by Jadyn Chase
“Fire away,” he returned. “I’m at your disposal. I told you that. If there’s anything I can do to assist, please let me know.”
I had to smile again. His genteel, Victorian manner really didn’t jive at all with the fearsome devil I kept seeing on the video. “Thank you, James. I appreciate that. Now, I’ve been going over the footage from Buckingham Palace. You didn’t….”
He frowned. “What is that? What is footage?”
I checked myself. I had to remind myself he didn’t know the majority of what went on in this day and age. “It’s a moving picture recording of everything that happened when you got into that altercation with the Police. It recorded everything that happened including your transformation.”
He scowled. “How dreadful.”
“Yeah. It was. The change happened when one of the bobbies hit you over the head with his truncheon. Do you remember that?”
He shrugged. “Not really I’m afraid. It’s all a bit blurry now.”
“That’s what’s good about the footage. It remembers even if you don’t. You hit one of them in the face. You got his billy club away from him and three others came up on you from behind. One of them cracked you across the back of the skull, which explains why you may have lost some of your memory. Anyway, you changed when you got hurt. That blow should have knocked you out, which is why they do it. It would have buckled you to the ground in seconds, but you shifted instead. Then you changed back when you were flying around Big Ben.”
He raised his eyebrows and puffed out his cheeks. “I’m sorry I can’t help you there, Paige dear.”
I laughed in spite of myself. “I don’t think my boss would appreciate you calling me that.”
His cheeks flushed and he smiled for the first time. He looked even more amazing and attractive when he did that. “And what about you? Do you appreciate me calling you that?”
I blushed over my computer. “Let’s stick to the subject at hand, shall we? My point is that you changed into the dragon when you got hurt and you changed back when you got somewhere out of danger—at least, you thought you were out of danger. That means you might be all right as long as you’re calm and relatively safe.”
He nodded up at me. “That makes sense. I haven’t changed since I’ve been in here. I haven’t needed to, not even when those medical people treated me so abominably.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, James.” I got to my feet and approached the pen. “We’ve been giving you Depthamol to suppress the change and I need to find out just how much it takes to control your transformation even when you are in danger. I’m speculating that you haven’t needed to shift, so we don’t know if the drug is working or not. I don’t even know if it would work on you at all.”
“Well, can’t you find that out?”
“Unfortunately, I have to and you’re not going to like it at all. I need to figure out how much the other techs have been giving you and I need to put you through some tests to trigger you to shift.”
He furrowed his brow. “How are you going to do that?”
I waved that away. “It’s really important that we establish the minimum dosage necessary to control you because Depthamol can be toxic in large doses. It could even kill you if we give you too much and we might have to give you a lot of it to keep everyone safe from you and you safe from yourself. Do you understand?”
He nodded and his bright eyes caught me in a trance. “I understand. As I mentioned, Paige dear, I’m completely at your disposal. Do with me as you see fit. As long as you’re the one running the tests, I don’t mind. I trust you to do the right thing by me and everyone else. I place myself in your hands.”
I cringed. “I wouldn’t be too trusting if I was you.” I depressed a button on my laptop. “I’m calling the security people now. I’m going to order them to be gentle with you and to keep you calm at all costs, but I can’t promise anything. I really need you to try extra hard to stay calm so you don’t shift. Understand?”
He gave me a clipped nod. “Perfectly. I will do my level best for you, Paige dear.”
I rolled my eyes to Heaven. “I’m sure you will. I just don’t know about everyone else. I really hope this works and doesn’t turn into a disaster.”
The door swung open and a bunch of armed security personnel flooded the room. I jumped up. “Stop right there! I need to say something before you take him out. Is everyone here?”
The door flopped shut behind their backs and they all faced me, waiting to hear what I would say. When I knew I had their attention, I took a deep breath.
“Listen to me, all of you. This subject is an extremely dangerous creature capable of killing us all and destroying the building and probably all of London. It’s vital that you all remain calm. Don’t harm him or threaten him in any way or we’re all dead. Do you understand me? I’ve explained the situation to him and he’s willing to cooperate. Whatever you do, don’t touch him. Don’t crowd him. Don’t attack him. If he attempts to escape, do NOT try to stop him. Do you understand?”
They exchanged glances, but they wound up nodding in the end. My blood raced behind my eyes and a cold sweat broke out all over me. This project racked my nerves like no other.
Whatever happened, I had to stop James from shifting. I didn’t want to get trapped in the goddamned lab with a furious, fire-breathing dragon. That would be horrible.
I nodded at the security men one more time and turned around. James still sat on the floor studying me with his head on one side. When I faced him, I sensed that palpable wave of relief I experienced when I first walked in. He understood. I could trust him to do his best for me. I never had to doubt him. It was the dragon that scared the shit out of me.
I ducked my chin once. “Are you ready?”
He nodded. “I’m ready when you are, Paige dear.”
I couldn’t react to that name now. I punched the release and the glass window slid up. That left nothing but empty air between me and him. He scanned the security men and a sizzle of tension ran through the room.
