Stop Dragon My Heart Around

by Susanna Scott

  No! Leo’s human mind insisted to his dragon.

  No.

  He inhaled and stared sightlessly at the ground, thinking of the jewels in his lair in an effort to soothe his dragon. Squinting, he brought the image of a large ruby to mind, recalling the soothing hum of it willing the calm into his bones.

  His dragon responded. His wings tucked back under his shoulder blades, and slowly he opened his eyes.

  That had been close. Too close.

  He was going to have to stay away from Tee. At least for a while.

  His dragon retreated, and his limbs tingled painfully as if they’d awoken after decades of cramped sleep.

  Leo took a slow inhale. The crowd and activity around him swirled to the sides of his perception. His head felt as though it could whirl to the heavens and plunge in a death spiral toward the earth—the wind screaming in his ears. His wings not cooperating.

  Like he was dying.

  Vertigo spun his head and he struggled to stay upright. He pulled the scent of pinion smoke in his lungs, and released it, trying to think though his panic. He needed Tee.

  He could avoid her but the need was not going to go away.

  What if he took her, even knowing she wasn’t his mate? Now the possibility tingled with tantalizing rightness, and his jumbled thoughts came to a sudden standstill. Inside, in the part of his being where his dragon and human merged, his dragon settled and soothed.

  He’d never allowed himself to consider forgoing a dragon mate. Leo forced himself to walk through the implications. Tee would always be human and he would have a shortened life span for not having a dragon mate. His decline to humanness would be painful. Even with Tee at his side, he would doubtless plunge into despair with the loss of his dragon form.

  Still, it could be years until that happened.

  Would the small amount of time they would have together be worth losing his dragon form?

  Yes, his heart and his dragon answered over his mind’s objections.

  What about the consequences to his family’s bloodline? He was the last male heir. It wasn’t only him who would suffer. His family would lose their standing in their dragon fold. Would they understand and accept his decision? Or would they expect him to give up happiness with a human for a future dragon mate that might never show up?

  The loss of his dragon would hurt his family, but not as much as it would hurt him. They would understand. It should be his choice, and he wanted Tee.

  Happiness flooded him, chasing away the questions and doubts. But, new questions arose about Tee. How would she take the news of shape-shifting dragons surrounding her at the casino? He needed to get her away from the powwow, take her deep into the desert, alone.

  At that moment, a single animal skin drumbeat sounded with a steady beat. Tee and her group looked toward a canopied entrance, which opened to the shelf of the flat sandstone plateau.

  Around him, tribe members formed a large circle. A woman next to him touched his arm, gently indicating that he should step back. Leo complied. Together the tribe circled in expectant silence around a large, rough, bare spot. Some were in the traditional dress, but many wore jeans and regular clothing.

  “This is the Grand Entrance,” the woman explained, seeming to know this was his first tribal ceremony. The single drumbeat continued, keeping pace, then growing to three drums, like the thump of the desert’s heart. Under a tent canopy, a circle of singers joined in, chanting in rhythm.

  “Hey-yo, hayya, hey-yo…”.

  The Chief entered first, marching up and down with the beat in jumping steps that were both energetic and dignified. He wore a full headdress made of eagle feathers and porcupine quills. The headdress cascaded down his back as he danced in a circle. He spread his hands wide to the heavens, making the fringe on his sleeves sway as he sang out the song with the drummers.

  Behind him, older men followed the Chief. After them came the younger men, the women, and finally the children. Their buckskin clothing was tan or white and overlaid with Day-Glo colors. The bright pinks, yellows, and greens were shockingly out of step with what Leo had expected to see at a powwow.

  The drums increased pace. A group of young men moved to the center, dancing with their knees, feet, and arms high in the air in acrobatic twirling movements.

  “This is the Eagle dance. They’re competing for best dress and foot work,” the woman explained.

