by Lola Gabriel
Just as instructed, the group of five men met at the estate at nightfall. Gathering next to the lake, they all double checked their bags to make sure they had what they needed: cash, phones, enough clothes to last a week, etc.
Asher and Bash exchanged looks, as if to decide who was going to give the instructions. They had been struggling to conform to the leadership roles; Eden and Theo had always been the authoritative two of the siblings. Collin was being more than helpful in lending a hand in that, though, making sure to steer them in the right direction every step of the way. Any advice he gave them was told out of view of the others, or in whispers. They had to be the ones to lead and give orders, or word would get back to their father.
Once they were good to go, one by one, the men stepped away and morphed into their large dragon forms. Sebastian led the pack. In a single leap, his sturdy human form blurred away and was replaced by a body twelve feet in length, with an even greater wingspan, and muted violet scales. Asher followed suit, jogging to the side before jumping into the air. In a split second, he felt his secondary bones slip from their pockets, elongating his body, and his wings packed as tightly as airbags deployed from thin scars on his back. His armored golden scales protruded from his porcelain skin, and talons shot out, capturing his duffle bag before it plunged toward the Earth.
His eyes closed in ecstasy. Somehow, he always forgot how freeing it was to take to the air, to let his true form out. The tightness and cramping they felt in their human bodies were so consistent that the feelings were easy to push from their minds after a while. Then, when they finally did take to their dragon form, it was like stretching after being stuffed inside a suitcase for hours. When was the last time he had morphed? Searching for Olive.
His eyes opened then, looking down to the lake as it glistened in the moonlight. This wasn’t a time to think of her. No time ever would be again. To get away from such toxic thoughts, Asher focused on his senses, on the way the air felt against his scales, on the smell of the crisp night air. As they flew higher and higher, vanishing into the blackness of the night sky, he had a strange sensation come over him: the feeling that he was in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. Asher was meant to go on this mission—somewhere in his bones, he knew if only that.
4
After just three restless hours of sleep, Asher and the others took to scouring the town. It was strange for Asher. In his earliest years of life, he had traveled a great deal. He knew the entire landscape of Europe and parts of the Middle East like the back of his hand.
After the Revolutionary War, he and his family had come to the New World, and he had explored it just as much. However, in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, the entire family settled down and staked their claim in the land, making themselves an empire all their own. So, the last time Asher had really gone traveling, there had been dirt roads, if any at all, and small wooden houses with accompanying farms. All there was to see were the magnificent landscapes. Now, each tiny town had an identity of their own, a culture laced into every little detail. The way they talked, the layout of their streets, what they named their little shops… It was truly fascinating.
He took note of all the quirky little characteristics of the town as they wandered through. Some part of him wished he had a camera, wanting to capture the intriguing details, but he had to remind himself he wasn’t there for pleasure. This was business.
They walked down the main strip of town, searching the faces of every person. It was a peculiar mission: they were searching for a needle in a haystack, but a needle that had an overwhelming and alarming scent to it. It didn’t quite make sense and was hard to piece together, but that was what they were dealing with.
Asher’s mind reeled, trying to guess what the woman would look like, but they had absolutely no information to go off. She could be blonde, brunette, redhead, black, white, Hispanic, Asian… It was anyone’s guess. How far along in the pregnancy would she be? If the scouts were as diligent as their father liked to proclaim, she couldn’t be that far into it—so they couldn’t even try to spot pregnant women out of crowds. That could be pointless. If they couldn’t find this woman, what would their next step be? Interrogating dragons who had affairs with humans? That would be a damn laundry list that never ended.
Do not get overwhelmed, Asher scorned himself. He was already an easily distracted guy, especially by his own thoughts and emotions. He was going to have to force himself to stay as focused as possible. Breathing in and out, Asher tried to get a whiff of anything. What would she even smell like? It had been so long since this situation had last happened that it was hard for him to pinpoint in his memory what it was. He had supposed, just as it had happened to the scouts, that he would know when he smelled it. All he smelled right then, however, was the horrendous mix of motor oil from a nearby garage and the sickly-sweet aroma of a local donut shop.
After canvassing several blocks by himself, he spotted Sebastian across the intersection. Abiding by the laws of the roads, he took the crosswalks, despite the locals’ own neglect of the rules. Jogging over to his brother, he gave a look that asked if he’d had any luck. Bash gave a firm head shake.
“Carter didn’t have any luck picking up on her scent while we were gone, so she could literally be anywhere in the county,” his brother sighed and ran a hand through his thick wavy hair. “It’s a small town surrounded by even smaller communities. It’s possible she’s not living in this town.”
As soon as Bash stated that hypothesis, something deep in Asher’s being told him that was correct. The woman wasn’t local, and if anything, she was just blowing through or there to visit.
“I think you’re right about that.” Asher frowned, scanning around the streets as if a sign for what to do next would be hanging with the street markers. He didn’t want to have to keep turning to his brother and Collin for directions on what to do. He needed to make some of the calls himself. “We’re too concentrated. We need to take on a couple more guys and go two by two to the surrounding towns. The rural areas would take too much time, and besides, if there’s nothing to do out there, then she has to come to local towns to work or get groceries.”
