by Leela Ash
“No. I could not catch him. I…” With a grimace, he spat the next words out. “I let him escape.”
Oh, was that all this was about? Once more relief washed over her, leaving her so giddy that she almost laughed. “Don’t worry about it! You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
“It is not all that matters!” he snapped.
She sank to the stairs beside him and squeezed his hand. “Yes, it is, because as long as you’re alive there’s always tomorrow. We’ll get him next time.”
Brandon wouldn’t be comforted. He pulled his hand away, still unwilling to face her. “There won’t be a next time. LeMar will never confront me. He’ll run as far as he can, and I’ll never find him.”
“Okay. So, you drove him off. That’s still good, right?” Honestly, why was he so fixated on killing the Worm? Maybe it was a Dragon thing?
“You don’t understand.”
“What I understand…” She picked his hand up again and held it firmly this time. “…is that you’re alive and we saved your Wellspring. Aren’t those good reasons to celebrate?”
Now he did look at her, his face tight with misery. “Oh, we’ve saved the Wellspring alright. But I have failed, utterly, to repay the Blood Debt owed to your family.”
“Only for today…”
“No. Forever. Hannah, we saved the Wellspring. But my failure just destroyed your farm.”
Chapter 14
Sitting around the kitchen table, it was hard for Hannah to take Brandon seriously. Everything seemed normal. Danny off in his room playing video games. Mom and Dad beside her, sipping coffee. It could have been a morning from any day in her life.
Yet her love swore that this was their last day here. That they’d never be safe in their home again.
Dad set his cup down with a sign. “Alright. Explain what you meant,” he told the Shifter. “All of it. Because I’m not going to be run off my land, my home, by some vague threat.”
“There is nothing ‘vague’ about this danger.” Only Brandon refused to sit still. He paced their small kitchen. Back and forth, from window to door, over and over again. As if he could walk off the guilt that tormented him. “Remember that we’re discussing the man who nearly killed your son.”
She wanted to pull him to her, to force him to stop torturing himself for his ‘failure.’ Somehow, though, she couldn’t imagine a Dragon would be happy to have people ‘make’ him do anything, no matter how good their intentions were. Best to let him deal with his feelings in his own way.
Maybe focusing on the problem would dispel his gloom. “A few hours ago, you said we’d only need to leave for a couple days – just until your Flight arrived. What changed?”
“What changed is that I failed you,” he snarled.
Hannah winced. Okay, that hadn’t helped at all.
He paused in his endless pacing, gripping the kitchen counter with hands that suddenly flashed into black scales and claws. Eyes closed, he rocked back and forth, fighting some silent command from his Dragon. Slowly talons and scales faded. And when he opened his eyes again, he was in control of himself.
“I will try to explain. Everything,” he nodded to Dad, “as you requested.”
“When I said those things, Hannah, I thought that the Wellspring was nearly dead. LeMar would, of course, desire it. Any sign of magic made it valuable. But in truth there was nothing he could do with a crippled Well. A sufficient show of force – a full Flight of Dragons, for instance – would run him off.”
With a gasp, she saw his logic. “But now he knows the Wellspring is fully healthy. Well, not fully… but getting there.”
He nodded. “Which, as I have been trying to convey, makes it priceless beyond measure. The first Wellspring to reawaken in centuries. A prize worth dying for. And killing for.”
Silence fell as they all considered that. Mom sat, lips pinched, hands closed in a death-grip around her coffee mug. Hannah felt her thoughts scatter like a flock of sparrows. There had to be another way! Something they could do to save her home! But nothing came to her. No plan, no idea, no inspiration. Nothing.
Only Dad remained unpersuaded. “You said you had a ‘Flight’ of Dragons. I don’t know how many that is, but it’s a bunch, right?” The Shifter nodded. “Is that not enough? If you need more guys to back you up, can’t you call another Flight to help?”
“It isn’t a matter of force. My Flight could repulse any direct attack. But our enemy isn’t honorable. He’ll never face us. What he’ll do is what he’s done.”
