“Why?” Came a husky female voice I had not heard before. I turned and came face to face with Dragon.
“Huh?” Dragon differed from before. Unlike my other Tua she never changed the way they had. But now, Dragon looked mostly like Cassie with large leathery wings. Her eyes were the shifting color of Dragon’s and her expression was hard and feral. The rest of her was mostly human except for patches of scales on her forearms and calves. Claws protruded from human fingers and toes.
“Dragon?” I asked.
“What have you done?” She accused.
I turned then as understanding dawned on me. All of my Tua were down except Dragon. The gates remained open and as I came to my senses, I saw the blinking warning.
!WARNING!
You are pulling 120% of your Tua’s energies. If this continues, they will die.
My heart skipped a beat, and I slammed the gates shut. It was too late. I barely felt anything from them.
Darkness surrounded me as did all of my unconscious Tua. They lay scattered at my feet unmoving. “Hello?” No one answered me.
I looked around seeing everyone except Dragon, but Cassie was among the down.
I returned and looked at Dragon. The anger I saw a moment ago was replaced with fear.
The large Kangaroo stepped closer and shifted. She shrunk down to the tall curvaceous woman I knew as Roo. “What did you do?” She asked. “The way you moved and… and…”
“He pulled too much energy. Duh!” Riley said as she skipped over to stop next to Roo and bounce on her toes. If not for the dire situation I may have enjoyed the way the nude woman bounced.
“You know what happened?” Roo asked as she looked down at her companion.
“Yeah. You didn’t see the flow of energy grow to like giant size? It was so pretty. But I think it was too much for them to handle. Can we eat?” Riley tilted her head to the side and smiled at me.
“Yeah, Riley. Go ahead and eat. I’m going to get my Tua to a bed and see what I can do to help them.” I replied as I fought back tears.
A growl came from my dragon and I looked, seeing the anger having returned. She grabbed my throat and leapt forward slamming my back against the wall. “Why did you do this?” She demanded.
“It was a mistake, Dragon. I’m sorry.”
Her growl intensified then she threw her head back and screamed in frustration and rage.
“I have a name,” she snarled.
Dragon’s powerful legs bent then pushed off the ground in concert with her wings flapping. We exploded through the ceiling and ground above. Dirt and concrete flew in every direction as we burst from the ground in the cemetery.
Dragon pulled me close then said in a whispered snarl, “I have a name.”
She threw me to the ground and my Dragon flew away. As I stood I watched her beat her wing furiously and get farther and farther away.
“Fuck,” I mumbled.
Dragon would have to wait. Though, I was curious about the name thing and her transformation beyond what my Tua looked like.
I dropped down the hole and landed back in the nightmare. None of my Tua had moved since they fell.
“We should get them to someplace more comfortable,” Roo said as she approached me.
“Yeah. Thanks for your help, Roo. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it. I was sent to help. I wish there was hospital for Lycans.”
“There might not be a Lycan hospital, but I have a scientist who specializes in Lycans,” I said.
“Then I hope your scientist can help.”
We went about picking up my Tua one at a time and carrying them to the bedrooms. Each trip[ back I looked to the giant hole int he ceiling wondering how we were going to get that fixed. We gave them each a separate room and made sure they were comfortable and warm.
“Hey, Amy, can you get Dr. Nguyen and bring her here please?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Liz said as she walked into the room where we placed Tabitha. “I watched everything from the security room. Leave them to me. Go find Cassie.”
“That’s the plan, Liz. We can use Amy to communicate while I’m out. Call if you need anything.”
“Rest assured that I will,” Liz said.
Roo was standing in the hall outside of Tabitha’s room. “You going after the weird Lycan?” She asked.
“Yes, I am. You coming?”
“You bet I am,” Roo said as she walked abreast with me.
“This is going to kill me to say, but are you planning on getting dressed soon?”
Roo looked down at her nude form and shrugged. “I guess I should. Follow me to my room?”
