by Kari Thomas
“What are you saying, Slade?” Aleta’s voice was a bit unsteady. “Is he simply magical, or…” She shook her head. “It’s not possible. The only Air Dragons alive are Ruliard, Ansel, and you.”
He didn’t want to accept it either, but what other explanation could it be? Summer had seen a huge bird shape fly over and his first thought then had been dragon, though he had blamed it on Aleta at the time. He stepped out from behind the boulder. “The only way we’re going to find out is to get him out here.”
He looked at the small mountain. It wasn’t too high; the cave probably led further underground. “Gunther, Marcus, change and fly to the edge of that cliff. When we get him out, come down on him. Aleta, change. I want you ready to hit hard if you have to.” He paused and straightened his shoulders. “I’m going to use magic to bring down that safeguard. If he doesn’t come out, I’m going in.”
He wasn’t sure what exactly they were dealing with, but he didn’t doubt they had the advantage. Despite being only half Air dragon, his magic was strong, and he had the fighting advantage of being a warrior fire dragon.
Slade walked a few yards closer to the cave, contemplating. He hadn’t used his magic in a long time. Rarely had to, except in matters of protecting the secret of the Clan. He studied the faintly glowing aura covering the entrance. It sparkled with multi prisms of color. His gut clenched. The only other time he’d seen that type of multi-colored safeguard was when Ansel had placed it around the perimeter of the compound when they’d first moved there and before they could set up the security measures. Invisible to the naked eyes, but not to an Air dragon.
Slade inhaled a deep breath and held it. His dragon came awake, instantly touching the air in his lungs with fire. The burning sensation rose from his gut to his throat to his nostrils. With a hard shove, he exhaled and sent the fiery breath out of his mouth. It rushed forward in a huge ball of flame. It slammed into the barrier of the entrance with a hit so hard the ground shook.
Just as quickly, Slade roared out the words of the spell that would push the flame past the barrier and force it to melt. Foreign sounding, harsh and guttural, the familiar words flew from his mouth as though they were weapons of fire. His dragon pushed forward, and Slade let the change happen.
His six-four body blurred as though it was melting into one solid, shapeless form. Quicker than the eye could follow, his clothes disappeared, his body contorted, and a dragon began to emerge. His body length was almost twenty-five feet, massively muscled. His wing span spread to almost sixty feet, the scales a deep garnet red with a few multi-colored ones here and there. His long legs and arms were equipped with sharp, dangerous talons at the ends. His tail was deep garnet red too, narrowing down to a long pointedly sharp end. His head was massive, with long sharp teeth, pointed horns, and huge gold eyes that gleamed with otherworldly power.
He roared, sending fire from his mouth and nostrils to empower the fire spell pushing against the barrier. To his side, Aleta had changed, her orange-red dragon smaller in comparison and looking deceptively less dangerous. The ground beneath them rolled, protesting the energy being thrown out. The small mountain shook, and rocks rumbled down. Above, Marcus and Gunther hovered, ready to strike.
Slade and Aleta braced themselves when the fire spell finally broke through. A huge blast of fire, smoke, and multi-colored sparkles exploded outwards. Rocks flew; the ground shook hard. When the dust finally settled, complete silence reigned.
Long minutes passed. Slade was just about to enter when the voice boomed out from the cave. He signaled everyone to hold the position.
“Who dares to disturb my resting place?” It was a loud, raspy voice, oddly accented.
Slade took several aggressive steps forward. He made his tone formal, in the way of all dragons when they first meet. “I am Slade. Guardian of the Shamara Clan. Who are you, and why are you in our territory?”
There was long silence again. Then, “I am Chen. Seeker for the Kado Clan.”
Slade’s heart stuttered then raced. Hellfire! This wasn’t real. Beside him Aleta gasped loudly, muttering in shock, “It can’t be true. There aren’t any more.” Her eyes widened. “Slade?”
