by Cecilia Lane
She’s as safe as Leo before the end.
Come to us.
The highest mountain is no longer yours.
The letter wasn’t signed, but a smear of red ran under the last line. It smelled of cinnamon and the copper of blood. Penelope.
Tearing Alexa apart sounded like a good plan with every passing second he was denied being near Penelope. Screw keeping her alive for the good of the dragon population. She needed to die for what she’d done.
Chapter Nine
The flight from her building had been a terrifying ordeal. Alexa waited until they were outside before shifting into a dragon. Penelope tried to run, darting between cars screeching to a stop and people pointing their phones at the beast as long as a city bus, but Alexa rose into the air and snatched her up in her claws. With large sweeps of her shiny, black wings, Alexa launched out of the streets and shot into the sky from between the surrounding buildings. Penelope thought the dragon would drop her to fall to her death, but Alexa flew on and ignored the prey beating at her with tiny, human hands.
The only positive was that so many people saw the shifting dragon. Luca would surely hear of it within hours and come looking. If the mad woman left her alive that long.
Alexa flew toward the mountains Penelope and Luca admired during their date the night before. Her stomach roiled when the dragon didn’t slow down. She would be thrown into the side of the mountain, that’s what the woman had planned for her. Crushed bones and instant death were preferable to the flaying she threatened.
But instead of being flung to her death, the dragon tucked her wings and dove for a dark spot on the tallest mountain. Penelope wasn’t afraid to admit that she passed out.
A sharp slap across both cheeks woke her to see she’d been placed in a cave with her hands bound at her back.
“Where are we?” She sputtered. She slumped against the rough wall gouged with what looked like claw marks. She’d never heard of caves in the mountains and figured the dragon must have dug it out herself.
“Must I cut out your tongue?” Alexa asked in a tired voice. Penelope shut her mouth and didn’t answer. Alexa mostly ignored her after that.
Alexa sat at a small, rough desk. She lifted her eyes from the page she wrote on anytime Penelope made a movement. So she stayed as still as possible and tried to get her bearings.
The cave was fit like rough living quarters, complete with desk, bed, and a chest that likely held her belongings. It wasn’t hard to imagine the dragon shifting into the human, and using the space as an apartment away from the city.
Penelope didn’t know what worried her more: that Alexa was prepared to have a hideout, or that her claws were sharp enough to dig through rock and make a sizeable dwelling. Carving up human flesh would be nothing next to making her own cave in the mountainside.
Humming jerked her attention back to her captor. Alexa nearly vibrated in her seat as her pen scratched across the page. Then she turned her dark eyes on Penelope. A shudder tore through her body at the obvious threat on her face.
She never felt more like prey than when Alexa locked eyes on her and slowly stood from her desk. One step after another brought her closer. Penelope tried to become one with the wall behind her, but there was nowhere to run. She was at Alexa’s mercy.
The dragon knelt in front of her. Her humming hadn’t stopped. She raised one hand and Penelope’s eyes widened as her fingertips lengthened and turned black. Her nails turned to sharp points of claws meant for tearing into others.
She tried to stare down the woman who came for her blood. The slice along her collarbone stung and she whimpered in pain. Alexa only smirked. Unease wormed its way through her body and settled in her stomach. The woman liked causing pain.
Still humming, Alexa wiped a bit of blood on the letter she calmly held in her other hand. She hummed on her way back to the desk, where she wrapped the paper in a ribbon and signed the front with a flourish. Without another look, she walked to the front of her cave, shifted, and launched into the air.
After she flew out of the mountain, Penelope shot into motion. She didn’t want to wait for Alexa to return if she could help it. She felt along the rough wall for anything to cut her bonds. Inching to the side and feeling with her fingers and palms, she finally found a sharp spot of rock.
Penelope sawed at the ropes binding her hands. Each jerk of her arms irritated the cut along her collarbone. Penelope winced when she felt the wound break open again and a new warm line of blood dripped down her body. She kept trying to cut the rope, ignoring her tired and sore muscles.
