Marked Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

  No, not monstrous. He wasn’t a monster. This was Jaxx. She knew him, trusted him.

  Fiora pushed her initial apprehension aside. She had no reason to fear him. The sound of breaking bones stopped, and he stretched his wings. He turned his attention toward the trees.

  As the initial shock of seeing the transformation dissipated, it was replaced by another feeling—attraction. Not so much for the dragon, but for the man inside the dragon. The power of Jaxx’s shift, of what he could easily become, made her feel protected. None of the general’s soldiers would be able to take on a dragon.

  Jaxx’s wings lifted slightly. He stared at her before slowly lowering his head, as if trying to make his posture as nonaggressive as possible. Fiora raised her hand and stepped toward him to explore the feel of his skin.

  “Hide those jewels, Jaxx,” Salena yelled. “I’m coming.”

  Fiora jerked her hand away from his neck before making full contact. Jaxx lifted his head and looked toward Salena.

  “Oh, good, you’re ready,” Salena said.

  Jaxx nodded his head once.

  “I find it easiest to climb on the back and grab the base of the wings,” Salena said, as she picked Jaxx’s clothes off the ground and shoved them in the pack. “Then hold on tight and try not to fall off.”

  Fiora nodded.

  Salena joined her sister in front of Jaxx. She placed a hand on her arm and took a deep breath. “He’ll take care of you.”

  “Why do you say it like that?” Fiora asked, wondering at the strange finality in her sister’s tone.

  “No reason.” Salena turned to go, only to stop and come back. “Actually…”

  “What is it?”

  “I know we’re not connecting like we used to. I thought when we found each other we’d click, like two missing pieces. I thought… I don’t know what I thought.”

  “We’re not the same people,” Fiora said. “We can’t be the same young girls we were back then. We’ve been through too much. I’m not the same, and I don’t want to be that girl again.”

  “Now I have to ask, why do you say it like that?” Salena crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Quite frankly, you were a little bossy. You liked to tell us what to do,” Fiora said. This didn’t feel like the perfect time to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her sibling. “I couldn’t lie to you so you always got the answers you wanted. Piera was too kindhearted to go against you. She liked having her decisions made for her. You can lie to us, so you could convince us to do things.”

  “I…” Salena’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before she snapped it shut.

  “It doesn’t mean we didn’t love you,” Fiora added, not wanting to hurt her sister’s feelings and yet compelled to speak the truth.

  Fiora didn’t know what would happen once they reached the city. She was confident her sister had a future with Grier, but her future with Jaxx was unreadable. This might be the only time they had to have this conversation.

  Fiora placed her hands on Salena’s shoulders, forcing her to meet her gaze. “And just like I’m not that girl, you aren’t your old self either. We’ve changed. It’s going to take time to find our new rhythm and get to know each other again. I hope we have that kind of time. We can’t expect things just to be what they were, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you or won’t do everything I can think of to find Piera. You will always be my sister, and I will always have that connection to you even if it doesn’t feel the same.”

  The heavy thud of footsteps came down the path. Grier appeared in dragon form. Jaxx made a series of low growls in his throat, and Grier answered him. Fiora had no idea what they were saying to each other.

  “We will have that kind of time,” Salena stated. “I’m not going to lose you again.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true,” Fiora said. “I hope it is.”

  Salena leaned forward to hug her. “Sometimes I hate your honesty. I forgot how annoying it could be.”

  “And I hate it when you say things to try to make me feel better. I can never tell if you’re lying or not,” Fiora patted her sister’s back a few times before ending the hug. She started toward Jaxx. A tiny headache formed, and she frowned. “Uh, Salena, make sure you pay attention to your dismount today. The ground is going to be uneven, and you don’t want to break an ankle.”

  “Thanks for letting me know.” Salena held up the pack she carried. “There is a handheld medic in here if we need it.”

  Grier reached to take the pack from his wife. She then climbed onto his back and held on to the base of his wings. Salena gave him a small tap.

  Grier pushed up from the ground, beating his wings to lift them into the air. Fiora watched as Grier angled himself upward and flew through a canopy of leaves.

