Quinn looked at me. “Tired?” It wasn't a question, she was just stating what she could feel rolling off me. She gave me a warm smile. “You did good today, you should be proud.”
I grinned. “I cheated, the dragon helped me.”
She pulled me to my feet and we made our way back to the other bedroom. I kicked my shoes off and got under the covers as she sat in the rocker by the door. I wasn't about to have any of that nonsense and I just held the blanket open behind me and waited until she caved. That'll show her who's more stubborn.
She got into the bed behind me and draped an arm protectively over me. I snuggled backward, pressing our bodies together and smiled to myself. She whispered. “Your eyes My. You've been like that all day. Not that it isn't sexy.”
I giggled and the room went dark and the world was deadened. Then I closed my eyes and was asleep in minutes, listening to her strong breathing. I dreamed of dragons, Quinn, and nature.
Chapter 13 – Ultimatum
I was standing in the cavern. Caragh was standing beside me as we looked across the village and the bodies of the Drakon laying slaughtered all around us. I recognized one with a slit throat and a wound to her chest as Caragh herself. I looked back up at her, she was looking down at her lifeless body.
I grabbed her hand between mine. She looked up at me and gave me a sad smile. “I should have known, should have sensed it. His refusal to do the blood tie should have told me, but my heart didn't listen. His feelings were a deception, not like you and your soul bond. But maybe in some small way I had suspected, I always held back and never showed him more than my fire elemental abilities.”
I looked at her. “It wasn't your fault.”
She shook her head. “Because of my blindness, he has kept the Drakon from walking the Earth for hundreds of years.” Then she locked eyes with me. “DO NOT let him do this again!” She waved a hand at all the bodies. “You have to let the world know that we are the champions of mankind.”
I shook my head. “How am I supposed to do that?”
She smiled sweetly and said, “Stop holding back, let the dragon out.” Like it was simple.
She and the bodies around us started to fade and I asked quickly, “Have you been helping me with my abilities?”
Her smile was gentle as she replied, “Of course daughter, that is the way of the Queens. I will always be inside.”
Then I was left standing alone in the cavern. I would not let her down, I would find a way!
I heard an echo of Caragh's voice whispering, “She worries. Go to her.” Then my eyes fluttered open. Quinn's voice behind me whispered, “Good you are awake. You were hitting me with waves of what felt like a cross between a nightmare and... family?”
I turned back to look at her, still behind me with that protective arm around me. “I'm guessin' that would be a good description of it. Caragh came to see me again.” I smiled and she returned the smile with a grin.
I was suddenly acutely aware of her body against mine. I bit my lower lip as I heated up in some interesting places, her arousal struck me at the same time, almost doubling the feelings. I pulled myself out from under her arm and hopped out of bed before I surrendered to the wonderful temptation. I rushed to take a shower... a cold shower... a really cold shower. I heard her utter from behind me, “Jesus!”
I felt a sense of pride that I was effecting her the same way. She called out as I hopped under the cool spray of water. “Hurry up, I'm going to need a cold shower too, after that!” I giggled. I felt so alive as I cleaned up for another day of hiding.
Once everyone was prepared for the day, Mei gave us each the last of her flatbreads and some water. “Well, that's it until we get supplies.”
My chestnut haired protector looked at James. “That would be our subtle cue. You up to this doctor?”
James nodded once and Quinn walked up to me and placed a hand on my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into it. She said, “Stay inside, away from the windows, until we return. We shouldn't be gone more that thirty or forty minutes. If we're not back within an hour, run. Don't turn back, just run and keep running. Understood?” I nodded as I was assaulted by her urgency in my mind.
She smiled. “Good.” Then she looked at James. “Mount up.”
Mei and I spent the time huddled around Quinn's computer watching news reports. The national guard had arrived and they weren't faring too well, the best they could hope for was containment. Blaine still hadn't shown his weaselly face, the coward.
