by Lisa Daniels
“I don't believe this,” she said, not moving her fingers away. “I knew there was something off about you, but it never occurred... I never even knew dragons could...”
Zaine melted his form back into human anatomy, which took him a few seconds. “It's not common knowledge. A fair size of the aristocracy know about it, since we generally do our dealings with them, but there's too much contempt with the general populace to have them know the same. I'm prince Zaine of Calcite. Dragon kingdom located in the Western Reaches, upon the tallest mountain peaks. Ambassador between the trads and humans. Trads being the green dragons. They can't shift into humans. And the youth faction of them hate humans pretty much as intensely as humans hate dragons.”
Mia swallowed a lump in her throat, eyes still icy. “And your people. Do they kill...?”
“Sometimes,” Zaine said. “Like I told you—we have good dragons and bad dragons.” He wasn't sure how to gauge the impact of his words on Mia. How close she lay in her mind to just leaping out of bed in her weakened state and attacking him. “For the most part, my people are interested in preventing wars. And if the trads understand what's happening with those factories, I guarantee that your people will be assaulted by thousands of greens within the week. Human technology is such that it might not be clear who the victor will be—but I don't really see any winners.” He had to get through to her, somehow. Not just because she might be a useful asset in any of his dealings to come, but because he wanted her to understand. To be on his side.
To one day give him that same desire-infused expression again, which seemed so long ago, it gathered dust upon the grave. But how did you express your aims with a person who hated dragons enough to make a profession out of it?
She lay silent for a moment longer, considering him. Weighing him on scales, perhaps. The person she'd attempted to save, turning out to be the very thing she hunted.
“It was a green one that burned down my town.” The voice scraped up past memories, a past agony that barely contained itself under human skin. “I survived, because of what I was. So did my mother. My father, though...” Hatred melted her features, along with a kind of denied grief. “I came to the city as a refugee. Part of some program to help survivors of dragon attacks. The funding stopped... and Mother left. Wanting to go back to the country. Just without me.”
Zaine's jaw clenched. He knew about that program well. He'd been one of the ones to set it up in the first place. “They voted against it,” he whispered, as if saying it quietly might soften the impact. “I started the program, but there were complaints from within the city that they had enough troubles by themselves, without accepting ragamuffins from the country.”
One eyebrow jerked in Mia's face. Her voice cracked slightly. “You set up that program? Why? You're... you're a dragon.”
“I'm also human. I have human blood. I've spent more time as a human than a dragon. My sole interest is to stop human attacks on dragons, and dragon attacks on humans. And where I can, help those who have endured it.”
Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Perhaps too much for her to understand.
“You're older than you look.”
“So are you,” he countered. “You'll have to be mid-twenties, thirties, if you were part of the program.”
“Twenty-four,” she said, before snapping her mouth shut. He could almost see the cogs whirring in her brain, the gears creaking, and a wetness under her eyes that suggested suppressed tears. “Gorchev's got a hit order for you. Every single dirt he's scraped up from the mud will be coming after you. You won't be safe in this city.” She struggled up to her elbows. The bandages on her neck reached down and strapped under one arm. “Being a prince and all, you probably shouldn't be parading around in the factory boroughs.”
“I'm one of six princes,” Zaine said, finding amusement in spite of himself. Mia still looked so fierce, even injured as she was. “I'm pretty expendable.”
The silence between them stretched so long that it became awkward. Maybe Zaine meant to say it jokingly, but it didn't come out that way. He thought of his mother and father now in their magnificent dragon forms. And his siblings, separated to different provinces, whom he never had much contact with. Dragons didn't like getting too attached to family.
“How old are you?”
“That's a rude question.” Zaine grinned, heart picking up pace. If she was asking him these types of queries, perhaps she didn't quite hate him. “But I'm around fifty in dragon years. Which isn't old at all. I'm practically a teenager.”
