The Dragon and the Rose

by Addison Moore

  Chloe scoffs. “Geez, Messenger, is this really necessary? Pull it together, would you? He’s across the damn street.” She snatches Skyla’s wrist to move her along, but Skyla is quick to reverse the effort and slam Chloe’s arm to the wall.

  “Logan is dead because of you.” She spits the words out like bullets. “And you would be too if it weren’t for my generosity, so I suggest you honor both him and me by keeping your rat trap shut while you’re in my home. Make no mistake about it, you are no guest, Chloe.” Skyla propels us down another series of halls until we find Ezrina and Nev. Ezrina might have Chloe’s old body, but the two of them look nothing alike. Her hair is pulled back so tight her face stretches taut. She’s wearing large-framed lenses and a white lab coat with elastic trousers that even my mother wouldn’t be caught dead in.

  “What.” Ezrina looks to each of our faces with her lips puckering as if she just sucked on a lemon. She’s not big on stringing words together.

  Chloe clicks her tongue at her unique twin. “There should be a law against that outfit and hair. And really, Ezrina? I find those fucking glasses embarrassing.”

  Ezrina doesn’t bother to crack a smile. “Again.” Her voice is a little more curt the second time around. “What?”

  Nev comes over, and Skyla leaps onto him with an exuberant hug. I can hear her whispering how much she misses having him as her bird. He did make one badass raven, I’ll give him that.

  “It looks as though all three of my previous owners have come to roost.” He straightens his buffed out frame. “What do we owe the pleasure to?”

  “The Steel Barricade.” Skyla takes in a ragged breath as if she might be sick. “Gage, here, volunteered his services, so as soon as they wash their cells clean of all things Nephilim, he’ll be one of the lucky ones—or damned.” She sweeps her gaze over me with a dismissive glance. “Take your pick.”

  “I have information that might be useful.” I frown at Chloe because I hate that, in a small way, we’ve become a team. And as much as Skyla probably doesn’t think so, I still don’t trust the witch. “Chloe give Ezrina the sample you brought.”

  “It’s right here.” She unzips the pouch in her jacket and pulls out a clear plastic box filled with black worms.

  “This?” Ezrina takes the small cube and holds it to the light.

  “What are they?” I want an end to this nightmare, and the fact a worm might play a key role shouldn’t surprise me.

  “Dolomites.” Ezrina always knows the answer, and it never ceases to amaze me. “He thinks Chromatophobia is the key?” She gives an amused, albeit short-lived, smile.

  Skyla whips out her phone and starts researching it.

  “It’s a phobia of colors.” She shakes her head while staring up at me. “It makes no sense.” Skyla’s not keeping her feelings a secret. She thinks I’m an idiot for hauling Chloe out of the dungeon, for enlisting my trust in her one more time, and she might be right. But, for now, it’s the only leg I have to stand on.

  “No sense.” Ezrina lays the box on the counter and carefully removes the lid. The tiny worms rise one by one, peering out the boundary of their glassy cage. “But it’s their eggs he’s after. Chromatophobia is a bacteria that has the ability to removes stains—from cells.”

  Skyla and I exchange glances.

  Ezrina picks up a worm and lets it inch across her finger. “It will take years to cover those he desires to wash.”

  “Then that’s to our advantage.” Skyla wants to believe the best-case scenario.

  “Not if he has millions.” Ezrina looks to Chloe for confirmation.

  She nods. “He has enough to blanket the planet twice.”

  “It won’t take years.” Ezrina lets out a depleted sigh.

  “We can get Dolomite worms and harvest the bacteria ourselves,” Skyla offers.

  “That’s brilliant.” I wrap an arm around her shoulder, and she doesn’t buck me off, so there’s a start.

  “Cannot.” Ezrina takes up Nev’s hands as if she’s about to deliver a blow. “Dolomite worms don’t exist.”

  “What do you mean they don’t exist?” Skyla is exasperated by the conversation. “We have at least twenty. We can breed these.”

  Ezrina picks up a worm and feeds it to Nev. He closes his mouth over it with a knowing smile, and now I’m the one exasperated. He might have gained an affinity for all things that make their home under a rock, but I don’t see the need to whittle down our already paltry supply.

