by JD Monroe
“Something insane is happening here,” she said. “Start talking or I’m calling security.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Tarek Windstriker had known fear in his life, having seen his life blood spilled on the ground around him before looking up at the wrong end of a dozen enemy swords. And on the day that those near-fatal wounds healed enough to allow him to stand before his queen and give his account of how he had failed to protect her eldest daughter from their enemies, he had known that fear once more. Having faced such things, he did not expect a mere human woman to bring him to his knees, at least metaphorically speaking.
But here he was.
There were not a dozen Ironflight warriors, ready to spit searing gouts of flame at him, standing between him and his princess. He was close enough to see the princess’s delicate eyelashes fluttering. And the only thing standing between him and Ashariah was a human woman.
“Start talking, or I’m calling security,” she ordered with the imperious confidence of a queen. If she was intimidated by him in the least, she didn’t show it.
The nurse had given him no trouble. He’d shown her his ID—a well-made fake for a dragon with no records in the human world—and assured her that he was trustworthy. She’d obviously wanted more information, but a gentle push had convinced her it would be better for her to get back to work. Thanks to the magic running in his veins, reinforced by the magic lingering in the air, he’d had no trouble persuading her.
So why was this—Gabrielle Rojas, by her name tag—resisting him so easily?
“Well?” she demanded. Her hand crept toward a plastic remote hanging on the edge of Ashariah’s bed. There was a large red button on one end, and if the satellite TV he and Shazakh occasionally watched to pass the time was to be trusted, pushing that button would bring a world of trouble his way.
“Wait!” he said. It had to be because he was exhausted. A lengthy transformation, flying hundreds of miles in pursuit of Ashariah, and all of it when he was rather out of shape. That had to be it.
With his heart pounding, Tarek drew the magic of the air into himself, and reached for Gabrielle. She flinched, but he simply rested one hand on her cheek. Her dark eyes flitted to his hand as she gasped.
There was an instant moment of connection as their gazes locked. He felt the warm thrum of her life energy. His persuasive power was one that came to most of his kind as they reached maturity, though it only worked on humans. With his mind, he leaned in, pushing against her will. “You can trust me. You will release this young woman to me.”
Her pupils dilated, spreading inky black all the way to the irises. But there was a resistance there, like pushing a blade through leathery hide. And he could not break through, no matter how hard he pushed. He gritted his teeth and pushed again.
Something hot and sharp lashed back at him, like a heated blade slashing his face. He recoiled, staring at her in shock. Instinctively, he reached up to check his face for blood.
With wide eyes, Gabrielle grabbed the button and pushed it. When Tarek started toward her, she planted her feet wide in front of Ashariah and threw one hand out in a stop motion. “Don’t come any closer! Security!” she shouted.
It was absolutely inappropriate for the time and place, but there was something incredibly beautiful about Gabrielle.
“Is everything okay, Dr. Rojas?” a woman asked from behind him.
Tarek was stunned from his fixation on the woman and turned to see another woman in light blue hospital scrubs standing in the doorway with an armful of files. Her eyes were wide as she looked back and forth between Tarek and Gabrielle.
“Go call—” Gabrielle said.
“Everything’s fine…” Tarek’s sharp eyes searched the woman for a badge. “Carla! I am family. Dr. Rojas was just filling me in on what happened to my sister.” He locked onto Carla’s gaze. It took a few moments, but he found the connection to her will and pushed ever so gently.
Carla’s eyes widened, and the worry that creased her features eased, smoothing into a serene expression. “Oh, how wonderful,” she said, her voice lilting.
“What the hell are you doing? Carla, go call security,” Gabrielle ordered.
Carla cocked her head, looking to Tarek for guidance. “Is everything all right here?”
“Carla!”
“Everything’s fine,” Tarek said. “You can go check on your other patients.”
“I’ll do that,” Carla said. “I’m so glad someone is here for her.”
