by Julie Wetzel
Noah chuckled and limped up next to her. “Just jarred,” he reassured her. “I’ll be fine in a bit.” He moved his shoulder around, stretching it out. A look of pain crossed his face, but he put his leg down, ignoring it. “If you’re feeling better, we might want to consider finding something to eat.” He started limping towards the parking lot. “It’s not uncommon for people to faint from low blood sugar.”
Kara stared at him with her mouth open. True, they had skipped out on lunch, but missing a meal had nothing to do with her fainting.
Stopping, he turned back to her. “Unless you need to rest some more?”
She shut her mouth and moved to join him. “No, I think food is a good idea.” The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. He knew exactly what had happened, but he was giving her an out. By blaming her blood sugar, neither of them would have to acknowledge what had happened. For that, she was grateful. Addressing the issue would bring to light things she really didn’t want to face at the moment. Her dragon rumbled at her, but she ignored it.
“So, what do you want for dinner?” she asked as Noah joined her for the walk back to the front of the park. Maybe if she eased into another conversation, she could learn something about him.
“Anything with meat in it,” he answered as he limped along. “I could really kill a steak about now.”
Kara tipped her head down to hide the amusement lighting her eyes. That was such a typically male statement. But of course, he was male… and a dragon to boot. “I take it you want me to cook?” she teased.
“No… I… um…” he stuttered his way through his answer.
She chuckled. “It’s all right.” She bumped into his side to show she was teasing him. “I don’t mind cooking. Besides, you did earn it.”
Noah stopped as they got near the little house that held changing rooms and lockers.
Kara paused and looked at him. He was clearly conflicted about something. She was sure he wanted to deny he had done anything, but he was unable to do it. They would both know it was a lie.
“That was Byrd,” he finally said.
Her eyelids drooped over her eyes, and she tipped her head down in amusement. “Then I’ll make dinner for Byrd, and you can clean up the mess you guys made in my living room.” She turned and left Noah standing there with his mouth hanging open, smiling to herself as she turned the corner into the ladies’ changing room. Noah is fun to tease.
She shook her head, knowing she shouldn’t be teasing him. Now that Noah had resurfaced, she should be picking his brain. They needed to know what had happened to Raven, but right now wasn’t a good time to bring up the murder. This was definitely headway in his progress, but pushing him to remember the incident that caused his split could do more damage than good. Better to move slowly than to cause another break in his psyche. Daniel may not be happy about it, but he was just going to have to wait.
Shifting back into her human form, she went to get her things. Tonight, she would dig out her pots and pans and fix him a dinner fit for kings and heroes. And tomorrow, they would head to Noah’s house. Then, if he showed more signs of stabilization, she would ask him for the information Daniel needed.
***
Noah’s hindquarters plopped on the ground, and he stared at the doorway where Kara had disappeared. That woman has sass! He laughed to himself. He liked a sassy woman. Easing himself down, he relaxed the rest of the way to the ground. The grass was amazingly cool and felt wonderful on his aching body. Letting out a long breath, he closed his eyes and considered his dilemma.
He liked Kara. She was sweet, sassy, and knew how to take care of business. But he wasn’t ready to face the things jumbled inside of him. Thankfully, she had taken the out he’d offered. She was a strong woman, and it was clear that her episode had had nothing to do with a lack of food. Had she corrected him, they both would’ve had to acknowledge what had happened. That would have pulled Byrd back up. Then there would have been hormone-driven emotions involved, and things would have gotten out of hand. Noah didn’t know if he could handle that right now.
Worried by the silence of his dragon, Noah reached out, feeling for his other half. The energy of the dragon bubbled inside him, but it was deeper than Noah had ever felt. Obviously, Byrd was still recovering from their outing.
Noah let out a sigh and opened his eyes. He was going to have to figure out a way to deal with his feelings before Byrd came back up. The dragon ramped all of his emotions to a higher level than he was used to. There had been occasions when Noah had teased some of his dragon friends when they’d done something stupid and had blamed it on a hormonal reaction. He regretted it now. Instincts and hormones were nothing to be laughed at.
