by GRP
“Good luck proving that,” she said. “I broke a cardinal rule. On a Monday morning, no less. I left them high and dry.”
“Richard seemed to be doing an okay enough job,” I teased.
“Oh God, Richard. Poor Richard,” she laughed. “So, is that how you found me? Richard told you?”
“Well, he told me where you lived. From there – I encountered Chelsea, or rather the Shongtal inhabiting Chelsea's body,” I said. “And after she escaped, I searched the place until I found your address book –”
“Man, maybe you should work as a PI. You'd make a killing here in LA,” she said, winking at me.
“I have a good job,” I said. “And I'm doing fine on my own, thank you.”
“Looks like it.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” I laughed.
“You pretty much live in a castle,” she said. “A freaking castle. I'm so jealous of you right now –”
“It's not really a castle,” I said. “Just an apartment building.”
“You saw my place,” she said. “You could fit our whole apartment into your bedroom. So yeah, that's pretty much a castle to me.”
I laughed and shook my head. I was having fun with her, all things considered. I couldn't remember a time I'd laughed as much as I had with her. And when she looked up at me with her green eyes, I did the one thing I told myself I couldn't do.
I kissed her.
It was a quick kiss, because as soon as I realized I'd stolen a kiss from her, I backed away.
But she was having none of it. She pulled my head back toward her and pressed her lips to mine. It wasn't the chaste little peck I'd given her. No, this was a full-on kiss. She held me close and we stood there, like two horny teenagers, making out in the middle of a downtown sidewalk.
Once she finally came back up for air, she chuckled. “I've been wanting to do that for so long,” she said. “You have no idea.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Really,” she said. “Every time you came into the shop, I would try to get you to talk because I found you attractive, but you never showed any interest in me whatsoever. I couldn't get two words out of you on a good day. But Chelsea insisted you were into me, said that you were just shy –”
“But now you know the truth about me, Jess. About what I do,” I said. “We can't – I mean, seriously. We can't be together.”
“Why?” she asked, giving me the most innocent look I'd seen as if she genuinely didn't understand.
“Because we can't. It's a Dragonborn rule,” I said. “We are not supposed to get involved with humans. Emotional attachments are discouraged –”
“But why? Who makes these rules?”
Yes, I liked her. I liked her a lot. But this wasn't the time for this discussion. Especially not since I caught the scent of something musky. Something evil. Something dark.
The Shongtal.
“We can talk about that later,” I said. “But right now, we have a creature to catch.”
That caused Jessica to stop talking. She stiffened up and looked around, then back at me and mouthed, “Do you smell one nearby?”
I nodded. I just needed to find it. Looking around, I was half expecting to find Chelsea – which would of course have made it all easy. But nothing could ever be very easy, could it?
Instead, we were face-to-face with the scrawny guy who'd tried to make a deal with me. Its smile was wicked and cruel. And it took everything in me to not plunge my dagger into its chest right then and there.
“Hello Ozaryan,” it said. “We meet again. And ahh, I see you found your lovely Jessica. That's wonderful. What a shame about her boyfriend though –”
“Shut up,” Jessica snapped.
She lunged toward the creature, but I grabbed her, holding her in place. She was no match for the likes of that thing.
“We had a deal, Ozy,” it said. “You broke that deal. Now you have to pay for that.”
“I never made a deal with you,” I growled. “Just because I didn't kill you that day in the coffee shop, or track you down later, doesn't mean I agreed to anything. You assumed that. I only kept you alive until I could save her.”
“Well pity that,” it said. “And here, I thought we might be friends.”
I laughed. “If you really thought that, then you have a lot to learn,” I said. “Because I plan on killing your kind until my very last breath.”
“Then, why don't you?” it said. “Right here, right now. Why not fight me here in the middle of Los Angeles. Humans do love a good show, don't they?”
When I didn't make a move on him, he cackled.
“I thought so,” he said. “So with that said, I'm going to head out and check in with Chelsea. That girl has got a beautiful body and I can't wait to –”
Before he finished his sentence, I plunged my blade deep into his side. He stared down at it, then at me, in disbelief. Its eyes were wide and a thin stream of blood poured from the corner of its mouth.
“You bastard,” it said as the familiar red lights flared in its eyes and it fell to the ground, limp, lifeless.
Of course, there was now a bleeding man in the middle of the sidewalk – and I was standing there holding the knife. People were stopping to stare, others stopped to scream. And I knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before the cops showed up. And I couldn't be there when they did. I'd acted rash and impulsively – stupidly. I'd let emotion cloud my judgment and now a real shitstorm was heading my way.
It was Jessica though, who snapped me out of it by taking my hand and pulling me away.
“We have to go, now,” she said. “Can you shift?”
“Here? Now?” I asked, staring at the crowd that was forming.
“How about down there –” she pulled me toward a dim, gloomy alleyway between two large buildings.
“Come on, Ozy,” she said. “We need to go. We need to fly the hell out of here before the cops show up, so do your thing –”
“They can't see me,” I said.
“You weren't so worried about that the other day, on the roof.”
She was right. “Because that was to save you,” I said. “I had no choice.”