“He’ll send minions to attack your family, like the Wolves who ran down Danny. Your cattle will be poisoned by Rats. Spells will steal the life of your crops and leave them withering in the fields. And all the while, your enemy will hide, safe in some compound in Europe, Asia, or some tiny island not even on the maps. The loss of pawns will not perturb him. He will harass us, endlessly, seeking to weaken us and break our will with his terrorism. In the hopes that, eventually, he can launch a full assault.”
One word pierced through the fog of hopelessness that enveloped her. “You said ‘us.’ Does that mean you’ll stay? No matter what LeMar does?”
“Of course!” The question seemed to startle him. “My Flight and I will defend this place with our lives.”
“Then there’s still hope that…”
“No.” Brandon stepped to her side and put his hand on her shoulder. “As I said, we will save the Wellspring. Of that, I have no doubt. But your farm is lost. It will never be safe. It will become an armed camp, the heart of a war. Full of strangers and Shifters. Always shadowed by threat of attack. It will survive… but it will never be a home again. Because of me.” Blue lights flickered in his eyes as his Dragon’s shame filled him.
Her own eyes glittered too, with tears. “Okay. I… I see your point. And I c-c-can’t think of any way to save this place. But please, Brandon, please! Don’t blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done.”
“I could have killed him,” he growled.
“And after what he did to Danny, nothing would have made me happier!” The venom that filled those words shocked her. She’d never known that she could honestly hate someone. “It wouldn’t have changed anything, though! I’m sure he shared the information he gathered. If LeMar died, another member of the Fangs of Apophis would follow up to see what happened.”
“Actually, I doubt he told anyone about the Wellspring. The Fangs work together against us… somewhat. However, they are treacherous and untrusting by nature. They have no loyalty, no honor. If he spoke of the Wellspring, a stronger Worm would steal it from him. No,” he sighed and shook his head. “I’m sure LeMar fears his ‘allies’ as much as his enemies. This news would have died with him. I could have saved your home this morning. Now it’s too late.”
Silence again. Hannah didn’t even try to hold back the tears that trickled down her cheeks.
Dad was the first to speak. “So, what now?”
“I strongly suggest that your family leave.”
“Today?” Hannah gasped. Surely, he couldn’t expect them to simply walk away from their lives without a backwards glance?
“I’m sorry, but every hour you linger puts you at more risk.”
“Alright then.” Dad rose heavily to his feet, face grim. “Take a half hour. Everyone pack a bag and grab anything you can’t live without. I’ll run to the bank and…”
“Don’t,” Brandon interrupted. “I’ll see to all expenses. It’s the least I can do.”
“No!” She leaped to her feet and stared in horror at the two men. “You can’t be serious! There’s got to be something…”
“Baby…” The roughness in her father’s voice cut her protest short. For the first time, she realized that he, too, was close to tears. “I can’t let them hurt you the way they did Danny. I couldn’t live with that.”
“But this is our home!”
Dad blinked and kept blinking until the last dampness left his eyes. “We’re a famil
y. We’ll make another home. Now go pack! Time’s wasting.”
Clothes were the easy part. Some jeans, a skirt, a handful of blouses, underwear. Hannah didn’t care much about them. As she turned from her closet, though, she spotted her great-grandmother’s tarnished silver hand mirror. She couldn’t leave it behind!
And what about the old photo albums in the attic? The ones with pictures going all the way back to the 1800s? Or the painting of her grandparents, hanging in the hall? The Christmas tree ornaments she and Danny made when they were young? Her mother’s wedding gown, stored away with cedar to protect it from moths?
That was when the true horror hit her, as she wandered through her home. Everything here meant something. Every piece of furniture, every knick-knack told a story. Each one was a piece of her, her history. Choosing between them was like trying to decide which parts of her soul she ‘really’ wanted.
Her search led her at last to the living room. Brandon stood by the window, staring across the yard at nothing. He turned as she came in.
