Ashes of Flame
Date: 2021-04-27 04:00:00+00:00
Description: Do not get abducted by a dragon mob boss. Kreed will freak. Zero stars. Abducted by Lazateth, Nik awakes to find herself in a concrete cell with no memories. Thankfully, she's not alone. Royce, a doctor with kind eyes and a caring demeanor, was ripped from his own life and forced to care for her. Working together, the two escape the torturous compound. Memories violently returning, the bond she shares with Kreed snaps back into place stronger and deeper than before. Terrified by their connection, Nik knows without a shadow of a doubt he is coming for her. Her only hope of reclaiming her fire i

Ashes to Flame

Lela Grayce

Copyright © 2021 by Lela Grayce

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Acknowledgments

Coming soon!

Other Books By Lela

Some see scars and call them flaws, but they are evidence of battles fought and won. How could they ever be flaws? Wear them proudly.

My eyes blinked open. The first thought I had was that everything hurt, including my eyeballs—I’d never had my eyeballs ache before. I couldn’t seem to get my mind to work—it was sluggish and annoying. With my brain on the fritz, I decided to assess my surroundings first, then figure out a way to get the ole noggin’ working again. Not necessarily in that order.

The floor was hard, like ground hard. My hand scraped across a rough surface that felt an awful lot like concrete. Since I’d never slept on concrete, I wasn’t certain, but maybe it was to blame for the pain I felt everywhere. I was lying on my stomach but didn’t have the energy, or strength, to move. With Herculean effort, I moved my head to the left to take in more of the room.

Grey walls and floors made up the closet-sized room, and it was, indeed, concrete. I laid on a raised bench, of sorts, with no padding whatsoever. A lite blanket covered me, but did little to protect me from the chill. There was one light source, high up in the ceiling, and no windows. A closed door was opposite me and made of a different shade of grey, which spoke of metal.

Wherever I was, it wasn’t a fancy resort, but more like a prison. Fantastic.

I tried again to roll over, but I was too weak to even raise my head. With nothing but a dank room to see, I lost interest quickly and my focus went to my thoughts, again. I couldn’t remember how I had gotten here; when I tried to think of anything, it was just blank.

The small amount of exertion I’d done exhausted me, and I could feel my eyes drooping. I closed them, hoping that when I woke again, I’d be able to recall more.

* * *

A bang startled me awake and I sucked in a breath as the pain and ache that I had ignored came rushing back to the forefront of my mind. I was able to hold in a groan as another bang sounded and the door started to move. I managed to turn my head back to its original position, even though I wanted to see who would enter.

“Get in there and check her again,” a female voice growled, followed by the sound of a body thumping onto the floor. “You better have some results soon, or you’ll find your clock ticking faster.”

The female voice tickled a part of my brain for recognition, but I couldn’t place it.

“Her state hasn’t changed in weeks. She’s in a coma and needs medical attention, a hospital, drugs,” a male voice said, from where I guessed the floor was.

“For your sake, I hope she wakes up soon,” the female growled, and a memory flashed across my mind. A dark-haired woman with milky, purple eyes standing by an equally striking dark-skinned male with white eyes.

The door slammed closed with a resounding echo.

A sigh from the male now in my cell was a sound that I could feel. It was part frustration, part hopelessness. How long had he been coming in to see me?

“Hey there, it’s me again,” he spoke softly, and I couldn’t figure out who he was talking to. “I’m going to check your pulse and respirations. I can’t check anything else because I’m still not allowed any equipment.”

I tried to steady my breathing but I couldn’t stop my heart from beating faster as I could feel him, and it made me uneasy.

A light touch on my shoulder nearly had me flinching, but it was gentle and barely there. Soft fingers felt along my wrist searching for my pulse. I held my breath, but I knew that wouldn’t do anything for my increased heartrate.

“Your heartrate has increased. Let’s hope this is a good sign and not a turn for the worst,” he said, before his hand returned to my shoulder. “Just going to check your breathing now.”

I couldn’t understand why he was talking to me. I was supposed to be in a coma. I shouldn’t be able to hear … should I?

“Your breathing is faster, as well,” he spoke softly, with concern.

He sat down near my head and I wondered what he was going to do next, but after a couple minutes and nothing happened, I thought that he’d finished.

“I don’t even know your name,” he whispered, and my heart went out to him. “They won’t tell me how you got to be like this. They aren’t good people, and I’m terrified for you to wake up and endure whatever they need you for, but I also don’t want you to get worse.”

He was silent for a couple more minutes and I debated on reaching out or telling him somehow that I was awake.

“They’ll be back soon. I’ve done all I can, but a human doctor helping a supe is a recipe for failure. They won’t tell me what you are, so I can’t even make an educated guess on your condition.”

I sighed, because I felt that same frustration, which had the man jumping up in surprise … and I did flinch that time.

“Oh my God,” he gasped, rushing to me and pulling the hair away from my face. “Can you hear me?”

He leaned down as if I was going to speak to him. Wait, why was that a bad idea? He was here against his will, too—at least, I thought I was here against my will.

“Yes,” I answered, then prayed that I didn’t just fuck myself by answering.

“Holy shit,” he ran his fingers through my hair. “I don’t have much time. I won’t tell them that you’re awake. I’ll be back later to feed you. Will you be alright until then?”

“Yes.” My dry throat made me wish for something to drink.

“Hang in there. We’ll figure this out,” he managed to whisper, as a bang came from the door. “There’s been no change, but she’s dehydrated. I’ll need to give her fluids today.”

“Any idea why she remains in this state,” a cool voice asked, and it made my skin crawl with a thousand ants.

“Since I don’t know her history, what she is, or how she got to be in this state, I can’t even begin to guess.”

“We’ll consider that. Her condition has improved under your ministrations, and if she continues to improve, we might gift you to her once she’s woken.”

“What is she to you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She will be the end of this territory … but she’ll also be the beginning.”

* * *

The banging from the door woke me from a doze. I quickly turned my head away from the entry so I it wouldn’t raise suspicion. Silence entered and continued as the door closed again. For a second, I was terrified that it was someone else, and not the doctor.

“Are you awake?” the doctor whispered—so quietly, I almost missed it.

“Hmm,” I murmured, following his lead with making as little sound as possible.

“We don’t have much time,” he said, rustling around the small space.

I took a chance and turned my head. The doctor’s appearance surprised me, not at all what I expected; he was young, fit, and looked to have been beaten recently. One eye was surrounded in black, while the left one was swollen shut. Small cuts and abrasions covered his face and what I could see of his forearms. He favored his right side, so either a leg or a rib was injured, I guessed, not knowing exactly how I knew that.

“You look as bad as I feel,” I croaked.

“I’d like to say that I’ve had worse, but I’m not that macho.” He managed a small grin, but the split in his bottom lip stopped him from smiling fully.

“What have they done to you?” I was horrified at his treatment, and frustrated that I couldn’t remember. “It’s because of me, isn’t it?”

“Your condition has been deteriorating for some time, now. They’ve brought in other specialists but nothing worked. I was their last resort.”

“Are you some sort of extra special doctor?” I tried to make my question light, but I had no idea who he was, or his situation.

“Not particularly.” He shook his head as I noticed the bag in his hands for the first time. “I just recently finished school and was supposed to start my residency before I was drugged and dragged here.” He withdrew an IV bag, followed by clear tubing. “You’ve been unresponsive and this is the only way to hydrate and get you the nutrients that you need.”

I nodded, because that made sense. I’d seen coma patients before when I was sick. When I was sick? I remember that I was sick. Dying, actually, but after many treatments, I had gotten better. Not cured.

“May I?” He pointed at my arm, and I nodded. He gently grabbed it and pulled it up, then tucked my hand between his elbow and chest so he could use both hands. “I left the port in your arm so I didn’t have to keep poking you every time.”

“I appreciate that.” I watched as he fiddled with the tubing.

Once the IV was in place he carefully put my arm down while he held the bag up.

“Do you know how you got here?” he asked, crouching as best he could to peer at my eyes.

“No,” I whispered, hating how vulnerable I sounded. I needed to be strong; that was hard when you had a blank brain with no idea what you needed to be strong for.

“Memory loss is a natural side effect. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I … I’m not sure.” I wasn’t lying. There was a whole lifetime of memories there, I just couldn’t seem to find them.

“It’s alright—don’t try to force it. Whatever happened to you played havoc with your mind. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you didn’t wake up, at all.”

That’s comforting. At least I now knew that I was extraordinary, or probably stubborn—that sounded more like me. Didn’t it?

Why was this so hard? I bit my lip to keep from crying. Tears gathered, anyway. I was locked up somewhere, with no memory, no idea what these people wanted; I didn’t even know if I had family or friends.

“Shhh,” the doctor said, softly. He didn’t waste any words, because nothing he could say would make me feel better.

I felt like death had come for me, and instead of taking me to the afterlife, my soul was fumbled around before being shoved back into my body. This wasn’t a physical injury, but maybe something deeper?

“What am I going to do?” I sniffled, tears leaking from my eyes unchecked.

“You’re going to stay strong and figure a way out of here.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Well, you aren’t alone. I’m here, but I’m not like you,” he mumbled, sheepishly.

I looked him over best I could—it was hard to get a read on him. He was average height, maybe a bit taller, but the extensive injuries made it difficult to decipher anything else. The one good eye I could see was brown and ordinary, not like the strange array of eye colors supes had. He wasn’t plain, and he didn’t fit the word simple or ordinary.

He was … human?

I gasped when my mind confirmed that he was human, a Pure human, in fact.

“Oh God, you’re … you’re human. A Pure human.” I was in awe because Pures were so rare nowadays—I’d only seen one in my life, and it was at a distance.

“How do you know that?” His brow wrinkled, but then it smoothed with comprehension. “You’re a shifter. You can smell that I’m human.”

“I’m not a shifter,” I corrected automatically, like I’d heard that comparison before. “I have no idea what I am.”

“Then how did you know I’m human?”

I shrugged because I didn’t know, and I got the feeling that the me, with all her memories, didn’t know, either. There’s some strange mind stuff going on up in here. “I’m sorry that you’re here taking care of me.” I felt awful that he was here because of me.

“If it wasn’t me, then it would’ve been someone else. However, you are a marvel, and I’m glad that I’m here.” he tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

“Royce.”

Though it was screwed up, I was glad he was here and that I wasn’t alone.

The door banged again, startling us both.

I quickly turned my head, while Royce stayed where he was, going about administering the bag of fluid into my body. When I heard the metal door open, I did my best to keep my breathing slow and even like someone in a coma. Footsteps on concrete echoed through the room and I realized that there was more than one set.

“Any changes?” a gruff voice asked, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

“None. I’m not sure what else I can do,” Royce responded, sounding defeated.

“Keep her alive. She’ll pull through, it’ll just take time.”

“Do you know what she is? If you do it could shed some light on her condition.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any idea, but I’m doing all I can to figure it out.” His voice took on a greedy tone. I knew in that moment that I needed to escape, because whatever this guy was, he was far from human, and for some reason he wanted—no, needed—me for something.

“I’ll keep her alive,” Royce promised. I felt that there was more to it than what he was saying.

“I know you will.” A clap sounded, like a hand on a shoulder, but the grunt of pain from Royce indicated that it was a warning. “Gwenna, make sure he gets cleaned up.”

“Yes, sir” a female voice intoned, respectfully, and I again had that tickle of recognition when she spoke.

Footsteps faded away as whomever it was left, but the fact that Royce remained quiet indicated that Gwenna was still in the room.

“I hope, for your sake, that she wakes soon,” the woman hissed.

She sounded pissed and I had no idea why. There was no empathy in her voice, only disdain and disgust. I must have done something terrible. That was the only explanation I could come up with.

“There’s only so much I can do.” The sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the room, and the grunts of pain from Royce had me second-guessing this act.

“Take that as incentive to do better,” the woman hissed, again. I felt my hand ball into a fist at his mistreatment. Who was this bitch?

Royce was doing everything he could to help me. He could only do so much since they’d given him absolutely nothing; it was like they expected me to just miraculously heal myself.

That last thought jarred something in my mind. A memory surfaced of blood boiling on my hands, but there was no pain, as it flaked and floated away as ash.

Oh my God. What … could I heal myself?

Before I could dwell on it further, a heavy body fell on me, but not completely as Royce was able to catch himself before he fully crushed me.

“Finish up so I can take you to get cleaned up,” the woman snarled, then slammed the door closed.

I could hear Royce’s labored breathing above me, and anger flared again. How could these people treat him like this? They were insane, and if I lived through all of this, I’d make them pay.

That inner declaration spurred enough strength into my limbs and I was able to push my upper body up with my hands. My arms shook with the exertion, but I didn’t care. I had to make sure he was alright.

Carefully, I got my legs underneath me and twisted so I could see Royce. He was sitting at the end of the bed where my feet had been. His arm was holding his ribs on the left side. His breaths were shallow, and I knew it must be agony to breathe.

I didn’t know what to do. How could I help him? Broken ribs were no joke. They were painful and dangerous if not treated properly.

“Royce,” I used my shaky arms to drag myself closer, and nearly falling off the raised platform. “What can I do?”

He shook his head, still breathing shallowly. I was terrified that this was the beginning of the end for him. My only friend in this strange place I woke up in, without memories, was being brutally treated, and it was because of me. I couldn’t let this continue. Next time they came in here, I’d reveal that I was awake, then bargain for his release.

“I know … what you’re … thinking,” Royce ground out, between clenched teeth, but despite the pain his was in, there was still a glimmer of light in his eyes.

“What am I thinking?” I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort but not being able to do much else.

“Don’t reveal yourself,” he answered, as he started to relax slowly. “That’s what they want. Don’t give them anything.”

“I can’t let them continue to hurt you.” My lip trembled and I felt close to crying, but I did my best to swallow it down.

“I’ll be fine.” He winced, and I glared at him. “Look, I’m being allowed to get cleaned up. Let me look around and get the lay of the land, so to speak, then we can make up an escape plan.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that it was a stupid plan, but then logic caught up. Pressing my lips together I tried to think rationally. This was a perfect opportunity, and possibly the only one we’d get.

“Are you sure you can do this?” I asked. This was far beyond him. He was a doctor meant to help people and I’d bet he never imagined he would ever be in this position.

“No, but there aren’t many options. I’ll be alright. I’ll stay out of Gwenna’s way and find out everything I can.”

It was my turn to nod my teeth, worrying my bottom lip. “You need to lay back down on your back this time.”

I complied and laid down, grateful that I was able to lay back, again. I was incredibly weak. It frustrated and annoyed him. I wasn’t exactly sure why I was feeling those things, but I took it as a good sign that a piece of me was falling back into place.

With effort, Royce stood and grabbed the thin blanket and pulled it so it was covering my body. Next, he unhooked the IV from my arm and tucked it under the blanket.

“Thank you,” I could feel exhaustion dragging me down.

The banging sound indicated the door was opening. Royce guided my head to the opposite side so no one could see my face. I closed my eyes in case they decided to get a closer look for some reason. His fingers lingered on my cheek and I had the sudden urge to grab it.

“Let’s go,” the male’s gruff voice said.

I could feel Royce withdraw and move toward the door. Tears gathered suddenly and I realized I didn’t want him to go—to be alone again. I didn’t have a choice, so I listened as the door closed and footsteps grew faint. Then I let the tears fall.

* * *

I jerked to full awareness as an alarm blared. It was loud and obnoxious, reminding me of what a fire alarm sounded like. Was there a fire?

With effort, I used the wall to pull myself up and into a sitting position. The soft glowing lights on the ceiling were off and the room was uncomfortably dark. I tried to hear anything, but I couldn’t make out any sounds over the blaring. Even thinking was proving difficult.

A couple minutes passed before I realized that I could smell smoke. There’s definitely a fire somewhere, and close. I looked around the room searching for anything that could help me. There was nothing but concrete walls, the thin blanket covering me, and the bench-like bed—it was completely clean.

The blanket pulled on my arm, followed by a sting that had me flinching; it had snagged the IV port in my arm. I almost dismissed it, but something made me pause and study it more closely. The catheter was in my vein and I knew, somehow, that it was flexible, not as unyielding as a metal needle. Urgently, I began taking the tape off, trying not to wince as it pulled hair and skin—the tape was worse than the needle.

Inhaling a deep breath, I pulled the plastic out of my arm using the blanket to staunch the bleeding. With the newly freed catheter in hand, I tried to stand and nearly fell flat on my face. Heart hammering with adrenaline, I used the wall for support as I shuffled my way toward the metal door.

I knew it was locked, but I tested the door, anyway, hoping that maybe someone had gotten careless. As far as anyone knew, I was in a coma, but it seemed no one was taking any chances. Using my fingers, I felt around the doorknob searching for a keyhole. A small something was underneath the handle but I had no idea what it could be. I had a flexible needle and was positive it wouldn’t do anything to open the door. I had to try though.

It took three attempts to find the hole, and another handful of wiggling it around. The click of the lock was a surprise and I jumped. Now the next problem—getting the door open. It looked and sounded heavy. If I could manage to open it in my weakened state, it would be a miracle.

I grabbed the knob and pulled. Nothing happened. Gritting my teeth, I wrapped my other hand around the knob and used all of my weight. It budged, but my knees were on the verge of giving out. I rested for a few seconds, mustered up the strength, and gave it another try. The door moved smoothly inward. Maybe I was getting my strength back.

A head poked around the door and I recognized Royce’s beat up face.

“Royce,” I whispered, beyond happy to see him, but too weak to hug him. “What’s going on?”

“The upper floors are on fire and it’s moving quickly. We need to get out of here.” He grabbed my arm and guided it across his shoulders.

“I can walk. You have more injuries than me.”

“You are extremely weak. I’ve at least had regular food and water to keep up my strength.” He grunted as he tried to support some of my weight.

This was going to suck.

There was a hall outside my prison cell, made of the same grey concrete. Lights were spaced out on the ceiling, the smell of dirt and mildew barely detectable under the smell of smoke. A haze had gathered along the ceiling. In a few minutes the hall would be full of smoke.

“How do we get out?” I asked. He’d seen more of this place than I had.

“I’m not sure. Just making this up as I go,” he replied, wincing with every step we took.

The hallway bent, so we followed it right and noticed a metal staircase leading up to the next floor. We both took a break leaning against the cool wall, then together, we started to climb.

It took longer than it should have, but we made it. The smoke was thicker up here, my throat burned with every breath I took. Royce was breathing shallowly, his ribs, and my added weight, taking its toll on him.

While he rested against the wall, I tested the knob with my hand. It was almost too hot for me, but with quick movements, I twisted and pulled the door open.

An arm grabbed me and pulled me away from the door as a plume of flames snapped into the room looking for oxygen to fuel it.

“We can’t go that way,” I coughed. Tears leaked from my eyes at the heat and smoke.

“It’s the only way out,” Royce wheezed.

I grabbed the collar of the shirt I wore and pulled it over my mouth and nose, hoping to filter the smoke a little. I wiped my eyes, then squinted through the door and into the flames. Fire engulfed the ceiling and the top of the walls of the hallway beyond. There were doors on either side, but the one opposite me had smoke seeping under it, like it was being sucked through, which made me think it was the way out.

“There’s a door on the other side of this hallway,” I said to Royce, who was holding his ribs and doing his best to fight the urge to cough. “If we stay low and hurry, we can reach it before the flames hit the floor.”

He nodded, pulling his shirt up over his nose and mouth like I had done, then using the wall, slid down until he was on his knees. Sweat poured from his forehead and I could see the obvious pain he was in, and I hated that there was nothing I could do.

I lowered myself down onto my knees and led the way into the room. It was infinitely hotter in this hallway and the smoke was thickening. We didn’t have much time.

Crawling was slow and hard, but adrenaline helped us to reach the end of the hall. Coughing and trying to see through my tears, I reached up and tested the doorknob. It was warm but with cool undertones. I twisted the metal but nothing happened.

No, no, no. Please don’t be locked.

I tried again but it didn’t turn, the door was locked Though tears were streaming down my face, I felt a different emotion rise, causing more tears to flow. Royce had slumped to the ground and I knew he had to be close to unconsciousness. Someone with broken ribs couldn’t handle the weight of the chest cavity. He must be in agony; the crawl down the hallway, just to have the door locked, leaving us trapped.

The squeal of metal sounded and I braced myself for the roof to collapse on top of us, but it didn’t. Instead, the locked door was torn off its hinges. Cool air touched my face then, just as suddenly as the fire roared.

I grabbed Royce’s arm, intending to drag him out with every ounce of strength I had left, but before I could even attempt that, I was hauled over someone’s broad shoulder. Coughs wracked my body and it felt like I’d never be able to draw a normal breath again. Whoever had me turned to go back outside but I strained, flailing for Royce. I couldn’t leave without him.

The person who held onto me shifted, then turned and bent down. I hoped that whomever grabbed Royce.

Hanging upside down, coughing up a lung, I couldn’t see where we were going, but I knew we were heading away from the fire and certain death.

Smokeless air caressed my skin and I marveled at how good it felt to be away from the heat. My coughing grew less the more air I breathed. My head was clearing and it seemed to be happening faster than it should, but I wasn’t going to complain.

All too soon I was tipped and set down. The blood rushing back into the rest of my body made me dizzy, but after a couple minutes, I realized it wasn’t my head or blood that was the problem. I was in a boat.

What the hell?

A body thunked—I turned to see Royce sitting beside me. His head hung limply, but the steady rise and fall of his chest told me he was still alive. Grabbing his hand, I intertwined our fingers, grateful that we had both made it out alive.

“Put these on,” a gruff voice said, as life jackets were deposited in my lap. “We’ve got a ways to go.”

I didn’t argue or protest. I slipped my arms into the vest then did the same for Royce, but backwards, since I was too weak to support his body weight to put it on properly. Looking around, I saw what I assumed to be normal boat stuff. I grabbed a grungy green tarp and tucked it around Royce and myself. That done, I was completely exhausted.

A very distant part of myself was worried about where we were going and who had rescued us. Were we free or heading to another prison?

My stomach lurched, pulling me from the light sleep I had fallen into. The sky was lightening dawn was approaching swiftly. The boat gave a violent jerk again, pitching forward. An arm caught me before I could catch myself.

Turning, I saw that Royce had me. He looked dazed and was blinking rapidly, probably trying to figure out how we had gotten here. I’d have to explain later, because I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on.

The boat crunched as it pushed onto shore, rocks and sand scraping along the bottom before jerking to a stop. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever been on a boat before, but this version of myself didn’t like it—not one bit.

A man appeared and slung himself over the side of the boat with a rope in hand. He wore all black, including a ski mask that hid his entire face. He wasn’t very large, or overly muscular, but he carried himself with ease and grace.

Glancing at Royce I saw that he was studying the guy as he moved about the boat securing it to the shore.

“Who is he?” Royce whispered to me.

I shrugged and shook my head. I had no idea who he was, but he’d saved us from the fire and brought us to the middle of nowhere, which was better than where we were.

“Come. We don’t have much time,” the masked man said, holding out his hand toward me. I gulped. Could I trust him? Probably not—but a part of me reasoned that he had plenty of opportunity to hurt us.

I placed my hand in his gloved one and let him pull me to my feet, then help me off the boat. He walked me up the bank then returned to help Royce disembark.

“Thank you,” I told the stranger, who nodded. Regardless of who’s under that mask, he had saved both of us, and I’d be eternally grateful.

“Who are you?” Royce asked, eyeing the man warily.

“A friend,” the man answered, his gaze on me like he was waiting for me to recognize him, maybe.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are. I’ve been in a coma and my memories are slowly returning.” I fingered the hem of my shirt, feeling vulnerable, and guilty, of all things.

“I see,” the man replied, pulling the gloves off his hand, then moving to pull the mask from his face.

He was old, much older than I expected. His hair and beard were white, while his eyes held both wisdom and pain. I found myself staring at him like I couldn’t get enough of his face; it was like seeing a friend after a very long time apart. My head buzzed as I found myself lost in his gaze.

A name rose to the surface of my mind, and I realized that this was no ordinary man, no, he was a friend—a dear friend, in fact.

“Ruvaen,” I breathed, then pain spiked my brain as more memories rose and overwhelmed me.

Firm hands grabbed mine, giving me something to hold onto, as I quickly and violently remembered.

After the first initial shock, all my memories, thoughts, feelings, impressions floated up, then moved to where they belonged. It was the strangest feeling I’d ever experienced, and one I wouldn’t soon forget.

I couldn’t recall closing my eyes, but I blinked them open and met the kind eyes of Ruvaen. I smiled but felt the tears forming. It was so good to see him that I was legit close to ugly crying.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and sank into an embrace that I had wanted to experience ever since I left him healing my blood that he ingested.

“How are you here?” I asked him, reveling in the fact that he was here … that he’d saved us.

His hands gently cupped my cheeks and I leaned into the touch. This appeal I felt for him was not attraction in a sexual way. I liked being in his presence, it was comforting.

“We are still connected. I’ve been busy healing you and myself. I felt when you woke up and was able to track you that way,” he explained.

“Oh my God,” I gasped, as a memory popped into my head. Someone related to Ruvaen. Someone whom I’m connected to.

Kreed.

Longing blasted into me. The need to go to him, to track him down, to touch him. The feeling and the urgency so strong, I tried to climb to my feet so I could search for him. It was completely irrational. I didn’t even know where I was, but I didn’t care. I was willing to walk across a desert in order to reach him.

“Nik, don’t think about him.” Ruvaen grabbed me before I could attempt to rise again. “Don’t even think his name.”

“Why not?” I valued Ruvaen, which was the only reason I paused. If it was anyone else, I would’ve told them where they could stick it.

“You two are connected far more than even I knew was possible. He will track you down, Nik. If you feel compelled to find him, he feels it ten-fold. You can’t let him find you.”

“I don’t understand.” My throat grew tight as tears built behind my eyes again. I couldn’t imagine not going to him; that connection that I had felt the last time I was with him was insistent—I belonged by his side. With my thoughts on the bond, I could sense him—not his thoughts, exactly, but if I put enough focus on it …

“You’ve been away for weeks. He’s been beside himself, blaming himself. He’s desperate and has done some stupid things while you’ve been gone but going to him now will only cement his behavior,” Ruvaen explained, and for the first time, I felt a touch of anger toward him.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, Nik. My son is noble and selfless, but in that pursuit, he loses himself, making rash decisions without thinking through the harm it could cause.”

“What did he do?” I asked. He had to have done something very drastic if Ruvaen was here to protect me from his own flesh and blood.

“I wish we had more time so I could explain this properly, but we don’t, and our time is dwindling.” His eyes flicked toward the rapidly lightning sky. “Kreed was desperate to find you. Everyone on the street was looking for you and that dragon, but only a dragon can find a dragon.”

I gasped thinking about how dangerous it would be to track down another dragon and sneak them into the territory.

“I can see what you are thinking, but Kreed didn’t find another dragon. He went to the one he works for.” Ruvaen grabbed my shoulders as I swayed, feeling suddenly faint.

“He … works for him?” my voice was small, half disbelief and half realization.

“He told Briggs there was a wild dragon in his territory,” he confirmed, continuing to steady me. “There has been a city-wide dragon hunt. Fire and blood run unchecked through the streets.”

“Briggs found where we were, he set the building on fire.” The picture was becoming clearer. Royce and I nearly died in that fire. Kreed would have found my extra crispy body.

“That’s not the only news, Nik. When the dragon bit you right before you disappeared, I felt what he was taking from you. I know what you are,” Ruvaen said, nearly knocking me sideways with that statement, and then again when he continued, “I also know how you can get it back.”

My body went numb and it felt like my brain froze. It was so much—too much—but not enough, at the same time.

“Give her a break, please. Her mind is fragile. She just woke from a coma, survived dragon fire, and got her memories. If you keep pushing her, it could cause more damage,” Royce interjected.

I had completely forgotten that he was here, listening to all of this. What must he think of all of this?

“Believe me, I know what she can and cannot handle,” Ruvaen replied with a sniff, before turning back and watching me come to grips with what he was saying and willing to reveal.

“Kreed went to a dragon,” I mumbled, knowing how much he hated them, but it warmed a small part of me that he would go to such extremes for me. I felt the bond stir, it felt like my blood was humming in my veins, singing to Kreed at the other end of the bond.

“Nik!” Ruvaen was shaking my shoulders to get my attention. “Stop thinking about him. If you do he’ll find us quicker.”

“Why don’t you want him to find us?” I asked, my thoughts wandering then grasping onto the other bit of news. “What am I?”

“I don’t know how else to tell you this.” He looked regretful, and it made my stomach clench in fear.

“What am I!” I yelled, wanting to shake him, while simultaneously pulling my hair out. I had gone my whole life not knowing what I was. I had this ability to know what species anyone was at a glance, but I couldn’t use it on myself. I tried countless times looking myself in the eye with a mirror but it never worked.

“Stop hesitating and tell her, damnit,” Royce said angrily, on my behalf.

“You have dragon blood, Nik.”

My world shattered.

I shook my head because there was no way I was like those creatures. Sure, I used fire, but so did Witches and some species of Fae. He had to be wrong. Dragons couldn’t breed with other species, only their own kind … or so they told us. Maybe dragons could procreate with others. The Uther forbade it, but why? Did he know it was possible?

My head swam as the revelation bounced around inside my skull. I was a dragon. A female dragon.

Only male dragons ruled territories, and no one has ever seen a female dragon, but they had to exist. How else could dragons be made? Wild dragons were always male, which stood to reason that female dragons were either super rare or too dangerous to be kept alive. What a morbid thought.

“How can you be sure?” I asked, hating to doubt him, but I had to know.

“I've healed a female dragon.” He looked suddenly tired, and every bit the age he carried around so well.

I rocked back because that proved there were female dragons. Ruvaen wouldn’t lie to me; I was certain of that.

It felt like the world was pressing in around me, squeezing the air from my lungs. I’m so screwed. I had a rogue, wild dragon probably hunting me at this very moment, with a dangerous Pendragon hunting the rogue. Did Briggs know about me? I doubted that Kreed would tell him, but I also knew that he hated dragons with every fiber of his being, and I am one. Ruvaen was right, I couldn’t go to him.

“What do I do?” I asked, choking back a sob.

“You need to get your power back,” Ruvaen said, gently.

“He took it from me, how do I get it back?” I missed the heat, that deep well of flames that licked my insides and rose at my call. It was gone.

“It’s not gone, just extinguished. It needs to be relit.”

“How does she do that?” Royce asked, before I could.

“She needs to find it.” Ruvaen was starting to get on my nerves. Getting answers out of him was like herding cats.

“Okay,” I drawled, trying to convey my impatience while not being rude. Harder than it sounds, trust me.

“The source will ignite the fire inside of you again. It’s not here, though,” he continued, looking increasingly wary.

“Like on Earth?” I clarified, and my stomach dropped when he nodded.

To reignite the fire inside of me, I had to go to the world of dragons.

We trekked quickly through underbrush and swaying willow trees. The river was on our right and we kept it in sight as we walked.

Ruvaen healed Royce with a couple drops of blood that had the doctor’s eyes widening in surprise and wonder. He didn’t ask questions, which was a good thing, because I was sure Ruvaen wouldn’t answer them, and because we were in a hurry.

I was still very weak, so Royce was half-supporting, half-carrying me. The sun was above the horizon now lighting up the surrounding landscape. Normally, I would admire its beauty and wish I had my camera with me, but the emotions I could feel through the bond with Kreed were distracting.

By now he knew where I was and his irritation that I continued moving away from him was understandable. I fought the urge to turn around every other minute. The bond was insistent that I return to him, and it’s not like I could reason with it. I couldn’t go back—not right now, at least. I had to come to grips with what I was and find courage in my new reality. I couldn’t do that with Kreed’s dragon hatred. His hate was warranted, and I’d feel the same if the roles were reversed, but it still hurt—more than it should.

The bond flared again, letting his emotions bleed through. Worry, fear, irritation, rage, and caution were the strongest. If I could feel his emotions, he could probably feel mine, as well, probably driving him nuts.

We paused on the bank of a stream and I took a moment to analyze my emotions. Deep down, I knew Kreed wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, but we already established that I came second to his vendetta against the dragons. He was saddled with me, and though our bond had changed, his reasons had not. That thought nearly choked me.

Hurt had to be the strongest emotion I was feeling, and maybe a tiny bit of betrayal. He may not have told Briggs about me, specifically, but by doing so, he put me closer to the cross hairs.

Another flare of the bond revealed more emotions. He’s desperate to find me, worried, frightened that he might lose me again; and under all of that: care. He cared about me. My heart warmed at the thought, but just as suddenly, it cooled to ice. He cared because of the bond. It was superficial, nothing more, and that broke me inside.

We stopped walking and I looked around, a bit confused. I’d been so wrapped up in my own head, that I hadn’t paid attention to where we were going.

Ruvaen appeared in front of me, his hands cupping my face, and his thumbs wiped away tears I hadn’t realized were there. He pulled me into a hug and I let out a shuddering breath, trying to reign in my emotions.

“I know it’s hard,” Ruvaen whispered, knowing exactly what I was feeling. He pushed me back so he could look down into my face with a kind and understanding smile on his face. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

I smiled back, but my lips wobbled. Ruvaen backed away and Royce stepped to my side, once again. He held his hand out and I slipped my hand into his larger one, welcoming the comfort it brought me.

White, hot fury radiated from the bond, followed by possessiveness. It was so strong and sudden that it had me doubling over in shock.

“Are you alright?” Royce asked, pulling me upright again.

“Yeah, no, not even a little,” I answered truthfully. “Are we nearly there Ruvaen?”

“We are here,” Ruvaen replied, facing two huge boulders that leaned on each other. At their base was a small opening perfect for rodents, snakes, and spiders.

“Please tell me the rip isn’t in there.” I pointed to the small cave which was pointless since Ruvaen had his back to me.

“It’s not in there,” Ruvaen chuckled—a nice sound. He should do it more often. “The rip is actually about twelve feet above our heads.”

Royce and I looked up like a couple of idiots. Rips were invisible and hard to find unless you had supernatural senses, which we both lacked.

“I may be a dragon, but I don’t have wings,” I pointed out the obvious flaw. “How am I supposed to get up there?”

“You’ll have to jump,” Ruvaen said, with nonchalance.

I blinked, trying to figure out how I was going to jump twelve feet into the air.

“He means off the rocks,” Royce said, talking out the side of his mouth.

“Oh, right.” I’m an airhead who needed three gallons of coffee and a three-week long nap.

A tingle started in my limbs and the bond flared open and stayed.

“Shit,” I cursed, Kreed’s coming and we had minutes before he arrived. “He’s almost here.”

“Quickly.” Ruvaen motioned me closer.

Once beside him, he grabbed me by the waist then sprang into the air. I didn’t have time to gasp or scream before we were standing on top of the boulder. He let me go, then jumped down and grabbed Royce.

We were all on top of the rock, which had to be easily twenty-five feet tall. I could see over the treetops and make out the river as it wound through the landscape. It was beautiful, but it couldn’t hold my attention for long.

“Alright, Nik. All you have to do is jump off the rock. The rip is long and wide enough that you can’t miss it. You’ll fall right into it,” Ruvaen instructed, making it sound so easy; and it would be for any other Mutt, probably. I’m only half-a-step above human.

“And you’re sure I won’t … you know, plummet to my death?” I asked flippantly, but inside I was freaking the hell out, which agitated Kreed. Lovely.

