by Chris Cannon
Flash. Lightning lit up the night sky. Bryn rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision.
“I forgot how annoying Black dragons were,” her father muttered.
Bryn picked up the key and turned it over, examining the tiny red and blue stones that dotted both sides. “I wonder if it opens anything.”
Zap. A cold, tingling sensation shot up her arm, making her jump. “What was that?”
“Drop the key,” her dad commanded in a voice that left no room for argument. She let the key fall back onto the silk lining.
Her dad snapped the jeweler’s box shut and shoved it in his pocket. “Let’s head inside.”
Bryn followed along behind him. A strange longing swept over her. Once they were back in the kitchen, her palms started to sweat. She watched as her dad headed toward his bedroom.
The farther away he went, the faster her heart beat. “Dad, wait.”
“What’s wrong?” her mom asked. She touched Bryn’s forehead. “You’re cold and clammy.”
“I need the key. Like really need it.”
Her dad retraced his footsteps and sat at the kitchen table. He pulled out the box, opened it, and set it on his placemat. “You can look, but don’t touch.”
Her mom brushed a fingertip across the key and frowned. “It’s charmed.”
“Charmed, seriously? As in magic?”
Her mom nodded.
“Okay, so I’m a shape-shifting dragon, and magic is real. Anything else you want to tell me while my head is spinning?”
“Nothing I can think of. From your reaction, I’m betting it’s an anxiety charm.”
“What kind of crap gift is this? Why would Onyx want me addicted to a key?”
“Maybe it’s spelled to be a tracking device,” her mom said, “and he didn’t want you to lose it.”
Weren’t Onyx and Zavien on the same team? Wouldn’t Onyx know that Zavien had given her the pen? She wanted to bang her head on the table in frustration. Scratch that. She wanted to bang Onyx’s head on the table.
“There’s one way to find out.” Her dad picked up the key. “When your mother and I ran off, we were paranoid about hexes or evil charms. We used discovery spells to make sure our food wasn’t poisoned. That type of thing.”
Good times.
Fire appeared in her father’s palm, surrounding the key. The flames burned bright white and then went out.
“Did you melt my key?”
“No.” Her dad laid the key on the table. “If there was anything life threatening about the charm, my flame would’ve burned dark gray. Since it flashed white, we know the charm isn’t meant to cause damage.”
Good. Because it was shiny and pretty and sparkly and good God, she needed to get this under control before she started muttering, My precioussssss. “Now what?”
“For now, we know it’s safe. Why don’t you wear it on a necklace?” her mom said. “Once you’re at school, Zavien can help you figure out more about it.”
Her dad growled.
“For now, he’s her ally,” her mom chided.
Bryn went to her room and rooted through her jewelry box until she found a long, gold chain. While the pendant was pretty, it wasn’t something she’d normally wear. Once the key was on the chain, she slipped it over her head and slid it inside her shirt where it came to rest between her breasts. Once the key touched her skin, a sense of well-being enveloped her.
She returned to the kitchen in time to hear a forceful knock on the kitchen door. What now?
Her father answered the door. Zavien stood on the landing of the fire escape. He wasn’t alone.
“Hello, Zavien.” Her father sounded annoyed. “What the hell do you want?”
Zavien grinned. “The Directorate asked me to escort Garret to your home.”
“Then I guess you should come in.” Her dad stood back so they could enter.
The dark-complexioned young man accompanying Zavien gave her father an odd look. “The Directorate sent me to negotiate Bryn’s living quarters.”
“Negotiate?” That didn’t give her the warm fuzzies.
Garret stepped into the kitchen and brushed brown, curly hair from his forehead. Intelligent hazel eyes surveyed the room. “Zavien tells me you’d like to stay in our dorm. If we let you stay with us, we’d like to run a few experiments.”
Any good feeling she had toward the newcomer vanished. “Get out.”
Garret stepped toward her. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not a lab rat.”
