know what I am, and what you are, and if you're smart, you'll also know that the world is ending at the Millenium."
"Pardon me for still having trouble believing that you read my diary," she bitterly spat out, glaring at him.
He smiled. "I'm actually sad to find out that I have a halfsister. Your mother was raped too, right?"
"My birth mother was, not the woman who raised me. Mom told me everything. My birth mother didn't want me to live. She said I was an abomination."
Mackenzie nodded understandingly. "My mother died during childbirth. I lived in an orphanage until I was old enough to break out. You were lucky to have had a family, Bethany."
She shuddered. "Don't use my full name. Nobody uses my full name. Call me Beth. If you're that adamant about killing me, the least you could do is not use psychological warfare
on me beforehand." Beth forced herself to laugh weakly at her illtimed joke.
Mac didn't laugh. "Beth. I am sorry about this. I don't want to do it. I wish that we could team up. I wish I could help you find your unique place in the world and to fight off boys
who like you and read your diary more often." He smiled, but it was sad. The sadness even reached his eyes, and he leaned forward to brush Bethany's cheek. "I don't want to do
this, not to you. It's not fair. I love the people here, but no one here is quite like me, except for you. I finally have someone I can call family, even if they are related to me by the
part of my past that I detest more than anything, and you turn out to be the key to everything."
His fingers were soft. Beth's heart pounded in her chest. Was Mac trying to be this charismatic for her? Whether it was his personality or on purpose, it was working. Mackenzie was
someone she could have called family; that she could have grown to love and play with and grow up with, but they were on two separate sides. It wasn't fair, but when had life ever
been fair to them?
"What exactly am I the key to?" she asked quietly.
"The dragons."
Her jaw dropped. "You… you want to wake them up, don't you?"
"Yes. We've figured out where they are buried. We have the spells needed to undo what Hellewise did all those centuries ago. The only problem was that we lacked the ingredients. We tried a lot of things. We needed…"
"You needed blood. All those people we've been finding, you tried to bleed them for the spell."
"Yes," he nodded, almost imperceptibly. "But the blood was never right. The spell never worked. We tried different shifters, different sexes, different castes, different races… and
then we found you. We knew what we needed all along now. No one blood could wake them. They needed what they would have considered to be an abomination. They needed the
blood, in one body mingled, of their worshippers, their killers, their children, and their food. They needed someone who was part Native, part white like Hellewise, part dragon, and
part human."
"But why in the world would anybody want to bring back the dragons!? They were put away for a reason!"
"Yes, and our people have suffered for it. Had the dragons still been awake here, they might have been able to save off the advance of European colonization. Had our dragons been
awake, we might have been able to defend ourselves, and protect women like our mothers who were raped by white men. Had our dragons been awake, the shape shifters may still
rule in North America, the way they did long ago. North America was supposed to be our island, our haven, and yet Hellewise's spell was strong enough to send them to sleep even
here. The Totem slowly faded, their power seeped out of the land, and we became a weak nation, barely clinging to what little stories we have left. Now it is time to bring back our
nation. Now it is time to resurrect the Totem. We will be strong again."
"But they're the dragons! They're just as likely to eat you as they are to help you!"
"It's a risk I am willing to take. The vampires or the witches or the humans may take the rest of the world, but North America will once again be our haven. I'm surprised with your
past that you do not see the logic involved. Surely you must hate our father as much as I."
Beth nodded. Very few people knew the anger and hate she harbored for the man she had never even met. She buried it deeply, but it was still present, an ingrained part of her. "I
hate him," she admitted, "but that doesn't mean I hate everyone like him. I've met some human men who were quite nice! We should all be able to live together in harmony!"
"I am suggesting harmony," he hissed, though it was out of forcefulness and not out of anger. "Do you really think that Daybreak will be able to keep the different castes from
fighting amongst each other? They need to be led by someone they fear and respect. The dragons are perfect for that. Besides, Daybreak is led by vampires and witches. It won't
end the bigotry that sees shape shifters like you as something… vile and base. Our way of life was built upon the ideas of animals that cared for us, fed us, protected us, loved us,
guided us, and now we're told that they're wrong. That you, who once would have been revered for your abilities, are something disposable of. I want harmony as much as you do,
but it is our time to recover our lost ways. Let us get the respect we deserve!"
He settled then, taking in a few deep breaths and calming himself. "There's nothing you can do to talk us out of it. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning. The cuffs shouldn't hurt you.
After that, we'll be traveling. We'll loosen the bonds if you agree not to try and run away. If you do, we'll put them on again and they won't be loosened or removed again.
Understand?"
Beth nodded. Mac rose, dusting off his clothes and selfconsciously fixing his hair. "We'll send down Niao with some food for you. You'll get breakfast on the road tomorrow. Oh, and
don't let LouisEtienne scare you. He sounds mean and gruff, but he's really a big softie under it all."
"I'll do my best," she bitterly promised.
Mac smiled at her. There was a surprising amount of fondness to it. "I really am sorry about this, Beth."
"Don't apologize. First you have to get away with it. My friends will save me."
