by Anna Santos
Sir Baldwin’s suit was pierced by bullets, but they did nothing to him. Around him, the men shot at the invisible enemy as bodies fell to the ground.
Kayden kept shooting. “Behind the car, Barbara.”
She ran, dragging Jason with her.
Her brother grabbed the weapon from where she placed it, put Barbara behind the car, and used the firearm to help with the shootout.
“Kayden,” Jason called. “I’ll need more bullets.”
“Weren’t you more dead than alive?” Kayden shouted back.
“I was pretending to be more tired than I was. Where’s the ammunition?”
“Barbara’s backpack.”
“I can’t forgive you for bringing my sister here.”
“Oh, shut up. I can take care of myself,” Barbara grumbled and crouched beside him with the ammunition he requested.
Jason ducked and reloaded the weapon. “You shouldn’t be here. I was ready to give my life to protect this weapon. Now they have it, and we have no idea what they will do with that much power.”
The sound of the machine guns made it impossible for Kayden to listen to anything else. He looked around and reached for his automatic gun. Norton was bleeding but alive, hiding behind a car. Sir Baldwin had given orders for his men to shift and enter the woods to track the shooters while he strolled his merry way to the last car. He wanted to escape and let his men deal with the heat.
Not on Kayden’s watch.
“Jason, take this and protect your sister,” Kayden ordered.
Jason looked at him and only had time to catch the automatic weapon that was being tossed.
Kayden picked up speed and, in a swift moment, changed into a dragon. Spitting fire, he ran to the cars, directed one long fire strand, and blew them up. Most men were in the woods, and he could hear the roars and the sounds of fighting. The twins and the other warriors had to be engaged in hand to hand combat since the shooting had stopped.
“Come here and face me, you coward,” Kayden dared Sir Baldwin.
The dragon stopped and turned around with a serene expression.
“I was hoping to shift and fly away from here. Yet I might not have an opportunity like this one to fight and kill a fire dragon. Now that I have the weapon, I believe the odds are more than in my favor. You are a fool if you think you can beat me.”
The only response Kayden had was spitting more fire at him. A cloud of steam arose, and the earth quaked under his massive paws.
A white dragon with blue eyes and a more prominent body than Kayden’s drew closer. “You are no match for me, boy,” his guttural voice stated just before he opened his mouth. A spray of water hit Kayden’s chest and sent him flying back in the air.
Regaining his balance, Kayden used his speed to increase the force with which he hit the water dragon’s body. The sound of scratching and roaring continued as both dragons fought using their claws.
Roars reached Kayden’s ears. Other dragons were flying around and tracking the shifters in the woods. Yet they couldn’t throw fire against the trees, or they would risk destroying the habitats around them. Cody needed to come, shift into a dragon, and take Barbara to safety. They had agreed on that. His mate was vulnerable in the open field.
His opponent scratched Kayden’s face and knocked his head against his enemy’s chest. Kayden lost his breath and was pushed back. The white dragon tackled him, and they both flew into the lake, gliding over the water and throwing punches at each other.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Barbara watched in horror as Kayden fought against Sir Baldwin in their dragon shapes. It was as if two titans were playing gladiator, destroying everything in their path.
The dragons dove into the lake and disappeared, engulfed by the water.
The goons were in the woods, and there was just Norton hiding with a wounded shoulder. Jason made gestures towards Norton’s location. Barbara shrugged, unfamiliar with his signs that were supposed to be some sort of combat code.
Heaving a sigh, Jason spoke. “You watch him. I’ll go around and finish him off.”
Before she could say anything, she saw Norton running towards the dagger that Sir Baldwin had left behind. The fool believed that it was real. Yet she had no idea what he wanted to do with it.
In the distance, waves and stream rippled the lake, followed by a beam of fire that exploded into a mushroom cloud. She didn’t know who was winning that battle. Sir Baldwin’s dragon was huge. Kayden was big, but the other one was scarier.
It felt like an eternity had passed when Kayden’s naked body reached the shore, and he crawled his way out of the water.
Barbara reacted by running to him. “What happened? Where’s the evil dragon?”
Kayden raised his face with tired eyes. “Stay away. It’s not over yet.”
Barbara stopped when Sir Baldwin emerged naked from the lake, walking as if he hadn’t broken a sweat. Before she could swallow her nerves, she felt the coldness of a blade against her throat.
“You are my ticket out of here,” Norton mumbled next to her neck. “I’m pretty sure they don’t want an innocent life on their conscience.”
“Let her go!” Kayden shouted with fisted hands and glowing yellow eyes.
Sir Baldwin ordered, “Norton, stop fooling around and bring me my dagger. I want to kill this fool for having the nerve to face me.”
Barbara did what her brother had taught her to do if she was in danger. She stepped on Norton’s foot, grabbed the hand that held the knife, pulled it away from her neck, and twisted his arm. Propelling her leg back, she kicked him in his stomach. Before he hit the ground, a lion jumped and dug his fangs into his arm. The dagger fell to the ground.
