by Meg Ripley
As they traveled down the rails, the bumps made it a bit difficult at first until she discovered the rhythm and was able to incorporate it into the drawing. Every line on the page shook with vibrating movement and she broke the tip of her pencil lead more times than she could count.
When they reached their stop, Becca stood and put her things back into the satchel. Jeremy held her hand as they exited and Jadon walked behind them. She noticed a tension in Jeremy’s grip but was too afraid to ask about it. He squeezed her hand gently to let her know that he’d caught her glance and that everything was going to be alright.
A voice behind the trio called for them to stop, but Jeremy pulled her along without a single hesitation; Becca tensed as she heard the click of metal.
Was that a gun?
There were a few small gasps from passersby who registered what was going on behind Becca and Jeremy. She heard a sickening thud and another click before the weapon clattered on the ground.
Turning, she caught a glimpse of Jadon standing over an unconscious body, the clip from the gun in his hand and the weapon on the ground. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest as Jeremy put his arm around her and told her to keep her head down and to keep walking forward.
Doing as she was told, Becca continued forward, her arm circling Jeremy’s waist for support, and he placed a firm kiss on the top of her head. As they reached the street, Becca felt that the cars and people were overwhelming. She wanted to hide from them all.
As they reached their building, Jadon caught up to them and they all rode the elevator up to the top floor in silence. Once they were inside the apartment, Jeremy looked to his brother and asked, “Well?”
“Just a random mugger,” Jadon said. “Nothing to worry about. He thought Becca was pretty is all.”
Jeremy nodded, and the discussion ended there. But Becca couldn’t help but conjure her memories of the two brothers in a dimly-lit basement; her memories of Nate Stanley as they tried to beat information out of him.
Sitting on the couch that Jeremy swore came from Versailles, Becca looked at the drawing that she’d sketched on the train. She had drawn Jeremy and Jadon as people, looking like anyone else on the train—except for their fiery eyes, their clawed fingers, and the leathery wings that sprouted from their backs.
In her drawing, they were demons.
CHAPTER FOUR
“What do you think that man was really up to yesterday,” Becca asked in the middle of breakfast the next morning.
Jeremy and Jadon looked up from their plates. Their eyes met and they looked as if they were debating how much she should be told about the situation. Jeremy sighed and Jadon asked, “Would you like to accompany me to the Met later?”
Becca started to question why, but then thought better of it. “Of course.”
After breakfast, she asked Jeremy why he wasn’t coming. “Believe it or not, I do still have a business to run,” he told her as he kissed her forehead and told her to enjoy herself at the museum.
Jadon held her hand as they wandered through the galleries and stopped her in front of a 15th century engraving of St. George and the Dragon. She noted how the dragon before her bore a strong resemblance to the dragons she had drawn in her sketchbook.
“Our ancestors, well, our grandparents, basically…”
The words escaped Jadon for a moment, and Becca took him to a nearby bench to sit down. He was shaking; she put her arm around him, drawing him close to her until he composed himself.
“We got really popular during the medieval years,” he said. “Dragons tried to live amongst the rest of society. But that didn’t work out very well.”
Becca squeezed his hand to comfort him. “What happened?”
“He did.” Jadon nodded towards the engraving. “They called him Saint George after he started killing our kind. He was convinced that dragons were demon hell spawn and that it was his duty, bestowed upon him by God, to kill as many dragons as possible. The only individuals they hunted more than dragons were witches.”
“I’m sorry.” Becca didn’t know what else to say in the moment, and despite his obvious pain, she wanted Jadon to tell her more.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, he sighed and looked at Becca. “A following started not long afterwards called The Knights of the Order of St. George. Their whole existence was based on finding all dragons and sending them back to hell. They’d use any means necessary to draw them out and trap them.”
Becca clasped his hands in her own as he struggled to continue.
“Many dragons were noblemen, well respected and wealthy. They had noble wives; sometimes princesses. The knights, they...well, they would kidnap them and hold them hostage, often demanding that the dragon die right there before his own wife or lover. Then, they usually forced these women into marriage with one of the knights of the order.”
“That’s awful.”
Jadon shook his head, his fists clenched in anger. “We may live for a long time, but we’re just as mortal as anyone else.”
Becca looked back at the engraving and then to Jadon. His eyes were averted, too ashamed of his anger to look at her. She opened her mouth, afraid to ask the next question. In truth, she was afraid of the answer. “Do they still…well…?”
“Yes.”
Jadon was visibly shaking as he stared pointedly at the floor. Becca put her arms around him and held him as other visitors passed by them, paying no attention. She had one more question to ask, although she was fairly certain of the answer. “Was Nate Stanley part of the Order of St. George?”
Jadon nodded, unable to say the words out loud. He had served with Nate when he was a marine, and the level of betrayal he must have felt was unimaginable to Becca.
“And I know that I’m what drove him to seek the Order in the first place,” he said. “When I began to shift, I told them to run and not look back. We were under heavy fire and we’d already lost Gus and Brandon. Afterwards, Nate asked me about it and I told him he must have been seeing things—too much sun and the adrenaline—but he didn’t back down. I didn’t think he’d ever try to...”
