Lost Beauty (Deadly Beauties Live On)

by C. M. Owens

  Chapter 29

  KYA

  Chaz’s strong, naked body is draped around me, and we’re curled into each other as we wait, although we’re not sure exactly what we’re waiting for. It’s been nine days since the dragonites invaded the world, and not one little fire—other than the one they used to kill the Harbingers of Death—has been reported.

  How do an entire fleet of dragons fly over cities without being seen? No reports have been made though. No peep from Hannah. No new traps have been laid. Gavin is in the wind—not even Roslyn can track him since he figured her out. Absolutely no attacks at all have drifted our way.

  Not even the blood-starved night stalkers are causing any problems.

  It feels like the eerie calm before the storm, and my stomach is in knots as we ride in limbo. It feels foolish to complain about the calm when the storm is so vicious, but the longer the calm stretches on, the more likely we are to be caught off guard.

  Yesterday’s conversation with Karma plays in my head as Chaz continues to trace imaginary lines over my skin.

  “Are we ever going to talk about what happened?” Karma asks, her eyes weary and tired.

  “We joined together. It was a power we didn’t know we had.” I know what she wants to talk about, but it’s still too new to know for sure what we’ve done.

  “You know what I mean. We raised Dice from the dead. He’s still him, Kya. I know you’ve been watching him closely.”

  I nod, not denying it. “Then we were lucky. That’s a dangerous power to have.”

  “I agree. But I know it’s him. There’s no doubt in my mind. What if we could save others? What if we could—”

  “We’ll worry about it if the time ever comes. Until then, let’s keep this quiet. If it got out—”

  “Then we’d be a hot target for anyone who wanted to study or dissect that sort of power,” Karma finishes, understanding dawning in her eyes as her hand protectively lowers to her stomach.

  “They’d do all they could to duplicate the magic, study it, possibly even kill us in the process. Your baby too. There are sick people out there. We know this.”

  She nods grimly. “Then we’ll keep it quiet. For now. But I won’t keep this a secret from Dice forever.”

  “I plan to tell Chaz soon. Now, with everything else going on, is just not the time.”

  “Slade doesn’t know when the next portal date will be?” Chaz asks, kissing my shoulder as he draws me out of my reverie.

  Slade is a lit stick of dynamite right now, and going near him is getting harder to do. The underground training facility he stole from the Anointed group is in shambles right now, because he’s been blasting his fury in there.

  “The stars are out of alignment now. All the prior dates seem to be invalid. Something in the world shifted when the portal opened, and nothing in the skies is exactly the same. I’m not sure what that means, but it can’t be good.”

  He drags his fingers up my bare back as I study the wall numbly. We were so close. We had her. Then she was gone.

  This was supposed to be over. The war was supposed to end. We were supposed to win.

  Instead, we have a new fire-breathing problem we can’t find, and Hannah is still out there playing master, just waiting for her opportunity to strike again.

  “I have a theory about how to kill her for good,” Chaz says, just as someone bangs on the door.

  “Come on, glitter boy. We finally have a lead.”

  Chaz climbs to his feet, pulling on his clothes almost lazily. Four times they’ve claimed to have leads. Four times there’s been nothing.

  He bends, brushing his lips over mine. I haven’t shown him the weird symbol that has come up on my wrist since yesterday, and he’s been too busy with other parts of my body to notice my wrist.

  “You coming down?” Chaz asks me as he tugs his shirt on.

  “I wasn’t invited.”

  He holds his hand out. “I’m inviting you.”

  I smile like a fool, because that’s apparently all I am these days. “Your friends still respect their circle. Amy’s night—”

  I stop there, not wanting to cross a line.

  “He’s still missing. I think you were right about him. He could have been feeding information to them the entire time. And Amy never pressed the issue about including him because she was the most cautious about bringing in newcomers. Leah was accepted right away. No one questioned her motives. But there was always something about him... He never spoke. But he always listened.”

  I nod, understanding that completely.