“Might need a running start,” Ruvaen advised, ignoring my sass. Great.

“I’ll go first,” Royce announced, backing up a few steps.

“Excuse me, what? You aren’t going.” I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“You are in no condition to go traipsing into another world. You need help, and since I’m a doctor, I’m the best choice.” He shrugged, like this is all normal.

Best choice my ass!

“It’s dangerous. I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger for me, again.” Not like the first time was my choice, but I felt responsible, nonetheless.

“He’s right, Nik,” Ruvaen interjected. “You can’t go alone, and it can’t be me.”

Ugh. What the hell!

“Fine,” I grumbled stepping out of the way. “I’m not happy about it just so you know.”

“Noted,” Royce and Ruvaen said at the same time, and it made me wonder if this was predetermined.

“Just run and jump. You only need to fall ten to fifteen feet, then you’ll slip right into it,” Ruvaen instructed Royce, and my stomach flipped. It’s a long way to fall.

“Right,” Royce said, shaking out his arms. Probably hyping himself up on the inside. “See you there.”

He winked, then ran to the edge and jumped. I looked over, curious what it looked like. It was anticlimactic. One moment he was falling, the next he disappeared into thin air.

“Come, Nik. There’s not much time,” Ruvaen reminded me.

The bond flared and the intense emotions I felt brought tears that overflowed down my cheeks. I’d like to say that this reaction was because I cared about Kreed, but this bond had me questioning everything. I didn’t want to leave—the bond told me that Kreed would make it all better. Together. I couldn’t trust it. I didn’t know enough about it to decide.

“Will he follow me?” I asked Ruvaen, looking out in the direction I felt Kreed coming from. He was running, using every ounce of strength he had to get to me before I did something stupid … again.

“I’ll block the rip,” Ruvaen answered, while his eyes held sympathy. He knew how much this hurt. “I’ll return in a month to this exact spot. Go to the ruins of the dragon god. You’ll find help there.”

“Okay.” I nodded that I understood.

I took a deep breath and pushed aside any lingering doubt and held onto the trust I had for Ruvaen. He wouldn’t put me in harm's way. I knew that like I knew Kreed’s emotions at this exact moment.

He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. Pride shown in his eyes and I’d never felt more content in a decision before.

Another deep breath in and I started to run. I sprinted toward the edge, saw it coming. When I reached it, I leapt into the open air.

As I fell, something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned my head and saw Kreed skid to a stop and look up at me with sudden calculation. He blurred, then appeared beneath me. He’s trying to catch me, he didn’t know about the rip.

As my feet went into the rip, the vacuum of passing between worlds locked onto my legs. I watched as the realization of what I was falling into hit Kreed. His eyes turned crimson red and fury erupted through the bond.

Then blackness.

* * *

Kreed

My heart clenched as I watched Nik’s face disappear into the rip. Her light green eyes stared at me, and for a moment, I saw regret and fear cross her face. The bond confirmed those emotions. All I wanted to do was wrap her up and take her away, but she’s running from me after I’d been searching for weeks.

That coward of a dragon had engaged me for a short time before he’d flown away, and like an idiot, I thought it was because he knew I’d kill him before he hurt Nik again. Only to find out that he’d done more than that this time—he’d taken her.

There was no sign of her except for some blood, which I nearly lost it at, but somehow, I’d held it together. Gwenna, the Witch-Fae, had been knocked unconscious as soon as they made it to the vehicles. The gash on her head was deep but not life-threatening. We’d played right into their hands and they’d finally succeeded and taken Nik.

I shouldn’t have left her. I should’ve gone with her like she begged me with her eyes to do.

I didn’t. I sent her on with Gwenna, ready to rid the world of a dragon—to see what I, as a Naga, could do against a dragon. Selfish. Stupid.

When I felt Nik through the bond, I’d nearly dropped to my knees, but I was in a meeting with Briggs and I couldn’t. As soon as the meeting was over I took off, desperate to reach her—to make sure she was okay after I’d failed to protect her, again.

The feelings coming through the bond didn’t make sense. I couldn’t figure out why she’d feel betrayed, and why that emotion was directed at me. Didn’t she know I’d do anything for her? Couldn’t she feel that? Feel how much she meant to me?

It boggled my mind how much I’d come to care for her in such a short amount of time. I’d been healed by women in the past, and went through a period of feeling protective, but never like this. Every instinct I had was elevated and homed in on the fiery-haired pain-in-the-ass. It didn’t help that she had no sense of self-preservation; but the one time she showed a little bit of hesitation, I’d brushed her off.

Now we were here. She was alive, but feeling so conflicted, and she was beyond my reach. I had no idea where this rip went to, or why she’d jump into it. Something else must have happened while I was racing here. Was she coerced into going? Blackmailed?

I searched the area trying to find some clue as to who had her, and why, when a pack was tossed off the rock formation that Nik had jumped from. It disappeared into the rip and I tore up the rock formation. Someone was still here and I’d get answers.

The person on the top of the stones was not who I was expecting. My father stood with his back to me as he tossed another pack over the side and into the rip.

“You!” I yelled, pointing at him with accusation. “What have you done?”

“This is her best chance,” he answered, turning to me, and I saw the sorrow he always wore when he looked at me.

“Where did you send her?” I hissed, feeling my control slipping.

“Far from here, and you can’t follow her.” His calm demeanor made my blood boil.

“What does that mean?” If it was anyone else, I’d have killed them already … but with him, I always hesitated.

“It means you’re a danger to her and I won’t allow her to be hurt, again.”

That did it. It was my duty to keep her safe. She was under my protection, and his insinuation that I’d put her in danger on purpose was enough to drive me over the edge.

The change came over me driven by instinct and the bond. My eyes changed until I was seeing the world in a different way. Hot and cold were easily discernible from the rest of the colors and textures. Fangs pricked my bottom lip and I tasted blood, which only heightened the thirst.

I’d never tasted Zavarian before.

Before I could do anything further, pain like I’d never felt tore at my head and chest. It took me several moments to realize that the pain was coming from the bond. It stretched then compressed to something barely there. Until I couldn’t feel her anymore.

“What’s happening?” I grunted, as another wave of pain hit.

Was the bond breaking? Deteriorating?

“What are you feeling?” my father’s voice asked, and it was the same question from my childhood memories.

He never asked me where it hurt, or why, he always asked me to describe it. Pain’s an indicator that something’s wrong, but there are different kinds of pain; figuring out which it was helped you to heal it effectively.

“She’s gone. I can’t feel her anymore.” I choked back a scream when it felt like a knife was sawing at the bond, trying to break it.

“You’re connected to her more than the healing bond dictates,” he murmured thoughtfully, which had my anger surging back.

“What does that mean?” I growled, pressing my head into the rock, trying to alleviate the pressure.

“It means something that hasn’t occurred in a millennia for our people has happened … to my son.” He sounded disbelieving and hopeful.

“You’re not making sense, old man.”

The blow was sudden and direct. I flew through the air and crashed into a rock formation. My body slid down the rock just in time to miss the whole thing collapsing.

Shaking my head, I crawled away from the edge trying to think through the pain of the bond and the anger. I managed to push it all aside and climb to my feet awkwardly.

“After everything, I’ve never been so disrespected,” my father said, sounding both surprised and disgusted.

“You don’t deserve respect,” I yelled at him, as every hurt, every betrayal, came to mind. He sold his people to the dragons. Allowed our minuscule population to integrate into the dragon-made society, then abandoned them.

“I may not be a king anymore, but I am still your father,” he spoke quietly, a tactic he used with me when I was angry. Talking softly invited me to use a lighter tone, which in turn quelled the anger—but I wasn’t a child anymore. If I wanted to be angry, then I would stay angry.

“Not by choice,” I spat, lacing my words with as much hatred as I could muster.

“Your anger at the past is unfounded. I cannot change it. Let it go so we can move on and finally rebuild what we have lost.” He made it sound so easy, and like it was the only right course of action … but it wasn’t. The other princes and I had seen our broken people, seen the lack of action to right the genocide inflicted on our people.

“You’d have us serve the dragons until there is nothing left of our people. We’ve been here for over a century. This isn’t our home. We should have died on Zavar instead of joining the hoard. At least we’d be with the ones we love and lost there.”

“Would you leave Nik here? We are the strongest race on this planet and we have a duty to save everyone.”

“And yet you sit in a mansion prison and do nothing.” I was disgusted. My father used to be a great man, a great leader, a great king. That was until he bent his knee in supplication to The Uther who vanquished our people. That was something I could never forgive or forget.

“I’d gladly die for Nik. She is the only good thing in this place worth saving. And I will. I’ve achieved what no one else has, and I can control it. Soon I’ll be strong enough to take down anyone who dares to stand in my way.”

“You’re going down a path there is no redemption from,” he warned.

“I could say the same about you.”

Going through the rip was freaking weird. It felt almost like a water slide, except with no water, and the tube was pressing in on you from all sides. It lasted only a few seconds but felt like you were being squeezed out from a toothpaste tube the size of a pinprick hole.

After being squished until I felt like a pancake, it suddenly all went away and I tumbled out, crashing into Royce.

“Oomph. Sorry,” I wheezed, trying to catch my breath.

“You’re okay,” he mumbled, disoriented.

Before we could get our bearings, two big things dropped on us, and by the weight, it had to have been rocks.

“Backpacks,” Royce said, looking up at the rip.

“Full of rocks?” I asked, rubbing my back where it had hit me.

“I’m not sure.” He flipped one and unzipped it. Pulling out a squashed loaf of bread. “Food and other stuff.”

“Ruvaen thought of everything,” I said, thankful he had the forethought, because I didn’t.

“Was it his plan all along?” Royce was skeptical, which I understood, but he didn’t have a healing bond with the guy.

I shrugged because if it was, cool, if not, at least he was prepared for anything.

“So, this is Ska’Moria,” Royce stated, looking around.

I eyed our surroundings, curious about the world where dragons came from. I don’t know what I expected, but miles and miles of black land was not it. I felt the ground we were sitting on. The rough, porous feel confirmed that it was cooled lava. “Not what I was expecting. A planet full of fire would be more believable, but this place looks dead.” Or like it went through an apocalyptic event and fell.

A pop sounded above our heads, but when we looked, nothing was there. I nearly facepalmed myself when I remembered I couldn’t see rips.

“I think the rip just sealed,” Royce said, which made sense. Ruvaen said he’d block it so Kreed wouldn’t come after me.

The reminder of Kreed gripped me, and then the pain hit. It felt like a hole had been torn into my chest, and something important sliced out. I cried out, looking down and trying to see the wound, because it felt too real not to be there.

“Nik, what’s wrong?” Royce asked, alarmed as I continued to pat my chest.

“I don’t know. It hurts. I think it’s gone,” I wailed, as the knife continued to cut into me.

“What’s gone? Nik, let me see.” Royce grabbed my hands, trying to push them aside so he could see.

“I can’t feel him.” My breaths were coming and going in pants as I nearly hyperventilated. Did it mean the bond was gone? He couldn’t have died.

“Can’t feel who? That guy, Kreed, you were talking about?” Royce asked worriedly, trying to understand my pain. I wish I understood it.

I nodded, my chest heaving as the shock that the bond was gone finally sank in. But no, it wasn’t gone, more like suppressed. Like the bond was being squeezed inside the rip like a kink in a garden hose.

“Shhh,” Royce soothed, pulling me into his chest. He hands rubbed my back, shoulders, and arms trying to comfort me.

“It hurts,” I sobbed.

“I don’t know the first thing about bonds, but from a medical standpoint, pain is an indication that something’s wrong. Your brain is just telling you it’s missing. Just breathe. Deep breaths, hold it for a second, then exhale slowly through your nose.” Royce coached me to breathe, and after several minutes, the pain reduced from overwhelming to a dull ache.

Once the ache receded, the shock of everything that filled me bubbled over. I buried my face into Royce’s soft shirt and sobbed. I cried until my eyes started itching and I was hiccupping. All the while, Royce held me offering what little comfort he could.

“You’ll make a good doctor,” I told him, my voice hoarse.

“If I held everyone who cried on me, I’d never get anything done,” he chuckled, but it was true. He cleared his throat before he said, “I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

I appreciated him saying that and being here with me. There weren’t many people who would travel to another world with a stranger. I told him so and he just chuckled and shrugged.

We sat there for a few more minutes then began looking through the backpacks. Ruvaen had packed a bit of everything. The bags were larger than they first appeared. One was filled with camping stuff; from sleeping bags to a first aid kit, it even had a portable heater. The other one was filled with food—some fresh, some non-perishable, so they’d last longer. In every pocket we found protein bars, candy bars, and tubes full of what looked like peanut butter.

“Are we planning to survive an apocalypse?” I asked, only half joking when it appeared the world had already lost the battle some time ago. Is that why the dragons left?

“Well, this world looks like it’s been through an apocalypse.” Royce observed.

It did, actually. The ground looked like it had been hit with something hot enough to melt rock, then cooled into black lava-rock. There wasn’t any other color besides black. The temperature was warm, even though the sky was overcast with thick grey clouds, which meant the heat was coming from the ground.

“What now?” I asked, thinking of all the survival movies I watched that hadn’t prepared me to survive on another planet. What good were they, then?

“Well, I can’t tell what time of day it is. I don’t even know if they have days or nights here.” Royce looked up and studied the sky. “If you’re up for it, we should probably look for some sort of shelter.”

That seemed like a logical course of action. I agreed, then pulled on one of the backpacks. They were those long ones that people used to backpack around the world. Royce grabbed a canteen from his pack then pulled it on. He grunted as it settled between his shoulder blades, and I knew he’d grabbed the heavier one.

“So which direction?” I wondered, looking around at the bleak landscape.

“Ruvaen said ‘head to the mountains.’” Royce squinted at the horizon.

It was flat and black everywhere, so finding a mountain in flatness would be easy to find, or so you’d think. We both stared at the horizon from all directions, trying to make out a mountain anywhere.

“It doesn’t look as flat that way.” Royce pointed out.

“Seems we’ve found our heading,” I sighed, while adjusting my shoulder straps, then followed Royce as we picked our way over this seemingly eternal lava bed.

* * *

The initial flat appearance was deceiving. I thought it would be an easy walk over the black surface, but … nope. The rock seemed to roll and twist in completely random ways, which made trekking infinitely harder.

“Is it nap time yet?” I whined, after pulling myself up a mother-freaking lava rock ravine.

“I think I’ve found a suitable place to rest,” Royce announced, not even out of breath, while the air felt ridiculously thin to me.

“Is it a lava rock cave?” I asked, resigning myself to sleeping in a cave.

“Uh, yes,” Royce answered, his brows furrowed in worry.

“It’s fine.” I waved away his concern. He didn’t understand my sarcasm, yet.

“It’s just down here.” He pointed into another ravine.

Of course, it was. “Okay,” I sighed, watching Royce climb down.

I followed, trying to use the same handholds as he did, but it was difficult climbing down with a big pack on your back. People do this for fun?

I heard Royce jump down; the sound echoing off the rock walls. I hoped I was getting close to the bottom—my arms were screaming at the exertion. I placed my foot, thinking it was stable, but it wasn’t. I shrieked, trying to grab something, but besides my fingers getting torn up from the rocks, I couldn’t grab a nook. I fell and crashed into Royce. Again. I must have been closer to the bottom than I thought.

“Oomph, you’ve got to stop doing that,” Royce complained, lifting me up until I was standing.

“I’ll warn you next time,” I assured him.

He helped me regain my balance and held on to make sure I was steady. “You’re exhausted,” he noted. “And bleeding.”

My hands hurt, but looking down I saw scrapes on all of my exposed skin. This was one of those times I wished my healing worked on myself.

“The cave is just here. Go sit and I’ll take a look,” Royce said, slipping the pack off his back.

Having a doctor around was turning out to be essential. I don’t think I could have done this on my own.

The cave Royce found wasn’t really a cave, but more of a rocky ledge that jutted out from the ravine wall. I ducked underneath and found that it was a couple degrees warmer inside which made me think of lava bubbling up to fry us in our sleep. A lovely picture. I’ve always wanted to be cooked alive in a cave.

My mood was sour when Royce joined me under the rock ledge. The floor was flat, at least, which was a small blessing. Nothing like being stranded on a desolate planet to make you appreciate even ground. I shrugged off my pack, then sat and leaned against it so I could get a look at my injuries.

The knees of my jeans were torn and the skin scraped raw, as were my palms and forearms.

“Let me see.” Royce sat beside me with a first aid kit in hand. He inspected my wounds, then grabbed a canteen and poured water on a cloth and began cleaning the wounds. My knees were the worst, having bits of black stone embedded in them, but they washed away quickly. Once clean, Royce dabbed some antibacterial cream, then loosely bandaged them.

“Do you think we’ll ever look back and think this was a great adventure?” I asked, as he put away the first aid supplies.

“I’d like to think so,” he answered. I could tell he was just as cranky as I was.

He was probably wondering how he’d so easily been saddled with me. I was having Kreed-protector deja vu, but with a doctor this time.

“We can have inside jokes, like, remember that one time we went through a rip to a dragon planet, had to walk across cooled lava beds, and no survival show or movie had prepared us for this.” He sounded more and more hysterical.

I stared at him, eyes wide, because that was exactly what I’d been thinking.

“Remember that one time we went to a dragon planet and almost died?” I asked, completely serious.

His lips twitched then broke into a smile followed by a laugh. It was contagious. I laughed along and it quickly became a laughing fit. We laughed so hard that we ended up on the ground clutching our stomachs and rolling on our backs to alleviate the stitches in our sides.

I wiped tears from my eyes when we were both able to calm down. Rolling to my side I folded my arm under my head and watched as Royce continued to calm down.

Once under control, he rolled onto his side facing me. Everything happened so fast that I hadn’t really gotten a good look at him. His clothes hung on him but I could tell he was fit, even after the abuse he took from our captors. He was average height with dirty-blonde hair that really needed a haircut. He looked to be someone who cared about his appearance, but being kidnapped put hygiene on another level altogether.

“This may be a shitty situation, but I’m really glad you’re here.” I smiled weakly, but had to stop, because tears coated my throat.

“I’ve been taking care of you for weeks and prepared myself for the fact that you’d probably never wake up. Now that you’re awake, it’s …”

“Strange?” I offered.

“Yes and no. I’m looking forward to getting to know you, but at the same time wish it wasn’t here. I prefer running water and bathrooms. I’m not cut out for roughing it.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” I snorted, hoping this was the last time I’d go to a dragon planet. I could only handle one.

We spent the rest of the time resting, eating, and hydrating. I was worried we’d run out of water, but the canteens were spelled, somehow, and remained full. Ruvaen had thought of everything.

Our question about day and night here were answered when the sky grew steadily darker, until it was black. There were no stars or moon. Royce rolled out the sleeping bags, noting that they had a built-in mattress, which was obviously witchcraft—but I was, nevertheless, thankful for it. The heat from the ground kept us warm and it was easy to fall asleep. It didn’t last long, though.

I was asleep for what felt like moments when screaming started. I woke to pitch blackness and the sounds of fumbling. I was terrified that something may be in here with me, but then I heard a soft click and light flooded the space.

Royce held a flashlight, the beam pointing toward the back of our little camping space. His hair stuck up in random angles. Warm, honey-colored eyes looked me over reassuring himself that I was alright and injury-free.

We stilled, listening for the high-pitch wail again. After a couple minutes, we heard it—a scream ripped through the air. It echoed through the ravine, sounding closer than it probably was. I’d never heard such a sound, and it sent chills down my spine.

“What is it?” I whispered.

“I have no clue,” Royce whispered back.

I felt like we were sitting ducks, but since we didn’t know what we were dealing with, we couldn’t make a decision on what to do. Going out to see what it was, was a terrible idea. The dim light from our flashlight was enough to draw attention to us, which we also didn’t want. “I don’t like it here,” I said quietly, knowing that we were looking at a sleepless night ahead.

“I’ll stay up and keep watch. Try and get some sleep,” Royce said, rearranging himself in his sleeping bag.

I snorted, though I appreciated the sentiment; there was no possible way I could sleep with that racket going on.

“At least lay down and pretend to rest.” He patted a spot on the ground closer to him.

I scooted closer and snuggled back down into my bag, turning on my side so I could see Royce. He set the flashlight down and covered it with his red T-shirt, making the cave glow. I also did not notice until now that he hadn’t been wearing a shirt. I knew he was fit, but not like this. Every muscle was defined under his olive-colored skin. I wondered if it was the healing that Ruvaen did that caused his muscle definition.

“Talk to me. Tell me about you,” I prompted, before another scream sounded from the darkness outside.

“What do you want to know?” Royce asked, running a hand through his curly hair.

“Tell me about you before all this,” I gestured around the cave.

“Well, I finished school and got the news that I’d been accepted for a hospital residency. My parents weren’t excited about my career choice. They both made a living doing things that society expects of them.”

Which was a nice way to say they sold their face to ad campaigns. They attended parties and other functions, if they were paid for it. “Career Humans” were what we called them. Being a Pure human was what society, but more importantly, the dragons, wanted us to aspire to be. Being fully human was unobtainable for all of the population, but just like magazines and media, models and actors tried to convey the perfect body image that Pure humans were the same—something we would never be, but something we should strive for.

“You never wanted to be part of that crowd?” I asked. It was a glamorous lifestyle, and you were catered to by everyone.

“At one time I did, but I found out pretty soon that all the sparkle and glitz was superficial. I don’t think I’ve had an intelligent conversation with my parents, or any other human that I’ve met. It’s a lazy way of life and I realized quickly that it wasn’t for me; I like doing things with my hands. I want to be more than my genetic makeup. Being a doctor allows me to help others, and not just those like me.” He sighed, his eyes getting a far-off look to them. “My parents and their friends are all about status and constantly trying to get ahead of everyone else. It’s an ongoing game of fake friendship, backstabbing, and blackmail.”

“I had no idea.” I was surprised, because from the outside it looked like the best life ever.

“Most don’t,” he confirmed, blinking rapidly as he came back to himself. “My parents have threatened to cut me off—not that it would be terrible; I like the simple, quiet life I’ve been living. Their financial support is helpful but not necessary, plus, I’m not about to give into their demands.”

“What do they want?” I asked, curious.

“Grandchildren, mostly, and for me to marry someone they approve of.” Which was a polite way of saying ‘marry a Pure human and make Pure human babies.’

I wrinkled my nose because someone controlling your life like that sounded awful. Royce was a good guy. He was put through so much at the hands of our dragon captor and he came out of it seemingly okay, but time would tell. I still felt guilty, like this was somehow my fault, but realistically I knew that it wasn’t.

My eyes grew heavy as we continued to listen, but thankfully no more screaming was heard. Before I fell asleep, I reached out and grabbed Royce’s hand. He may not need the comfort—but I did.

* * *

The next three days were spent walking toward the horizon, but in that time, we’d learned a bit about this world. Firstly, not every part of the surface was covered in lava rock. We caught glimpses of brown dirt amid the seemingly endless black landscape. Secondly, there were animals here. Packs of sheep-goats bounded over the lava fields like they couldn’t easily fall to their deaths. Crazy sheep-goats!

We found that the source of the nightly screaming were horse-sized flying creatures that looked like dragons. They flew in packs and at first, we thought they were birds, but scaly and horny. The sheep-goats were hunted by these aerial predators, and they didn’t roar, but screamed instead. They stayed close to the dirt patches and didn’t fly too far into the lava fields.

The direction we’d started heading towards seemed to be the correct way. The ground began to slope upward on our first full day of walking and a mountain appeared in the distance.

This morning we got a good look at it and decided that it wasn’t a mountain at all, but a volcano—a massive one. And the thick clouds in the sky weren’t clouds at all, but smoke.

Royce was good company. We talked and joked around as we walked toward an obviously active volcano on a strange dragon planet.

“Remember that one time we went to a dragon planet and almost died from a massive volcano eruption?” I asked Royce, as we paused for a brief rest.

“There’s so much on this planet that could potentially cause our deaths,” he replied, after swallowing his drink of water.

“That’s why we should joke about it. Makes it less scary,” I reasoned, making complete sense while I dug through the food pack for a snack.

These packs that Ruvaen tossed through the rip after us were sorta like Hermione’s purse in the last book. We noticed it the morning after our first night here; the food we’d eaten for dinner had been replaced. Thinking we were imagining things, we checked again at lunch, and all the breakfast food had been replaced. Have I mentioned that I love magic?

“When do you think we’ll reach the volcano of doom?” I squinted at the funnel-shaped mountain.

“I think it’s a lot closer than it looks. Maybe later today if we push it.”

Kinda hard to “push it” when the terrain was a bitch to navigate. We’d made good time since we were well-fed and hydrated, but it’s not like we could run—and honestly, who would even do that?

“We’ll get there when we get there.” Without breaking our necks.

We set out again and made good time. We arrived at the base of the volcano as the sky started to darken with the coming night. We found a rocky ledge to camp under and we barely heard any screaming. Winning.

The sky lightened slower than it did out in the lava field, probably because of the massive amounts of dark smoke and ash that billowed up into the sky.

“What do you think we’ll find up there?” I asked Royce as we ate breakfast. We’d come this far, and I was definitely curious about the culture here, but knowing the psycho dragon, Lazateth, it probably wasn’t unicorns and rainbows.

“I have no clue, but I’m hoping it’ll give us some clue on what happened here that made the dragons vacate,” he said … which I was also curious about that.

I breathed deeply then exhaled the breath as a raspberry. I thought the walk across the lava rock landscape was hard, but it was going to be nothing compared to the climb up the side of a volcano.

“I second that sentiment,” Royce said, referring to my raspberry with a grin as he donned his pack.

I shrugged mine on, as well, and followed Royce as we began to climb.

The first quarter of the climb wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. After that, though, it became infinitely harder. Ash coated the ground making walking without slipping impossible.

“Remember that one time we slipped on the side of a volcano and almost died?” Royce huffed, helping me to my feet after I’d slipped for the ten-thousandth time.

“Yup, and it wasn’t fun,” I panted, wiping my hands on my pants, which didn’t get the ash off them.

“See that ledge up there?” Royce asked, pointing to the side of a rocky cliff. “Look just above it.”

I looked up trying to follow where he was pointing. There were plenty of ledges, but the one Royce indicated was bigger; and just above it was a black rocky formation. At first glance it looked like lava rock, but after some studying, the shape became clearer.

“Is that … a house or building of some sort?”

“I think so, but it looks really old—like, ruin old,” Royce confirmed, and a thrill went through me.

Was this the ruin we were supposed to find?

“Why does it have to be on a ledge jutting out from a cliff?” I whined because, honestly, how much harder was this going to get.

“Dragons lived here, remember—they can fly.”

There was a part of me that was dragon. I’d gone the whole journey on this world without really thinking about that part of my heritage. There’s so much here to see and discover, so pushing off the reason we were here was easy. But now we were literally faced with the evidence that there was once a culture here; they learned, they built homes and buildings, and just happened to shift into dragons. Pretty normal really.

“How are we going to get up there?” I hated to ask the question, because the answer was to probably climb.

“We’re gonna take the stairs.”

The what?

“Stairs? Are you joking?”

He wasn’t. In the cliff wall below the ledge, steps were carved. They’re hard to make out at first glance but once you noticed them, they were clear as day. The staircases were a maze leading all over the cliff side. Hopefully we wouldn’t get lost, or you know, fall.

“Guess this is a bad time to mention I’m scared of heights,” Royce said, looking pale.

“I’ll go first,” I volunteered. He’d been leading the way since we got here. It was my turn to lead.

We slipped and slid our way to the cliff face, or volcano face … whatever. When we reached the base of the stairs, I took a good look at them and found that there weren't any carve marks. I’m no archeologist, but there were no obvious tool marks which made me wonder how they got here.

“It’s amazing,” I said, feeling the smooth stone with my hand.

“They’ve seen traffic. Millions of feet have worn the stone until it’s smooth like glass,” Royce agreed, feeling the stone, too.

“Who knew lava rock could be polished like this.” I was in awe in the face of these stairs. Now the question was what we’d find when we get to the top.

Climbing the stairs was a whole lot easier than it was climbing the ash-slick volcano side. I enjoyed the climb and started getting excited about what we would find when we got to the top. Royce, on the other hand, was a basket case. He hugged the side furthest away from open air and kept his eyes trained on the stairs, or the solid rock that they were built on.

We had to backtrack a couple times because of the maze that the stairs made. The first was a dead end, and the second connected to another set going in the opposite direction of where we wanted. Once we were on the right staircase, we rose quickly and reached the plateau, much to Royce’s relief.

The landing was flat and just as smooth as the stairs. We took a breather before we started to explore.

“How do you think they were able to make this?” I asked, as we studied the building-like structure.

“It has to be carved because the alternative would be they laid it somehow. How they could manipulate lava rock is beyond me.” He ran his hand over the rough surface as we explored.

“Do you think it’s a house?” It didn’t look like any house I’d seen, but we were in a different world, so anything was possible.

“I don’t see anything that would indicate that’s what this is. There’s no obvious food prep or sleeping areas so I’m wondering if this was a storage building of some sort.”

That would make sense if this ledge was a sort of landing area for the dragons. Keeping things ready and on hand in case of emergencies.

“This is a good place to bunk for the night. Let’s leave our stuff here while we explore more.”

“Good idea,” I agreed, entering the lava hut and slipping the pack off my back. I unzipped a pocket and grabbed a couple protein bars and trail mix packets.

“Where should we start?” Royce asked, staying as far away from the edge as possible.

“I saw some stairs around the back of this hut. Thought we could start there.”

He just nodded and followed as I led the way.

The stairs were as smooth as the other ones and led us through a sort of lava-rock hallway that cut back into the rocky side of the volcano. The walls were rough and porous—exactly how you’d think it would feel—and it was also absent of carve marks.

The hallway ended and opened up into a big circular area that was open to the sky. Here there was more evidence that people had lived here. More of the lava huts were built into the side of the volcano and the surrounding walls. Shards of what looked like pottery littered the open areas, and one hut looked to have some sort of cloth covering the entrance.

We explored the huts and found that these were definitely houses. There were open pits for a cooking fire and clear sleeping areas. Besides the broken pottery and some random pieces of cloth, they were all empty.

“Where to now?” Royce asked, as we made our way back to the rock passage we came through earlier.

I thought about it, but really didn’t have any idea where to explore next. Looking around, I tried to recall the different stair paths and wondered if we should explore those. I turned around, my mouth open to ask Royce, but before I could speak something caught my eye. To the right of the passageway was a small set of stairs leading up.

“Let’s try this way.” I pointed at the stairs.

They were angled and rose steadily upward toward the top of the volcano. They were steeper than the others and not as smooth, which meant these weren’t used as often as the others.

I slowly went first so Royce wouldn’t be left behind. The stairs curved around and I wondered if we’d eventually find ourselves at the rim of the volcano.

After a steady climb, the stairs led to another rocky ledge, but by the formation it appeared more like a platform. Lava rock formations were built opposite the stairs with what seemed like an altar located at the base. White things, that suspiciously looked like bone, littered the ground—the color stark against the blackness of the rock.

A chill went down my spine as I took in the ruin. Royce stepped forward and approached the structure cautiously. I followed, trying to make out what the stone formation behind the altar was. With every step I took, they became clearer. By the time I reached the altar I knew that the formations were sculptures made entirely of the black, porous rock, and depicted different stages of dragon transformations.

It started on the far left with a solitary statue of a dragon standing tall and proud with wings extended to either side. It was so detailed that I could see its scales and horns. I shifted my gaze to the next one and saw the same dragon cradling something in its talons, but whatever it was had crumbled, either with time or hammer.

The next one showed the dragon bent over its front talons and eating whatever it was holding. Black stone dripped from the dragon’s mouth which must be whatever’s blood. The next statue showed the dragon hunched over, as if in pain, and continued until the dragon had completely shifted into a man.

The man stood just as tall as the dragon, but he looked entirely human. I stood at his feet staring up into his gorgeous face, and awe filled me. I took a step closer wanting to touch it when the light glinted off something in the statue-man’s eye socket. I squinted and saw orange-colored eyes.

I jumped but held in my shriek reminding myself that this was a stone statue. It wasn’t real. However, the orange eyes, the exact shade of lava, looked identical to Lazateth’s.

This must be his race and, from the looks of it, they were worshipped as some sort of god-like being. The earlier chill returned, and I rubbed my arms trying to dispel the feeling.

“Nik,” Royce called from the altar, “you should come see this.”

Thankful for the distraction, I hurried over, finding him crouched and studying what I’d thought were bones. Turns out they were, but not animals like I had assumed. The bones looked human.

“Are those human?” I asked, horrified.

“Human-like, but yes,” Royce confirmed, and my stomach flipped, making me feel sick.

“Human-like sacrifices.” The words tasted disgusting in my mouth. Whomever these people were, they sacrificed their own to dragons.

“I’m certain that all of these bones are children.” Bile rose at his words and I feared I was going to throw up. “They’re all male, too.”

“I feel sick,” I said, turning my back on the gruesome scene. “How could they do this?”

I tried not to but my mind pictured every little boy I’d ever encountered laying amongst the bones, their eyes lifeless.

“Human, or human-like sacrifices, are horrible to us now, but don’t forget that our type of humans long ago did the same thing.”

“But children …” I couldn’t imagine anything more terrible.

“Our ancestors have the blood of children on their hands, too. I’m not saying this to justify or condone this horrid act. It’s beyond wrong.”

“I may have our type of human in me but I also have them.” I pointed to the statue of the dragon-man in disgust. “It makes me sick.”

“I understand,” Royce said, stepping around so he was looking down at my face. “It’s terrible but you aren’t them, Nik. Don’t let the blood on their hands rub off on yours. You’re better than them.”

“I just feel horrible,” I sniffed and when Royce opened his arms, I went into them without hesitation.

“I feel horrible, too.” Royce rested his head on mine.

I’m not sure what I expected to find here. My eyes were wide open when we came here, but I never could have guessed that we would find this. A barbarian culture who revered dragon shifters, who worshipped them like they were gods. Sacrificed their children.

What had we gotten ourselves into?

We came here to get my fire back, and I needed to figure out how, so we could leave this cursed world and return to mine. Where things weren’t so confusing.

“It’ll be dark soon. Let’s head back,” Royce said, offering me a lifeline—and I grabbed it with both hands.

Royce led the way back, this time holding my hand and offering comfort, though I realized it was pointless to feel the way I did. This place was a ruin. These people were long gone. The evidence of their lives was in these ruins. I didn’t know these people, and while I couldn’t say I didn’t agree with this part of their history, they were still people. I didn’t know their culture so I couldn’t judge their actions when I lacked the knowledge.

Like it or not, I was connected to these people. I was here and I needed to learn all that I could. My life depended on it.

Before I knew it, we were back at the hut on the ledge. The sky had started to darken, which meant it was dinner time, followed by sleep. After the climb up the volcano, then climbing up the stairs and figuring out the stair maze, I was exhausted and I knew Royce was, too.

We ate in silence and from the sideways glances that Royce shot my way, I knew he was worried about me. Hell, I was worried about me, but I decided to push it all from my mind and get some rest. I’d worry about everything else in the morning.

I fell into my sleeping bag and seemed to fall asleep as soon as my head hit the inflatable pillow. However, I was woken up not long afterward, rudely, with what felt like a spear.

