by Sariah Skye
"No! I mean—" he just laughed.
"Clearly we’re both hard up and we need to chill," he said, shaking his head and laughing. "So, I say…ice cream for dessert. You wanna?"
I smiled. "Yeah…sounds good."
He outstretched his hand, "Come on," he said. I stepped towards him and put my hand in his, and he led me back out to the living room where he proceeded to pick up his shirt.
"Aw, does that have to go back on?" I protested.
He shot me a look, but smiled. "Sorry, don’t think that Dairy Queen will serve me with no shirt on."
I cocked a brow and bit my lip. "Well, if there are girls working there and see that, I’m sure they actually will anyways."
He snickered and pulled his t-shirt over his head. "I doubt I'm their type," he said, with a chuckle. I grabbed my phone and my purse and we headed out for some cold ice cream to chill ourselves out of our hormonal fire fit.
The weather was still fairly warm for a late September evening, the temperatures being in the 60s with a light wind, the scent of dried leaves and campfire in the air indicating that autumn was just around the corner. Thankfully, despite the warm temperatures, the Dairy Queen was fairly slow for a Friday night being that it was Homecoming. There was a young teenaged girl and a gentleman in his mid-twenties working that night, the blonde teenager seeming mopey as he dictated to her instructions and she complained about not getting to go to the dance, being stuck at work.
We each ordered large sundaes and decided to take a walk around the nearby lake so we got into his truck and we rode the short distance over (while artfully attempting to not spill our melting ice cream) and parked in a nearby lot.
Willow Lake Park was dotted with weeping willow trees all over the landscape, giving the ambiance a somewhat ethereal appearance as they swayed in the wind, tickling the grass below that was losing it’s green for a fall faded yellow and brown, the Parks department clearly abandoning general maintenance for the season.
"It’s really a very pretty park," Gabriel commented, between bites of his ice cream, as we walked along the path surrounding the small lake.
"Yeah, it is," I agreed, admiring the sun low in the sky painting it a purplish-blue, though not low enough to cause the myriad of rainbow colors sunset generally brought.
My phone began playing Stone Temple Pilots again, and I thrust my ice cream at him while I rummaged for my phone in my handbag.
"Kit?" Gabriel asked simply, and I shook my head at the unfamiliar number.
"No." I frowned, hitting silence and shoving the phone back into my purse, ignoring it. "Kit knows I don’t answer strange numbers…and there’s no voicemail so it can’t be her."
"I’m sorry," he said, with a sigh, as I took back my ice cream. We walked quietly for a few moments, I scarfed down large bites of my treat feeling comforted by the cooling sensation in my throat, and tried to mentally will it down to the butterflies still flapping around wildly in the firepit that was my stomach.
"We…we should probably talk about what happened," Gabriel said, breaking the ice a few moments later.
"What’s there to talk about? We messed around, it was nice but it’s probably too soon," I said, with a nonchalant shrug.
"Is it, though?" He stopped in his tracks in front of a wooden bench, setting his treat down on the arm and leaning against the back of it, appearing on the verge of something thoughtful.
"Isn’t it?" I questioned, feeling confused.
"Well, I know how I feel about you," he said, pulling the ice cream out of my hands and setting it down, placing my cold palm between his.
"And, how’s that?" I asked expectantly, shuffling my feet.
He grinned. "You’re amazing. You’re funny, and smart, a great kisser—" I chuckled nervously at that one, "—and passionate. I’ve never seen anyone get into the things you get into, with such zeal no matter how small or large they are. You’re absolutely gorgeous, both your human and dragon forms are. And the thing is you’re totally unaware that you are which gives you a kindness and humility."
I snorted. "You figured all this out over the past few days?"
"Well, that and the many times I’ve stopped into the café," he said. "I kept trying to find excuses to keep going back in there and talk to you, besides just ordering coffee. Like the time I asked about the Homecoming game? I just heard your co-workers talking about it, I don’t give two shits about football." He laughed. "I certainly never really played it. That was more my brother's thing."
A slow smile spread across my lips, but I didn’t say anything as I processed his flattery.