“Well now you need to save yourself,” she said. “And help me save my best friend. So let's do it.”
I could possibly get away with it. Maybe if I stayed hidden behind the buildings or shot up high enough to get myself into the clouds...
I heard the sound of sirens in the distance and knew time was running short.
“Do it, now! Ozy!”
But I didn't shift. I did the next best thing. I took Jessica's hand in mind and we ran for our lives.
Chapter Twelve
Jessica
We ducked into my apartment building, which was down the street from where Ozy had killed that creature in broad daylight. I didn't feel bad though – not after what it had said about Chelsea. We made it there just as the sirens were reaching the scene of the crime. The first thing I noticed was the mess. Everything had been thrown around, as if there had been a fight – which according to Ozy, there had been.
“She got away, from you?” I asked.
I saw him take out several of the creatures at once without even breaking a sweat. So, to think that Chelsea somehow had gotten the upper hand on the likes of him was mind-boggling. I didn't believe it. And now that I saw the shape our apartment was in, it became a little more real to me. I couldn't figure out how she had gotten away. It didn't add up in my head.
“Well, perhaps I didn't tell you everything,” he said, picking up a broken lamp and putting it back where it belonged. “I might have let her go. Or maybe, more like, I didn't try so hard to kill her. Because I could tell you two were close and it reminded me of my best friend. I went easier on her than I do most of the Shongtal and she got away.”
He could have killed her. He’d had her but let her go. I smiled as I watched him try to pick up the rest of
the broken things around my apartment. There was something sweet about him, something unique. He was this big, rough, tough warrior type. But there was also an underlying core of softness and gentleness to him.
“So, you had no problem killing the guy I was dating, but you pulled your punches when it came to my best friend,” I said. “Interesting.”
“I had to kill Aaron,” he said softly. “He didn't give me much of a choice. It was either him or you – and that was an easy choice to make. I wasn't going to let him kill you.”
“That makes sense, I guess,” I said softly.
I picked up the picture of Chelsea and me from our senior prom. It had been a totally different time for us – another lifetime, really – and we’d been through so much since then. It really hit me for the first time that I could lose her today.
Tears filled my eyes as I thought about that, and of course, Ozy was there to put his arm around me. He tried to comfort me, but this time, tried his best to keep his distance at the same time.
“I just can't imagine losing her,” I said. “If I lose her, I'm alone in this world.”
He pulled me closer, letting me rest my head on his chest, letting me cry. For a few minutes, at least, and then his body stiffened up and he started to look around.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I think Chelsea is here,” he said. “On her way up the stairs now.”
A few moments later, the door swung open, and sure enough, it was Chelsea. Or at least, it looked like Chelsea. But it took me all of a second and a half to realize that something wasn't right.
“So, I figured you'd run and hide here,” she said, staring at Ozy. “Especially after that little show in the streets. Real cute, that.”
“Well, your boss did say that LA loves a good spectacle,” he growled. “Right before I killed him.”
I couldn't reconcile what I was seeing. To me, this was Chelsea. My best friend in the entire world. But inside her was a monster. Was it too late for her? I couldn't see any sign that Chelsea was still in there. But then, I wouldn't have really known what to look for anyway.
“Chelsea, please,” I begged. “Please, give me my best friend back, I'll do anything.”
“Anything?” Chelsea asked, walking toward me.
Ozy pushed me back, stepping between me and the creature coming toward me.
“It's not your friend, Jessica. It might look like her, but you're talking to a monster,” he said,
“Hello pot, it's kettle,” it laughed. “Speaking of monsters, did he tell you what he is, Jessica? He's a literal killer –”
“As if you don't kill the people you feed on,” Ozy spat.
Chelsea shrugged. “Survival of the fittest, what can I say? Maybe if you Dragonborn hadn't let us out –”
“What's she talking about?” I asked.
“It's a long story,” he said.
It was the same line I'd heard from him countless times already – and it continued to be stories I was never told. I was going to have to rectify that. Whether he liked it or not, I was now part of his world. But now wasn't the time to argue or ask for more details.
“Just leave Chelsea's body,” I said. “Please, go somewhere else and we won't harm you.”
“Jess –”
“Please, Ozy,” I stared up into his eyes, begging and pleading with him. “We need to save her.”
He choked down his pride and nodded, looking at Chelsea and agreeing. “I'll honor that promise,” he said. “If you're willing to take it and leave the girl unharmed as well.”
Chelsea seemed to ponder that deal.
“I've seen what he can do to you guys,” I said. “With just his blade. Take the deal or you're dead meat otherwise.”
“Not exactly,” she said, smirking at me. “We're not exactly helpless.”
The look in Chelsea's eyes was so filled with hate, it sent shivers down my spine. I was suddenly thankful for Ozy's body between us, as if that could make all the difference in the world.
“Leave her body,” Ozy commanded. “And do it now.”
“If I don't, you'll have to kill her,” Chelsea said. “Tough choice, Warden.”
Without warning, Chelsea rushed at him, drawing a blade I didn't even know she had from her belt. She swung it at Ozy, but he somehow blocked it with his own dagger, the ringing sound of metal filling our apartment. As she tried to regain her balance, he grabbed Chelsea's hand and spun her across the room. She hit the wall with a grunt and looked at him with undisguised hatred before launching herself again.
