by Anthology
"Stay behind me," Krenn said as he tugged Selena's arm and turned to put himself between her and the doorway.
Selena gasped as her legs couldn't keep up. She fell to her knees and cried out again as she scuffed her skin on the rough surface. The pain was forgotten as soon as she felt it though, her attention was on the stairwell.
The female creature leapt into the air and spread her wings to catch the wind. She was picked up higher by the gust for a moment, making her look like an epic battle scene in a movie. She tucked her wings in and dropped, falling to the earth and leading with a superman punch Rhonda Rousey would have been proud of.
The man she hit staggered back and slammed into the wall beside the door. He slid down and crumpled to the roof where he shook his head and struggled to get his senses back. The winged demoness strode towards him, intent on finishing him off. A second man leapt through the open doorway and slammed into her shoulder first. They crashed to the roof and rolled, grappling with each other in an attempt to get the other hand. The man was faster and kept moving and switching positions whenever the woman looked like she was about to overpower him.
Two more men emerged from the stairwell. The wounded guard moved to intercept them. He spread his wings behind him but kept himself bent forward so the gusts of wind wouldn't pick him up. The end result was that Selena had to duck lower to see under his wings. Even then all she could make out was feet, except for the man that had been beaten down in the first assault.
He climbed to his hands and knees and bowed his head down. Selena frowned, wondering what he was doing, and then gasped when his shirt bulged and ripped apart in the back. Great leathery wings burst out and stretched out until they were twice his height on either side.
The impossible transformation didn't stop there. He lunged up and leapt into the air, his body stretching and changing in the moonlight. His clothes were pulled and torn as his body lengthened. His legs shifted into haunches and his feet burst out of his shoes to reveal long toes tipped with black talons. His neck thickened and his face elongated while on the other end a thickening tail grew out the base of his changing spine. He flapped his wings and went higher, soaring above the others and then hovering while the reptilian eyes glared down at them.
"Paulina! Orff!" Krenn shouted.
Selena jerked at the power and tone of Krenn's voice. The other two winged guards he had on the roof leapt into the air. They didn't change— they already had wings, after all— but now they weren't as big as the flying monster they'd been sent to stop.
Orff found it first and grabbed onto the creature's tail. He pulled, jerking the monster back until it kicked out with a foot and sent Orff tumbling back until he slammed into the roof. He rose up and snarled before leaping into the air again. The entire time the winged man seemed unaware of the gouges on his chest from the battle.
Paulina flew higher and tried to land on the creature's back. It rolled in mid-air, buffeting her with a wing. She was batted a dozen feet through the air until she regained control and oriented herself to face him. He'd turned and was on her, fanged maw gaping open as he flew towards her.
Krenn moved, blocking her view of the aerial battle. She turned and saw the other woman holding the man she battled in some sort of submission hold. Except she wasn't seeking submission, she was pulling on his neck and his leg, arching his back more and more until it couldn't bend anymore. The sound of the attackers back snapping was easy to hear over the sounds of battle.
Selena's entire body twitched at the realization of what had happened. The woman wasn't done yet though, she picked the broken man up and lifted him over her head as though he was made of straw. She turned and threw him over the edge of the roof, removing him from the battle once and for all.
"Holy shit!" Selena gasped.
"Back!" Krenn shouted to her. He reached back with his hand, palm open and facing her.
She crawled and slid herself across the roof away from him. Her legs ached and she knew she couldn't trust them, but the pain was secondary to her need to stay alive.
In front of Krenn the wounded guard was grappling with one of the attackers. Both of them had the wings stretched and flapping as they struggled to wrestle with one another. The attacker hadn't completed changing into another of the flying iguanas that she knew would torment her dreams for years to come— if she lived long enough to even try to fall asleep again.
Krenn leapt forward, leaving Selena alone. He met the fourth attacker and ignored the man's long fingers tipped with talons as they grabbed and clawed at him. Krenn pushed beyond the long arms and slammed his open hand into the attacker's throat. He used that hand to pick him up until Krenn's arm was straight and the man's legs were flailing.
Selena's mouth fell open. This was a nightmare! Things like this didn't happen anywhere except video games and movies.
Krenn punched the man in the stomach with his other hand, except his fist wasn't closed, it was open. His hand wasn't a healthy shade of pink either, it resembled the dark grey leather she thought she'd seen before. He was like them, then. He was one of them. One of these…things.
Krenn lifted the man's lower body up and then drove him down as he felt into a kneeling position. Selena heard the crunch of multiple broken bones before Krenn pushed the man off his leg and left him lying in a crumpled heap on the roof.
Selena stared in a mix of awe and horror at what Krenn had done. She'd seen him before, in her room, but she'd been in shock. This time…well, she still didn't know what was going on, but he'd just taken a grown man and handled him like he was a store mannequin. She shook her head, trying to deny what she'd seen, and glimpsed the winged woman that had thrown her opponent over the edge running towards her.
Selena's eyes widened. She rolled back and tried to scramble backwards. Her leg cramped up and made her lose her balance, dropping her to an elbow and her back. The topless woman kept coming, running now. She leapt into the air and spread her wings, the same as she had before delivering the earlier knockdown punch.
