want me to send some of my men over there? I doubt they'd make the connection between us."
Lian nibbled his bottom lip as he thought it over. "If you don't mind. I might just be paranoid, but it isn't like Nevair not to check in with me." Even with only being mates a short time, Nevair had proven to be the type of man who called when he said he would.
"No, it's not. A new mating is a fragile thing. Most dragonkin won't leave their mates the first twenty-four hours after their mark appears. I'll send over a few people and ask discreetly. As long as they stay away from Tres they shouldn't be detected."
"Thank you. You've been great, really. I mean, you didn't have to take in a complete stranger."
Milot's eyes glowed with the power of his emotions. "You didn't have to stop and help a couple of injured kids. I heard from their parents. They sobbed over the phone, so thankful someone stopped to help. So many people don't care anymore. You did." Milot gripped Lian's shoulder. "Your act of kindness saved two of my nephew's best friends. That's worth a lot more than a small lab, a guest room and asking a few questions."
Lian nodded. He didn't want to argue. He'd always lived with his gift so he didn't always understand how his actions affected others. Milot appreciated his efforts and Lian received a lot of benefits for one moment of compassion. "Thanks."
"No problem. My cook made some of her amazing pasta and I'm dying to eat. We can dine while we wait for our report," Milot smiled as if everything would be fine now.
Lian gave a weak smile. "Sounds good." His stomach hadn't stopped churning at the thought of Nevair in trouble.
Chapter Seven
The news, when it came, shook Lian to the core. "What do you mean he's disappeared?"
Milot's detective shifted nervously on his feet, his gaze skittering across the room, desperate to look anywhere but into Lian's eyes.
"No one's seen him since he entered the cathedral and the cathedral staff say he never showed up for his sermon," the detective announced.
"Who saw him last?" Lian asked, leaning forward and barely resisting the urge to choke the messenger.
The man took a cautious step back, obviously reading the intent in Lian's eyes. Scanning his compad the detective answered. "Trestair Dragonwing met his holiness at the steps according to eyewitnesses, but no one inside verified seeing him afterwards."
Lian's heart plunged somewhere around his ankles. "Shit."
"Calm down, Lian. What about the water company," Milot asked.
The man's chocolate brown eyes jumped between Lian and Milot. "The company board lists both Dr Bourne and Trestair Dragonwing as primary owners."
"What?" Milot asked.
"Why would they work together?" Lian asked.
On the surface neither man should have a connection. If Tres cared for Nevair why would he want him to be poisoned?
"That I don't know," the detective replied.
"You're dismissed, Barth. Go get some food in the kitchen," Milot ordered.
"Thank you, sir," Barth bowed and quickly left.
Lian leaned back in his seat, trying to figure out the puzzle pieces. "Why would a dragonkin want to poison his own kind?"
"Tres isn't dragonkin," Milot said.
"What do you mean?" Lian had thought Tres must be dragonkin the way he reacted to Lian's lack of a dragon.
"I mean he was adopted. You don't know the story because you're new but his parents adopted him after his mother turned out to be sterile. They gave him a dragonkin last name. It was quite the scandal at the time," Milot remarked.
"The adoption?" Lian tried to figure out how an adoption would be scandalous.
Milot shook his head. "No, the naming. No one has ever given a non-dragonkin a dragon name unless they are direct offspring or bonded. Some people ostracized his parents over it."
"What happened to them?" Lian wondered if Tres had killed his parents too.
Milo got a faraway look in his eyes. "If my memory serves me they died about six years ago in a space ship collision."
It still didn't make sense.
Lian nibbled his bottom lip as he thought it over. "If you don't mind. I might just be paranoid, but it isn't like Nevair not to check in with me." Even with only being mates a short time, Nevair had proven to be the type of man who called when he said he would.
"No, it's not. A new mating is a fragile thing. Most dragonkin won't leave their mates the first twenty-four hours after their mark appears. I'll send over a few people and ask discreetly. As long as they stay away from Tres they shouldn't be detected."
"Thank you. You've been great, really. I mean, you didn't have to take in a complete stranger."
Milot's eyes glowed with the power of his emotions. "You didn't have to stop and help a couple of injured kids. I heard from their parents. They sobbed over the phone, so thankful someone stopped to help. So many people don't care anymore. You did." Milot gripped Lian's shoulder. "Your act of kindness saved two of my nephew's best friends. That's worth a lot more than a small lab, a guest room and asking a few questions."
Lian nodded. He didn't want to argue. He'd always lived with his gift so he didn't always understand how his actions affected others. Milot appreciated his efforts and Lian received a lot of benefits for one moment of compassion. "Thanks."
"No problem. My cook made some of her amazing pasta and I'm dying to eat. We can dine while we wait for our report," Milot smiled as if everything would be fine now.
Lian gave a weak smile. "Sounds good." His stomach hadn't stopped churning at the thought of Nevair in trouble.
Chapter Seven
The news, when it came, shook Lian to the core. "What do you mean he's disappeared?"
Milot's detective shifted nervously on his feet, his gaze skittering across the room, desperate to look anywhere but into Lian's eyes.
"No one's seen him since he entered the cathedral and the cathedral staff say he never showed up for his sermon," the detective announced.
"Who saw him last?" Lian asked, leaning forward and barely resisting the urge to choke the messenger.
The man took a cautious step back, obviously reading the intent in Lian's eyes. Scanning his compad the detective answered. "Trestair Dragonwing met his holiness at the steps according to eyewitnesses, but no one inside verified seeing him afterwards."
Lian's heart plunged somewhere around his ankles. "Shit."
"Calm down, Lian. What about the water company," Milot asked.
The man's chocolate brown eyes jumped between Lian and Milot. "The company board lists both Dr Bourne and Trestair Dragonwing as primary owners."
"What?" Milot asked.
"Why would they work together?" Lian asked.
On the surface neither man should have a connection. If Tres cared for Nevair why would he want him to be poisoned?
"That I don't know," the detective replied.
"You're dismissed, Barth. Go get some food in the kitchen," Milot ordered.
"Thank you, sir," Barth bowed and quickly left.
Lian leaned back in his seat, trying to figure out the puzzle pieces. "Why would a dragonkin want to poison his own kind?"
"Tres isn't dragonkin," Milot said.
"What do you mean?" Lian had thought Tres must be dragonkin the way he reacted to Lian's lack of a dragon.
"I mean he was adopted. You don't know the story because you're new but his parents adopted him after his mother turned out to be sterile. They gave him a dragonkin last name. It was quite the scandal at the time," Milot remarked.
"The adoption?" Lian tried to figure out how an adoption would be scandalous.
Milot shook his head. "No, the naming. No one has ever given a non-dragonkin a dragon name unless they are direct offspring or bonded. Some people ostracized his parents over it."
"What happened to them?" Lian wondered if Tres had killed his parents too.
Milo got a faraway look in his eyes. "If my memory serves me they died about six years ago in a space ship collision."
It still didn't make sense.
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