  “Open.” Ezrina instructs, and a plume of blue smoke comes from his mouth. “These are nothing but replicas.”

  Skyla brushes her finger over one, and it dissolves from her touch. “Cheap replicas at that.”

  “He has them.” Chloe shakes her head in disbelief.

  “You don’t.” Ezrina dumps out the rest, and they settle in a tiny blue cloud over the counter.

  “Gee, Chloe”—Skyla tilts her head in mock sympathy—“it looks like no one trusts you after all.”

  “That bastard.” Chloe starts in on a slow building rage. Her eyes glaze over with a hatred that’s usually reserved for Skyla. Her fingers contort until it looks as if she too is ready to wrap her hands around someone’s neck. “He’s going to pay for this. Nobody makes a fool out of me.”

  “Everybody makes a fool out of you,” Skyla quips. “Why else do you think I keep you around? For kicks.”

  “I’m out of here.”

  “Stop.” It takes all of my effort not to shake Chloe. “The agreement was you don’t let Wes in on the fact we’re running to Ezrina on the side.”

  Her eyes flit to mine, red with rage. I don’t need her to say a word for me to know it’s already a done deal. Wes is going to fry, and so will I in the end. Other than Wes, only Chloe has access to those damn worms.

  “You’re right,” she says it with a false reserve. “But don’t worry. When I’m set for my revenge, he will never see it coming.”

  “Nobody ever does, Chloe.” Skyla shoos her away. “Now be gone. Go on, get. And take that twisted brother of yours, too!”

  Chloe stops dead. Her eyes widen, purple with rage. “My big brother is back, and no one bothered to tell me?”

  Perfect. Now we’ll never get rid of her.

  “Maybe I’ll send him down for a visit.” Skyla says it more like a threat than a reward. “But only if you leave now and promise to stay the hell away for the next eight decades.”

  “You won’t have to send him anywhere.” Chloe sprints for the stairs. “I’ll find him myself!”

  Skyla takes an exasperated breath before turning back around. “Chloe is the only bacteria you brought back from the Transfer, Gage.” She hardens her gaze over Ezrina. “Now what’s the real story?”

  “The Barricade has the power to remove any genetic marker they wish.”

  Nev wraps his arms around Ezrina and drops a kiss to her head.

  “Shall you tell them the news, or shall I?” Nev gives a diabolical grin.

  “Tell.”

  “What Wesley doesn’t realize is that the true Dolomite worms effects are temporary. The reason he sent Chloe with the replica was to confirm that they might work. He has his doubts. He was simply seeking Ezrina’s expertise.”

  “And Chloe fell for it.” Skyla graciously leaves out my name.

  “And so did I.” No use in saving my ego.

  Ezrina cocks her head at me as if someone just snapped her neck. “Don’t tell him the truth. Let him bring me whatever he wants.” She wipes the counter where the worms once sat. “These breadcrumbs will lead us to safety.”

  “Breadcrumbs can work both ways.” Skyla echoes with a numb expression. Her eyes float to mine, and I know what she’s thinking. Deep down, Skyla still doesn’t think I can be trusted. And maybe I can’t.

  “So, you up for a little fun?” I pull her in, locking my arms over her tight. I need that. I need to feel her against me, warming my body with hers. I can do all of this Demetri, Barricade bullshit, but I can’t
do any of it without Skyla by my side.

  Maybe it is time to come clean.

  Skyla’s features remain hard as flint. It will take a miracle for her to forgive me for involving Chloe in any of my heroic antics. Hell, I don’t think I deserve anyone’s forgiveness at this point, least of all Skyla’s. Her body relaxes, her lips soften into a smile.

  “I’m always up for fun with you, cowboy.” She hikes up on her toes and grazes her teeth over my chin like she means it.

  “Isn’t that cute, Ezzie?” Nev nestles into his lady. “Their bodies practically demand to procreate.”

  Skyla and I laugh at Nevermore’s words. But procreate is one thing Skyla and I will never do.

