The Dragonsong Law Offices, page 1
Also by Abigail Drake
Dark Blossoms
Tiger Lily
Legacies of the Amazons
The Bodyguard
Passports and Promises
Saying Goodbye
New Heights
Flying Solo
Delayed Departure
The Passports and Promises Series Boxed Set
The South Side Stories
The Enchanted Garden Cafe
The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop
The Dragonsong Law Offices
The Tink Holly Chronicles
Rebel Without a Claus
Standalone
Starr Valentine
Love, Chocolate, and a Dog Named Al Capone
Traveller
The Reformed Pantser's Guide to Plotting
Lola Flannigan
Watch for more at Abigail Drake’s site.
PRAISE FOR ABIGAIL DRAKE
First Abigail Drake grabs you with her fresh writing, then she keeps you in the throes of her story with an incredible voice and a gifted talent for spinning tales that will amaze and delight. I am stunned. Tiger Lily will consume you, and before you know it you are fighting for air yet begging for more. You've been warned!
NY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR DARYNDA JONES
This is one of those hidden gems that you long to come across. It has a little bit of everything in it; romance, paranormal, mystery and lots of action. There are so many twists and turns. A book that packs a punch you'll never see coming.
Absolute perfection!
DARK RAVEN REVIEWS
THE DRAGONSONG LAW OFFICES
The South Side Stories Book Three
ABIGAIL DRAKE
Copyright © 2020 by Abigail Drake
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For Francesca and Amanda.
Great women, great friends, and great storytellers.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Irrightional: Someone who believes she’s always right.
Chapter 2
Like a virgin, touched for the thirty-first time.
Chapter 3
Mantrum: The childish behavior demonstrated by a grown man who doesn’t get his way.
Chapter 4
She’s a good girl. Loves her llama. Loves Cheez-its, and asparagus, too.
Chapter 5
Flawsome: An individual who embraces her flaws because she knows she’s awesome.
Chapter 6
See that girl, watch her scream. Kicking the dancing queen.
Chapter 7
Nerdjacking: Giving unnecessary details about one’s passion to an uninterested layperson.
Chapter 8
Awww, freak cow! Le freak, c’est sheep.
Chapter 9
Epiphinot: An idea that seems like amazing insight, but is actually pointless, mundane, or incorrect.
Chapter 10
Something in the way she moos, attracts me like no udder lover.
Chapter 11
Sexorcism: Sleeping with someone to get them out of your system.
Chapter 12
Sweet dreams are made of cheese. Who am I to diss a brie?
Chapter 13
Fling cleaning: The act of tidying your room before a date in case you get laid later
Chapter 14
Hello. Is it me you’re cooking for?
Chapter 15
Fuckit List: A list of people you want to sleep with before you die.
Chapter 16
Do you like bean enchiladas? And getting caught in the rain.
Chapter 17
Hiberdating: Ignoring friends in favor of a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Chapter 18
On a dark, dessert highway. Cool whip and my bear.
Chapter 19
Ambitchous: Striving to be more of a bitch than the average bitch.
Chapter 20
Every bunny was Kung-Fu fighting.
Chapter 21
Youniverse: When a person thinks the world is all about them.
Chapter 22
Doughnuts make my brown eyes blue.
Chapter 23
Askhole: Someone who asks stupid, pointless, or obnoxious questions.
Chapter 24
I ain’t afraid of no goats.
Chapter 25
Unlightening: Learning something that makes you dumber.
Chapter 26
I can see clearly now Lorraine has gone.
Chapter 27
Blamestorming: The act of trying to figure out who is most at fault.
Chapter 28
There is nothing that a hundred men on Mars could ever do.
Chapter 29
Nexterday: The day after tomorrow.
Chapter 30
Is this the real life? Is this just Fanta sea?
Chapter 31
Fantastorize: To get excited about what is going to happen next in a book.
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Abigail Drake
CHAPTER 1
IRRIGHTIONAL: SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES SHE’S ALWAYS RIGHT.
Eliza
Getting called into Judge Helena Miller’s wood-paneled chambers felt like getting sent to the principal’s office, but not as much fun. My high school principal, a kindly nun named Sister Margaret, always offered me a cookie and forgiveness. I had a feeling Helena would not give me a cookie. Not today, at least. And forgiveness was probably off the table, too.
“Eliza Dragonsong. I’ve told you this before. I will not permit magic of any kind in my courtroom. Is that understood?”
