by Jadyn Chase
I crept out of my room to hide behind the door, desperately trying to keep myself hidden.
Abigail pouted. Her full lips and bright red hair was streaked with white and grey. Charlotte looked the same, but her hair was more white than red. You could barely tell they were twins until you looked into their eyes.
“Well, we ain’t ever antagonized a Black Sapphire and an Onyx Skull at the same time,” Abigail charged. “Word’s getting around that both Finch Skinner and Ashton Cane want her. We already know what Finch is capable of.”
She pulled down the collar of her tattered coat revealing a hideously long scar. It practically matched Jasper’s. He turned away rubbing the side of his own neck. The only thing I knew about either of those scars, was that I hadn’t been the only ward in Jasper’s care. They refused to speak about it.
“Which is why I’m going to take this thing out of here and be done with it all!” Jasper told them with finality.
“You need to take her with you and leave them both out in the dark,” Charlotte hissed. “You know what a battle in here will do! Ashton and Finch will tear this place apart looking for her! She’s done nothing but…”
Jasper walked away during her tirade, forcing the women to follow him out of the shop. Charlotte’s voice trailed off right behind him. I hated seeing Jasper having to defend me, when all I wanted to do was live like we weren’t constantly being hunted. Now that I wanted to do something nice for him, he couldn’t even enjoy it. If they wanted me gone so badly, I wouldn’t fight them on it anymore.
I did them an even bigger favor and started wheeling the bike out of there too. I’d nearly made it back to the entrance when I heard the sound of small footsteps behind me. Turning around, the only thing I saw in the darkness of the tunnel was a pair of eyes drifting toward me.
They were soft and on the brink of tears. The tiny voice that came with them called out to me, “Whisper! Where are you going?! Don’t go back outside! It’s night time now, right?”
“Yes, it’s night time, Raven,” I told the little one. She had to be six or seven years old, jet black hair, and the biggest button eyes I had ever seen. She belonged to one of the women staying with us. I had a feeling this young one was a Scaler, but no one had the heart to tell her mother. Rumor had it she was the pet of an Imperial but escaped. I don’t know. Everyone’s backstory had a hint of weirdness to it. But this little one, she was curious, and smart, and clingy.
I let the bike rest against the wall, giving myself a break before kneeling down to talk to her.
“You, you shouldn’t go out in the dark time,” she said with a whimper in her voice.
“I’m coming right back,” I lied. I just wanted her to get away from me long enough to get out of here before Jasper spotted me and tried to keep me inside.
“But the dragons,” she whispered, “They want to chain you up. I know that because that’s what Momma says about you. She says they want to hold you and keep you away from your family, but that’s not nice.”
“I know it isn’t,” I tried to console her, “But I promise I’m going to come back here as soon as I can.”
At least that didn’t sound like a lie.
“Okay,” she conceded. Turning around to head back toward the living quarters, she stuck her thumb in her mouth and dragged her feet the entire way back. I waited until silence returned before I made my way toward the dead end of the tunnel. It only looked that way, but after pushing a button masked as a brick, the square space overhead dropped down.
The angle was a lot steeper going up than I remember it from coming down. Suddenly, as the moonlight cast its beam down onto the chrome accents of the motorcycle, a wonderful idea popped into my head. With a smile beaming across my face, I tossed one leg over the side. Turning the key in the ignition and feeling it roar to life under me sent a chill down my body that I’d never felt before. I threw the kickstand back, revved the engine, shifted into gear and took off into the night.
The wind whipped through my hair faster than it ever had before. There was something different about riding into the night. I could hear the sound of wings slicing through the air behind me, but I told myself I could outride them. How fast could a Scaler fly? I hadn’t any idea but tonight wasn’t the night I wanted to find out.
I leaned to the left, banking around a large cement boulder. I was certain a building was attached to it at some point. I would give anything to see Black Harbor in its glory, before the fires, before they took over.
Turning to the right, I headed towards the outskirts of the city hoping that I could ride freely without being tracked or stopped. Unfortunately for me, that was wishful thinking. The more I rode around, the closer the sound got. The whirring noise of wings flapping through the air, but the scent of smoke was absent. My heart raced with the sound of the gravel and asphalt tripping under the wheels of the bike. I wanted to turn around, but I was exposed. There was no way I’d make it back to The Gears now.
Hell, if I was going to get taken out by one of those ugly, scaly, fire-breathing beasts, then I’d at least do it riding with their flames at my back. Catch me if you can...
5
Whisper
Flames didn’t greet me, but the sudden shadow blocking the moon made me shiver. Fright … it’s the only word I could think of to describe the feeling rippling through my bones. I suddenly wished I’d listened to Jasper and let him return the bike.
When the Scaler landed in front of me, it was like none I’d ever seen before. The darkness of the night couldn’t mask his reddish hue. The charcoal grey underbelly seemed to tower above me. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t screamed by this point. His wings stretched out in front of me, blocking every possible direction for me to get the hell out of here. I would have turned around, but that would take too long.
So I sat there, frozen on the motorcycle that didn’t belong to me. The dragon kicked his head back and set off three short bursts of flames into the sky, like flares. It looked like a signal of sorts, but I couldn’t be sure who it was calling out to.