Very slowly, very deliberately, he got to his feet and stepped out of the pen. He advanced on the men and their ranks parted to let him through. He halted at my side. “Now what?”
I inclined my head toward the door. “Come with me, please. I’m taking you to the lab.”
5
Paige
The security men fell back to let us through. James and I strolled side by side out of the containment unit and into the corridor. Anybody who saw us might think we were just two ordinary people out for a walk.
The security detail tagged after us. When I glanced behind me, I noticed that most of them had their weapons drawn. They aimed them at the floor all ready to whip up and fire. Would they kill me at the same time?
Nothing happened. James didn’t look back. He kept meandering down that hall like he had all the time in the world. He peeked through open lab doors, but he didn’t try to escape. He pretended not to notice the security people at all.
I waved toward one of the rooms. “In here, please.”
He stopped next to the examination table. “Now what?”
“Lie down, please. I need to restrain you.”
“Why do you need to do that?” He looked over at his guards as if noticing them for the first time. “Why do you need these men if they aren’t going to stop me from escaping?”
I scanned the lab not seeing anything. I couldn’t stop my heart hammering in my brain. “You’re right. If you shifted in here, there would be nothing any of us could do anyway.” I rounded on the guards. “You can go.”
The guys exchanged glances. “Are you sure, Mum? Perhaps we shouldn’t leave you alone with…..him.”
I turned back to James. Now that I stood facing him like an ordinary person, I couldn’t believe he would ever hurt me. “It’s all right. You can go. You can report to Sweeney that I’m taking personal responsibility for him.”
They drifted away, but not without several backward gla
nces at James. At last, the door closed and they left us alone. James bowed from the waist and closed his eyes. “Thank you, Paige dear. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
“Just don’t make me regret it, okay?” I waved toward the table. “Lie down and let’s get started.”
He stretched out and I switched on the overhead light. I wheeled an IV tree next to him. He shrank from it. “What are you going to do?”
I hung a bag from the tree. “This is a Depthamol drip. I’m going to insert a needle into your arm and I’m going to start increasing your blood serum concentration of the drug.”
He frowned. “What will that do? I thought you had to figure out how much of it I needed to prevent shifting.”
I flapped my hands. “That’s for another day. This is different.”
He craned his neck back to examine me. “You seem nervous, Paige dear. Is there something I should know about this drug?”
“I’ve told you everything.” I gulped hard. “I’m nervous because I have to increase the dosage until you start experiencing side effects. You’re going to get cold and sweaty. You’re going to break out in seizures. These are the early warning signs that the level is too high. I need to determine how much you can sustain and that process in itself could cause you to shift. That’s why I’m nervous. Okay?”
“Oh.” He pursed his lips. “I see.”
I ran my sleeve across my forehead, but I couldn’t calm down. “When the side effects hit, it’s really important that you don’t panic.” I held up a loaded syringe. “This is the antidote. The instant you start having seizures, I’ll administer the antidote and the side effects will disappear instantly. Just please, whatever you do, try not to shift before that happens. Okay? Do you understand?”
He nodded. “I understand, Paige dear. I’m so sorry about all this.”
“Forget it. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. Now I need to restrain your arms and legs.” I took hold of his wrist.
“Whatever for?” he asked. “I’m cooperating, aren’t I?”
“You’re cooperating beautifully and I’m very grateful for that. It’s just a procedure I have to follow.”
I fastened his arms down and applied a Velcro strap across his chest. He submitted to everything without a peep. Now came the moment I had to stick the IV into his arm. I dreaded every move for fear he would get upset and shift.
He didn’t, though. He lay there like a lamb and let me insert the needle into his arm and tape the cannula in place. I hung the bag in position and let out a broken sigh. “There. It’s starting. The computer will record the amount of drug entering your system.”
He peeked up at the bag. “How long will it take?”
“I have no idea. It could take a while. It just depends on what your system can sustain. We know nothing about your physiology. You could take quite a lot.”
He surveyed the ceiling. “I don’t feel anything yet.”
“Just please,” I murmured, “try to stay calm no matter what happens.”
He glanced over at me. “Paige dear?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you…. consider….?” He rotated his eyes right and left. “Would you mind very much sitting here beside me and talking to me during this procedure? Your presence calms me.”
I early jumped out of my skin. “Oh! Of course. Sure. Hold on.”
I grabbed a stool and wheeled it next to the bed. I perched on it and studied the IV line. Clear liquid dripped through the tube at a geological pace. We could be here all night.
“Talk to me,” he murmured. “Take my mind off it. Please.”
My gaze snapped to his face. When I looked at him, I realized how tense and anxious this whole thing made me. I needed to distract myself, too. “Okay. What would you like to talk about?”
“Tell me about yourself. Tell me about where you come from. Tell me about this Chicago place.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re the only person on the planet who doesn’t know about it.”
He grinned. “Then you must tell me all about it. Is it nice there?”
