by Leela Ash
“Couldn’t hurt,” Jackson agreed. “So, tell me about her. What’s she like? What do you like about her? Is she pretty?”
Jackson raised his brow suggestively and grinned, digging into his own bag of food. Rhett considered the questions and sighed as his mind began to formulate answers.
“Her name is Mia. She is very intelligent. Kind of sharp. Has an edge to her. But a good edge. I like that she can hold her own but that I can still kind of…protect her. But…” Rhett trailed off and sighed, then dipped into the bag in front of him for a condiment infused bun.
“But what?” Jackson asked gently, urging Rhett on with his story.
“I have other obligations. I have someone I am supposed to be waiting for. Holding out for. But I don’t even think I will be able to choose between them should the time come. It is really very confusing.”
“Someone you are supposed to be waiting for? You mean like an arranged marriage?”
Rhett froze, then nodded quickly. “I am not from around here. I am European.”
He didn’t know whether or not this would explain away something that seemed such a strange concept to Jackson, but he hoped it would help. He hated lying, and being forced to interact with humans often meant that he had to do just that. It was difficult for him, morally speaking, and even more difficult for him when he had to try to keep track of all the different things he had made up.
“Yeah, that makes sense. You do seem kinda funny.”
Rhett looked up at Jackson sharply. “Funny?”
The fireman shrugged with a cordial laugh. “Just different from the normal guys you see around these parts. So, do you want my opinion on this matter or do you just need to vent?”
Rhett accepted this and shrugged in return. “I think you could give me an opinion if you wanted to, it couldn’t hurt anything.”
“Great!” Jackson said brightly. “I think that it seems kind of dumb to sacrifice a relationship with someone you already really like and value for someone you have never even met. How do you know that you would be any happier with this other girl than you would be with the one you are already involved with? Doesn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense to me. Forget that other girl, you don’t even know whether or not you like her. Just stick with what you know, man. That’s what I would do, anyway.”
Rhett sighed. “If only it were that simple.”
“Look, I get that you have your reasons for wanting to deal with the arranged marriage and shit. There is bound to be a way for you to work around that, though, if that’s what you want to do. You look like a smart, strong guy. You are going to be able to do whatever it is you set your mind to. You don’t have to answer to anyone. This is your life. Yours. Maybe your family or whoever expects you to love a certain way, but that doesn’t have to be the way it is. You make your destiny. Not them. Just remember that.”
Rhett gazed at Jackson, a strange sense of relief filling his chest. He hadn’t even allowed himself to consider the possibility that he might be able to make a choice that made him happy. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a disaster after all.
But there was a nagging feeling in his chest that reminded him about the urgency of his planet’s plight. He couldn’t just abandon his mission for a selfish purpose, could he? This was an agonizing decision. He had always known he was meant for a beautiful woman of a similar descent. Why would he settle for being with just an average human? It would be like taking a step backward rather than taking a step forward.
But how could he explain something like that to Jackson?
He opened his mouth to try, but before any words could come out, a shrill beeping sounded, and he looked over at Jackson, confused. It almost sounded the way the device for seeking out potential descendants sounded, but it was in a pitch that only other dragon shifters like himself could tune in to.
“Oh, sorry man. Hold that thought. It’s my pager.”
Jackson fumbled in his pocket for his pager and his jaw tightened.
“Is something wrong?”
“Yeah,” Jackson said, hurrying to his feet. “Sorry, I have to go.”
“It’s all right,” Rhett said, standing as well. His eyes followed his new friend as he hurried out to his car, but when he tried to turn the engine, nothing happened.
“Shit!” Jackson exclaimed.
“What’s wrong with it?” Rhett asked, approaching the machine cautiously. He had always been curious about the way cars worked and had done a lot of research on the topic. He loved figuring out how to make things function.
“I don’t know, I have been having issues with it all week. Man, I really need to get to the station. They are short-staffed and there is an emergency.”
“Hold on,” Rhett said, lifting the hood of the car. He took a quick scan of the engine, finally setting his eyes on the likely culprit.
With a few quick adjustments and no tools required – his hands were unbelievably strong - he shut the hood.
“Try it now,” Rhett said, looking at the car curiously. He knew it should work.
“Holy shit,” Jackson said when the engine roared to life. “I really owe you one, man.”
Rhett smiled. “Just go help people and pay it forward.”
“I won’t forget this,” Jackson said, his eyes twinkling as he pulled away.
Rhett watched him go, fidgeting as his mind was brought back to the task at hand. There was darkness in this area. And he had to try to find out where it was before it started to affect the woman he cared for most, whether he was supposed to care for her or not.
11.
Mia sighed, glad to finally be out of the police station. She had always hated having to deal with the types of paperwork and questioning involved with filing reports like this, and usually tried her best not to complain about those types of things. But when it was her daughter’s safety on the line, everything changed. She would gladly do anything it took to protect Jewel. Even if that meant changing schools so the creepy man she had seen wouldn’t have even the slightest chance of finding her again.
