by Sariah Skye
She shook her head. She glanced briefly at a wristwatch on her wrist and wrung her palms out on her dark blue scrubs she was wearing. “No, not yet.”
I frowned. I was expecting this news, but I was still disappointed. “Well, please let me know if there is anything I can do.”
“Leorah!” Maxxus’ voice hissed from nearby. I nodded a good-bye to the vampire and joined him. Kiarra joined her then and they were discussing something in hushed tones.
I noticed now he was at the beside of the little white drake from earlier, Daxira, in her dragon form. Her mother sat nearby, in a chair as the little dragon writhed in her sleep.
“She’s having a nightmare?” I asked and the mother nodded.
“Can you…?” Maxxus lifted his hands and nodded towards her, indicating that I should use my magic to help her.
“I will try.” I lifted my eyes, silently asking for the mother’s permission.
Maxxus scooted away slightly and allowed me space. I leaned over the wriggling dragon as she muttered something in distress under her breath.
I felt my eyes heat with the sting of warm tears. Seeing a child—and innocent in such distress tugged at my soul.
I hovered my palms over her and closed my eyes. I pictured her sweet face, thought of her giggle we heard just hours ago and imagined her in a field with sunflowers and dandelions and butterflies. Her brother was nearby, kicking rocks into a nearby stream. It was quiet. It was peaceful. The sun was warm and beat gently on her shoulders of the white princess dress and robes I invented in my mind for her.
So sweet…so innocent. I sniffled involuntarily, feeling something warm trail down my cheek.
“Leo?” Maxxus asked, but I barely heard him in my imagining of a dozen happy scenarios for the little white dragon.
My palms began to heat as I felt the magic from inside me emanate outward. I heard a gasp from nearby, but from who I couldn’t tell who from. The sunny heat warmed my insides as I willed it forward.
Happy dreams, little one. I thought to myself. A smile stretched across my face and I felt a sense of peace overcome the air around me. A little giggle escaped the sleeping child dragon below.
I opened my eyes slowly and felt a little dizzy. I couldn’t see anything but Maxxus’ concerned blue eyes. I reached for him, smiling like an idiot but my appendages were reluctant to move, feeling tingly and warm like I’d had too much spelled liquor.
He muttered something unintelligibly, and I was scooped up in his arms.
“But—where are we going?” I asked, slurring my words.
I couldn’t understand him but I felt sleepy as I rest my head against a hard, solid surface; probably his chest. Feeling dizzily sleepy, suddenly I felt a wash of tiredness come over me.
My eyes fluttered open groggily but saw nothing but black as I struggled to peel my body off the damp ground. Lifting my head was laborious and I only managed a little height, my hair tangling with a mass of—slimy moss?
Gingerly, I raised my hand, touching the substance that clung to my hair. Instantly I felt chill and…
…Despair.
“Oh no…” I barely managed to mumble to myself.
Shadows. How is this possible?
It was a struggle to call for my magic. It fought to “light” inside; the spark sputtered and gasped, but I found it. I closed my eyes—though it wasn’t much different than keeping them open—taking a deep breath I pulled it from deep inside and felt it warm my chest; the sensation spreading outward to my fingertips. The glow from the magic was nearly blinding as my eyes re-opened and I glanced around me.
Several ominous shapes stretched out in the distance; resembling nothing more than the outlines of trees or buildings. I couldn’t tell; they were barely visible in the darkness.
I heard a light giggle to the left of me. Narrowing my eyes in the dark, I caught the wispy image of a small child: Daxie.
She appeared to be dancing around, twirling in circles, when a mass of darkness—slimy and oozing—towered up suddenly next to her.
Daxie stopped spinning; dropping the ribbon to the ground. She trembled under the sight of the gruesome Shadow mass.
Holes began to form at the top, filling with more darkness. They shifted slightly, seeing the girl below. Daxie let out a slight whimper, but appeared frozen with fear as the Shadow mass formed, swirling and hissing with wispy black tendrils. Two tendrils reached out for Daxie. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move. Couldn’t move.
