Let There Be Dragons (The Children of Ankh Book 3)

by Kim Cormack

  He couldn’t stop grinning as he shoved the door open. He held it open for her and allowed it to swing shut behind them. The girls were already sitting in a booth with some seriously bright colored orange pleather. Come to think of it everything was bright. Why were the fluorescent lights humming so loudly? Oh shit. She was having an ability related issue again. She knew what she needed.

  Sensing her distress, Zach whispered, “Give me your hand.” She took his hand and an instant sense of calm sedated the Dragon within her.

  Grateful for the sensory reprieve, Kayn kissed his cheek, messed up his hair and whispered, “Thank you.” She let go of his hand as they made their way over to the way less obnoxiously colored table. There was another humorous chorus of loudly complaining stomachs as she reached for her menu and it caused her to grin. It occurred to her that none of them should be this hungry. This was something else. Why had they left them to figure out this supernatural crap on their own?

  The waitress appeared to take their orders before they’d even had a chance to look at the menu. Now that was awesome service. A friendly tiny built girl with a contagious smile, asked them where they were headed. Melody appeared to be quite mesmerized with her for some reason. She kept the conversation going, asking her about the town and if she was from here. If she hadn’t known Melody was straight, she would have thought she was flirting with the waitress. Kayn had been so busy listening to the conversation between Melody and the wonderful waitress that she forgot to sneak a peek at the menu. When the waitress asked her what she wanted to eat she drew a blank, pointed to Melody and said, “I’ll have whatever she’s having.” A creepy chorus of stomachs sounded off again. This was getting weird. Kayn was seated in the booth with her back to the door as the bells jingled, announcing a new patrons entrance. Why did these diners always seem to have bells? She caught the shocked expression on Melody’s face. She’d become sickly pale.

  Astrid was sitting next to Mel and she mouthed the words, “Holy Shit!”

  Kayn stealthily turned around. Half a dozen Trinity had just strolled through the front door of the diner. Shit! What were they supposed to do now? Melody made a speedy beeline for the bathroom. That was smart. They would have recognized her for sure. Astrid and Haley were sitting on the side facing the door.

  Astrid covered her face with her napkin and tried to make it look like she was wiping off her mouth. She coughed into her napkin and whispered, “I don’t recognize any of them. Maybe they won’t recognize us? We’ve been in the Testing for twenty years.”

  Haley casually took a drink of water and whispered, “Unless your old booty call walks in.”

  Kayn and Zach didn’t dare look behind them, they’d be recognized for sure. They were trapped at the table.

  “I didn’t see her,” Astrid whispered.

  Kayn turned to look out the window as she quietly enquired, “Is Thorne here?”

  “I didn’t get a good look,” Astrid answered normally. She took a sip of her coffee and added, “One of them went to the washroom. It looks like they’re just picking up an order. They must be staying at the motel next door.”

  The sweet dispositioned waitress delivered their food with perfect timing, blocking them from sight as one of them strolled past their table. As Trinity left with their order, one of them was bitching about someone taking forever in the bathroom. The door jingled as they left and the nervous giggles began. That was close.

  Melody appeared, she slinked back into her seat and said, “Well, I guess we’ve found Trinity. They must have the girl up in one of their rooms. Now, we just have to figure out where she is and how to kidnap someone.”

  Haley started to giggle and then she began boisterously laughing even louder. She sounded like she was losing her grip on things as she silenced herself by taking a big gulp of her coffee. As she began to eat her breakfast, they all watched her uncomfortably as she continued to periodically laugh aloud between mouthfuls.

  Astrid turned around and hissed, “That’s enough! You’re starting to freak me out!”

  Haley chuckled and said, “We’re sitting in a diner. It’s been less than a week since we survived a place worse than hell and we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to kidnap someone. We don’t even know what she looks like. How is that anything other than hilarious?” They all grinned and started to giggle.

  Zach announced, “Well, first things first. We need to find out which room they’re in and none of us have compulsion as an ability. We don’t even know what alias they registered under.”

