by Aurora Reid
“More wine?”
“No, let’s eat.”
“Sure.” He revealed what was underneath the cloche. The aroma, hearty and tangy, drifted into the night air immediately.
“I cooked it myself.”
“It looks impressive.”
“Thank you. It’s encrusted tilapia with pomegranate salsa. Now let’s enjoy.”
Enjoy they did. But by the end of the meal, as it was getting later and she had finished it all, she grew restless.
This had been a good time. She didn’t want to send Nico away. With only her wine left, she sipped on her last glass slowly so they could spend more time together.
Until it began to worry her when Jae would arrive.
“Thank you for the meal. However I think it’s time that I return to my room.”
“I understand.”
Nico held up the bottle of wine. “Are you sure you don’t want to have one more drink with me?”
“I really should be getting back.”
He frowned. “Are you positive you don’t want me to fly you away from here? I promise I can keep you safe.”
Promise? Like last time? They were still rebuilding after the destruction they caused.
“I’ll find a way out. Don’t worry. Just let me handle it, I’ve got a plan.”
“A plan? Really?”
No, not really, but he needed to understand that this was her problem to solve.
She stood up and tried her best smile “Yes, really. Now it’s best that you go. This was a good night, but like I said before, let me handle this.”
“I won’t argue with you.”
“Smart dragon.”
He held his arms open, and she slid closer to him, his hands squeezing around her waist. So close to him, it was even harder to turn him away. Nico mid-shifted, sprouting wings and launching them onto the windowsill. He gracefully placed her legs forward to let Cass push through.
Then she was standing in her room with no bars, wondering if she was making the right choice.
Think with your head, not with what’s between your legs, she kept repeating to herself. Remember what happened last time.
Nico flew off. She dropped down to her bed. He needed something to make the bars stick, which he found in Jae’s shed.
After sealing the bars on with a little heavy-duty glue, he paused near the window. “I wish I didn’t have to do this.”
“I’m sorry. Thank you for the dinner. It was lovely.”
Cass stood, trembling, her hands clutching her sides to steel herself. “No more surprises, Nico. It was fun, but—”
“I understand. I don’t want to upset you. Have a good night, Cass.”
He slipped away, getting to the wall, then he took flight. Soon, she could see the awesome dragon blotting out part of the moon as he flew off, to wherever he wanted to go.
Despite her heavy heart, it had been a wonderful evening, one which had rekindled some hope.
10
Cass was back on the sidelines.
It was already a quarter of the way through the season. This was Jae’s first game back after being suspended, and she was on a different team, the San Antonio Spartans. And she was at Jae’s side. They came as a package deal with the trade.
This game was against one of their weakest opponents, so the game wouldn't mean much to him.
In the beginning of the day, they stopped off at some local stores in San Antonio. The entire time, she remained silent. Sometimes Jae would force her to look interested.
“Don't try anything stupid,” he hissed when they were in an upscale clothing store. Then he smiled at her like it made it all better. “You can buy anything you'd like.”
New clothes would be nice, but what did it matter when you didn't care for the man you were with? She might as well be wearing a potato sack.
They left with a bag of clothes all the same, just to make him happy. The weather was balmy in San Antonio, but there were plenty of trendy shops. If she were alone, she would've liked to explore more.
But they were at the Spartans’ field before she could really settle in. Jae only brought her out because if she were never seen, people would really start to ask questions.
Once at the facility, she hung around Jae's side, and if he wasn't there, she stayed close to the sideline when he warmed up. She remained silent. When others looked her way, she tried to put on a smile.
Something her captor said a long time ago haunted her again, “When I Turn you, I'll be able to hear your every thought.” Turning meant she could be gifted the powers of a dragon shifter.
Which sounded nice, if Jae wouldn’t be in her head.
“Why haven’t you done it already?” she had asked him.
As soon as she asked, she knew the answer. He was afraid of giving her that power, any power, because if she became strong enough, she could free herself.
At least Cass would have something to do this night. Any player that was injured would be under her care. If she did a good enough job, maybe they'd take notice of her, pulling her as Jae's private trainer, putting her on the team's medical squad instead. A long shot, but a girl locked in a golden cage could only dream.
The game started. Like all thought, the San Antonio Spartans took the lead early. They elected to kick the ball first, relying on their defense to make a stop. Their defense with Jae became the strongest in the league, with some saying it might be the strongest of all time.
The Spartan's offense took over in favorable positioning. They threw a touchdown, making it the Spartan's turn at defense again.
Cass loved the game, loved the spectacle of it, with the thousands of cheering fans, the hype that was impossible to deny seeping into you and taking over. As she watched, she found herself happy again, her mind working to keep track of each player for any injuries.
As Jae rushed to take out the quarterback, Cass thought about Nico. If she were really Jae's girlfriend or mate as he said, she would be frantic and focused on the play, instead she was thinking of another dragon, the only one who could possibly save her.
