by Kyra Dune
"Maybe we should do the same," Stephanie said. "You know, come forward. Show them what all of you can do. They couldn't deny seeing real dragons standing right in front of them."
"Not while Megara is still out there." I sat up. "If we go to the press they'll have a million questions. And you know the government will get involved. I'll be stuck, with no way to go after her. She's not going to stop. Not even if the whole world believes in dragons. In fact, that might actually make her worse. I saw her blow up a truck stop once. That was her idea of being subtle. Imagine what she'd do if she didn’t have to worry about exposing the dragons anymore."
Stephanie sank into the other chair. "You're really intent on fighting her, aren't you?"
I shifted in place, way uncomfortable with having them all staring at me like that. "Yes, I am. If I thought I'd find her at the hotel, I'd go back there right now. But she's probably long gone from there by now. Hunting me down as we speak. So I'm going to wait right here for her to find me. No more running."
"I got to hand it to you, kid," Sam said, "you got guts."
"I don't think this is a good idea." Derek shook his head. "You're not ready for this."
"She's never going to be ready," Stephanie said. "I think she's right. She does need to end this."
Derek stared at her in shock. "You think my baby sister fighting another hybrid to the death is a good idea?"
"I… I just…" Stephanie's lips quivered. "I didn't realize what it was going to be like when I came to join you at the bunker. I can't do this anymore, Derek. I… I just can't."
"Steph," Derek crouched in front of her, taking her hands in his. "I know you're scared. We're all scared. But everything is going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. But I have to look after my sister, you understand that, don't you?"
"We're renegades now," she said. "Do you understand that? We can never go back home. I was okay with the idea in the beginning, but things have changed."
"What are you talking about?"
She stared down at their joined hands. "This isn't how I wanted to tell you, but…" She looked up and met his gaze. "I'm pregnant."
My brother sat on the floor so fast it was a good thing he was already crouching or he probably would have hurt himself. "Wh- You… Huh?" Real eloquent, right? But you can hardly blame the guy. He was pretty well stunned. "Are you sure?"
"I am a spirit dragon, you know," she said. "I'm sure."
"Is the baby…" Derek ran a hand back through his hair and cast a guilty look at me.
I could tell what he was thinking. He was worried the baby might be a hybrid. I won’t lie, that hurt a little. But in a way I could also understand it. After all, nobody wants their kid to be born a freak.
"She's a fire dragon, just like her daddy." Stephanie smiled uncertainly. "Are we happy about this?"
"Happy?" Derek blinked several times, then rocked forward on his toes and grabbed her up in a hug. "Oh my god, I'm going to be somebody's dad."
"Congratulations," I said, grinning. "I guess this means I get to be an aunt." That was a pretty cool thought, except we were all still in deadly danger. This kid being born and getting a chance to grow up was one more reason for me to finish this thing with Megara as quickly as possible. I hoped she found me soon.
"Well, this is real happy news, but," Sam rose to her feet, "I'm wiped. I think I'm going to hit the bed."
"Us too." Derek took Stephanie's hand and helped her to her feet. "I don't want you wearing yourself out." He touched her cheek.
Stephanie sighed. "I guess this is when you start treating me like some delicate creature in need of constant coddling."
"Sure is." He kissed her forehead.
She smiled. "I suppose I could get used to that."
Aww, were they cute together or what? I walked over to them. "I'm really looking forward to meeting my niece. I just hope I get the chance."
"You will." Derek rested his hand on my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. "Everything is going to turn out all right. It has too. I want my daughter to grow up knowing her amazing aunt." His smile turned kind of goofy. "My daughter. That's going to take some getting used to."
I kept the plastic smile on my lips until the door closed behind them, and then it fell away. I turned to Zack, who stood with his back to me, staring at the floor. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"I don't like this."
I was pretty sure I knew what he was talking about. "I'm not exactly jumping for joy myself, but what choices do I have."
