To Wed a Dragon

by Natalie Kristen

  Mario had taken a few days off work to be with his fiancee. Mario had texted her, telling her that Julia's parents had been brutally murdered while Julia's sisters were having a sleepover at their place.

  It was a terrible time for the family, and Mario and Julia were like family to her. They always invited her to dinner and when there was a new movie out, they would always suggest watching it together. Her long and erratic hours as a paramedic meant she had little time to socialize. Mario and Julia definitely understood the demands of the job, and they sometimes tried to set her up with some of their single friends. But once they saw she wasn't interested, they didn't press the issue.

  “Oh Mario!” she said as soon as the door opened. But it wasn't Mario. It was a young girl of about twelve or thirteen.

  “Hi, I'm looking for Mario and Julia,” Nora said with a gentle smile. The girl looked like a mini Julia. She was going to be a beauty when she grew up. “You must be Julia's sister.”

  The girl nodded. “I'm Jaymin.”

  “Who's at the door? Who are you talking to, Jaymin?” Mario's anxious voice boomed down the hallway.

  “It's me,” Nora called out.

  “Nora!” Mario shooed Jaymin into the house and threw the door wide open. “Come on in,” he said, giving her a big hug. “Julia's in the kitchen.”

  Nora entered the kitchen and saw Julia pulling a large tray of muffins out of the oven. “She's been baking the whole day,” Mario mumbled under his breath.

  Nora saw a mountain of muffins on the kitchen table. She went to take the tray from Julia and set it down on the counter. Then she pulled the woman in for a long, tight hug.

  “I'm so sorry, Julia,” she whispered. “So sorry.”

  Julia's back was stiff and rigid and Nora could feel her trembling as she fought against the tide of her emotions. “I can't break down,” Julia whispered. “If I don't keep baking, I'll start crying. And once I start, I'm afraid I can't stop. I don't want Jayne and Jaymin to see me break. I'm all they have now.”

  Nora gripped Julia's shoulders and forced Julia to look at her. “No,” Nora said fiercely. “We are all here for you and your sisters. You're not alone. You hear me?”

  Julia blinked at her. With each blink, her eyes filled until finally the tears spilled unstoppably down her face.

  “Oh Nora!” Julia broke down completely. She clung to Nora and cried bitterly into her shoulder. “I never got to tell my parents how much I love them...I wanted to tell them at my wedding, but now...”

  Nora simply held her and wept quietly with her. There were no words. Tears spoke louder and more truthfully than words.

  Mario stood beside them, silently holding out a box of tissues. Finally, the two women dried each other's tears and blew their noses noisily.

  “God, I needed that,” Julia said, dabbing at her eyes. She stared at Nora's blouse and let out a strangled laugh. “I think I left tears and snot on your sleeve. Sorry...”

  “Nothing to be sorry for,” Nora said firmly.

  Mario steered them to the table and began to pull out cups and spoons. He made three cups of instant coffee and pushed the hot, steaming mugs in front of them.

  “Have a muffin?” he offered, but there was a note of pleading in his voice.

  “I think I will, thank you,” Nora said immediately. She always had her partner's back.

  When she grabbed a muffin from the pile, Mario said, “Take two, or three!”

  Nora obliged and snagged another one.

  “We've been having muffins for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Mario muttered. “But they're the best muffins ever,” he added hurriedly.

  Nora nodded and ate in silence. She could see that Julia needed to talk, but she would talk when she was ready.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Julia sipped her coffee and took a long, steadying breath. Her voice was calm and monotonous when she said, “The police said that there's been a spate of violent home invasions in the neighborhood. My parents were just unlucky. Those robbers...”

  Nora shook her head angrily. “They're not robbers.”

  They are bloody murderers!

  Nora wasn't sure if she said the last sentence out loud. She was watching Julia. And Julia's reaction told her the whole truth.

  In the space of just a few seconds, the blinkers dropped from Nora's eyes. And the coffee cup very nearly dropped from her hands as well.

