by Meg Ripley
She nodded, recognizing the plea in his tone, and darted toward her suitcase on the bed, pulling the first T-shirt she could find over her head. It did little more than create a semi-opaque layer over the top of her, which only served to make him want to rip the shirt right off, but it would have to do.
“Let’s go,” she told him, wheeling the luggage to the bedroom door. She left the suitcase in the hallway and knocked on the next door over. “Lexi, it’s time,” she called quietly.
He heard movement in the room within seconds and the girl opened her door a moment later, her own rolling suitcase in hand. He already had his cell phone out and Steven on the other end of the line, or else he’d be tempted to ask why the ladies kept themselves ready to flee at a moment’s notice. Instead, he relayed his instructions to Steven while Lexi eyed him warily.
“It’s okay, Lexi. I promise,” Hope told the girl and her expression relaxed.
He hung up the phone and motioned that it was time to go. Once they got downstairs, Steven would be waiting in front of the building. To be safe, he stepped outside first. It would be better if he could shift; his senses were so much keener in dragon form, but this would have to do. There was no sign of Victor, so the three of them hurried to the car. He dropped their luggage in the trunk alongside his own while they slipped into the back seat. He jumped into the front passenger seat a split second before Steven began to drive away.
“I need you to bring the girl to the place we spoke about and stay with her until you hear from me,” he told Steven.
“Yes, Sir.”
Not another word was spoken the entire trip to the airport, but as he stepped out of the car, grabbed their luggage and opened the door for Hope, he began to worry. If she didn’t like helicopters, chances were she wasn’t much fonder of airplanes. But she hugged Lexi tightly and then climbed out without hesitation. Throwing him even more for a loop, she started toward the plane with a determined step. She climbed aboard just as easily and her complexion didn’t grow pallid the entire flight. He would have asked her about it, but he wasn’t going to risk reigniting her fear mid-flight.
They touched down on the landing strip of the private island he’d purchased a few decades back. It was only a short walk to the villa and the first phase of his plan was complete. It was dark, still hours before the sun would rise, but Hope seemed restless, too full of nervous energy to sit or lie still inside the villa.
Not a moment after they’d walked out the villa’s front door, she turned to him, “Cade, I was wondering something,” she began hesitantly. “Would you change for me? I want to see you.”
“Are you sure?” He didn’t mind the idea of shifting to dragon form. He trusted his senses far more that way, confident he’d sense Victor coming from miles away.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
It was strange. He’d never shifted in front of a human being before, and yet he nodded his head and the change came as easily as breathing. The familiar tension and heat rippled through his body, preparing itself for the inevitable shift from human to beast. Then it happened, but he fought the ever-present urge to stretch out his wings and fly. He didn’t want to scare her, and so he kept himself as small as he could, keeping his head bowed low and his wings drawn tightly against his massive body.
He looked at her, expecting to see terror, or at least fear in her eyes, but there was none of it. Her eyes looked the same as the night she’d stared out at the ocean, maybe even more replete with wonder now than they’d been then. Without hesitating, she moved toward him, reaching her hand up as she came close. She touched his snout, gliding along the marble-smooth scales. Her hand tremored against him, but she showed no signs of fear.
“You’re so warm. Your body is like armor; I would have guessed it would be cool to the touch,” she observed idly as she continued to run her hand higher.
He lowered his head more, giving her access to the granite-like spikes atop his skull. Her hands roamed everywhere she could reach, and in dragon form, her touch was even more potent than it had been when she’d touched his human skin. But he couldn’t touch her like this. The risk of hurting her was too great.
“You’re beautiful,” she told him as he watched desire flood her eyes and her hands began to move differently against him. She was no longer exploring, she was caressing. She was no longer intrigued. She was on fire.
Damn it, he couldn’t let her continue. “Stop,” he told her as he shifted back to human form.
“What happened? Did I do something wrong?”
“I need to keep my mind focused, Hope, and your hand was driving me wild.”
“It’s the same? I mean, to be touched is still arousing when you’re like that?”
“Even more,” he shuddered through a heavy sigh, trying to keep his wits about him. “Why don’t we get you some sleep. You must be beat.” Maybe there’d be some chance he could keep his hands to himself and his mind on the task at hand if she were fast asleep. She started to object, but stopped herself quickly and nodded.
She really must have been exhausted, because not a full minute after they’d laid down, she fell fast asleep. It was fortunate for him, because if he had to lay there for a moment longer with her wrapped in his arms, her soft curves fitted against his hard body, he would have lost the battle.
Even after he slipped out of bed though, he stood there watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful despite the tumultuous past several hours. He didn’t share in her serene disposition at the moment. He was on edge, knowing every minute that passed brought him closer to the moment Victor would finally appear there on the island. He would use his cunning wit to try to get close to Hope, and Cade would be forced to kill a dragon that he’d known for centuries.
He felt restless; he should be out there looking for him, cutting him down before he got anywhere close to Hope. But if he left her, there was no way to guarantee he’d find Victor before Victor found Hope. In truth, he’d expected to get not much more than a few miles ahead of Victor before he was forced to face him in a final fight.