  When they were alone, she turned her attention to Jaxx. He dipped his head and crouched low to the ground to give her a way to climb on top of him. She drew her hand over the bumpy texture of his neck. The hard layer of flesh didn’t mold to her fingers, not like when she touched his muscles.

  Jaxx lifted his wing out of her way so she could walk under it. Fiora ran her fingers along the underside. His wing shook and twitched. He snorted a short blast of smoke.

  “Did that tickle?” She asked, already guessing the answer.

  He gave a small nod.

  Fiora smiled, resisting the urge to do it again.

  This was another of those moments she wanted to hold on to forever, like being naked in his arms.

  When she touched his side, she felt the rise and fall of his breath. The rhythm calmed the tiny jump of fear in her chest as she took hold of the base of his wing and pulled herself onto his back. He rocked to the side to help her find her balance.

  Fiora sat with her legs to one side before leaning over to straddle his back. One of the short spikes near the base of his tail poked her thigh. She fidgeted with her positioning, unsure of what would be best.

  Fiora glanced up at the sky before burying her head in his back and holding on to his wings. She tightly closed her eyes. Jaxx slowly straightened. His wings moved, and she bit the inside of her mouth to keep from yelping. He shifted beneath her, his body undulating with each beat of his wings. She felt the moment they lifted from the ground.

  Fiora turned her head to the side and peeked through narrow slits of her eyelids to see that they moved past the tree trunks into the branches. She gripped him tighter. She kept her head turned to keep from looking down as they went higher. Unlike Grier who had angled upward to fly through the treetops, Jaxx kept her parallel to the ground. Leaves hit her back and brushed over her skin before sliding past her as they broke free of the forest ceiling.

  A sea of dark green leaves spread out before her, mimicking a strangely dancing carpet next to the green-blue sky. They led to the peaks and cliffs of distant mountains. The clouds drifted above them. If she ignored the fact that they were high above the ground, the view was almost serene.

  Grier flew with Salena in the distance, circling in the air as if waiting for them to join them. Seeing him in flight caused her stomach to do a tiny flip of apprehension, and she strengthened her grip on Jaxx. When her fingers began to feel numb, she forced them to ease up, worried that she might somehow injure him—which was probably ridiculous because his skin was like armor.

  He hovered for a moment as if giving her time to adjust. When finally he moved to follow Grier, he took it slow and steady. The sound of the wind drowned out all else. Jaxx’s body heat staved off the cooler temperature.

  She watched her sister, seeing her outline against Grier’s back. Salena stayed low, much like Fiora against Jaxx.

  Never would she have predicted that one day she’d be riding on a dragon’s back…or that she would be in love with that dragon.

  Love.

  That one thought caused her to relax. She loved Jaxx and trusted him.

  Her legs loosened their tight grip. Jaxx began to fly a little faster. He stayed parallel to the groun
d, turning on a wide angle. She slowly pushed up from his back, still holding onto his wings. The treetops moved beneath her, blurring.

  The wind whipped her hair back from her face. She felt the pressure of it along her torso, molding her clothing. The beauty of the scene was undeniable. She could see why Jaxx loved his planet so much. The cold air got to her, and she wasn’t able to sit up for long.

  Fiora leaned down against his body, pressing her breasts and stomach tight to soak in his heat. Riding on his back was nothing like dangling from talons. She much preferred this method.

  They headed toward the distant mountains. Eventually, the tiniest outline of the watchtower appeared along the edge. Then hints of the Federation stronghold over Shelter City.

  Fiora pushed up again to try to get a better look at the city below. Suddenly, a rush of emotions hit her. Jaxx had been right. Touching his dragon skin didn’t stop the visions. She’d been so focused on flying that she had forgotten about the timelines.

  The sky lit up with the orange glow of a fire seconds before a giant ball of flames appeared. Distant shouts filled her ears as the people below panicked in their futures. She tried to drop against Jaxx’s back, but an explosive force of heat blasted her. She tried to hold on, but her hands were pried from his wings. Fiora screamed as she rolled through the air over his spiny tail. A sharp point sliced her arm when she tried to grab hold of him.