"You’ve been faced with all this adversity, and you still wake up every day and smile. It doesn’t get you down you just keep right on going," he said. "I think I’m pretty confident when I say I’m totally crazy for you. Like…insane. I count my stars every day that the pink dragon we've been waiting for ended up being someone as amazing as you."
I had to bite my lip to keep myself from smiling too widely. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." He cupped my chin in his hands and leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. "Regardless of what happens with the dragon thing, I know I want to be with you. I’m secretly a little glad that that thing came around the other night because not only was it an excuse to get closer to you, it was a reason for me to stay around you all the time. I know that will get old and that’s not healthy but for now, I’m going with it."
"It is kind of an exceptional situation," I said, nodding my head in thought. I smiled, looking up into his brown eyes. "I want to be with you, too. But...it just feels surreal, I suppose. So soon. But it’s nice to feel these things for real, instead of just in movies."
He chuckled. "Yeah, it is! Nice to know someone who’s a bigger nerd then me!"
I pretended to feign offense. "Nerd? I’m not the one who decorated his room to look like the starship Enterprise!"
He raised a brow at me. He didn’t need to say anymore, and I just laughed. "Okay, okay."
Gabriel’s face turned solemn. "When I saw you there, not breathing, looking like the life was drained out of you…it scared the shit out of me. I haven’t ever been that afraid even when my brother had his mysterious seizure and he’s the person I feel closest to in my life. Ever. All I wanted to do was help you feel better—"
"—and you did," I insisted, recalling the security I felt, waking up to him next to me.
He grinned. "Good." I smiled back, and wrapped my arms around his hips and laid my head against his chest. I closed my eyes, feeling his steady heartbeat and inhaling once again that intoxicating scent of him—this time not quite so heady.
I was enjoying standing there in the moment, feeling his arms wrapped around me, staring out at the sun beginning it’s decent over the lake when my phone started ringing again and I groaned, pulling it out of my purse and seeing that unfamiliar number on the screen.
"Same damn number, what the Hell?" I asked, rhetorically, lifting it up to show him the display.
He grumbled. "Give me that." He touched the screen and held it up to his ear. "Hello, who the Hell is this?" he asked, appearing stern to match his tone. His face softened into seriousness. "Oh…you. Yeah, she’s right here." He handed the phone to me. "That dragon guy—Max."
"Maxxus?" I was uncertain, grabbing the phone. "Is that you?"
"Oh thank the Gods you’re okay!" Maxxus’ voice sighed over the phone. "I thought something was wrong."
"Wrong? Why would something be wrong?" I asked, feeling a sudden surge of panic
"Well, the portal was used, but I didn’t see anyone go through it. I felt it open and shut but… nothing was there. I shifted and came through to see if it was you, or some kind of weird spell or…what? I didn’t know. And when you wouldn’t answer your phone…"
"Wait—so that was you all three times?"
"Yes. Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out, I just can’t be caught talking to you…if the Court knew with those orders out for you…" he trailed of
f, and we both shuddered, knowing fully well what the Court did to dragons who disobeyed (torture was putting it mildly). "So I came across and found a car in the clearing, just abandoned there. I wasn’t sure if it was yours or not so I figured I’d better make sure you were okay."
"Well, thank you," I said. "So, you can’t figure out who opened the portal?" I asked.
"No, there was nothing there but that car and the abandoned phone. I wasn’t sure if— "
I cut him off. "What kind of car?"
"Umm…I don’t know. I don’t know cars very well but it’s this round looking thing and it’s yellow."
I nearly dropped the phone to the ground, Gabriel deftly catching it.
"What?" he mouthed, concerned.
"Yellow car? Round? Are you still there with the car?" I questioned, feeling my heart start racing again and this time not for fun reasons.
"Well, yeah. Why? Do you know it?"
I swallowed nervously. "I think it’s Kit’s car."
Gabriel’s eyes widened. "Oh shit…"
Chapter 13
I instructed Maxxus to stay put and after I inhaled the rest of my ice cream—literally—and part of Gabriel’s in the truck, we arrived in record time.
