“No. We settle this right now. If one of us doesn’t claim a mate soon, Silvia will take over as the Dragon Queen and I’ll be damned if I lose my right to become King.” He stepped forward, squaring off to Foster. “So, either be a man or I’ll march back inside and take her right now.”
“I’m not going to let you do that,” Foster responded through gritted teeth.
Lloyd reached his breaking point and lunged forward, tackling him to the ground.
“Get off of me!” Foster screamed, his nails turning into sharp claws as he dug them into Lloyd’s arms, but the dragon prince didn’t even flinch. His nostrils flared again, blue sparks flying toward Foster’s face. He managed to turn away in time to avoid being scorched, but he wasn’t quick enough to avoid a clip from Lloyd’s large wings.
The large claw at the end of Lloyd’s leathery wing cut across Foster’s cheek. “You son of a bitch.” Foster suddenly shoved off his elder brother, his own dark wings shooting out of his back. He roared with rage as he pulled his fist back before slamming it into Lloyd’s face. There was a loud crack as Lloyd’s nose broke. Foster laughed. “Suits you.” He spat, about to get up when Lloyd swept his legs. The younger dragon landed on his hip, groaning in pain before Lloyd pounced on him again, pinning him to the ground.
The two dragons started to roll around before they shot off into the sky, disappearing above the clouds before their bodies transformed into full-fledged dragons. They lunged and bit at each other, their colossal bodies slamming into one another.
Down below, as patrons left the nightclub, they looked up and saw the sky lighting up with vermilion reds and azure blues. Strange-sounding thunder boomed through the town. Some of them pulled out their phones and started to record the unnatural phenomenon. None of them noticed the large shadows that zipped across the sky as the dragons charged at each other.
Out of their sight, however, the two dragons continued their battle. Lloyd’s barbed tail whipped out, slamming into Foster’s side. He howled in pain before his sharp, dagger-like teeth sunk into Lloyd’s arm, determined to rip it from its socket.
It was going to be a long trip home for the two dragons.
Chapter Eight
Emily laid in her bed, listening to the strange booms outside her window. Occasionally, her room would flash with light before descending into darkness again. She clutched the sheets tight, pulling them up to her neck like she was a little girl hiding from the monster in her closet.
Eventually, the strange thunder faded away and she was left with a suffocating silence. She turned and stared at the wall, feeling the weight of loneliness on her body. She closed her eyes, trying to forget about everything that had happened. She just wanted to fall asleep and wake up in a world where men didn’t have strange cat-like eyes or burning skin.
Emily sighed, hearing the clock on her wall tick away. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. She looked up, watching the pendulum move back and forth rhythmically. Her eyes followed it. Back and forth. Back and forth. Eventually, she fell asleep, entering the world of dreams.
Emily was in a wide-open field. Long wheat stalks swayed around her in a soft, sensual dance. Slowly, she pushed them aside and walked forward, looking for a way out of the field. Her footsteps were silent as she turned right and then left and finally right again. She felt like she was walking in circles. She paused and sighed, irritated to find herself in this ridiculous situation.
She sat down, hugging her knees before she fell back onto the ground, crushing the wheat stalks under her body. The sky above was a bright blue color. A few fluffy clouds lingered overhead. Emily felt her mood lift at the beautiful sight and she smiled to herself.
As she enjoyed the view, a rush of movement to her right caught her attention. She turned her head, spotting large, winged creatures coming her way. As they came into focus, Emily couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of two living, breathing dragons. Their long necks moved left and right as they propelled their way through the sky, slicing through the wind.
Their wings flapped slowly, the vibrations reverberating through the ground until Emily could feel them underneath her body. She felt the urge to get up and run away, but at the same time, she couldn’t look away. Her heart was pounding as the two mythical beasts spiraled downward, looking like they were about to crash into the ground before they panned out and hovered right above the wheat.
