His smile this time was savage. “I would. So I brought help.”
She turned quickly, to see four men emerging from the inner room. Strangers. Dome, she supposed. Well, five to one was not good odds, even if they were all as pitiful as Niall -- sheer body-weight would do their job for them. She could still lose them in the countryside, split them up if necessary and take them out one at a time…
She tugged the door handle. Something clicked, and a quick glance showed her Niall by a work station. He had locked them in.
For the first time she felt truly threatened. Her heart drummed, her mind raced. “So what’s your plan, guys?” she asked, moving forward to avoid being hemmed in and rushed. “What do you want?”
“Your samples,” said Niall.
“I’d have given you them if you hadn’t dissolved our partnership.”
“But not the ones that show the true facts, that there is no radiation at all where the bat-people live.”
Shit.
“Bat-people?” She sounded amused. “You been brewing your own again?”
Niall smiled and pulled a lever. The car began to rise.
“Stop it!” Beth said sharply. “You don’t know how this thing works!”
“I know enough. And I know you’re scared of heights.”
“That was a lifetime ago.”
She lunged at the lever. Niall stepped back hastily, but before she reached it another man was upon her, dragging her back. She lashed out at him, connecting sharply with his jaw bone. He grunted in pain and hit her back.
She went with the blow, at the same time twisting out of his hold, seizing and bending his arm behind him, kneeing him to the ground as the others came at her.
“Spare it, Bethie,” Niall said, watching contemptuously. “The City will never get the bat-people’s land. The Dome will have it before the City knows anything about it, and then we’ll control the tether too. And you -- you’re going over from a great height, and nothing you can do will stop it.” He grinned maliciously. “Face it, darling, it’s your worst nightmare.”
Once, maybe. Now it was that the Dragul be forced back into the dark. Or that they’d exterminate humanity. She laughed. “Come on then. Catch me, push me out if you can. How many will I get first?”
She kicked out at the nearest man, catching him squarely in the stomach and then spinning to face the one who’d edged round behind her. She wouldn’t give in, she would fight to the death -- and death would be the inevitable result. She wasn’t even postponing it by fighting, though with her vampire strength she hoped to take a couple of them with her…
And when she was dead -- how would that help the Dragul? The Dome would come, with or without the City.
Aurel! Aurel! I need you!
Before she could even wonder if her telepathy was strong enough to reach him, there was a tremendous thump on the door, swiftly followed by a second that brought it crashing inward with a blast of wind that drove everyone backward.
Through it, Beth saw the beloved winged figure, flying upward with the carriage. In one incomparably graceful movement, he folded his wings, and stepped into the doorway, closing the door behind him.
Sheer emotion welled up inside her, threatening to overwhelm her as the men had not. It came out in a low, bubbling laugh.
As Aurel stood looking around the room, head slightly, enquiringly to one side, Niall said aggressively, “Who the fuck are you?”
Aurel smiled directly into his eyes. Ice and fire and invincibility. “Face it, darling, I’m your worst nightmare.”
* * *
Bastard, you were there all the time!
Of course I was. Avram betrayed us. I caught him flying home, and knew there would be trouble for you. So I came back.
Aurel, it may be too late. I’m afraid word has already been sent back to the Dome…
Hush, we’ll worry about that later.
Beth cried out as the five men, including the ones she’d injured before, all lunged at Aurel.
He disappeared from her view, blotted out by those who attacked him.
Dear God, I’ve made the worst mistake of all! There’s no space for him to fight. All I’ve done is kill him as well!
Despair swamped her, the utter blackness of total loss. Nothing, nothing mattered without him.
From the floor came a low growl, building swiftly to a roar as the five men all came catapulting backward with such speed that she had to leap aside to avoid the body landing at her feet.
A laugh of pure relief broke from her, choked off when she realized what stood in Aurel’s place.
A dragon filled the room, huge teeth snapping in its big, scaly head. Steam blasted out of its nostrils as it lowered them to sniff the man at its feet. Its scaly body could barely move, save to swish its tail behind, hitting the man crawling there. It lifted its head once more, hurling a ball of fire across the room.
The men screamed, though Beth saw it disintegrate almost as soon as it was formed.
“Aurel,” she whispered.
Before her eyes, the dragon shrank. Its long neck shrivelled downward and its body reformed into that of the winged man, all with as little effort as it took her to breathe. For her, shifting was physically agonizing as well as mentally tumultuous -- which was why she fought so hard to control it when the urge came at full moon…
“It was a useful talent against the dinosaurs,” Aurel said casually inside her head. “Against men, we only used it for scaring purposes. Dragons aren’t really much use in this kind of fight.”
