When his transformation was complete, Zarik was about eight feet tall, had thick arms and legs that ended in lethal looking claws, and a long tail.
I couldn't believe my eyes – I was staring at a dragon.
I must have gasped or made some other sound without meaning to, because the dragon's head swung in my direction. Its eyes narrowed and a low, rumbling growl escaped its throat. Fear paralyzed me and my heart started to beat in my chest with a ferocity that made me think it might actually burst out of my body on its own.
The dragon was suddenly sniffing the air – loud enough that I could hear it from where I was. With a slight breeze blowing in behind me, I knew it was only a matter of moments before the dragon – or rather, Zarik – picked up my scent. I hadn't had the foresight to bring my masking spray with me. I didn't think I'd need it – and I was kicking myself for it.
The dragon roared and I felt the air around me vibrating with the noise. It was enough to break the paralysis that held me rooted to the spot behind the tree and send me scurrying through the forest. I ran as hard as I could, leaping over fallen logs, bushes, rocks, and anything else in my way. I was in a blind panic and my only thought was of escape.
Movement above me caught my eye and when I looked up, I saw the green dragon skimming along the treeline, its eyes peering down at me through the canopy overhead. I cut to my right abruptly, trying to run deeper into the forest and lose the creature in the sky.
It didn't work.
Instead of running deeper into the forest, I stumbled into a clearing in the trees and stopped so suddenly that I tripped over my own feet and went down hard. The breath was driven from my lungs and I gasped for air. Knowing that my survival depended on me getting up, I got to my feet as quickly as I could and prepared to run back into the trees.
But, it was too late. The dragon landed in the clearing just feet from me, the wind generated by its wings buffeting me. As I stood there, not knowing what to think or do, the dragon shifted again, transforming back into Zarik. He stood there smiling at me – still utterly and completely naked. As terrified as I was, I couldn't help but notice just how naked he actually was. What the mind chooses to focus on in times of high stress is strange indeed.
“Ella,” Zarik said. “It's nice to see you again. How long had you been hiding behind that tree?”
Long enough to see you put on quite a show – a show I should thank you for, I thought to myself.
“A little while, I guess,” I said, doing my best to avoid looking at his – nakedness – and probably failing miserably. “I was admiring your skill with your blades.”
“How did you find me?” he asked.
I cleared my throat and shrugged. “Dumb luck?”
He arched an eyebrow and stared at me. “Dumb luck, huh?”
“I was just in the neighborhood?”
He folded his arms across his chest and stared at me evenly. Clearly, he was a man used to getting what he wanted. But then, I wasn't usually a girl who gave in very easily. If at all. Jacob said I had a stubborn streak that would rival any mule in existence. And he was right.
At the same time though, Zarik had me dead to rights. I had no explanation for how I'd turned up at Zarik's secret mountain hideaway. So, I opted for the only path really open to me – the truth.
“Honestly, I followed you back to your place last night. After the fight in the tunnel,” I said. “And I obviously followed you out here today.”
He cocked his head. “But why?”
“I was curious,” I said.
“About?”
I shrugged. “About what you are,” I said. “I wanted to know. Had to know.”
He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “So, now that you know, are you satisfied?”
A small chuckle slipped from my lips. “Not really,” I said. “Now, I just have a ton of questions.”
“As do I,” he said, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Tell you what, let's go back to my cabin and have a talk.”
I cleared my throat. “That sounds fine,” I said. “One favor though.”
“And that is?”
“You put some clothes on first.”
Zarik's laughter was genuine, his voice as deep and rumbling in human form as it was in his dragon form.
“Fair enough.”
Chapter Twelve
After a quick shower, Zarik came out of the back rooms with this clothes on – thankfully. Not that he wasn't pleasing to look at – he was. It was that he was far too pleasing to look at. He was so pleasing to look at, that he was actually a distraction. And given that I was meeting with a man who could transform himself into a freaking dragon, I wanted to be sharp and on my toes.
He finished tugging on his black t-shirt that clung to his solid, sculpted frame enticingly. His jeans hugged his legs and his longish hair was still damp, but combed back nicely. He looked like he could have just stepped out of a freaking fashion magazine or something. I cleared my throat and looked away.
“May I offer you a drink?” he asked. “Soda? Water? Beer?”
“Water,” I said. “Please.”
He nodded and walked into the kitchen. I heard the refrigerator door open and then close. A moment later, he returned and handed me a bottle of water before dropping down into the deep, plush chair across from the matching one I was sitting in. What looked like a beautifully hand-carved oak coffee table sat between us. I was doing my best to avoid meeting his eyes for fear that I'd start blubbering like an idiot. As it was, my heart was already working overtime – and not because I was afraid he was going to incinerate me.
Twisting the cap off the bottle, I took a long drink, doing my best to calm my nerves. I didn't have a lot of experience with men – especially men as attractive as Zarik. Given the life I was in, my options were usually limited to other men within the Order. Not that I hadn't had a couple of boyfriends over the years, because I had. But none of them ever compelled me the way Zarik did. I had never been as intrigued or fascinated by any of them as I was with him.