He'd tried. Tried and failed. Instead, they had caused a total mess. Jae proved he couldn’t be stopped.
Don't be stupid, she thought to herself. What a dragon claims can never be unclaimed.
She didn't notice until the coaches and players brought him over to the sidelines that Jae was hurt. He held his hip as he struggled to make it to the bench.
The crowd huddled in to check on him. There were so many doctors and professionals hired by a team that it could be mind-numbing. Cass hung back, but Jae screamed, “Back up, back up, let Cass in. She's my trainer.”
Jae being hurt meant a great deal. They wanted to make sure they hadn't thrown a big paycheck at an injured player. A player who had already screwed the team by getting into a fight and was suspended six games. Everyone watching would be either screaming at the TV or laughing, depending on whose team they supported.
Cass stepped forward past the sea of players and trainers. She dropped to one knee to check on Jae. He struggled to keep his breathing calm. His forehead shone with a sheen of sweat, his eyebrows furrowed, and for once, he looked scared. That made her want to smirk. She hid it as her training and intellectual curiosity took over.
“What’s wrong? Tell me what's wrong,” he snapped.
It would take some time to diagnose the problem.
“Hold on,” she demanded, but he asked again.
“Tell me.”
Something in the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Cass turned toward it. Back to Jae, he looked at her with desperation, almost as if he would yank her by the hair to get her to stay.
The sight that she'd seen had her feet moving fast.
“Get back here!” he shouted. “I'm hurt,” he screamed, flailing his arms, but then he was behind her and she couldn't see him, only the trouble ahead.
Cass saw a child reaching on top of a railing fall and she rushed over to help. She was sitting up alrea
dy but dazed.
When she skid to her knees in front of her to make eye contact, Cass could still hear Jae shouting behind her. “I'm hurt, where are you going? Get back here.”
She went to work, checking that the child didn't have a concussion. By the time she began, others noticed what had happened. Her parents shouted frantically from the bleachers above.
It took all her concentration, all her training to keep her adrenaline at bay. Otherwise, her hands would be shaking or she'd forget what she was supposed to do. But when the others came over with a small flashlight to check her eyes, she knew that the kid would be okay.
Her quick response brought attention from the whole football team's doctors. They came over with all their expertise and skill. Then they said the girl was okay, lifted her up to be taken by her parents, and she sat down on the bleachers this time—far away from the barrier—to clap and cheer.
“Tough girl,” Cass said.
“She's not the only one,” one doctor said as he gave her a respectful nod. “Tough, with a good eye. That's a good doctor if I ever saw one.”
He headed back to the bleachers. Her spike of adrenaline fled and her hearing opened up. It sounded like the whole stadium was cheering.
“They're cheering for me,” she thought incredulously.
They’re cheering for me?
They’re cheering for me!
It didn't make any sense, but she couldn't stop smiling as she returned to Jae.
“I'm fine,” he said to her, his eyes hateful slits. “Just a small strain. I'm clear to go onto the field again. No thanks to you.” Jae put his chest up to her, bumping her back, knocking the wind out of her. Even after, she smiled.
“I told you to never leave me. Now don't do it again.” He cowered a little at the thundering applause. “I was worried about you.”
When he went back to play, she was still in the spotlight.
She had the whole arena's attention that night.
They loved heroes. Cass had saved a child. She was their hero for the night, and maybe, just maybe, would be remembered long enough to secure her freedom.
The game ended with the Spartans winning by 14. Jae and Cass left the field without saying a word, his tense walk telling her that he wasn't happy.
He still needed to take her home, so once in the parking lot, he transformed into his red dragon, cradled her in his claws, and then took off. It should’ve been exhilaration, even magical, to be flown by a dragon, but all she could think about was how she wished that he would let her go over the bright city lights. At this height, she might not even feel the impact.
No. That was wrong. What would her family think? Her brothers and sisters, her cousins, and her mom and dad, would be heartbroken. For their sake, she needed to carry on.
Jae dropped her off at their home in Los Angeles an hour later. He said he was tired, that he would deal with her tomorrow, and that he wouldn’t forget what had happened. Too bad the dragon had a good memory even after all those hits he took to his head.
He flung her into her room and locked the door. Once again, she was trapped. At least she got some fresh air for the evening and had something to relive in her mind.
I hope that kid is okay. They should really bring her to the hospital to make sure, Cass thought as she stretched out on her bed. A really stupid thing to leave your kid on the railing like that. They're lucky. Really, really lucky.
If it were her kid, she would definitely be over protective. She'd need to let go a little, she knew. Yet she certainly wouldn't let her kid hang out on high ledges for fun.
A child...a family...Cass curled into her sheets. They were comfortable, the highest quality you could buy, thread count unbelievable, but still, she couldn't get situated. The only hope she had with a family would be with Jae. That would be worse than never having one, she decided, and opened her eyes, peering out the window, imagining another dragon flying there to rescue her.
