Heart of the Dragon

by Gena Showalter

  No one would ever have to know what he'd done, and that was a heady thought indeed. He reached out and traced his fingers over the jeweled wall. As he did so, the exotic scent of jasmine wafted around him, loosening the tightness in his throat and reminding him that he already held a treasure. Teira. He glanced down at her, and she smiled slowly up at him--a smile of trust. His hand fell to his side.

  Atlantis had to be kept secret. Men like Jason would continue to plunder, never ceasing their quest for riches, killing men, women and children in the process. God, how stupid I've been, how caught up in my own need for glory. He'd endangered his entire family for this. For prestige and money. His stomach churned with shame, making him all the more aware of his body's need for drugs.

  "Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here."

  "Yes."

  They maneuvered around corners, stumbled through empty rooms, making Alex feel like he was navigating a maze. Most walls were bare, ripped of all jewels. Several guards were posted throughout, but they never detected Alex and Teira, hidden as they were by fog and shadows.

  Two ten-foot panels of glistening dragon-inlaid ivory ended their winding search. The pair of doors opened, welcoming them into the night. Crashing waves created a calming lullaby, and warm air laden with the fragrance of salt and sea cascaded gently. Teira stopped, allowing the warmth to thaw and strengthen her. Color returned to her cheeks, and her back straightened.

  She dropped her coat and spread her arms wide.

  Alex drank in the mesmerizing beauty of both Teira and Atlantis. There was a dusky glow over the breathtakingly lush green foliage and stunning array of colorful blossoms. Blossoms Teira seemed to be a part of. How did a city under the sea have night and day? There was no sun, no moon. Crystal prisms stretched above to form a dome as far as the eye could see.

  Vibrancy and vitality pulsed all around, strengthening him to his very core, making him forget his dry mouth, making him forget his bitter need.

  "If we follow the forest path," Teira said, her voice stronger than it had been inside the palace, "we can reach Darius by morning."

  "Then let's go."

  One of the guards scattered along the bastion noticed them. "Down there," he shouted.

  Someone else called, "Stop them!"

  Pop. Whiz. Bullets flew, peppering the ground a few feet behind them. Alex increased his speed, sprinting for all he was worth, the fire extinguisher slamming into his back. Later, he would feel the bruises. For now, he felt only the blessed numbness of his adrenaline rush.

  Still hand in hand with Teira, he forced her to keep pace beside him. He launched into the safety of the trees before finally slowing. Alex liked to think he was in top physical condition, or had been, thanks to his daily workouts. But right now his breathing was ragged, and his pulse leapt like it was connected to a live wire.

  "You need rest," his companion panted. "We are safe here. We can stop--"

  "No. No resting. Keep moving."

  She claimed the lead, and he forced his suddenly heavy feet to step one in front of the other. Forced his mind on the task at hand and not the drugs he was leaving behind. For a moment, his vision blurred and he swayed. Teira glanced at him over her shoulder, her expression concerned.

  "Keep moving," he said again.

  When they swerved around a large elm, a giant of a man jumped from the shadows, followed quickly by another. Their features weren't visible in the growing darkness, but Alex felt the anger coiled so tightly in their bodies.

  Teira screamed.

  Acting instinctively, Alex sprayed the liquid nitrogen, spinning in a circle as he did so. A thick foam of white coated the men, and they growled indistinguishable curses as they wiped at their faces. He tossed the red canister to the ground and jerked Teira through the thick foliage. Then they ran. Ran around trees and bushes, flowers and stones. They waded through two crystalline rivers along the way, and through it all he heard the men racing in pursuit, their footsteps fast, determined.

  "Which way?" he called.

  "East," she said, panting a little. The white gown she wore swished and swirled around her ankles, and her moonbeam pale hair whipped behind her. "There is...a town...nearby. We can lose ourselves."

  Alex veered east, pushing himself past his endurance. The longer he ran, the less he heard of his followers. Either he'd lost them or they'd given up. Or were somehow able to silently follow. He didn't relax his defenses. Only when Teira was safely ensconced inside his apartment would he rest--after he made love to her. Several times.

