by Ciana Stone
“Why? Why on earth would you want to kill him? What has he done to you?”
“Why, nothing. But as I said, he belongs to my adversary and she will use him to control you.”
“You’re insane.”
“I wish” The tone of his voice made her skin crawl. “Nyah will stop at nothing to see the will of her Dark Lord fulfilled. Oh, but wait. He does not know her as Nyah, does he? Let’s see, what does he call her? Orelia?”
Grace inched over to the bedroom door, turned and ran headlong into someone. She was jolted back by the impact and stared in shock at the tall black man staring menacingly at her, swirling tattoos covering every visible inch of skin.
She whirled at the touch on her shoulder to face Severin. “Leave. Please, just leave.”
“I can’t do that. Please, I beg you, let me protect you.”
She shook her head and his face took on an expression of sadness. “Consider my resolve, Grace. Despite the damage it will do to my soul, I will burn this town down, kill him or as many others as it takes to have what I want, to keep her from having you.”
“She doesn’t have me you lunatic! I haven’t seen her since she inked me.”
“But you will.”
“No!” She felt a brief surge of anger and latched onto it. If she could transform, she could escape.
“Phobos, take her!” Severin commanded.
Phobos?
She whirled around in shock to see the giant at the door grin just before his hand shot out at her.
Then the world went black.
*****
Walker ended the call and frowned. He and Grace had agreed to meet for lunch yesterday, but every time he called he got her voice mail. She wasn’t responding to his texts either.
What had happened? Had he imagined the connection they’d formed?
He had no more time to ponder as the alarm sounded. Dan ran by. “Shit’s hit the fan, man. Six houses on fire.”
“Six?”
“Three on the north end and—and three in your neighborhood.”
Walker didn’t wait to hear more. He was already headed for the apparatus bay. In less than a minute, he was fully outfitted in his turnout.
All four trucks rolled out less than two minutes later, headed for his neighborhood..
Walker felt like his heart had jumped up and lodged in his throat when they reached the scene. His house, and the ones on either side of it, were in flames. But it was Mrs. Willis’ house that captured his attention. It was literally engulfed.
“Anyone in the houses?” he asked one of the other firefighters.
“One.” He pointed to Mrs. Willis’ home. “Neighbors said they heard a woman calling for help. Said she was calling for Walker.”
That hit him like a punch to the gut. He started for the house, heedless of the calls from fellow firefightersto stay back. He had just reached the sidewalk when someone grabbed his arm.
Walker’s momentum kept him and whoever had hold of him moving forward another couple of steps before he stopped. His captain stepped in front of him. “You’re not indestructible, Walker. That’s suicide.”
“There’s an old lady in that house. One that was calling for me. I have to go in.”
“I can’t let you do that, son.” He looked behind Walker and nodded. Before Walker could react, two firefighters had hold of his arms, dragging him back.
“Get off me!” He tried to jerk free but they weren’t about to let go. Another joined the effort and the three of them muscled him back to the truck. He unclipped his helmet, snatched it off, and bullied his way past his fellow firefighters to face his captain.
“You have to let me to in after her. I can do it. I can save her.”
“The answer is no. Open your mouth and I’ll have you removed from the scene. You got it? Either help us contain this or leave. Your choice but you’re not going in.”
Walker bit back a curse and headed for the rear of the truck where he’d spotted Dan. Before he reached his destination, someone stepped in his path.
An older man with silver gray eyes blocked his path. Walker thought to brush around him but something in the man’s gaze changed his mind. “Can I help you?”
“Grace is in there.”
“In where?”
“Mrs. Willis’ house.”
“What…how…how can you know that? Is Mrs. Willis in there?”
“No.”
“How can you know that?”
“How I know is not important. That I know is. You must get her out.”
Walker took the man’s arm and led him away from the truck. “Look, mister…?”
“Friendly. Walton Friendly. I’m Grace's friend.”
“Yes, she talks about you all the time, Mr. Friendly. And look, I don’t want to call you a liar but I can’t believe that Grace is in there, and even if she was—”
“You think she can survive the fire because of her dragon and I wouldn’t argue that, but it’s not the fire that you need to fear.”
Walker suddenly felt as cold as if he’d stepped into a freezer. Cold as death but with sweat springing from every pore.
Mr. Friendly lowered his voice. “Listen to me, Ellis. Her tattoo has been altered and the ink tainted. It will leave her vulnerable to a particular acid—sulfuric acid. Her dragon nature will protect her from the fire, but when the floor collapses, it will deposit her into a vat of acid stored in the crawlspace beneath.”
“Her dragon nature won’t shield her?”
“Not with the alteration to her tattoo. You must get her out. Now.”
Walker didn’t wait to be told again. He turned and ran. Hands tried to grab him and at least two people tried to bar his way, but he plowed through them like a linebacker and headed straight into the inferno.
Grace was aware of the fire, but it didn’t frighten her. She knew it would not hurt her. If anything, it made the transformation easier. She didn’t even have to think about becoming a dragon.
The pain associated with the transformation had her screaming, though. And just as the first scream ripped from her, she became aware that someone else was in the fire with her.