She ought to say something. Rightly or wrongly, he blamed himself and she knew he must hurt as much as she did. Wrapped in her own pain, however, words failed her. After an awkward pause, Brandon nodded silently and returned to his brooding vigil. She grabbed her parents’ wedding picture and turned to leave.
As she did, he spoke. A low murmur that she could barely make out. But what she heard chilled her.
“You were right to reject me.”
The photo nearly slipped through her numb fingers. “Brandon, no! I’m not rejecting you! I… I love you! How can you doubt that after everything that’s happened? After everything we shared?”
He turned from the window and, for the first time since LeMar’s escape, met her gaze fully. “Yet you wish to leave me.”
“No, I don’t!” Drawn by his pain, his confusion, she drifted closer. “I love you. But I love my family too. You’re a Dragon. You must understand that I can’t abandon them, and my duties, no matter how much I want to run away with you!”
“I’m not asking you to desert your family.”
“Yes, you are. Or, well, I thought you were. And I just didn’t know what to say. It all happened so suddenly.”
His lips pinched, biting back an argument, and she loved him for it. For the fact that, even in the midst of his pain, he fought to be gentle and patient. The soft touch of that love warmed her, lightening – for a moment – the dark cloud that hung over them.
Should she tell him what she suspected? That the passion they shared at the Wellspring had brought the promise of a new future? That she believed she was carrying his child?
No. Not at this dark moment. News like that should be delivered in the midst of joy, not sorrow. For the time, it would remain her secret.
Brandon cleared his throat. “I pray that you feel differently now.”
“Well, a lot of those duties don’t exist anymore,” she admitted. He winced, and immediately she regretted those words. How could she even talk about this without making him feel like he had destroyed her life?
Since, in a way, he had.
Guilt flared at that treacherous thought. But after that brief flash of shame, she saw her error. The events of the last few days hadn’t destroyed her life – they’d changed it. She wouldn’t trade Brandon’s love away, not even to win back her farm. No matter what disasters came, she didn’t regret meeting him. Or loving him. As miserable as this moment was, at least he was in it. That made it better than anything she’d ever had before.
Maybe one day she’d see the silver lining in this cloud. She’d look back and realize that this catastrophe had freed her, let her devote her life to her Mate. (She could call him that again, without regret.) Maybe the magical powers of the Wellspring would let her to heal her brother. Good things could come from this, things she should feel grateful for.
Not now, though. Now it just hurt too much.
As she struggled to put those feelings into words, Mom slipped in carrying a tray with two Mason jars on it. “The last of the lemonade,” she said, handing one glass to each of them. “Drink up.”
Hannah just held her jar, but Brandon dutifully took a sip. “Mmm.” He ducked his head to her mother. “This is very good. Thank you.”
Mom chuckled as she wandered off. “It’s plain old lemonade. Nothing special. But I’m glad you like it.”
He took another, deeper gulp that proved he wasn’t simply being polite. The sight brought a smile to Hannah’s own lips. “Thank you.” She stroked his arm, fingers light upon its hard muscles.
“For what?”
“For being so kind.”
Puzzled, he cocked his head. “What is ‘kind’ about liking good lemonade?”
“Well, I’m sure you’re used to nicer things,” she stammered. “Pot roast last night and now lemonade in a Mason jar. It’s not like it’s a filet and fine wine.”
“Hannah!” He put his glass down on the sill and pulled her close. The warmth of his body, his nearness, drove all thought from her mind. “You don’t think I look down on your family, do you?”
“It’s okay,” she said – even though it wasn’t. “We’re not anything special.”
He cupped her chin and tilted her face up, making her meet his gaze. “You don’t truly believe that, do you? That the love your family shares is ‘nothing special’?”
“No. But the lemonade is, is…”
“Tasty. Made, and offered, with love.”
“…in a Mason jar,” she muttered.
He rolled his eyes, startling a smile from her. “What does that matter? Though in all seriousness, there is something you need to know if you’re going to be a… a Companion of Dragons.”
