by A. C. Arthur
He stalked back to his desk and was just about to transfer the full file that Magnum had sent to his desk platform when he caught a whiff of a new scent. His head shot up, the beast’s eyes quickly blinking over the human’s. His nostrils flared and the sample of heat he’d just shown Camden reignited like an inferno inside of him.
“No,” Theo whispered and ran toward the door.
* * *
Shola had come out of the water feeling rejuvenated. She had no idea how long she’d swum, or how far. A bright light had dropped along the surface of the water like a guide, and instinctively she’d known that was where she needed to be.
Last night it had seemed everything was in place. Bleu had given her the river rocks unexpectedly, and once she’d entered the building those twins had insisted she wait in that room alone, and then Warrick had appeared. This was the moment she had been waiting for, but she’d been wrong. The words to end his life hadn’t come, and the rocks had done nothing to assist.
The answer explaining some, but not all, of her failure came in the early morning hours. Those rocks were fake. They weren’t the ones given to her at the Niger River two nights before she left to come to the Western World. They were not blessed by Oya to perform the task she was born to do. What she was certain of was that she’d packed the blessed rocks into the box herself. Had Bleu purposely given her the wrong ones?
As she stepped onto land hours later, she still felt the buzzing energy in her fingertips, and pulled the backpack off. She would have to find somewhere to change clothes. There was another pair of leggings, T-shirt and shoes in a plastic bag stuffed into the backpack. But as she walked barefoot over the asphalt, she noticed her clothes were bone dry and that the energy that had spread from her fingertips was now radiating from her body in wavy tendrils.
Wind. Fire.
The words echoed in her mind as she stood in an open space that stretched the entire block. The space was packed with old dirt and a chainlink fence with a sign that read Condemned, but there was nothing here to be condemned. Across the street was a very tall building with the words Masters Tower in fiery orange lights. The building was constructed of what looked like the same type of glass at the Office. This one was definitely larger than the Office, and she was certain some type of energy emanated from those windows as well.
She had no idea why the light had guided her to Theo’s building especially since she’d just escaped from one of his fortresses. No way was she about to walk into another one. But seconds later, the answer came out the front door.
A white limousine was waiting at the curb when Warrick walked angrily through the glass doors. He headed toward the limo and she reached into her bag, grabbed the condensed spear that had once belonged to her mother, and stepped into the street. Her fingers vibrated around the spear as she waited to extend it to its full lethal length. Now was the time. Words were moving in her mind, but as a backup, she now had a weapon. She would not let him get away again. She was in the center of the street about to yell Warrick’s name because the lights on the car had turned on as if it were going to pull off, when it happened.
They came out of the darkness and were immediately surrounding her, men and women with marble-like gold eyes moving as if they were in some type of trance. She looked around and counted thirty. Her finger found the button that engaged the spear and pointed tips extended four feet from each end. Something caught her eye, another flash of light. Or had someone waved at her? She looked over the shoulder of one of the beings coming at her and saw Warrick.
Chills slid down her spine as she tightened her fingers on the handle of the spear and took a step forward. He grinned, a wicked-as-hell-looking smile punctuated by the bright white, sharp incisors pressing into his bottom lip.
“Shit!” She hadn’t been expecting that he wasn’t human, but whatever, he still had to die so her people could live in peace.
She took another step and was about to break into a run to catch him when his raspy voice stopped her.
“Now! Take her alive!” he yelled to the zombie-like people chanting.
Shola cursed and started to run toward the car anyway, but a man moved in on her. She raised her spear and aimed for the heart. When he opened his mouth and showed teeth similar to Warrick’s, she threw the spear. It soared through the air with a bright white light, hitting her target and then splitting the vampire’s body in two parts. She ran full speed, jumping so high off the ground that she went straight over the next two vampires’ heads, landing on her feet where she picked up her spear and aimed again. Two women came at her, one from each side. She extended the spear to smack one in the back of her head while reaching out to grab the other by her neck before slinging her across the ground.
Power surged through her, and Shola acted on all the training that had been burned into her brain since she was ten years old and had her first meeting with the mighty Oya.
She’d just severed the head of another vampire when there was a loud howl. It seemed to sound throughout the entire city, bringing an instant chill to the air. That chill was immediately followed by a blast of heat and wind that knocked her back and off her feet.
“No!” one of the vampires yelled, stopping where it stood to look up and then back to his remaining brothers and sisters.
The heat came down like a black curtain, whisking through the night and blocking out the other vampires that had been coming from every direction. An arch of fire followed, shooting up into the sky and then falling like raindrops to singe every vampire in the street.
Loud screeches echoed through the night when the fire struck each vampire, and a foul stench filled the air, burning her nostrils. The ground beneath her grew intensely hot, and she jumped up, keeping her spear in hand and wondering if it was powerful enough to slice whatever this thing was in half too.