The dark-scaled dragon zipped forward, causing a ripple in the stalks. Strands of Emily’s blond curls moved onto her face, obscuring her vision before the larger, white dragon let out a loud roar, giving chase. The enormous bodies collided together in a vicious attack before separating. They almost seemed to be grinning at each other, their sharp fangs on display as their lips curled back. A heckle emerged from the black dragon’s throat before he soared into the sky, looking like he would fly all the way up to the sun.
Emily sat up, a deep fascination in her blue eyes as she observed the creatures, envying their ability to fly. She wondered what it would feel like to glide across the sky. To be weightless and free. As she thought about it, the two dragons settled down and landed on the ground a few feet away from her.
Slowly, they started to shapeshift, their features blurring together. Emily’s eyes grew wide when she recognized Lloyd and Foster standing in front of her. “What the…?” She whispered to herself, quickly getting to her feet. “This can’t… no… this… makes… no sense…” She stuttered as she backed away. Slowly, the men withdrew their wings, their eyes returning to normal.
They stepped forward, holding out their hands. “Come home with us.” They said in unison.
Emily shook her head and turned on her heels, running through the field. She didn’t care where she went as long as she moved far, far away from them. Her heart felt like it would explode and her lungs burned as she ran as fast as she could. She tried to push the winged men away from her mind, not wanting to acknowledge that this impossible event was actually happening.
As she ran, she tried to ignore the deep yearning she held in her heart. She wanted to turn around and collapse into their arms. She wanted to be with them, despite their strangeness. She wanted to throw caution to the wind but she couldn’t. No, would do the right thing. The normal thing. Eventually, she would come across a nice regular guy. It would be for the best after all.
Thinking about this, Emily became distracted, not paying attention to her surroundings. Her body was working on auto-pilot. Suddenly, however, she came across the edge of a cliff, but it was too late to stop. She fell forward, plummeting into the chasm as the darkness ate her up.
Emily woke up with a gasp from the nightmare. She clutched the blanket to her chest as she heaved for air, her whole body covered in a cold sweat. She blinked, trying to push away the darkness of her room, but it was impenetrable. Slowly, she got up and searched for the light switch, her heartbeat drowning out the sound of her clock. Finally, she flipped the switch and sighed in relief as she found herself in her room.
“It was just a dream…” She tried to convince herself as she leaned against the wall, trying to make sense of it all.
As she stood there, she heard the door of her apartment slamming shut. She tensed up, straining her hearing, but her heart thumped even harder, making it impossible to detect the soft footsteps that now approached her bedroom. She held her breath as she inched toward the nightstand, grabbing a vase she used for decoration. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the porcelain, ready to use it against anyone who might come through the door.
The doorknob turned slowly and Emily tightened her grip even more as she hugged the wall. Maybe it was just Foster and Lloyd coming back to apologize, but as she looked out the window and saw the sunrise, she had the feeling it wasn’t them. They always left just before dawn. This had to be someone else.
The hair on the back of Emily’s neck stood on edge as the door was forced open, accompanied by a long squeak. It sliced through Emily’s soul, making her cringe. She shut her eyes tight and when she op
ened them again, there were three men in her bedroom, all of them with bloodshot eyes and slits for pupils. Without thinking, Emily charged forward, slamming the vase into the head of the closest man. He didn’t even flinch. He just chuckled, a deep smirk appearing on his face. His sharp, jagged teeth came into view. “You shouldn’t have done that…” He warned, his voice echoing.
The men quickly surrounded her. Emily could barely think, but her body was working on its own as she leaped over the bed, putting it between herself and her attackers. “Get out of my apartment!” She screamed. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at them before reaching for her lamp, looking ready to swing.
“You humans are so amusing.” The leader of the group said with a grin. “But luckily for us, you’ll help us prove a point.” He rolled his neck. A series of loud cracks filled the room. In a flash, he was on the other side of the bed, pushing Emily down onto the mattress. His hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling it behind her back. “One wrong move and I’ll break your arm.” Another whelp took the lamp away from her.
