“Why didn’t he?”
“His ego, the one thing that gets in his way. He was so sure that Skye would die he wanted to watch me crumble when she died before he took my life.”
“You could be right, or he needed you to crumble before he could kill you. If he were strong enough to defeat you, he would have. That doesn’t mean he’s not growing stronger. He will walk as a male again.”
“Then the world burns.”
“Maybe or maybe by then you will be strong enough to defeat him for once and all, but right now the battle before you is the one you must concentrate on.”
He took a seat before asking, “Do you have any idea where he may stage his final battle.”
“Glad you asked. I have a map.” They were pouring over it when Skye came in.
“Did you miss me?” Her voice was light with laughter.
“Lori. I didn’t realize you were here.” She dropped her bags and went over to give her a big hug. “Did Zeno tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“We're married.” She showed her the rings on her fingers, and Lori hugged her this time.
“I’m so happy for you Skye.”
“What are you two talking about?” The map was spread out in front of them, and she came closer to get a better look at it.
“We were talking about where Mutufa may decide to strike.” Zeno slid his arms around her hugging her.
“He’ll strike in the dead zone. The one you took me to and the one his henchmen took me to.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“I know, Lori. Right now, he is accumulating power for what he hopes will be his final push into our world.”
“Skye, how do you know this?”
“I just know.”
He hugged her closer to his chest. “That’s where we concentrate our efforts. You’re her guardian, how often has she been wrong.”
“Never.”
“I’ll be right back.” She retrieved her bags and escaped into the bedroom.
She sat on the side of the bed and bent over placing her head in her hands. This was going to happen tomorrow because Mutufa had some misguided thought that he could walk the earth again as a male all he needed to do was kill her and harness her power. Now that her power was free she would be more powerful.
She would kill herself before she would become the doorway to unleash him into the world. There was a gentle caress against her mind, but Zeno didn’t interfere or push his thoughts on her. She was grateful for his restraint. Mutufa was behind her losing all the people she loved in her life. He had a hand in them dying all so he could keep her alone and unbalanced.
He never wanted her to have anyone to confide in. For a while, after her grandfather died he succeeded. She had been all alone and sure that was how she’d spend the rest of her life. Then Lori showed up, and they became such great friends. It felt like they knew each other for years. Now she was back in the place she swore she’d never be in again.
She could lose everything and everyone she loved, and there wasn’t an out clause. There would be no running.
She gathered everything she needed to take a shower and went into the bathroom. Sometimes she thought better when the water of the shower was calming her down and giving her a little solitude to think. Her mind kept wandering around the thought of what if she died, but as far as she was concerned, that was a dead end. It would be more helpful to wonder what happens if she survived.
The past came back to haunt her. Numbers flowed through her head with each number was a fast-moving scenario. In the end, all that was left was her perfect prime number twenty-eight. She would have picked six, but she needed double digits.
Slowly she began to count as her power began to materialize in front of her. When she hit twenty-eight, she could reach out and touch the physical manifestation of her power.
“Now that I’m here. You need to learn how to focus.”
She learned to center herself. It was something she used to do but not to this degree. With her eyes open taking in everything that was happening in the room she learned to find her center.
“Evil’s not going to wait for you to get ready. You have to be able to find me in the middle of any task including running for your life.” Her power disappeared. “Now shower and find me.”
She concentrated on the hot water pouring over her skin. The towel that fluttered because the air was on. There were vague voices in the other room. She couldn’t make out the words, but she could follow the rise and fall of the voices, it let her know if they were getting closer to her or further away and she reached for her power in the middle of all the distractions and found it. She had mastered lesson one. Maybe it was too little too late, but at least she felt like she was doing something this time. Turning off the water, she grabbed the towel and dried herself down. There might be a chance after all but tomorrow would be here too soon.
Chapter Twenty-three
They were sitting in the Safe Haven having dinner. Skye didn’t want to eat in their room. She was doing her best to keep track of everything happening in the restaurant while she centered herself. A night wasn’t enough time to learn everything, but right now only the essentials mattered.
“Skye.” Zeno’s soft voice drew her eyes to him.
“I wish I had enlisted into one of the armed forces or became a ninja. Whatever it takes to defeat him tomorrow.”
“None of that would have helped you. What you learned in your day to day life are the things that are going to help you survive. It may seem small, but it will help you.”
“My power taught me how to focus.”
“No, it reminded you of what you already knew.”
She took him to see where she worked before they came to dinner. “I saw all the different feeds coming into your office. You focus on them on a daily basis and can pick out which one needs you while monitoring the rest. The ability to focus is part of your daily life. Yes, you focused, but you already had the skill. Don’t allow yourself to feel inadequate. I know you’ve got this.”
“Hi,” their waitress approached them. “Can I take your order?”
