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I pushed through the door, careful to avoid dislodging my collection of wildlife. The receptionist glanced my way and burst into laughter. He got up from his seat, circled his desk, and hurried over. “I was wondering if I’d see you today, Kinsley.”
As I showed up most Fridays with a haul, I expected he wanted to ask what had taken me so long to make my way over. I closed the door to prevent any escapees and heaved a sigh. “There are lemurs in my hair, Cedrick.”
As the son of a pair of titaniums, Cedrick counted as a dragon-kin nobody wanted to cross. One day, he’d either sprout wings and scales of his own accord or petition until he sprouted wings and scales. One day, however, he’d transform and join his fellow dragons in creating trouble for me.
For the moment, he remained a relatively safe individual to know among dragons and their kin.
Titaniums couldn’t sniff out secrets, not like some of the other colors.
I did not need any dragon sniffing around my secrets. I wanted my secrets to remain mine and mine alone, although an unfortunate number already knew more than I wanted.
In Miami, I had been valued for my ability to understand how a wound had come to be. I’d dropped hints to the coroners one too many times, earning the label of necromancer.
By then, Miami had outlawed necromancy.
I’d fled to Dragon Heights, a place that necromancers wisely avoided but where purple dragons could work their magic without interference or prejudice.
I had my great-great-grandfather to thank for the unwanted and inaccurate label of necromancer, but I didn’t want my past and present to collide.
It would only be a matter of time before dragons and their kin were outlawed in Miami, too.
I sighed and went to work catching the living lemurs so Cedrick could cage them and send them off to their new homes.
The little shits burrowing in my hair put up a fight, and they issued pathetic little cries when I finally caught them. The smallest evaded capture for the longest, and it whined its distress. My heart broke, and I petted the baby to comfort it. “Can you please tell your kin to stop summoning these little ones? I’m going to need therapy I can’t afford if this keeps happening.”
Cedrick sighed, and he claimed the animal from me. “These aren’t pets, Kinsley. They can’t be pets, never will be pets, and shouldn’t ever be considered pets by anyone for any reason. They’re aggressive, they’re not tamable, and they kill their young in captivity. All the live ones will be given medical care and either sent to a reservation designed for them or released into the wild.”
How sad. “Why aren’t they being aggressive now? The toads certainly were.”
“Magic, of course. We knew we’d have a wild petitioner today, so the dragons took care with their precautions. All the lemurs not wrangled by Monday are going to be difficult at best, so do make sure you bring in any you see. Their diseases transfer to us with ease, so if you get sick, get to a doctor quickly. They can carry some pretty nasty viruses. But in good news, the going rate is tripled because these guys are trouble, so I have a good wad of cash for you today. I was also told I owe you an extra six hundred; some of your toads were quite special, and you’re to be compensated for your work.”
“How is Mouthy Asshole doing?” I asked, aware the biter wouldn’t be returning to the wild thanks to its taste for human and dragon flesh.
Cedrick laughed. “We have determined that Mouthy Asshole is a male, he now has a girlfriend, and they’re making some baby mouthy assholes as we speak. That’s part of why you’re getting the check. The male and female are genetically diverse. The species is critically endangered.”
It would be nice to have a few weeks of enjoying life without worrying about paying the rent. While staying in Miami would have been bad for my health, I missed a lot of things about my home.
My boyfriend took the top of the list. Well, fiancé, when honest with myself. Ex-fiancé, as I’d had the integrity to formally break off my relationship with him before bailing town.
One day, he would be a police captain if he wasn’t already, and the last thing he needed was my status as a presumed necromancer dragging him down. And if all went as he dreamed, he would become a chief.
Maybe I’d taken it a little too far following up with a disappearing act, but I wanted to keep my head attached to my shoulders, and I doubted the lynch mobs in Miami would stop long enough to listen to my explanations that there was a hefty difference between necromancers and dragon-kin.
As I didn’t want the dragons of Dragon Heights figuring out I was a dragon-kin of mixed heritage, my general plan worked well despite my various regrets.
To cover my silence, I heaved a sigh and stared at the lemur Cedrick handled. “But it’s so cute.”
“I know, I know. I’ll tell my old man you were emotionally traumatized by the unreasonable cuteness of these guys. Maybe we’ll get a rain of kittens next.”
“I will personally murder any dragons or dragon-kin deliberately creating a rain of kittens. Their deaths will be so grotesque that Dragon Heights will speak of it in hushed whispers for a thousand years.” If I had to collect deceased kittens because of some petitioner, the dragon-kin or human involved would perish at my hands, and I’d go after the damned dragons who permitted it as well. “The same applies to puppies, horses, and any animal that counts as a common household pet.”
Cedrick winced. “I’ll also tell my old man you mean business when it comes to the cute, fluffy babies. How about winged foxes?”
My eyes widened at the thought of winged foxes. “That sounds like so much trouble.”
“Foxes are trouble, but they’re adorable trouble. Dad said if we get a rain of foxes, I can keep a pair for our menagerie.”
Damned dragons, collecting everything they wanted, including animals and people. “I’m really going to need therapy if there is a rain of foxes. At least a quarter of them die. Either please tell them to process their petitioners in a better fashion for the wildlife or make them do it the long way. Stop killing off the animals, damn it!”