by E. J. Krause
Another strange phenomenon she noticed was a blue light, like an aura, leaking off Ben. She didn't see it all the time, and then only out of the corner of her eye, but she had no doubt that the power helped accelerate the healing process. Would it be even stronger when they were fully bound? When she questioned him about it, he had no clue what she was talking about.
Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips drifted off to sleep. She and Ben picked up the various cups and plates stacked around the bed and carried them to the kitchen. They'd done a pretty good job of cleaning as they went, so now they needed only to load the dishwasher. Ben didn't want to start it in case it woke his parents.
Once they finished cleaning, it hit Andi that her parents were still trapped in the necromancer's evil realm. All hopes of them being able to get back had faded. They'd have been here by now. They must've all had to leave at the same time, so when she and Ben had left, it locked them there.
Ben stepped over and engulfed her in a hug. "We'll save them," he said between butterfly kisses on the top of her head. She buried her face into his chest and let a few tears fall. She was too tired to be strong, and to his credit, Ben understood and held her.
She dried her tears on his shirt, causing them both to laugh, and leaned up for a soft but passionate kiss. After a few minutes, they broke apart, and Ben sat at the kitchen table. Andi thought about sitting in another chair, but instead opted for his lap.
"I wonder how powerful that healing aura will be once we're bound," she said.
He shrugged. "I didn't feel anything. Are you sure you weren't seeing things? We're both pretty tired and under a ton of stress."
"That's the thing," she said, massaging his neck. "I wasn't that tired while we were feeding them. I think you helped all of us – them getting better, and us with the energy to keep tending them."
Ben slumped against her. "Doesn't seem to be working anymore."
"No, it doesn't." She slumped right back against him.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. He mulled over some thoughts, and she didn't want to interrupt. At least it kept her from falling asleep as they needed to check back in on his parents soon. When Ben broke the silence, his question didn't surprise her.
"What did your mom talk about with you last night? You know, after the vampires? Your dad wouldn't tell me. He said I should wait and ask you."
She climbed out of his lap and took a chair of her own, though she stayed close enough to keep holding his hand. "She told me some more about our binding. About why they didn't do it. Dad, of course, thinks we're too young."
"He said that last night." Ben turned to the kitchen window, and she followed his gaze. The sun wasn't yet up, but dawn was close. "Or two nights ago now, I guess. But he also promised me there was a better reason."
"Yeah. Turns out when you get bound, your feelings are hypersensitive towards each other. Like way more than what we felt with this minor thing."
"No way. That's kind of hard to imagine."
"I know, right? But I guess it's true. My parents were afraid we'd be so focused on each other that we'd ignore other dangers. We'd be reckless."
"But if we could talk telepathically, it would counteract that, wouldn't it? We'd work together even better."
"I said that, too, when I tried to get them to bind us. She said the vampires convinced her that Dad was making the right decision. You went after the one attacking me without ever checking the other. If it had somehow beaten them, it could have ambushed us." She paused, not sure how much more she should say, but decided she wouldn't keep any secrets from him. Besides, it wasn't like Mom told her very much anyway. "Something happened when my parents were bound. Something bad. I couldn't find out what, but I guess that's the biggest reason my dad is being so stubborn in all of this."
A mess of different emotions poured off Ben, so many that it was hard to piece them all together. She thought at first that he was mostly confused about the vampire sneaking up on them, or what happened to her parents, but that wasn't it.
"You tried to get them to bind us?"
Andi's face heated up. She had, hadn't she? It hadn't dawned on her until he said it point-blank. "Yeah, I guess I did."
"So you want to be bound to me? Right now?" His voice came out husky, like he had to fight to get them out. She could also tell he wanted to look down at the tabletop, but didn't. She made sure to hold eye contact, too.
"Yeah, kind of." Now her face felt like it was on fire, but she giggled a bit when she realized it wasn't any more red than his. He blushed so hard that he might burst into flames at any second. "Do you?"