I opened my mouth to scream but something hard was shoved into it and some sort of cloth was pulled over my head. I couldn’t move or fight since there was a spear pressed into my back. My hands were brought in front and tied at the wrist, the same with my ankles.

Before I could full on panic, I heard grunts and the sound of flesh hitting flesh and I knew Royce was at least fighting. I was picked up and thrown over a shoulder.

I tried kicking and wiggling to dislodge myself, but an arm like an iron bar wrapped around my legs and held me in place. I couldn’t see anything but I could still hear Royce’s grunts. I tried to push what was in my mouth out, but it was pressed against my tongue and I couldn’t move it.

Tears pricked my eyes and all I could think about was coming this far, this close to getting my fire back, and now this.

I was sobbing and making whatever noise I could, but whomever had me didn’t like it. A fast swing to the side and my head hit something hard … and everything went dark.

The blow to my head hurt, but I wasn’t out for long. I came to awareness as I was bodily handed to someone and then thrown over another shoulder. My stomach roiled at the movement and after a moment, heaved.

“She’s about to spew,” a light female voice said.

I was tipped over and placed on my butt in a swift movement that made my head swim. The cloth was yanked from my head and the thing in my mouth was removed. I leaned sideways and vomited.

“You hit her too hard, Zallas,” a different female voice said, with disapproval.

“These humans are fragile. That was a love tap,” was the icy retort.

“We need to catch up with the others. The male is still fighting.”

“I’m sure they can handle him, Iza.”

“They’re still new to this.”

“Shut up! She spewed, doesn’t mean she’s deaf.”

“Well, aren’t you both just a ray of sunshine,” I spat whatever remnants were in my mouth. “Are you sisters?” My vision was hazy so I couldn’t make out any of their features.

“Shut it, worm,” Zallas said, then put the cloth bag over my head again.

Arms grabbed me and I was flopped over a shoulder again. My head still spun but it wasn’t as painful as before. They also forgot to put the rag back in my mouth before putting the bag back on. Big mistake.

“So, are you two sisters? You bicker like siblings.” The two women remained silent, which was just fine with me. “Is my friend okay?” Still they remained quiet.

“Ever heard of a Chia? No? I have one at home as a pet. He’s a mix of a chameleon and a ginger house cat that was beat with the ugly stick repeatedly. He’s so ugly, he’s cute. He also likes to lick himself on my pillows which is disgusting. He thinks he’s got a bigger dick than he really does. What’s up with males and dominance posturing? It’s so annoying.”

I continued to jabber as we walked, neither woman saying anything, so I assumed it was ‘talk-about-whatever-I-want’ time. We went through how much I loved, and also hated Zazu. I talked about my childhood and how I never knew my biological father, but I had a great stepdad, who I considered my father.

Next, I chatted about the things that annoyed me most, like hanging upside down over a shoulder and people chewing too loudly. Oh, and dirty socks being left all over, and how Zazu would roll on them and smell like feet sweat for days.

Our pace slowed when we caught up with the others, footfalls echoing through the space mingling with my voice as I was just finishing a list of reality tv shows I secretly loved to watch.

“So, her ass is big but not fake-big. I mean, who’s ever heard of ass implants? I’m sure they exist, though, because people are stupid. Like that dumb bitch Carole Baskins who “didn’t” but absolutely did kill her husband. Heard she fed his body to a tiger shifter she was having an affair with. What an awkward dinner that must have been, am I right?”

“I thought humans stopped once they’d spewed their stomach contents, why is she spewing words now?” Zallas asked, clearly annoyed.

This bitch!

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want me to be quiet? Should have put the gag back in you neanderthal.”

“Want me to hit her this time?” Iza asked, and I wanted to dare her to do it, but before I could I heard a grunt from nearby.

“Royce? Is that you?” I called and heard another grunt in reply. “Don’t worry, I don’t think these people are very bright. They think talking is barfing, and in a way, I suppose it is—so maybe they aren’t that dumb.”

Who-I-assumed-to-be-Royce grunted again in an almost exasperated way, which just goes to show how great friends we were. Yep, that’s him. Here I was asking for a beating, and there he was, resigned to the fact that I’d probably get it, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Being upside down was inconvenient, but I could tell we were underground by the stale air and the feeling of thousands of tons of rock that could possibly kill us. All in all, it was lovely—so lovely, in fact, that I would not be vacationing here.

An echoing call sounded all around us and our kidnapping party picked up the pace, which meant I had to stop talking because I might spew, again.

We continued at a jogging pace for a few more minutes, then the echoey sound of footsteps suddenly stopped. The air didn’t feel as oppressive wherever we were. It was easier to breathe, and I hoped that we weren’t underground anymore.

“Hoo,” another female voice that I didn’t recognize. “Good hunting, Iza?”

“We found these humans trespassing on Fellkirk,” Zallas answered, before Iza could. “We need to bring them to Bavnak.”

“He’s where he usually is,” the newcomer said, waving us away verbally.

“Who’s Bavnak?” I asked, hoping they would give us some clue as to what we were heading into.

“Shut it, Spew,” Iza retorted, smacking the back of my head, but it lacked any real force. I was also not amused by, or appreciated, the new nickname.

We marched through what sounded like a village. The sounds of life could be heard along with the laughter of children. This world wasn’t as dead as we thought it was. Now the question was: Were these the people that worshipped dragons, or were they the dragons themselves?

The village sounds faded and we started to descend, judging by the bouncing. It was ridiculously annoying not being able to see anything and only guess from what I was—me wish I had Kreed’s hearing.

At the thought of Kreed, a painful stitch started in my chest, but I pushed it away before it could take hold. The infuriating Zavarian was never far from my thoughts, but thinking about him hurt, and not thinking about him was something I couldn’t seem to do. The journey on this world had been physically taxing. I’d drop into my sleeping bag and fall fast asleep so no time to sit around and think of him, but when I did, it was painful, which pissed me off. I knew it was the bond that was making me feel this way; I knew it in my head, but damned if my heart didn’t say something different.

“Bavnak,” Zallas hollered, practically in my ear. It jerked me from my thoughts as I was dumped on my ass. “We’ve got some human trespassers.”

To immediately know that we were human, they must have been around them at some point. However, I wasn’t entirely human, unlike Royce, which brings up the question: What would they do if they found out that I was a bit more than human?

“And I should care, why?” a bored male voice asked.

“Because they were at Fellkirk,” Iza revealed and Bavnak gave a huge sigh like this was the last thing he wanted to be dealing with. “They saw Urdon’s altar.”

“I’m still not seeing why I should care,” Bavnak nearly whined.

What a shitty leader.

“What was that?” Bavank asked and I realized I said that last thought outloud. Oops.

“I said…” but was interrupted by a strangled grunt. “Shut up, Royce. Let me handle this.”

“This just became more interesting. Speak human.”

“I’m not human. Well, I am but not entirely,” I babbled.

“Getting bored again.” Bavnak yawned.

“Look, we came here to get answers and so far, this place has been nothing but a big letdown,” I quipped, getting annoyed.

“Answers to what? The only reason a human and an almost-human would come here is if …” Bavnak trailed off like something had just occurred to him. “Bring her to me!” he barked, sounding more animated now.

Hands grabbed me and dragged me forward. I tried to jerk away, but the fingers around my arms were like iron. Part of me was curious what this Bavnak guy was going to do.

I was dropped onto my knees and my hands were untied and wrenched to my sides. The bag was still on my head so I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel a presence approached. It made something deep inside bristle as he drew closer. Who was this guy?

“She smells … familiar,” he whispered to himself. “It can’t be.”

A warm hand grabbed my wrist from the grip of whomever was holding it. Before I could do anything, I felt a sharp pinch, and then lips pressed against my skin. Did he just bite me? What was it with getting bit lately?

After a moment, the hand dropped my arm and then the bag was pulled violently from my head. I blinked, trying to make out what, and whom, I was dealing with. A tall, broad man stood before me looking down. I recoiled at the man’s reptilian eyes. They looked exactly like Lazateth’s, but instead of lava-red, this dragon’s eyes were poisonous-green.

A sneer appeared on his lips as he searched my face. I did the same since the only dragon I’d ever encountered was evil, but this one didn’t match what I had experienced, so far.

“You look and taste just like him,” Bavnak said, his expression turning from disgust to wonder.

“Who?” Please don’t say Lazateth.

“Your father,” he said, dropping that bomb in my lap.

“My father?” I was confused because I’d never known my father … didn’t even know his name.

“This can’t be happening,” he murmured, rubbing his forehead. “You’re here for answers, but I can’t give them.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Won’t,” he answered, which seemed to surprise him. “Coming here was a mistake.”

“I can’t leave! Not without my fire. It was taken and I need to get it back.”

“Your fire is the least of your concerns,” he retorted, then opened his mouth as if to continue, but glanced at everyone still in the room. “Get out.”

Without another word, the women warriors dropped my arms, turned and left.

“What do you know?” I asked the infuriating dragon.

“I know a great deal more than even you know, or realize.”

“Do you always talk like this? Never really answering anything?”

“Maybe you need to ask the right questions,” he snapped, his maturity was glaringly obvious.

“Who are you? What is this place? I deserve to know.”

Faster than I could blink, a claw-tipped hand gripped my throat and got my attention … but he wasn’t hurting me, yet. He leaned down until his poison-green eyes were looking into my own. Danger was etched in every line of his face and everything about this situation told me I should be terrified enough to pee my pants, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t scared of this dragon; if anything, I was amused by him, which seemed to make him mad. Big scary dragon, pfft, please.

“You have no idea what you have walked into,” he said cryptically.

“Pretty sure this is the inside of a volcano and I was carried. I didn’t walk.”

“You’re just like him,” he said, going for mock frustration, but I could see the sparkle in his eyes.

“Look, Bavie, I just found out that I’m part-dragon. I have so many questions about my heritage and my abilities. I had to come here. I don’t have any safe options on Earth,” Bavnak’s lips twitched at my nickname, then he removed his hand from my throat.

“Earth is not a good place for answers, especially for you. What’s your name?” I told him and he nodded before turning and running his hands through hair that looked black as tar. “I wish there was a safe place for you, but even here it’s dangerous. I’ll answer your questions, but it can’t be now. You’ll have to trust me. This is not a good time, so keep your eyes and ears open until we can talk more freely.”

His eyes were kind and I could tell that my presence had thrown him for a loop. There wasn't much I could do until then so I’d watch, I’d listen, and I’d learn as much as I could. I was confident that I had found what Ruvaen had wanted me too, but I wondered how he knew to send me here.

Royce was still tied up with a bag over his head when we got done speaking. I quickly untied him and removed the bag and the gag in his mouth. His eyes were wide with surprise, but by the way he gripped my hand, I knew that he had heard everything and was concerned. Bavnak called for a few women to show us to the temporary lodging and instructed them to provide us whatever we needed.

We were led out of the giant echoey room that Bavnak hung out in. Two women escorted us back the way we’d come, and I wasn’t surprised to find a massive cavern made up of the black lava rock that seemed to be everywhere on this planet. A village straight out of Game of Thrones was smack dab in the middle where people roamed, going about their day to day lives. It wasn’t dark like you’d expect it to be. It was lit by something magically. After a quick study of the surrounding walls and ceiling, I found streams of what looked like lava flowing through the walls. Smaller spider webs of glowing rock ran down the walls, adding heat and light. If this wasn’t a fucking volcano, I’d be impressed—but the thought of being in here during an eruption had my butt puckering.

About a quarter way around the circular main room was a smaller alcove that we ducked into. The nook then turned into a short hallway that led to a steaming pool of water—an underground hot spring that was heated by the volcano.

“There are clean robes hung there,” one of the women that Bavnak had called to escort us pointed out. “I’m Roni.” She pointed to robes hung on different parts of the lava rock on one side of the spring. “Vanis will be waiting outside to take you to your lodgings.” She must be talking about the other guard.

The women left the bathing room as I quickly glanced at Royce. His cheeks were beet red. Communal baths were not something that Earth had and I was just as uncomfortable as Royce clearly was.

“We’ll keep our backs turned,” Royce said, clearing his throat. “You take the right side, I’ll take the left.”

It was a good plan, so I nodded and made my way to that side of the pool. About to bathe in the same room with a doctor actually put me at ease. Everything was confidential with them. I mean, doctors have seen places on me that no one ever would. It just became normal. Seen one, seen them all.

I realized that my inner monologue was stalling, so keeping my back to the rest of the room, I stripped out of my dirty clothes. There wasn’t enough water or any convenient way to clean them during our trek so we did what we could. Seeing Royce without a shirt on hadn’t been weird, but knowing he was naked across the room was something else entirely.

I walked backward until I came to the edge of the pool then dropped into the pool with a splash, then a groan. The water was warm like a hot tub and it soothed the ache and soreness from my limbs.

“There’s soap on the small ledge above the waterline,” Royce said, and I guessed he was already in the water.

I searched and found a bar of cream-colored soap. I sniffed it and found that it smelled of lavender mixed with rose. It wasn’t unpleasant, just different. It lathered quickly as I began cleaning my skin. After a few brushes, I found my arms feeling soft as butter. Lathering up my hands I started working it into my strawberry tresses. It felt amazing. My hair was thick and I tended to sweat when I was walking through a desolate wasteland.

After I rinsed, I soaked for a little while, combing my hair with my fingers as best I could. It gave me time to think about everything, so far. Here I was in a strange world with people I could be part of, but still no real answers.

The bomb drop that Bavnak knew my father was unexpected and blew my fucking mind, which was putting it lightly. My mom had a one-night stand, the scamp, and wound up pregnant with me. She doesn’t remember much about him and didn’t catch his name, which had been hard growing up—knowing I was a Mutt, but not knowing what sort. Now I’m part-dragon, which means a dragon had boinked my mom. Gross.

Unfortunately, this was pretty common. Supes go out for a good time and end up banging some chick in an alley, then boom, baby. My best friend, Lyndee, and boss, Syd, had similar stories, but both had met their super parent, though they weren’t part of their lives. It’s just another part of life now that supes were in our world and why Mutts were so common.

Orphaned Mutts were common, too, and why The Faceless were needed. We found places for these orphans to belong. We did our best to keep them out of the other gangs, or from getting caught up in other race related bull shit. Nothing like finding your family and they flat out reject you, or worse, try and kill you. Shifters were bad. They had this loyalty and code of stupid that they followed, but didn’t have any of the responsibility for fathering a child.

Which I didn’t get. All the fantasy books I read painted shifters in a familial light. Offspring were precious and should be treasured, but the shifters that invaded Earth weren’t like that. Probably why they were my least favorite supe, right below dragons, of course.

“You ready, Nik,” Royce asked, his voice echoing around the room.

“Not really,” I sighed. The water was warm and I hadn’t come to grips with anything like I should. Therapy was for later.

I climbed out of the pool trusting Royce not to look, but I was so tired that I didn’t really care, and didn’t bother to check. Grabbing a robe, I wrapped it around my body and fastened it before heading toward the entrance where I met Royce.

His hair was wet and curly and he looked as good as I felt. No more sweat crusties in the hair or on the skin; I was never going to take a shower or bath for granted again. Oh, and fuck camping.

“You look better,” I said, ruffling his hair.

“Likewise,” he replied, but his cheeks were flushed.

We exited the alcove together and found Vanis waiting. She nodded then turned and headed toward the village, which was quiet now. It had been dark when we were taken, so I wondered how late, or early, it was. It didn’t really matter, though, because I felt like I could sleep for two weeks.

Vanis led us to a small hut that was similar to the ones that we saw outside. It was made from black lava rock and didn’t appear to have any obvious tool marks. I’d love to figure out how these structures were made before we left.

It was small, only big enough for two beds, and I noticed that there was some shelving on the walls, but nothing else. The mattresses didn’t seem to be made of lava rock, thank god. They did look extremely comfortable, and I was so tired that sleeping on the rough stone sounded great.

“Rest as long as you need. I’ll bring food for you once the day has broken,” Vanis said, bowing her head then ducking out of the hut, shutting the door behind her.

I listened intently, waiting to hear the sound of a lock sliding into place or something, but it didn’t come. When I could no longer hear Vanis’s footsteps, I breathed easier. My first glimpse of the hut was that it was minimalistic, and my second glance revealed the exact same thing.

A sigh from Royce revealed that he felt the same way, tired. “At least it isn’t on the ground, right,” he said with a small grin.

“I can’t handle much more right now. Let’s go to bed so I can wallow in existential dread or whatever.”

“Nik.” Royce grabbed my hand and I turned, doing my best not to look at his face or else I’d probably cry. “You okay?”

“No, but I can’t deal with any of that right now. I need sleep which will bring back normal brain function,” I answered, pulling away and walking to the closest bed and falling onto it.

I curled up with the provided pillow thinking of Zazu and how if he was here he’d ruin it. I missed the little shit so much.

Royce tossed me a blanket then laid down on the other mattress and did his best to pretend that he didn’t notice the tears on my cheeks.

Dreams plagued me, making my much-needed sleep impossible. After a particularly nasty one that left me achy and missing my friends and Kreed like crazy, I finally fell into an exhausted slumber.

The hut was still dark when I opened my eyes, but it was probably due to the fact that lava rock is black. I curled up under a blanket and was deliciously warm. I snuggled back down and something occurred to my tired brain, my pillow felt funny. After a bit more investigation, I realized that my pillow was actually Royce. I vaguely remember him crawling into bed with me while I cried. I found comfort in his presence because he was a doctor and naturally caring.

His chest was bare and the blanket only covered him from the waist down. His muscles were defined, but not as rigidly as Kreed’s. He was attractive, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him as anything other than a supportive friend. I wasn’t stupid … I saw the way he looked at me and could guess how he felt. Until this bond thing with Kreed was figured out, I couldn’t give him what he wanted. He was sweet and kind and I liked him, but right now my head and my heart were at odds.

Royce stirred so I laid my head back down, not wanting to be caught ogling him in his sleep. He breathed deeply then stilled, so I thought he’d gone back to sleep, but then his arm moved and I felt his fingers caress my shoulder. When I remained still, he pulled the blanket up further so it was over my shoulders, then he carefully extricated himself.

I opened my eyes and watched him grab the tee shirt he wore yesterday, that was miraculously clean, and pull it on. He noticed that I was awake and offered me a small smile as he came and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’m going to find a restroom then track down some food. Go back to sleep, I won’t be long.” He tucked a stray hair away from my face then stood and left.

I rolled onto my back, threw my arm over my eyes and sighed. What was I going to do now? We were in another world with answers so close I could almost touch them. This culture was new and intriguing but also completely new. Was I curious? Yes. Was I terrified that the answers I needed would be violent and gruesome? Hell, yes. Would I waste this opportunity to learn about this race and how the dragons from my world fit into all of this? Uh, no. I was sent here for a reason, and despite my earlier concerns and doubts from Ruvaen, this was where I needed to be—at least for now.

By the time Royce returned, I was up, dressed in the clean clothes from yesterday, and nursing a starving stomach. How long had we been asleep?

“I found a place to get some food,” he said, noting my dressed appearance and determined demeanor.

“Awesome, because I think my stomach is about to eat my backbone.” My words were punctuated with an angry growl.

Royce chuckled, then motioned for me to follow him.

The cavern, or whatever, looked the same as it did last night, but since there were no windows to give a clue about the time of day I had no idea if it was the next morning, or if three days had passed. The village sounds were interesting. I really needed to explore more worlds.

As Royce led me through the village, I noticed that everyone wore the same sort of bland clothing that our robes had been made of. The dominant colors were off-white and black, with splashes of glowing liquid rock. How these people could live here knowing that lava rock was so close was beyond me, but they made it work.

The food was on the opposite side of the village from where our hut was. It was set up as a sort of cafeteria. A line of people with flat black plates in hand waited as food was loaded onto other plates. Was everything made out of the black rock?

A group of women entered the eating area wearing very different outfits than the rest. These women were decked out in russet scaly armor that covered their legs, ass, back, shoulders, and chest. Their bellies were bare and so well-defined it made my abs jealous. Many had spears that hung from their backs with gleaming black heads that tapered into points. Some had swords and daggers, all made of the same black material. It was incredible how these people used the lava stone to make everyday things.

As the women warriors entered, those next in line for food stepped back and let the warriors cut in front of them. It was a small group, so the people who had paused didn’t have to wait long for their turns. Royce and I stepped to the back and slowly made our way to where the food was being served. We approached the servers and I was glad to see that there were plates stacked at the end, but no one seemed to be grabbing them. In fact, everyone seemed to have brought their own plate to eat from, except for the warriors.

We both grabbed plates trying not to draw any more attention to ourselves. People stared, but not in a hostile way. I wondered if most of them had ever seen a human. I mean, they looked like humans, they just lived in a different world, so seeing us must not be so different. Sure, our clothes were different and our complexions, but we were actually more similar than I thought we’d be.

Royce and I went through the line accepting everything onto our plates. My stomach was still angry by the lack of food and I heard Royce’s stomach make an equally unhappy sound. Once our plates were loaded with food, we turned and looked at the tables positioned around the area and tried to find a seat; I suddenly felt like the new kid in school.

“Oy, Spew,” a female voice hollered. Like an idiot, I turned, my eyes zeroing in on a pair of women warriors sitting at a table apart from the others. The female who spoke patted the seat next to her. Not wanting to be rude, Royce and I made our way to their table and sat.

“You look better today,” the second female observed, and I realized I had heard her voice before. It was Iza.

“Yea being woman-handled will do that to you,” I grumbled, ignoring Royce’s snort of laughter.

“Honestly you held up better than I expected,” Zallas said, shoveling food in her mouth with her hand.

I hadn’t noticed any silverware so I suspected that these people didn’t have them. It wasn’t totally gross so I picked about the food on my plate with my fingers, trying to act like this was completely normal as I studied the two women. They were both rugged looking with similar features that proved my sister theory.

Iza was smaller than her sister, but no less fit. Her hair was a pretty brown that many stylists on Earth would be surprised to learn was natural. She was delicate-looking, but I suspected it was a ruse. She could probably kill me with one hand. The quiet, pretty ones were always the most dangerous.

Zallas was the opposite of her sister. Her skin was a shade or two darker and white scars ran from her left temple to the right side of her chin. They looked like claw marks, but it only added to her otherworldly beauty and her ‘take no shit’ attitude.

“We didn’t see you out and about yesterday,” Iza prompted, then laughed at my confused expression.

“You slept through two nights and a day,” Zallas informed us, as she used her dagger to spear something on her plate and put it in her mouth.

“Oh, well we’ve been traveling for several days,” I said, cheeks heating with embarrassment. It was beyond strange talking to these two who essentially kidnapped us and bashed my head.

“What brings you here to Ska’?” Iza asked, looking from Royce to me. “We don’t see humans much, anymore. The fact you made it all the way to Fellkirk without being noticed by our sentries is impressive.”

“We weren’t trying to be sneaky,” I said defensively.

“Of course not,” Zallas said, waving away my words. “If it helps, I’m sorry I bashed your head, you were just being really wiggly.”

“I’d just been tied up, gagged, with a bag placed over my head, then flipped over a shoulder. I’m sure you would have done the same thing in my position,” I huffed. What a bitch!

“Nah, I’m bigger, so it would be easier for me to overpower my captor,” Zallas said, matter-of-factly.

“Well, I’m not a Neanderchick,” I snapped back, noticing Iza’s grin.

“I like her,” Iza said, patting my head like a child.

“She’s got spunk, must be the dragon in her,” Zallas remarked, licking her fingers clean.

“How do you know that I have dragon in me?” I asked, picking at my food, wondering what would look the best dumped on her head.

“I didn’t but you just confirmed it,” she said, as a satisfied smile spread across her face.

Zallas glanced at Iza with an ‘I told you so’ look.

“As fascinating as this is, I didn’t come here to be patronized, I came here for answers—”

“Answers, like who am I? What am I?” Zallas interrupted, changing her voice at a poor attempt to sound like me.

“Listen, Spew, you are who you are, no answers that you find here will change that.” Iza was becoming my favorite of the two.

“If I’d had any other choice, I would have stayed home,” I grumbled.

“Why didn’t you?” Zallas asked, for once sounding curious.

“It’s not safe for me there.” I felt a bit like a coward for running away and following what Ruvaen had told me to do. “It was better for me to leave so I could learn and keep those I care about safe.”

“Ah, so it was selfless of you then,” Zallas said.

She was really starting to piss me off. “I don’t have to explain my reasons to you. Lazateth gave me no other choice. I came here to get answers, then go home where hopefully the psycho dragon has moved his obsession to something else.”

“I knew it,” Iza said, holding out her hand to her sister who scowled, then handed her the dagger she was using to eat with.

“You guys made a bet about me?” I asked, incredulously.

“We tried to figure out why a half-blooded female dragon would come here searching for answers when there were male dragons on Earth,” Iza said. “You just confirmed that you are here because of an obsessed male dragon which makes you incredibly naïve, but also very brave. Not many can withstand the attention of a male dragon, especially one who’s found a mate in you.”

All the color drained from my face.

Especially one who’s found a mate in you.

I was going to spew again.

Panic gripped me and it was suddenly hard to breath. My chest felt tight, and my stomach roiled violently—it took everything I had just to keep it down.

Royce moved quickly, spinning me around on the bench seat and forcing my head down until it was between my knees. Thank god for doctors.

“Deep breaths, Nik,” he spoke softly, while I tried to rein in the hyperventilation.

“What’s wrong?” Iza asked, alarmed.

This was probably super strange for them to see and any other time, I’d love to see their faces, but right now I was going through some shit.

Holy shit! I was a potential mate to Lazateth. Was that why I had responded the way I had at the club? I found him beautiful, but also a complete asshole. In all of the paranormal romances I’d read, the mate was always possessive but also super loving and absolutely did not bite their mate and drink their blood. This was all so messed up.

“She’s in shock, and probably a good bit of panic. You all need to work on your delivery,” Royce informed the two women.

“Are you saying she didn’t know?” Zallas asked, surprised.

“Know that a psycho dragon was her mate, uh, not so much,” I answered, scathingly, from between my legs.

“I don’t understand,” Iza said. I wanted to tell her to join the fucking club.

“I’m not entirely sure of the full story but what I do know is this dragon, Lazateth, bit Nik and nearly drained her, all the while stealing her fire.” Royce sounded confident, then became increasingly unsure.

“He took your fire?” Zallas asked, her voice tight with anger.

“Yeah,” I confirmed, finding it easier to breathe now.

“You can’t feel it at all?” Iza asked, and I thought I detected a tone of disbelief.

I lifted my head then turned to the two Neanderchicks who were my only source of information at this point.

“No, I can’t. Not even a little,” I revealed, hating how small and helpless I felt.

They looked at each other with eyebrows furrowed. I would bet that this conversation had taken a turn from what they were expecting.

Zallas turned back to me first, her eyes having a fierce gleam to them as they met mine.

“There aren’t any male dragons here, besides Bavnak—you are safe here.” The scars on her face seemed to pop off her skin when she was angry.

“Why aren’t there any male dragons here?” Royce asked.

“They aren’t allowed here,” Iza said, finally turning back to the rest of us and adding, “and if one is stupid enough to come here without invitation, they would be killed.”

“I’m so confused,” I said, resting my head on my hands and staring at the uneaten food on my plate, my appetite long forgotten.

“We can talk more but we’ve got patrol duty,” Zallas said, eyeing the other female soldiers. “Later we’re going on a hunt and you’re welcome to join. Your secret is safe with us.”

They left their empty plates on the table as they stood and joined the other warriors. Both of them looked worried and I had no clue why. They knew something, and if I played my cards right, maybe I’d find out sooner rather than later. Bavnak had told me to keep my eyes and ears open for the answers I needed, which was exactly what I was going to do.

“You need to eat more, Nik,” Royce prompted, pushing my still overflowing plate back in front of me. “You need your strength. I have a feeling that answers will be hard to come by, so it’s best to have a full stomach when you discover them.”

I wasn’t hungry and felt like I would never be hungry again, but I knew I needed it. So, for the next hour, I forced food into my stomach and tried not to think about what they had revealed. I couldn’t shake the dread that hung over me like a dark cloud.

“What now?” I asked Royce when I’d eaten all the food I could stomach.

“I guess we wait for them to come back. They seem brash, but were genuinely surprised that you didn’t know any of this.”

“I feel like an idiot for not knowing, or at least not suspecting.”

“You can’t blame yourself. As far as any of us knew, dragons can’t procreate with humans. You are living proof that they can.”

“I feel like a dark, dirty secret.”

How many other Mutts on Earth actually had dragon blood in their family tree? Probably more than they knew. I kept my head down and my abilities a secret my whole life knowing that a Mutt who didn’t know was dangerous. Not to mention my healing ability that could only be Zavarian. I had two of the rarest supernatural races in my blood, and I had no idea what to do with that information.

“You should go back to the hut and rest,” Royce said, looking at me with concern.

I nodded, but I didn’t think I’d be able to rest with all this information swirling in my head.

“Will you lay with me? Just until I fall asleep?” I asked, knowing that sleep would be impossible now. I also knew that I shouldn’t ask that of him, but I didn’t have anyone else.

“Of course, I’m here for you, Nik. Always.”

I nodded at his words, knowing that I couldn’t reciprocate those feelings. At least not right now.

* * *

I slept better this time and woke feeling refreshed with a clear plan in mind. Bavnak hadn’t been forthcoming with answers but the two Neanderchicks had been, so I just needed to play along during this hunting trip then I’d get the answers I was looking for.

I’d never been hunting on Earth, and certainly not on a lava world, so I literally had no idea what to expect, but I was looking forward to getting out of the volcano at the very least. Royce was gone but he said he probably would be when I woke. He was hoping to get to the ruins that everyone called Fellkirk. He seemed interested in the history there, which was sort of weird. The place gave me the creeps, but to each their own.

I exited our hut to see Zallas and Iza walking toward me. They still wore their armor, but it now had what looked like a cape trailing behind them. Strange thing to wear hunting, but what did I know. Maybe capes helped them feel like bad asses. I was all for that. Maybe they had one for me.

“How was your nap, Spew?” Zallas asked, like she actually cared.

Still wasn’t feeling the new nickname, though. “Good, I feel better than I did,” I admitted, falling into step with the tall warriors.

“That’s good because you’re going to need it,” Iza said, slapping me on the shoulder hard enough to send me stumbling sideways. “Sorry, I forget how puny humans are.”

I nodded, keeping my retort that I wasn’t just human to myself. At first, I had thought the sisters brash, and they were, but I think that’s just who they were. No bull shit with these two, which I liked.

The warrior sisters chatted with each other as we walked, sometimes pulling me into the conversation, but otherwise let me be. It gave me a chance to look around and explore with my eyes.

When we were about halfway around the massive circular cavern the sisters ducked into a narrow passageway. They had to stoop and crawl for the majority of the way, while I just had to bend a bit to get around.

“We’re almost there, Spew,” Zallas announced, excitement radiating off her, while I was breathing heavily with sweat coating my forehead. I was really out of shape. I didn’t badger myself too much because I had been sick and then was in a coma for a few weeks, so my strength wasn’t what it needed to be.

“So how is this all going to work?” I asked, crossing my fingers that they didn’t say something ridiculous, like jump off a cliff.

“We fly, of course,” Iza said, nearly bouncing with glee while I nodded, trying not to dwell on the flying bit.

“And what will we be hunting?” I squeezed through a particularly narrow part of the passage.

“Depends, but we’re hoping for some drakes—but it’ll probably be taurens or slimes,” Zallas answered.

I didn’t ask anything else for fear they’d explain what ‘slimes’ were, but I was perfectly willing to not ever find that out—for obvious reasons.

Light could be seen up ahead and I was looking forward to getting out and breathing some fresh air. We slowed as we approached where the daylight was coming from. Zallas and Iza got into line with their backs to the wall. I did the same, following their lead.

Zallas went through first, followed by Iza who gave me a bright smile before she disappeared after her sister. I could smell the fresh air and I was rearing to get more of it, so much so that I didn’t mimic what the others had done and just charged out of the opening.

I’m not sure what I expected, but a tiny ledge on the side of a volcano was not it.

“Holy shit!” I gasped, as Iza grabbed my waist and pulled me back from open air. “What the fuck!”

Zallas’ hair whipped about her face, but the air current couldn’t hide her laughter at my expense.

“Sorry, we should have warned you,” Iza laughed.

You fucking think!

Wind whipped my hair and I tried to bat it back, while also maintaining my death grip on Iza. Unperturbed by my nearly near-death experience, Iza grabbed my shirt collar and hoisted me up onto Zallas’ back, piggyback-style. I grabbed her shoulders, because I’m pretty sure she’d hate it if I grabbed her hair.

Two seconds after I settled myself on my new ride, Zallas took off running on a narrow edge on the side of a mother-freaking volcano. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be an adrenaline junky. Judging from the scream I let out loud enough to make my ears ring, I didn’t think it was my thing.

The edge had a steady incline, and we reached another platform within minutes, that felt like an eternity. Zallas tapped my arm and I reluctantly loosened my hold and slid off her back.

Iza strolled to the edge, put her fingers in her mouth, and blew a sharp, clear note. She was obviously calling something and I’d bet Lyndee’s right tit that it wasn’t a horse.

We waited for whatever Iza called to arrive. I couldn’t help but notice that the platform didn’t seem to be natural. It was just like everything else; seemingly built, but no obvious indication that it had been.

“How did this get here?” I asked Zallas, who was the closest.

“What? The platform?”

“Yeah, it was obviously built because lava doesn’t flow like this, plus there’s no tool marks.” I pointed at the black, rocky platform we stood on.

“This is an ancient place, so most of the knowledge has been lost to time,” Zallas said. “It’s believed that this place, and the ruins where we found you, were built by lava setters. They could touch the liquid rock and place it where they wanted it.”

That nearly blew my mind. No wonder Royce and I couldn’t find any tool marks. The rock was literally placed by people and smoothed with hands. These ancient people were incredible.

“That’s amazing.” I looked at the area and tried imagining a lava setter controlling flow to make whatever they needed or wanted.

My mind turned to the dragon statues in Fellkirk. Whomever the lava sculptor had been must have been incredibly talented. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how someone could even do that, but I lived in a culture where magic and strange abilities were normal. If I’d had a choice, I’d choose to be a lava setter.

A steady thump, thump started while I was imagining myself as a lava setter, and continued to grow louder, to the point that it couldn’t be the wind.

When I opened my mouth to ask Zallas what the sound was, some sort of flying creature appeared in the air by the platform. My words died and instead a scream started, but it also died when the beast landed on the platform and Iza gave its head a hug.

Gave its head a hug.

Was I having a stroke? There’s a freaking scaly-ass dragon on the platform, and it was currently nudging Iza like a puppy looking for treats.

“You alright, Spew,” Zallas asked with concern, but I was having trouble processing her words.

“That’s … ahhh …,” I managed to whisper.

“That’s a drake. Why do you look like you just fell off a volcano?” I could tell Zallas was trying to make me laugh, but it wasn’t working.

“I think I might be sick,” I croaked from my dry throat. “I don’t think I can handle anymore revelations.”

“What’s going on? Are you going to spew again?” Iza asked, walking over to us.

I squealed when the drake weaved its head and neck like a snake. The body was long and thicker in the middle, probably due to the legs and wings. It was a dark green color, nearly black, and it blended into the rocky landscape perfectly. Its scales didn’t glitter in the light, but rather absorbed it, which would make it an excellent predator. It turned its massive head and a bright orange eye full of unimaginable intelligence blinked at me with two sets of eyelids.

