by Jade White
I left the guest bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me. I walked into the living room to see Michael awake and wide-eyed with some new toy that Kathleen probably got him. It was a fire truck.
“Good morning,” Kathleen called out to me from the kitchen.
“Morning,” I answered.
“Did you sleep well?” Kathleen asked as I entered the kitchen.
“Really well, actually, although the awakening was a little less enjoyable,” I said.
Kathleen laughed. “You didn’t enjoy the teddy bear I sent?”
“Not by a long shot, he took up way too much room on the bed,” I joked.
“Listen, are you or Michael allergic to anything?” she asked with a smile.
“Nope,” I answered, “although Michael can get picky with his food.”
“Does he like pancakes?” Kathleen asked.
“Loves ‘em.”
“Perfect,” she replied.
I smiled as I watched her begin to fry the pancake mix she had been preparing. I left her to her own devices to go get ready. I grabbed the backpack with our stuff and took out a fresh batch of clothes to wear.
I went into the bathroom to change and thought about this morning. Shawn had been spooning me… and I wondered for how long since I woke up in his hold. I shivered. I was so cold out of bed and not in his arms. I missed that feeling of heat and security. Perhaps there was something in the future for us. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and red from crying the night before but it could also be mistaken for just a terrible sleep. I cursed my fair complexion.
By the time I had freshened up, breakfast was on the table and Kathleen was calling us.
“Thank you so much for breakfast, Kathleen,” I said politely.
“Thank you!” Michael chimed in, remembering his manners.
“Thanks,” Shawn agreed.
“No worries all of you, we have a lot to discuss today. I also slept on the problem so I have a couple of options to present to you,” Kathleen said. “However, I have a ton of work to do today so the discussion will have to wait until tonight.”
Shawn opened his mouth to speak but Kathleen shushed him before he could even start.
“In the meantime, Shawn,” she looked at him, “can show you around the city, Rachel. I have to go now for work so have fun!” Kathleen bid us goodbye as she left out the front door in a rush. We dug into the pancakes she left on the table, along with the syrup she left as well.
“My god! This is so good!” I commented.
“Kathleen has always been a good cook,” Shawn said.
Her pancakes were the perfect amount of fluffy and sweet. I could have probably eaten them without syrup. Michael, in the meantime, ate messily but managed to not get syrup on his clothes, thank god.
After we had all finished I took Michael into the bathroom to wash his sticky hands.
“Did you brush your teeth yet?” I asked.
“Kathleen made me!” Michael said with a frown.
I laughed. She was looking out for us.
I returned to the kitchen with Michael to find Shawn washing the dishes.
“We’ll go as soon as I finish cleaning up,” Shawn said.
I nodded and went with Michael to the living room to entertain him. We played with the fire truck that Kathleen had given him along with his favorite teddy bear.
“Shawn said that, that, we’re staying here,” Michael stuttered.
“Did he?” I asked.
“I want Mommy to stay too,” Michael said.
“Mommy is staying, no matter what they say,” I softly whispered.
“Good,” Michael said with a smile. “Shawn is fun but I’ll be lonely without you.”
“Really?” I asked with a laugh. “I’d be lonely without you too, baby.”
Michael and I shared a smile as we went back to playing. The fire truck was dating a helicopter and was seeking advice from the teddy bear about what to do.
“Do you love the helicopter?” Michael asked in a high pitched voice, pretending to be the teddy bear.
“I think I do,” I replied in a comically low voice, “but I don’t know how to tell helicopter about my feelings.”
“You need to talk to helicopter!” Michael said. “How else will helicopter know?”
I hummed at how this situation seemed to mirror my own. Shawn and I had a tension between us but we never spoke about how we would deal with it. Shawn sneaking into my bed this morning was a reminder that I still had to deal with my remaining feelings for him. I needed to file away whatever was making my heart beat so fast.
“Okay I’m ready to go,” Shawn interrupted my train of thought, he was holding a picnic basket in one hand and a blanket in the other.
I stood up and held my hand out to Michael to help him up. “Do we have to stop playing?” he asked.
“We’ll play more when we get back,” I promised.
I held Michael’s hand as we exited Kathleen’s house. It was bright out even though we were underground; there were street lights littered everywhere. “I can’t even tell what time it is now,” I commented.
“It’s the morning, according to my watch,” Shawn said.
Shawn led us down the cobblestone streets. There were no cars since the streets were far too narrow and uneven for them. There were, however, many people on bikes staying on one side of the street. Every person we passed looked at us with a sort of wariness.
The buildings were tall and packed together and while they looked modern, they did seem to be renovated from a much older skeleton building. As we made our way further into the city, the buildings became visually older and less renovated. They had a gothic feel to them and their architecture was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
We eventually came upon a spot where the buildings stopped and a field began. Further beyond were a stream and many trees.
“How is it that grass is growing underground?” I asked unable to believe.
“The lights here are like those used to help people with depression, they simulate the sun and can help plants grow,” Shawn explained.
“Oh,” I said in wonder. I had never seen such a sight before. Just the fact that this all existed was amazing. Shawn, Michael, and I walked further into the field until Shawn decided it was the perfect spot to place our blanket.
