by Sadie Sears
Dominic nodded in agreement. “He can’t even bear to take a shift watching over the safety of the woman he supposedly loves. No wonder she left.”
“What were you doing while we were doing your job for you?” Taurus asked. He shifted forward and jabbed his finger in my direction accusingly. “Moping around in your room playing the woe is me card, that’s what. You do this crap every time it involves actual work and we’re left to finish it up.”
I blinked back tears. Is that what they really thought of me? I hadn’t meant to be lazy. I wanted to help. I wanted to be useful for the family.
They read my mind again. “Useless,” Sam spat. “Couldn’t even fix that waitress who went nuts on her kid.”
But it wasn’t that simple.
“Pathetic is what that is,” Ben added contemptuously. “How can you call yourself part of Dragons for Hire?”
My heart sank as they all glared at me. Was I such a big burden for them?
Theo pushed to the front. Thank goodness. Here was a man who would take up for me. He knew all the ups and downs that came with being an ether dragon. I knew he would—
Pain lashed across my cheek, and for a second I couldn’t breathe. Had he…had he just hit me? Theo? Holding the offended cheek, I chanced a look up at him. His expression was as dark as an incoming storm bank. “They’re right,” he said. The breath whooshed out of my lungs. “You can’t go anywhere without other people affecting your mood. You can’t do anything because you’re not physically strong enough. You couldn’t even do the one thing you were designed to do: track magic.”
All of that was true, but damn, it hurt to hear it from my friends. I glanced around, looking for an escape. Because that was what I did. When things got hard for me, I ran away. When my anxiety crippled me, I hid from everyone. I would disappear for weeks or months because I couldn’t cope with my own abilities. There was more stinging in my chest, and I grabbed at it uselessly.
Theo spat on the ground in front of me. “You’re a miserable excuse for an ether dragon, and we don’t need your dead weight holding us down anymore.”
Maybe they were right. I was useless. Worthless. My anxiety kicked up at the worst times, and they always had to bring me back. They were always trying to cheer me up when my moods were low. What had I ever done for them besides bring them down and make them work harder to cover for my failures?
They all turned away from me, except for Vince. For a moment, I thought he would stay with me. Hope rose in my heart. Then he shrugged and crushed it back down underfoot. “Sorry, man. Maybe you should look for a new clan. One who can handle your mood swings better and don’t make you lame microwaveable pizza rolls when you’re depressed and can’t feed yourself.”
Darkness enveloped me again as they turned their backs on me. I collapsed on the ground and buried my face in my burning arms. My family had just abandoned me. Sophie didn’t want me anymore. I was a burden to everyone in my life. Maybe the darkness was where I belonged after all. I willed it to take me, somewhere far away where no one would have to put up with me ever again.
“Hey, dummy. Stop your crying. Dad will wear you out if he sees you looking so weak.”
I leaped up in a panic to face the familiar voice. My surroundings were still dark, but the figure in front of me was visible all the same. “Justin?”
My brother. I would never forget my brother’s face. He sat in front of me in his old military fatigues, wearing that stupid smirk he always wore. The same kaleidoscope eyes watched me, his silvery-blond hair cut short and spiky. More tears rolled down my face, but he was right. Dad would never let me hear the end of it. I wiped them away and pulled myself together.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice scratchy and dry. I was so happy to see him. “I’m glad you’re here.” Even if he wanted to be mean to me like the rest of them, I was happy to see him. Joy warred with the anxiety still pounding through my veins.
He shrugged casually and scratched at the scruff on his chin. “Same as you, I suppose. Waiting out the darkness.”
I frowned and looked around. If it was still so dark, how could I see him? “Why are you in the darkness here with me?”
Justin smiled. “Dummy. Don’t you remember?” As I watched, his skin began to disintegrate and burn away. “That’s where you left me. You left me here, Cameron. You couldn’t save me. You can’t save anyone.”
Horror filled me, and I reached for him. I’d wanted to see him so badly, but then only ash filled my hands as his body fell apart between my fingers. I cried out with everything I had left in me, smashing my fists into the ground. Why was this happening? Why did everyone leave me?
Forgetting the clothes, I rolled to my knees and forced another shift. Fabric shredded, but I was beyond caring. I needed someone to come for me, I didn’t even care who it was. Message after message poured out of me, again and again, but still I got no responses. There was no one, nothing out there. I roared my desperation, begging, pleading for someone to come for me. Nothing but my echo roared back at me.
A second later, green light pierced my eyes, making me wince. I stumbled toward it, forgetting momentarily that I was in four-legged form. Someone had come for me. Finally, someone had heard me.
There was a figure in the glowing light, and I walked in that direction, my pace increasing with each step. I noticed in the green glow that there were no trees between us, and I hoped that meant that I’d finally found my way out of the forest. Then the figure resolved itself into Mary. I took a step back, suddenly terrified of what she’d do, but then my head went fuzzy and my whole body warmed.
“Look how beautiful you are,” she crooned. She held her hands up to me and waved her fingers. “Come here, sweet boy.”
Yes. This was what I’d been waiting for. Someone to find me, save me, love me. My head swam drunkenly as I lowered it into her waiting arms. She stroked my snout and a shudder ran through me.