“Okay, time out,” I said, shakily, while making the appropriate hand gesture. “I’ve got to have a meltdown because I’m due for one and there’s only so much I can handle without going there. So, buckle up kids, cause this is fixing to get hairy.”

Iza and Zallas blinked at me while I turned and started to pace, keeping the warrior chicks between me and the scaly beast who continued to blink and follow me with its eye.

Creepy.

“I’m in a strange dragon-y world trying to learn about my heritage and shit. I wasn’t expecting things to keep popping up. Like you two, for example, and that douche-bag, Bavnak. Learning I was part dragon threw me, but I never could have guessed this.” I continued to ramble while pacing and pointing at random things, all the while trying to ignore the stares from three separate pairs of eyes. “I’ve got so many questions! Why are you laughing? Have you never seen a meltdown before?”

“Not like this, no,” Zallas chuckled, walking over to me and wrapping a beefy arm around my shoulders. “I think I can help you with your problem.”

“Problem?”

“Shush, young Spew. You’re looking at this the wrong way,” Zallas said. “You’re trying to learn everything here that pertains to you, but honestly, you are an insignificant speck of dust in comparison. That doesn’t make your questions invalid but it does make them harder to get. Answers are all around you, plus you have me and Iza willing to explain. We’ll help you understand but it won’t happen overnight.”

“Let’s start with something easy,” Iza said, motioning for us to follow her—and with Zallas’ hold on me, I couldn’t do anything but obey. “This is Zion.” Iza introduced me to the drake. The creature bowed its head at me in acknowledgement. This was not a pet, this was an intelligent beast who was wise and ruthless. I bowed my head in response and it chuffed deep in its throat. “See, she likes you.”

“She?” I totally assumed it was a dude dragon.

“Her race and ours are similar,” Zallas said. “Things are different where you’re from in that men are dominant, and while many males here are, they have nothing on the females.”

“You see,” Iza continued. “The mother dragon, Admera, created our race, and when Urdon, the father dragon, saw her creation, he liked it and requested she make more after his likeness. Admera being wise, and also cunning, granted her mate’s request and created dragons like Zion.”

“There are two dragon-like races here? One like Zion and one like us?” I asked, excited to be learning this.

“Yes, we are from the mother,” Iza said, pointing to herself then me. “Zion is of the father.”

“Well, that’s interesting.” And it was. We had mythology on Earth, and I was intrigued by it, but never delved too deeply into it like I wanted. “So, these two races live together, here, in peace?”

“At the moment, yes. Our two races have a bloody history, and it took years and years for it to be resolved. The bargain struck has been in place for centuries,” Zallas said, but a shadow had fallen on her turning, the mood from curious discovery to something darker.

“We’re wasting daylight,” I said awkwardly. Zallas had gone to a dark place and I was too chicken shit to ask her about it.

“Right, hunting,” Iza said, snapping out of the mood Zallas had fallen into. “Tell me, Nik, do you have wings?”

Excuse me, girlfriend say what?

“Uhhhh, no?” It was a question because, hell, I just found out I was a dragon, so maybe I did.

“By your tone I’m going to assume that you don’t,” Iza replied, glancing toward Zallas from the corner of her eye.

“How do you know?” How would I even know? I mean, were wings even a thing with whatever crazy mix of supe I was?

“Because you would know,” Zallas answered simply, then sighed and continued after seeing my confused look. “Wings are like arms or legs. You have them or you don’t.”

“Could they have been removed?” I asked, because having wings would be so freaking cool.

Iza shook her head then reached out and patted Zion’s snout. “Admera, the mother, gifted our race with the dragons’ greatest asset. They are beyond physical. Connected to the fire we all hold inside of us. Since your fire was taken we cannot know for sure.”

Lazateth ruined everything.

I needed to get my fire back, stat! Not only did I not feel like myself, but I missed the wild warm flicker, the way it felt as it traveled through me to my hands.

I sniffed bringing myself back to the present. If I thought too hard on the fact that I didn’t have it anymore I’d probably start crying. Then what would my nickname be?

“Okay, so, hunting … how do we do that?” I asked, because I honestly didn’t have any idea.

“We’re going to ride Zion,” Zallas said, with a wicked grin. I'm glad she's feeling better.

“Cool, cool, ca-cool,” I stuttered, failing not to show my unease.

“Don’t worry, Spew,” Iza said, clapping me on the back and walking me closer to Zion. “You’ll have the best seat.”

Ten minutes later we were flying, and I was doing my damnedest not to pee my pants. The “best seat” that Iza said I’d have was not, in fact, on Zion’s back. Oh, no. It was on her chest. While Iza and Zallas were flying on Zion’s back, I was strapped into a harness that had my back against the dragon's chest. I could feel every inhale and exhale. Coupled with the weightlessness and the fact I was strapped to a dragon’s chest; I wasn’t handling well—at all.

It’s the safest place. Iza had assured me, which I mentally called bullshit on, but really what did I know about dragons and riding them. Nothing that’s what.

The movies I’d watched about dragon riding didn’t prepare me for this. It seemed like a lucrative endeavor with dragons ruling Earth and all. But se la vie.

“How are you doing, Spew?” A female voice hollered. I couldn't tell if it was Iza or Zallas.

“Great,” I lied.

My stomach rumbled and I wondered if these people had keen senses of smell like the races of Earth had. I was holding in a nervous fart and that was the last thing I wanted them to know about. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. I also didn’t want them to know about my unique heritage, yet. Our friendship was still in the seedling stage. Best not to reveal the weird all at once.

“Hold on,” a voice yelled again over the wind.

Before I could yell back “to what, bitch” Zion banked sharply to the left, then with mighty beats of her wings, we began to climb. Higher and higher until fear skated down my spine. I wasn’t scared of heights normally, but this was beyond anything I’d experienced. I lived on the twelfth floor of a penthouse, for goodness’ sake, this should be easy-peasy.

All too soon Zion evened out and we glided above the clouds and I got a good, nausea-inducing, look at the land we’d left behind. Black covered the surface, but large patches of brown with splatters of green could be seen. We were too far up to see anything moving so I was curious what we were actually hunting.

“There,” I heard, and assumed whomever spoke was pointing.

I looked around trying to guess what they were seeing, but all I saw was clouds, the black ground, and flying flocks of birds. Maybe they could see the goat-sheep creatures we had seen when we first came here.

I felt Zion’s muscles tense then relax as she moved herself into position. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was here, part of a hunt and no matter how badly I wanted to tap out, I couldn’t. So, I took a deep breath and strapped in, metaphorically.

Zion drifted on updrafts or jet streams or whatever until we were directly over a flock. Maybe they saw something on the ground and we were going to swoop in and steal the bacon. That’s a plan I can get behind.

With a tilt of wings and a rumble in her chest, Zion went into a lazy dive. As we were speeding toward the ground, I saw something out the corner of my eye, and when I turned my head, I saw Zallas. A wicked blade in each hand, her face contorted into viciousness, and the coolest of all wings fluttering behind.

What I had originally thought were capes were actually wings.

Holy mother shifter!

I wasn’t sure what I expected but I didn’t actually think they had wings sprouting from their backs—or maybe it just didn’t register.

We approached the flock that looked to be scanning the ground with no idea that we were coming. I sucked in a breath as my eyes watered from the rushing air. When we were nearly upon them, Zion let out a roar that sounded exactly like the scream Royce and I heard every night while traveling. I shuddered to think about what would’ve happened if a drake had found us.

Zallas spread her wings letting the air slow her descent, and a second later, so did Zion. I screamed as dragon claws came from below me and grabbed a creature from the air, gave it a violent shake, then let it go.

What the hell? I thought we were here to hunt for food not to kill because you could. That’s what the dragons back home did. Maybe they were more alike than I realized.

Zallas and Iza swooped around Zion and me grabbing whatever they could and stabbing anything within reach. Once dead or injured, they let the animal fall and it tore at my heart. For a split second, I felt a flicker deep down, but it left as quickly as it had come.

The rest of the flock dispersed so we flew closer to the ground, flying in increasingly bigger circles until Iza shouted and we drew closer. Zion touched down on the rough stone carefully and the sound of claws scraping against stone was a sound I’d never forget.

I looked around wondering why we’d landed here when I spotted feathers. The creatures we hunted had the same dark, green skin color as the drake but had white feathers sticking out in every direction. They were the ugliest chicken-like birds I’d ever seen, and they had to be half the size of Zion. Looks like ugly chicken for dinner.

Breathless, with a wide smile on her face, Iza came and untied me from Zion’s chest. As soon as my arms and legs were free, I stepped away from the dragon who picked up a random dead bird and dug in. The crunch of bones and feathers echoed—and was disgusting.

Zallas was dragging the dead birds, making a pile. I didn’t question her but instead grabbed two scaly legs and attempted to drag it. Iza laughed at my feeble attempt and waved me away.

“How are we going to get them all back?” I asked Zallas, as she drug a feathery corpse by.

“A team will be by to butcher them, then the meat will be taken home on more drakes,” she answered.

It was nice that everyone here helped the community. The ones who could fly attacked the flock from above and a team would come butcher the animals then ferry it home to be prepared. Whatever was left was left behind for scavengers to pick through.

“When will the group get here?” I asked, looking around the black landscape as Zion grabbed another bird.

“They’re usually here by now,” Iza answered, also looking around, her forehead wrinkled in concern.

“I’m sure they’re fine. They’re probably a bit slower because they’re training today,” Zallas reminded Iza, as she dragged another bird to the pile that must have around fifteen already.

“That’s right. We can always leave Zion here to guard the pile,” Zion chuffed at the suggestion. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign.

I walked around while Iza and Zallas continued being Neanderchicks and Zion munched away. It was late afternoon and the smoky sky grew darker, an indicator of the coming night.

“Do you hear that?” Iza asked, tilting her head.

I didn’t even try. I didn’t have super ears like other supes, so I hung back and let them do the listening.

“I don’t know,” Zallas answered, and that got my attention.

“Is it taurens or slimes?” I asked.

“No, those are taurens.” Zallas pointed at the pile of ugly chickens. “And slimes are worms that live underground.”

And they hunt and eat slimes. Gross.

“Iza! Zallas! Help! Ikaria’s hurt,” someone shouted.

Zallas took off, flapping her dragon-like wings, while Iza hoisted me up on her back and ran after her sister. Flying would have been smoother, but Iza was fast and agile, keeping up with Zallas without much effort.

“What happened?” Zallas asked, as we approached a group of women wearing the same tan canvas-like clothes like the robes Royce and I used after the bath.

“Ikaria slipped and fell into a ravine,” the lead woman answered. “He’s bleeding and seems to have broken something. We didn’t want to move him.” Iza dropped me on my feet and I realized that the leader was a young girl, no older than thirteen.

“Where is he?” Iza asked, looking down into the ravine the girl indicated.

“Down there.” She pointed and I looked over the edge and saw a small boy around nine or ten laying on his side, legs bent in a way they shouldn’t be and covered in scrapes.

“Hold on, Ikaria,” Zallas yelled down to the boy, her eyes searching for the best way to reach him.

The ravine was narrow, so Iza’s and Zallas’ wings were out of the question.

“I’ll go,” I volunteered, following a path with my eyes before following it with my body. Some situations needed a small, short person; I’d be pointing it out to the Neanderchicks later.

I made it to the bottom, surprisingly, without any injuries—which was a miracle. Ikaria was curled on his side. I approached slower so not to spook him. He had scrapes everywhere but his legs looked the worst. I hovered my hand above them and could feel the heat from his skin and knew that they were definitely broken. His breathing and pulse were elevated, but even. Now I needed to figure out how to get him back to the surface, without causing more damage.

“Can you lift him to me, Spew?” Zallas asked, having climbed down a couple of feet. One foot was anchored to either side of the crevice as she leaned down toward us.

“No, I have to set his legs first, so we don’t damage them more by moving him. I need something short, straight, and strong. Then something to tie around it.” Zallas looked at me curiously, and impatiently, but relayed my requests to the surface.

I heard material ripping and a couple scream-snarls from Zion. A few moments later a bundle of fabric was tossed to Zallas, who then tossed it down to me. Someone had sacrificed their clothing and cut it into strips. There were also four long pieces of something dark in color that felt like bone but didn’t quite look like it. They were strong so I didn’t ask.

Working quickly, I placed two of the dark straight things on either side of Ikaria’s leg, then gently tied them in place with a couple strips. I repeated the process with the other leg. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I could do.

“Alright, he’s ready,” I called to Zallas, brushing my sweaty hair off the back of my neck.

“Lift him as high as you can, then I’ll grab him,” she instructed.

Lifting an unconscious person, even a child, was freaking difficult. Hyper aware of his injuries, I did my best not to make them worse. I dragged him until we were under Zallas, then sat him up, wrapped my arms around his middle, and hoisted him up over my head.

Zallas leaned further down looking like an acrobat with her legs spread apart and bent over until her head was below her feet. It looked painful but she didn’t show any sign of discomfort. She grabbed Ikaria under his armpits and hoisted him up before swinging his legs and getting an arm underneath his knees. She climbed out while Iza grabbed my forearm with her hand and helped me climb. I sat on the ground, exhausted, as everyone crowded around Ikaria, gauging his condition.

Zallas cursed which made my heart sink. Did I do something wrong? I wasn’t a doctor and everything I knew was from a CPR course I took when I babysat years ago.

“What happened?” I asked, pushing my way closer.

One of Ikaria’s thighs now had a jagged bone shard sticking out through the skin with blood seeping from the wound at an alarming rate.

Shit!

“I need a belt or something to tie this with,” I hollered, while everyone stared at the poor boy. “Now!”

A younger girl with tear tracks running down her cheeks undid the belt holding her clothes together and handed it to me. Did everyone wear canvas robe things?

I wrapped the cloth belt around Ikaria’s thigh, above the wound, and tied a quick knot. Unclipping an arm-band thing from Zallas’ wrist, I tied another knot with the band in the middle. Grabbing the excess with my hand, I took a quick breath and started turning the band which turned the knot, making it tighter. It was a crude tourniquet, but I didn’t have much to work with.

“Can you fly with him?” I asked Zallas, as I gave the band another turn, glad the boy was still unconscious because if he wasn’t, he’d be in agony.

“Easily.”

“You need to get him to my friend, Royce, okay? He was going to the altar dragon statue place you found us at when we first met.”

“Uh, why?”

“Because he’s a doctor.” I sounded annoyed, because this was time sensitive.

Zallas just looked at me like I was talking gibberish.

“What? We’ve been conversing just fine until now and the word ‘doctor’ throws you? You know what, never mind. Royce is a doctor … err, a healer. He helps people who are sick or hurt.”

“Can he help Ikaria?” The young girl who gave me her belt asked.

“Yes! So Zallas, you need to fly Ikaria to Royce. At the place you found us. Okay?”

“Alright,” Zallas nodded, hoisting the boy up into the bridal-style again, and spread her wings.

Neanderchick was such an accurate name for her and Iza.

Her wings were the same color and texture of her armor, and I wondered if it was made of dragon skin. Is dragon-skin armor weird? Definitely, but I didn’t know enough to really judge.

Zallas jumped into the air, flapping her wings in great sweeps, and I was so jealous.

I shrieked when Iza grabbed me and lifted me into the same bridal carry and leapt into the air following her sister.

“What about the others?” I squeaked, clamping my arms around her neck, not caring what she thought.

“Zion will look after them,” she replied, simply.

Who knew that dragons could be caretakers? Protectors? Yes—but babysitters were stretching it, in my opinion.

“Why is the … doctor … on Fellkirk?” Iza asked, stumbling over the word.

“He said he wanted to look around again,” I shrugged. It’s an interesting place, though creepy, but Royce was smart and just as interested in this world and culture as I was.

Flying was the best way to travel in an emergency situation. We soared above the black rocky ground and I prayed that Iza’s wings were strong enough to fly us both. Zallas was far ahead of us, and I was glad, because time was so important for Ikaria right now.

By the time we arrived on Fellkirk, Zallas had landed in front of the altar and was calling for Royce.

“You sure he’s here?” Iza asked, while looking around at the empty space.

“That’s what he told me,” I replied, walking over to Zallas to check on Ikaria.

His breathing was shallow and his eyes fluttered like he was having a bad dream. Sweat beaded on his forehead and I was terrified that we were running out of time.

“Royce!” I called, looking around for any sign of him.

Ikaria groaned and my heart stopped in my chest. This little boy was fighting for his life and I couldn’t do anything. At any other time, I would have healed him—coated his blood on my hands, and burned it to ash, as his little body healed itself. Why couldn’t I do this? The one useful power I had had been sucked away by a psychotic dragon, and I still didn’t know why.

Tears pricked my eyes and I yelled for Royce again. I needed him; Ikaria needed him.

“Nik?” Royce called from behind, and I turned to see him climbing the carved steps. “Nik, what's wrong?”

He ran once he reached the landing, eyes only on me. At that moment I saw him differently. I saw him as a fierce force that spoke to something inside me. That fierceness was something that I could relate to. I had been fierce. The fire I no longer had did that to me; but was it really the fire or was it me? Could I be that again without the fire?

Royce ran to me, but when I turned toward Zallas, the small boy caught his attention.

“Lay him down,” Royce told Zallas, who immediately obeyed. This commanding fierceness was new … and I really liked it. “What happened?”

“He fell down a narrow crevice in the rocks,” I answered, kneeling down next to Ikaria.

“Who set these?” Royce asked, inspecting my makeshift braces and tourniquet.

“I did.” I wiped a stray tear from my cheek.

“Well, it’s good.” He smiled at me before turning back to Ikaria. “These breaks are extensive.”

“Can you help him?” Iza asked impatiently.

“If we were on Earth and in a hospital, then yes, I could definitely help him, but … here? There’re no tools, no sterile environment, no medication. These bones are in pieces, and it’s just not possible,” Royce said, looking around at the world’s lack of amenities, and I could tell that it killed him to say those words.

Zallas hugged Ikaria close to her while Iza nodded, then stood and walked a short distance away. My heart sank because I’d had a sliver of hope that maybe we could help this boy, but Royce was right, we couldn’t—at least not here.

“Is there somewhere else we can take him? Someone else …” My voice broke at the defeated look on Zallas’ face. There’s no one else.

Sadness and despair swelled up inside my chest. It’s a terrible feeling. Knowing someone needs help and you can’t do anything. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this helpless before. I always had my healing through my fire, but I didn’t have that anymore. There’s nothing there and it killed me. This sweet boy’s life had just begun. It wasn’t fair.

A flicker began deep inside and at first, I thought it was because of my anger from the unfairness, but it wasn’t. This was something else. Something I hadn’t felt in so long.

I kept my eyes on Ikaria, imagining him running around and playing like all children did, and I felt the flicker grow and grow until there was a dancing flame.

What was this? I thought Lazateth had taken every little bit of my fire, but there was a flame inside me again. A flame that was reaching up and toward Ikaria. This was happening and no matter how much I wanted to question this—to explore exactly what this meant—I couldn’t. If this little flame was all I would ever have, then I would use every last spark to save this little boy.

“Zallas,” I began knee-crawling closer, “I’m going to ask you to do something. It’ll help Ikaria, but you have to do whatever I ask.”

“I don’t understand.” Her eyes were filled with hopelessness, and it broke my heart anew.

“I can help him,” I said, nodding to Ikaria, then cringing as the internal flame fanned higher.

“How?” Iza and Royce asked at the same time.

“I can’t explain right now, but I promise when this is over I’ll tell you everything.” I tried to reassure them, but I knew Iza wasn’t going to be convinced by this at all. “You have to trust me.”

“Nik, there’s nothing you can do,” Royce began, but I cut him off with a hand wave.

“You don’t know everything about me.” I watched as his eyebrows drew together in confusion.

“What do you need?” Zallas asked, bringing attention back to the boy in her arms.

“I need blood—his blood. On my hands.”

“What?! You can’t just cut him for his blood,” Iza said, getting ready to launch into a full-blown lecture if I didn’t cut her off.

“Iza, you and Zallas have wings that are connected to your inner fire. I don’t have that, but I do have something different, and it can help him.” I overrode her angry outburst and watched Zallas withdraw a dagger from somewhere.

“How much do you need?” Zallas asked me, and I could see the spark of hope in her eyes, again.

“Enough to coat my hands,” I answered, and the fire inside me roared. “Quickly.”

Zallas pressed the tip of the dagger at the elbow crook of Ikaria’s arm, and pressed until a drip of bright red dribbled off his arm and into my waiting hands. Once a good amount was cupped in my hands, I began rubbing it over my hands and wrists.

Once they were covered, I sat back on my heels and closed my eyes. Doing this had always terrified me because fire was wild and unpredictable. What if I couldn’t control it? What if I hurt people? All these questions ran through my mind, but the memory of Bayard and how it had healed him and protected him. For the first time ever, I made the conscious decision to trust the fire and let it do its thing.

Heat filtered to my hands, growing hotter and hotter. They could see the blood begin to boil, then dry on my hands; it then flaked away as ash.

When I felt the heat start to recede from my hands, I dared open my eyes. Ash fell from around us, and I assumed it was from me because the alternative was a volcano. Ikaria was still cradled in Zallas’ arms like a baby with ash covering him, but the cut on his elbow from the dagger was completely healed. I moved closer to look him over to see if everything else had been healed, as well.

My movement must have jolted the others because they jerked from their frozen state. I hoped it wasn’t fear, but knowing from past experiences that it probably was. The bones in Ikaria’s leg were back in their original positions with smooth skin above. There wasn’t even a scar.

I began to remove the splints and tourniquet that I had made for him when his eyes opened and, for a split second, I swore that his eyes had turned blood red. He blinked and the red was gone. I released my panicked breath. Removing everything took seconds, when it had taken several minutes to place them.

Ikaria stared at me while I checked him over, again. No one had said anything yet, and I really didn’t want to be the one to break the silence, though I knew it needed to be me.

“Do you hurt anywhere?” I asked the boy, who had ordinary brown eyes with no hint of red in the irises.

He shook his head at me, and I smiled trying to put him and everyone else at ease, which was easier said than done.

“I’m hungry,” he said, looking at Zallas who still held him.

“Let’s head back before all of the good stuff is gone,” she said, helping him to his feet and avoiding my eyes.

“Will you come, too?” he asked me, his eyes big and imploring.

I wanted to say yes but I needed a minute—or several.

“I’ll catch up, okay?” I gave him a smile.

He nodded, then grabbed Zallas’ hand and walked with her toward the stairs, looking over his shoulder to glance at me. I waved until they were out of sight then turned to Iza.

“Make sure he eats then goes straight to bed. He needs food and rest. I’ll come check on him in a bit.”

She looked at me, then to where Zallas and Ikaria had disappeared. Her eyes flicked to the ash that littered the ground around us then to my hands. She swallowed and opened her mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it and closed it. Taking a breath, she nodded at me, then turned and followed her sister.

The stone statue of the male dragon-turned-human stared down at me with red eyes, though I couldn’t see their color anymore. I felt like I was being stripped, judged, and was found lacking, which made me want to punch the statue in its stone face. However, I couldn’t deny that there was something that connected us. Be it genetics or something else, this world was part of who I was. It didn’t define me because I defined myself, but it felt nice to know and experience what so many other Mutts would never get to.

Royce stayed close, and I was thankful he was here; but I was also terrified to face him. Ruvaen had healed him back on Earth and we’d been together for days, possibly weeks, now. We’d grown close and I hated to see what he thought of me. I hadn’t revealed this part of myself because of how secretive I’d always been with it; that, and the part of not having my fire anymore.

I still couldn’t feel the fire inside of me. It had risen to heal Ikaria but then receded and disappeared to a place I couldn’t find. It made me want to cry and scream my frustration. What did this all mean? What was I doing here? Bavnak made it clear that answers wouldn’t be coming from him. There’s only so much watching and learning that you could do before it was time to throw in the towel.

“Nik.” Royce was close, and obviously worried, since I hadn’t said a word since Iza left.

“Do you think we’re wasting our time here?”

“What? Nik, you just healed that boy and … I’ve never seen anything like it. Ruvaen healing me was strange, but that was …”

“Terrifying? Disgusting?” I supplied, knowing that I felt those things with this power of mine.

Royce grabbed my hand and pulled me to face him. His expressive eyes revealed everything he was feeling, which was a confusing mess that I didn’t have the energy to figure out.

“Nik, what you just did was absolutely amazing.” He squeezed my hand when I tried to pull away from him. “This is why you needed to come here isn’t it? To get your fire back so you could heal people?”

“Yes, but also because it’s my only power of defense. With Lazateth after me, I couldn’t just surrender and accept whatever my fate would be at his hands.”

“You’ve got it back now, right? You healed that kid. Somehow. I’m not exactly sure what you did, but it had to do with your fire.”

“My fire is usually deep inside me and I can feel it like a heartbeat pulsing and beating. It’s comforting knowing it’s there, though I ignore it the majority of the time. When I woke up in that cell, it was the first thing I reached for and it wasn’t there. I’m not sure what all that was, but my fire’s gone again. I can’t feel it.” My voice broke, and my eyes stung from tears that I didn’t fight.

Royce pulled me into a hug and held me while I cried, like I had when we first came here and the bond with Kreed was crushed too almost nothing. Just the thought of him made my heart ache. I pushed that aside, too, letting thoughts of the present fill my mind instead, which wasn’t much better.

“We’ll figure it out,” Royce whispered, rubbing my back in soothing circles. “Together.”

I nodded, not wanting to show that I doubted we’d find out anything. “Patience is a virtue I lack.” I stepped away from him.

“Well, good thing I’ve got plenty,” he said, looking down at me with a smile on his face and a spark in his eye.

I squinted, because anyone who smiled like that was about to do something stupid. This was Royce; however, he was a good guy and probably didn’t have a rebellious bone in his body. A girl could settle down with someone like him.

“Guess we should head back. I want to check on Ikaria.” I scooted further away, not wanting the spark to grow to something else.

I turned to the stairs that Zallas and Iza had taken, and it struck me that I didn’t know how to get back from here. We were kidnapped the last time and the other entrance I knew about was stupid to get through, which was a big fat no from me.

“Don’t worry, I know the way back,” Royce said, with a wink and an offered hand.

I grabbed his fingers, hoping that I wasn’t giving off signals that I shouldn’t. We were friends. Friends held hands, right?

Royce maneuvered us down the stairs, past the deserted village, and back to the little supply hut we had originally made camp. It felt like ages since I’d been here, though it had been less than forty-eight hours ago. Past the hut was a set of stairs we didn’t notice before and, after another quick climb down, we ducked into a cave that led to a narrow passageway.

Traversing the dark cave with only the glow from lava above was seriously freaky, but we made it out and into the cavernous room that held the village. There, we were stopped in our tracks by the crowd that had gathered at the entrance.

“Uh,” I said eloquently, searching for a face I recognized.

Zallas and Iza stood amongst the crowd and at my gaze they moved forward. They wore their original armor with no wings that looked like a cape. Their arms were crossed, and they looked deadly serious when they stopped, which made me incredibly nervous.

“Spew, uh … Nik. We are gathered here to welcome you to our home as a friend. Your actions to save Ikaria were extensive, and we are eternally grateful,” Zallas said, her eyes showing more emotion than her face.

“It was nothing,” I replied, trying to wave away her thanks.

“It’s not nothing, Nik,” Iza stated, looking completely different than she had all the other times I’d seen her.

“I know it’s not nothing, it’s just …” I searched for words, but nothing came to mind to describe how I was feeling, so I shrugged.

Ikaria stepped from the crowd, then, and ran to me, while a frazzled woman followed. Tiny arms wrapped around my hips and I returned his hug.

The woman stopped in front of me, then bowed her head respectfully. She looked just like her son. I returned the bow, then pushed Ikaria away so I could inspect him.

“Feeling, okay?” I asked him, because visually he looked great.

“Yes, just hungry and tired,” he answered, stifling a yawn.

“Me too, buddy.” I had to stop my own yawn. The day was catching up with me, and I was exhausted.

“Thank you for saving my son,” Ikaria’s mother said, tears glistening in her eyes.

“You’re welcome.” I tried for a smile, and I must have accomplished it, because she gathered Ikaria against her side and headed back toward the central village.

When she left, the crowd broke up and followed her back, many making eye contact with me and bowing their heads. It was strange but I could feel that there was more, but I was too tired to try to make sense of the vibes coming my way.

“Hungry?” Iza asked, linking her arm with mine and pulling me away from Royce.

“Yeah, but I might fall asleep on my plate,” I said around a huge yawn.

“You did good today, Spew,” Zallas praised, clapping me on the back so hard I stumbled. “Sorry, you're unbalanced.”

“I’m just not a Neanderchick.” I rubbed my now bruised shoulder.

“Let’s get some food and talk,” Iza urged, and I reluctantly let her lead me toward the food cafeteria area.

“You’re worse than Lyndee,” I muttered, expecting the pang of homesickness.

“Who’s she?” Zallas asked, seeming interested for the first time in me and my past.

“She’s my best friend back home. She’s a Mutt like me but has wolf-shifter in her blood. When we were younger Lyndee had a hard time controlling her shifting. So, my friend Syd and I would purposely get her excited until she sprouted a tail and started wagging it.” I laughed as I remembered Syd and I talking to Lyndee in a baby voice like you would a puppy, and she’d get so excited by it.

We grabbed plates and went through the line accepting spoonfuls of whatever was being served. The food here was funky, but not so different that I couldn’t stomach it. As we walked to a table, something occurred to me.

“What happened to the taurens? Did someone go back and grab them?” We’d worked hard to get that—and by ‘we’, I meant them and Zion.

“The group was able to load up Zion with plenty and fly home. We’ve got enough meat to last a few days,” Zallas answered around a mouthful of some stew-smelling red concoction.

“I’m glad.” And I was. It was convenient back on Earth to just walk down to the grocery store and buy whatever we needed in a nice, sanitary package. Most, like me, took that for granted. We lived in a privileged world. It’s a shitty, tyrant-run world, but for the most part the Uther and the Pendragons let us live our lives.

“We’ve got some questions,” Zallas began, just as Royce sat next to me with his own plate of food.

I nodded, resigned to the fact that questions would be coming. I just hoped they didn’t have a ton. I was tired and didn’t want to use brain power.

“Nik is exhausted and needs to eat. Would you agree to ask five questions then save the rest for later when she’s better rested?” Royce cut in, before I could even open my mouth.

“Uh …” Iza’s brown eyes had formed slits, and she was looking from me to Royce in a way I didn’t like.

“You let him speak for you?” Zallas asked, with a disgusted look on her face.

“Whoa, whoa.” I raised my hands in surrender, a bit annoyed with their reaction. “Royce isn’t speaking for me. He’s speaking up because he cares about my well-being.”

“You need to understand that Nik has had a ridiculous amount of stress the past couple weeks. She desperately needs rest to regain her strength. I’m just trying to ensure she doesn’t overdo it,” Royce spoke calmly in his “Doctor Voice.” His words weren’t angry, but I could tell he didn’t appreciate what they were insinuating.

Zallas and Iza visibly relaxed and I wondered at it. I’d seen males about the village, but I had yet to see a male warrior. Seemed that women were the soldiers here and males weren’t. I wasn’t sure why. Was this some sort of Amazonian thing?

“Royce is right, I have been through some insane stuff lately. I’m exhausted, not just physically, but also mentally.” I laid a finger on my temple. Iza and Zallas looked confused at my words and I sighed resigning myself for a story. “Save your questions. I’ll start from the beginning.”

The beginning was when I found out that my illness had returned, and my subsequent visit to the Pendragon’s estate. I recounted how Ruvaen had bitten my wrist, which led to Brutus showing up on my doorstep. When I got to the part where Lazateth had bitten my neck, the sisters looked appalled and disgusted, while Royce’s jaw was clenched so tight, I thought his teeth might crack. Moving on quickly, I told of the alley attack, keeping Kreed’s dead-blood-drinking a secret, then the penthouse attack. Everyone was tense as I told them about the bar attack, how Gwenna had betrayed me, and when I woke up in a concrete cell after weeks of being in a coma.

I fell silent at this point because it seemed all three of them needed a moment. Royce looked angry. He knew some of the story because of the healing bond that Kreed and I shared. This was the first time he was hearing most of it.

“So, you escaped from the dragon and came here?” Iza asked, a frown on her face and an angry spark in her eyes.

“We were rescued by Ruvaen who revealed what I was and that I needed to come here for answers and to get my fire back,” I replied, pointing to Royce and me. “Royce volunteered to come along.”

Royce seemed to relax beside me, and I reached over under the table and grabbed his hand. I wasn’t sure if it was for my comfort or his, but it felt nice. Guilt plagued my thoughts because we were friends and it felt like I’d been keeping something from him. I forgot that we’d only known each other for a short time, but it felt like we’d been friends for as long as Syd, Lyndee, and I have been.

Royce hesitated for a moment, then intertwined our fingers. I took that as a sign that he wasn’t upset about me keeping everything to myself. My heart swelled with emotion, while the bond with Kreed tugged on my mind. Head and heart still needed to figure it out.

“That’s … quite a bit,” Zallas acknowledged, with a dip of her head. “So, you’re here to get your fire that Lazateth stole from you?”

I nodded, and we all sat in a contemplative silence while I picked at my now cold food.

“You’re interesting,” Iza began, then paused with her mouth open unsure of what to say next.

“We’ll give you your answers, Nik,” Zallas stated, and the fact she used my name and not Spew took me aback.

I got the feeling that she had a complicated past, much like me; respect was earned, and I think I just earned hers.

Kreed

The rip pressed against my body from every possible direction. I wasn’t claustrophobic by nature, but traveling through a rip tested me in that. There isn’t a feeling quite like it, and I could only assume that it was like being birthed, from one world to another.

Three and a half weeks since Nik went through the rip, and I still couldn’t pinpoint which world she’d slipped into. My father hadn’t been forthcoming with details and since I was tempted, every time I was in his presence, to strangle him, I avoided it.

Instead, devoting myself to track Nik down in whatever world she was in. I’d visited Tournent, the world Shifters came from, five days ago. It was empty and desolate looking, like it was just beginning to recover from a post-apocalyptic event. There were rumors that Shifters had been a barbaric race split into clans that battled each other for land, women, and status. When dragons came, they domesticated the Shifters, showing them a new way of life, which explained their unwavering loyalty.

Since Nik left, I’d been using my standing with Briggs to travel all over the globe using the contacts I’d made to track down any rip that still existed. The Uther had ordered all large rips be closed and monitored, but there were small ones that were only checked periodically. Since most were in the Wilds, not many were known about or visited often.

My contact in Cadmi’s territory, in a country formerly known as India, had heard a rumor of this rip that supposedly led to Cirrus, the Fae world. Smugglers used it to travel and gather dirt from the Fae, then sold it on the black market. The world was so saturated with magic that even the tiniest bit of dirt could fuel a witch’s spell for decades. It was difficult to get, and expensive. Witches had been known to kill each other for it.

Some Shifters that Cadmi had rejected escorted me to the rip, joking about bringing as much dirt back as possible so they could sell it and possibly buy back their status. Wouldn’t work since they were all currently lying dead and bloodless on the desert plain. Favors came with more favors and since Cadmi had granted me permission to enter his territory, it did not come without conditions. Since the Shifters were thieves and murderers, I didn’t feel bad about ending their lives or adding their blood to my already bloody hands.

