Molly’s eyes were open, and she was looking around her, confused. “Where are we?” she finally managed to croak.
Amy put her head down on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. I think I turned the wrong way,” she said, trying not to cry. “I wanted to turn around, but I can’t see anything. I was scared we’d fall off the mountain.”
Molly sat up a little straighter and looked over at her. She could feel the anger radiating from her friend. “Amy, that was a stupid and dangerous thing you did,” she said with a sigh.
***Michael***
Michael was having a hard time keeping the truck on the road, even with the four-wheel-drive engaged, but he kept going, desperate to find Amy and Molly. Adam sat next to him, eyes scanning the sides of the road, body stiff with tension. They’d said little to each other since they discovered Amy’s tracks leading into the mountains, both knowing just how dangerous the situation was.
As the road climbed, the storm had gotten worse, howling winds and blowing snow making it treacherous and slick and almost impossible to see. The snow was piling up fast, obscuring any tracks Amy’s car might have left, but he knew they were up ahead and pushed on despite the conditions. When the tree in the road came swimming into his headlights, already heaped with snow, he barely managed to bring the truck to a stop before they crashed.
Heart pounding, chest heaving with a fresh burst of adrenaline, he slammed his fist into the steering wheel, cursing the weather. Adam looked over at him. “Guess we’d better get out and see if we can move it,” he said through clenched teeth, his voice calm but the veins in his neck pulsing.
They got out of the truck, fought their way through the gusting wind and stinging snow, only to discover that the tree was firmly wedged into another one on the other side of the road. After a token attempt to get it free, both pushing with all their might, they trudged back to the truck.
“That tree isn’t going anywhere,” Adam said, finally looking at Michael, the fear in his eyes doing nothing to reassure him. “We can’t fly in this wind.”
Michael looked at the tree again. “We’ll just have to wait the storm out and hope that the girls are safe in the car, or even better, that they might have made it to the cabin,” he said, a burst of hope springing to life.
“Molly won’t do anything stupid like trying to get away,” Adam said, as much to himself as Michael. “Besides, Amy isn’t going to hurt her.”
“No, she’s not going to hurt her, and Molly knows what’s going on; she knows how dangerous the demons are,” he added. “If they made it to the cabin before the worst of the storm hit, then they’ll be safe and warm.”
Adam looked out the window at the blowing snow. “I just hope they made it that far,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do without Molly. She’s become a part of me.”
***Amy***
Molly was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, but she managed to say, “There’s a cabin; keep going,” before she fell asleep again.
Amy could barely see where the road was but was reassured by the fact that they’d driven onto a fairly flat piece of land free of trees. Slowly following what she thought was the road, she finally saw a dark shadow in front of them and sighed with relief. The closer she got, the better the cabin looked; even dark and covered with snow, it would keep them safe and warm for the night.
She pulled up as close to the steps as she could, then sat looking at the cabin for a second, trying to decide what to do. It would be cold inside, and the last thing she wanted to do was freeze Molly, but she didn’t want to leave her in the car too long. Finally, she settled for leaving her in the car long enough to get into the cabin and check things out.
“Molly, I’m going to get the door open, and then I’ll come back and get you,” she said to her sleeping friend.
When she got no response, she took a deep breath and opened the door, letting a burst of wind and snow into the car. She got out quickly and slammed the door, then trudged through the snow and up the steps to the door, praying that the door was unlocked. The knob turned easily, and a gust of wind blew the door open, taking a pile of snow with it. Wishing she had a flashlight, she stepped through the door, groped for a light switch, and nearly cried out for joy when she found one.
The cabin was cold, but much warmer than outside, so she went back for Molly, and after a slight struggle, had her bundled up on the couch in the little living room. “I’ll see if I can get a fire started; that’ll warm it up in here,” she said, but Molly had already fallen back to sleep.
Outside, the snow continued to fall, and she could hear the wind howling, but the fire leaped to life easily and she was starting to feel more confident. Now that they were safe, she could finally admit to herself that she’d had a moment when she’d been sure they were both going to die in the storm. It made tears spring to her eyes, but she wiped them away; she didn’t have the energy to cry right then. She had to take care of Molly.
Sitting on the edge of the fireplace, she watched Molly sleeping and realized she’d made a mistake; she should have escaped alone and come back for her. But she’d been so scared, so afraid of what might happen to Molly if she left her behind, and now she was afraid for both of them. The tears threatened again, but she pushed them away and got to her feet. The only thing she had to worry about was keeping them warm and fed. No one was going to come after them in the storm. When it was over, she’d worry about her next step.
Chapter Eighteen
***Michael***
Michael woke with a start, shivering behind the wheel of his truck, his breath creating a puff of steam in the frigid air. “Shit, we fell asleep,” he said, nudging Adam.
The truck was blanketed in a layer of snow, but there was a faint light coming in, and the wind had quit blowing. He grabbed his gloves off the dashboard and forced the door open, sinking into several feet of snow when he jumped out of the truck. Wading through it, he headed for the front of the truck, where Adam met him, a determined look on his face.
