Scales and Flames

by Catherine Banks

  He paused for a minute, considering. His lips curled into a smile, and he gazed lovingly down at me. He brushed his lips against mine in a quick kiss. “Yes, I do.” He glanced over my head and chuckled. “Though let’s make sure your claws don’t do to me what they did to the couch.” I craned my neck to glance at what he was talking about. There, for all to see, were now two holes in the arm of the couch. We started to laugh as I looked back at him.

  “Deal.”

  I felt him shift his weight and suddenly, he was no longer inside me. A sense of loss overcame me but soon he was shifting me over and lying back down behind me. He pulled me onto his chest and I let myself drift off to an easy sleep.

  Reluctantly, I opened my eyes a few hours later. I was still curled into Sam’s chest, listening to his steady breathing. I moved to get up, but Sam’s arms turned into vices around my waist as I felt him stretch. I looked up at his face and his eyes were open, with a content smile on his face.

  “Should we get up now or do you wanna stay like this for a bit longer?”

  I smiled at him. “We should probably get up now.”

  Sam rolled us so my back was not flat on the couch and captured my lips with his in a quick but passionate kiss before he quickly stood up. As soon as he was standing, he took my hands, helped me to my feet, and pulled me to his chest. My arms instinctively wrapped around his waist, still wanting his touch. I wasn't sure how long we stood there holding each other.

  Someone knocked loudly on the door, breaking our trance. Reluctantly, we pulled apart. “One minute,” Sam called. He stepped away and went across the room to where we had discarded his clothes to get dressed, tossing me his shirt. When I gave it a skeptical look, he chuckled. “Put it on until we find your clothes. It's more modest than the blanket.”

  Snorting at him, I shrugged on his t-shirt, ignoring our moisture running down my inner thigh. Buckling his pants, he went to answer the door. Right before he got there, the door flung open and a woman stormed into the room. Her hair was a tangle of brunette curls, and her skin color matched Sam’s. Her agate green eyes were narrowed, and she looked pissed.

  “Sam! Where the hell have you been! Seriously, why the hell haven't you come talk to me since you got back? I'm really concerned about the things that are now among us. I don't trust them.” She spotted me and blushed. “Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company. I'll leave you two alone.” Sam closed the door, cutting off her retreat.

  “Jeana, allow me introduce you to Dyka, one of the things we brought back,” Sam bit out. “Dyka, this is my sister, Jeana.” At least he was sticking up for me. I felt sorry for the girl. I couldn't blame her for her lack of trust.

  “Sam, take it easy,” I stated. “She doesn't know me and I'm not even human.”

  Jeana was staring at me with wide eyes. She shifted her gaze from me to Sam and back, taking in our appearances. From the sweat glistening off of Sam’s chest, to the t-shirt that barely covered my ass, it wasn’t hard to conclude what happened. It took her a few moments before the realization crossed her face. “Wait, is that your Superman shirt? Oh... My... God...”

  “Jeana, there are a lot of things we all need to talk about but right now. Dyka needs to get some clothes and both she and her brother need to get settled into their rooms. And don’t worry, I’ll be staying with Dyka tonight. Can you go and get Jeb please? Asyl will be coming back.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. “Jeana, I hope to get to know you better.” She flinched at my attempt at courtesy. Jeana glanced from Sam to me and back, at a loss for words.

  As the silence dragged on, Sam started to get irritated. “Jeana,” he prompted.

  “Oh. Right. Yeah.” She blinked and turned toward the door, pausing for a moment to get a good look at me one more time, and left, leaving the door open.

  Sam sighed, shoving his fingers though his hair. “I'm sorry for her attitude. It was uncalled for.” He sounded like he meant his apology.

  I smiled up at him. “Well, you had a comparable reaction to me at the beginning.” Shrugging, I continued. “It was bound to happen. We are different, after all.”

  “What was it like back on your world?”

