Handlers of Dragons (Children of Ankh Book 4)

by Kim Cormack

  It felt like only moments had lapsed, when she heard muffled sounds. Kayn tried to assess the damage with her eyes closed. Her entire body felt hot. She was seriously injured and her healing ability was working overtime. Logic urged her to buy herself a little more time to heal before allowing anyone to know she was awake. She was going to need some energy. Fingers crossed these were not mortals. Usually when they were forced off the highway it was one of the other clans trying to steal an underage Ankh but she sensed that wasn’t what this was. She didn’t recognize the voices but they all had a deep gravely sounding undertone and someone or something was panting loudly. She felt that same sense of caution she’d experienced in the seconds before the crash. Even though her eyes were closed, Kayn knew it was still dark outside with no glare behind her lids. The heat caused by her Healing ability began to dull and she suspected she was good to go. Kayn opened her eyes and cautiously got up to see what they were dealing with. There was something crouched over a body, twitching. What in the hell was that? As she gingerly crept closer, she sensed the body was Zach. Something was feeding on her Handler! She stormed over, grabbed the creature by the throat and choked it out while receiving a shivering surge of it’s energy. It fell limply into the sand. She wanted more but she’d taken enough, her vision was no longer blurry so she’d have to suck it up and stay focused on the situation at hand. Zach had been badly injured in the crash but there appeared to be no wound caused by whatever these things were. She was confused. She stealthily maneuvered her way through the shadows subduing the creatures until there was only one left. It began rolling around in front of her on it’s back in the sand. As she observed its canine like subservient mannerisms, Kayn whispered, “What do we have here?” She was intrigued by the fact that it was cowering before her, when it appeared to have no reason. She motioned for it to come closer and it did, crawling on all four human legs. This was incredibly strange. She cocked her head inquisitively and the creature imitated her. They didn’t have time for this. Now they were going to need another vehicle. They had a lot of places to be and people to kill before they’d be back with the rest of their clan. Kayn motioned for it to come closer. Whatever it was, it appeared to be in awe of her. She reached out as though she were about to pet it and in a rapid movement she had the curious thing in a headlock. It didn’t even attempt to struggle. It succumbed to her will, by simply allowing her to subdue it. What was this? It didn’t make any sense? Maybe it had something to do with the Lampir they’d Corrected this evening? Kayn wandered around to check out her incapacitated Ankh. They appeared to only have injuries from the accident. She needed to find something to restrain these partially mortal looking creatures. Kayn searched their vehicle. There was a bag of zip ties on the floor in the back. These would do in a snap but the fact that they were there made her feel a tad suspicious as to what their intentions were. She dragged each one over, turned them on their stomachs and zip-tied their hands behind their backs. This might not be good enough. Kayn triple zip tied their hands and ankles together. Once she felt like they’d been properly restrained, she wandered over, intending to heal Lexy first because healing both Handlers from the state they were in would take a toll.

  As she approached her sister’s body, Lexy brushed herself off, got up and announced, “Well Brighton, what are we dealing with?”

  “I’m not sure what they are but they didn’t hurt any of us,” Kayn replied. “Lampir maybe?”

  Lexy crouched down, flipped one over and checked the distorted creature’s gums around it’s canines. “They’re not Lampir.” She inspected the predator’s blackened fingernails and said, “They appear to be Lycanthrope but not fully changed. I haven’t seen this before. Did you say they didn’t touch us?”

  “One was right by Zach. It was twitching by his neck and I thought he was being hurt by it but when I got a closer look, he didn’t appear to have any injuries that weren’t caused by the accident,” Kayn explained. She crouched down to get a closer look at the creatures blackened nails.

  “Either way, running us off the road violated the treaty,” Lexy stated.

  One of them began squirming around growling. Lexy flipped it over and looked into it’s eyes as she questioned it, “You’ve inconvenienced us. Explain yourself. You have about five seconds before I tear out your heart and feed it to your corpse.”

