by J. S. Wilder
Clawed hands snapped on her arms and hauled her up. The Tryn from Renjer, the one from the swamp earlier.
“No, we killed you.” She kicked against shins.
“Ha, did you see my body burn to nothing? Your blood protected me from the dragonfire like I wanted it to.”
She punched against his hold on her shirt, but he didn't budge.
If Xilon used his firepower now, she and Taurian would be safe from the heat. The commotion would give her the chance to get away and rescue Brice and Grams.
“Xilon! Blast them.” It might even loosen whatever control the demons had over Taurian.
“Yes, dragon filth, show us your fire,” the demon mocked.
Xilon met her stare, pain filled his eyes. “I-I can't.”
The demon laughed. “You see?”
“That's why you took me to the swamp, to get him to use the last of his reserve.”
“Yes. I can see why you like this human, dragon. She's smart.”
Xilon kicked his brother in the stomach and headed toward her and the demon. But Taurian recovered too quickly and kicked his legs out from under him. Xilon fell, his brother gnashing his teeth at him, trying to bite him.
Fuck! Taurian is possessed by one of the big bad demons! That's why he was attacking.
She glanced over to her brother, his skin was ashen with welts breaking out across the skin. The last stage of possession before he was lost forever.
Ash bucked against the demon’s hold, but the brute only laughed.
Please, help me. She prayed to whatever gods or ancestors or entity would listen. She couldn't handle this again.
A scream echoed from the back of the house. Grams! Ash thrust forward as hard as she could, head-butting the demon. It reeled backward, dropping her to the floor.
Taurian grasped her leg, but she kicked him in the face.
“Go!” Xilon held his brother back. “Go!”
The Tryn slashed his claws into Xilon's side. Pain washed across his features and her heart tore in half.
She took a step toward them.
“Damn it! Go!” Xilon yelled.
Her swords. She could fight them if she could get to her weapons. She scrambled up, leaping over an up turned chair.
Her breath screamed out of her lungs as she raced down the hallway to her room.
As soon as her hand touched the bedroom door, a force hit her back. She sailed forward, her head striking the wood. On her back, the demon straddled her.
“Now it's time to make more of my kind who will be immune like you to dragonfire.”
There would be no defense for Xilon and his kind against these creatures. She couldn't let that happen.
She struck the demon in his face with her elbow, but he merely laughed.
“Together we will make legions.” The demon shoved down her pants and her fists did nothing to stop it.
Chapter 21
Please, dragon ancestors, give me strength. Ash elbowed the demon in the chin, but he didn't move off her.
“Ash!” Xilon's voice echoed from the other room, but he sounded strained as though he was still fighting his brother.
A childhood memory flooded her. She had run so far from her parents’ house to Grams.
It was the third night after their death and she hadn't been able to sleep.
Grams tucked her onto her lap. “I will give you a secret word. But you must promise never to use it unless there is no other choice. It's a magic word and very powerful.” She traced her finger down Ash's nose, tickling her. “This word will protect you in the most dire circumstances, but you must never unleash it until you are ready. Until you've no choice.”
“But what about the demons?” Little Ash asked.
“Well now, they will realize you have this power and they will leave you alone until you're older and they will forget. Use this power wisely. Don't share this magic word with anyone and never speak it again until it's time.”
“I won't.” Little Ash nodded. “I promise.”
Grams leaned down and whispered in her ear.
Shaking her head Ash blinked back tears. Why had that memory surfaced? Because it was sweet and she was fixing to become a demon’s broodmare? She used all her strength to push the demon off her, but his hands kept her firmly in place.
From inside her Grams’ room, a soft voice called out, “Ash? That you?”
“Grams, it’s alright. Stay inside.” Tears clogged her voice.
“No, let’s have the woman come witness the birth of a new generation of Tryns!” The demon shouted. It yanked Ash up and dragged her to her grandma’s room.
“No!” Ash struggled, punching and kicking the demon, but it slung her into the bedroom.
Her grandmother’s frail, wheezing body lay on the bed, barely breathing.
“I’m so sorry, Grams.”
The demon yanked her pants off and spread her legs. Ash screamed until her throat was raw, thrashing to keep from being raped by the monster. She’d kill herself after she killed the demon.
“Use the name, child,” Grams whispered in her mind.
What good would a name do? She needed her weapons.
“Trust me. It’s my time to go.”
No, Grams can’t be dying. She’s too stubborn like me.
“Say the name!”
“Vortunki!” Ash shouted, feeling silly.
Suddenly, her Grams’ body shook violently. The demon let go of Ash and she jumped up, reaching for her grandma, but she flew backward. Sparkles shot out from her grandma.
“No, it’s not possible.” The demon blanched.
A white dragon with sparkles in its scales. It looked partially real and partially ghostlike. Ash blinked, looked back at the bed. Her grandma’s body was gone.
The demon screamed as the white dragon roared and rushed forward. It swirled around the demon. An implosion burst the demon into black cinders.