  After what seemed an eternity, they reached the town. One moment they were surrounded by dense forest, and the next by shimmering gold and silver buildings. He slowed when he found himself on a crowded stone road. Throngs of people strolled in every direction. No, not people. Winged men, bull-like animals and horned women. Interspersed throughout were tall, lean humanoid creatures with skin the color of new fallen snow. They glided rather than walked.

  Alex felt their dynamically surreal eyes boring into him hungrily, as if they could already taste his every drop of blood. Vampires. He shuddered. They moved with fluid, catlike grace, mere slashes of white skin and flowing, black clothing. The only color they possessed was in their eyes, an inhuman blue that hypnotized and promised every desire satisfied.

  His shudders intensified, and he reached up and massaged his neck, covering the marks of his last encounter with a vampire. The Book of Ra-Dracus told of their insatiable thirst for blood--more so than earth legend proclaimed. He knew that firsthand.

  "In here," Teira said. She ushered him inside the nearest building. "We will hide here until we are sure we are safe."

  Loud music, more fluid than rock, less structured than classical, boomed in every direction. Voices and laughter blended with the music as people mingled and danced. He and Teira swept through the crowd, trying to remain unnoticed. There, in the back, was an empty table, and they hurriedly claimed it.

  He plopped into his seat. The adrenaline rush he'd experienced in the forest had helped mask his need for drugs, but now, as the surge receded, he became increasingly aware of his shaking hands and aching temples.

  A woman approached them and clanked two glasses onto their table. Two small brown horns protruded from her forehead. She gave them a brittle smile and said something in the same language Teira sometimes used. He was beginning to catch on to its unusual inflections and pronunciations, so he didn't need an interpreter to know the waitress had said, "Drink up and leave, or tonight will be your last," before she flittered away, suddenly lost in the crowd.

  "There are many vampires here," Teira said, gazing around. "More than usual."

  A wisp of dark cloth. A shiver of electrifying power. Then someone was there, standing behind Teira, caressing her shoulder. The laughter and music slowly tapered to quiet, and the patrons stared over at them.

  "You smell good, little dragon," a vampire male said, his voice hypnotic and dark. Seductive. "I wonder, though, how you will taste."

  It took Alex a moment to translate. When he did, he saw red. He didn't care how much stronger the vampires were, he didn't care that he might be inciting a fight, he would not allow threats to Teira's life. "Back off," he said, glaring up at the bloodsucker. "Or it will be your blood that is spilled this night."

  The vampire snickered.

  "I taste like death," Teira finally responded. Her gaze flicked from Alex to the vampire nervously. "Now leave us. We wish only to rest. We will depart soon."

  "No, you won't. Not until I've sampled both you and your human."

  Another vampire joined them, his mouth a blood-red frown. "We are not to harm the human, Aarlock. You know that."

  "I will not kill him. The dragon, however..."

  Still another vampire approached, crowding their table further. "The human doesn't wear the mark. We can kill them both if we so desire."

  All three bloodsuckers glanced at Alex's neck. The one called Aarlock smiled slowly. "No, he doesn't wear the
mark of the other humans. He is fair game."

  Alex could almost see the knife and fork clanging together in their minds, and he wondered what mark Jason and his minions wore to prevent vampire attacks. I have to do something, he thought, vaulting to his feet. Not knowing what more he could do, he drew back his fist. Before he had time to blink, the vampire caught his arm and held him in a bruising grip. Those eerie eyes turned to him, gazing deeply, probing.

  A strange lethargy worked its way through him, as if he'd been shot full of those delicious drugs. Suddenly he wanted only to feel this vampire's fangs sink into his neck, wanted only to give himself to this powerful man.

  Dainty, gentle Teira, who loved tender contact, snarled a sound more animal than human, jolted up and bared amazingly sharp claws. She shoved the vampire backward, causing him to stumble as he released Alex.

  "Do not touch him," she snarled. "He is mine."

  The rest of the vampires gathered around them, some baring their fangs, others hissing. Alex shook himself out of his stupor just as Teira flashed her own set of fangs, hers longer than the vampires. Alex's eyes grew round. He'd known she was a dragon changeling, but he hadn't really expected her body to physically change.

