by Bonnie Vanak
Drenched and stripped of defenses, the demons turned to retreat. Matt cut them off, snarling.
This one’s for Adam.
He took one down, going for the throat.
Minutes later, it was over. The pyro demons were dead, vanished into ash. The ground was littered with the bodies of lesser demons and Darksider Fae. Shay wrinkled his nose.
“Blech. Never did like the smell of rotting demon in the morning.”
“Afternoon.” Curt gave Matt a significant look, tapping at his watch. “Lieutenant Parker, you are officially AWOL.”
Matt nodded. “Aye, sir.” He didn’t care. His attention focused on the dragon, still hovering above them, beating her webbed gray wings. “Sweetheart, it’s okay now. Come back, time to shift your form.”
Then Sienna slowly descended, and landed with a thud on all four legs. Light shimmered around her, and she shifted back into her human body.
Her naked human body.
“Whoa,” Dallas said. “Nice form.”
As Matt glared, all seven SEALs politely turned their heads. Matt removed his webbed vest, shrugged out of his T-shirt and settled it over her. It draped down to her thighs. She shivered, hugging herself, green eyes huge in her oval face.
“I can’t believe I did that. It was all instinct. I saw you hurt…and it just happened.”
He pressed a kiss onto her forehead, gathered her against him. She felt good in his arms, soft and warm. Safe.
Curt cleared his throat politely. “Lieutenant, did you get a bead on the missing Semtex?”
“All accounted for. You’ll find it intact in a small glen, about two klicks north of us.”
The SEALs turned to leave. Shay gave him a steady look. “You staying, Dakota?”
“Yeah,” he said, settling Sienna closer to him. “Think I’ll stay here awhile. Feels good.”
It felt very good. And very right.
* * *
The missing Semtex had been packed and removed from the Faes’ glen. With the threat of the “homegrown terrorist plot” removed, the team was taken off standby. The SEALs, with the exception of Matt, boarded the helicopter and returned to the nearby air force base.
His C.O. gave a direct order. Matt was not to return until he’d retrieved the Orb. Then Curtis had winked solemnly at Sienna. “If it takes time, say, a day or two, I’ll take the heat.”
She liked him and the other SEALs. But deep in her heart, she knew the truth even without the magick globe.
Matt belonged with his team. He could not leave them. He was needed.
For now, she had him solely to herself. They spent the rest of the day making love, talking, stroking each other. And then when the shadows lengthened, he accompanied her up the steep, winding path to the lake.
The green stone from the purse burned in her jeans pocket.
As before, the lake was quiet. No wildlife. Even the birds had deserted this area.
He gave her a steady look, squeezed her hand. “Ready?”
She nodded. It was time. Sienna took the small green stone. With reverence, she set it into the cold lake water.
Behind her, she felt Matt’s gentle, reassuring presence.
The lake began to glow an eerie green, then light filled the water. The small green stone was no longer visible. Power sang in the air, ancient, fluid magick.
Sparks shimmered on the lake’s surface. Then a round object, the size of a softball, bobbed to the surface. It floated over to the shore, directly toward her.
The Orb of Light.
Trembling, she palmed it. The Orb lit up with a brilliant light. She basked in its soft, warm glow. Peace settled over her, chasing away the confusing emotions, the terrible grief. Sienna stared into the crystalline globe, and then swept her gaze around the lake.
The scenery seemed to shift, grow wobbly, and then peel back like a strip of bark.
A tableau, like a living diorama, unfolded before her.
Wolves, dozens and dozens of wolves, roamed the lake’s shore. The trees were shorter, the grass no longer yellowed and dried, but thriving with life. Birds swept over the lake’s mirrored surface, skimming the water in graceful dips.
Then the wolves shifted, and assumed human form. On the fallen log sat a small girl about five years old. Seeing the people approaching, she giggled and climbed into a small hole in a hollowed tree.
“Sienna?” The man shaded his eyes and pretended to look around. “She’s playing games again. Vanished. Where are you?”