  Looking away from him, I turned to stare out the window at the trees. “This world is very much like ours. The main difference is the colors here are not as vibrant as back home. My clan would trade with the other races and try to intermingle with them. There was a time in the past when a Dragon clan came from another continent and subjugated many nations, until they were overthrown. Because of this it was difficult for some to accept us fully.”

  I could feel his eyes boring a hole in the side of my face. “What did y’all trade in?”

  I looked back at him and smiled. “We had two trades. One was in jewels and the other in lost artifacts. At two specific trade incidents, there was a pair that found their mates. I assumed they mated each other, but maybe it was with humans. Asyl may remember. In our society, it's part of nature that when you find your mate you stake you claim then and there. They caused so much of a scene that the humans, as well as quite a few other races, didn't appreciate it and cancelled all dealings with Dragons until new policies could be instated. I remember being told the stories of why only mated Dragons could go on the trade missions after that. If it was anything like it was here, then I could see why.”

  “Why didn't you stake your claim when we first met then?” His confusion was evident.

  “I didn’t understand what was happening. It never occurred to me that this,” I motioned to all of Sam, “was a possibility. When we met at the hotel, I could barely see you through the red haze of my anger. Then after seeing you with clarity, for the first time, I refused to believe it and ran. When my brother found his mate, it was… interesting to see the change in him. Now that I’m experiencing the same feelings, I can't imagine what he's going through without his other half.” I felt tears spring to my eyes. “I've watched mated pairs fall apart after one of them is killed. It isn't a pretty sight. I don’t understand how he can be so calm. It has to be a facade.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because of his skin.” Holding up my arm, I ran my hand down the length of it. “Look at mine. You can see a lot of the silver in my skin. I am a silver Dragon. Asyl is a golden Dragon. His skin should look like mine but golden instead of silvery. His gold has been fading since we came to this world.” My voice broke, and the tears started falling.

  Sam wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. “Does the connection always act this fast and this strong?”

  “Yes.” Asyl's voice came from the doorway. “I've always believed it to be the curse of our race.”

  I turned to study my brother as he tossed me a pair of sweats. His normally deep golden skin had become tanned. It was odd to see the original color that he had before he found his mate. As I stepped into the sweats, I frowned at him. “Asyl... is the connection still there?”

  Shaking his head, Asyl moved farther into the room and collapsed on the couch laying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling. “It's been gone since we got here.” He covered his face. He let out a low growl, as he lifted his hands and looked at them. “It's like she was never there. She's simply gone.”

  Disturbing images entered my mind. “Could the darkness...” I couldn't finish my sentence. I cowered into Sam's chest.

  “What darkness, and why do you think the connection is a curse?” Sam murmured into my hair resting his chin on top of my head.

  Asyl was the one who answered him. His voice was devoid of all emotion. “Dyka and I were flying around our territory, having fun, while my mate was at her mother’s den. We just found out my wife was pregnant, so we were celebrating.” I lifted my head and looked over at Asyl. He had refused to talk about what happened until now. He was so focused on helping me, I rarely saw the pain he was going through. He sat up, resting his elbows on his knees, before he continued. “Out of nowhere, our bright blue sky turned into a blac
k void, pulling us in. We must have passed out because the next thing either of us remembered was waking up, in human form, in the middle of a field.” A ghost of a smile formed on his lips. “And I've always believed the connection to be a curse because once made, if either partner dies the living one goes insane. It doesn’t matter who else needs them.”

  I noticed how tense Sam was after Asyl was finished talking. I looked around to find something to change the subject and realized that the room was full of people.

  Amanda stepped forward, her eyes sad. “Would both of you like to know what happened to our home world?”

  “What do you mean 'our home world'?” Asyl asked as both of us eyed her wearily. “A human wouldn’t know anything of our world.”

  “My birth name isn't Amanda. I changed it when the darkness brought me as well. I am of the Fae Race. I am part of the Stara Maslina Clan—”

  “Wait... The Stara Maslina Clan!?” I interrupted her excitedly.