“You belong to me now, Cameron Charles.” She rubbed behind my ears, and I enjoyed it, soaked it up. She would never hurt me. She loved me.
“Your precious Sophie has abandoned you.” Yes, I remembered. It stung in my chest, but it was only a faint feeling compared to the happiness that wove through me now. “She believes her life will be better without you in it. She wishes she’d never met you. Her daughter hates you.” Something about those statements felt off, but she rubbed under my chin and the thought vanished.
Mary was right. I wasn’t important to Sophie. She hadn’t come to rescue me. None of them did when I needed them to. They’d all abandoned me, turned their backs and walked away. I was a burden to them.
The person I mattered to the most, and that mattered the most to me, was now standing right in front of me. I huffed lovingly and nudged my head into her arms. She saved me from the darkness, from myself. She wouldn’t leave me alone, wouldn’t abandon me to the black. She wouldn’t think I was a burden.
“I need you to do something for me, my love,” she said.
Anything. I would do anything for her. My vision swayed and there was a rushing noise somewhere, like someone trying to yell through several layers of plastic wrap. I tried to ignore it.
Mary’s red lips lifted in a smile. “Sophie has something that belongs to me.”
I would get it back, whatever it was. Sophie shouldn’t have Mary’s things. Only Mary should have Mary’s things. The rushing sound got louder, and I shook my head in discomfort. What was that sound? It was really bothering me, whatever it was.
“Easy, my sweet boy.” She took my head again, running her hand down my snout and along the ridges behind my head. “The ring that Sophie wears, the blue opal. Can you get it for me? Do you love me enough to bring it to me?”
Yes, I did. Yes, I would. I would take back what belonged to Mary. I nudged her again to tell her as much.
“I will meet you outside of Sophie’s house once you get it, and you will be a good boy and bring it to me.”
I could do that
for her. I knew where Sophie’s house was. Mary grinned and vanished, along with the green light. I cried out for her, but then suddenly the world burst around me in vivid color. Blinking hard after being in the dark for so long, I gave my eyes a minute to adjust.
The clearing I was in didn’t look familiar in the least. Thousands upon thousands of flowers surrounded me, though the autumn weather should’ve killed them a while ago. How had I ended up here? I looked around, but no one was near me.
High above, a shadow passed over my head, and I looked up to see Vince’s silvery silhouette circling nearby. But they’d left me, hadn’t they? I looked down at myself and realized I was back in my human form, and properly dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, though they weren’t anything I recognized. Did Mary make sure I had new clothes on in the cool weather? That was sweet of her. They even looked somewhat like the ones I’d had on earlier.
There was a big thump on the ground as Vince landed in front of me, then six more dragons followed in quick succession. Vince shifted down and ran up to me, grabbing my arms, completely disregarding his own nudity. After what they’d said a few days or weeks ago—I didn’t know how much time had passed when the darkness had taken over—I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see them again. I still wasn’t sure I wanted to. They’d said some hurtful things.
Pain lanced through my chest when I looked into Vince’s worried eyes. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you.” Why was he being so nice now? He’d been horrible before. This was some act, some way of fooling me.
I pointed over my shoulder. “Oh, Mary—”
“Mary had you?” Vince jerked away from me and toward the others, who had remained in their dragon forms. “He said Mary was here.”
Theo chuffed and they all took off in different directions, including Vince after he shifted back into his smaller dragon form. Maybe they were going to thank her for taking such good care of me. But why would they thank her? They’d abandoned me. They didn’t truly care about me.
My head filled with that same rushing sound from before, and I grabbed at it. So much pressure built behind my eyes. I opened them a few seconds later and noticed something strange inside my sleeve. I pulled it up to see beautifully jagged designs up my arms in glistening green ink. I tugged at the collar of my shirt to see that they danced across my chest as well.
“Whoa,” I whispered. What a beautiful gift. Mary must’ve really loved me. I was precious to her, precious enough to give me an offering like this. I rolled my sleeves back down. The others didn’t need to see my gift. They wouldn’t appreciate it for what it was.
An earth and a fire dragon touched down, and I was surprised to see Lila and Gretta there. They looked around the clearing, then Lila shifted down and wrapped a robe around herself that she’d had tied around her neck. It was a common way for dragons to ensure they’d be covered if they had to shift down away from their clothes.
“Cam? Is everything okay?” she asked. She gestured at me vaguely. “You’ve got some weird juju going on around you.”
I smiled at her. “I’m fine now, thanks.” Wonderful now that I had Mary. I wished she’d come back.
A few minutes later, the guys were back. When all of their heads snapped up in the same direction, I turned to see Sophie running through the field and weaving around dragon bodies as Mitias’s water dragon came in for a landing behind her. She threw herself at me, and I reacted, catching her in time to maintain our balance, but I recoiled as quickly as I could, drawing my hands away. I didn’t want to be on the ground again, thinking about all of my failures as she stood over me and told me how useless I was.
“Are you okay?” she whispered. She pulled back to look at me, then touched my cheek. Her fingertips came away red. “What happened to you?”