"What do you think it means?" he asked, as we came upon the clearing.
"I don’t know," I said. "An open portal but no one crossed it? Kit’s empty car nearby? I hate to think of the possibilities."
"Kidnapping?" he offered uncertainly.
"I’d think so, but Maxxus said he didn’t see anyone cross, just felt it open and no one was there. Even if there was, it’s unlikely that Kit would be able to enter it by herself. You have to have a magical signature or something similar to trigger it’s opening. Even if Kit being a witch gave her magical ability somehow, I doubt it would be enough to trigger the opening," I said, as we pulled into the clearing.
Maxxus was standing before Kit’s yellow vehicle in his human form, appearing to be examining it somehow. He turned around when he heard us pull up and slam our doors shut.
"That is him? That big green dragon guy?" I’d never seen Gabriel look intimidated—not even by Maxxus' dragon form—but for some reason something about Maxxus in his human form daunted him.
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Yeah? So?"
"He looks like a goddamned movie star," Gabriel muttered under his breath, but I didn’t have time to react.
"I can’t even smell anything," Maxxus said, with a sigh, running a hand through his wavy dark blonde hair with a touch of natural ginger highlights throughout. He was tall, and lean with a five-o-clock shadow dotting his strong jawline. As a green dragon who used earth magic, he was kind of a bloodhound when it came to scents. "I smell no one or nothing. It’s very odd." He said, pausing to look me over. "Gods, Leorah…you look…"
Gabriel cut him off, shortly, "So how do we know you aren’t just lying about no one going through that portal? Leo, do you really trust this guy?" he scoffed.
I shot him a narrow-eyed look. "Gabriel…Maxxus was a student of my grandfather. My grandfather does not mentor dishonorable dragons!"
Gabriel scowled. "I’m going to go into the car, see if I can sense anything." He turned on his heels in a huff, and opened the driver’s side door and got in.
Maxxus chuckled. "I angered the human."
I rolled my eyes. "He’s fine, it’s just been…an odd few days."
He smirked. "Yes, I suppose. You know, he’s already claimed you. He sees me as a threat, I think that’s why he’s so cross with me."
"Claimed me?" I exclaimed with incredulity. "I belong to no one! Besides, how can you tell?"
He smiled mischievously. "I can smell the hostility on him. The kind one has when he feels his mate has been threatened."
I coughed, and Maxxus laughed. "Well, maybe not exactly a mate but his jealousy is quite apparent. But Leo, you really do look beautiful," he said, halting his laughter. "A far cry from those ridiculous rags you tend to wear when coming over."
I crossed my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. "Stop, or you’ll piss Gabriel off more than he already is," I said in a hushed tone.
He chuckled. "So, curious, how do you open this thing?" he asked, knocking on the hood. In response, the hood popped open causing Maxxus to jump back quickly. Gabriel popped his head out of the door and said, "There. Really not that hard."
I had to stifle a laugh, while Maxxus—trying not to look pissed—gazed at the inner contents of the Volkswagen. "I’m not sure what I’m looking for…but I’m looking…"
I snorted. "I better see if Gabriel sees anything."
"I looked," Maxxus said, looking confused while poking at random car parts under the hood. "There’s nothing there."
Gabriel clamored out of the car, shutting the door behind him. "Of course you wouldn’t find anything, that’s my specialty. You might be a big, green, scaly monster, but I have my own set of talents, thank you."
I shot him a warning glare. "Seriously?"
Gabriel’s face softened, and he sighed. "There’s no trace of her. No keys, no purse…but something isn’t right."
"Right?" I echoed.
"What do you mean?" Maxxus asked.
"Well, there is the residue of some sort of spell…I can’t tell what exactly but there was a spell cast inside, and not a witch spell either. This was much more powerful than any earth witch could conjure. Kind of like those storms, Leo," he said.
"I didn’t get anything like that, how can you tell?" Maxxus questioned, genuinely intrigued.
"It’s a sorcerer thing, I don’t think a dragon can tell, but I don’t know many dragons, obviously," he said. "But since we draw from the energy in the world around us to create our magic, we can just tell where it is and what kind, usually."
