“Abby!”
Her heart stopped the moment she heard her name coming from Ty’s lips. With no time to spare, she bolted through the park pushing her way through the crowded park. She barely paused at the oncoming traffic as she bolted into traffic running from the threat behind her. With each step she took, her body pleaded with her to stop. But she knew she had to keep going.
Out of breath and her veins pumping battery acid through her legs she halted in front of the stone building. “There,” her inner voice shouted. Abby didn’t need to be told twice, the thick brick building with security in place was her only hope. She panted and heaved as she pushed through the glass doors and into the air-conditioned room. Her eyes scanned the open space. The same crowd of people shushed her once again, but she didn’t care, all she could think about was getting to a safe spot.
With the walls lined with books and the tables filled with students, there was no way Ty would make a scene here. However, she still pushed through the bathroom door and locked herself in the stall. Quickly she put her feet up onto the toilet seat and tried to remain silent.
She waited, as the sounds of water flowing in the pipes above her head filled her ears. Only when her heart had slowed to a steady beat did she drop her feet from the toilet and sigh. Tears streamed down her burning cheeks and she glanced down at her hands. Her eyes widened as she noticed charred marking on her palms.
“What is happening to me?”
***
“Luc do ya mind cleaning up in here for me?” The old man swayed as he walked with a cane in his hand. Luc glanced up from the pile of hay he was shoveling and nodded before giving the old man a smile.
“Sure thing, Duke. I gotcha. You go home and tend to that woman of yours.”
“She is a feisty thing ain’t she?” Duke chuckled, pulling the wooden doors of the barn open. Luc’s eyes widened and his heart quickened. In the distance beyond the trees a spark of green light shot up from the horizon. Luc dropped his pitch fork and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“She’s back,” he mumbled as Duke turned to face Luc.
“Then I guess I’ll be cleaning up,” the old man said. “You have other things to tend to now.”
“Thanks Duke,” Luc patted the old man on the shoulder and walked out of the barn keeping his eyes locked on the flash in the sky.
“Oh and Luc, you take good care of her this time will ya?” Luc nodded, before ripping the shirt from his body. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Prickles of ice shot up from his toes until the sensation took over his body.
He let the change consume him, filling him with ice and fire. In a feat of strength Luc released his inner dragon and expanded his wings. Duke shook his head and smiled at the sight.
“It’s been too long,” Duke murmured as Luc took to the skies.
“I’m coming Abigail, and this time I won’t fail you.”
Chapter 5
Abby sat in the stall of the bathroom rocking back and forth. She held herself, trying not to make a sound, while images of fire and soot flashed through her mind. She knew that the minute she walked out of the girl’s bathroom he would be there, waiting for her. Fear stole her courage as the lights in the building went out.
“The library will be closing in ten minutes,” the librarian’s voice bounced around the tile walls of the bathroom startling Abby. Taking shallow breaths, she wondered if anyone would come in here to check the stalls. But as the time ticked by and no one came, Abby sighed in relief.
“Maybe he isn’t out there,” she thought building up her courage to step out of the stall. “Maybe…” was all she could think about as different scenarios played in her mind. Her first hope was that Ty was gone and wouldn’t come back. Maybe what she did out in the field gave him enough reason to stay away? But then again, Ty didn’t seem at all harmed by her explosive power.
“Maybe that is what he meant?” she mumbled and carefully placed her hand on the stall door.
“You can’t stay in here forever,” she thought. She gave herself a quick nod before unlatching the stall door. When she peeked her head out, she giggled.
“You’re an idiot. Do you really think a tiny little latch is going to keep someone like Ty out?” she shook her head and took a step out into the main area of the bathroom. With her eyes wide she glanced around until they landed on her reflection in the mirror. But it wasn’t the same girl she had seen before.
Abby cupped her hands over her mouth and stared at the unfamiliar redheaded girl in the mirror. The white skin smudged with dirt wasn’t hers. The wide frightened eyes and smoldered hands however were. Abby took an unsteady step forward.
“This has to be a mistake,” she said reaching for the faucet and lifting up the knob to turn on the water. She quickly filled her hands up with crystal clear water and tossed it over her face. But no matter how many handfuls of water she poured over herself, the girl in the mirror didn’t look like her.
“What is happening to me?” she gasped. With the dirt and smolder marks gone, all that remained was the bright red head with green eyes and ruby red lips.
Abby took a step back and shook her head. Her chest tightened and her muscles ached from running, but where else could she go. She had no choice but to stay right there and face the girl in the mirror. With her lungs filled with air she exhaled slowly and leaned back against the bathroom stalls.
“What hell am I going to do now?”
Abby turned her head towards the bathroom door and then scanned the rest of the bathroom. She found a row of windows lining the wall, but they were too high for her to reach.
“Okay, you can either try to find a way out through the front door of the library, or try to climb through that window.” She nodded as the sound of her voice remained the same. As she formed a plan, her mind drifted to Ty.
She knew he would be waiting for her, the problem was, she didn’t know where. Her mind raced to Jess.
