"But we have no one here to train him."
Cain sighed and brought he book down again. Evidently Emile was set up talking. "Were he able to learn our magic, I would gladly teach him, but he lacks the proper vocal chords…
among other things."
"But Daybreak would be able to teach him more."
Given the conversation he'd had with Bethany only two hours or so before, Cain automatically perceived suggestive hints in her tone—and dangerous hints. His head whipped around
to stare at her and he slowly sat up, growling. His eyes scanned her face looking for any sign of trouble, forcing himself to not be fooled by the gentle, petite face and the mass of
angelic blonde hair. "You're right," he finally said slowly, sensing no further threat. "Daybreak would have someone to teach him more magic."
She blinked innocently. "Would you hate us if we sent him there?"
"I'm not Fala."
Emile, bless her heart, blushed and stood up, picking her wine glass back up. "No, thank heavens, you're not." She paused and offered him a selective smile. "I thank the gods
every day that we made a friend who understood the meaning of subtlety."
He felt himself blush with the unexpected praise before he could stop it. It was not the actual complement but the wording of it. She had not called him 'dragon' or 'comrade in
arms' or 'partner', but friend. The only people he could recall having called him friend were Kotori and Nick, and they weren't aware of who he really was. They had offered the
term for him because of his connection to Bethany and not because of his own self. Emile had called him friend for being himself, and not for pretending to be someone else.
"Thank you," he said, flattered.
Suddenly the ground fell out from beneath his feet. Cain had never blacked out before in his life, but suddenly he knew what it felt like. The world was going dark around him. He
was having trouble breathing, and his whole body felt warm and tingly. He felt himself collapse into the couch, but he didn't really feel the impact.
At the inner most core of his being, the fragile area where his precious connection to his Soulmate was rooted, he suddenly felt the bounds of their connection sever. For one
horrible, horrible moment Cain thought she was dead. It was the only thing that could explain the severing of their connection. Panic tried to swamp over his mind, and he could feel
his blood boiling in his veins at the rage he felt, a scream strugglign to escape his lips. Struggling to contain it, he probed deeper and felt that it was still there; they were still
connected. The world slowly began to swim back to place as he held the tattered ends of the wounded connection.
What had Beth done? How had Beth done this? He couldn't feel her, far away from him. He couldn't pick up any emotions. Even when she had shied away from that connection, he
could tell when she had been happy or frightened or melancholy. When he probed deeper, she always had walls up to stop him, but now his mind hit nothing but darkness when he
followed the cord.
And then, from within that still darkness, that disfiguring nothingness, rose a bubble. It seemed strange, moving so gently up to him. And then the bubble burst in his mind,
exploding with all the force of a volcano, blinding his world white. Bethany's scream echoed in his mind, crying out his name in such terror and need that he found himself moving
before his vision had even cleared.
"What?" Emile asked, following him. "What is it?"
"Bethany's in trouble," Cain said between grinding teeth. His jaw hurt from it. He wasn't even thinking properly. He didn't bother grabbing outdoor clothes. All he could feel was the
need to get to Beth and ensure that their weak connection didn't sever completely. He flung open the doors to the porch, Emile hot on his trail.
His shirt began ripping as his shoulders cracked and extended. Emile grabbed his arm, wideeyed in horror. "Flying? Do you want to get yourself killed? People will see
His black eyes were snapping with fury. "I don't care. She needs me."
"You're no good to her dead!"
The vampire had such a point that for a moment the dragon stopped. Then he paused longer, lashing his temper under his own control. He gripped her shoulders. "Someone has
Bethany and has knocked her out. I'm tired of people trying to hurt my Soulmate. You'd be acting the same way if it were Mackenzie in danger, Emile. I can get to her faster this
way. I'm not going to direct a taxi around town trying to track her down!"
He released her and Emile did not protest again. She watched as he finished changing, yelling up to him to make her voice heard over the beat of his wings. "Contact us when you
know where she is! We'll try to help!"
Cain didn't answer. Lifting up into the sky, he opened his mouth and roared so loudly that the panes of glass in the house below him shook from the sound. Then, turning his
attention to the unwound cord, he began to follow it to Bethany.
Beth had passed out before. Then, coming back to consciousness had been like swimming through a hazy fog. It was gradual and some part of you had to push to actually wake
back up. It was all too easy to let the haze claim you again and to fall asleep. This time, however, there was no hazy fog. Beth suddenly gasped, opened her eyes, and shot up, as if
something had been pressing her down into the unconsciousness and as soon as it lifted her mind sprang back up into its proper place.
Gawain was near her. He was lighting candles, but paused in his work when he heard her wake. The young boys dark brown eyes stared at her, glittering with something Beth had
never seen before: lust. Even as she recognized it, feeling his eyes linger on her body, she knew that it wasn't intentional. He was a normal boy and she, much to her horror, was
completely naked.
Folding her arms around herself, she glanced around. Great lurking shapes surrounded them: dragons. She glanced overhead to see the shelf where they had first performed the
ritual. Now they were on the actual ground. It was chilly down here. Beth stood up in the circle, rubbing her shoulder and keeping her small breasts hidden from Gawain. The
nearest dragon, much to her horror, was a deep, red color. Fala's kin.