  Nora saw Julia jerk and turn towards Mario. And she caught the shock and accusation in Julia's eyes.

  Mario didn't speak but his lips formed the words: I didn't tell her.

  Nora stared at the couple sitting opposite her for a long moment.

  Something Edriq said to her surfaced in her mind: Many Dracans have found human mates and settled into simple, peaceful, productive lives. Some of the people you work with may be Dracans, or descendants of Dracans.

  “Your parents...were killed by Slayors,” Nora said slowly.

  Both Julia and Mario froze in their seats.

  Finally, Mario swallowed and asked, “Are you...a...a...”

  “No. I'm not a Dracan. But—my mate is.”

  “Your...what?” Mario spluttered.

  Nora smiled. “Edriq.”

  “Edriq Haeken?” Mario reached over and punched her arm. Hard. “You have been holding out on me!”

  “Ouch!” Nora rubbed her arm and punched him back. “So have you! I've been working with a dragon the whole time and...”

  “I'm not a dragon,” Mario protested. “My mom's a Dracan, but my dad's human. Even Grandma said she's forgotten how to shift.”

  Julia held up a hand. “Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say that Edriq...the same Edriq...the warrior who saved us?” She pointed two fingers at Nora and gaped. “He...you...mates! Oh my God! Edriq is your mate!”

  Nora could feel herself blushing as she nodded.

  “When did this happen?” Even though her eyes were still red and swollen, Julia burst into happy laughter. “Oh, gosh, Nora! Why didn't you tell us?”

  “It took me by surprise,” Nora held up both hands as Mario and Julia planted their hands on their hips and mock glared at her. “I never expected...”

  “When we went to the FabFit gym to attend to that guy who fell off the treadmill, was that before or after you and Edriq...” Mario narrowed his eyes at her.

  Nora choked on her coffee. “I only just met him the night before.”

  “That doesn't answer my question.”

  “Mario!” Julia elbowed him. She faced Nora and said softly, “So you know about...us.”

  “Yes.” Nora's eyes darted between Mario and Julia. “Did you know...” she began tentatively.

  Julia shook her head. “I didn't tell him. And he didn't tell me.”

  Mario took his fiancee's hands in his. “I guess my mom was like Julia's dad. She told me only half the story. Our parents never told us the truth, but—their intentions were good. They wanted us to start a new life and live our own lives, unburdened by our violent past and history. My mom did caution me not to tell anyone what I was. She said people wouldn't understand and humans were afraid of what they didn't understand. And when people were afraid, they hurt you.”

  Julia nodded and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were shining with fresh tears. “I guess tragedy sometimes brings people closer,” she whispered. “My parents' murder forced the truth out of us. I couldn't keep this from Mario. His life could be in danger. I just told Mario everything and asked if he still wanted to marry me. I thought he was going to freak out and start packing right away when I told him about the snakes and the Slayors. But...he said he knew what I was talking about. Because he's like me.”

  Mario and Julia shared a tender, lingering kiss and Nora glanced away to let them have their moment of privacy. She sometimes teased them about their public displays of affection, but affection was what was needed at a time like this.

  “How are y
our sisters doing?” she asked Julia quietly.

  “They're usually in their room. We have a spare bedroom so that's their room now. Once everything is over, I'll be selling my parents' house. I don't think I can bear...” Julia's voice faltered before she pulled herself together by sheer force of will. She was determined to stay strong for her sisters. She wanted them to know that although they had lost their parents, they still had her. She would be their rock. And Mario would be hers.

  Nora reached out and placed her hands over the couple's joined hands. “We're all going to be all right. Edriq and his brothers will protect us, and they'll fight the Slayors. We'll take care of each other and we will live. Not in fear. Not in darkness. But in light and hope. Humans, Dracans, we're in this together.”

  Mario grinned at her. “Nora Garcia, mate of a weredragon warrior.”

  “Mario Lewis,” she mimicked him. “Dracan paramedic.”