  Fear registered in the creature’s eyes as it bluntly responded, “We were just minding our own business, driving home. There was this fragrance in the air and we started to change with no lunar prompting. The next thing we knew, we’d crashed into you guys. We were frenzied by the blonde one’s scent. You were all bleeding profusely but we sensed you weren’t mortal. We also detected the Lampir toxin in the blonde one’s system and knew she might turn. So, we tried to keep our distance but those pheromones are so intoxicating. What is she?”

  Lexy replied, “She’s one of us. She’s Ankh and a Conduit but she’s part Guardian as am I.”

  Kevin had given her a warning about keeping her paternity to herself. Her sister didn’t know that because she hadn’t had the opportunity to tell her. It was too late now. What’s done is done.

  The Lycanthrope smiled as he introduced himself, “My friends call me Emerson and I give you my word, we never intended to hurt you.”

  “Alright then, let’s get you all untied,” Lexy replied.

  Kayn watched as Lexy snapped the triple tied zip-ties like they were nothing. The Lycanthrope had fully returned to their mortal state. Emerson was an attractive guy. There was this green haze surrounding the Lycanthrope. This meant they were not an evil entity. They were just different. Her curiosity peeked. How did it happen? Was it virus based like the Lampir or was it genetics?

  Lexy answered her thoughts, “Usually genetics but in rare cases, a scratch or a bite can infect someone with the virus.”

  “Good to know,” Kayn replied as she held out her hand to help Emerson up. The now mortal looking man accepted her gesture. Wordless apologies made the most sense to her.

  Emerson caught her attention by not letting go of her hand. He raised it to his nose and sniffed her.

  His eyes were flecked with glowing yellow as he awkwardly released her hand and explained, “Your scent is difficult to ignore. It’s still there but just faintly now.”

  Kayn smiled at Emerson then looked at Lexy and suggested, “We should wake the boys up.”

  Lexy was standing there staring at her cell phone looking thoroughly disappointed. She peered up from the screen and declared, “No cell service. We might be stuck here until someone comes along.”

  “Maybe, it’s just our provider?” Kayn countered.

  Emerson grinned as he tossed Kayn his phone. She caught it without even looking. “Impressive,” he flirted.

  Kayn couldn’t help but smile. She wasn’t accustomed to being the receiver of random flirtations. Her vision blurred and found herself squinting to see his cell’s screen. This was obviously going to be a thing now.

  “You alright?” Emerson asked.

  He was quite attractive for an older man. Well, a man that looked his age. Emerson had to be at least forty. Frost crossed her mind again. Kayn smiled as she answered, “I’m fine. It’s just an ability related glitch.”

  Lexy called her over to Grey. He wasn’t dead. It wouldn’t be a taxing healing job. The two placed their hands on his chest and healed him first. They moved on to Zach and it didn’t take much. She saw a glowing light flickering on the other side of the Lycanthropes wreckage. They’d made a fire. It wasn’t cold. That fire was only going to draw the attention of wild animals. Zach and Grey were already being introduced to their new accidental friends as Kayn tried to make sense of the hollow reverb after each person spoke. One of the Lycanthrope’s voices cracked as he introduced himself. He sounded young. Her vision was blurry. She couldn’t make out anything further than five feet away. It left her feeling like she was at a disadvantage. The desert sky was probably full of stars. She decided to j
oin the group gathered around the flickering flames.

  Zach smiled at her as she approached. He enquired, “Hungry?”

  She was starving for various reasons. “Always,” Kayn replied as she took her place at her Handler’s side. “What are we having?”

  “Whatever sees this fire and comes to eat us,” Zach replied. “Or we can choose the easy route.”

  Intrigued, Kayn responded, “What would that be?”

  Grey piped in, “I’m sure you’re a bit hesitant to uncork Frost’s ability but if we set those pheromones off, our friends here can change without a full moon. You’ll be able to send a few to go for help, while the rest hunt us down something to eat.”

  Was she hungry enough to eat random desert wildlife? Not likely. Did she want to uncork an ability she’d proven on multiple occasions to have no control over? She tried to look up at the desert sky once more in search of stars and there was nothing but darkness. Her vision would likely be restored if she fed.

