Dragon's Eye (Avery Rome Book 2)

by P. S. Power

  Link just walked in the front door of his house, on his own, staggering as he did it.

  Mark had taken the bus there, and was still sober when she took him to the front of his home. He sighed and shook his head a bit.

  “I’m not great at parties. It was fun, though.” He looked around, then smiled at her. “At least I got to see you naked. I don’t suppose you’d let me feel you up, so that I have at least one good memory to carry with me?” He was joking, but clearly down on himself. She shook her head though, since Tarsus told her how to handle the boy. He was actually trying to manipulate her into doing things with him, by being sad.

  “Nope. What I can do is introduce you to a bunch of Alede. Allison and Ann can do that, too. It will work better if I do that though. Anything dealing with Greater Demons will cost you, in the end.” It was true, but he didn’t really need her for that part. Walking up to them and saying hello was really enough to get that started for him. He was even cute, so it wasn’t an issue like that getting in his way.

  Just a strange kind of shyness.

  He shook his head then.

  “But I’m not good enough for you?”

  Avery stopped, thinking about things, then shrugged.

  “Honestly? Yes, you are. But I’m not going to be manipulated into doing things with you like that. If you just want sex, then the Alede are the way to go. If you want a relationship, well, a lot of the girls you know would be better options than me, but that isn’t because you aren’t good enough. Just that I’m broken in a lot of ways. We could try, but you’d have to do most of the work. Have you considered Terra though? She’s nice and you could probably get a yes, if you bothered to ask her out.”

  She left then, but did give him a hug first, which he treated as if it were a rare and wonderful thing, not even grabbing her behind. He did get excited, sexually, but she ignored that, since most girls didn’t see through people’s clothing all the time. Avery had an unfair advantage that way.

  She got to go home then, which meant she was able to shower, change and put on makeup. The idea behind that was, she realized now, to manipulate people subconsciously. Avery hadn’t thought of it that way, but it was the real point of the whole thing. There, in her mind, was presented a thousand different tricks to make her look better, even with the few things she had there in her own bathroom. That meant her trip to Wal-Mart at six in the morning got her stared at. In a positive fashion.

  Food was the point however, so she made five trips, taking two hours and a borrowed shopping cart. That got returned however, which meant she didn’t get in trouble for doing it. Normally she wouldn’t have risked that kind of thing, but lacking a vehicle, the new memories told her that it was worth the risk of a minor scolding if she’d been caught.

  After that she ate, then slept for two hours, followed by another large meal.

  Leaving her feeling fine. Totally so, in fact.

  Awake and alert, as well as with free time to actually do something. That, for several hours, turned out to be her going over her school work and studies. Including drawing, which she had a lot of data on now. Tricks and things like that, to allow her to do a much better job than she had been before. Instead of looking at something and copying it, she took a sheet of paper and drew Eve from memory. It took focus, but she was able to get it done in two hours. In time for Edom to come back, at about three in the afternoon.

  “Avery! Did you enjoy the party last night?” The dark man seemed pleased to see her.

  That meant she smiled at him. It was easy to like people who were kind to you.

  “I did. It was different than I thought. Interesting. I changed into both my other forms. It’s probably on television, but I haven’t checked. There were cameras.”

  Edom tilted his head, then went across the front room, and turned on a large flat screen. It was the first time that she’d ever seen it working like that. There was a small black and silver controller for it, as he flipped through the different channels.

  “Eve got this put in. We have cable, but I don’t really watch it. Back when I was a boy… Well, radio hadn’t been invented, so the habits were different. Let me see, a news channel…” The one he landed on didn’t have her as a Dragon first thing, but after half an hour, the colorful picture showing a lot of information, much of which was wrong, there was a moving picture of the night before.

  Which showed her, looking decently attractive, if naked, standing in the back yard of Tyler’s home, her lady bits blurred for modesty.

  “That’s nice of them. Covering me that way. It was a little awkward, at the time.”

