Darominius defended himself. “Now, now, I was sent away by the spirits but I would have loved to have stayed with you all night. I came back here and Tara was emotional so I gave her a hug and one thing led to another as they say.”
Tara added, “We’re still here. It’s not like we went back home to do this. We’re still right by your side. I would ask about your night but his stories have already scared the living daylights out of me.”
Whitney paced back and forth as she spoke. “It didn’t get any better, I can tell you that. My nerves are friggin’ shot. I’m starving but I couldn’t eat if I was force fed because of the stomach pangs. My body aches and feels like it’s falling apart and I constantly feel like I’m going to fall asleep.”
Bo asked, “So do you have a next assignment or something?”
“No, the a-hole told me to come back here. I’ll be at his beck and call even though he won’t let me hear Trent and keeps saying that he is in a dream land or something like that. I just want this all to come to a happy end.”
Darominius got up in his burgundy bathrobe and hugged Whitney. Despite the initial skeevy feeling that he had just been having sex with her friend, she finally felt comfort. He squeezed, and the power in his tightening biceps gave her a sense of safety.
The warm embrace provided comfort, but it also made her think about her dad and Trent. They were the two men who had always been there for her and now she couldn’t turn to either one. Darominius had been a loyal friend so far, but he couldn’t fill the void left by those two men.
Darominius whispered, “Whitney Powers, you have a heart of fire. I think the time has come for me to take you to another time and place. I wasn’t sure if you were worthy of this early on, but now I am thoroughly convinced that you will succeed.”
Whitney had no idea what he was talking about but before she could say anything, he continued, “We need to find a piece of land void of people so we can take off. You understand?”
“I understand and you don’t have to whisper. These guys know all about you and what you are so you have nothing to hide. I’m surprised you didn’t use it as your pick-up line.” Whitney broke the embrace.
Darominius grinned and cocked his head to the side. “You think…you think it’s a good pick up line? Joking only. No, you humans say only joking, right? I’m going to throw on some comfortable gear. I’ll be outside waiting. And you don’t have to bring any material possessions. Just bring a change of clothes. The reason will become apparent later.”
The dragon shifter left the room and she turned to Bo.
“Keep your eye, well I guess your ear, out for the phone. If the guy calls, tell him, tell him. I don’t know tell him I’ll be right back. I’m in the bathroom or something. I don’t know how long Darominius and I will be gone for.”
Tara grabbed her forearm and said, “Hurry back with that bad boy. Girl, the power he brings is amazing. I’ll tell you all about it when you get back.”
Whitney slapped her hand away. “I’m really not concerned with those lurid details right now while my husband is being dangled in front of my face like a carrot on a string.”
Tara let go. “Right. Right. Good luck or break a leg. I’m not really sure what to say.”
“That’ll work just fine. Hopefully, we’ll be back in no time.” Whitney pulled an outfit from her duffle bag as Darominius emerged from the bathroom.
Everyone erupted in laughter. Bo and Tara pointed at the dragon shifter’s short khaki shorts. They only hung to the middle of his thighs.
Darominius shrugged his shoulders. “What? No good?”
Bo talked through the laughter. “Maybe if you were playing basketball in the seventies. That’s a fine look you got there, sir.”
Tara walked over and stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “I think you look great. At least I don’t have to worry about any other girls hitting on you.”
Everyone exploded in laughter again.
“Alright, Whit, Darominius, be safe,” Bo said.
Whitney walked outside into the crisp autumn air. The couple walked toward a forest and away from Dankstone.
“So where are we going?” She ran her fingers through her dirty hair.
Darominius slowed down to let Whitney catch up. His long legs moved much farther than hers with every step and he frequently had to slow down his pace.
He said, “When and where are we going. We are going back to a time when dragons still roamed the earth. We are going to what would now be called Central Asia, but my people knew it as Kongarum.”
The constant worry that had run through her body since she had received the first call from the kidnapper slowly started to filter out. A chance to see other dragons excited her and made her forget about the current, stressful predicament.
They found a deserted open field and Darominius transformed into a dragon.
His body started growing in all directions and his clothes exploded. The golden glow became more powerful. A long tail sprouted and wings extended from the middle of his back. Rows of shingled oval pieces of armor assembled over his body in a horizontal pattern from top to bottom.
His gorgeous human face slipped away and was replaced with lizard-like wrinkled skin. Long, silver whiskers sprouted from the tip of his chin and from both cheeks. The dark eyes with molten-colored pupils gave the golden dragon a menacing look.
Whitney got on his back and they rose into the air.
Darominius talked to her for the first time while they were in the air. “I will try to make this as brief as possible due to the overall situation, but this is something you need to experience.”
“Why me? Why are you taking me?”
He slowed down with his wings fully extended and they glided through the clouds. “How can I say this? Great warriors can come in many different sizes and shapes. Some big, others small, there is no true mold. However, there is a common theme that all great warriors share. A heart that will never let them even think about quitting, no matter the difficulty of the scenario. The fact that you’ve never even punched someone in the face before doesn’t preclude you from having the heart of a warrior. But we already know you have the heart of a champion. We are going to find out if you have the heart of a dragon.”
