Page 77 of Dragon Tempted

The male he was reaching out to was a demon. After being alive for over four hundred years, John had dealt with a variety of surprises. Surprises he wasn’t planning on telling the others. Yes, demons, vampires, and shifters who could turn into non-mythical animals existed, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be a part of their business, or on the flip side, clue them in to the fact that dragons and witches existed. As best he could tell, the powers of these supernaturals were not magic-based and therefore not impacted by the curse.

From what John had gathered over the years, the vampires thought they were in charge, while the demons argued among their various clans, and the shifters were a secretive bunch dealing with their own issues. All of them were too busy hiding their existence from humans. And he suspected they would not be happy to find out witches and dragons existed. He was sure Megan would be over the moon to know the truth and would also have various theories about why magical and non-magical supernaturals were ignorant of each other, but John would not be sharing the truth.

These other supernaturals were too caught up in their own drama and, strangely enough, didn’t believe that magic was real. Which was ridiculous but worked in John’s favor. He just wasn’t sure how much longer dragons and witches would remain under the radar from humans and non-magical supernaturals if their magic continued to fail. Of course, if it totally failed, there would be no witches or dragons left, so moot point all around.

He rubbed his temples. How did they expect him not to be grumpy with everything going on around them?

He sat down, pulled out his burner phone, and dialed, putting the call on speaker.

“Doyle here.”

“Hello, Doyle. This is John Harper.” Sienna’s eyes widened at the different name. If she only knew how many times he had changed it. “I don’t know if you remember me, but you helped me procure a painting a few years ago. I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

“I do remember you, John. But I’m out of that business now.”

John wasn’t going to give up that easily. “You might still be able to help me. I’m actually looking for information.”

“I can try. What’s up?”

“I know that the antiquities business is a tight-knit community. I was wondering if you ever had any dealings with Three H Antiques, which stands for Hocking, Hartford, and Hollingsworth. They’re located in Brentwood, Tennessee, which is outside of Nashville. I was curious if they’re legitimate.”

“I recognize the name. If my recollections are correct, I would say they’re about eighty percent legit.”

“And the other twenty percent?”

“Nothing too out of the ordinary. Not procuring things illegally so much as selling a bill of goods to susceptible people. They’re known for selling items that are supposedly magical for all the people in the world who think witches and Wicca are real.” He snorted slightly. “But then you know what I mean. I’m sure you sold that painting I procured for you for a pretty penny to someone, right?”

John chuckled as well. “I sure did. Thanks for the info.”

John hung up and waited for Sienna to say something. Her eyes had narrowed the longer the conversation went on. He was curious as to what she would ask.

“Did he steal the Death of Magic painting for you?”

So she was going with the hard question first. Why didn’t that surprise him? “I didn’t ask. But he probably didn’t get it through legal channels.”

She swallowed. “And you’re okay with that?”

He leaned back in the chair and hesitated. Not because he didn’t know the answer, but because he wasn’t sure she would like what he was going to say. “The painting has been hidden away and passed down through generations of witches. If we don’t figure out how to break this curse, dragons won’t be the only ones who disappear. And if the witches are too shortsighted to try and do something about it, then I will. In order to save your future, I had to be willing to make hard decisions. So that is a long-winded way of saying that I am fine with it.”

She looked at him. Really looked like she was trying to burrow into his brain and understand him. “Stealing is one thing, John. But at some point there has to be a line that shouldn’t be crossed.” She leaned forward and rested her hand over his on the table. “And what you’re doing is to save our future. Breaking the curse will free you as well.”

He nodded. Because if he spoke, the truth would spill out. His sacrifice would give everyone else their future. And he was more than okay with the trade-off.

After bowing out of an invitation to dinner, John walked behind the clan house toward the path that led to the cabin. He heard a methodical thumping, and when he rounded the corner of the house, he saw Ryan flying around the heavy bag in the courtyard outside the training facility. He stepped closer and simply watched with a twinge of jealousy at Ryan’s agility in the air. He flew like a pro.

After a few minutes Ryan dropped down and wiped his face with his forearm. “How long you been standing there?”

John shrugged. “Awhile. Didn’t want to interrupt. You had a rhythm going.”

He furled his wings. “Helps me think. You’re more than welcome to work out.”

John shook his head. “No, thanks. Bet it keeps you in shape too. Important part of being a guard, right?”

Ryan nodded. “Yes. Sienna is very important to the clan.”

“And to you,” John pushed.

He paused before answering. “And me.”