“Oh.” Rachel winced. “Him.”
“You…know him?”
“That’s just Diedric. Seraphim hired him to help keep the Widows away. He wanders in from the yard every now and then.”
“The Widows.” His voice sounded strained. Deadened. And she examined him a little closer. “You’re hiding from the Black Widows.”
“Aren’t you?” It was the only thing that she could think of that explained his presence there with her.
“You could say that.” His lips twisted with bitterness, and any sign of his earlier good humor faded away.
“Can...” She hesitated, hoping to distract him from his sudden upset. “Can you make it through the maze again?” she asked. “If I can get us past Diedric, can you get us out of here?”
“Yes,” he said quickly. Too quickly. She glared at him, but didn’t question his confidence.
“Alright then,” she said, looking down at the pouch of fairy dust in her hand. “Sounds like we have a plan.”
“Sort of.”
“‘Sort of’ is good enough for me.”
He made a move towards the bed and Rachel cleared her throat.
“We can’t leave just yet, hun,” she told him.
“Why not?” he asked in honest confusion.
Rachel tapped her wrist as though she were wearing a watch, even though his unfocused gaze told her that he couldn’t see her or anything that she was doing. “It’s almost twelve.”
He’d come to her as a frog after midnight. Since he was human again and she hadn’t kissed him, Rachel could only assume that his curse worked in the reverse of her own. She’d hate for them to try and escape only for him to drop her unconscious form when he finally shifted.
“Right.” He sighed. “We’ll start tomorrow night after you…” He waved a helpless hand. “After you do whatever it is you do to turn into a spirit animal.”
“Got it.” She’d get Diedric out of their way and then they could tackle the maze. For the first time in almost a year, she felt something closely resembling hope. It made her smile a little to herself and twirl in the air.
“Oh.” She paused mid victory dance as a thought occurred to her. “What’s your name? I can’t keep calling you frog boy.”
“You call me frog boy?”
“That’s neither here nor there.”
He shrugged. “Chris.”
“That’s a good name,” she told him, just in case he didn’t know.
He smiled and Rachel could have sworn that he blushed a bit at the compliment.
“Thanks.”
***
The dragon wasn’t prone to violence.
He was a curious creature. More likely to destroy from carelessness rather than any sense of maliciousness. Diedric had been guarding the sleeping woman for nearly a year now and he’d yet to see any indication that the Black Widows were after her. He wasn’t even sure why they would be. All he knew was that Maleficent had coerced his cooperation with the promise that if he managed to save this woman, she would help him save what was left of his people. He couldn’t feel the drain on his life-source but that didn’t necessarily mean that Sam was out of the picture. He could still be alive and slowly working his way through the weaker members of the clutch. If that were the case, Diedric wouldn’t know anything about it until it was too late. He was supposed to kill Sam. Get it all over with. The problem was that Maleficent had finally called in that favor he owed her, and Diedric had been duty bound to answer her summons.
A few years ago, he’d sort of fallen in love with an air sprite. She’d had the most beautiful golden-white hair and Diedric had sort of, kind of, kidnapped her. The only thing that had kept the fae from pressing charges against him was the fact that Maleficent had been his legal representative. He’d though the job had been pro-bono at the time, but he was certainly paying for it in full now. Apparently the witch took favors as payment as quickly as she would cash.
Diedric had no idea how long he was supposed to guard the castle. Probably until the human woman finally died. There was no telling what would have happened to his clutch by the time such a thing came to pass. Which is why he was beginning to think that killing the woman in the tower would be faster, and kinder, than waiting for her to die. At least that way, he could finally be on his way back home.
After he paid Sam a little visit, of course.
It would break Diedric’s heart to have to kill his alpha. But it couldn’t be avoided. Sam had tasked him with saving their clutch. And Diedric would do whatever he needed to do to make sure that he didn’t let the other man down. Diedric sighed, his wings arching behind him as he blew another stream of fire across the enchanted maze. The maze held its own secrets, but he didn’t care to figure out what they were. His only job was to keep the ground burning. When he finally left, the dragon fire would die down like any other blaze. The trick was keeping it under control in the meantime. Some days he had to feed it life, and others it seemed to have a mind of its own. An agenda, all its own. It made Diedric think of the Salamanders rumored to live within the heart of the firestorms. The little brothers of dragons made of sulfur and burning things.
He’d never seen one. He didn’t know of anyone who had. But every now and again he would look into the heat and he could swear that there was something in there looking back at him. Diedric shook himself, plated silver scales rippling. Stretching up onto his hind legs, he stretched his wings out behind him for balance. He eyed the tower window high up in the air, and he growled softly, smoke slipping from between his jaws. Tonight. He’d do what needed to be done tonight. Then he’d go take care of Sam.
Who knew?
By this time tomorrow he could be back with his family.
Where he belonged.