“Let’s go.”
Roo’s room was close to the rooms my Tua occupied. I waited in the doorway as Roo dressed.
“So tell me,” she said as she bent over to place her leg in a pair of jeans. “The girl that flew away, what is she? I’ve seen nothing like her.”
“Liz, Doctor Nguyen, was a scientist on the team that spliced different Lycans together to create her. She is the only living Dragon as far as I know.”
“That’s amazing. Who made her, I mean besides the scientist. Someone had to be bankrolling them,” she said as she slid a t-shirt over her head.
“Yeah, it would be the Alpha wolf of that pack we killed. He’s a real asshole.”
“So the Alpha is responsible for those brain dead monsters?” Roo asked as she walked over.
“I’m afraid so.” As we walked to the cemetery exit, I explained our past dealings with Arnold and what we found in the underground lab.
“First,” Roo said stopping in front of the exit door. “You American Lycans have some really weird fetish with underground facilities. It can’t be healthy. And second, this whole situation is fucked. Thanks for letting me tag along. I think this will be fun.”
Chapter 13
Roo and I stood in the cemetery next to the hole Dragon made. Both of us looked down at the damage. While I didn’t know what Roo thought or felt I was awed by the destruction.
“Where are you guys going?” Riley asked as she popped her head up from the hole.
“We are going to find Terry’s lost Tua,” Roo said.
“Oh nice,” Riley said as she leapt out of the hole. “Can I come too?”
“Sure,” I said. It wasn’t until after the words left my mouth that I caught Roo trying to signal me not to say yes. I mouthed sorry back, and she shrugged.
“So where are we headed?” Riley asked as she took a juice box from her pocket, inserted the small straw, and sipped loudly.
“That way.” I pointed in the direction Dragon flew. As I did, I got a sudden flash of pained emotion and feelings of not belonging. It only lasted for a second.
“My poor dragon,“ I mumbled under my breath.
“May I make a suggestion?” Roo asked.
“Sure,” I said as I turned to the lovely Aussie woman.
“I think you should find the other bracelet before going after your dragon.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Because it will grant you more access to the power you possess. If you already had it your Tua would probably be okay now.”
“How am I supposed to find it?”
“How is it that someone as slow as you has gotten this far? It works just like everything else. You focus on the feeling of the bracelet and reach out for the other half. It is probably already calling out to you, but you’re not listening. Do that and let me know where we go next. The faster we find the bracelet the faster we get your Dragon.” Roo said.
“What then?” I asked. As the question left me I did as she said and felt the bracelet.
“Then we prepare to hide you from Acashia. I thought you would know that.”
As she spoke I felt the other bracelet and the pull.
“Ok, I thought that’s what you’d say.” I pointed to my right. “We need to go that way. After we find it we find Dragon.” I stepped into Roo’s personal spac
e. “I better not find out you distracted me from finding Dragon for something I don’t need.” There might have been a little more menace in my voice than I intended as she pulled back and winced.
“Your father tasked me with helping to keep you safe. Getting Dragon back quickly is the only way I see to get you someplace safe. I promise you that the bracelet will only help make you more powerful and safer.”
“Roo is a good girl,” Riley added. “If here job is keeping you safe, then you will be the safest person ever, yeah.” The weird Koala patted my cheek before stuffing a power bar in her mouth. “Trust us, Terry. We’re like family since your dad is out Tuatha. We wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or your Tua.”
“Let’s get going then.” I said.
“Wheels?” Roo asked.
“Sorry, but Miranda and Tabatha were the ones with wheels. I wouldn’t know where the cars were if I had the keys. We’re on foot from here.”
“Looks like Juan will be here in like ten minutes,” Riley said. “We just have to get to the front gate and meet him.” I looked over at the woman as she wiped one hand on her pant leg and looked intently at her smart phone.
“Come again?” I asked.
“I ordered and Uber.”