For a fellow Wiccan, Helena could be remarkably intolerant. “That little boy belongs with his father. His mother left him alone to go out drinking. She’s a dangerously irresponsible person, and all it took was a simple incantation to prove she’s a liar. Where is the harm—”
Holding up a hand, she stopped me, her grey eyes intense. “It gives you an unfair advantage, and you know it.”
Oops. She had me there. “Fine. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it again, because that would make me a liar, as well. Also, watching that terrible woman wince in pain every time she tried to tell a lie on the stand made this reprimand by Helena so worth it.
Leaning back in her chair, she studied me. “So, tell me. Which spell did you use?”
I grinned at her. “The Rune of Odin.” Pulling out my notepad, I showed her the sketch I’d drawn of an eye with a triangle in the center of the pupil. “The spell was simple. One-eye watches from his seat, fire-eye burns the liar’s cheek. Witchcraft 101. Easy peasy.”
“Well, that explains why the woman thought her mouth was on fire.” Helena shook her head. “Eliza, you’re a terrific lawyer and a remarkable person. A rare combination of brains, beauty, and balls.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s not a compliment. I’m stating facts. You’ve gained a reputation, and I have to admit it’s well-earned.” She looked at me over her glasses. “Do you know how someone described you just a couple of days ago? They called you an Ivy League educated Marilyn Monroe with an axe to grind.”
“How silly. I don’t have an axe to grind.” I smoothed my hands over my skirt. I’d dressed in ivory, hoping to look like some sort of tall, blonde, avenging angel, and it had worked. I’d won my first case of the day. Using magic had just made it a bit easier, even if Helena didn’t see it that way.
“My point is you don’t need to rely on magic to win your cases. You have your Dragon Lady persona down pat. You’re a legend. I’ve had other lawyers settle as soon as they heard you were on the case. I’ve watched you bring grown men to tears. Only last week, someone literally fell to his knees and begged me to make you stop.”
“Good times.” I smiled over the rim of my coffee cup. “Nothing makes my day like a bit of emasculation.”
Helena let out a laugh, as if she couldn’t stop herself. “Everyone in the South Side knows that about you. It’s why you’re the most sought-after divorce attorney in the entire Pittsburgh area. And you’re also the most powerful high priestess our coven has ever had. But you have to learn to keep those two sides of you separate. Magic and the law do not mix. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.”
We’d known each other for years, and she’d always been a mentor to me as well as a friend. I trusted her, which said a lot. I didn’t trust most people.
She locked her steely gaze on me. “Good, because I’m going to give you one last piece of unsolicited advice. You don’t have to be tough all of the time, Eliza. Sometimes it’s okay to show weakness. Sometimes it’s okay to let others take care of you.” She tilted her head to the side to study me, her heavy salt and pepper braids brushing against the black shoulders of her robe. She wore them like a crown, which fit because Helena was a queen of a woman. “And I know you don’t want to hear this, but sometimes it’s okay to ask for help.”
I cleared my throat. “Funny you should say that, because I need to ask for your help right now.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “With what?”
I folded my hands in my lap. “Did you hear anything about what happened at the Halloween
“Everyone said it was very festive,” she said with a smile. “But any event held at the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop is entertaining. Remember when we went to the druid party there and left after five minutes?”
Shaking my head, I grinned at her. “They never said it was an orgy on the invitation. They really ought to make that clear, don’t you think?”
“I do. It’s only thanks to you that the owner of the shop didn’t get a citation.”
“Madame Lucinda was grateful. She had no idea the druids were planning to go full frontal pagan on her. Not that she would have minded. She’s such a sweet, old lady, and a great tarot card reader, but she has a wild streak.”
Helena chuckled. “She most certainly does. But what happened on Saturday? No orgy, right?”
“No, but it does involve Madame Lucinda. She has a boyfriend now. His name is Constantine Dalca.”
“I’ve met him. He owns the used bookstore, Librarie Antique. The one right next to the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop.”
“Yes. That’s him.” I paused. “While at the party, a man named Ivan Rochat tried to steal something from him. A magical object. They thwarted his attempt, but Mr. Dalca and Madame Lucinda were concerned, so they gave it to me and asked me to keep it under my protection.”
She frowned. “What kind of magical object?”
“They referred to it as the Dragon Rouge. It’s a large natural ruby inside a wooden box, but you may know it by another name.”
“Hold on a second. Are you talking about the Blood Stone of Bathsheba?” Her expression turned grave. “I mean, I’ve heard rumors, but I didn’t know it actually existed. You didn’t touch the stone, did you?”