“Let’s go find them,” he said, his eyes pulsing with power.
“Hold on. When we do find them, we need to be careful. Amy is already freaked out enough,” he said. “If she sees us, it could throw her over the edge.”
Adam nodded. “I’ll be careful,” he said.
When the air around Adam began to shimmer with power, Michael turned and looked up at this sky, calling his magic. He slipped into his dragon form easily, his human form gone in an instant, and in its place, a fantastic beast that took to the air with a giant leap. Feeling his wings beating against the cold air, he let himself soar for a moment, relishing the freedom of flight, then swooped back down and began to follow the road.
By the time the cabin came into view, he knew what he would find, but it was still a huge relief to see Amy’s car, covered in snow and parked at the base of the steps. Heading for the trees around the clearing, afraid that Molly would see him, he braced himself to shift but stopped at the last second when he got a whiff of rotten eggs. Flapping his wings, he rose above the trees and looked for Adam, who was hovering on the other side of the clearing, the shimmer of a demon directly under him.
He looked around the clearing, watching in horror as three more demons emerged from the trees, headed directly for the cabin. Adam’s cry of alarm rang through the trees and he responded, sweeping out of the trees and slamming directly into one of the demons. Burying his talons and sharp beak into the flesh of the creature, he lifted it into the air, and with a mighty twist of his powerful body, threw it to the ground. It writhed in the snow, suddenly visible as it was sucked back into the underworld, then disappeared.
Gathering his energy for another attack, he looked over at the cabin, afraid he would see Amy looking out the window, but what he saw was far worse. She was standing in the snow halfway between the cabin and the woodpile, a look of horror on her face, a demon creeping up behind her. Molly was standing in the doorway, yelling at her, but she was frozen in place, her arms h
anging at her side, the wood she’d been carrying at her feet.
The demon was only a few feet from her, becoming more solid as it prepared to attack, when she turned and saw it. She stumbled back through the snow, a scream filling the silence of the morning, then fell backward and tried to crawl away from the hideous blackish-green creature. It was leaning over her, its arms outstretched, the boiling sores on its skin oozing and filling the air with the stench of rotten eggs.
He saw her entire body stiffen, another scream filled the air, and then she fell back in the snow, completely still. Michael let out a strangled cry as a life without Amy flashed through his mind, and a white-hot anger spread through him, making the air around him crackle with power. Before the demon could touch Amy, he swept out of the air, grabbed it, and sent it flying across the snow, then Adam swept in for the kill, and the demon’s cries of pain filled the air.
Landing a few feet from Amy, he shut down his power, shifted back into his human form, and rushed to her side. Sweeping her up in his arms without even stopping, he ran for the cabin, the sound of a demon snuffing and sniffing behind him following him all the way. When he got to the door, Molly was waiting for him by the couch, a blanket in her hand.
“Put her down here and go help Adam,” she ordered.
He laid Amy down on the couch, put his fingers up to her neck, reassured when he felt her steady pulse, kissed her on the forehead, then headed for the door. Before he stepped outside, he turned back just to reassure himself, only to find Amy staring at him, her eyes full of fright. His heart sinking, he turned away from her, let himself shift, then after pausing to gather his strength, he opened his wings and took to the air.
He found Adam hovering over the other two demons who were milling around the spot where Amy had fallen, and he focused all his hurt and pain into destroying them. But when they stood on the porch, the demons nothing more than a melted spot in the snow, he didn’t feel any better. Any chance he had with Amy was gone; the look in her eyes when he shifted had told him all he needed to know—she’d never be able to accept him for what he really was, would never be able to live with the monster she thought he was.
“Don’t lose hope yet; you did save her after all,” Adam said, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
“Yeah, but I made myself look like a monster in the process,” Michael said shaking his head. “When Molly saw you for the first time, you were hurt; you weren’t killing a demon.”
Adam grinned at him. “Who knows; maybe it will turn her on,” he said, opening the door and shoving Michael in. “Let’s get out of the cold.”
***Amy***
Amy was bundled up in bed, a roaring fire going, so many blankets stacked on top of her, she could barely breathe, but she was still shivering. She’d woken on the couch just in time to see Michael turn into a dragon with glimmering green feathers the same color as his eyes, and a look of sadness on his face that made her heart ache. When their eyes met, she’d known instantly that it was still him inside the incredible creature, and her fright had disappeared.
Now, she was not so much scared as shocked, her brain trying to grapple with what she’d seen. She was blocking the memory of the demon, letting it rest someplace deep in her mind until she could come to terms with its terrible existence. Eventually, she’d have to deal with the knowledge that there were such evil things in the world, but for now, all she could think about was Michael.
Molly shoved a cup of tea in her face. “Drink some of this,” she ordered.
Amy took a few long swallows, making a face with each sip. “This must be pure sugar,” she said.
