by A. Bulthuis
Dedicated to my amazing husband, Ron. If it wasn’t for him Autora and Rharonis would never have met. And to my girls whom never cease to amaze me with their imagination.
Chapter 1
"Damn! They said it was gonna rain today. Freaking weather men! How in the hell are we even going to squeeze two drops out of those wispy clouds!" Muttering out loud Autora shook her weary head and stomped away.
The soles of her smooth black boots, fondly name her 'ass-kickers', crunched on top of the drying grass, the ground so dry that each step caused a puff of dust to swirl lazily before resettling. One must think it would be the middle of the summer in a desert. Ha! Shading her eyes behind the length of her hand she looked past the 'Welcome to Alaka'i Wilderness Preserve' sign and stared up at the peak of Mt. Wai'ale'ale. The one place located outside of the continental US with the most annual rainfall.
The edges of her fingernails were ragged from teeth marks, teal paint chipped away carelessly. Black strands fell around her face and across her sweat licked neck as they escaped the high pony tail she had thrown up on her way out of the hotel room that morning. Dropping her hand she wished the sight wouldn't fully sink in, but the strangest feeling of being watched just hyped the tension coiling inside her chest. The 'ass-kickers' kept her moving forward though with the sunlight glaring off the golden hood of the rental truck she had parked down the road. Twirling the keys on her fingers, the musical jingle filling the silence that stretched around.
She almost jumped as a giant lizard scurried out from underneath the driver’s side door, hiding to escape the abnormally bright sun that raised heat waves off the pavement. She could almost hear its leathery scales sizzling as it disappeared into the brown and crackling brush. Whatever was going on couldn't be natural.
Opening the door she angles her long limbs into the stifling cab flipping on the a/c as soon as the key turned with a throaty rumble. Escaping down the road Autora thrummed her fingers to some Imagine Dragons, chuckling internally at the irony of the name. She thought it would be a simple stop on a beautiful island, sort of a mini vacation from her normal stuffy office job in upper Manhattan. Seeing no end in sight however to this unbearable heat wave she'd have to go farther. Looks like a trip up the mountains were in order.
The report from this area her boss had dropped onto her desk two days ago didn't mention that there were any clans she needed to gain permission to be able to wander this island so she packed a set of bikinis and her 'ass-kickers', a few light shirts and shorts and boarded a red eye that same night. Renting a car and checking in along with a luxurious dip in her in-room whirlpool and the first day was gone. Waking up to the sunlight filtering across her bed she stretched feeling her spine pop and toes crack she choked back a cough and grimaced. It felt like a lifetime since this morning as the mountain came closer in her windshield.
A loud grumble seemed to shake the truck making her eyes flip back and forth looking for the approaching storm clouds, realizing too late that it was her stomach. Slapping her tummy she in no uncertain terms told it to shut the hell up! Breakfast long forgotten in this heat.
The small pack she had thrown into the passenger seat lay flayed open to her surprise. Searching her memory and coming up blank she could only guess that whatever was watching her back there had no qualms of snooping. Shrugging her shoulders while storing the information for later she spied a smashed granola bar and ripped into the flimsy package scarfing it down like a starving person in one bite.
The sharpness of her incisors increasing at even that tiny morsel of food. Biting back a growl of irritation she took her eyes from the road to hunt down the king sized m&m's she knew she had thrown in her pack. With a triumphant whoop she looked back to the road, bag of candy in hand. That whoop turned to a loud curse as she spun the wheel as hard as she could to the right.
In the second it took her to look out her window triumphantly a large green shape filled her sight. Her swerve to avoid it came to a screeching halt down at the end of a short ravine filled with dried out trees. One trunk buried into the hood and passenger door. Groaning she fluttered her eyes as her vision swam red, her arms pinned in front of her making pins and needles sensations to shiver down her chest and back.
An acrid smell burst thru her nose and made her cough before the cerulean shape occupied her vision again before they closed and she lost consciousness.
Watching the small truck veer off the road the creature winced when the metallic screech of locked up brakes and metal on wood finally came to a stop. Stalking forward it peered down the small ravine at the twisted metal remains surrounding the thick tree trunks.
A small billow of smoke started pluming from around the hood. A shimmer surrounded the creature as it swiped its huge talons and tore off the door just as it saw the girl black out over the steering wheel, her arms pinned between the dash and her body. Talons turned into hands as it plucked her from the cab as the rest of the truck caught on fire.
The creature communicated to its leader to dispatch a team to put out the blaze before it razed this side of the island. Mentioning his unconscious prize he ignored the raise of concern and shut off his link.
Chapter 2
A steady thrumming pulsed beside her head, wincing she tried to raise her hand to the ache in her temple but felt resistance. Tugging her hand harder a deep throaty voice spoke into her ear shocking her into stillness.
“We’ll be there soon. Your hurt pretty badly so I'd suggest you just sit back and enjoy the ride cailin dathuil." The speed of air around her increased after the voice ended making her wonder how much further they had to go.
Flashbacks of the large winged shape burst behind her throbbing eyes. There wasn't much she could do at this point, being not only captive but in incredible pain. Stilling in the voices grasp she merely waited. Hurting too much to even try to process what cailin dathuil was or how to get away.
