“Kara, calm down. It’s okay. Yes, they saw you. No, you are not under arrest. Aaron knows he brought this on you, and he will protect you. Josh and I will protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
Thomas looked down at his hands, his face turning gray as all the color seemed to wash away from it, but he said nothing.
“Protect me from what, Thomas?” she demanded.
“Do you know what you were? What you looked like?” he said quietly.
“I do.”
“It wasn’t only the Dragon Guard that saw you. There were other members of the clan with them, people who joined them to find you and help you. When you landed on that cliff, it was quite a shock for all of them. Even for dragons, it is not every day that you see a snow-white ice dragon with two heads. It frightened even me. I had no idea such a creature even existed for you to conjure up and shift into.”
“Me neither. I was just desperate, and it was all I could think of to try. They had me trapped, and the only thing I knew I could fight them with was something they didn’t have: ice. There were two of them, and I was afraid one of me wouldn’t be enough. I just prayed that it worked, and luckily, it did.”
“Yes, it did, but now the entire village is terrified of what they saw.”
Kara lay back against the pillows again and closed her eyes. She was tired, so very tired. Thomas’ voice seemed to drift away as she fell back asleep, and when she woke up again, the room was no longer so bright. It was dark, and she could see the slumped form of Thomas sleeping in a chair nearby. Rather than wake him, she lay there in the darkness, trying to decide what she should do. She was a monster.
Perhaps she should just leave. She could have the children in some faraway place where no one knew about them and never tell them what they were. Maybe she had been wrong about that, and it was better for them to live in a place where they could just be children. Was that even possible, or would they one day find themselves? She lay awake for hours, overcome by emotions that she was having a difficult time processing. Perhaps, for the first time, she understood Cassi better than she ever had before.
She could only imagine what sort of anguish it had been for her to have left the love of her life and her child to protect them from those that would have done them harm. Though the situation was different in some ways, it was quite the same in others.
Chapter Twenty
“How are you feeling this morning?” the doctor asked as he came in several hours later and turned on the lights.
Thomas stirred in his chair, stretching and smiling over at her as she looked in his direction. He was so beautiful–so wonderful to her–and the thought of living without him was so agonizing that it nearly brought her to tears again. She bit her lip to stave off the waterworks and focused on the doctor instead.
“I feel better. Less tired,” she told him.
“Grand. The good news is that you are perfectly fine, as are the babies. I’m sure Thomas has already told you that. You were just exhausted and in need of fluids. That is why you have the IV, but we’re going to take that out of you now and let you go home.”
“Home?” she said, feeling uncertain.
Her mind conjured up images of people with torches and pitchforks, chanting things about killing the monster outside her front door. She looked at Thomas, and he smiled again.
“We will be fine, Kara. Aaron is sending some of the Dragon Guard home with us for a few days until we can see how all of this is going to pan out.”
“Great. Captive in my own home,” she muttered.
“It is what it is, my love. We’re just going to have to get through this the best we can.”
“Right,” she replied bitterly.
They were both silent as the doctor removed the needle in her arm and prepared her to leave. Once she was up and dressed in the fresh clothes Thomas had brought with him, they made their way upstairs where they were met by their escorts and Aaron. Kate was by his side and, as Kara approached, she reached out for her, pulling her in for a hug before stepping back to look at her.
“I know you must be beside yourself right now. A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours, but please know that Aaron and I are very grateful to you for what you did. We had no idea it would unfold the way it did, and we are so sorry for that, Kara. Please believe that we will do everything we can to make this right for you.”
“Thank you,” Kara said in a bland tone.
Right now, she was incapable of believing in anything. From her perspective, she felt that all was lost, and she just wanted to get out of there and get on with whatever life she would have to grow accustomed to, now that she was the village monster. Aaron thanked her as well, but she could barely even hear what he was saying as he smiled and took her hand. Thomas nodded and thanked him on her behalf.
“I’m afraid she is still in a bit of shock,” he told them as he helped her toward the door.
Despite the haze that seemed to envelope her, Kara was keenly aware of the looks on the faces of the guards as she passed through them on her way to the door. Outside the door, several more waited as she got into the car. There were no people, and Kara realized that they were taking her out the secure entrance where no one outside those employed by the leader were allowed. Suddenly, she felt weary again and near collapse.
“Are you okay, Kara? Do I need to take you back into the doctor?” Thomas asked as she stumbled a bit and clung to him for support.
“No. Just get me home, Thomas. I want to go home.”
“Of course,” he told her, pulling her close and helping her to the car.
Inside, they said nothing as a guard drove them to their house and walked them to the door. She couldn’t help but note that it had already been replaced, as had the bedroom door. In fact, there was no evidence that anything bad had happened there the night before. Maybe it was all just a dream, she thought to herself wearily as Thomas helped her to the bedroom and put her to bed.