“I meant no offense. You’re unique. From a scientific standpoint, it’s exciting. I’m asking for a vial of blood, a hair sample, and a chance to observe you shift.”
“What will she receive in return?” her mom asked.
“We offer her a room in our dorm, and we’ll attempt to make her feel welcome.”
“Why don’t we sit?” Zavien pulled out a kitchen chair. “Talking around a table always seems more civilized.”
Her parents sat at the butcher-block table.
Bryn joined them. “Let me explain how this will work. I’ll give you a hair sample, and you can watch me shift. I won’t give you a blood sample. I’ve watched too many cop shows to hand my blood out to random strangers.”
Garret nodded. “That’s acceptable. You may stay in our dorm. Of course, you won’t have a roommate.”
Of course I won’t.
Zavien touched her arm. His hand felt warm against her skin. “It’ll be all right. Garret and his kin are the tutors and teachers’ assistants on campus. You’ll always have someone to help with homework.”
“Will they expect me to bleed for it?”
Everyone gaped at her.
She reached up to rub her temples. “Sorry. That was rude. My life has recently gone to hell, and I’m still adjusting.”
Garret seemed taken aback. “Do you always curse in front of your parents?”
“No,” her dad answered. “She has a special permit to cuss until she goes to school.”
“Interesting.” Garret turned to Bryn. With barely contained excitement, he said, “I’m dying to know what color you are.”
“We need more room for me to shift. Let’s go down to the studio.”
“Lead the way.”
Bryn trudged toward the stairs. Once they were in the studio, she felt pressured. “It’s like I’m the newest animal at the zoo.”
Zavien chuckled.
She concentrated on shifting, and her body made the transformation with ease.
Both of her parents stared in wonder.
“What?” Bryn turned to the mirrored wall and discovered she had alternating red and blue scales. “How’d that happen?”
“Care to fill us in?” Zavien asked.
“The last two times, she was red with blue-tipped scales,” her mom said.
Bryn shifted back to human form. She pictured herself blue with red-tipped scales. When she shifted again, her appearance matched her vision. “Cool.”
Garret pulled a small notepad from his pocket. “Try changing your human form.”
Bryn imagined blond streaks in her strawberry blond hair. After a quick shift, she opened her eyes and saw striped hair in the mirror. “Awesome.”
“I’ve only heard of things like this in folktales,” Garret said. “Dragons who can shift their appearance are the stuff of legend.”
“The Directorate won’t like it,” Zavien said with a grin. “But I love it.”
“This isn’t a game,” Bryn’s dad said. “You can’t use my daughter as a pawn in your fight.”
“With her help, we can change things,” Zavien said. “Not all of us can afford to run away.”
Her dad growled and stalked toward Zavien. The air shimmered. Bryn smelled smoke.
“Dad, stop. He’s right. You and mom ran away for a good reason, but you did run away. And now the Directorate is trying to tell me how to live my life. I don’t want that, and you shouldn’t want it for me.”
Chapter Si
x
Her dad walked over to the freestanding bag and punched it so hard it bent back to the floor. She’d never seen him do that before. He was truly pissed off…or scared. She was going away, and he wouldn’t be able to protect her. In a weird role reversal, she felt the need to console him.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be careful.”
“We should keep this a secret,” Garret said. “You shouldn’t be able to change your appearance like this. It’s high-level magic.”
“Really?” Bryn closed her eyes and shifted back to her strawberry blond self.
“I liked the blond streaks.” Zavien winked at her.
Warmth filled her chest. She smiled back.
“Stop flirting with my daughter,” her dad growled, literally.
“What was I thinking with these cinder block walls so close by?” Zavien said.
Bryn chuckled while her father growled louder.
Garret’s face registered confusion.
“He threatened to put my head through a wall the last time I was here,” Zavien explained.
Garret paled. “Mr. McKenna, I have news you’re not going to like. I’d appreciate if we could keep the physical violence to a minimum.”
