Page 30 of Red Dragon’s Heart

Silently, he followed her terse directions to a trailer park only a few miles from the warehouse they’d destroyed last night.

It was a shabby, rundown place with way too many sketchy-looking people lurking around. It was good she was getting out of here, he thought. She shouldn’t live in a place like this. There was even a drug deal just finishing, next to one of the trailers. The buyer turned away, and the dealer leaned back against the trailer, watching Zak’s truck.

Madeleine waved. The drug dealer waved back.

A chemist with drug dealer friends? Maybe she’d been bullshitting about her innocence after all.

Madeleine directed him to a trailer near the back, and he parked in the narrow parking space. As they got out, she said, “I don’t have my keys. I’ll have to go knock on Mrs. Tannenbaum’s door.”

At his questioning look, she added, “My landlady.”

Zakerek was already at the trailer door. “It’s fine,” he said. The last thing he wanted was to get more humans involved in this. He gave the door handle a quick twist, and the lock broke. He pushed the door open.

Madeleine looked annoyed. “Oh, that’s just great. I’m going to have to pay for that now.”

Ignoring her, Zakerek walked ahead into the trailer, to make sure no attackers were waiting.

They were.

A screaming orange banshee creature launched itself at its head, claws extended. He snatched it out of the air inches from his left eye.

Madeleine grabbed his arm just before he heaved it at the wall. “Don’t hurt her!”

He stared at the fluffy, yowling creature dangling off his hand, claws digging into his skin. “What he hell is it?” he demanded. “A rabid rat?”

“Of course not, you dork,” she snapped. “It’s a kitten. Haven’t you ever seen one before?” She put her hand out to take it, but he held it up out of her reach.

“Not one this small.” He’d seen panther and lion and leopard shifter cubs, but they were a lot bigger than this tiny mouthful. Even all fluffed up, it was no bigger than the palm of his hand, with orange stripes, big round gold eyes, and needle-sharp little claws.

It was also obviously magical, because it could make sounds way louder than those little tiny lungs could possibly produce.

His dragon gazed at it curiously.

There was another one, he realized. Madeleine was holding a little gray kitten that had materialized from somewhere. It was currently trying to burrow into the crook of her elbow.

The first one was still screaming at Zakerek.

Madeleine said, “Give her to me. She’s never seen anything as big as you, and she’s scared.”

“She is not,” Zakerek said. “She’s trying to decide whether to tear me to pieces, or just swallow me whole.” As if in answer, the tiny orange kitten hissed at him. He hid a smile—he’d never admit it, but he liked feisty females.

“Well then, give her to me to save yourself.”

Zakerek snorted, but not knowing what else to do with the thing, he held out his hand to Madeleine.

The kitten dashed up his arm and crouched on his shoulder, half-hidden in his hair.

Zakerek smirked at Madeleine. “I think she likes me.”

Madeleine sniffed. “I don’t know why.” But those sexy lips twitched with humor, like they had in the coffee shop.

He said, “I’m good with babies.”

She snorted. “I doubt that.”

“I am!” he said. “I used to—” He used to watch Kendra for Emon and his mate Trish. Dress her up, change her diapers, play with her, sing her to sleep.

But that was gone now.