“Why is this happening?” she grumbled between puffed breaths, speaking to no one in particular, since from what she could tell she was the only living being left on this street at the moment. Still, the question burned in her mind and a part of her wished Oya would hear her and provide an answer before it was too late.
Whatever this thing was, it moved—at least half of it did—and she wasn’t going to wait around for it to turn and scorch her to death. Shola ran toward the beast, spear in hand, lips parted, an animalistic growl coming from somewhere deep inside her. She was just about to release the spear and watch it fly into the back of the beast when it turned. Just the head, but that was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. The spear fell from her hands and her mouth gaped open as one huge sapphire-blue eye blinked. The beast moved, and when Shola thought the massive wing would have knocked her down, it lifted over her head. Its feet thumped along the ground, causing everything around her to shake, including the very tall buildings.
She still didn’t move, and now two fiercely blue eyes were glaring at her. Shola should have backed away. She should have picked up her spear and jabbed it into the wing or maybe aimed it at one of those entrancing eyes, but she did neither. Instead, she stood perfectly still, except for the power vibrating throughout her body while her mind struggled to make sense of what she was seeing.
“What do you want?” Yes, it was a ridiculous question and probably not ideal conversation for one to ask a—what the hell was it? But she was giving in to the tendrils of fear slithering through her, so she couldn’t be expected to think straight.
It only blinked in response.
In the distance she heard sirens as she breathed in the intensely hot air. It moved, this mammoth beast with wings that stretched the length of a city block, stood still. She gasped at its thick scaled skin and the breadth of its chest while craning her neck to see those gem-colored eyes when it stood to its full height. It was standing in that condemned space across from Theo’s building and staring down at her as if it wanted to say something. But that was foolish, beasts...no, dragons did not sp
eak.
It did, however, hold her gaze as if it were trying to tell her something. More sirens sounded like they were getting close, and more heat filled the air. She backed away then, thinking it was what she should have done before. Why the hell was she standing up close and personal with a fire-breathing dragon?
The head lowered, creating a whooshing sound that drowned everything else and Shola screamed before backing against the glass-and-cement front of Theo’s building. Its head was just a few feet away from hers and it was still looking...blinking as if she should know...she should recognize...
In the next second it took off, lifting from the ground with the grace of a bird and stretching those long wings into the sky as it glided up so far she could no longer see it. But she’d felt it. The heat that simmered to a bearable warmth it had left behind like a blanket over her heart. The heart that was no longer pounding in her chest, whether from fear or the burst of her own power. No, now there was a steady rhythm, an easy flow of her blood in her veins and she was no longer afraid because there was nothing to be afraid of, was there?
Until a hand clamped down on her elbow and attempted to pull her inside the building.
“Come on!” the woman yelled but Shola instinctively tried to pull away.
“Do you hear those sirens? You’re the only one out here standing near a bunch of singed bodies. So guess who’s going to wear the handcuffs and take a ride to the jailhouse?”
Shola looked back to the street where there were still burning bodies along with trails of black smoke filtering up to the sky. Had she noticed those bodies there before? No, maybe because she was too busy staring at the giant black dragon with those beautiful—and familiar—eyes.
Assuming this woman must be with Theo’s company, Shola bent down and grabbed her spear before running into the building behind her. The woman kept them running until they burst through a door and went down two flights of stairs. There was a black truck waiting on the other side of the next door, and the back passenger door was immediately pushed open. Shola retracted her spear and climbed inside. When the door closed and she sat back against the seat willing her mind to stop racing with all that had just happened, another jolt came when this time she did stare into familiar eyes. Bleu sat close to the opposite door, giving her a look of pure anger and disappointment.
Chapter Thirteen
“You shouldn’t have left the property,” Bleu said while they sat in the truck.
They were not driving at a high rate of speed. In fact, there seemed to be no rush at this point, and Shola figured it was their way of blending in as the truck turned easily onto the street and out into regular traffic. A speeding truck would likely draw the attention of the enforcer vehicles, which had whizzed past going back toward the building.
“I am not a prisoner,” she said even though after seeing vampires and a dragon, she was thinking that maybe he had a good point.
“We’re being paid to protect you. That would be a lot easier if you would cooperate,” Bleu insisted.
He was the oldest of the staff, at least she thought so because of his graying beard and the way he moved with such a dignified air.
“This is not how this was supposed to play out,” she admitted. “And I do not owe anyone any explanations.”
“You do when you may have cost someone their life.”
Her head snapped in his direction. “Me? Vampires attacked me! They were going to kidnap and or kill me. I had a right to defend myself. And the dragon killed them! Have you ever even seen a vampire or a dragon for that matter? A damn big and fiery dragon?”
Bleu turned to her with a look that probably matched the anger he was feeling. “If you had stayed on the property, this wouldn’t have happened. Now there’s been exposure that we have to try and contain. You were selfish and reckless.”