Selena gasped and held up an arm. It was pointless, but she didn't want to see the woman pound her into the roof. She clenched her teeth and cringed, waiting for a blow that never came.
Her ears ached and were left ringing by a roar that pressed her back to the roof. She blinked her eyes open and looked up. The woman wasn't standing over her ready to strike, she was clinging to an outstretched wing of the giant lizard flying above them.
The winged woman was close enough Selena could see the grey tint to her skin and the details of her muscles rippling as she swung her arms and brought the lizard around in a half circle before it was forced to land on its legs. The other two grey skinned guards leapt on it again, punching and wrestling with it until they bore it down to the roof and wore it out. They kept at it, giving no mercy to the flying monster that had tried to attack Selena from behind while Krenn protected her from the front.
The wounded guard rose up from his opponent. He staggered and then caught himself. Blood still ran from his arm as well as cuts on his face and chest. His opponent moved on the rooftop, but only because his wings retracted and disappeared back into his torn shirt. His hands and flesh returned to a normal pink color, yet he remained still in a pool of his own blood.
Selena gasped and turned, looking to the other fallen combatants. Even the giant lizard resembled a man again. He was naked, but he looked like he'd never been anything but human. Other than the fact that people were dead, there was nothing to indicate anything supernatural had happened. Well, nothing other than the four half naked people with grey skin and wings that stood around her.
8
"Selena."
She yelped in surprise and turned to look up at Krenn. He knelt down beside her and reached for her with his right hand. His left was at his side. It glistened in the moonlight with the blood of the man he'd killed.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded and then realized she was anything but all right. "No. No! No, I'm not
all right. What the fuck just happened?"
"My enemies want to keep you from me," he said. "At any cost."
"Wha— why? I mean, I don't even know you!"
Krenn turned and stared at the stairwell for a long second. He jerked his eyes up to the sky and nodded. "Our ride's coming."
"Let me guess, a giant bird?"
Krenn frowned. "No, my helicopter."
"Of course," she muttered. She shook her head. "This is…"
"Crazy?"
"Impossible," she corrected.
"Except you've seen it with your own eyes."
"I don't know what I've seen! I don't trust my eyes. It's dark and…and…why do you keep looking at the stairs? Didn't you stop them all?"
Krenn placed a hand on her thigh, sending a jolt of warmth that tingled her body and took her breath away. He rose up. "Come out, your lackeys are dead. Tell me who sent you and I'll spare your life."
Selena whimpered. There were more of them?
A man stepped into the doorway. He filled it nearly shoulder to shoulder. Selena gasped. It was the same man that had attacked her in her room. The same man that Krenn had sent flying out her window.
"Next time, make sure you finish your kill."
Krenn nodded. "I have a better idea. Gargoyles, finish the red."
Gargoyles? Red? Selena looked around, confused. All four of Krenn's guards jerked forward, some running and some taking to the air. Their target, the man in the stairwell, lunged ahead and fell on his hands and knees. His arms and legs burst through his clothing before his shirt and pants were torn free by his swelling torso. He grew and grew with each step until he leapt into the air and beat his massive wings.
Selena stared at the newest threat while the four winged guards— gargoyles— flew at him. Unlike the earlier man turned flying lizard, this monster had a serpentine neck and was easily the size of a bus, not counting his wings or tail. His skin had thickened into a rust colored scaly hide.
The gargoyles flew about him, circling and darting in to harass him. He snapped and swatted at them, often connecting and sending them spiraling through the air until they regained control. Other times he knocked them to the roof, but they shrugged off the pain and leapt back into the air to fight again.
"Selena!" Krenn snapped for the third or fourth time. He reached down and grabbed her arm and tugged.
She shook her head and let him help her up, but she couldn't stop watching the battle above the hotel. She swallowed the dryness out of her throat and whispered, "Dragon?"
"Yes, a red," Krenn said. "Now come on, I have to get you out of here. They should be able to hold him, but I can't be sure."
Selena stumbled in her attempts to keep up with him as he pulled her across the roof. After she tripped twice he frowned and swept her up in his arms like she was an infant. He ran then, cradling her against his chest while he crossed the roof and ran past the stairwell to the other side of the building.
Selena wanted to push away from him, but he was too strong. She felt the hardness of his muscles and knew she was his to do with as he pleased. Even if she hadn't been exhausted and overwhelmed, there was nothing she could do that would deny him. She shivered in his arms. He'd claimed he only wanted to protect her, but if he changed his mind there was nothing she could do to stop him.
"Hold tight to me," he said as he came to a stop.
Selena looked up at him and focused on the strong line of his chin and how refined his brow and nose was. He looked like he'd been carved from a mountainside, a rugged and handsome face that had withstood many storms.
Light erupted in the sky from behind his head and shone down on them, blinding her. Selena cried out and buried her face in Krenn's suit, hiding from the spotlights. The sound of the helicopters rotors grew louder, but was dwarfed by a roar from the dragon.
"Hold tight," Krenn repeated. "Our lives depend on it!"