“Did you put in a destination?” I asked.
“Oh yeah,” Riley pulled a stack of cash from her pocket. “But this makes changing destinations easy peasy.”
“Oh,” was all I could say. It felt weird being out witted by Riley.
“We should get to the gate,” Roo said as she walked by Riley and fist bumped with her.
I ran and caught up to the girls. The gates to the cemetery were closed, but we all scaled them quickly and landed on the other side without getting any attention from passers-by. While we waited there was something I had to clear up as it was bothering me since I saw Riley fight.
“Hey, Roo,” I whispered since Riley was a few feet away and listening to her phone through a set of wireless earbuds.
“Yeah, Terry?”
“Riley said she was a Drop Bear, but I saw a Koala when we were fighting. What the hell is a Drop Bear?” I asked.
“I can see the confusion. Drop Bears are mostly thought of as myth, much like your Jackalope, or the Mexican Chupacabra. It’s basically a carnivorous Koala that drops from trees onto its prey. Hence the name Drop Bear.”
“But instead of being a weird myth,” Riley added. “We are just really rare Lycans. Like most of the Lycan species we are meat eaters. Unlike other bears we are not fast or strong, so dropping out of trees is a great way to hunt.”
“I see. So…”
Riley’s phone made a dinging noise. “Juan’s here!”
A purple Nissan crossover pulled up to the curb, and the window went down. “Riley?” A man said in a slight Spanish accent.
“That’s me!” Riley raised her hand and bounced on her toes.
“Well, get in and let’s go.”
We all climbed aboard and in short order Juan had a stack of money and was following my directions. The feeling of the bracelet grew strong as we drove in the right direction.
A feeling of dread settle into my stomach as I recognized the posh neighborhood we entered. The Bracelet was close as was a house I never wanted to see again.
“This is close enough,” I told Juan. “Thanks for the ride.”
“We are giving you a great rating for this, Juan,” Riley said. She leaned over from her spot in the front passenger seat and kissed the portly Hispanic man on the cheek. Then she giggled and threw the door open before jumping out.
I waited for the man known as Juan to pull away before I spoke next. “I know where the bracelet is,” I said.
“That why you had Juan stop so abruptly?” Roo asked.
“Yes. The bracelet is in the home of the Alpha wolf those werewolves that attacked the base belong to.”
“That’s not good,” Roo said.
“No, and it gets worse. Follow me.” I said.
As we walked I filled Roo in on what had happened with Arnold and him blaming me for poaching Miranda. Then about how we discovered Cassie and Dragon. I thought they should know the danger we were in by being this close to Arnold’s house.
“I see,” Roo said. “That doesn’t stop our mission though. We need you to get that bracelet. The mission continues.”
I kept my eyes forward as I walked suppressing the urge to stare at Roo. Had she just slipped when she said; we need you to find the bracelet? I couldn’t help but think there were ulterior motives to Roo and Riley being with me. I liked Riley and Roo, but if some nefarious mission of my father’s put my Tua at risk, there would be hell to pay.
“That’s the house,” I said as I pointed at the ridiculously large home.
“Okay, can you get a sense of where in the house the bracelet is?” Roo asked.
Before answering, I took a minute to feel the pull which was much stronger now. The bracelet was calling me up to the second floor. I pointed to a window on the second floor of the house. “There, it is somewhere close to that window on the second floor.”
“Let’s go then,” Roo said as she started walking.
I grabbed her arm simultaneously stopping her and pulling her around. “Just like that?” I asked. “You want to just stroll up and knock on the front door?”
“No, Terry. I’m a kangaroo. I want to get below that window and jump up and see what’s inside. That okay with you?”
“Sorry, I’ve been on edge since the wolf attack and… and my Tua went down.” My heart lurched at the thought of what I had done.
“I get it.”
“It’s all right, Terry,” Riley said as she patted my cheek. “You didn’t mean it. But it will be all right. Just trust in Roo. She is an expert.”