I squeezed out of the rip and flopped unceremoniously onto the ground. It took several moments for me to orient myself. Rip passage always made me feel like my head had been twisted around too many times.

Lying on my back, I stared up into a dark sky that held three moons and unfamiliar stars. Besides dirt being powerful, there wasn’t much known about this world, seeing as the Fae race were tight-lipped about it. Couldn’t blame them really. After the dragons decimated their lands and people, they wouldn’t want more secrets spilt.

After about fifteen minutes, from my count, my stomach settled, and my head stopped spinning. I took stock and, finding my body was intact, slowly sat up and mentally reached for the bond. It was as flat as a sheet of paper, not allowing me to enter or anything else to come through.

I sighed, expecting it, but hoping that this would be the place she’d gone off to. Regardless, it was worth a search just in case the magic of this place negated bonds, though I couldn’t fathom how.

I was taught from a young age that the healing bond was the most powerful connection in the universe. That was until dragons had invaded and revealed other powerful beings existed. The bond I had with Nik was different, though. Most healings were taken care of with one blood offering, and in rare cases, two. However, I’d only healed her once and I didn’t drink her blood, but instead, gave her mine. Was that what bound us? She healed me, but by her account and Brutus’s, she didn’t ingest mine.

So, what was it? What started this connection?

My father sounded like he knew something, but I’d be damned if I asked him anything. He sent Nik away. I couldn’t stop thinking about her; about kissing her, holding her and feeling that maybe my life didn’t have to be anger and revenge. Now she was gone, and I was desperate to get to her.

I looked around at the dark landscape and found that it wasn’t terrible. There was hardly any vegetation, just sparse grass that grew in clumps. It wasn’t eerie, either, but peaceful in a way.

Picking a random direction, I began walking. I couldn’t feel Nik here, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t. I would leave no stone unturned. If I had to walk across a thousand worlds, I would. For her.

As I walked, my thoughts were filled with memories of her. She was unpredictable and showed every emotion on her face like it had been painted. Incredibly loyal, she’d do anything for her friends and family, which was something I’d prided myself on once upon a time. Dragons changed that, making me cold, bitter, and unforgiving.

This being that I’d become was full of darkness and anger. It could consume me at any moment, and for a long time, I hadn’t fought back. I’d succumbed to it several times and had no guilt until a red-haired girl with green eyes made me pause, second guess, and reevaluate myself. She had the power to remake me, but would she even want to?

I’m not sure how long I walked when I noticed that I was approaching a bright patch of … something. I slowed studying what I was seeing, trying to make sense of it.

It was dark, the moons and stars still visible, so the random patch of bright sunlight didn’t make any sense. Inside the sunlit area were plants. Flowers the size of my hand with leaves that extended outward from the stalk absorbing the sunlight and thriving. Moisture dropped from the petals. It felt warm and humid, even from ten feet away.

Looking up, I couldn’t make out much, but once my eyes adjusted, I saw what looked like a hole punched through the night sky.

What the hell?

Was this world in perpetual darkness and only artificial light could sustain plant life here? No wonder the Fae went gaga on Earth with all the fresh dirt, nutrients, and sunshine that wasn’t fake.

Once I looked my fill, I moved on until I came to a skeletal tree in the dark landscape. I walked around it but was unsure if it was dead or alive. I didn’t know shit about trees. I touched the bark and something zinged inside my head.

I jerked my hand away, not knowing what it was. Could the tree be spelled?

I reached for the bond to make sure nothing happened to it when I felt it was open. Just a sliver, but I could feel her.

There wasn’t much emotion, which led me to think she was sleeping.

I opened myself up completely and felt her—just barely. Placing my hands on the tree I found that sliver and reached through it. Trying to touch her, making sure she was safe.

Nik was sprawled on my chest and for the first time since she came into my life, I was content. She was here, safe, and in my arms, again.

“Nik,” I said. She stirred slightly, breathing deeply, and I felt her chest rise against my own and I realized she didn’t have any clothes.

And I didn’t, either.

“Nik,” I repeated, running my hand from her neck down her spine, feeling her silky skin shiver under my touch.

“Mmmm?” she finally replied, acknowledging me.

“Open your eyes, beautiful.” I needed to see her green irises like I needed air.

She lifted her head to look at me, the smile on her face lighting up her eyes. When they clashed with mine, the smile fell from her face. “Oh my God! Kreed!” she exclaimed, sitting up and giving me a perfect view of her creamy, gloriously naked, skin. I swallowed, keeping my eyes on her face, but desperately wanting to look at other places. “What happened?” she asked me, with tears in her eyes.

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused by her reaction.

“You don’t look right.” She sniffed, and my heart clenched knowing she was upset.

“I’m fine.” I tried to reassure her as she ran her hands up my chest then down my arms.

“No, your eyes are red and your teeth …” She looked horrified, and I realized that she must be seeing the other part of me.

“I’m like this because you left me,” I said, hating to hurt her, but not wanting to lie. I was lost without her. Darkness fell and I felt the connection begin to fade. “Come back to me,” I said, reaching for her face, trying to convey to her how much I needed her. “Come back.”

The vision faded and I was once again in the Fae world, in the dark leaning against a skeletal tree that felt like more than an ordinary tree.

Royce and I went to bed with our minds buzzing. The promise of answers was almost too good to be true, and it made me giddy. I tossed and turned in bed, my brain too active to shut down completely.

Tired of listening to my sighs and restless noises, Royce climbed into bed with me. His arms wrapped around me, and I was pulled into his chest. It was awkward, and I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, but he was asleep and snoring before I could second guess it further.

The weight of his arms around me must have been just what I needed because I drifted off to sleep much quicker than I expected.

“Nik,” a soft, male voice whispered.

I rolled over and buried my face into the chest I was using as a pillow. A hand ran from the base of my neck to the small of my back, making me shiver deliciously. I breathed in, smelling rain and spice. The scent went right to my nether regions and I groaned at the heat that spread throughout my body.

“Nik,” the voice said again, a bit more insistent this time.

“Mmmmm?” I replied lazily.

“Open your eyes, beautiful.”

I turned my head and opened my eyes so I could see Kreed’s face.

Crimson-red irises greeted me, along with elongated canines. The hunger in his eyes was as unmistakable as was the pain.

“Oh my god! Kreed.” I sat up, so I could get a better look at him.

His skin was deathly white, combined with his red eyes and vampire-long teeth. He looked like an actual vampire from horror movies.

“What happened?” I asked, tears in my eyes and heart in my throat.

“What do you mean?” Hands caressed my skin and I realized I was completely naked.

“You don’t look right.” I ran my hands over him.

“I’m fine,” he insisted.

“No, your eyes are red and your teeth.” I was horrified at his appearance.

“I’m like this because you left me,” he said, and the atmosphere changed.

Darkness fell and I watched his skin sink in and turn grey. My beautiful Kreed was turning into a corpse before my eyes.

“Come back,” he said, grey hands coming up to cup my face. “Come back to me.”

“Nik,” I jolted awake blinking, but still seeing Kreed’s red eyes.

Royce was leaning over me, his forehead wrinkled with concern and worry. He was fully dressed which was good.

“Wha …” I croaked; my throat extremely dry.

“You were having a dream,” Royce revealed, though it hadn’t felt like a dream.

It felt real, like I could literally feel Kreed’s pain and the darkness he was always fighting. The bond must have relaxed enough that I was able to finally connect with him.

I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. Kreed seemed different, and it broke my heart to think I was the cause of his pain. I couldn’t think like that, though. We shared a connection that had gone deeper than either of us expected, but that didn’t mean that I’d ever have his heart or love. It was all superficial, and it hurt to admit that … because I wanted it. I wanted it so badly that my heart ached.

“Someone’s here to see you,” Royce said, shaking me from my thoughts enough that I picked up on his tension.

“Who is it?” I queried, because I was not in the mood for visitors.

Instead of answering, he shifted his eyes toward the doorway revealing the green lizard-eyed dragon, Bavnak.

“Oh,” I muttered, running my hands through my hair to try to tame the beast. “Hi.”

“If this is a bad time I can come back,” he offered, and I was surprised. Did the fierce dragon have manners?

“No, now is fine,” I reassured him.

“Good, because if so, I wouldn’t have come back. I don’t have time to deal with humans who can’t make time for me.”

What an asshole!

I glared at him as he entered further, then settled himself on Royce’s bed. He was clearly used to getting his way, which made me want to do the opposite. It would be fun pushing his buttons.

“So …” I prompted, ready to kick him out of the hut. It was too early for this, and with no coffee anywhere!

Bavnak ignored me as he studied the bed, bounced on the mattress, then began arranging pillows. Finally, he reclined on the bed crossing his bare feet at the ankles. He wore loose-fitting canvas pants with a matching shirt that was unbuttoned, showing his massive muscular chest. I liked guy muscles but there comes a point when there’s just too much.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” he began, and I nodded, doing my best not to speak or else I would end up wringing his neck. “Two things: I heard about what happened with Ikaria, and I’m grateful to you for healing the child.” He seemed genuine so I nodded, again. This guy knew how to throw you off balance with every other sentence. “The second thing I’m here for is to remind you to keep your eyes and ears open.”

“Is that it?” I asked, after he paused for several seconds.

“Basically. Oh, and stay out of the way and keep your human in check,” he added, then rolled off the bed and stood. “Good talk.”

“Are you kidding me!” I shrieked, jumping to my feet as well. “What kind of twisted Yoda bull shit is that?”

“Careful, halfling,” he growled, but he had sparked my temper.

“Or what?” I asked, and in hindsight realized it wasn’t the best idea to provoke a dragon.

Green scales rippled down his chest while his face shifted to accommodate deadly teeth. His hands lengthened and glittery claws emerged at the tips. He blurred and I suddenly found myself pressed against the wall with a dragon hand around my throat.

I grabbed Bavnak’s forearm when I noticed I wasn’t against a wall but the ceiling. Wings had appeared from his back, each ending in a wicked looking hook, like a bat. They were braced on the floor giving him the height he needed to hold me against the roof.

The green of his irises had bled to the rest of his eyes while a black vertical slit remained in the middle. Teeth as long and wide as my middle finger snapped at my face from a long alligator like snout.

“You are here and safe because of me, but that can change in an instant.” He snapped the fingers of his other hand to make his point. “Do as I say, and you might just live long enough to get answers.” The words were hissed. My heart beat a frantic rhythm in my chest, and I was sure he could feel its pulse in my neck.

He stared into my eyes until he was sure I’d gotten the message. Letting go, I fell onto my bed, shaking, terrified and in need of a new pair of underwear.

Bavnak reverted to his human-like form before storming out of the hut.

Royce rushed to the bed and helped me sit.

“That was stupid,” I admitted guiltily.

“You think,” Royce said, running his fingers through his hair, irritation plain in his mannerism.

I flinched at his tone but knew I deserved it. I’d let my temper get the better of me. It wouldn’t be the first time, but this was the first I’d ever had a violent repercussion.

“I’m sorry,” I told him, as he wrapped me in a hug.

“I’m only human, Nik. Against supes, I can’t help or protect. I can’t be that for you. Maybe I should have stayed behind,” he muttered, rubbing my arms to reassure himself that I was alright.

“What? I’m glad you’re here. I know you don’t know me very well, but this is par for the course with me. My temper gets the better of me most of the time, but I’m a big girl and can handle the consequences. You don’t need to protect me,” I said gently. Royce was a good guy and a great friend, but he was human—I needed to remember that he was here and more vulnerable than me.

“Just saw Bavnak stomping away from here.” Zallas poked her head into our hut, looked around, then entered, followed by Iza.

“What crawled up and messed up his hair?” Iza asked, not reading the room at all.

“I lost my temper,” I announced, truthfully.

“I mean who doesn’t when he’s in the room,” Zallas huffed out a laugh.

“Uh …” Royce and I looked at each other, confused.

“Ah, right, you both are new here.” Iza waved her hand in the air. “Bavnak is a great leader, but he’s hot-tempered. He was up all night by Ikaria’s side making sure he was alright.”

“But I healed him,” I stated stupidly.

“Yeah, but you’re a new half-dragon with strange powers that he doesn’t understand. Plus, he’s a bit bored here, you know, looking after us. He doesn’t like change or anything new. Don’t take it personally.” Zallas pulled an apple out from somewhere and took a bite.

“I’m confused,” Royce announced.

“I second that,” I agreed.

“It’s complicated and possibly a story for another time. Right now, we need to get you both ready,” Zallas said, around a mouthful of apple.

“Ready for what?” I asked, not in the mood for social interactions.

“The Pariti-Igra. Every female dragon or half-dragon must be in attendance,” Iza explained.

“What?” I asked, sure they’d forgotten that we were new here.

“Did Bavnak not explain?” Zallas asked, swallowing her last bite.

“Nope.” The “p” made a popping sound. “He just said some very cryptic things then got mad when I got annoyed and lost my temper.”

“Hmm, you unsettle him that’s for sure,” Royce mused.

“Pariti-Igra is basically a celebration—or it’s supposed to be. It happens rarely now, but when a male dragon comes of age he’s allowed to take a mate. That’s why all females must be in attendance,” Iza said with her nose wrinkled, like she smelled something bad.

“Gross. So, we line up and he chooses a female he wants?” What sort of backwards medieval bull was this?

“There’s more to it than that. He chooses the ones he’s compatible with, then tests them until he finds the perfect match,” Zallas spoke up, and I saw simmering anger in her gaze.

“Sounds like the Bachelor, dragon-style,” I said, ignoring Iza’s confused look. “What happens if I’m chosen?”

“You won’t be,” Zallas said, firmly.

“How do you know?” I wanted some assurance.

“Because you’ve already been courted by a male dragon,” Iza answered, and it made my anger bubble up again.

“He bit me, attacked my home, attacked my friends, then kidnapped and bit me again! That’s a straight up shitty way of dating.” I crossed my arms to keep my skin from crawling away.

“It’s barbaric and savage, but it’s the way it’s been for centuries. We have an accord and as long as we follow the terms, we live in relative peace here.” Iza shrugged, halfheartedly.

“Can’t Bavnak do something?” Royce asked the question I was burning to ask.

Bavnak was the leader here—though he seemed like more of a whiny child. It’s so backwards. On Earth, males of any species were more dominant, the breadwinners. Here, it’s opposite, but only to a certain point. Bavnak’s the leader of these people, but he spends most of his time hiding and sulking while everyone else did the work. He was a lazy leader and that chafed me more than anything.

“He’s tried but he’s limited on what he can do, and doesn’t hold much power,” Zallas answered, also shrugging her shoulders.

“Seemed pretty powerful to me,” I mumbled, trying not to dwell on our most recent encounter.

“It takes time for him to warm up to new people. He’s a good man and we’re thankful he’s here with us,” Iza said, with a tone of reverence. She must think highly of her coward leader.

Whatever. Not my shit to worry about.

“Okay, so what do we have to do to get ready for this shindig?” I asked, hoping to liven up the mood in the hut.

“First we need to bathe,” Iza said, which made Zallas’ lips pull into a frown. I got the feeling she thought bathing was a waste of time.

“Like … together?” I asked, visibly gulping at the thought of being naked in the same room as Royce and the sisters.

“How else would you bathe?” Zallas asked, confused.

Great! Communal bathing was a thing here. My worst nightmare.

I stood and rubbed my hands down my thighs to wipe off the nervous sweat. This was gonna suck.

* * *

“This isn’t as terrible as I thought it would be,” I announced to the bathing room as I floated on my back, enjoying the heat, and letting it relax my sore muscles.

“You thought Royce would be bathing with us, huh?” Iza asked, lazily, from where she floated beside me.

“He did the first night we arrived, so I just assumed.”

“Why didn’t he bath in the men’s chamber?” Zallas asked from where she lounged, naked on the bath side and nibbling on food that was spaced out around the cavern.

“We didn’t know there was a separate one. We were just led to this one,” I said, then popped a round, red fruit in my mouth that reminded me of grapes but with a thicker skin.

“How awkward,” Iza sighed.

Iza and Zallas had led Royce to the men’s chamber before we headed off to the women’s chamber. Apparently, the first step to getting ready for this event was to bathe for hours. It was glorious, but a bit boring, which was probably the reason Zallas didn’t like it much. Neanderchick needed to chill.

“So, we stay in here for hours and eat, then what?” I was getting excited for this event. I was really hoping for more eating of exotic foods and dancing. I haven’t danced in a long time. The last time Lyndee and I went anywhere fun was to Crimson Damnation for a girl’s night before she left with Syd.

“Each one is different, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” Zallas answered, around a mouthful of cake and pudding.

Whatever mate celebrations consisted of, lazing in a hot tub while eating dessert all day was a good event in my book. Every party should start out like this.

“Come on. It’s our turn to get painted,” Iza hopped out of the water and began to dry herself off.

“Finally,” Zallas exclaimed, jumping to her feet, extending a hand to me.

I grasped her hand and let her pull me out of the water. Iza tossed me a cloth to dry off with.

Once dry, I wrapped the towel around my torso like Zallas and Iza did. It covered me from chest to mid-thigh, while it barely covered the Neanderchick sisters’ upper thighs. One stiff, unexpected breeze would reveal so much. For once I was glad, I was compact.

Zallas led the way out of the cavern and toward a hastily erected tent. We entered together and I saw a line of women with bowls and brushes in their hands waiting for freshly cleaned, naked bodies.

Dropping the cloth that covered her muscular body, Zallas stopped in front of the first woman. She spread her legs and extended her arms out to the sides, presenting her naked flesh to the brush in the woman’s hand.

I watched in awe as the woman used black paint to cover parts of Zallas’ body in strategic areas, starting at her face. Paint covered the slash scars on her brows and cheeks, but after a few minutes of observing, I realized the black wasn’t meant to cover up, but to highlight. Fine lines were painted on her arms, thighs, and back. Basically, anywhere Zallas had a noticeable scar, the black ink followed the scar, blending so well that I couldn’t tell which was the paint.

I wanted to ask what it meant, but before I could, it was my turn. Mimicking Zallas, I stepped in front of the first woman and presented my body. She looked me over carefully before dipping her brush in the paint and began. My neck was the first to be painted, followed by the inside of my elbows, backs of my hands, tops of my feet, my knees, and finally a black shape materialized on my chest where a port had once been. Two thick lines were drawn from the base of my hairline, down my back, that ended at my tailbone.

The next woman was just finishing with Zallas which gave me time to look her over. Light grey paint had been added around the black giving the colors a depth I didn’t think was possible. Zallas walked to the next woman while I was painted with grey paint.

We went down the line of women who painted our bodies with added vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red. By the time we were done, I swear I looked exactly like a lava flow.

The last woman threw black powder on us that I assumed would help dry the paint, but it also added some sparkle.

Zallas was gorgeous and seemed to have settled more into her skin. She wore the colors with pride and held herself differently. I had no idea what any of this meant, but if I had to guess, the paint highlighted scars. This celebration pointed out our flaws, but instead of hiding them in shame, we stood out and celebrated what had once broken us—but hadn’t defeated us.

The last woman glued dragon scales on our breasts and lady bits down south in different swirling patterns.

Stepping out of the tent took an act of bravery I didn’t know I possessed, but once outside, I saw all the other women’s painted bodies and I was able to relax. This is the most naked I’ve ever been in public, and it was the most freeing feeling I’d ever experienced.

Gathered outside of the tent were women decorated with their flaws. Showing them off in the most beautiful way—a mural of sorts. I was humbled that I was accepted as part of these warrior women.

My scars were small but spoke of a battle fought with an unseen enemy.

I was a warrior. I was a survivor.

For the first time since I hit remission, I felt powerful for it.

Royce found me in the crowd of brightly painted, mostly naked, women. If I didn’t know for certain that he was fully human I’d think he was part-bloodhound. He was sporting paint, too, but it wasn’t as bright as the paint that the women had. My cheeks flushed under the paint as he took in my nearly naked, painted form.

“You look …” His voice was gruff as he looked me over.

“Like a lava flow,” I supplied.

He nodded his head, but before we could continue our conversation, Bavnak made his way through the crowd drawing everyone’s attention. His wings were out and draped down his back, which was an impressive statement. Silence fell until the only sound was the light scraping of his wing tips against the floor.

Bavnak turned and faced the crowd with a grim look on his face. This was a celebration, so it didn’t make sense why he looked so hostile. “Today we celebrate Pariti-Igra. The day Urdon, Dragon Father, gave his son permission to take a mate. Our history is long and bloody, but like Urdon, we celebrate our women and whatever path they’ve traveled. We would not be here, in this place, protected and comfortable, without the women that came before us and those among us. This day is for you, my sisters!”

The crowd stomped their feet and clapped their hands at his last word. Royce and I joined in and I was really starting to love this celebration.

Following the crowd, we made our way toward the eating area where a massive feast was spread out. There were no plates in sight, or silverware, which I wasn’t surprised by.

For several hours we grabbed whatever we wanted to eat with our fingers and mingled. Children weaved between legs, playing games and stealing food from fingers wherever they could.

Royce stayed close, and at first, I thought it was because he didn’t know anyone besides Zallas and Iza. As the evening wore on, I began to suspect it was something different when I caught him staring at me. On Earth I’d be embarrassed to be out and so scantily dressed, but it was freeing here. Surrounded by beautifully bright women forms, he didn’t seem to notice them at all. His chocolate eyes stayed on me.

If my life were a paranormal romance novel, this would be the part where the main character started to second guess what her heart was telling her. She’d start wondering if the heart’s choice was really the right one. While she’s doing that, she’d entertain thoughts of them together. Thus, began the confusing love triangle.

I’m different though, and if I did have an author writing about my life, they’d probably be on drugs by now.

Royce was a good guy—a great human, actually. Most are snobby and have an ‘I’m better than you’ attitude, but he didn’t. His boy next door looks were endearing, and I couldn’t help letting my thoughts wander, to fantasize on what it would be like to be with him.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thoughts, because every time I tried to imagine being with someone, it was always Kreed. This bond was messing with both of us. Were we meant for each other? How could you know for sure? It hurt my heart not knowing whether I meant anything to him beyond the bond.

I liked Royce, but I couldn’t give him false hope. He deserved someone amazing and possibly purely human. The world of mutts and supes was no place for humans.

A painted wayward child bumped into me and I stumbled sideways, but Royce caught me. With an arm around my waist and a hand on my hip he pulled me into his firm chest as more kids followed the first.

I giggled and I hoped he thought it was because of the children and not because my hand was on his abs. They weren’t as defined as Kreed’s, but Royce still had a six-pack.

“You alright?” he asked, dipping his head so he could see my face.

“Yea, thanks for the save,” I replied, with a smile.

“Nik?” Royce drew my attention, and my gaze. He licked his lips, then cleared his throat, all while his russet eyes stared into mine.

This was definitely a moment. A dangerous moment. I knew I had to tear myself away, but I didn’t know how without hurting him. Seeing the hurt of rejection in his eyes after he’d been so kind and a wonderful friend.

His mouth opened and I knew he was going to reveal what I already knew, but couldn't reciprocate. Before he could speak, movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention and I squealed.

“There’s something on you!” I yelled, pushing him away then forcing him to turn around.

“What’s wrong?” Zallas asked, her keen eyes watching everything.

“I thought I saw something … like a snake.” I looked over Royce’s back.

“What’s a snake?” Iza garbled, around a mouthful of food.

“It’s like a legless, wingless dragon. Really skinny and long.” My cheeks flushed.

“That sounds terrifying,” Zallas said, straight-faced. I decided to keep the snakes that squeeze their prey to death a secret. She didn’t need any ideas.

“I’m sorry,” I told Royce, putting my hair behind my ears.

“It’s fine,” he said, but I could see the concern on his face.

He was probably worried because I was seeing things. Hell, I was concerned. It’s probably the lack of coffee. Could caffeine withdrawal cause hallucinations?

A deep, thrumming beat echoed through the village cavern stopping my caffeine-related question for the doctor.

The beat sounded again, and the crowd started to stir, then became agitated after the third beat.

“Come with me, Spew,” Zallas said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me through the crowd after her.

So much for thinking the nickname was dead and buried.

Iza followed closely behind, as did the rest of the crowd. Zallas, still dragging me, led the way around to the opposite side of the village where the entrance was.

Bavnak stood alone, his back to us facing the entrance. At first glance he looked relaxed, but his wings were out and pressed against the floor hoisting the massive dragon man into the air. He was coiled and the barely contained violence was a spicy undertone you could almost taste.

Zallas stopped three paces away from Bavnak. She straightened her shoulders and drew herself up to her full height. She moved me behind her with a small, sad smile and a wink.

She was trying to tell me something, but I was too dense to pick up on what her meaning was. Iza stepped to my side and channeled her warrior side with her stance.

A quick glance around showed that the whole village had gathered, but all were careful to stay behind Zallas. I didn’t know why, and I was burning to ask, but something was going on and the vibe told me this was the time for watching and learning. I’d save my questions for later.

Another thrum resounded and it was louder and deeper. The crowd took a collective inhale and held it.

Something grabbed my hand, and it took me half a second to recognize that it was Royce. I intertwined our fingers, thankful that he was here. Things were complicated, but at this very moment, it didn’t matter.

Movement in the cave entrance drew my attention and I watched as men walked through the black lava rock entrance one by one. As each stepped from the darkness and into the light, my radar pinged what each was. Shifter after shifter. My eyes grew larger when all ten shifters dressed in jeans and plaid shirts, of all things, were all inside … then two more entered. An older gentleman with grey hair at his temples and a young man that looked a couple years younger than me—but with supes, you never knew for sure.

I slapped my hand over my mouth to muffle the gasp with the knowledge that those two were dragons.

They wore Earthly clothing like Royce and I had when we first came here. Now we wore nearly nothing and were covered in paint. Let’s hope they don’t guess where we are from.

After the two groups stared at each other for several seconds, Bavnak took a deep breath, and exhaled smoke as green scales rippled down his arms. His wings grew a couple feet putting him even higher in the air. An intimidation tactic? I wasn’t sure, but if I was on the other side, I’d worry about wetting myself. The new dragons were impressive, but compared to Bavnak they looked like fakes.

I snorted softly at the thought. If they knew I’d called them fake …

“Bavnak, the Devourer,” the older dragon said the title with a slight incline of his head.

“Slime,” Bavnak sneered. “Is this how you would greet me? Do you know the power I wield here? Try again.”

The elder dragon’s lips morphed into a thin line, while the younger one’s eyes changed to an electric-blue and a sneer appeared on his handsome face.

I blinked and in the next instant, I saw a wispy something appear in front of the dragons, followed by a resounding crack. The wisp had slapped them both across the face then retreated back to Bavnak.

“You may act like gods on Earth, but you are far from that here. Know your place!” Bavnak roared, and the slapped dragons fell to their knees along with the shifters they brought with them.

“My humblest apologies, my lord,” the older one managed to huff out, as an unseen force kept them kneeling.

I didn’t like the guy, but Bavnak was getting some serious brownie points from me.

They remained on their knees for another minute before Bavnak let them all climb to their feet. His claw-tipped wings clacked on the floor as he moved toward them. Eventually his feet touched the floor, and his wings shrank, but remained visible jutting from his shoulders.

When we met Bavnak before, I hadn’t had a chance to look at them; I was too busy trying not to piss off the dragon further. His wings were shaped like bats’; dark green with sporadic bright-green scales. They were beautiful and I got a distinct vibe that they were otherworldly.

Bavnak’s voice rumbled as he spoke to the group of newcomers, but it was low so I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Royce squeezed my hand and I glanced at him and found a mixture of emotions on his face; wariness was the loudest, with caution, and a bunch of fear. I tried to portray comfort when I squeezed back but I was scared, too. I didn’t know what any of this meant, but the one thing I had picked up on was that the Uther and Pendragons on Earth weren’t the biggest fish in the sea.

With nods and gestures toward the crowd, Bavnak led the two dragons forward leaving behind the shifters who looked strange standing there in modern clothes.

The three stopped five paces from Zallas, who stood rigidly in front of us all. Bavnak’s eyes were flashing, and he looked murderous.

“Zallacanasia, this is Drallo and his son, Nixton,” Bavnak introduced the dragons to her, as he pointed to the older one, then the younger male. “They are here for Pariti-Igra. The son wishes to challenge for a mate. Will you give your blessing?”

Zallas stood imposing in front of the crowd, her scars and curves on display, but from her demeanor you’d think she wore her dragon-scale armor. She stepped forward, letting her wings out and drape down her back like curtains. She circled the younger dragon, Nixton. Taller by a head, she looked down at him, which made the guy uncomfortable.

He wasn’t bad looking, and I’d wager that an ugly dragon didn’t exist. Light blonde hair swished about his shoulders, while blue eyes took in everything. With tanned skin, he reminded me of a surfer dude and boy next door. He looked thick and hard in all the right places.

I hated him, instantly.

Zallas returned to her original position then circled the older dragon. I had no idea what she was looking for. She didn’t touch them, but I felt like she saw more than I did.

She retreated to Bavnak’s side where she crossed her arms and glared at the pair. It was apparent to everyone that they didn’t like these two. I didn’t either, not that my opinion mattered or anything.

“They are … passable. Drallo would make strong daughters, but Nixton …” She paused, looking him over again and his lips twitched—probably wanted to sneer at her. Prick. “I pity the mate he chooses. May you have many sons.”

The crowd gasped and murmured at her last words. I got the impression that she had insulted him, somehow. Drallo frowned and glared at Zallas, but he didn’t say anything. If he did, I’m sure she or Bavnak would cut out his tongue.

“Let’s begin,” Bavnak said, facing the crowd once more. “You know the agreement. You are here to fulfill it. Make me proud daughters.”

What the hell was happening?

“What just happened?” I whispered to Zallas and Iza, as we strode from the crowd. Royce, Iza, and me were pulled away by Zallas, while Bavnak cleared out more, including all the children.

“Knew you’d have questions,” Zallas said, with a sigh.

Iza jumped in after my huff. “We figured that witnessing this would help, then we can answer your questions as it’s happening.”

They were right. I’d probably get bored, space out and miss important things.

“Okay, so …” I prompted, drawing out the word. I needed answers.

“When the old god, Urdon, gave his son, Cadari, permission to take a mate, he didn’t know that his son had fallen in love with a Kirk, which were a race like humans,” Zallas explained. “Urdon could do nothing but bless the mating since he hadn’t added any parameters, but he didn’t know his son would betray him like he did.”

“We are the descendants of that mating—” Iza cut in, giving her sister an innocent look when she glared at her.

“Cadari and the Kirk woman had many children. Girls were born like normal babies, but boys were born as dragons.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I interrupted—a bit too loudly. “Males are born as dragons?” I hissed.

“Yes,” Zallas answered, in a ‘duh’ voice.

I looked at Royce with my mouth open wanting to gage his reaction, and he looked just as horrified as I did.

“The poor uterus,” I muttered. I felt horrible for dragon mothers.

Wait … wouldn’t they lay eggs?

No, because the females were born as regular babies. Which would mean dragon males would be born as scaly lizards. Barf.

I tuned back in. I guess Iza had asked what a uterus was, and Royce was in the middle of explaining female human anatomy.

“Human females bleed every month?” Zallas asked, looking horrified at the very thought. Join the freaking club.

“Okay, that’s enough of that subject,” I interjected, before he could mansplain further. “It’s a thing that happens, and it sucks—moving on. If male dragons are born as … you know … dragons, how do they end up looking like that?” I pointed to Drallo and Nixton.

“They need to drink the blood of a female,” Iza said, and it blew my freaking mind.

“Usually, the mother will offer her blood to her son when he’s about three,” Zallas continued. “The life in her blood will initiate the change. To keep their form, male dragons need to have access to life energy either through proximity to people who give off life energy or the blood of a female dragon. If the male dragon has access to both sources, then he’s at his most powerful.”

“Is that why the dragons on Earth collect people?” I asked.

It wasn’t news that dragons collected territory and people, but the whole life force thing was. That explained why Lazateth bit me. It also explained why wild dragons were always in their dragon forms. They couldn’t shift without life energy.

“Yes,” Iza answered, with a strange look on her face.

“It explains the bite,” I muttered, hating that I somehow gave Lazateth power.

“That’s what this is?” Royce asked, waving around at the painted women and Drallo and Nixton.

“Nixton will choose a mate. Once dominated, she will choose to submit or not,” Zallas explained.

“If she submits, she’ll go to Earth with Nixton and feed him life energy and blood. If she doesn’t, she’ll continue to fight or die,” Iza said, just as Bavnak gave the go-ahead to begin.

My head buzzed with this new information, but I turned my attention to the activity. Bavnak joined us, his wings gone, arms crossed. He didn’t look resigned. I hadn’t had a chance to ask about the agreement, but I figured it was coming.

Drallo spoke low to his son, then stepped away. Nixton surveyed the crowd then bowed his head.

At first, I thought he was showing respect to the women, or maybe praying, but then I felt it … a heat in the air that progressed into something I couldn’t describe but had felt before—in the VIP room with Lazateth. The heat of attraction called to a part of me that had never been touched, except by me. It was overwhelming and irresistible.

Well, with Lazateth it had been, but with Nixton, I felt a warmth building, but I could push it away. The same could not be said for some.

Nixton raised his head, and his eyes were once again the bright blue of a dragon’s. He stepped forward and the women who were not affected stepped out of his path and retreated.

He continued to walk forward, ignoring the women who bowed and growled at those that didn’t. Those who remained on his path, he sniffed then moved on, leaving the women rooted to the spot. He made a round and when every woman had stepped away, he returned to his starting point.

I counted twelve remaining in total, and I wondered what would happen now. Would he sniff them again? Sample their blood? I didn’t think I could handle any blood drinking.

Nixton turned to his father seeking approval, maybe. I didn’t notice the sword he held until he tossed it to his son. The young man caught the blade by the handle then whirled to face the women who all had been tossed weapons and were running forward.

I covered my eyes, convinced that twelve warrior women against one male dragon would be a bloodbath. Hearing the clashing of metal wasn’t promising. Were the women fighting over his body parts? Gross.

“You can look, Nik,” Royce said, nudging me with his elbow.

I peeked through my fingers and didn’t see any blood, which was a good sign. Removing my hands, I looked around and found the fight. Nixton had, well, dragoned out. He had blue scales where he needed protection, and the warrior women’s blades bounced off when they got a hit in. Which was quite a bit.

The women had also sprouted some dragon-like attributes. Claws, tails, and wings were visible on all the women, and they were using them to physically injure Nixton. However, his scales made it nearly impossible, but only just.

Blood dotted some of the women and the floor. Two women bowed out and joined the rest of the women who opted not to join. They were welcomed with hugs, drinks, and bandages for their wounds.

“So, they fight until …?” I asked sideways, to Zallas.

“Until there is only one woman left,” she answered.

“Then what?”

“Then he’ll need to dominate her and make her submit.”

I didn’t ask if that meant sex; that’s what was done in the wild, but if it looked like that is what would happen, I’d look away again. Last thing I want to see is bloody dominating banging. Sounded painful.

Over the next hour or so, Nixton whittled down the women competitors until there were only two left. A massive woman who made Nixton look puny in comparison and a warrior I’d met earlier named Cenna. She was funny and loved food. I really liked her, and I hoped she’d quit soon. I’d hate to see her with a dragon like Nixton. Well, any dragon really.

An elbow to the face and shallow cuts along her arms and legs, the big warrior woman had had enough. Which left only Cenna.