She didn’t know how long she would have alone. She couldn’t tell how long it’d been since Alexa flew off. She didn’t even know exactly where they were or if she’d be able to get out. But she couldn’t sit around and wait for her fate. The woman was clearly crazy and willing to do her lots of harm. She would fight for her survival until she couldn’t draw a breath. Which might not be much longer.
She gulped and tried to push the thought away.
Finally, the rope around her wrist snapped. Penelope stumbled forward in her rush to get out of the cave. Thunder and lightning added to the rain were pouring down outside, but she didn’t care. She’d walk a thousand miles through the rain and mud if it meant she could get away from Alexa.
She walked toward the dim light and wanted to cry.
The ledge jutted into the open air. The valley was a dizzying distance below. Hard rock with no sign of a path lined either side. Alexa had made her lair well.
She was trapped.
A thunderous roar was her only warning. A huge dragon streaked toward her. She scrambled back from the ledge as the black beast snapped its wings to its body and dove for her. Her back hit rock and she squinted her eyes closed against death that was sure to come.
“Get up.”
Penelope’s heart sank. Even though she hoped the dragon was anyone but Alexa, she wasn’t surprised to hear the woman’s mocking voice.
“I said get up!”
A hard kick to her ribs sent Penelope scurrying to her feet. Her injured and tired body protested the movement and she sucked in a sharp breath at the pain. Alexa didn’t care or didn’t notice. Penelope edged along the wall. She didn’t know where she could go to protect herself, but all her instincts told her to get as far away from the dragon woman as possible.
The other woman strutted in front of her, long hair swaying behind her like an alive thing. Her eyes flashed brightly and her hands clenched and relaxed in sporadic turns. Alexa could barely contain her annoyance.
“I don’t appreciate you running from your fate. Dragons will be talking of this day, you know. The day we took back what we should rightfully rule. You’re a coward, just like Leo at the end. Will you beg for me to stop, too?”
Penelope stopped in her minuscule escape, her mind racing. Luca only spoke briefly of his brother, but his story hadn’t mentioned Alexa at all. He could have been hiding her, yes. But she didn’t think he’d let anyone involved in his brother’s murder remain alive.
She spoke slowly. If she could keep Alexa talking and not doing any carving, perhaps she could still find a way to escape. It was a long shot, but she had nothing else up her sleeve. She wouldn’t just lie down and take whatever Alexa dealt her. “But a dragon slayer killed his brother.”
“You think those nitwits would know a dragon shifter from a Gila monster?” Alexa laughed maniacally.
Penelope didn’t know if she’d get out alive. Probably not without assistance, unless she had some hidden shifter abilities that would let her sprout wings and glide out of the cave. She didn’t know if Luca would arrive in time. Probably not, as Alexa seemed anxious to cause pain. The only thing she knew for certain was that Alexa was off her rocker and Mayor of Crazytown.
Keep her talking, she reminded herself. She stretched for questions to ask. None of it made sense. She wasn’t part of their world. She didn’t know how they operated. If she asked the wrong thing and set Alexa off, it co
uld mean the start of her death. “But why kill Leo? Were you...involved with him, too?”
Alexa eyed her suspiciously, then continued her pacing. “You little idiot. This is why you’re not worthy of Luca. You don’t understand the first thing about our people. Leo needed to be removed so Luca would have a clear path to the Dragon Throne.”
Her eyes widened. She knew Luca was a dragon, of course. He’d spoken in vague terms of the power structure, but nothing that named him as the big dragon in charge.
Alexa continued. “A human, worthy of being the Consort of the Dragon King? You don’t have an ounce of dragon blood in you. My kind will tear you apart.”
The callousness appalled Penelope. Alexa had murdered for power and showed no remorse. She didn’t want to be stuck in some medieval succession crisis. She didn’t even know the role she played, but she was threat enough to warrant kidnapping.
