Awaken the Dragon

by A. C. Arthur

  “All except one,” Reece added.

  Shola shifted in her seat. Theo wanted to reach out to her, but he refrained. After their first night and morning together, they had returned to their separate rooms, and stayed apart for two days, unsure of how to proceed with what was very new to them both. This morning he’d decided—or rather the very surly beast inside him had decided—that was foolish. There was no way to un-ring that bell. He’d touched and tasted her, he couldn’t even fathom not being able to do so again.

  So he’d sought her out and had convinced himself that the first priority was to learn more about her and what he needed to do to assist her, but they’d ended up simply walking and holding hands. Something Theo had never done before, but had enjoyed immensely.

  “Warrick is my responsibility,” she said. “I will deal with him.”

  “We will deal with him,” Theo corrected. He didn’t miss the rise of Ziva’s brow at that proclamation.

  Bleu cleared his throat loudly. “If you would all let me finish, I believe this is connected somehow.”

  Silence ensued, and Bleu nodded before continuing.

  “As we know, the veils through which passage to the other realms is made possible, are not open to all, at all times. There are intervals of closure as well as secret locations to which passage can be granted. This is to keep the balance of good and evil as even as possible on each realm. Except the Spirit Realm, of course, since the majority of convicted demonics are sentenced to suffer there deep within the bowels of the earth.”

  “Where they belong,” Reece added.

  Theo gave him a warning look and Reece shrugged.

  Bleu continued, “These realms appear brighter for one hundred nights. This signals the time in which all the realms are open to travel about on a search for more power. And when they are open—”

  “Evil has free rein to move about and to gather more power,” Magnum stated. “Sonofabitch! Someone’s making a play for the convergence.”

  Steele shook his head. “Warrick Camden.”

  “He’s not powerful enough,” Theo added. He’d been thinking about this since Bleu had come to him in the gym yesterday morning. “Warrick is not even accepted within the Royal Blood of his species. There’s no way he has enough backing to bring all four realms together under his rule.”

  “Unless he’s not working alone,” Steele said and looked at Shola.

  Shola looked to Theo and he nodded for her to speak. They’d talked about this the morning they were in the cave two days ago. He knew she was still leery about telling his team everything regarding her appearance here, but he’d assured her that they could be trusted.

  Despite her concerns, she spoke calmly and succinctly. “I was sent here to kill Warrick. He is threatening to take over my village. My people would be enslaved to him the moment I marry him.”

  Throughout the room, there were a few gasps, some leery looks and a nonbeliever.

  “Geez, then why the hell did your family send you to seal such a deal?” Ziva asked.

  “They had no choice. A deal was made,” Shola replied.

  “A deal with the devil,” Steele said with a shake of his head. “Why was there no counter curse? The Yoruba look to their deities, their witch doctors and—”

  “I am the counter curse,” she announced firmly. “I have been trained in the way to take Warrick down. My one purpose in life was to kill him. That is all.”

  In Theo’s opinion, that was too much. How had her father or this great Orisha goddess thought to wrap this weighty chain around her delicate neck and force her to carry it for all her life? Why had their one plan rested solely on her? He hadn’t liked it from the moment she told him about it and hearing her tell his team only reinforced his commitment to taking this burden away from her.

  “We get Camden, and then we get whoever he’s working with,” Bleu stated. “Before the veils go back to normal. If enough power is gathered the realms can be converged, and whoever wields the power to do that will rule.”

  Silence fell throughout the room.

  “Well, that’s an easy enough task,” Reece said with another shrug. “Let’s kill Camden, find his partner, and roast his ass too.”

  “That was very eloquently put,” Ziva quipped.

  Reece shook his head. “I’m not the eloquent one. That’s Bleu and Aiken. I’m the one that gets the job done.”

  “After he finishes talking about getting the job done,” Magnum said with a shake of his head.

  Theo looked among these dragons. Ones who had come to him for refuge and instead had brought him a sense of purpose to add to the declarations he’d already made for his life. He cared about them, and so had insisted they keep their identity a secret. Now, he wasn’t so sure that was going to be the smartest move.

  “We’re going out,” Theo announced. “Camden won’t sit still and wait for our next move. Our contact at the enforcer headquarters has already reported that there’s been a rise in robberies. Someone’s hitting the clubs and cleaning them out of their money and drugs. Crime bosses are not happy and are preparing their retaliation. In short, there’s about to be a war in Burgess if we don’t get a handle on this quickly.”

  “So we suit up?” Steele asked.

  Theo knew what he was asking and why he was asking in that way. His cover as a dragon had been revealed to Shola. But she had no idea that everyone in this room were also dragons.

  “On the low,” he replied. “We keep everything we do on the low for the time being. Is that clear?”

  Steele nodded first and the others followed.

  Theo wouldn’t require them to hold back on their powers anymore, but that didn’t mean they were free to walk into a club, open their mouth and singe somebody just for the hell of it. That wasn’t how Legion Security operated. It wasn’t how these Drakon were going to operate, at least not under his command.

  The meeting was over, and everyone stood to leave. Shola had stood also but she didn’t leave. When they were alone, she looked at Theo.