He nodded and tugged her arm. She let him drag her back to his lap, and their lips met. Nothing existed but them at that moment. She didn't even worry about her parents for those few minutes.
When they broke their kiss, Ben swept her bangs from her eyes and said, "There's something else, isn't there?"
He was right, and she hadn't even thought about it until he brought it up. Wow, he already knew her so well; what would this be like when they were fully and truly bound? "When we're bound, we're totally bound. If one of us is killed, we both die."
"As if this weren't serious enough already," he said with a laugh.
"Really. Mom said that this way, if one of us did, uh, bite it, the other would still have a chance to rescue your parents."
"Makes sense, I guess." His face wasn't red anymore, but quite pale. They sat there, her in his lap, both lost in their own thoughts. She enjoyed him unconsciously tracing patterns on her knee with his fingertips. There was something personal, familiar, in that act, as if they'd been together much longer than just this week.
After a few minutes, he stopped and gave her a smirk.
"What?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking."
"That's a scary thought."
"Whatever. Anyway, I don't mean any disrespect or anything, but I can't believe I'm in love with a dragon. An actual dragon."
"Yeah, I feel the same way about you being human." They both laughed, her because she didn't mean that. Though she had no clue about Dragon Guards, she'd known from an early age she'd be marrying a human, not another dragon. That never happened, though she never asked why. Another thing in an endless list she'd taken at face value.
She didn't know how she managed, since she was already in his lap, but she pushed closer to him. Their lips again met, and this time, after another slow, tender build up, their passion ignited, and they kissed as if they were trying to devour each other's soul. In the moment, there was no doubt, if there ever was, that Ben was her one and only. This was the first time she'd ever felt truly alive as a human. The only thing better was screaming through the sky in her true form, and even that was debatable.
"Yeah, you two should probably stop now."
Andi squeaked and leapt from his lap. Even with her natural grace, Ben had to grab her elbow to keep her from tumbling to the ground, likely flat on her face. Ben's mom stood in the doorway. Like before she fell asleep, she still looked too pale and too thin, but otherwise fine. Andi was a bit relieved to see a look of humor hidden beneath her stern mothering glare.
Ben bounced to his feet. "Mom, you're okay!"
"I don't even get a clumsy teenage excuse for what I just walked in on? So your father and I can laugh about it later?"
"Uh …"
The hard gaze turned on Andi. With the fear coming from Ben, he'd obviously missed both her joking tone and the twinkle in her eye. Andi didn't. "We were practicing CPR?"
Mrs. Phillips let out a surprised laugh. "I used that one when I was your age." She stepped forward and engulfed Andi in a hug. "You must be Andi. Thank you so much for helping us." She grabbed Ben and pulled him into the embrace. "Both of you."
"Boy, that was some fever you two had," Andi said. His parents needed to know everything because of what she was, and especially because of what Ben was going to be, but this wasn't the time. Ben picked up on her plan quick.
"Yeah. You guy
s were sure muttering some weird things in your sleep."
Mrs. Phillips stared at them for a few seconds. "Dad and I talked about it before I got up." For some reason that brought out a spike of happiness from Ben, though he kept his expression neutral. "Not only did we share the same horrible experience, which is impossible, but we both saw what we looked like before you two rescued us. Being alive and that skinny isn't right, especially since we're almost back to normal now. I'm not sure how long we were out, but it wasn't the weeks it should have taken."
Andi started to say something to still spin it as a strange dream, but Ben cut her off. "But you feel okay now?"
Before she could answer, Ben's dad walked in. Like his wife, he was too pale and thin, but otherwise fine. "Hey, am I missing all the fun down here?"
Mrs. Phillips went to him and put one arm around his waist. There was no mistaking the happiness that came from Ben that time. "Just giving thanks to our saviors."
"I see. And this must be Andi. Nice to meet you when I'm more than half-coherent. Trent Phillips." He stuck out his hand, and she shook it.