Maybe it was because I knew he could incinerate me on the spot if he desired – they say that danger heightens one's libido. Although, I didn't think that was necessarily it either. It wasn't something so simple or formulaic. It wasn't something that could be easily explained or understood. It was just something I felt. Something deep down in my soul. Not that he did anything to warrant it, but Zarik stirred something deep within me. Something primal. It was a longing and a desire unlike anything I'd ever felt before – and it was powerful.
Which meant that he was incredibly dangerous to me. It was because he threatened my focus and concentration. I feared having thoughts of him flashing through my brain in the middle of a fight – just long enough to distract me, and just long enough to have one of the monsters we battled take advantage of the opening.
Zarik sat across from me, drinking from his own water bottle, those green eyes of his boring into mine. I wondered what he was thinking – crazily wondering if his thoughts mirrored my own in any way. It was a silly, girly thought – but one I couldn't deny having. I was a trained warrior, able to best many of the men in my own class. I was tough and fierce. I did my best to not give into my emotions, and subordinate those desires to my training and my mission.
But underneath it all, I was still a woman. I still had a woman's thoughts, desires, and longings. And being the object of a man's desire was one of those things.
“So,” I said, clearing my throat again. “You're – a dragon.”
I could see the hesitance in his eyes. He was still doing his best to honor his oath, to not violate the secrets he'd apparently sworn to uphold.
“Look,” I said, “it's not like you're going to tell me something I don't already know. I saw you do it, dude. I saw you in your dragon mode or whatever you call it.”
He laughed softly and ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose so,” he said. “Though, honestly, the proverbial train left the station that first
night you saw me fighting the Chokan.”
“That's true,” I replied. “So, what exactly are you? Where do you come from?”
He took another long drink of water, his eyes still focused on mine. There was a subtle, silent intensity about the man that was as compelling as his good looks.
“Let's play a game,” he said.
“A game?”
He nodded. “Twenty questions,” he replied smoothly. “I'll answer your questions, if you answer mine.”
I thought it over for a moment, not sure if that was a game I should be playing. I took my oath to the Order every bit as seriously as Zarik took his oath to – whoever he'd sworn an oath to. But I was also at something of a strange place in my head. Zarik was obviously not going to hurt me. If anything, he was – kind. It clashed with what I'd been taught for so many years.
Despite all of that indoctrination and training, I was having a really difficult time seeing Zarik as the enemy.
“Okay,” I said. “Let's play. What are you and where do you come from?”
“That's two questions, so I'll answer one,” he said, a smile touching his lips. “I am Dragonborn – we are a species of men and women who can shift our forms, becoming dragons. As you saw.”
“And where do you –”
He held up his hand and smiled. “My turn to ask a question.”
“Well, that's not fair,” I huffed. “You pretty much answered a question I already had the answer to.”
Zarik shrugged. “Then perhaps, you should not have asked that question,” he said. “Tell me, are you part of this Order of Midnight?”
I hesitated – he was asking the tough stuff early. And was forcing me to break my oath in the process. The urge to lie, deny involvement, and deny the existence of the Order altogether was strong. It was instinctive. It was as much a part of me as my own name. I was finding that breaking those bonds was tougher than I would have thought.
But, things change. The world changes. Perhaps, having an ally on our side with the power Zarik had at his disposal would aid us in our fight against the Chokan and whatever other dark creatures were arrayed against us.
But to gain allies, you needed to learn to trust – something the Order did not do easily. Still, the world was moving forward and all things changed. Perhaps, it was time that we changed too. Perhaps, I could help them see the wisdom of that simple thought. Show them that no, not all non-human life was a threat to humanity, and that we could in fact, fight alongside them.
It would be about as easy as teaching a pig to dance in high heels, but change had to start somewhere, right? Why not with me?
I cleared my throat and nodded. “Yes, I belong to the Order of Midnight. I was trained by them.”
Zarik nodded. “You were trained well,” he said. “I've seen few fighters who are your equal with a blade. And believe me, Dragonborn Rangers are the most lethal killing machines around. We're trained to fight and kill from a very early age.”
“I can see that,” I said. “I watched you practicing earlier and was impressed with your skill. Where do you come from?”
“I come from a world called Chondelai,” he said. “There are passages we call the Dragon Doors that allow us to move between your world and ours.”
I leaned back in my seat and took a long drink of my water, stunned by what he'd just said. Given all that I'd seen in my life, I knew there were things out there that defied rational explanation. Things that most people would never believe actually existed. And I'd come to learn quickly that not only did they exist, but they bled and could be killed too.
But to hear that there were actually parallel worlds to ours? That was still pretty mind blowing.
“Sorry,” I said, explaining my silence. “I just – I guess I thought that you were of this world. Some species we hadn't accounted for yet.”
“I believe it's my turn,” he said. “So, what is this Order of Midnight, exactly?”
I ran a hand through my hair and crossed my legs, fidgeting. Still not entirely comfortable with everything. But also realizing that I was in too deep to pull out now. I mean he already knew of our existence. Could probably guess what we did. Would I really be revealing all that much?