I kept glancing at the time. After thirty minutes went by and they hadn't returned, I was getting anxious. I could feel a tug in the direction of the convenience store, I knew in general where Quinn was. After forty minutes I was starting to get afraid, I didn't want to run without her by my side. I reached out and I could see the dirt road. Did I see through her eyes? With my senses expanded, I could hear the SUV approaching from almost a mile away. I smiled, they were almost to the cabin.
I carefully peeked through the curtains to see them pull up next to the cabin and hop out with a few plastic bags full of supplies. Mei and I went out to help bring stuff in. I whispered to Quinn, “You had me worried.” She sent me waves of warmth and safety. I grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her close to my face and inhaled deeply. Ahhh.... that's the stuff! I relaxed a bit and we brought the supplies in.
Mei looked at them, shaking her head. “You both shop like a couple of men. All canned goods, prepared foods, pop and chips.”
I grinned and grabbed a bag of chips, hugging it to my body. “Mine.”
Mei just laughed. “Good God, there's three of them!”
I helped her put the groceries away as James defended himself with a grin on his long face. “It was a convenience store, what kind of food did you expect us to find there?”
She chuckled. “Well at least there is a loaf of bread and some lunch meat.”
I put my hand on the chips in position to open them. I looked around at everyone pleading for permission with my eyes. Mei shook her head. “Go ahead garbage gut. We can't blame you for your new metabolism.”
I nodded as I opened them and started munching on the delectable artificial cheese flavored nacho chips. Mmmmmm. “Thank you. I'm so hungry all the time now. I could eat an entire cow me-self.” The smile on Quinns face as she watched me make a pig of myself was priceless. I looked down sheepishly and offered the bag around to my comrades. I could feel her laughing inside as she took a single chip between two fingers and nibbled on it. She is sooo gonna pay for that!
Once we were situated, Quinn brought us outside and she had me attacking a tree with the strikes and kicks she had taught me yesterday, without my dragon. Then she turned to James and Mei and crooked her finger with a fiendish grin.
She started showing them simple techniques to break a hold. And a couple dirty fighting techniques to incapacitate an attacker to give them a chance to escape. Once she was satisfied they got it she had them practice on each other and she turned her evil grin on me.
One of her fists erupted into stone and the other in flame as she charged at me with a smile. I grinned and moments later I was in my pseudo-dragon mode. Blocking and kicking and dodging. She knocked me to the ground and I grinned and the ground below her heaved up and knocked her on her cute muscular butt.
She grinned. “Not bad. I didn't expect that.” She spun up on her hands and pivoted her body in a flash, kicking out. I barely got my arms up in time to deflect the roundhouse kick.
I grinned at her. “Right back at you.”
We continued that way until the area around us looked like a war zone and Mei walked between the two of us. We both stopped in mid strike. She had a mischievous grin on her face as she said, “Come on you two. I've called you twice for lunch. Now don't make me angry.”
I started giggling and extinguished my flames. Quinn extinguished one flaming fist and the stone on the other one crumbled away. She comically said, “Yes mother.”
We followed her in and the t
able was set. I snorted. The little imp certainly had a sense of humor. There were three plates with ham sandwiches, chips and baked beans were on the table. The fourth had three sandwiches, a bowl of baked beans, a simply huge mound of chips, and two colas.
To my embarrassment and all of their amusement, I ate it all. Desert too when Mei produced Hostess cherry pies. They all looked amused. I squinted at them and snapped, “The crow's curse on you all!”
Quinn shot the puppy dogs at me, looking all innocent. “Even me?” Shite! Now why the hell do I find me-self blushing? “No not you, but the smilin' doctors two there.” I pointed at my evil colleagues. Quinn grinned like the cat who ate the canary at the other two. I bumped her shoulder. “None of that now or I'll be addin' ya to me list.”
We relaxed in the living room where Quinn announced to our groans that we'd resume our sparring on the hour. The computer started chirping and Quinn picked it up. “Incoming video call,” she said as she looked around at us, and we stepped out of frame. She Accepted the call. “Trask.”
