Dragon Awakened(29)

Speaking of…“When you were at the Yard, did you see any of those things you said were all over, like the one in your office?”

“A couple, yes. One stayed close to you. A fire Elemental, like Allander.”

So ironically, she wasn’t crazy because the monsters and creatures were real.

“I could see Leo’s and Jack’s Crescent eyes. Why couldn’t I see this Elemental?”

“Your ability to see the Hidden isn’t consistent because you haven’t been Awakened yet.” He pulled down the street on which his dojo resided, driving slowly. Odd, since he’d been driving fast the entire way.

“Get down,” he said.

“What?”

He placed his hand against her head and pulled her toward him. In that second before her cheek was on his hard thigh, she saw an old man sitting on a bench in front of the dojo.

“One thing we need to get straight right now, Ruby. When I tell you to do something, you do it. You don’t question or hesitate.” Tension vibrated in his voice. “You just do it.” He took a corner sharply. “Now you can get up,” he said in a very deliberate voice because the moment he’d lessened his pressure on her, she’d snapped upright.

“What the hell? You can’t just shove me around—”

He grasped her face with one hand, pulling her close. “I am the difference between whether you live or die. You don’t have to like me. In fact, disliking me would probably be better in the long run. But you have to obey me, which means trusting me.”

“You have to earn someone’s trust.”

“We don’t have time for that.” He released her. “Did you see the old man on the bench?”

She rubbed her cheeks where his fingers had dug in. “Yeah.”

“Not an old man. A harbinger demon. One of the few that can be seen by Mundanes, which is why they take a disguise. And they can take any disguise. But we can see the shadow around them that signals what they are.” He pressed a couple of buttons on his phone. “Dragon Arts,” the DJ-smooth voice said through the car speakers.

“Glesenda, there’s a harbinger outside the door.”

“Oh, shit. What are you involved in—it’s that girl, isn’t it?”

He slid her a look. “It’s not her fault, but yes, it wants her.”

“Can I play with it?” Glesenda’s eagerness permeated her words. “I can draw it in. What’s the girl’s name?”

“Ruby Salazaar, and I’m not a girl.”

Glesenda laughed. “Ooh, baby, you are a baby. Cyn, you got your hands full with that one.”

He sighed. “Indeed. Go ahead, lure it into the Obsidian Room. Call if you need me. Have fun.” He disconnected.

“You’re going to let her fight that thing by herself?”

“Glesenda can hold her own. She’s a hundred and forty years old, so to her, you are a child.”

“You’re really…what’d you say, two hundred years old?”

“Two hundred fifty or sixty something. After a while you tend to lose track. Once you’re Awakened, the aging process slows down. You’ll look like you’re in your mid-twenties for decades.” His mouth stretched into a sort-of smile. “If I can keep you alive that long. That will depend on you.”

“On whether I obey your every command.”

“Exactly.”

She flopped back against the seat, arms crossed in front of her. “There’s a reason I’m my own boss. I never had a lot of rules to follow growing up. Dad was busy with his science stuff, and Mom was busy with the Yard. I don’t take orders well.” Ever since losing her parents so suddenly, being in control of her life was paramount. Now this arrogant man-Dragon was insisting she follow his every order without question. He was right though. She needed him. And when he’d held her face and harshly ordered her to obey, she thought she saw a speck of fear in his expression. Fear for her safety.

“Everything in your life is about to change,” he said, getting onto one of the interstates. “You’re about to change. I suggest you put aside your stubbornness and pride. Neither will serve you well right now.”

“This sucks, you know. Totally reeks of suckiness. The suckiest ever.”

Another twitch of his mouth. “Whining won’t serve you either.”

“Well, I deserve to whine. A little.”

The coil of edgy energy she felt coming off him when he’d driven past the dojo was gone. He leaned back in his seat, his left hand draped over the top of his steering wheel. On the underside of his arm was a scar that looked like an elongated V.