“Oh God, Jess,” Abby thought as her mind filled with images of Ty holding her hostage.
“But if she doesn’t know where you are, Jess is no good to him,” the inner voice said soothingly.
“I can’t go back can I?” Abby asked looking into the mirror. She shook her head as the reflection mimicked her moves. She pressed her lips into a tight line.
“Then I guess it’s time to face the music.”
She turned on her heel and walked to the bathroom door. Glancing down at the knob she noticed her hand was trembling with fear.
“Get a grip. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life in the bathroom do you?”
Abby twisted the knob and sucked in a deep breath. In one swoosh the door flew open. Darkness greeted her. The entire library was silent and still. Even the tense silence that she could cut with a knife was gone. There was no one in the building. No one except her.
Abby walked slowly down the rows of books. Each flicker of light from the outside caught her attention, making her freeze. Only when the darkness shrouded her again did she move. Closer, inch by inch she made her way to the front of the library until she reached the double glass doors. She peeked through the doors and froze.
Ty was sitting on a bench in front of the library. His face was calm and his eyes remained fixed on the doors. Abby backed away slowly wondering if the strangers in the field had surrounded the building leaving her no way out.
She scurried to the shadows and ducked behind the librarian’s desk. With her mind swirling and her chest tightening by the minute she knew she couldn’t stay in there. Ty could burst through the doors any minute if he thought she was in there.
“Maybe he doesn’t know where I am,” Abby thought. “Maybe he is here and the others are at the bars or my dorm? Maybe I can take him out like I did before?”
She rose from her hiding place and with her hands balled into fists she walked to the glass doors. Ty rose from his seat the moment he saw her in the shadows.
“You have nowhere to go little girl,” he taunted
from the other side of the glass doors.
“Maybe or maybe I do.” Abby glared at him hoping that whatever strength she had had in the field would return and put him in his place.
“So, do you remember who you are now?”
“I don’t know who you think I am, but I am not amused by this, at all. Now you’re going to walk away and forget we ever met.”
“Sorry, can’t do that. You see, you have something that doesn’t belong to you and I am here to collect it.”
“I don’t have anything.”
Ty smirked and tapped on the glass with his finger. Abby glanced down at her chest, confusion filled her eyes.
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, maybe it’s best this way. Now come out here and let’s finish this once and for all.”
Abby shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to give Ty anything he wanted. Her heart broke as she wondered about all the times she had seen him in the hallways. All the glimpses she had stolen at football games.
“I have no intention of coming out of this building.”
“You can’t stay in there forever. At some point those doors will open and I will be able to come in.” Ty glared at Abby and took a step back.
“Or, I can just come in now.” Ty’s hand snapped back and before Abby could turn to run his fist had made contact with the glass, shattering it into a million pieces. The shards at Abby’s feet sparkled like stars.
“Leave her alone!”
Ty twisted around and hissed as Abby made a break for it and ran further into the library hoping the shadows would protect her.
“Ah, my dearest brother Lucas, so glad you could make it. I see you got the message,” Ty pointed to the sky and smirked. Abby peaked around the book shelf and clung to the side as the stranger held his ground against Ty.
“Took you long enough.”
“Ty, you have no right to do this.”
“I have every right!” Ty snapped taking a step forward. “It was you who had no right to give your heart to a mortal. If you hadn’t of been so foolish all those years ago, things could have been different between us.”
“So you got me here, now what?” Luc said keeping his eyes locked on Ty. “Is this to be a battle to end all battles?”
“We tried that remember? It didn’t work out so well for your dear Abigail then now did it?”
“So what do you want? Why are you after her?”
“You know why. Or has being a human tainted your memory?”
“I haven’t forgotten anything, but you have brother,” Luc stepped to the side and drew a small metal object from his pocket. Abby squinted her eyes to try to see it, but Ty stepped back blocking her view.
“I could end this right now,” Luc grunted holding his weapon up to Ty.
“Then do it,” Ty hissed. Luc’s eyes darted to the girl in the library and back to his brother.
“That would be too kind to you,” Luc said lowering the dart gun.
“You should have taken the shot,” Ty said as he bolted towards Luc. The sound of their bodies crashing into one other sounded like an avalanche. Abby covered her ears with her hands and ducked down expecting the walls of the library to come crashing down on her.
When the ear piercing sound had ceased, Abby glanced up to find both men were gone. Without any further hesitation, she sprinted to the broken door and raced down the street.
With no place safe to go, she wandered through the city until she found an ATM. Her hands trembled as she pulled out her wallet from her back pocket and slipped a card into the machine. A few clicks later, she had the contents of her savings account, in cash.
“You know where to go,” the inner voice said. Abby nodded once and ran through the city until her legs pumped acid and her breath burned her lungs. The only safe place was out of the city.
“Sorry Jess,” she mumbled pushing herself further away from the college campus. “But I can’t stay here any longer.”