A sharp tingle stole over her from head to toe making her wince from the intrusion.
She knew that feeling.
Magick.
Her eyes shot open with a hiss. Her first look thru bleary eyes was off a dimpled chin surrounded by a shaggy chestnut beard a few days shy of being groomed. It flowed up to a pair of strong lips pressed flat in anxiety, the angle of the nose suggesting a few fights over a lifetime. Her head hung too low to see the voices eyes, she shuddered to think of what color would match that deep voice.
Pushing aside the thoughts rambling thru her addled brain she struggled to look around without the voice noticing her perusal. The sound of rushing water greeted her first, the damp smell of moss and heated rocks accompanied it. Then came the voices, first at a distance and then an angry buzzing. Closing her eyes she opened her ears to sort thru the confusion.
"What has he done?"
"Where did she come from?"
"Are we safe anymore? Should we seek out a new lair?"
“Eryavin said we would be safe here!"
The voice seemed to studiously ignore the others and strolled further into the cavern. The man’s heartbeat picked up the closer it reached its destination. Expecting to feel a cold slab underneath her when they stopped moving, but not the warm soothing feel of an underground hot springs. Startling her she pressed into her captor’s heat when she realized they both were in the water. Belatedly she thought of her clothes as they sunk deeper into the water. The cleansing smell of sandalwood and eucalyptus lingered in the air.
"What are we...” was all she got out before the voice dipped her under the water and held her.
Her preservation for life kicked in as she screamed under the water, her arms and legs thrashing despite his hold
on her. While reacting she failed to notice the absence of pain and the clearing of her vision. From above the water the voice looked on in amazement. Scales rippled across her pale creamy skin. Not only that, but the coloring had him gasping in surprise. They were a pearlescent pink and silver with an under tone of red.
How was it possible? There had never been anything like her before. It wasn’t conceivable. The clans didn’t mix. Ever. Especially not hated enemies like the silvers and reds. The abrasions on her arms and cheeks disappeared and the gash above her brow washed away along with the dried blood. She was a sight to behold even if her temperament was causing water spouts to erupt around them and sending it over the lip of the pool. She was marvelous.
Pulling her sputtering face out of the water he smiled down at her before she reached out with a clawed hand and swiped at his face wanting to knock it off there.
"Why the hell did you do that you dick?! Stop man handling me and let me go! Now!" Releasing her she fell into the water with an undignified splash, a strong peal of laughter echoing above the water. She re-emerged and glared at him as water steadily dripped down the bridge of her nose and from her thick dark eyelashes.
Lost in the depth of her rage darkened eyes, like lightening at midnight, he didn't see her fist till it made contact with his nose. A sickening crunch swallowed by a grunt of pain doubled him over making him an easy target. Jumping on top of him she shoved him under like he did her.
She didn't realize that the water had healing properties. Grabbing her around the legs he pulled her underneath the water with him, her scream of outrage like sweet music to his ears making him grin widely showing off his lengthened teeth. Shoving her hands against his shoulders she kicked out and landed a good blow to his gut before they both erupted from the water.
If looks could kill he would be dead ten times over. The sight of her mouth falling open in surprise just as his had earlier. The deep bronze of his skin illuminated the green like a burnished copper. Reaching up he went to swipe a strand of her hair that lay curled and plastered across her cheek. She batted his hand away with a snarl. Unafraid he went to do it again, snapping her teeth she went to bite his fingers. Throwing his hands up in defeat he chuckled.
"Alright, alright! Calm down cailin dathuil. I won't hurt you."
"Well then what the hell do you call almost drowning me? Your version of a friendly greeting?"
Shaking his head he swiped the chestnut curls from his face sending a spray of water to halo around him. "This is the thanks I get for snagging you out of your burning truck, and getting you healed? Not drowning healed."
His friendly smile made her seethe even more. A frown creased her brow as small pieces started falling into place. This guy had rescued her from her truck and also had the same shade of scales that the creature had that made her crash in the first place.
Chapter 3
"You! It was you I saw! I wouldn't have crashed if it wasn't for you! Arggh!" The last word came out as a growl as she launched herself at him. His mouth and eyes popped open widely. She would have laughed at it if not for being so pissed she could kill.
Bracing her legs under the water he reached up and grabbed ahold of her arms and pinned them behind her back as she fell into his chest. Her snarling and spitting only made him smile wider. What a spitfire she was.
"I believe I said calm down, didn't I? I'll put you under if I have to. Don't get me wrong restraining you is fun and all, but I really should check in." he couldn't resist winking at her knowing it would set her off again.
"Gah. What is with you? I swear, you do let me loose I won't hesitate to take off a limb or two!" Her knee hung precariously close to the 'family jewels' so to speak. Realizing this he shifted his hips and pulled her arms in tighter. Locking his gaze with hers, flashing grey and bright cerulean clash in a battle of wills. Her temper seemed to ebb away as light seemed to swirl in their depths sweeping out the anger and allowing a sense of peace in. Seeing the flare of anger leave her eyes and the tension of her limbs loosen he released his hold slowly.
