Lord Of Fire: Book One: The Dragon Demigods Read online

  Lord Of Fire: Book One

  The Dragon Demigods

  Charlene Hartnady

  Copyright © February 2020 by Charlene Hartnady

  Cover Art by Melody Simmons

  Copy Edited by KR

  Edited by [email protected]

  Produced in South Africa

  [email protected]

  Lord of Fire is a work of fiction and characters, events and dialogue found within are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews no part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to digital copying, file sharing, audio recording, email and printing without prior consent in writing from the author.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  About the Author

  Also by Charlene Hartnady

  Excerpt

  1

  Ava

  It feels like someone has their hands around my throat.

  I can’t breathe.

  I’m trying but I can’t seem to get it right.

  And yet, I can hear the air rushing in and out of my lungs. I can hear the sobs coming from my mouth as I run towards the block of apartments. The apartments where he lives. Or used to live. I fight back another sob as the realization hits again. My eyes are stinging. My chest is so tight it hurts.

  Red lights are flashing. Uniformed officers are moving in and out of the building, which has been cordoned off.

  “Ava!” A woman screams my name. She is on the pavement, about thirty feet away from where the action is. Her eyes are wide. Her face is too pale. She’s much thinner than I remember. A waif, really. It’s been a good couple of months since I last saw her. Even from across the street I can see that her eyes are red-rimmed. Tears are streaming down her face. Her hair is an unkempt, stringy mess. It doesn’t look like she’s washed it in weeks. What a thing to notice at a time like this. It’s clear that nothing has changed since I left.

  That’s not true.

  Everything has changed.

  Everything.

  “Lee,” I choke out. “What happened?” I yell, my voice is shrill. Thankfully, I still have the good sense to check for oncoming traffic. My purse strap almost falls from my shoulder as I pick up a panicked jog. Gripping the leather in my hands, I close the distance. Shit. I’m crying now as well. Tears are coursing down my face.

  Lee is sobbing in earnest. She’s shaking her head and saying something I can’t quite make out. Between the sirens, our combined racking sobs and my thumping heart, it’s hard to hear anything else. Her eyes have this look. It’s terrible. It makes me pick up the pace even more.

  “I found him…” I finally hear her choked words. “I found him…I found him…” she keeps saying the same thing over and over. It looks like she’s about to lose it. Her eyes are wild now. Filled with…fear. Why fear?

  I grip her wrists in both my hands and force her to look me in the eyes. She flinches as our gazes lock. Her nose is running. Her eyes are not just red but puffy as well. Tears are still streaming down her face. I can sense that a sob is lodged in her throat.

  “What happened to him? What happened to my brother?”

  Lee shakes her head. “He…he…”

  I squeeze her arms. Not hard enough to bruise but enough to anchor her. To keep her focused. “What happened to Bruce? How did he die?” I choke on the last word. I still can’t believe this. My little brother is dead. Gone.

  Her face crumples and fresh tears fall.

  “Did he OD? He overdosed, didn’t he?” My fingers are digging into her arms now. I need answers. I make a noise of frustration. There is underlying anger there too. “Forget it! I’ll find out soon enough anyway.” I turn to walk to the closest uniformed person I can find. A middle-aged man. He looks to be guarding the entrance to the building. There is less activity outside.

  “He killed himself,” Lee says behind me, her words making my blood run cold.

  I turn, facing her. Lee is chewing on the quick of her nail. It’s bleeding but she doesn’t seem to notice. Her eyes are directed at the asphalt at her feet. “An H overdose but it wasn’t an accident.” Her big blue eyes lock with mine. “He left a letter,” she mutters. “It was addressed to you. An apology.” A tear trickles down her face. “He didn’t know what else to do.” She starts to cry all over again.

  “Why?” I shake my head, unable to comprehend what I am hearing. “Why would he do such a thing? I thought the two of you were doing better.” I’m frowning, unable to comprehend. “Bruce told me he had a job. He said he was working for a local courier company. I…” Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I stop talking. My mouth falls open.

  Lee is laughing. She’s damn-well laughing. The laugh quickly turns into an all-out bawl. She is shaking her head so hard her greasy hair is swishing. “A courier. Yeah, that’s exactly what Bruce was, only it wasn’t regular packages he was transporting. He was—” Her eyes lift, and she stares at something over my shoulder. Whatever it is has Lee freezing. It has her eyes widening in…terror. This strange reaction again…why? Her lip trembles. Her face drains of any vestiges of color. “I’m sorry.” Her voice is high-pitched.

  I can’t be sure if she’s talking to me. I don’t think she is. Lee turns and runs. She stumbles and almost falls. Once she finds her feet, she picks up the pace again. The police officer calls after her but she isn’t listening. Something has her spooked. Something or someone.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My whole body becomes rigid. I slowly turn. I almost take a step back but catch myself. “Mr Herms?” I sound incredulous. “What are you doing here?”

