by Rain Oxford
I tried desperately to recall every lesson my father ever taught me on torture and interrogation… but it didn’t help. My hands were free and it was almost beyond my control to keep them to myself.
Why? Rojan asked.
I knew what he meant. Why would I deny this beautiful woman who would offer herself to me with a single word? I could use Emiko as an excuse; I really didn’t want to hurt her. The fact was, however, our relationship with Emiko was nothing significant. The real reason I hesitated was because I didn’t want a true relationship. Emiko and I would never be a couple, so she was safe.
According to the gods, Dylan and I were somehow balanced, so if we were separated for any substantial amount of time, our own powers would cause havoc to us and those around us. Furthermore, since Ron invoked the balance of the universe inside him (which I really never understood) it would take over Ron and kill Dylan if we were apart for too long.
I didn’t care why it was dangerous for us to be apart, only that it was. Somewhere down the line, I realized that my purpose was to protect Dylan so he could be the Guardian he was meant to be. This meant I had to move wherever he did. Dylan was never afraid to step into a war zone between people, demons, dragons, or even gods in order to help people… It just made it very difficult for me to have any sort of relationship with a woman.
This woman was too similar to Rojan’s mate and too easy to fall for. If I fell in love with an Earth dragon, what was I supposed to do when it was time to return home? What if Dylan found out, thought I liked Earth, and decided to stay here permanently for that reason? As pleasant as Earth may be, it wasn’t my home.
The cuffs released and Sydney stood, taking her lovely warmth with her.
“We have to get Ron and Hail.”
“The little boys? They were taken to a different location. I heard them mention someone named Dylan and say he had to choose. I only heard a little bit and I didn’t know who they were talking about, so I was more concerned about following you. I also contacted the others and told them how to find us. Give me the word and this place will be overrun with dragons.”
“There is no reason for casualties if we can make it out on our own, and unless everyone shifts into their dragon form, there will be losses to our side.”
“How can we get out of here without shifting?” Sydney asked.
“Stand back,” I said, pushing her a few paces back from the door. I held my hand out to the door and called up my dragon fire. I expected the door to disintegrate from my hottest fire, but I didn’t count on my meager wizard skills to assist in the destruction. The door blew apart like it was a bomb. Dylan would have applauded my accidental theatrics.
“How did you…?”
I put my finger to her lips. “This is between you and me. Our secret.”
She smiled. “Seal it with a kiss. It’s a human tradition. I assume this has something to do with you being from another world, but I won’t tell anyone. I really like---”
I cut her off this time by wrapping my arm around her, pulling her close, and kissing her. By the time I let her go, she was unsteady on her feet. “We should go,” I said.
She nodded, leaning in to kiss me again. Despite Rojan growling at me, I pushed her back a little. “I know the way out. Follow me,” she said. I let her lead without letting her stray far from my side.
The first time we were attacked, I barely made it. The only weapons I had to work with were my claws and teeth and while my dragon fire was powerful, these people were a lot more diversified in magic. Potions were my forte, but not particularly helpful in this case unless someone would let me offer them some spiked tea. I managed to disable an unsuspecting guard, only to encounter an ambush a few minutes later. My sense of smell was still recovering from the vinegar.
When one of the leather clad abductors managed to throw a ceramic statue at me with magic and broke my leg, I knew I was outmatched. I let the shift take over and clamped my mouth over the opponent’s head until my teeth sunk shallowly into his chest and back. I gave him a rough shake before letting him go. That was a warning; I didn’t want to eat him, although Rojan could do it for me if he had to.
The man realized the entirety of the situation and ran screaming down the hall. Sydney followed my example in shifting, and the rest was a small matter. These people were powerful in magic and quantity, but we were dragons.
When we made it out of the facility, a horde of dragons were waiting to ambush the mob that pursued us. Taylor was there as soon as I shifted to help me into his car. Syndney got into the backseat next to me before he could take off.
“There is a small cave by the field. We’ll go there and then you can shift.”
Dragons heal faster in our true form. Since this is your true form, I don’t know if it would help at all, Rojan thought.
I didn’t really care if it helped me heal or not, I just wanted to be in my dragon form. My entire body hurt, but only time or Dylan could have helped. I guess I fell asleep from exhaustion on the way, for I woke as Sydney nudged me insistently. Sydney and I were in a dark cave, heated by a generous fire. There wasn’t anything particularly impressive or distinctive about the cavern. Nevertheless, it was very cozy, which may have been because of the luscious furs and pillows I was lying on, or maybe the fact that Sydney and I were alone… and she was naked.
“Shift so you can heal,” she insisted.
Being in dragon form while she was so beautifully presented to me was no more thrilling to me than it was to Rojan, but I steeled my resolve and shifted. She followed suit and curled up next to me.
* * *
I woke to the familiar impression of Dylan’s energy as he healed me. I felt myself shift back into person form, after which he pulled me to my feet and wrapped a blanket around me before I could even open my eyes all the way.
“What happened?” Dylan asked.
I told him through our bond as if speaking out loud was too much work. Dylan, in turn, told me how he was confronted at the hospital by vampires. He didn’t seem convinced that they were vampires, but since I hadn’t scented any of my opponents, I couldn’t offer my own verdict.