Weaving on her feet she used his shoulders to steady herself. Blinking rapidly she dropped her hands as if burned.
"Fine, let's go check in. You sure as shit know I'm not standing here dripping wet to wait for you to get back. Least you could do after assaulting me is to show me where to get clean clothes. You'd probably love for me to catch hypothermia, oh and by the way, you owe me a new pair of 'ass kickers'."
"A new pair of what?" he looked at her with a small amount of amusement and confusion. Bending her knee she lifted her right foot out of the water and pulled off her boot, a waterfall of water cascaded out from the inside. Shaking the wet leather in front of his face she looked at him like "duh!"
"These are what I'm talking about idiot. For being a handsome guy you don't have a lot up in the head do you?" Carrying her boots smashed against her wet chest she gestures for him to show the way. With an undignified snort he patted her head and walked past her. Biting her lip she reigned in her temper. If she was going to get out of here she needed to find her way around which left her only one option. Follow the insufferable man.
In front of her he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Listening to her stomp like a small child that was pouting almost made his day brighten. Meeting the eyes of the clansmen and women that lingered outside the bathing cavern though made him sober up pretty quickly. The weary eyes and the questioning looks brought back the real reason why he had brought the girl here. When every ones gaze moved from being curious to wary he knew she had followed and was now in view, puddles of water following their footsteps.
Knowing everyone wanted to ask him questions he shook his head towards them warning them away. Coughing lightly he looked over his shoulder. "So you think I'm handsome huh?" Placing a lot of emphasis on being cheerful he still couldn't keep out the strain of tension from coloring his voice.
"Typical. Call a guy handsome and that's all he thinks about. Worse than damn girl, I swear." Muttering she huffed catching the change in his demeanor she attempted to discretely look around their surroundings.
For a cave it was certainly well lit and it was a hell of a lot classier than some of the five star hotels in Boston. How could they come up with all this inside of a cave? If it weren't for how she came to be here and the disheveled look of the people milling about a person might have thought they were actually in one of those five star exclusive hotels.
What she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around was that brief tingle of magick they had passed thru earlier. Only barriers produced that brief a feeling. So another question to add to her list was where they would be that these people would need a barrier only fae could produce. Who were these people and why did they need to be hidden. It felt like she had fallen into the rabbit hole. Nothing made sense. They couldn't be human rebels. The reports would have indicated any activity of them, especially to those who hold the reins. Could they possibly be? No it couldn't be. A lair of dragons. There hasn't ever been a lair on an island before. There wasn't enough heat and way way too much water. That was, until, the unseasonable heat and subsequent drought that was eating up the island. It wouldn't have occurred to her. Hell even the report didn't say or suggest any of this. Intelligence was falling way behind if they couldn't pick up on this.
All of this she mused pretty quickly. Had to do something other than watching droplets glisten at the ends of deep brown ringlets to fall and cascade down the nape of his neck and onto his collar. She so needed a real vacation and a visit to a spa. Muscles she didn't use were aching just thinking about the piece of meat strutting in front of her. Sighing exasperatedly she hurried her steps and walked beside him.
"How much further? These clothes are getting awfully uncomfortable and I'm getting extremely hungry. You will be the one to blame should I start eating people. I want to leave as soon as possible so let's get this show on the road." She made herself seem like a snotty brat hoping he would want to be rid of her quickly if
she made herself be as unappealing as possible. Her musings didn't go unnoticed. He kept a close watch on her. Her emotions were easily passing across her face. A small crease in her brow made him want to push it in with his fingers.
"Do all beautiful girls complain this much? Or am I getting special attention? You did after all say I was handsome. Oh, and as for your clothes and...", a loud growl erupted next to him momentarily silencing him and making her look up with a wide eyes sheepish expression before he busted out laughing. Tears escaping his eyes as he held his chest, “and your extremely angry stomach. Geez when did you last feed that thing? Are children even safe around it?" Shooting him a burning look she stuck out her tongue. "Har de har har, very funny. Children are safe but you might not be if you don't take of my needs. Now!"
Arching a brow he gave her a heated look, not the shut up kind but the panty dropping scorcher. "I didn't. You know that's not what I...oh grow up!!" Sticking her nose in the air she brushed her half dried hair over her shoulders hiding her reddened cheeks. He wanted to tease her further, she almost made it too easy, but a large open archway came into view cutting off his comeback. The palm of his hand cupped her elbow stopping her from walking any farther. She wanted to pull her arm out of his hand but seeing the seriousness on his eyes made her pause.
"Now my cailin dathuil, I know that you are feeling trapped and that seems to make you a bit cranky, but I think it might be more beneficial to this situation if you don't treat my commander as a handsome man. The smoother this goes the faster you can get out of her." Behind his back he crossed his fingers knowing full well they were never letting her go but there wasn't any reason to tip her off yet. "Our meeting with him is through this arch. But first I do suppose you'll need a little more sophisticated clothing. Come on thru here." Guiding her after slipping his palm to the small of her back he strode towards a small building sitting to the right of the archway. Pausing to open the worn wooden door he ushered her inside.