Squealing with delight, the little girl climbed out. “Here I am!”
She clapped her hands as the man caught her up in his arms and bounced her, his green eyes sparking with merriment.
Green eyes like her own…
“Dad,” she whispered, touching the image.
Not an evil, vile Draicon. Nothing but love shone on his face. He was joined by a woman, who snuggled against him.
Her parents. Not Fae. Draicon.
Barely had her stunned mind processed this when the scene shimmered.
It faded, shifted. Heat flooded the air, danger. She was suffocating, the smell of rotting wood surrounding her, the flare of orange flames growing closer.
She would burn alive in here.
A log. Her parents had stuffed her inside the hollowed log to hide. The images fast-forwarded like a slideshow. Two glowing demons, shooting fire from their mouths, their noses, their talons. Burning her people. Killing them.
Alone, in the hollowed log, she’d watched her parents die. Her family. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles. Her entire pack. Helpless to reach out and save them, too little to try, she could only watch in horror, a terrified whisper on her lips.
Please, someone help them.
She’d heard their last gasps for breath, saw her mother reach out with one hand breaking the water’s surface, a fine-boned hand that once cradled her close, soothed away hurts and touched her with pure love.
Her mother had died, calling her name. And she’d remained in the hollowed log, paralyzed by terror, silent tears tracking down her cheeks.
Then a fast, furious rain fell, extinguishing the fire. From the log crept a small girl, whose outraged wail echoed over the land. The girl’s body shimmered as the demons turned to her, their faces malevolent.
The small child shifted into a dragon, rising above the earth, showering fire over the demons, clawing them to pieces. Blood. So much blood stained the ground. Then the dragon fell to the earth, weeping.
A group of Fae appeared, including a woman with waist-length silver hair. She squatted by the dragon as it shifted into a girl, who sobbed as if her heart had broken.
“The child lives,” she said softly. “We must save her.”
The image vanished. Words hovered in her mind, words spoken long ago by a woman determined to save a terrified Draicon child, just as she would save the vanishing species of gargoyle years later.
You are the last survivor of your kind.
The only one. I’m all alone.
Grief spiraled inside her in a violent vortex. Sienna closed her eyes against the hot tears, but they spilled free, cascading down her cheeks. She glanced at the hollowed log that had kept her safe, hidden from the demons as they’d tortured and killed her entire family.
Her pack.
Now she truly belonged nowhere.
Gently, she set down the Orb. Its light faded, leaving it cold and gray.
Matt touched her shoulder. “Sweetheart, what did you see?”
“The truth.”
She stretched out her hands, their long, tapered fingers and neatly pared nails. Once she’d been proud of being Fae. Her entire life was a lie.
“They hid me. Here.” She tried to keep the quaver from her voice. “In the hollowed log. My real parents. They weren’t Fae, but Draicon. I come from a long line of Diablo wolves.”
His eyes widened. “Diablo wolves. I’ve heard the legend. Draicon with the rare power to glamour, like Fae. Known for the devilish ability to m
imic other life forms, and humans, so hunters would leave them alone.”
“This was our valley. Our home. We, and the Fae, were the protectors of the Orb. We kept it hidden in the lake, and the Fae watched over us as we watched over the Orb. It was too powerful for any one group to have. So both species protected it.”
Sienna stared at the now-dull Orb. “It was forbidden for any Fae or Diablo to use the Orb for their own purpose. But it was so pretty, I came here to play with it. And one day I picked it up and it burned its light into me.”
She gently set the globe down on the earth. “It amplified my magick when I absorbed its energy and power. Instead of the ability to merely glamour, I had the ability to actually shift into whatever form I pleased.”
Gathering her hands into his, he kissed her palms. “Draicon children don’t manifest their powers until puberty.”
“The Orb changed that. I could shift into anything. My parents eventually found out and the Fae moved the Orb to the sacred glen. But it was too late. Two pyrokinetic demons who’d escaped the netherworld saw the spectral glow of powerful magick. They traced it to the lake.”