“Dragons love the riches of this world as much as any mortal man. More, perhaps, because our emotions run so deep. But they’re traps. When we lose ourselves, our purposes, we become dazzled by wealth. We try to dull our pain with gluttony and greed. Remember all those fairy tales about Dragons sleeping on piles of gold?” He picked his lemonade back up. “That’s what happens when we forget ourselves. The day I stop caring about life’s simple pleasures is the day I take my first step down the road to the Worms.”
Wait. …the first step…
Her jaw dropped.
Seeing that, the Dragon grimaced. “Forgive me. I was foolishly poetic over lemonade.”
“I know where he is.”
“What?” He leaned close to catch her whisper. “Where who is?”
“LeMar. I…” Her voice rose into a delighted shriek. “I know where he is! He’s at the inn at Pleasant Pond! If we hurry, we can still stop him!”
Brandon stared at her like she’d gone mad. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Because of the lemonade! Don’t you see?” Giddy with delight, she laughed at his confusion. “Because he’s him and you’re you. Would Stephen LeMar drink lemonade out of a jar?”
“I think not.”
“Of course, he wouldn’t! And I’ll tell you what else he wouldn’t do. He wouldn’t eat at Mack’s Diner. He wouldn’t grab snacks at the Corner Market or sleep at the Rest-a-While Motel. Don’t you see?” In her excitement, she started bouncing from foot to foot. “He’s a Worm, not a Dragon. Nothing in Beverly is good enough for him!”
Brandon’s face lit up as he saw the direction of her logic. “And the inn at Pleasant Pond…?”
“Is a five-star resort about fifteen miles north of here. It’s the only fancy place anywhere near Beverly! I mean, maybe LeMar drives all the way from Sarasota Springs. If so, we’re screwed. But he’s a Worm.” She grinned in triumph. “I bet he’s lazy. Why go that far when there’s someplace closer?”
“Oh, Hannah!” On his lips, her name blossomed into a hymn of praise. He drew her to him, kissed her gently on the forehead. “Oh, my Mate! You are brilliant!” Once more, hope and defiance filled him. The last traces of that self-loathing guilt vanished. He had a chance to atone for this morning’s failure and she
knew he would die before he ‘let her down’ again.
To linger, in his arms, basking in his love and admiration… she would give anything to stay here, forever. But their window of opportunity was closing, fast. As fast as a scared Worm could run.
A quick peck on the cheek and she pulled away. “I’ll get the keys to the Chevy.”
“Hmm. You’re right. I should drive rather than fly. Save my strength.”
She’d known that was coming! “Nope. I’m driving.”
“Hannah!” His voice rose, growing deeper, firmer, as it was touched by his Dragon’s authority. “You will not accompany me.”
Already on her way out the door, she didn’t even slow. “Yes, I am. C’mon. We need to get moving.”
“I cannot allow you to take such a risk.” As if he could stop her! “Besides, there is nothing you can do to harm a Worm.”
“I know.” Snatching the truck keys from the hall table, she trotted towards the front door. Her Dragon followed her, eyes bright with annoyance. “I gave him both barrels this morning and all it did was make him change his clothes.”
“So why risk yourself? Trust me. Let me handle this.”
Hannah skidded to a halt, spun, and grabbed Danny’s hoodie from the coat rack. She was going to need that. “Because I know the inn and you don’t. I cleaned there for a couple summers in high school. C’mon.” Slipping on the jacket, she ran for the truck. “Let’s discuss this on the way.”
Though seething with dissent, he did follow her. Hannah hopped behind the wheel and grabbed Dad’s sunglasses hanging on the visors.
As she threw the truck into reverse, Brandon opened his mouth. She cut him off before he could renew the argument. “How strong are you right now?” She hated the way that made him wince, but he had to be honest. Her home, her life, depended on it. “Can you run LeMar down?”
“I doubt it.”
“So, you have to catch him by surprise. Which means you need to know where he is. Can Shifters see each other?”
“Yes,” he grumbled. Not liking the direction the conversation flowed.