“Grams?” Ash stared at the see-through dragon. “Wha—How?”
“I’ve been in that human form so long.” The dragon smiled. “Only had one last shift before I died.”
“No, no, we can help you. Do something and fix you.” Tears spilled down Ash’s cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did what I had to do.” She cupped Ash’s chin with a talon. “And I got to watch all of my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for countless generations grow up. You though, surprised me and were the daughter after my own heart.”
Tears spilled down Ash’s face. “Stay with me…with Xilon. Y-you don’t have to go.”
“No, I used up nearly all of my blood magic when I brought you back to life in the hospital and only had a fraction left to kill my last demon.”
“You saved me. Saved us all.”
“No child, you will save us all.” She patted Ash’s jeans pocket that laid on the bed, then handed the pants to Ash. “Go and save your brother and the other two Renjerians. Then use my crystals to save their world and turn the tide of this war.”
“But, I can’t do this without you. You taught me everything I know,” Ash whispered.
“If you are ever missing me, look to the northern sky and the constellation Draco, the great dragon. There you will see me among all our other kind for eternity.” Her Grams faded before her eyes.
Her heart crumbled. But she didn’t have time to mourn. She had to save Brice, Xilon, and Taurian.
She tossed on her jeans, the three stones in her pocket bringing her some comfort and ran to her room. After she yanked a sword in each hand, a knife tucked in the hem of her jean as she raced back to the living room. Taurian had Xilon in a headlock. She traced the steel along his back and an oil-like substance oozed out.
“Go back to hell!” she yelled, thrusting the sword into the slimly creature. It screamed and smoked.
Xilon helped his brother stand.
She left her sword in place and clutched the second, turning to her brother. “Brice.”
“Come near me with
that and I’ll kill him,” a voice seethed.
Her legs froze. She was too far away to use her weapon and the demon would crush his heart from the inside if she didn’t time this right.
“Then we must reach a bargain.” She lowered her sword. “Let my brother go, and I will give you a two second start to flee.”
“Toss the sword down,” the demonic voice said from her brother’s lips.
“And you’ll leave him alone?”
“Maybe, but as long as you hold that weapon, I will continue killing him.”
Her brother wheezed, his skin turning ashen.
“Okay!” She tossed the weapon. It clanged along the metal floor. “Now leave.”
“Too late.” The demon laughed. Her brother’s body began convulsing.
Ash snatched the knife from the back of her jeans and hurled it at her brother. It sunk into his arm and the demon wailed. Its spiraling smoke cascading up into the rafters.
It was done. She sank to the floor, letting the weight of everything finally crash into her. Xilon drew her into his arms.
“It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.” He kissed her head.
She cried, cradled in his embrace. Nothing was ever going to be the same, but that was okay. Her Grams was in a better place and no longer in pain. And Ash had saved her family and her love.
“Shit!” her brother yelled from the couch. “Why’d you stab your knife into my throwing arm?”
Chapter 22
Xilon gave Ash’s brother some of his blood to heal his knife wound. The young man balked when Ash told him what had happened.
“But Mr. Norris was supposed to get me on his team and pay all that money,” Brice said.
“There are more important things than money.” Ash crossed her arms.
Taurian had taken the three quasicrystals back to Renjer and Xilon believed they were finally swaying this war against the Tryns in their favor. It was only a matter of time now. But the issue of the lack of females disturbed him. His people would die out if they didn’t do something now.
“Ash, what do you think Earth women would say to Alien Dragons. Would some of them be willing to breed with us?” Xilon asked.
“No!” She punched him in the arm.
“Ow! What was that for?”
She tapped a finger into his chest. “If you are thinking of having some harem of women, you can forget it. I’m the only one you’ll ever need.”
“And the only one I ever want.” He brushed his lips across hers.
“Ugh, please. Go somewhere else, will you two?” Brice made a face. “You give me enough money, I'd babysit for you.”
“I might just take you up on that.” Ash smiled and gave her brother a hug.
Brice shrugged. “Lots of women would be willing to be surrogates for the right price.”
“Really?” Xilon asked. Then seeing Ash’s glare, added. “Not for me. You are all the woman I can handle.”
“That’s right.” She led Xilon out onto the porch and the night air. “I can’t believe Grams is gone. All this time, Grams had been right and I didn’t believe her until you. Grams had been the dragon that fell in love with a human and stayed on Earth to watch over all of her offspring.” She paused looking up at him, her eyes pinching at the corners. “If Grams was a dragon, didn’t she save my parents?”
“Even though she was Renjerian, we are not all knowing or all-powerful. She must have been devastated to lose them as you were.”
Ash nodded. “She did cry a lot at night that first year after their death. Some nights, in the beginning, we just held each other and sobbed. Now that I think about it, I never found the demons responsible for their deaths. I thought maybe they were too clever and hiding from me.”
“But now? What do you think?”
“That Grams hunted them down and killed them. I still can’t believe that she was a dragon and none of us had any idea.”