And without so much as a glance back, Carla turned on her heel. The push only worked on humans, and then only if it was something they would be willing to do. He couldn’t have forced Carla to kill Gabrielle, or to light the building on fire. But on some level, Carla did want to believe he was family, and that he was there to help. Gabrielle on the other hand…she either had some sort of natural resistance to him, or she was absolutely dead-set against releasing Ashariah into his custody.
Tarek spun around to see Gabrielle looking for more options. He was used to watching the enemy for the shifts in weight, the subtle hints at their next strike. So when Gabrielle took a tentative step toward the door, he was ready. With a graceful step and turn, he lightly kicked the door shut, then lunged forward to catch Gabrielle by the wrist. She struggled with him, with a great deal more strength than he expected from his first impression.
“Help!” The shrill voice startled him, and out of instinct, he clapped one hand over her mouth and pushed her backward until her hips bumped against the bed railing. Her eyes were wide and terrified, searching him for answers.
“I am not here to hurt you,” he said in a calm, quiet voice. “And I know you don’t understand, but I need to take this woman with me. It’s part of my job to protect her.”
“Mmph,” Gabrielle said. She struggled against him, and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her, pressing her body tightly to his and trapping her arms.
She was pressed tight enough to him that he smelled the vanilla and coconut smell of shampoo from her hair and felt the smooth curve of her breasts against him. Never mind that she’d probably prefer to bite him over kiss him, but she was quite lovely, and with the spirit of a warrior at that. Her eyes were frightened, but they were not the frozen, helpless eyes of cornered prey. Her dark eyes were narrowed into a glare. There was no sign of resignation, but rather cool calculation that said he had better watch his back.
“Look, I know that this is all very strange to you, but I assure you that I will care for her and see that she makes it home safely,” he said.
Gabrielle’s brow furrowed, her nose wrinkling in a sneer. “Mrrph!”
What was he supposed to say? That she was fiercely protecting dragon royalty from her own guardian? The Kadirai had strict laws about maintaining secrecy when they visited the mundane world, so as not to encourage any would-be dragon slayers. Their law was takara vhan—keep the secret, at all costs. Normally it wasn’t an issue, thanks to the ability to nudge humans into ignoring them, but that wasn’t an option with Gabrielle for some inexplicable reason.
He had to do something. Think, Tarek.
Well, for starters, he could start thinking with his brain instead of the less intelligent parts of his anatomy. If Gabrielle were a man, then she’d already be unconscious on the ground. He couldn’t bring himself to strike such a lovely face, but a carefully applied pressure on the side of her throat would leave her unconscious in a few seconds, with no ill effects.
“I’m terribly sorry,” he said. Moving with the lightning-fast reflexes that had earned him his place on the Adamant Guard, he released Gabrielle long enough to spin her around roughly by the shoulders, then threw one muscular arm around her neck. She struggled in vain against him, with one hand clawing at his arm. Unfortunately for her, her warrior spirit did nothing against his size and strength.
Her other hand slammed down on the bed near Ashariah’s. Her tanned fingers crawled over the princess’s scraped, pale hand. Working carefully, the do
ctor disconnected a wire taped to her hand. Suddenly, a shrill alarm sounded.
The sound sent a chill down Tarek’s spine. Gabrielle twitched against him, digging her other hand into his arm and pinching painfully through the leather jacket. Then she froze, her whole body tensing against him. A wave of electric heat slammed through her and into him, and he lost his grip on her temporarily as the energy stunned him.
Ashariah’s pale hand gripped Gabrielle’s wrist. Her blue eyes were open wide, staring into the distance. Overhead, a monitor showed a tiny heart symbol with a number that kept increasing. Tarek didn’t know the first thing about human medicine, but with all the noise the machine was emitting, it couldn’t be good.
“Tarek.”
He froze. It was Gabrielle’s voice, but she pronounced his name clearly, with the crisp consonants of his native tongue. And she hadn’t said Derek, but his real name. “How do you know that name?’
“She showed me.”