I was on the edge of my seat. The fighting had paused now that there was only one warrior left. Cenna took a few sips of water and wiped the blood off her painted skin. She was relatively injury-free, so most of the blood wasn’t hers.

Nixton retreated to his father who clapped him on the back and started talking to him animatedly. Cenna watched him intently. I wasn’t sure if she was looking for weaknesses or if she was still feeling the attraction.

Was it bad that I was hoping she’d gut him? This whole thing had me hoping she’d kick his ass.

“This part of the fight has no rules, besides killing. Both will do whatever they can to dominate the other. Nixton has his dragon form, but Cenna has years of fighting experience preparing for this exact situation. It’s pretty even,” Iza remarked, and Zallas nodded.

“If Cenna dominates Nixton, what happens to him?” Royce asked.

“He’ll return to Earth in shame. He'll probably be rejected by his father,” Zallas answered. “He only gets one chance to find a mate here. He’s got his future riding on this.”

No pressure.

All too soon they were ready to continue. Cenna had a fresh weapon and no more blood. Nixton still had scales all over him, which seemed a bit unfair to me. Cenna didn’t have any armor but she’d lasted to this point. There was probably a ton I didn’t know or realize; I had faith that Cenna would kick his ass.

The two faced each other and Nixton let out another pulse of sexy that I brushed off easily, but Cenna looked uncomfortable. Imagine fighting for your life being incredibly turned on.

Nixton made the first move and lunged forward, but Cenna saw it for the feign it was and spun, clashing her blade with his. They backed off and began to circle each other.

Cenna remained lite on her feet while Nixton prowled like a predator, seeing what he wanted, but unable to continue forward. Nixton moved again, but Cenna saw through it and countered. The rasp of metal on metal echoed around us, heightening the excitement.

They continued like this for a time—testing each other’s reactions and weaknesses. Out of the two, Cenna seemed to have the upper hand. If Nixton wanted to win, he’d have to think of something fast.

As if reading my mind, the dragon must have come to the same conclusion. He looked around wildly before settling and glaring at Cenna. I thought he’d stop because he was no match for her but, instead, his outline blurred and grew. Within seconds a full-sized dragon stood where Nixton had once been. It was larger than Zion, and had a similar build, but that’s where the similarities ended. His scales were big and more lizard-like while having an almost oil-slick type blue tint. Spikes were everywhere and looked menacing.

“Can he do that?” I asked, thinking that the fight had just taken a turn in Nixton’s favor.

“Yes, though it means he’s desperate,” Iza answered, her eyes never leaving the fight.

I had to give Cenna credit; she wasn’t taken aback by the transformation but seemed to almost expect it. She leapt into the air, her wings flapping furiously to give her altitude. The dragon’s mouth snapped at her, but she avoided it by circling around the dragon’s head. Once behind, she dropped onto its back, just below the neck, and drove her sword between the giant scales.

The dragon roared in pain and tried to reach for Cenna, but its neck wasn’t long enough. Looked like Cenna knew just where dragon weaknesses were.

I watched excitedly as the dragon continued to try to reach the woman while she stabbed between scales again and again.

Frustrated and getting nowhere, Nixton spread his wings and rose into the air and began a dizzying array of acrobatic airborne maneuvers. Cenna held on using her own wings to help balance herself.

The dragon stopped in midair with a jerk and bucked like a horse which did the trick of dislodging the female from his back. She was tossed forward and, with a sweep of the dragon’s front leg, he knocked Cenna from the air.

Crashing to the floor Cenna hit, then ducked herself into a controlled roll. It was a beautiful save, but the crunch of bone indicated that she had broken one wing, or possibly both. Her face was pinched with pain as she rose to her feet and, with effort, put her wings away.

“Arial tactics were her only hope of beating the dragon,” Bavnak said, looking pained at the admission. “Now that she’s injured, and Earth-bound, there’s not much more she can do.”

“She can still win this,” I remarked but, it was half-hearted.

Cenna had fought wonderfully and had nearly won, but now that her wings were out of commission, she didn’t have much hope to win.

She fought on, giving the dragon a hard time, but in the end, she was in a position that she couldn’t escape. It was now up to her whether she’d submit to the dragon or let it kill her.

Nixton knocked Cenna to the ground, then pressed his front foot down on top of her. She was trapped and subdued.

In an instant the dragon was Nixton again. He’d disarmed her quickly, and though she bucked, her efforts were weak—she was exhausted.

A claw-tipped hand found and pressed against Cenna’s throat. She scraped at the hand, but only achieved cutting herself on the sharp scales. Cenna continued to struggle but she knew that the fight was over. The only thing left to do was decide.

Cenna relaxed under the dragon shifter and with very deliberate movements, tilted her head back in a clear act of surrender.

Nixton noticed and removed his hand that was quickly followed by his teeth.

The fight was over.

Cenna was taken away to get cleaned up and gather her belongings that she’d bring with her to Earth. People were subdued, but instead of sad, like I thought it would be, the tone was one of happiness. This must be normal for these people. Dragons from Earth would travel here and choose a mate; they’d been doing it for centuries.

While the fight had been scary it also had a ton of information. I kept my ears and eyes open like Bavnak told me to do. The jerk.

The first thing I noticed was that Nixton had several potential mates and it seemed that was true for all dragons. Including Lazateth. He’d found a mate in me but that didn’t mean we were destined to be together. If anything, it showed me exactly what I didn’t want, and I’d fight like these warrior women to get away from him. I’d choose death over being his dragon’s mate.

“This was the agreement, wasn’t it?” I asked Iza, as we scrubbed the paint from our bodies when the fight was over. “The dragons on Earth come here for mates.”

“Yes, that is the agreement. They chose a mate from among us, and they leave us relatively alone.”

“Have you ever … fought?” Was it rude to ask that?

“I have three times and each I bowed out,” she answered simply, not ashamed in the slightest.

“And Zallas?” I asked.

Iza paused her scrubbing then looked around ensuring that we were alone. “Zallas has only ever fought once. She made it all the way. Instead of submitting, she chose to fight. She fought so long and hard that she wore out the dragon who eventually bowed out and returned to Earth in shame. Before he surrendered, though, he clawed her across the face. His way of ensuring no one else would have her.” Iza lowered her head for her sister.

Zallas was incredible, and I had a feeling that she would never allow anyone to dominate her.

“Is that why Bavnak asked Zallas’ permission?”

“She’s the only one to survive and win a fight against a dragon. Zallas is cautious, and rightfully so. She’ll never admit it, but her scars affect her self-confidence. She’s beautiful and she wears them well, but during these celebrations it’s the only time when she actually feels like she’s beautiful. Scars and all.”

“She’s amazing,” I remarked, realizing it was completely true.

Zallas did something that no one else before her had ever done. She deserved respect and she got it from everyone, including Bavnak.

Once the paint was off our bodies, we climbed out of the pool and dried off. We dressed quickly and I couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. My plan was not to be. Bavnak was waiting with Royce outside of the wash cavern.

“Bavnak,” Iza acknowledged, with a yawn.

“I saw Zallas heading outside, probably to visit Zion,” Bavnak told her.

Iza nodded, winked at me, then headed toward the hidden exit that we had used to get to the platform that Zion met us on.

“Will she be okay?” I asked, worried for my friends.

“Both will be fine. They are the strongest I have, and I respect them a great deal.” He looked drawn out and tired. Not the big bad dragon that he’d been before this. “I think you and I are overdue for a talk. Meet me in the room we first met in.”

Surprised that he’d want to talk so soon after the celebration, I wasn’t going to question him. He waited for my nod then turned and walked away.

“That was surprising,” Royce stated, as we watched Bavnak walk away.

“Yeah, wonder if I’ll get answers or just more vagueness.”

“Only one way to find out. Maybe try not to lose your temper this time.” He smiled.

“Ha ha, you think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“Only a little.”

We fell silent and while I tried to ignore it, there still felt like something hung between us. It was there but it hadn’t been said, yet. I suspected what it was and, by the look that Royce was giving me now, confirmed it.

“Are you planning to go back to the hut?” I asked, grasping at conversational straws.

“Uh, no. I’m actually going to go find the rip we came through,” he replied, shocking me.

“Why?”

“You’ve been busy, but it’s been nearly a month, Earth-time, if my calculations are correct. Your friend said he’d meet us there.”

I had completely forgotten about Ruvaen, and had completely lost track of time. “Oh my goodness! You’re right.” I had been so completely caught up with the happenings in this world, I forgot about what was going on back home.

“There’s been plenty going on here to occupy your mind. I’ll go check it out while you meet with Bavnak,” he said, doing a great job of reassuring me.

“Okay, be careful.” My mind ran through all the possible scenarios. Could Lazateth have guessed that I wasn’t on Earth anymore? Would he come looking for me if he knew I was here?

Royce gave me a squeeze before heading off and leaving me to figure out where Bavnak’s cavern was. I’d only been there once and was blind folded for half the time.

Finding the entrance was the hardest part, which was the same in this whole place. Being lava rock, it all looked the same … at least to me.

After taking many wrong turns, I found it—finally. Two flights of carved steps leading downward gave it away. I looked around once I was on the main level and it looked pretty much the same, except for the massive lava river that flowed down the back wall. I walked closer, wondering how I could’ve missed it. I expected to feel heat, but I didn’t feel anything.

“Glad you made it,” Bavnak said, from behind me.

I spun around forgetting what I was there for. The lava fall distracted me.

“Thanks for the invite,” I replied, mentally patting myself on the back for not saying something snarky.

His wings were out and he looked like a regular guy, except for the reptilian-like green eyes and massive amount of muscles. He made his way over to the stairs that led to his throne-type chair and sat down. Looking at me for a moment, he then patted the stair beside him in a clear invitation to join him. “What did you think of the ceremony earlier?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious. He didn’t demand it and I wondered why he was so subdued.

“I have limited dealings with dragons, but I can honestly say that it started out great, then ended shitty.”

“Things are different on Earth. Humans do not engage in dominance fights like many supes do. I can understand why it made you uncomfortable.”

“There’s plenty of dominance fights on Earth but this seemed … different. On Earth it seems that males are dominance-driven, while here it’s pretty much equal.”

“The games there are different than the ones here.” Bavnak leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Pariti-Igra is an agreement made between the people that live here and the dragons on Earth.” He paused and I could tell he was gathering his thoughts, so I remained quiet and concentrated on exercising my patience skills. “Zallas told you of Cadari and how he tricked Urdon into letting him take a Kirk wife. Their offspring are the people here and the dragons of Earth.

“There once was a time when this world was plentiful. Dragon gods, Kirks, and the halfling race of both lived here in relative peace. Until one day, a halfling male dragon got greedy. He liked the power he gained when he drank blood, which his mother freely gave him. Wanting more, he wooed a potential mate and tricked her into giving him her blood. Those two sources combined, he felt unbelievably powerful. He was able to hold his human form for longer periods, his strength increased, and he discovered that he could get life energy from the people around him though women—specifically halfling women, contained more life energy. His greed grew and he was noticed for his strength, so he shared his secret with others. Wooing potential mates took too long when you could just take what you wanted. So, they did.”

“My god.” I was horrified by this revelation.

“They kidnapped halfling-women and imprisoned them. They had to give blood in exchange for food, clothing, baths. The corruption continued which forced the gods to act. They went to war, but the power these male dragons possessed was nearly on the same level as the gods. It was a bloody and dark time. In the end, the world that was once plentiful became dark and desolate. In a last-ditch effort, the gods sought to destroy the world and start over. In the middle of enacting this world-level extinction, a dragon goddess was taken. She was drained of blood and given to the leaders of this dragon uprising. Because of her power, they were able to survive the god’s attack. It left the gods weak, and the world destroyed.”

Tears gathered in my eyes. I knew the dragons on Earth were greedy, but I had no idea the extent to which they had gone to gain power.

“Outraged by what they had done to the mother god, Admera, Urdon proposed a truce,” Bavnak continued. “He told the dragons to leave this world and he wouldn’t destroy it. In exchange, he’d allow one male dragon a year to come and claim a mate from the remaining halflings. If the dragon could make the female submit to him, then he could take her as his. They agreed but also traveled to other worlds collecting species to unknowingly feed them their life energy. Once they collected powerful species, they invaded Earth and decided to settle there. There are plenty of humans there to more than feed them the life energy they need to maintain their human forms.”

“This is … insane,” I said, completely stunned by the history of this world, of these people.

“There’s more,” Bavnak said, with a chuckle.

“Does it get better?” I asked because there needed to be a bright side—a silver lining— something.

“Where there is death there is also life,” he said vaguely.

“So have you just been sitting here while these dragons destroy worlds, collect species, and suck life from your kin?” It sounded less harsh in my head, but if the shoe fits …

Bavnak started to laugh, and I was sure that he’d finally cracked or figured out that I was a comedic genius. The former seemed more likely.

“You are just like him. It’s refreshing,” he said with a smile, but then it slowly slipped from his face and we’d finally reached a subject that had been burning with questions.

“Who is ‘he’?” I asked him quietly.

“Before I can answer that, I have to explain a bit more,” he replied, and I nodded. I’d waited this long for answers, what was a few minutes more.

“To answer your earlier question, no we have not been just sitting here. We’ve been training and biding our time.”

“That’s good,” I said, a bit disappointed. I was expecting something more.

“When the dragon males left this world, a god volunteered to go with them as a spy. During the course of it, he actually turned for a time. The rush and power were something he couldn’t resist, but then they went to Earth, and after a few decades, he met a woman and fell in love. When he found out that she was pregnant he had to get out, to leave, because even that early, he knew she was carrying his daughter. He put things in order, returned here, made more plans, then returned to Earth to carry out all his well laid plans.”

“And …” I prompted, holding my breath, not daring to hope that my father was alive.

“He was found out as a traitor and killed.” Bavnak looked sad.

“Oh no.” I knew better than to hope but, could you blame me? Every child wants to know their father.

I thought for the longest time that my father was like other Mutt dads; out for a quick fuck, no strings attached, then baby. To know that he wasn’t like that but made plans and tried to take care of me and my mom—just knowing that, helped warm my heart.

“He told me you’d come looking for answers and that I’d know who you were.” His sadness was a palpable thing.

“Me?” I whispered. My whole life I’d been waiting for the answer to who I was and why I had these powers that were so monumentally different than everyone else. Now it all made sense.

“Cadari is you father,” Bavnak revealed, with a gleam in his eye, before he added, “and my brother.”

“Oh my god.” I sobbed into Bavnak’s chest—Bavnak, my uncle. “We’re family and you were so mean.”

He chuckled and I could feel it through my cheek.

“Though we are family, I have a responsibility to the ones I protect here. I needed to be sure you were trustworthy.” He shrugged, but I honestly wouldn’t expect anything less.

“I understand,” I said, pulling away and wiping my tears off on my shirt. “I never thought I’d find family here.”

His face morphed into a serious look and I gulped. This is a god, a dragon god—I couldn’t forget that.

“You came here, you said, because you needed to get your fire back. Explain to me what happened and why you think your fire is gone.”

I launched into the story, starting when I met Lazateth and ended when Ruvaen sent Royce and I here.

“I was sent to find out my heritage and to relight the fire Lazateth took from me,” I finished.

“That dragon deserves to die,” Bavnak growled, his words doing weird things to my heart.

“I’m not making excuses for him, but he’s a wild dragon, which means he was raised without a dragon family.”

“Some things we just inherently know. To have a human form, someone must have told him what to do. Using his pheromones to attract females and feed from their life energy is disgusting,” Bavnak spat, looking thoroughly upset about it.

“I’m pretty sure he’s going to challenge Briggs to a dominance fight for the city. He thinks I’m the key to it all,” I explained.

“It makes sense, yes, but what about this Briggs? Does he have a female? A mate?”

“I have no idea. He’s secretive and no one really knows anything personal. Well, Kreed might know.”

“Who’s this Kreed?” Bavnak growled.

I sighed, then launched into the story on how I’d met Kreed, healed him, and everything from that point onward.

“He told Briggs there was a wild dragon in his city, so he’d go on a hunt. Which is a great way to search for you while everyone was distracted without bringing attention to what he was searching for. Brilliant really. Search right under everyone else’s noses.”

“But by revealing there’s a wild dragon in the city, he brought another dragon dangerously close to me. He’s duty-bound to protect me, but he was putting me a little too close to the crosshairs.”

Bavnak nodded, obviously seeing both sides like I had. “There’re too many variables. We can theorize all we like, but we don’t have enough information,” he said, rubbing his hands on his thighs. “Your father never wanted you in that world. He wanted you raised here with people who’d understand your abilities.”

“Do I get my healing ability from my dragon heritage?”

“I’m afraid not. It must be from the other part, Zavarian. I’m intrigued by them. If they are indeed strong enough to take on a dragon, even those that are well fed on life energy, is impressive. I’d like to meet one.”

“What about my radar and fire?” I knew that my inner fire came from my dragon side, duh, but I wanted to be sure.

“Your fire, yes. This radar power that you have isn’t common, but you get that from your godly heritage. I’ve only ever met dragons and humans, so I don’t know if I have the ability.”

“I can’t tell you how nice it is to know where these abilities came from,” I stated, looking at my hands.

“It’s good to know, yes, but knowledge is power. I’d advise you not to tell anyone the truth about your father being a god.”

“Zallas and Iza said that I was weak. I assumed it was because I’d lost my fire, but is it because I’ve got human in me, too?”

“You aren’t weak.” Bavnak waved away my concern. “You are much more powerful than them, even—we just have to figure how to unleash it. Now, how does it feel when you call your fire? It can’t be completely gone since you used it to heal.”

“I call it up from somewhere deep inside of me and guide it to my hands. It’s always there; flickering and burning until I need it.” I sniffed, refusing to cry. “When I got my memories back it was the first thing I reached for, but I couldn’t feel it … just a cold emptiness. When Lazateth bit me, I could feel him calling it, pulling it up and out of me.”

“I’ve never taken blood, nor will I ever, it must be terrifying.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I knew he was trying to comfort.

But I could feel by his tension that he wasn’t happy about it.

“If I can get my fire back, I’ll be able to fight and protect it better,” I said, with finality.

“You don’t need to protect it. It’s there to protect you. You control it, it doesn’t control you,” he paused, removing his arm so he could turn his body to face me. “I don’t think your fire is gone like you think it is.”

“I literally cannot feel it,” I argued, getting upset that he didn’t believe me.

“Did you feel it all the time before, or only when you needed it?” he asked, annoyingly patient.

“I didn’t feel it all the time, but I knew it was there.”

“So how do you know it’s no longer in you?”

“Because I can’t feel it!” I jumped to my feet. “I know where my fire is, it’s been there my whole life, but it’s not there now. So don’t tell me what I do or do not know.”

He was smiling at me as I yelled at him, which just pissed me off more. I turned to leave, not wanting to give the ass the satisfaction of knowing he got to me.

“Nik, wait. I know what happened to your fire,” he called, and I stopped but kept my back to him.

“What happened to it?” I asked him, hotly.

“I had to test my theory, which I was right about, by the way.” He sounded way too smug, but it calmed me so I could turn to him and not wish I had eye lasers. “Lazateth didn’t take your fire. He released it.”

“What?” That didn’t make any sense.

“This is new territory, Nik. You are literally the only one of a new species, so we don’t know anything, and we won’t, not at first. We’ll need to figure this out together.” He stood in front of me, looking down at my face. “You’ve always held your fire deep inside you, hiding it away because it was different, and scary. Your fire is still there, just not where it was hidden before. It’s been found—released—and it won’t be hidden again. Here, put your arms out, one hand on top of the other.”

I thought it was pointless but decided to humor him because we were family. Placing my arms and hands in the position he wanted, I waited for his next instructions.

“Now, remember how it felt to call your fire. You went somewhere deep inside where it was, but now it is cold. Concentrate on that place inside; feel the cold there, draw it closer, try to wrap it around your consciousness.”

I did as he asked and reached down searching for that place. When I found it, I felt tears prick my eyes; there was nothing there, just cold emptiness. I dived deeper, pulling it closer, completely surrounding myself with the frigid temperature. Then I let go, relaxed, and floated in the stillness.

Nothing happened. Disappointment enveloped me, making me colder.

Then out of the darkness, a tiny spark lit the space. It was so faint I didn’t immediately notice, but the warmth hit me first. It grew, spreading heat throughout the space, and it burned … but not in a painful way. Fire poured in, raining down like a waterfall of lava.

My eyes flew open and Bavnak was smiling.

“How’d that happen?” I asked, completely stunned.

“First rule of being a dragon is that your fire will never leave you. It’s part of the cosmic particles that created our race—our godly race. We call it Starlight. When that dragon sucked out your fire, it opened that place inside you. You’ll never lose it. All you have to do is concentrate, feel, and pull it toward you.” Bavnak raised his hand toward the wall of falling lava. I turned just in time to see a ball of melted rock float to his hand and hover above his palm.

“Whoa,” I breathed, putting my hand out, feeling the heat of the molten rock.

“Think of that place, where you keep your fire, as storage. Keep your fire there, and if you need to draw heat from around you, keep that space full of fire … Starlight.” He nodded to his hand where he fletched his fingers, and all the heat was sucked from the ball of lava leaving behind a perfect spherical ball of black rock.

“That’s how the lava setters built everything without leaving tool marks,” I realized, taking the ball and weighing it in my hand.

“I taught them how to do that,” he whispered to me, looking proud.

“How old are you?” I asked, only half joking.

“As old as the stars, starlight.” He winked, then nodded at the lava rock ball. “I want to show you how I do that.”

“Okay,” I agreed, placing the ball in his hand.

“All that heat … that fire … that you have in your core, I want you to get rid of it,” he instructed.

I gave him a confused look because other than the time I lost control with Bayard and healing, I’d never expelled my fire.

“How? I’ve only used it in self-defense once, and the memory was suppressed by a traitor, so who knows if it’s accurate.”

“Call your fire like you do when you heal, but instead of calling it to your hands, call it to your feet. You can direct it to any part of your body.”

“Like my eyes? Are you saying I can shoot flames from my eyes?” That’d be a game changer. Laser-eyes had nothing on flame-eyes. I could put fear into the hearts of men everywhere. Step aside, Superman.

“Uh, I guess.” He looked confused by my manic grin, and a touch concerned, but he got over it quickly. Thank goodness.

I dived down into my core again and did as he instructed, or tried to. The flame kept trying to travel to my hands where I’d usually send it. It took some finesse—pulling, pushing, and cursing—but I finally got it to travel down my legs and to my feet.

“It’s at my feet, now what?”

“Now push it out.”

Easier said than done, buddy.

“If it helps, try visualizing heating the stone beneath your feet.” Bavnak pointed to the ground. “Driving away the cold.”

I tried that and found it easier to manipulate. The stone below my feet absorbed the heat as I concentrated on getting rid of every last drop.

“It’s gone,” I said, with a shiver.

“Look at the flow of lava. You’ll need to connect with your core, then reach out to the heat of the wall. You have to guide it to your core. Open yourself up like you did before. Call the heat to you.”

I closed my eyes and reached down to that place that was cold and empty again. Once I was submerged in the coolness, I reached back out from there to the lava flow’s heat.

“That’s it, Starlight. Once you’re connected to both, pull the heat from the wall and what it’s connected to.”

I knew what he was saying, but actually doing it was like trying to solve a riddle. Frustrating.

“I’m connected to my core and I can feel the heat of the wall, it just won’t come,” I growled, annoyed with the stupid fire wall.

“You’re making it more complicated than it needs to be,” he answered, making me even more aggravated. “You’re there, now pull the heat toward you like you would pull your fire from your core. Just pull it from a different source.”

I tried to visualize pulling the heat in my mind’s eye, but nothing would happen. Opening my eyes, I glared at the lava wall, flipped it off in my head, then yanked the heat from my core.

A glob of lava broke away from the wall and zoomed toward me and I panicked. I started backing up, but tripped on the stairs behind me. I slipped and landed hard on my ass while the lava ball I called continued to come closer. I shrieked then crab crawled backwards up the stairs trying to get away.

A different force intervened and pulled the ball away from me. I relaxed, thankful I hadn’t gotten fried by lava when the laughing started.

“What was that?” Bavnak managed to ask, before he started howling with laughter.

“I panicked,” I answered, defensively. There was a freaking ball of lava coming right at me. Any sane person would have run.

“You could’ve just let go,” he wheezed.

I was starting to see how it must have looked to him.

I’d been trying to pull the lava toward me, so I yanked it and kept pulling, then panicked and ran. I started laughing, too. It must have looked ridiculous to be running away from something I was pulling. It followed me because I was connected to it. Not my best moment.

After we’d both laughed until we wet our pants, figuratively, we began to calm down. I massaged my stomach; my abs were on fire from all the laughing. What a workout.

“I’m sorry I freaked out.” I was disappointed I hadn’t mastered it right away, but it was harder than I thought it would be.

“It’s alright. Just remember for next time that you are the one in control.”

“Noted,” I stated, returning to my original place. “Should I try again?”

He nodded, an amused grin on his face.

I connected to my core, then stared at the wall as I connected with its heat. I relaxed, then pulled firmly. A glob of lava broke away, glowing red and orange. It was freaky. My fire didn’t burn me, but I could get burned by other things which was scary. I pressed on and guided the mass to my palm. It hovered there for a moment and I got confident and tried to pull the heat from it, but I must have pulled with my eyes, not my hand, because the lava went splat on my face.

I screamed but then stopped when it didn’t hurt. It felt like I’d been hit in the face with a really warm mud pie. Bavnak was laughing again as I wiped off the lava. Not many could say they had a lava pie to the face and lived, but I could. Can cross that off my bucket list.

“I think we’re done. I haven’t laughed that hard in ages,” my uncle said, as he sat on the stairs looking rung out again, but happy.

I wiped my chin with the hem of my shirt, staining it black. I’m not sure what people would think of the stains. Were lava rock stains removable? How did we not know these things?

“I’m done, too. Training’s hard,” I huffed, and sat down beside him.

“Especially for someone who was raised human,” he agreed, then fell silent.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I wondered if he ever got lonely here, being the only god.

“So how did you end up watching out for everyone here?” I asked, watching the lava flow across from us.

“I was asked to by Urdon, your grandfather,” he answered, quietly.

“You must miss him.” I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t know if he was alive or if any of the gods were. “Is he … are they all … gone?”

“Depends on your definition of ‘gone’. Us, as in gods, do not completely fade away. We are timeless and will eventually be reborn again. However, they are still here but not as they once were.”

“Well, that was vague,” I said, not meaning it to sound as sarcastic as it did.

“Admera, my mother, your grandmother, lives in the souls of the women here. As long as they believe, she will remain.” He continued listing gods and goddesses that had become something else.

Kalenta, the Goddess of Death and Destiny, entered the volcano we reside in; she resides in the very rock that surrounds us. The God of Secrecy, Nirias, kept the location of the place from those who’d do the people here harm. The God of Justice, Vodull, remained here as long as the laws were upheld and in those who contain hearts of honor. Zilella was the Goddess of the Hunt and Fertility; so as long as the warriors hunted, and babies were born, she lives on.

“Wow,” I said, thinking it was sad, but also completely wonderful that they all remained, because so very few still believed. They protected these people. They weren’t selfish, but selfless—so unlike the greedy gods on Earth. “What was my father the god of?”

“He was the God of Wonder and Awe. He resides in the feeling you get when you gaze at the stars, or when you hold a baby for the first time. That spark is your father.”

“And you?”

“I’m the God of Protection—a teacher, and also appreciation. There is a need for me here, and I’ll continue to remain until I am no longer needed.”

“I wonder what I am.”

“Only time will tell, Starlight,” he said, ruffling my hair.

“I’m glad they’re still around.” And I was. It might not be the way I had envisioned, but I’d remember them anytime I felt wonder, appreciation, or awe. It was beautiful and a fitting past-time until they were born again.

“Nik!” I jumped as Royce sprinted down the steps, his face a mask of panic.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling Bavnak bristle beside me.

“The rip is open and there’s a note for you,” he said, out of breath. He must have run all the way down here.

Extending my hands, he deposited two things into them: a folded note with my full name on it, and a to-go coffee cup that read ‘eat a bag of Richards’. I smiled because only one person would write that on a coffee cup.

“Read the note,” Royce advised, and by his tone I knew it was serious.

I unfolded the note and started to read. The more I read, the more my mood changed from one of amusement to one of panic.

“We need to go home,” I said, and Royce nodded his head, then extended his hand. I put my hand in his and together we ran.

It was time to return to Earth and kick some dragon ass.

“What’s going on?” Bavnak demanded, as we ran toward the pathway that would lead toward the platform where drakes land.

“I got a message from a friend. Lyndee’s been taken by Lazateth,” I huffed.

“Who’s Lyndee?” Bavnak asked, and it hurt that we hadn’t gotten a chance to really get to know each other.

“She’s my best friend—like my sister,” I answered, as the opening to the cavern came into view.

“This is obviously a trap. He’s trying to lure you out,” Bavnak argued, following us into the tunnel.

“I know … I’m not stupid, but I need to be there to help with the rescue effort. Plus, if I need to be used as bait, I’ll do it.”

“Are you serious? Bait?”

“Yes! Lyndee would do that, and more, if the roles were reversed,” I said, with absolute confidence. Lyndee was my person. We were best friend soul mates. We went together like peanut butter and marshmallow cream.

“I don’t like this,” my suddenly sweet uncle remarked, as we made our way carefully to the platform in the dark.

The things I do for you, Lyndee.

“I don’t like this either, but the one who sent the message, Brutus, knows that I’d do anything to get Lyndee back. Syd and I are the only ones she’s got.” Lyndee’s family life was shit. They could be cool but were rarely sober enough to try.

“We still have things to talk about and I still need to teach you.” He was stating things I already knew. It was both touching, and frustrating, at the same time. He cared and I knew it came from a good place, but trying to convince me to stay where it was safe, while someone was in trouble because of me, didn’t fly.

“Look,” I said, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He was surprised by the embrace but mimicked my actions. “There’s tons we need to talk about and for me to learn. I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can, but this is my mess. I have to at least help clean it up.”

“I get the feeling you make a lot of messes.” My godly uncle sounded suspiciously close to whining. Who knew this dragon god could form such an immediate attachment.

“I don’t mean to,” I answered, my gut roiling with indecision. I didn’t want to leave my uncle, the only tie I had left to my father’s side of the family, but Lyndee was family, too, and she needed me.

“I know you have to go.” He squeezed me, just shy of pain, before he added, “I cannot leave my people here unguarded, but if you need me, I’ll be there when you feel or need any of the things I rule over.”

“I know.” I tried to blink away the tears because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. “I promise I’ll be back. Tell Zallas and Iza, please.”

“I will,” Bavnak promised.

Turning, I noticed that Royce had climbed onto the back of a drake. It was dark, but I thought that it might be Zion, although I couldn’t be sure.

Royce helped me onto the drake’s back, and it was a whole new perspective. Riding on the chest of a drake was unnecessary, in my opinion, but I have to admit the view was better. However, I felt safer on its back.

Leathery wings extended, and with one last look at the uncle I just found, I wrapped my arms around Royce, and with a mighty jump we were airborne heading toward the rip and home.

The ride was much quicker than it had been walking—go figure. It gave me just enough time to fill Royce in on what Bavnak had revealed and that we discovered that my fire was back, though it hadn’t really been gone in the first place.

“So, the asshole dragon leader is a dragon god and he’s your uncle?” Royce was surprised, and probably a little in awe.

“Yes, nothing in my life is simple,” I replied, a bit more sarcastically than I meant it to be.

“That means you’re a demi-god.”

“Does it?” Honestly, I didn’t know, or care, at the moment. I just wanted to go home and get Lyndee away from that crazy dragon.

The drake went into a shallow dive and landed a few seconds later. Royce hopped down from the drake’s back into total darkness. I followed a couple seconds later doing a trust fall, hoping like hell that I wasn’t going to plunge to my death. Family danger made me reckless.

“Oomph,” Royce grunted, as I crashed into him.

“I’m sorry,” I said, wrapping my arms around him in apology.

“It’s okay,” he assured me, wrapping me up close to his chest.

I held on for longer than was necessary. It felt good for just a moment to seek comfort from someone. I tried to pull away before it became a moment, but I don’t think I succeeded. As I pulled back, his hands slid down from my waist to my hips. I could feel his exhales on my cheek and knew he had leaned down close. Definitely a moment for him, damnit.

“Where’s the rip?” I asked, trying to pop the “moment bubble” and also remind him gently that we were on a mission.

“It’s right over here,” he answered, stepping away from me, and I felt it was easier to breathe.

“So do we just dive in like we did before?” I wondered.

The rip on Earth was suspended in the air so I had no idea how this was going to work.

“I’m not sure, honestly,” Royce answered. “I’ll go first.”

I should have probably argued, but rips terrified me.

“Take my hand.” I felt around in the dark until I’d interlaced my fingers with his. “Take a deep breath.”

I sucked in a big inhale, then stepped forward and ducked into the rip behind Royce.

It felt like crawling through quicksand; it was thick and pressed in from all sides. My eyes involuntarily closed, and I held onto Royce’s hand for dear life.

When I couldn’t stand the feeling any longer, and my lungs screamed from lack of oxygen, my head popped through the rip. I sucked in a breath, then unlocked my fingers so I could pull myself the rest of the way. With a final grunt, I pulled my legs after me, then fell.

Before I could orient myself enough to scream, I was caught by a pair of burly arms and a familiar smell.

“Nice of you to drop in,” Brutus teased, with a laugh.

I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. It was so good to hear his voice. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it.

“A little help, please,” Royce’s voice said from above us.

I jerked out of Brutus’s embrace and looked up to see Royce hanging from the invisible rip in the air by his hands.

“Drop and I’ll catch you,” Brutus instructed.

After a moment of hesitation, Royce let go and Brutus caught him, then deposited him onto his feet the next second. Dudes.

“I see you got my message. About time,” the bear shifter said.

“Good thing Royce decided to go take a look at the rip,” I shot back, then added, “Royce this is Brutus, Brutus this is Royce.”

“Nice to meet you.” Royce held out his hand, and Brutus shook it.

“Likewise.” Brutus didn’t seem surprised by Royce’s presence, so I assumed Ruvaen had filled him in.

“So, what’s happening?” I asked, reminding myself and them why we were here.

“I’ll explain in the boat. A lot has happened, but first,” Brutus paused, and a yowl tore through the area; then a super ugly creature ran into the clearing, making a beeline for me.

“Zazu!” I exclaimed, scooping him up into my arms.

“He wouldn’t stop following me around,” Brutus explained, but he didn’t need to. I knew how annoyingly intelligent he could be. “Let’s go.”

We marched through the lightning landscape. It would appear that it was just before dawn, when it had been the middle of the night on Ska’Moria. I carried Zazu as we walked, who carried on a one-sided conversation—probably telling me how much he missed me and how pissed he is that I left him. Pretty sure he wouldn’t believe me if I said I didn’t have a choice.

The boat was the same one Ruvaen had used when he rescued us. Brutus started the engine, and we were cruising down the river in no time.

It felt good to be home. The air smelled different here, and though I hadn’t minded Ska’Moria, in the end it just wasn’t home.

“Okay, we’re on the boat,” I prompted Brutus, as I settled on a bench seat.

