Dragonkin Are from Mars, Changelings Are from Venus

by Devin Harnois

  In a broad sense, there were a lot of similarities to American laws, but supernaturals had fewer rights, and the wardens had far more authority than their counterparts in the outside world. As Aiden read his way through the current section, that became clear again. Within Shadow Valley, people had property rights and the wardens—or police—needed a warrant to search. But in the rest of the country, the wardens only needed “reasonable suspicion.”

  Aiden frowned as he took notes. From the muffled, unhappy sounds Dylan was making, he was drawing a similar comparison.

  “So, does anyone want to summarize that?”

  Aiden prayed Dylan wouldn’t volunteer.

  Out in the hall, someone started shouting. The sound grew louder, and then the door burst open. A woman stood in the doorway, eyes wide. “The extremists are attacking!”

  Dread rolled through Aiden, leaving him frozen with fear. A hand gripped his arm, and he looked up to see Dylan staring down at him.

  “Come on!”

  For a second, panic choked him. I can’t. Not after last time, when they were completely overwhelmed and Aiden had almost died. But then he thought of his parents, of all the other people in town who had no magic. Aiden had to at least try.

  The fog cleared from his mind, and he stood, yanking on his coat. “Where?”

  Dylan tugged him out of the room. “They’re attacking from the east side of town, through the main road and the woods.”

  The hall was full of running people, and the chaos made Aiden’s anxiety shoot up. He swallowed hard, trying to shove it back down. This wasn’t going to be a repeat of the attack on prom, where he huddled behind a speaker while his friends fought for their lives.

  There was a crush of people at the door, slowing them down. As soon as they were out, Dylan started running again, though much faster this time. Aiden struggled to keep up. Cars rushed down the street, some of them with lights flashing and sirens blaring, all of them heading east.

  The car was parked at the end of the block, and they got in. With the doors closed, the noise outside was muffled, and Aiden’s harsh breathing filled the car, fogging up the window. His mind tried to seize on terrible images of what was going on and all the ways he could be killed.

  The tornado siren roared to life. For a second, Aiden feared a storm was bearing down on them, but then he realized it must be alerting the whole town about the attack.

  Dylan yanked the car away from the curb, almost hitting a passing car. He fumbled for his phone. “I gotta call my mom.”

  “I’ll do it.” Getting into an accident wasn’t going to help anyone. Aiden called Bryn, each ring seeming to last an eternity.

  When she picked up, Aiden filled her in. “Don’t worry, I’m coming.” Although her voice wasn’t calm, it was assured, and Aiden remembered her huge dragon form crashing through the treetops to rescue him and Dylan.

  The wardens were more prepared this time. People from all over Shadow Valley would rush to help. Aiden and Dylan weren’t trapped in a narrow hallway underground.

  It wasn’t hopeless. It wasn’t. Aiden tried hard to make himself believe it.

  * * *

  Flashes of magic lit up the night. Several cars blocking the road ahead forced Dylan to slam on the brakes. Aiden swore as the car jerked to a stop. They could turn around and try to search for another way through, but that would take time. The fighting looked close.

  “Let’s go.” Dylan got out, glancing back to make sure Aiden followed him. His friend looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

  They ran down the block and turned the corner to find a huge battle. Dylan recognized some of the people as wardens, shields filling the air between them and a group of extremists. One of the houses nearby was a smoking ruin, and several more had scorch marks and other signs of damage from spells.

  A figure with bluish-white skin stepped from behind a tree, and his magic streaked across the snow-covered ground, leaving jagged ice in its wake. The spell cut through one of the warden’s shields, and he went down.

  Dylan moved to join the fight, but Aiden gripped his arm. “We should wait for help.”

  “We are the help.” He would still need to be careful, but there was enough room out here for him to use his fire. This wouldn’t be a repeat of the prison.

  Aiden gasped. “Nuala! We need to get the potions. It’s not ready, but maybe it’ll work—”

  The dark fae had seen them and sent a pale blue ball of magic hurtling toward them. Dylan brought his hands up, but Aiden was faster. A barrier formed a split second before the spell hit. Dylan tensed. The ball shattered, magic crackling along the barrier.