Chapter Six
Chris woke up just as the sun was lowering in the sky. Still feeling blurry and indistinct with exhaustion, he opened his eyes. Gaze automatically drifting towards the window and the dying rays peeking through the glass. That’s when he saw her. She was holding a small black pouch up to the light, letting it spin in the air, her expression thoughtful and eyes serene. Chris rose up on his elbows, watching her intently. He could still see through her. Her form was blurry around the edges. Looking over his shoulder he glanced at her inert form on the bed and then back again.
There was something…enchanting about watching her move. Watching the vitality and life in her. Chris wished she was solid. Something he could place his hands upon. Press his mouth against. It was an urge he couldn’t shake and he sat up fully in response to it. She turned with a gasp, and as soon as he had a chance to focus, to awaken fully, she disappeared from his sight.
“Rachel?”
“Yes?” she answered calmly.
“Where are you? Where did you go?”
Her next words were ripe with confusion.
“Nowhere,” she answered. “I’ve been here since I ‘woke up’. Why?”
Chris shook his head and ran his hands down the length of his face.
“No reason. I just could have sworn…” His voice trailed off and abruptly he cleared his throat as he climbed to his feet. He must have imagined the whole thing. Though it had seemed very real at the time. It was probably wishful thinking. Or maybe he was losing it. Either way it didn’t matter. It was time to get this show on the road. He’d spent most of the day while she’d been out of commission to search the rooms of the castle. He’d been able to gather a number of supplies, in addition to some clothes that fit him relatively well. His confidence level shot up dramatically once continuing on this journey bare assed was no longer his only option. One day he wouldn’t have to steal clothes every time he wanted to go out in public. He’d be able to buy pants. And underwear. God. Underwear. He hadn’t worn any in so long, he was pretty sure that his dangly bits would rebel at being caged. It took him a moment to remember what was really important and he crawled from the bed with a sigh.
“You ready?” he asked.
�
��Of course,” she answered quickly. “Grab my body so we can get out of here.”
Ripping back the bedspread, he tossed her limp form over his shoulder and went to pull open the door.
“What about Diedric?”
Even though he couldn’t see her expression, he could hear the grim determination in her voice when she said, “I’ll take care of Diedric.”
***
Rachel had no idea how she was supposed to take care of Diedric.
To be honest, she’d just wanted him to agree to cart her around. Something he probably wouldn’t have done if he was busy worrying about how he was going to outrun the fire breathing dragon. Rachel hoped that they’d get lucky. That maybe the issue would never come up. Maybe Diedric was taking a much needed vacation. Or maybe they could sneak past him during his pee break or something. Rachel was sure that she could figure out something should the situation call for it. Normally she wasn’t much for impulsive, possibly reckless decisions, but she was desperate to get out. If that meant fibbing a little to get ambulatory, then that’s exactly what she’d do.
She floated along behind Chris as he carted her body down the steps of the tower. He was moving so quickly, it was all she could do to keep up with him. Rather than try, she let herself slip through the floor and down to the entryway. She could hear his feet striking against the stones as he descended, and she flew about in excited bursts, barely able to contain herself. She didn’t recognize the noise at first. It built up like a deep rumble from the foundations of the castle. Like thunder rolling across the sky. She was almost able to convince herself that was exactly what the sound was. Thunder. But she flew back towards her original place only to skid to a halt at the beast that suddenly filled the large space.
Rachel had no idea where he had come from or how he’d managed to get where he was so quickly and silently. There must have been magic involved because there was no way she would have been able to miss his giant bulk making his way towards her. Especially since he’d effectively managed to block the stairs and their exit all in one smooth move. Diedric seemed to dwarf the entryway, and as she watched, his wings spread out with a snap that sent the air rushing along the stone floor. Lifting up dust and twirling it like a whirlwind about his heavy form. She could hear Chris coming closer, soon he’d turn that last corner of the stairwell and be directly in Diedric’s line of fire. Rachel saw the dragon take a deep breath, claws digging into the ground for purchase, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he planned on frying Chris as soon as he laid eyes on him.
They’d both be dead, burnt to a crisp, and it would be no one’s fault but her own.
This is what came out of being impulsive.
She would have liked to think of a plan. Prove to the cosmos that she had learned her lesson, but there was no time. So instead, she cupped her hands around her mouth and cried out.
“Hey! Over here!” Diedric whipped around with a roar and she had a moment to appreciate the shocked surprise in his gaze before he shot a stream of flame in her direction. The heat hit her in a rolling wave that traveling up from her ankles, over her legs and hips, and swallowed her whole from the torso up. Rachel hadn’t expected it to feel anything. But she did. She hadn’t expected it to hurt her, but it did. Rachel realized that she was screaming only when the dragon fire filled her throat. It traveled down her lungs, spreading like quicksilver, and filling her blood. Rachel dropped to her knees, panting, skin jerking and hands shaking.
Chris came off the steps at that very moment and Rachel looked up to meet his eyes.
It was a jolt to realize that he could see her. To realize that he wasn’t clutching her body anymore. That, shockingly, she was awake, solid, and real. And it hurt. Diedric’s neck arched as he reared back, preparing to lunge for her. Rachel cried out, her arms coming up as if she could protect herself from his wrath, but she knew there would be no stopping it. What a hell of a time to be whole again. Rather than be turned into a pile of ash, Rachel flinched when she felt the dew touch her face instead. Her eyes opened and she looked down, shocked to find water lapping at her ankles.