Alexa picked up on her cluelessness. Her eyes glinted with smug superiority. “He never told you? Pity, he must have known deep down you weren’t the right choice. Dragons are secretive by nature. He certainly wouldn’t want to reveal that he was heir to the throne to one of the ants of the world.”
Penelope didn’t want to believe her, but it ate at the doubt that already darkened her heart. Luca hadn’t told her of Alexa and yet she was certainly a big part of his life. His entire future was tied up in dragon royalty, but not even a whisper of it was told to her. She sagged against the rough wall and fought the tears that crept up on her. She’d been kidnapped and hurt, but Luca’s hidden life was the last bit that tipped her into despair.
But she didn’t have a moment to adjust to the new reminder of how little she knew Luca. Alexa scented her weakness and continued to pile on with more threats of chaos and calamity.
“Luca will come here and see the truth of the situation. No human should sit at his side. He needs one of his own. He needs me. I’ll slit your throat and we’ll consummate our mating over your hideous body.”
“And if he doesn’t see it that way?” She tried to put fire in her voice, but there wasn’t even a spark. Why would Luca want her? She was nothing. A small, tiny human who had trouble making her rent. Lovers left her with dismaying regularity. Why should he be any different, especially when he would be king of the dragons and have another dragon at his side?
Alexa snarled. “Then he’ll die with you. How sad his parents will be when I come to them with news of their second son’s death. I’ll tell them how this dragon slayer seduced their son and struck when his defenses were lowered. But I found her and I took revenge for the murder of their sons. They’ll take me, the daughter they never had, into their arms. That’s when I’ll strike.
“I’ll be welcomed with open arms as a savior of my people. Another killing by a dragon slayer and they did nothing. Nothing! I’ll make the call to war. Dragons will rule over the land. We won’t be pitiful creatures hiding our power in the shadows. We will stand proud and we will protect our own.”
“Your plan is stupid.” Penelope snorted and regretted the words as soon as they slipped from her mouth. She wanted to shut her eyes and pretend she didn’t exist. It worked for toddlers, why couldn’t it work for a crazed murderess? But no, she kept watch on her approaching death.
The woman was truly insane. She was willing to murder, which was bad enough. But now she plotted to change the world as a whole. Penelope didn’t see a peaceful transition. The only bright spot in the world of hurt that awaited was Alexa’s death. The woman would fight until she was brought down for good.
Alexa’s eyes flashed again, the black eating all the other color. Her face rippled and changed, but settled into her human shape. She slowly approached Penelope, nostrils flaring and eyes considering her like she couldn’t figure out where to start on a feast of delectable treats.
“Let’s have some fun. You don’t need to be entirely in one piece when Luca arrives.”
Penelope felt the color leave her face. The first slice of Alexa’s claw reopened the wound along her collarbone. The second ran down the length of her arm. Her vision darkened at the edges, but she stiffened her spine and bit the insides of her cheeks.
She would not faint. She would not call out. She would not give Alexa any satisfaction.
Chin quivering with suppressed screams and curses, she prayed that any help would arrive before Alexa ripped her apart.
***
It wasn’t easy to sneak up on another dragon. They were sensitive to changes in the air and could hear the beating of wings. But Alexa was far more concerned with the prey in front of her than the predator that hunted her.
Luca eyed the scene below him. He hovered in the clouds above the cave, just low enough to remain concealed and have a clear view of the opening. The lack of movement worried him. He couldn’t hear anything at that distance, but surely Alexa would be watching for him.
Alexa had taken up residence in the lair he’d carved for himself. All dragons needed a place to safely stretch their wings and the mountains outside of the city were a perfect place for him. He’d never be able to wash the stink of Alexa out of his lair.
His dragon wanted to leave the air and fly right into their space, but Luca held back. He didn’t know what he’d find inside the cave. If she was smart, she would have laid traps to slice up his wings as soon as he entered. If she was stupid, she would have hurt Penelope. She needed to die; he just wasn’t sure how to best make that happen without further harming his mate.
