by Meg Ripley
Becca was silent for a moment. “So, you were the one who hit the Maltech shipment? You’re the guy who assaulted our drivers?”
Nate sighed and dropped his gaze. Becca waited, but no response was to come.
“Why would you do that? What good is it to assault innocent men just to get at Jeremy and Jadon? It’s not like it’s done anything but get us locked up down here.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, “but it had to be done. They’re pushing weapons so they can instigate more wars in order to satisfy their own bloodlust. I’ve seen what they’re capable of and I can’t let that continue.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said. “Jeremy would never hurt anyone, and I’m sure whatever Jadon did during his deployment was necessary.”
“They’ve been in more than one war.” Nate revealed. “I have photos; documentation from the last couple hundred years.”
“What? That’s impossible.”
“About as impossible as the two of them turning into giant lizards,” Nate scoffed. “They’ve wreaked more havoc than you can imagine.”
Becca turned away as Nate reached out to hold her shoulder. She thought about what Jeremy had told her last night before she had been locked up down here.
“Look,” Nate said. He took his hand away and fiddled with a button on his shirt. “Everything is going to be okay. I have what we need to get out of here.”
Becca looked at the button he held out in the palm of his hand. “What is it?”
“It’s a camera,” he said as a slow smile spread across his face. “It’s been transmitting everything to my team since I was brought here. All I have to do is say my code word and they’ll be on their way here to get us out.”
“Why didn’t you say the code word when they first brought you here?” she asked.
Nate shook his head lightly. “Because we needed enough video to prove without a doubt what the Ladons are and that they need to be taken care of.”
“Taken care of? You mean killed?”
He nodded, “Put down like the wild beasts they are.”
Becca could feel her face draining of color. Behind Nate she saw the door inching open and she took a deep breath.
“What’s wrong?” Nate asked, her attention snapping back to him. “Don’t tell me you have feelings for these monsters.”
“Nate, I—I don’t understand why you want to kill them.”
“Because they’re monsters,” his words seethed between his teeth as he reattached the button on his shirt. “They probably have you under some sort of spell, or maybe you have Stockholm syndrome.”
Becca glanced back towards the door to see Jeremy cautiously making his way towards them. “No, it’s not that…”
Jeremy quietly reared up behind Nate wielding a short wooden club, knocking out the ex-marine before he was made aware of his presence.
As Nate’s body crumpled and slid from the chair in a sickening thud, Jeremy rushed over and wrapped his arms protectively around Becca while he exclaimed her name repeatedly in breathless whispers. Becca clung to him, afraid that he might disappear before her eyes, or worse, that he might leave. Looking up, she found Jadon standing guard in the doorway.
“Becca,” Jeremy said, holding her at an arm's length so he could look her in the eye. “Do you trust me?”
“For some strange reason, I do.” Jeremy reached towards Nate and ripped the button off of his shirt. With sharp snap, he crushed the microtechnology between his thumb and forefinger.
“We have to leave,” he told her. “We have to leave town before they find us.”
“We includes me, right?”
“Of course,” Jeremy smiled and kissed her deeply. “I’d never leave you behind.”
Becca blushed as Jeremy pulled away and grabbed her by the hand to lead her out of the basement.
“How do you feel about moving to New York City?”
Book 2
CHAPTER ONE
The hotel bed was extra firm, but Jeremy’s arms were soft and warm as they held Becca close against him. She breathed in his warm, musky scent and buried her nose into the base of his neck to warm it up from the cold air conditioning. Even though her eyes were open, the heavy curtains blocked out the morning light and left them in an abyss where Becca could see nothing.
On the other side of Jeremy, she felt another figure stir as Jadon began to wake. He stretched and groaned as his body twisted to sit up on the edge of the bed.
Jeremy grumbled and held Becca tighter as she whispered into the void, “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Bunny,” was Jadon’s reply.
Jeremy squeezed Becca tightly and kissed her neck. “It’s too early. Go back to sleep.”
Jadon chuckled as he turned on his phone and shined the light from the screen on his brother. “It’s after nine, you lazy bum. Let’s go get breakfast already.”
“I have breakfast right here,” Jeremy responded as he rolled Becca on top of him to block out the light and playfully nibbled on her neck. She let out a small shriek of laughter as Jeremy tickled her sides, throwing her back down onto the bed as she squirmed.
Jadon threw the curtains open to let the morning light stream in, temporarily blinding them all as they collectively groaned at one another.
They all went through their morning routines; the brothers headed off to the gym for their regular work outs while Becca grabbed her sketchbook and headed out to sit at one of the patio tables by the pool. In the past few weeks since the incident with the Maltech shipment and Nate Stanley, Becca had found an abundance of time to get back to her sketchbook—as well as an abundance of material to draw.
Becca gazed out over Lake Erie and how it sparkled in the late morning light. They had been taking their time traveling, making sure that they weren’t being followed by Nate or any of the people he was working with. Right now, they were in downtown Buffalo, New York; in a few days, they’d be making their way to an apartment that Jadon owned in New York City.