Her mom walked over and took her dad’s arm. “Go ahead. I’ll keep him in check.”
Garret nodded and continued. “We have orders to bring Bryn back with us tonight.”
“What?” Bryn and her parents shouted in unison.
Zavien pulled an envelope from his pocket. “The Directorate recommended she return with us once her living arrangements were negotiated. Tomorrow is Orientation.”
Nope. Not going to happen. “I’m not ready. I wasn’t going to leave until the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is my birthday. I planned to go out with my friends.”
“I’m sorry.” Zavien held the envelope toward her. “Here’s the letter.”
Angry tears distorted her vision. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. She was supposed to have a sleepover at Beth’s house and see her friends one last time. Her hands shook as she read the simple note.
Miss Bryn McKenna is to report to the Institute for Excellence upon receipt of this letter. If she does not comply, legal proceedings will begin against her parents.
The name written with a flourish at the bottom of the message was “Ferrin Westgate.” Evil jerk. He’d probably set her up. She growled and showed it to her mom.
Her mom’s hand shook as she read the letter. “I’m sure he told us the wrong date on purpose. Manipulative bastard.”
Garret made a choking sound.
Her mom stalked toward the stairs. “Come, Bryn. You need to pack.”
Not the answer she wanted. “Dad?”
His shoulders slumped in defeat. “Listen to your mother.”
“Wait,” Garret called out. “Did Ferrin see you in dragon form?”
“Yes.”
“When you’re at school, stick with the form he saw.”
“Why?”
Garret gave a sly smile. “Information is power. If you know something he doesn’t, then you have power over him.”
What she wanted was to drive a truck over Ferrin…repeatedly.
Forty minutes later, Bryn stared at the bags lined up in the hall. How could her entire life be condensed into two suitcases? “That can’t be everything.” Her chest felt tight.
“Bryn, come into the kitchen,” her mom hollered.
She took a deep breath, backed out of the room, and pulled the door shut.
Think of this as an adventure. How many other sixteen-year-old girls are whisked away to a private boarding school? Maybe if she thought of it like a fairy tale, it wouldn’t seem so bad.
The plain girl is transported to a magical realm where a handsome prince slays a dragon for her. No, wait. She was the dragon. Her life was the suckiest fairy tale ever.
In the kitchen, she found her parents and a cake complete with lit candles. Knowing it was the right thing to do, she forced a smile. But when her mom opened her mouth to sing, it was too much.
“My birthday wish this year is not to be sung to.”
Her mom pouted.
“It’s my wish. You have to honor it.”
“Fine. You still have to blow out the candles and make your secret wish.”
Bryn closed her eyes and wished with all her heart she didn’t have to go away to school. She blew out the candles and waited.
“Did you wish for Ferrin to burst into flames?” Her dad snickered. “That’s one of my favorite fantasies.”
“I’d love to see that happen.” Although, the idea of running him down with a large truck seemed more satisfying. Did her dragon nature make her more violent? She’d never fantasized death for anyone before. Then again, she’d never met someone like Ferrin.
Groping for a topic of conversation that didn’t involve dragons, she scooped a bit of chocolate icing on her finger and popped it into her mouth. Yum. “Great cake. Where’d it come from?”
“I flew to an all-night diner,” her dad said.
No way. “You flew to a diner?”
“Your mom wanted a cake.”
Would she ever find anyone who’d be as devoted to her as her dad was to her mom? Zavien’s sexy grin flashed in her mind, and she noticed his absence. “What’d you do with our visitors?”
“I asked them to give us some time alone.” Her dad cut the cake and passed out slices.
“You threatened to spar with them if they didn’t leave for a while,” her mom said.
Bryn could imagine the terrified look on Garret’s face. “We’ll offer them cake when they come back.”
For the next half hour, Bryn pretended life as she knew it wasn’t about to end. The vanilla cake contrasted with the rich, chocolate icing. She savored every bite and reminded herself there were still good things in life.