“You had quite a shock; you need it,” Molly said. “How are you feeling?”
She took a few more sips of the tea, feeling it beginning to help. “I’m not sure,” she said. “Part of me thinks I should be really freaked out, and somewhere deep inside, I probably am, but right now, I feel calm, too calm, maybe.”
Molly nodded. “I suppose that’s natural,” she said. “Your mind’s way of protecting you. That’s why I lost my memory.”
Amy looked over at her. “You never told me what happened,” she said.
“I hit one of those things with my car,” Molly said. “Adam swooped in and saved me at the last minute, but I didn’t remember any of it until days later.”
Amy studied her for a second. “How do...” She wasn’t sure what she wanted to ask but tried again. “Is it weird to know that Adam is something else? I mean...oh, I don’t know what I’m trying to ask.”
Molly smiled at her. “Adam is the same man when he’s a dragon as he is when he’s a human; nothing changes but what you see on the outside,” she said. “But it was easier for me the first time I saw him, well, not including the night he carried me through the air after the accident; he was hurt.”
“You flew with him?” Amy asked, shivering a little at the thought.
“I was pretty out of it at that point, but I do remember just a little bit,” Molly said. “But the thing I remember the most is feeling safe.”
“I’m not afraid of Michael,” she said, realizing that it was true, then made a decision that felt right. “In fact, I think I want to see him.”
Molly got to her feet. “I thought you might want to,” she said. “Amy, just remember something: no matter what he did, Michael cares a lot about you, so don’t throw that away.”
Amy smiled at her friend. “I’m not planning to,” she said.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Michael opened it, looking so much like a child who’d just gotten in trouble that she wanted to laugh. “You can come in and shut the door,” she said, scooting over in the bed.
Michael stepped inside and shut the door but didn’t approach the bed. “Amy,” he began, but she cut him off.
“Come sit over here with me,” she said, patting the empty place beside her. “I don’t want to talk right now.”
He looked surprised but carefully sat down on the bed with her, his body tense. “Are you okay?” he asked, searching her face for some sign of what she was feeling.
“I will be once you hold me for a little while,” she said, crawling into his arms.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked, carefully putting his arm around her.
“Right now, that’s all I need,” she said, putting her arms around him and holding on tightly.
She felt him release a shuddering breath, and his arms tightened around her as his body relaxed. They stayed that way for a long time, her head pressed to his chest, his arms locked around her, the steady beating of his heart reassuring her that he was solid and real. A deep sense of contentment settled over her, filling her with a warmth that spread through her body and made her tingle all over.
Finally, ready to talk, she pulled out of his arms and looked up at him. “I’m sorry I drugged you,” she said. “I thought you were all crazy.”
He reached down and stroked her cheek. “I didn’t handle any of that very well,” he said. “I tried to prepare you; that’s why I had Horace show you the book, but I guess there’s really no way to...” he shrugged. “Are you...I mean, do you think you can ever...”
She studied him for a minute, searching deep inside herself for the answer he wanted, thrilled to discover that it was there. She reached up and brought his head down. He sucked in a deep breath of surprise, but when her tongue slipped into his mouth, he let it out again and kissed her back. The passion between them flamed to life, and her body flooded with pleasure, every nerve alive with sensation.
When they finally parted, chests heaving, bodies throbbing, Michael said, “I want you, Amy; I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, but first, we have to talk.”
Chapter Nineteen
***Michael***
Amy looked at him suspiciously. “The last time you said that, it didn’t turn out so well,” she said, trying to sound flippant but not doing a very good job.
He reached o
ut and stroked her cheek. “I think this might turn out better,” he said, settling himself against the headboard and pulling her into his arms. “Do you want to know why I handled things so badly?”
She nodded but didn’t say anything, so he went on. “I was drawn to you, Amy, drawn to you in a way I never thought I could be,” he said, then paused. “At first, it was just physical, but that changed the more I got to know you, and now, well, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Amy gasped but didn’t speak, so he rushed on. “I know it seems sudden, but there’s something you don’t understand about shifters, something that makes us different from humans,” he said. “When we mate, it’s for life, and for a few lucky ones, that bond is stronger than anything but death. I never thought I’d find that kind of mate, yet here you are, but I can’t take this any further unless you are willing to be stuck with me for the rest of your life. Once we bond, I’ll never want anyone but you, and that’s a lot to ask considering what you’ve seen tonight.”
She studied him for a long time, and her lips curved up in a little smile. “So, what you’re telling me is that you’ll love me for the rest of our lives, that no matter how old I get, you’ll always want me?” she finally asked, a sparkle in her eyes.
He nodded. “But that comes with a price, Amy. What you saw today is my life. I’m a guardian. I protect humans from those things and I always will,” he said.
She reached up and stroked his cheek, making his body come alive. “I think that’s a price I’m willing to pay,” she said. “I just hope your mother learns to like me.”
“I think I love you enough for the both of us,” he said, surprised when the words popped out but not sorry.
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