  Ed nodded, but didn’t comment on the idea. Instead he watched as she rapidly grew, becoming about five times larger than the house they were in at the moment. She was a good way to the size of the palace next to her. Shorter, however. Except for her head, which stuck up about twenty feet above that.

  That particular palace was vast, after all.

  It was the very first time that she’d seen herself, in that form. It was prettier than she’d figured. Her eyes nearly glowed, but were still a deep black, with a deeper line inside of them. When she looked at the camera, they seemed to look out of the screen at her. The Dragon’s eyes seeming oddly sympathetic and compelling. To her at least.

  She also had nice black horns on her scaly head. The wings were a bit small seeming however. It was cute, rather than intimidating. Her talons were sharp and black looking. She also had a white patch on her back that wasn’t a thing she’d known about before.

  Her Vampire father seemed pleased.

  “That’s impressive. Was there a plan, or was it a drunken dare?” He glanced at her, as if that last one was the probable answer.

  “I should be able to get a bit of protection from that kind of thing… Being drunk and foolish. I didn’t drink to try that out, however. Um… I also had the Demon library placed in my head last night, by The Librarian, Tarsus. I think it was a joke, more or less. I can use it however. Zack arranged for one of them, a Greater Demon, to mentor me first, which for Greater Demons comes first, when they’re young. I’m a Dragon, but Eve kind of set the bar there. I have more… Insight, now? If I can use it correctly.”

  He looked at her for a bit, then smiled.

  “She mentioned that to me. So did Zack. I wasn’t sure if you would or not. How do you feel about it?”

  “I don’t know, to be honest. Why pick me for this? The thing is, I think that it’s about keeping control of Eve and I. Giving us mentors isn’t about helping us, but making sure that we end up being the kind of beings that will do what they say, more or less. It’s why both of the mentors are sane. They aren’t good, but… Well, I was given Bente, The Pristine. Her primary interest is in clothing and makeup. Eve contracted with The Changeling. Greater Demons that are both considered to be among the most stable.”

  There was a pause. A stillness that reminded her that Ed wasn’t actually a Human being at all. When he moved it was startling, if only a little bit.

  “That sounds likely. We can’t do a lot about that, so all I can recommend is that you try to keep Bente, The Pristine, happy. Do what she says, if you can. This is dangerous, but so far Eve has managed it. You’re as capable as she is, so you can do it as well. Be careful.”

  That got a nod.

  “I will. If I can’t be, then I’ll get as far as I can from anyone who might be hurt.” She smiled then, reaching into her pocket for Krista Hall’s card. “I also might have a new job? Part time, I think. Being me, so it shouldn’t be too hard. On a television program. Nothing is set, since I didn’t blow the producer, but he didn’t have hiring power anyway. I’m not sure how it will play out. I did get him with Kaitlyn Swanson, so that might work for her, if nothing else.”

  Rather than growl and rage, Edom just looked into Avery’s eyes.

  “Good. If you do that kind of thing, make certain it’s for your own reasons, not just for something like that. Not unless your goal is to become an actress. Eve
n then, plan things out first. A lot of people will promise you things to get what they want. Most won’t deliver, unless you can make them. You can, but sometimes that might not be worth it.”

  The version of Tarsus in her head handed over reams of examples then, organizing the data for her, showing the most important things first.

  “I need to eat again. If I can do enough, I should only need a few hours of sleep per day. That will make things easier for me.”

  They watched the footage on a few different channels, but all of them presented it as her simply having shared a Halloween treat, not as anything bad or even important. Just interesting. Ed, finally, patted her on the shoulder, and got up from the sofa they were sharing.

  “I need to get back into work. I have a meeting tonight, with Lenore Hawthorne. She’s testing her new son out. Steve York? You should come along. We need to see if he can handle being in public. You aren’t food for him and can protect yourself, but you look that way. The scent is slightly wrong, but it’s a better test than myself or Eve.”

  That got a nod, and standing from her.