“There she is.”
Mia frowned. Had she just heard something? Whatever it was made her instantly nervous. She looked around the parking lot, but there was nobody in sight.
She continued on to her car, her heart pounding hard in her chest. What the hell was going on? Why did it seem she always attracted such strange and discomforting situations to herself?
She reached her vehicle and got inside, shutting and locking the doors quickly. Her eyes scanned the parking lot once again for any sign of whoever had spoken. It had been jarring and she had to admit that she was more than a little afraid.
Luckily, she was safe now in her car. As she pulled away, her mind focused once more on her daughter and the bizarre incident from the afternoon when she had been picking her daughter up from school. Was this related somehow? Or was she just being paranoid for thinking so? Either way, there was definitely something strange going on and she wasn’t feeling very confident about her safety.
She would have been less confident had she known the source of the voice. As Mia drove away, she was oblivious to the pair of golden eyes watching her every movement as she attempted to make her way safely home.
“Yes, that was definitely her,” the humanoid creature said, slinking further into the bushes lining the parking lot. He turned his gaze onto the man beside him. “You saw her, right?”
The man was much smaller and appeared to be completely human. He looked up at the creature, who was taller, and more snake-like in appearance.
“You want me to bring her to the ceremony, Blaithe?”
Blaithe grinned, stretching his body upright. He was long, his body a light green color and textured with the mild imprint of scales. He was a sight to behold, and, fortunately, there were no humans around for miles who were able to see him. They would have been terrified.
“And her daughter too if you can get her. But, mostly, I just want her. Do you understand? She must be abducted on the
new moon. That is the way the ceremonial magic works.”
“What good are these humans to us anyway?” the smaller man said, casting his eyes to Blaithe incredulously. “What’s so special about them?”
Blaithe grinned and kept his eyes in the direction that Mia had disappeared off to. “They aren’t just ordinary humans, Yena. These are descendants. They carry hybrid blood in their veins. If that blood mingles with the blood of a sun dragon, those born of such a union have the ability to tear apart everything we have been working for.”
Yena blinked. “How is that possible?”
Blaithe snarled, clearly perturbed. “Magic.”
Yena considered this quietly for a few moments and then looked back to his leader. “We can’t let that happen. The only pleasure is in the void. Those who continue to fill it will always prevent the one true power from reigning.”
Blaithe nodded seriously. “We must prevent them from getting too close. We have to take out the women of Loni and Sun Dragon descent before they create any more of those with the power to destroy all progress. So, bring me that woman and, if possible, her child. It is paramount to bring at least the mother, however. She has already bred and is of breeding age. We still have time to take care of the little one. She will not be breedable for quite some time, and it would be very easy to take her out should the time come.”
“Understood.”
Mia, however, had no idea that any of this was going on. She had always assumed that she was a typical woman, with typical human blood. And although there were rumors of shifters out west, most people had taken to assuming that it was an isolated incident. Or mass hysteria. It was a peculiarity that she hadn’t ever considered to be something that might affect her, although she had always been fascinated with the prospect of real life shapeshifters existing in the modern world. She wasn’t sure whether she believed it or not, as much of the world had chosen to say that it was nothing of consequence and everybody should just continue their lives as if nothing was different. Mia had always had an eye for the peculiar, however. And shapeshifters were certainly peculiar.
She thought about heading back immediately to her mother’s house to pick up her daughter, but the events of the day had left her feeling anxious and shaken up. Instead, she decided that a stroll through the park might do her some good. If nothing else, it would calm her nerves and she would be able to approach the situation with a level head. Lord knew she could use one.
Mia parked quickly at the entrance to the park and got out, stretching and taking a deep breath. It was difficult to imagine coming out here at night like many people did, getting a moonlit jog in before bedtime. Mia always felt nervous in the woods at night for some reason.
But it was day time and she found herself feeling more motivated to run her problems away than ever before. She wanted nothing more than to get rid of the extra charge that had been following her around, so she could return to her daughter feeling balanced and positive rather than agitated and afraid.
She rummaged through the trunk of her car for a pair of running shoes and put them on, heading immediately down a cool, wooded trail that smelled of pine. She let the soothing sounds and sights of nature wash over her so that she might finally let go of the tenseness that was plaguing her.
Her relief was short-lived, however. When Mia rounded the corner, she was stopped abruptly by the sight of the creepy man from the speed dating event. She recognized him immediately and let out a small cry of fear and surprise. “What?”
“Fancy meeting you here,” the man said, stepping forward with his reptilian looking eyes glittering.
A chill surged through Mia and she looked around frantically for any sign of another person that could help her. But there was nobody in sight.