“Makes sense.” Bash nodded and clasped his brother’s shoulder. “Good thinkin’.” Sebastian pulled out his cell phone and gave Collin a ring, explaining the new plan. Once the call ended, he glanced at Asher. “Collin and Carter have this area. Let’s go ahead to the next city.”
Finding their way to Bash’s rental car, they were once again on the road. As they headed out, Asher found himself not feeling so overwhelmed by the task anymore. A gut feeling was trying to tell him that they would find her, even if it took time.
As he slouched in the passenger seat, he let his mind wander to what would happen when they found the woman. A half-millennium idle would be lifted from their people. They would be able to prosper yet again and start on their path of destiny. Their father had often spoken with a twinkle in his eye of plans to get furthermore intermingled in the human world. To not only survive in it, but to have a say as well, in hopes to hold public offices and make decisions that would ensure their people’s safety for years to come. It was a tricky scenario, seeing as how they didn’t age. But, with being able to have children, they could cycle people out regularly and keep up the guise.
That is, if they could figure out how on Earth this woman had managed to get pregnant with a dragon child. It didn’t make sense. The only thing that Asher could even gather was that the curse had some sort of expiration date. Perhaps the witch had cursed them for exactly five hundred years. Wouldn’t there be an eruption of pregnancies if that were the case, though, not just one isolated case that was causing such a hunt? No matter what it was, something wasn’t adding up, and yet the answer seemed so near. Just how he felt about the woman.
After an hour car ride, they came to a stop in a public parking lot. Stepping out into the morning air, Asher gasped. It was as if a draft passed through him, carrying som
ething faint but telling. He looked all around, trying to find the cause. Why had that felt so familiar yet so exotic? Or was it a smell, and it had been so brief that he hadn’t had the time to fully process it?
“She’s been here,” he whispered, sure of what he was saying.
5
Working had left the two women utterly put out. The couple Olive had babysat for, instead of being gone five hours, were gone twelve. Not a word had been mentioned about how much the little girl would fight bedtime. Olive ended up chasing the child around the house the entire time, until the little one finally tuckered herself out and passed out in the floor. Olive had sat on the stairs and cried for a solid hour before the parents finally returned home. She had wanted to curse them out, but when they handed over three hundred dollars for her troubles, Olive just wiped her face and left. It had been a long, long time since Olive had slept as hard as she did that night, thankfully keeping her disturbing dreams at bay.
Esme, too, had a long night, bartending until nearly daybreak. The two of them slept until noon and decided to blow off any plans they had for the day. With extra cash in their pockets and the hellish nights they had endured, they deserved to treat themselves. Heading directly to the nearest supermarket, they purchased all the necessities for a picnic, basket and all. The hardest part of the trip was picking out a swimsuit for Olive. Tears were involved, but eventually, they found her one that she was comfortable with and that didn’t make her so self-conscious.
Once on the beach, they finally relaxed. Toes in the sand, nothing but the sound of waves and seagulls. Olive happily demolished the fresh cut veggies and fruit while Esme indulged in mimosas she disguised in water bottles. They lounged under an umbrella on a large beach towel, occasionally dozing off to the hypnotic sound of the waves. At one point, Olive was barely awake. The only thing keeping her from easing back into a peaceful slumber was the little one kicking around in her stomach. She absent-mindedly ran a hand back and forth, trying to calm him. Him. Esme’s suggestions were even slipping into her subconscious.
“So, you’re really sure it’s a boy, hm?”
“As sure as I am that the sky is blue,” Esme yawned.
Olive smiled lazily at the thought, trying to picture the two of them with a little boy in tow. She couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled from underneath the surface. “Poor little guy,” she commented aloud.
“What are you going to name him?” The question caught Olive off guard.
“You know, I really don’t know. I mean, of course I’ve thought about names, but… none have stuck or felt right.” She could feel Esme analyzing her from behind her almost cartoonishly large sunglasses.
“I could see you having a son named…” Esme’s gaze intensified. “Theodore. Teddy for short.”
Olive’s nose crinkled at the name. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t feel like a Theodore.”
“George?”
“No.”
“Franklin.”
Olive laughed. “Are you just going down a list of presidential names?”
Esme smirked and shrugged. “I see great things in his future.” Olive’s grin spread from ear to ear. How was Esme so darn witty? She always knew how to make her smile. “Seriously, though, that little booger needs a name.”
Olive propped herself up on her elbows and glanced over to her friend. “Okay, I’ll call out some names and you tell me how you feel about them.”
“I’ll hurt your feelings if you say something like Braxley or Bentley.”
“Noted,” Olive chuckled. “Okay, uhm… Owen?”
“Eh.”
“Gray?”
“Does he feel gray to you?”
Olive rolled her eyes. “Hayden?”
“So he can be with all the Aidens, Braydens, and Jaidens in his classes?”
This proceeded for a while in a light-hearted manner before Olive grew silent to really think about a name. Then, it dawned on her. It gave a tug at her heart in a bittersweet way, yet it felt so right. “You may think it’s a little boring, but… what about Henry?”
