by Opal Thomas
The silence around me had me worried. Even the animals in my perimeter were being quiet.
What was wrong?
I sniffed the air and smelled a faint scent. It was a female mage. Unique and powerful. I could even smell some of her Queen too.
Were they close?
Heading towards Aiden's home, I moved slowly with intent. As large as dragon-shifters could be, I was a medium-sized dragoness. And it gave me a certain advantage as well as disadvantage. I could move quicker and faster, but I didn't have the same strength as a male. Their strength and size was perfect for protection and battle. My size better for the subvert.
Then I heard it. A struggle. The crash of a body hitting the earth and then the roar of a pissed off dragon.
Fuck it!
'Aiden!!' I screamed inward, telepathically. A yell that would get the attention of anyone nearby who was a mage. Good or dark.
There was no answer, so I head quickly towards the crash sound. I found the remains of trees broken from a nearby impact. Likely, a large body that had been thrown threw them.
My scales bristled with anger. A fireball collecting in my throat, ready to defend.
'Tracie! Leave! Run!' Aiden yelled, his telepathic message loud and undeniable.
I turned to face the direction it had come from and just as I did, something big hit my head, then darkness.
* * *
-- Aiden --
Something inside of me went wild when I saw them throw a stone at Tracie's head, causing her to pass out. It would either be me or her, that they took and I already knew what I needed to do to ensure it was me.
I took flight, knowing Devon would find her. I needed to lead the female Denizen and her pack of allies, after me.
I put as much distance as possible before they overtook and tore me out of the sky. With each side being brazen about being seen or noticed by humans, this daylight rumble was unusual.
Screeching from the sky, I allowed myself to free fall, my talons grasping the neck of one Denizen, while the other clutched the midriff of another. We rolled in the sky and crashed into the ground, which exploded around us. They were each only about half my size, but since there were four males, they were attacking me the same way that wolves do. One alpha, leading while the others nip and disarm.
Which one was the Alpha?
And then it dawned on me.
It was the female.
She hadn't followed us, I realized. Which was going to have to be pushed to the back of my mind while I battled these four brethren.
CHAPTER SEVEN
-- Amelia --
Being put in a safe room had done little to make me feel safe. I was a nervous wreck. I quickly became acquainted with the space. There was everything someone would need to survive. The security system showed monitors that were for surveillance of the house and property which was where I was standing, my eyes glued to them.
I'd seen Tracie pull up and assess the gated entrance, then shift before she went off into the woods, in deeper range than what the security system offered.
The house on the other hand was empty. Void of anyone. Until a woman stepped inside that I didn't recognize.
I immediately sensed danger, watching her. She was tall and muscular, like a female body builder. All muscle and bad attitude. Her hair was cut very short, military-style. She stepped carefully and scouted out all the rooms in the house.
I wondered if she could sense me and whether it would give away my hiding place. Aiden had done the right thing, putting me in here.
Where was Tracie and Devon?!
My eyes glued to the monitors, I opened a large, ominous black cupboard that sat next to them. Inside were guns and weapons I didn't know the names of. Thankfully, there was a pistol that fit my hand size. At least I knew how to use that.
I checked to see if it was loaded and sure enough, it was.
Which made me realize how serious my protectors were about what I needed protecting from. I felt so naive and stupid, for a world that entailed this type of danger. This level of risk.
I watched the intruder find the door that led downstairs and held my breath. She pushed it open and then took steps down into the basement. I was now silently grateful for the secret door that led to this room and found myself holding my breath, even though I was in a sound-proof space.
Glued to the monitor, I pointed the pistol at the door. Armed and ready to shoot. If she made an attempt to come in, and somehow managed to bypass the silent, sliding, steel door, I knew that I would have no choice but to defend myself.
And then I felt it...
A power, tingling at my tailbone and then coursing through my body. I watched as a glow began to emit from my body. Surprised, I stepped in front of a floor to ceiling mirror and gasped when I noticed that I appeared different too.
My green eyes were even greener and I had scales, beautiful scales covering my body. Like a lizard, or fish. Or a dragon...
Leaping back from the mirror, I knocked over a metal stool and it clanked on the glazed, concrete floor. I quickly looked back at the monitor to see if the intruder had heard but she was on the other side of the room, peering in the opposite direction.
Grateful, I held steady. My mind ran through the possibilities.
Was this a spell? A way of appearing one way when actually not what I was? A human woman?
That was when I saw the garage door opening on the monitor. Devon pulled his car in, jumping out of it and running into the house. Behind him was Tracie.
The intruder had heard them arrive and dashed up the stairs and out a back door, running as fast as she could until I could no longer see her via the monitors. The next thing I knew, the door to the safe room was opening and Devon appeared.
He gasped when he saw me.
"Amelia?!"
I nodded.
Then Tracie saw me and did the same thing. She raised her hand to her mouth, silenced by my transformation.
"They have Aiden," was all she said, looking devastated.
"What do you mean they have Aiden?!" I cried out.
Devon took a few steps towards me and pulled me into his arms. "It will be okay, Amelia. He will be okay. They won't harm him since it's you they want."