“Yeah, okay. After you, Lady Roo,” I said.
“Just Roo, please. And that is not the plan. You and Riley wait here. I’ll go take a look. If I can grab it, then I’ll be right back with the bracelet. If I need help, I’ll either signal or come back. You good with that, Terry?”
“Works for me. Just be careful.”
Pulling Riley along, I hunkered down behind a manicured bush that let me see Roo and Arnold’s house. The Kangaroo walked right up to the house like she owned it. Once she was under the window I pointed to, she leaped up. While she was in the air a howl broke the silence. When she landed three werewolves came into view from the corner of the house. I took off without thinking rounding the bushes and pushing myself as fast as I could go. My speed topped all Olympic worthy human athletes, but I was slow in comparison to the werewolves. For a second, I missed my Tua, but that was quickly replaced by guilt. Guilt at having hurt them and at Roo about to be hurt because of my stupidity. I pushed as hard as I could.
When the first wolf reached Roo, she jumped up allowing it to pass under her. Then she landed on the head of the second driving it face first into the ground. She hit the third repeatedly in the face like a pro boxer. I came to a stop next to her as the third fell.
“I thought I was going to be too late,” I said as I panted.
“I can take care of myself. Like your Tua, I am more than I once was. Even if I don’t have the strange appearance of your Tua.”
“Did you see it?” I asked.
“I think so. There were several cases containing jewelry. However, there are several guards in the room as well. It’s possible they saw me.”
“We should move from here,” I said.
“Agreed.” We ran back toward the bushes. “We need to strike from another direction right away,” Roo said as we ran.
“Do you think that’s wise?” I asked.
“They will expect us to flee, not circle around and hit them again.”
“That makes sense,” I said as I came to a stop. Looking around, I asked, “where is Riley?”
“Remember what she said about her kind?” Roo asked as she stopped next to me.
“I do.”
Roo pointed up. My gaze fo
llowed her finger up into the trees. Smiling down at me I saw Riley in a partially transformed state that made her look like an anime Beastkin. I had to admit she looked cute with her black, shiny button nose and round Koala ears sticking out of her hair.
“Hi! Do I still get to kill a wolf?”
“Yes, Riley. You wait for them here and take them out one at a time. Terry and I are going around to break in,” Roo said.
“Oh, I like that plan.” Riley giggled and the darkness in her laugh sent shivers down mine spine.
Chapter 14
Roo set a grueling pace through the wealthy neighborhood. From behind us came the occasional shouts of glee and yips of pain. I didn’t understand exactly how it worked, but Riley seemed to be an effective diversion.
It was clear the werekangaroo didn’t know the neighborhood, but her ability to jump hi made recording our route simple. In just a few minutes we traveled a wide circle coming out of a small copse of trees and into a long backyard.
A moment of deja vu captures me as I relive the last time I was here. Being dropped off back here. Losing myself in thought at the site of pure opulence. Being chastised by the asshole coworker for the event and eventually a meaningless component of that fateful night.
“Are you all right?” Roo asked.
“Yeah, it’s just that this is where I found out what I am,” I replied.
“Oh, I see. Good memories, I hope.”
“Only if you consider finding out your are something different from human, then get chased by a giant werewolf a few minutes later, good memories,” I replied.
“Well, I suppose not. Doesn’t matter now. We need to get in and get out before things become too heated for Riley to handle,” Roo said. Her voice had a hint of worry in it which seemed weird considering the Drop Bear spent more time annoying her than anything else.
“Let’s do this,” I said.
I took the lead running for the back door that entered the kitchen. If security thought we were running, or hanging around out front I hoped nobody would be in the kitchen. Our luck held, mostly. A man wearing a white chef’s coat and black slacks had his back to us and was busy working over a fire with a large skillet. Roo placed her index finger to her lips and waved me on. We snuck passed with no problems.
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