I remembered the fear; the terror…the hopelessness upon being in the Shadow realm for the first time. It no longer affected me as it once did, but I knew exactly how little Daxira was feeling.
“Daxie!” I shouted into the din. I reached my hand out for her, but the sticky matter under me made moving nearly impossible; like I was stuck to a slab of molasses.
Daxie turned her head, seeing me. Her eyes were black—as if being blinded by the hopeless Shadows—but they gradually lightened.
In my outstretched hand, I summoned a ball of pink light.
Like a moth to a flame, she stepped forward.
The Shadows roared out behind her. She paused, turned around and looked over her shoulder.
“Daxie! Come here! Don’t go with it!” I called at her. I shook my other hand free of the glutinous mass. I hovered it over the ball of light, and pictured a flower in my hand. The light shifted and shaped into a budding rose.
Daxie’s eyes lightened more, the blue of her irises appearing again. She took another handful of steps forward, as the Shadow mass growled. It flailed its Shadow appendages wildly in front, trying to catch Daxie, but she was already out of reach.
She hesitated in her footsteps as the Shadow growled out once more. “Come…” it beckoned ominously.
“No!” I insisted, shouted directly at the Shadows. I fixed my gaze on Daxie. With a flick of my hand, I made the light flower open, and bloom. “See? You can have it. You just need to come here, and take it.”
Daxie’s eyes flashed back to their original color. “Pretty…” she said, her little hand reaching for the flower of light I created.
“Yes.” I pushed it towards her. Daxie’s fingertips barely grazed over the magic, and she shuddered violently, as if snapping herself together.
“Queen?” Her eyes were affixed on me now, aware and terrified.
I nodded. “It’s me, Daxie. Time to get out of this nightmare, huh?”
She nodded vigorously. “I’m scared.” Her voice trembled as she placed her hand in mine.
“This place is scary,” I agreed. “It’s time to go.”
“What if they come back?” she asked, her bottom lip quivering with fear.
“You just tell them no. And then, remember this flower. And you’ll be okay again,” I said, trying to smile as brightly at her as I could.
“Okay,” she said in a small voice. “Can we leave now?” She glanced around. “It’s so dark.”
The Shadows behind her slithered forward, gurgling and crying out.
“No!” I called, pulling Daxie aside with one hand and summoning up my magic in another. I flicked it open and a mass of light collected there. I heaved it with difficulty at the Shadows, and it struck, the Shadow crying out in pain.
It writhed and exploded in mass of light. I pulled the little dragon-shifter in, shielding her from the bright light explosion.
Before it hit us, I felt a shudder as the Shadow spoke before it exploded into oblivion:
“In the end, you will come.”
Chapter 8
“It’s okay, Leo. Just relax.” I felt my arms involuntarily raise over my head as someone pulled my dress off and tossed it on the ground. Next, the tiara was removed and set softly nearby on a wooden surface. I giggled, snapping my arms back down over my exposed stomach and chest; my upper body covered only by the strapless white lace bra I was wearing. I felt a plush blanket being draped over my lap, and a pair of strong arms moved me backwards and urged me to lay on a smooth, silk pillow.<
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In my dizzy state I looked up, curiously confused at the blue eyes that were staring at me, looking both heavy and concerned at the same time. “What—huh?”
“You got a little sleepy—just a bit—okay, darling. I brought you home. Or…well what we’re calling home for now, anyway,” he added with a short laugh.
“But—how?”
“Kiarra helped get you on my back when I shifted and I flew us back to the castle. You need your sleep.” The voice I now recognized as Maxxus’.
I raised a brow. “What? I would have remembered that, wouldn’t I?”
He smiled and handed me a small, silver vial. “Here. Drink this. It should help.”
It was uncovered and I put it to my lips, slamming it down quickly. It burned like vodka as it went down. “What did you just make me drink?”
“Just a faster acting energy potion. Good for when you use too much magic.” He explained, as I thrust the empty vial back at him. He set it gingerly on the nearby nightstand.