Growling, Sir Baldwin rushed to Kayden and grabbed him by his neck. Kayden tried to fight back, but it seemed that the water dragon was stronger. He grabbed his left arm and kicked him in his back.
Kayden kneeled on the ground with a pained expression.
“Bring the dagger to me, girl,” Sir Baldwin ordered.
Barbara’s heart echoed in her ears as she shivered in fear. She could hear her brother fighting Norton in his lion form, and she knew that was not the real dagger on the floor. Yet her mate seemed tired and hurting. She had to do something.
“Do you care for this man?” The water dragon’s question woke her up to the reality around her. “He cares for you. I can sense that. If you bring me the dagger, I’ll take it and fly away from here.”
Kayden’s voice came out hoarse. “Barbara, run. He will kill you.”
“No one asked your opinion,” Sir Baldwin roared, kneeling and crashing Kayden’s face against the floor.
Barbara jumped with a start when Sir Baldwin’s body was propelled back with a round of bullets aimed at his chest. Looking back, she saw Jason’s half-naked body, holding a gun and reloading it. He fired again even if it was clear that it didn’t do any harm to the dragon-shifter’s body.
Kayden raised his head and crawled as far as he could. Barbara grabbed the fake dagger from the ground. Swinging her arm back, she threw the weapon as hard as she could. It landed in the water. There was a loud growl before Sir Baldwin ignored everybody and dove into the lake to search for the object of his desire.
Barbara ran to Kayden and helped him get up. Two dragons, one white and a red one, landed on the shore.
The white dragon said, “We managed to fight off all of his men and imprison the ones who survived and surrendered.”
Jason dragged his tired body, grabbing his wounded shoulder. “I took care of Norton. He won’t be bothering anyone else.” He pointed at the body of the dead minion shredded to pieces.
Barbara closed her eyes and hid her face against Kayden’s shoulder. Unable to keep her stomach from purging itself, she pulled away and threw up due to the grotesque carnage.
Three more red dragons landed on the lake’s shore.
The biggest one asked, “Where’s Sir Baldwin?”
“Taking a swim,” Jason sa
id as he cleared the sweat from his forehead.
“Barbara threw the dagger into the lake. He’s diving to find it,” Kayden explained.
“Shouldn’t we be looking for the dagger, too?” another red dragon asked.
Kayden shrugged. Before they could say anything else, a stream of water hit them and threw them back as the huge white dragon made its way out of the water and onto the shore. Barbara shook her head and noticed the dagger in the beast’s hand. Coughing, she reached for Kayden’s hands that had secured her against his chest and protected her fall with his own body.
“The dagger is mine. You are all doomed!” Sir Baldwin bragged. Aiming his gaze at Jason, he moved his tail and swung.
Barbara yelled, “Jason!”
Cody’s white dragon stepped in and grabbed the enemy’s tail. Opening his mouth, a stream of water hit Sir Baldwin and pushed him back. Yet it wasn’t enough. He retaliated, but the water he spewed was evaporated by three dragons that spat fire at the stream and saved Cody from being harmed.
The enormous white dragon roared. “I’ll kill you all!” Jumping and causing the land to shake where he once stood, he flapped his wings and reached for the skies.
Jason screamed, “We can’t let him leave with the dagger!”
“We can’t let him leave, period,” Kayden yelled. “Uncle!”
The biggest red dragon curved his head and ran to gain speed. The others followed him. Soon enough, they were flying after Sir Baldwin.
“I need to help them,” Kayden said. He moved Barbara’s body and got up. Reaching to help her up, he explained his intentions. “I’m going to help kill him. He needs to be put down. Do you still have it?”
“Yes.”
“Guard it. I’ll be back soon.”
Kayden ran and shifted in front of her as her hand reached to touch him one last time without success.
Jason walked to her side. “What’s happening between you and Kayden?”
Folding her hands over her chest, Barbara whispered as if her heart had been crushed inside her chest. “We are fated mates. Sir Baldwin can kill him.”
“He’s a big boy, and there are other dragons to help him this time.” Jason combed his hair with his fingers. “You are fated mates, are you sure?”
“Positive, and I’m not in the mood for a jealousy attack on your end.”
Pursing his lips, Jason mumbled, “I wasn’t going to complain. It’s surprising and unexpected, but he’s a good man. The best man I know. I couldn’t wish anyone better for you, Sis.”
“Good…”
“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you risked your life to save mine.”
“Kayden had a plan, and it’s working,” Barbara said with her eyes focused on the sky as the dragons fought between themselves and spat fire and water at each other. It was unreal, and she had never expected to see something like that in her life.
Her heart was threatening to jump from her chest, and the real dagger felt like a burden against her back. She should have used it to kill Sir Baldwin when he was in his human form.
“Duck,” Jason yelled when the huge white dragon flew in their direction and spread its claws to grab them.
Barbara launched herself to the ground. A turmoil of wind warned her that he had just flown over her head.
“We need to run to the trees,” Jason said and offered her his hand.
A red dragon landed in front of them. “Follow your brother. Hide.”
Even though they looked similar, Barbara knew it was Kayden.