  He smiles. It’s warm and kind but I’m not taken in. I don’t know very much about this man, but I do know his type. Herms owns the casino I work for. With inky black hair and startling blue eyes, he’s extremely attractive. He is rolling in money. Has women falling at his feet. He’s also taken a keen interest in me of late. I don’t know why, but I don’t like it. My heart should beat faster when he flirts with me. I should have jumped at the chance when he asked me out some weeks back. It’s not just about losing my job, there is something about him I don’t like. Herms is a player. He’s used to getting what he wants, when he wants it.

  My boss arches a brow. “I heard that an employee just lost a family member. I thought I would come see if you needed anything.”

  My eyes prick with fresh tears as I remember why I’m here. That Bruce… I swallow thickly, trying hard to dislodge the lump of emotion forming in my throat. For a moment I’d forgotten why I was here. I’m reeling inside, working hard to keep my feelings under wraps. I don’t want this man to be privy to any of it. His explanation doesn’t sit right with me. There is no way Sly Herms, owner of The Winged Palace Casino, drops everything whenever one of his staff members has a family crisis. No damned way! I want to tell him that he’s fu
ll of crap, but I bite my tongue. I nod once. “Thank you but I can manage. I will need a few days to…” I clear my throat. wishing he would leave, “to make arrangements.”

  “Of course, take all the time you need.”

  “Thank you. I need to go…I…” Shit! A tear runs down my cheek. I catch it with the tips of my fingers, sniffing and blinking to stop myself from crying.

  “Here…” Herms pulls a crisp handkerchief from his suit pocket. Always dressed to the nines in expensive, designer suits, tailored to fit his built frame.

  I take the hankie, mumbling my thanks.

  “You shouldn’t have to deal with this alone.” He shakes his head, those deep blue eyes never leaving mine. How do I make him go away? It makes absolutely no sense that he is here. I don’t want him here.

  I need to speak to someone. I need to see my brother. I need answers. More tears run down my cheeks.

  “Let me…” the casino owner begins but is interrupted.

  “Ava…oh my god! I can’t believe this.” It’s my best friend, Trudy. She’d been my first call after I got the news, and it’s no surprise she dropped everything and raced to be here with me. She hooks an arm around me. “I’m so sorry.” Unable to hold back any longer, I cling to her and sob. It’s a good couple of minutes before I’m able to come up for air. “You poor thing. I’m so sorry.” Trudy’s cheeks are wet too. She’s known my brother for almost as long as I have.

  “Thank you for coming.” My voice is choked.

  “How did this happen? Did he…?”

  “He killed himself.” I bite onto my lower lip, shaking my head. “Lee said she found him.”

  Trudy gasps, covering her mouth. “I can’t believe it. Are they sure it was suicide?”

  “I think so…I haven’t spoken to anyone official yet.” I look to the door where the officer is positioned. There are two more standing outside, looking our way.

  “I haven’t had a chance.” I look around us, realizing with a sigh that Herms has left. Something else occurs to me at that moment. Lee seemed to recognize him. Not only that, she was afraid of him. So much so that she ran away. Ran. Away. My heart is pounding.

  It can’t be. It doesn’t make any kind of sense. Why would Lee know Sly Herms? How would their paths have ever crossed? Sly is rich. He’s well-known in these parts. A celebrity of sorts. By contrast, my brother and Lee barely get by. They’re drug addicts. The only reason they have this apartment is because of a monthly allowance my mother left for him in her will. I’m the executor. I use it to pay the rent and amenities. Otherwise, they’d be living on the street. I find myself thankful that my mother didn’t live to see this. She died young. I’m convinced that worrying herself sick over Bruce is what caused her death. The lies. The cheating. The stealing. The using. More lies.

  The last time I talked to Bruce was a few weeks ago. He said they were clean. Like I haven’t heard that one before. I’m not being callous or uncaring but it’s difficult to trust a drug addict. My mother took him back in on more than one occasion. The last time, he didn’t just steal from her purse, he cleaned out her jewelry and electronics as well. So, when he told me they were clean, that he had a real job, I didn’t believe him. From the look of Lee today, I would say I was right. I still can’t fathom why Lee would know Sly Herms. Maybe she was still high today when she saw him. Maybe she saw a picture of him on a billboard or in the paper and she just thinks she knows him. Yeah, that has to be it.

  Trudy squeezes my arm, bringing me back to the cold, hard reality. “I think we should go and find out what happened.”

  I’m fiddling with my ring, it’s what I do when I’m stressed. I nod once and allow myself to be led.

  2

  Ava

  Eight days later

  Tony touches me on the side of the arm, his smile is genuine. Lines wrinkle the sides of his eyes, which are filled with warmth. “Are you sure you’re okay to start work today?” He is my direct manager and a great guy. “You can take another day or two – if you want?” Concern is evident in their depths.