  "We must leave," Teira mouthed, once again speaking his language, never taking her attention from the creatures in front of her. "We will need a distraction."

  Determination rushing through his veins, his palms sweating, he glanced around, searching for a spear, a torch, something. Anything. When that failed, he looked for a back door--not that they could have used it. The vampires had formed a circle around them, their bodies nearly transparent and vibrating with hungry energy.

  His protective instincts sharpened. He'd have to use his own body to divert their attention. He'd never battled a vampire before--obviously--but he'd always welcomed new experiences. "I'll distract them." His muscles tightened, readied. "Run, baby, and don't look back."

  She sucked in a breath. "No. No!"

  "Do it!"

  The front doors burst open, saving her from another reply.

  Three of the largest men he'd ever seen tramped inside. An air of menace surrounded them, as dark as their clothing. Their faces were red, their eyes puffy from some sort of toxin. Alex concluded almost instantly that they were the giants from the forest.

  The vampires uttered a collective hiss and inched away.

  Teira peeked over his shoulder, and when she saw who had entered, she gasped. "Braun, Vorik, Coal!" Smiling with relief, she waved with one hand and laced the other on Alex's shoulder. "They will help us."

  The three men flicked them a glance, gave a barely imperceptible nod, then spread out and assumed a menacing come-and-get-me-you-blood-suckers stance.

  Alex had yet to fight past his shock. "You know them?"

  "They are Darius's men."

  "Then why did you scream when they approached us in the forest?"

  "I not realize who they were. Come. We go to them."

  While he was grateful for the help, Alex was oddly disappointed. He'd wanted to be the one to save Teira. He'd wanted her praise to be all his own. How foolish, since he wouldn't have lived to hear such praise.

  As Alex and Teira skidded toward the front door, the vampires and dragons divided the bar, each group taking one side, facing the other. The moment Alex came within striking distance of his rescuers, he was roughly shoved behind them. Teira was gently lifted out of the way.

  "What were you doing in the forest, Teira?" one of the warriors asked. He never removed his piercing gaze from the enemy.

  "Escaping," she answered.

  A hard, dangerous glint consumed his golden eyes. "Escaping? You will tell me more of this later." He motioned toward Alex with his chin. "What of the human?"

  Teira cast a glance at Alex. What of the human? The question had plagued her over the last weeks. If only he were like the others of his kind, she could have ignored him. If only she hadn't been so completely drawn to him...He was nearly as tall as a dragon warrior, with wide shoulders and a lean, strong body. Short, curly red hair framed a strong, square face. His lips were wide and soft, his jaw angular. But it was his eyes that truly captivated her. They were big and green and filled with so many dreams. Those dreams called to her in so many ways.

  "He's my friend," she said to Vorik. "No harm is to befall him."

  Having listened to the conversation, Braun whipped around, facing her, radiating fury. "What of Javar?"

  She hated to give him the news, here and now, like this, but she would not lie or evade. "He is dead," she said sadly.

  "Dead!" all three dragons exclaimed at once.

  Remorse flitted over Braun's expression, but he quickly hardened the emotion into determination. "There were other humans at the palace. They carried strange objects that fired some type of disc."

  "Those discs stayed inside the dragon bodies, keeping their flesh open and preventing them from healing."

  "That alone would not--"

  "That alone would. The palace has been made into an ice land. When our strength was drained, the humans attacked us with their weapons." She remembered how easily her people had been destroyed. One moment, healthy, happy and whole. The next, gone. Murdered.

  Her hands clenched, making the sharpness of her claws bite into her flesh. She barely felt the sting. Why the humans kept her alive and imprisoned, she could only guess. A threat to Alex, perhaps? A bargaining tool? They had kept her weakened by the cold, had tried to keep her hungry, as well, but she'd stolen bits of food here and there. More than anything, however, the humans had kept her frightened. For herself, for Alex.

  She would not rest until the intruders were destroyed.