  Melody glanced up and piped in, “I might recognize one of their alias’ if I can get a look at the computer at the front desk.”

  Kayn was silent. She knew she’d stolen a touch of Frost’s ability in the bathroom but she had no idea how to access it. She suspected the purpose of this whole mission alone might not only be to find the girl. This was the immortal version of teaching someone how to swim by chucking them off a dock without a life jacket. They were teaching them how to use their abilities and work together to find a solution to a problem by giving them a puzzle to solve. A puzzle with a shit load of pieces missing. It was rather ingenious. She ate her breakfast and continued to think. Both Frost’s and Lily’s abilities were triggered sexually. So, she’d probably need to be turned on to access it, if she still could. She glanced at Zach. Not a chance! She surveyed the room and there was nobody she found remotely attractive. When she looked up the whole group was staring at her.

  Haley wiped her mouth with a napkin, looked directly at her and casually probed, “So, you can access any ability you’ve fed off?”

  Haley had heightened intuition. Her instincts were usually dead on. It was confession time. Kayn smiled at her intuitive friend with the brilliant pink hair and replied, “I might be able to. I took some of Frost’s energy a few days ago and I think I accidentally took some of Lily’s when I touched her. We all know how they use their abilities and what triggers them. I just have to figure out how to trigger mine and how to use what I took.”

  Astrid grinned and teased, “How difficult can that be? You probably just need to be turned on.”

  Everyone turned around and stared at Zach. He grimaced and sighed, “All right. If I have to.”

  Kayn scowled at her Handler and repeated his words, “If I have to… really? It’s not like I want you to be the one to do anything!” This was not going to work.

  Melody raised her hand and they instantly stopped bickering. Then they all smiled knowing a table full of partially immortal teens had been silenced by their mortal elementary school programming. Melody pressed her lips together to stop herself from continuing to smile as she suggested, “We’ll get a room. All of us together and if Zach can’t bring it out in you. We’ll rent one of those two million dollar movies and leave Kayn in the room alone to watch it.”

  This was going to be an absolutely mortifying experience. Kayn shuffled her behind out of the pleather seat and winced because her thighs had stuck to it. Short shorts and pleather seats were always a bad idea.

  Haley had noticed her uncomfortable predicament. She chuckled and declared, “I left the back of my thighs behind twenty years ago on a pleather seat in a diner in Arizona. I’ve grown to embrace jeans for various reasons.”

  They were all laughing as Astrid went up to pay. The rest of them made their way out of the air-conditioned restaurant into the swelteringly hot midmorning air. Their RV was parked across the street. It was going to be a dead giveaway when the parking lot was empty. Astrid suggested Zach move it now and text them for the room number.

  Zach nodded as he took the keys out of his pocket and jingled them in the air. He spun around, pointed at Kayn and taunted, “I’ll be back to turn you on in a few minutes.”

  Gross. Kayn grimaced again and sighed, “Listen, this is never going to work. Why don’t we just sneak around the motel and try to figure out where they are?”

  Astrid grinned while stating the obvious, “We can’t be seen and e
ach room only has an outdoor entrance. We already have to sneak up to the room we’re staying in, without being caught. Come on Brighton. Take one for the team.”

  Why did she have to be the one to take one for the team? Oh yah. She was both a Dragon and a Conduit. It was in her job description now. Astrid went in to the front office alone and when she returned with the room key she stated, “Good news, there’s a hot guy working at the front desk.”

  It would be much easier if she was allowed to stroll in there, snap his neck and look on his computer screen. Oh, how her ideals had changed since the Testing. She recalled being mortified by Frost’s insensitive behavior before but it made perfect sense to her now. They snuck up to their room on the second floor while listening for familiar voices in the rooms as they passed by each one. They found their room. It had a mustard colored door with slivers of paint missing. This hotel room might be a nasty one. Just as they arrived, the door knob moved next door. Astrid fumbled with the key, desperately trying to open the door so they’d remain unseen until they were ready to be. She couldn’t open it. Her eyes widened as an elderly gentleman stepped out. They all took a breath.