CHAPTER SIX
This was shaping up to be the strangest day of Gabrielle Rojas’ career. First, a Jane Doe with freakishly fast healing had made her hallucinate. Then, a hot but creepy stranger had tried to sweet-talk his way into the room only to jump Gabby, but he’d been weirdly gentle, like he was trying to win a gold star for being a polite attacker. And to top it all off, she’d gotten weirdo vision number two, this one far more precise and continuous than the first.
This time she wasn’t falling from the sky, but running through a huge garden of massive, colorful flowers twining around stone pillars that disappeared into the clouds. And she was definitely human, with smooth, tan skin and toes that ended in pale pink nails. She was a child, judging by her short legs and the way everything towered over her. Sapphire pants threaded with gold billowed around her legs as she ran. The grass was a strange turquoise hue, kissed by cold dew that tickled her muddy toes.
Peals of laughter echoed off the stone around her as she ran, listening for the footsteps of her pursuer. Suddenly, a male figure leaped out from behind a pillar, a familiar face with dark hair and warm amber eyes. His lips curled into a smile as he crouched low, then sprang at her. He grabbed her around the waist and spun her high overhead like she was no more than a feather.
She felt warm and safe. “Tarek!” she squealed in delight.
The man’s face spread into a genuine smile as he pulled her back down and rested her on his hip. He wore a sleeveless leather tunic that showed off muscular arms that would have no trouble wielding the gleaming sword that hung in the sheath on his belt. As he carried her through the garden, bouncing lightly, he spoke in an unfamiliar language. It was harsh and precise, yet still strangely pleasant to the ear.
“Kaare! Esa kuthra!” he told her, pointing up to the open air above the garden. As she followed his gesture, she saw the massive scope of the garden. Rising in the distance were walls of dark gray stone, but the garden was open to the sky, with arches that met at a high point in the center. Circling overhead was a huge dragon, with the early morning light gleaming off its dark purple scales.
She felt a surge of warmth and affection, throwing out her hands in greeting to the familiar figure. “Kuthra!”
A shrill beeping blocked out whatever the handsome man said next. Like waking too soon from a dream, she tried to hold onto the dissolving threads of the vision, but she opened her eyes to the stark white and gray of a hospital room. “Tarek?” she said, the name unfamiliar on her tongue. He’d introduced himself as Derek, but this suited him.
“How do you know that name?”
“She showed me,” Gabrielle murmured. He had all but released her, and she turned slowly, her back still pressed against the Jane Doe’s bed as she looked up at him. His amber eyes were captivating, the rich color of clover honey.
“She showed you?” He looked as confused as she felt.
“Dr. Rojas?” Suzanne called from the doorway.
Gabby’s heart leaped in her chest as Tarek moved aside to allow her a view of the doorway, where Suzanne stood with her hand halfway into a clean glove. Her plan to get help by setting off Jane Doe’s heart monitor had worked as planned, but now she wasn’t sure she needed the help. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going on anymore.
Her cheeks flushed, like she’d been caught making out with a high school boyfriend. “Everything’s fine,” she said. “I bumped one of her monitors, nothing to worry about.”
“Okay,” Suzanne said. Her gaze tracked up to Derek—no, Tarek, Gabby mentally corrected—and regarded him suspiciously.
“Everything’s fine, Suzanne,” Tarek said, his voice mellow and resonant.
As before, Suzanne relaxed, and the tension flowed out of her face. “Okay,” she said pleasantly. “I’ll just get back to work.”
“Will you close the door behind you? Please?” Tarek said politely.
“Of course, honey,” Suzanne said with a broad smile. She left them, closing the door behind her.
“Okay, what did you do to her?” Gabby asked as he turned back to look at her.
“I can’t really explain,” he said with a pained expression.
He drew closer to Gabby, but it wasn’t to touch her, which was a pity. Maybe it was the single life catching up with her, but for a split second she’d enjoyed the feel of his body, which was every bit as solid and warm as she’d guessed from her initial sizing up. Yes, she’d also been scared out of her damn mind, but that was beside the point.