  Amanda nodded. “Yes. We are connected to the planet and use divination to see the future.” She motioned to the red-haired man in the room. “Mark here is from Clan Ignis, the fire Fae who can sense emotions. We were going over delegations for our families when we were forced here. As far as I have been able to find, no one was forewarned about the impending disaster.” I let go of Sam and crossed the room. I sat by my brother on the couch. We needed to know. He needed to get back to his mate. If anything happened to her... I shook my head to clear the thought.

  “Our world is gone.” Amanda's voice held no emotion; she was simply stating a fact. It took a moment to realize what she was implying.

  “Gone... like blew up gone? Or merely lost?” I asked weakly. Asyl was as stiff as a board beside me. I grabbed his hand, afraid of the answer she would give.

  “Just gone. The darkness that brought us here swallowed our world and most of the populace whole. The only ones who survived were the ones that were forced here. I am sorry.”

  I went into shock. How could everything be gone? No, it couldn't be, could it? Mother... Father... Asyl... The thought of my brother snapped me back to reality. He was also in shock. His face was like stone, but I could see the pain in his eyes.

  hAsyl got up without a word and headed for the door beside the desk that led to the outside. I followed him, unsure how I could support him. I heard Amanda tell someone that I was going to comfort my brother and to stay back.

  When a Dragon loses their mate, it’s soul wrenching. His pain was deep. Losing his wife and unborn child was too much to bear. I watched silently as his human form started to grow into his full Dragon form. Wings sprouted from his back, ripping through his shirt. His tail shredded his pants as it grew from his lower back. Arms and legs grew and curved into the massive powerful legs of a Dragon. He tucked his golden wings nicely to his massive body. He was almost as large as a two-story building, with a wingspan of twice his body. My brother's Dragon form had always been magnificent. He took off, soaring straight up into the sky. I stepped out into the same open space and watched my brother drift in midair looking around. I undressed and started to shift myself. My Dragon form was slightly smaller than my brothers and I was a lot leaner than his larger muscular form. I took off after him, but I was hard pressed to close the distance between us.

  His pain was radiating from him and he let out a loud roar of pain, spitting flames in anger as he flew. I dodged the flames easily and closed in. He swiped his talons at me halfheartedly. I dodged out of the way. We hovered, facing each other, I moved in to put my head on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. He opened his mouth, as if to let out another roar, but instead it came out a sad mourning sound. I joined in. She was his mate and my sister by bond. We drifted on air currents for a short while before we descended to the ground.

  We didn't shift back. We curled up with each other for the comfort of our Dragon forms as we mourned the loss of our family.

  Three

  I stayed with Asyl the entire time he was in his Dragon form. It took several hours, but he finally shifted back and went to his room.

  As he rested, Jeb gave me a tour of the enormous house. “Through here is the living room. This room is hardly used, mainly for holidays.”

  Quickly glancing into the room before following Jeb, I saw that there was a large fire place across from the entryway with a bay window at one end and a few couches with a coffee table at the other end. “Through here is the dining room.” He continued motioning to the other side of the hallway. We entered a long room with a table that could seat twelve people. There was a white table cloth with golden leaves on it covering the table and a silver bowl with assorted fruits in the center. An open entryway was at the other end of the room that led into a room that was obviously the kitchen. Walking into it, I took everything in. It was large with plenty of counter and cupboard space with a deep walk-in pantry and a center island. The appliances were all stainless steel and shined in the light coming in through the back door. There was a wide door at the other end that led outside.

  “You can come and grab anything you want if you are hungry.” I heard Jeb chuckle behind me as I looked closer at the counter tops. “Yes, it is a seafoam green granite top. My wife, Margret, had it custom made. She loves that color. Personally, I hate it but this is her area so I don’t complain.” He finished with a wink.

  Following Jeb, we went through an open arch that led back out into the hallway and he pointed to the door across from the kitchen. “That’s the study. We brought you there when you first arrived. And the door right next to it is the bathroom on this floor. Follow me, I’ll show you where your room is upstairs.”

