Broken Dragon (The Chronicles of Mara Lantern, Book 3) by D.W. Moneypenny

book says to ignore the dragon’s folly. So, assuming it’s referring to my current dilemma, your best course of action is to do just that. Ignore it.” He jabbed in the air toward the book. “It’s in your own handwriting. If you can’t follow your own advice, why the hell are you here asking for mine?” A vein popped out on Ping’s forehead, which was now beaded with sweat. He leaned over the table, and his breath grew dry and raspy.
    The anger on Mara’s face melted into fear. “No, Ping. Don’t!”
    Ping turned his head up to face her. His eyes were red, blazing. With the parched voice of an old crone, he said, “Don’t get in my way, girl.” He slumped out of his chair into the floor.
    Mara crouched next to him and wiped his face with a paper napkin. His eyes fluttered open, and he pushed himself up with a start. “What happened?” he said.
    “I yelled at you. You yelled at me, and I think the dragon got a little peeved and told me to stay out of its way,” Mara said. She took one of Ping’s arms and helped him back into his seat. “Don’t you remember any of that?”
    Ping took that napkin from her and dabbed at his neck. He was back to being pale again. “I don’t even remember you arriving here.” He looked down at the table. “Are we having lunch?”
    “Are you telling me that I have been talking to the dragon for the last ten minutes? That you don’t remember making lunch plans over an hour ago?”
    “I’m afraid not. Well, maybe vaguely.” He looked down, appearing to take inventory of himself. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
    “No, you didn’t physically turn into a dragon, but I think, somehow, it took over your body or something. It looked and sounded like you. At least until I started arguing.”
    Ping shook his head, as if shaking off sudden drowsiness. “Confronting the dragon is just going to make things worse. Its instincts are already on edge. The more threatened it feels, the more aggressively it pushes to exert control of me.”
    “I didn’t make any threats.”
    “You said you would send it home.”
    “The other night I did.”
    “That’s its greatest fear, the worst thing you could have said.”
    “Ping, it can’t stay here. It will get you killed or will kill someone else.”
    He flinched and grabbed his sides. Through gritted teeth, he said, “You have got to let me handle this. Ignoring the dragon’s folly isn’t advice. It’s a tactic. It’s the way to get through this. That’s what the book is telling you.”
    “Okay, okay. I’ll stop confronting and arguing. Just tell me one thing.”
    Ping seemed to relax. He let out a loud breath. “What?”
    “Is the dragon female?”
    He looked astonished. “What?”
    “For a moment there, your voice sounded like an old woman’s,” Mara said.
    Astonishment melted into doubt. “I’m not sure I’ve ever sensed a gender. I just assumed it was male.”
    “I guess it doesn’t matter,” she said, then after a moment raised a finger. “I lied. One more question.”
    “What is it?”
    “You’re not hunting my mother are you?”
    Ping looked surprised. “Why on earth would I do that?”

CHAPTER 13
     
     
    The condos looked more like LEGOs stacked in four staggered tiers than the high-rise that came to mind when Bohannon said their first stop was at a set of condos near the Willamette River. The detective pulled into a parking lot in front of a Visitors sign next to the expansive low-slung buildings and slid his truck into Park. He reached into his door’s side pocket and removed a folder. Flipping it open, he said, “The Ackermans are on the third floor in this building.” He nodded through the speckled windshield. “You ready? You got quiet there for a minute.”
    “I just don’t like the Ross Island Bridge is all. Too close to the water for my taste,” she said. She opened the door and looked back at the detective. “Is there anything specific about these people that drew your