“As I'm sure you have guessed, we're a society of warriors,” I said. “Our mission is to exterminate non-human life that threatens humanity.”
Zarik nodded. “Yeah, that's sort of what I gathered,” he said. “But, clearly, you see that I'm a non-human life. Does your mission require you to exterminate me?”
I cleared my throat and felt a sense of dread settling down over my shoulders. Or perhaps, it was shame. Shame that I could hold what was clearly a wrong and perhaps even bigoted view – at least, bigoted from a certain perspective.
“By the letter of the Order's laws, yes,” I said quietly.
He looked at me for a long moment. “So, why haven't you tried to kill me yet?” he asked. “In fact, why did you save me from the Chokan?”
I hesitated before speaking, trying to find the right words. “Because, I'm not sure that the laws of the Order are right,” I said softly. “I think that maybe, they served a purpose at one time. But times have changed and – and maybe we need to change with them.”
He nodded and gave me a warm smile. “Perhaps, there is change needed in all of us.”
Chapter Thirteen
Zarik
The ring of blade on blade echoed throughout the forest around my cabin. I spun and parried the arc of Ella's blade a moment before it would have cut into me. Or at least, would have cut into me if Ella didn't hold up – which I knew she would.
For the last few weeks, we'd been spending a lot of time together – most of it at my cabin. We talked, got to know one another, and of course, practiced together. Ella was amazing with blades in her hand and thought I hated to admit it, she'd bested me on more than one occasion as we trained. She was fast, efficient with her movements, and seemed to have an instinctive knack for knowing when to press an attack and when to fall back on defense.
There was no question about it, she was an incredibly gifted fighter.
She thrust one of her blades at me, but I knew it was a feint to draw me in. I blocked the thrust with one of my daggers while at the same time, throwing up my second to block the swing from the other that was aimed for my neck. Steel rang against steel and I grinned as Ella's eyes slightly widened in surprise – but it was an attack I'd seen from her before, so I wasn't completely unprepared.
I gave her a grin in return as I used my leg to sweep hers out from under her. She landed on her back with a grunt and a grimace. I was on her before she could move, my knees pinning her arms to the ground, the points of my two blades on her chest.
“Looks like I win this round,” I chuckled.
I got off of her and helped her to her feet. She was shaking her head but smiling.
“Yeah, I know it's not a familiar feeling for you, so enjoy it,” she said.
She slipped her blades into the sheaths on her hips and brushed herself off. I put my own blades back into their sheaths and grabbed a bottle of water off the tree stump, taking a long drink. The sun was high overhead and it was warm. Sweat made my t-shirt stick to my body uncomfortably.
“Call it a day?” I asked.
“Tired of getting your ass kicked?” Ella grinned.
I laughed out loud. Ella had a fire in her spirit that was like a bright, shining star. She was tough as nails and yet, I sensed that underneath it all, she was somewhat delicate. Something happened in her past that had led her to donning the armor of a warrior – armor that was as hard inside as it was on the outside.
“Yeah, that must be it,” I said. “Although, by my count, I was up on you four to one today.”
“Oh, we're keeping score now, are we?”
“Haven't we always kept score?”
She smirked. “That's a sign of male insecurity,” she said. “Having to tally up the score to stroke one's ego?”
“A good
ego stroking can work wonders for one's mental health.”
We walked back up to the cabin and took a seat on the covered back deck to give ourselves a chance to wind down a bit – not to mention, cool down, after a fairly intense practice session. I leaned back in the seat and drained the last of the water in my bottle. Ella came over and fished a couple of bottles of water out of the cooler next to her seat and handed one to me.
“Thanks,” I said and twisted off the top before taking a long drink.
I relished the feeling of the cool water as it slid down my throat. A gentle breeze touched my skin, taking some of the heat out of the day. Ella dropped down into the seat beside mine and looked out at the land.
Beyond the trees, you could see the sun glinting off the surface of the lake in the distance. The light glittered dazzlingly off the surface of the water.
“It's so peaceful up here,” she said. “Is that why you come?”
“Partly,” I said. “I belong to the Forest Clan and the woods are our sacred space. I come here to feel connected to the land and my people. It energizes me. Renews me. Feeds my soul, as humans like to say.”
She looked at me a long moment. “Does it ever get lonely?” she asked. “Being one of what, a handful of your kind here?”
I shrugged. “It's a small sacrifice for the honor of what we do.”
Ella cocked her head. “Leaving your family and friends behind in Chondelai is an honor?”
I nodded. “It is,” I said softly. “Many train, but only a few are chosen to become Rangers. And all Wardens had to have been Rangers first. To be one of the elite – yeah, it's an honor.”
“Why did you – the Dragonborn – come to our world to begin with?”
“To atone for the stupidity and mistakes of our ancestors,” I said. “Long ago, there was a war that nearly tore Chondelai apart. During the course of that war, one of the Kings, mad with his lust for power and dominance, unleashed monsters upon your world. Some, you may have seen. Many, you have not. Not yet, at least. It's our responsibility to make sure that humanity is protected from them. They would not be here if not for us.”
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