Texas Showdown

by Aaron Crash

  If that were the case, Steven would slay the dragon responsible without mercy. He had warned them, after all. Steven’s primary purpose was to keep his family safe. Even if he conquered every Primacy in the world, that would never change.

  THREE

  Hours later, Steven soared through the skies over Nebraska with Aria and Mouse. Tessa, Sabina, and Liam had booked first-class seats on a red-eye United flight from Chicago to Denver. All were safe and sound. The mysterious assassins had gone after Steven and no one else.

  Another thing that Steven had learned in the past six months was the ability to fly long distances. Dragonsouls had taken a page from the albatross. By angling his wings into the wind, Steven could gain altitude, higher and higher, up above the clouds. Then he could turn and swoop along a hundred yards at a time, using a mixture of gravity and wind speed to keep him aloft and moving forward. An albatross could go roughly sixty miles an hour by doing this.

  For Dragonsouls that would be too slow. Adding in a blast of DragonStrength and SerpentGrace to fuel him, Steven could reach speeds as fast as five hundred miles an hour. He had to squint and conserve his breath, but they were able to make the nine hundred miles from Chicago to Denver in about three hours. They had to watch out for planes to avoid any collisions. That added to the grind of the long-distance flight.

  Tessa and Sabina, as humans, wouldn’t be able to hack the cold, the speed, and the lack of oxygen, so they’d taken a human airline. As for Liam, he had to conserve his Animus since he was basically celibate, and he hadn’t been in battle to replenish his supply. His meditation practices only filled him slowly.

  They were in the market for their own private jet, but William “Bud” Novak was taking his sweet time shopping for one. He insisted that he wouldn’t be doing this too often, and he wanted to make the most of it. That was Bud—super helpful and a pain in the ass.

  Steven, Aria, and Mouse had to slow down when they neared Denver International Airport to avoid a collision, but they managed to land on a deserted parking lot near the terminal. Magica Defensio spells hid them. They were all worn out from the travel, so they decided to get rooms at the Westin directly connected to the airport. The next day they could make their way to Cheyenne. Cassius Pine’s five widows were there, keeping watch.

  Turning human and very naked, Mouse came over and held Steven. Her tiny body was warm, nestled up against him. The temperature was around freezing, so they had to hurry. “Oh, long-distance flying sucks ass. Next time, I’m going with the other girls.” She gave him a long kiss. That felt good. He needed a good dose of Animus. She was right. It was taxing.

  Aria came over, and he kissed her as well. Aria and Mouse were so different from one another. Mouse was blonde, pale, petite, and short, while Aria was long, lean, and dark. She had striking green eyes and black hair. They had similar sized breasts, though—on the smaller side—and both had narrow but nice hips. They dressed, caught a shuttle, and half an hour later, were in a suite in the hotel. Steven had booked four rooms since not all his vassals wanted to share. It was several thousand dollars, but he could afford it.

  His new life was … so strange. For twenty years, he’d agonized over every dime. Now, money was the least of his worries.

  Even though it was four in the morning, a few planes still landed at the airport. Watching them out the window was soothing. Steven, Mouse, and Aria all took showers and were sitting in robes, relaxing, in the living room of the suite when Tessa, Sabina, and Liam showed up.

  Tessa pulled her suitcase in and let it drop to the floor. She sank down next to Steven. Liam helped Sabina in and settled her next to Aria. Then the Yellow Ronin paced back and forth in front of the window across the thick white carpet. His scent, lemons and leather, filled the room. “I expected a retaliation, but not on the same night you announced your intention to continue your father’s work. Do you remember anything from the Conclave that might tell us who attacked you?”

  Steven ran through the highlights one more time, from Morty Flint’s oily smoothness to Carlo Bart’s outburst, and the twins stopping him in the elevator.

  “Javier Jones seemed the most amenable,” Sabina commented. “He’s not necessarily trustworthy, he is power hungry, but I find his nodding interesting.”

  Aria sat forward, her chin in her hands. “Nothing about last night surprises me except for Carlo Bart’s wives, Chastity and Prudence. Why would they contact you at all? And why the warning?”

  “It wasn’t like they gave him a direct path out of there,” Mouse said. “They were all like, yeah, you’re going to be attacked. Good luck. Maybe they called in the three dragons after Steven got out. We just don’t know, but that seems likely. Twins are creepy as fuck.”

