by Tara West
The foolish Jenkens girl had said nearly the same thing, that the woman had healed her with her touch. Dr. Straw was too intelligent by far to believe such wild tales of magical healers. But the woman had used something, perhaps some sort of drug or medical instrument.
Whatever her cure, it was bad news for Dr. Straw. He counted on the extra income he made from house calls to pay for his gaming, booze, and whores. Mrs. Alderman was an influential member of the upper crust. If word got around that she had been cured, he would lose the rest of his patients to this charlatan.
No, he could not let that happen. Dr. Straw considered himself a practical businessman. He had grown too complacent with his patients over the past few years, and he realized the only way to keep his remaining clients was to start curing a few of them. But how? What methods had this woman used to heal her patients? It was then Dr. Straw realized he must use any means necessary, whether it be deception, coercion, or force, to discover this woman’s secrets.
* * *
Safina spent most of the day admiring the fancy houses on Broadway and feasting on peaches hanging from neighboring trees. By the time she’d reached the last of the gilded homes, her belly was sated, and she was fully in love with her new island home. After the sun had drifted toward the western horizon, Safina decided it was time to head back. She’d never hear the end of her mother’s chiding if she was discovered wandering Galveston alone.
Though she knew not where she was, she could always find her mother by letting her instinct lead the way. If she concentrated hard enough, her dragon senses could feel the invisible tether that pulled her to the safety of the dragon queen’s bosom. Her feet became sore and hot as she navigated bustling sidewalks and busy streets.
The only thing she loathed in this new world was the restrictive clothes, accompanied by the relentless, sweltering heat. How she looked forward to the evening when the sun dipped beneath the horizon and the breeze blew across her nape. She thought of Gabriel and his promise to read to her at the beach. Perhaps she’d strip off her confining boots and sit in the sand. She imagined looking up at him, his bronze skin aglow as the waning sun shone behind his angelic face like a halo.
She reached into her pocket and fingered the smooth material of the handkerchief he’d given her. The memento from him brought a smile to her face, a reminder of their friendship, for he was the only mortal friend she’d ever had who knew her for what she was and still liked her. Thoughts of Gabriel’s sideways smile made her heart pump an erratic rhythm, and she nearly lost her footing as she climbed over an empty box. She’d somehow found herself in a narrow alleyway stuffed full of crates at one end and an old, mule-driven cart at the other. Raucous laughter and strange music came into the alley from the windows overhead. The place reeked of sweat and rotten brew, and as she approached the cart overflowing with empty bottles, she knew why.
She held her breath and walked sideways past the cart, sucking in her full gut as she pressed against the wall behind her. Perhaps she should not have come this way. The old mule appeared to be on his last legs: his eyes were hazed over with what looked like pools of ice, and his ears didn’t even twitch in recognition when she patted his side. She breathed a sigh of relief after she walked around him, for he smelled like rotting entrails. As she spied the bustle of a busy street up ahead, she reminded herself never to take this way again.
She gasped when a hand grabbed her elbow, spinning her around.
A tall man with a thin, oily moustache and a crooked hat pointed at her. “You!” His mouth turned up in a feral snarl. “You look just like the healer. Tell me.” He jabbed her shoulder. “Are you her sister?”
She stepped back, jerking free of his grip and fanning her face in disgust as she tried not to breathe in his stale breath. “I’m her daughter. Who are you?”
He jutted a foot forward. “I’m the one asking the questions. How old are you? Sixteen? Seventeen?”
Safina was thrown off guard, for she’d truly no idea how old she was. Mother had said they’d been sleeping for about five hundred years, but neither of them looked that old. “I’m not sure.”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, you’re not sure?”
Safina stifled a curse. If she had been a mortal, she would have known her age. She stepped back, holding her hands up in a defensive gesture. “I’m afraid I’ve said enough.”
He lurched forward, clasping her wrist in a tight grip. “No, you haven’t. Not nearly enough.” Shadows fell across his face as his beady orbs darkened with malice. “What elixir does your mother use to heal her patients?”
