by Starla Night
He sat on a barstool and helped himself to the peelings. "Mom. You should lie down. Don't worry about things."
"Hmm?"
"You're still recovering." He gestured at the dark bruises around her eyes and the red marks she'd concealed with sunglasses. "Don't worry about the wedding. We have it covered."
"Oh, no, there's so much to do. Everything went wrong when I was resting after my first attack and I'll be up half the night setting it right. Where's Nicole?"
"Counseling."
"Ugh, of course she is. Then I supposed it's you and me working all night to fix Tara's wedding so her regal beauty shines."
He set aside the peelings, discomfort growing in his belly. He had to do this right. "Seriously, Mom. Don't worry about this stuff. Don't stay up all night for a cake."
"Well, I have to worry about the cake. If I don't make it, Tara will have nothing."
"That's not true. Amber hooked Tara up with a great baker. She's bringing wedding cupcakes."
The spoon clanged in the metal bowl. "Wedding...cupcakes?"
"Neapolitan, the same flavor Tara wanted. I had a quick taste. A service charge. They were pretty—"
"That's not a flavor," she snapped, breathing hard.
He backpedaled. This would be a long night. "Sure, Mom. You don't have to worry about Tara's wedding. Everything's taken care of. Just relax, go with the flow, and she'll be married before you know it."
His mom stiffened in the corner and gripped the spoon like she was going to snap it. She would not rest. And he had to convince her on his own.
"Then, if you want to stress over a wedding, you can stress yourself over mine," he tried to joke.
She rotated on her heels, crossed her arms, and leaned against the counter. "I thought you broke up with Amber."
"We're just spending a night apart. It's the first time since we've gotten together and I care about you and want to see you're taking care of yourself."
Her brows rose. "This is your first night apart? She's spent every night in my house?"
"No, I would never host a guest without asking. I've spent the night at her place."
"You snuck out of my house?"
"Snuck out?" He snorted. "Come on, Mom. I'm thirty, not thirteen."
She picked up her bowl of apples and poured rum over them to soak. "You're thirty and you're still speaking to your mother in that tone?"
Her disapproval set him on edge. He laughed a little harder to cover his discomfort. "Mom, come on. You're talking like it's not normal to spend time with the woman—er, dragon—I'm going to marry."
Mom slammed the bowl on the granite counter. "What will it take to prove Amber is wrong for you?"
The slam echoed in the kitchen.
She turned and appealed to Darcy. "I'm the one who's here for you. I'm the one who loves you. I'm the one who gave you life and who works tirelessly to make sure you're happy. I've always been here for you. Not anyone else. Me."
The wild look in her eyes and the bruising gave her face weird, dangerous shadows that made him distinctly uncomfortable. He eased off the seat, even though he already towered over her in his tall frame. "Mom, you're getting upset again."
"Of course I'm upset! First Jackie, then Tara, and now you, Darcy; you're going away from me. You're all leaving me, abandoning me while you go about living your lives. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"Proud that you raised children who can function as adults?"
"Terrified!" Her chest rose and fell. It was still speckled with soot and fire extinguisher foam. "I worry about you every moment you're out of my sight. You'll always be my babies. And no one's more important to a baby than their mother!"
Maybe going along with her delusion was exciting rather than calming her down.
Darcy rested calming hands on her thin, bony shoulders. "Mom, I—"
"Don't say it." She raised a shaking finger. "Don't you dare say it!"
"Say 'it'? What do you think I'm going to say?"
A chirrup of his cell phone interrupted their argument. She glared at his pocket as he dragged out the device and recognized the name. "Huh. Pyro."
"One of those dragons!"
Right, and their last conversation hadn't gone too well, so he was more surprised to see Pyro calling than usual. He stepped back from his mom to answer. "Hey. Is everything okay?"
"No." Pyro's side roared with chaos. Incessant pounding, an emergency fire siren, and shouting. "Amber lost her temper."
Uh oh. "Tell Chrysoberyl that was a mistake. Amber didn't mean to lose control and destroy our backyard."
