Page 62 of Blood and Bone
Very little was known about them, which explained why the file was thin on details about any clan members including Severin or Invictus. All the Agencydidknow was that they were very old and had been around for centuries, perhaps even millennia. No one knew and the dragons were not forthcoming with their own histories. Ari really couldn’t blame them. Dragon shifters or not, their people had lived through persecution and had been hunted since time began. When he finished reading the pages, he looked up and held them aloft.
“Now what? We wait for them to contact us?”
“What choice do we have?” Eoghan asked. “They said they’d get in contact when they were damned good and ready. All I know is the chief said she wants us to stay local to Shasta and keep watching for an email from them.”
“Okay.” Ari glanced at the clock again. “I suppose we can grab some lunch on the way.”
“You don’t want to see if we can find a nearby gym and get in a workout before we go eat?” Eoghan asked.
“Sure. A gym sounds good. I guess we can get a day pass somewhere.”
“Let’s pack up the duffels and go,” Eoghan said. “After we eat, we can hit the road. It’s about two-hundred and fifty miles to Mount Shasta. We can drive that in about four hours at this time of day. Hopefully, the dragons will get in touch soon. For all I know, the chief told them we’re still in Tahoe.”
Ari stood and leaned over as Eoghan lifted his face. When he looked up at him with those sensuous, light blue eyes, he had the sudden urge to take the man right back to bed. Instead, he kissed him softly on the lips. When he pulled back, Eoghan was smiling. “Let’s go.”
They looked up local gyms and found a workout center open twenty-four hours about two miles from the hotel before packing up everything including their Glocks which now carried regular ammunition. Ari absently wondered what kind of weapon would work best against a fire-breathing dragon. He just hadn’t watched or read enough fantasy to be able to figure out a good guess to that. If he really thought about it, he’d have to say something pointy would work but then he laughed at himself. When Eoghan caught him smiling as he slid into the passenger seat, the way he canted his head to the side, was adorable.
“Why are you smiling?” he asked, starting the Charger’s engine and pulling out of the parking space.
“I was just thinking about what kind of weapon works best on the hide of a dragon,” Ari replied.
“That’s so funny!” Eoghan said, grinning. “Because I was wondering the same exact thing.”
“What’s your best guess?” Ari asked, as Eoghan pulled onto the main road from the hotel parking lot as the GPS’s robotic voice told them where to turn.
“Wouldn’t it have to be something with a pointy end on it?” Eoghan asked, glancing over at Ari where he was following the map to the gym as the GPS kept talking.
“You’d think so, yeah? I was thinking a spear or something.”
“Do you think they have thick scales or something like that?” Eoghan asked. “Because that’s how I picture them. It’s the fire part of fire-breathing dragon that scares me, though.”
A shiver ran down Ari’s spine. Two months ago, he wouldn’t have believed he’d be having this kind of conversation but here they were, sitting in a car, heading toward Mount Shasta where apparently there were creatures that could fly and breathe fire. Oh, and the fact that they were already in a pissy mood was the icing on the cake. He was really glad they were both diplomatic. He had a feeling they’d need to use all the diplomacy they could summon.
Chapter Seventeen
Ari and Eoghan were chewing the last bites of their protein bars as they entered the gym for a workout. Ari had promised himself that he’d make a concerted effort to take better care of himself, and Eoghan had seemed very pleased with that decision. Sure enough, as soon as they walked into the gym and the scent of sweat hit his nostrils, he already felt healthier. He silently laughed at himself and swallowed the last of his protein bar, chasing it with a half bottle of water, then followed Eoghan to the registration desk to pick up day passes.
The clang of weight machines and the thud of heavy rope hitting the mat as someone lifted the length, only to slam it back down to work their upper arms and shoulders, brought back memories of only a few days before. He and Eoghan liked working out side by side in the I.S.R. gym, pushing each other to do better, checking each other’s form, and spotting each other whenever they lifted. Ari liked the routine of going to the gym on a regular basis and jogging with Eoghan at his side when a gym wasn’t always available. He patted his backpack and smiled just a little when he remembered packing his swim trunks. He was elated that this gym had a pool, and a saltwater one at that. When he’d perused the website, he’d noticed that the pool was billed as being great for overcoming injuries and he was intrigued to try it out.
“I’m gonna go take a swim,” Ari said, pointing to the indoor pool adjacent to the two locker rooms.
“I’ll meet you in there,” Eoghan replied. “I’m gonna grab a steam first.”
Ari smiled, wiping his forehead. Eoghan loved the steam room. Every time they went to the gym together, Eoghan spent half his time in there, coming out soaked and red-faced. Ari liked the look on his lover but personally, he preferred the sauna. He liked the pure sweat of the hot, dry air rather than the wet steam.
He often spent fifteen minutes doing laps after his workout which always invigorated him. He’d gotten used to swimming back home in Lexington where the summers were so humid, his clothes had rings of sweat under the arms. He mostly felt like he was walking around wet all the time. He watched Eoghan walk away as they split off in the locker room, admiring the wet stripe down the center of his tank top and his gorgeous bubble butt.
When he got to the pool door, he had a disappointing surprise. Someone had tacked a rope across it with a sign—Closed for Private Party. Ari thought that was odd and he frowned at the sign. He’d seen restaurants closing off a seating area for a private party or corporate meeting, but it was a busy time at the gym. He figured he’d be nosy and check for himself.
The door opened easily and the tang of the saltwater pool hit his nostrils. He heard a great splash before pushing the door wider and peered inside. “Hello? Is there anyone in here?” More splashing. The indoor space was unusually dark and the moment he put his head farther inside, he heard a huge slosh as though someone had pushed a great deal of water over the edge of the pool and onto the decking. He glanced at the tile wall and found a light switch. A row of fluorescent lights blinked on from above as someone started yelling.
“Can’t you read, motherfucker? It’s a private party!” the deep voice called out. More splashing followed.
Ari frowned. At first, he didn’t see anyone but as he glanced around, he noticed a huge puddle of water at the far end of the room. Someonewassloshing water out of the pool, but no one was visible. He wasn’t used to being sworn at. But was torn about disturbing someone’s privacy, even if they were rude. Ari was in the wrong after all, but that didn’t give anyone leave to call him names. He searched the room, noting the only movement was coming from ripples at the far end of the pool.
Someone is under the water.
A chill shot down his spine for some reason as he walked fully inside and made his way over to the edge. Even though it was still relatively dark, he could make out an even darker and unusual shape under the water at the other end. He turned the corner cautiously on the non-slip decking but kept one eye on the undulating, dark shape as he headed for the far side of the room. A minute or more had passed since the person had yelled at him.