Finally, she halted beside a small building, low and long, in complete darkness. After fumbling in her bag for something, she opened the door, disappeared inside, and a light flicked on.
When he was sure she was staying, he headed around the back. He slipped the knife out of his boot and slid it down the catch in the window. Silently he opened it and pulled himself inside. He was in what looked like a living space, comfortable chairs around a viewer. The place smelled of Mara and he breathed in deeply. Music drifted across from the front of the house and he silently crossed the room and out into a corridor. The door opposite was open. Mara stood with her back to him, in what he took to be the galley, making food; she would be busy for a while.
He stepped back and returned the way he had come. For a moment, he paused, closing his eyes to focus his attention, and breathing in deeply. He caught a faint exotic whiff, a scent that spoke of strange worlds and the far reaches of space, of wormholes, and flying through fire. He followed the smell and pushed open another door. This led into a sleeping area. The room was small, a big bed and a tall cupboard took up all the space.
Angel crossed straight to the cupboard. As he opened the door, his nostrils filled with the alien scent of dragon overlaid with the flowery scent of Mara. He’d love to burrow himself in her softness, see if she tasted as sweet.
She’d said he was beautiful, asked him to come back. Perhaps the Blood Hunter would take longer to repair than they had believed. And Rico was always telling him he needed to get laid. Maybe he could tell him there was a chance if they could just delay a day or two. What was the hurry?
He’d ask. When he got back tonight. And maybe tomorrow he’d return to the Dragon’s Den, talk some more.
The bang of a door closing pulled him from his daydreams, and he shook himself. Time to move this on. Crouching down, he rummaged around the clothes which had been flung into the bottom of the cupboard—she was messy, like Candy. His hand found something smooth and warm to the touch. He laid his palm flat against it and heat radiated out. Pushing the clothes away, he revealed the oval egg, luminous white, but with a faint hint of crimson glowing beneath the surface. It was heavy, almost too big to fit in his hands, and as he picked it up, a strange throbbing beat though his palms. The thing was alive. Kronus might very well get his lady friend. But what did that mean? The dragons had once destroyed all the time-mancers to preserve the universe. Was Angel risking total annihilation by doing this?
But change was important and things existed for a reason.
Without giving himself time to talk himself out of it—according to Candy, he thought way too much—he wrapped the egg in one of Mara’s flower-scented garments and straightened. As he slipped out of the room, her footsteps sounded on the stone floor. He ducked into the living area and then out of the window, pulling it closed behind him.
“See you tomorrow, Mara,” he murmured and headed back the way he had come.
He held the egg close against his chest, letting the heat warm him through his clothes. He walked without thinking about the route, just following the trail he had made on the way, and let his mind wander.
Most people fell into what they were by accident rather than design. That had been him for so many years; his choices limited by the need to keep under the Church’s radar while searching for a way to free his parents. They’d been taken prisoner by the Church when he was only twelve. That had shaped his life for so long.
Now he could literally go anywhere, be anything he wanted. In some ways he’d decided on a path when he’d chosen to stow away on the Blood Hunter instead of staying with his sister and parents and helping to create their brave new civilization. He didn’t want civilization. He wanted to see what was beyond the edge of the universe, where the next wormhole led, what the world had been like a thousand years ago, what it would be like a thousand years from now. He wanted to be an explorer. A good person. He wanted to be someone people would look up to like Thorne, who they’d love, like his mother, who was fearless when going after what they wanted like Tannis, who had an amazing capacity for enjoying everything life could offer, like Rico.
The opportunities were as limitless as time, and a zing of excitement speeded up his steps.
As Angel came into sight, Kronus spread his wings and made a little hopping movement—what passed for excitement in dragon body language, he presumed.
“You have it.”
It wasn’t a question, but Angel nodded anyway, unwrapped his package, and held it out to Kronus. Spurts of flame trickled from his nostrils, red flame that licked over the egg, singeing Angel’s fingers so he almost dropped it.
“Watch out,” he snapped, stepping back.
The sound in his head was almost a purr.
“Hey, it’s only an egg—don’t go all soppy on me.”
“Thank you, Angel.”
“My pleasure.” And it was, he’d had fun this evening and he’d met a girl.
A chuckle sounded in his mind. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the dragon happy before, maybe it was hard to be happy with the weight of all those years.
“Come,” Kronus said.
“Come where?”
“The egg is not ready. It needs another…” he leaned a little closer, “thirty Earth years to mature. We will secure it in a safe place and return when it is time.” He reached out one scaly claw. Angel looked at it for a moment, flutters in in stomach—he’d only flown on the dragon once before, when he and Kronus had helped each other stow away on the Blood Hunter. After tucking the egg under one arm, he jumped onto the outstretched leg. The scales covering the shoulder were big enough to use as hand-holds and he climbed onto the broad back, slung one leg over, and settled just in front of the wings.
With no warning, those enormous wings spread, lifting them effortlessly into the air. His blood raced with a thrill of exhilaration. So much power.
He leaned forward. “Higher.”