Chris was staring up at Diedric as he stepped further into the room. His eyes were glowing hot and red and his skin seemed almost translucent. The veins visible. Water coated his face and body, slicked his hair from his face. Rachel squinted, and that’s when she noticed that right in the center of his forehead, a light the size of a marble shone like a beacon. As he moved the sound of rushing water filled the room and Diedric growled and stepped back in confusion and alarm. His feet lifted to try and avoid the steadily rising flood filling up the first floor.
“How did you-?” she began, but Chris was already next to her. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her roughly after him as he hurried towards the front door. The ground began to shake, and the look of alarm on Diedric’s face when Rachel glanced at him over her shoulder, said clearly that he wasn’t responsible for it. Rachel looked beyond him to see water trickling down the stairs at an alarming rate.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Chris’s hand tightened around her and she smiled slightly. Despite his strange behavior, she was still able to enjoy the feel of his hand on her. The warmth of his skin, the slight calluses on the palm of his hand. He smelled like rosemary and water. She’d never dreamt that she’d be able to feel the touch of another human being again. It brought a ball of warmth to the center of her being that wasn’t to be ignored.
“No idea. Just keep moving.”
“How the hell can you not know? You’re the one causing it.”
He scoffed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Chis shoved his shoulder into the doors and dragged her outside. They both worked to close the door on Diedric as he shot towards him. The dragon would have made it, but a tidal wave ripped down the stairs and side-swept him, knocking him off his feet and sending him brutally into a nearby wall. They managed to slam the doors shut just as the wave hit and Rachel stumbled back as water seeped from beneath the bottom of the groaning wood. She was panting as she met Chris’s eyes. They were no longer red and for the first time she was close enough to appreciate their color. They were a rich cognac. Like some rich liquor. With reds and dark browns mixing with a light yellow. The spiral of color was surrounded by a thick ring of brown. Rachel only realized that she had been staring when he grinned rakishly at her and ran a hand through his damp hair.
She turned away abruptly, and he laughed.
“That wasn’t so bad.”
“Sure,” she said. “If you’re a fan of tsunamis.”
“I’ve always been partial to them myself.”
Rachel snorted and turned away from the front door. It felt strange to give the castle her back and she felt a small thrill at being able to do so. The pouch Zaran had given her felt warm and heavy in her pocket and she reached for it, before stopping herself. The fairy dust had only ever been in the possession of her astral form. Now that her astral body had been returned to her physical one, the pouch didn’t feel completely real. She felt as if it were more a part of her imagination than a solid object and she was afraid to touch it and shatter what illusions she still possessed about it. The mixture of fairy magic and dragon fire had been enough to wake her from the spell and she suspected that interfering with it in any way would send her back to sleep. It was bad enough that she had no idea how long the effects would last before the sleeping spell dominated her once again.
Which just meant that she’d need to make most of the time she had left. Find a permanent cure, and get as far away from Danielle Greyson as humanly possible. Hell, if she was smart, she’d avoid all Greysons as a matter of survival. Rachel blew a stray curl from her eyes and sighed. Who was she kidding? She loved Alex. They were besties. She certainly didn’t want to leave her bestie, but there was no way in hell she’d be able to show her face around town once Danielle realized that Rachel was on the loose.
Maybe there was a way she could get word to Alex…
“Rachel?” She looked over to where Chris stood at the entrance of the maze waiting for her. She was surprised. Rachel had half expected him to leave her there. It was nice that he was willing to stay. To wait for her. While she would have traversed the maze by herself if she’d had to, she wouldn’t have enjoyed it even the slightest bit and she breathed a sigh of relief that she would at least have a companion during the trek.
“Are you alright?” he asked. Rachel felt a strange sensation fill her when she noted the genuine concern in his eyes. She ducked her head, letting her hair hide her face. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but it seemed the only appropriate response when confronted with that earnest, honest gaze.
“I’m fine,” she said briskly. Striding past him, she stepped into the darkness of the maze, her jaw tight. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said sardonically, his footsteps crunching through the leaves on the ground as he followed in her wake.
***
It was nearly impossible to maneuver through the maze. They could barely see the paths before them with all the shadows cast by the towering hedges. As the night grew late, Chris became aware of the sound of slithering. Not like a snake through grass, but something more substantial. Heavier. Like bones sliding against one another. It made a muscle tic in his jaw and for the first time, he began to wonder if the sole purpose of the dragon fire had been something other than deterring visitors. What if the dragon was meant to keep something under control? To protect the woman sleeping not-so-peacefully within the castle. After all, undying magical flame seemed a little extreme. Maleficent could have just as easily placed a cloaking spell over the castle. It would have done a better job of hiding Rachel’s whereabouts and wouldn’t have required hiring a creature that, according to rumor, was on the verge of extinction.
Fairest 02 - The Frog Prince Page 4