  “Your Karma’s sister, and you’ve fought alongside us numerous times. They trust you. And even if they don’t, it doesn’t matter. I trust you.”

  With a shaky breath, I slowly get up and take his hand, and he leads me downstairs to the frenzy of hushed theories and animated chatter.

  “I’m not going. Hell no. I’ve already got one scar!” Dice is griping, jerking his shirt up to reveal the solid white line that cascades down his abs. “Too many more and I’ll match the brooding asshole.”

  “What’s going on?” Chaz asks.

  All eyes swing to me, and Leah moves to my side, looping her arm through mine. I’m not sure why.

  “The dragonites have requested a meeting,” she says softly.

  “Why are we whispering?” Dice growls.

  “Because the soundproofing spells have been shit lately, and we’re not sure if anyone is listening,” Ella hisses, slapping him on the arm.

  “Have you been patrolling?” Dice asks her, pulling a twig from her hair.

  “Yes,” she says quickly—too quickly.

  My eyes narrow in suspicion. She’s been missing a lot this past week.

  “Wait, what?” Chaz asks, leaning forward. “They want to speak?”

  “Yes,” Ella says, getting back on topic. “They requested a meeting this morning. I’m not sure how they got my number or how they knew to call, or even how they knew how to work a phone. But there it is. They want to meet, and they requested we send two delegates to represent our queen.”

  I shake my head at the same time Chaz growls. “Smells like a trap. Take us hostage and then make demands to the queen.”

  “Probably,” Ella agrees. “But they’d have to get their hands on us first. They can only fly. They can’t dematerialize or whatever it is that you do. So I think you and I should go. You’re part dragonite, in case that sways their opinion, and I’m part crazy, and could possibly lose it enough to blow them all to hell if they push me into that corner of my mind. I think we can manage.”

  “It’s too risky, especially with Alton possibly being on the loose. Hannah will be looking for a new base in an effort to open her portal.”

  They argue back and forth, everyone taking a different side on the matter. I listen, not interjecting. Our people don’t argue. Well, Slade and I argue, but the rest of the group shuts up and does what he says.

  I’m not used to an entire group deliberating on a course of action, and I’m not sure if I’m allowed to interject.

  A meeting place was decided, picked by them. It’s all on their terms, it seems. Two delegates is very specific.

  “Fine,” Chaz curses, putting a hand on the back of his neck.

  “We leave in fifteen,” Ella tells him.

  “No,” I say, the words tumbling from my mouth with insistence and drawing the attention of all the eyes in the room as I glare at Chaz. “Hell no. Do you have any idea what they can do to you? It won’t matter if you can transport. They’re faster, and they could kill you before you blink out. No. It’s suicidal and insane.”

  “It’s riskier to take everyone else in,” he says, cupping my chin as he studies my eyes.

  “If this is an ambush, they won’t be taking hostages for negotiations. They’ll be killing to make a statement. They’ll see you as threatening. Or they could see you as less than pure, an abomination of sorts. They killed half breeds in that little mind journey I took.”

>   His look softens, and his lips twitch. “You’re cute when you’re worried, but I can handle myself.”

  I grab his wrists, pleading with my eyes. “You have no idea what you’re going up against here. And to even consider speaking to them is... Just no. Don’t do it.”

  The others start to leave, apparently leaving us to argue in private, but Dice leans over the counter like he can’t look away.

  “Ella doesn’t need to go. If they’re looking for hostages, she’s a sure-fire way to get Alyssa to give them whatever they want,” Dice says on a whisper.

  “You volunteering, incubus?”

  “As long as you glitter my ass out of there.”

  “You have a child on the way!” I snap, glaring at Dice.

  “And I want that child to have a future. People find me charming,” he says, winking. “If anyone can broker peace, it’s a sexy incubus.”

  Just as I open my mouth to say something else, Chaz tugs me to him, and his lips crush mine, swallowing the string of words that were sure to talk him out of this. What were those words? Hell if I remember now.