A faint scream of pain made his decision for him. He tucked his wings against his body and dove straight for the cave ledge, tucking and rolling at the last second. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet.
The sharp sting of blood on the air hit his nose and he growled. Alexa had his mate pinned to the wall. Her claws were out and slicing long lines down Penelope’s limbs. Tears streamed from her eyes and down her cheeks, the salty scent mingling with the copper that pumped fresh with each beat of her heart. There wasn’t enough blood to drain her, but even the smallest drop would have enraged him. No one hurt his mate and lived.
He ran the length of the cave and tackled Alexa, dragging her to the ground and away from Penelope. He kicked out and sent Alexa sprawling, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough to end the battle.
“Run!” He snarled at Penelope through a half-formed face. His mouth changed shape to fit the sharp fangs he would use to rip our Alexa’s throat given half a chance.
But no, it wouldn’t be as simple as that, would it? Luca swore. He’d carved straight into the mountain and didn’t bother making trails to his lair. He hadn’t wanted the space disturbed by curious hikers.
Alexa crashed into him and all thoughts of Penelope’s escape were turned to their shared survival. Alexa was a ferocious fighter in both human and dragon forms. They trained together as children and knew each other’s style. Alexa would pour all her energy into one target before doing the same to another. Even without learning to multitask, she could beat nearly any other fighter with her flurry of blows.
They rolled together, snapping and slashing at one another wherever their fangs and claws could reach. They were creatures of the air, not ones for fighting in close quarters. He tried to lure her out on the ledge and take to the sky, but she fought him. He was bigger in his dragon form and would be more of a challenge to kill.
A sharp punch to the face crushed his nose. Blood streamed down his face. She followed the blow with several punches to his stomach and solar plexus. He stumbled back, barely dodging a sweeping kick that would have taken his legs out from under him.
Alexa danced on the balls of her feet, her hands in loose fists ready to strike him again. “You’re weak. Like your brother. Like your mother. Like your father.”
She bobbed into his space, testing his reactions and dodging back when he made the mistake of striking too soon. “You’ll die just like Leo did. Then I’ll kill your parents. Is that human trash worth losing your life and family? We could have been great together.”
He wanted to roar with rage. He would not allow threats to his family. His dragon welled up inside him and readied for the change. But Penelope was too close. He tried to find her while keeping his eye on Alexa, but the damn woman moved too quickly to track his mate.
The cave wouldn’t hold two dragons. Penelope could easily be crushed between their bodies, or cut by a thrashing leg. It was imperative that he get Alexa on the ledge and into the air.
“Luca, watch out!”
His head snapped toward Penelope’s scream, then back to Alexa. She pulled a silver knife from her belt. Her hand smoked and bubbled where she clutched the silver, but she only drew her teeth back in an anguished snarl.
It was a weapon hunters and dragon slayers used to kill shifters. The wicked curve of the blade was likely enchanted to slice through tough flesh and hard bone, perfect for murdering any shifter. The silver of hilt and blade meant no shifter would use it against their attacker.
Unless, of course, they were crazy or desperate. Alexa was both.
He charged at her, leaping and throwing himself into her legs. They rolled again. The hard edge of the knife slid against his skin and burned as the flesh parted underneath. Using the coiled strength of his dragon, he brought his legs up and into her stomach to kick her body over and off the ledge.
Luca rolled again to his feet and hesitantly walked to the edge of the ledge. There was nothing but silence on the air. No screams. No beating of wings. No thumps of a body rolling down the cliff side.
A hard moment passed. He held his hand back when he heard Penelope rushing for him.
Then he heard the beating of wings.
Alexa’s black dragon body rose into the air. Her tail swished in balanced agitation and hate gleaned in her eyes. Penelope screamed for him to get back.
Alexa’s maw opened. The black depths sparked with the fire from within. It boiled and grew and she inhaled a great breath to spew a jet of flame into the cave, where human and rock alike would melt.