Read Online Fire Song (City of Dragons) by Val St. Crowe - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Val St. Crowe
Ads: Link
not to be his daughter.
I shook myself. I didn’t want to imagine that.
“Her brother will probably be here,” Flint continued. “Families tend to stay close in the wake of a tragedy.”
That was true, as far as it went. I remembered that all my aunts, uncles, and cousins had descended on my grandparents’ house when my parents died. True, that was only my mother’s two sisters and their husbands and children, but for a dragon clan, that was an enormous amount of people.
“Do you know Sophia’s brother?” said Flint.
“No, not really,” I said. “I may have met him at a party or a function once, but I don’t remember anything about him.”
Flint was right. Sophia’s brother was there. His name was Declan, and he was much older than Sophia. He was over a hundred, maybe closer to two hundred. It was tough to tell, honestly. Dragons didn’t really start to look old until we hit two hundred forty or so. Big age gaps of fifty or seventy-five years between siblings wasn’t unusual in families, however, owing to the difficulty we had with conceiving.
Declan stood out on the back porch with us, clutching a glass of scotch which he wasn’t drinking, and staring out at the bay. His nose was red. His eyes were bloodshot. “I never had any such conversation with Alastair Cooper,” he said in a low growl.
“No?” said Flint. “He seemed fairly certain that you wanted him to look out for Sophia.”
“I don’t know what she was doing with him,” said Declan. He looked around Flint at me. “Listen, I don’t know what went on between the two of you. I guess you did what you had to do. But owing to the fact that Alastair couldn’t even keep his own mate, a woman who was destined to be with him, I wouldn’t exactly trust him around my baby sister.”
“Fair enough,” said Flint.
“Is that how everyone feels?” I said. “I would have thought that maybe people would… blame me for leaving.”
Declan looked into his scotch. “Well, no one understands it, I have to admit that. I can promise you that my wife is not perfect, and that our relationship is hard work, but leaving her is unthinkable.”
I swallowed. “Right.” Why had I thought anything different?
“So, you don’t have any idea why Mr. Cooper would have said what he said?” Flint asked. “Maybe something could have given him the impression that he should look after Sophia?”
“No,” sad Declan. “Why are you asking me this, anyway?”
“Just doing a bit of investigation, that’s all. I really don’t need anything else, so I’ll just thank you for your time and be on my way.” Flint held out his hand to shake.
Declan grasped his hand. “If he’s lying about this, and he was with her, then does that mean…?”
“Doesn’t mean anything,” said Flint.
“You think he did it.” Declan’s nostrils flared. “That bastard, if I get my hands on him—”
“No.” Flint shook his head. He took Declan by the shoulders. It was a little odd, because Declan was a very tall man, and he had about four inches on Flint. But Flint radiated confidence even if he was the shorter man. His voice went low and gentle—the same lilting, intimate voice he’d used on me several times. “Listen to me, you do not want to do that.”
“But if he’s guilty—”
“That’s my job,” said Flint. “You are in no shape to tackle something like that. And you’re too close to it. Don’t get your hands dirty. Sophia wouldn’t like that.”
Declan’s chin trembled.
Flint let go of him but maintained eye contact.
Declan dumped the whole glass of scotch into his mouth. “She was so young,” he whispered. Tears were forming in his eyes. He turned back to the bay, setting down his glass and gripping the railing. He bowed his head.
“I’m very sorry for what you’re going through,” Flint whispered. “I really am.” He nodded at me.
We left.
*
When Flint dropped me off back at the hotel, I was halfway out of the car when he
I shook myself. I didn’t want to imagine that.
“Her brother will probably be here,” Flint continued. “Families tend to stay close in the wake of a tragedy.”
That was true, as far as it went. I remembered that all my aunts, uncles, and cousins had descended on my grandparents’ house when my parents died. True, that was only my mother’s two sisters and their husbands and children, but for a dragon clan, that was an enormous amount of people.
“Do you know Sophia’s brother?” said Flint.
“No, not really,” I said. “I may have met him at a party or a function once, but I don’t remember anything about him.”
Flint was right. Sophia’s brother was there. His name was Declan, and he was much older than Sophia. He was over a hundred, maybe closer to two hundred. It was tough to tell, honestly. Dragons didn’t really start to look old until we hit two hundred forty or so. Big age gaps of fifty or seventy-five years between siblings wasn’t unusual in families, however, owing to the difficulty we had with conceiving.
Declan stood out on the back porch with us, clutching a glass of scotch which he wasn’t drinking, and staring out at the bay. His nose was red. His eyes were bloodshot. “I never had any such conversation with Alastair Cooper,” he said in a low growl.
“No?” said Flint. “He seemed fairly certain that you wanted him to look out for Sophia.”
“I don’t know what she was doing with him,” said Declan. He looked around Flint at me. “Listen, I don’t know what went on between the two of you. I guess you did what you had to do. But owing to the fact that Alastair couldn’t even keep his own mate, a woman who was destined to be with him, I wouldn’t exactly trust him around my baby sister.”
“Fair enough,” said Flint.
“Is that how everyone feels?” I said. “I would have thought that maybe people would… blame me for leaving.”
Declan looked into his scotch. “Well, no one understands it, I have to admit that. I can promise you that my wife is not perfect, and that our relationship is hard work, but leaving her is unthinkable.”
I swallowed. “Right.” Why had I thought anything different?
“So, you don’t have any idea why Mr. Cooper would have said what he said?” Flint asked. “Maybe something could have given him the impression that he should look after Sophia?”
“No,” sad Declan. “Why are you asking me this, anyway?”
“Just doing a bit of investigation, that’s all. I really don’t need anything else, so I’ll just thank you for your time and be on my way.” Flint held out his hand to shake.
Declan grasped his hand. “If he’s lying about this, and he was with her, then does that mean…?”
“Doesn’t mean anything,” said Flint.
“You think he did it.” Declan’s nostrils flared. “That bastard, if I get my hands on him—”
“No.” Flint shook his head. He took Declan by the shoulders. It was a little odd, because Declan was a very tall man, and he had about four inches on Flint. But Flint radiated confidence even if he was the shorter man. His voice went low and gentle—the same lilting, intimate voice he’d used on me several times. “Listen to me, you do not want to do that.”
“But if he’s guilty—”
“That’s my job,” said Flint. “You are in no shape to tackle something like that. And you’re too close to it. Don’t get your hands dirty. Sophia wouldn’t like that.”
Declan’s chin trembled.
Flint let go of him but maintained eye contact.
Declan dumped the whole glass of scotch into his mouth. “She was so young,” he whispered. Tears were forming in his eyes. He turned back to the bay, setting down his glass and gripping the railing. He bowed his head.
“I’m very sorry for what you’re going through,” Flint whispered. “I really am.” He nodded at me.
We left.
*
When Flint dropped me off back at the hotel, I was halfway out of the car when he
Similar Books