Her pencil moved diligently across the paper as she thought about the morning she discovered the Ladon brothers’ little secret. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with the thought of them being shape-shifting dragons, but she had at least accepted that it was, in fact, the reality of the situation. She pressed and the tip of the pencil ground into the paper, flattening the point and leaving a dark spot in the eye of the figure she had drawn.
Becca looked away from the lake and the families out enjoying the last weeks of summer vacation before children had to return to school. The sketchbook page resembled the previous pages that she had drawn for the last two weeks: dark shading illuminated a lanky figure with elongated appendages and talon-like claws on the ends of each finger and toe. A slender tail wrapped itself around the feet while sleek wings framed the rest of the figure.
Flipping back through the previous pages, she noted the slight variations of the dragon drawings. Some of them more closely resembled traditional drawings of European dragons, while some were drawn in mid-transformation and had faces that resembled humans or other qualities. The very first ones she had sketched had angular bodies that lurched grotesquely in the drawn shadows, and she remembered how she’d been so shaken up during those first few days that she couldn’t stand to share a bed with Jeremy and had to have her own separate hotel room.
Gradually, the drawings became less like the thrashing scribbles of a nightmare and more refined; the figures were more posed, like concept drawings for a character in a movie or video game. In fact, the draconic form that the Ladon brothers took on had grown on Becca in the last few weeks as she had mulled it over in her mind and through her sketches.
The scent of sweet, hot blueberries filled the air around Becca as a muffin appeared in her peripheral vision. Turning, she saw Jadon holding out the delicious treat and smiled broadly as she took a bite of it. The muffin was made from scratch with real berries that burst with warm juices as her tongue pressed them against the ro
of of her mouth.
“Is this my breakfast?” she asked as she took the rest of the muffin from him.
“Not hardly.” said Jeremy as he appeared with a whole serving tray with three individual plates piled high with French toast, bacon, sausage, fruits, cookies, and more muffins. He unloaded the plates onto the table along with a cup of coffee for Jadon, tea for himself, and orange juice for Becca.
“Mmmmm, you’re too perfect,” she said, taking a bite of a plump strawberry. “So, what are we going to do today? More sightseeing?”
Jeremy shrugged, “I don’t know. I thought it might be nice to spend the day here and just relax before we go on any adventures.”
While they ate, they continued to talk about what they should do while they stayed in Buffalo before continuing on to New York City. Jadon provided an update about the new security upgrades that were being installed his apartment before they arrived; Becca felt a heavy pressure settle on the air around them as the brothers casually looked around for anything or anyone out of the ordinary, but when they spotted nothing, the air cleared and their playful banter ensued.
“What is that look for?” Becca asked as she finished off her orange juice and noticed a mischievous gleam in Jeremy’s eye.
“Nothing.” He sipped his tea with his pinky out as if to feign being fancy.
“You’re up to something.”
“Never.”
Becca eyed both Jeremy and Jadon with a skeptically raised eyebrow. They seemed to have that unspoken communication going on between them again, their blue eyes sending signals that she couldn’t read.
“Well, since we don’t have any plans for the day, I’m going to go see what’s on Netflix. I could use a good binge since we’ve been on the road for the last two weeks.”
Becca stood, but before she could gather up her sketchbook, she was swept off her feet and flung into the hotel pool. As she flew through the air, she let out an indignant scream before being swallowed up by the water.
Bubbles swirled around her head as her body tumbled and turned to right itself. Distantly, the sound of boisterous laughter cut through the water. Becca kicked her feet to propel herself to the surface where she found Jeremy and Jadon both reeling in amusement.
“Real cute.”
Jeremy composed himself first as Becca reached the edge of the pool and he squatted down to extend a hand to help her get out. Taking his hand, Becca pushed off the wall and pulled with all of her weight.
With the least amount of grace possible, Jeremy let out a confused cry for help as he fell face first into the pool. Jadon’s howls of laughter only increased as he breathlessly tried to congratulate Becca, but could only manage a slow clap and a thumbs up.
Jeremy surfaced and picked up Becca, lifting her mostly out of the water before letting go. Her arms latched around his neck and they both went under, both of them laughing before Jeremy pulled her close, kissing her underwater.
They were laughing when they reached the surface again, playfully splashing water in Jadon’s direction. While Jadon retreated the minimum safe distance, Jeremy pulled Becca against him and nibbled on her ear.
“No fair. Now I’m all wet.”
Becca turned around and brushed his dripping dark hair back from his eyes. “That’s what she said.”
CHAPTER TWO
Becca threw herself onto the overstuffed bed and sighed; finally, their travels were over. No more suitcases to pack, no more looking over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically.
The trip had been fun, though. Jeremy and Jadon had gone above and beyond to keep her entertained, but it didn’t change their situation. Here and now, safe inside Jadon’s New York City apartment, Becca felt safety and relief. It was as if she’d been constricted by an invisible python for the last few weeks and only now realized how tightly she’d been wound.
“You’re supposed to take your clothes off first,” Jeremy said as he came in the room and jumped on the bed, sending Becca flying in the air for a moment.
“Why would I do that? I was just taking a moment to relax.”