Drawing in another deep breath, Noah did what he always did when faced with a problem he couldn’t think through. Closing his eyes, he emptied his mind and reveled in the world around him. The whisper of the wind through the trees and the warmth of the sun on his scales relaxed him. He breathed deeply, pulling in the scent of grass and dirt. His newly enhanced senses filled him with stimulation like he’d never known. It was overwhelming, but exactly what he needed to settle his emotions.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. His mind was clear. His emotions were calm. And for the first time in a while, he felt centered and ready to do magic. If only a spell could help. Thinking of something, he whispered the one healing spell he was good at and aimed it at his aching shoulder. The tingle of magic touched him, but nothing happened. Confused, he said it again, but it still didn’t work. Panic hit him as he tried it again to no avail. My magic!
He breathed through the panic and tried to regain that calm he’d had a moment before. There had to be a logical explanation for his failure. Many of the mages he knew were dragons, and none of them had ever shown the slightest problem working spells. He huffed in deep gulps of air, but nothing was slowing the terror filling him. His magic couldn’t be failing him.
Magic wasn’t just Noah’s job; it was all he had in life. He’d discovered he was good with it at a very young age, much to his parent’s chagrin. They had tried to curb his practice, but it had been a natural thing for Noah. Even through the punishments, he studied all he could. He had stuck with it even through the embarrassment of his father forcing him to shave his head to hide the white in his hair. And Noah’s decision to become a mage had caused a rift in his family that nothing could bridge. At eighteen, he had left to face his future alone—a disgrace in his family’s eyes. The loss of his magic would be the end of his world.
Lifting his head, he swallowed hard and forced his mind to focus. The healing spell had been an intricate piece of magic. It had taken him a long time to be able to use it on more than just minor scrapes. Maybe something simple. Bending his will towards something he knew, Noah picked a simple light spell. As he said the spell out loud, he felt the sizzle of energy, but the ball of fairy light didn’t appear before him.
Noah’s front feet clenched in distress, driving his claws deep into the dirt. That had been the first spell he’d ever mastered. He’d been using it since the age of six! “Byrd!” he cried out, trying to draw the dragon from where it rested.
Byrd stirred but didn’t answer his call.
“Byrd,” Noah tried again, shaking his head. He stretched and folded his wings, but his other half did not respond.
“Noah?”
Noah looked up to find Kara coming out of the building towards him. He stood up, then dropped back to the ground. Fear and anxiety paralyzed him in a way he’d never felt before. “My magic,” he chirped, shaking his head. His claws kneaded the ground. “I can’t.”
Kara dropped to the ground in front of him and took hold of his head. She held it so he would look at her. “Noah, what’s wrong?”
He swallowed, stretched his wings, and dropped them loose along his sides before he could string the words he was dreading together. “My magic is gone!” He huffed air as the panic attack rolled through him.
“Oh, sweethear
t!” Kara said as she rested her cheek on the top of his head and held him. “Just breathe. Everything will be fine.”
Indignation burned through the fear. Fine? How dare she! He shook her off his head and backed up so he could glare at her. “Fine?” More harsh words bubbled up out of him, but he couldn’t make them form right. They came out as chirps and squeaks that only made him madder.
“Noah!” Kara grabbed the crest on either side of his head and forced him to be still. “You’re fine,” she snapped. “Your magic is fine.”
Her words froze him.
“Tell me what happened.”
He swallowed twice before he started. “I tried a healing spell.” He panted, trying to get the sound coming out of him to be words. “It didn’t work.” His heart raced with fear.
Kara worked the tips of her fingers into the softer scales on the backside if his boney frill. “Relax,” she said, soothing him with both words and touch. “Just calm down, and we will figure this out.”
Noah twitched his head in a nod and tried to breathe. He concentrated on the feel of Kara’s fingers as they worked the tension from the back of his head. As his heart rate slowed, his breathing evened out and some measure of control returned to him.
“Now, tell me exactly what happened.”