For the next three days, Kara barely existed. She only spoke to Thomas when he insisted on it and ate when he made her. She felt dead inside and couldn’t quite seem to shake it. After a while, she could see that it was also wearing on Thomas, but she couldn’t bring herself to shake it off. Visitors came and went, all turned away at the door after he asked if she wanted to see them and she told him no. Finally, things boiled over between them.
“Damn it, Kara! You have to snap out of this. This isn’t good for you, and it isn’t good for the babies,” he told her angrily as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
She just stared at him blankly and said nothing.
“You were willing to fight, to expose what you are to everyone in order to save our babies, and now you are putting them and yourself at risk. Did you really go through all this just to die a slow, miserable death?” he shouted.
“What would you have me do, Thomas? I’ve nothing left now.”
“Nothing left? Nothing left? You have me, Kara. You have children growing inside of you that depend on you to bring them into this world. How is that having nothing left?”
“I’m a monster. Ask anyone. Did you see the looks on the faces of those men who stand outside our door to protect me? Protect me from what, Thomas? I killed two men that threatened my life and the lives of our children. Now, I have to protect myself from people who have known me since I was born. People who’ve known my family even before I was born. I’m no longer safe here because they don’t feel safe from me.”
“And do you think that hiding in here, letting their worst fears about you grow daily is helping that situation?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care,” she replied.
“You do know, and you do care. If you didn’t, you would get right out of that bed and walk out the front door with your head held high.”
“I’m a freak.”
“What did I tell you about that, Kara? We are all freaks here. You are just a different kind of freak, but no more of one than the rest of us. W
e live in a world that passed us by long ago. People never understand what is different. They never will. You have to just overcome that and show them they are wrong. Show them they have nothing to fear.”
“Don’t they? You saw what I became.”
“I saw what you had to become. I love you, Kara. I don’t care if you decide to shift yourself into Godzilla next. You are the love of my life, and nothing will change that.”
“You don’t have to pretend you love me anymore, Thomas. I saw the look on your face, too. You don’t have to pretend to accept what I’ve become just for the sake of your children.”
“Don’t be daft! I’m pretending nothing. I love you just as much now as I loved you before I knew you were part tiger shifter and before I knew you were so much more than that. What you have is not a curse, Kara. It is a gift. It is special. Yes, seeing you like that scared the hell out of me, but it was just a knee-jerk reaction. I knew it was still you, and the moment quickly passed.”
“I think it is best if I just go. I can take the children away from here and give them a normal life. I can tell them they are regular children and never reveal their gifts to them.”
“No, you only think you can. It is not in our nature to live as humans–not yours, not mine, and not our children’s. You and I belong together, through thick or thin, and we are going to stay together. We will get through this as a team.”
“I don’t know how,” she said, tears beginning to fall down her face.
“I don’t either, but we will. The first step is for you to get out of this bed and hold your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong, nothing you should be ashamed of. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you have or that you are any less than they are. If anything, you are so much more than all of them.”
“I’m sorry, Thomas.”
“No. No more apologies from you. It is I who should be sorry. I wasn’t protecting you. I fucked up and put you in this position, and I’m miserable about that. All we can do now is just get on with things. If that means telling a few folks in this village to fuck off, then that is what we will do. If it is too bad here, we will find someplace else to go. What we are not going to do is hang our heads in shame and hide out like hermits in our own home.”
“Okay, Thomas,” she said quietly.
“That didn’t sound very convincing,” he said softly, stroking her face with his hand.
“I’ll get there, just don’t leave me,” she said, wiping away her tears.
“Never, Kara. I will never leave your side again. I will never put you into a position where you have to become something you don’t want to be in order to protect yourself. That is my job.”
Kara smiled at him weakly and reached for his hand again, pulling it into hers and squeezing it tightly.
“I love you, Thomas. I love you more than anything.”
“I love you, too, my little chameleon,” he said with a smile.
She frowned at him.
“Too soon?” he quipped in an attempt to get a smile out of her.
“Listen, I have to tell you something before this thing between us goes any further,” she said.
“What is that?” he asked, looking concerned.
“You’re a terrible cook.”
Thomas laughed and stood up, reaching out to help her up from the bed and pulling her against him in a hug.
“That’s my girl,” he said lightly.
“Always,” she replied.
“Well, you have had a rough few days, and I have just learned that I’m an awful cook. So how about we order a pizza?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she replied.
They walked hand in hand to the living room, Kara smiling for what seemed like the first time in an eternity.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Aaron wants us in the village at two this afternoon,” Thomas told her the following morning.
“What for?” she asked, feeling more than a bit of trepidation about going into the village.
“I am not sure. He’s called some sort of public meeting and wants us to be there.”
“I don’t know, Thomas. I don’t know if I’m ready for all of that just yet.”