"Hi, yeah, I'm Andi." She let out a surprised gasp when he pulled her over and gave her a hug.
"You, too, ya lug," he said to Ben. He came over, and all four of them shared a hug. Andi felt almost giddy with the amount of joy on Ben.
They broke apart, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips' arms around each other, while Ben's was draped over Andi's shoulders. "That was nice," Mrs. Phillips said. "I didn't think we'd ever be able to do that again."
"Yeah," Mr. Phillips said. "I thought we were goners for sure." With the look they shared, Andi wasn't sure if they were talking about being in the demon realm, their marriage in general, or both.
"Andi, dear," Mrs. Phillips said, "do your parents know you're here?"
Andi opened her mouth to answer when her world spun out of control. Tears overwhelmed her, and the more she fought to get herself under control, the worse she got. Somewhere through her haze, she heard Ben's parents asking her if she was okay, while Ben nudged her into a chair and held her. That, him, his closeness, got her through. When the crashing wave of sadness passed, leaving minor ripples, she whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over, her head buried in Ben's neck so she wouldn't have to look at anyone. The embarrassment over having fallen apart in front of everyone now worse than the emotions of not knowing if her parents were okay or not. She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and mustered up a weak smile. "Sorry. I think I'm better now."
Ben kissed the top of her head, while both his parents answered that it was fine, quite understandable given the circumstances. Ben must've filled them in while she'd incapacitated herself.
Mrs. Phillips dried her cheeks with a tissue. "You're exhausted. Both of you. What day is it?"
"Wednesday morning," Ben said.
"Wednesday?" Mr. Phillips said. "Oh, jeez, work's going to be pissed."
"No, I called you both in," Ben said. "You have food poisoning."
"Well, if anyone notices I've lost weight, that'll be a good excuse," Mrs. Phillips said, poking her stomach.
"Good thinking, Ben," Mr. Phillips said. "I'll call later to see if I can get the rest of the week off."
"Me, too," Mrs. Phillips said. "But what about school? Neither of you would do much good today."
"My parents called us in Monday and Tuesday," Andi said. "So it shouldn't be a problem for you to do it."
His mom frowned. "I don't like you guys missing so many days. You need to go back. Tomorrow for sure. But for now, off to bed, both of you. Ben, show Andi the guest room. The linen on that bed is fresh enough." She looked at Andi. "Let me know if anything's wrong with it, okay, dear?"
She smiled and nodded.
"And Ben." Her stern mother look was back, but Andi had to bite back a laugh at the twinkle in her eye, just like when she'd first come in.
"Yeah?" With the apprehension coming from him, he obviously couldn't see it. They really must've been one messed up family before this.
"Show her the room and then go to your own. Got it?"
This time Andi couldn't hold back, though she did her best to wait until they were out of the kitchen to laugh. What made it even funnier was Mr. Phillips asking what that was all about, as well as the embarrassment from Ben. It turned to confusion at her laughter, but he didn't say anything, and she didn't explain. Let his mother have that power over him for a bit longer.
The guest room had a homey feel, with a country farmhouse vibe. The bright, cheery colors and countryside landscape paintings made her feel at home. She'd lived in a few places similar to this. Maybe she could suggest to Mom that they decorate their guest room the same. She made sure to tell herself when, not if. They'd find a way. Somehow.
Ben's eyes darted to the stairs and back to her, and then he planted a quick kiss she didn't have time to return. "Don't worry," he said, fire smoldering behind his eyes. "We'll save them."
She nodded, grabbed his hand, and lifted it to her lips for a kiss. "Thanks. Goodnight. Or good morning, I guess." They both chuckled, and then he headed for his bedroom. She watched him go, and they smiled at each other one more time before heading inside their respective rooms. Despite everything, Andi floated to bed.