Fear crawled back up his spine, but Noah concentrated on Kara’s touch and told her what had happened.
“What spells did you use?”
Her words were calm and even, and that helped Noah to remain calm as he told them to her.
“There’s your problem.”
Noah’s eyes hadn’t been focusing on anything as he spoke, but this statement pulled his attention up to her face.
A soft smile graced her face. “Spoken spells don’t work in dragon form,” she explained. “You’re using the wrong language.”
The wrong language! The truth hit Noah fast and hard. The power he had channeled hadn’t taken form because the words he’d used hadn’t been correct. Searching his mind, he pulled out a few spells he could do without words. Two were attack spells he had learned in case he was trapped and bound. His favorite was a fire spell that required written runes. But, since he didn’t want to hurt or burn anything, he pushed those away and turned to something flashy but significantly less dangerous.
Closing his eyes, he pulled the magic to him and gave it form. As he cast the spell, he listened for Kara’s reaction. Her gasp of surprise calmed the fear in his heart. Opening his eyes, he took in the delight on Kara’s face as she watched the twinkling fairy lights dance around them. This was the spell he used to wow his dates when they asked him to show them magic. As his own personal adaptation of his first spell, it was something he knew well. Simple, yet elegant.
“This is beautiful,” Kara said, releasing her hold on him and sitting back on the grass. She turned her smile from the lights dancing around them to Noah. “See? Your magic works just fine.”
Noah looked around at the lights. It wasn’t the best job he’d done with the spell, but at least it had worked. Letting out a relieved sigh, he released the spell. The lights twinkled for a moment longer before fading out. “Thank you,” he said. They were poor words for the depth of gratitude that he felt, but he lacked for better.
“Think nothing of it,” Kara said as she got up from the ground and brushed the dirt from her pants. “You’re new to all of this. I’m sure there’ll be lots of things you don’t know. I’ll help you get through it.” She smiled softly at him. “That is, after all, why I’m here.”
Noah’s heart sank at her words, but he nodded his head. She’s my therapist, he reminded himself. She’s here to do a job and nothing more. “Thank you anyway.” Standing up, he ruffled his wings and settled them to his back where they belonged. “Shall we then?” he asked.
“Of course,” Kara said and started towards the car.
Noah limped along behind her. When she opened the door, he climbed in, curled up on the seat, and closed his eyes to rest. He hadn’t felt too bad after the fall, but the whole panic attack had burned through what energy he’d had left. Hopefully, Kara wouldn’t mind if he took a nap because he wasn’t sure if he could keep his eyes open anymore.
8
What a day! Kara pulled back the covers on her bed, more than ready to crawl in. And it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. This morning when she’d rolled out, she hadn’t expected half of the excitement the day had brought. Some light work, a nice flight, maybe a little progress in Noah’s case, but nothing like what she’d gotten. Thankfully, the evening had been much quieter. It had given her a chance to decompress and ponder the events of the day.
Noah’s meltdown over his magic had given her more insight into the man she was helping, but not much. He did make his living as a top-level mage. The loss of his powers would cost him his job. But she hadn’t witnessed such a severe panic attack in a long time. She’d glanced over his records again but couldn’t find anything to suggest he was normally that high strung. Just the fact he ranked as an Elite suggested he wasn’t prone to cracking under pressure. And Daniel made sure his men were well tested before sending them into the field. None of his reports had shown any signs of stress after missions.
Since Byrd seemed to be missing, Kara had hoped to talk with Noah for a while, but the day had worn him out. By the time she’d loaded him in the car and gotten on the road, he was sound asleep. He didn’t even wake up when she stopped to get provisions for dinner. With as tired as the poor man was, she decided to save the steaks for tomorrow and opted for some chicken sandwiches instead. Noah barely raised his head when the smell of hot food hit him. It took coaxing to get him inside, fed, and tucked into bed. The fact that he was still favoring that front leg bothered her. He may have said it was fine, but if he wasn’t moving better in the morning, she was taking him over to see the medic.