Slade tried to process the facts but couldn’t slow his racing thoughts. Was this just a trick? Maybe the creature had full knowledge of dragon shifters, and his magic skills allowed him to copy? He was going to find out. Now.
“Show yourself,” Slade demanded. “If you come out without using your magic, I swear on my honor no harm will come to you.” Yet. He signaled Gunther and Marcus to hold. Aleta stepped closer to him, ready but holding too.
After a long minute of tense waiting, Slade felt the ground echoing in rumbles as the creature came forward from the depths of the cave. Whatever form it was in, it was heavy and large.
He wasn’t really surprised to see the Air dragon emerge from the cave. Not surprised, but admittedly confused. How was it even possible? Were there really more of them?
He quickly perused the shifter. Smaller than Slade’s dragon form, Chen was definitely Air dragon with his multi colors. His muscled form was at least one size larger than Aleta, but appeared oddly more slender in shape and gracefulness. He came to a stop just outside the entrance.
Then he did the oddest thing: He bowed to them!
Slade was speechless. He coughed to cover his surprise. “Why are you here, Chen, Seeker of the Kado Clan?”
“Obviously being chased and attacked by your people, Slade, Guardian of the Shamara Clan.” It was sarcastic but still formal. Slade almost grinned. Enemy or not, he appreciated the honesty.
“We had reason to chase and attack,” Slade told him, dropping the formal speak. It was time to get to the bottom of this mystery. He wanted to know why Chen was stalking Summer. Hell, he wanted to know why he even existed when it was believed all others were extinct.
“I have the right to know why you have attacked me.” Chen raised his head higher. His dark black eyes gleamed with pride. “I am not an aggressive dragon. I have not targeted your people.”
“No,” Slade growled, “but you’ve been stalking someone we are protecting. She has been in fear ever since your appearance. What do you want with her?”
Chen stared for a long moment. “She is someone important to you, too?”
Hell, yes. Whether I want her to be or not. “Too?” Slade had caught that revealing word. “What do you mean, too?” Why did he suddenly feel gut-punched?
“I have searched twenty years for her, worldwide. We did not know there were other dragon shifters alive. We thought we were the only ones left. Had we known, I would have come to you first. I would formally have asked for your permission to take her to my home and my Clan.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” A hot rage was suddenly building deep inside Slade. He wasn’t happy with the direction of his thoughts. Suspicions and facts were battling for dominance in his mind. His stomach clenched in dread and anticipation.
“The Kado Clan has been in hibernation for over a thousand years,” Chen explained. “Our cave was frozen in solid ice, and we have slept the centuries without knowing of the changes in the world beyond. We were forced into the hibernation state in order to preserve our lives for when the time would come and we could once again find Healers in the new world. Ours died before the hibernation; they could not live in the bitter cold that was our existence at that time. When we arose from our ice cave, we discovered that all the dragon shifters were gone. Extinct. Or so we were led to believe. We knew then, there were no more Healers to be found either. Then our Shaman had a vision. He saw a gypsy woman and a child. The prophecy that came with the vision said the child was a Healer, the only one left in the world. I started out that day to search for her.” Chen paused and looked hard at Slade. “I found her here.”
“Summer!” Aleta choked out the word. “Oh God, Slade. It’s Summer. I was right.”
Every soul-searing emotion, every stark feeling he felt for Summer rushed into him
with fiery passion, leaving him shaking. How could this be true? She wasn’t a Healer. She couldn’t be. She was just an innocent woman.
If it were true, then she had every reason to hate dragon shifters. They had massacred her entire clan, her family. She was left a four-year-old orphan, because of dragons.
The odd familiarity he’d felt around her made sense now. The sweet gardenia scent of her skin, her fey beauty. All the Fabrizio Clan gypsies had that ethereal beauty. It was one of the things that set them apart from all others. That and their incredible, powerful healing powers.
Summer was the only survivor of that massacre. All this time, she’d been right under his nose.