“Magic? All I did was—” I protested, confused. “I was dreaming.”
Now it was his turn to raise a brow. “Dreaming?”
I nodded. “Yeah… I dreamt I was in the Shadow realm again…and that little dragon was about to get consumed by the Shadows. I pulled her out.” I blinked, perplexed. “It was just a dream, wasn’t it? I couldn’t have been in the Shadow realm.”
“Perhaps you were just seeing what she was seeing,” Maxxus suggested, but looked concerned. “It was pretty intense. I don’t see how you could have been in the Shadow realm again. You went— how was it that Daniel put it? — “nuclear” again. All this magic washed off you and encompassed the camp. You healed everyone in that tent, you realize that?”
I shook my head, confused. I blinked a couple of times, feeling less woozy with every moment. “I did?”
He nodded intently. “I don’t know what happened. Or how you did it. Finnian figured since you had an emotional investment in us—Gabriel and I—during the battle with the Shadows that’s how you were able to heal us both. Heal everything. You did the same thing just now, just on a smaller level. I cannot imagine, though, what emotional investment you have though in that child other than she’s just really cute. But if you thought she was in the Shadow realm—for real—I can kind of understand now how you could have done that.”
I looked at his face intently. I knew why I had an emotional investment in them; not “just” because of the dream. “Maybe, but…Maxx, do you remember before all this began? On Mabon, when we were sitting in that square, watching them—that cute little family? The very same ones today? Daxie and her family?”
He nodded. “Yes…I remember.”
I looked away, feeling foolish. “All I could think of was how jealous I was.”
“Jealous?” he repeated uncertainly. “Because you thought your family stunk, right?”
“Well…” I blushed profusely. “More than that. Kiarra and I had had a conversation. She was insisting that you had a thing for me. I didn’t think so but, when I saw that family, and then she put the idea in my head…well…I had…thoughts.”
“Thoughts?” he asked, confused. His expression softened. “Oh. I get it. Thoughts.”
“That was the first time I ever truly pictured that it was possible that I could have a family of my own. A real family. And I know now that a lot of it with my parents was just an act, but it still doesn’t change the fact that…” I trailed off, suddenly feeling stupid. I looked away.
His hands cupped my chin and he urged my gaze upwards towards him once again. “You thought of having a family with me?”
“Yes.” Was all I said.
Maxxus took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He leaned forward and touched his forehead to mine.
“I cannot believe I’m going to say this—I never thought I would in a million years. Ever. But you realize it’s not the greatest timing right now, right?” he groaned. “Oh my you idiot, shut up, Maxx,” He scolded himself. Looking away momentarily and closing his eyes.
“Maxx?”
His gaze returned to me. “Soon, darling. Real soon.”
I shrugged, feigning indifference. “I’m not fertile right now, anyway.”
His face drooped, slightly crestfallen. “When were you last?”
“Just before this mess all started. Only been a couple months.”
He cursed. “Well, so that gives us what, another ten months? Hopefully by then the Shadow mess should be over and we can just get back to life and find a new normal. And get started on all those baby drakes,” his voice slightly cracked at the mention of babies but he beamed widely. “If you want, that is.”
“Oh, it is.”
He raised a brow. “Did Kiarra mention anything we have going on in the morning?”
“Um, not ‘til afternoon. I think?”
Maxxus shifted himself until the majority of his body weight was over me. I noticed that he was only wearing pants; his upper body was totally uncovered. He grinned, watching me admire his upper body. “Sorry, I was getting ready to come to bed when you woke up. I didn’t have time to get fully undressed.”
I bit my lip, trying to hide my obvious grin. Not saying anything I reached over and pulled the drawstring of his pants, releasing them from his waist. He stood, and let them fall to his feet; only a pair of soft boxer shorts remained. “Don’t let me stop you.”
“You first.” Maxxus quickly reached over, his arms wrapping around my upper body. I felt fingers feel for something on my back; they landed at my bra. He worked the hook and, quickly managed to unhook the wings from each other. With one hand, he pulled it away and it fell into my lap, fully exposing my breasts to the cold, evening air.
