by Meg Ripley
“Before you ask what?”
“Can I have this dance?”
“Dance? I’m flattered, thank you, but I’m not much of a dancer.”
“Neither am I, to be honest. Can I buy you a drink?”
“It’s an open bar.”
“Wonderful, I’ll buy you two. What’s your poison?”
“Champagne.”
“So how long have you been working for old Mads?” Chester asked once he placed his order.
“Only eight weeks. It’s been...quite a learning experience. But he’s been very patient with me.”
“Oh, I imagine so.” With a flute in each hand, he nodded towards the patio door. Through it, she could see the yard lit with a thousand golden lights. “Care to join me on the lanai?”
“Yes, I think I could use a bit of fresh air.”
April surveyed the party before she fell into step beside Chester, and looked over her shoulder once more before stepping into the warm, California night. They were high enough in the Hollywood Hills that April could see a handful of stars, their light breaking through the pollution. The air was still and quiet, and Los Angeles lay before her like a field of broken diamonds, smashed emeralds, and crumbled rubies.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Chester asked.
“It’s gorgeous.”
“I always love coming up here. I don’t make it up here nearly as often as I like, though.”
“Is this your house?”
“My family’s. Well, my mother’s, to be specific.”
“Is your mother here tonight?”
“Of course, it’s her party. I believe you met her.”
“I met Savannah Maelstrom, is she your mother?”
“That’s her.”
April gaped at him. “No. Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“But she...I mean...did she have you when she was ten?”
Chester laughed. “No, but I’m sure she’d love to hear you say that.”
“I guess money keeps you young,” April said under her breath. The woman did not look a day over thirty. Of course, she probably had the finest plastic surgeons, not to mention personal chefs, trainers, and fashion consultants. She must have had a whole army employed full time to keep her looking so nubile. It was the only explanation that made sense, and yet, April couldn’t quite believe it. Even an army of professionals could not stop time.
“It certainly doesn’t hurt.”
“Mr. Maelstrom?” The server appeared out of nowhere, startling her with his sudden question. “Ms. Piper is searching for you.”
“Evelyn is here? Will you excuse me?”
“Yes.”
“Wait for me here?”
The dim light disguised the sudden flush of her cheeks. “I will.”
“Perfect. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Who is Evelyn Piper?” April asked as Chester stepped inside.
“Mr. Maelstrom’s fiancée.”
“Oh.” The stab of disappointment wasn’t anything new, but for a moment, she thought that Chester had actually been flirting with her. She downed the rest of her champagne in a single swallow and handed the server her glass. “Thank you. I think I’ll go for a walk.”
The further she got from the party, the better she felt. What if she went back to their hotel? It would be easy enough to call for the car, and Mads certainly wouldn’t miss her. She let her feet pick their own path as she mulled her options. She would never just get up and leave the office without speaking to him first, but this was different. Wasn’t it? It seemed like she wasn’t there in any sort of professional capacity, but then again, she didn’t want to risk angering him if he looked for her and she was nowhere to be found.
April found a trail lined with stones, winding around the house and up the hill. She couldn’t see where it led in the dark, but she heard the sound of running water and assumed it would take her to a fountain or maybe a small waterfall. As she approached, she heard the soft whisper of voices. She nearly turned around, but the unmistakable sound of her boss’s name drew her closer.
“The trap is set and ready to spring, don’t you worry.”
That was Chester speaking, she was sure of it, though she couldn’t see his face through the foliage. She ducked low, awkwardly tugging at the hem of her skirt.
“He’s already met Angelica?” That was a woman’s voice. Perhaps Evelyn Piper herself.
“They were dancing not five minutes ago.”
“And he has no idea?”
“None. He can sense her true age, but he doesn’t know her human age. I’ll be sure to keep his assistant out of the way until the deed is done.”
The woman laughed. “Is that who that woman is?”
“Of course. You didn’t think she was his date, did you? Even Mads has standards.”
The woman laughed again. “I wonder if he’ll keep up those standards once he’s in prison.” Her voice sounded closer now, and that was followed by the clicking of her stilettos on stone. April ducked down further, holding her breath as they passed by within a foot of her. She could reach out and touch them if she wanted to, and the thought of grabbing that bitch’s heel and sending her flying face first into the rocks brought a small smile to April’s lips.
As soon as they were gone, she fished the phone from her purse and called Mads. The phone rang five times and went to voicemail. On the second attempt, the phone went straight to voicemail. “No, no, no, you sonofabitch. Answer me.”
She texted: Important! Please call me, and followed that up with: Red alert. Please call me!
Neither prompted a response.
Her mind raced, searching for something, anything.
Wait for me here?
Of course. Chester. He was clearly the designated distraction. She hurried back down the trail, rounding the corner of the house just in time to see Chester reappear on the patio, with two fresh flutes of champagne.
“There you are. I thought you’d left me.”
“I just wanted to see if there was a pool.” She accepted the drink and touched his arm with her other hand. “Would you mind giving me the grand tour? I’ve never been in a house like this before and I’d love to have a look.”
