by Payne, Jenna
“Impossible…” Jen whispered, her face turning pale.
“It’s true,” Jack insisted. “I lead thousands of dragon shapeshifters. I am their king. And we are in a remote town in the countryside where many of us reside.”
He squeezed both of her hands then. “I’m not a bad person, Jen. We’re not monsters. I’ve fallen in love with you and I want you to be my queen. This lovely room is all yours. Everything I have will be yours as well.”
Jen took her hands away from his and moved back. Instinctively, her hands flew to her womb. “I-I c-can’t do this…” she stammered in fear and panic. “Get away from us!”
“Us?” Jack asked in bewilderment. His eyes shifted to her stomach which she was clutching. Then she saw his eyes fill with understanding as his gaze went back to her face.
She couldn’t tell what was running through his mind then. All she knew was that she had to get as far away from him as possible.
“We have a baby, Jen?” he asked, his tone softening even more. The expression on his face was one of combined amazement and joy.
“No, you can’t touch this baby!” Jen hissed. “You’re some kind of mutant or monster! You’ve been duping us!”
He reached out to her but she escaped from his grasp and hurried to the wooden door at the far end of the room. Unfortunately it was locked. She banged on it repeatedly, screaming for help.
“Nobody will hear you,” Jack told her as he sauntered toward the door. “And even if they could, everybody here is the same as me. This is the land of dragon shapeshifters and I am their king. Do you really think any of them would dare to defy me?”
Jen began to cry helplessly as she realized how defenseless she was. There was nothing she could do to change the situation at the moment. “I don’t want to be any dragon’s queen…” she whimpered.
At that moment, Jack took her in his arms, trying to soothe her with his embrace and soft kisses on her head. “Jen, this is still me. I’m not just any dragon or any human. I’m the Jack who loves you very much.”
She cried even more.
“I know it’s hard to process it all right now… But think of the baby you’re carrying. Crying won’t do him or her any good. And besides, that’s my baby too. There’s a huge chance that the baby may turn out to be like me. In that case, you can’t have any other doctor find out the truth. The media will feast on you! Scientists may even want to experiment on the baby!”
Jen buried her face in her hands and just let Jack comfort her as her shoulders racked uncontrollably. She knew in her mind that he was right. She had no choice but to stay with him, at least for the time being.
After a while, Jack was able to get her back in bed to rest and calm down. He had several servants attend to her so she could eat, bathe, and get dressed. He even had a doctor come in to check on her.
Meanwhile, Jen simply went along, her mind and heart still jumbled up. I must go along with all this until I can figure out a way to escape, she thought. Staring at the elderly, kind-looking doctor, she wondered if he too was a scary-looking dragon when he transformed. She shivered in disgust and dread.
Later that evening, she was feeling a lot better. She had calmed down completely after finally realizing that neither Jack nor any of the others there had any intentions of harming her.
A swooshing sound close by made her whip around toward the large window of the room. She quickly ran to it and opened it. A cool breeze greeted her, blowing strands of her hair around her face. With eyes wide open, she peeked out and looked from left to right. There was nothing odd around. No flying dragons as she’d expected.
She sighed, not knowing whether to be relieved or disappointed. An idea was actually forming in her head, giving her more reason to want to stay behind and play along with the current situation.
The room she was in seemed to be located on the third floor, from what she could see. Looking down below, she could make out the dark shapes of trees and other plants across a vast space which was probably a field or garden. Behind it, she noticed sparkling water in the darkness, which was probably a lake.
There was a full moon in the sky, illuminating shadows of people on the ground, who were moving in unison and whispering amongst themselves.
“Could this be some kind of cult?” she wondered aloud.
At that instant, something colossal flew past her. She followed it with her eyes as it soared upward. The enormous wings spread out in the sky.
Jen gulped. It was a real dragon. She couldn’t be mistaken.
Suddenly, the dragon roared while it flew in the sky. A blaze of fire came out from its mouth, making her step back in shock and fright. She watched it whoosh lower past some trees. Soon it was joined by two other dragons. The three of them seemed to be playing a game, throwing balls of fire toward the horizon and creating what looked like glowing fireworks in the night.
“I have to get out of here,” Jen said to herself, running toward the door of the bedroom. She didn’t have a plan and didn’t even know where she was exactly; just that she was not in the city. But she knew she had to do something or she would go insane.
To her surprise, the door was open. She easily slipped out of the room and a large hallway decorated in modern rustic interiors. She silently made her way down the stairs, carefully watching out for anyone who might be around.
When she reached the second floor of the house, she could hear a lot of jolly, excited noise coming from the backyard which she figured was the area she could see from the window earlier. She realized they were having some kind of festivity outside, which would be perfect timing for her to sneak out.
When she finally got to the first floor, she was even more cautious as she tried to move from one area to another, looking for the main door leading to the front street.
But just as she was about to reach it, she caught sight of a small office that had framed photos of newspaper clippings and enlarged images of dragon skeletons and other evidence. Curious, she paused for a while and peeked inside. When she came closer, she saw that the clippings were all about news on dragon research and discoveries of dragon remains. She found one that even mentioned the lab where she was working.