She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him. The wind kicked up as the helicopter moved overhead and hovered. He set her down but kept one arm around the small of her back. His other arm grabbed a rope. A few seconds later she cried out as the rope was pulled up and the helicopter began to move. She squeezed Krenn harder as they swung through the air beneath the helicopter.
After a breathless lifetime hands grabbed her and pulled at her. She fought against them and squirmed to try and stay next to Krenn. When his lips brushed her ear and he whispered, "It's okay, you're safe," she finally relented and let herself be pulled up into the helicopter.
When her feet were on the floor she backed away from the normal looking man that helped her. She found a plush seat on the far side of the small craft and fell into it. She pulled her legs up into the seat with her and hugged them to her chest. Without Krenn's body heat she was cold.
Krenn climbed in after her and stood in the middle of the room while the door was shut. The overwhelming noise dropped to a rhythmic hum in the background she could deal with. The man that had helped them aboard retreated through the door to the cockpit and left them alone. Krenn turned to face her and held up a hand with his finger raised to tell her to wait. He turned and stuck his head through the doorway that led to the cockpit of the helicopter.
With the door closed she felt the warm air blowing on her from the vents, warming her back up. Her legs and arms were still cold but it felt good enough to make her relax a little. Enough so that when Krenn pulled the door to the cabin shut and turned to face her, she didn't jump.
"Are you all right?"
Selena stared at him and blinked back the unshed tears that filled her eyes. She shook her head. "No," she mumbled. "No, I'm not."
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
He nodded and moved to a seat opposite her. "Upset, scared, and more?"
"You could say that," she agreed. "Much more."
"I owe you some answers, I think."
She stared at him, waiting for more.
He smiled. "Let's start with my guards waiting on the roof. They are called gargoyles. Not the kind that perch on gothic European buildings, obviously, but real living people that are known for their strength and hardiness. Fiercely loyal once they give their word, too."
"They had wings."
He smiled. "Yes, they did. I instructed them to be prepared in case I needed them, thus the lack of shirts. I'm sorry if that surprised you."
"What? Oh. I didn't think much about that. I mean…they had wings!"
He chuckled. "Fair enough. Among my estates and more secure holdings the dress code is less than formal."
"Why, so people can be comfortable in their own skin, like you said earlier."
He smirked. "A little, but also so everyone can be as close to their preferred forms as possible."
Selena blinked a few times as she tried to digest what he'd said. "I'm sorry, true forms?"
"The gargoyles were in their true forms as you saw them. The others that came after you, those were wyverns, they—"
"Wyverns?" she interrupted. She shook her head. "Should I be writing this down?"
Krenn smiled. "I love your sense of humor, even if it is caustic at times."
"Uh, thanks."
"You're welcome. Now then, wyverns are the men that attacked us on the roof. The first four, anyhow. They take their winged form and are known for their speed and aggressiveness. They're often called upon to be messengers and assassins."
"Assassins?" she gasped. "Jesus, what kind of world do you live in?"
"A very real and very dangerous one."
"Great…um, can you drop me off in Columbus? On your way back to wherever it is you go to?"
He frowned. "You're not interested?"
Selena opened her mouth without saying anything. She didn't know what she wanted. She closed her lips and turned to stare out the window as the city sped by beneath.
"Selena?"
She turned back to him. "I don't know…can I go back to my old life? I've seen things…"
"I
can't help you un-see them," he replied. "That's the realm of science fiction."
She snorted. "I'm living in a fantasy right now? Not the good kind either."
"I'd like to make it the good kind."
She stared at him while her heart beat faster. "What, um, what exactly do you mean?"
"Exactly?"
Her face heated at the possible meaning of her words. "Well, more or less. Tell you what, keep talking. You said that big scary guy with the piranha mouth was a…"
"A dragon."
"No, you called him a red?"
"Yes, a red dragon. There are gargoyles, wyverns, and many different types of dragons. Just as there are Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians, Arabics, and Africans. Different sub-species within the species. Reds and wyverns work together quite often, both are known to be temperamental and aggressive, but individuals may vary."
"Wow," she muttered. "So dragons are racists."
He chuckled. "Humans do not have a monopoly on stereotyping."
She swallowed. Had he just admitted to being…like them? She'd seen his hands, but did that mean he was one of them too?
"I'm surprised you haven't asked more about the forms, or the transition between them."
She jerked in her seat. "What?"
"When they were killed, they returned to their human forms."
"Wings," Selena mumbled. "Their wings disappeared."
"Yes, they do," he said. "The world is not as simple as you think."
"No kidding!"
He smiled again and continued. "There are things in this world that humanity has turned away from. Creatures and powers that they insist do not exist. Yet they do. Men that can take the form of a wolf. Women that tap into powers gained from alchemy and their energy of the earth. Ancient creatures that dwell in dark places. The shadows and burrows of the world hide secrets long forgotten."
"Like dragons," she ventured.
"Yes, like dragons."
"But how… how can people change like that?"
"The magic of nature and of life," Krenn said. "Or, in some cases, the magic of spirits that feed on life even though it is long denied to them."