Chapter 6
“One-way or round trip, Sweetheart?” The chubby woman with wire-rimmed glasses stared at Abby, who was continually glancing over her shoulder. In the depths of her soul, Abby wondered how long it would be before they found her. She whipped her head around to the woman behind the counter and slid the money across to her.
“One way,” she answered hoping that the money she provided was enough to get her out of this place.
“You traveling alone?” the woman asked leaning over to reach for the cash on the counter. Abby nodded as her eyes flicked to and fro.
“You okay Sweetie? You seem awfully jumpy tonight.”
“Fine, can I just get the next bus to Dawson?”
“What’s the rush?”
“Let’s just say the sooner I get away from this place, the better I’ll feel.”
“You know,” the woman stretched her body over the counter and leaned closer to Abby. In hushed tones she said, “If you are in some kind of trouble I can call the authorities.” The woman’s eyes flicked to the armed men in the corner of the room.
“All I have to do is say the word,” the woman added. Abby hesitated. She stared at the men wondering the kind of damage they could do to Ty and then shook her head. It was no use; a monster like Ty wouldn’t be taken down by mere bullets. They would need a tank. And what was she supposed to report?
Excuse me but there are monsters chasing after me, Abby said the words in her mind and even she heard the crazy that came from them.
“When is the next bus?” Abby asked with a straight face. The woman leaned back in her chair with her eyebrow raised in suspicion.
“Your bus leaves in ten minutes,” the woman said pushing Abby’s ticket and the change towards her.
“Thanks.”
Abby grabbed her stuff and headed to the terminal. With her foot rapping against the pavement she couldn’t wait to board. The moment the driver opened the doors, she bolted through them and climbed into a seat at the back. Dark shadows lingered over her seat, giving her a bit of comfort as she waited for the others to get on.
The ten minutes seemed to drag on forever. Abby shifted her weight and fidgeted in her seat until the last passenger climbed in and took their seat. Once the doors sealed them in, Abby exhaled. The bus rolled slowly out of the depot and started its long journey to the country.
Dark trees filled Abby’s window as she stared out into the void. Her thoughts swirled and raced. Ty’s face flashed in her mind and she nearly screamed at the sight. She blinked several times making sure he wasn’t really there and by the time the bus pulled onto the highway, she knew she was safe.
Relief washed away her fears and the hum of the tires on the road lulled her to sleep.
Abby’s eyes popped open at the hiss of the brakes. The bus driver pulled open the doors and stood up.
“Dawson Station,” he announced before descending down the steps and through the open doors. Abby wiped the sleep from her eyes and rose. She walked down the long aisle and paused at the open doors. A smile played at the corner of her lips as she took one step then other.
“Home,” she gasped, glancing around at the familiar sight of trees and the one-stop gas station, she had sworn she would never see again. The thin bus driver paused to look at her before turning away and walking towards the mini mart. Abby didn’t need directions; she knew exactly where she was and where she was going.
She made her way down the road, with confident strides, until she came to the mile marker and turned right. The long dirt road was all too familiar. Joyful childhood memories filled her mind as she skipped down the road to her grandparents’ hunting lodge. She knew they wouldn’t be there, but she didn’t want to see them. Not yet, at least. What she wanted was a place to relax and get her head on straight.
A humble house with gray trim and a long wrap-around porch greeted her at the end of the driveway. Abby moved swiftly up the three steps. The wood creaked under her weight as she walked across the planks to the screen door. She leaned down a
nd slipped her hand under the mat to pull out the spare key.
With the shiny little object in her hand her smile grew. There is no way anyone will find me here.
She pushed the key into the lock and twisted the knob. The door creaked as it opened for her. The musty hint of pine, mingled with her grandfather’s old cigars filled her nose. She didn’t wait for an invitation; she stepped in and flicked on the lights.
“Just as I remembered it,” she mumbled, pleased that everything from her grandmother’s knitting basket to her grandfather’s boots were exactly where they were three years ago.
Abby closed the door behind her and locked it. The idea of locking the door seemed silly compared to who was after her, but the sound gave her the peace of mind that she needed.
“Now, did they leave anything to eat?” she mumbled walking through the house to the kitchen. Abby searched the cabinets and to her delight found an unopened jar of peanut butter. She pulled it out and popped off the lid.
The aroma of roasted peanuts filled the air, and she dug two fingers into the jar without a second thought.
“I will never complain about cafeteria food again,” she said licking the peanut butter from her fingers. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until then, and she wondered when was the last time she ate. With her stomach having been in knots for so long, she was surprised by the amount she consumed. Before she knew it, a fourth of the jar was gone.
“At least it was something,” she said turning her attention to the faucet. Abby walked over to the sink and twisted the knob. The pipes sputtered and whined as water was pushed through them. She ducked her head under the running water and drank till her stomach was full. She turned off the water and a rapping on the screen door startled her. Her eyes flashed about scanning for the nearest weapon. On the kitchen counter she pulled out the largest knife she could find from the knife block, before moving cautiously towards the front door.
The Fate of the Dragons Series Box Set Page 4