“No, but even with it locked up in its box, I sensed its magic. I put it in a secure location and haven’t gone near it since.”
I didn’t add that the “secure location” was the vault hidden in the basement of our family home. The fewer people who knew about our vault, the better.
“It’s not something to mess around with, but I guess you know that already.”
“I do. Unfortunately, this Ivan guy thinks the Dragon Rouge is part of his inheritance. He’s hunting for it.”
She snorted. “Does he know it’s cursed?”
“I’m not sure. Mr. Dalca said the Dragon Rouge has been in Ivan’s family for generations. It sounds like he’s obsessed with getting it back, and I was warned to be on alert. Rumor has it he’s both ruthless and charming, and good looking as well.”
“Kind of like you?” She opened her laptop and waved me over to her side of the desk. “Let’s look him up. I’m curious. You said his name is Ivan Rochat?”
“His actual name is Ivan Trabuski. He’s Romanian. Rochat is his stepfather’s name.”
She opened her laptop. “Let’s look into this.”
As she typed in Ivan Trabuski, a photo of a blond man with stormy blue eyes and a square jaw popped onto the screen. “Oh, my,” I said, my knees going a bit weak. “He looks like a Viking. Or maybe a Norse god. Or a male stripper.”
She agreed with me. “Maybe this is your karmic payback for using the Rune of Odin in my courtroom this morning. This guy could definitely pass for Thor.”
My attention lingered on his handsome face. It was hard to look away. I leaned closer. “What else does it say about him?”
Frowning, she put on her glasses. “Well, this is interesting. Mr. Ivan Trabuski Rochat has a reputation. Members of several prestigious auction houses accused him of being an art thief. Never proven, though. It seems like he went off the radar in the art world a few years ago. No explanation as to why. Did Mr. Dalca say anything else?”
“With regards to the stone, yes, he did. He told me it only seems to affect people with magic. Mr. Dalca said Ivan has magic, but he’s untrained.”
“That could be a problem. A little magic is a dangerous thing. As is a handsome, charming, unschooled witch.” She paused, considering it. “I see only one solution. You need to train him.”
I blinked at her in surprise. “Wouldn’t that make him more of a threat?”
“No, it would make the threat more contained. Maybe you can use the Dragon Rouge as incentive. Tell him you will let him have it back if and when he becomes powerful enough to control it.”
I considered her words. “And no one could ever be strong enough to control it, so I’d never actually have to give it to him.” I glanced at her. “I think that’s exactly why Mr. Dalca trusted me with it—not because I can control it, but because he believes I’m strong enough not to let it control me.”
“I hope he’s right.” Helena did not look convinced. “Be careful, Eliza. This kind of dark magic is nothing to mess with. Not even for someone like you.”
“Like me?”
“Someone who wins impossible cases.” Her lips twisted, as if she were trying not to smile. “Your incantation worked this morning. I’ve never heard someone on the witness stand tell me the inside of her mouth ignited like the fires of hell, but there is a first time for everything.”
“It was pretty awesome—”
She pointed her finger at me, her expression stern, but with the hint of a twinkle in her eyes. “I didn’t say any such thing. Now get out of my office. It’s Monday morning, and thanks to you, I have piles of paperwork to fill out. Fires of hell, indeed.”
I said goodbye and left the courthouse with a smile on my face. In spite of my worries about Ivan Rochat and the Dragon Rouge, winning a case was always the perfect way to start the week. And since it was a beautiful day for early November, I decided to walk back to my office.
Other than the time I spent in college and in law school at Yale, I’d lived in the South Side of Pittsburgh my whole life. It was a funky area, full of an eclectic assortment of shops, restaurants, and people. Art galleries sat next to stores selling supplies for witches like myself, and interesting coffee shops were located alongside tattoo parlors and a reflexology therapist. A jumble of the old and the new, the ordinary and the bizarre, and I adored every odd bit of it.
Three Franciscan nuns approached from the opposite direction wearing chocolate brown habits and very sensible shoes. I never wore sensible shoes, and I was the furthest thing possible from a nun, but I waved because I knew these ladies well.
“Good morning, Sisters.”
“Good morning, Eliza.” Sister Bernadette, the oldest one in the group, had taught me religious studies in high school. She understood long ago that I was a lost cause, but she never stopped hoping I would change my ways. “I hope you’re being a good girl today.”
“I’m trying, which is really what’s most important, isn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s debatable. How’s your sweet sister? Is she still in California?”