Suddenly, an idea came to her. If this was a dragon’s lair and they were likely to worship her as their queen, she could gather tons of information on dragon shapeshifters and come up with a breakthrough report that would likely rock the world of modern scientific research. She would be at the helm and would have all the credit. Imagine what that could do for her career!
When she came out of the office, she was dazed. So many thoughts were running through her mind. Slowly she found herself heading toward the back door instead of the front door. I can make an expose on these dragon shapeshifters, she realized. I’ll be an instant superstar and millionaire. It’ll be amazing! And besides, I’ll that money for my baby’s future.
Without thinking any further, she moved toward the back door. Somebody actually beat her to it, a dark-haired beautiful woman who’d probably come from the kitchen. She seemed a little bit older, but looked really pretty and friendly too.
“Hey,” the woman said when she got a good look at Jen. “Aren’t you my brother’s girlfriend?”
“Brother? Girlfriend?” asked Jen in a baffled tone.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the woman replied with a kind smile. She extended her hand and introduced herself. “My name is Jessie. I’m Jack’s sister, his one and only sibling.”
Jen was surprised. But now that she looked at the woman closely, she did resemble Jack closely. “Uh, it’s nice to meet you, Jessie. I’m Jen,” she said, shaking the woman’s hand.
“I know your name, Jen. We’ve all been waiting to meet you, actually.”
“Really?” Jen said, feeling nervous.
Jessie laughed. “Don’t worry, we don’t bite. Unless you’re an enemy, of course.”
Somehow Jen couldn’t make herself laugh at the joke. Before she could react, though, the pretty woman took her hand quickly and
dragged her out the door. “Come on, Jen. Everybody’s just dying to see you!”
A lot of heads turned when Jen came out into the well-lit patio that led to the massive garden. Flying dragons were still frolicking in the air above the crowd.
She saw Jack strolling toward her and Jessie. He had a big smile on his face. “I’m so glad you decided to join us, Jen,” he said upon approaching. “And I see you’ve met my sister already.”
“Yes,” Jen said, not knowing what else to say.
Suddenly, Jack clapped his hands and everybody fell silent. Even the playing dragons stopped what they were doing and turned to them.
“Good evening again, everyone! I would like you all to meet my queen, Jen Smith,” he said proudly in a loud voice.
Everybody broke into a huge cheer, chanting about eternal love and the power of dragons.
That evening, Jen felt as if she was trapped inside a fantasy that she wanted to wake up from as soon as possible. She was warmly welcomed, but she knew she didn’t belong there. Besides, she would never be happy and at peace living with a bunch of half-human monsters.
*****
The first week was the most difficult, as Jen tried to adjust to life in a faraway place, with dragon shapeshifters all around her. She was okay most of the time as Jack was making an extra effort to make her feel at home and to show her how much he cared about her. His sister Jessie was also a huge help, her bubbly personality always cheering her up and making her forget about the reality of the situation.
Nevertheless, she was still quite determined to find a way to escape. Throughout the weeks that followed, she tried to blend in and get to know more of the others. As she did, her fear began to subside especially since they usually transformed into their dragon selves in the evening, during which she locked herself in her room.
She’d submitted her resignation letter at work through email, making up an excuse about a sudden health condition. She’d also kept in touch with her best friend Melissa, though, without letting her in on the actual truth. It was hard being vague but she’d simply asked her friend to trust her until it was the right time to reveal the truth.
One late afternoon, she was having tea with Jessie and a couple of other women on the patio by the garden.
“Billy is really, really hot…” the blondie said, pointing out the muscular man who just came from a swim at the lake.
“You mean really, really wet!” the brunette beside her said, giggling.
Everyone in the group laughed. Jessie whispered to Jen, “These young girls are totally boy-crazy so don’t mind them, okay…”
“No problem at all,” Jen whispered back. She was actually pleasantly shocked that she was getting along with most of them and even starting to have fun. Perhaps she was getting the hang of it already, living life in secret and being amid these dragon shapeshifters.
The man called Billy was crossing the field, dripping wet in just a pair of swimming shorts, when a taller man suddenly came forward and punched him on the face.
The women gasped as they watched the brawl between the two. In just a few seconds, the men let out bloodcurdling roars mixed with sounds of anguish and pain as they transformed into their dragon forms. They lashed out at one another with their clawed hands and sharp fangs while their enormous reptile-textured wings scratched and pounded against each other.
An alarm rang out somewhere. Jessie bared her sharp teeth and vicious tongue, her eyes now ablaze with seeming fire. She jumped from her seat without warning and charged onto the garden after the fighting dragons.
“Jessie, don’t!” one of the women cried out.
Jen clutched her chair tightly as she watched in alarm. She saw Jessie transform and join the skirmish.
Before Jessie could get seriously hurt, though, a familiar dragon arrived. He was bigger and more majestic, with his greenish brown skin reflecting the sunlight in daytime. Without any trouble, he separated the three and angrily threw them in various directions. The three dragons scrambled away and hid behind some thick trees and shrubs.