  Rockaway on horseback. That’s the plan. But I don’t fill Skyla in on that just yet. I like it like this, just cruising the streets of Paragon as if we didn’t have a care in the world. If I want I can fool myself into believing it’s last summer when our love shined bright like a flare, and I thought I was just an ordinary Levatio. How exactly am I going to let her know how strong I’ve become? That I’ve come to need the power—to exude its force—like I need air to breathe? As much as I hate to admit it, Wes was right. This power, this thing, this monster I’ve become has seduced me. I want Skyla, and I also want to embrace every facet of the beast I’ve morphed into. I want my Celestra wife, and I want to be the Fem I’ve always been since the moment I was conceived. I wince at the thought of Demetri putting his mitts on my mother.

  Skyla squirms in her seat. “So who’s going to fix the dent in the side of the Mustang? Chloe doesn’t have insurance, and I’d never go after Ezrina—especially since she’s made it clear to the Bishops she wants nothing to do with them. She’s on her own, and so are we.”

  “Liam. He’s pretty good with cars. Besides, he loves this baby. I’m sure he’d be glad to fix it.” I round my hand over the wheel. The sexist asshole in me loves it when Skyla lets me drive. I’m not sure why, and I’m careful not to probe. Who knows what else I might discover about myself that I don’t like. I’m guessing a whole damn lot.

  “Sounds good.” She runs her fingers through the back of my hair, and a mean shiver runs up my spine. It feels good in every single way. “So where are we—”

  I take the turn toward Rockaway before she can finish the question.

  “I should have known,” she hums, stretching her arm over my shoulder. “This is our special place.”

  “You know it.” I park, and we get out, tasting the salty sea right on our lips. The sky is dark as a kettle, the ocean violently angry. It looks as though it’s ready to pour, but I’m not about to let that ruin what I have planned for us. And, now that I’ve been gifted a plethora of power, I won’t have to.

  The rain starts up with a light sprinkle, and Skyla turns her palms up with a laugh caught in her throat.

  “You sure about this, Oliver?”

  “As sure as I am about you.” I pull her in, her robe already splitting in the front.

  I dip a kiss to the base of her neck. Skyla gives the roaring ocean a run for its salty money with a moan that rips through me like a knife.

  The rain begins to pelt us a little stiffer, much colder.

  “We’re going to get soaked!” Her laughter vibrates right through my lips, and it feels like heaven.

  I thrust my hand in the air, and the rain ceases in a heartbeat.

  “Wow.” She pulls back, taking in the sky as if she’s never seen it before. “Now that’s not really fair to the rest of the island—they might actually like the rain.” She bites down playfully on her lip. Her fingers pull me in by the shirt.

  “You’re right.” I spin around with my arms outstretched, waving them in a perfect circle until a patch of sunshine sits over the width and girth of Rockaway alone. I flick my fingers, and the rain comes down like a curtain just outside the span of our precious blue sky. “There.” My arms find a home around her tiny waist again. “Sunshine for you and me—rain for everyone else.”

  “My God.” Her fingers touch my chest light as feathers. Her face is rife with wonder. “You did this?” She takes a few drunken steps in disbelief. “Gage. If you can do this, you’re unstoppable!”

  “I’m always unstoppable when it comes to you.” The sentiment comes out a little more bereaved than necessary. “I’m unstoppably in love with you, Skyla.” I scoop her into my arms and give her a twirl. Her hair fans out like gold floss. Her eyes shine and sparkle as pure as the crystalline sky above. Skyla has glowing eyes, pale as the lightest shade of blue topaz. “I’m going to make love to you.” It comes from me sober, like a fact rather than a proposition.

  “Right here in the open?” She looks up at me from under her lashes as if it were a dare. “What if someone sees?”

  “Then I suggest they either look away or take notes.” I pluck at her flimsy belt, and her robe falls open. “Because, yet again, I’m going to prove unstoppable.”

  “Well, Mr. Unstoppable…” Skyla sheds her robe without inhibition as she drops to her knees.

  “Holy shit,” I mumble, less than a whisper.

  “I suggest you whip up a cloak of invisibility because I’m going to love you first”—she picks up my hand and traces her lips with my finger—“with my mouth.”

  God. How did I get so lucky to land her as my wife?