  “Nope,” he corrected her. “Human paramedic. I can't shift, I can't speak Dracan, I don't know anything about Draca. I was born here, and I went to school with human kids. There's no dragon in me, there's really nothing Dracan about me at all. I might have Dracan ancestry, but I'm human. I am, and I know it.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Nora left Mario and Julia's place just after dinner. They insisted she stay for dinner, and Julia's sisters helped her prepare a big tray of lasagne.

  Cooking was good for the soul. The three sisters spoke softly as they worked in the kitchen but Nora could see that being busy and being together helped take away the harsh edges of their grief.

  Mario insisted that having a guest for dinner helped too. It showed the girls that they were not alone and life went on. They had been excused from school for a week and Julia wouldn't let them miss school for longer than that. She was a very responsible, loving big sister. Mario was close to the girls too, and Nora knew he would be a great husband and brother-in-law.

  Nora stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked on, thinking about Julia and her sisters. She'd told Mario that she would call Edriq to fetch her home, but she changed her mind.

  She was near the main road and she could easily grab a cab. She would be home in a jiffy. There was no need for Edriq to be chauffeuring her around when he had his hands full.

  Lost in thought, she made a wrong turn and didn't realize it until a good ten minutes later. The buzz of her phone made her look up and frown at the unfamiliar buildings. “Shit,” she muttered before answering her phone. “Hi, Mario.”

  “Hey, just wanted to check you got home safe,” Mario said.

  “Well, I...”

  “You're not home? Where are you?” Mario asked worriedly.

  “I walked the wrong way. Silly me.” Nora let out a nervous laugh. She heard Julia's voice in the background. “Ask her where she is.”

  “Where are you now, Nora? Give me the street name,” Mario said.

  “Er...Marshall Lane,” Nora read off the nearest sign.

  “What? How did you...”

  “I think I took a wrong turn...”

  “That's several wrong turns.” She could picture Mario shaking his head. “Didn't you call Edriq? Where...”

  “Relax. It's really easy and much faster to just grab a cab. Tell Julia not to worry. Okay, I think I see a cop coming down the street. I'm perfectly safe. I'll get the nice policeman to walk me back to the main road, okay?” She promised to call once she got home and clicked off before Mario and Julia could nag at her.

  The police officer came nearer and when the light from the street lamp fell on his face, Nora gave a start of recognition.

  “Officer Smith!” she gasped.

  The policeman gave a curt nod as he walked towards her. Nora wondered why the officer would need to wear shades at night. Surely the street lamps weren't that glaring.

  “Good evening, officer,” she said pleasantly. “I...”

  “It's you, Miss Garcia. You want to complain about snakes or rats in the alleys again?” Officer Smith said tiredly.

  “No, no,” Nora attempted a laugh. “Of course not. I was...just stressed that night. Sorry about that.”

  “Hmm.”

  “It's a bit quiet around here, so...”

  “So you're afraid you'll run into snakes,” he deadpanned.

  Nora waved a hand. “No, that's just silly. There are no snakes. I was going to ask if you'll wait with me until I get into a cab. Just so...”

  “Just so the snakes don't get you.”

  Nora resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Officer Smith just wasn't going to let it go, was he?

  “Look, I'm sorry I wasted your time that night,” Nora said, barely managing to keep a lid on her temper.

  “You are sorry?” He stepped into the light and yanked off his shades. Nora stumbled back a step.

  “What happened to...to your...”

  “My eye,” Officer Smith spat. “That's right. You can't bring yourself to look me in the eye. Because there is no eye!”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Nora shook her head in mute horror. Officer Smith's left eye was nothing but...red. What was supposed to be the white of his eye was blood red and there was no iris, no pupil, nothing. Nothing but an angry, pulsing, blank mass of red.

  “This is what they did to me,” Officer Smith snarled, stalking towards her.

  “T-they?”

  “The snakes.”

  “I thought...you didn't believe...” she stammered uncomprehendingly.

  “Doesn't matter what I believe,” Officer Smith sneered. “It's what they believe.”