  Lexy gave Kayn’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she assured, “I’ll break your neck if you get out of hand.”

  What did she have to lose? Kayn shrugged as she took Zach’s hand and announced, “Give it your best shot Romeo.” All eyes were on the Dragon Handler duo. This was incredibly awkward. Zach nervously cleared his throat as he inched closer and gave her his sexiest come-hither smile. Kayn started giggling.

  “Come on Brighton,” Zach complained.

  She countered, “There’s too many people around. This isn’t going to work.”

  “Positive thinking,” Grey urged. When Zach didn’t jump right in, Grey took the initiative as he declared, “Allow me to show you how it’s done.”

  Kayn gave her sister a helpless look.

  Lexy shrugged and whispered, “I’ll break his neck too.”

  Grey spun around, glared at Lexy and enquired, “What did you just say?”

  “Nothing important,” Lexy answered. When Grey turned back to Kayn, Lexy winked at her.

  This was so messed-up. Grey shot her a seductive smile. Why not? Her sister would literally kill him if he became too frisky. Kayn decided to take the ability she’d siphoned for a spin.

  Grey confidently moved in, took her hand and placed it on his chest, holding it firmly in place with both hands. She felt his heart beating beneath her palm. Thud, thud...Thud, thud. She knew what he was doing. He’d played this game with her once before but they’d been close to that inhibition loosening pool in the in-between. It felt rather voyeuristic having all eyes trained on them as Grey tried to work his flirtatious magic. Thank heavens it was dark out. It made her feel less exposed.

  “What would Frost do in a moment like this?” Grey enquired.

  Kayn stared into his eyes, riveted as to where he was going with this conversation. Was he looking for details? She could play this game but knew she shouldn’t. She divulged, “He’d probably try to kiss me.” Grey leaned in. Kayn maneuvered out of the way. This felt wrong. Lexy was her sister. There had to be an easier way to set off the ability without being forced to do something she didn’t really want to do.

  Grey chuckled and teased, “Chicken.”

  She thought of something she’d been dared to do back in the Testing. Maybe it would be better if she kept it out of the clan? Kayn sparred, “Humour me.” She was going to check one off her unbucket list and kiss a stranger. Kayn summoned Emerson. Without hesitation, the mortal looking Lycanthrope came over and stood in front of her, visibly curious as to what she had planned. What would Chloe do? She allowed thoughts of Frost to fill her mind with steamy visions of seduction and before she could talk herself out of it, she planted a slow passionate kiss on the mature Lycanthrope who was all but a stranger. She felt a touch of warmth between their lips. It was working! She deepened the kiss. Emerson had some serious skills in the kissing department. Kayn shivered as the pheromones released from her skin into the desert air. Emerson’s eyes were flecked with yellow as they pulled apart. She’d figured it out! Kayn stared into the Lycanthrope’s eyes. She seductively ran her fingers over his defined chest as she suggested with a raspy tone, “Why don’t you harness that inner beast and go catch us something to eat?”

  Emerson’s eyes seemed to haze over as he obediently whispered, “Yes... Of course.”

  While feeling crazy powerful, Kayn faced the rest of the Lycanthropes and ordered, “I’m going to need a few of you to go for help because we’ve had some car trouble. Would anyone like to volunteer?”

  All their hands raised. She loved how this ability made her feel. Go inner Chloe! Kayn smirked as she watched the Lycanthrope beginning to change. Their facial features distorted becoming angular and savage. They galloped away on all fours.

  Grey whispered, “Another Lily... Heaven help us all.”

  Smart asses get experimented with. Kayn turned to Grey and suggested, “I think Lexy could use a shoulder massage, don’t you?”

  “Sure,” Grey answered as he dutifully began massaging Lexy’s shoulders.

  With an uncompromising look, Zach whispered, “I’ll just agree to play along if you promise to leave me my free will.”