“I thought we’d enjoy a picnic first before going on a tour,” Shawn explained, “So I prepared us a snack.”
“That sounds… nice,” I commented.
“I try,” Shawn shrugged. Shawn unfolded the blanket and straightened it on the grass. Michael sat down, pulling me with him. Shawn then placed the picnic basket in the middle.
“You know we just had breakfast right?” I asked.
“I know, but it’s a good time for wine,” Shawn said.
“Wine?” I repeated.
“And juice for Michael of course,” Shawn added in a hurry, “plus snacks in case we are hungry.” Shawn opened the picnic basket to reveal a large bottle of red wine and two glasses, along with a package of juice boxes.
“Which kind do you want, little man? There’s apple, fruit punch-“
“Fruit punch!” Michael interrupted.
Shawn grabbed that flavor, opened the straw and poked it in for Michael. “Here you are Michael,” Shawn said as he handed it over.
“Michael,” I warned.
“Thank you!” my son said.
I smiled at him.
Shawn then passed me one of the wine glasses, and opened the wine bottle.
“I hope you like wine,” he said.
“I do,” I admitted.
“That’s good,” he said as he filled my glass, then his own.
Michael sat and sucked his juice box dry while Shawn raised his glass as if toasting. I clinked my glass against his and gave him a questioning look.
“To being alive,” he said.
“To not feeling that horrible feeling in my gut,” I replied.
&nbs
p; We both took a sip of the red wine.
“Oh my gosh,” I said.
“What?” Shawn asked.
“I haven’t drunk alcohol in such a long time,” I said.
“Were you on a diet?” Shawn asked.
“Strictly on meats and greens,” I said, “and I worked out a lot so I had protein shakes every day.”
“You must actually be really strong then?” Shawn said.
“What do you mean actually?” I laughed, “I am!”
Shawn smiled, “I know.”
I smiled back at him. We sat close together, facing Michael. Shawn was leaning back on one hand while I sat straight up on my butt with my legs to one side. If I swayed a little further towards him I could lean on him…I mentally shook my head. Then Shawn looked at me and smiled again, our eyes locking. Somehow his face seemed closer than before. I felt my eyelids begin to lower before finally a soft pressure was introduced to my lips. It was slow but ended as soon as it began. Shawn pulled back and turned away and said, “I’m so sorry.”
I was speechless for a moment. “N-no, it’s okay,” I replied.
Shawn looked back at me. “Pretend that never happened,” he said.
I felt my heart sink to my stomach. Did he regret what he had done? Did he not want to kiss me? In fact, I didn’t even know how Shawn felt about me anymore. He was attracted to me once but I’m not sure of that anymore. It’s been so long and we’ve hardly had any contact since this whole thing began. I felt a sour taste in my mouth so I washed it down with the rest of the wine in my glass.
Perhaps I should not even think about it. I didn’t even know how I felt about him, let alone his feelings. I was letting my brain get ahead of me and make unneeded calculations.
“I’ll have another,” I motioned for Shawn to pour me more.
“Sure thing!” he replied and poured me another glass.
Once Michael finished his juice box he began to explore within our eye sight, looking at the grass and trees, the stream up ahead and a few beds of flowers along the path that led us here. Shawn and I relaxed, sipped wine, and spoke.
“Is your job hard?” I asked to fill the silence.
“Assassinating? I was trained so it isn’t too hard for me,” Shawn answered.
“You were trained?” I repeated.
“Both my parents were assassins and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. My mother was a sparrow while my father was a snake, and I got the lottery and got a dragon,” Shawn explained.
“Both your parents were assassins? A family of assassins….” I muttered.
“Sounds weird to you, doesn’t it?” Shawn said.
“The profession, yes, but the situation, no. See, my parents were both doctors and I too was going to become one,” I said.
“You went to med school?” Shawn questioned.
“I went to pre-med and then left to become a model, which was a surprise to everyone since I was doing so well,” I replied.
“Why didn’t you go through with becoming a doctor if you were good at it?” Shawn asked.
“I didn’t love it. I loved modeling, I went to one open call and that was it, I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” I explained.
Shawn hummed. “You know, people didn’t want me to become an assassin when they figured out I was a dragon.”
“Why not?” I questioned.
“My dragon form isn’t as... inconspicuous as say a spider or a bird,” Shaw explained.
“Ah,” I said in understanding.
“I was a late bloomer though, so by the time I fully shifted I was already halfway through my assassin training,” Shawn said. “I wanted to be an assassin like my mom and dad so when they refused to let me finish, I blew a fuse.”
“They refused to let you finish?” I asked. “How can they do that when you’re already halfway?”
“Well, the mayor at the time decided I’d be better off doing something else with my life, and I thought that was bullshit so I left and finished my training in the United States,” Shawn said.
“So you’re originally from Dublin?” I asked.
“Yes,” Shawn replied.
“You have an American accent, though?” I said.
“I picked it up on the way, though I can revert back if you like,” Shawn said in an Irish accent.