They rose and rose. Kronus took them to the edges of space, then plunged straight down to hover fifty feet above the ground. Angel recognized the small collection of buildings with the Dragon’s Den at the center, Mara’s cozy cottage at the outskirts of the village.
Kronus flew them slightly north to where the mountains rose out of the barren ground, alighting on a tiny ledge halfway up the highest peak.
“Place the egg at the back of the cave, and cover it with rocks,” Kronus said.
“What cave?”
Then he spotted the narrow opening. He slid down the dragon’s shoulder, teetered on the brink of the ledge, but was pulled back by the dragon’s claw hooked in the neck of his jumpsuit.
“Careful.”
He sidled along the ledge, and scraped though the narrow opening into a large cave, big enough to stand up straight. After re-wrapping the egg in Mara’s clothing, he laid it on the ground, and piled up rocks until it was hidden. Not that anyone would chance upon it up here.
When he got back outside, Kronus was still perched on the ledge, exuding a positive sense of self-satisfaction.
“So you plan to get Saffira to bring you back here in thirty years’ time?” Angel asked. “Will you tell her why or will you just hijack them again?”
“Will you tell them?”
“Probably.”
“Then perhaps I will tell them first.”
“Good plan. But I’m going to ask if we can stick around for a while.”
“Why?”
He considered whether to tell Kronus, but why not? “I want to see the girl, Mara, again. I liked her.”
Kronus swiveled his massive head and stared at him out of inscrutable violet eyes. A shiver ran through him.
“That would be pointless.”
“Why?” He wasn’t that bad. She’d actually said he was beautiful.
“Because tonight she dies.”
Shock had him teetering on the edge again. How could she die? And how did Kronus know? Because he had been here before, of course. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing. It has already been done. I identified the location of a female egg and I destroyed it—as was my duty.”
“And Mara?”
“Was in the house.”
“You have to take me back.”
“I cannot. The girl dies—I saw her burn. It is already done. If we change that, it will send ripples through the whole of time.”
“Oh, and what about the egg burning? You think changing that isn’t going to make any fucking ripples?”
“That is a necessity.”
“Only to you. Goddamn hypocrite. Take me back.”
“No.”
Angel gritted his teeth. Time was running out. “Please.”
“I cannot.”
He stared across the moor, making out the glow of light from the village and off to the side Mara’s small home. Was a younger Kronus already approaching? Flying across the night sky, ready to burn her to ashes. Not going to happen.
He’d never make it in time. At least not in human form.
He kicked off his boots, pulled on the fastener of his jumpsuit and quickly stripped to stand naked on the ledge. For a second, he held himself tense, waiting for Kronus to stop him, the intention heavy in the air. Nothing happened and Angel gave a shudder, felt the magic ripple through him, and a moment later he stood on all fours, his senses acute, aware of the world around him.
Throwing back his head, he howled to the sky, then leaped off the ledge and plunged down the almost vertical incline. He’d forgotten how much he loved this—there wasn’t much option for shifting on a space ship—now he reveled in the feel of the power of his limbs, the supernatural speed. In only minutes, he was on the level ground of the moors and racing toward Mara’s cottage. A sense of urgency pushed him on, he had no clue how long he had, and every second he expected the sky to rain down fire.
At last he skidded to a halt outside the house. How to do this? Should he shift back? But confronted with a naked man, she might just lock herself in. No, he needed the element of surprise. The sky was still clear, but was that the whoosh of wings approaching from the south? He padded around the rear of the building to her bedroom. A faint hint of light came from the curtained window, so likely she was still awake.
He closed his eyes and hurled himself through the glass. It crashed around him, but he landed on the center of the bed, a shrill scream ringing in his ears.
Mara sat bolt upright up, hair wild about her shoulders, mouth wide open. He crouched lower, looking as small and innocent as he could, tried a quick wag of his tail. Through the now open window, he could hear the definite sound of approaching wings. Time was nearly out. At least she’d stopped screaming. He moved slowly, took her bare arm in his teeth as gently as he could, and tugged.
She tried to pull free, and he shook his head. Her eyes widened, but she understood, and when he tugged again, she went with him, her expression more curious than alarmed now. He let her go, prodded her to the window. She winced as she tiptoed through the shattered glass. At the broken window, he nudged her, nipped her bottom when she was too slow. She turned and swatted him, but swung her leg over and was out. He followed.
Dragon fire was the hottest thing in the known universe. How far was safe? He just didn’t know. He could sense the immense presence hovering slightly to the south, so he pushed her fast to the north, staying in the shadow of the hedgerow that lined the narrow road. Finally, he allowed her to collapse to the ground, her breathing loud and fast.
“What the hell is going on?” she muttered to herself. “Why am I following the biggest goddamn dog I have ever seen? Okay, so I’m in denial. Why am I following the biggest goddamn wolf I have ever seen? Am I dreaming?” she asked hopefully. “I pinch myself and wake up?”
Angel leaned in and nipped her on the leg.
“Ow,” she said, rubbing the spot. “I guess not dreaming then. So what—”
The sky lit up with orange fire. Angel hurled himself on top of her as the heat singed the tips of his fur, filling the air with the acrid scent of burned hair. Behind them her house erupted into a ball of flames. He held her down for long minutes as she struggled, protecting her from the worst of the flames. Finally, he sat up and gazed into the sky; saw the flick of a tail as the younger Kronus vanished into the night.