A knock sounded on the kitchen door, and her neck muscles tensed. This was it. She pushed to her feet and trudged across the room. When she reached the door, she let her hand rest on the knob for a moment before opening it.
Zavien entered the kitchen. He gave an apologetic smile. “We should head out.”
“How long is the drive?” She hoped it wasn’t far. The more time she spent on the journey, the more time she’d have to dread the arrival.
“Why would we drive when we could fly?” Garret asked from the doorway.
His tone made her feel stupid. “I just found out about this whole dragon business. Cut me some slack.”
Garret shot Zavien a look. “You never mentioned that.”
Zavien moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders. “What did Garret tell you about information?”
Butterflies flew around her stomach. His warm, summer rainstorm scent made her heart skip a beat. She ignored the impulse to lean into him. “I forgot. I’m not used to being secretive.”
Her dad cleared his throat.
“Right, the wall.” Zavien dropped his arm and stepped away. “Before we go, change your hair to red and blond stripes.”
“Why?”
“It symbolizes who you are.” One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Plus, I like it that way.”
“You’ll only draw more attention to yourself,” Garret said.
“If I’m going to be different, I might as well have fun with it.” She closed her eyes and pictured her strawberry blond hair mixed with golden blond stripes.
She opened her eyes, and Zavien nodded his approval.
“I like it.” Her mom reached out to touch her hair and then pulled her into a hug. “I’ve always been jealous that you had your dad’s coloring.”
“I fly like you,” Bryn said.
“She punches like me.” Her dad kept his gaze locked on Zavien. “Don’t forget that.”
Bryn’s vision swam as her dad swept her into a bear hug.
“Do not take crap from anyone.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re as good as they are.”
“Don’t worry,” she said w
ith more confidence than she felt. “I’m an advanced hybrid.”
“It would be best if we left from the roof,” Garret said.
That made sense.
Zavien pulled what looked like a nylon wallet from his back pocket. When he opened it, it turned into a net made of black webbing. “For the suitcases,” he explained. Once he had the suitcases in the net, he pulled it tight, turning it into a bag. “All right. It’s time.”
It took every ounce of strength Bryn had to walk away from her parents. This was it. Time to suck it up and do what she had to do. Blinking rapidly, she turned and followed Zavien and Garret down the hall. Her stomach felt hollow. She had one last glimpse of her parents in the warm yellow light of her kitchen before climbing up the ladder into the attic and out the hatch onto the roof. When the hatch door shut behind her, she shivered. Without a word, all three of them shifted. Zavien grabbed the luggage with his talons, and they flew off into the darkness.
Chapter Seven
Bryn’s heart beat fast as she flew through the night sky. Up above the clouds, there wasn’t much to see. Everything was gray and damp, which fit her mood perfectly.
The wind buffeted her wings, making it difficult to fly in a straight line. Her short practice flight hadn’t prepared her for this type of exertion. What if she couldn’t make it? A cold blast of wind knocked her off course and sent her veering toward Zavien.
He moved out of the way with ease. “Hello, I was flying there.”
Like she needed crap from him right now. A growl rumbled from her throat, and smoke shot from her nostrils.
He must’ve realized how close he was to being barbecued, because the next word out of his mouth was, “Sorry.”
Twenty minutes later, Garret and Zavien began a spiraling descent. Thank God. She landed next to them on the ground and stumbled sideways. Using her wings, she steadied herself. Why were landings so hard? Tired and embarrassed, she shifted to human form. Her legs felt like they were made of cement.
A tall, black, wrought iron fence stood between them and the buildings beyond. A security guard with red hair and a muscular build like her father’s stood by the gate. He didn’t appear happy to see them. “What are you doing out here? Curfew is in ten minutes.”
Zavien produced a letter from his shirt pocket. “Believe it or not, I’m on official duty for the Directorate.”