Fianna the Gold

by Louisa Kelley

Oh, Fianna wanted to eat her up, every inch.

  Abbie slid around and yanked Fianna to her mouth, kissing her with hungry, eager lips. Fianna trembled as a wave of aching, unexpected feelings burst loose. The hot water cascaded in warm, silken sheets over their bodies as she pressed Abbie to the wall and explored her mouth, licking and sucking, wild to taste everything. Abbie’s eager, passionate response inflamed her, making her want so much more. Fianna’s sister-self always knew what was best for her, she thought as she wrapped her hands around Abbie’s slender waist, the swell of fierce possession overwhelming her. “Mine,” her dragon growled in total agreement, and the entire lusty complement of the sister-selves engaged and locked in.

  Abbie’s head fell back. “Oh, my God,” she breathed. “This is like having group sex.”

  “Do you mind?” asked Fianna in a sultry voice. She reached down to slide her finger between Abbie’s legs, searching for her silky cleft, when twin stabbing pains shot into her backside. She jumped back. “Ow, what was that?”

  “What?” Abbie’s eyes flew open and her arms dropped. They both shrieked. Abbie’s hands had claws for fingers, and they were still growing.

  “Oh no!” Abbie backed up and locked her hands behind her back. “I’m so sorry, Fianna. What do I do? What do I do?”

  Fianna nearly panicked herself when a blue scale sprouted on Abbie’s neck. “Abbie, it’s okay. Breathe, breathe. Everything’s fine. It was just a little stab. It happens with dragons sometime. We can be rather fierce.” She wrapped her arms around Abbie and pulled her close, so they could feel each other’s hearts beating. “Ask your sister-self to please calm down now.”

  Abbie’s eyes glowed in gold, and she held herself rigid, not resisting Fianna but not responding, as if any movement might send her into a tailspin. Fianna made mother clucking sounds in her ears and kissed her neck, urging her to relax. Her knees went weak with relief when Abbie gave a huge sigh and leaned her head on her shoulder. Abbie’s sister-self finally let go and retreated into a major sulk. Fianna’s soon joined her.

  The water was cooling fast, probably a good thing for the hot, over-excited little dracling. They needed to get the hell out of this house so they could go kill something and eat it. She’d never skirted the sharp edge of primal need for so long.

  “Better?”

  “Kind of. I mean I can breathe again.” Abbie gave a weak smile and then she frowned. “I’m sick of not being in control. This totally sucks. I think the little beastie inside me thinks she’s in charge. I wanna tell her she’s fired. It’s my turn, damn it.”

  Fianna turned the water off with reluctance, hiding a smile at Abbie’s language. She’d used Orla’s word for draclings, something she’d never heard anyone else do. “You’re right about the little beastie. She’s unhappy with you. Mine is unhappy with me, too. Probably one of the reasons your control is slipping.”

  Abbie nodded with a guilty look. “I know this is my fault. So, I’m a screw up as a dragon, too?”

  “No, you’re just…a little unusual. And you and your sister-self are in real need right now and you must listen to those needs. If we’re not going to have sex, there’s only one other option.”

  They kissed briefly, but the mood had definitely gone. They toweled off in silence, giving each other rueful looks. The magic drawers in the bedroom were full of plain jeans, sweats and loose cotton shirts, contrasted with silky lingerie in gorgeous slips of color and lace. Interesting spell. Fianna quite liked the lingerie, a habit she’d picked up here. It seemed the house came with pleasing touches everyone would enjoy. She pulled on skinny jeans and a shirt that was much too small. In reward, Abbie whistled. “You do rock a tight tee shirt, dragon girl.”

  Fianna hid a pleased smile and shook her head. “Listen, dracling. You have to face what’s going on with you, sooner rather than later.” Fianna tossed Abbie a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. “Let’s go!”

  They clattered down the stairs. Abbie ran through the kitchen first. “Gotta grab something Fianna, I’m starving.”

  “Come on, Abbie, stop it. Vegan breakfast is not what you’re hungry for.”

  Abbie ignored her and ripped open the bag of granola. “Sisters, we’re out!” Fianna yelled, not seeing any evidence of stirring from the second floor. “Conference when we get back!”