“Why did you flash to me? Why not save the boys?”
“Faith, I guess.”
“In your wife?” I asked. Perhaps he left out the part where he called to his wife for help. Then again, Dylan only left out details when it benefited him or for dramatic effect. Sydney was asleep when I felt Dylan’s energy fill the enclosure. As Dylan flashed us home, I hoped the dragoness would forgive me for not being there when she woke.
“No, in an old promise,” Dylan finally supplied. With the last word, Ron, Hail, and Xul appeared. “Hello, demon,” Dylan said to Xul, hugging Ron.
The little child looked uninjured, but groggy. I could smell the drugs in his blood; the kidnappers had kept Ron unconscious. While it was the only way they could possibly have captured him, Rojan and I would show no mercy if we met one of them again. Anyone who would drug a child deserved the worst punishment a dragon could administer.
Hail stretched his arms out to keep them wrapped around Ron as Dylan hugged his son, but as soon as Dylan lightened his grip, Hail pulled his brother tight against him. I could smell emotions as strongly as chemicals and I understood Hail’s very well. Hail wanted to kill those responsible for capturing his brother and was mortified that he couldn’t stop it. Hail was Ron’s protector, like I was Dylan’s, and he felt like he had failed at the only thing he lived for.
“Hello, master,” the demon acknowledged with a note of sarcasm. He wore a black satin shirt, black leather pants, black boots, and a metal chain around his waist like a belt. Around his neck was a thick black leather collar. “How shameful that you would put your own children in danger to save your dragon pet.”
Dylan had explained to me that he forced (or tricked) the demon into the image of one of his step-fathers. After hearing the story of Harvey, I couldn’t really understand Dylan’s ease with the demon other than that Dylan
was very merciful. He would never judge a person or creature based on someone else. Still, the demon looked very untrustworthy to me. He was about my height with dark brown, shaggy hair and light brown eyes. While I couldn’t smell any deceitful intentions, it was possible that my dragon skills could be fooled by demon powers. Or maybe I just didn’t want to trust a demon who referred to me as “Dylan’s dragon pet.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I wouldn’t even put Edward’s gargoyle in danger to save my demon pet. I knew you could do your one job in life. After all, my children are the only reason you are even allowed out of the void. You have a vested interest in their health and wellbeing.”
“That I do. I was already heading your way anyway.”
“So you realized something is going on here.”
“Of course. My master returns to Earth, moves to a town full of non-humans, and stops everyone in the entire town with one subconscious thought. Yeah, I damn well noticed.”
The bright flash was unexpected. I was very familiar with Dylan’s preferred means of transportation between worlds, but the person who appeared before us was the last person I could possibly have predicted appearing on Earth. Xul shrieked and ducked behind Dylan to hide. Ghidorah, the Guardian of Skrev stood proudly at his massive height. I wanted to hide behind Dylan as well.
It wasn’t that Ghidorah was scary, though his aura was imposing and his power was undeniable, but I could never get a good sense of the Guardian. I was allergic to him. Well, I was allergic to the plants his people used to clean themselves, which caused my nose to clog up for hours.
“Outside,” Dylan said. Ghidorah glanced at me with understanding before walking out the door without a word. “Stick around, demon. I still have use of you.”
“Not if it means being around that…” the demon trailed off with a shiver.
“Leave Ghidorah to me. Hell, get your brother to bed and read him a story. He’ll feel better when he wakes up. Demon, go figure out the coffee pot and make some coffee. Mordon, sit on the couch and rest.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with Ghidorah,” I said.
He gave me a look. “I don’t have any allergy medicine.”
“I’ll deal with it.” Before he could protest, I went to the door. With a sigh, he followed.
Ghidorah stood outside our apartment, alone with our fae neighbor. He had his hand on her stomach and her eyes were closed. My first instinct was to stop him, because whatever he was doing, I didn’t like him being so close to the woman. However, I couldn’t make my feet move or my mouth open to stop him.
“What are you doing?” Dylan asked.
Ghidorah retracted his hand and turned to my brother. “I cannot stop my judgment. It is not so much my power as what I am.”
Stacy fell heavily to her knees, obviously disorientated, yet I still couldn’t go to her. She didn’t particularly look hurt, though. After a few seconds, she pushed herself to her feet and walked unsteadily back to her apartment. The only thing that kept me from shouting my outrage was Dylan’s serenity.
Of course, I was also holding my breath.
“What was your judgment?” Dylan asked.
“She is a good woman, pure of heart, who suffered an accident that caused her to become barren. For the goodness in heart, as a wife and mother, I gave her back what was lost.”
“How are you able to flash and why are you here?”
“Araxi flashed me to you, and I had little choice but to come here. It was your father who I always turned to before when it was time for the Ajaskakara. Every fifty years, the planet Adgihe blocks the sunlight from Skrev for twenty days. For twenty days, the world is bathed in cold and darkness. The beast or ‘monster,’ as you referred to us before, takes over. My judgment is too strong, so I must leave the world during the Ajaskakara. While I am a Guardian like the rest, most of the others cannot handle my presence for more than a few days. Kiro refuses to let me stay on Duran. Your father, however, was always kind enough to house me. I was rather hoping you inherited that kindness.”