  “Right. That will keep me from having to go and find him. This is quick though, isn’t it? He’s only been a Vampire for what, a week?” She didn’t really know, since it might have been years. Avery didn’t think it was that long, however.

  “Something like that. Still, he hasn’t slept, even though it’s been hard for him. None of the other new Vampires have managed it that fast, except for Eve. His feeding discipline is good as well, so if he can manage being around people, Humans, he can go back to work. Slaving away for Lenore, for a while. Testing isn’t just a short term thing.”

  That was a good plan, most likely. Steve himself had figured that they wouldn’t see each other for months, at least. Possibly years, if he failed in his task. So of course she was going to go and see him. Even if that meant having to slap him down, physically.

  That was taking place at Yoghurt World. Lenore Hawthorne lived in the area, it turned out, having a large home in town, but the idea was to get Steven outside of the house. Away from the comfort of familiar things, with walking food and aggravating beings there to test him.

  Edom explained that to her, so that she’d be up to speed on the whole thing. Not getting in the way of their clever plans as they teased the new Vampire and pushed him around.

  They drove, though it turned out that Eve was already there, along with Troy and Barb. Interestingly, so was Ginger Harris, the Assistant Ambassador from Sparks. Avery had gotten that wrong before, thinking she was in charge, but that wasn’t the truth. The dirty blonde white girl, who looked about fourteen, waved at her.

  “Hi! I didn't know you were coming for this. As bait?” She was playing, but noticed when Eve glared at her.

  Avery nodded.

  “That’s right. I’ll sit next to him and put my arm up for him to bite. Someone might need to remind him not to, first. Then we’ll all mock him and see who he tries to beat up. If none of that works, then we get real Humans for him to be around?” That was the pattern the others had used. It was a program that Tarsus had watched closely, she realized. It was new and better, working.

  It meant that some of the youthful Vampires were strong faster, it didn’t really increase their ultimate power level. So far that portion had only worked for Eve. The rest were trending toward just becoming decent citizens in less time.

  Before anyone could explain how she was wrong, Steve and Lenore came in. He looked paler than before. Also a bit edgier. He blinked and breathed however, which were faked. Glancing around, he nodded as he noticed who was there.

  “Everyone! Avery Rome, as well. Hi, Avery. What are you doing here? I get the others. I’ve only been around two people at a time so far. So this is about making sure I don’t freak out in crowds?”

  Eve smiled at him.

  “She’s going to have you go down on her, to make sure you’re ready to be around regular peeps. Then we’re all going to spank you and stick things in your behind. You’re cool with that, right?”

  That got him to stick his tongue out. Playfully.

  “I doubt that you’ll be doing either of those things. A bit of a shame, since Avery is adorable. You, too, of course. What’s the real situation?”

  Moving in, Avery locked eyes with him.

  “Don’t bite me.” Then, standing to the side, she placed her left forearm right up to his lips, and held it there. Right by the juicy veins of the wrist. Blue and filled with delicious blood. Vampires could feed off of Dragons, after all. She wasn’t food naturally, because if he tried to eat her, she’d beat him up. No one even doubted that she could do it. That meant everyone in the room went still as her dusky skin was pressed to his cold lips. He wasn’t ready for that, it seemed, since his eyes went red, and pinpoint sharp fangs kissed her flesh.

  Avery didn’t pull away, or even let herself flinch, understanding that she was responsible for the situation. There was no blood however, or piercing of her skin. Even as she held it there. Over the course of minutes, he managed to pull the fangs back, her arm forcing into his mouth deeper then. Eventually the eyes went back to being green and blue, like normal.

  After ten minutes, he pushed the arm away, slowly.

  “Well… Is that good enough for a start?” He glanced around, but Avery shook her head, even as Lenore nodded.

  “No. That means you get to try the next level of things. I don’t think that really involves sex things yet. Being around regular people, right? So, I need to go and get food. You and I will go. No safety net of people to watch you and hit you if you mess up. You won’t. Come on.”