He folded his arm around hers and turned towards the house. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure.”
April searched futilely for Mads’ face as they passed through the party, but he wasn’t on the dance floor, or by the bar, or mingling with the other guests. Where would he have gone? And even if she did find him in time, would he believe her? Would he even understand what she heard? True age? Human age? It all sounded crazy to her, but caught up in the midst of the insanity was the one word that made perfect sense. Prison.
****
The music and voices faded until they were no more than a distant murmur in the cavernous house. An opportunity to flee her escort and search for Mads did not present itself—Chester kept a firm hand on her elbow as he guided her through the corridors, describing everything from the paintings on the walls to the pattern of the carpet in lush, exhaustive detail.
“What’s in here?” April asked, pointing at a random door just to make him switch gears.
“I believe that’s a guest bedroom.”
She stepped closer and looked up at him through her lashes. “Would you mind showing me?”
He hesitated, and she could see the war within him before he smiled and opened the door. “After you.”
She could tell it was big before he turned on the light, but she had no idea that it was more spacious than her apartment. She could live there. She could live there with a roommate and still be perfectly comfortable.
“Look at that bed; it’s as big as a boat!”
“It’s pretty roomy,” Chester agreed.
“Who stays here? Special guests like the president?”
“No, just friends of the family.”
“So, special guests like the president.” She turned and stepped cl
oser, reaching up to touch the back of his neck. “Thank you, Chester, for giving me such a lovely tour.”
“The tour isn’t over yet,” he said, his voice dropping, his hand settling on the small of her back.
“Won’t everybody start to miss us?” April asked with a tilt of her head, hoping he would note the curve of her exposed neck, her ample breasts pressing against his chest.
He took the bait, lowering his mouth to drop a series of kisses from her ear to her shoulder. She knew his job was to distract her, but still, she couldn’t believe how easy this was. Was it always so easy to captivate a man? She’d always been too shy to try, but if she’d understood this power, her time in college would have gone very differently.
“They’re all too drunk to notice we’re gone.”
“What about Mads?”
Chester chuckled. “By now? He probably doesn’t even remember who you are.”
“But maybe he’s looking for me.”
“He’s not.” His mouth was growing bolder, his teeth scraping across her skin, cupping her breast with his other hand.
“Chester...stop...I’m serious.”
“Why? He isn’t looking for you.” He smirked, and it might have been that obnoxious smile that finally pushed her over the edge of patience. “Trust me.”
April reacted before he finished speaking, catching him off guard with a quick knee to his groin. He tried to hold on to her, but she wrested herself away, allowing him to collapse to the ground. She couldn’t quite believe that she dropped him so easily. “Where is he, Chester?”
“Fucking bitch—”
April drove her foot into his stomach, her pointed shoe pushing the air out of his body. Her heart thudded in her ears, cold sweat drenching her palms and the back of her neck. What the hell am I doing? I can’t take down the Maelstrom heir!
“Where is he, you asshole. I know you’ve got something planned, so what did you do with him?”
She expected him to curse at her again. She did not expect him to laugh—though a sharp kick to the ribs turned that laugh into a moan. “Kick the shit out of me, if you want to, but you’re too late. By tomorrow morning, the whole world will know that your boss fucked a fifteen-year-old girl.”
April gasped. “He would never.”
“He already has. Don’t worry, though. You won’t have to deal with the fallout.”
He wrapped his fingers around her ankle but she managed to step out of his hold before he could pull her down. She kicked off her shoes and bolted out of the room, running away from the party, towards a staircase that only went up. She ascended as fast as her dress would allow, knowing that he would be on her ass very soon. April could only hope that she made the right choice, running further from the party. She doubted she had any friends in that particular gathering, and besides that, they probably wanted to get Mads as far away from the crowd as possible.
A fifteen-year-old girl? She knew in her heart that he would never have sex with a child—and they must have known it, too. Chester himself had said he would only sense Angelica’s true age—which was what? What the hell did that even mean, anyway? She was missing something, but now wasn’t the time to try to figure it out.
April expected to find another long corridor full of art and doors, but the stairs took her to a wide, completely open space. It ran the length of the house and was entirely encased in glass. To her left was the view of the backyard and Los Angeles beyond; to her right, nothing but stars and mountains. The only light came from outside, but that was still more than enough to see that she was alone there. Alone and cornered.
She cast around for something blunt and heavy—something she could use as a weapon. Her shoes would have been perfect if she hadn’t left them behind with Chester, but it was a shame that she never learned how to run in high heels. There were no weapons, there was nowhere to hide, and nothing she could do.
April turned to go down, but Chester was already at the bottom of the stairs. He glared up at her with fierce eyes and a curl of smoke coming from each nostril.
Wait. What? Smoke? Is that smoke coming out of his face?
“Shouldn’t have done that, April. I would have been nice to you, you know. Made you feel special on your last night. But now?” He smiled at her and it took a second for her brain to register why that smile did not look right. “Now I’m just going to eat you.”
