt her.
Grabbing a beer from the fridge, he stood out on his back patio, staring out into space.
He was very frustrated. He and all the other detectives and shifters wanted to find Dizag before he could hurt or kill anyone else. Dizag needed to face the consequences for his actions.
He has to have a weakness. He has to have left some kind of clue that can help us find him.
Dragons are sneaky and they can be very elusive. They can hide in trees, on top of buildings, and in underground caves. They could be damn near impossible to find.
Nick sat stewing, sipping on his beer, for the better part of an hour. Then, he was starting to get tired. He stood up and stretched.
Then, out of frustration, he called out, “Where in the hell are you, Dizag?”
He was startled to hear a deep chuckle echo in the darkness.
“Don’t worry. I’m close by,” a deep voice said. Then, a rush of wind exploded against Nick, and he heard the sound of a dragon taking flight.
He hit the shower and then laid down, hoping that he would be able to get some sleep. It was already two in the morning, and he was exhausted. Yet, images of Lana, her burn, and the sound of Dizag’s voice bounced around like a rubber ball inside of his head.
Finally, the darkness surrounded him and he fell into a deep sleep.
He woke up to the smell of burning coffee. He looked at his clock. It was nine. He had slept for seven hours.
Nick jumped up, got dressed, and rushed into the kitchen. Lana looked woebegone, as she had made a bit of a mess with the coffee. The smell of the burning liquid permeated through the air.
“I was trying to make coffee,” Lana said, apologetically.
Nick smiled widely at her. “I can see that. Sit down, I’ll take care of it.”
Soon, the coffee was percolating merrily and the little mess had been cleaned up. Nick turned his attention toward Lana’s face.
His healing concoction and the fact that Lana was a lion shifter had helped her heal quickly. Her eye had returned to normal, and the blisters were gone. The edges of the injury had already started to heal.
During coffee and breakfast, Nick told her about running into Dizag last night.
She shook her head. “You are always telling me to be careful because he could be anywhere. Yet, there you were, out in the open, late at night, by yourself, making yourself a perfect target. You need to follow your own advice.”
Nick grinned with chagrin. “You are right. I do need to practice what I preach. The only thing I can say for myself is that Dizag doesn’t seem to hunt men, and I am a man,” he said.
“You are a man, but you can still be hurt,” Lana said.
“You are right,” he said, again.
Lana was very restless after breakfast. She prowled around the house, up and down the hallway and into the kitchen, living room, and dining room. She would stare out the window for a few minutes, and then start her trek all over again.
Nick was working in his home office. He could access the online files and other information he needed with his laptop. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving Lana alone, even for a brief second.
He could hear her walking. Her footsteps were light, but he had good ears. He could hear her sighing heavily.
“Are you not interested in Criminal Minds and your Penelope Garcia?” Nick asked her, with a grin.
She looked at him and shook her head. “No. I can’t sit down. I need to get out of here. I feel like I am trapped in a cage,” she said.
“Why didn’t you tell me? We could go for a walk,” Nick said.
“I didn’t want to interrupt you. You’re trying to find Dizag and my sister, and I can’t do anything to help. The least I could do is to let you work in peace,” Lana said.
“I need a break, too. Let’s go for a little walk,” Nick said.
Gratefully, Lana grabbed her shoes and they headed