  “I am going with you,” she told him. “And before you get all into your guard routine, I think that ship has sailed. I am either going with you to carry out my destiny, or I will do it on my own.”

  She was calling a truce. Offering to work together instead of apart. It was a noble gesture, one that made her even more desirable to him than the sexy blouse and skirt she’d changed into after her run and their long walk. But Theo had already decided she would remain by his side. That was the only way he knew she would always be protected.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said and again, took her hand in his.

  Chapter Eighteen

  An hour after the meeting Shola answered a knock at her bedroom door.

  “That’s what you’re wearing?” Ziva asked.

  She walked right past Shola and stopped behind her. When Shola turned, it was to see Ziva staring her up and down.

  “What?”

  “Yeah. I thought so. But no, it’s not going to work. Look, no worries. I got this.” Ziva looked up at her and smiled. “Come on.”

  Shola closed the door and followed Ziva farther into the room. She watched the woman drop a black garment bag on the bed and slip a duffel bag from her shoulder.

  “Okay, so we’re going to Twilight. That’s the club your ex—he is your ex now, right? I mean, since you’re going to kill him, I would presume the right thing to call him is your ex.” Ziva moved while she talked, pulling down the zipper on the garment bag and taking clothes out.

  “I guess you could call him that.” Shola had no clue what was going on, but it seemed comfortable. Like something she should maybe be used to, but definitely was not.

  Ziva nodded and long silver earrings dangled at her ears.

  “So, when Theo says ‘on the low,’ that means we try to be as inconspicuou
s as possible. We walk into the club like regular patrons and mingle,” Ziva continued.

  She walked to Shola holding hangers with outfits on them in both hands. One held pants with silver glitter or sparkles or something that Shola definitely didn’t like. A blouse was also on that hanger, turquoise with cutout shoulders and full sleeves. She liked the color. On the other hanger were jeans with holes in them and a white sweater that Shola was certain would show more than a little midriff.

  “Hmmm, color or casual?” Ziva said, holding one and then the other outfit up to Shola’s body.

  “I’m already dressed,” Shola stated and knew immediately she’d said the wrong thing.

  Ziva’s forehead wrinkled, her lips twisting. “Um...no,” she said with a definite nod. “You’re not.”

  Shola looked down at the loose-fitting beige linen pants she wore and the matching top. Her flat brown leather shoes were smart and cute with the gold buckle at the top. Overall she’d selected an outfit that looked nice and would accommodate any type of fighting should the need arise.

  “When a woman walks into a club, or any place for that matter, she should make a statement,” Ziva said. “Right now you’re screaming ‘boring,’ ‘no fun,’ ‘don’t talk to me because I won’t care what you’re saying.’”

  Shola looked down at her clothes again. “That is not what I thought it said.”

  Ziva touched her shoulder. “It’s fine. You don’t strike me as the type to pay attention to fashion. But never fear, I’m here to help. So I think color is the key.” She tossed the jeans and sweater on the bed.

  Shola waited a second before shaking her head. “No. I’ll change, but not into this,” she said, pointing at the sparkly pants.

  She moved past Ziva and removed the jeans from the hanger. Then she turned back to Ziva and slipped the turquoise blouse off the other hanger.

  “This will work,” she said and smiled at Ziva before disappearing into the bathroom.

  “You know, I can take you shopping,” Ziva yelled through the bathroom door. “There’s not much else to do here in Burgess. I mean, if you’re planning on staying after we finish. You need some color in your wardrobe and to stop wearing all those baggy clothes. But your hair is always on point; not everyone can pull off the natural look well. I like the short, sassy and quick styles myself.”

  Shola was amused by Ziva’s conversation. There was minimal talk about the fact that they were heading out to kill someone and most probably anyone who got in the way of them doing that. In addition, she was talking like they were friends. Girlfriends, which was something Shola had never experienced before. The kids in school had never forgotten her fanciful tale of Oya giving her special gifts, so by the time they were older, Shola had become accustomed to being alone.

  “Ready,” Shola said when she stepped out of the bathroom.

  The clothes fit perfectly. Where she originally thought the torn jeans were confusing and her feet kept slipping through the open slots as she tried to put them on, they looked really good when she stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself. Ziva came up behind her.

  “This shirt is so cute. It looks better on you though. Jewel tones are definitely your color. But let’s take this out of your hair.” Ziva pulled the band that was holding Shola’s hair back from her face before Shola could stop her.

  “I thought you said my hair was always on point.”

  Ziva tossed the band on the dresser. “I meant it’s always moisturized and neat. But you could use a little variety in your styles.”

  Shola watched while Ziva’s hands moved over her hair. She basically plucked it out with her fingers, fluffing in some places and patting down in others. She moved away and dug into the duffel bag on the bed and came back seconds later with a silver barrette that she used to push the hair back over Shola’s left ear and hold it in place.

  “Cute,” Ziva said. “And sexy.”

  “I’ll settle for successful,” Shola replied and then turned to Ziva. “But thanks for your help. You did not have to do this, but I appreciate it anyway.”