This actually gave Esme pause. She sat up all the way and took in her friend fully. “That seems perfect.” They stared at each other, realizing they had just named Olive’s son. Esme gave an excited squeal before diving for her friend, tossing her arms about her neck. “Oh, Olive, I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you,” she weakly replied.
“Don’t forget Esme is a unisex name,” her friend whispered to her before peeling away. “You know, in case you struggle with a middle name.”
Giving a laugh, Olive relaxed back again as she rubbed her stomach. It was strange to think that he had a name now. Of course, his sex hadn’t been confirmed, but for some reason, Olive was seriously taking Esme’s word for it. Henry really did feel perfect, though Olive would have to take the fact that Henry was Asher’s middle name to her grave. Esme would have a fit if she knew.
After all the excitement over the name, they were no longer content with lounging and wanted to go get something to eat. Packing up all their belongings, they made a quick detour to the car before finally joining the crowds along the boardwalk. Despite the all-day snacking, Olive was absolutely famished. The smell of all the delectable foods made her stomach growl and the little one toss about restlessly. Being at the coast, she so longed for seafood but knew that it was advised that she stay away from it.
They walked around for a while before finally deciding on a small café with sandwiches and burgers. They both opted for the veggie burger with a mound of fries. As they waited, the two of them sat in comfortable silence, allowing their minds to wander in peace.
“Where do you think we’ll go when Henry gets here?” Esme questioned from across the table, dragging Olive out of her own thoughts.
Clearing her throat and tilting her head to the side, Olive shrugged. “You know, I’m not sure. I know I want to kind of settle down when he comes. The best we can. Somewhere quiet and reserved.”
Esme nodded. “Sounds about right. Well, if we moved out west, we wouldn’t really have to worry about moving around so much.”
Olive had known that for quite some time. They had been staying on the east coast for the time being because of the plethora of jobs; and, if Olive was honest with herself, because she wasn’t entirely ready to let go of her past. “Maybe we should start heading out there soon. No telling when little guy will come.”
“He still has some time baking in the oven, I’m sure.”
Close to seven months pregnant, there was only a short amount of time left—and for some reason, Olive had the strong feeling that she would not go to full term. She inwardly sighed, wishing that she knew more about Asher’s people at that point so she knew what to do and what to expect from having a, well, special child.
“I suppose we’ll see about that,” she replied with a weak smile.
“I’m thinking maybe the Midwest. No one would think to look out there. Even if they did, where would they even begin? There is basically nothing out that way,” Esme chuckled. “Imagine it: you, me, and Henry in a little cozy house. Maybe I’ll get a fulltime bartending gig in whatever shitty little bar is in the town we stay in.”
Olive smiled at the idea and nodded. “I guess I could keep babysitting, since I’ll have to watch after Henry, too.” It felt so strange yet so right to actually address the baby by a name. The two of them would certainly be thrown a curveball if the baby turned out to be a girl. What would they name her? Asking Esme would get the sarcastic remark of “Henrietta.”
“You know, your life doesn’t have to stop because you have a baby. I mean you do have a degree, you know?”
Olive sighed. “Well, there’s not much you can do with a Bachelor’s in English. I would have to go to grad school, and that just—”
“Don’t you dare say it isn’t possible,” Esme interjected before reaching across the patio table to grab Olive’s hands in hers. “Anything you want is going to be possible, okay? It m
ay take time and some sacrifices, but we will get through it together and make it happen.”
Tears misted Olive’s eyes, beyond touched by the devotion her friend was giving her. Without Esme, everything would have been so different. She would have been so lost without her.
“What would I do without you?” she smiled, bringing a hand back and wiping her eyes.
“Crash and burn, baby, crash and burn,” Esme winked with a massive grin. Even though nothing about their entire situation was ideal, for the first time, Olive was truly hopeful for the future.
6
“Why are you so nervous?” Olive giggled, reaching across to hold Asher’s hands in hers.
Asher, though, pulled away, biting his own lip. They had spent all day together, and for the entirety of it, he had been working up the courage to come clean. Now that the moment had arrived, he was scared shitless. There wasn’t an atom in his entire being that doubted she was his one—she was—but what if this was something that would be too much for her? What would his life be like without her, if he scared her off? How could it even process in a mortal’s mind?
“Nothing, it’s nothing,” he murmured, not even having the courage to look her in the eye.
Olive’s warm, soft hands grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. Her enchanting olive eyes pierced right through his. The silliness and playful demeanor had left her face, replaced by a look of concern while the ghost of a smile remained. “Talk to me, Ash.”
“It’s just…” The words caught in his throat. He found himself studying her, as if it were going to be the last time he ever saw her. The light freckles that were sprinkled right under her eyes and across her nose, the perfect bow in her lip, the slope of her adorable little nose. He was in awe of her just like when he had first met her. Just as he choked on an excuse, a lie to tell her to smooth the entire situation over, Asher knew that he respected her far too much to do that. Olive deserved the truth, the full truth, so that she could make the decision for herself.