"Huh? No, she tried to eat the dragon inspectors."
"What? When?"
"Just a little while ago. Yeah, she lost it, big time. I knew that missing coffee would be a problem."
"So what's happening now? Are we under military rule? Should we go to a shelter? Is Earth under attack?"
"Nah, it's nothing like that. I mean, Chrysoberyl is screaming that the inspectors should do it and Amber still has to marry him, but—"
"Do not let her marry Chrysoberyl." Darcy headed for the hall to get his keys. "You hear me?"
"Nobody's listening to him," Pyro continued. "He's also demanding someone invite him to come to Earth and talk to her personally."
"Do not let anyone invite him!"
"Right, but he's not the problem."
"I mean it, Pyro. He's not invited!"
"He's not the problem," Pyro repeated, "because Amber's just resigned and booked herself a one-way ticket back to Draconis."
Darcy stopped in the front entrance, car keys in hand. "What?"
"Yep. She up and destroyed her office, tried to chew on the dragon inspectors, incinerated our elevator, and then holed up in Mal's office and called her mom. She says she's done with Earth, she doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore, and it's better if she just leaves forever."
He rocked onto his heels and pinched his eyes shut. "I screwed up."
"Yeah, you did."
Darcy rubbed his forehead as if he could erase the mistake. He'd chosen to placate his mom because she was unhinged, and he'd done it at the expense of Amber. She was just so stable. He'd relied on her calm ability to repress to...
No, he'd told her not to repress any more. He'd taken away her coping mechanisms, promised he'd be there no matter what, and then dropped her when she'd needed him the most.
I'm serious. Take me serious.
He was constantly telling people that he meant what he said. But here, he was the joke.
His decision crystallized. He opened his eyes and focused. "I'll be right there."
"You want me to pick you up?"
"No, I'm leaving right now. Just stop Amber from leaving."
"You got it." Pyro's tone edged into rough danger. "Don't screw up again."
"If I do, there's going to be a line of people getting even with me, Pyro, and you'll have to wait in the back."
He barked his laugh and hung up.
Darcy checked his keys, pocketed his phone, and then patted his other pockets. "Wallet..."
His mom stood in the kitchen doorway. With the light shining behind her, her face was in shadow. "Darcy? Are you leaving me?"
"It's an emergency." He took the stairs two at a time. "Sorry, Mom! I'll explain when I get back."
She didn't answer.
His wallet wasn't on his dresser, wasn't on his nightstand, wasn't in the back pocket of his last pair of pants. Uh oh. Had he done something stupid with it? Like, left it at Amber's house?
Okay, no time. He'd drive without his license, and try not to break too many speeding laws.
His mom was waiting at the door with a bottle of sparkling water and a plate of spaghetti. "Please don't go."
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Not before you have something to eat."
He grabbed the bottled water and kissed her cheek. "I'll drink it in the car."
She stepped in front of the door. "Just, you haven't eaten all d
ay, and if you leave now I'm worried about you."
"I had half a burger at the barbecue."
"Half! Darcy, for a man of your size, that's barely anything. You'll faint on the road."
"Mom."
"Here, just eat, okay?" She shoved the plate on him, and he juggled the flowery ceramic with the bottled sparkling water. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
This was ridiculous. His heart sped up. Amber wouldn't let anyone, even Pyro, hold her in place when she wanted to go. Darcy had hurt her badly. Need to go, now, fix and comfort her, thudded in his chest.
"Fine." He stabbed the spaghetti, shoveled it in his mouth without chewing, and downed it with half the bottle of sparkling water. One bite, two bites, three bites and he'd taken a good chunk out of the plate. Enough time had passed. He set the plates on the coffee table with a clatter, danced past her when she tried to grab him into a hug, and escaped out the front door. "Bye, Mom."
"Darcy?" Her voice turned shrill. "Darcy, come back!"
His long legs got him into the car with the door locked just before she reached it. She pounded on the window. "Darcy, don't you dare leave me. Don't you dare. This is life or death!"