  One man stood out from the rest. He wore a headdress as elaborate as the Chief’s, and as he moved, his entire regalia shifted and undulated. He met Leo’s stare across the circle and glared.

  “Who’s that?” Leo asked.

  “Johnny,” the woman said, but didn’t supply more information.

  The drums stopped and the crowd clapped. Johnny and the rest of the young men walked to the side of the circle, chests heaving from their exertions.

  The Chief took center stage. “Welcome, brothers and sisters,” he said, and a hushed silence descended. In the west, the sun rested on the horizon, casting an orange glow over the tribe and giving the proceedings an air of importance. “Please remember to cast your vote for your favorite regalia and dance. The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony, and they’ll progress to the Snow Mid-American Powwow competition.”

  The crowd spoke quietly among themselves, and Leo’s keen dragon hearing told him Johnny was their favorite contender. The Chief spread his hands to the air. “Let us begin the Powwow with a cleansing of the area with sagebrush and a prayer.”

  Two of the elders stepped forward and lit braches of sage. The oily leaves sparked in the waning light, and the mellow, earthy scent filled the air. The men chanted and walked around the circle, holding the smoking limbs aloft over the crowd.

  The elders paused in front of Johnny and the young men for extra prayers and cleansing.

  “Mother Earth,” the Chief said. “We ask for your blessing on our gathering and ask that you move in every member, from the youngest to the oldest. Give us your wisdom and share the secrets of the spirits with us that only you know. Thank you for providing the way forward and a future for the tribe—”

  “That’s not decided!” Johnny yelled. A loud gasp went through the crowd, and the Chief dropped his hands and looked in astonishment at the outburst.

  “You interrupt the sacred prayer?” the Chief asked.

  Tee stiffened and stepped away from her group. The man put a restraining hand on her arm and held her back. Leo’s dragon spiked under his skin at the possessive touch. Under the man’s hand, Tee’s posture tightened even further, like a spring under tension, waiting to launch.

  She was about to act. Leo stepped back from the line of transfixed tribal members, and walked the few feet that separated him from Tee.

  Johnny stepped into the middle of the circle, his eyes found Leo, and swept him with dismissive glance. “A good Chief wouldn’t use the tribal prayer to try and influence the spirits and the people to his way.” Murmuring went around the circle, then quieted, as the tribe waited to hear what Johnny said next. “The young people are tired of having no voice. Old men run the council, but they’ll go to the sky soon, and we’ll be left with their future, not ours.”

  An audible gasp went through the crowd.

  “We’re ready to build a casino, for the people for the future.” Johnny spoke with confidence. “We’ve the plans and the money, and we’re not afraid of work. A casino of our own will bring our people out of poverty. We’ll throw off the yoke of oppression from the white men. They want to keep us under their heel. They threaten to destroy our sacred Yucca Mountain with their waste and they pollute the air we breathe with their coal.

  “They’ll not listen until we stand up and tell them ‘enough’, and they’ll not stop until we make them. Our ancestors knew this. We know this. The old men are tired. They’ve grown soft and afraid of hard work.” Johnny’s words echoed off the canyon walls.

  The Chief stepped forward, his shoulders rigid and his hands fisted. “The o
nly thing a casino on our lands will do is corrupt the ground and destroy our people.” He held his arm open to the crowd. “Do you think that we’ve not considered it? Eighty percent of the Navajo casino’s gamblers are Navajo, members of their own tribe! A casino here will only take the little money we do have and lose it. Remember the lesson of Noqoìlpi. There’s no end to the madness. Do you think the wind spirits will save us again?”

  The crowd was silent. The only sound on the plateau was the wind.

  “Don’t be fooled, brothers and sisters,” the Chief continued. “I’ve heard the rumors. The Youngs only want “true” tribal members to be a part of their casino. They want to challenge the rolls. Who here would be true enough for them? I tell you, only those who agree with them on everything.”

  A shock of exclamation and shouting erupted.