  Ziva waved a hand at Shola. “Nonsense. You know how long I’ve waited for another woman to be in this house on a daily basis? Feels like forever,” she quipped. “Although I gotta admit I hadn’t thought it would be Theo bringing a woman home.”

  Shola paused. Ziva had been putting the other outfit back into the garment bag while she talked. But there was something in her tone, something about the way she said Theo’s name that made Shola think...oh no.

  “Are you, or were you, Theo’s girlfriend?”

  Shola was aware the words sounded awkward and considered clarifying or possibly apologizing for being so blunt and maybe a bit nosey. But she didn’t, because in the end, she really wanted an answer.

  Ziva zipped the bag and turned slowly to face Shola.

  “It was a long, long time ago,” she replied. “And I probably thought it was more than he did. So no worries there. He’s as free as a bird.”

  Or a dragon. Shola didn’t say that because she wondered how freely the subject of what he was could be discussed in this house. It seemed like not much.

  “But you still care for him? You still work with him?” she asked because she knew there was some emotion there, even if it were only on Ziva’s part.

  “We’re good together,” Ziva said, and then immediately followed with, “at work. We, all of us here, are a very good team. We’re doing important work by helping people. I’m not going to mess that up by harboring feelings that will never be reciprocated.”

  Her words made sense. They were courageous and smart. And Shola decided to believe them. Ziva had been nothing but nice to her since she arrived, so Shola wasn’t going to repay her by doubting what she said.

  “Are you his girlfriend now?” Ziva asked.

  She should have known that was coming.

  “No,” she answered honestly. “I do not believe I am. I am here to do a job.”

  Ziva smiled and headed for the door. “Yeah, you’ve told us that a time or two.”

  * * *

  Enes rested her elbows on the bar top and leaned forward.

  The club was packed tonight. Every table and booth were full. The back room was reserved and overflow eating had been requested and accommodated. An up-and-coming rapper was on the stage spittin’ rhymes while a group of about forty people crowded around the stage. Across the room, more customers crowded on the dance floor. Servers came back and forth to the bar at twice the intervals they normally did, filling drink and food orders. In the area they called the storeroom, business was also boomin’ because the majority of their guests loved a puff of hella with their hip-hop and hot wings.

  “Are they coming tonight?”

  She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to see that Prinze had come up behind her. She’d felt the warmth of his presence seconds before he spoke.

  “That’s what they said,” she replied.

  “And so you’re just gonna watch the front door all night?”

  With a weary sigh she turned, pressing her back against the bar and folding her arms over her chest.

  “No. I’m also going to keep Warrick from getting us both killed. You know, like I’ve been doing for the last few days.”

  Prinze had a thick build. He used to wear locks but had recently chopped them off to sport a cropped wavy style instead. His eyes were obsidian, style of dress casual, but he could wear a suit as well as any lord on the court. Prinze was no lord, and neither was Enes. But they ran this club and made sure the money kept flowing for Warrick as if doing the job well could earn them the title.

  “You haven’t been working alone,” Prinze replied. “Now we need for tonight to go down without a hitch. Because any slipup and we’ll be on two hit lists. And I don’t know about you but I consider one far less dangerous than the other.”

&nb
sp; He was right. If this plan to pay the other club owners—who were also big-time crime bosses—and negotiate a new, more profitable deal with them didn’t work, Warrick would kill him and Enes for calling the meeting and working on Warrick’s behalf without his knowledge. So failure was not an option.

  She turned around again and resumed staring at the door.

  “Let me know when they get here,” Prinze said.

  Enes nodded. She wasn’t in the mood to talk.

  Before Prinze walked away, he cupped a hand to her ass. Enes rolled her eyes. She wasn’t in the mood for his not-so-subtle hints that he wanted to get laid either. She watched three more people come out of the storeroom with smiles on their faces, while three more were allowed through the door to make their purchases. Moving her gaze to another corner of the club, she caught a glimpse of a couple, the woman with her back plastered to the wall, her legs wrapped around her guy’s waist while he drove hard and fast into her. Enes shook her head. Sex, drugs and music were what most of their customers came for, and they made a ton of money obliging them. Personally, she didn’t care much for two out of the three, but this rapper’s flow was smooth and his beat was bumpin’. She was nodding her head as he went into his second verse. Maybe she should take a run on the dance floor. It had been a while since she’d relaxed enough to enjoy their entertainment.

  They walked into the club before she could decide—the dragon, the bride-to-be and the woman who had once visited Enes’s dreams.

  * * *

  “We should split up,” Ziva said when they walked into Twilight.

  “No, we shouldn’t,” Theo replied. “There are too many people in here. Too many possibilities that something could go wrong and too many casualties if it does.”

  “Warrick’s not here,” Shola stated.

  “But there are definitely vampires in the building,” Theo announced. “Aiken and Reece are staking out Camden’s townhouse, and Bleu’s paying a visit to the Royal Blood. Magnum and Steele are running down the club owners who had their places hit in the last few days. In order to figure out what Warrick’s next move is, we need to know exactly what’s being taken.”