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Only I doubt he’d ever been near a boat in his life Sea dragons had no need for thatto Leith - a friend as currently running a background check on Dougall And he should know, because he was a sea dragon hius caaze swepton the half-healed wound that snuck out froed line across half my forehead Once it was fully healed, it would be barely visible, but right noas fucking ugly

Which was a s the other option Tears touched my eyes and I blinked therieve I had far too ive in to the pain and hurt and loss

Angus took a sip of his beer then said, "I wasn’t actually expecting you to ht you’d been in an accident?"

Fear prickled my spine I took a drink to ease the sudden dryness in my throat and wondered if he’d been behind the wheel of that truck Wondered just how safe I was in this bar, even with the dozen or so strangers around us

"I was"

"You look okay"

"I alass "Who told you about the accident?"

Certainly I hadn’t mentioned it when I’d finally received iven him another call In fact, I hadn’t told anyone - although that hadn’t stopped Leith froht But then, he had other s out

Angus shrugged "I saw it mentioned in the Chronicle"

If the Chronicle had run an article on the accident, why hadn’t they contacted me? I was, after all, one of their reporters But I could sense no lie in his words or in his expression, and reading a newspaper had been the last thing on my mind when I’d awoken in hospital For all I knew, he was telling the truth Yet there was a strange tension erip a little on the glass and took a sip

"I was also told you’re dra up on-

especially considering I wasn’t exactly popular at hoe as avidly as they collected all things shiny - which was the reason behind inal move to San Francisco

It was entirely possible that one of those long-hoarded grudges was the reason behind Rainey’s death After all, soiven that deep-voiced man my cell phone number, and Mom still lived within the clique’s co when it caons that she lived with and loved

And just because I was presu it was linked to our quest to discover the reason behind the death of Rainey’s sister didn’t , then Rainey would pay

But I wasn’t wrong I felt that with every inch of

"What does itif he, like ainst those of us eren’t

It was a sad fact that on nast the dragon cliques to regularly cull the draman ranks These days, such practices were outlawed by the dragon council, but I very much doubted it was done to protect us The fact was, huon land s - as they were called - were bound to attract notice sooner or later It said so about the council’s desperation to avoid hu our nuons, then I wasn’t entirely sure what my next step would be I desperately needed the inforon and a th and skill

He took a sip of beer, his face giving little away White froth briefly decorated his wiry beard before he wiped it away "You’re a ain that sliver of fear ran downpan and into the fire - and this wasn’t the sort of heat I could control Not if things rong "How do you know that?"

"Because I’ up on the that I ah he wasn’t Not entirely

A s "Jamieson’s one of the oldest ones, isn’t it?"

I raised an eyebrow "They’re all old, simply because there are no new cliques There haven’t been, for hundreds of years"

The rogue towns certainly didn’t count Not yet, anyway - although I had no doubt that the council would move on them sooner or later They see us was to rule us all with the iron fist of fear and retribution

Which is why Rainey and I had thought that the council s of both Stillwater and Desert Springs But the clues weren’t really adding any support to that

Angus took another sip of beer, then leaned forward, blue eyes wary as he said, "Prove you are who you say"

"What? Why?"

"Because I need to be sure it’s not a trap"