  “Why shouldn’t the true Paiute people lead?” Johnny yelled. “What’re you afraid of, old man? How dare the council discount the power of the wind spirit? She carves holes into the stone. The spirit understands power. Power is what we need. The only thing the white man understands is power, and power is money. The casino will make us rich. It’ll make us strong again.” He fisted his hand in the air. “I say it deserves a vote of the people.”

  “A vote.” The young men from the dance raised their hands behind Johnny.

  “Not here,” the Chief yelled. “This is not the time at our sacred powwow. You offend the spirits.”

  Several of the young men chanted under the breath. “A vote, a vote, a vote.” Grumbling rippled around the circle, and Leo could tell the crowd was in favor of the vote and the casino. The Chief was on the losing side of the argument, but by his affronted stance, he didn’t seem to know it.

  Tee jerked her arm free of the man and moved to the center of the tribe to stand by her father. Leo walked through the crowd so he stood a few feet inside the edge of the circle, near enough to touch her. At least he could protect her physically and try to avert any revelations about her paternity.

  “Listen to me,” Tee yelled to get the crowd’s attention. “The way forward is through education and employment. We don’t need a casino to do that.”

  Johnny shook his head and laughed. “And where do you suggest we get the money for these things, Halfling?”

  She looked confused at his name-calling, and the Chief gave Leo a sideways alarmed look. “I have twenty-five thousand dollars to give to the school.” Tee’s voice was proud and, by her tone, Leo could tell she expected the revelation to be well received. “I’ve already spoken with the principal about replacing the textbooks and building a computer lab with the money.”

  “And where did you get this money?” Johnny asked scornfully.

  Leo swallowed back a growl when he sensed Tee’s jerk of alarm. He put a protective arm at her back, but she seemed not to notice.

  “You only prove my point,” Johnny said. “Your money is from a casino. We won’t take yours, we’ll make our own.” He looked around the circle, with a smug smile on his face. “This halfling is not a true member—”

  “Enough,” the Chief yelled. “If it’s a debate you want, we’ll open the council to discussion at the close of the powwow, but not here. I’ll not offend the spirits further.” Glancing sideways, he whispered to Leo, “Take Tee into the desert, away from here, until after the powwow. There’ll be talk now. I need time to speak with her myself.” He turned back to the tribe. “Tallulah,” he said loudly to get her attention, but his voice broke over the syllables of her name. “Go with Leo now.”

  “Why did he call me a halfling?” she asked her father in confusion.

  “Tee,” the Chief said. “I’m begging you. Please go with Leo. I’ll explain later.”

  Tee looked mutinous.

  “Do not undermine me in front of the tribe,” the Chief said harshly, and Tee dropped her eyes.

  Leo led her out of the circle before she changed her mind. His sharp hearing picked up the conversation as they passed. “He called her a halfling… Do you know what that is about? I heard from my mother that there was a white man once, a drifter…She was with child when she married the Chief.” He led Tee to his truck, a good two hundred yards from the ceremony.

  Luckily, she seemed too bewildered to protest, and walked at his side, mumbling to herself. Suddenly she stopped walking. “I should tell James I’m leaving.”

  Leo urged her forward again. “Is that the guy who had his hands on you?”

  “He’ll be worried about me.”

  “The Chief will tell him.”

  Tee yanked away and gave him a mulish look. “It’s always about the tribe with the Chief, and protecting his authority.” Her words were harsh and cutting. “He never thinks about me. I have no say. It’s like I don’t belong, all over again.”

  “The Chief is always thinking about you.” Leo steered her around the hood of his truck.

  “He has a funny way of showing it. Ordering me to go away.”

  Leo opened the passenger door and waited for her to climb into his truck.

  Tee stepped up automatically, lost in her angry thoughts. “I can’t believe Johnny would convince the principal to reject my money for the school. I worked so hard.” Her laugh was brittle and sharp. “Because it’s from a town casino and not theirs?” Her question was rhetorical, so Leo shut the door, went around, and climbed into the driver’s seat.