  A bright flare of light slammed into the dark fae and he stumbled. Dylan turned to see Mr. Johnson in the street, using a car as cover. Although Dylan hated himself for it, seeing the warden made him feel better.

  “We need to go now,” Aiden said. “Mr. Johnson and the others can hold them off while we get the potions.”

  “There’s no time,” Dylan told Aiden.

  Another defender fell as they watched. Dylan couldn’t turn away from this and drive across town for potions that might not work. The spell needed blood…

  “Over there.” Dylan pointed at the nearest house, and they took shelter around the corner. “I have an idea. Can you keep your shield up?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Just do it.” If he explained what he had in mind, Aiden would refuse.

  Aiden frowned, but the air around them shimmered as he summoned a barrier. Dylan lifted a hand, and a ring of fire formed around them, burning through the thin layer of snow. Dylan closed his eyes, picturing the first symbol before he burned it into the ground at his feet.

  “What are you doing?” The question echoed, and Dylan looked up to see both Aiden and Mr. Johnson staring at him.

  Shit. “Aiden, keep the barrier up no matter what. Trust me.” What a stupid thing to ask of him. The last time they were in this situation, Dylan had burned his best friend.

  But Aiden swallowed and said in a shaky voice, “Okay.”

  Dylan drew the second symbol, heart hammering loud enough to overpower the sounds of fighting all around them.

  “Stop this right now.” Mr. Johnson stepped forward, but Aiden’s shield stopped him. “Both of you.”

  The placement of the next symbol meant Aiden had to move a few inches. Dylan stood next to him, looking him straight in the eyes. “I’m getting us help.”

  “I know.”

  Dylan’s chest tightened, and he turned away before he could do something stupid, like cry. Fire danced along the brown, frozen grass as Dylan formed the third symbol.

  “I know you mean well, but this isn’t the answer. The fae can’t be trusted—”

  “I’m fae. You trust me enough to force me into becoming a warden.”

  “This isn’t the same.” Mr. Johnson put his hands against the barrier, and they lit with magic.

  Dylan tensed, remembering how easily Morgan had destroyed Aiden’s shield. Aiden took a breath, the scent of fresh leaves and rich earth growing stronger. Mr. Johnson pushed harder, a drop of sweat trickling down his face. The barrier held.

  Dylan pictured the next symbol, trying to shake off the distracting sense of déjà vu. As he drew it, the energy of the spell buzzed along his skin. Now for the next step.

  Fear clutched at his stomach, but he had to do this. All this was his fault, and he had to make things right.

  “How will this work? We don’t have any potion.”

  Aiden would try to stop him as soon as he realized what Dylan was doing. “Swear you’ll help me finish this ritual no matter what.” He never would have asked Aiden to make a binding promise, but this was too important.

  For a second he was worried Aiden would refuse. His friend frowned, giving him a long look. Mr. Johnson yelled at them and kept trying to force his way through the barrier. Aiden glanced at the warden before turning back to Dylan. “Ok. I swear.”

  Dylan t
ook off his coat and let it drop, then pulled up his sleeve. I hope you understand I’m doing this for you. For everyone else too, but mostly for Aiden. Dylan brought out his claws, and before he could lose his courage, he sliced deep through his left arm.

  “Dylan!”

  “Keep the shield up!” His blood splattered on the snow and mud at his feet. The spell pulled on the energy. Even in the darkness the blood looked bright, the coppery scent of it overpowering the smell of Aiden’s magic.

  “What are you doing?” Aiden pleaded in a watery voice.

  “What I have to.” Pain throbbed along his arm as blood kept pumping out. “Fionnuala Siridean, I summon you. With the power of my blood, I summon you. Fionnuala Siridean, hear my call. Fionnuala Siridean, come forth.” Wow, there was a lot of blood. Dylan’s legs folded under him, and he went down hard.

  “Dylan, stop!” Hands wrapped around his injured arm, trying to stop the bleeding.