Darominius pointed the top of his head straight down and Whitney started getting an intense queasy feeling as they hurtled toward earth.
6
Several dragons, blue, gold and green in color, lounged in a pond while a silver friend blasted flames onto the surface to heat the water. Whitney stood in awe as she beheld a natural playground for dragons in front of her.
A sweeping river cut through tall, twin peaks of red rock and a verdant valley of tall grass. There were several ponds scattered about. The dragons seemed peaceful and lounged around on what felt like a chilly autumn day.
Whitney caught Darominius staring longingly at what she presumed to be his family. She tried to figure out if he was in the bunch. Her friend shook his head from side to side and seemed to snap out of it.
He looked at Whitney and said, “Shall we proceed?”
Whitney didn’t respond and followed her friend in dragon form as he led her toward an opening at the base of the red rock hill. She kept peeking back at the dragons that reminded her of the dinosaur replicas at the museum.
“I guess we need to stay within a mile here too or we could be seen?”
Darominius answered, “We won’t be going anywhere near a mile away so don’t worry about that.”
Darominius shifted into a human. They entered the dark opening and all light disappeared as they went down an incline. They kept going farther down the tunnel and it got hotter and hotter with each step. Whitney held onto Darominius’ back and almost fell when she stepped on a rock.
She straightened herself out and a fire up ahead caught her eye. They arrived at an open area with a large boulder in the center. A nude woman who resembled an albino stood up from behind the black rock. Two fires on each side of
the small oval area showed her to be a tall woman who looked like she had been dusted in baby powder.
Red eyes danced around aimlessly in their sockets, giving the impression that the woman could faint at any time. Bulging blue veins erupted in her forearms as she held them in an X in front of her face.
The strong woman talked almost in a hiss. “What is it that you should want?”
Darominius approached her and said, “I need to know if she is worthy of the honor.” He pointed at Whitney even though she was the only other person in the room.
The woman shuffled her feet over to Whitney and looked down into her eyes. The black irises and red pupils with nothing but flaky ivory skin around them made Whitney uneasy. The woman wouldn’t break eye contact and Whitney tried not to blink.
Two pale hands reached out and grabbed Whitney’s ears and pulled her in for a close inspection. The albino’s long, wet nose contacted Whitney’s and she stopped. The woman breathed heavily through her mouth and her vicious halitosis had no problem invading Whitney’s nose.
She tried to turn away but the firm grip of the taller woman held her head in place. Whitney was about to slap the woman’s hands away when she suddenly broke the grip and backed away. She turned to Darominius and nodded in silence.
The dragon shifter said, “We continue.”
Whitney followed him into the tunnel ahead and as they continued downward, the heat increased in proportion.
They entered another room with a wooden block in the middle. A tiny creature covered in a collage of black, gray and brown fur emerged. Three fires in this room exposed an animal standing on two feet with two arms that hung to its ankles.
It looked like a dwarf crossed with a raccoon. The creature did not look scary in any way and Whitney thought it would make a good stuffed animal.
Darominius said, “We’ve come for you to tell us whether her body can handle the burden. If you will.”
The creature nodded and two dark eyes looked over Whitney. She noticed that the creature was a man as he circled her and bent over to look at her feet. He felt her ankles and then worked his way up her legs and around her abdomen. Then he massaged her breasts for what Whitney considered to be an inappropriate amount of time.
His long hands reached up to her face and she closed her eyes as he brushed his fingers over her eyelids. She had never been prodded like this before as he felt around her back and grabbed two fistfuls of her ass. The hairy creature worked his hands down the back of her legs and then played with her feet through her shoes.
The animal backed away from Whitney and looked at Darominius. He turned back to Whitney and she could barely breathe wondering if she was worthy.
The animal nodded slowly and a rush of energy jumped around her chest.
They went into another pitch-black tunnel, which led upward. She held onto Darominius’ shirt as the sound of rushing water echoed along the tunnel walls. They emerged through an opening to find an expanse of green grass with a wide river about seventy-five paces ahead.
Darominius spoke over the river. “Many people only see water for being a liquid. When dealing with elemental magic, water is only a state of mind. Water can shift to take the shape of anything. Pour it into a square box, it’s square. Pour it into a round tankard, it’s round. Triangle, no problem. Now, think of your body as water. A body that can shift and stretch to fit any form.”
He walked up to the river bank and Whitney followed. He turned around holding a half oyster shell with a deep channel. Darominius transposed into a dragon and dropped the shell when his arms turned into wings.
He said, “I need you to pick up that shell and there should be a knife close to the river.” He pointed as Whitney grabbed both items.
“I need you to come closer,” he said as he leaned over.
Whitney approached her friend, and he said, “I need you to shift that scale on the left side of my chest, so on your right.”