Her first thought was that it was him—her enemy, the one who had taken her, had made her scream as he’d inked her. That fear sent a surge of energy through her that sped the transformation process. She felt the chains around her ankles and wrists and roared, pulling the bolts from the floor that secured her.
Then she turned on her enemy. She swiped at him with one clawed foot, but he dodged and suddenly he was no longer a man, but a dragon. Grace roared a challenge, wanting battle. She flew at him, jaws snapping and claws raking.
The other dragon let her clash into him, his own razor sharp teeth scoring her neck. She hissed, bit at him and raised both back legs to gouge at him with the long claws of her feet.
His roar was enough to shake what remained of the house. His teeth locked on her neck and he pushed his superior weight on her, pinning her to the floor. Grace hissed, roared and beat at him with feet and wings but could not escape.
“Grace, it’s me.”
The sound of Walker’s voice in her mind had her body going still. The dragon who had her pinned rose, his eyes meeting hers.
“Walker?”
“Yes. It’s me. We have to get out of here.”
“But how?”
“You must fly, children.” Grace heard Nyah’s voice, and from the way Walker cocked his head, so did he.
“Come to me,” Nyah’s voice urged.
“We’ll be seen,” Walker argued.
“It is of no consequence. No one will believe what they see.”
“But we’ll never be able to show ourselves again. Everyone will think we died in the fire.”
“Trust me. Now fly! Follow my voice and come to me.”
Grace waited, watching Walker. He looked from one side to the other and then at her. “What do we do?”
“We fly.” She didn’t know if she even could but she w
as sure going to try. “Come on, Walker. Let’s go.”
He nodded and turned, making his way through the fire to the window. Once there, he spread his wings, then fanned them down. Fire billowed in the massive movement of air and his body rose from the floor. One more beat of his wings and his body shot forward, through the wall of fire where the window had once been.
Grace had no clue if she would succeed, but mimicked his actions and miraculously, her body was propelled forward. In fact, she moved far faster than anticipated and nearly collided with Walker as he rose in the smoke above the house.
Two more beats of her wings and she was soaring. It was incredible. She moved her wings faster and shot upward.
“Now is not the time for play.” Nyah’s voice rang in her mind. “Come to me, child.”
Grace didn’t have a clue how it worked, but she banked and turned, pulled as if by an invisible thread. She flew through clouds, felt the cool air on her scales and looked down at the earth so far below.
It was amazing.
What felt like mere seconds later, she heard Nyah again, urging her to land.
Grace was the first on the ground and turned to watch Walker alight. Two seconds after his feet were on the ground, he was in human form. A tall, well built man, completely nude. It was a sight that stirred her blood even in the midst of all she’d experienced.
She felt the transformation back to human form far less painful and the thought crossed her mind that maybe one day it wouldn’t be painful at all.
Just then, Nyah walked through the door of the house set on the lovely manicured grounds of the estate. She approached, carrying two lightweight Egyptian cotton robes and handed one to each of them.
Grace slid her arms into the robe, then belted it around her waist. The fabric was butter soft against her skin, light and comfortable. Nyah waited until Walker was covered, then gestured toward the house.
“Come, refreshments have been prepared.”
“Refreshments?” Walker blurted. “We just changed into dragons and flew out of a burning house in front of hundreds—”
“Hundreds?” Nyah arched one delicate brow.
“Okay, dozens. The point is, someone had to have seen us, and now everyone will think we’re dead—at least until the fire is out and they don’t find a trace of us. And then…”
It was clear to Grace that he didn’t know how to finish the sentence. What would happen when there were no bodies found? And had anyone seen them in dragon form? She reached for Walker’s hand in a gesture of comfort, then looked questioningly at Nyah.
“I will explain. Please come inside.”
Grace and Walker followed Nyah inside the house, into a large sunroom. Two deeply cushioned white wicker couches sat opposite one another, between which a glass and wicker table stood, the latter laden with trays of fruit, cheese, breads and a pitcher of what appeared to be fruit juice.
Nyah took a seat on one sofa. Grace and Walker claimed seats on the other.
“Okay, explain.” Walker’s voice was something of a bark until Grace cut him a pleading look. “Please,” he added in a more conciliatory tone.
“As far as anyone at the scene of the fire is concerned, you, Walker, rescued Grace from the fire. There is footage of you carrying her from the house, wrapped in your coat. You are once again being touted as Fire Walker. Both of you were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and to be generally checked out, but I don’t imagine you’ll actually make it into the ER.”
“We—I—hold on.” Walker held up a hand. “How is that possible?”
“I do have a great many…followers.”
“Dragons?” Grace asked.
“Some, yes.”
“But how did they make people think it was us?”
“My people have powers you do not realize. For example, dragons possess the ability to blend in with their environment. Be chameleons, in a manner of speaking.”
“Chameleons?” Walker asked.
“Shapeshifters, if you will.”
“We can do that?” Grace asked and immediately felt embarrassed over being so excited about it.
“In time, yes. You are still young and your abilities have not yet become fully manifest.”