  “You swore,” Dylan said. Was that his voice? It sounded so weird.

  Aiden groaned. “You tricked me. Oh God. I can’t let you die.” His tear-streaked face looked a little blurry.

  “Draw the last symbol in the air. You have to finish it.” Dylan could barely lift his good arm.

  Choking on sobs, Aiden pulled one of his bloody hands from Dylan’s arm and wrote in the air. His green-gold magic shimmered, forming the last part of the spell. Then they waited a few endless breaths.

  God, he was going to be pissed if he died and this didn’t even work.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  A hole formed in front of them. It wasn’t dark like last time, but bright. As it widened, Aiden made out green leaves before a figure moved to block out everything else. Aiden tensed, wondering if they’d made a mistake, if this had all been a trick and they were only making things worse.

  Dylan was bleeding out, hot blood running through Aiden’s fingers. But Aiden couldn’t even use his rudimentary healing spell because all his magic was being poured into keeping the barrier up. He couldn’t drop it thanks to the promise he’d made. Not until they knew the spell had worked.

  The figure stepped through, and with a rush of relief, Aiden recognized his birth mother. His brother came right behind her.

  “Nuala.” Aiden sagged as the binding of the promise gave way.

  “Aiden, are you all right?” Nuala rushed to him, dropping to her knees. Behind her, Oisin stepped through the portal.

  “He used his blood…” Aiden struggled to focus so he could use the healing spell.

  Dylan was still conscious, but he was very pale and his eyes were drooping.

  “You need to help me close the portal. Get up.” Mr. Johnson grabbed Aiden’s arm, yanking at him.

  “Get your hands off my son.”

  “Stop, stop!” Aiden held his hands up. “We need to help Dylan.” Didn’t Mr. Johnson care?

  The warden glanced at Dylan. Aiden might have imagined the look of concern on his face, but he hoped not. “There are more fae coming through. We have to stop them.”

  “If you attempt to harm my son, I will kill you,” Nuala said. The spring warmth of her magic had a sharp edge to it.

  “We’re on the same side. This is Mr. Johnson.” At least Aiden hoped they were on the same side. Aiden didn’t know what he would do if his birth mom and the warden got in a fight.

  They stared at each other.

  Nuala said, “We will close the portal when we are all through. We are here to help my son against the dark fae.” There were now six other fae standing next to Oisin, tense gazes fixed on Mr. Johnson.

  Dylan’s arm moved, sliding out of his grip. Aiden turned to find him sagging, eyes closed. “Dylan!” Panic crushed his lungs, spots dancing in front of his eyes. Dylan couldn’t die. Please God, please no.

  Something huge blocked out the starlight, and a roar shook the air. Could this get any worse? But when Aiden looked up, he saw a dragon and relief washed through him.

  Bryn called her son’s name as she landed only feet away. One of her huge front paws caressed him gently, and the soft blue of a healing spell surrounded Dylan. The flesh under Aiden’s hands tingled.

  “Did they hurt him?” Bryn growled. She filled the backyard, too large to fit more than her head and shoulders between the houses.

  “No. That’s my birth mom. They’re on our side. Dylan… He used his blood to open the portal.” That had been so brave. Stupid but brave.

  Blood stopped running through Aiden’s fingers. After a moment, Dylan opened his eyes. He looked pale and weak, but he was alive.

  Aiden reached over to grip his good hand since Bryn’s claw around his friend made hugging difficult.

  “Did it work?” Dylan asked.

  “Yeah. You stupid idiot.” Aiden tried to wipe his tears away but only managed to smear Dylan’s blood all over his face.

  “Good. Now get up and help me close this portal.” Mr. Johnson didn’t grab him again, but his voice was full of command.

  “We are nearly all through,” Nuala said.

  Aiden looked over to see almost a dozen fae standing near the portal, which was still slowly widening.

  It took two tries for Aiden to get to his feet. “They’re here to help.” Although it made his anxiety spike, he put himself between Nuala and Mr. Johnson. Dylan is alive. We have help. Everything will be fine.