  The stairs were off to the right of the front door. At the top of the stairs there were wooden rails on either side. There was a door on either side of me with two more doors farther down.

  “Your room will be the far door on the right. The door on the left leads to Mark’s room and the door on the right leads to Amanda’s room. The door across from yours is Asyl’s room. Jake and Sam live outside in the smaller house. You'll find the wooden door in your bedroom connects to a bathroom. You have to share with Amanda, but don't worry.”

  As we walked down the hall, anticipation grew in my chest. Jeb opened the door for me and I stepped in. The walls of the room were a soft light blue color and were bare. The window was draped with lavender curtains and had a plush bench seat underneath it that matched. The bed looked queen size and had a lavender color bedspread that was a similar design to the table cloth leaves down stairs. I sat at the edge of the bed and bounced a little. “Do you like it? Margret picked everything out.”

  I nodded. “Yes I do. When will I meet her? I would like to thank her.”

  Jeb shrugged. “Probably tonight at dinner. She’s at work currently but she’ll be back later tonight.” I smiled and stood up, following Jeb out the door and back toward the stairs. “Down by Amanda’s door there is another set of stairs that leads to the top floor. That’s where Margret and I sleep. If you need anything and we are up there, don’t hesitate to come knock.”

  Jeb led me outside, and one of the first things I noticed was that there was a wraparound deck on the first and second levels, and a balcony on the third. I also saw there was a building on either side of the house. They were angled completing a circle with the forest line. In the center was a large grass yard and a patio that connected to the back of the main house.

  “You might not want to wander too close to the forest,” Jeb said as my gaze lingered on the trees in the distance.

  I turned to look at him. “You have a breathtaking home.”

  Jeb shrugged, giving me a small smile. “It's been in my family for generations. When my family first came to this area, they built their houses on this land. Over time, most of the smaller houses were torn down and one large one was built. Then there are the ones you saw back there.” He motioned to the small buildings on either side of the house. “We custom built those for the kids.” I gazed up at Jeb in confusion
and he explained. “Sam and Jeana came to live with us when they were teenagers. Margret and I felt that they needed their own space so we built them their own sleeping areas. During the construction, Jake and Sam wanted a place where they could go and play games and not be disturbed. So, we build the second building which was quickly named the gaming den. Originally, there was no eating area in either one. I wanted to make sure they came into the house for meals. Over the years, the boys added stuff to their gaming den and we turned the sleeping area into a house for Sam when Jeana moved away.”

  “Why did Sam and Jeana come to live with you? Where are their parents?”

  Jeb’s smile faded completely. “That isn’t my story to tell. Maybe one day you can ask Sam or Jeana and they will tell you.”

  “Jeb!” Jeana yelled as she and Amanda came running over to us interrupting the somber moment.

  “How can I help you, Jeana?” Jeb smiled down at her.

  “We need to throw a party.”

  Jeb chuckled. “Why? Jake has told all of us for a while he doesn’t want to celebrate it.”

  “The weather is perfect for it! Plus, I don’t care if he doesn’t want a party.”

  “Jeana we’ve already gone over this—”

  “But that’s why I want to throw him one!” Jeana interrupted.

  Smiling at Jeb and Jeana’s banter, I turned to Amanda and asked, “What type of party?”

  “It's Jake’s birthday and he doesn’t want a party but Jeana has a hard time taking no as an answer,” Amanda informed me, a smiling playing on her lips.

  I couldn't help but laugh. “Sounds like fun. I'm game.”

  “Sweet, since Dyka wants to, we have to now,” Jeana exclaimed. “Anyway, I already sent Eddy to town to grab everything for a barbeque. He can’t say no to a barbeque.” She turned and started heading back toward the house. “I need Dyka to come into the house soon, so we can get her ready,” she called over her shoulder.

  I glanced over at Jeb. “Well she seems to know what she wants and how to get it.”