Within moments, the beast brooding before me began to scale. I couldn’t remember whether I’d seen him before, but fear had my mind trapped with every possible situation that could happen next. Leave it to a Scarlet Wing to have rusty red locks. His hair fell just beyond his ears, luxurious and shimmering in the light. Those hazel eyes of his narrowed to me with an expression of anger scrawled across his face, “That does not belong to you.”
I couldn’t speak. I was stunned into silence. I watched him as he walked towards me. Somewhere between scaling and where I stood frozen, he’d pulled a shirt over his head and tightened the belt around his jeans. He was muscular, even more so than Bold Blue Eyes, who I suddenly wished was here.
“Get off of that bike, Fleshpot,” he snarled, “That was not crafted for you!”
I hadn’t realized my hands were trembling, gripping the handlebars until my flesh paled white. I managed to shut the bike off, put the kickstand down and climb off of it slowly. While this one was massive in size, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to test how fast he was in his Anthros form.
“How did you get this?” he demanded to know moving around the machine running his fingers over it. He bent down over the leather seat, inhaling deeply and then he turned to me. “You smell delectable.”
It’s a word that held several meanings, and none of them were good from where I stood. Swallowing hard, I found myself backing away from the monstrous man hoping he’d keep himself occupied with the bike. Instead, he ran his finger along the edge of it before stretching his neck from side to side.
“You marked?” he asked me.
“What?” stumbled off of my lips.
“Are,” he walked closer, “You… marked?”
I shook my head, “No, um, I don’t think so. I, um …”
He inhaled the air deeply through his nostrils. They flared with a grumble and growl of hunger erupting from somewhere deep inside of him. It made my skin cr
awl.
“I remember you,” he sneered tilting his head to the side eyeing me from head to toe, “I remember you perfectly well. My, my, my, haven’t we grown? I told him he needed to mark you that day, but he settled for delicate conversation instead. I tried to tell him the likelihood of you surviving without him would be slim to none, but here you are, proving me wrong. You must be a fighter.”
That much was true, and I was readying myself for an intense battle right now.
He kept coming closer and closer until I couldn’t back up anymore. Nowhere else for me to go. It felt like deja vu playing an awful trick on me. Who’d you like to be mauled by, Finch Skinner or a Scarlet Wing?
He ran to me with lightning speed, his powerful fingers seizing my throat. I could barely get a gasp of air in. A tear rolled down my cheek. The softness of his tongue licking it away made me cringe with disgust and fear.
He must have felt my body trembling as he leaned away just enough to take me in, “You don’t have to be scared, Darlin. You might survive the night. But first, just to be sure…”
I didn’t know what he meant until I saw a talon protruding from two of his fingers. He swiped at the collar of my shirt, tearing it from the neck across to my shoulder. Peeling it down to reveal the soft plumpness of my cleavage along with the rest of my bare skin.
“You are unmarked,” he said with a big smirk on his face. He stuck his face up to my neck, taking in a big whiff. “Oh my… I can’t get over how good you smell.”
“Perhaps you should take a step back then, Bart,” his voice came out of nowhere. Relief washed over me as um, Bart released my neck and took a step back. The other man stood close by, brooding, dark hair falling in his face and smoke billowing from his nostrils. It was Bold Blue Eyes again.
“You know a part of me was wondering when you were going to show up,” the man chuckled.
Bold Blue Eyes simply shrugged, “It took me awhile, but I’d been looking for her and my bike all afternoon. I was worried that Finch may have gotten to her, but thankfully enough she ran into you first. Right? You know who that is, Bart.”
“Does she know that?” he leered at me, toying with the piece of fabric he’d already torn away.
“Not necessary,” Blue Eyes told my captor moving firmly in between us making sure to move Bart’s hand off of me. He gazed down into my eyes with concern written all over his face, “Are you okay?”
“Ye-Yeah,” I stammered. I couldn’t believe he was genuinely concerned. I was ready to fight them both off, but that fight would have to wait. He moved me away from the large, red-headed beast, making sure to keep his eyes on him and his back to me.
His voice vibrated through his body, “You know who this is Bart. Don’t make this a thing between us.”
“Oh but Young Squire, you should know and apply the rules. We are friendly, but make no mistake, we are not friends. When it comes to survival of the fittest, you have to make sure your pets are fit to survive. And correct me if I’m wrong, but when this bike was gifted to you, I thought we had an agreement that no pets were to be driving it… You know it’s more of a protection thing, to avoid situations like this. Her scent travels faster than that hog does. You’re lucky it was me and not… oh but wait you’ve already done battle with Finch today. Who’s next? Are you willing to take on Argos the Imperial? Please tell me you are, I’d love to see that,” Bart joked with a glimmer in his eye.
Who the hell was Argos the Imperial? I wondered.
Bold Blue Eyes didn’t take any levity of this situation, “Bart. We had an agreement.”
“Yes! Yes we did! But those agreements only work when you uphold your end. Please take your pet inside,” he sneered.
“I’m not his-” I shouted but was abruptly interrupted by the feeling of his strong hand pressing hard against my stomach. It didn’t hurt me but felt more like him urging me to be quiet.