He buckled in, started the engine, turned up the radio to drown out her screams, and backed into the center of the driveway. Amber needed him. He was breaking free...
The horizon wavered.
He hit the brakes. The car rocked in the middle of the driveway. There seemed to be a delay in the motion of the car and the tilt of the horizon. The radio muted like big, fluffy cotton pressed to his ears. He rested both hands on the steering wheel ... and couldn't feel it. The cotton wrapped around his hands, nestled him into the seat, and pressed his head into the steering wheel.
"Oh, dear." Mom's voice echoed from a great distance. "I told you getting into this car was life or death. Can you imagine if this had happened to you at the bottom of the hill? Or on a bridge? Listen to your mother, Darcy. Always, listen to your mother."
His head rocked back against the seat rest and a bright flashlight pierced his eyes. "Something's ... wrong..."
"Maybe I gave you too much. You're so much bigger than me I doubled the dose. Let me know if you're going to throw up. I don't want you aspirating the vomit... Here, Darcy, can you stand? Be a good boy, listen to Mom, and stand up."
He struggled to put his arms around his mom and staggered out of the car, across the porch, and into the house. "What ... did you ... do to me?"
She forced him up the stairs. Everything moved in slow motion.
"You know, when you were a baby, you loved stairs." She helped him up, grunting. Sweat glistened off her bruised, scraped face, giving her unfamiliar shadows and sharp features. "I walked you up and down these stairs a hundred times a day. You're a much bigger baby now, Darcy, but don't you worry. Mom will always take care of you. I'll stop you from running into furniture, and I'll stop you from marrying a dangerous, trampy beast."
He stumbled into his room and sat on the bed. His head spun.
Mom fished in his pockets and put his cell phone and keys on his nightstand. Then, she fished his wallet out of her apron pocket, wiggled it in front of his face, and dropped it with the others.
"I knew you were going to leave me. I took measures. Everyone else left me, but you promised you would never leave, and I held you to that promise, didn't I? I was smart and held insurance."
He blinked dully. None of this was making sense. "I don't feel well."
"Hmm? What's this?" Mom reached for two velvet boxes on his nightstand.
He lunged for them, stumbled, and swept everything to the carpet. "No!"
She landed on her butt with a surprised squeal. "Darcy!"
He collapsed on the critical two boxes and wormed them into his innermost trouser pocket. With a massive groan, he heaved his way back onto the bed. "It's ... private..."
"Now, now. There must be no secrets between...Oh." She scooped up a third box he hadn't noticed and opened it. Her face softened. "Your last chastity ring." She lifted the small silver circle, examined it, and then pocketed the ring with a sigh. "I tried. I really tried."
"Tried...?"
"To keep you pure. But it's not too late. We'll start over." She flipped through his cell phone contacts. "Let's see. What was the name of that man who wanted to marry Amber? It was a gemstone. Carnelian."
She put his phone to her ear.
"Yes, Carnelian Clothiers, hello? I'm trying to reach the man who wants to marry Amber. She's ... Yes, thank you, I'll wait. ... Oh, hello? Yes, Amber's going to attend my daughter's wedding tomorrow and I want to invite you as my special guest. ... Yes, it's a human wedding, and I'm a human, but I understand you want to marry Amber, and she's going to be so happy to see you. ... Well, I don't know what kind of weddings you attend, but no one rips off anyone's arms here at my house. ... Uh-huh. Yes, you should be grateful."
His mom huffed and replaced the cell phone on Darcy's nightstand. "This better be worth it."
Darcy forced himself to reason. "Amber... Amber...shlghh... Amber..."
"Oh, maybe it wasn't as strong a dose as I thought." Mom chuckled, threw his arm over her shoulder to heave him up, and wheeled him out of his bedroom again, breathing hard as she directed them to the creepy door at the end of the hall. "It's no good if you get your strength back. I need to do so much tonight. I can't worry about you sneaking out."
He tried to push reason out his numbed lips.
Amber needed him. She was leaving. Darcy had to get to her. He had to stop her.
"Mom..."
