Dragon with the Girl Tattoo by Julia Mills

Chapter Three

“What in the hell is wrong with you now, Son? Why ya’ sittin’ over here lookin’ like you lost your horse, your dog ran away, and somebody ate your last cookie?” Throwing his thumb over his shoulder as he took a long drink of his beer, Kayne huffed, “Have you seen all the women in this place? Look at all the women.”

“Yeah, I know but…” Taking a swig off his longneck, Lenn sighed. “They’re just not what I’m looking for. There’s no Magic, no sparks, nothing special.”

“I remember hearing you say something about ‘Miss Right Now’.” Leaning against the bar, the Demi-God swatted him on the arm. “There’s a whole damn bar full of Miss Right Nows. You should be jumpin’ for joy. What am I missing something?”

“No, you’re not missing anything,” Lenn grumbled. “Except that, I’m full of shit and Pearce was right when he said that I don’t need to get laid, I need to find my Mate.”

Lifting the Mad Bomber’s arm and looking under it, Kayne asked, “Do you have an expiration date I don’t know about? Is that shit stamped on your ass? Did I miss something? Is your lifespan shorted than the rest of us?”

Pushing himself up, Lenn shook his head, “Yeah, you missed the fact that I want to find my Mate. I want to settle down. I want to meet and fall in love with the one woman made for me by the Universe. I want kids, a white picket fence, a garden, the whole damn kit-and-caboodle. Hell, I’d even take a nagging mother-in-law in the deal if that’s what it takes. Is that too much to ask?”

Frustrated beyond his own belief, he turned so fast he almost missed the bar with his empty bottle, just to take another look at the women in The Sundowner. Yes, they were all very pretty, probably even nice, but not a damn one made him or Vulcan stand up and take notice.

“Look at that,” he swatted Kayne’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “A sea of beautiful women before me and I still feel like I’m sitting on an island surrounded by sharks.”

“Good grief,” the Demi-God snorted. Shaking his head, he teased, “Goddess save us all. The Mad Bomber’s become a philosopher.” Turning, he leaned against the bar. “If you are serious about finding your Mate…” Pausing, he took a drink of his beer while eyeing a tall blonde with curves for days who couldn’t take her eyes off him. “…I might know a way you can find her.”

Jerking his head to the side so quickly the room was a blur, Lennox blurted out, “What the hell? Tell me!”

“Simmer down, young’un.” Kayne nodded, slowly turning to face Lenn. “I have to be sure you are truly ready because once I put you in contact this little redhead…” Kayne snickered, taking a drink of the new beer he’d just picked up off the bar. “Well, let me just say, there’s no going back.” Looking him right in the eyes, the Demi-God deadpanned. “Ya’ get my drift, Son?”

Opening his mouth to speak, Lenn’s words were stolen from his lips as the scent of orchids and water lilies invaded his senses. Wrapping around both man and Dragon King, they were soon wrapped in a warm blanket of yearning and desire they never wanted to leave.

Eyes snapping to the door, his heart stopped. There she was – the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Tall, with long dark hair and hypnotic brown eyes, she had curves that his hands longed to explore and lips so kissable his own tingled with need.

“You were saying?” Kayne chuckled before waving his hand in front of Lenn’s face. “Hello? Hello. Anybody in there? See something you like, Big Man?”

Unable to look away, drawn to her like a moth to a flame, Lennox leaned back and asked Janice, the bar owner and head of the Honey Badger Clan, “Who is that?”

“No clue, but I pretty sure she’d a friend of Babs’.” Wiping the counter, she conspiratorially grinned at the Demi-God. “You know what that means, don’tcha, Kayne?”

“Oh yeah,” the Son of Lugh snickered. Snapping his fingers next to Lenn’s face and laughing out loud when the Mad Bomber didn’t so much as flinch, he added, “It means the dope here needs to pay attention.”

Holding up his hand and half-heartedly waving it at Kayne, Lennox mumbled, “Yeah, yeah, I’m listening. What were you saying?”

But he wasn’t listening. There was no way he could. Kayne’s ramblings were like annoying static in the background, as he took in every detail of the lovely creature whom Fate had seen fit to put in his path.

Thank you, my long lost friend. Sorry I ever doubted you…

“I told you, she would come when you least expected it,” Vulcan insisted. “But do you ever listen to me?”

“Yeah, yeah, I listen.”

But he wasn’t. His heart beat faster with every step she took and his feet were ready to take off running just to be by her side. Hell, the poor Guardsman was sure she’d fried his brain when as she sat down and crossed her legs. He wanted to be the fabric of her knee-length black skirt, lovingly baring just the slightest bit of her beautifully rounded thigh. Never had there been a woman as lovely, as alluring… as perfect as her.

Jumping to attention when a bar towel hit him in the back of the head, Lennox spun around and sputtered, “Wh-what the h-heck was that for?”

Motioning with his thumb, Kayne raised his eyebrows. “Don’t look at me. Janice threw it.”

“Damn right I did. Pay attention when I’m talkin’ to you, Son. When I’ve got something to say, it’s worth hearing. Got it?”

Holding up his hands in surrender, Lenn appeased, “I got it. I’m sorry. I was…

“You were drooling over that pretty girl, and I was telling you to be careful. If ole Babs gets her hooks into ya’, you’ll be a goner for sure.”

“Good! That’s exactly what I want.”

Shaking her head, the Honey Badger picked up her towel and continued wiping down the bar, “Yeah, well, just be careful what you wish for. Fate and the Universe have some truly warped senses of humor.”

Turning back around while Kayne once again began talking about this mysterious woman named Babs, Lenn’s heart took a nosedive when he saw the chair where the woman of his dreams had been sitting devastatingly empty. Searching the bar, he once again inhaled her scent, this time following the tantalizing aroma to the back door.

Stepping out into the cool night air, he stalked across the dirt alley, past the dumpster, and into the tall weeds he knew led to the river. Using his preternatural senses, Lenn slowly scanned the area, moving farther into the darkness with every beat of his heart.

Finally, the sound of a twig snapping under a paw alerted him to movement just under a huge weeping willow. Zeroing in, he saw the sway of an ebony tail a split second before he watched a perfectly elegant Black Panther leap into the tree and disappear from sight.

“What in all that’s holy are you doing out here?” Kayne yelled from the door of the bar. “I thought we were drinkin’?”

“We are. I was just lookin’around,” Lenn replied, turning and heading back towards the light.

“Well, get back in here. Janice and I were talking to you, and there’s a fresh, cold beer with your name on it.”

“I’m coming.”

Oh yeah, I’m coming for you my pretty little Panther. You may have gotten away this time, but never fear, I’ll find you…