Danes was quick to speak. “Trask, we need to move Firebrand to the Icebox. Blaine has resurfaced and he has taken over the state capitol building downtown. His forces and that energy shit he's throwing around is making mincemeat of the Guard and our own assets It's like a goddamn war zone! He's given an ultimatum. I'll be damned if we are going to give him what he wants. You need to transfer control of her to the transport team.”
Quinn tried to talk quieter, but I could hear it plain as day, worry was rolling off of her in huge waves. “The Icebox? No! Besides she can't fly to South Dakota, it terrifies her!”
Danes snapped at her. “Then knock her the fuck out! You are talking as if you have a choice here Trask! Don't make the mistake of disobeying a direct order. You're already treading on thin ice, this may cost you your badge. One asset has already escaped Interpol custody, we're not losing Firebrand, so it's to the Icebox!”
My protector was enraged now. “Sir, with all due respect, you can take my badge and shove it firmly up your ass! We are in the business of protecting civilians, not imprisoning them against their will!”
He was starting to respond forcefully, “SHE isn't a civilian! IT is a...” She cut the transmission. The computer was almost instantly chirping again. She ignored it then slowly turned around to look at us. Her face was pale. “I think I just quit my job and broke a dozen laws at the same time.”
James and Mei had a look of pride on their faces. I put a hand on her cheek and smiled at her as I said, “You can take my badge and shove it firmly up your ass? Now yer soundin' just a wee bit like me-self. Me honest Irish is rubbin' off on ya.”
She actually smiled a little at that. Then I assured her. “It is a whole new world now ya know. Magic is real and I think this is going to change a whole lot of things. I don't think they'll be spendin' a lot of time pressin' any charges.”
The chirping finally stopped. Quinn had her eyes closed, I got the distinct impression she was asking, “What did I just do?”
I kept speaking while she absorbed her predicament. “There's no way they'd be getting' me on no flying tin can deathtrap! I'd probably panic and go all dragon on their arses if they tried. And what is the Icebox?”
She got cold and serious suddenly. “It is a place that people who need to be disappeared go. Once you go to the Icebox you never come back out. Think of it as a black hole where we send the worst of the worst.”
That chilled me to the bone. They wanted to send me there? To 'disappear' me? “That doesn't sound like a place I'll be wanting to go.”
James spoke up. “What was the Interpol asset he was talking about?”
Quinn looked at him. “They had some others in 'protective' custody that have developed dragon abilities, I can only imagine he was talking about one of them.”
Then I remembered something. “The ultimatum!”
Quinn quickly pulled up a news feed. Parts of downtown were burning and we could see small battles being waged against gargoyles and other creatures against the military. There were men in heavy cloaks with gnarled branches throwing sickly looking energy into the troops, as well. It was appalling to watch. So many good people dying... for me. I was what Saint George wanted.
The anchor was on, describing the scene and how more and more of these apparent magic wielders and creatures were arriving by the hour. Then he reported on the ultimatum Blaine was issuing. The screen switched to the steps of the capitol building. About three square blocks seemed covered in a shimmering energy dome with hundreds of troops and civilians trapped inside. It looked like no weapons were even putting a dent in the barrier. I flinched when what could only have been a cruise missile impacted it in an explosion of fire and fury. It didn't scratch it.
Blaine was there holding a soldier by the throat. The man was dying and rotting before our eyes as a pendant around Blaine's neck glowed.
The sight was almost enough for me to puke, my anxiety was rising. But the thing that struck me most was that Blaine looked to be in his late fifties now with silver hair and more pronounced wrinkling on his skin. The other dragons awakening must be taking his long life away from him a bit at a time.
He glared at the camera which veered away and you could see the cameraman's feet hotfooting it out of there. Reginald spoke, “If you want to live, point that camera at me now!” The man slowed then turned and raised the camera back toward Blaine.