"I'm sure they will," he replied. He didn't sound like he believed it at all.
Frankly, Beth didn't either, but it felt good to say it.
They headed out the following morning. Beth didn't know where they were going. They drove all day, alternating the driver as people became tired. Beth spent the whole day in the
back seat, bound behind two seats. True to her word, she didn't try to escape. She sat and talked and listened, learning who they were and the stories that had helped to shape
them.
All of them had some excuse for wanting to do it. The blonde woman, Emile, she wanted to bring back the old traditions. Gawain wanted revenge on the people who had hurt him.
LouisEtienne wanted his children to grow up in a world where they weren't shunned and pushed into the wilderness by senseless fear and hate. Zhi Niao (who had been in disguise
as a prostitute that day just as Beth was and actually was in University) wanted the shifters to be in power again so that she and her family could never be pushed out of their
homes again. And Mac, Mac wanted what they wanted combined.
What made it difficult after learning their stories was that Beth had to admit they were justified in wanting the dragons to return. They weren't doing it out of powerhungry mongering or insanity. They were doing it out of real problems and real emotions. These people, she felt, had a right to want to protect themselves and their families. She only
wished she didn't have to die to help their cause… and she wished they were trying to put the shifters in power without having to bring back the dragons.
They stopped in a wooded area and camped for the night. Beth had no thoughts of running away as Loui
sEtienne slept beside her with his head on her waist, ready to bite and grab
if she moved too much during the night.
They morning after that, they started hiking. They hiked steadily up a hill, up a traveled path disguised by the trees and ferns blocking the way. It was wellhidden. Slowly, the
trees grew larger. The redwoods began to appear. The wind began getting colder. Now and then the trees parted enough for Beth to see the horizon. The snowcapped tops of the
Rocky Mountains loomed above her, very close. And the group still persisted up.
For three days they traveled steadily up. Beth quickly began to lack the energy to run away. Her legs burned. She was fit, but she wasn't used to the steady trek the others had
started. She gained a new appreciation for them. Mackenzie, LouisEtienne, and Zhi Niao Beth had known would be able to make the journey. They had stamina and fitness. She had
not been expecting the lamia girl and the witch to make it without breaking a sweat. By the third day, on the last leg of the journey, the werewolf was carrying Bethany, letting her
feet rest before putting her down again and taking a break himself. She felt weak and silly.
"You're doing fine," the Chinese shifter encouraged her. "The last few we took up had to be carried from day one. You've impressed us."
"You're still going to kill me," she bitterly countered.
Zhi Niao smiled. "Everyone dies sometime. Your death will help to free us. You'll be a heroine."
"Do you dispose of all your heroines in dumpsters in seedy areas of towns?" The cute girl didn't have an answer and turned away, ashamed. After a moment she glanced back at the
werewolf and nodded to him. Then she hurried ahead to talk beside Emile. She didn't want to be around Beth anymore.
Finally, they stopped. A cave opened in front of them. They camped outside of it, waiting for dawn. Beth slept fretfully that night.
Tomorrow morning, she was going to die.
There was an echo in the cave. The echo was Beth's first clue was to how large the cave was. Even with the torch Gawain carried, the rest of the group perfectly able to see in the
dark, her vision only extended so far. She could see the ceiling above them and the floor, but ahead of her, past Mac as he led the group, there was nothing but darkness.
Walking became monotonous. It didn't seem like very long, but it also seemed to take forever. Every few seconds Beth would think that the tunnels they occasionally cleared would
fill up with Nick and the Daybreakers, there to rescue her. But as they kept walking and no attack came, her despair kept becoming deeper and deeper.
Finally they stopped walking. LouisEtienne held her arm to keep her from escaping. His grip was tight, but not uncomfortable. She debated kicking him and running away, but she
didn't think she would be able to find her way back out of the mountain. They had taken several twists and turns. As strange as it was, Beth wasn't frightened of the pressing
darkness and the scent of the earth and rocks around her. It felt strangely comfortable.
Mac flipped a bic. A small amount of light filled the room, barely enough to light the contours of Gawain's face as he used it to light candles. He kept lighting candles, passing them
off to Emile and Zhi Niao to place around Bethany in a circle. Slowly but steadily the light began to grow. When the last candle was lit and placed down, closing the circle of flames,
Bethany found herself staring at the closed eye of a dragon.
A scream escaped her. She couldn't help it. The pupil of the eye was as big as her head. It was pure gold, shaped like a cat's, and the scaly flesh which surrounded it was emerald
green in hue, the scales mottled with khaki green and a lighter shade for camouflage. And the eye was open, staring at her, covered over by a milkywhite film like that of a snake.
They were in a ledge in a monstrous cavern in the heart of the mountain range. The dragons lay below them. Peering through the darkness, Beth could make out humps of flesh a
slightly different shade than the rest of the darkness. There were so many of them! Who had ever thought that there were so many!
The dragon in front of them sighed loudly. The sound made the loose pebbles on the floor of the ledge bounce. Beth clawed LouisEtienne, ready to scale his body for safety when a
jet of hot steam appeared from the dragon's nose, drifting up by them. It reminded Beth of pictures she had seen of Yellowstone.