  Haley took the key from her and whispered, “Let me try.”

  The elderly gentleman suggested, “The locks are a little bit sticky. Try wiggling the key first and then pull the doorknob up to open it.”

  Haley wiggled the key, pulled the door knob up and sure enough it worked. They all thanked the man, scooted inside, darted across the mustard colored carpet and flung themselves down on the beds. Nothing was going right. This was not a good sign.

  Kayn sat up and announced, “Oh, Crap! We don’t have our bags!”

  Astrid went to go and see what they had in the bathroom. She stuck her head out of the door and said, “There’s soap in here and shampoo. I’m sure Melody has makeup in her purse. I saw a bunch of personal items for sale in the lobby. They had toothbrushes and hairbrushes.” Astrid stared directly at Kayn and teased, “Even condoms. They had all of the basic stuff.”

  Kayn shook her head and laughed, “Exactly how far do you think I’m willing to take this whole, accessing abilities that I’ve already siphoned plan. Not that damn far! I can promise you that. I think we should just bust down every door in this place until we find Trinity and then kick their asses. We can take the girl and be on our way. No tooth brushes necessary.”

  Astrid rolled her eyes at what she’d suggested and sighed, “I was joking Brighton. Also, there’s that pesky mortals aren’t supposed to know about us situation. It’s just a guess but I think Markus might frown upon us beating up everyone that’s staying in this motel.”

  Someone knocked on the door and everyone jumped. Astrid looked through the peephole and it was obviously Zach because she opened the door without missing a beat.

  He maneuvered past her and presented them with toothbrushes, toothpaste and a brush from the lobby.

  “I’ve already got a toothbrush in my purse,” Melody said.

  He grinned and teased, “Of course you do.”

  This is Awkward

  Kayn slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She moved the curtains, perched on the edge of the tub and stared at the pastel blue sink fixtures. Everything appeared to be clean. This was good. She seriously had to get rid of this ball of anxiety that was building in the pit of her stomach. These stored abilities had to be easier to access. She was supposed to be the Conduit for heaven’s sake. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Why had she told them she might be able to access Frost’s ability? She didn’t even know how long she kept an ability after she’d borrowed it.

  Someone knocked on the door and she stood up, wandered over and opened it. It was Zach with a bottle, clutched in one of his hands. She opened the door wider and allowed him to come inside. Kayn walked over and sat back down on the edge of the bathtub and said, “If that’s a peace offering in your hand you’ve got the wrong person?”

  Zach removed the plastic from a couple of glasses by the sink and poured some of the amber colored alcohol into each glass. He sat on the edge of the tub as he passed her one of the glasses and said, “I’m sure this is the last thing you want to do. I know it’s only been a few nights since puke fest. Humor me, it might loosen up your inhibitions enough to figure out how to access Frost’s ability.”

  He was trying to get her drunk. It wasn’t the smartest idea but why the hell not. What did she have to lose? Kayn raised her glass and saluted, “Bottoms up.” She downed the entire glass like it was a shot. It burned as it went down and then felt like it was going to come right back up.

  Zach gave her a strange look. He was still holding his almost full plastic glass. He whispered, “You’re supposed to sip cherry brandy, slowly.” He stood up and held out his hand for her empty glass. She passed it to him. He filled it with water and gave it back to her She downed the water. Zach said, “You’d better drink another glass of water. You drink like a teenager that snuck alcohol from their parent’s liquor cabinet. You’re an adult. Take your time. It’s not about getting drunk. It’s about enjoying the taste and taking time to relax.”

  That made sense. She hadn’t had much experience with drinking when she was mortal. She’d snuck some wine to drink with Kevin at the lake a few times but she hadn’t gotten into it. Kevin…She hadn’t meant to think about him. He was in most of her mortal memories. She’d probably never be able to reminisce about that time without thoughts of him and what they used to mean to each other. She was drinking her second glass of water as her emotions began to numb and the brandy started to work its inhibition loosening magic. Zach was staring at her. She turned to meet his gaze.