Becca hugged Jadon tightly before the tears in his eyes could spill over. She understood now why he’d seemed withdrawn in the last few weeks. Initially, she had thought it was because he wasn’t comfortable with her knowing that he and his brother were dragons. Now she knew that it was because he felt guilty. He felt responsible for putting her in danger and making her a target for the Order of St. George.
Silently, he cried into her shoulder and Becca gently rocked him back and forth as the soundless sobs racked through his body in miniature convulsions. She kissed the top of his head and his neck and his shoulder as she held him and rubbed his back.
“I’m sorry,” she heard him whisper over and over again. “This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s not,” she told him firmly.
Jadon looked up at her, his blue eyes sparkling brightly from the tears. They were clear, not all red and puffy like her eyes got when she cried.
Reaching up, she brushed the wetness from his face and pushed his hair back from his eyes. “None of this is your fault.”
CHAPTER FIVE
When they arrived back at the apartment, Becca and Jadon found Jeremy in a flurry of activity. Caterers moved about the place as he talked on one phone, texted on another, and made social media announcements from his laptop. Jadon sighed and rolled his eyes as Becca stared in amazement at all of the white-uniformed people moving about the apartment.
A champagne tower and a chocolate fountain were under construction on either side of the entrance. The dining table was covered in an ornate cloth and antique candle holders while empty dishes were spaced around them, waiting to be filled.
“I thought we were doing this next week,” Jadon complained.
“What’s wrong with now,” Jeremy asked, placing his hand over the phone.
“What about Becca? I thought we were waiti
ng ‘til she was more accustomed to the city?”
“She’ll be fine,” Jeremy said catching her eye and winking devilishly. “Besides, I think we could all use a party to lift our dreary moods. You know how long it’s been since I’ve had a good party—and drinking at Dave’s did not count as partying.”
Jadon rolled his eyes again and gave an exaggerated shrug before leaving for the bedroom. The caterers parted for him like water and he disappeared.
Becca wanted to follow him and comfort him more, but Jeremy had just finished his phone call and wrapped Becca in a giant hug.
“How did it go?” He held Becca at arm’s length to inspect her, as if the knowledge she had received would have somehow changed her physical appearance.
“He told me about the Order of St. George.”
Jeremy nodded. “It’s been eating him up ever since the Maltech shipment. It’s why we didn’t want you involved, but of course you found out everything anyway.”
Becca nodded and leaned into Jeremy. “I’m sorry if I make things more difficult for you guys.”
“Nonsense,” Jeremy said sharply, lifting her face towards him. “You make our world shine brighter and we don’t ever want to face a world without you by our sides.”
Becca looked away and blushed. She still felt a new responsibility weighing on her shoulders as she thought about the Order of St. George and the horrible things they did to eliminate dragons.
Jeremy distracted her from this by insisting she help him make all the key decisions for the party, such choosing his attire and what hors d’oeuvres to serve. To his disappointment, she did not approve of his AC/DC T-shirt and insisted he wear a dark blue silk button down instead.
“And what should I dress you in,” Jeremy mused as he played with the hem of her shirt.
“I don’t know; any ideas?”
“Ideally,” he said while his hands explored underneath her shirt, “I wouldn’t have you wear anything at all.”
“Oh really?”
Jeremy spun her around and lifted the shirt over her head, revealing the white lace bra underneath. His brow furrowed as his hands fondled her breasts. “Hmmm,” he said, “this definitely has to go.”
Becca laughed as he unhooked the clasps in the back of the bra and pulled the straps down.
“Much better,” he said as his mouth took turns teasing each nipple and Becca let out a sigh.
Turning her back to face the mirror, they both contemplated her image. Jeremy let out dissatisfied hums as he circled her and looked her over with a comically raised eyebrow.
“Nope, this has to go,” he said, stopping in front of her and undoing her pants while he kissed her stomach. With a firm yank, her jeans were around her ankles and Jeremy gently lifted her feet out of them.
“What else,” he said as he sat back on his heels and looked up at Becca.
She blushed as she stood there wearing just a pair of boy shorts, unsure if she wanted to cover herself or just have him take away that last bit of fabric. It was hard to explain, but somehow, even after months of being with him, she still sometimes felt deeply exposed when she was naked in front of Jeremy. Her blush deepened as he stared up at her and she almost wanted to turn away and cover herself.
“I’ve got just the thing,” he said springing up to his feet and dashing off to the other side of the room, leaving Becca there to look at herself in the mirror.
Returning, Jeremy reached around Becca and draped a beautiful necklace around her. The pendant was a simple teardrop sapphire in an ornate silver setting held by a delicate chain.
Becca gasped and reached up to stroke the gem as he fastened the clasp behind her neck. She caught Jeremy’s eyes in the mirror and smiled, provoking a grin in response.
“It comes with a matching dress,” he whispered in her ear.
She bubbled with excitement as she breathlessly answered, “It’s stunning!”