  She winked at her Handler. “Deal,” Kayn whispered back as she walked away from the trio. Sometimes it felt like she’d barely been given a moment to absorb everything that had happened during the Testing. They’d kept them so busy that they hadn’t had the opportunity to settle their souls. She looked up at the breathtaking display of the stars blanketed across the heavens as the howling of the Lycanthrope echoed through the desert. Kayn was beginning to understand how her twin’s ability worked. She knelt on the ground and raked her hand over the surface of the sand causing the delicate grains to dance beneath her fingertips. She felt an ominous vibration. Kayn placed her palm flat on the silky grains, knowing what it was before her eyes met with the rattlesnake’s as it hypnotically slithered through the sand towards her. It stopped roughly five feet away, raised its head and began its telltale rattling. She met its penetrating reptilian gaze with her own and warned, “You will not succeed in harming me. Leave.”

  It darted at her with no restraint as predators often do. Kayn raised her hand and the reptile froze in place. Interesting. This was new. She waved her hand. In the time it took to blink, the rattler was soaring through the air away from the group. It landed in the sand and left peacefully without making another attempt. What had she just done? She snatched a pebble from the ground, tossing it into the air and tried to freeze it during it’s descent. She managed to keep it in place for only a second but that was more than long enough to envision what could be done with this new ability. She recalled how the Guardian Seth had frozen her entire clan while he borrowed both her and Lexy. Kayn rose to stand with her palm full of sand as adrenaline surged through her being. She tossed it up into the air and held up her palm, attempting to freeze it in place. It rained down around her. That time it hadn’t worked. She grabbed another handful and chucked it into the air. This time she froze it, every grain was mystically suspended in the air around her, hovering, slowly moving clockwise like a mobile over an infant’s bassinet. This was incredible. She felt like cheering. Zach cautiously made his way to stand at her side. She didn’t want to take any chances with him. He shouldn’t be this close.

  He quietly asked, “Are you freezing time?”

  “I am. I think so...You shouldn’t be standing this close,” she cautioned.

  “It’s my job,” Zach pointed out as he moved closer. “Do it again. Show me.”

  Kayn grabbed another handful, beaming as she pitched it up into the air. She stopped it by holding up her hand but only for about ten seconds, before it sprinkled down around her like summer rain. Her attention was drawn to an odour, followed by heavy panting. They were back and by the scent in the air she knew the Lycanthrope hadn’t shown up empty handed. They had dinner.

  Zach touched her arm and said, “They’re back. You should stop messing around. Experiment when there’s no witnesses.”

&
nbsp; She was quite aware that her Handler wasn’t physically strong enough to stop her from doing anything. She was stronger then they were. She felt it in her soul. Kayn felt Lexy’s presence behind her. Her sister was strong enough to give her a run for her money. She knew why she was there. She didn’t blame her. Her ego was beginning to take her away from the duties at hand so she allowed it to happen. Kayn closed her eyes as Lexy snapped her neck.

  Zach picked up Kayn’s limp body, cradling her in his arms, he wandered over and placed her on the ground by the light of the fire. He took a seat beside her and lovingly brushed her hair out of her eyes.

  “Is she your girlfriend?” The young, now human looking Lycanthrope asked.

  “No, I’m her Handler,” Zach responded as he watched her lying there completely still.

  “She’s one of those Dragon’s then, I’ve heard about them. They are always telling stories about that Dragon with the crimson hair.” He clicked in to Lexy’s presence and tried to backtrack, “All good things of course about how strong and powerful she is.”

  “Good save little buddy,” Grey chuckled as he tried to mess up Lexy’s hair.

  Lexy swatted him away and scowled as she hissed, “Do you really want to do this right now?”

  Grey flirtatiously sparred, “I might.”

  Their gaze held for a little longer than it should. Lexy stood up and proclaimed, “Not this time Greydon,” as she stormed away.

  “What did I say?” Grey sighed as he scrambled to his feet, preparing to go after her.

  Zach stopped him and explained, “I’ll go. Watch Kayn for a minute.”

  Grey shrugged as he sat down beside Kayn’s lifeless body. He ruffled Kayn’s hair and grinned before turning his attention back to the others.

  Zach rushed to catch up with Lexy. While keeping pace with her, he implored, “You can talk to me.”