  Nora gulped and instinctively reached for the pepper spray in her bag. She hated to use it on a police officer who had only one eye left, but—she would if she had to.

  “What do you mean?” Nora said, glad that her voice sounded much calmer than she felt.

  “That little old lady got away, due to your meddling,” Officer Smith said. “I deliberately took another route with my partner that night. So I wouldn't be in their way. But you—you had to drag me there.”

  Nora's frown deepened. “You knew what was happening...”

  “Of course I knew. They paid me, in gold. Gold!” Officer Smith let out a demented laugh. “Who would pay me in gold? Not the city, not the people! I work my ass off to serve and protect the city, but what do I get? A shitload of debt, that's what!” He smiled humorlessly. “The Slayors though, they're good paymasters. They pay upfront—in gold. Even before the job is done.”

  Nora stared at the policeman in disbelief. “Gold...”

  “Yeah. They have bags of it. Just picked it off the ground where they came from.”

  “Do you...know where they came from? Do you know what they are?” Nora asked slowly.

  “They're aliens,” Officer Smith smirked. “All of them. Aliens killing aliens. Protecting aliens isn't part of my job description.”

  Nora shook her head. “They paid you, to look the other way. You knew they were going to kill that old woman.”

  “They had her!” he screamed. “And you ruined everything! You ruined me!”

  “They're killing the innocent...”

  “That's none of my damn business!” he screeched, pointing to his eye. “Look what they did to me! It's not my fault the old woman got away. It's yours! Yours! Have you ever felt venom dripping into your eye, Miss Garcia? I can assure you that the pain is like nothing you've ever felt before.”

  Officer Smith pulled out his gun. “I'm sorry I have to shoot you, Miss Garcia. You have your hand in your bag, and you threatened a police officer. When I asked you to put your hands where I can see them, you sprayed something in my eye, damaging it. See how red it is.” A thin smile spread across his face. “I have cause to shoot.”

  Nora dropped the pepper spray and put both hands up. “Don't shoot, please...”

  “I have to. If I don't, I lose my other eye. That's the deal.”

  “Don't do this, Smith. You..
.”

  “This is the last thing I have to do for them. Then they'll let me go. I'll disappear, but I'll be alive.”

  “No you won't,” Nora said sadly.

  Smith squeezed the trigger. Nora ducked as the gun went off.

  Smith tried to shoot again, but a rotund figure came flying out from a side alley and tackled Smith to the ground. “Leave her alone, you crooked cop!”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Edriq jumped out of Zul's car even before Zul could pull his car to a stop beside the curb. He'd been about to leave the office when he received a call from Julia. Julia had called the FabFit main line and requested to be put through to him.

  As soon as Edriq put the phone to his ear, Julia screamed three words, “Nora! Marshall Street...”

  In a heartbeat, Edriq was out of his chair. He wrenched the door of his office open and collided into Zul.

  “Woah, what's the rush? I was just at the outlet near the corner. Thought I'd come give you a ride home...hey! Where are you going?” Zul thundered after him.

  When Zul caught up with Edriq and saw the look on his face, he knew. “I'll get you to her. Come on, you're in no state to drive. Or fly.”

  Zul knew all the shortcuts and in a minute, he had pulled up in front of Marshall Street on squealing tires.

  Edriq and Zul raced into the quiet street. The shops and offices were all closed for the day and there weren't any residential apartments around. After dark, Marshall Street was more or less a ghost street.

  Edriq saw a policeman pointing his gun at Nora. As he ran harder, a large roundish shape came charging out of an alley. With a bellow, Mario landed on top of the police officer. “Leave her alone, you crooked cop!”

  Zul cheered and whistled. “All right! A citizen's arrest! Yeah, take down that crooked cop!”

  “Mario! Nora!” Edriq yelled.

  “You know that guy?” Zul asked.

  “He works with Nora,” Edriq snapped.

  “Go, Mario!” Zul hollered and pumped his fists in the air. “Yes! Sock him again! Super Mario wins!” To Edriq, he said, “It looks like we're not needed here.”