He turned back, sat on his haunches as Mara pulled herself up and stared at the burning building.
“My house,” she whispered.
What should he do now? He wished he hadn’t left his comm unit because he could have called the Blood Hunter and asked them to pick him up. Now they would have to make it on foot. They? Was he taking her with him? Would Tannis let her on board? Would Rico eat her? Or would Kronus intercept them on the way back and burn her to ashes? But he couldn’t just leave her here. Well, he could but he didn’t want to.
He rose to his feet, and nodded his head in the direction of the Blood Hunter. It would be a long walk for her. She stumbled upright, swayed, but quickly steadied herself. Angel gave a yip, then started walking. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw she hadn’t moved. He yipped again, and she gave a shrug and followed. Her feet were bare and she wore what she had been sleeping in, which wasn’t much. She wrapped her arms around herself and stumbled on.
A shadow swooped down from above and he went still, holding his breath, waiting for the flames. Instead, Kronos landed lightly in front of them, Angel’s clothes dangling from one claw. He dropped them in front of Angel.
Angel took one look at the girl beside him and decided only words would explain this. He shifted back into human form. Didn’t look at her as he pulled on his clothes. Only when he’d dragged on his boots did he risk a peek at her face. Her mouth was open, she was staring, but not at him. He guessed she hadn’t even noticed he was naked. No, she was gaping at Kronus, as if she’d never seen a dragon before.
“Why?” he asked Kronos.
“I promised your sister.”
“Crap.” Did no one ever just want to save him? Was it only ever because goddamned Candy asked them to?
“She loves you. And she also knows you are the better part of her, the good part. You just have to find out what else you can be.”
Ah well, wasn’t that what he’d been thinking earlier? “So what now?”
“The ship is repaired. They are ready to leave. I said I would bring you back safely.”
“And Mara?”
“There will be repercussions.”
But that wasn’t a “no” and he’d worry about repercussions later.
At her name, Mara jumped and turned to him. “Angel?” She blinked, her brows drawing together. “What’s happening?”
“We’re going on a trip. If you want to.”
She glanced from him to Kronos who yawned, revealing super sharp incisors and breath like smoke. “With him?”
He nodded. “He’s our ride.”
“Oh.”
“Time running out here,” Kronos murmured in his head.
“You have to decide. We need to go.” He held out his hand, held his breath as he waited.
She swallowed, glanced from him to Kronus and back, finally slid her hand into his, and he tugged her toward the dragon. Angel clambered onto Kronus’s outstretched leg, then drew her up after him. He climbed the rest of the way and she followed quickly, sitting astride in front of him and he looped his arms around her waist.
As they launched into the air, he was filled with that wild exhilaration. Did she feel it too? Her body was rigid in his arms, but slowly relaxed as they flew higher and higher. This time they didn’t stop at the edges of space. The air grew thinner, until he struggled to breathe, and he could feel Mara’s frantic breaths as she gulped in air.
At last, when his vision was hazy from lack of oxygen, they breached the stealth mode and the Blood Hunter appeared, as if from nowhere, directly in front of them. Mara gasped but said nothing.
The docking bay doors opened and Kronus swooped inside, folding his wings as he landed neatly in the center
of the cavernous room. Tannis and Rico stood by the transporter bubble. Rico had an amused grin on his face, Tannis just looked pissed. “What is freaking going on? Where the hell have you been? And who the hell is she?”
Angel ignored the questions and tightened his arms around Mara. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “Welcome to the Blood Hunter.”
And in that moment he realized just what sort of person he wanted to be. The sort who rescued damsels in distress from fire-breathing dragons.
But he still wanted to be an explorer, and he had a feeling that soon they’d be on their way to 2045 and a visit with the dragon’s destiny.
He liked the idea.
A Word from Nina Croft
While I write mainly romance, I write all sorts of romance—contemporary, paranormal, thrillers, science fiction…whatever appeals to me in the moment. I’m very fond of mixing up my genres, and my favourite series to write has been Dark Desires, because absolutely anything can happen. It’s a combination of science fiction, suspense, paranormal, and romance, and follows the adventures, romantic and otherwise, of the crew of the Blood Hunter.
I wrote Break Out, book 1 in the series, after watching Firefly for the third time. I really wanted to write a space opera and had no intention of including a paranormal element, but when the pilot, Rico, turned out to be a vampire, I didn’t fight it. It occurred to me that space is a pretty good place for vampires. Then in later books we had werewolves and aliens and time travel and telepathy… Dragons first appeared in book 4, Temporal Shift.
Recently, I’ve been trying to finish the final book in the series, Flying Through Fire, and struggling a little. I’ve realized I don’t want it to end and I don’t want everything to be settled. It occurred to me that stories never really end, they are just part of a much bigger story. So when the chance came to write a short story for the Dragon Chronicles, I decided to take a look at what happens after the end of Flying Through Fire. And that’s how I came to write “A Diversion in Time”.
The Dragon Chronicles Page 21