“You are not my father, so you do not get to chastise me for doing my job,” she replied even though his words had infused just enough guilt in her that she turned away from him to stare out the window.
They didn’t speak again during the ride, but she shivered as they pulled up in front of the Office and she suddenly turned to look at Bleu once more.
“It did not surprise you,” she said quietly trying to digest the weight of what she just realized. “I told you there were vampires and dragons out there tonight and you did not even blink. Did you know they were going to be there?”
Bleu didn’t respond, he simply stepped out of the truck and came around to the passenger side where she’d already opened the door and jumped down.
“I know my way,” she snapped and headed toward the front door. She grabbed the handle and tried to pull, but it was locked.
With a sigh she tossed what she knew was an annoyed look over her shoulder, and Bleu came up slowly. She watched as he leaned in so that a blue light from the security box scanned his eyes. She heard locks disengage and frowned when he opened the door and let her in. “You do not want me to get out, and you do not want me to get in. Cute.” Her tone was drab and insolent, she knew, and didn’t care. She was pissed off.
“We’re back,” she heard Bleu say but he was not talking to her.
They all wore devices on their wrists and used them to communicate with each other. If she were inclined to feeling any type of way about this company and the people who worked for it, she would admit that it was because she was an outsider. But, she was used to that feeling so it was easily pushed aside.
“So am I supposed to wait here for Mr. Masters to come and give me his speech about running off?”
Bleu walked past her and down the short set of stairs to the main hallway that branched off into different rooms on the first floor.
“You can do whatever you wish, Ms. N’Gara. I doubt you’ll be heading out again so soon,” he replied before disappearing through a door.
He had no idea what she would do next, because he didn’t know her, none of them did. Perhaps she would leave for good this time. That was the plan last time. If things had gone as she’d meant for them to go, she would be at the nearest airport by now, heading back to Mobo to tell her parents and her people that they were safe. Now, she not only sounded insolent, but she could also toss naive into the mix. She believed she could do what Oya said she was meant to do, and she’d tried, but failed.
The irritation she felt now as she walked to her room was not because of shock at seeing vampires and a dragon—she knew there was more to this world than the humans who walked the earth. She was a prime example. But perhaps if she thought about those things, it would take her mind off failing yet again.
She entered her room, wondering what her next steps would be. Exhaustion had her shoulders sagging while the sight of the bed had her body overruling her mind. A shower, clean clothes and sleep was what she needed at the moment; she could think about the rest afterward. That sounded like the perfect plan, and she was headed to the bathroom to proceed when she saw the note on the bed.
Meet me at the river.
It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. She knew it was from Theo. He hadn’t met her at the door when she returned because he wanted her to come to him. Well, she was damn tired of running after men tonight. She dropped the note on the bed, walked into the bathroom and began taking off her clothes. If Theo was waiting at the river for her, then he could just wait a little longer.
She stepped into the shower stall immediately after turning on the water and lowered her head beneath the spray. It felt good. Not only cleansing in a natural sense, but spiritually. Water washed away all inequities, doubts and fears. She stood there with her eyes closed feeling as if tonight’s events were also being washed down the drain. She would have another chance, and she swore she would not fail again.
“If you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today.” She spoke the words of the old native proverb again, tilting her fa
ce to the water so that it ran over her eyes, nose and mouth.
The words were whispered on repeat until she felt completely cleansed and was ready for the next step, but the moment she opened her eyes, she saw him. He was standing at the river on the other side of that tree, just as he had been hours ago, looking so sexy and yet so unreachable. Even if Shola were available for this man, he was not available to her. She could see it in the way he tried so hard to keep his distance from her and could hear it in the way he spoke to her ever so carefully. So why had he tried to kiss her?
She had no idea. What she did know was how idiotic she’d felt waiting for that kiss to happen and how disappointed she was when it hadn’t. Her lips still tingled with anticipation. She grabbed the cloth and soap and washed her body, trying not to acknowledge how every swipe of the wet cloth over her skin reminded her of how much she wanted Theo to touch her.
Who was she kidding? She slammed her hand over the nozzle, stopping the water, and stepped out of the shower to grab her towel. She was going down to the river, right now.
Fifteen minutes later, wearing the first sundress she’d seen in her bag and with her hair pulled into a high puff, but still dripping from the shower, she stepped into the clearing and stared at Theo’s bare back.
Correction, the finely chiseled muscles of Theo’s back. In the misty light from the moon, he looked like a god. In her mind that sounded melodramatic, but her eyes and body totally agreed. He wore dark sweatpants that hung low on his hips and nothing else. His skin appeared bronzed and his ass...she looked away. And after staring at a tree for endless moments jumped when he said, “Join me.”
She walked to the water’s edge and stood about a foot away from him. Her mind had insisted she move in the opposite direction, but her body was clearly in the driver’s seat tonight.