Part 22

"So you want me to kidnap a dragon?" Ash asked. This had been the opportunity he had been waiting for. He had, after all, promised Mary-Lynnette he'd return - with a slain dragon.

Unfortunately, Circle Daybreak wanted him to bring the dragon in alive. They wanted her on their side. He'd managed to briefly see Lennox, who seemed to be in charge of the group of Daybreakers.

He wasn't pleased to learn Ross Hughes was part of the group. Ross clearly still hated him. Well, he'd just have to deal. Past was past. He'd also been pointed out to the girl they thought was the dragon.

Conformation had just come from the other new Night World vampire Sephra Redfern that she'd seen horns on the girl. Leandra had told her they'd get the dragon, or rather, it was up to Ash to kidnap her.

Which meant if he could get the girl, Caprice, to trust him, he could secretly take her to Thierry and the Daybreakers. Well, that was the basic plan. Exactly *how* he was going to do that he wasn't too sure yet.

"Yes. She already despises us," Leandra said, frowning a little. "We didn't know she was a dragon."

He'd already guessed they'd decided the girl was a freak, and on realising what she really was, they regretted the way they'd treated her.

"She doesn't know what she is either from the sounds of it." He pointed out. "Unless she does and she's doing a very good job of hiding it."

If she really *was* a Night Person of any sort, then someone would have noticed by now. The whole idea of bringing the second dragon in was so *he* could point out the prophecy dragon.

Ash wasn't sure he trusted the second dragon. No one seemed to know much about him. Hannah claimed she'd 'checked him out and he was clean'. He could be lying.

"Do you know that other new guy, Lucifer?"

Ash looked up as the stunning dark haired girl walked in. Her eyes changed colour from second to second like his. Some distant relation. "No. Why?"

Sephra Redfern shrugged. "He seemed utterly convinced he'd killed me."

"How can you still be here if he's killed you?" Leandra asked, confused.

"That's what *I* want to know," Sephra said with a frown.

Leandra glanced at Ash, who just shrugged himself. He didn't have a damn clue who Lucifer Draigh really was.

"So you're gonna get the dragon?" Sephra asked, eyeing Ash distrustfully.
"Yeah."

~During which you're probably going to get yourself killed~ Ash thought. Strange, he wasn't too broken up about that. His only worry was that snatching the girl might wake up her powers and get *him* killed.

"Do you have a plan?" Leandra asked, wrapping her slender arms around her waist.

Ash shrugged again. "Seduce her, what else?" He smiled his old, lazy predatory smile. As long as he remained focus on his task he couldn't get tempted.

Leandra was the type of Night World girl he'd always used to hope his soulmate would be (after telling himself it was just mushy bullshit, he couldn't help having a profile in mind). Leandra was beautiful, cunning, ruthless. Just like himself.

Instead he got a human. He'd come to terms with that now. He'd accepted her and was determined to be a better person for her. He wouldn't betray her.

"Then when you get the dragon, we'll take her to the Council and get nice big rewards," Leandra smiled.

Ash glanced over at Sephra, who just didn't trust him. He could tell just by the way she kept glaring at him. Damn. He didn't want to kill her, but he would if he had to. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. He nodded and stood up.

He left the room they'd been occupying and went to find the dragon. He frowned, glancing over his shoulder watching a shadow disappear. An uncomfortable shiver ran through him. Had someone been spying on them?

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