Instead of pressing against her again, he stood next to her, his shoulder brushing hers as he leaned over Jane Doe. Gabby still didn’t know what to make of the situation, but one thing was clear, even if it was completely absurd. Jane Doe had showed her something. As soon as she and Tarek had confronted one another, Jane Doe had reacted, like she was trying to reassure Gabby and let her know that Tarek was someone she knew and trusted.
No. That was insane.
Or was it?
“Can I approach without you attacking me?” Tarek asked.
“Me attacking you? You’re the one who came in here acting sketchy,” Gabby said. But she didn’t move to block him. Instead, she watched as he gently leaned over the bed and brushed his fingers over Jane Doe’s pale forehead. It wasn’t the gentle caress of a lover, but the fierce concern of a brother or a parent. “Is she really your sister?”
“No,” he said. “But I am obligated to protect her.”
“What are you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m not stupid, so don’t treat me like I am,” Gabby said. “You’re not…normal.” He wasn’t human. That’s what she meant, but the scientific part of her couldn’t quite say it, even as her mind babbled dragon-dragon-dragon. Come on, you saw the wings yourself.
There was a long quiet as he stared at her, his mouth half-open and his lips moving slightly as if he was trying out words and finding them lacking.
Gabby didn’t know what she wanted him to say. Yes, I’m an otherworldly creature and magic is totally a thing, or You’ve had a psychotic break and it’s time for your meds. Either way, this day had rocked her world and then some, and considering Tarek had yet to answer her question, it was probably about to get a whole lot weirder.
Gabby’s heart thumped harder and harder as the silence stretched between them. The warm affection from Jane Doe’s vision was evaporating as cold calculation took over. This was still a dangerous man, even if this woman trusted him.
She finally broke the silence. “Are you going to answer me? What is this? What are you?”
He flinched at the what and hesitated. “It would be better for you if you didn’t know.”
“Oh for God’s sake, could you be more of a cliché? Don’t give me that,” she said. “That is literally never true.”
Tarek frowned and leaned over Jane Doe again. His fingers lingered on one of the coils of IV tubing, one that pumped saline into her veins to keep her blood pressure up. “How badly is she hurt?”
“Nice subject change.�
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He turned to her, his eyes pinning her like a butterfly. “I need to know.”
“She’s hurt pretty bad,” Gabby said. The rapid switch in his mood reminded her that only minutes ago he’d been ready to knock her out with a Special Ops-worthy sleeper hold and whisk Jane Doe right out of here.
“Clarify,” he ordered.
“Extensive superficial injuries, bruising and cuts mostly. I’d think a motorcycle accident if I didn’t know better. She’s got a couple of vertebrae cracked, T8 and T9 specifically.” He looked confused. She hesitated, then took a step toward him and pressed her fingers into the middle of his back. Even through the leather jacket, she could feel the dense muscle around his spine. Damn. Her cheeks flushed as she took a deep breath that smelled like well-oiled leather. You’re a freaking professional, Rojas, focus. “Here. There doesn’t appear to be any damage to the spinal cord, but I want to get a look in there with an MRI to be sure. Either way, I’d guess there’s surgery in the future to stabilize the discs. Broken ribs, punctured lung, and virtually every joint in her right leg is shattered. Minimal head trauma, which is good.”
Tarek let out a heavy sigh, then pinched the bridge of his nose like a massive headache had just hit him. He spoke quietly to Jane Doe, but Gabby couldn’t make out the language.
“What is that?”
“What?”
“The language you’re speaking.”
“Spanish,” he said automatically.
Was he even trying? She held up her name badge to his eye level. “Dr. Rojas,” she said, rolling the r harder than her abuela. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, pendejo.”
“I don’t have time for this, nonsense,” he said. “I need to take her somewhere safe. She needs to go home.”
“She’s already somewhere safe,” Gabby said. “And unless home is a well-equipped hospital, then absolutely not.”