  His hands fly into my hair, and he presses against me, drinking me in like it’s the last taste he’s ever going to have. I realize too late what he’s doing when he pulls back.

  “I love you too,” he says as he smiles at me.

  Before I can ask him what the hell that means, he’s grabbing a yelping Dice, and the two of them disappear. My stomach slams into my ribs, and I sag to the floor. Why does it feel like he was just kissing me goodbye?

  Chapter 30

  CHAZ

  Dice groans as I drop him to his feet, looking around the desert where we’re supposed to be meeting the dragonites.

  “Warn me before you voo-doo me out of a place,” he says, his eyes scanning the sky. “You also better warn me if one of those fuckers tries to take me away. I’m not into bestiality. It’s a hard limit. And I’ve seen the dragon porn people read.”

  He shudders dramatically, but I don’t bat an eye. I’ve become impervious to what he thinks is humor.

  “They’re late,” I note. The sand swirls start picking up speed, and I watch as tiny little sand cyclones begin to build.

  A shadow eclipses us, and Dice’s breath halts as we take in the enormous beast that flies over us like a blur. No wonder we haven’t heard reports. They fly so fast that the human eye would notice nothing more than a streak.

  But no other immortals have reported seeing them either.

  The dragon is at least fifteen feet long, with a twelve foot tail behind that length. There are small spikes on the end of the tail. Unlike the other night when we saw a black one, this one is solid red.

  It opens its arms and a girl emerges. She can’t be more than twenty—but looks can be deceiving, obviously.

  She glides toward us with elegance and grace that extends past those years, and the dragon stays far away, crouched like it’s ready to rocket into the sky if need be.

  “Mind him not. He is under strict orders to keep a low profile,” she tells us with a stern look and soft, haunted eyes. “We come in peace.”

  Dice holds his hand up and makes some weird gesture with his fingers split. “We come in peace too,” he says in a robotic voice.

  She eyes him, confused, then looks to me. “Why two delegates?” I ask her, still ready to bail out if she tries anything.

  “Two delegates for two delegates. We are all they would risk. Namely me. Gamran will fly away to send warning to the others if this turns hostile. We are merely here to state our intentions. We are aware of what your legends must paint us to be, due to the unfortunate actions of our ancestors. But I can assure you we have other motivations if you allow us to live beside you in peace. They were held against their will, forced into a dimension they did not want or trust. We came in search of asylum.”

  Her English is stilted and outdated, and a hint of an unknown accent mingles in her words. She doesn’t use contractions, and I hear her working to annunciate each word.

  “Asylum from what?” Dice asks suspiciously.

  She eyes him, but returns her gaze to me. “Our home was dying. Another year, and it would have folded in on itself. Out of all the dimensions, this is one we could not open, and it is the only one with enough sunlight to offer us sufficient sustenance.”

  “Why is he just staring and not speaking?” Dice asks, looking past her.

  “He has not been taught the art of English. Only a handful of the elders passed down the language they learned while servicing this dimension. I was the serf selected for this task because of my language skills.”

  “So you just wanted to meet and greet, swear your safe, and go live in harmony?” Dice asks. “And serf? You’re a slave?”

  She bows humbly. “I serve the Hubair.”

  “Hugh Bear?” Dice laughs, and she bites down on her lip.

  “It is the name of the red dragon court. Unfortunately, there is no translation in English for this word, to my understanding. Though my understanding is outdated and poorly limited.”

  She’s belittling herself, as though she’s worried of offending anyone. True fear shines in her eyes. She was flown in instead of flying in herself.

  “You’re not dragonite, are you?”

  A cold looks sparks in her eyes.

  “I am part dragonite. I suffer a deficiency that does not allow me to shift or use any of the abilities one might expect a dragonite to have.”

  “You’re powerless?” Dice asks, not laughing. “They sent a powerless girl to meet with possible hostiles, and asked a dragon to fly away and leave her behind if anything occurred. And you’re a slave?”

