by A. C. Ryals
Granted, murderers weren’t all geniuses, but he seemed smart enough to know that he couldn’t get away with killing her. Plus, she had no problem telling him anything he wanted to know.
Wrath got into the truck and started it. On the radio, Golden Earring played “Radar Love”. Wrath turned it down before reversing out of the parking spot.
“There’s something we need to get out of the way before we talk about anything else. One of the reasons I noticed you was that you didn’t react to being burned. Is that your only magic trick or do you have more?”
The question was unexpected and so was the slight change in accent when he spoke. He sounded American most of the time but then, when he asked her the question, he almost sounded British.
Odd.
“I think that’s my only one,” Jess said. “I have thick skin. Though, my grandfather said my grilling skills bordered on magic. I was kind of a pyromaniac as a kid. You’d think I’d be afraid of fire—my parents were killed in one—but it was the opposite. I wanted to understand and control it.”
She cut herself off. She’d just given him entirely too much information. Open ended questions led to big revelations from the unwary. She should be more wary around him, but it was difficult. As much as he radiated power, it made her feel secure rather than threatened and that was the wrong response. Maybe it was because he was so damned sexy that even looking at him had to be a mortal sin.
Even his hands on the steering wheel were attractive. They were large and masculine, but his fingers were long like a pianist’s. She’d never been attracted to a man’s hands before, but she thought those fingers could be put to good use if they were as skilled as she imagined.
Heat blossomed between her legs and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Why did everything about him have to be so enticingly masculine?
“I’m sorry to hear about your parents,” Wrath said. “Were you there when it happened?”
Yeah, mentioning it had been a mistake, but the information was publicly available. No point in shutting down.
“I was,” Jess said. “I was just a baby, though. They said it was a miracle that I wasn’t burned. Again, thick skin.”
“I assume you went to college if you’re working for my brother. I would also assume it would be hard to pay for college without the backing of your parents. Did you get a full scholarship?”
Hot as he was, she couldn’t let him know everything about her without her knowing why he was asking. It was only fair.
“What does it matter?” she asked.
“How did the fire start? The one that killed your parents.”
It wasn’t that easy to throw her off. “You didn’t answer my question. What are you getting at?”
“You’re connected to more than one of my brothers and I want to know if you’re aware of how you’re connected.”
“As far as I know, a gas leak caused the fire. I never looked into it, as you can imagine, it’s a difficult subject for me. As for college, I got a scholarship, but also some distant cousin called up to say my grandmother set aside some money for my tuition. I was sure they had the wrong person, but I let them pay everything the scholarship didn’t cover. It was strange, but I needed the money. Are you thinking it was one of your brothers? Were they connected to the fire? Did they kill my parents?”
“No, he didn’t kill your parents. At least, I don’t think so. Thing is, he had a restraining order against your mother. I think he felt sorry for you after the fire.”
He’d already known about the fire. She felt a stab of betrayal. Was he trying to see if she’d lie to him? She pushed her feelings aside. Now she was the one who needed more information.
“A restraining order? Why?” Jess asked.
“It’s unclear. Is there a reason your family would come after my brother?”
“He must be a much older brother. My parents died over a quarter century ago.”
“He’s older than he looks,” Wrath said, clearly obfuscating. “Do you know what your family had against mine?”
It was hard to trust him now. He could give clear answers, but he wouldn’t. Why not just say that his dad had sons over a span of decades. He wouldn’t be the first. Wrath looked like he was about Jess’s age. It wouldn’t be unheard of for a man to have sons that far apart. The only reason she could think of for him to lie about it was if he wasn’t talking about blood relations. Maybe it was some kind of organization that was called a brotherhood.
From organized crime to secret organizations, her rational brain was on hiatus.
“If he’s your brother, why don’t you ask him?” Jess asked.
“Like I said, I’m not close to my brothers.”
“Well, I don’t know and until you stop holding out on me, you won’t get any more answers.”
His royal hotness could just suck on that.
Wrath didn’t respond verbally. He held out his hand, palm up while still watching the road and steering with his left hand. A ball of orange flame appeared in his hand. Jess could feel the heat off it. It was like an oven door had just been opened beside her.
“Magic,” Wrath said. “My family has magic. There are people who try to kill us for it. Thing is, you have magic, too. I can sense it. I sensed it when you weren’t burned this morning and I sense it now. That fire is hot enough to be painful for you at that distance, but you haven’t flinched.”
The ball of flame disappeared, and he returned his hand to the wheel.
“How’d you do that?” Jess asked. She wasn’t ready to jump on the crazy train just yet.
“I told you already. What do you know about dragons?”
“They’re not real. If they were, they’d nap on piles of dwarven gold and chat with hobbits when they aren’t burning villages.”
“You’re wrong on all counts. Well, napping on gold is nice, but the rest is wrong. Did you know your mother and grandmother were dragon hunters?”
“You sound insane.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No, and I don’t think they were.”