Closing his eyes, he searched for him, seeking out the familiar sound of the man’s heartbeat or the scent of sulfur that would signal he was near. He’d trust his senses so much more in dragon form. Glancing down at Hope one last time, he crept out of the room, through the rest of the villa to the front door. Just one swoop around the island, just to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. He’d still be within close enough proximity that he’d know if Victor came anywhere near.
He shifted once he stepped outside and took to the skies, soaring high above the treetops, circling the perimeter of the island. He saw nothing, and his senses told him that Victor wasn’t there—at least, not yet. Still, a prickle of apprehension raced down his spine. It was probably just heightened nerves, waiting for the inevitable confrontation to come. He returned to the ground quickly and shifted back before he walked back into the villa. As he stepped through the door, the same apprehension pricked him.
“I wasn’t certain you were going to come back,” a man’s voice spoke from next to the bed as he walked into the bedroom. “I thought maybe you’d finally come to your senses.”
How had he missed him? Victor must have been there already, waiting for him to slip out. And now he stood not more than two feet from the woman who had become his life. “Get away from her, Victor.”
“I bet you’re feeling pretty confused at the moment, wondering how I was able to slip in beneath your radar?”
Cade was silent, though that was precisely the question that was pounding in his head.
“It’s funny, really. All this time, you killed all those evil witches, but you never took anything from them. But I did. Spells, potions, curses—all the things you hated so much. You have no idea how much power they can bring. I can make it so neither you, nor any other dragon, can ever find me. I can creep up on you at any time because you’ll never sense me coming. You could have had it, too, Cade, but you’ve been so caught up, living among the h
umans. You even missed your big prize, the one you’ve been seeking out for so long.”
“Get out, Victor. Just leave. If you hurt her, you know I’ll have to kill you.”
“I knew you’d gone soft, but when I saw you with this woman, a spitting image of the one I’d killed not so many years ago, I knew it was far worse than that. The witch was right there under your nose and you were completely oblivious. So, you must understand why I have to save you, Cade. I need to make you strong again. I once looked up to you.”
“I won’t let you hurt her, Victor.”
“It’s too late, Cade. You don’t think she’s been sleeping through our little meeting, do you? Don’t feel too bad about it. You really did go to great lengths to try to keep her safe.”
“What did you do, Victor?” His heart lurched in his chest as he looked down at the peaceful form sleeping in his bed. She hadn’t moved once since he’d walked in, but she wasn’t sleeping. Her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes were wide open. No, he couldn’t be too late. Her breathing…it was shallow, but he could still see the slow rise and fall of her chest. Oh God, what had Victor done? He’d failed. He’d soared over the island for no more than a minute, and in that brief time, he’d lost everything.
“Oh, I suppose she’s not dead yet, but it’ll happen soon enough. You see, with the invention of modern medicine came these tiny little syringes,” he held one up in his hand. “It’s so much easier to inject someone with one than it ever was to force them to drink the damn potions. One tiny pinprick and all the work is done.”
“You bastard,” Cade roared.
“She has better senses than you, Cade; so much, that she was able to sense my presence despite the potion. And I bet you don’t even know why,” he scoffed. “The moment I slipped in through the window, she was wide awake, not that it did her any good. She may have keen senses, but her muscle is no better than a mere human’s. But don’t worry, I made sure I didn’t make that same mistake twice. The poison winding through her veins is enough to take down a small army.”
The roar that rose up from Cade’s chest began as a man’s, but in a flash, he became the black beast, his massive size tearing off the roof of the villa, violently collapsing the walls around him. His roar shook the ground as Victor shifted before his eyes, the red dragon taking his place. He lunged at the son of a bitch, teeth bared and talons extended.
He delivered the first blow, a mighty slash across the scarlet beast’s belly. Victor stumbled back several yards, but Cade’s attempt failed to send him careening to the ground. Instead, the dragon he’d known for hundreds of years began to spin, flinging his tail like a heavy, spike-encrusted whip. One spike made contact, tearing through the unguarded flesh of his ribcage. It was fitting. He now wore a near-identical wound to the one that still marred the soft flesh covering Hope’s torso.
An image of her near-lifeless form and terror-filled eyes flashed through his mind, and another roar ripped clear out of his chest. She’d been awake; she’d heard everything he and Victor had said, but she was powerless, her body overwhelmed by whatever potion worked its lethal magic in her veins.
The fire in his belly rose up and spewed forth, incinerating the shrubs that had outlined the path to the once-beautiful villa. It was no longer a haven. It was hell. It was the place he’d lost Hope.
The first flicker of doubt flashed through Victor’s golden eyes, as if he were only now contemplating the possibility that he might not win this fight. He took flight and Cade followed, meeting him in the sky. He knew precisely where to aim; not at the unarmored underbelly of the dragon, but in between the scales on his rough back.
He hit his mark with deft precision. His talons dug into the flesh beneath the scales and tore clear into the muscle that controlled his wings. The red beast roared in agony, and his flightless body crashed to the ground.