“I will have her in my chamber by sunrise,” he uttered.
“You will do no such-” I automatically spoke up, to fight back, but I felt him against my stomach once again.
“Be quiet,” he growled.
I swallowed my words and finally did as someone told me.
“Very nice,” Bart nodded with pleasure in his eyes, “I always admire the listeners. Well, we know what happens to those who don’t.”
He snickered as he made a whistling noise while walking his fingers off of his palm, falling and then clapping his hands together loudly. He didn’t need to tell me, nor did he need to act it out… the pets who didn’t listen all took a flying lesson where they never caught a gust under their flailing arms. I shuddered to think what would happen to me. I should have listened to Jasper, and now?
We simply stood back waiting for Bart to leave. Blue Eyes was poised, standing firm in front of me. I have no doubts in my mind that he wouldn’t have stood there all night, protecting me. Is that what he was doing? Protecting me?
Finally, after what felt like hours of intensity, Bart spoke up, “Alright. You’re lucky Ashton. Keep her off the bike and off of these streets. I’ll see you around, Ash.”
“See you Bart,” he said with a sigh of relief. We stood perfectly still as he scaled and took off into the night sky.
I was thankful for a second until I remembered what Blue Eyes told him. I shoved him as hard as I could, “Who the hell do you think I am?! I am no one’s pet! You might as well kill me now because I ain’t going anywhere with you!”
“Thanks for returning my bike,” he replied sarcastically turning around to stare at me, “You don’t remember me, do you?”
“What? From this morning?! Yeah, how could I forget two Scalers dueling over who got to take me home? Imagine my shock when you show up again to claim me as your prize. I won’t go with you,” I told him adamantly with tears welling up in my eyes. I watched his hand come close to my face. I back away in fear but he moved in slower to wipe the tear away.
“You have to come with me. If you don’t, you’ll be dead by sunrise,” he told me, and I believed him.
“I don’t get it,” I shook my head, “Why? Why won’t you kill me and get it over with?”
“Because neither of us wants that,” he said. “How about we go somewhere and just talk? If you’re not convinced of what I have to say then I’ll let you go and you’ll never hear from me or see me again. I promise to leave you alone, and I promise I will never lay a single claw, tooth, scale, or talon on you.”
“Okay, so we don’t have to go to The Towers?” I asked him with my voice still trembling.
“No not right now, but when we’re done talking, I have a feeling that you will. And my promise will uphold there as well. Just, trust me…”
“Are you kidding me? You want me to trust you?!” I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“Well, your other choice is to take off right now on foot. You can’t get back on that bike and I’m sure Finch and Bart are out, on the prowl. Like it or not, I’m the only person keeping you alive right now.”
I hated to admit that he was right. Bold Blue Eyes made perfect sense, and I didn’t have Jasper around to help me out. So I agreed to his plan and took him somewhere we could talk. It was one of the few places in Black Harbor that Anthros could get to and Scalers couldn’t. Well they could, but they’d never feel welcome enough to stay, intrude, or torch the place. It was way too wet for any of that.
6
Ashton
I didn’t know what I was thinking giving her any illusions that she was in control. But if I’d learned anything from watching Skinner, Bart, and my father … it was that giving them the slightest bit of comfort went a long way with them cooperating. So I led her to my bike.
“Get on,” I told her as I threw my leg over the side.
“How will you hear me tell you where we’re going?” she asked.
“Tap me once on this shoulder if you want me to turn left and twice on this shoulder if you want me to turn right. Got it?”
She nodded qui
etly, “Got it.”
We rode through the streets like we were the only people out. A few Scalers had taken to the sky, but none paid attention to us. It’s like we were invisible. Her arms wrapped around my waist. Her breasts pushed against my back while her hair whipped around my face constantly giving me the sweetest aroma of her. I nearly crashed while zoning out thinking about what it’d be like having those same strands drip around me while she straddled my… Forget it. She was repulsed by the idea of even talking to me. I couldn’t imagine us getting anywhere beyond this moment right here.
A few minutes of this and we were down by the docks. An uneasy feeling washed over me. I didn’t like it. Coming down here outside of being healed wasn’t for me.
“We should get out of here,” I told her bringing the bike to a stop. Not a Scaler in sight, nor any Anthros either. If she wanted to talk in private, this was it, but again; I didn’t like it.
“So a big, bad, fire-breathing, winged beast of death is uncomfortable down here?” she giggled.
It made me smile seeing her smile. I shrugged, “I’m not used to being down here. Not to mention I never know what’s in the water. So let’s talk.”
“Not here,” she said with her eyes drifting upward to the sky and then out toward the water. The moonlight did its best to illuminate the city while a few scattered street posts remained lit. Grady let Celia convince him that it was necessary for hunting at night, but I think she had a soft spot for them like I did. It did help down here by the docks too.
“Where else did you have in mind?” I asked her with a raised eyebrow.
She grinned motioning toward the open water.
“What? Out there? You want me to fly you over open water? I have to tell you that we won’t get much talking done dragon to Anthros,” I laughed.
“No, not out,” she grinned again, “Down.”