  Avery took his hand, then led him to the back. Rather than go to the food court there, she took him away to New Mexico. There was a mall there, and people that knew her. When they walked out, into the back of a clothing store, he took a deep breath.

  “Where are we?”

  “New Mexico, at the node complex here. This is the Shifter node. We’ll go to Yoghurt World here first. Then the food court. Then, after you just sit there, we’ll go and find someone for you to get closer to. If you’re going down on a woman, she should at least get something from it. I won’t.” Those words were interesting, since it brought up Dragon memories for her.

  She didn't have a sex drive, but she could feel pleasure from the act, like anyone else. That was interesting to learn, since it had never occurred to her that it might work that way. If she did things, then it would be a fairly normal feeling. It was simply that there was no desire in her to start. It wasn’t a normal Human thing then.

  There was a commotion, which came from the front of the place. Running followed, making a roaring sound to her ears. The world flashed to blue inside her head, as she noticed everything in the space for a bit.

  The being who came to the back was Chi, the Bat Shifter. He was well dressed, but for mall store work, being in a shirt, without a tie. There was a name tag however, as well as bristly red hair and thick glasses.

  “Avery! Steve York, isn’t it?” He put a hand out to shake, which got returned, before they touched, Steve made a cute face.

  “I’m a Vampire now, so get ready for the cold skin.”

  Chi didn’t jump at all after that.

  “I’d heard you were making the change. How is it going then? Calley said that it would probably mean that Living Proof would break up. Also that you wouldn’t be in public for years… Yet here you are.”

  That got a smile.

  “So far, not so bad. A certain Dragon lady just made me suck on her arm for half an hour, and I didn't bite her, so that’s a good sign. Lenore let her take me away, alone, which has to be stressful for her.”

  Avery nodded.

  “He’s ready. We’re going to get me some food, then need to find someone for him to do sex things with. You like men, right, Chi?” She was teasing Steve, but the Bat Shifter took a slightly shuddering breath then.

  “I do… That’s a real risk. I suppose we can do that. If y
ou feel ready. After you come back?”

  Steve made a face, then shrugged.

  “Ah… Yeah. That will work. I think I can manage it.”

  Avery pulled him by the arm, wanting some food, herself. She wasn’t starving, but it was time to eat again anyway.

  At the Yoghurt World, behind the counter, surprisingly, was Norret. The Ambassador there. She was helping a Human select a dish to eat, though she smiled at them when they came in. It was dark outside there, but Steve ignored the rather plump man who was getting food perfectly. After that gentleman left, taking his treat away with him, she moved up.

  “A caramel swirl please? Large.” She pulled her bank card out, which was waved away.

  “Miss Rome. Please allow me to get that for you. May I inquire as to who your friend is?” She sounded very polite about it, so Avery looked at the red haired pale man.

  “Steve York. Musician. He’s in the band Living Proof. He became a Vampire last week. This is his first outing without someone watching him. Well, me, but I don’t count.”

  Norret went wide eyed, but then smiled like she was insanely happy to meet him.

  “Have you gone through the new program then? Amazing. Do you plan to become a day walker as well?” She waited, going still, as if Steve might not like being asked simple questions.

  He didn’t have that issue, clearly.

  “So far so good. Eight days without sleep. Eve has been working with me on that. The Snowflake. I should have it, if I can make another seven days or so. It’s already getting easier. Like dipping myself in lava each day, but I can mainly think, even at noon, and the hallucinations aren’t that bad anymore.”

  The Vampire behind the counter started to work, getting the large frozen dish Avery had asked after. When it was provided, a minute or five later, though Avery was going to guess it was less rather than more that way, the woman smiled at York.

  “I see. Have you considered a time of public service, once you master that? It’s rewarding, in its own fashion, as well as a good way to make contacts. You could, say, work here and also remain in your band, following your musical calling? Twenty-four hours a day is a lot of time to fill.”