"You have a lot of choices." Zack turned to face me. "Going up against Megara alone is the worst one."
"What makes you think that's what I'm going to do?"
Zack snorted. "I know you. I know how you think. You want to protect everybody. And throw your own life away in the process. It's stupid."
"Alastair said --"
"Forget what Alastair said," he snapped. "Alastair was terrified of Megara. Maybe all of that needing you to kill her was just more hybrid hype. He never even sent any trackers after her. We don't know you can kill her any easier than I can. You couldn't even kill him."
I thought I heard a touch of contempt in his voice, but I wasn't sure. Maybe it was just my imagination. "He was my grandfather. No matter what he did, no matter how much I hated him, he was still my family. Could you kill your father?"
"Yes," he said without a hint of hesitation. "If he was threatening me, or you, I could kill him."
And I believed he was telling the truth. "Well, I'm not you. With Megara it will be different."
"This is so stupid," Zack said. "At least don't go against her on your own. Let me fight with you. Sam too. Three against one is better odds. That's just common sense."
I sighed. He really didn't get it, did he? "How am I supposed to fight if I have to be worried about you all the time? You against a regular dragon, or three, wouldn't concern me too much. But Megara is not a regular dragon. Believe me, I know."
Zack made a face. "Are you saying I'd be a distraction?"
"And you think I ask stupid questions." I rolled my eyes. "Of course you would be a distraction. And Megara knows that. You're incredible, but not invincible. What happened at the cabin showed me that. I thought you were dead and it was one of the worst moments of my life. I've lost so much already, I can't lose you too."
"And you think I can lose you?"
My heart skipped at beat at the raw pain in his voice. "You're not going to--" I clamped my mouth shut on the words. This was not the kind of guy you said pointless things like that to. He didn't want to hear false reassurances anymore than he wanted to give them. That was the moment I realized this was the one person in all the world I could be completely honest and open with. No pretty lies. No happy masks. Just reality. That's a rare thing to find.
I put my arms around Zack's neck and he managed to loosen up enough to rest his hands on my hips. I looked him right in the eyes as I spoke. "I can't promise I can beat Megara, but I can promise to try. I want to live. I want to see my parents again. I want to meet my niece. I want a forever. With you." Oops, there I went again, saying way more than I meant to.
Zack's eyes widened and I laughed nervously, wondering what he was going to say. I didn't mean to freak him out, but I couldn't take back what I'd said. I wasn't sure I even wanted to. He leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against mine. The heat of his breath on my lips sent a shiver through me. "I could live with forever."
Then he kissed me. A warm, soft kiss. The kind that weakens your knees and turns your brain to mush. But underneath the softness was a kind of desperation. We both knew this could be one of our last kisses. One of our last nights in each other's arms. He pulled me closer, our bodies melting into each other. And… Well, I don’t guess I really need to spell it out for you, now do I?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I don’t know what woke me. Maybe it was the empty bed. Maybe it was some small sound. Maybe it was nothing more than a sense of wrongness in the
air. Whatever it was, I didn't wake up slow and easy like I usually did. Instead, my eyes snapped open and I was instantly and completely aware of myself and my surroundings.
The room was dark. Too dark. Not even the light from the streetlight falling through the window. I lay there motionless, listening, hearing nothing but someone softly breathing on the far side of the room.
I sat up. "Zack?"
"Shh." I sensed him moving toward the bed. "She's here. And she's not alone."
My chest tightened. This was not what I wanted. Not now. Not with Derek and Stephanie sleeping next door. I'd planned on having breakfast with them in the morning and then convincing them to leave. To get somewhere far away from me. Somewhere safe.
I almost asked Zack what to do, but I already knew the answer. We would fight. This was it. My moment. And even though my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking, I managed to get myself dressed in the dark without tripping over my own feet.
The door opened and I could barely see Zack's outline in the thin moonlight. "I'll go first," he said. "To the right. You follow. Stay crouched, you'll be a smaller target that way."