“Practically, he says...” Mia touched her throat. “If it makes you feel any better, you look about twenty.” Now something like amusement played on her features, before she sighed. “This is so fucked up. I don't know what to think right now. You turned into a dragon in front of my eyes. I've been working for you. I killed a dragon thanks to you.”
“And you saved me.” Mustn't forget that essential fact. Two icebloods in that alley. He should have been finished. Then she came plummeting out of nowhere, risking everything.
Her face twisted into a scowl. “Not for long. I can't keep protecting you, prince. Gorchev's got a lot of manpower. And enough money to pay them all. He's made it a bounty to kill you. One hundred golden arks. Either your guards better be very good... or you need to get out of here.”
“I can't leave yet. Not until I've arranged for transport for the eggs and dragons that are trapped in those factories. I was originally going to wait until after the council votes to rescue them... but it occurs to me that he can simply destroy the evidence. So it has to be done in relative secret. Before the vote.”
“You'll need to do it soon. I don't think he realizes anyone's managed to break in, and certainly not me. But it won't be long before he decides it’s better to move those eggs. Where he'll then spend time lobbying to promote dragon labor as a cost-effective solution.”
“Results may vary on that.” Zaine sighed, feeling the headache build behind his skull. Would be nice if everything remained simple for once. Having to play these mental games against opponents, wondering what they may or may not do infuriated him.
“You said you had other icebloods?” Mia's gaze turned sharp, focused.
“Four others. Out of a city of several million, there's really not many of you.”
“Any other magicians?”
“Aside from hybrids like myself... there's another new hire. Refers to herself as a stoneblood.”
“I've heard of those. Good in the mines, aren't they?”
“That was where we actually found them, yes. Uncanny knack for seeking out valuable ores in the rock.” Rare find. Exceptionally good at helping Zaine fund his mission with their knack of finding ores.
Mia scratched at her ear, mouth scrunched in thought, before saying, “Give me the four ice and the stoneblood. Some of your hybrids for transport. We can break into the factory that way.”
“You realize,” Zaine said, “if I do this, and you fail, I lose every single magical person on my payroll. Your lot don't grow on trees. Besides, you shouldn't be planning right now. You should be resting.”
“Rest is for the weak.” Mia began to lever herself out of bed, and her dark yellow nightgown slid to reveal bare legs. “Ugh. What hideous thing is this?”
“It's called a gown,” Zaine said, now fighting to suppress his laughter. “Women wear them.”
“Not this woman. Where's my clothes? What did you do with my normal clothes?” She searched around, as if hoping to stumble across them.
“Incinerated them. They were covered in mud, blood, and goodness knows what else, Mia.”
“They were mine.” Her lip jutted out, petulant. “You can't just burn someone else's items!”
“You'll have better ones. Don't worry.” He walked over to the side of her bed, and helped push her back down when she began to sway in dizziness. “You won't be helping anyone like this. Rest. Please.”
Her cheeks flushed in anger and shame. “I shouldn't... I
shouldn't need to rest. I'm not weak.”
“No one's saying you're weak, Mia.”
A clammy, icy hand clutched onto his. Her eyes bore into him like twin suns. “And what if they attack you when I'm resting?”
“I'll be sure to wake you up.” He held his gaze with her. Willing for her to break past her own stubborn nature, to just rest. He couldn't afford her to be killed over pride.
It was like a stand-off at noon. Zaine and Mia butting wills against one another.
She deflated like a hot air balloon, sinking back into the sheets. “Fine. But give me my necklace at least. I'll heal faster with it close to my skin.”
Zaine nodded, seizing it from the nearby dressing table where his comb lay, and his snuff box. He helped tie it around her neck, and her hand reached for his again. Searching for comfort. “I'm glad you're not dead,” she said. “Yet.”
“Likewise.” He continued holding her hand until she settled into a light, trusting doze, and her breathing eased. His fingers lightly touched her soft hair, brushing it back.