He swooped down, landing directly in front of the fallen dragon, but neither the wounds nor the crash had killed him. Victor must have found a bit of magic that strengthened his body, but it didn’t matter. No spell, potion or curse would thwart Cade’s vengeance.
He spun, flinging his own lethal whip, making contact with Victor’s snout as the beast tried to right himself and stand up. The blow had been enough to faze him, and Cade moved in one last time, slashing with lightning speed into the creature’s chest. Victor stumbled back as his eyes met Cade’s. The crimson dragon had seriously believed he would win this fight, but he knew now that he’d lost. Warm blood flowed down the beast’s body as he stumbled back one more step, falling to the ground.
Victor was dead, but it did nothing to save Hope.
He walked back toward the broken villa, shifting to his human form as he reached the debris that surrounded her. She was still breathing, but the movement of her chest had grown even shallower and a single tear slid down her cheek.
No. This couldn’t be it, damn it! There had to be something he could do.
The witch was right there under your nose.
Victor’s words came back to him. The witch had shown up when he’d been distracted with Hope? He must have meant at the charity dinner. Image after image flashed through his mind, remembering every person he’d seen there. A woman in the corner—her name—someone had said her name. Genevieve. He’d seen the name on the list—the list of guests from the dinner that were staying at the hotel—and he hadn’t recognized her name, though he knew every other guest there. It had to be her.
“Hold on, Hope. Please, just hold on,” he whispered to her, and then he flew like never before back to Vegas. He was there in no time and landed on the hotel’s roof, shifting as he hurried down to her suite, breaking down her door. She was there, sitting in a chair in the suite’s living room, next to the window. It was definitely her, the same face he remembered from centuries ago. And he hadn’t even noticed she’d been right there in the same banquet hall, staying in his hotel.
She smiled. “I was wondering when I’d be seeing you again.”
He didn’t have time to cajole her, and there was no guarantee a threat would work. It was risky, but he could do it. Her eyes widened as Cade dashed through the room without a word and grabbed the screaming woman up in his arms. He jumped through the window and the moment the glass shattered around him, he made it happen, shifting right there. He had to go straight up, without a second to spare, or else there was an even greater risk of being seen. He kept the witch wrapped in his arms as he flew back to the island, all the while wondering if he was too late. Had he wasted his last precious moments with Hope in vain?
“You heal her, and I let you live,” he growled at her once he’d touched down and shifted back. “Do you understand me?”
“Heal her? And just how do you expect me to do that?”
“I know exactly who and what you are. If you can’t undo whatever the potion has done, then my body’s stronger than hers. If she were like me, she could heal, she’d survive.”
“Oh? So, being like you isn’t as bad as you thought all this time?”
“Enough!”
“I can’t make her like you, Cade. She isn’t like you. She’s like me.”
What?
“What do you mean, she’s like you?” The witch was trying to deceive him. Hope didn’t have time for this.
“You knew it. You already knew there was something different about her. Those eyes, they never lie, and if you’d tasted her blood, you would have known it wasn’t human blood. I bet since being around you, she’s been noticing things about herself, things that never broke through the surface before.”
“She can’t be like you. She isn’t a god damned witch,” he bellowed. “If she were like you, she would have known it, which means I would have known it, too.”
“It isn’t like being a shifter—something that’s a little hard to go unnoticed. Being a witch, as you call us, it’s something deep within. If you don’t know the power you possess, you never think to use it.”
“And once she knows…she’ll b
ecome like you? Like all the evil, vile creatures I’ve destroyed over the centuries?”
The witch seemed to ignore his question, and turned her attention to Hope, though she continued to speak to him. “This was no doubt Victor’s work. I knew he was up to no good at that banquet of yours, but Victor miscalculated despite knowing what she was. You see, spells and potions aren’t as effective on us, especially one like her, but they’re not completely without effect. Otherwise, she would have sensed Victor’s anger a mile away.”
“What do you mean ‘one like her’?”
“She is far stronger than I am, Cade, and I have only ever met one other that was stronger than myself. Hope’s mother.”
“You knew her mother?” He brushed back the wisps of hair from Hope’s forehead, remembering the sadness in her eyes when she’d spoken of her mother.
The witch ignored him. “I can feel the potion coursing through her veins, and it is strong. Not many of us could survive it. Victor knew what he was doing. I believe it’s strong enough that it would have even bested me. But while most bloodlines weaken over time, hers has only strengthened. I can only imagine how magnificent your offspring will be; the two mightiest creatures I have ever known.”
“She’s going to survive?” The tiniest bit of relief tingled through his veins, but perhaps she was lying, just trying to buy herself time to figure a way out.
“Come on Hope. I know you can hear us. Sense it there in your body and fight it. Banish it from your veins. Don’t keep us waiting.”
Her breathing returned to normal after a moment and color returned to her cheeks, but she still didn’t move a muscle. She didn’t even blink.
“Don’t worry, sometimes it takes a few minutes. She’s new at all of this.”
He waited with baited breath, stroking her hand, caressing her cheek, staring into her eyes. There was a determination in them that hadn’t been there moments ago. And his heart, which had been growing cold with despair, began to fill with warmth once again.