I laughed so hard I had to hold my stomach. I never expected this from Shawn and it made me so happy to learn more about where he came from. “Just do whatever is comfortable,” I said as my laughter died down a little.
“Was it that funny?” Shawn asked with a boyish smile.
“Yes!” I exclaimed.
“Mommy!” Michael interrupted.
I turned towards my son who had been running around exploring. “Yes, darling?” I answered.
“Flowers for you!” Michael said as he threw a bunch of dandelions up into the air, making them topple all over my head and shoulders. I closed my eyes and mouth for a moment and then smiled. “Thank you!” I said while picking out a dandelion from my wine.
Shawn began to gather the dandelions into a pile in between us.
“What are you doing?” Michael asked.
“I’m going to make a crown so your mum can wear them!” Shawn said.
“Oh!” Michael exclaimed, “Teach me! Teach me!”
I laughed.
***
“That’s the library over there,” Shawn pointed out, “and there’s the police station-“
He went on and on and the little nooks and crannies of the city, the best places to eat, the best clothing shops, where his old friends used to live, and little bits of history. It was really interesting to learn all these things about a city I hadn’t even known existed before this.
“You really love this place, don’t you? I asked.
“I do,” Shawn said after a pause. “I missed it.”
“Why didn’t you return after your training finished in the states?” I questioned.
“I got hired by the FBI,” Shawn said. “And I couldn’t defect after getting such a prestigious job.”
“Ah,” I said in understanding. It all seemed to make sense and the pieces fit.
“When you were at that party, that business you spoke about…” I began.
“It was to get rid of a minister, which I did just before I met you,” Shawn said.
“I have to say that this all seems to mirror a particular British spy’s life,” I mentioned.
“If only it was that glamorous,” Shawn joked.
We were returning to Kathleen’s house after Shawn’s tour. Michael was tired and begged to be carried so Shawn obliged while I held the picnic basket and blanket. We entered the familiar house and were welcomed by the homely smell of soup.
“Welcome back!” Kathleen’s voice called from the kitchen.
Shawn gently laid Michael down on the couch and I put the picnic basket and blanket off to the side in the entranceway.
“Hey Kathleen,” Shawn called back.
Shawn disappeared into the kitchen while I took off my shoes and then Michael’s, who was now fast asleep. I sat down next to him and stretched my feet out. It really had been a long day walking but I hardly noticed it until now since the ache was beginning to appear.
“Rachel?” Shawn called.
“Yes,” I said as I looked up to see Shawn peeking out of the kitchen.
“Dinner,” he said.
“Alright, one moment,” I said.
I gently woke Michael, and spoke softly to him. Once he had his eyes open, we both sluggishly walked to the dining room.
“I see Shawn really worked you hard,” Kathleen commented.
I laughed. “We walked all day but I hardly noticed how much until now,” I said.
“I can imagine. You probably covered the entire city,” Kathleen laughed.
Michael began to eat his soup slowly, as did I. It was delicious but I was just so tired. Once we finished, Kathleen allowed us to retire to the guest bedroom. Michael went s
traight to sleep while I stayed in the living room with Shawn to watch the news.
“It’s fine if you want to lean on me,” Shawn said since he probably noticed me nodding off.
“I’m fine,” I said adamantly.
I was tired but I didn’t want to lean on Shawn, but soon I felt the day catching up to me. It was as if the need started to well up in me and I just didn’t care about appearances. So instead of asking, I just lay my head on his shoulder. I felt Shawn shift for a moment, perhaps to look at me, but then he stayed still. Sleep tugged on my eyelids as another day had went by in this crazy life of mine. Now though I felt a little less alone.
*
“I lost them,” I spoke into the phone.
Static met my ears.
“Find them,” the voice commanded.
“Of course,” I obliged and hung up.
I looked beyond the cliff I currently stood on. Shawn and the new dragon shifter were last seen on that horizon heading towards what I could only assume would be Ireland. Where would Shawn take the child? What shifter faction was the mother from and why haven’t we received any Intel on her yet? There was something fishy about this whole situation that made me very curious.
“Mistress?” Crow called.
“What is it?” I asked.
“We have a confirmed sighting over in Ireland but no specific coordinates,” the black haired man answered.
“That’s hopeful,” I commented. “Did you get what I asked?”
“The FBI delivered it right where you asked,” said Crow.
“Good.”
If they were where I thought they were, then it would be easy to separate the guardians from the child. I wasn’t interested in the new shifter anyway; I was more interested in Shawn.
I wanted to fight him. I wanted to feel his blood on my claws and his scales in my beak. I wanted to smell the aroma of his burning flesh as I choked the last of his breath out his neck. I felt myself get excited and focused on calming down, breathing slowly in and out, in and out.
“Mistress? Are you okay?” Crow asked.
“I just can’t wait to really fuck him up,” I whispered greasily.
Ever since our little meeting where I was disguised as the Mayor, I was interested in testing Shawn’s mettle. I could tell he was powerful, but he refused to fight me head on and just ran, which was a severe disappointment. It was hard to find shifters who could actually stand a chance in a fight with me, and I wasn’t about to let one go.