*****
Cassie catapulted over a half-dozen zombies, decapitated a ghoul, and ran her sword through a vampire's heart. With a quick warning from Lee, she ducked out of the way, and he melted them all with his acid breath. Before she could let out a sigh of relief, she turned to face the next wave.
"Such entertainment," came a cackle from the rocky throne. Derian hadn't thrown any of his spells into the mix, instead hurling comments and insults down their way. She and Lee agreed this was nothing but theater to him. He was toying with them before taking them to one of the cells, and then who knew what horrible fate awaited them. With no way out now that the escape spell was gone, it was more a question of when, not if.
She held a brief hope Andi and Ben would come back, but Lee's logic had crushed that. Since they weren't properly bound, the kids couldn't expect much help with her and Lee still alive. The pride of dragons saw to that. Someone would bind them, but only when she and Lee were dead, and no doubt Derian had plans for them other than death.
A dozen ghosts made up the next wave. Hoots of deranged laughter spilled from the throne. This was another sign he was just playing with them. If he wanted them captured now, he'd send all of his undead minions at once like he did with the zombies when Andi and Ben were here. Once the kids escaped, Derian sent his minions a few at a time.
"Behind you, Cass," Lee said into her mind. She spun into a whirlwind, bringing the evil spirits down. Though she couldn't destroy the undead like Ben, her blades were blessed to take them out of commission for awhile. And here, when she did, they sank back down under the earth instead of regenerating on the spot. Yet another indicator Derian was prolonging the entire procedure.
Lee took out the next wave, a few skeletons, some zombies, and a mummy, with his acid. Cassie appreciated the short – way too short – break. Her thoughts, her wishes, returned to rescue, but harsh reality interrupted. Even if the kids somehow got Max to reveal the incantation into Rico's realm, there was no way the demon would help. It first went back to the fact that they weren't bound, something Rico would see as a weakness, but would ultimately come down to that they were already in his debt. She couldn't imagine a demon, and Rico in particular, offering a double debt to an unproven duo. He might do it for her and Lee, but even that wasn't a given.
Another group of zombies approached. With Lee's acid not yet built back up, she launched herself into them. He flew above and picked some off with his sharp teeth. Though none of these monsters proved much of a challenge, even in their large groups, their nonstop attacks would eventually wear them down. She wasn't yet close to surrendering, but the time would come. With the unknown horrors of captivity after that, she and Lee needed to prolong the fight as long as possible.
The next wa
ve of undead, more ghosts and skeletons, shuffled forward.
Chapter 18
Ben's cell phone woke him with the text message alert. He grabbed it, first noticing it was almost 3:30 in the afternoon. Good thing Mom and Dad called the school because he slept right through the day. When he viewed the text, which was from Melissa, his heart sank. Crap. It read, "Even your friends think ur an a-hole." No-no-no. This is bad. Very bad.
About a minute later, Andi came in. She had on the same clothes from yesterday. They'd have to go back to her house later to get her packed. Some of his stuff was still in her guest room, too.
"What's the matter?" she asked, concern on her face.
He didn't say anything, just handed her the phone. She read it, her face weary, but when she finished, she laughed. "I already told you not to worry. It'll blow over."
"Easy for you to say," he muttered.
She handed the phone back and kissed him on the cheek. That brightened his day a bit, and he grabbed her hand.
"She must really like you," Andi said. "Poor girl. You broke her heart, and now she wants to make you hurt as much as she is."
"Hey, you helped," he pointed out. "Besides, I don't think that's it. She's mad I didn't choose her. I was an object, a way for her to say she had a boyfriend without all the give and take. All she did was order me around."
"So why did you stay with her?"
He shrugged. Good question. "I guess it was kind of cool to say I had a girlfriend. Besides," he added with a smirk, "sometimes she let me kiss her."
Andi rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. "Nice," she said.
"I was just …" teasing, he was going to finish, but she didn't give him the chance. She pounced on him and assaulted his mouth with hers. He tried to kiss back, or even breathe, but she was in firm control. It didn't last long, but wow.