She was a pretty blonde that Skye had never seen before. “You must be new, I never seen you before. I’m Skye Wilson I manage the hotel.”
“Hi Skye, I’m Mary Jones. They told me I would have to talk to you when you were back.”
“You do. The restaurant hires whoever they want, but since they are leasing space, all employees go through a simple background check by the hotel also. We want to make sure both our employees and our patrons have a safe environment.”
“I feel safer already. Can I take your drink orders?”
They both ordered water before she left.
“I don’t like her.”
“Why?” Zeno turned to follow the waitress as she spoke to others as she went to get their water.
“She feels wrong. I know that sounds weird but I’ve lived my life going on my gut feelings, and she feels wrong. Let's leave.”
“What?”
“I won’t be able to eat anything that comes from here. Let’s go out.”
“Want to go back to the Chinese restaurant that was our first real date.”
She grinned at him. “If that was our first date I should have kicked you to the curb.” She leaned over and kissed him. “You’re on.”
They left before the waitress came back. Her eyes flared with hatred as she pulled off her name tag and followed them.
The drive to the restaurant was peaceful. Zeno turned on the music to some top forty station, and she slid over in the seat to be closer to him.
“I always wondered what being in love felt like.”
“I never wondered especially after I became a shifter it seemed cruel to do that to myself or dragon. If I had of wondered I would never have thought, it felt like this.”
“The hope, joy, and fear all rolled into one marvelous sensation.”
“That’s the feeling.” Her hand r
ested on his thigh, and he reached down and squeezed. They found a parking place close the restaurant and walked.
“They’re busy tonight.” They had to wait about ten minutes before they were seated.
“No chicken for me tonight.”
“I was already thinking about ordering double so I would have some food after you stopped eating off my plate.”
She ran her foot up his leg in punishment for his words.
“Keep doing that, and I’ll insist you eat off my plate so I can keep talking about you.”
She gave a husky laugh and ordered beef and broccoli with extra beef.
“You know we were supposed to be getting steaks and a plate of fries.”
“We’ll do that tomorrow night.” Her smile fell even as she nodded her head yes to the plan.
The waiter brought their food. “I can’t wait for you to see Dragons Cove. You'll love our home; it’s inside of a mountain.”
“Why aren’t I surprised?” She teased him, and they ate ignoring the fact that tomorrow would be the fight of their lives.
“I know what I want to do.” They had just finished paying and were on their way out.
“What’s that?”
“Get you alone in our room and make love to you.
“I like the sound of that.” He pulled her close and gave a brief kiss before taking her hand. They stepped outside the restaurant.
“You couldn’t follow the plan, could you?” Mary was standing in front of them not looking as pretty as when they first saw her.
“I want Skye and no one gets hurt.”
“There’s no one around here to hurt except Skye and me.”
“Nathanial.”
He walked out of the alley beside a business. He had a gun to the head of a woman who had two small children with her.
“Mutufa’s going to have a sacrifice. I don’t care if it’s them or you. Him.” She nodded towards Nathanial. “He insists it be you. Some insane belief that you’ll come back and spend eternity with him. Choose, Mutufa doesn’t need them alive. Their dead bodies will do but your special, or some shit, and he wants to kill you himself. If it were me, I’d pick them.”
“How do I know you’ll let them go?”
“Because your boyfriend will still be here. I’m sure he’ll do the right thing.”
“He’s my husband.”
“Like I care.”
“I have to go. We knew this might happen.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply.
“I don’t have all day, besides I’m starting to feel sick watching the two of you.”
“That’s what jealousy will do for you.” Skye stepped back from Zeno and moved closer to Mary. “You don’t have to do this Nathanial; you can still get help. If he kills me, I won’t be coming back.”
“Even if you came back you would go back to him. The only way I’ll have you is if I join you.”
“Stupid fool join her later. Right now I need you to distract the boyfriend. We’ll be taking your car. Keys.”
Zeno threw them to her.
“Good boy.” Mary dragged her down the street starting the car as soon as possible.
“What happens next?” Zeno asked Nathanial when the car was out of sight. “Do you kill this mother and her children. Is that what you want to go from crazy to the killer.”
“I thought she would love me.”
“I believe that there is one person for everyone. Skye was never your one person.”
“I’ll die alone.”
“That would be a shame.”
“Don’t play with me.” He cocked the gun against the woman’s temple.
“I’m not. I’m simply stating the obvious. If you kill them or you die, the female who was meant to be yours will live her life alone looking for love, but she will never find you.”
He stood there and watched Nathanial as he thought on the words he told him.
“Why would she want me now?”
“Only you can give her a reason to want you.”
“Run, take your children and run.” The woman picked her young ones and ran as fast as she could.
Nathanial dropped the gun and stood tall facing Zeno. “Will you kill me now dragon?”
“Maybe.”