"Gawain, start the ceremony."
The little boy pulled out a scroll from the bag on his back. Beth corrected herself. Gawain was the same age she was; he wasn't a little boy, just as she wasn't a little girl. He threw
the knapsack against the wall behind him and then pulled off his jacket, adding it to the pile. Then he took off his shirt. When he began to unbuckle his pants, Beth quickly looked
away.
When he was naked, the witch began to read from the scroll. The incantations sounded strange to Beth. She wasn't paying attention to anything else until Louis' hand moved to the
hem of her gym shirt. He was trying to take it off. She spun on him, slapping his hand away. "Stop it."
LouisEtienne snarled at her. "Everyone's doing it. It's part of the ceremony."
"I don't care. I'm not going to let you strip me."
Mackenzie stepped over the candles into the circle. Beth's cheeks burned from her blush when she saw that he was naked. Mac was lithely muscled, and Bethany could see why
Emile found him so attractive. He took good care of himself. She adverted her eyes before they could see anything lower than his shoulders. It meant that she missed seeing the
weapon he held loosely by his side. "Does that mean you're going to undress yourself, Beth?"
"No! I… I… Arg!" Beth didn't need to explain herself. She spun back on LouisEtienne, planning on bullrushing him into the candles. She'd prefer trying to find her way out of the mountain and being lost in darkness than stripping and letting herself before humiliated before they killed her. It was obvious now that Daybreak wasn't going to come to save her. Maybe they didn't even know where she was. What if Nick and Eliza were dead and no one even knew she was missing!?
No. She had played along willingly because she knew she still had a chance of getting away. This was her last chance. She'd lose them in the mountains. She wasn't going to be a
nice little hostage anymore.
Beth kicked the werewolf as hard as she could. It did little damage, but it did keep him from reaching out to grab her. She didn't count on Mackenzie predicting her actions or being
so fast. He grabbed her long black hair and pulled on it so hard Beth fell flat on her back inside the circle. She tried to strike and kick Mac off of her, but couldn't. LouisEtienne
grabbed her hands and held her down. Emile kept her legs from kicking. Then she saw the knife Mackenzie was holding. He grabbed her shirt and cut it with her knife. Bethany's
eyes leaked tears. She tried screaming, but Zhi Niao put her hand over her mouth, keeping her terror locked inside.
She didn't know what was worse: the cold air assaulting her as she shorts, bra, and underwear fell away, or the way the eyes of captors were scared. She had been worried about
the wolf. She had been worried that he'd be staring at her like a piece of meat, but he had eyes only for Zhi Niao. Instead, the burly werewolf actually looked sad.
"It will all be all over soon," he promised her.
Mac straightened and held the knife out to Gawain. "Finish it."
The witch shook his head. He couldn't stand to look at them as they held Bethany down. There was a surprising amount of venom in his voice. "She's your sister, Mac. You do it."
Instantly the vampire's face paled. He had not apparently been expecting this dissention. His eyes went from Gawain, then the eye of the sleeping dragon, and then to Emile. Whatever the lamia beauty thought of the situation, Beth couldn't tell. Her face held secrets only for Mack
enzie. The vampire's grip on the knife became whiteknuckled. "Fine."
He looked down at her. Tenderly, he dried her cheeks of her tears. Beth still struggled, but it was futile. Mackenzie leaned over, brushing dirt from her dark hair as he kissed her
forehead. "Goodbye, Bethy."
Then it washed over her. She knew exactly what it was, but there was no way to fight against it. Telepathy. She had always been susceptible to it. She had never been able to use
it. Mackenzie's thoughts easily slipped past her own. Bethany felt her connection to her body lessen. She felt strangely floaty, and happy. Languid, yes, languid. It was warm and
comfy in her body, and yet she felt as if she were floating outside of it. She couldn't feel her body anymore, just warmth. She couldn't feel the hands holding her down anymore.
"You can let go. She's subdued. The least I can do is keep her from feeling it." He took her hand in his, and he cut her wrist with the knife.
Beth stared at the way her blood, black in the dim light of the cavern, began to run down from the cut. He took the other hand and did the same. Beth couldn't feel it. It was as if it
was being done to someone else. She watched the blood leak and pour from her wrists, and to the ground, and trickle slowly over the rocky ground, to the dragons down below.
Beth's world was going black slowly. She didn't like it. She was tired of the darkness. She wanted to revel in the light. She tried to push back into her body, wanting to dance and
laugh and sing. She knew she couldn't do any of that where she was going. Glancing around, she saw the milkywhite film of the dragon's eyes pull back. It blinked, and it looked
right at her. She had never seen such a deep shade of gold before. It was a beautiful color, so bright that they glowed in the darkness like a sun. Beth wanted to go there, to that
place, where it was bright…
The green dragon nodded and the female hissed. When he let out a growl, the red dragon submitted, afraid of the dragon's wrath. Both dragons began to change. In a matter of
seconds, two naked humanoids had joined them on the ledge. The male was broadshouldered and smoothly muscled, with a tapered waist that even Emile envied. Stoic and his
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