She tried to shake off his hand, but he dug his claws in tighter. For the first time since coming to this new world, Safina was afraid of a man, not just because of what he could do to her weak mortal body, but what she could do to him if he did not let her go.
“I-I don’t know,” she stammered, unable to quell the trembling in her limbs.
“You’re lying,” he growled, hovering over her like a predator ready to devour his prey.
She tried again to shake him off, but the more she fought, the more he dug his nails into her flesh.
“You’re hurting me,” she cried.
He jerked her to him, until her chest was flush with his and his hot breath made her ill.
“I’ve always fancied redheads,” he cooed, a malicious whisper against her cheek. “You have a fire in your eyes. A bit young for my liking, but how I’d love to tame you.”
Safina had had about enough. Though she was naive in the ways of men, she suspected he was thinking of foul deeds.
She reared back and slapped him hard across the face, the sound of her palm striking his skin ricocheting off the alley walls.
“Let go of me, or you’ll regret it,” she spat, struggling to break free.
He squeezed her wrist so tight, she feared it would snap. “Child, you don’t know the meaning of regret.” He rubbed his reddening cheek and smiled, but it was not a friendly smile. No, it was one that promised cruel punishment.
“Good day, Dr. Straw.”
At the sound of a booming voice behind them, he released his hold.
Safina spun around and stepped away from her captor, whom she now knew by name: Dr. Straw. She archived his name in her memory, for she feared she’d come across him again. She thanked her lucky spirits the stranger had shown up in time. He was standing at the edge of the alley, his back to the bustle of the crowded street. He was tall, like Dr. Straw, but with broader shoulders and a full beard. She sensed a kindness in his warm, brown eyes, unlike Dr. Straw’s serpentine stare.
Dr. Straw straightened his hat and put on an air of superiority. “Good day, Mr. Moody.” He puffed up his chest like a rooster. “How is your dear wife?”
Mr. Moody ran his fingers through his hair, a look of bewilderment in his features. “You won’t believe this, but she’s recovered.”
Dr. Straw arched a brow. “Recovered?”
“Yes!” Mr. Moody’s excitement was palpable. “She’s discovered a new healer. I’m out to spread the word.” He looked from Safina back to Dr. Straw. “And what are you up to this fine day?” he said with a note of accusation in his voice.
Dr. Straw nodded at Safina with a frozen smile. “Just helping this child find her way home.”
Safina rubbed her sore wrist. “I can find my own way, thank you.”
Mr. Moody loudly cleared his throat and held a hand out to Safina. “I can escort you, my dear.”
Safina smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. Just as she took a step toward Mr. Moody, Dr. Straw grabbed her arm again, pulling her against him.
“Tell your mother I will be calling on her soon. Very soon.” His whisper was a promise of malice, a serpent’s hiss in her ear.
She forced herself to maintain a smile while speaking under her breath. “We’re not afraid of you.”
“You should be,” he growled before releasing her, giving her bottom a hard shove.
Safina gasped, not used
to such rough treatment. Oh, the fool was lucky she didn’t expose her true powers. But how she wished she could transform and snap him in two. It took all of her willpower not to shift into her dragon form.
Only when Safina had her arm safely locked in Mr. Moody’s did she turn to glare at Dr. Straw, but he’d already slunk back into the shadows, no doubt so he could plan retribution. Safina feared he’d make good on his promise to call on her mother soon. The doctor was angry with mother for curing his patients. What would he do to her when he called? Would he threaten her? Or would he already be leading a mob?
Chapter Sixteen
Safina did her best to slip quietly into the front parlor, for she did not want to be discovered by Mother, who was sure to chastise her for staying away so long.
“Where have you been?”
Safina cringed at the sound of Mother’s shrill rebuke coming from the stairwell. She looked up to see her clutching the railing with whitened knuckles and a fierce frown.
