A Dragon, a Gargoyle, and a Faery Walk into a Pub: Urban Fantasy meets Cozy Mystery (Dragon and Gargoyle Book 1) by Lisa Barry & Nicole DragonBeck

Author:Lisa Barry & Nicole DragonBeck [Barry, Lisa & DragonBeck, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Witching Hour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2024-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15 - Loch

Grown Men Don’t Wear Bracelets

Monday, 30 May 2022, 8:52 AM

(Dublin - KPOC Headquarters)

“Claudine…always a pleasure to see you,” Loch flirted even though he knew she was Aiden’s conquest that might never happen.

He had found her office which was thrice the size of most people’s. It was full of shelves and tables and plants. A ridiculous number of plants. Loch couldn’t understand how one could love plants so much. He wondered, did Aiden like plants?

“Morning, Detective Doyle. What brings you to my door? Did you find anything else that could help me unravel this spell?”

Loch lifted a hand, ran it through his hair and shrugged. “We found another girl, who’ll be transferred to you from Ballymoney. You might learn something new.”

“I heard about that. That’s good,” the witch murmured. “Well, not good, you know, but - good.”

“I know what you mean,” Loch said. “And Aiden has an immaterial witness that we brought over for a character sketch, which-”

“He’s here now, in the building?”

Loch squinted at the interruption. “Yes. He’s going to file a report on our recent adventures too. Should I text you when he’s at his desk?”

Apparently coming to her senses, Claudine’s lips pressed into a thin line before she turned and went to a floor to ceiling bookshelf behind them and lifted something. She went back over to him with…he stared into her palm.

“Are those bracelets?”

She held one out. “Yes, put this on and you’ll be protected from anyone who tries to spell you from the clothes you lost in the forest.”

“Bracelets are for girls,” Loch said flatly.

Claudine grinned. “Not these days. Bracelets are for everyone. They’re very stylish actually. Look, it’s made from lava stone. I even put a little skull on yours.”

Loch peered down at the offending jewelry but made no move to take it.

Claudine took his hand and tugged the dead weight up, stretched the bracelet over his hand and dropped it. “It stretches too so when you shift, it won’t fall off. Clever, right?”

“I don’t know what to say,” Loch mumbled as the bracelet weighed heavily on his arm.

She handed him the second one. Loch eyed it warily.

“How about thank you?” Claudine admonished.

“How about grown men don’t wear bracelets?” Loch complained.

Claudine sighed and went to the large worktable in the middle of the room. “This is where I have been working on the antidote for the moss drug.” She waved a hand over the table where there were numerous small dishes filled with various ingredients and large bowls where things clearly had been blended. Further down the table a few tubes were bubbling.

Loch nodded as he looked over everything. “Funny how much it smells like coriander.”

“It is very strong. I can’t imagine what the staff think I’m doing in here.”

“Which reminds me,” Loch said as he pulled a small package from his pocket. “Aiden asked me to give this to you.” He handed her his bar of chocolate from Doolin.

“Oh,” Claudine took it with a shy smile and placed it on her table.

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