  I nod. “I’m sure.” I was given three days’ of compassionate leave and ended up taking some unpaid days as well. I literally can’t afford any more time off. The funeral was… It was a tough day, to put it mildly. It was Trudy and me, and the priest. No one else bothered to turn up. Not even his girlfriend. There was no sign of Lee at all. She had gone MIA since Bruce died. Anger bubbles up inside me. Did she care so little for him? They’d been together for six years. It was Lee who had introduced him to hard drugs in the first place. I was sure he would have fallen down that rabbit hole without her, but she certainly helped him along. They were each other’s downfall. Not a good combination, and yet the least she could have done was to turn up to say goodbye.

  It turns out that everything Lee told me on that pavement was the truth. Bruce died from an overdose of heroin. He had enough in his system to kill a bull elephant. There was no way a seasoned junkie like him would have made such a grievous error in judgment by accident. More anger wells. Why did he do it? Why?

  Then there was the note, in Bruce’s handwriting, that led the authorities to call his death a suicide. The note didn’t say much. A scribbled apology to me for everything. For being a burden. For causing so much trouble. It was a cop-out if I ever saw one. For all of Bruce’s weaknesses, I never saw this coming. I never took him for a coward.

  Why didn’t he come to me? I had two hard and fast rules when it came to Bruce. Never lend him money, because that would be feeding the beast, and never let him stay over at my house. Again, that would be feeding the beast. He stole from our mother, but he’d also taken a fair share from me. Having said that, I would have cleared out my measly savings to pay for yet another stint in rehab, or to get him psychological help. I would have done anything to prevent this from happening. Guilt welled. I should have stayed in touch with him. I should have—

  Tony squeezes my arm. “We’ll manage without you for a few more days. I have Moira on standby, just in case.”

  It’s my turn to smile warmly. Tony is the sweetest boss I have ever had. If you do your job and keep your nose clean, he’ll do anything for you. I nod. “I’m fine. I’ll cope.”

  He scrutinizes me for a few moments longer. “Okay, then.” His forehead creases with a frown. “Mr Herms has asked to see you before you start your shift.”

  What?

  A lump forms in my throat. “Why?”

  Tony shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’m sure he just wants to check up on you to make sure you’re okay.”

  Why would he want to do that?

  I can tell that he finds the request just as strange as I do. Herms should not have turned up outside my brother’s apartment and he shouldn’t be requesting a meeting with me now either. Tony is my direct superior. There are several levels of management between Herms and me. This makes no sense. I want to tell Tony that my shift is about to start. That there isn’t any time left to make it to the executive offices and back before then. I don’t want to meet with Herms. This whole thing is making me anxious.

  “I don’t think you have to worry,” Tony tries to reassure me and fails.

  I force a smile.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.” He misinterprets my frown. He probably thinks I’m worried about losing my job or getting into trouble, but that’s not it at all. The opposite is true.

  “You go on. I’m sure he’s waiting for you. It will be an hour or two before traffic picks up. It’s early yet.”

  I look over at the VIP section. I was recently promoted. I serve the elite ‒ high-rollers in the casino. Food and drinks are on the house. It’s always busy and service is expected to be top-notch. Day and night all bleed together. There is no such thing as time when you’re between these walls. Some of my regular clients will be asking for me. Some of them won’t be happy I am gone. Tony is just being nice.

  “I’ll be as quick as I can,” I say as I begin walking towards the elevators that wi
ll take me to the exec offices.

  Tony nods once.

  The security guard uses a card to summon the elevator. He was expecting me. Of course he was.

  I smooth my blouse and pull down on the hem of my skirt. It’s too short for my liking but since most of the clients frequenting the VIP section of the casino are men, this is what I have been given to wear. Low heels, stockings, a short black skirt, and a sheer, white blouse. Thankfully we’re allowed to wear a camisole underneath, but my cleavage is still on display. It’s the one downer when dealing with intoxicated patrons. They can be crude and even get handsy on occasion. We earn good money in the VIP section, tips too, so I will suck it up until I can find something better. I step into the elevator when it opens. I’m pale and I’ve lost weight. My big, hazel eyes are slightly sunken. My dark hair is lackluster. Probably from the lack of sleep and the stress of dealing with my brother’s death.

  I look back down at my frame. Notice that I’ve lost weight everywhere except for my chest. I have huge boobs. They seem even bigger now that the rest of me is slimmer. I’ve been big-busted since I was fifteen, and my breasts are not my favorite attribute. Men leer. It’s what they see first when I walk into a room. I was teased relentlessly at school. Truth is, they’re not as great as smaller-chested women think. I would have made them smaller by now if I’d had the money.