For now, at least, her interests aligned with his. Withdrawing the contact, he left the room. Intending to reach out to everyone in his employ, and draw in the spider's web.
Chapter Eleven – Mia
Mia saw enemies everywhere. Lurking outside Zaine's impeccable mansion, walking in the streets—the market sellers, the carriage drivers—anyone might be a foe. How easy for an assassin to just brush in close to Zaine, and one knife flash later, he'd be dead. One slightly dubious cook lacing food with arsenic—dead.
Trying to keep him alive gave Mia a headache to rival the gods. She'd also taken to walking by his side as a bodyguard whenever he went out. He, of course, scoffed at her overcaution, but Mia ignored it. Her job now was to keep this idiot breathing.
“I appreciate that you have such high regard for my safety,” Zaine said, when she insisted on coming into the meeting room with him so he could discuss plans with aristocrats, “but I don't think I'm going to be assassinated in a normal meeting.”
“Don't you see? That's exactly why I should come in,” Mia said, arms folded. Her new, tightly woven black sleeves brushed her skin. “Wherever you don't expect to be killed, that's exactly where a good assassin will be. I don't think you understand what danger you're in. I'm telling you, Gorchev has contacts everywhere.”
The dragon pursed his lips, clearly reluctant to agree with Mia's point of view. However, he couldn't exactly see anything wrong with it, either. “Fine. I trust you've at least seen more of this than I have.”
Mia nodded fervently, before standing by the doorway in the room, wearing her best scowl as several noblemen spoke to Zaine, while giving her anxious glances.
Maybe she was being too hysterical over this. She'd aligned herself with a dragon, when weeks ago, she'd have laughed in anyone's face for even daring to suggest it might happen. Seemed a lot of things had changed, since.
Zaine's program had plucked her from the ashes of her town, bringing her to the city for a new lease on life. At least, before it got shut down, thanks to wayward voting from the different city sectors. He was part of the reason for her being here.
Still didn't know whether to be grateful for that, or to hate him.
Plus, the other reason she wanted to keep watch on him stemmed from the fact that she didn't want to see him hurt. It went perhaps beyond a professional's duty.
Probably something to do with those tricky feelings. The kind that made her picture Zaine in other circumstances, such as being topless, with his body close to hers, or when she lay on the bed recovering, and his hand brushed her forehead, tender and without malice. People generally didn't touch Mia unless they wanted to kill her or dominate her in some way, using physical intimidation to do it.
The dragon had opted for all black clothes for Mia, saying it gave her a dramatic, “assassiny” appearance, and she found it irritating, because you weren't supposed to look like an assassin. It defeated the whole point of being one. However, she did like the new clothes, and kept them anyway. As a bodyguard, it probably helped to wear such things.
“I still think it would be better to wait,” one of the nobles said. Thin as a rake, the nobleman also possessed a kind of nervous tic in his eye. A substance abuser, most likely. “You might force Gorchev's hand too soon if you go for the factories without proper clearance.”
“On the other hand,” Zaine said, “if we don't go for the factories, he'll likely kill or move the dragons he has there anyway. And you can expect a retaliation from all the dragons in the vicinity once they find out. The Iron Reach will be at war.”
“I don't see why we should bother,” an older noble said, his graying beard almost trailing to the floor. “We have human slaves that we need to sort out, first.”
“At least with human slaves, at the most, you'll have a civil war. With dragons, it might escalate to a world war. Like what happened in the past. I assume you don't want that?”
Mia gave her best menacing glare to that noble, when he once again glanced her way.
The older noble pondered Zaine's statement for a moment. “Oh, very well. When you put it like that. You'll have my backing.” He didn't appear particularly happy to announce this. “But you better be prepared for the consequences.”
Zaine, however, beamed beautifully. “You won't regret it. I'll be sending my chief iceblood to sort things out soon.” He nodded towards Mia, who again made herself look impressive. Maybe she should crackle ice in her hands for good measure or something.