“So you obviously have followers who can do that,” Walker said.
“Yes.”
“Okay, so we have a cover, which is good.” Walker looked at Grace then back at Nyah. “But we still have a problem with this—this guy, whoever the hell he is.”
The pleasant look on Nyah’s face transformed into one Grace read as sadness rather than anger. It made her want to reach out and take Nyah’s hand.
“Damos,” Nyah finally said.
“Damos?” Grace asked. “You mean Severin?”
That prompted a surprised look from Nyah. “Yes.”
“Damos or Severin, Phobos and Orelia—or is it Nyah?” Walker asked. “People who can turn others into dragons—and more I’m assuming. Just who are you people?”
“Severin and Nyah will suffice. Or Inanna, if you prefer. I have also gone by that name.”
“Inanna?" Grace asked. “As in gods of ancient Sumeria?”
Nyah waved her hand in a dismissive motion. “We were heralded as such during that time, as well as others.”
“Are you saying you’re thousands of years old?” Walker asked with incredulity.
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible!”
“And yet, here I sit before you.”
He shook his head. “Okay, I know I’m going to regret this, but how the hell is that possible?”
Nyah blew out a gentle breath and smiled. Grace gasped as Nyah’s features changed. In moments, a beautiful young woman with long silky black hair sat before them.
“Oh my god,” Grace breathed. “Is that…do you really look like that?”
“Yes, this is my true face.”
“Holy shit.” Walker’s voice was barely a whisper and Grace understood. Nyah was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Why?” Walker asked.
“Why?”
“Why appear as an old woman when you look like that?”
“There is safety in that visage.”
“Safety?”
She chuckled. “I once overheard two middle-aged women talking. One said to the other. We’re in that invisible age. Young people are so disinterested in the elderly that they don’t even see us. Why we could walk into a Cadillac dealership and steal a car and no one would even notice.”
Grace realized the truth in those words. How often did she notice an elderly person? She felt a bit ashamed and was relieved when Walker spoke again.
“Okay, so you and—Severin have been around for a long time. And you can transform humans into—into something—supernatural with your ink. That doesn’t explain why he’s hell-bent on snatching Grace or killing me.”
“True.” Nyah stood and walked to the window. “Many, many years ago, we came to this world. There were one hundred in our expedition, my mate among them. He was of royal blood and leader of our contingency. Life was primitive here, but there were resources we needed.”
“What kind of resources?” Grace asked.
“Primarily herbs that enhanced our abilities.”
“Herbs?”
“Yes. Amazing, isn’t it, that a plant should be so significant? We discovered natural substances here that vastly enhance our abilities, substances not native to our realm. The Persian Gulf was particularly rich in a type of seaweed. We set up an extraction operation. My mate spent little time here, he continued in the search for resources and other realms and left me alone for very long periods of time.”
“What do you mean other realms?” Walker asked.
“Just that. Where we are now is not the only realm of existence. There are many others.”
“Like parallel universes or something?” Walked asked.
“Yes.”
“And you’re from another realm?” Grace asked in a sarcastic tone. �
��You and your hubs just popped over and then he left you here with whoever was gathering stuff and headed off on his quest? Yeah, that sounds believable.”
Nyah shrugged. “Your belief or disbelief does not change what is. Once when he returned from one of his ventures, he brought with him a female of another species who had garnered his fascination. He took her as a lover. I admit, I was furious. I demanded that he return her to her world and forbade him to enter my chambers until he did. He laughed at my demands and flaunted his affair before me, before all our people. I endured but suffered great jealously and anger. When he finally left to return a shipment of the seaweed to our home-realm, he took his concubine with him. I refused to return with him. Not long after that I heard that he had taken her as his second wife. I had never known such fury. Fury that did not abate over time. And fury that led me to make a terrible mistake.
“I turned to Severin. He is the brother of my mate, and had desired me as long as I could remember. I was ever faithful and so turned a deaf ear and blind eye to his ardor. Until then. In my rage, I took him as my lover.”
Nyah turned to face them. “To my great surprise, I discovered in a short time that I did love him. He worshipped me and treated me with more deference and respect than my mate ever had. Unfortunately, someone reported the infidelity to my mate and he returned to this world, along with his father. Severin and I were condemned, sentenced to die. This led to revolt, as those of my people who were here were steadfastly loyal to me. They stormed the royal quarters and…”
She looked away, staring out of the window.
“And?” Grace couldn’t contain herself.
“And my mate was…dismembered. His body was spirited away in parts, hidden in many realms. Severin and I managed to escape, he to one realm and me to another. I spent centuries searching and finally secured all of my mate’s anatomy. I returned it to our home realm and fell on the mercy of the High Lords—sorcerers of mighty power—to return him to life.
“My bequest was honored, but at it came a price. Upon being resurrected, my husband decreed that Severin and I would not die. And because I had effected his rescue and resurrection, I would not suffer. Severin and I would become the guardians of balance. I would hold sway over Light and Damos over Dark. We would forever be adversaries, fighting to maintain the balance, never to enjoy the love we once shared. And so it was and is.”