  She had loved her husband, had loved the time she spent with him, and even missed him, but he had never filled her with such great longing as Alex did, as if she couldn't breathe without him near. She sighed. What was she going to do with the handsome human? She wanted him to stay here, with her. Wanted him to hold her in his arms every night, and wake to his kisses every morning. If he wouldn't stay, she would lose him. She could not survive on the surface.

  The sound of guttural curses sliced at her reverie.

  "You are not welcome here, dragons," a vampire snarled.

  "We came for the human and the woman," Vorik said calmly. He kept his hands over the hilts of his swords--swords that could pierce a vampire's chest, sending poison through the creature's body and striking a lethal blow. "We mean you no trouble."

  "We claimed them first. They belong to us."

  "Perhaps you'd like to fight us for them." Coal offered his opponents an anticipatory smile.

  "That is an invitation we cannot refuse." The vampire offered his own anticipatory smile.

  Dragons were stronger, but vampires were faster. Years ago, the two had warred and the dragons had emerged the victors. But both races had suffered horribly. If they fought now, Teira was not sure a single man would be left standing.

  "Let them go," a vampire said to his brethren, surprising her. "These dragons will bow to us soon enough."

  "We will never bow to you," Braun spat.

  The words, "We shall see," were delivered with supreme confidence. "Yes, we shall see."

  Vorik arched a brow. "We shall see now."

  Without emitting a single sound, the dragons flew at the vampires, teeth bared and gleaming a hungry white, a vision of silent death as they transformed from man to beast. They dropped their swords, relying instead on their natural reflexes. Vampires moved quickly, gliding to the ceiling, then launching themselves at the dragons before gliding upward once again. It was a dangerous dance.

  There were snarls and grunts of pain, the sound of ripping cloth. The flash of claws, and the scent of blood and sulfur.

  "The stench of dragon can be smelled miles away," one of the vampires snarled, lashing out with his sharp nails as he slipped past.

  "Since you can smell me, Aarlock, you might as well feel my flames." Vorik spat red-orange spa
rks out of his mouth, catching the vampire in the side.

  A tormented scream erupted, blending with the sound of sizzling skin. Eyes glowing with hatred, the vampire retaliated, attacking straight on, fangs bared. Before Vorik had time to move, their bodies slammed together and Aarlock sank his teeth in Vorik's neck. Vorik gripped him by the neck, ripped him away, and tossed him to the ground.

  "I see you still bite like a girl, Aarlock," he seethed.

  "I see you still breathe like a hatchling."

  They were on each other again.

  "Hand me a dagger," Alex said to Teira over his shoulder. When the fight first began, he'd shoved her behind him. He didn't know if he'd be any help, but he couldn't let these dragon men fight alone. He had to do something.

  She tried to maneuver around him for what seemed the hundredth time. The woman wanted to guard him instead of the other way around. "No," she said. "We must not interfere. We would only distract them."

  Alex continued to search for a weapon, catching glimpses of the brawl at the corner of his gaze. Each of the species fought hard and cruel, biting and slashing. The dragons drew blood with teeth, claws and tails, while the vampires relied on speed, moving from one end of the bar to the other to slash and run. Their rusty-brown blood dripped onto the dragons, acting like acid.

  In the end, speed and poison blood weren't enough.

  The more fire the dragons produced, the stronger they became. Even Teira seemed to soak up the heat like a flower turning to the sun. All color had returned to her cheeks. Alex wiped at the sweat dripping from his face.

  When the battle finally ended, burning embers and vampire ashes littered the ground. Braun, Vorik, and Coal were still standing. They were covered in blood and wounds, but by God, they were standing.

  One of the dragons, Braun, pushed Alex outside. The others, Teira included, followed. She quickly made the introductions. Alex had never been more aware of his human frailty. The men he knew did not behave like these warriors, ready and eager for bloodshed.

  "What do the humans at the palace want, Teira?" Vorik asked.

  "The riches. They are taking them back to the surface."

  "Damn this," Coal snarled. He threw a withering glance toward Alex.

  Alex backed away, palms up. "I'm not with them. I'll help you in any way I can."

  "He was a prisoner, like me." Teira met each man's stare. "Are there other warriors with you? Can we retake the palace tonight?"