  There was no time to think of the pain as she found herself launched over the forest. Her limbs flailed as she tried to grab hold of nothingness to stop her descent. Another scream ripped from her lungs as terror filled her. She saw Jaxx swooping above her and remembered what he’d said.

  Fiora forced her shaking arms to the side. She plummeted toward the treetops. A wave of fire rolled over the top of them as the future visions overlaid the actual present. She closed her eyes as the flames came closer.

  Please. Please. Plea—ah!

  Her feet hit the canopy of leaves just as two vicelike grips formed on her biceps. Jaxx jerked her away from the trees, changing her trajectory. Her feet swung up over her head. They made contact with the underside of his jaw.

  Jaxx’s head snapped back, and he flipped in the air in a backward somersault. Fiora cried out in surprise as she was flung around with him. Her stomach fluttered in warning as nausea rose in her throat. He completed the rotation and steadied his flight pattern.

  Fiora gasped for breath. She stretched her fingers but was only able to feel the air. Jaxx kept a tight grip on her arms as she dangled beneath him. The grip stopped the circulation in her arms, but at the moment she didn’t care about her tingling hands. His flight was overly cautious as he slowly carried her toward a clearing.

  The timelines became stronger. They were just as chaotic as the first time she’d flown by the city, but not as amplified without the boost the Federation scientists had injected into her. Screams echoed all around her. Balls of smoke and fire billowed into the air. The sky became dark, darker than should have been possible with the constant daylight of the planet. Ash hung thick in the atmosphere, choking her lungs and making it difficult to breathe.

  Those in the middle of the city who were not lucky enough to instantly burn were suffocating in the aftermath. As the pain fanned out from the epicenter, some were able to escape only to starve in the woods. People turned on each other, killing in anger and fear. Others ate poisonous berries in hungry desperation, having navigated burnt forests. Yet others fell asleep in patches of yellow ferns, the spores drugging them into oblivious death.

  One moment she felt like she was on fire, the next she ran through a forest, then she was back flying in the air, and then writhing in agony on the ground. She was stabbed, blasted, kicked off the side of a cliff. Yellow pollen tickled her nose seconds before she slit someone’s throat from behind. The sensations washed over her, fighting for dominance.

  Synapses fired in her brain. All of the sensations felt real, although at the same time only a few of them were from the present. She couldn’t differentiate between them.

  Something bounced against her heels. The skid of earth sounded as her feet were dragged over the ground. When her feet stopped, her ass dropped onto the uneven rock, followed by her back and head.

  Jaxx released his hold on her arms, and she blinked in surprise to see he’d ended their flight. For a second, the sky cleared of fire and she watched Grier fly over her. Particles of ash followed him, falling like black snow.

  “Fiora?”

  Jaxx appeared over her, and he took hold of her face. The ash disappeared the second he made contact.

  “Fiora?” Jaxx repeated. “Look at me.”

  She tried to lift her hands to cover his, but she couldn’t move her arms.

  “I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry, I tried to take it slow for you.” Jaxx continued to hold her face.

  “Fiora?” Salena yelled. A thud sounded as Grier landed.

  “She’s hurt. I need the handheld medic. She cut her arm on my tail,” Jaxx answered.

  “I’m com—” Salena jumped from Grier’s back, only to cry out in pain. “Blast it all, my ankle! I think I broke it.”

  “Selen—?” Grier started to ask.

  “Help Fiora,” Salena ordered, her voice strained. “Jaxx needs the handheld.”

  Fiora heard Grier digging in the pack.

  “Got it,” Grier said. “Catch.”

  Jaxx released her face to catch the unit. Ash began to fall all around her at the lack of contact. Fiora closed her eyes and coughed as it landed on her lips. The slightly metallic taste flavored her mouth, and she tried not to breathe.