George looked so sickly with hollow cheeks, his grin was blood chilling he looked to be bordering on madness as he spoke, “As you and the world now know, magic is indeed real and I am its master! Your pathetic life will never be the same. Bring me Myra O'Connell by midnight or I will kill everyone within the Chronos Dome, then systematically kill everyone left in Denver.” He held up a picture of me.
Oh my lord, now everyone will be hunting for me! Then he continued, “My disciples are poised around the globe to unleash the magics of death and decay until I get what is rightfully mine! Bring me Myra O'Connell so I can pull her heart from her chest and I will leave this place. Bring me the dragon! You have until midnight!”
He held up his hand and chanted. The ring on his finger glowed and the cameraman screamed in pain and the camera fell to the ground and we were left with static. Then we were looking at the newsroom and a visibly shaken anchor as he continued reporting on the battles around the city.
I stood and started walking toward the door as Quinn shut off the computer. She stood and followed. Mei ran in front of me and blocked the door. “Where do you think you are going?”
I was crying now. “All those people... those innocent people, they are dying because of me Mei! I have to go face him.”
She hissed at me, “Bullshit! Those people, all those people are dead, because of Blaine! I was almost one of those people. You don't need to die at the whim of a madman!”
I was shaking my head at her, I was more afraid than I had ever been in my life but also more determined. “I have no plans to be dyin' now. But this has to end. It is either him or me. I can't let anyone else be dyin' because of me. Because I'm hiding.”
I was gently moving her to the side. She looked at Quinn. “Can't you stop her?”
Quinn looked at Mei then to me. “No... Doctor Kamia... Mei. You can't feel what it is doing to her. It is tearing up her soul. I agree with you, but if she doesn't do this, then nothing at all matters anymore. You and James stay here and video conference with the FBI to get men out here after we are gone.”
Mei was crying too, she looked back and James took her by the shoulder and led her away. He gave each of us a single nod. Then Mei broke loose and hugged me and Quinn then went back to James in tears. I put my hand on the door knob, took a deep breath, taking in my protector's scent... the smell of safety... the smell of the other half of me, then turned the knob and walked out.
Chapter 14 – Showdown
Quinn was silent as we drove back toward Denver. I could feel her conflicting emotions. I looked at her. “
I'm sorry... I just can't let any more innocents die.”
She turned to me and cocked her head. “I know. And at this moment in time, I couldn't be more proud of anyone than I am of you right now. But you aren't doing this alone. I'll be by your side.”
I almost started crying again. “I'd have you no place else.” We shared a gentle smile then she turned her attention back to the road. We proceeded into the city, in silence, watching the mass exodus heading the other way. It was odd, we were the only vehicle heading into the tempest, it was almost surreal.
The deeper we went into the city the more damage we were seeing. We got up to a blockade manned by a couple National Guardsmen and a regular army lieutenant. The regular walked up to the driver's door. Quinn rolled down the window and the man said, “Ma'am you'll have to turn around. The road isn't passable and fighting is close by.”
Quinn didn't say a word. She just motioned her head over toward me. It took a moment but suddenly there was recognition on his face and he instantly drew his sidearm and started raising it toward me as he blurted, “Get out of the vehicle!” The world was suddenly bathed in the familiar purplish red Quinn laid her hand slowly on the barrel of his weapon and looked directly at him.
“Settle down soldier. What in the hell do you think she is doing here?” Her voice was matter of fact though I could feel a certain cold and dangerous undercurrent to the feelings flowing from her. This man had better not cross her, that's all I can say.
I looked at the man and pleaded. “Please, I need to get to the capitol before more innocent people are killed.”
He hesitated, then looked toward the sounds of fighting. He was undecided on what to do then he finally holstered his weapon. He took a deep breath and said, “You'll have to be on foot from here.” He looked back. “Stenson!” One of the Guardsmen stood tall. “Get these two as close to that damn shield as you can. Do not engage!”
The tall lanky man replied instantly, “Yes sir!” And stepped up to us as we exited the SUV and stood next to the lieutenant. Then his eyes went wide when he saw me. “You're...”
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