When did I get cut? It must’ve happened while I was wandering around blind. “I’m fine now. Everything is perfect.”
“Cam, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Tears spilled from her eyes. “Shae and I had a talk, and she said she’s happy as long as I’m happy. Cam, I’m happy with you. I’m so sorry that I put you through all of that. Will you forgive me?”
My whole head filled with noise, and I winced. Sophie backed up a step, looking at me with concern. Something felt wrong. I pressed my hand to my chest, to the markings beneath my shirt, and it eased back.
“I forgive you,” I told her, and I meant it. I forgave her for her earlier cruelty. I didn’t need to dwell on it. I’d found happiness and acceptance with Mary. I just needed one last thing from Sophie. “I just need you to give me the ring.”
19
Sophie
“Cam, what’s wrong?” His face was off somehow. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he wasn’t himself, not by a longshot. Not even his voice was normal. I didn’t know how to react, how to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with him.
“Mary had him,” Leath said. He’d just landed and shifted. “I was looking for her, but Lila’s unease brought me back.”
“There’s too much darkness around him,” she whispered.
Cam didn’t even acknowledge that they were talking. “Sophie,” he said in this weird breathy voice. “Do you trust me?”
Glenda had told me not to give the ring to anyone, and at the time, so had Cam. He’d said I should keep it on me all the time for protection and so I never lost sight of it.
I twisted the ring on my finger, unsure. If Lila was right, then Cam was under some sort of spell. How could I trust him right now?
“Sophie.” His eyes focused and unfocused on me. I closed my eyes and tried to listen to my spirit guides, but still, it was so hard to know what to do.
“Sophie.” The third time he said my name, I knew what I was going to do.
“I do trust you.” I reached out and grabbed his arm, but he stepped back. “I’ll give it to you, but you have to tell me what you’re going to do with it.”
He squinted at me and cocked his head before speaking. “I’m glad you trust me.”
The rest of the clan had landed, and most of them shuffled forward, some still in scales, some in skin. The men who had returned to their human form were in various stages of undress.
Lila and Gretta moved close to me, wearing robes.
“I will tell you what I’m going to use the ring for,” Cam continued. “Meet me at your house with the ring, and then I’ll tell you everything.”
Theo stepped forward. “Cam, man, why don’t you go to your house and take a shower first? Your night here in the woods has left you a little funky.”
I didn’t contradict him, but he was totally lying. Cam smelled fine. He didn’t even look bedraggled or anything.
Theo cut his eyes at me and I sighed. “He’s right, darling. You could use some freshening up and so could I. Meet me at my house after you’re done?”
Cam nodded and clapped Theo on the shoulder. “Thank you. I will do that.” Turning away, he shifted into his dragon form without a second thought to his clothing. In seconds, he was in the air, and most of the Dragons for Hire followed. Theo, Lila, and Gretta stayed with me.
“I want him under running water,” Theo explained. “Something is way, way off with him, and he even admitted that Mary was with him.”
“Running water?” I asked. “Will that fix what’s wrong with him?”
“It depends on the type of spell and what she used, but at the very least, the water will weaken it. Hopefully enough for him to break through. Mind magic is tricky.” He walked backwards away from me. “We’ll meet you there and if there’s anything funny about him when he gets there, we’ll take care of it.”
Then I realized where he was headed. “My kids are at that house!” I pulled out my phone, but of course, this far in the woods, I had no service. “Damn it.” I turned and started down the path. “I’ve got to get to that house!”
“Wait,” Lila jogged beside me, clutching her robe. “We’ll go make sure they get out and go to your place, okay?”
Theo flew over my head. It was a long run down this path. For the first time, it occurred to me that dragons might have been big enough to carry a person. I wondered if we could’ve made it work, but Lila had already dropped behind me and shifted. I watched her run into the air, followed by her sister, and there went the last two dragons.
As I continued down the path toward my car, I realized that I was wearing the ring that Mary was after, and I was the only person Mary had been targeting. In all the worry about how oddly Cam was acting, everyone had run off to help him.
It was fine. I was almost back to my car. I focused on my breaths and watching the uneven path in front of me. I had to hope Mary was focused on her spell on Cam and not on me.
With my heart in my throat, I made it to the little pull-off area closest to the spot we’d found Cam. When I got out from under the trees, I looked up and saw that two dragons had stayed with me. Up in the air, I couldn’t tell which two for sure. The sunlight glared against their coloring, skewing it a bit.
Whoever they were, I was glad to have them. The idea that I might’ve been left alone had freaked me out a bit. As soon as I hit the pavement, I ran to my car at top speed, then peeled out of the small parking lot.
Cam’s change of demeanor consumed my thoughts as I drove toward my house. I trusted Theo and my friends to get the girls out of the house, but would the running water work? Would it break his enchantment?
If not, maybe Glenda could do something when we all got to my house the way she’d done for Shae. We’d figure this out somehow. Mary wouldn’t win this.
I kept trying to find glimpses of Cam and the others flying overhead, but it had taken me too long to walk out of the forest. I caught sight of my two protectors a couple of times, though. They didn’t seem to have any trouble flying against the wind. It was a gusty, blustery day, and cold enough that I had to put my heater on high.