“Okay, well your grandmother was convicted of harassing the same brother who had to file a restraining order against your mother. Your mother was making a pipe bomb in the basement when she blew herself up. I think she meant to kill him. I suspect he watched out for you after that. He helped pay for your college and helped you get a job with Kurt. It wasn’t your fault that you came from a line of hunters, after all.”
“Wait, my mother was trying to kill your brother? The same brother my grandmother harassed. How old is this guy?”
“Younger than me. We’re dragons. We live a long time.”
“You’re a dragon?”
“Yep.”
“Prove it.”
“I will.”
Wrath turned up the music. The conversation was over, she supposed, until he could prove he was a mythical beast. They turned off Route One and headed down a winding country road, over a set of railroad tracks, down another winding road, and then turned onto a narrow gravel driveway.
They came to a clearing just large enough for the house that sat there. A teenage girl was setting something on the front porch. She looked at the truck sheepishly, as though she’d been caught.
“Who’s that?” Jess asked.
“Lily. I told her to stay away for the rest of the day, but it looks like she found an excuse to come back. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
They got out of the truck and the girl put on the best innocent child face Jess had ever seen.
“Mom made some cookies this afternoon and I thought you’d want some,” Lily said.
“Mmhmm. Well, since you’re here, meet Jess. She doesn’t believe in dragons so…”
The girl’s eyes went wide. “You’re going to show her? Can I see? I’ve never seen a human react to a dragon before. Please, Poppy?”
Wrath sighed as though put upon, but a smile crept over his lips. “Okay, sweetheart. You can stay.”
Lily turned to Jess. “Have you ever seen anyone shapeshift before?”
“Can’t say that I have,” Jess said.
Lily looked at Wrath expectantly.
“Yes, you can change in front of the human. Do you want to go first?” Wrath asked.
The human. They were talking about this as though it was normal and real. Her mind had time to wrap around the ball of fire that had been in his hand. There was no sign that it was a trick, but she didn’t know. Maybe this guy was an illusionist.
“I’m not a showoff,” Lily was saying. “She wants to see a dragon. After she calms down, I want to see what she thinks of me. No human has ever seen my animal before.”
“Deal,” Wrath said. He began to take off his shirt and Lily stepped over to Jess pulling her back a little way.
“Why’s he…” Jess began, transfixed by the odd symbol tattooed on Wrath’s chest. When he turned to set his shirt on the porch, she saw more symbols tattooed on his muscular back.
“Uh, you think clothes survive a change?” Lily asked. “We strip down when we can to spare our clothes. We’re not squeamish about nudity like humans. Why would we be? Our other forms are naked. What’s so special about a naked human form?”
Jess caught some of that, but her eyes were fixed on Wrath. He’d just pulled off his briefs. His body was incredible. She didn’t see room for an ounce of fat. He was all well sculpted man from his squared pecs to his well-formed calves. His abs looked delicious, but her eyes drifted down to his shaft. He wasn’t even hard, and it was huge.
He stepped away from the house and smiled at Lily. “Want to do the countdown princess?”
“Yup,” Lily said. “Five...four...three...two...one…. Change!”
Jess wasn’t sure what she was expecting. She’d seen werewolf movies so she thought that if he was going to change, it would look something like that. But no. In a blink, Wrath was replaced by a giant black beast as tall as the house it stood beside. He lied on the ground, his neck extending so that his head was just a few feet away from Jess. His wings remained folded against his back and his legs were tucked under him like he was a napping cat.
She’d seen portrayals of dragons in movies. But none of them were like him. It wasn’t just his scales that were so impossibly black that they didn’t seem to reflect light. There was also an oppressive feeling of weight as though gravity got turned up a couple of notches. Her lungs didn’t seem to want to expand. She started to feel lightheaded.
“Breathe,” Lily said. “He won’t hurt you.”
The dragon said something Jess couldn’t understand, and Lily put her arm around Jess. Her vision narrowed and then everything went black.
Chapter 9
“Is this how they always react?” Lily asked as she struggled to lower Jess to the ground.
“It varies. I had one die one time. I didn’t like him, so it was okay. Here, sweetie, I’ll help,” Wrath said.
He’d sensed that Jess was about to faint. Thankfully, Lily grabbed her in time. Wrath changed back to human form immediately.
Lily was strong enough to hold Jess, but she was holding her awkwardly. So, Wrath took her from Lily and laid her on the ground. He figured she’d be awake in a minute or so. Fainting spells were brief, in his experience. He had just enough time to put his jeans on before Lily announced that Jess was awake.
“Can I still change in front of her?” Lily asked.
“I’m not sure, little one,” Wrath said as he strode over to Jess who was sitting up.
“I didn’t take it well, did I?” Jess said.
“No, you didn’t. One of the worst, actually,” Wrath said as he offered her a hand up. He was relieved that she accepted it and let him gently pull her to her feet.
“I guess I’ll wait,” Lily said, looking somber.
“No, you don’t have to wait. Just let me sit down on the porch or something,” Jess said. “I want to see what you look like.”
Wrath walked with Jess to the porch, keeping his hand on her back. “One of the worst, really?” Jess asked.