Jeremy took her hand and led her over to the closet so he could dramatically fling the doors open and reveal the dress hanging inside. It was the same shade of deep blue as the sapphire and strapless. The top was corseted and laced up the back with a silver ribbon. The skirts ruffled in five tiers that reached the floor. Next to the dress was a pair of white Mary Jane heels.
“I know how you hate stilettos,” he whispered in her ear and Becca eagerly turned to kiss him.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Just wait ‘til it’s on you,” he said with a wink.
Becca giggled as she picked up the dress and slid it on. The silk was soft against her skin and she enjoyed the way Jeremy’s hands moved over the dress and herself as he laced up the corseted back. She felt like a princess as she spun around in front of the mirror.
Jeremy had one last surprise as he pulled the hair elastic from her ponytail and let her tresses fall around her shoulders. He placed a small sparkling headband atop her head and declared her his masterpiece.
Becca kissed him ardently and almost wanted to skip the party, but Jadon took that opportune moment to announce that guests were arriving and that their presence was needed for the evening. As they left the bedroom, Jadon caught Becca’s hand and kissed it, whispering, “You look beautiful, Bunny.”
Becca blushed. The apartment was filled with amiable jazz music, courtesy of a live band arranged on a small raised platform in the far corner. A handful of the catering staff wore sharp black dinner jackets and served hors d’oeuvres on gold plated trays, and the kitchen area had been turned into a full bar where a dapper young man in a jacket mixed and poured with efficient expertise.
Guests were filling the room and Becca found herself star struck as she was introduced to models, designers, artists, photographers, musicians, business CEOs, actors and other celebrities. She sipped champagne and held surprisingly normal conversations with all of these people as they accepted her unquestioningly into their community. Becca laughed with them as easily as she would with anyone else and was pleased to find that she didn’t have even a slight nervous flutter in her stomach with Jeremy at her side all night.
“Becca, this is Alex Harmon,” Jeremy said, introducing her to a spectacled blonde man in his late thirties. He wore a tweed jacket, a crisp white shirt, and a polka-dotted bowtie that Becca thought was absolutely endearing, if not a bit hipster.
“He’s a designer for Dior. No, no,” Jeremy corrected himself, “Alex, you’re working for Louis Vuitton now, aren’t you?”
“That’s right,” Alex said as he shook Becca’s hand. He had the most charming grin and Becca blushed as Jeremy told him about her own artistic talents.
“I’d love to see your work sometime. We’ll set up a lunch later this week,” he promised before releasing her hand.
“Thank you,” Becca smiled.
“I’ll take you out and we can look over your portfolio. I’m sure I know someone in this city who could use your talent.”
They talked a bit more before Becca and Jeremy moved on through the guests and found Jadon surrounded by a pack of models. He seemed to fit in well with them and Becca thought about how they would make a beautiful magazine cover standing there together, the whole bunch of tall beautiful people laughing, holding drinks, and just existing.
A platinum blonde talking to Jadon seemed otherworldly with her pale porcelain skin and a flowing white gown with flecks of gold in the trim. Becca felt like she was gaping at the woman, but then felt the muscles in her face smile as Jeremy brought her forward and introduced her.
“Victoria Drake,” she said shaking Becca’s hand vigorously and exposing a mouth that seemed too full of teeth. “You are absolutely adorable, darling. I want to carry you around in my purse like a toy poodle.”
Becca laughed as Victoria went on about taking her down the catwalk with her sometime, making Becca blush. She was very excitable, just like Jeremy and Jadon, and talked animatedly about bringing the three of them to photo shoots and movie premieres.
“Maybe we should move outside,” Jadon finally suggested, giving Jeremy a wink.
“That sounds like a good idea,” he agreed as his hand moved from Becca’s back to clasp her fingers tightly in his own.
They headed out the glass door onto the balcony before leading the crowd to the far end of the building where a staircase that Becca hadn’t noticed before led up to the roof. The summer air swirled her hair around her shoulders as she climbed the stairs to find that they had their own private pool on the roof.
Looking back at Jeremy, she noted his childish grin.
On the other side of the pool was another bar set up in one corner and a deejay set up in the other. Dance music started playing as soon as they reached the top of the stairs and Becca stopped for a moment by the pool to take it all in while the guests filled the rooftop, moving and mingling with one another.
“Here, sweetie,” Victoria said as she appeared and handed Becca a margarita. “Won’t you come dance with me?”
“Of course she will,” Jeremy answered for her, laughing, as he extended her hand towards Victoria’s.
Becca found herself being led into a pack of models; they reminded her of a great forest with their slender limbs gracefully outstretched towards one another. Looking back, she found she could no longer see Jeremy or Jadon. She was lost in this sea of beautiful bodies and was unsure of what to do aside from drink what was given to her and move her body in rhythm to the music.
The margarita turned into a martini, and from there a cosmo. Beyond that, Becca lost track of what she drank, simply thanking whoever provided the next beverage until she found Jeremy, who handed her a glass of water.
“Where have you been,” she admonished as she blinked wide and did her best to appear serious in her state of stupor.