“It'll need to be done tonight, you realize,” the thin man said abruptly, his bug-like eyes narrowing. “Gorchev's already been showing increased activity with his new factories. He might have wind of what's going on.”
I noticed that as well. But it didn't necessarily mean he knew about his new factories being compromised.
“I don't understand how he's managed to smuggle entire dragons in,” Zaine said. “Some of them can't change into humans.”
Mia closed her eyes as they continued talking. She pictured the Zeppelins in the air. The huge one was still under construction, but some of the richest people had likely stolen plans for the construct, because she'd seen a few smaller vehicles drifting by over the city.
“There's four private Zeppelins over the Iron Reach,” Mia said, making them turn to her. “You think they'd be big enough to carry a dragon?”
Zaine pursed his lips. “Gorchev's rich enough to own one. Come to think of it, I've seen one floating around the Eastern Factories...”
The babble continued, until the two councillors finally declared that they had other things to be getting on with.
With the meeting adjourned at last, Mia left with Zaine, heading back to his mansion. “Does it really have to be tonight? If we don't have the time to prepare, we're going to likely lose lives in the attempt. I still haven't even tested the skills of these other hires you're supposedly bringing. What if one of them is too noisy? What if they're unreliable?”
“Whoa.” Zaine placed a warm hand on her shoulder, flagging down a carriage with his other. “You'll see them this evening. They were supposed to be coming to the mansion anyway so you could get a look at them, but considering that we'll have to speed things up... and that you seem to think that I can barely walk without being assassinated...”
Someone needed to worry. Mia didn't spend over twenty years of her life learning to survive without picking up a few tricks. Even now, her eyes darted restlessly across the tranquil open park, searching out hiding spots for enemies. On the other side, her mind whirred with possibilities on just how she would smuggle hundreds of eggs out of the factory, along with multiple dragons. She’d seen at least four, but there had to be more than that. And from what she heard about Zaine's brand of dragon, they didn't transform into large enough creatures to carry the greens. The trads.
Zaine's hand shifted, so that his fingertips touched her neck. With that strange energy emitting from him, it gave her a shiver,
and her eyes fluttered shut for a moment.
A hot breath caressed her neck, followed by soft lips. Lightning arced through her body, and she couldn't stop herself shivering. No! She should be focusing, making sure no danger approached them!
Instead, she swallowed a lump in her throat, and leaned backwards to give him better access to her neck. His lips moved along her jawline, until they brushed against the corner of her mouth.
“I really, really want to take things further,” Zaine purred, now pulling her onto his lap, hands clutching her behind, and his face buried in her chest. Not that she had much of a chest to begin with. Still, she let out a trembling breath of arousal, now gripping his head tightly with her arms. The lightning continued to crackle in her, pooling at the bottom, making her want to melt into him and never let the moment stop.
The carriage jerked over something, and just as Zaine pulled her lips down to his again to kiss, and she rubbed herself against his growing bulge, sense returned to her like cold water dumped over her head.
“No, no, no, we're not doing this now. What if you die because I'm not being alert?” Her breath hissed between her teeth as she pushed away from him, and she sought not to look at the disappointment in his eyes.
“We'll be fine, Mia...” He half-heartedly reached for her again, and she managed to dance out of range.
“No, Zaine. I couldn't forgive myself if something happened.” Not that I'm sure I'm going to forgive myself for this...
Strange how eager she'd been to feel him against her. It didn't matter that he happened to be a dragon.
If anything, that made the act even more exciting. Out of all the people she could ever imagine herself sleeping with, dragon shifter had to be non-existent. The energy that pulsated from him, that she picked up, made her want to just burrow into his skin, absorb his body into hers, and to never let go of that feeling.
But Mia wasn't one to allow herself to commit to such a mistake. Not now. Not when it was imperative to keep him alive, with all of Gorchev's minions potentially lurking in the shadows, waiting for that thousand golden ark reward.