"Where's Fala?"
"She said she wanted to hunt before she did this. She said she needed a lot of energy to kill so many. She ordered me to get the ritual set up." He finished lighting the last candle
and then put his lighter back into his pocket before he reached up and began undoing the buttons of his shirt. "If you're awake, she must be coming back. She wouldn't risk you
escaping."
"We should run!"
The lust she had seen in his eyes was replaced by something else Beth had never seen before. In a flash those lively brown eyes had become dead and hollow. Fala had said or
done something to him that had eaten at his mind. He wasn't even afraid of her anymore, just complacent.
"There's nowhere to go."
He was right; there wasn't. Beth didn't know of a way up and out of the mountains, and all they had to light their way was Gawain's little lighter. Besides, even if they could get out
of the cavern, where could they hide in the woods that Fala wouldn't be able to track them down? There was no help coming…
Cain.
The thought passed through her heart like a pang. She reached down into herself to find that mental and emotional bond they shared together. Normally laying passive, it shook
with barely restrained anger.
Cain?
Bethany! You're awake again! Gods above, I thought that I had nearly lost you!
The sound of his voice in her ears almost made her break down into tears. She'd worried him and she didn't like that. She didn't want Cain to lose her, nor she him. She sniffled
loudly. You'll never lose me. I'm m
ade to be the thorn at your side.
Where are you? The question was quick and urgent, but under it and the shaking rage Beth could feel warm thoughts circulating his mind. He was pleased by her response, if a little
pained. She didn't understand why but she suspected that it was because he wanted her to be more than a pain in his side.
The cave where you were sleeping. Gawain's here too.
Kaneonuskatew swore in so many different languages Beth couldn't identify most of them. She wants to resurrect the other dragons. I'm already on my way, Bethany, but it's going
to take me a little while longer to get to you. Emile warned me not to fly, but I didn't listen to her. I need to shake off the things flying after me before I can make it to you. Can
you stall her?
Yes!
She was a little surprised at the force of her answer. Beth couldn't remember doing anything like this before. Where had this sense of defiance come from? Beth wasn't a good
fighter, not like the other Night Worlders. All Fala would have to do is shoot her once and she'd be pushed back into unconsciousness! She was seriously going to try evading
something like that?
For Cain? Knowing that he was on his way and the situation wasn't hopeless? For Kotori and Nick and Eliza? Even for Mac? Yes, she'd become foolish and reckless just this once if it meant that she could see them again.
Beth grabbed Gawain's hand and started pulling him into the mountain of sleeping dragon bodies that surrounded them. "Come on. Cain's on his way. We've got to buy time. We
need a place to…"
"He is coming? Good." Fala's voice made her skid to a halt. Beth's ears twitched and her nose wrinkled as she sniffed, trying to pinpoint where the dragon was, but all she could
smell were Fala's kin which surrounded them. Beth tightened her grip on Gawain's hand and pulled them slowly deeper amongst the dragons, trying to keep her feet from making a
sound against the loose rocks. "I was rather worried that you were too proud to use your Soulmate connection to talk to one another. That would be such a disappointment, to know
that he wasn't coming to arrive here to find your inert body."
Crunch!
Beth lost her balance and landed on the rocks hard. The sound echoed through the cavern and she bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying out. The sharp edges had cut her skin. When she reached out to steady herself, she found cool rock wall instead of scaled, warm dragon hide. They had found one wall of the cavern. If there was a walking passage out of
the cave, they could follow the wall to find it. Even a niche would be a large help! Besides, with the wall beside them, it ruled out one direction Fala could take to attack them.
"You can't hide, you know. I can smell your stench from anywhere. You're bleeding, Bethany." The halfhuman girl blushed when she recalled the incident in the car. "Bethany,
Bethany, Beth… a… knee… Why fight it? Oh… I see. You're stalling. Cain's coming, of course. You're trying to bide time for him to come."
Beth could hear the crunch of bones and heard something heavy strike the ground in a wet splat. Then she heard nothing. She paused, Gawain breathing heavily beside her and his
hand clammy in hers. She ignored it to concentrate on her surroundings. She couldn't see, but she'd never been able to see well. Beth let herself stare, concentrating on her other
senses. She was pausing like a predator, she knew, waiting until her prey was unsuspecting to move again.
There!
The attack was so fast Beth was slow in reacting. She felt the wind change around her, her long black hair fanning up over shoulders as something came flying in quickly. Claws
raked her shoulder, deep gashes, but nothing life threatening. Beth pulled Gawain along as she moved further down the wall. Fala was in an owl shape. She risked taking her hand
off the wall to cover the flow of blood from her shoulder. Judging from the span of the clawed that had struck her, Fala was a large owl, too.
Out of nowhere, Gawain started to recite the spell. Bethany froze, turning back to look at him blindly. Between his words she could hear him sob and she could taste the salty hint
of tears on her tongue. She tightened her grip on his hand. "Stop it! Come on! We can get through this!"