“What are you going to do to me?” Emily asked, her voice choked.
“Whatever we want…” The man whispered, his lips pressing against her neck. “Who knows, you might even learn to like it…” He chuckled, but at that point, Emily lost all control, imagining the implications. She started to thrash about, managing to land a kick between the man’s legs. He groaned, letting her go. She was about to run for the door when one of his accomplices grabbed her around the waist, slamming her down on the mattress.
“Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.” The whelp hissed as his fingers tightened around her wrists, pinning them above her head. Emily struggled, feeling his burning skin. The smell of burning flesh invaded her sense. Her burning flesh.
“Let go of me!” She screamed hysterically as she bucked her hips into the air, trying everything she could to get this man to let go, but there was already another attacker holding her legs, preventing her from kicking.
Suddenly, the third man pushed something into the side of her neck. She felt a sharp pain. Her vision slowly began to blur. “No… please… I’ll do whatever you want…” She tried to plead with them, realizing that her life was in danger. As she lost control over her body, pure terror settled into her soul. It felt like someone was sitting on top of her, preventing her from breathing. She gasped, trying to breathe in the much-needed air into her lungs. “This can’t be happening…” She whispered, her voice barely heard over the men’s victorious snickers.
“Oh, we’ll have our fun with you alright.” The leader grinned, running his long, claw-like nails along her skin before she finally submerged into darkness.
***
Foster and Lloyd arrived at the nightclub. They had spent the whole day bickering with each other, only to agree that Emily should be the one to choose. “I can’t believe I agreed to this… Emily is obviously going to pick me. Why would she want a weakling like you?” Lloyd grinned as he saw the scar now running across Foster’s cheek. It would heal soon, but for the time being, it was a good reminder of Lloyd’s strength.
“Don’t be so sure.” Foster retorted confidently. “You forget who she danced with all night long.”
Lloyd growled at the memory. “Let’s just settle this once and for all.” The dragons approached the entrance and pulled at the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. “Huh?” Lloyd gave the door another forceful tug, but it still wouldn’t open. “What’s going on?” He turned to Foster in question.
“And you call yourself tough.” Foster laughed, wrapping both his hands around the handle before he pulled back with all his might. With a groan, he lost his grip and fell back, nearly landing in a puddle.
Lloyd burst out laughing. “Don’t strain yourself. You’ll need all your strength to get Emily to even consider you.”
“Shut up.” Foster spat as he got up, brushing himself off. “Why on Earth is The Den closed?”
“How would I know?” Lloyd asked. He strained his hearing, listening for the usual sounds of booming nightlife, but all was quiet. “I don’t like this… it doesn’t sound like there is anyone here…” Without another word, Lloyd grabbed the door handle, his eyes shifting and his nose flaring.
“If I couldn’t open it, what makes you think you could? These are industrial –”
Before Foster could finish his statement, Lloyd had unhinged the door, throwing away the scrap metal with a loud clang. “You were saying?” He mocked with a grin as he rolled his shoulder, loosening up his muscles.
Foster just huffed, his teeth grinding together. He glared at Lloyd for a moment before stepping inside the vacant establishment. The floors were clear. The bar had not yet been stocked with the night’s alcohol. “This is strange…” He spoke to himself as he sniffed the air, trying to notice any unusual scent, but nothing seemed out of order.
“You’re telling me.” Lloyd agreed as he joined his step-brother, his footsteps echoing through the empty space. “It’s like a ghost town in here.”
“What do you think happened?”
Suddenly, it dawned on both of them that Emily lived upstairs. Quick as lightning, they rushed up the stairs, their shoulders jostling together as they tried to climb the steps two at a time. They arrived at the landing before shoving through the apartment door, getting wedged inside the doorway.
“Look what you did now!” Foster screamed, trying to wiggle away, but both he and his brother were pinned in place.
“This is your fault.” Lloyd snapped as his fingers wrapped around the doorframe, slowly cracking the wood until he yanked it out of place, throwing it into Emily’s living room. Finally, they were able to get through. Lloyd plucked a few splinters from his palm.