“After you were rescued and sent on your mission, Lazateth continued to evade Briggs and his troops. It was funny to watch, actually, but after a couple weeks of no leads, Briggs took a break. Syd and Bayard kept an eye out and stayed out of the way. Lyndee was taken five days ago, after she’d worked a shift at Crimson Damnation. No camera footage, but the area smelled of her, dragon, and several hybrids.”

“Hybrids?” I asked, knowing that hybrids were extremely rare, so to have come across several of them was concerning. It was definitely Lazateth.

“Yeah, it was strange. We were able to track her to an abandoned warehouse. We called in everyone and planned a rescue mission. It failed. All of our plans have failed, actually. We suspect a mole but haven’t figured out who, yet. After the last failed attempt three nights ago, we decided to send word to you.”

“Why didn’t you guys send word sooner?” I was a bit hurt that they didn’t want me to know what had happened.

“Ruvaen said you were safe and getting answers. No way were we going to reach out unless we absolutely had to. You’re what he wants, remember?” Brutus reminded me, and I felt overwhelmingly guilty.

“Well, I kinda left suddenly, and left you all to deal with this mess.” This was my issue. I should have stayed.

“There’s only one person who was upset you left, but everyone else understood.” Brutus’s face had gone tight, and we both knew who he was talking about.

“He didn’t take it well.” It was a statement, not a question. He was absolutely livid.

“No.” The answer was simple, but was full of meaning.

“I’m sorta upset with him for telling Briggs about Lazateth, so he can join the club.” God, this was complicated, and no matter how much I didn’t want it to be, it was. I’d have to face it when it was time, but right now, we had bigger problems.

“Another rescue attempt will be happening in a few hours. I don’t want to reveal that you’re here, yet so I thought we could do a stake out—observe, then join the rescue attempt later tonight.”

“Why in broad daylight?” Royce asked, suspiciously.

“All the night attempts have failed, so we decided to mix it up.” Brutus shrugged, and I got the feeling that was part of it, but also not fully; it was the gang way—don’t trust until they’d proven they were trustworthy.

The rest of the ride to the city was quiet. I was wracked by guilt, while Brutus and Royce did their own thing.

This was all so screwed up. I had to fix it … somehow.

* * *

“Are you sure Lazateth has Lyndee here?” I asked Brutus, as I peered over the roof ledge at the abandoned warehouse.

“That’s what our intel has discovered.” The massive shifter shrugged.

I had a hard time believing that Lazateth the Slimy would set up here. It was a rundown mess of a building; it smelled bad and was surrounded by a rusty fence that was falling apart.

Zazu let out a deep rumbling growl while his independent eyes were fixed on Royce. He’d been acting weird since we climbed on the boat.

“Royce is a friend. Stop being weird,” I ordered my Chia, but he ignored me, in true Zazu fashion. I’d missed him so much.

“This whole thing smells fishy,” I grumbled an hour later, when nothing had happened. “When’s it supposed to go down?”

“Any time now,” Brutus replied, as he wiped sweat from his forehead. His shirt was drenched, and he was starting to smell.

In the short time I’d known Brutus, I’d never seen him sweat so much. Could shifters even sweat or have body odor? We were in a well shaded area out of the sun’s heat. So, what was up with the excessive perspiration?

“You, okay?” I asked my bear shifter friend, cautiously.

“Yeah, it’s just hot.” He shrugged and I noticed he’d been doing that a lot.

“Do shifters usually sweat and have BO?”

“Not usually.” His answer was clipped, and it made me instantly suspicious.

“Somethings not right,” I murmured, turning back to the warehouse, but watching Brutus from the corner of my eye.

“They’re here,” Royce whispered, using his chin to point to a group that was sneaking closer.

It was daylight so they couldn’t hide in the shadows, but they did their best, regardless.

A cougar-looking cat arrived at the gate first and tried to knock a part of the fence down with its paw, but as soon as it made contact, the cat was flung away. A swarm of pixies caught the shifter before it could crash to the ground.

If I hadn’t been watching, then I would have missed the rippling that the fence did after the shifter touched it. It was an illusion. A dark-skinned man with white hair and equally milky eyes popped into my head. They had a witch, and not just any witch—they had a witch-hybrid. I couldn’t be certain that it was the same hybrid, but I just got the feeling it was him.

The attack party regrouped and approached the fence again. I didn’t know the first thing about magic. I knew it took a crazy amount of energy to do even the smallest things, so an illusion paired with a defense of this size was unheard of, which made hybrids even more scary.

The group stopped just shy of the fence and appeared to be studying it. They couldn’t do anything unless they could breach the first obstacle.

“Anyone know how to break an illusion-slash-defensive spell?” I asked, not expecting an answer, or for Zazu to climb onto the ledge and jump off. “Zazu!”

Both Royce and Brutus pulled me back before I could dive after him.

“He’s some sort of cat, they always land on their feet,” Royce tried to reassure me, but he didn’t know Zazu like I did.

With more caution, I peered over the ledge and saw Zazu running toward the group near the fence. What the hell had gotten into my Chia?

He wound his way through pixies, shifters, and human-shaped legs until he got to the fence. Pausing, the mangy thing studied it before he placed his front paw on the illusionary fence. I flinched, expecting him to be flung into the air, but miraculously the fence wavered for a moment … then the spell collapsed.

What the ever-loving shit is going on?

The fence’s collapse revealed an open parking lot and no fence whatsoever. The warehouse stood where it had and I wondered if it was an illusion, too.

The whole group surged forward and spread out moving cautiously toward the rundown building. There was a buzzing in the air before a cargo door started to rise. From the dark depths, I could barely make out a pack of hybrid-shifters, poised to fight.

Our side got over their shock quickly and rushed to engage the stampeding horde, while I tried not to throw up. I’d heard that hybrids could shift, but I didn’t realize that they would look like something out of a nightmare. Whatever animal they were mixed with came out together when they shifted. A wolf-tiger was the most terrifying. It was dark in color with orange stripes, and its head looked like the two animals were battling for territory. It was twisted and mangled—a mixture of human, wolf, and tiger, all blended together into a horrifying monster.

“What are they?” Royce asked, in a voice that was fighting the barf reflex.

“Hybrids,” Brutus answered, never taking his eyes off of the fight.

We turned back to the fight, and from our vantage point, we were able to see a second cargo door lifting and a cage being pushed out into the afternoon sun. The creature inside was one I knew well because we’d grown up together; Lyndee sat in that cage, and was wolfed out, at least the most she could be. She was a mutt, through and through, so instead of being a complete wolf, she was a weird mix of human and wolf. Not as scary as the hybrids, but still not something you’re used to seeing. Grey fur covered her abdomen, chest, and neck, while her arms and legs had patches of white and grey. She had claws coming out of the end of her fingers, and ears that had grown from the sides of her head, not the top, with a tail that was long and bushy.

Lyndee was growling and scratching at her cage with foam coming out of her mouth that was encased in a muzzle—she looked feral, and I couldn’t blame her if she had gone to that place. Who knew what she had been put through? What has she had to resort to?

We need to get her out of there!

“There she is,” I pointed to the caged beast.

“I see her,” Brutus said, watching as the cage was loaded into the back of a windowless, white van.

It wasn’t until the doors shut that he stepped out... Lazateth. The dragon who caused all of this. A deep hatred consumed me at the sight of the handsome dragon. I was a potential mate to this monster, and that just pissed me off more. I would not submit like Cenna did. I would fight and die, if necessary— preferably taking him with me.

“Get down.” Brutus grabbed me, and pulled me down below the ledge.

We laid there for several minutes listening to the pixies, shifters, and hybrids fighting—which wasn’t at all horrible and scary.

“I think they’re gone,” Royce said, chancing a look over the ledge.

“Do you think it’s too late to follow them?” I wondered.

“Not for me,” Brutus said gruffly, then started to belly crawl across the roof while Royce and I followed.

We made it to the opposite edge and down the ladder without incident. Zazu was waiting for us at the bottom, and he immediately climbed up my body and settled himself behind my shoulder. I scratched his head, thinking that something was definitely up with him. He’d never been so reckless … I mean, he was a lazy house cat most of the time. No way he turned into some kind of badass pet overnight.

Before I could contemplate more, Brutus was off, moving away from the fighting and deeper into the neighborhood of abandoned warehouses. Lazateth was turning out to be a textbook villain. You’d think with all his looks, resources and commanding aura, that he’d be able to afford nicer digs.

Such a disappointment.

Brutus set a relentless pace as we weaved in and out of buildings and sketchy alleyways. This was henchmen heaven. When we reached the waterfront is when the big shifter slowed down and moved with more caution.

We entered a building that was in the beginning stages of collapsing. Brutus vaulted over obstacles, while Royce and I were slower, taking our time so we could remain quiet. Zazu was no help, per usual.

“Shh,” Brutus warned, as he leaned his back against the side of a doorway.

Royce and I mimicked him and held our breath as he peeked around the corner.

“I see the van, but it looks empty, and I can hear a cargo door shutting. They are definitely here.”

“Did you see, Lazateth?” I asked, needing to confirm that he was here, too.

“No, but I can smell him. He’s definitely here.”

“Now, what?” I didn’t have a phone, so I couldn’t call Syd or anyone to let them know what we found—and using one would probably be a bad idea.

“We’ll head to the Howling Cow where they’ll go to regroup.” Brutus inhaled a deep breath in, as if committing the scent to memory, before turning and making our way away from this part of town.

It took us all afternoon to make our way to the Howling Cow because Brutus was being extra cautious with me in toe. He kept having me swap outfits and dawning scent-eliminating spray that hunters used that smelled like straight up dirt. It wasn’t a fool-proof plan, but hopefully it would do the trick.

We came upon the bar a different way … one that wasn’t new to me. This was the place that Gwenna had betrayed me and Lazateth had bitten me. The vehicles were gone, but everything else was the same.

We ducked into the tunnel as the sun disappeared over the horizon. The familiar tunnel smell was bringing that whole night back to me, which made every shadow an awful reminder. The further we walked, the more I wanted to turn tail and run the opposite way. Instead, I thought of Lyndee and what she must be going through. This was the quickest way to Syd and Bayard. I’d do what I needed to do to save my friend.

Brutus made quick work of the wall in the cellar and in no time, we were in the basement below The Howling Cow. We made our way to the ladder that had been fixed since the last time I was there, and my eyes were drawn to the wall where Kreed had helped me cool the fire. I felt my cheeks turn red as the memory of that event ran through my mind. I’d felt so out of control, but he had been so calm and willing to help me cool the inferno inside. God, I missed him.

As if the thought of him opened up the bond, I felt a pop in my mind and there it was. Completely whole like it had been before I went through the rip. It was overwhelming and I swayed on my feet from so many feelings that all jumbled together, but before I could even begin to make sense of it, we were climbing the ladder.

I shut the bond down as much as I could, ignoring everything so I could concentrate. This was no time to get distracted.

The trapdoor was behind the bar. Brutus climbed up first, followed by me, and Royce brought up the rear. A cacophony of voices bombarded my ears as we all crouched behind the bar. Brutus put a finger to his lips and motioned for us to stay down. Probably a good idea to not go popping in with a room of agitated supes and mutts.

“Alright, settle down,” a loud voice said, and I recognized it immediately as Syd. “We knew this attempt wouldn’t work. We have a mole among us, and this was a test to find out who.”

The room went deathly silent at his words, everyone suddenly suspicious of each other—you could feel it.

“We told key members different plans and watched for which one would be executed,” Bayard announced, and everyone let out a relieved sigh of relief. “It was a surprise, but we found the mole.”

“Who was it?” A female voice asked, and my whole body tensed.

“It was Jed,” Syd revealed, sadness and disbelief recognizable in every word.

Murmurs and whispers followed while I seethed behind the bar. How could they think Jed, the shifter who protected me anytime I went to Crimson Damnation, would betray us? The silent but tough guard was completely loyal. He was like family. I couldn’t let him take the blame for this when I knew who the real traitor was, in this very room.

I glanced at Royce and saw that his jaw was clenched with anger. I could see that he also recognized the woman’s voice, since she’d been his torturer for weeks. Gwenna.

“I can’t believe it was him,” Gwenna said, sounding completely surprised. What a freaking snake! “Are you sure?”

“Unfortunately,” Bayard confirmed, and it only made my anger climb higher.

I had to do something, but what? I didn’t know any specifics except that Gwenna was a slimy snitch and we all know what snitches get in the end. I reached for the place inside that used to house my fire. Once there, I began to call the heat from around me. It trickled in slowly, and while it was doing that, I was wracking my brains for a plan.

I’d have to reveal myself in a surprising way to unbalance the stupid ho. Bavnak’s instruction came to mind—specifically the part where I could push the fire from every part of my body. Was it time for flame-eyes? Probably. But however, cool it would be, I hadn’t practiced, and the last thing I wanted was to burn my eyes out. No, I’d have to think of something different … maybe my hair would work. I could light up my whole body like the human torch, but I didn’t have enough heat for that, so fire hair it was.

Thank goodness I had reddish hair. Poetic actually.

I continued to prepare, wondering how I was going to let Brutus know without speaking. I turned to him to at least try and found him pouring sweat again. This was beginning to concern me. His eyes had sunken in and he looked like he might pass out. I touched his hand trying to get his attention, but he didn’t even react. This screamed of magic, and my chest tightened, thinking that Gwenna had him under some sort of spell. Did the sweat mean he was fighting it? I didn’t know, but I had to act quickly.

Cautiously I raised up until I could barely see over the bar. Gwenna was standing next to Syd, looking every bit the part of a powerful witch that was loyal. I wanted to rip her hair out. Maybe I would. Or light her hair on fire. In any case, this needed to end fast.

Knowing time was of the essence and I needed the element of surprise, I came up with a quick, obviously stupid plan. I motioned for Royce and Zazu to stay put. Royce tried to argue, but that’s hard to do when you have to be quiet.

Voices were talking again, and I used it as cover to crawl further down the bar, so I was directly across from Gwenna—the high-top the only thing between us.

I grabbed a chunk of hair and pulled it over my shoulder then concentrated on pulling the fire up from the well inside and guiding it to the piece of hair I held. Nothing happened for a moment, but then a small spark lit, and I had a flickering flame dancing on the end of my hair. Wicked!

I pulled up more fire, concentrating on the locks on my head and prayed it didn’t whoosh.

The stainless-steel ice machine reflected my flickering hair. I held the connection, ready to push more heat at it when I was ready.

I took a deep breath, checked my hair-flame concentration, then I exhaled and stood. The bar was tall, but I’d had experience tending the bar and had gotten into a bar jumping contest with Lyndee once. She won, for obvious supe-related reasons.

I climbed up on the small counter, using the ice machine below the bar, then expertly launched over it, landed on my feet, then sprinted right for Gwenna. Her eyes widened in surprise. I pushed more heat into my hair as I grabbed her by the throat, letting some fire trickle down into my hand and fingers. I put my leg behind hers and pushed with my hand, tripping her so she landed on her back with me on top … with all the leverage, and fire.

“It’s Nik, you traitorous bitch!”

Gwenna opened her mouth, and I knew if I let her talk, she could cast a spell. I ramped up the heat in my hand and I could feel her skin starting to bubble. It turned my stomach, but I wouldn’t let go until her vocal cords were scorched. She was a traitor, plain and simple.

“Nik?” Syd asked, completely surprised by my sudden appearance, and the literal fire-hair.

“She’s the mole, Syd. She led me right into Lazateth’s claws,” I hissed, putting my knee on her sternum, keeping her pinned.

“Nik, she was knocked unconscious by the male Witch-Fae who took you to Lazateth,” Syd argued and I knew she’d gotten to him and changed his memory somehow, like she did me.

“She's lying,” I gritted out, pulling more heat from around me and into that bottomless well inside.

“She was beaten and bloodied. No way she can fake that.”

“Of course, there was. She’s a Witch-Fae who can manipulate memories.” I leaned down so I was closer to her face. “You couldn’t handle the fact that Lazateth had discovered me. Probably tossed you aside like last week’s trash. If he hadn’t shown up when he did, I’d be dead by now.”

Gwenna’s eyes blazed as she looked at me then slipped on her pleading eyes and turned them on Syd. Could she manipulate with her eyes? I had no idea, and for the first time I hated that keeping your abilities and powers a secret was how you survived here.

“I can back up what Nik is saying,” Royce said, standing up behind the bar. “I was kidnapped and forced to care for Nik. She was my torturer.” He pointed an accusing finger at Gwenna.

“He’s a Pure human and a doctor. Gwenna tortured a human on behalf of Lazateth,” I told the crowd, hoping they would believe me over her.

“That’s some serious accusations,” Bayard added, looking at Gwenna, then me.

“Have I ever not told the truth? I hate to pull this card, but it’s either her or me.” My hands had loosened while we’d been talking and Gwenna was able to wiggle her arms between us.

With a painful grunt she breathed a word and a gust of air hit me in the chest, knocking me off her. There wasn’t enough oomph, so I didn’t go far. I landed on my side at Syd’s feet. All the fire from my hair went out, but the fire in my hands was still there, and I was confident that I could shoot fire at her. I climbed to my feet quickly so I could face her, again.

She’d retreated a couple steps, her neck red and black looking like a chard piece of meat. I didn’t feel bad at all. The sadistic smile on her face wasn’t a new look. Funny how the truth brought out everyone’s true colors.

She pulled something out of her back pocket. I couldn’t see what it was, and I had a choice to make. Risk taking her out, or protecting the people here. I pushed heat into my hands just in case and waited for her to make her next move.

Her eyes gave away her next move, which gave me plenty of time to react when she threw whatever was in her hand right at Royce. I raised my hand, took aim, and fired all the heat I’d gathered in my hand. With a stroke of luck, I somehow hit the thing in midair with my fire. Bavnak would be so proud.

With a flash of white, whatever she threw was incinerated. I whirled, knowing there was no time for a fist pump, to find Gwenna sprinkling some fairy dust looking stuff on her head. She winked at me before her body went transparent and within a couple seconds was completely gone. She’d somehow teleported. Damn Witch-Fae!

I ran to the spot where she disappeared just to be sure she wasn’t just invisible, because I mean teleportation—when did that become a thing?

“She’s gone.“ I was really looking forward to ripping her hair out.

“That was for real?” Syd asked me, looking completely flustered.

Gwenna had been a part of this family we’d created since the beginning, which led to the question—why?

“I’m sorry, Syd. I know she was a trusted part of the team,” I said, trying to be understanding and sympathetic. She was a friend and had betrayed us all.

“I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around this.” My big unflappable lion shifter best friend ran his hand through his sandy hair. He looked exhausted and it killed me that I hadn’t been here for my friends who were more like family. “I’m glad you’re back and that you’re safe,” he said, coming over and wrapping me up in a big hug. I’d missed him so much.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you and Lyndee,” I mumbled, when we pulled a part.

“It’s fine. Your safety is the only thing that matters.”

I looked around, still feeling guilty, and noticed Royce loitering by the bar looking out of place. Grabbing Syd’s hand, I pulled him to the bar so I could introduce them.

“Syd this is Royce, Royce this is my best friend, Syd.”

They shook hands briefly, then Syd stood there and squinted at Royce for several seconds. Rude.

“Do … do I know you? I feel like we’ve met before.” Syd rubbed a hand down his face.

“No, I don’t think so,” I answered, looking from one to the other.

“Actually, we did meet … once,” Royce said, with a strange look on his face.

Okay, weird.

“Cool, so we all know each other—” I began, but Syd cut me off with a gasp and a widening of his eyes.

“It’s you,” he said, then put his hands on Royce’s shoulders and stared at his face. “You’ve got something going on with your face. Took me a minute to figure it out.”

“Figure what out?” I whined, not liking being in the dark.

“Not here,” Royce lowered his voice.

Syd made quick work of herding me, Royce, Brutus, and Bayard into the office where I’d gotten my memories back. Strange to be back here and know so much more than I had the first time.

“So, what’s the skinny?” I asked, all about the reuniting of acquaintances, but this whole thing felt different.

“Nik, I haven’t been completely honest with you about this enterprise I’m in charge of,” Syd began, which was a shitty start. “From the outside looking in, our anti-crime standpoint is great, but it isn’t realistic.”

“What do you mean?”

“We do a lot for the community. Finding Mutts jobs and keeping the streets clean and safe. It’s hard and one we couldn’t possibly do completely clean.”

“Okay, so there’s some illegal dealings behind the scenes,” I said, not entirely surprised by the news, but still disappointed.

“Depends on your definition of ‘illegal’,” Syd replied, using his fingers to make air quotes.

“An activity that is directly opposite the law.” I wasn’t a lawyer, but that was the very basic definition.

“Yes, but what if the law is stupid or there’s a loophole?” Royce piped in, and I was starting to get a vibe from him that wasn’t normal. Had Gwenna gotten to him, too?

“Look, I’m all for bending the law and exploiting loopholes. How about we cut out the filling and get down to good stuff. How do you know each other and how are you involved with my family?” I directed the question at Royce, wanting him to answer.

His jaw clenched and he looked indecisive. It struck me then that he wasn’t under some spell of Gwenna’s, though it would make sense. No, this was serious. I felt like I had a book hanging over my head. Whatever Royce had to say was going to change things.

“In simple terms, I’m the super-secret financial backer of The Faceless,” he said, knocking me for a loop. “I’ve been working behind the scenes since the beginning. Sometimes I won’t get involved, other times I need to step in.”

When he finished speaking, his eyes went distant, like he was listening to something. He nodded his head, then something strange started to happen. Royce’s face began to change but, not like polyjuice potion-bubbly change, this was subtler. His cheeks and jawline became more defined as he grew taller, while his brown hair turned darker until it was one shade lighter than black. His brown eyes grew lighter, until they were hazel in color.

The man I’d spent over a month traipsing through a dragon world with changed before my eyes from boy-next-door-cute to bad-boy-down-the-street-who-definitely-had-a-tattoo.

“Oh my god,” I gasped, when his transformation was complete. “Who are you?”

He was still reading completely human to my radar, but this was obviously magical. Did he have a witch with him? Did he have a powerful amulet that he could draw power from?

“You know who I am. I’m a Pure human with career human parents. I’m also a doctor, but haven’t gotten around to doing my residency.” He shrugged, like he had all the time in the world, and his genetics probably let him. “I had to disguise my face. No one has seen it until now.”

“I’m completely lost,” I muttered, while rubbing my temples. This didn’t make sense—not yet at least.

“Royce came to me years ago with a proposition, to run and lead The Faceless. His cause aligned with my values, so I joined,” Syd spoke up, then.

“What cause?” I wondered, pushing aside the bond-tugging that had started up.

“Take down the dragons and return Earth to a place without them,” Royce answered simply, but it was anything but simple.

Things began to fall into place in my head; how I was able to live in a penthouse with crazy amounts of security.

“You started all of this.” It was insane.

“Yes, with you in the middle of it all,” Royce said, having the decency to look remorseful. I wanted to rant and rave, but I still had problems seeing him in this new light. He let out a frustrated sigh when he saw the look on my face. “I was there the night you healed and protected Bayard. I witnessed it all. I know how this world works—I’d seen it every time my parents dragged me to a new function. Then one night, when I skipped a dinner party to go for a walk, I stumbled across a gorgeous girl with a pet Chia, and I watched as she saved a dying pixie, then destroyed the ones who wanted him dead. She was beautiful, and so powerful I could feel it, even as a human. I knew you’d be hunted. You were a threat to the dragons, and if discovered, they’d kill you—I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Royce came to me sometime after that and convinced me to return and lead,” Bayard said, stepping forward. “You needed protection, and my kin and I are the best at security.”

“You’ve been orchestrating everything,” I whispered, and the look on his face revealed that he had.

He’d been playing me and my friends. He manipulated and used that information to get what he wanted. His reasoning was to keep me safe, which meant nothing was real, since he knew from the beginning what I was capable of. Somehow, he’d gotten everyone to unite, which was no small feat—so why did I feel so betrayed?

“What about the magic?” I asked, grasping at things.

“I’m human. I can’t do magic, but I have a … partner, I guess is the correct term.” If he said Gwenna, I was going to lose my shit. “Her name is, Baloo.”

Then his whole body shimmered, and a creature was revealed. A snake-like body was wrapped around Royce, starting from his right ankle, winding up his leg, another wind around his torso, ending with a head and arms. It was perched on his shoulder, taking in the room with creepy bulbous eyes that had a reddish tint.

Royce had a Chia!

I stared at the ugly creature thinking she might be uglier than Zazu, who was really freaking ugly, but unlike him, she wasn’t cute. At all.

Everyone in the room stared at the strange new creature in our midst, so it took us a moment to react when the door jerked open and banged against the wall.

A man with a hooded sweatshirt stood in the doorframe, red-glowing eyes that were fixed on me.

Oh boy.

He took a visible inhale, then faster than a blink, he had Royce against the wall by the throat, and another hand wrapped tightly around his Chia.

Then Kreed hissed in his face.

“Release him,” Kreed snarled, and he didn’t sound like the Kreed I remembered. The dream I had popped into my head. Was it possible it wasn’t just a dream?

“Kreed, he’s human,” I said, trying to calm the situation.

“I can smell it all over him. Now, remove it,” Kreed yelled in Royce’s face, and he legit scared me like he never had before.

“Kreed.” Syd tried stepping forward, hands raised.

Kreed hissed at him and it freaked me out. Maybe something was seriously wrong. I hadn’t wrapped my head around any of this, yet, and probably wouldn’t without a serious binger—preferably with Lyndee, to make sure I didn’t die while I did stupid things.

Royce’s face was changing colors, and I was concerned that he’d pass out before he could do what Kreed was telling him to do.

A streak of green and orange appeared coming from the bar. Zazu ran right up to Kreed and, using tail and claws, climbed up his body until he was perched on his shoulder. He started batting at Baloo’s, Royce’s Chia, head. She blinked her creepy eyes, then using her skeletal fingers, she pointed at Brutus. A blue sheen encompassed her eyes for a moment, and I felt, more than heard, a pop. Then the monstrous shifter took a massive inhale and roared like only a bear could do.

“You little …” Brutus huffed, trying to catch his breath so he could cuss.

“Whoa, what just happened?” Syd asked, looking from Brutus, to Kreed, who still had Royce and Baloo pinned.

“They spelled me,” Brutus accused, with a head nod toward the pinned couple.

“Uh, spelled for what?” I asked, feeling like I couldn’t take anymore.

Kreed released the two he was holding and stepped back, Zazu continuing to ride on his shoulder. Since when did these two get along?

“Royce?” I prompted, crossing my arms.

“Baloo only spelled him, so he’d be more compliant,” Royce said, from the floor.

“More compliant for what? Didn’t your mom teach you that spelling people is wrong?” Who was this guy, really?

“So, he’d write the note.”

“The note you found near the rip. The note that said that Lyndee had been taken and that I needed to come home?” I screeched—literally screeched.

“She really had been taken, I didn’t lie,” he replied a bit scathingly, like that was the issue, not the whole spelling another person.

“That’s not the issue here you ... boob!” Not the best word, but damnit this was all happening at once.

“He spelled me so you would come back early,” Brutus answered.

“How did you spell him if you were with me?” I wondered, then the answer slapped me in the face. “You went through the rip when you went to check on it.”

“I was on the other side waiting for you,” Brutus said, which made sense Ruvaen trusted Brutus.

“You were going to tell me everything was fine, and I should stay there,” I guessed, and the guilty look on his stupid face confirmed it.

“You needed to be there,” he tried to argue, but stopped when Kreed growled.

“Can it vamp boy,” I shot at Kreed, using a finger to threaten him with. Before I turned back, I saw the smirk on his face, and I noticed his eyes had dimmed from the super-intense red. I ignored the warmth it brought me.

“Lyndee needs me more. She’s my family, and I’d do anything for her, like she or Syd would do for me. This has all happened because of me, and I need to be here to make it right.”

“I’d do anything for both of you,” Syd said, pulling me into a rib crushing hug.

“Same Simba,” I answered, using his childhood nickname and hugging him back.

“We’ll get her back. I promise,” he said, then felt the need to add, “without you doing something stupid.”

“Me? Do something stupid?” I mean, I had flown with a drake in the Neanderchick version of a baby carrier, but no one needed to know that. Not to mention all the other stupid stuff I’ve done in my life, but who was counting?

“We’ll get her back together,” Syd reiterated, pushing me back and looking me in the eye. Thankfully I’d gotten really good at not letting anything show. So, I nodded.

“So, you see now that I did you a favor,” Royce piped up, having pulled himself and Baloo from the floor and onto a chair.

I walked over to him and I could see that he expected me to thank him—possibly hug him—but instead, I slapped him. Right on the cheek. It was a good one, too, because it made a nice sound and it made me feel tons better.

“Don’t you ever pretend to know what I want,” I said quietly, while his Chia wrapped around him again, and it made my skin crawl. So gross.

“We need to come up with a plan,” Brutus said, getting everyone back on track, and probably hoping I wouldn’t slap him, too—though I was considering it. “We followed Lazateth when he left the warehouse and know where he’s holed up now.”

“I’ll grab my officers and meet back here in a few,” Bayard said, looking incredibly uncomfortable. Poor pixie. It’s always awkward when it’s not your drama.

“I’ve got to make some calls and get Jed back here,” Syd said, pulling out his phone. “Gwenna was in the know on nearly everything. We need to assume everything has been compromised and take appropriate action. What a mess.” He motioned for Royce to follow him and, while I had confused, messed up feelings about the guy, we still needed him.

Everyone left, leaving Brutus, Kreed and me alone in the office. I’d thought we had formed a friendship, at the very least, but it was obvious that we each had a closet full of secrets. I still felt betrayal from Kreed and now Brutus, too. Could this be fixed? Could I handle telling them what I’d found out on Ska’Moria? Would they both hate me for what I was?

Secrets, secrets, secrets.

“I’ll go catch up with Syd,” Brutus said, clearing his throat.

I nodded, wondering how this would all turn out. I couldn’t even begin to predict the future, but I hoped at the very least Lyndee would be back.

The door clicked behind us and my stomach flipped just thinking about being alone with Kreed. Two seconds after the door shut, Kreed was on me.

I’m not sure who reached first, but it didn’t matter. My arms wrapped around him and my head rested on his chest. Something eased inside, and I knew that it was the bond finally satisfied that we were together again. I’d gotten so used to pushing the bond away, to not feeling it, that the relief it brought had tears gathering in my eyes.

“Shhh,” he whispered in my ear, obviously feeling everything, I was—even the doubt.

A minute went by, then another, as we remained pressed together just breathing in each other. The bond between us was there, pulsing and happy. I could feel that he was relieved that I was back, worried about what I’d been through, what I learned, and a whole lot of attraction that he was doing his best to suppress.

It was still confusing, and I doubted every feeling for him that I had and every feeling he had for me. How could it be real? No matter how hard I wished that it was, there would always be doubt. What sort of relationship could you have when its foundation was doubt and trust issues? How do you move past that?

I didn’t know, and it hurt more than I thought it would. This bond between us was insistent that we belonged together, and we should shut up and just accept it. I didn’t know the first thing about bonds, but I did know that this wasn’t as simple as I wanted it to be.

“Nik,” Kreed began, pushing me away from him so he could look down into my face.

I pushed the hood off his head so I could see him better, and was happy to see that his eyes had returned to their normal blue-coppery color.

“Why’d you leave? Where’d you go?” he asked, and I could feel the memory of his pain. I’d felt that pain on Ska’Moria, but seems it was easier for me to push aside. Maybe it was because of Royce?

“I had to get my fire back. Lazateth took it,” I revealed, feeling dirty; like I’d been violated, which was completely accurate. I had been.

“Why’d you run from me? I would have helped you.” He stroked my hair before putting it behind my ears.

“I couldn’t trust that you would,” I said, expecting that the truth would hurt him.

He opened his mouth to argue, but I shook my head and backed away from him. Frowning, he had to visibly force his arms to drop to his sides. I could see his hands form into fists.

“I thought we’d gotten past our distrust,” he said, and it killed me to hurt him, but it needed to be done. This couldn’t happen between us, not when the bond confused things. I didn’t know what was real and what was the bond.

“Things change.” I crossed my arms.

“Nik, I’m here to protect you—” he began.

“You say that, but then you kiss me and make me feel like it’s more than that, but it’s not. You’ve said from the beginning you were only here to protect me because you were duty-bound to—that’s the only reason you’ve done any of this.” I shook my head turning away from him, hating that I let him get to me. Made me care.

“That’s not true.” He appeared in front of me, his hands cupping my face. “Well, in the beginning, but like you said, things change.”

“Did things change because the bond did, or because you did?”

He frowned, probably because he’d never thought of it like that. Hell, I hadn’t either until I had a lot of time on my hands walking across a lava planet. I guessed that he’d been doing everything he could to get to me, which left very limited time for deep thinking.

“When you figure it out, let me know.” I pulled away from him, again.

I opened the door and chanced a look back … and saw that his red eyes had returned, but he didn’t try to stop me. The door opened and I forced myself to walk away. The ball was in his court now. He could either hit back or strike out. I’d like to think I was worth fighting for, but I didn’t know the first thing about love. What I did know was that it hurt a lot.

I sat down at the bar when the front door banged opened, and a group of pixies ran in.

“Where’s Bayard?” one of them asked, its voice a jumble of high-pitched squeaking.

“He’s gathering his officers,” I answered, wondering what the urgency was.

“We’ve got a message for him from the wild dragon,” the high-pitched voice said. It felt like needles jabbing in my ears.

“Oh, I’m going to be meeting with him once he gets his officers together. I can tell him then,” I lied, praying he wouldn’t pick up on it.

The group looked at me suspiciously, but after a moment, decided I was trustworthy.

“He said to deliver Nik to him, and he’ll let the wolf-mutt go. He also said that he knows she’s here, so he’ll know if you try any tricks.”

I nodded and tapped my temple in a clear sign that I heard and archived it. Satisfied that I’d deliver the message, the group sat down at the tables and food was brought to them from the kitchen.

While they were occupied with eating, I got up and headed toward the bathroom. When I reached the hall, I crouched then rounded the corner and made my way behind the bar finding the trapdoor open. I closed it as I made my way down the ladder. It was dark, but I knew how to get back into the tunnel. I just hoped a vehicle was parked out there with keys conveniently in the ignition; but I’d walk if necessary.

It was time to get Lyndee back and stop this Mother Shifter for good.

* * *

I ditched the vehicle in a shady neighborhood with thugs loitering near a twenty-four-hour liquor store; I hoped they’d steal the car rather than follow me. I kept my fire close as I walked toward the abandoned port where Lazateth was holed up. No one followed me, thank goodness, but I was sure that fire hair would dissuade anyone from messing with me. Or so I hoped.

As I made my way through the ports on foot, it gave me plenty of time to think up a plan. I know Gwenna must have told him that I was back, and I hoped she told him how I nearly burned all her hair out. I doubted it. So much for intimidation.

What I could really use was my uncle, and possibly Zallas. I remembered what Bavnak had said. He was the God of Protection and that he would be with me if I ever needed him—but how do you go about praying to your uncle god? It wasn’t like a cell phone, I was sure. Best to give it a try, right? Worse case, it wouldn’t work.

Dear, Uncle-god Bavnak, what a terrible start. I’m about to do something stupid, but I could really use your help. Even if it’s just you trying to convince me this plan is dumb. I know this is drastic, but I feel guilty that everyone is fighting this dragon because of me. Who knew how much blood and death I had on my hands?