  Fianna tore out of the house with Abbie close behind.

  Chapter Nine

  Dragon Chase

  What was she doing here, anyway? Abbie’s sister-self gave an impatient hiss as if to remind her. Stalling much longer was not an option, according to her dear sister. Sure, she stood on the cliff edge, ready to leap, but that wasn’t helping her reluctance.

  She glared at Fianna instead.

  “What?”

  “You know.”

  Fianna said, “We’re here to fix your bad mood.”

  “No.”

  “You have to learn, Abbie. A vegan human diet is not enough protein or calories for a shape-shifter. Plus, the primal urge to hunt needs to be satisfied regularly to keep the balance.”

  “No. Fucking. Way.” She had stuffed herself with granola and ignored the stomach cramps after. That should be plenty of breakfast for any vegan, dragon or not. Fianna was hard to resist. With her auburn hair like fire and glowing golden skin, she drove Abbie nuts. The woman made her so hot, yet even that was not enough to convince her to shift and kill.

  “Your sister-self must be voicing a different opinion.” Fianna kept a stubborn hold on Abbie’s hand.

  “She is. I’m ignoring her.”

  “Not going to work for long.”

  “Or what?”

  “Abbie! Can’t you trust me enough to do what I say? I swear to you, once the hunting chemicals surge, you will forget everything else.”

  “What happens if I don’t hunt?”

  “Your powers, ones you don’t even know about yet, will start to fade and you will lose your mind.”

  “I’m not killing anything!”

  “Shift and find out. Your sister-self will have other ideas.”

  “She won’t win.”

  “Yes, she will.”

  In the end, Fianna was right. Abbie’s efforts to ignore the ache of unsatisfied hunger in her belly were weakening, and the insistence from her sister-self to shift and fly nearly deafened her. In fact, she got the distinct impression her rebellious other self was going to hurl her off the cliff if she didn’t get going.

  Her dragon raced in the clouds like a jet, wings propelling her in powerful waves through the free skies. Fianna flew while keeping Abbie in close sight, then Abbie saw her take a sudden dive.

  Show time. A herd of deer grazed below, with the slower older ones lingering in the back. Abbie descended, hovering to watch, fascinated despite herself. Fianna swooped down and the group scattered into the trees. She folded her wings back and expertly braided her flight through the forest, until she emerged with a deer between her teeth. She shook the neck, and broke it in one clean shake, then flew off, her limp kill dangling from her muzzle.

  Abbie’s sister-self roared with excitement and her belly sizzled in shocking, abrupt need. Thick saliva dripped from her long, sharp front fangs. Oh, she desired, all right. “Chase. Now!” The human side of her nature vanished, and she surrendered to another, more primal call. Her cells flooded with the brilliant, binocular vision of a predator.

  Abbie dropped to the forest floor, shocked by the joy and lust of her hunter’s keen senses as she tracked the movements of the deer ahead. A sound from a nearby bush caught her attention and the rounded rear end of a small mammal darted out, moving as fast as short legs would go. Abbie’s dragon quivered in readiness and pounced for the kill.

  Sometime later, Abbie opened her eyes to the sight of a pale blue sky. She was flat on her back, on the ground. Fianna’s anxious faced hovered overhead.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, what happened?” Abbie sat up. Something smelled funny.

  “You don’t
remember?”

  “We were flying? Then I…Wow. I totally predatored-out. Wait, am I smelling blood?”

  “Don’t look over there.”

  She kept her eyes turned away from the direction of the funky scent. A queasy rumble came from her stomach, then she belched the most disgusting burp, followed by a distinctly satisfied feeling. Oh, yuck. How could she enjoy this? She nearly retched imagining what she’d done.

  “Did I black out again? I must have. What’s up with that?”

  Fianna crouched down and hugged her. “You did great. Fantastic. The rabbit, on the other hand…” Her lips twitched. “You’ll remember more in a few minutes, as soon as your brain adjusts. You’re new to the change and it’s pretty drastic to go from full-on hunting predator to human. Takes practice. Sometimes the draclings faint with the change, so in this case, what happened is perfectly normal.”