I gasped slightly. I didn’t have time to complain about the cold because the bra was quickly replaced with his body pressing against me; a strong contrast to my soft breasts that were chilled in the air. One of his hands stroked my cheek gently, and trailed down my neck, down my chest and cupped one of them firmly. “Are you up for this, again? You were pretty out of it just now.”
I smirked. Pushing the blankets aside I inched myself closer to him, climbing into his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing one hand onto his upper shoulder; the other snaked my fingers through the ginger waves at his neck. “I think I can manage.”
His eyes hooded and he pulled me closer to him, a low growl escaping the back of his throat. “Just in case, you’ll tell Finnian about that dream? Or—someone?”
I nodded, the dream a distant memory now, as I let out one of my own, giving him a predatory look. I forcefully pulled his face towards mine, brushing my lips against his. He let out a slight moan as I caught his bottom lip between my teeth.
“Oh, that’s it.” He deepened the kiss, massaging my tongue with his. I felt him stand, move awkwardly as he stripped off his boxer shorts and he positioned himself over me, shoving me down forcefully onto the bed. I let out a squeal at his forceful act. “I hope you aren’t too tired, this is going to take a while.” His hand flicked at his side and I heard the unmistakable sound of the metal tumblers in the door to our chambers clicking shut.
He pulled the silk blankets around us and leaned over my body, kissing me deeply. The blankets blocked out the cold, the harshness and the fear of the world around us and we lost ourselves in each other, happily, ignoring everything else as we explored each other’s bodies until we passed out; happily spent.
A rapping on the door woke me out of my sound sleep. “Ugh, go away!” I hollered crabbily. I buried my face further into a patch of—hair and moisture?
“What the—?” I craned my head up awkwardly; apparently I had been using Maxxus’ chest as a pillow, and I had unfortunately drooled on him. “Oh crap…” I muttered, reaching for a sleeve of my shirt. I growled, perturbed, patting my own upper body. I was still completely naked. “Fuck. Oh that’s disgusting.”
“What is?” Maxxus asked groggily. He lay on his back, one of his arms had been
wrapped around me; the other was craned under his head and neck for support.
“I—uh—” I stammered, embarrassed, trying to rub away the puddle of drool with my hands. I cursed, as I realized I was just smearing it.
Another knock at the door. “Just an effing minute, will ya?”
“I’ll be back shortly! Finnian is here!” Kiarra called from the other side of the door. I heard footfalls as she assumedly walked away.
Maxxus slowly sat up, eyeing me oddly as I frantically brushed off his chest with my hands, making it much, much worse. Now the hair on his chest was an outright sticky rug, instead of just a contained puddle. “What are you doing?”
“I, uh, apparently I drooled on you in my sleep. I’m sorry.” My cheeks heated in embarrassment.
He ran his hands through his mussed waves and looked down. He let out a boisterous laugh. “Oh, well then, at least I can say I was worth drooling over! It’s okay, Leo—really!” He snickered to himself, tossing off the blankets and making his way to the washroom; assumedly for a towel.
My eyebrow slowly raised in appreciation as I watched his naked backside saunter away. I swallowed heavily, feeling my heart race. “Oh god…” I flung myself back onto the bed, and groaned at my own mortifying stupidity.
“What time is it?” Maxxus re-emerged, wiping off his chest with a towel and tossing it on the floor.
“Not sure, but it’s too early.”
“So, you’re not awake then?” Maxxus grinned playfully, sauntering back to the bed. He folded himself next to me, pulling the covers off and exposing my body to the cold of the stone room.
I gasped, and let out a squeal. “You dirty bastard!” He pulled the cover away from me further, shoving the bulk of it on the other side of him. I clambered awkwardly over him, not realizing I was straddling his lower waist as I made grabby-hands for the silken quilt.
“Ha! You fell right into my trap!” He whipped the quilt over me, pulling it tight and effectively trapping me against the…ahem…length of his body.