Never wake a Dragon (on hold)

6. part III - not my lover

The red brick building couldn't have looked more unassuming, but the figure who appeared from the shadows managed to shift the atmosphere from ordinary to foreboding. Of course, there was nothing ordinary about the situation.

Kyung's black coat, reaching his thighs, almost rendered the dragon invisible if not for the light puffs of breath that condensed in the chilly air. "You're late."

"Well, if you'd have told me the address from the start... You sent me on a stupid run to their headquarters first, but that shit was no morgue." He was annoyed and slightly tired of chasing through the city in the middle of the night. It was also disturbing to see Kyung look as unperturbed as ever. His own composure was scattered, if not nonexistent. He'd had more than enough time to imagine the potential disasters coming their way.

Kyung chuckled, which was a strange sound to hear under the circumstances. "Beginner's mistake." Awfully pleased, the fucker.

"Are we going in?" He assumed they were.

"Yes." Kyung headed for the entrance, efficient as always.

"And, what exactly am I doing here?"

"Because I know you don't want the council to knock on our doors. You'll do what needs to be done."

It was unnerving how well the dragon had managed to read his intentions. He followed, reluctant to make another remark that would make him look stupid. The dragon already had the upper hand since he'd done exactly what Kyung wanted. He'd left his friend behind to meet his enemy with the sole purpose of saving the bastard's job.

The wind brushed gently along the ground, whipping up salt and dust from the pavement. The air had a stale quality about it, and he could smell death from inside the building. How anyone chose to work at a place like this was beyond him.

Kyung walked toward the sliding doors, instantly setting off motion detectors that lit up the hallway inside.

Adeem stepped aside into the shadows. "There has to be a back entrance."

Kyung looked over his shoulder. "Now that's not such a beginner's thing to say. You're improving."

An underhanded compliment. "Hey, I don't usually break in to places. It's not what I do."

Kyung chuckled. "Really, is that so." The lightness in the dragon's voice made no sense.

They stalled as a car drove by, its headlights cold and blinding. It continued farther into the maze of hospital buildings. The sounds from the engine eventually died off, leaving them to another silence.

Kyung walked with careful steps toward the line of manicured bushes that stretched beyond the corner of the building. They ducked under a few windows that still, in the middle of the night, were alive with light. It was unlikely that anyone remained at work inside, but they had no reason to expose themselves unnecessarily.

The silence became too much. "So have you heard anything? Or what do you know?" Adeem asked.

"Nothing. I saw it on the news."

Kyung checked his phone while they continued. "And I already have people calling. It's getting out of hand. I'll have to contain the damage."

Adeem was surprised that Kyung would admit to something like that. Surely, the dragon wouldn't want him to see just how fragile his rule was.

There was a back door. A large metal escape door with a handle that looked disproportionately small. He doubted that they would be able to force the door since it most likely opened from the inside out. Pulling the handle would be useless.