"Yes, Darcy, that's right. I know you don't like the turret, but I'm doing this to save you. I'm saving you from yourself." She unlocked a new padlock on the turret, opened the door, and climbed the stairs with him.
In his strange state, the turret squeezed in on him like a cage. The junk crowded him in, his lungs choked with claustrophobic dust, and a stuffy heat slicked his cotton skin with dank sweat. The single window had been nailed shut and the tarps removed. Red sunset shone through the slats like bars.
Mom eased him to a thin blanket in the middle of the floor. His head thunked the wood. She cooed, kissed his boo boo, and stretched. "Oh, Darcy, there's your Hee Hee." She disappeared from his sight.
Exhaustion from staggering up two flights of stairs crashed over him. His muscles sighed in relief. He couldn't even turn to watch where she was going, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to do anything. Now that his mom wasn't forcing him to move, he would never move again.
Amber. Don't leave. I made a mistake. I choose you.
"Look, Darcy." His mom held up a small, bald animal worn so its stuffing poked through in patches. "This is the hedgehog your dad gave you for your first birthday. You sure loved that hedgehog." She brushed off the spider webs and nestled it into his arms. "Here, this will bring you comfort."
He did not remember this hedgehog.
Then, she frowned. "Or was it Jackie's? Hmm."
He sank through the cottony floorboards and into—
Amber.
"Hnnnnnh," he protested.
"Aw, just like when you were little. You would run and run and run, fighting sleep as long as you could." His mom knelt to his level and kissed his forehead. "Do you want me to sing you a lullaby? I used to sing until your eyes got so heavy you couldn't help but fall asleep."
"Hnn-unnn."
"Oh, you." She wiggled his nose. "It's been so long since I could care for you like this. I wish we had more time. Well, after Tara's wedding, you know, she's moving out with that awful Ed. And Jackie just had the nerve to say she's going to the East Coast with Michael. All because of his stupid allergy. Did you hear about that? She's so mad that she says I lied, even though she's the one who married a man that dislikes cinnamon. Who dislikes cinnamon? Terrible people, Darcy, I tell you. And then, if Nicole moves away, then it can be just us two."
"...Da..."
"Oh, your father wouldn't care. He'll drink. He's never home." She s
miled dreamily. "You can stay in the turret, like this, and I'll nurse you every day. That's a little dangerous." She ran a finger under his neck across his vertebrae. "You could have an accident. Nobody would stand by you if you fell down the steps and got paralyzed, but you know, I would. I will always love you, Darcy."
"Nnnnngh."
"That's right." She kissed his forehead. "Mom's here."
And then, while his mom sang a forgotten lullaby in a scratchy voice, sleep dragged him into the dreamless, empty void.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
While Amber's brothers shouted and banged on Mal's office door, their mother planned Amber's return to Draconis.
"I can't wait to see you get on the next transport. Surrounding myself with my dragonlets and their new partners has brought me the greatest joy." The illustrious dragon matriarch, gorgeous scales with aristocratic shiny piercings, sighed on the screen. "My darling, you look gorgeous. Earth agrees with you. You look so much happier and more vivacious than when you used to drag around the manor as my only heir."
Amber rubbed her arm. Her happiness cooled at the memory of the long, lonely hours on the aristocratic estate alone.
She landed on Mal's office chair harder than she'd intended and splintered it under her force. Now she hovered over it. Human-built rooms were too small to contain a female.
But this office didn't echo when she walked the halls. It was filled, always, with her siblings.
...who no longer wanted her around. Just like Darcy.
Her heart squeezed.
"I can't wait to see you frolicking here, Amber. Every time I see you on the video screen, you only seem happier."
Amber cleared her throat. "Mother? Did you ever fight with our father's matriarch?"
"After she accepted me? No. She was a delight. I only ever fought with my mother, as you well know. Why, every time I left to meet your father, I had to defeat my mother in mortal combat."
"How did that go?"
"There are seven of you, so I think you know the answer." Her mother preened, smoothing her long snout scales.
"Mother ... weren't you ever frustrated? You could never win your mother's approval."