  “It is an honor to serve the Hubair,” she says with an obligatory tone, bowing. “They hoped you would find me less threatening and be willing to listen. As I said, we understand the perception of us, but we can assure you it will be different this time. The Audair himself promises this.”

  “Audair?” I ask.

  She bites her lip. “Prince? I believe you call them princes. Audair Niro has blessed this peace offering. Budair—”

  “You like the similar words, don’t you?” Dice asks.

  The girl looks so confused every time he opens his mouth.

  “Budair?” I prompt.

  “Umm... King. The king sent me. King Morlope.”

  “Those are some weird names,” Dice sighs.

  “Says someone named after a gambling piece and a girl.”

  “Hashtag—you went there. It’s on now, glitter boy. Just wait until I come back with a witty retort.”

  The poor girl is just utterly lost now.

  “I only understood the context of a couple of those words,” she confesses.

  “You come in peace. How can we be sure?” I ask her.

  She reaches for my hand, and I growl. She jerks back, eyes wide, and she tilts her head. “You’re one of us,” she whispers in shock.

  “Only partially.”

  “But you’re mated,” she says in awe, eyeing the odd mark on my inner wrist. It just turned up this morning.

  “Mated?” Dice asks, looking at me.

  At least now I know what that mark means, though I don’t understand how that weird symbol signifies a mating. Nor do I know what a mating means.

  I hold my silence, but the girl isn’t finished speaking.

  “Can you shift?” she asks, sounding so damn hopeful.

  I’m not sure if I should give her that information or not.

  “Your name?” I ask, still keeping a wary eye on the crouched dragon. Fucking dragon. I’m seriously staring at a dragon.

  I’m starting to think the world is only getting crazier.

  “Sorry,” she says, lowering her dejected hand. “My name is unimportant. The king wishes I only refer to him and his wishes, as I am merely a messenger.”

  I’m about to say something to that, when another shadow cloaks us in darkness. I look up, poised to dodge an ambush, when a black dragon spirals straig
ht down to us, the way it did nine days ago when it attacked the harbingers.

  It lands several feet back, far enough away to keep the dust from slapping us in the face. I watch, unable to look away, as the scales start receding, and the size starts shrinking. Reptilian layers turn to humanoid flesh so effortlessly and fluidly that it takes less than thirty seconds for a naked man to emerge from his crouch on the ground.

  Short, spiky black hair gets a hand pushed through it as he walks toward us with a confident gait and menacing eyes. The girl looks over and glares at him, eyeing him like he’s done something wrong.

  “Of course they sent you,” he says, eyeing the girl with a smirk on his lips.

  She hisses—actually hisses—at him.

  “Who’s the naked guy?” Dice asks the girl, pointing at the man who’s a few inches taller than me—which is definitely new, considering I’m well over six feet.

  The girl turns and faces us, her jaw ticking. She doesn’t respond.

  “I’m Audair Darius. Obviously not her Audair, since their Budair seems to think it’s entirely appropriate to send a powerless, flightless serf to a meeting where she may or may not be killed. But then again, red always has a streak of yellow. Am I correct, Teya?”

  She darts her eyes away.

  “Budair seems too close to bidet,” Dice decides to say. “I keep picturing their kings washing their butts while sending them orders.”

  Why did I bring him?

  Neither the Audair nor the serf seem to care what he’s saying. Now they’re glaring at each other. Teya is pissed. The new prince is amused.

  “So there is apparently more than just one reign,” I say, drawing their attention back to me.

  The man’s lips twitch. “Yes. And my people will remain under the rule of the Audair and Budair Hyken family. As long as you refrain from trying to assert your queen’s dominion over us, all will remain peaceful from my people. We’ve established borders, although they are a little crowded.”

  His eyes swing toward Teya.

  “You tried to claim the only land where we could grow the Mirenas. The earth is too sullied elsewhere, and you know it. Why are you here, Darius? You follow me?”