Where was Nico?
Right, she told him to stay away.
Cass chewed on her lip and then kicked her sheets off.
Her cell phone buzzed and Cass picked it up, knowing right away it would be her mother. Her family always watched every game she was associated with, calling a few hours later on schedule.
“Cass, you're trending!” her mother shouted.
“Uhm, what Mom?” What did her mother know about trending?
“I don't know! But the kids all told me that you're trending.”
Mom sounded extremely happy. But that made no sense. Why would Cass be trending? Until she came to one conclusion—the child falling, Cass saving her, everyone cheering—the cameras must’ve picked it up.
But Cass was a no one. A nobody. “You mean, there's a hashtag in my name?”
“No, I'm saying you're all over the Internets.” The Internets? “I saw it myself. You're on the front page of AOL.com!”
“You're kidding me,” she breathed out. The words almost didn't escape her.
“No, I'm not, check it out right now if you don't believe me.”
“What about any other sites?”
“Yes, yes, all over the whole thing! All of the sites.”
Her 3G on her phone wouldn't work in her room. She didn't have wireless, either, so she needed to take her mother's word for it.
“Why?” she asked, getting excited now.
“You went in there and saved that kid. Didn't you see? You were there yourself, of course you did!”
“Yes, I did, Mom. I was there. I saw everything, but you're saying that...everyone else saw it?”
“Yes!” her mom shouted now. In the background, she could hear the young ones in her family chanting her name.
Cass dropped the phone for a minute. She could weep into her hands. But she didn't want to miss another word.
“I can't believe he was yelling at you like that, but you did well, like we taught you, to help that kid. Are you sure she's all right? She's all right, right?”
Cass beamed now. “Yes, she's fine.”
The cameras had picked up what Jae yelled at her. Jae looked horrible, screaming about his injury when there was a child who fell right in front of them.
“What are they saying about Jae?”
“Not nice things,” her mom said.
Good.
“What are they saying about me?”
“They're saying you're a hero!”
“That's a little too much.”
“Well, you're a hero to all of us, baby.”
Cass dropped down to the sheets. The room spun around her.
This was her opportunity to escape. She would take it, and she would run with it, as far as she could go.
11
It was morning when she received a call from National News Tonight, the top dog when it came to evening news. They wanted to run a story on Cass, an interview that would air on primetime.
“I'll do it,” she said right away.
“Can you come to New York today? We can pay for your ticket.”
“Sure, that'll be no problem,” she lied. Even over the excitement, she worried how she would escape Jae's clutches. There was no way he would let her go on national TV.
And what exactly would she talk about? Helping the child had been second nature to her. The whole thing sounded terrifying, but it was the only way out.
“Thank you, send the details on the flight in a text to me.”
She knocked on her door to face Jae with her confidence at an all-time high.
“I'll talk to you later,” he shouted beyond the reinforced door.
That wouldn't work. “I'm going to have an interview,” she shouted in a chirpy voice, sure to annoy him, hopefully to death.
“What?” The next second, the door opened. Jae stood in the way.
“National News Tonight called me and told me they wanted an interview.”
He laughed. “And why would they want to do that?”
“Because I saved that girl and everyone knows.�
� Cass stood her ground. If he was going to force her back in, she would struggle, claw and bite her way in order to escape. This was her chance.
“And they know you were a chicken shit, who whined about himself instead of helping a child who was in trouble.”
“You,” he shouted, at the same time, his hand jumping to her throat, squeezing.
But even with her throat closing up, a well of pain opening, she wheezed, “They expect me.”
His grip loosened.
“You're screwed, Jae.”
She wanted to add, “I'm trending,” but didn't, because that sounded absurd even to her.
Jae licked his lips. His back to the door, it gave her room to leave if she wanted. “It's fine. You can say whatever you want. But your family isn’t safe still.”
Cass smirked back at him. Then she strode out the door without saying a word.
He'd already threatened the most precious thing in the world to her: her family.
Worry followed her like a stray dog, but she still knew what was necessary. Cass wasn't stupid. She had a plan now.
After a long flight to NY, she was still wide awake. This would make or break her. She had never been to New York City before, so one could imagine her level of unease.
“Oh, you want Seventh and Ninth?” the cab driver asked.
“Yes,” she said, although she was unsure of cross streets. As the cab swerved in and out of traffic to get her there on time, she did her makeup and checked herself over. This would be on national TV. Who could afford to look sloppy?
It was a long flight and she worried she had bags under her eyes.
But the makeup job she did would be satisfactory. Thankfully, Jae supplied her with the finest makeups, anything she wanted, because that was what he cared about, keeping her looking good on the outside.
Now she would use it against him to break away. If she could look like a cute, wholesome girl from Idaho, she hoped to capture the media's attention.
“Here you are,” the cabbie said.