Dylan shrugged. “Nope. Sorry, you can’t stay with me.”
Ghidorah sighed. “I understand. I will try somewhere else---”
“No, not like that,” Dylan interrupted. “You may not exactly be a joy to spend time with, but you are a Guardian. It’s that I have a three-bedroom apartment and I don’t think Mordon will let you bunk with him.”
“I see.”
“Now, math may not have been my subject, but I can count very well up to three. Unless Stacy and John have separate bedrooms, they have an empty room. I can’t volunteer their room to you, but I think if they realized what you did for them, they might feel hospitable. If not, you can stay in Mordon’s room and he can stay with his girlfriend.”
“What girlfriend?” I asked. I inhaled shallowly and sneezed. Ghidorah and I backed away from each other simultaneously.
“The dragoness I found you with. You know, the woman you were sleeping with? Did you go and fall in love? If you did, don’t worry; I couldn’t possibly take you away from her. We’ll just stay here on Earth forever.”
“I hate you, Dylan. I really, really hate you.”
“Shut up, you love me.”
“If your neighbors don’t let me stay with them, perhaps I should try my luck again with Kiro,” Ghidorah said.
“Well, if you are going to stay, you need to take a shower. Wash every drop of that plant matter off you so Mordon can breathe.”
Ghidorah gave a resigned nod of agreement. We went back inside and to my shock, Xul was sitting at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. A mug of coffee was waiting for Dylan and the coffee maker was in one piece. When Rojan growled, I barely managed to keep the sound internal, because it was irritating that the demon could make coffee and I couldn’t.
Dylan sat down next to the demon and put his feet up on the chair across from it. This was my usual seat and Dylan did it just to annoy me. In front of the demon, I wouldn’t swat my friend, but I could chew him out silently until he moved his feet.
“So what brings you to my town?” Dylan asked.
The demon didn’t look up from his newspaper. “I promised to protect your family whenever their lives were in danger. You risked your sons to save your dragon pet and poof, here I am. You are the most feared being to any demon and the only thing I fear more than you is living my eternal life in the void. Therefore, I vowed myself as your servant. See how this works yet?”
“Why did you choose saving me over the boys?” I asked Dylan.
“I didn’t choose between saving you or them; I chose between believing my heart or my head.”
“Your heart said to save me?”
“My head said to save my kids. My heart said that in saving them, I would do anything, which would hinder my judgment. I trusted my heart, and my heart commands my magic; therefore, I have faith in my magic. Fortunately, Xul is as powerful as he needs to be in order to save you or them, as long as it is within my abilities.”
In other words, he knew he could overthink something, so he relied on his power over the demon. My brother had definitely changed since I met him.
“Actually, I understand exactly why you saved my sons, which was why I relied on you to do so,” Dylan said to the demon. “I also know why you’re still in my apartment when you could have just dropped the boys off. What I really want to know is why you’re searching the job ads.”
“Well, as much as I would love to get rich off of my good looks and fabulous personality, that isn’t likely to happen in this town. There isn’t enough money here for decent prostitutes or serious gambling.” He sighed and tossed the newspaper on the table before sitting back and leveling a look at Dylan. “Since saving the kids caused me to lose my job, I need a new one.”
“You had a job?” Dylan asked, honestly shocked.
“You took away my powers!” the demon snapped. He got up and paced the kitchen. “I was the most powerful Ancient of all and you stripped my magic like hundred-year-ol
d paint! It was only after you banished me to the void and I met your father that I realized who I had challenged. When the opportunity presented itself, I sought you out. I would rather serve you than live in the void and serve Janus.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
“You gave me power over the other demons for as long as the gates were opened, but then your stipulation reduced my power to that of a meager mortal. Only when I save your boys or your dragon does my power become substantial.”
“I think that is a proper penance for hunting a two-year-old.”
“You left me stranded! I barely have the power of a human. I can’t travel between worlds. I had no money, no food. Oh, my god, hunger! You forced me into a flesh body that requires food! I never felt hunger before, so I thought I was dying after three days without food. Water, I figured out pretty quickly. I was cold all the time! I stole food and a blanket, terrified you would find out and send me to the void for it. I wanted to find you and demand shelter, but I thought you would laugh and leave me in an even worse condition.”
I growled. “You know nothing about my brother.”
He sighed, the fight leaving him in a rush until he just looked tired. He sat back in his seat. “I do, now. I learned that you try to help everyone, not just your family, but by then I had made it to Earth. I figured I could survive on Earth better than Duran. It was easier, but I had to learn all about the culture and money. It was a hard few years, and most of the time I thought I was better off never having made the deal with you. I thought for sure you had tricked me. Eventually, I started making a decent living.”
“Doing what?”
“I founded a church.”
“Bullshit.”
The demon laughed until tears rolled down his eyes. “That didn’t get you for a second. No, I was a model. Unfortunately, your fine print made it almost impossible for me to refuse to help people in need. So I missed a few gigs and my agents said she’d drop my ass like a hot rock if I ditched one again.”