The huge dragon who’d come last stood in the center of the garden, his chest heaving. He walked slowly toward the group of women, his intense red eyes fixing on Jen whose face had paled. All of a sudden, the dragon’s eyes mellowed and turned back to their original gray color.
Jen knew it was Jack. She waited for his next move.
He seemed to calm down as he stared at her for a minute. Then after a while, he turned around and ran to the dense cluster of trees toward the back.
Jen’s heart was hammering wildly. She couldn’t believe she’d just witnessed an actual fight among dragons who were supposed to be family. She couldn’t believe that she’d seen Jack in his dragon form again, which she’d initially thought was a dream a few weeks back.
Something inside her stirred. She was even more confused than ever. Even though it should be clear to her now that she had to get out of there as soon as possible, greater confusion gripped her heart and mind. Her emotions were in turmoil.
That evening, the resident doctor checked on her again. He happily told her that the baby was well and healthy. The ultrasound showed that it was also a normal fetus, a little bigger than usual, but looked perfectly like a human being. Jen sighed in relief. Thank God it didn’t have wings yet.
“Jen…” a low male voice called to her from outside her bedroom door after the doctor had left.
She knew it was Jack. “Come in.”
Jack went in, looking quite regal even in just a pair of chinos and a white polo. He was truly handsome, although there was a worried look on his face.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that,” he gently said. He sat on the bed beside Jen who was lying down. She felt like a servant next to him, since she wasn’t made up at all and was ready to go to bed.
“It’s okay,” Jen lied. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“You want to go, don’t you?” Jack suddenly blurted out. “You want to leave me.”
“Sorry?” Jen said in surprise, her heart beating faster.
“I can tell, Jen. Despite all our efforts, you still don’t feel like you belong, like this could be your home too.” Slight anger flashed through his face, but he was apparently controlling his emotions.
Jen felt a bit scared. She didn’t want to trigger him to change into a dragon right then and there. She quickly reached out to touch his cheek. And to her astonishment, the simple gesture actually relaxed both of them.
“You have to understand that this is all still a lot for me to process,” Jen answered slowly and softly. “I do care about you, Jack, but I need more time.”
“I understand,” he replied, nodding. “I will wait no matter how long it takes. Just say you’ll stay and marry me after our baby is born.”
Jen hesitated. “Aren’t you just after the baby?” she asked. She couldn’t help asking. The past days she’d been thinking about it a lot.
“Of course not,” Jack quickly answered. He took her hands in his and kissed her on the lips. “I love you, Jen. Is that so difficult to believe? Whether there’s a baby or not, my feelings would remain the same.”
Jen simply nodded. “I need to rest now,” she whispered, closing her eyes.
“Rest well, my love,” Jack said. He gave her a peck on the cheek, stood up, and left the room. She felt his absence acutely.
*****
ONE YEAR LATER
Jen went through the photos in her cellphone, many of which showed the home and lifestyle of the dragon shifters. She’d taken the photos surreptitiously. Her mind was racing, filled with thoughts of ambition and success. She even had some audio clippings that would support her claim about this secret lair. The question was, would she dare to expose these people who had welcomed her like one of their own?
She stopped moving through the photos when she got to the image of her newborn son. She clearly remembered that day when she’d felt the first pains of labor. Jack had stayed by her side the whole time unti
l their resident doctor had helped her deliver.
Jen sighed, putting down her phone and glancing toward the crib in her bedroom where little Brennan lay asleep. He was three months old now, a precious bundle of joy that she never knew could capture her heart and entire being as he had. It was amazing how motherhood had given her so much joy despite all the challenges. The love and happiness were fast overcoming her desire for fame, wealth, and success in the world of science.
But after being in a career hiatus for long, there was still a huge part of her that yearned to become successful in her field. For many years, her talent and skills as a scientist had not been fully utilized or recognized, but now she had the best opportunity to fulfill her dreams. She only had to execute her original plan and expose this community of dragon shifters.
A knock on the door broke through her thoughts. She turned around, hiding her phone in the nearby drawer as she did.
Jack entered the room, looking tired but still good-looking and kingly. He’d actually been a hands-on dad the past months. Actually, he’d been the perfect father.
Something tugged at Jen’s heart as she gazed into Jack’s eyes. He strolled across the room and kissed her on the forehead.
“How are you, my love?” he asked gently, rubbing her shoulders and then taking her into his arms for a sweet embrace.
“I’m good, thanks,” Jen answered. The past year she’d been trying to control her feelings for him so that she’d have the courage to come out with her planned expose in the future. Nevertheless, his unchanging ways with her and especially his love of their son had seized her heart completely. She knew it, although she still wouldn’t admit to it.
“Jen… about our wedding…” he began.
Her heart skipped a beat as he once again brought up the subject of their marriage. She knew he’d just waited for her to give birth. It had been three months now that she had been evading the conversation, but she could not go on doing that forever.
Little Brennan suddenly burst out crying, making them both turn around anxiously. Saved by the bell, Jen thought.