I grabbed his arm. Much as I would have loved to let someone else take charge right then, I couldn't do that. Not anymore. "No." He raised a brow, but I went on before he could say anything. "You and Sam are going to make sure Derek and Stephanie get out of here all right. I'll take care of Megara. Or she'll take care of me. It doesn't matter, as long as they're okay. I need them to be okay."
I could see the argument building in his eyes. I placed my hand on his chest. "Please. Do this for me."
He pursed his lips. "You don’t ask for much, do you?"
I smiled to keep from crying and slipped past him out the door. He caught hold of my wrist and when I looked back he said the three most perfect words in the English language. "I love you."
"I know." I pecked a kiss on his lips, then slipped free of his grasp and ran across the parking lot toward the street. On the other side was an empty, overgrown gravel lot and I figured it would be a better spot for the big showdown than the hotel parking lot. Less chance of hurting any innocent bystanders.
That was something Megara wouldn't worry about, I knew. She was the kind of hybrid the clans feared we would all be. But was it entirely her fault? She'd lived this nightmare I was caught up in for her entire life. That had to warp a person. If the clans didn't have that law about killing hybrids at birth, would she have turned out to be a different person? Could all of this have been avoided? You might say it doesn't really matter, but if that's what you think, then you're wrong.
The road shook and bunched under my feet, trying to trip me up. I lifted myself into the air and floated the rest of the way to the lot. You know that coppery kind of taste that fills your mouth when you're really, really scared? It was rising up in the back of my throat. Little panic butterflies flitted around in my stomach, but I couldn't let them grow out of control. I had to focus. I had to fight. Even if I couldn't beat Megara, and I knew the odds were good I was going to lose, I had to at least give the others time to get away. I had no doubt Zack and Sam could deal with any dragons that tried to get in their way.
I had barely touched down when the ground in front of me erupted in a shower of dirt and gravel. I quickly pulled up a shield to protect myself, and through the falling debris I spotted Megara staring back at me. Not the best feeling in the world.
Without thinking about it, I lifted myself up into the air again. I'd been caught in a quicksand trap before, and I wasn't about to let it happen again. I was in trouble. Big trouble. I could tell just by looking at Megara's face. We'd squared off plenty of times before, but never had she been intent on killing me as she was now.
I pulled the moisture from the air and let if form into a three foot icicle in my hand. Dropping my shield, I threw the icicle at Megara. She waved it away with a blast of air and lobbed a fireball in my direction. I pulled the shield back up, wincing as the fire spread across it. It wasn't going to hold. Maybe against a regular fire dragon, but not her.
Distant sirens caught my attention. Were they coming our way? Had somebody in the hotel heard all the noise and called the cops? Would they shoot at us? We were definitely going to freak them out and freaked out people do not mix well with guns.
After all my training sessions with Megara, you would think I would have learned not to let myself be distracted into forgetting important things, like strengthening the underside of my shield. I was painfully reminded of the lesson when the ground below me erupted and a jagged piece of rock sliced a nasty gash in the back of my leg.
I cried out, because believe me, it hurt just as much as getting nicked by that bullet. My shield started to shrink, bringing the heat and flames closer to me. Megara was compressing the air under my control, trying to crush me with it. I took what I hoped would be a steadying breath. I had to think. Had to ignore the panic, the pain, the blood, and remember everything I had learned.
A storm. That could work. I mean, like Sam said, if a bunch of regular dragons could do it together, I should be able to do it alone. Right?
I pushed my power over air and water into the sky above and managed to pull up some dirty grey storm clouds pretty quickly. It was kind of a rush, really. Light rain patted against my shield, dousing the flames still dancing there. The air stirred, brushing against Megara. But a little rain and wind wasn't exactly what I was aiming for.