“Not the worst, but yes. Most people stay conscious,” Wrath said, picking up his sweater from the front steps. He slid it on, noting a look of disappointment on Jess’s face. One inhale through his mouth and he knew the sight of him undressed had turned her on. Only Lily’s presence had kept his dick in check while Jess had been gaping at him.
Nothing killed a mood like relatives.
They sat on the porch steps and Wrath pulled pine needles from Jess’s hair before brushing off her back. Lily went behind a tree to strip off her clothes, more mindful of Jess’s human awkwardness than Wrath himself had been. She was a good girl, through and through.
“Do the countdown,” Lily insisted as she stepped away from her clothes.
“Okay,” Wrath said, “five...four...three...two…one...Change!”
She did. In a flash, the human looking girl became a bright red serpent with bony spikes down her spine and a few on the end of her tail.
“Holy shit,” Jess said as Lily slithered over. “What is she?”
“A basilisk. Most are descendants of a dragon and an imp. Her birth parents were a wyvern and a half fae bear shifter. She’s a sweet thing, but she could kill you a few different ways. The spikes, of course. The eyes, myths about that are true. It’s a form of telepathy that can shut your brain off leading to instant death. She’s also venomous. Even her blood is toxic. It’s a magic toxin so if you managed to spear her, the toxin could travel along the spear and kill you. Then there are her teeth,” Wrath said. “Lil, show her your fangs.”
Lily opened her mouth and her fangs popped down nearly a foot long and looking lethal as hell.
“Wow. I’m...terrified. But she’s awesome,” Jess said.
Lily spoke in Akkadian, “I’m going to go home and change. It’s weird being naked in front of humans.”
Wrath responded in kind, “Tell your mom thanks for the cookies.”
Lily nodded and then slithered off.
“What did she say?” Jess asked as they stood.
“She’s going home. Let’s go in and talk a little more. You should have some cookies to get your strength up.”
“That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard all day.”
~
Jess, still a little dazed, followed Wrath into the house. Things were starting to click for her as she sat in front of the fireplace and picked up a cookie from the plate Wrath had set down on the coffee table.
Wrath waved his hand at the fireplace and it sparked to life. It was spring and still sometimes cool out.
“Would you like tea or something stronger?” he asked.
“Tea is fine,” Jess said.
Wrath went into the kitchen, leaving Jess to think and munch on ginger snaps.
Her boss, Mr. Drake, was a dragon. The name should have been a clue. She wondered if Clarence knew. If he did, he never let on. She was tempted to text him and find out but knew she shouldn’t. The existence of dragons was obviously a secret.
That’s when she realized Wrath didn’t intend for her to leave. Not only had she seen that he was a dragon, but she’d also seen that Lily was a basilisk. He’d have to be sure she wouldn’t tell anyone before he’d let her out of his sight, wouldn’t he?
Had her mother and grandmother known about dragons and considered them a threat? Did a dragon they’d targeted take pity on her and help her pay for college?
She was also curious about whether Wrath was right about her having magic. If she did, what kind of magic was it? If she did have magic, maybe he’d be more likely to trust her not to tell anyone about him.
Her mind drifted back to Mr. Drake. If he’d just found out that Jess had been sent to spy on a dragon with a bad reputation, it would make sense for him to panic. Wrath said he hadn’t even met his younger brother, so all Drake had to go on was what he heard about Wrath from family members. That would make it hard for him to make a fair assessment.
Drake must
have implicitly trusted whoever had told him to send her.
So, why was she sent? She was obviously supposed to draw Wrath in somehow, but why? What was the end game?
“I know what you’re thinking. I can see it in the way your brow is furrowed,” Wrath said as he set a mug down on the table in front of her.
He sat in a leather wingback chair with his own tea.
“What am I thinking?” Jess asked.
“Who would win in a fight, a dragon or a basilisk? What more important question is there?”
His smile was disarming. She found herself smiling back. “Okay, who would win?”
“The answer depends entirely on the dragon. Basilisks can’t fly so the dragon can stay out of harm’s way. The question is whether it can launch an attack from the air that would hurt the basilisk. On the ground, scale to scale combat, the basilisk can win while it’s napping. Earth dragons can kill a basilisk easily, a firedrake like myself can as well. Our fire is hotter than anything other dragons can manage.
“An air dragon could suffocate the basilisk, but it would take a while. Otherwise, the best they could hope for is blowing it around and inflicting blunt trauma. A water dragon wouldn’t be able to do much. Basilisks are immune to direct magic attacks like an attempt to stop blood flow and they can stay under water in high pressure for quite some time. An ice dragon couldn’t use its normal tricks, it can only freeze them scale deep. Regular dragon fire wouldn’t do anything to them.”
He seemed to be speaking from experience. “Dragons fight basilisks?”
“They have. The first time, they were thinking of it as fighting a wingless dragon. Easy mark for two mature dragons. They attacked, the first one was struck with a warning bite, very little venom but he was incapacitated. The second came from behind and bit the basilisk. He got a full dose of toxin and died instantly. The first managed to make it back to his people to get help. I hear he nearly died. That attack started a war.”