I let Devon hold me, comforting me for a moment then disentangled myself from his brotherly embrace. "We have to get him! Free him!"
Tracie stood by, motionless and quiet, her arms folded. "We will, but there's something important that we need to explain to you. Something that we haven't been able to prepare you for - yet."
I looked back and forth at them, both frustrated and willing myself to calm down. "Explain what?" I asked.
"May I ask you to sit? To remain calm?"
I nodded, sitting down. Forcing myself to stay still and not fidget.
Tracie sucked in a deep breath. "We needed to teach you the basics and attune you to the symbols before we shared more about your lineage and heritage. Does that make sense to you? Why we hold back this other piece of information? So, as to empower and protect you?"
I nodded and reached out to take Tracie's hand, enclosing it in mine. "Tell me, please. Who I am. All of me. Don't hide me from myself..."
"You're not just a mage, a witch-sorceress, Amelia. You're also immortal - a shape-shifter like your late Father."
My eyes grew big and I gasped. "My father was a shifter?"
Tracie nodded slowly, "Yes, and he was a very powerful one too. Both of your parents were extraordinary. Very, very few of your kind and our kind come together to create the hybrid that you are. Even if there is a union like that, a pregnancy is very hard on a non-shifter female. Your mother was an exception. She was able to carry you to full term."
I took in what she was saying and it all suddenly made sense. The intense attraction and bond between Aiden and I. Why I felt so compelled to take care of and nurture Aiden. And now, to protect him.
Devon sat down next to Tracie, peering at me closely. "Now that you know more about
your magical talents, you can learn how to manage your beast. Which tends to be very difficult if the other isn't mastered. Makes your subject to rash and irrational behavior. With the magic, you can control your creature. Keep it dormant when needed and bring it out when needed. Understand?"
I nodded slowly, absorbing what they shared. It was amazing. Utterly and completely amazing. "I'm a shifter... What kind?" I asked, realizing I hadn't clarified what type my Father had been. But if my reflection in the mirror was any indication, it was pretty obvious what kind I was. A dragon...
"The same as he is. You're a dragon hybrid, Amelia. Which makes you immortal, too."
I looked up and studied Tracie's face. Now I got it. Now I understood. I was a three in one. A triune. A trinity in unity. "Is that why I look like this? I need to learn how to shift. You two can help me with that, right?" I pleaded.
"Yes, but first - I need to explain that that urge you're feeling goes deeper than just the desire to know yourself. You're feeling the need to protect. Which is fundamental to your kind. And you, my dear are to be protected at all costs. Aiden, as much as I hate to say it since he is my brother - is expendable. Meaning, your life is more important than his in the grand scheme of things. You have to believe me, when I say that this is very hard. I want to run there myself and reclaim him, but I can't allow it since I need to stay here for you," Tracie explained.
"Don't be silly! I'm nothing without him... Aiden means more to me than you realize. I wouldn't even be here without Aiden, remember?! He is who saved me from that crazy mob, from the dark mages," I insisted.
Devon reached out and touched my knee. "Don't worry, we'll get him back. He can definitely handle himself with the dark mages. He's been there before and found his way back to freedom. But for now, we need to train you and get you acquainted with your Dragoness so you can protect yourself. No more being vulnerable."
I stood and began to pace the room, passing back and forth in front of the monitors. I paused and pulled a small spark to me and held it in my hand. Just like she'd shown me, I allowed the spark to hover in my hand and then turn into a small flame. I called forth the fire and light symbol and it grew brighter, in a gentle light. I peered into it and there he was, sitting in a cell type room, deep in thought.
I sent a message in my mind, 'I'm coming for you...'
Which Tracie quickly squelched. "Be careful, uncloaked they can perceive the message too. Always cloak, always segregate to the recipient only. Remember, okay?"
I nodded, feeling fierce and ferocious, and even a bit crazy.
My inner beast was there too and I could feel her need to get out of my human skin. Her energy was coursing through my body and it felt both amazing and restrictive.
"There was a woman, who came into the house. I watched her on the monitors," I said, indicating towards them. "She went through all the rooms, even came downstairs. But she fled once she heard you two returning."
Devon immediately sat down at one of the consoles and logged in. He typed a few words and immediately, the surveillance system was going through rewind and playback.
"There she is... Do you recognize her Tracie?" he asked.
Tracie nodded. "Yup, that's Jerau. She's a tracer. A seeker, one of their best. She's good at finding mages. I wonder how she figured out where we were?"
"I don't think she knew I was here..." I murmured.
"I disagree. She must of have figured out that we have POA for you and that was how she was able to get an address," Tracie explained. "She's tracking you. Not us."
"Those records were suppressed. Long ago, do you really think it was on public record?" Devon countered.
"It must be, somewhere. I know that her Trust isn't public..." Tracie answered, a look of deep thought on her face.
"Does this mean we need to leave?" I asked.
Devon and Tracie both shook their heads.
"No, it just means we need to get our security team here. ASAP," Devon said, picking up his phone. "If we leave, then they'll think we believe we're vulnerable. If we stay, it shows that we're not as concerned as they might have hoped. I'll call Zach."