  “You shouldn’t have challenged Johnny in front of so many.” He started the engine. “You’ve made an enemy now.”

  Tee turned to face him. “Why not? He and his friends are a bunch of puffed-up thugs. They’re wrong to insist on a casino on the reservation.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “What do you mean? I thought you were the Chief’s friend.”

  “I am but you have to admit, a casino would bring more revenue into the coffers.”

  “True, but challenging the rolls to do it?” Tee threw up her hands and raised her voice. “The Chief’s right on that. Who would say who was a real member of the tribe?”

  “That Johnny kid said they already had the money to build,” Leo said. “Do you know where they’re getting it?”

  “No.”

  Leo slid his arm across the back of the seat to reverse out of the parking area and drive into the desert. Agitated heat emanated from Tee’s shoulders. He suspected that she wouldn’t “pass” the test either; she’d be the one devastated. He straightened and kept his eyes on the road, away from her.

  They had a lot of ground to cover. Would she reject his dragon? Would he regret forgoing a true mate? The road ahead was a dim tunnel made clear by the bouncing truck headlights, as uncertain as their future.

  “Buckle up,” he said. “The road is going to be rough.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Why do you think Johnny called me a halfling?” Tee turned to face Leo from the bed of the truck. “Is it because I work in town? Half here, half there?” On her lap, she kneaded her hands together. Her body smelled of burnt sage, anxiety, and confusion.

  They clunked down the reservation road perpendicular to I-5, headed west. On the horizon, the stars twinkled in the purple and red sky. They had maybe fifteen minutes more of daylight. Camp would have to be set up in the dark.

  “Maybe.” Leo gripped the steering wheel so hard the rubber compressed around his knuckles. The Chief should have told her the truth years ago. He resisted the urge to touch her and try to comfort her turmoil.

  “I just don’t understand.” She fiddled with her seatbelt strap. Her worry twisted Leo’s heart. His dragon didn’t like her upset. He wanted to destroy those who’d hurt her. He took a calming breath and willed his emotions under control. He needed to be careful not to overreact because of his dragon. She wouldn’t understand.

  He eased the truck down a narrow road which led further into the desert.

  “Why do you think Johnny said they won’t take my money? Who is he, to talk for the school anyway?”

  “He was just
spouting off. Things’ll be calmer on Sunday.”

  “And why did the Chief make me leave with you?”

  “You’ll have to ask him.”

  “I feel like I’m being punished for something.” She stared out the window. “He always thinks of the tribe first. He just wants me out of the way. But, it only makes things worse. I can’t be a part of the tribe if I’m not there for the bad stuff too.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “It isn’t fair to me for people to shield me all the time. I’m strong.”

  Leo glanced at her, sensing she was talking about more than just the Chief and the tribe. “I agree.”

  “I’m sick and tired of everyone making what they think are the best decisions for me,” she continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “I’m not a child. I can choose my own path.”

  “I agree.” He smiled, more than happy to branch into a discussion about them instead of the tribe.

  “Why do you keep saying you agree, like some sort of placating parrot?”

  Leo laughed and focused on a particularly bumpy patch ahead, easing up on the gas to creep over a washed-out section of the road. “You get mad at me when I argue with you. You get mad at me when I agree with you. I can’t win.”

  Silence filled the cab. To Leo, it was the happiest sound of all. His dragon senses could pick up Tee’s breathing and the beat of her heart. Her scent washed over him, calming him and filling him with a contentment he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  It was right. Tee was right.

  Screw the fates and their idea of who he should be with. He wanted Tee, and he was going to have her.

  Tee watched him from across the seat. His heartbeat picked up and he sensed her assessing his profile. Her heated gaze dropped to his shoulders and waist and then drifted lower. Need branched through him and pooled in his gut.

  “Quit looking at me like that or I’m going to pull over right here.”