  “Glad I’m not the only one,” Abbie mumbled. Shit. She’d hunted, killed, and eaten a poor defenseless furry thing. How insane that half of her was burping in contentment and the other half was utterly revolted.

  “This is really, really going to take some getting used to.”

  “I know.” Fianna stood and held out her hand. “Let’s get you back to Portland.”

  When they returned, Guin and Orla blew in from their own hunts, faces sparkling. A fresh, piney scent wafted through the house. Everyone seemed more at ease.

  “Let’s talk,” Fianna said, and the group gathered around the kitchen table. Abbie set water on for tea, noting the general seriousness of the vibes. What was up?

  Fianna filled everyone in about the call from Marcus. The long silence told Abbie this was big news. The usual chaotic responses stalled while everyone sorted the implications.

  “He’s up to something dragony,” pronounced Orla. “You know how he is. The biggest conniver on Dracan.”

  “Whatever it is, feels like he’s interfering in our mission,” said Guin.

  “Exactly,” said Fianna with a grim note. “He used to try to tell me how to manage my lessons. Didn’t take long for him to get the message to leave me alone.”

  The other Draca snickered, apparently remembering Fianna’s prank on Marcus. Abbie listened, fascinated. This was the first time she’d heard much about life on Dracan and how they all related to each other.

  “He’s on a power grab?” Orla asked. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “Who knows,” Fianna said. “Doesn’t matter right now. We’ve been warned something is up, but he’s the Council Leader, so I have to be careful. We’ll be on alert for…whatever it is. For now, let’s get going, find that signal and the cell phone woman, and take care of business so we can all go home. Remember, we also need to track down the men who saw Abbie shift. Or, maybe that’s where we ask for help from the Council.”

  “Then let’s not call Marcus about that, right?” said Orla.

  The conference ended on a laugh. The sisters-Draca had already decided that following Marcus’s orders might not be in their best interests. The group broke up to prepare for the trip to town.

  Abbie danced a little jig across the living room, not caring how silly she looked. Her new life so rocked. What was going to happen now?

  a

  A loud bang on the second-floor sliding glass doors sounded throughout the house. Miriam nearly jumped out of her skin. She ran for her cell phone, ready to dial 911, when a stranger calmly stepped through the previously locked door.

  “Hold!” he commanded, and she dropped the phone with nerveless fingers. Her heart was pounding and panic choked her throat as she stared in alarm at her bizarre intruder. He looked as if he’d stepped out of a Dungeons and Dragons game. He wore a cream tunic with an engraved silver belt and matching linen pants tucked into brown leather boots. Coarse, long silver hair hung from an aged, pale face, and thick gray brows scowled over his narrowed eyes. He was so tall his head nearly hit the low-hanging chandelier. For a moment, time froze as they stared at each other, as if not knowing who would make the next move, until Miriam found her voice and screamed at the top of her lungs. She scrabbled for the phone and managed a desperate punch on “9” before he twirled his index finger and the cell spun out of her grasp and smashed against the fireplace brick.

  What the hell! Did he just—

  A spooky feeling squeezed her guts. “Who are you?” She didn’t wait for the answer and tried to run. Her feet stuck like glue. No matter how she twisted and struggled, she couldn’t get her feet to budge an inch.

  This cannot be happening! Her mind raced in wild directions. Dragons, and now a goddamn wizard? Seriously?

  He took her measure with a casual look of cruelty while she struggled and swore. “Are you quite done now? We’re overdue for a chat, you and I.” His deep voice rumbled with an odd accent.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Miriam asked, twisting her body to fully face him. “I don’t know what kind of trick you’re playing here, but release me this instant!” Incensed at his casual invasion and her complete inability to do anything to protect herself or her home, she wanted to scream and kick and had never felt so helpless. She was the only one here. All the staff had gone for the weekend and there were no security cameras inside the house, only outside. Nor were there any neighbors close enough to hear screams.

  “I believe you had an encounter with something that belongs to me. A rather large something—wings, scales, fire-breathing? Sound familiar?”