I wish we were back on Ska’Moria, and that I had been raised and trained as a Neanderchick so I could battle Lazateth on my home turf and hopefully survive it like Zallas had. There was no bowing out here. I was this dragon’s potential mate, but he didn’t know that … or maybe he did … but it didn’t change anything. I was on my own in this.

“Depends on how you define ‘on your own,” a voice spoke in my mind, and I nearly jumped right out of my skin.

“Oh my god! Bavnak?” I asked, hopeful that we had somehow connected through some freaky god-like mind-speak thing.

“No, guess again,” the voice chuckled, and something clenched around my heart; for a moment I thought I was speaking to Lazateth. “Seriously, that’s where your mind jumps to? Gross.”

“Who are you, then?” I asked the voice in my head. If it said Nik, I was going to shit a brick, because that would be some crazy god-like thing.

I paused for a rest at the corner of a building to muster up more courage for what I was about to do, and figure out why I was suddenly hearing voices.

I heard a mewl nearby, but it was dark, so I had no idea where the cat was until sharp cat claws dug through the material on my calf and began to climb. I panicked, but then realized that this wasn’t normal cat behavior.

“Zazu?” I queried, like he would answer me back.

“Yup.” the voice spoke again, making my heart lurch.

“What a minute … Zazu?”

“Who else would it be?”

I don’t remember drinking crazy juice, but I’ve had memory issues in the past, so nothing would surprise me now. Lifting the Chia off my shoulder, I held him out in front of me. Both eyes looked at me with an intelligence that I knew he had—I mean, he figured out how to open the fridge.

“Zazu,” I began, feeling incredibly stupid for talking to my pet this way, but there was no one around so I could get away having a weird moment with my pet. “Nod your head if you can understand me.”

He nodded his head at me, and I felt lightheaded for a moment.

“Witch shit?” I asked, and if anyone was listening, they’d run away from the crazy girl having a one-sided conversation with an ugly Chia.

“I come from the witch world, Umbra. Once upon a different time we would bond with a witch. Our power would boost theirs in an infinite way, but we were picky about who we bonded to. The bond was initiated by us and would remain until either the witch died, or we decided to move on.”

“So, you are like a familiar to a witch, sharing power and experiences,” I said, finding this easier to believe than everything else I’d learned tonight.

“Exactly.” Zazu nodded his head.

“Why aren’t you bonded with a witch?”

“The Uther forbade witches from bonding with us when we came here with them. Plus, our numbers are dangerously low. When the dragons found out that we could boost a witch’s power, they exterminated my kind.”

“Since it’s been forbidden, I’m assuming on pain of death, you can’t bond with a witch, but can you still use magic?” I wondered.

“It’s not a simple explanation, but yes in a way—it’s unpredictable. We are much better at enhancing or boosting the power or magic around us.”

A thought popped into my head. “That night that I saved Bayard, the fire inside of me was uncontrollable … was that you?”

“I boosted it, yes, but it got out of hand. Your power is new to me, so it’s taken practice to enhance you, which is almost unneeded since you are so powerful on your own.”

Yeah, it was probably the god-part of my heritage.

“As fascinating as this is, I can’t stick around and chit-chat. You know what I’m planning to do, and I’ll tell you right now that trying to talk me out of this course of action won’t work.” I placed him down on the ground.

“I’m not here to talk you out of anything. I’m here to help you.”

We slinked from shadow to shadow, making our way closer to the warehouse that Lazateth had moved into. After some arguing, Zazu convinced me that bringing him would be in the best interest of the mission. At the very least, he could lead Lyndee away to safety or help me with Lazateth.

I was nervous to face him again. His pheromones affected me just like Nixton’s had Cenna. Since I’d been around him before, and was able to push Nixton’s away, I could shrug it off this time, then kick his ass. Simple plan. Except for the fact that the only ass I’ve ever kicked was Alicia Walcott back in 9th grade when she made fun of Lyndee when she sprouted fur on her face to cover a pimple. She was under a lot of stress at school and at home which made the fur stubborn. It stuck around for a week. Just thinking about it made me want to punch her again, and this time I’d keep the tooth.

The warehouse came into view and I saw the same dilapidated fence around it that the other warehouse had sported. Absolutely no originality. I mean you could add spikes or a moat … but no, just a fence. Lame.

Zazu chuckled in my head and I was one hundred percent sure I’d never get used to it.

“Can you take down the illusion spell like you did before?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s a rudimentary spell with no real defenses,” he replied.

There was so much about magic that I didn’t know beyond the basics. I’d seen witches making potions, and it seemed complicated, but maybe that was their only way to practice magic without a Chia to bond with.

“I’ll teach you someday,” Zazu promised, and it excited me until I remembered that I was probably walking into my death.

“I won’t let you die,” the small beast said, and I held onto that hope with both hands.

I took a deep breath, then left the safety of the shadows and walked across the empty space feeling eyes on me from all directions. I approached the fence, trying to see a flaw in the illusion, but it looked like an old rusty fence to my eyes.

Zazu jumped down from my shoulder and approached the fence with a confidence that I wished I had. With one paw, he touched the fence. With that simple touch, the illusion fell like a curtain revealing the cast, and boy did it.

Armed guards stood behind the illusion ready for an attack. Now that Syd and everyone knew of Gwenna’s deception, I’m sure they expected something. Unfortunately, it was just me and my ugly pet.

“I got the dragon’s message,” I said, holding my arms out as Zazu climbed back up my body to perch on my shoulder. “I’m here to get my friend released.”

They rustled at the news that I was standing out in front, and it traveled into the warehouse and to Lazateth’s ears.

A sudden flare of fury radiated through my bond with Kreed, which could only mean he’d found out I was missing. Damn, he could ruin my plan and he wouldn’t understand that I had to be the one to fight for myself.

“Zazu, can you close the bond with Kreed?”

“Working on it,” he answered, his tail swishing back and forth against my back.

I’d never been so grateful to not be alone in my life. I needed a friend, and Zazu was one of the best.

A light flared near the building, blinding in the darkness. I blinked rapidly to get my eyes to adjust to the near-daylight level of light. I raised my hand and blocked the worst of it when I noticed the footsteps. A figure walked toward me, causing a halo behind them; it was impossible to know who it was. What I did know was that the person was too short to be Lazateth.

“So predictable, Nik,” a female voice said, and I knew it was Gwenna, the slimy snitch.

“I could say the same about you,” I retorted, wishing for something punchier. I’d probably think of something great later.

“Here to submit to Laz?” she asked, and my hands tightened into fists as bile rose up at the nickname.

“I’m here for my friend, not him,” I hissed through my teeth.

“He’ll be so excited to see you,” she cooed, walking forward and making a grab for my arm.

I jerked it out of her grasp and Zazu let out an intense warning growl. With that distraction, I felt the bond shrinking smaller and smaller until only a small opening was between us.

“Is he always that angry?”

“Only on days that end with ‘y’,” I replied in my head this time.

“I can walk just fine, thanks.” I brushed past Gwenna and walked toward the warehouse.

She followed behind me as I strolled through the hybrid guards who stepped out of my way. They remained silent, but I felt their eyes watching me as I strode by. How much trouble could one little woman cause?

As I approached the door, a guard stepped forward and opened it for me. I thanked him and noticed his eyes widened slightly. Must not get much appreciation here. If I was an evil villain, I’d appreciate my henchmen. Storm troopers deserved appreciation as much as the next guy.

Stepping through the doorway was like being transported to somewhere else. The cracked concrete floor that I was expecting was instead polished white marble that shone from the lights above. It was very similar to the mansion that Ruvaen lived in. White, gold, and cold was the best description of this place.

Gwenna marched around me, then led the way to a door off to the right. It opened before she could touch it and I wondered if all witches were lazy.

Zazu snorted in my head, which brought a small smile to my face that immediately disappeared when I followed Gwenna through the doorway.

This room was what I would expect to find in an abandoned-warehouse-turned-secret-lair. Plywood boards covered the windows, while wide mirrors were arranged on one wall. I didn’t understand the mirrors until I noticed all the ripply muscled dudes looking at their reflection as they lifted weights or jogged on a treadmill. One guy was doing pull ups on a bar way up on the ceiling.

This must be the testosterone room.

The door clicked shut and every eye flicked to who had entered. I gulped seeing so many fixated on me. Thank god I wasn’t in clubwear … how embarrassing would that be?

A triumphant roar echoed through the massive room, then a body fell from the ceiling. He turned to face me, and I recognized Lazateth. He’d been the one doing pull ups on the ceiling. I tried not to be impressed … but damn.

A towel was tossed to the dragon and I readied myself for the wave of pheromones to hit me. It hit two seconds later. Heat infused my belly while my nipples tightened like we were in below freezing temperatures. He took a deep breath and his chest rumbled.

I was not doing well at not reacting and pushing down the impulses I felt. My body shook with my exertion, smothering the mate bond, though it was hard. Everything in me wanted to give in—to submit. I was resisting, but I couldn’t help looking him over. He was magnificent. Broad shoulders above a thick chest, abs you could wash clothes on, and those muscles at the hips that formed a ‘V’ that led your eyes downward. I was checking him out, and I liked what I saw.

Zazu dug his claws into my shoulder. The sharp pain cleared my mind of the dreamy haze. Interesting. I could resist if I was in pain. This sounded like so much fun.

“You got my message,” he said, sauntering toward me, never taking his eyes off my strawberry blonde hair. “Here to surrender to me so I’ll let your friend go?”

“Yup,” I replied, making the ‘p’ pop.

“And you brought your pet,” he observed, while studying Zazu on my shoulder. I didn’t respond, though I did smirk inwardly when he turned his nose up in disgust.

“Go release the girl,” he ordered Gwenna, and I felt her bristle at his tone. I thought she’d been with the Witch-Fae dude, and maybe she was now, but it was clear by her reaction that they’d had a fling.

“Come, I’ll show you around,” Lazateth said, extending his hand in what I’m sure was a welcome gesture that fell flat.

“I might be here to surrender so you’ll release my friend, but I won’t, as you say, come quietly,” I informed him.

His eyes flashed and the red reptilian eyes appeared then disappeared just as quickly. I could see he was angry, but he needed me, and now I fully understood why. My blood was a power source just waiting to be tapped into. And he wanted it—no … needed it. However, taking that part of me like he did before might put me back into a coma and he couldn’t risk that. The Pendragon had backed off, but he hadn’t called off the search fully.

“What do you propose?” he asked, his voice a touch above a growl.

“Pariti-Igra,” I answered simply, wondering if he’d know what I was talking about.

“I do not understand,” he replied, with a frown.

“You noticed my absence, even going as far as to take my friend to provoke me, but it almost didn’t work. You see I’ve been off world, in Ska’Moria. I learned much there about our kind. Pariti-Igra is a ceremony we must complete to be compatible. Taking my blood without the Pariti-Igra being complete will eventually lead to my death.” I was lying, but I was playing on the fact he didn’t have a father to teach him these things.

He frowned, obviously not wanting me to die because, you know, needed me alive for my blood and all.

My plan was to get him to agree to Pariti-Igra without me going into tons of detail. I hoped he’d assume it was like a type of marriage ceremony or something—and it sorta was, but not, at the same time. Then when he’d agreed, I’d reveal that we’d fight until either one of us submitted, or died. I hadn’t gotten further than that in my planning, but hopefully something would come to me.

“We do this, and you stop running from me. You’ll be by my side and do everything I ask, including offering yourself to me whenever I need, and I won’t kill your family or your friends,” he said, like we were negotiating apples or something. He was uncaring, much like Drollo and Nixton were.

Bavnak was right that these dragon shifters thought themselves as gods. They were at the top of the food chain on Earth, but I knew a couple who outdid them when it came to power. It was possible I was one of them. Though I was untrained, demi-god trumped god-like.

I nodded, totally ready to die before I ever offer myself to him. Let’s just hope that he wouldn’t go after them if I died. I was confident that Syd would do everything in his power to protect everyone. I trusted him to do that.

“Get out,” Lazateth said to the room, and immediately all the ripped hybrids stood and left. “Now, how do we do this Pariti-Igra? Do we exchange blood?”

“Not exactly.” Blood would be drawn … mostly mine, I was sure. “Long ago, the dragon father god, Urdon, gave his eldest son, Cadari, permission to choose a mate. Instead of choosing a goddess like himself, Cadari chose a human woman. Their offspring became our race. Pariti-Igra is a ceremony where a male dragon finds and chooses a mate from all the potential ones. Since I am a potential mate to you, this ceremony is important.”

“You’re … my mate?” Lazateth asked, only hearing that part, apparently.

“A potential mate,” I corrected, quickly. No way was I the one and only.

“We do this ceremony and you’ll be my mate?” A look of intense greed lit up his face.

I didn’t answer, but instead walked closer, simultaneously drawing all the heat and fire that I could and nudging Zazu mentally to hurry up. He’d been busy sealing the room. This fight would be loud, and I couldn’t risk anyone interrupting and getting in the way.

Lazateth watched me draw closer, his eyes roaming up and down my body. Lust taking over the greed. Aside from him being a total asshole, having his complete attention and knowing that I affected him in such a way made me feel powerful.

I drew on the heat of his attraction and added it to the well inside of me. I needed as much as I could hold, which was turning out to be more than I thought. It was like a bottomless pit inside.

When I reached him, his pheromones hit me again and heat infused my body in a completely different way. My palms itched to touch his skin and feel the rippling muscles underneath. Especially his abs. I tilted my head back so I could look at his face. He was half a head taller than Kreed. The thought of that particular dragon calmed the raging heat in my belly, and I drew on his iciness through the minuscule bond that remained. Lazateth’s blonde hair, full lips, and the power of something immensely powerful just under the skin looked back at me.

At that moment, I wished that it was Kreed that I was looking up at. Wished it was his coolness that I felt, not Lazateth’s overwhelming and near-oppressive heat. Was it possible that my bond with Kreed was stronger than the pheromones?

There was only one way to find out, but now was not the time. Now was the time to concentrate and hopefully knock Lazateth for a loop that would put him down for the count. Wishful thinking on my part, I’m sure, but a girl could fantasize about her survival.

I took a deep breath, raised my hand and placed it on his chest. It was warm like he had a fever, and it went right to my lady bits. I had to bite my tongue to keep from moaning because it felt incredible. I fought it, and instead started to slowly pull the heat from his skin.

His hand grabbed a piece of my hair and he brought it to his face for a sniff. He growled at its scent, and it was erotic to hear that sound being caused by me.

I had to remember that he was a giant douchebag who had no regard for anyone but himself. He wouldn’t hesitate to destroy everything and everyone I cared about in order to control me. That wasn’t what I wanted in a mate, or even a boyfriend … hell, I could get more than that from a regular ol’ street thug. But who I really wanted to be with me right now was a strong yet sensitive, extremely annoying Zavarian who cared about my well-being when I didn’t. He’d fought this bond in the beginning, as I had, but somewhere along the way we gained understanding and trust.

Pressure built in my head and in my core. I placed my other hand on his chest, ready to call every bit of fire that I had into one blast. It needed to be timed perfectly.

I felt Lazateth’s other hand on the other cheek, thumbs working to tilt my head to the side, so he had easier access to my lips. I licked them, seeing the lust ramp up a notch as he watched my tongue poke out and run along the bottom lip. Pulling me closer, he pressed his arousal against me, just hidden under his jeans. I could feel it pulsing against my belly.

I couldn’t help but imagine Kreed pressed against me like this. Instead of heat, there was cold that counteracted my heat and made me moan just thinking of how it would feel against my skin.

Lazateth’s lips were centimeters away from mine, which meant I needed to act quickly. The pressure in my head increased, then burst, as the bond with Kreed surged into my mind like a hose that had been kinked and couldn’t take the pressure anymore.

Lips connected with mine for a moment before I opened my mouth to scream with the release of my fire, and of something completely different. Fire shot from my hands, white hot and scorching. It hit the dragon shifter with the force of a freight train. He flew away from me with so much force that when he hit the wall, the whole building shuttered with the impact.

I stood, gasping as my belly pulsed with aftershocks. I’d never experienced anything like it. Coldness radiated through the bond, and I didn’t have a name for the emotions that were coming through. I could feel Kreed more than I had before. It was like we were on either side of a veil. So close, we could feel each other on the other side, but were unsure how to move the thin barrier.

“What was that?” Zazu asked in awe, from the corner he’d slunk into.

“I think it was two things that happened at the same time,” I answered, still reeling from the intensity of the second one. Whoa.

“The bond is open again. I can’t close it; it’s become too strong.”

And for the first time ever, I didn’t want it to go away.

There was a brief moment when Kreed connected with me and I felt his unbridled fear. The fear of losing me overrode everything else, even his instinct. Kreed wanted me with or without the bond, and he didn’t care. He’d been so lost in the darkness before I came into his life and wrecked it, but he’d needed a good wrecking. He needed the reminder of what it was like to feel something besides the dark place he’d been in for decades. I’d done that to him. Not the bond. Not my wicked sense of humor. Me. I brought him into the light.

Lazateth groaned from the ground where he’d landed after he hit the wall. I began to pull heat and store it for later use as the hulking pile of dragon shifter began to stir. He was not going to be happy.

The real fight was about to begin.

“Do you have a plan?” Zazu asked me frantically, as we both watched the extremely pissed off dragon shifter.

“That was the end of my plan,” I replied. I’d hoped that the blast would be enough to kill him, but that was probably dumb since he was a creature of fire.

“You got him to believe that there needed to be a ceremony, so straighten up, raise your chin, and be the goddess that you are. He cannot be your mate until he makes you submit, right?” That was true—at least, on Ska’Moria it had been. This is Earth and the rules were different; but being either there or here didn’t change who I was.

I stood straight and raised my chin, trying to portray defiance. He acted like a god, but there was a part of me that was a goddess … and she was powerful.

My hair lit up as he climbed clumsily to his feet, hot fury radiating from him. Time to put the fear of a goddess in him. I pushed fire into my feet and was able to float up into the air a few inches. I extended my hands to either side, calling flames to dance in my hands. The mirrors were behind me so I couldn’t catch a glimpse of myself, but I bet I looked badass.

“You dare touch me when you have not earned that right! Pariti-Igra is a fight between potential mates until one submits or one dies. And I’ll never submit to you,” I yelled the last part, then threw a ball of flame at his stupid, growly, reptilian-eyed face.

He stepped out of its way before returning to his original position. Thankfully I’d practiced this move a couple times, so I knew what to do. I connected with the ball of flame I’d just sent, and with a tug, yanked it back to me. This time there wasn’t something in the way that blocked the ball’s direct path. It hit Lazateth in the back of the head and he was knocked forward onto his hands and needs. I got an intense satisfaction seeing him in that position. Must be the goddess in me.

He climbed to his feet, looking a bit charred, and still pissed. Scales rippled down his arms and my heart skipped a beat. No matter who it was, having scales skate over human skin was just terrifying. Throwing his head back, he roared his anger to the ceiling.

I threw another ball and it hit him just as he got done roaring. It was probably meant to be intimidating, but I liked to think it was a tantrum. Poor dragon shifter didn’t get what he wanted.

“Can you do anything else besides throw fireballs?” Zazu asked, as I hit him twice more.

“Not really.” I kept the fact that I literally didn’t know anything to myself.

“He won’t let you hit him with fire balls for long,” my adorable Chia said, stating the obvious.

So far this was going well, but that would change once Lazateth got his wits back. Must be frustrating to have fireballs hitting you when you’re trying to concentrate. I’d be annoyed.

I spoke too soon. Lazateth growled and blocked my next two flaming orbs. Then he paused, looking at me with red dragon-eyes, then he began to change. He shifted incredibly fast, and seconds later, there stood a dragon three times the size of the man.

He looked like a drake, but red, with more spikes and an attitude. The room was huge, but he made it feel half the size it really was.

I thought fast, trying to think of what I could do. I didn’t have wings, so I couldn’t attack him from the air—I didn’t even have claws. Now was the time that I needed to come to grips that my life could very well be over in the next several minutes, but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I’d give this Mother Shifter a fight to remember.

Lazateth drew his head back, took a deep breath, then thrust forward with his maw open. Fire poured from his mouth aiming right for me. It traveled too fast for me to dodge, so I closed my eyes and opened myself up, giving the flames a place to go. I pulled it into me, feeling like the heat should burn, but it didn’t; it was the first sip of hot chocolate, the heated liquid warming your insides, then spreading to the rest of your body. It was pleasant, and pretty much delicious.

The scaly dragon looked surprised when the flame and smoke cleared enough that he could see me still standing in the same place, clothes singed, but otherwise, untouched. That look was nothing compared to the next one when I raised both hands and shot all the fire back at him.

“Okay, that was cool,” Zazu said, impressed.

Before I could retort, Lazateth lunged forward and swiped at me. I ducked but the tips of his claws caught my side, and I went flying into the wall.

My body crashed into plywood covering a window and I heard glass crunch. Thankfully I didn’t go all the way through and have to deal with embedded glass. As I slid to the ground, my side was on fire. Deep gouges ran from my lower back to the front, just above my hip. Blood welled from them, soaking my shirt and pants.

I gathered the tattered shirt material and tied the ends into knots directly over the wounds. That was the best I could do, under the circumstances.

Hot air blew on me from above and I looked up to see the dragon version of Lazateth looming over me. His nostrils flared, and I knew he smelled my blood. Suspecting he’d want a taste, I was ready when his tongue flicked out. I slashed with my hand and an arc of fire flew from my fingertips. It cut the tip of his tongue off, and it landed with a squelch on the floor in front of me.

Lazateth roared in pain and reared up his front claws, reaching for his mouth. I scooted to the side quickly, so I’d be out of the way when he inevitably started thrashing around.

“Are you okay?” Zazu asked, sprinting over to me.

“No.” I grunted, holding my side as blood seeped between my fingers.

Zazu reared up and placed his front paws on my thigh and sniffed my wound.

“They’re clean cuts, shouldn’t be hard to heal.”

“Too bad I can’t heal myself,” I replied, annoyed that my power couldn’t help me at all. Others, yes, but not me.

“Yes, too bad.”

“This will end quickly and I’m not giving up. I’m going to keep fighting until I can’t anymore,” I informed him, while recementing my own convictions.

He was silent as we moved further away from the angry beast.

“Watch out!” Zazu yelled as I ducked, dropping to the floor.

A paw passed over me without connecting. I rolled over onto my back and came face to face with a red, scaly reptile. Blood dripping from his mouth and down its chin to splash on the floor.

Air rushed past me as Lazateth inhaled, and I knew he was going to shoot fire right into my face. I quickly opened up so the flames could travel easily into me and turned to the side so I could protect the wounds on my side.

Fire engulfed me and the roar of it was infinitely worse when you were right in the middle of it. I put my hands over my ears trying to suppress the sound.

After what felt like an eternity, that was really only a few seconds, the rush of fire ceased. I blinked, then rolled quickly so I was on my back again and began slashing with each hand. Arcs of fire left my fingertips and connected with red scales. Lazateth’s hide was too thick for my fire to harm him, but the sizzle and sparks told me I was doing something.

The smell of burning blood reached my nose and I gagged. I’d smelled burning blood before—that’s how I healed—but there was something completely alien about this scent; it was wrong and turned my stomach.

“Move!” Zazu hollered, and I rolled and scrambled to my feet.

I took three steps, then was hit in the back by sharp scales that sliced through the skin. A shriek of pain left me as I collapsed to the ground. Hot air blew on my back and made the cuts sting.

A paw came down on top of me and I screamed as I felt the tip of a claw pierce the skin and muscle of my thigh. It clenched and I screamed, again, as Lazateth picked me up and rotated so he could see me.

He growled menacingly and, the glowing eyes, coupled with the blood dripping from his mouth, painted a terrible picture. Taking another breath, I knew he was going to breath fire again. I opened myself up as much as I could, but the pain made it hard to concentrate. I guess now we’d see if I was, indeed, fireproof.

The dragon opened its massive jaw, and I watched the fire roll off its giant tongue, that was now missing the tip. I closed my eyes, waiting and wondering what it would be like not to have a part of your tongue … anything to distract me from my inevitable demise.

Flames engulfed me, and besides the blood boiling on my skin, it was pleasant and made the pain from my wounds fade. When the fire stopped, I kept my lids closed, soaking in the heat. After a few seconds pause, I felt the dragon slowly lower me to the ground. I could almost feel his panic thinking that he killed me. So much for his evil master plan.

I was deposited gently on the cold, cement floor, and it felt amazing against my heated skin. A few seconds, or a minute later—I wasn’t sure—I felt hands on me, and I wanted equal parts to push them away, and wish they’d never stop.

Fingers gently touched my cheek and turned my face. I opened my eyes to see Lazateth looming over me, looking relieved that I was alive … at least for the moment.

“Submit to me,” he said, running his fingers through my hair.

He looked sad and almost like he cared, but I knew it wasn’t me he cared about, but my blood. I wouldn’t be his weapon, I wouldn’t allow him to hurt and kill innocent people, and I wouldn’t allow him to use my blood to gain more power. This fight, this cycle, had to end, and what better way than with me—the one who started it all.

He lifted me with one hand under my head and brought my face to his shoulder. It felt nice and I wanted to cry and beg him not to kill me. My mind screamed at me to submit—at least I’d be alive—but what sort of life would that be?

I gathered all the courage and bravery I could and whispered one word, “No.”

His hands clenched and dug into my skin so hard that I whimpered. I felt his nose sniff my hair that probably smelled like smoke and burnt hair. Teeth scraped my ear, and I knew my neck was his next stop. If I’d had more forethought, I might have grabbed a blood poison so I could at least take out this Mother Shifter like Kreed had when I first healed him.

“Let her go,” a voice growled, and I recognized it immediately.

My eyes snapped open, and I turned my head slightly. I saw Kreed standing beside us with one of his katanas in his hand, the blade resting on Lazateth’s opposite shoulder. He’d gotten rid of his normal hooded sweatshirt and had a grey tee shirt on instead. His hair was a mess, like he’d been worrying it like Syd did when he was stressed. Red eyes blazed from their sockets and his cheeks looked sunken-in. His skin had a blue tint. He looked just like he had in my dream. A deathless monster.

Instead of releasing me, Lazateth squeezed me closer, the skin on my side pulled and my ribs creaked. I sucked in a painful breath, and Kreed didn’t hesitate at my whimper. With a flick of his wrist the blade was swept up and the next second I was dropped to the ground.

The back of my head bounced off the concrete and stars appeared in my vision. I blinked, trying to dispel the urge to pass out. The feeling subsided after a minute and I was able to turn my head. About two feet away from me, directly in my line of sight, was an ear. Kreed must’ve cut off Lazateth’s ear.

I got the insane urge to laugh, but then Zazu appeared in my view. He batted the ear away before he curled up against my side, his head resting on my shoulder.

“I think I’m dying,” I told him, feeling increasingly lightheaded.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood,” my faithful Chia said.

“I’m glad you’re with me.” He’d been a great pet, and a loyal, yet annoying, friend. “Stay with me?”

He cuddled closer, his tail wrapping around my leg like he’d done so many times. I closed my eyes and floated into darkness.

“Nik!” A voice called into the darkness. I was confused. I thought I was the only one in here. “Nik! Please come back. Please!”

Oh no, whoever said my name sounded like he’d lost something. I stood up, looking around the dark place I was in. Pinpricks of light interrupted the endless black. I began walking, trying to locate the voice and whomever was speaking. Maybe I could help them find what they were looking for.

My eyes felt incredibly heavy, but with effort, I opened them. Then the sound reached my ears. I was in a warehouse and it was on fire.

Kreed leaned over me, his eyes changing from red to blue with copper veins in an instant. Blood coated his front and around his mouth. I wasn’t sure what had happened after I … passed out? … died?

“Stay with me,” he begged, and I wanted to do exactly what he was asking, but I wasn’t sure if I could. “I need to heal you. You’ve lost blood and your wounds are deep, so in order to do this quickly, before the building burns down around us, I need to bite you. I just need a little blood.”

Tears welled in my eyes and I shook my head. I couldn’t allow him to bind us together in a healing bond, again. It got us into this confusing bond to begin with. Sure, I had other people to live for, but they’d survive without me.

“I know you’re thinking about the bond and how it’s grown to what it is, and I can’t guarantee what will happen if I do heal you,” he paused, gathering his thoughts before he started again. “You were wrong back at the bar.”

What a shitty start. Tell the dying girl she was wrong. Typical dude thing to say.

“What’s between us isn’t the bond,” he continued. “Well, it is, but it grew because our feelings did, too. I don’t feel like this because of the bond, but because of you. You make me feel things other than anger and duty. You frustrate me, and you annoy me, but you also make me laugh. You’ve shown me how to live again, breath again, love again—life isn’t just about revenge.”

Tears slid down my cheeks and my bottom lip trembled. This was everything I wanted him to say, but was he saying this because I was dying?

“Damnit, Nik. I’m not just saying any of this. I’m telling you that I figured it out.” He was frustrated … and it was adorable. “If the bond didn’t exist between us, I’d still want you. I don’t know how to make it any clearer.”

I smiled, completely enjoying his blundering. He always seemed so serious and determined. This would have all been easier if he’d just told me all that in the very beginning. Now I’m dying in a burning warehouse.

“Let me heal you,” he said, leaning his head down until our foreheads touched.

I nodded and he breathed a grateful sigh, and I did, too. He kissed my forehead, cheeks, and my lips before he moved lower to my neck. My heart skipped when his teeth scraped against my sensitive skin, causing me to shiver as gooseflesh broke out all over my body.

The bite was fast, and I barely felt it. The pull I felt was exactly how it felt when his father drank from me. Which was freaking weird to say. After a few seconds, he stopped, then nuzzled behind my ear.

“You taste amazing,” he whispered, before scraping his teeth against my earlobe.

“That is the strangest compliment.” I laughed, feeling strength return to my arms.

“Better coming from me, right?” He leaned back, smiling down at me. “Too soon?”

“Maybe,” I replied, grinning back. Then the smile fell from my face as I remembered recent events. “Is he … did you … kill him?” It was hard to ask; not because I cared for Lazateth, but because it was another black mark for him.

“I did.” He gathered me against him. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around him grateful, but also hating what he did.

We held each other and for the first time since we met, I felt content. My heart was happy, the bond was happy, my wounds were healing, and Zazu was purring, which he rarely did.

“What now?” I wondered, looking around at the smoldering building.

“I take you home and we get cleaned up.” He fingered my singed and tattered shirt.

“A bath sounds awesome,” I groaned, thinking of the bathing pools back on Ska’Moria.

“There’s a huge one at my place,” he said, leaning away to look down at my face. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel great.” And I did. This nightmare was finally over. The crazy, obsessed dragon was dead and couldn’t hurt anyone else I cared about. That was until I remembered that snitch, Gwenna. “Is Lyndee okay? What about Gwenna?”

“I’m not sure, but when I left, a massive force had gathered to storm this place and get Lyndee, taking out Gwenna in the process.” Kreed gave me a look that said we’d be talking about my hero complex later. Maybe I could distract him.

Speaking of distractions, I saw movement behind Kreed, and I thought it was the smoke playing tricks on my eyes, but when a human-shaped figure stepped out, I knew something was off. I squinted, better to see, while I held onto Kreed, trying not to alert him if it turned out to be nothing.

A blood smeared and burnt face became clearer. I screamed, not knowing what to do. Kreed whirled around and saw what I did. Lazateth, completely naked, stalked toward us, his eyes blazing and murderous. Claws tipped his fingers, and soot from the fire streaked over his skin. He looked like a newly awakened demon summoned from the pits of hell.

We sat there, stunned, for several seconds, trying to figure out how this had happened. If Kreed said he was dead, then I believed him. So, what happened? Unless …

Lazateth surged forward before I could complete the thought and his eyes were locked on Kreed.

I didn’t even think, I just reacted. Fire swelled up, coming to my aid and reacting to my emotions. My fingers tingled as I pushed Kreed out of the way, then with my right hand, I slashed like I had when I fought him. An arc of pure, white light left my fingers and connected with Lazateth’s neck. Surprised, his eyes changed from red to their normal blue color; then in slow motion, his head fell from his neck and his body followed.

Kreed moved first, picking me up and moving away from the body. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the body and the … head.

“Don’t look,” Kreed said, guiding my head with his hand to his chest.

Bile rose up as I came to the realization that I had killed someone. He was a psychopathic asshole with a god complex, and he deserved to die, but I never thought it would be by my hand.

“What even … happened?” I was having a hard time trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened.

“He was dead, Nik, I swear. I wouldn’t have left him alive,” Kreed said, holding me tighter against him.

“Did you … drink his blood? His dead blood?” I asked him, my thoughts from earlier coming back to me.

“Yes …” he answered, a bit confused.

“Did you bring him back?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

Brutus had told me what Kreed’s end game was—get strong by drinking the blood of the dead, so he could one day heal the dead. Which would basically make him immortal.

“Kreed?” I asked, looking up at him. He turned away from me, staring at the body ten feet away.

“I … don’t know,” he answered, uncertainly. And that scared me.

“How do you not know?” I wasn’t trying to argue, but a dead dragon coming back to life was pretty strong evidence that he’d succeeded.

“The Naga were shunned and hunted by my kind. There’re no answers, anywhere. This is uncharted territory, and as far as I know, no one has ever achieved it.” He was in shock, but what other explanation was there.

I’d like to say that I felt proud that he had achieved this … but not going to lie, it freaked me out … a lot. No one had the power to bring people back from the dead. He’d healed the ultimate illness, if you would think of death as that.

I needed a three week-long nap, and like four bingers with Lyndee, before I would be able to come to terms with all of this. Therapy might be a good idea, too.

Just when I thought this night couldn’t get any worse, a sound caught my attention. Faint at first, then it got louder as it got closer. Someone was clapping, which meant we weren’t alone.

Kreed turned, facing the sound, and tucked me behind him. I was in no condition to battle it out again. My clothes were tattered, I was covered in soot, smelled like smoke, and I was pretty sure my panties were on display for everyone to see. Seeing that before you died would ruin anyone’s afterlife.

The smoke parted for a group of people. Big, hulking figures pushed through like the smoke was a curtain or something. My radar told me they were all shifters. Then a shorter man appeared, flanked by the massive shifters, and I thought I couldn’t be surprised anymore tonight.

“Well, well, well,” the short newcomer said. I recognized his voice immediately. “Thanks for eliminating this problem, Kreed.”

I peeked around Kreed to be sure it was who I thought it was, but I could have guessed by the stiffening of the man in front of me.

Briggs, the Pendragon of this territory, had arrived.

Acknowledgments

To my amazing alpha readers, Daniel and Yuliya, for reading this and not thinking it was absolute crap like I did, you’re the best!

To my sisters from other misters, my ride or die with snacks, the Mary-Ann to my Wanda, y’all are my tribe. #thankfulforyou

To the best husband and daughters, a woman could ever ask for, please learn to cook dinner. It’s cramping my style cooking dinner every-freaking-day! Love you!

Coming soon!

Book Two in The Dragon Mafia Chronicles Ashes of Flame Releasing April 30th 2021.

hyperurl.co/AshesofFlames

Book Three in the Dragon Mafia Chronicles Ashes of Starlight Releasing May 28th 2021.

hyperurl.co/AshesofStarlight

Other Books By Lela

The Lunar Medallion Series

Areion

Scylla

The Lunar Medallion Short Stories

Child of Water

Child of Earth

Blood of the Sea Series

Co-Written with Heather Renee

Crimson Horizon

Pale Horizon

Obsidian Horizon