Looking up, she saw the white dragon coming back. The other dragons were on a collision course with him. But before they could tackle and stop him, Sir Baldwin shifted into a man midair, rolled on the sand, and evaded the other dragon’s claws. With the dagger in his hand, he aimed at Kayden’s neck.
Barbara gasped. Her chest felt heavy and her throat clogged. Without thinking, she took the dagger from behind her back. She planted both feet on the ground, jumped in the air, and stabbed the dagger into Sir Baldwin’s chest.
His eyes opened wide, and he stood still with his arm in the air and his hand holding tightly to the dagger made of whalebone.
“That’s impossible…” His voice came out weak, and the realization of being speared sank in. His eyes moved to his own dagger as it shattered into pieces due to his force. “It’s fake!”
With those last words, he kneeled.
Barbara trembled and tried to pull the dagger out without success. A jolt of energy hit her body and pulled her as if it was a magnet. She couldn’t move and felt as if her skin was burning and combusting.
“Kay-den, what’s happening?”
“Don’t fight it,” his voice reached her ears as Sir Baldwin’s eyes lost their color, and he drew his last breath.
Barbara didn’t know what was happening. It seemed that her hair was dancing and her body was releasing electricity.
Before she could faint, caring hands grabbed her, and she found Kayden staring back at her. “You have no idea what you’ve done, honey.”
“What did I do?”
“You stole his powers.”
“What does that mean?”
“You will become a water dragon.”
Barbara didn’t ask anything else because she lost consciousness.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Barbara Kent walked out of the Alexander Jameson Museum where she had a meeting with the head curator. With the help of the Keepers Organization, her life was back to normal. She had her job back and couldn’t feel happier about the new art exhibition that she was organizing.
After checking her watch, she looked around. From afar, a tall man with dark hair, wearing a grey suit, waved.
“Kayden.”
Grinning, she rushed to him and laced her arms around his torso. Resting her chin on his chest and looking up, she asked, “How did your job interview go?”
Kayden lowered his face and kissed her lips. “Good. The Organization needs all the help they can get, especially in New York City.”
Barbara stepped back from his embrace. “What will you do?”
His fingers tucked a loose hair strand behind her ear. “I’ll have a leading position and run a task team that secures the transportation of rare objects.”
“That’s great! But does it mean that you’ll have to travel?”
“No, I’ll be coordinating everything from New York. There are operatives who will perform these missions. I’ll start working next week.”
“Why next week?”
“I want to spend some time looking for a new home for us. Your apartment is too small, honey.”
“I guess we could use a bit more space when Jason or the twins decide to visit us.”
“Yes. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything and buy us a penthouse. In a month, we are getting married. Once we return from Alaska, our home will be ready for us.”
“A penthouse?”
Smirking, Kayden nodded. “I like high places, and you’ll need to master your new powers. Soon, you’ll understand that a high place with plenty of landing area is the best for us dragons.”
“Yes, you are right. I didn’t even think about that. I can’t shift into a dragon from my balcony and fly away. We need a higher place where we can hide our existence in the darkness of the skies.”
“You’ve been doing great. You just need more flying lessons because you are a bit clumsy with your wings.”
“Hush. I’ve been a dragon for two weeks. I think I’m doing pretty well.”
Kayden caressed her cheek. “You are happy about being a dragon, aren’t you? You don’t regret using the dagger?”
“I had no idea that the dagger could do that. I just wanted to stop that awful man from hurting people.”
“I know.”
“Don’t you like me being a dragon?”
“I love flying with you…but I’m glad that the dagger has been kept in a security safe where no one but Uncle and us know where to find
it.”
Barbara nodded. “Jason will find a clue to how we can destroy it. In the meantime, there’s no one better to guard it than you.”
“Let’s talk about other things. How was your meeting with your boss?”
Barbara shrugged. “Fine. He understood why I had to run and abandon my job. My co-worker was kind enough to help out while I was gone.”
“What co-worker?”
“Shawn. You should meet. He’s a nice guy.”
Kayden placed his hands in the pockets of his suit. “Sure.”
Grinning, Barbara leaned closer and spoke close to his lips. “Thank you.”
Kayden stroked Barbara’s soft hair. “For what?”
“For moving here with me. For being everything, I’ve dreamed of in a man.”
“My goal in life is to make you happy. Your work makes you happy.”
Barbara cupped his face. “You make me happy.”
“So, do you, my love.”
Kayden kissed her, and she melted against his lips into another world. When they returned to reality, she fixed her clothes and looked around, flustered. “I’ll call a cab. We can get take-out and go home to watch a movie and cuddle.”
Kayden grabbed her hand and prevented her from leaving his side. “Not today. I have a dinner reservation at an Italian restaurant for us. After, we are going to watch a movie. When that’s done…” He pulled her closer to his chest and hugged her around her waist. His husky voice brushed her ear. “We can go back home where I can make love to you until you fall asleep from exhaustion.”
Barbara giggled as her skin broke out with goosebumps. “I love you.”
He kissed the crook of her neck. “I love you, too.”
The End
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