He wanted to believe it, but then, he didn’t want to either. The conflict ate at him. It can’t be true. I would have known.
What the hell was he going to do if it was true? He needed her help. Ruliard and Ansel desperately needed her healing skills, but would she even agree? Did she even remember her past?
“Her name is Summer?” Chen asked. “Very appropriate. Our summer has come, and she is here now to save us.”
“She belongs with me,” Slade growled out. His declaration stunned him. Damn, why did I say that? He quickly amended, “She is our Healer and we cannot spare her.”
“We have no immediate need of her healing skills, but we need her with us should the time ever arise. Perhaps we can work out an agreement?”
“No, damn it.” Slade swallowed back the aggressive roar in his throat. No one was taking Summer anywhere. He’d kill if he had to, to protect her. Even if she ended up hating him when she found out what he was.
“Slade means that our ruler, Ruliard, will not agree to let her go,” Aleta told him more calmly. “We are very protective of her, and we don’t know your Clan. We didn’t even know you existed.”
“Perhaps then, I should speak to this Ruliard?” Chen’s voice hinted at his held-in-check anger.
Slade bit back another growl. You’ve got to get past me first.
Aleta nodded when Slade said nothing. “We can arrange it, but not right away. You are welcome to come to our compound and wait for the appointment.”
“The Healer will be there?”
“Perhaps.”
“I understand your hesitation and your protectiveness of her. I will abide by your rule for now. I thank you for the invitation.” Chen bowed again.
They mutually agreed to change back to human form. Marcus and Gunther landed beside them and changed too. Chen revealed his Chinese heritage when he became a man. He was slender and small boned. His blue-black hair was braided, waist length and tied in a silk thong. His tiny black eyes were slit-narrow. He looked to be close to a hundred in dragon years.
Slade took him in the Hummer while the others followed back to the compound. His mind was racing. If Summer remembered her horrifying childhood, then she would still harbor a justified hatred for dragon shifters. It hadn’t been his Clan who had slaughtered the Fabrizio Clan but rogues they had never managed to capture later. They’d found the remains of the village after the horrific deed but hadn’t been able to track the rogues because of the rainstorm. The fact that a ferocious storm had hit the same time of the attack told them one or more of the rogues had been Air Dragons, but they never knew for sure. When they had been forced to evacuate the island they just assumed the rogues had either left or perished there. They’d never caught sight or heard of them again.
They never knew one single child had survived that nightmare.
He was torn. He wanted to turn around and go back to his apartment, force her to come with him back to the compound and heal Ruliard and Ansel. Yet. He wanted more than anything to take her in his arms, protect her from what she was about to face, and keep her safe from anyone ever hurting her again. Damn it, when had she become so important to him? His protective instincts were aggressive when it came to her, and he couldn’t explain why. Maybe because he had subconsciously sensed her connection to the Clan?
No. He knew he was trying to avoid the real reason. The truth was he was more than just attracted to her. Something about her called to every cell in his being. Even his dragon recognized the unrelenting need.
He had to get his mind cleared. He had obligations to his Clan, obligations he would fight to keep, even kill if he had to. He had a need, though, that had nothing to do with his obligations. A need that would surely kill him if he gave in to it. A need that would inevitably destroy him and Summer both.
Chapter Fifteen
On the ride back to the compound Slade drilled Chen. He wanted to know more about the dragon clan that had suddenly awoken from hibernation. Chen explained they were under a compulsion to wake from their ice cave when the time was finally right and there was a Healer in the world. Their entire history was long and complicated, but they shared a lot with the Shamara Clan in that they needed Healers in order to survive in the world. Also like the Shamara Clan, there were very few left.
“When my search led me here, after so many years, I only wished to seek out the Healer and be assured she was what had been prophesied. I tried approaching her several times but was attacked.”
“Why did you use several different forms?” Slade asked. “Why didn’t you just approach her in your human body? You scared the hell out of her.” He pushed down his anger, and his dragon rumbled softly.