She tried to quell her trembling hands as she slipped off her bonnet and hung it on the rack. “I went for a walk.”
Mother crooked her finger and motioned toward the top of the stairs. No doubt she wished for privacy, so she could chastise Safina properly.
Safina’s shoulders fell as she walked up the stairs. She couldn’t shake off the feeling she was marching to her own funeral.
Mother stood in the doorway to their room, her amber eyes narrowed to slits. As angry as she looked, Safina imagined smoke pouring from her nose and mouth.
Safina slunk past her, crossing the room in a hurry and sitting on the opposite side of the bed, watching with envy as seagulls flew past her window. She flinched as the door slammed shut and the lock clicked.
Oh, she was in for a good scolding.
“You should have waited for me.”
Mother’s tone was surprisingly soft as she sank onto the bed beside Safina. Her mouth was drawn, and lines framed the dark circles beneath her eyes. Her mother had looked this way once before, after she’d midwifed for a farmer’s daughter the night she’d delivered twins. The poor girl would never have survived the night if it hadn’t been for her mother’s healing fires. Safina knew then without a doubt Mother had worked great magic today. She cringed, fearing Dr. Straw would certainly seek revenge against her.
“I was hungry.” Safina swallowed a lump of unease. “And I did not wish to disturb your work.”
Mother heaved a sigh before coursing fingers through her hair. “Listen to me, child. I do not know for how long these mortals will tolerate our presence. If they bring out the pitchforks, I must know where you are.”
Safina solemnly nodded and then braced herself for her mother’s reaction. “Mother, I came across a man while I was out.”
Mother shot to her feet. “A man? What man?” Her question was an urgent demand.
Safina clenched her hands as memories from her encounter coursed a shiver up her spine. “His name was Dr. Straw, and he isn’t pleased you are healing the sick.”
Safina thought she saw dragon fires simmering behind her mother’s eyes. “I feared this would happen.”
“He says he is going to call on you soon.”
Mother abruptly stood, the floorboards creaking as she paced across the floor. “Then we should leave before he comes.”
“Leave?” Safina gasped. “But I love Galveston.”
“There are plenty more villages like Galveston, I am sure,” Mother said with disinterest, as if all of Safina’s future happiness wasn’t at stake.
Safina slowly rose on shaky legs. She couldn’t imagine leaving now, not after finding her first true friend. “You’re going to let one man drive us away?”
Though she knew she’d needed to warn her mother, Safina regretted telling her about Dr. Straw.
Mother’s face hardened to granite. “You don’t know what one man can do.” Mother’s voice cracked like the deafening sound of ice splintering in the dead of night.
And Safina knew why.
She matched her mother’s hard stare with a steely gaze of her own, wanting so badly to know the truth, yet fearing her mother’s answer. “Is this about my father, the dragonslayer?”
Mother held up a silencing hand. “Please don’t speak of him.” She rested her palms on the edge of the vanity and gazed at her reflection in the oval mirror.
Safina knew not where her sudden surge of temerity had come from, but she refused to back down. She’d waited five centuries to learn the truth, and she wasn’t waiting any longer. “I have a right to know about my sire. Why did you mate with a dragonslayer?” Safina didn’t mean to sound so venomous, but she felt the barb of her words as they left her tongue. Still, she had no regrets. Her mother had a lot to answer for.
Mother turned her gaze down, her pale face flushing a bright crimson. “I did not know what he was.”
Did not know? So she had coupled with a stranger?
“Did he know what you were?”
Her head snapped up and her nostrils flared. “Of course not. He would have killed me had he known.”
“How did you find out?”
Mother shrugged. “I recognized his name.”
“You did not know his name before you mated?”
She picked up a brush with a wooden handle, running the pad of her thumb across the bristles. “Not his surname, no.”
Safina was shocked at her mother’s past, hearing she’d lain with a mortal before discovering his name. This did not seem like the cautious and stern dragon queen she’d known. “Did he ever find out you were a dragon?”
