“She used to be as feisty as the rest of ‘em, but I haven’t seen her much in recent years. She don’t hang out at Ernie’s, don’t get into trouble. Hell, the last time I saw her in a skirmish was at the Swamp Festival, what, sixteen years ago. The Garza girl—Pilar—let out one of those ear-piercing whistles right in the middle of Violet’s bout with a ten-foot gator, distracting her enough that the gator turned and nearly tore her arm off. Pilar done it on purpose ‘cause she wanted the title and Violet had won four years running. Violet had control, I give her that. She went after Pilar, bloody arm and all, but she didn’t Catalyze in front of the tourists who come for the festival. Pilar was banned from the competition forever.”
That version of Violet was closer to the one who’d attacked him years ago, though he wouldn’t have blamed her for going beastie on the Garza bitch.
“Violet’s a good woman,” Bob said. “Too bad she’s a Castanega.”
Violet was right about the prejudice she faced, even in the Fringe. He felt bad for her. “Why are they so bad?”
“They’re troublemakers. Raucous.”
“Sounds like everyone in the Fringe. What makes them worse?”
He gave an exaggerated shrug. “I think what makes them so reprehensible is they’re the richest clan besides the Stramaglias.”
Ah, now he was getting somewhere. Only it wasn’t the place he needed to be. “During the violent times in the history of the Fringe, was it normal for someone to creep onto another family’s land and kill the first person they come upon? And leave a calling card?”
The man scratched his beard. “Not really.”
Kade pushed away from the car and held out a hand. The man eyed it for a moment before taking it. “Thank you,” Kade said. “I meant what I said about being sorry. No one should have to die that way. I’m going to find out what the devil is going on around here and stop it.”
Kade headed back to Ernie’s, but there were people hanging out in the parking lot. He recognized a man he had arrested not too long ago, which meant the guy might recognize Kade too. He returned to Castanega land, hid his car, and trekked back to Violet’s house.
She hadn’t returned yet. Not wanting to be out in the open, he went into her workshop. She kept everything clean and organized, bins of gems neatly labeled and stacked on shelves. Several pieces sat on the worktable, mid-completion. Amethysts and topazes adorned a necklace that reminded him of a collar, big and bold. It sat next to a sketch she’d drawn up with lots of flourishes. Another piece was delicate, a spray of opal flower petals and emerald leaves. Off to the side, a whole stack of sketches awaited their turn to be made into jewelry.
There was too much…Violet in here. Her dreams and passions, and even her dog, who got to his feet and ambled over with a wagging tail. Kade scratched the mutt’s head, remembering how Violet had buried her face in the folds of fur. Cats detested Dragons, something about their energy being feline and yet not. It seemed to throw them off. Other animals didn’t mind, obviously.
“You’re a good friend,” he whispered, then checked the window before stepping out into the muggy air. The presence of another being prickled through him. He froze, searching. A Fire Elemental sat high in one of the cypress trees like a dark red monkey. It watched with its big eyes, making no move to alert anyone. The Fires often hung around Dragons, and though they weren’t pets, they sometimes had a loyalty to their Crescents.
Something hit him, sending him crashing to the ground. He spun quickly, dislodging his assailant and leaping in the opposite direction. His dagger filled his hand as he rolled into the motion and landed on his feet, facing a Sapphire Dragon. It unleashed a blue ice-cold plume. Kade deflected the cloud with his magick and felt only the frigid outer edge. The blue Dragon’s black facial markings stretched along his temples and to the back of his smooth, sleek head. Male, by its energy, the only way to tell a Dragon’s gender in most cases.
Kade held out his dagger in a way that showed his Guard designation. “Stand down.”
“Yeah, it’s that Vega son of a bitch, all right,” the blue Dragon said. Ryan, Kade guessed.
But who was he talking to? Kade felt a bristling presence seconds before he jumped to the side and faced down a Carnelian Dragon.
“You got no right to be here. We have nothing illegal going on,” the red Dragon snarled.
The Sapphire’s vertical irises widened, and he seemed to smile. “He doesn’t have his official un-ee-form on.”
Red smiled. “Which makes you fair game. Especially since you’re sneaking around our sister’s place.”
Jessup, then.
Just as Kade started to explain why he was there, a third Dragon burst from around the corner of the house. “Let’s get ‘em,” the Citrine said, looking way too happy to do so as he whipped his deadly tail. “You did see the sign, didn’t you? Trespassers will be fed to the gators. Or to the Dragons.” He let out a long laugh.
Three on one. Bring it on. Two things hit Kade at once. He couldn’t hurt them; they were Violet’s kin, after all. And he couldn’t tell these bozos that the reason he was investigating was because she’d gone to the Guard.
Hell.
They, on the other hand, would kill him in a flash. Two other things hit him—Dragons. His dagger flew from his hand as he dropped to the ground. He heard it hit the dirt a few yards away. All he could see were vividly colored scales and claws and fangs.
He threw his hands up, sending a flash of magick that kicked them back a few feet. Damn, but he wanted to pull out the fatal Lightning so bad his fingers tingled. Adrenaline throbbed through his body, narrowing his vision. Being attacked sent him into kill mode, and he had to fight to stop it. Wiping these morons wouldn’t solve the case. More deaths sure wouldn’t keep Violet safe.
He thrust out his hand, and the dagger flew into it. He readied the taser, rubbing his other fingers together. Was there enough juice to take out all of them? He had to touch their forehead, and that wasn’t going to be easy with them out for his blood. They moved in on him, again forming a deadly circle.
“Violet knows I’m here,” Kade said, slicing the blade through the air between them as he kept turning. Blue sparks arced off the tip, leaving a trail that acted like a barrier. Sparks crackled over his skin as he pulled the power from within.
Jessup snorted. “Yeah, right. ‘Cause she’s into Vegas. Especially Deuce Vegas.”