A jaw-cracking yawn left Kara shaking her head and snuggling down under her comforter. She blinked her bleary eyes and studied the folds of material she’d hung over her window. They weren’t the lovely curtains she had planned, but she hadn’t had the chance to go and pick out something nice. And the two tablecloths weren’t up there for esthetics. The dark linens would block out some of the morning light. It wasn’t an ideal answer, but it beat glaring sun at six AM.
Kara closed her eyes and relaxed. The soft sounds of the night wrapped around her as she drifted on the edge of sleep. She had earned her rest, but her mind held on to the day, playing back choice bits. A soft creak pulled her back from the warm bliss of oblivion. Without moving, she focused on the noise of something moving across the carpet. A hint of fear raced through her as the sound got closer to her bed. Did I forget to lock the doors? Her mind raced, but she distinctly remembered locking both the front and back doors. She froze as something plopped onto the bed near her feet. Her heart was racing, yet a warm wave of calm coming from her instincts told her everything was fine. Lifting her head, she looked down at the heavy object on her bed.
A pool of darkness deeper than the surrounding night had gathered in the shape of a dragon on the foot of her bed. It sat there, staring at her with the most forlorn look in its eyes. It whined at her.
“Byrd?” Kara asked as she sat up. There was something about the way he moved that made her sure Noah was not in charge.
The dragon whined again.
Kara pushed her covers down. “What’s wrong?”
“Lonely,” he chirped.
The sad note in his voice made Kara’s heart clench. How is it possible for him to be lonely? “Where’s Noah?” She scooted down the bed towards him.
“Sleeping,” Byrd chirped. He slid his head towards her.
Kara reached out and rubbed her hand over the top of his head. “Why aren’t you sleeping? You’ve had a long day.”
Byrd whined and wiggled his way up the bed a little farther. “Scared.” A singled tear slipped out of the corner of his eye, breaking Kara’s heart.
“Oh, Byrd!” She moved to the foot of
the bed and pulled his head up so she could hold him. “Did you have a bad dream?” The broken pieces of her heart were crushed by his next word.
“Raven,” he sobbed. His pain was heavy in his voice, and another tear hit her skin. The little diamond was warm as it slipped down inside her shirt.
Clenching her arms around Byrd’s head, she held him as tears welled in her eyes. She knew the pain of losing friends and family, but the thought of losing part of herself was unbearable. After a moment, she pushed the dragon back and reached for the end of her covers. A hard yank had them ripped loose from their nice, neat tuck. “Come up here.” She held the blankets back for the dragon.
Byrd crawled up the bed until his head rested on her spare pillow.
Kara threw the bedding over him and lay down against him. “Everything will be all right,” she said as she ran her fingers over his neck. “Noah will take care of you.”
Another whine slipped out of Byrd as he wiggled on the bed.
Kara chewed on her lip for a minute before adding her support. “I’m here for you, too.” She knew there would be consequences to committing herself to the distressed dragon, but her instincts told her it was the right thing to do. He needed her, and her dragon would not let it go.
He rumbled in pleasure as he rolled his head over against her.
She traced his scales as she spoke. “I know we’re probably poor substitutes for Raven, but you’re strong. You’ll get through this.”
Byrd drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “We liked Raven. She nice.”
“Noah’s nice, too,” Kara added. She worried her lip, not sure her words would be enough to lull the hurt from him.
Byrd tilted his head so he could look at her with one eye.
Kara could see the age in that sparkling eye. She took a deep breath, feeling a fool. Most of the time, it was easy to forget what she was dealing with. Byrd’s truncated speech patterns and carefree attitude led her to treat him as she would a child or pet, but he was anything but. Byrd was no hatchling to be scolded or coddled, he was ancient. That single eye staring at her from the darkness held things she couldn’t imagine. Pleasures and joys to match her best dreams. Horrors and pains with which her worst nightmares couldn’t compare. She felt it pull at her, stirring her wild side to answer the call. Her dragon pushed to the surface, and she drew in a gasp of air, trying to hold on to her human form.