Mother slammed the brush down. “Aye.”
Safina swallowed a lump of nervous energy. He knew? Was that why Mother and she had fled so many villages? Because the dragonslayer was after their blood? “And does he know about me?”
“I haven’t spoken to him since before you were born.”
Safina found her mother’s answer far from reassuring. “Do you think you’ll see him again?”
Her mouth was set in a grim line. “I know I will.”
Safina couldn’t help but wonder what that reunion would be like and if they could somehow reconcile or if her sire was still determined to kill them. “What will you do?”
The dragon queen crossed the short distance between them and grasped Safina by the shoulders. “Whatever it takes. All these years we’ve spent running and then hiding was to protect you. I’d do anything, Safina, to keep you safe.”
Her eyes filled with moisture as the pain and fear in her heart ricocheted, slamming into Safina’s chest and nearly causing her to buckle. She pulled Safina into an embrace, clutching her tightly and sobbing into her hair.
How had Mother survived all these years, carrying such a burden of sorrow?
Safina numbly patted her mother’s back, feeling strangely awkward and not knowing how else to soothe her. Though compelled to comfort her, Safina wanted nothing more than to distance herself from her Mother’s grief and regrets. She could not live out eternity, loathing and mistrusting everyone around her.
And something else bothered her, something deeper and more profound. Mother hadn’t locked her away under the ocean for centuries to keep her safe. Mother had imprisoned her so she could nurse her broken heart, and now they had surfaced, her heartache seemed even worse. Safina feared her mother would pull them both into another pit of despair if she continued down this path. Though she felt horrible over what her father had done, that did not mean Safina had to pay for her mother’s regrets. That did not mean she should never seek the warm embrace and tender touch of a man, or she could never find a true love of her own.
She struggled out of her mother’s suffocating grip. Grasping her by the shoulders, she looked into her bloodshot eyes. “Mother, stop this!”
Mother’s mouth fell open. “What is the matter?”
Safina scowled. “You are! Do you expect me to live my eternity with no one to love?”
Another wave of her mother’s depression
hit Safina like a blast of hot air. “You have me.”
An image of Teddy Carter lovingly embracing his pregnant wife flashed in Safina’s mind, and it was then Safina knew without a doubt what she wanted. She stomped her foot. “I want a mate. I want children!”
Mother vehemently shook her head. “Don’t say that. Look at what longing for a mate has brought me.”
Safina shut her eyes, trying to block out her mother’s pain. The image of Gabriel’s tender smile flashed in her mind. You do not have to hide yourself around me, Safi. I think you’re magnificent. Safina couldn’t help but smile at the memory of his words. Her eyes shot open. “Gabriel is not a dragonslayer.”
Mother jerked back and snarled. “Gabriel?” His name rolled off her tongue as if it left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.
Safina braced her hands on her hips. “Aye. Josef’s grandson.”
Mother clutched her throat. “A cripple is not a good match for a dragon royal.”
The barb of her venomous words pierced Safina deep in her heart. “Mother, how can you be so cruel?”
Mother shook her head, frowning. “I am not cruel. I am honest. Even if he were to accept you for what you are, he will never be able to protect you.”
Safina issued her mother a challenging glare. “He will walk soon, even if I have to be the one to heal him.”
Mother jerked back as if she’d been slapped. “You?”
Safina nodded. “I’m coming into my powers. I healed a baby chick’s broken wing.”
Mother’s eyes hardened as she jabbed Safina in the chest. “Listen to me, daughter. You are not to put your hands on Gabriel Cortez. Do you understand?”
A fury like Safina had never known expanded her chest with red-hot fire. She pushed her mother’s hand away. “I will tell you what I’m not going to do, Mother. I’m not going to let you treat me like a child any longer, I’m not going to live my life in fear of mortals, and I’m not going back in that shell.” She waved at the window, at her cursed ocean prison. “I’m five hundred years old. It’s time you let me grow up.”