His teeth—there were too many teeth. And they were all three inches long. Her brother had told her once not to run if she was ever attacked. Rookies run. Get close and finish it had been his exact words, but he had never mentioned what to do in the event of shark teeth. So, she ignored the wisdom of her brother and she ran, instinctively putting as much space between her and the predator as she could.
“Run if you want. You’re not going anywhere and all those endorphins will just make you taste sweeter.”
His voice boomed through the giant room, loud enough to hurt her ears and make her teeth vibrate. She dared to glimpse over her shoulder, and what she saw was enough to bring her to her knees, the muscles in her legs giving out with the force of her shock.
Chester was gone. And in his place was a monster. Not just a monster, but a dragon. Deep green and black, complete with sharp horns and a long, whipping tail and fire. Fire that illuminated every detail, branding it to her memory, forcing her to face the fact that she was not dreaming.
She opened her mouth to scream, but she had no air. Her whole body shook, but she forced herself to her feet, mindlessly moving, though she had nowhere to run; nowhere that would allow her to escape from the waking nightmare gaining ground behind her. Short of running through the glass pane, she had no escape route. The glass pane had its own attraction, though: at least if she plummeted to her death, she wouldn’t know what it was like to be roasted and consumed alive.
The sound of breaking glass did not immediately register, but the subsequent roar brought her to her knees again. She looked around, expecting the dragon’s mouth to be descending on her, but Chester was no longer chasing her; he was too busy fending attacks from another, much larger dragon. Crimson and gold, its scales were the size of encyclopedias, and its powerful tail whipped around with such ferocity that it drove Chester back fifteen yards.
April gaped at the sight, too stunned to move. This can’t be real. How can this be real? This cannot be real.
But all five senses assured her that this was truly happening. The roars of rage and pain were real. Long hooked claws and teeth tearing through scaly skin and flesh, blood pouring onto the hardwood floor, thick and black in the moonlight. It sure smelled real. Not just the blood, but the sulphur of the smoke and the heat of the fire they spewed at each other. April had never smelled heat before, but she knew that’s what it was. The heat was impossible. Even at her distance, the hairs on her arm curled and the skin on her face pulled tight, moisture evaporating from her lips and eyes. She even tasted the smoke and the soot and the slightly sweet char of burned flesh.
Chester didn’t have a chance against the other dragon, who not only had the advantage of surprise, but of size and speed, too. The fight was over almost before it began, and Chester collapsed to the ground with one last heave of his massive chest. The large dragon turned to April, and her heart leapt to her throat. She tried to move away, pushing herself backwards on her shaking legs, but her dress had tangled around her knees, effectively tying her in place.
The dragon loomed over her, wings outstretched, sparks fluttering around its muzzle and head. A quick movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, dragging her focus from the creature’s face downward. At first, she thought she was staring at the dragon’s tail, but as it grew, stretching and reaching toward her, she realized it was not the tail at all. It touched her knee and slid up her thigh, nudging at the hem of her skirt. She gasped, frozen with shock. The dragon reared his back and roared, its hot flesh still sliding along her thigh, reaching towards her core.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she whi
spered, shaking uncontrollably. “I didn’t see anything. I don’t anything. I was just trying to find my boss.”
“April. April, it’s me.” The dragon form wavered in front of her and then was gone, replaced by Mads’ familiar shape. The heat on her leg disappeared, but she felt marked by it, her skin throbbing with the burn. “It’s me. You’re safe.”
“It’s...you?”
He knelt beside her. “Yes, it’s me. Are you hurt?”
“No, I don’t think so. He never caught me. He just—wait, what’s happening here?”
“I’ll explain everything, I promise. But first we have to get out of here.”
“No, we can’t go yet. That girl, Angelica—she’s only fifteen. They were setting you up. We have to find the camera or whatever they used. It’s not too late—”
“April, shhh.” He smoothed his hand over her hair and cupped the back of her head. “I know, and they were not successful. The Maelstrom clan is not as clever as they think.”
“But you didn’t answer your phone.”
“I didn’t have it. Come on.” He stood and put one arm under her knees, the other behind her shoulders.
“What are you doing? I can walk.”
“April, do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“With your life?”
“Well, you just saved my life.”
“Then hold on tight. Don’t let go, don’t look down.”
“What are—?”
The dragon was back, holding her as gently as any mother ever held a child, his massive wings lifting them from the ground and through the broken ceiling, into the midnight sky. The time from when they arrived until this moment seemed like an endless nightmare, and she gasped as the cool night air hit her. Her stomach dropped all the way back to earth, but she kept her long-held fear of heights at bay, focusing on the fact that she did trust him. Even though she couldn’t trust her own eyes and all of this, she did trust him.
He had her. He would never let her fall.
****
Mads wasn’t sure what to expect when they landed, but it certainly wasn’t the sudden burst of laughter that swelled to a torrent of giggles, until she was doubled-over and breathless, tears running down her cheeks.