Thomas sat down and looked at her, holding her hands in his own as he spoke softly. “You have to go out eventually, Kara. They aren’t going to throw rocks at you or anything. Of course, there may be some that are rude or distance themselves from us, but no one is going to harm you. You have to get past this mentality they all view you as some sort of monster. There are a few who can’t grasp this and are best avoided, but overall, these people know you are the same Kara they have always known.”
“I’m just scared, Thomas,” she admitted.
“I know you are. I’m a little scared of all this myself. It’s only natural, but we have to bite the bullet sometimes. It might as well be today.”
“Okay,” she replied.
Though she felt terrified, she knew he was right. Maybe things weren’t as bad as they seemed, and she could use the fresh air. She tried to focus on other things, making some breakfast and then immersing herself in housework until it was time to get ready to go. When the time came to leave, she found she was shaking all over.
“Don’t be afraid, my love. I’m here with you,” Thomas told her as he kissed her head and held her close.
“Don’t get too far away from me, Thomas. While we are out today, don’t leave me alone.”
“I won’t, Kara. I won’t,” he assured her.
Kara hoped he was right. She was afraid his duties would pull him away at Aaron’s behest and she would find herself alone. She feared that something would happen, something that would force her to change and everything would come rushing back to her again–her fear, her shame, even the hopeless void that seemed to have sucked her in after the events of this past week.
Shortly before two, they found themselves sitting in Aaron’s office, waiting for him. He arrived a few moments later and leaned against his desk to speak to them.
“Kara, Thomas. Thank you both for coming this afternoon.”
“What is it that we are here for, exactly?” Kara asked timidly, her anxiety already rising in her chest.
“I’ve decided that the best way to get things back on the right path is to hold a public meeting and address everyone’s fears directly. Rather than letting them wonder about what has happened and continue to speculate in a negative fashion, I want to set the record straight about what happened, and I want the two of you by my side when I do it.”
“Oh, no. No, no, no,” Kara began to say, panic setting in at the thought of sitting on a stage to be gawked at by the masses.
“Kara, just breathe, babe. It’s okay. Just breathe,” Thomas said to her before turning back to Aaron.
“I’m afraid that is out of the question,” he told him.
“Listen, I know this is hard, and I know you are afraid, Kara. I need you there, though. I can tell these people whatever I want, but what is really going to get through to them, what is really going to settle down their irrational fears is to see you on stage, to see that you are the same old Kara they have always known. You’ve waited on them in the diner when Cassi was alive. Your family has been here for years. This isn’t just about you, Kara. Your grandfather is in hiding, too.”
Kara’s head shot up at him, a look of anger in her eyes. In all of this, she hadn’t even considered that her grandfather was affected, but of course he was. Worse yet, he was being scrutinized and had just as much to hide as she did…well, as much as she had before she was forced to reveal herself. How dare they persecute him, too?
“Fine. I will do it. I won’t let them hurt him like they are hurting me,” she replied.
“Good. Then we will walk out there, heads held high, and they will see how wrong they are today.”
“What should I expect out there?” she asked, her fear once again peering through the anger from just seconds ago. “What are they saying?”
“Many of them s
upport you, Kara. Others, mostly the older people, want me to exile you. They think you have no place here. I don’t want to paint you a pretty picture about everyone rallying behind you, because that isn’t the case, but you do have support among them. It is just a matter of reasoning with as many of the rest as we can.”
“Why bother?” Thomas asked. “Why not just let those that don’t like it get over it however they need to and mind their own business?”
“Because, unfortunately, some of those…many of those who don’t approve are on the Council and insisting that I perform my duties and exile both of you, as well as Kara’s grandfather. They want me to enforce the archaic rules they’ve put into place, and I have no legal standing not to do so. My only hope is to change enough minds to overturn the law that supports their line of thought.”
“And if you can’t?”
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it, but I don’t think we will. I think we can turn this around and, in the process, make this village a better place for everyone.”
“I guess we will see,” Thomas said, sounding a little uncertain himself.
“Okay then, let’s do this,” Aaron told him, standing for them to follow him to the door that led out to the public circle where village meetings were commonly held.
A small stage and podium had been set up to one side, with chairs for Thomas and Kara to sit in. A third chair was already occupied, and as they approached, Kara saw that it was her grandfather. He smiled up at her as she bent down to hug him and sat in the chair beside him, taking his hand in hers while joining the other hand with that of Thomas. She gave them each a gentle squeeze as Aaron made his way to the podium amid whispers from the crowd.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I appreciate all of you taking the time out to come to our meeting today. I apologize for the short notice, but I felt this was important and has been put off long enough.”
“Why are the freaks here?” someone yelled out angrily, causing a rising mumble from many of the others and agreement from a few more.
Journey to India (Exiled Dragons Book 7) Page 10