Seems to have done the job, though.
“Not quite.”
Aurel stepped over the cowering man in his path to the work station. He drew back the lever and as the car came to a halt, his fingers flew over the keys. The car slid downwards, fast, and picking up speed.
Beth’s stomach somersaulted, reminding her of the old, sick fear. But she had no time to dwell on it for unerringly Aurel strode to Niall, picking him up by the collar and shaking him like a terrier with a rat. With his other hand, he seized the man who had struck her -- did he really know that? -- and dragged them to the door.
He didn’t touch it. He was nowhere near the locking mechanism, but nevertheless the door flew open for him. Niall screamed; the other man started jibbering, begging for mercy.
Aurel said coldly, “You would have killed my One like this. You had the gall to strike her. You’re already as good as dead.”
They dangled into the air, their feet flying to one side as Aurel held them there by nothing more than their tearing clothes. Beth had never seen such terror mingled with such certainty of death in anyone’s face. In its way, it was shattering. Her anger against them melted away, with the knowledge that Aurel was here, that they were alive. She tried to speak into the wind, but before she could, Aurel swung them upward and flung them back into the car. They landed in a tangled heap against the far wall.
“Live with those thoughts,” he said contemptuously. “If you can stop the car in time. I estimate you have around a minute to figure out how.”
He spread his wings.
“Please, she’ll die with us!” Niall screamed.
“No she won’t,” said Aurel, holding out his arms. In two steps, Beth was in his arms, her legs tucked round his waist as if they belonged there. His great wings began to beat. She had to shout her parting message over his shoulder.
“Remember this, Niall! They’re too strong for us. If you move against them, you’ll die. Everyone will die.”
* * *
“Will it work?” Aurel asked.
They sat on the top of the hill overlooking the Kingdom. Beth held tightly to his arm, her head on his shoulder.
“I don’t know. You gave a powerful demonstration. It will certainly make them think twice. If anyone believes them. It may be that people will think they’re just making up stories to account for my disappearance.”
Aurel’s fingers tugged at her hair, making her look at him. “Then you’ve changed
your mind about disappearing with me?”
“I can’t lose you,” she said simply. “I’m afraid, Aurel. This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me, and I need time to sort it out. But I know I can’t leave you. If you still want me.”
Silent laughter shook his shoulders. “Still? How fickle do you think I am? Undying love last night, dismissal this morning?”
“You wouldn’t be the first man to make declarations like that!”
“You must know some… shallow men.”
“Yes,” she said simply. Then, more thoughtfully, “Perhaps we’re all shallow until we find our One.”
His mouth found hers, devouring it. She returned the embrace with enthusiasm, her bones melting into him. Yet from somewhere she found the strength to draw back.
“Wait!” she said breathlessly, “Two things! One, I have to go home first, talk to my parents.”
He appeared to consider that. “Can I come?”
She smiled. “I hoped you’d say that. We’ll have to disguise you, but in my City, it shouldn’t be difficult. And I have to warn Will about the Dome’s treachery. He’s the City Leader.”
“Very well.” He reached for her again.
“And one more thing!”
“Hurry up.”
“Can you teach my mother how to transform without pain? She suffers terribly each time…”
He hesitated, then, reluctantly, “Yes, I can do that. I can teach you too, if you like.”
She regarded him doubtfully.
“It’s part of life, of who you are,” he said gently. “You don’t have to be a wolf. Your people are because it’s in the legends they grew up with. It was already in their minds when the change came upon them. I can teach you to be a dragon. If you like.”
She touched his wings, trailed her fingers across his shoulders to his face and lips. “Can I be both?”
He smiled and pulled her gently backwards until she lay on the grass underneath him. “You can be anything you like.”
Marie Treanor
Marie Treanor was born and brought up in Scotland, but for some years moved around the UK working and studying. Now she is back home and happily married with three young children. Having grown bored with city life, she lives these days in a picturesque village by the sea where she is lucky enough to enjoy herself avoiding housework and writing stories of romance and fantasy. You can find out more about Marie and her books on her website: www.marietreanor.com, and by subscribing to her newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marietreanornewsletter. She also shares the Sexy Delights loop with fellow Scottish author Kyla Logan. Find out more at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sexydelights. Marie loves to hear from readers, who can contact her at [email protected]
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