*~*~*~*
“Why?”
“Do you really want to make small talk?”
“I’m stuck in a car with you, off to meet the last moments of my life. Hell yeah, I want to make small talk, if you don’t, let me out right here. I’ll walk back.”
“You humans piss me off.”
“You’re not human?”
“Do I look human?”
“Yeah you do.”
“I used to think I was human, then Mutufa came along and told me I wasn’t. I can walk through fire; that’s not human.”
“I beg to differ. I can walk through fire, and I’m human.”
“Whatever, none of you humans understand.”
“What if he’s lying to you.”
“What?”
“He could be lying to you.”
“Why would he do that?”
“How old are you?”
“I’m…old enough not to fall for your lies.”
“When I was sixteen, I would have given anything to be different from the world around me. I always thought people didn’t understand me. My mom was my focus; then she died, and I had no one.”
“What did you do?”
“My grandfather took me in. I still remember my attitude and how I pretended I didn’t care. I’m not saying your human, but I’m betting you are. Remember this in Mutufa’s new army humans can either do two things for him. Die so he can be stronger or worship him. Dying will be the easier of the two.”
Mary stopped the car. There had to be close to one hundred hood covered figures. Were they human? She bet they were. Mutufa didn’t want anyone around who might be able to match him in power.
“Those people there they look like sacrifices to me. What do you think Mary?”
The door was pulled open, and several robe-clad individuals pulled her from the car. Mary quietly backed out and sped away.
“Why does he have a cross here? Does he think he’s a god?”
“Devil!” One of the males holding her by the arm hissed. “The cross is for you. He will burn you at the cross to prove to us that you’re the devil. Only the devil can survive the fire of hell.”
She was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. There was no way she was going to burn thanks to her guardian and Mutufa knew it. His little magic show would convince them that she needed to die and each one of them would want a piece of her. Everyone that touched her would lose his life and soul to Mutufa.
“Have you ever heard of a guardian?” She began to struggle harder now. She was sure that the plan she came up with Zeno would work, but they hadn’t factored in this.
They figured they had to noon tomorrow because that’s when he would be most powerful the sun and the moon would be in the right position, but he was moving up his timetable. He must not want to chance his plans not working. That was why all the extra help, he would need the boost.
“He’s going to kill you. He has to kill you because he’s not strong enough on his own.” A fist hit her on the side of the head; they shoved a gag in her mouth. Then they pulled her squirming body to the cross and lowered it to the ground so they could tie her to it.
Of all the ways she could die she never considered this one.
“Zeno? Are you there?” Nothing, no response. She would die alone. Not on the cross, it’s what would happen next.
There were knives and swords. They planned to take her apart piece by piece. She said one last goodbye to her love as she watched them set the cross on fire. They poured gas on her, and the rags around the cross went up in flames.
They stood before her chanting and rocking back and forth. The flames licked at her shoes, and she knew soon they would know her secret. The rubber in the soles melted and the s
hoes caught on fire, but her feet didn’t burn. They were warm almost toasty like she was snuggled up with Zeno in front of a fireplace.
She quickly decided wherever her new house was, whatever plane it was on she didn’t want a fireplace. Her clothes were ablaze. They burned off leaving her naked for roving eyes to appreciate the curves that only her dragon should be seeing. The wood around her was burning, and the ropes that held her to the cross were burning. She fell into the flames.
She made a run for it, and all she could think about was them watching her pink ass streak across the compound.
Chapter Twenty-four
The car parked sideways in the middle of the road had Zeno pressing on the breaks. Mary was leaning against the hood of the car.
“What?” He got out and went to stand in front of her.
“Mutufa says you’re a dragon.”
“I don’t have time for this.” He turned walking back to his car.
“Wait, please. Am I human? He turned to take a good look at her. His eyesight shifted his dragon eyes becoming apparent in his face.
“Hybrid. You half human half other. Don’t worry though Mutufa will kill you.” He turned and left her standing there.
“I don’t want to die.”
“How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
Damn he wanted to curse up a storm. “Listen Mary you go back to the Hotel. Go to the Safe Haven and ask for Lori. Tell her Skye wants you protected and try not to irritate her. She’s the only chance you have while Mutufa is still on this plane.”
She stood there looking at him her eyes were big, and a tear was racing down one cheek.
“Move your ass, Mary.”
She raced to his car and took off.
“Why do you care? If not for her Skye would still be with you.”
Nathanial was sitting in the passenger seat his hands were tied in front of him. His eyes were going from normal to possessed and there was still doubt about who would win the battle with him.
“She’s a child.” Zeno floored it. He would have flown in as a dragon, but he had a feeling they were expecting that. Besides, he wasn’t about to let Nathanial mount him. That thought gave him a few shivers.
Skye's Dragon: Dragon Mate's: A BBW Paranormal Romance Page 14