Xilon brushed his finger over Ash’s knuckles, then brought them up to his lips. “It was her blood I smelled the first time I met you. She was an ancient, must have come here before the Dark Ages to kill demons. My guess is she fell in love and when the humans turned on dragons, she chose her human form. But it eventually, despite her blood and magic, faded.” He squeezed Ash into a hug. “Are you okay? I know she loved you very much.”
“Yeah, I will be.” Her voice choked on the words and tears clouded her eyes. She rubbed her arms and he tightened his hold around her shoulders. After a shaky breath, she gazed upward and asked, “Is that the Draco constellation?”
“Yes. It used to be the way humans found North… until they did away with dragons as friends and turned us evil and into the enemy. I believe your kind uses the North Star now?”
Ash shook her head. “Nope, for me, my North will be the Draco.” She placed her hands on either side of his face and brought his mouth down to hers.
“And you will forever be my heart and my soul,” he said against her lips. “My love, my everything.”
Epilogue
Ash waddled down the Renjer cave a son latched onto each leg and her daughter in her arms. They had turned the tide against the Tryns and now only a fraction remained, but Ash wouldn’t relax until she knew every last demon on Renjer and on Earth was gone. And she had a feeling they’d return with a vengeance.
“Can you please take one of your children?” she asked Xilon.
He, in his dragon form, had Isabelle and Kohl’s twins swinging from his tail. “Sure, they can all come play,” he mindspoke to her and she was sure the kids heard him too for they squealed and raced forward.
“Is Taurian going to be here soon?” She bit her lip. “Brice plays tonight in the Super Bowl in under an hour.” Just in case they missed the first part of the game, she had her DVR set to record the entire thing, plus she was sure she’d watch it again and again to see her little brother make the game…possibly win too.
“I know.” Xilon smiled. “We’ll get home in time.”
Excitement coursed through her as her husband kissed their kids goodbye. Adriax and Symon tackled Taurian when he entered the chamber. Vickie, named after her Grams’ dragon name, blew raspberries as she toddled around the cave.
Xilon had given gold to her brother and he paid off his debts and his college loans back. In her spare time, Ash had worked with Isabelle and Dena to find a cure for the dragons not having enough females to reproduce, but so far they hadn’t had any luck. Even if they found a remedy tomorrow, the Renjerians would need extra help now.
“Hey.” Ash swung herself onto Xilon’s scaled back. “I was thinking about what Brice said years ago.”
“That you’re the luckiest woman in the universe to be married to such a handsome, amazing warrior dragon?”
She laughed. “Yes, even though you are all those things and more. But no, I was thinking more like a surrogate call to the human women, you know? The economy is bad and many might be okay with carrying a baby or two if they were paid enough.”
“Well, we do have lots of gold on Renjer.” He crawled out of the cave then launched himself into the sky. “Many of my people have started over on Earth now that they can shift into human form. Who knows, maybe your plan will bring many star-crossed lovers together.”
“For your people,” she said. “It might give them a second chance at life and love.”
“I’d pay all the gold in my world for you.”
She squeezed his neck and kissed the top of his head as they soared through the clouds. “All I want is your love.”
“You’ve everything and more,” he mindspoke back.
Peace and joy filled her. She’d never been this happy and loved, part of her wondered how she’d lived without Xilon and his love in her life. She was content. But she would train her daughters and sons in the ways of Grams who taught her to fight demons and face their fears and to always take a chance on love. She was so glad she did.
“Now let’s go watch my brother play.”
Th
ey caught a bolt of lightning and landed in a grassy field. A picnic basket lay a few feet away.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“A surprise.” He winked.
When she opened the basket, clothes for both of them and food and wine were inside. “H-How did you know where we’d land?”
“Trex fixed the teleporter.” Xilon shrugged. “So I had this planned out. Hurry and get dressed, our car is going to be here in twenty.”
Car? She dressed quickly in the jeans, tennis shoes, and halter top. They ate the grapes and bread with cheese in the basket and shared a glass of wine until a black limo pulled up.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Told you I was rich…gold in the Renjerian hills, remember?”
“Where are we going?” she asked taking his hand and racing to the car.
“To watch your brother live.” He handed her two Super Bowl tickets.
Tears clouded her eyes.
“I know you had the game ready to be taped, but figured we could watch it on the TV any time.”
She leaped into his arms, knocking him down and kissing him until they both panted for breath.
“Does this mean you want to get a hotel and skip the game?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Not on your life, but it does mean I have a surprise for you tonight after the kids are in bed.”
“Woot, then I’m one lucky man and Renjerian.”
She kissed his nose. “That is true and I’m the luckiest woman in the universe to have you. Now get up before I leave you here to watch my brother win tonight!”
The End
For a sneak peek of Book 4 in the Aliens of Renjer series, check out the Afterword at the end of this book.
About J. S. Wilder
J.S. Wilder has spent many years working in the IT industry. She has left the computers behind and taken up her passion for writing. She loves to write romance and still believes in fairy-tales.
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