Monsters Under Mistletoe

2. Treasure Hunting

Chapter 2

Treasure Hunting

A surprise, indeed. Caitlin had thought she would never see the supernatural thief again. Certainly not in Egypt, a month after the half-dragon had rescued her in Scotland.

Dillian. The worshiped one , as he had told her the name meant. Fitting for someone whose ancestors weren’t from this realm.

According to the MUW’s historical records, supernatural beings used to live among humans in ancient times. Fae, merfolk, and dragons – to name a few – had shared knowledge and magic with numerous civilizations. Until humans’ greed and fear had forced those creatures to move back to their own realm.

Some had stayed behind, though. Going deep into hiding or, like Dillian, using glamour to make their supernatural features invisible to the human eye. Those beings’ exact number and intentions remained unknown, but they were sometimes seen at ancient sites. The MUW agents were thus instructed to keep their distance as a precaution.

In Caitlin’s defense, she had not known there was a supernatural nearby while she was taking a magic spearhead out of Edinburgh Castle. But then a male with horns and wings had flown her out of the museum’s courtyard amid a rain of bullets. He had offered her information over a glass of whiskey – how was she to stick to her instructions? Not to mention he had looked striking, wearing nothing but a kilt and using a Scottish accent.

Caitlin shivered as she took the handsome thief in. The intensity of his presence was the same as when they had first met. With his glamour off, his red face with dusty-yellow scales on the sides, swirling set of yellow horns, and golden eyes were clear to see. If it weren’t for the wide traditional clothing he wore, his leathery wings and two sinuous tails would be visible too. His elongated canines shone in the flickering torchlight as his red lips stretched into a broader smile under her perusal. Add his short strawberry-blond hair being ruffled, and you got a mischievous look Caitlin was a sucker for. Dammit.

“Happy to see me, m ’ òr ?”

The nickname in Scottish Gaelic got her out of her stupor. Did Dillian seriously think he could charm her again by calling her ‘my treasure’ in various languages? The nerve this guy had. Just because she was ogling her one-night stand did not mean she was still pining after him.

Which she absolutely wasn’t. Caitlin was over the captivating half-dragon, who had managed to seduce her into leaving the pub with him and continuing their interaction in her hotel room. Where they had interacted, alright. Orally. Deep and hard. Twice before dawn. Once after. She had never come so many times in a single night before.

“What are you doing here?” Caitlin asked with an icy tone.

“Same as you.” His smile turned roguish as he added, “Treasure hunting.” He motioned to the space behind her. “May I go to my backpack? Or will my closeness excite you further?”

“Excuse me?” The. Nerve. She didn’t know about him, but she felt capable of huffing smoke out at the moment.

“Your temple is bleeding. I have antibacterial wipes in my backpack. May I?”

“Oh.” Caitlin had forgotten about her stinging temple, courtesy of the criminal who had hit her with the butt of a gun. She had handled his two buddies just fine, but that last brute had bested her. Had Anubis not shown up…

She stepped to the side to give Dillian space to pass by.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to come,” Dillian spoke as he rummaged in his backpack. His Scottish accent was gone, replaced by one she couldn’t place. “I was in here when I heard the voices in the burial chamber over my hidden camera. The second I heard you, I headed your way but… Yeah. You saw how tight that shaft was. It’s a miracle I didn’t get stuck, wings, horns and all.”

He handed her a white wipe.

Caitlin stared at his outstretched hand, now glove-free, adorned by a regular and a knuckle gold rings on his index finger. A flashback hit her of when he had handed her a white condom wrapper, with XXL printed across it. She had laughed at the time, but afterward had wondered how that condom had fit the monster in his pants.

Perhaps he had used glamour to make his cock appear bigger than it actually was. She wouldn’t be surprised. After all, he had tricked her into letting him in her room to steal the magic spearhead; why not lie about the size of his dick as well?

There would be no tricking her this time. The orb with the mistletoe was coming with her, even if Caitlin had to fight a being built like a linebacker and armed with claws. But first, she had to solve the issue with the sealed exit.

She took the wipe from his scaled hand and willed herself to act collected. “Thanks.” She stifled a hiss as the antibacterial wipe came in contact with her broken skin. “For the rescue as well.”

His beaming smile dimmed. “Always, Cait. No harm will come to you when I’m by your side.”

“Really?” Just like that, her cool flew out the chamber’s air vents. “That’s rich coming from the one who robbed me, Dillian. If Dillian is even your real name.”

He lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “Let’s sit down and have a peaceful talk, shall we? There’s no whiskey, but I have water–”

“No, we shall not have a talk.” Caitlin scrunched the wipe into a ball and stuffed it in one of the many pockets of her black cargo pants. “I’m leaving. Let me out. Now.”

Dillian didn’t move. “It’s not safe yet, tesoro mío ,” he said calmly. “Like I told you earlier, there are more raiders outside the tomb. The ones we knocked out are probably up and looking for us as we speak. They won’t stop until they have no choice but to leave. That’s upon sunrise when the archaeological team returns. We have several hours.”

Hours. Alone with Dillian. With barely five steps of distance between them. “I’ll take my chances with the criminals.”

“Don’t be foolish, Cait. They are too many and too well-armed for both of us to take down, trained in battle as we might be.” He sat down before her, right under the orb, and patted the sandy limestone floor next to him with the spade tip of one tail. “Shall we?”

Dillian had her, and he knew it. Caitlin had no choice but to stay with the half-dragon for now, as much as she wanted to punch him in the smug face. She would reserve that pleasure for once they got out of this chamber.

She sat as far away from him as possible, her back against the exit. “Say your piece and be done with it.”