  “The Shining,” Tessa said immediately. “Yep.”

  “Not necessarily,” Aria countered. “In the Rigveda, there are the Ashwini Kumaras, and they are healers. Not creepy. Helpful! And I love the movie Judwaa with Salman Khan. He plays twins, and it’s very funny and makes me very happy.”

  Tessa gave Aria a glowing smile.

  Steven retrieved the card from the breast pocket of his wrinkled tuxedo. The card was made of heavy paper with gold ink. On it was printed: Chastity and Prudence Wayne, machineguntwins@outlook.com, 361-555-0069. “At this point, we can’t know for sure. But I don’t think last night’s attempt on my life is going to be the only one. We’ll have to keep our eyes open.”

  Sabina’s eyes flashed as she cast a Magica Divinatio spell. “¡No manches!” she complained. “I still don’t see anything about the Dragonlords or about the assassins who attacked you. However, the dragon you killed was a skilled Magician. It could be one of the Primes knows more magic than we first thought. They were able to knock out your cell phone and block me.” She then grew quiet and blushed. Sabina had grown thin from the Dragonskin rituals. She was a powerful Magician, but she wanted to become a Dragonskin. It was a grueling trial, and yet she was nearly to the last stage. Her hours of mediation and fasting would be paying off soon. Her blue-black hair was still lush, and though she had colorless eyes when she wasn’t casting spells, she was as beautiful as any Latina movie star.

  Steven wondered why she was blushing. What had she seen?

  Liam finally sat down, but he remained jumpy. “I would put my money on Louis Laloux of the French Swamplands Primacy. Everyone knows he enjoys magic, and he’s one of the oldest Primes in America.”

  “Oh, sure, blame the voodoo guy for doing voodoo.” Mouse rolled her eyes. She’d grown up in the Dragonsoul culture and, along with Sabina, had been a part of many conflicts. She had a good idea of the cast of characters in the American Primes’ drama. “So Carlo Bart is our prime suspect. But let’s not rule out Roy Right from the Sin Cities Primacy. He’s more than wealthy enough to hire Ronins to fly in. And then what is Clete Sariah’s deal? Why send his wife and not come in person? And why did Morty allow that shit?”

  Steven agreed with her. Eve Downfyre had held her own with the Dragonlords, but why had she come? He had another question, though. “Tell me about the Dakota and Farmland Primes. They were buddy-buddy. If they were working together, maybe it was them.”

  Liam pursed his lips. “Tiano Helge and Lawrence Candler came to power at the same time, and doubtless, they would be working together. And yet they haven’t made a play for any other Primacy in decades. Both have gotten fat and lazy. Many think they are under the protection of Morty Flint, that Helge and Candler are just his puppets.”

  Aria yawned. “I do apologize for being tired. It has been a long night, and the flying I find wearisome. However, I can see a scenario where Morty Flint puts on the Conclave to lure Steven in and kill him.”

  “Yeah.” Tessa picked up her line of thought. “Maybe Morty is working with the East Coast Primacies. And maybe they wanted to take out the trash sooner rather than later.” Tessa grinned sheepishly. “Uh, not that you’re trash, mind you.”

  “Not the first time I’ve been called trash,”
Steven said. “And probably won’t be the last. I still love you, Tessa.”

  Sabina hissed. Her eyes were still glowing. And she was glowing a bright red. What the hell? Steven had to ask. “Sabina, are you all right?”

  “Si,” the Latina Magician said. “I’m okay… just seeing… I can’t say. Maybe later. Maybe when we are alone.”

  “Oh my God, she’s seeing sex!” Tessa piped up. “Wow. Pornographic divination. Band name. I call it.”

  Steven had to laugh at that one. “One more thing. The woman I killed, the female dragon, she had a tattoo on her chest. It seemed to be part of a circle. It had a ‘C,’ then a space, and then an ‘O’ and then an ‘F’ followed by a dash, dot, dash. I think at the center was a star, but it was hard to tell.”

  “Dash, dot, dash? Could it be Morse code?” Tessa whipped out her phone. “A dash, dot, dash is the letter ‘K.’ Hmm. Not especially helpful. Maybe the ‘O’ and the ‘F’ spell out the word ‘of.’”