“Jessica, get down,” he said. “Now.”
I took cover behind the couch, as Chelsea swung her blade again and again, with Ozy blocking the cut each time. She growled at him and drove the point of her blade at his chest. Ozy spun out of the way and grabbed her arm, driving his fist into her stomach. She let out a whoosh of air and doubled over, gasping.
Breathing heavily, Chelsea remained bent over for a long moment. But then, in a blur of movement, she came up swinging. Ozy danced out of the way – but wasn't quite quick enough. The tip of Chelsea's blade cut along his thigh, opening up a gash that made him grunt.
As if he were enjoying it, Ozy gave her a small smile and drew a second blade. He took several steps toward Chelsea, spinning and waving the daggers around, giving her a show. And she was apparently so focused on the whirling blades, she never saw his foot coming. Ozy delivered a kick to her midsection that was powerful and it knocked her clean off her feet. She landed on her back with a thud and a dazed look on her face.
“Idiot,” he said as he straddled her chest, putting his dagger to her throat.
“Chelsea!” I cried out as I rushed out of my hiding spot.
Ozy held the blade to her throat. It was over. There was no getting out of her position alive – and the creature inside Chelsea knew it too. It stared back at me with dead eyes, knowing I was its only hope for survival
“Ozy, please!” I cried. “Do something!”
“I can't,” he said. “It's not willing to leave her body, I have no choice, Jess –”
“What if I gave you a new host, huh?” I asked, feeling sick to my stomach even thinking about what I was going to say. “What if I took her place –”
“Jessica, no,” Ozy growled, losing focus for the briefest of moments and nearly losing his hold on Chelsea who continued to struggle in his grasp. “You can't –”
“Why can't I?” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. “It's my life. It's my body, Ozy. And honestly, without her, I'm alone in this world. I'd rather not live like that.”
“You don't know what you're saying –”
“I'll take it,” Chelsea said. “I'll take that deal. Swap bodies. This one can live, and I'll take hers. It's a mighty fine body too, I might add.”
“No,” he growled, digging the edge of his blade into Chelsea's neck.
But the creature was jumping on the opportunity and was already leaving Chelsea's body. A shadow appeared over my best friend and she took a breath so deep, it sounded as if she hadn't drawn breath in days. And when she saw Ozy above her with the blade at her neck, she screamed. Ozy removed the knife and Chelsea sat up, shaking and visibly freaked out - not that I could blame her.
I closed my eyes and prepared for whatever was about to happen. I'd made the deal and would honor it. It was more important to me that Chelsea live. I knew that the creature would take hold of me, leaving Ozy no choice but to kill me. But, at least Chelsea was alive. She was alive and would be okay. I could hear her now, crying in shock.
“It'll be okay, Chelsea. It'll be okay,” I muttered.
I opened my eyes just in time to see the shadow coming toward me. Lurking behind it though, I saw Ozy. He rushed toward me, plunging the knife into the shadow – barely missing me in the process – and there a hissing sound and a loud shriek – whatever that thing was before me died a very painful death.
“We don't make de
als with them,” Ozy growled as he wiped his blade clean.
Chelsea was alive. I was alive. And that thing was dead. We were all going to be okay.
In the heat of the moment, all I wanted to do was run to Ozy and kiss him – so, that's what I did. I jumped into his arms, causing him to drop his blade as I planted my lips on his. He was surprised, but didn't fight it. He kissed me back, pulling me closer to him.
“Really, you guys?” Chelsea asked. “You're going to do that now?”
Chelsea was back, and God, I'd never been so happy to hear her voice. Pulling away from Ozy, I ran over to her and hugged her tighter than I'd ever hugged someone in my entire life.
Everything was going to be okay again.
Chapter Thirteen
“Thank you, for everything,” I said. “Especially for bringing me here. You won't get in trouble for this, will you?”
“Maybe. Probably. I don't care though,” he said, looking down at the ground as we walked toward his home.
His home in Chondelai. He'd kept his word and had brought me to this other world. A world so vivid and bright –so beautiful. With tall snow-capped mountains, a sky that was a deeper shade of blue than I'd ever seen, and endless fields of wildflowers and grass that were so bright, Chondelai was what I would have called heaven. It was amazing.
I still couldn't believe a place like this existed, and yet, there I was. Walking through a field of tall grass so soft, it felt like stalks of velvet against my skin. I took Ozy's hand in mine, and while he stiffened slightly, he didn't pull away.
“So, you said you'd explain the rules about why you can't be with humans,” I said. “Care to elaborate on that?”
“Not really,” he said with a laugh. “It's boring and I'd much rather enjoy my time with you than arguing about things I simply can't change.”
“So, if you're with a human, will you be executed or something?” I asked.
“No, nothing like that. It's just strongly discouraged,” he said. “And when things are strongly discouraged in my culture, they tend to not happen. For good reason.”
I stopped before the large stone building that was his house. “You do have a castle,” I said. “You have a freaking castle.”