  I outstretch my hands to the side like a man on a mission. The circle of rain that surrounds us spins in a dizzying blur until it obscures the world beyond its borders. Skyla unbuckles my belt, works her magic fingers over my jeans until they’re open wide, and I’m freed from my boxers. I’m already rock solid and saluting her efforts. Skyla’s mouth falls over my skin, taking the length of me down her throat until I hear her gag.

  “Easy.” I pull out just enough, but she digs her fingers into my thighs and plunges me to the back of her throat. Skyla works her tongue up and down my shaft like a master. She takes my balls in her cool hand, and I lose it. I love this girl. The second I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me—the precious girl from my visions. Skyla and I were meant to be. I try not to get too wrapped up in why destiny might want us together. It doesn’t matter—we won’t be propagating Demetri’s family line. Our relationship is about love, our own selfish, greedy love that in the end will only benefit the two of us. I’m all right with that as long as Skyla is. If I can make love to her at least once each and every day, I’ve pretty much fulfilled my goal in life. In no way is that a shallow use of a person. Making love to Skyla is an honor and an art I intend to perfect until the day I leave this overgrown rock.

  Skyla pulls me in and out of her mouth with expert ease. No sooner does she let go of the boys than they’re aching for her touch. Her rhythm picks up. My body electrifies as Skyla fucks me with her mouth. The pressure in me builds, pulsating and urgent like that of a geyser, and any second now I’m going to lose it. But I don’t want to, not like this.

  “Come here.” I pick her up and teleport us over the ocean about fifty feet out. I touch the water with my shoe, and it congeals, sturdy enough to lie on.

  “Gage?” Her voice wavers as she gives the surrounding waves a side-glance. The curtain of rain maintains its distance. The sun beats its unfamiliar beams over our bodies and warms us with its love.

  “We’re okay.” My mouth finds hers for a moment as I pull a condom from my pocket. “Never leave home without it.” I give a crooked grin.

  “I love how you take care of me.” She cups the side of my face, and I dip a kiss into her palm. A tiny part of me is grieved by her words, for the both of us. Forever we’ll have to take extreme measures to prevent what should come naturally—a family. And, now that we know Demetri is my father, my seed is nothing more than poison to her body. It’s a wonder she’s stayed with me. It’s a wonder I haven’t let her be.

  I lie her down over the shimmering ocean, and her chest expands as her skin makes contact with the frigid wall of water. I touch my finger over the surface, and a ripple of warmth radiates o
ut from under it.

  “Thank you,” she mouths, wriggling her body into the unfamiliar surface. Her knees rise to either side of mine. Skyla helps me roll on the condom. She seems to like to do that, always finishing it off with a gentle stroke before she says—

  “That’s sticky.” She wrinkles her nose like I bet she’s done a thousand times before, but it was always too dark for me to appreciate. “Come here, cowboy.” She gives a little grin while guiding me in.

  I push in ever so slowly, careful not to plow my way through her the way my body demands.

  Skyla places her hands over my chest, holding me at an arm’s length just for a moment.

  Her eyes grow heavy. “Tell me how much you love me.”

  For a moment I’m tempted to recite Logan’s line, the one he imprinted over the threshold of the house he built for her, but I don’t. I can guarantee I love Skyla ten times stronger than the sentiment can ever convey.

  “I’ve loved you for as far back as I can remember. I’ve loved you in the distal past. I love you in the present, and I’ll love you long into the unknowable future. I will love you from the moment I step into eternity and beyond. Forever isn’t long enough for me to love you, Skyla. In a perfect world, in my greedy version of reality—it would just be you and me until we both walk hand in hand into the Master’s arms. You are enough for me. You are the only woman I will ever want, crave or have. You are the beginning and the end—the best part of my story—the best part of who I am.” I close with a kiss, and her body rises to meet with mine. I lose myself in the girl I love, thrusting in with a bionic force I can only attribute to my newfound strength and vigor. Everything has become sharper. The world is finally in focus now that I understand who I am, who I’ve always been. It’s the final piece to the puzzle that, unknowingly, I have always longed to snap into place. I, Gage Oliver, am a Fem. I will always be one, after all, I always have been. And I want to be. There’s not a single thing I want to change about my life, of course, with the exception of having a family with Skyla. A vision tries to come to me, but I shelf if for later.