  Liam stood. “We’ll continue to ponder what this all means. It’s late—well, early—and I need to rest. Some of us need to get Animus the old-fashioned way.”

  “Jerking off?” Mouse asked sarcastically. Then she stood up. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

  Liam, though, chuckled. He was used to her cutting humor. “No, by sleeping, eating, meditating. A Dragonsoul doesn’t need violence and lovemaking to gain Animus.”

  Mouse tried to smooth things over. “No, you’re right. I should stop teasing you, but I’m tired too. Steven, you can recharge me back at the Infinity Ranch.”

  Liam laughed. “Recharge? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

  Tessa mimicked a teenager. “Yeah, dude, I totally recharged a cheerleader last night. Rock on.”

  Mouse gave her wink. “Enjoy yourself with the Blind Lucha Libre over there. With how she’s getting all hot and bothered, I would imagine you’ll have quite the wrestling match ahead of you.”

  Liam and Mouse left, along with Aria, who had grown quiet with exhaustion. The flight had worn out the Dragonsouls. The humans, though, had slept on the plane and so were starting to perk up. Steven was tired as well, but he could always use Animus.

  Sabina’s eyes stopped glowing, and she lowered her head. “Oh, I don’t know why I was shown that, but I was. I can’t help it. I shouldn’t say anything.”

  Tessa put an arm around the Latina Magician. “What did you see?”

  Sabina was sweating, and she was having trouble breathing. “Steven. He will return home, and Skylar Blacke will say it’s time. The waiting is over. He will take her. I saw it, with Skylar, and with the other widows. I saw each one, and I know what they like. They want me to tell you. Or they will in the future. It is confusing.”

  “Are you sure?” Tessa asked. “I wouldn’t want to invade their privacy. However, Dragonsouls are more open about sex than ninety percent of the humans I’ve met. I could see them not having a problem with you telling us. Or maybe you should just tell Steven. I’ll leave.”

  “No,” Sabina said quickly. “Tessa, you and Pretty will make love. You will become inseparable for a while. Pretty likes sex when it is soft and gentle. She likes to be caressed and spoken sweetly to. The more times you tell her you love her, the better.” Sabina put a hand to her mouth. “I shouldn’t say more. But I see it. I know. Steven, they are ready. They are so happy that you took time to get to know them, to train with them, to share meals with them.”

  Pretty McGillicuddy was a blonde with a certain girl-next-door allure. Out of all the widows, she was the most tentative and shy. Steven felt his own breath quicken and his tuxedo pants were getting tight. His mind was murky from exhaustion. Was this wrong? Sabina said they wanted Steven to know. Wouldn’t that make him a better lover?

  He tried to swallow down some of his lust. “You said they needed time, Sabina. I’ve let them have their space, gladly. But it sounds like that has changed.”

  “Yes, it has.” Sabina stared straight ahead, still caught up in the vision. “But they will not be with us for long. I don’t know… I can’t see… but something, something will happen to the five widows. You will share in their joys and their sorrows, Steven, I can tell you that.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” Tessa furrowed her brow.

  “Steven, I saw three new additions to your Escort,” Sabina said. “However, their faces were a blur. I don’t know if we lose two of the five widows, or if these three are new. But I know they will find an honest love with you, the most honest of their life. For they all come from tragedy. Yet tragedy is in the eye of the beholder, certainly.”

  Sabina stood up. She was wearing a blouse and jeans. Tessa was in a peasant skirt with colorful tights underneath and a maroon long-sleeve shirt that matched. Tessa had grown out her hair and colored it a dark red with turquoise streaks. The barista was forever considering letting her natural color grow in and in an eternal debate over whether she should try bangs or not. She’d taken out her eyebrow ring but kept her one nose ring. Tattoos colored her skin.

  “Skylar likes to watch,” Sabina gasped. “She would want you to know. Out of all the widows, she is the one who longs for your touch the most. Si, but she has her particular desires.”

  “Oh, shit, I have to say, wrong or right, this is turning me the fuck on.” Tessa reached and started undoing Sabina’s buttons until her hard stomach showed. The Latina had lost some of the weight from her chest, but she was still amply endowed.