Tracie nodded, then turned towards the monitor to take a closer look at Jerau. "She's brave, I'll give her that. Daring to come into one of our homes is pretty aggressive. They usually stay away from our strongholds once they find us. Dirty tactics kept at a distance, for their sake."
I listened and watched and then realized that whatever changed I'd taken into dragon form was now subsiding and going away. "I'm back to normal..." I murmured.
"Did it scare you? Seeing yourself in that form?" Tracie asked.
I shook my head, "No... I thought it was amazing. Beautiful even. The color..."
"Green. Always green for a triune. It is beautiful, I agree. Very much so," Devon said softly, smiling at me.
"I can't wait to learn more. Teach me how to change. I want to know I can do that when I want to," I said.
"We will, but for now, lets get the security team here," Tracie said.
Devon made a call and stepped away.
"Hungry?" Tracie asked.
"Yes..." I said.
"Shifts tend to do that, they take up a lot of energy. It's best to be well-fed," Tracie said.
I nodded glumly, wondering if I could eat. My stomach might be growling, but I didn't feel like I could eat.
* * *
Aiden
When I came to, I was in a dark cell. Only this time, my head and body ached and I wasn't dreaming.
I should have known my unconscious was warning me!
My thoughts went quickly to Amelia's safety and whereabouts. Hoping that she had stayed put in the safe-room like I'd told her too. She was too green, too new to this world to be defending herself. But not for much longer...
Instead of moving, I remained still - not wanting to alert the Den that I was awake yet. I honed in on my location and found it was hard to do, like normal.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
I would need more time.
Letting out a sigh, I sat up on the cot that I was resting on. There was barely any visible light in the cell and as far as I could tell, no one was around. I was naked and then I remembered how I'd gotten here.
Arriving as a dragon male and not as a human man.
Being naked made me feel vulnerable, something I wasn't okay with.
But worse was not knowing how Amelia was.
Was she safe?
My mistake was not realizing that the dark mage female would have the power of her Queen with her should she need it. I regretted being overly confident as I'd taken her on before realizing that she had four of her brethren with her to help defend and protect her. Five against one wasn't unrealistic for me to battle on my own, but it was the element of surprise that had been their advantage.
How had they remained cloaked? I hadn't sensed them at all...
I quickly got myself in the right mental mode because what was about to happen was going to test my endurance and my will to survive intact. I had to think of this as a challenge, a test of my own strengths. Literal, magical and psychological. The Den always played underhanded. Psychological gas-lighting was their area of expertise. Making their victims crazy with fatigue, pain, exhaustion and worse.
"My oh my... your already gearing up for the fun day ahead..." I heard a woman's voice, my female Den enemy over the speakerphone that nearly vibrated the cell with it's volume.
I wouldn't reply. I never did. I used my own silence to regain control over information they were desperate to have. She might be able to read some of my thoughts or make a good guess, but I'd never actually speak with her.
There was no point.
All they ever wanted was the same.
Someone or something to make them more powerful.
More greedy. More insane.
"Must admit, she's a looker! Saw all of her beautiful pics on her social media accounts..." the female taunted. "My name's Jerau and let's just say, my leader is very pl
eased with me today. Him and his Queen. Who are both here, of course. Shall I introduce them to you or are you over that part already?" she asked, snark lacing her voice.
I growled.
Fuck you!
"Oh my..." she taunted.
I stood and felt a chain around one of my ankles. It kept me from getting too close to the entrance to the cell. My eyesight had slowly adjusted to the darkness and I could see that the cell was empty except for a steel chair and a bucket in the corner. Other than that, the room was barren except for the cot. Which wasn't much to work with. I needed a way to turn something into a weapon. Anything.
The cell was small too, which would prevent me from shifting into my dragon form so that I was manageable.
"So, where was the beautiful witch? I took a nice little tour of your home and couldn't find her... Does that make you feel better?"
I growled again.
Against my better judgment.
She laughed. The damned bitch laughed.
Mocking was to be expected. But I had to admit, I was relieved beyond belief that they hadn't found Amelia.
"Oh, what fun we're going to have with you. I've got all sorts of fun activities lined up," she taunted.
I heard a male in the background, laughing and knew exactly who it was.
Venom.
Such a stupid name, but also perfect. The man was poison, inside and out.
"Welcome back, Aiden. It's been too long," Venom said.
"Fuck you..." I shot back.
I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stand the thought of him thinking he would get even one iota of info about Amelia out of me. His family and mine had been dancing this dance for millennia and we both knew what we were up against. I never underestimated them and always hoped they underestimated me.
Instead, I'd use this 'visit' as a chance to find out just how much they knew. And I promised myself, I'd get through it as fast as possible.
Because that kiss with Amelia had left me breathless.
CHAPTER EIGHT
-- Devon --
Zach and the rest of the security crew were enjoying a break in the kitchen and eating scones that Sherry had baked. She was mother-henning them all, asking them questions and doing a fabulous job of making them welcome in Aiden's home.