“Because I sensed danger near her.” Chen made the startling statement low, his tone angry. “You are dragon also. Did you not feel the aura of danger that surrounds her? I wanted to be in a form that might give me advantage to fight whatever enemy I would have to face.”
Slade frowned. Chen’s magic was strong, no doubt about it. “Is your entire Clan magic users?” What kind of threat would they be in the future?
Chen nodded his head. “Yes. We are all powerful. It is our heritage. We can use many forms, not just our dragon. It has kept our Clan from extinction for centuries.”
That would explain, too, how Chen sensed the aura of danger he hadn’t. His preternatural instincts had been centered on Chen only, and he hadn’t realized there might be another adversary nearby. Damn it. He had been so careless with Summer’s life! Fool! He’d be more diligent now. Hell, Summer would be lucky if he ever let her out of his sight again.
“Did you recognize this dangerous aura around Summer?” He needed to know what he was missing, that he was up against in order to protect her. His gut clenched.
“A magic user,” Chen answered. “It is the only way I can describe the feeling.”
Slade muttered a few foul words under his breath. A magic user could mean anything or anyone. Despite humans not acknowledging there were supernatural beings in the world, they existed–all kinds. Which doesn’t help narrow down the list, does it? Damn it all to hell.
He decided to put Chen in the guest room of his home. Aleta lived there too, and she could keep an eye on him when he couldn’t. He told him he would have to wait to meet Ruliard but didn’t explain why. He still wasn’t sure if he thought of Chen as enemy or friend. “You are allowed to fly and hunt within the compound–below radar–but you cannot leave without permission,” he told Chen. “Our rules are strict here, but it keeps us safe.”
Chen agreed and told him he would spend most of his time in deep meditation. Slade went on to the royal house to check on Ruliard and Ansel. He sent Aleta ahead to inform the others on the compound that there was a guest, but he wasn’t to be disturbed or approached. He could just imagine the commotion when his Clan discovered there was an Air Dragon here. Everything they had been led to believe was unraveling faster than he could think it through, and he still had to figure out what to do about Summer.
Boyce was in Ruliard’s room when Slade entered. He waved him to the door. “He is getting weaker, Slade. This illness is eating away at him from the inside. Nothing I do helps him. Ansel is in the same condition.” Boyce paused. “I’m afraid they may not live much longer if we don’t find a cure.”
Slade made up his mind,
hardening his heart. Summer was their only hope. She was going to hate him when she found out the truth, but there wasn’t any way around it. He couldn’t let Ruliard and Ansel die.
“Do whatever it takes, Boyce, to keep them alive for a while longer. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
He hated how long it took him to get back to the city and his apartment, but it gave him the time he needed to figure out the best way to approach Summer. Reed had adopted her when she was five. What if she didn’t remember her traumatic childhood? Telling her he was a dragon shapeshifter and that she had to come back with him to heal Ruliard and Ansel would certainly send her into shock; or, she’d think he was completely crazy. Hell, I’m beginning to think I am, when it comes to her.
What if she did remember? Would she refuse to help? Her fear went deep; he’d seen indication of that with her nightmare and fear of the dark. What if she had been in hiding all these years so that no one knew of her existence and she would never have to help another dragon shifter?
How much did Reed know? That thought plagued Slade. If Reed knew of Summer’s past, then he knew about the dragon shifters. Did he know they were living right under his nose? It didn’t bode well if a human knew of their existence.
“Too many damn questions and no answers.” Frustration ate at him. He wasn’t used to not having everything under control, and he hadn’t had complete control since the day he walked in and came face to face with Summer.
It took a lot of willpower to control his need to roar in rage when he got back to the apartment and found her gone. The little minx had defied him! He made a thorough check to make sure there was no scent of anyone else, and there were no signs of struggle. At least she was still safe. She must have called Reed to come and get her.