And then Megara laughed. She laughed, like this was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. This woman who was at least partly responsible for everything I had lost thought I was weak and pathetic, and maybe she wasn't entirely wrong.
Anger spiked in my gut, igniting my fire. I gave it a controlled rein to do whatever it wanted. Or maybe it was what I wanted. How all that works is still a little muddy in my mind.
Heat filled me up until the air around me was radiating those little waves like you see over the road in the summertime. The night cracked with thunder as a lightning bolt struck the ground between Megara and I.
Megara jumped back, the laughter dying on her lips. She stopped pressing on my shield and pulled up one of her own. Lightning struck it over and over, making it ring like a bell. I pushed a little harder, taking a trick from the trackers who attacked me and sending fire up under her shield. I couldn't see her through the lightning and the flames, but I had a good feeling she wasn't finding this whole thing so funny anymore.
A blade of air rimmed in frost sliced clean through my shield and across my stomach. The sudden shock of it had me dropping out of the air. I hit the gravel with a teeth rattling thud. As many times as I'd been hurt over the past year, I still couldn't deal with the sight of my own blood soaking through the bottom of my shirt. The smell made me want to puke.
It's really hard to think straight when you're terrified, in pain, and light headed from losing blood, but I knew Megara was still out there and even if she was taking the time to recover from my attack, it wouldn't be long before she came up against me again.
I dragged a shield of earth and rock up out of the ground, thinking it might be somewhat sturdier than air. I scooted to the side, gritting my teeth against the pain, and peeked around my shield to look for Megara. I couldn't see anything through the smoke, and the air had a burnt quality to it. From the lightning? I wasn't sure, but the smell made my nose itch.
The rain had stopped, but the clouds were still there, darker now. It surprised me. When I fell, I let loose my hold over the elements, so why were the clouds still there? Maybe they would stay until I sent them away. I wasn't sure. I mean, hey, it's not like I knew a lot about making storms.
I pushed myself to my feet, holding my hands to my stomach. My guts weren't spilling out or anything, so I figured the cut wasn't too deep. My leg screamed in protest when I put my weight on it, but I was up, and that, at least was something. I sure didn't want to just lay there on the ground waiting for Megara to come finish me off.
A flash of fire had me dropp
ing back behind my earth shield. Flames flared over the top of my head and I called down the rain to put them out, soaking myself in the process. Then I dropped the earth and called up a dome of air. Not a shield, exactly, but more a sort of weapon. I pushed it out from me in all directions as hard as I could.
As the air whisked away with a dull roar, I heard a startled cry of pain. Then silence. I figured it was too much to hope it might have killed Megara, but maybe it at least hurt her. I think that was the first time in my life I was happy about the idea of having hurt someone.
Strobing lights bounced off the underside of the clouds. The sounds of sirens rang shrilly in the stillness. The police were definitely coming to the hotel. Having them see us with their own eyes would probably help the credibility of my video, but I hoped none of them came close enough to get in our way.
I couldn't see anything, so I pushed the clouds apart enough to let some moonlight shine down on the empty lot. Which was a good thing since a hunk of pavement the size of a large dog was hurtling toward me.
I pulled up another earth shield and winced as the two collided, shattering and pelting me with bits of rock. I barely had time to blink before a fireball was heading my way. I dropped flat to my stomach and felt heat pass through the air above my body.
I dug my fingers into the dirt and sent a shockwave rolling through the earth. If I'd been standing the shaking surely would have knocked me down.
"Impressive," Megara called out. She sounded winded and like she might be in some pain. Or maybe that was only hopeful imagination on my part. "I knew you had potential. Too bad you took up with the wrong side."
"The only side I'm on," I painfully pushed myself to my hands and knees, "is the one where nobody else has to die. Listen, we don't have to do this. I fixed it. I fixed everything. It's all over. There's this video--"
"I know," she cut in flatly. "I watch the news. But it doesn't matter. This is not over. It won't be over until every last one of them is dead."