Thea Harrison: Dragos Takes A Holiday

Pia walked into the living room carrying two glasses of wine. He said, “I don’t know why you keep going to the library instead of buying any book that you want.”

“Because going to the library is an experience.” Pia set his glass on the end table and curled up at one end of the couch. “It’s a fun outing away from the Tower, Liam enjoys story time and the other babies, and I like supporting the library.”

While she talked, he made a mental note to write a large check for the public library system. If Pia and Liam enjoyed going, he would make sure the library could provide them with anything they wanted.

“Why don’t I have this book?” He owned several books about treasure in his own personal library, but he knew he didn’t have this one. He would have remembered the flashy gold cover.

“You’ve been pretty busy. It came out last November.”

“Mm.”

He set it aside and picked up the next one, a large, trade-sized paperback entitled The Lost Elders . This one was decorated with a heavy, glossed cover. He flipped it over to scan the blurb on the back.

“I don’t have this one either.” He frowned.

“I think that one came out in March. I’ve skimmed all your books about treasure, and they made me curious, so I only checked out books that you don’t already have.” Pia sipped her wine. “Didn’t you say that you used to hunt for lost treasure?”

“Yes, I did. Of course, I had a lot more free time in those days.” He hefted the paperback in one hand as his gaze went unfocused. “I remember when this happened.”

“Really?”

“It was early in the fifteenth century. Isabeau, the Light Fae Queen in Ireland, and her younger twin sister, Tatiana, had been feuding for several years. Tatiana sent the ship Sebille to scout for a new land where she could settle with her followers. The ship was rumored to have been loaded with gold and all kinds of treasure, so that the captain could negotiate with indigenous people for land rights.”

“Tatiana… Do you mean the Light Fae Queen in Los Angeles?” Pia asked.

“Yes.” He set the book down and settled beside her on the couch. Liam had started to chew on one of the bunny’s floppy ears. “Eventually she settled in southern California, but the Sebille disappeared completely, and people have been looking for it ever since. Some even said that Isabeau caught wind of the expedition and sabotaged it, but I doubt that. From everything I’ve heard, Isabeau wanted to get rid of Tatiana as much as Tatiana wanted to leave.”

Pia slid close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Warmth filled him, and he put an arm around her as she rubbed Liam’s back. “What do you suppose happened to the Sebille ?”

Dragos thought back. “There were rumors that it sank off the southeastern coast of North America. I wonder if this book goes into more detail.”

She lifted her head. “You mean it might have gotten lost somewhere around the Bermuda Triangle?”

“It’s possible, although back then it wasn’t called the Bermuda Triangle.” Unwilling to reach for his glass and disturb either Pia or Liam, he took a sip from her wineglass and handed it back to her. “It was called the Devil’s Triangle, and still is sometimes. The area wasn’t very well understood at the time the ship went missing.”

“I didn’t know it was that well understood now.”

He gave into temptation and sank his hand into her soft, luxuriant hair. “It’s unpredictable, which is not quite the same thing. There’s a tangle of crossover passageways all over the area. The routes loop around and over each other, and the shifting ocean currents make most of them virtually impossible to map, although some old legends say that pirates found passageways to Other lands where they lived in secret hideouts.”

She shuddered. “You could get caught up in one of those passageways and get lost forever.”

“Yes, theoretically, and it’s possible that the Sebille did just that.” He tilted his head and buried his face in her hair, which was soft like silk and scented with her floral shampoo. “But it’s also not likely, either, because they would have needed to stumble onto the exact path of the crossover passageway. If ships stick to the established shipping lanes, they’re safe enough. Probably the Sebille sank.”

“Have you been to Bermuda?” She walked her fingers across his chest.

“No, I’ve only flown over it several times.”

“Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean—I’ve never been anywhere like that. I bet they’re beautiful.” She sounded wistful.

His phone buzzed, and they both sighed. He pulled the phone out of his jacket pocket and checked the display. It was Graydon again. Dragos gritted his teeth. “How long before we eat?”

They had come to a mutual decision several months ago. Dragos would not take any business or sentinel calls during dinner. Pia told him, “We’ve got at least a half an hour. You have time to take the call.”

He kissed her forehead, handed Liam over to her, and stood to walk down the hallway as he answered his phone.

“Sorry to bother you.” Graydon always apologized when he called after work hours.

“Never mind, what is it?” Dragos asked.

After listening to a few sentences, he switched direction and walked back into the living room. He met Pia’s gaze. “Would you mind keeping dinner warm for me? I’ll be as quick as I can.”

She nodded, looking unsurprised. “Of course.”

He strode out and didn’t make it back until after midnight.

When he finally returned home, the penthouse lay in deep shadow, except for the kitchen, where a light burned over the stove. Pia had left a note on the counter. Your supper plate is in the fridge. Microwave for three minutes. Love you.

He smiled. She had never lost patience, no matter how challenging this last year had become. He opened the fridge to locate his supper. She had plated the roast-beef meal beautifully and even garnished it with sprig of parsley.

Too hungry to wait while the food heated, he ate it cold, standing at the counter. Looking forward to sliding between cool silk sheets, he walked down the hall to the heart of the place, the large bedroom he shared with Pia.

She had left another light on, her bedside lamp. Wearing dark blue cotton shorts and a thin, matching T-shirt with spaghetti straps, she had tucked her legs underneath the covers and sprawled across the bed on her stomach, fast asleep. The pile of library books lay strewn around her like abandoned toys. The fingers of her right hand curled around The Lost Elders .

Moving gently so he didn’t wake her, he stacked the library books on her nightstand. As he leaned to pick up The Lost Elders , the sound of Liam crying came over the baby monitor.

Pia stirred. “Unh.”

“Stay where you are,” Dragos whispered. “I’ll take care of him.”

“You sure?” Her voice was sleep blurred. “You’ve had such a long day.”

“I’m positive.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine. Go back to sleep.”

He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, pulled the bedcovers up and tucked them around her. Still carrying the book, he walked into the nursery.

The mellow glow from a nightlight lit the room. In the crib, Liam had come up on his hands and knees but sank back a bit, so that he sat like a frog as he cried. Dragos set the book on the side table by the rocking chair and gathered up the baby.

“What is this?” He kept his voice soft and gentle. “Life is not nearly half as tragic as you think it is.”

Liam shuddered and hiccupped, blinking up at Dragos with violet eyes that swam with tears. He embodied innocence, his energy so bright, shining and new, and Dragos loved him with a ferocity he had never felt about anything or anyone before, except for Pia.