"What kind is this?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I’m not quite sure, I haven’t encountered magic like this before. But it’s powerful, I will say that."
Involuntarily my palm covered the gasp coming out of my mouth. "Oh…is Kit going to be okay? I mean, is there any way to tell?"
Gabriel sighed again. "I don’t know for sure, but…it doesn’t feel like death magic. Energy wasn’t taken away, but it was…displaced? I don’t know how else to describe it."
Maxxus let out a low groan. "This is concerning. I don’t suppose you could touch the portal or do…whatever it is you do and see if it’s the same thing that opened the portal?"
Gabriel’s eyes held a glint of victory, but he just remained solemn. "I could try," he said, nonchalant. He started to walk but hesitated. He turned to me and said, "Where is it, again?"
I looped my arm through his and led him over to the bushes, Maxxus trailing behind us.
I pointed at the slight shimmer near the greenery and stepped aside to let Gabriel do this thing—whatever it was. He moved his hands around the portal and appeared deep in concentration.
"What does he do?" Maxxus inquired to me quietly.
I shrugged. "I’m not quite sure."
"Huh. Curious, how did you meet him anyway?" he asked.
"Uh…he was a customer of mine at work," I said, conveniently leaving the knighthood part out of it.
"Interesting…how did it come up that he can…well, you know," he mimicked Gabriel’s hand gestures as if he was summoning a fireball.
"Ummm…" I hesitated.
"I recognized her tattoo," Gabriel called back, breaking his own concentration. "Information handed down from sorcerer to sorcerer for generations," he said, with confidence. Maxxus still cocked a suspicious brow but let it be.
"So?" I prompted.
"Hard to tell. I mean I feel something but…could just simply be the portal being active. Without knowing how portals work…it’s hard to tell. I'm not versed in the arcane magics," Gabriel heaved a heavy sigh. "I don’t know, Leo. I can’t tell one way or the other if it’s Kit."
I frowned. Feeling frustrated, I sat down on the ground with a thump. I remembered then I was still we
aring a (thankfully, long!) dress and crossed my ankles over one another.
Maxxus, who was wearing a long, black trench jacket, quickly took it off and laid it down on the ground. "Here, don’t sit in the dirt. You’re better than that."
I rolled my eyes but reluctantly scooted backwards on the jacket. Gabriel snorted and scoffed.
"Shut up, wizard boy," I warned, pointing a stern finger at him.
He feigned offense, but chuckled.
"So can we get back to my friend, here?" I asked, running my fingers through my carefully manicured hair. They got caught in the twist and bobby pins. Feeling constricted, I pulled them out, taking a small chunk of hair with it and tossing it on the forest ground. "I have no idea what to do. Where is she? Why is her car here? Why would she even be here?"
"I don’t know, Leo." Gabriel sat next to me on the ground, being careful not to allow a single inch of himself touch Maxxus’ jacket. "Looking for you, maybe?"
"She doesn’t know I come out here," I said.
"Well, perhaps she followed once. I know I was able to follow you that one time," Gabriel offered.
I considered this. "Maybe."
"Well at least we know she couldn’t get across by herself, if she indeed is there," Maxxus said, reluctantly joining us on the ground, folding his long legs under him. "Perhaps someone from Court found her, looking for you."
I snapped my fingers. "Maybe. That makes more sense."
Gabriel frowned. "Hey, wait—I thought you were guarding the portal. Wouldn’t you be able to see who got by you? You said no one was there." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Unless you’re lying."
"No, you’re right, except it was between Nicodemus' and my shifts," he said. "We would notice if a dragon—err, a person came over, but perhaps they are up to something I’m not aware of. I know some of them are quite proficient in magics of trickery."
I looked at him oddly. "Trickery?"
"Illusion," Maxxus explained.
"Yeah, but why would they do that?" Gabriel questioned.
Maxxus scoffed. "Well, Leo I know you’ll be surprised…but Court isn’t exactly what it seems. There's been a lot of dissention lately."