  Miriam felt faint in the whiplash of emotions. He knew? She pressed her lips together.

  “You will tell me!” he yelled in a voice that compelled her to nod and stammer.

  “Very good,” he said. “Just confirming I was in the right house.” He sniffed. “In fact…where is that scent coming from, anyway?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What else have you done, human?” He strode around the room with heavy, measured steps, running his fingers over the furniture, lifting lamps and looking under chairs. He opened drawers, shuffled papers, and peered in her trash can. “Most definitely coming from here,” he muttered, as he searched and sniffed. “Somewhere…somewhere…there! Of course.” He straightened and pointed at her pants pocket. “Give it to me,” he ordered.

  There was only one thing in her pocket. “I have no idea what you’re referring to,” she bluffed. This was a whole other level of threat. A rush of possessive anger cleared out her panic. She yanked on her legs in an effort to break the floor grip but couldn’t budge an inch. She cursed and screamed insults. Goddammit, why wouldn’t her feet move?

  He advanced and grabbed both of her wrists with one hand, holding her still in an iron grip. She twisted and dodged to no avail. His hot, smoky breath gusted over her face, and she shrank in revulsion and fear. She wanted to slap him. Ice-cold blue eyes, so light they might have been diamonds, glittered triumph. She nearly fainted when his hand snaked into her front pocket and yanked out the small bottle of blue powder.

  “No!” An anguished scream tore from her throat. “No, that’s mine! Give it back. Give it back to me!” One leg snapped free and she kicked him as hard as she could. He grunted and dropped the bottle, which went rolling across the carpet. Miriam fell to her knees and lunged but he beat her to the jar. He snatched it up in the same instant as he snapped his fingers and froze her in place again.

  “Fuck you!” she yelled with every ounce of impotent anger. With a look of distaste, he snapped his fingers again and her voice went mute.

  A wicked smile tilted his thin lips. “I wonder what’s in the bottle?” he asked. “What did you discover, hmm?” He unscrewed the cap and took a tentative sniff. “Ah, the sweet smell of…” A brief look of shock crossed his face, quickly gone. “Well. Here’s a surprise. You have no idea what you possess, do you?” He clicked his fingers and freed her voice. “Do not make any loud noises. I can do much, much worse.”

  Even though she was trapped on the floor, years of fierce, focused discipline brought a semblance of control to her fr
ightened brain. This had to be linked to what she had witnessed in the park, and that made him very, very dangerous and spooky as hell. She hated herself for the sudden jolt of interest.

  “Of course, I know what I possess,” she said with mustered bravado. “The question is, who the hell are you, how are you doing this to me, and what do you think is in that bottle?”

  A cunning look crossed his face. “If you have so much knowledge, you should already know who, or perhaps what, I am?” The bottle vanished out of his hand like magic, and he stood over her, as if watching an interesting bug, curious what she would do next.

  Did he mean he was…? There were more? Her heart did an uptick in speed. “What are you talking about?” She stalled, determined not to reveal anything she didn’t have to. What did he want from her?

  He crouched in front of her, his silver hair swinging over his shoulders. “Tell me what you know about the contents of the little bottle, human.” He seemed focused on the answer in an eerie way that spooked her further.

  Her mouth snapped shut.

  “Tell me!” he roared.

  “I—I well…look!” Stunned by his anger, she panicked and thrust out her arm. If he was so powerful, he’d know exactly what she showed him when he got a look at her skin.

  He bent over her hand with an avid look. Triumph flooded his face. “Neck,” he said, giving her neck a slight push to the left and then to the right, with one cold finger. He knew. Everything. Her heart rate ratcheted up further. How was that possible?

  He sat back on his heels and regarded her, his lips curled in a sneer. “Skin that doesn’t age. Must be so tempting.” The bottle reappeared in his hand and he held it up like a trophy. “All gone. Such power is not yours to possess.”

  “No! I found it. It’s mine!” The words fell out of her unruly mouth. She’d be damned if she was going down without a fight. “There’s hardly anything left, besides. What do you want with it?”

  He made a rough, growly noise. “Not yours. Mine.” He shook the little bottle in her face. “How dare you?”