“No. It’s hideous. It’s a big, ugly city—nowhere near as nice as London. The people aren’t all that nice, either, and I grew up in a close-knit Irish community. We were closer than most and it’s still not very nice.”
He cocked his head. “Irish, eh? That explains the red hair.”
I blushed in spite of myself. “Don’t start making Irish jokes.”
“I should have known you were Irish. Kelly is such an Irish name.”
I found myself chuckling. “Anyway, Chicago gets freezing cold in the winter and the wind cuts like a knife. I thought I never wanted to live anywhere cold again as long as I lived.”
“So you moved to London, instead?” He clucked his tongue. “Paige dear, you poor silly fool.”
I had to laugh. “It’s not as bad as that. London is a damp cold. It’s a little more bearable than Chicago. Anyway, I like London enough to put up with the cold. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Chicago.”
“I’m sure you can see as many Irish here as there,” he remarked.
“I’m sure.”
“You must like London an awful lot. Whereabouts in town do you live?”
“I don’t live in town,” I told him. “I live in Norbiton.”
“Norbiton!” he exclaimed. “That’s a hike. How do you get into town each day to work? Do you take the mail coach?”
I swallowed my laughter. The mail coach! Poor guy. He didn’t even know about cars even though he’d probably seen thousands of them in town. “I don’t work in town, James. This lab is not in London proper. I only have to drive a few miles to work each day.”
He frowned. “That’s odd. Where is this lab?”
“I’m not allowed to tell you that. It’s classified—that means it’s a protected State secret.”
“Then tell me where you live in Norbiton. Don’t tell me that’s a protected State secret.”
Now I really did burst out laughing. I really liked him. He was the one who put me at ease instead of the other way around. “No, it’s not a protected State secret. I live in Bonner Hill Road, right across from Kingston Cemetery.”
“Ah,” he mused. “Lovely old Kingston Cemetery. I know it well.”
“Don’t go getting too nostalgic about it. You’ll probably never see it again. I live in a big blue house—number twenty-nine. Now that’s enough secret details about me. Tell me about you.”
“There’s not much to tell, really. I’m just a country squire—or destined to be one. I’m a most uncomplicated character, I’m afraid.”
I gazed down into his eyes and he gazed back up at me. “We know a little about your family right up until you disappeared from the Great Armour Hall. Can you remember anything about what was happening at that moment?”
“Nothing was happening. We were standing around talking about this and that. Two of my brothers were discussing some local trollop they both fancied and my parents were discussing a letter Father had just received in the post. That was all. I don’t remember anything after that until I found myself outside Buckingham Palace. The very first thing I remember thinking was that something was seriously wrong with the structure because Marble Arch wasn’t there.”
“We’ll probably never know what happened.” I checked the IV bag. “I suppose, in a way, Sweeney is right that it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that….”
“Paige dear.” His voice startled me and I whipped around fast. Beads of sweat stood on his forehead and his eyes skated over the ceiling. “I feel rather queer.”
I seized his hand and jumped to my feet. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is it starting?”
His lips moved, but no sound came out of his mouth. His eyelids drifted half-closed and his eyes rolled back in their sockets. His skin went cold to my touch. “James!” I cried. “James, can you hear me?”
At that moment, I felt it. The faintest shimmer of vibrating tremor raced throu
gh his fingers. I yanked my hand away in a flash and snatched up the syringe. I fought to steady my grip steering the needle into the IV port. I crammed down the plunger praying to God Almighty the antidote would take effect before he shifted.
He quivered all over. The next second, he broke into violent seizures jerking against the restraints. The IV tree rattled and the tubing bounced. I backed away. Holy fucking shit, what if the antidote didn’t work? What if he shifted right here and now? Then what would I do?
I kicked myself for sending the security guards away, but even then, I knew it wouldn’t make any difference. James already proved out on the street that all the weapons in the military’s arsenal wouldn’t subdue him. If he shifted in here, there wouldn’t be a force under the sun that could stop him from breaking through the roof and flying away.
Part of me half-hoped he would do just that. He would be free. He didn’t have to stay here and put up with this testing. He was doing us all a massive favor by cooperating when he didn’t need to. For all we knew, the Depthamol did absolutely nothing to suppress his power. Maybe it was just his supreme good nature that stopped him from incinerating us all in seconds.
As quickly as they started, the seizures died. He flopped on the table and his neck lolled. His features went slack and he rasped low in his throat. “Paige! Paige!”
I lunged for the table and grabbed his hand one more time. I pressed it between both of mine. I couldn’t let go. “I’m here, James! I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re all right. You’re going to be all right.”
A shuddering sigh floated through him and he relaxed all over. “Thank you. Thank you.”
6
James
I cast a skeptical glance around the laboratory. After spending the last week in here with Paige, it didn’t look or feel the same without her in it.
That young sprout Tristan bustled around. He didn’t give me anywhere near the sense of safety and assurance that Paige did. The more I watched him, the more I suspected he didn’t have the first clue what he was doing.