“Which you should definitely do with your clothes off.”
Jeremy knelt over Becca and kissed her. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling their bodies close together. She smiled as they laid there for a minute, just enjoying the comfort of being held in each other’s arms. Jeremy’s head was buried in the base of her neck and her hands absentmindedly ran over the taut muscles of his back.
“ ‘Lotta help you two are,” Jadon said from the doorway.
Becca and Jeremy righted themselves on the bed. Jeremy smiled impishly, “At least we didn’t start without you.”
“Come on,” Jadon said as he tossed the kitchen towel from his shoulder at his brother. “You can set the table while Becca helps me finish up dinner.”
Jeremy sat in the dining room and folded the napkins into roses while Becca tossed the arugula salad and Jadon put the finishing touches on dinner. The three of them sat down at the mahogany dining table and Becca felt like she was home, eating roasted chicken and herbed potatoes just like her grandmother used to make. The only difference was the view of the city from Jadon’s penthouse apartment.
The open floor plan of the apartment gave Becca a lot to take in while she ate: the beautiful view of the city, the apartment full of gorgeous antique furniture, paintings from every era of history and shelves of huge old books.
“Where did you get all of this stuff,” Becca asked between bites of her meal. The chicken was succulent, filling her mouth with its juicy flavor.
“Family heirlooms, mostly.” Jadon winked as he told her, “We’re not immortal.”
Becca laughed, “Well, I didn’t think you were. Don’t you age like normal people?”
“Well...sort of. We do live a little bit longer than normal humans,” Jeremy explained.
“How long?”
“Just a couple hundred years,” he said nonchalantly with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Becca almost dropped her fork. You’re kidding, right?”
“Well, not really,” Jadon intervened. “We were born 1886; right here in New York, actually.”
“So, you’re telling me you’re almost a hundred and thirty years old?” Becca had stopped eating completely at this point and rested her fork on the edge of her plate. She had finally felt like she’d come to terms with most of what was going on, and then they decided to throw something new at her.
“Almost is the key word there,” Jadon winked. “Our birthday isn’t for another month. September 28th.”
Shaking her head, Becca asked, “What else do I need to know about you guys that you haven’t told me?” She rested her head in her hands; they certainly didn’t act like they were over a hundred years old. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she decided that age was a minor factor compared to the fact that they transformed into terrifying winged lizards.
“Alright,” she said picking up her fork again and stabbing a potato. “I can handle that. After all, I’ve always had a thing for older men.”
CHAPTER THREE
The Ladon brothers gave Becca a tour of the city the next day. They began with the Statue of Liberty, the brothers bragging about how it was a month younger than they were. Becca laughed and pointed out that its construction had begun a year earlier, in which case the statue was technically older.
They thought about this for a moment and did some mental math before Jeremy whispered, “Dammit, you’re right.”
Becca laughed, “I half expected you to tell me you were in your egg long before that.”
Both of the brothers laughed. “We weren’t born in that kind of egg. We’re born just like humans, nine months in the womb of our mother.”
“No nest?”
“No.” Jadon thought for a moment, “I’m pretty sure there was no nest.”
“We used to have races to fly up to
the top of the torch,” Jeremy said. “Do you remember that?”
“Yeah,” Jadon reminisced, “and you always lost.”
“Did not! You always cheated!”
“Never.”
Becca shook her head with a smirk, “Well, you can always race again to see who’s faster now.”
“That’s a brilliant idea,” Jeremy said as he kissed her cheek. “And you can be at the finish line to make sure Jadon doesn’t cheat again.”
Laughing, Becca agreed that she’d keep the two of them honest when they decided on a time to have the race. After shaking on it, they all left and headed for the next tourist trap of the city.
Even though Becca had grown up in a city, she found New York to be completely different from anywhere else she’d ever been; everywhere else seemed so quaint in comparison to its constant hustle and bustle.
People didn’t acknowledge each other here, but moved about with their eyes straight ahead, focused on their own business. Even the homeless panhandlers didn’t let their attention linger for more than a fleeting second before they were asking the next person for spare change or to bum a cigarette.
Becca felt like a wide-eyed child as she took in all the sights, sounds and smells of the city. Every block of the city had a very distinct scent; it was a sensory experience that she found she mostly enjoyed, except for the few places that smelled particularly foul—like the subway.
They bought some hot dogs from a cart, and Jadon handed their change to an old bearded panhandler that the cart owner had been yelling at before they arrived. The look in his eyes was as grateful as much as it was terrified.
Becca gave a questioning look to Jeremy who whispered, “We knew him when he was a child. Maybe he still recognizes us.”
She hadn’t thought of that. An extended lifetime and their slowed aging would probably make things difficult when it came to having long term friends who didn’t know about their true nature.
As they took the subway back home, Becca stared idly at the other passengers. Jadon and Jeremy stood since it was so crowded and allowed her to have the one available seat next to an old woman who had been having a conversation with herself. Becca saw all of the little unique quirks about these people that made them New Yorkers and smiled to herself. Reaching into the little satchel, Becca pulled out her sketchbook and started to draw.