“Don’t come any closer,” Mia managed to say, taking a step back. She was trying to calm herself; it wouldn’t do her any good to start panicking. She would need to approach everything with a clear head if she wanted to survive this. Or maybe it wasn’t even that big a deal. Maybe there was nothing she needed to survive at all. He might easily be just a guy who couldn’t take no for an answer. Or a chance encounter with someone who recognized her. That happened, right?
Regardless of the possibilities, she glanced around furtively for something to protect herself with and spotted a rather large branch on the ground. It seemed unwieldy, but it might have to do if nothing else was available.
“So, are you ready for a date yet? I don’t know why we weren’t matched together before this.”
The man didn’t move, just stared at Mia with his cold eyes glittering at her ominously. She felt another chill roll up her spine and she took another step backward. “I don’t want any trouble,” she said, her voice strained and high-pitched. She hated the way she sounded. The way her fear was obvious. Anyone would know that she was terrified. That she was vulnerable and felt she did not have an upper hand in the situation she was in. He would know that she was weak and take full advantage of the fact.
Mia cast another glance around at her surroundings, hoping she might be able to find something she could use to defend herself. She was not going to go down without a fight, even if it wasn’t a very strong one.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Trouble?”
Now the man started stepping toward her and Mia’s stomach knotted. She stared at him as he walked slowly, holding her gaze evenly with the slightest hint of a smirk upon his lips. She did not like where this was heading. Why hadn’t she just gone home?
“Get the hell away from me before something happens that you aren’t going to like,” Mia said, surprising them both with the threat. What exactly was she trying to do? It would become clear soon enough that she was not able to put up any sort of fight whatsoever. Maybe, if nothing else, the threat would buy her some more time…
The man sneered and took another step forward. Time stood still as he reached his hand forward and Mia’s heart jolted as he made a move to grab her. She squeezed her eyes closed and hoped for the best.
12.
Rhett had been wandering through the quiet streets of Brookside for hours in search of the source of the evil that the device had picked up on when he had been at the speed dating event. He wasn’t any closer than he had been at the get-go and found himself feeling very frustrated because of it.
He was rounding the corner, delighted by the wafting scents of the bakery nearby, when he froze. The device was starting to pick up on something. It had been finnicky, that much was certain, but any hint was better than nothing.
He fumbled to take it out of his pocket and stare at it, hoping desperately to catch sight of the direction in which the negative energy was located.
It flashed red just long enough to show him that something might be happening east of the bakery, and he hurried toward it, a deep sense of concern and urgency prompting him onward.
Another red flare of light exploded from the device and Rhett turned sharply, honing in on his dragon senses in an effort to find the source of the negative energy it seemed to be picking up on. When he found the pathway leading into the dense forest of the park, Rhett frowned and quickly disappeared into the foliage. In the distance, he heard a faint sound, and his heart lurched suddenly. Mia.
He didn’t think twice before following it as quickly as he could. He emerged from the trees just in time to see the man from the speed dating event lunging toward Mia.
A deep growl emanated from his throat as he launched himself forward, shocked when Mia beat him to the punch. She administered a swift blow to the man’s chest, knocking him backward with such a force that he flew through the air. She didn’t hesitate and moved swiftly to grab a branch from the ground and lunge at him, ready to bat him away with the bluntness of it.
Rhett was momentarily stunned but shook his surprise away and intervened. Mia was shocked at first to see him, but he could tell by her energy that she was immensely relieved. He barely registered the fact before executing his attack.
“Shifter,” the man growled under his breath.
Rhett snarled and punched the man in the face, then again, then again.
“Stop…”
He halted his fist mid punch and turned his head to face Mia, who was staring at them with her eyes wide in fear and apprehension. She didn’t want Rhett to continue. But why?
“Please, I don’t want to see anybody get hurt beyond the point of no return. Please stop hitting him. I’m scared, and I just want to go home now.”
Rhett frowned, staring down at the man that had attacked her. He was furious that anybody would dare try and hurt her. “We should at least call the police.”
“I have dealt enough with police for today. Can we just get out of here now?”
A deep growl began to emanate from his throat, but he didn’t have a whole lot of choice. He felt like the best thing to do was to do what Mia wanted. “Come on, babe.”
Mia looked to him in surprise, opening her mouth as if she was going to say something to him, possibly reprimanding him or simply asking him what he meant by calling her babe, but rather than speaking, she simply nodded and followed him silently down the path.
Rhett could tell she was shaking, seriously disturbed by the encounter. Without even thinking about it, he put his arm around her, taking her close to his body gently. He could feel her relax silently against him, looking up at him with a strange look in her eye. There was nothing that she could say that he couldn’t tell by that. She was disturbed by the situation that had taken place, and she was grateful for his assistance. Not only that, but there was something below the surface that he could sense. Something personal and private. Something that he could definitely tell was there. Something he reciprocated himself, although he really didn’t want to. He wanted to hide his feelings; he wanted to be able to ignore them and pretend that they weren’t there.