“This one?”
“No, the one to the right of it. Yes, that’s it. Push it up with, well which is your dominant hand?”
“I’m right-handed.”
“Alright, not yet, but when we are ready you will push it up with your left hand and put the knife in your right. I’m going to need you to give me a little poke and then catch my blood in the oyster shell. No big deal,” Darominius explained.
“You want me to stab you? I don’t know if I can do that.”
A funny look came over his face. “You are actually going to have to do a lot more than that. You are going to have to make contact with my heart so the blood is straight from a dragon’s heart.”
“But what if I go too far?” She held up a shaking right hand.
“I have faith in you. Enough to put my life in your hands,” Darominius reassured her.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I’ve never stabbed anyone before.” Whitney put the oyster shell in the belly pocket of her hoodie and tried to shake off the nerves. She held a trembling hand in front of her face.
Darominius said, “Relax. You would have to screw up badly to even hurt me.” He lied. If Whitney pushed the knife an inch too far, he would die on the spot.
A few deep breaths didn’t really help so she jumped up and down. She put the knife in her right hand and motioned with her left for Darominius to lean down. She lifted the heavy piece of natural dragon armor and concentrated.
She placed the silver tip of the knife against the wrinkled golden flesh of the dragon.
“Is this a good spot? If I go straight in like this?”
“That will work. Just keep a steady hand,” he said.
Her arm became weak and she didn’t want to push the blade in. She took a deep breath and pushed.
The dragon moaned in agony and she wanted to pull it out.
“How much farther?” She cringed.
“A good bit. Keep pushing and don’t collect any blood until I tell you to,” he reminded her.
She worked up the courage to push it in more but stopped after the dragon let out a wail. The long blade was already half way in and Whitney clenched her jaw and pushed a little more. The dragon cried out in pain again but didn’t say anything.
He involuntarily let some warm spit fly from his mouth as he tried to deal with the pain.
She pushed a tiny bit more and the dragon came crashing down. Whitney barely got out of the way as Darominius rolled onto his side.
“Now,” he barely managed to get out.
Whitney ran over and ripped the knife from the wound and pulled out the shell. She filled it with the dragon blood and shifted her concern to her friend.
“Are you going to be alright?” She set the shell aside and ripped off her hoodie. She balled it up and pressed it against the wound.
He spoke through short wisps of breath. “I’m going to live. You need to drink the liquid.”
She leaned over and grabbed the shell. The dying twilight sun provided enough light to expose a thick, purple, almost black liquid in the white oyster shell. It made for about a normal bar shot in volume.
Come on, we’ve done some nasty shots before. We can do this. Just like a Three Wise Men.
Her friend kept muttering under his breath and trying to get back up and Whitney thought maybe the shot would help him. Before she could change her mind, she threw down the relatively flavorless liquid. The hot substance tasted like Firewater and burned her throat.
She closed her eyes and the dragon’s blood swirled around her stomach like a fireball.
Building electricity.
Building energy.
Gaining power until the big spark erupted.
Intense waves of energy rippled through her body.
Stretching.
Expanding. In every direction.
She didn’t want to open her eyes because she suspected her body was being torn into pieces. Paralyzing pain caused her to drop to the ground and flop around spastically.
It looked like an exorcism as Whitney gasped fo
r air and her eyes rolled back into her head, only leaving the whites.
She could feel a flash of lightning in her heart that wormed its way around her body getting all the way to her extremities. The sound of the rushing waters from the river was about to break her eardrums.
She couldn’t keep her eyes closed any longer.
Darominius had made it to his feet as Whitney looked him in the eye.
Wait. If we’re standing eye to eye, that means...
She peeked down to look at her hand, but instead found a shining silver dragon wing. The ground seemed so far away and her first instinct was to test the wings. She could feel them in her back and tried to move her torso.
A whooshing sound pleased her ears greatly and her two dragon legs were soon off the ground. Both of them rose into the air and Whitney quickly got the hang of flying. It was much easier than driving because she only had to worry about one other aircraft in the sky.
They circled around the clouds and Whitney heard a sharp ringing sound in her head that shot panic through her. It was the sobering sound of the kidnapper’s phone.
She screamed to Darominius, “We have to get back. I have a feeling that guy is trying to call.”
Her dragon friend called back, “We have to go back down and get our clothes for when we return to your world. Just follow me and we will be back in no time.”
She followed him as he disappeared into a cumulous cloud.
7
Bo extended the phone to Whitney, “Dude, he’s pissed. He’s been calling for a while and I told him you were in the bathroom throwing up.”
Bo had his hand over the mouthpiece and handed the phone to Whitney.
“Hello.”
“Where the hell have you been?” he asked.
Whitney attempted to respond but the man cut her off. “It doesn’t matter. He’s dead. I didn’t even do it. He just…lost the game.”
She didn’t know whether to believe this joker. She waited in silence for him to say something.
The Whitney Powers Paranormal Adventure 3 Book Bundle Page 29