  Mr. Johnson didn’t look happy at all, but Aiden realized the warden couldn’t do much. If he attacked, he’d be facing several fae. For once, Aiden had leverage against him. “If they don’t close the portal behind them, then I’ll help you close it. But we need them.” Aiden had to be strong. For Dylan, for his parents, for Tiago. For everyone in Shadow Valley.

  “Very well,” Mr. Johnson ground out. “If they swear they won’t—”

  “No.” Aiden was surprised at the sharpness in his voice. “No more swearing. You’ll just have to trust them. And me.”

  Several of the fae turned, holding their hands up. Magic flowed from them, and the portal began to close.

  “See?” Aiden said.

  Something exploded nearby, shaking the ground. Mr. Johnson cast an anxious glance toward the battle. “There will be consequences. But first we have to survive this.”

  * * *

  His mom’s huge dragon form crouched over Dylan. He slowly regained strength as her healing magic flowed through him.

  An ache that had nothing to do with physical pain filled him as he watched everyone else run toward the battle. He desperately wanted to fight, but he wasn’t even sure he could stand up. Dylan filled his mom in on what had happened.

  No one had attacked them yet, although Dylan’s mom was a huge and obvious target. But even fae would think twice before taking on a dragon, so maybe that was why no one had been brave enough—or stupid enough—to try it.

  “I’m so proud of you,” she said.

  “What?” Dylan had been expecting a lecture.

  “You risked your life to keep us all safe.” She nuzzled him with a head larger than his body. “You’ve grown so much. Fighting to save the wardens last year and now this. I’ve always known this was the kind of man you could be.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” He put a hand against her cheek, the words warming him. Dylan had always been difficult, pushing even his laid-back parents to frustration. They’d never made him feel like a disappointment, but it was still incredible to know he was finally living up to his mom’s expectations. “You should go help. I’m fine now.”

  She tilted her head. “No. You’ll wait until I leave and then try to join the fight.” She knew him too well.

  “So you’ll stay here and make sure I don’t. Tell me I’ve done enough already.” Dylan tried to console himself. He’d helped bring the light fae over, so now at least the odds were even. But it would suck to sit here while everyone else battled the extremists.

  “No, I’m going to heal you enough so you can fight.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, but my magic can o
nly do so much.” Her voice grew thick. “You lost so much blood…” Swallowing, she went on in a more even tone. “You won’t be even half strength, so you’ll need to stay close to me.”

  “Yeah, sure.” He’d agree to that if it meant he didn’t have to wait out the battle.

  Someone appeared around the corner, arms up with a spell already forming between her hands. Her purplish-blue skin marked her as one of the dark fae. One of them had finally decided to attack.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Tiago had refused to be left behind when Rosalind went to fight the extremists. He wasn’t stupid. He knew this was dangerous and that he wasn’t as powerful as most of the others, but he knew he could do something.

  All that training with Aiden was paying off. Tiago dodged a spell, then another as he raced toward the witch. Her lips were drawn back in a snarl worthy of a werecreature, magic glowing around her hands as she formed another spell.

  Tiago leapt, grabbing for her wrists as he used his weight to knock her to the ground. The air rushed out of her, and the spell burst into raw energy. It was like a punch connecting with his whole upper body. Grunting at the pain, he managed to hold on. Tiago swung his fist hard, hitting the woman’s temple and dazing her. Another quick punch knocked her out.

  The sound of fighting had grown distant, and Tiago looked up to find he was alone. Where was Rosalind? His guardian had stuck by him when they moved to attack the extremists. Now both her and the person she’d been fighting had disappeared.

  Something huge flew by a few houses away. Tiago instinctively ducked before he made out the shape of a dragon. That had to be Dylan’s mom. She disappeared over the roofs and treetops, heading toward what looked like the worst of the fighting. Different-colored spells lit the horizon like fireworks.

  Tiago glanced down to make sure the witch was still unconscious before running after Bryn. She was probably looking for Dylan, and where Dylan was, Aiden would be. Tiago’s heart squeezed to think of Aiden in the middle of that. His boyfriend hated to fight, yet here he was, being forced into it again.