“Emily!” Foster called out, his eyes darting left and right, looking for her. She wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen. Lloyd was already heading toward the bedroom. He could smell whelps all over the place. They had infiltrated her apartment. He was sure of it and the mere thought made his blood boil. His wings emerged from his shoulders in anger as he stepped into her bedroom.
The door was swung back, the doorknob embedded in the wall. The bed was flipped over. Under his feet were crushed-up pieces of a vase. A lamp lay shattered on the bed. Lloyd stood there, shaking with anger as he took in the scene. “I’m going to fucking kill those weaklings.” He threatened under his breath. “I’m going to kill them… every last one of them.” His voice shook and his fists trembled.
Seconds later, Foster entered the room, his eyes wide and horrified. He gasped, his hand covering his mouth as he slowly walked up to the bed. His nostrils filled with the scent of the whelps. His blood ran cold as he followed his nose to the sheets, noticing the singe marks. “They were here… they came for her.”
“None of this would’ve happened if you had allowed me to mate with her last night.” Suddenly, Lloyd rammed Foster into the wall, his hand wrapped around his step-brother’s neck. His fingers tightened, determined to crush Foster’s windpipe right then and there. “This is all your fault. If she is injured in any way, I’ll destroy you.” His words dripped with venom, his body pressing against Foster’s.
“Let go of me, you fool. I can’t help you find her if I’m dead.” Foster croaked as his fingers tightened around Lloyd’s wrist, trying to weaken his grasp. He could feel his lungs burn with the lack of air.
With a look of disgust, Lloyd threw him to the ground. Foster gasped, trying to replenish his lungs as he coughed, rubbing his throat. “You’re an asshole.” He spat and slowly got up. “I told you this would happen. I said we couldn’t protect her during the day and I was right.”
“Shut up!” Lloyd bellowed, the sound shaking the very foundation of the building. “This is your fault. Don’t even try pinning this on me.”
“Look. The whelps took her. They obviously aren’t very happy that you beat up one of their own…”
“Oh, so this is my fault, is it? Typical. Blame me. You never want to be at
fault, do you? You’re such a fucking coward and if you think I need your help to find her, you’re mistaken. Even if I did, I wouldn’t want it.” Lloyd spat.
“You forget I’m the fastest seeker in our kingdom. Your sense of smell is no match compared to mine.”
“What does it matter if you’re nothing more than a chicken?”
“Yelling at me won’t bring her back so quit it.” Foster crossed his arms over his chest. “So, either you listen to me and we work together or I let you search for her for the rest of your life. Or have you forgotten that the whelps are masters of disguise? They’ve been living among the humans for years. Then again, you wouldn’t know because you’re so caught up in being royalty that you never concern yourself with others’ affairs.”
“I already told you to shut up. Don’t make me come over there and rip out your tongue.”
“Oh, I’m so scared,” Foster answered with a snarky tone before he approached the bed and ran his fingers along the scorch mark. He lifted his fingers to his nose, taking a big whiff of the scent. “Dynos,” Foster whispered.
“What?”
“Dynos. The whelps who took her are from the Dyno Clan. They live in the Appalachian Mountains.” Lloyd just looked at his step-brother, confused. “They must’ve taken her there.”
“But why would they take her in the first place?”
“Like I said, they probably weren’t very fond of you almost killing one of their members last night.”
“What was I supposed to do? He attacked Emily!”
“I’m not blaming you, I would’ve done the same thing. I’m just saying…” Foster sighed. “They probably thought she was your mate and with someone like that in their clutches… they can milk you for anything they want.”
“You mean like a ransom?” Lloyd questioned.
“You’re the dragon prince, aren’t you?”
Lloyd paced around the room. “Well, what are we still doing here? You know where they live, dammit. Let’s get her back. Let’s prove that whelps can’t mess with the dragon princes.”
A Secret Baby for the Vampire Page 74