She gulped down a breath. “They tortured and killed my family. My parents hid me to keep me safe. I tried to figure out what to shift into to kill the demons…but I couldn’t! All I could do was blend into the tree by becoming as small as possible.”
Tenderly, he cupped her face with his big hands. “You were just a child, Sienna. A terrified child.”
“But I did!” Muscles tight as springs, she shook her head. “I remembered the stories of dragons, before they became extinct. I shifted into a dragon. And I killed them. But it was too late.”
He pulled her against him, holding her tight.
Sienna gathered her composure. “Chloe found me. They’d sensed the attack, sent the rain to put out the fires, but it was too late. Chloe took me in to raise as Fae to protect me. She knew if any demons or Darksider Fae found out a Diablo wolf lived, one that had the powers of the Orb of Light, they would do everything to kill me and try to absorb my magick.”
“All this time you thought you were different. You were.” Gently, Matt wiped away her tears with his thumb.
“Chloe wove the story about my mother and father to explain the violence I’d witnessed and so others would think I was a hybrid. She had to invent the story about my father’s violence so I wouldn’t search for any Draicon while I was still young and vulnerable. It was all to protect me until I got older. And I believed it myself because the memories were too terrible to bear. The glamour I projected, part of my natural abilities, could be explained if I were Fae. But she knew I didn’t belong to the Fae and that’s why she turned me out when I turned of age. Chloe said I would find my true destiny, but I had to find it on my own.”
His embrace felt solid and sure, a steady rock of support. But she was too confused, too upset.
“I was wrong,” he admitted. “I resented the Fae for what happened to Adam, for their refusal to intervene. I thought they were pacifists too cowardly to fight. And they were here, all along, keeping you safe, risking their own lives to save another.”
Releasing her, he rubbed a thumb over the tracks of her drying tears. “They’re the bravest of all, because they sacrificed so much.”
“And now they’re gone. I never had a chance to say goodbye. I’m alone now.”
“You’re not alone, sweetheart. Stay with me. I’ll take good care of you. I promise. I don’t care what you are. Draicon, Fae, even one of those blasted gargoyles… I love you, Sienna, for who you are.”
Breath caught in her lungs. She loved him, too. But love sometimes wasn’t enough. Life interfered.
“I love you, Matt. I think I have for a while. But your duty comes first. Doesn’t it? Your duty to the SEALs and the navy. To bring this in and lock it away.”
“I won’t leave you alone,” he said, his jaw tensing.
“And if you don’t, you’ll face far worse than discipline from the navy. You have no choice, Matt. They need your strength and your courage. You are meant for this job. I’ve seen exactly how much you’re needed,” she said gently.
“You’re coming with me. I’ll get you settled with Jammer’s sister—you’ll like her…she’s a psi….”
Sienna gave a brittle laugh. “I’ve spent my entire life living a lie, thinking I’m something I’m not. I can’t live with another species, not when I barely know what I am. Don’t you see? I can’t come with you, Matt. I need time alone.”
His big hand slid up to tunnel through her hair. She closed her eyes at his soothing caress. “Don’t be alone, Sienna. Stay with me.”
“For how long? Until you ship out again? Then where will I be? I have to find my own way. You want to mate with me because you think I’ll fit into your lifestyle, in a nice, neat package. But I’m a misfit. I can’t fit in. I’m a homeless Draicon without a pack—” she struggled with the lump in her throat “—without a people. I need to find myself first.”
He started to protest. She placed the orb in his hand. “Take it. Do what you must.”
His eyes were very blue. “It’s too powerful, Sienna. No one group can keep it safe.”
“I trust you. Promise me no evil will ever gain its power.”
“I promise,” he said solemnly. “I can’t leave you here.”
She gave a small smile, hiding the sadness spearing her. “But you must.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Won’t you come with me? I’m begging you, Sienna…we can work this out.”