  Jaxx grabbed her arm, and the ash-fall stopped. When she opened her eyes, he was leaning over her, healing a cut on her arm.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

  “It’s not your fault,” she answered. “I shouldn’t have sat up. I should have been ready for the timelines. They caught me off guard. I knew better.”

  “Oo-ow,” Salena moaned. “Yeah, definitely broken.”

  “I tried to warn you to watch your dismount,” Fiora said.

  “I wasn’t thinking about me. I was preoccupied with the fact you decided to skydive off Jaxx,” Salena countered, sounding grouchy.

  “Not on purpose,” Fiora answered. The pain eased from her arm, not that she’d been focusing on it.

  “Give me the medic,” Grier said to his cousin.

  Jaxx tossed the handheld over to him.

  “Help me up.” Fiora grabbed hold of Jaxx’s arm. He pulled her to sitting. She felt a little dizzy.

  “Better?” Grier asked Salena, holding the handheld medic to her ankle.

  “A little sore, but yeah, better,” Salena answered. “Thank you.”

  “You’re bleeding,” Jaxx said, gesturing to her nose.

  Fiora swiped at her nose. “It’ll go away.”

  “Do you want to tell me what you saw?” Jaxx asked. His touch kept the information from replaying in her mind and becoming physically painful.

  “An explosion starts in the center of town,” Fiora said. “It either spreads or there are more explosions, catching the forest on fire. Ash chokes the city, killing more people than the explosions. Citizens turn on each other. In the aftermath, lawlessness spills toward the shifter settlements. Some people starve, others die in various horrific ways.”

  “Did you see how we stop it?” Grier asked.

  “No. I see the effects, not the cause.” Fiora placed her hand over Jaxx’s. “You’ll need to take me into the city. We can talk to that cyborg Salena was talking about.”

  “Yevgen,” Salena supplied. “He’ll know of any threats. If you find the right targets to read, you will find which timelines to follow.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Fiora said. “If we can find who or what starts this, maybe we can stop it.”

  “You’re sure we can trust him?” Jaxx asked.

  Fiora understood his concern. Cyborgs were both man and computer. It was somet
imes difficult to tell how much was human and how much was programming. Robots followed a set of protocols and programs, some learning programs, but at their base core they had a primary function. Humans were unpredictable. Combine human emotion with a robotic function, and you could get a dangerous combination.

  Salena nodded. “Yes. I trust him. He helped us find Fiora. However, I’ll warn you that I can’t force him to speak the truth. The machine in him is able to override the compulsion in the man.”

  “You’re in no condition to walk,” Grier said to his wife. “You should stay in the—”

  “My sister is not going in there alone,” Salena insisted.

  “She won’t be alone. I’ll be there,” Jaxx said.

  “Take me or I follow you after you leave,” Salena warned. “Your choice. Yevgen knows me. I can get him to trust you.”

  “But your foot…” Grier began.

  “I’ve seen glimpses of your future,” Fiora said. “I know you both make it out alive today.”

  Grier seemed to relax at the news.

  “Maybe you stay here and we’ll go see Yevgen,” Salena said. “Since you can’t see your future. Just to be safe.”

  “Take me or I follow,” Fiora answered, arching a brow as she repeated Salena’s threat.

  “Fair enough.” Her sister stood and rocked on her ankle. She reached for the handheld and typed in a program before pressing the device to her neck.

  “What did you do?” Grier asked, checking the screen.

  “Something to dull the pain. I promise to rest my ankle when this is over,” Salena said.

  “A neuro-blocker?” Grier frowned. “Is this safe?”

  Fiora pulled Jaxx’s hand away from her as she concentrated on her sister. “She’ll be in pain later once they wear off. You should get her to a medical booth as soon as you can.”

  Jaxx took her hand to stop Salena’s timeline flow. “Can you stand?”

  Fiora nodded. “I’m a little dizzy from the flight, but that will pass.”

  Grier pulled the clothes out of the pack and began to dress. He paused long enough to toss a pair of pants at Jaxx.

  “There is a stockpile of cloaks we can use to disguise our clothing. We’ll pick them up from a cache on the way into the city,” Jaxx said.