  Tessa unsnapped Sabina’s jeans and eased them over her hips, which weren’t as plump as they’d been. The Dragonskin rituals had changed her in more ways than one.

  Steven’s mouth went dry. He knew Sabina enjoyed knowing he was watching though she was blind. The Latina had a definite exhibitionist streak.

  Sabina raised her bra above her breasts, which spilled down her chest. She kept her shirt on, but Tessa took care of her pants and underwear. Then the barista leaned forward, her face between the Latina’s legs.

  Sabina hissed with pleasure. “Skylar likes to watch. She likes to look from a distance while you make love to another woman. For her, witnessing secret things, to ease herself into the moment, that is what she likes.”

  Skylar was the eldest of the widows. At forty, she had auburn hair, green eyes, and lightly freckled skin. Depending on the light, she could look young as a new bride or a young mother, quick to care for the people around her. She was strong, however, and had kept up her spirits as well as the morale of the other widows.

  Sabina touched Tessa’s hair, guiding her mouth. The Latina Magician continued to talk about her vision. “She wants you to give her time to watch, to get excited, to see the passion, and then, she will come to you. She will want you to take her from behind, hard and fast, right away. She likes the jolt of the feeling. Grab her hips. Pound yourself into her. Harder. Harder. Harder.” Sabina’s skin glowed as she orgasmed, her eyes lighting up.

  Steven couldn’t help himself. He got his tuxedo pants off but didn’t care about his shirt. He pulled Tessa’s skirt up and pulled down her tights and underwear, until her hot, wet petals were exposed. On her knees, she lifted her ass up to him, parting her thighs so he could slip into her.

  “Oh, Steven, yes, like that.” Tessa kissed Sabina’s muscular thigh. “Skylar will love it. Take her like you’re taking me. Fill her like you’re filling me.”

  Sabina knelt and kissed Tessa while Steven slammed into her, holding her hips. Tessa had remained wondrously curvy despite her hours of combat training. Steven loved her shape and how his fingers sank into her generous body.

  Sabina pulled up Tessa’s dress and shirt and suckled on her big breast. That sight was too much for Steven. He was pushed over the edge and into bliss. Animus swirled around him, and it all felt so good. And then he felt something give in his mind, like a closed door suddenly flung wide. He saw Tessa, on a beach, in a white dress flapping in the breeze brought down from a storm-strewn sky. A wave crashed, she turned to him, and her
hair looked like a normal brown. It was long, parted down the middle, no bangs. She had tears on her face. “I know who I am,” she said. “I know who I am.” Were those tears of happiness? Or tears of sorrow? Steven couldn’t tell.

  And then the vision was gone. He found himself sitting on the soft carpet, back against a sofa, watching Sabina give Tessa an orgasm of her own. And like always, Tessa’s skin gleamed and pulsated even as she gasped.

  She wasn’t strictly human, no, but what was she? Had she come from another world like her Peacekeepers? What was her destiny?

  After Tessa came down from her bliss, she fell asleep with Sabina’s head resting on her soft belly. Steven roused them both and helped them onto the big king-sized bed in the gorgeous suite.

  An hour later, he woke to sunshine blazing through the curtains and Sabina sucking on him. He was tired, but this was part of having an Escort, a part he loved so much. When he was ready, he made love to Sabina while Tessa slept next to them. She didn’t wake up. After he and Sabina finished, both fell back asleep.

  It was noon when a call on the house phone jarred them awake.

  Steven fumbled and answered the call. It was Mouse. “Hey, did Senora Nostradamus give you an X-rated prophecy of wild sex? I’m assuming you saw into the future and it involved a whole lotta banging, lesbian and otherwise.”

  Steven laughed. “It did. And I think she might be a senorita still. Anyway, let’s meet down in the lobby. We’ll grab some food and then get on home.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Glad you had fun.” Mouse loved him, but she was straight and not into group sex.

  Steven hung up the phone and stretched happily. It was time to go home and officially welcome the five widows into his Escort.

  FOUR

  The Infinity Ranch had become a series of houses, all clustered around a seven-story tower in the middle of a rambling single-story structure. That tower could be locked up tight against an attack and housed their growing library as well as their artifacts, including Samael’s Lash and the topaz dagger that had been thrust into the heart of Nikki Angel, one of Cassius Pine’s murdered wives.