“You can’t understand what I’m going through. You have a pack, a family. A team. You belong. You’re part of a bigger picture, someone very important who’s needed to fight evil.” No way was she sliding into self-pity. Sienna offered a brave smile to hide the hurt. “I’m unique. Only one of me. I don’t fit in and maybe it was my destiny that I never did fit in.”
“I want to understand. Give it a chance. You’re not alone, Sienna.”
Standing on tiptoe she reached up and kissed him, a last, lingering kiss. Then she drew away, pressing her fingers to his lips.
The truth, the damn truth, shattered her. “Yes,” she whispered, smiling to disguise the hot tears welling in her eyes. “I am.”
Chapter 19
The cabin was empty and dark. Without Matt, it felt cold and lifeless.
He’d disregarded orders and had not taken her memories. But as she’d watched him walk away, duffel slung over one broad shoulder, she almost wished he had. Because it hurt too much to remember.
A week later, Sienna wandered around her living room, remembering Matt sprawled on her sofa, remembering how they’d made love before the roaring fire. His presence was a ghost in every room.
But that was the past. She had to make a new life for herself, now that she knew her true heritage. The Fae had set her free to find herself. To discover what she truly was.
All this time, she’d sought to belong to a group that would love and accept her for herself. She’d tried hard to fit in and please her aunt, please the others.
It was about time she finally learned to please herself.
Sienna breathed on the pane of glass and rubbed her finger over it. She traced his name.
Matt Parker.
She didn’t need the Orb to discover the truth. She missed him like crazy. She loved him. His steadiness, his enormous courage and loyalty, the way dimples dented his cheeks when he gave one of his cocky grins.
She loved talking with him, arguing with him, the way he respected her individuality.
He didn’t care if she were Fae, Draicon, or if her skin turned gray and she sprouted wings like a gargoyle.
Chloe’s voice echoed in her mind. Go find your destiny, my darling. Seek who you are. You’ve been cloistered here too long.
Cloistered. Shut away, like the Orb itself, she’d become dull and listless. It was time to expand her horizons, seek new adventures. She was afraid before. The Fae had offered a bubble of security.
It always surrounded her, even when she was apart from them. Once, she’d just wanted things to go back to the way they were. Her old life as a Fae was forever gone.
Now she had nothing to lose.
Except Matt.
Sienna realized she had everything to gain.
Sienna found her cell phone, made a call. Then she went into the bedroom to pack.
* * *
“Yo, Dakota, you’re awfully quiet these days. Thinking about a little something-something?”
From across the room, Matt threw his laptop at Renegade. The Draicon ducked, sending the computer into the wall. It cracked and fell.
“Mind much, Jammer?”
The big psi shrugged his broad shoulders and flicked a hand. The computer repaired itself and then came sailing back through the air to Matt.
“Thanks.” He powered up and went back to typing his report. The “official” report of how the seven SEALs and their commander had successfully prevented a cult of homegrown terrorists from using stolen Semtex to blow up a popular Colorado tourist lake retreat.
The SEALs of the Phoenix Force were in the team’s ready room in the ST21 compound in Little Creek. Bored with paperwork, they were eager and itching for action. All except for Matt.
He couldn’t get a certain attractive Draicon out of his system. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Sienna, standing forlornly at her cabin door. Alone.
He wanted her. Needed her. Wanted to grow old with her, sitting on the porch of that little cabin, watching their grandchildren play at their feet. Wanted to go to bed every night with her, and watch her sleepy green eyes open first thing in the morning. Make love with her, fight with her, seal himself to her.
“That Sienna, she provided some show, huh?”
Matt glanced up at J.T.
“A dragon. A damn dragon. She kicked ass. Saved our hides.” Respect showed in the other SEAL’s face. “Never seen anything like it.”
“Sienna could be a SEAL herself.” Shay tossed a baseball into the air, caught it and flung it up again. “She should be protected. The Orb’s gone, but she’s the last surviving member of a race, and the last survivor of the Orb’s powers.”