He shook his head and sobbed louder. "I'm sorry, Bethany." He pulled his hand free from hers and stepped back away from her out of fear. Beth felt like she had been slapped. What had Fala threatened to do to him…
She was so busy concentrating on Gawain that she hadn't felt the person coming up silently behind her until strong arms wrapped around her arms, pulling them back and shoving
her to the ground. Beth glanced over shoulder as she struggled to stay up, shocked to see that it was a human male. Her gaze swept up to the hairline: the horns were still there.
"You humans," he laughed. "You've pathetic shields on your memories. Do you know what happened to Gawain? Someone abused him badly when he was younger; someone with
this face. Now the poor boy will do anything to keep from feeling himself pinned to the ground with that drunkard's body over his, won't he, Sweetie?"
Beth glanced at Gawain. He was moving out of what she could make out in the dark cave, but she could see that his skin was ashen from fear, and his mouth shook. He had to
struggle to remember the spell when he saw that face.
"Let me go, Fala!"
The woman laughed in the deep base of the man's voice. "Or what, little Bethany? Your boyfriend will kill me for touching you?"
"Cain's not my boyfriend."
"Could have fooled me!"
"I can't believe that you're doing all of this out of jealousy for some man! I thought that you were above that Fala!"
She clucked her tongue. "Psychology won't work on me, Beth. I can see your plots." Just to prove her point, she nudged Beth's thoughts with her mind. She never thought the
telepathy would hurt, but it did. It felt like burning cinders were being wrapped into her mind and she hissed in pain. "Will this work without that ritual knife?" she asked Gawain.
He stammered blithely until she growled at him. "I honestly don't know."
"Better run and get it, then. Come on, Bethany. Be a good, docile girl."
"Bite me!" Beth struggled when she felt those large arms pick her up off the ground. She hated being small sometimes. Fala was carrying her without any problem at all and the
kicks she was landing weren't hurting the dragon in the slightest. She growled in frustration and was surprised at the way it was rumbling in her chest. She had never growled like
that before. She leaned back her head and bit at Fala's ear, feeling her teeth puncture skin. Fala's screech hurt her ears, and then the woman punched Beth so hard that she landed
on the ground, the taste of Fala's blood staining her cheeks.
The light from the circle was close enough that it was throwing everything up into illumination. Beth could see blood running down from Fala's ear. Her—his?—face was contorted by
the pain and anger into an ugly visage. Beth would never forget how her treacherous body froze when those eyes landed on her. There wasn't a lot of warning this time as the
thunder rose and the lightning danced along Fala's skin. The spot next to Beth's head exploded, covering her dark hair in bits of debris and a fine layer of dust.
"Knife, Gawain."
"I cast the spells. If you want the knife, you can get it yourself. I'm a witch. I don't kill."
She growled at him and bent to retrieve the knife herself. Beth hadn't moved. She had heard the message loud and clear. The next shot wouldn't be aimed an inch over to the left.
Beth would bleed just fine if she were missing her legs. Fala couldn't have made the point clearer.
Beth glanced around, smelling blood not her own. She nearly screamed when she glanced up at saw the dead, black eyes of a deer staring back at her. The creature's body was
&
nbsp; punctuated by claw marks, causing blood to slowly stain the otherwise pure, white belly. Beth remembered the wet thud she had heard earlier and gulped.
"Snacks for the first of my kin to wake up," Fala said.
Fala changed back into her own shape—or at least the human shape in which she felt the most comfortable. Beth felt like a child next to Fala's curves. Something shifted behind
them: a red dragon. With a grin, Fala picked up Beth's hand. "It seems that we don't need the knife. That wound on your shoulder is doing just fine. If we weren't under a time
constraint, maybe I wouldn't need to even do this."
Beth knew this was going to hurt. She had done this before. She reached down into herself and erected walls around the Soulmate connection, guilt welling up inside her when she
sensed Cain's panic. She didn't want him knowing that she was in pain. She only let the anger trickle into her from him, harnessing it to her will, gritting her teeth as she stared
Fala in the eye. "I'm going to mount one of your pretty little horns on my wall as a trophy."
Fala's sensuous mouth was tight. She brought the knife down as hard as she could and felt triumphant when Beth looked away, closing her eyes and biting her lip to keep from
crying out. "Nice to see that the kitten does have some claws… too bad it's far too late for you. You're going to die here, Bethany, just like the abomination you are."
Beth glared at Fala, watching the other woman lift the knife to her mouth and taste the red blood that coated it. She licked her lips. "Not a single taste of shifter blood in you. Had
you been born into my family, I would have killed you in your cradle. I would not have allowed such a pathetic creature to live."
She kept her face locked into that stubborn glare, not hinting at the anger and pain she was feeling. Her blood dripped from her wrist to the ground in fat droplets, coating her
fingers and making her hand feel fuzzy. Her other hand felt fine though. Beth curled her fingers and struck, scratching at Fala's face with such hatred behind her speed that the
dragon didn't have time to move. Fala seemed shocked for a moment, and then the blood started welling up under the gouges Beth's fingernails had left on her cheek.
It was a stupid and dangerous thing to do. Beth had just wanted to lash out at Fala for saying those horrible things, and so she had. Then the surprised changed as Fala reached up
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