  He questioned, “Is it really that impossible to think of me as anything but your friend?”

  She stared into her glass of water as she replied, “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I know it would be silly to start anything with anyone five seconds after having my heart stomped on by Kevin. It’s just a complicated situation. The feelings for Frost were already there. I want to say they were there because of how Chloe felt about him but that wouldn’t be the truth. He makes me feel reckless. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.”

  Zach poured himself another glass and offered her another. She wasn’t sure if she should but she nodded and he passed it to her. This time she took a tiny sip, instead of downing the whole thing. Yes, that’s way better.

  He raised his glass and saluted, “To finding someone that makes you feel reckless. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea for me either.”

  She almost slipped off her perch on the edge of the tub and decided to sit inside instead. She got into the tub and rested her arms on either side. Zach grinned and got into the tub on the opposite end. The bathtub reeked of bleach and there was no room for their legs, but neither of them cared. They were already chilling out while feeling the effects of the cherry brandy.

  Kayn announced, “This brandy isn’t that bad.” She felt blissfully relaxed and from the looks of Zach so did he. They laid there quietly for a second. She felt his eyes on her. He climbed out of the tub and held out his hand. She took it and as he helped her out, he leaned in and went for a kiss. Oh, why not give it a try. She kissed him back but after a few seconds, the awkwardness became unbearable. When he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled away and they both started to laugh. It felt like she was trying to make out with a relative and by the color of his cheeks she knew he felt the same way about her.

  He shoved her and sighed, “Mystery solved. That’ll never happen.”

  Kayn playfully shoved him back and chuckled, “Maybe, I should just go down to the office and flirt with the guy at the desk?”

  Zach grinned and teased, “You’re drunk and it’s just past noon. If you feel like you can do it, go for gold.”

  They both excited the bathroom to hopeful eyes.

  Kayn shook her head and announced, “Time for Plan B.”

  It was a telling moment because
Melody appeared to be relieved. She did really like him. Kayn winked at her and enquired, “Are you coming with me?”

  Melody stood up and asked, “Where are we going? You guys can’t talk in drunk code and expect us to decipher it. We’re sober. You know, like most people at lunchtime.”

  Kayn looked at Melody and gave a curt yet hilarious explanation, “I’m going down there to seduce the guy that’s working at the front desk while you try to sneak a peek at the computer.”

  Astrid’s face burst into an enormous shit eating grin and she said, “How much did you guys drink?”

  Zach placed his arm around her and preened, “I have confidence in our Kayn’s ability to seduce someone. Not me, but someone.”

  Haley leapt up and stated, “You’re not going down there like that, just give me five minutes. I’ll put some makeup on you.” She tried to tug Kayn’s ponytail out of her hair but it was tangled in her curls. So, she was forced to improvise. “Do any of you have a knife?”

  Kayn grimaced and stated, “There’s no need to cut my hair, I’ll get it out.” Kayn maneuvered her fingers until she managed to free the elastic band held captive by her unruly mass of thick curls. Melody put some makeup on her. Zach appeared with a glass of water and tossed it on her white tank top.

  Kayn scowled and hissed, “What in the hell was that for?”

  Astrid grinned, winked at Zach and said, “He’s a genius. Now, it doesn’t matter how awkward you are. That guy will definitely be staring at you long enough for Melody to catch a glimpse of his computer screen.”

  She didn’t get it. They’d just put a bunch of make up on her and soaked her tank top. She peeked out of the door, the coast was clear. Kayn walked outside and complained, “But now my tops see through.” Then it registered and the lightbulb clicked on above her head. Her top was see through. Oh, she got it. So much for trying to inconspicuously make their way downstairs. They descended the stairs as quickly as they could and darted into the lobby. There was an extremely cute guy intently staring at the screen of his cell phone. Kayn tried to speak to Melody using only her mind, can you get behind him and peek at the screen? He doesn’t even know we’re standing here.