He cocked his head to the side. “I don’t mind at all, Sammy. I’ve been like this my whole life. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
Does that mean Dragon Fae can have children? I wanted to ask.
He added, “I remember showing my parents my wings for the first time, screaming my head off, and them trying to act all calm. Really, they were totally freaked out too.”
Guess that rules out his parents being Dragon Fae. “How old were you? Who changed you then?”
“I think I was about three or four when I first morphed, but I was changed right after I was born.”
“I don’t understand. How did that happen without your parents knowing?”
“My parents did know. You see, I was born premature and my lungs weren’t developed enough to live without support, and even that wasn’t going very well. I weakened every day. I’d been in the ICU for about four months, hooked up to machines, when my great uncle showed up and told my parents about Tonbo’s treatment. Turns out I had a dragon for an uncle.” He grinned. “Anyway, at that time, changing infants was all but banned in Tonbo’s book. He had no idea how the baby would react to it. But when my uncle took my parents to his island, Tonbo had no choice but to hear them out. They showed him pictures of me, told him it was their last hope. I’d die if they didn’t try something.”
“So Tonbo did it? He changed you?”
“Yup. I didn’t know about any of this until the day I sprouted wings. My parents tried to explain it all to me. I took it as well as could be expected, and then they took me to the island. Being so young, I needed to learn how to control my wings. Tonbo had warned my parents the day might come that they’d have to be separated from me at least for a little while. My parents took me to Tonbo, and I lived with him for a few years.”
“Really? How old were you? Your parents just let you go?”
“Well, not exactly. They moved to Santa Barbara where they could work. Tonbo had a private jet bring them over to the island as often as they’d like to be with me. So I wasn’t totally abandoned. It sort of felt like I was in a boarding school really. They came to see me at night and on the weekends. I studied under Tonbo during the day.”
“Wow. You must be pretty close to Tonbo then?”
“Yeah, I love that old man.” Mack’s voice grew soft. “When I was about eight, Tonbo decided I was ready to be back in society. He trusted I could control my morphing. My parents moved us back to Durango. We still had our old house; they’d just rented it out while we were gone. That was the year before I met you.”
“Oh. When did you meet Blake?”
“I’d met him and Kory while living with Tonbo, but I didn’t know them that well. It was after I’d moved back, somewhere in the middle of fourth grade, that Blake showed up at my house and asked me for a favor.”
Mack scratched his temple and chuckled. “Should’ve known the favor would have brought me nothing but trouble,” he mumbled, grinning.
“What was it?” I asked.
“You.” He winked. “Blake had just saved your life and wanted to keep an eye on you, make sure you’d be okay. Tonbo told him I lived close, even went to the same elementary school as you.”
“Oh. So that’s why you became my friend?” For some reason, it made me feel weird, like our friendship wasn’t genuine.
“I could’ve easily kept on eye on you without even knowing you, let alone becoming your best friend. It was the excuse I needed to meet you. I only helped Blake because that meant I got to be near you.”
His grin set my fears at ease. I felt something stir with in me, a warm, comfortable feeling. It’s nice being around Mack again. I wasn’t sure why we’d had such a gap lately. Probably because my thoughts have been on a million other things… the cabin… my wings… and Blake.
“I had no idea how much you really did for me, Mack. You never made fun of me because I feared water, even though you missed out on a lot of lake trips and river runs.”
He shrugged. “They’re overrated.”
“And when everyone thought I was a little crazy for blacking out all the time, you never cared what they said. You kept coming to see me after the cabin, even though I just stared at you like a broken doll.” He flinched at the mention of the cabin, but I pressed on. “Honestly, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
He shifted his gaze away from me and down at the floor.
Not sure why he seemed uncomfortable with my words, I added, “So I’m glad Blake asked the favor, even if I’ve brought you nothing but trouble.” I grinned, relieved to hear him chuckle softly.
“Hey, about that? Are you still afraid of water… and blackout and everything?”
“Nope.” I beamed, “Mack, it’s the best thing ever. I feel like this heavy weight has been lifted.”
“One of the nice things about being Dragon Fae is it heals your broken pieces,” he murmured, almost more to himself.
“I love that part. The living forever bit, not so much.” I rubbed my arms.
“Well, at least you will always have Blake… and me.”
“True.” I felt like there was something unspoken and weird between us. I couldn’t put my finger what it was though. “Hey, Mack?”
He glanced up at me.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such a cruddy friend lately,” I blurted.
Mack gaped at me. “Are you serious? Sammy, I’m the cruddy friend here. You should have never been taken. It’s my fault it happened. I should’ve watched over you better.”
Oh… maybe that’s why he seems upset. He blames himself. “Mack, don’t be ridiculous. None of this is your fault.”
He shook his head slowly. “I’m just glad the bug didn’t torture you too badly when he changed you.”
“You think it was the bug?” I asked.
“You don’t?” He sounded surprised.
“I’m not sure. I mean, why would he let me go? Sounds like they just catch and kill. I’m pretty sure they won’t find those other girls. Why would I be any different?”
“Good point. That’s one of things Blake’s hoping Tonbo might have answers for. Maybe the bug’s treating you different because, like the guy said, yours was a special blend.”
“So do you think that’s why I can’t do the camo, because of my blend? I keep trying, but it doesn’t work,” I grumbled.
He shook his head. “Mm… I don’t think so, but who knows? Want to try one more time with me?”
I considered him for a moment. “Sure. Let’s give it a go.”
Mack grinned and moved over to sit next to me, taking my hands in his.
“Okay, Sammy, go ahead and change.”
I stared at him. “You mean into a damsel?”
“Yeah, unless you had something else in mind.” He lifted his eyebrows up and down.
I punched his arm. “No.” I knew him well enough to know he was teasing. For as long as I could remember, he’d crushed on Jen.
I focused on my back muscles and heard my shirt rip at the same time my wings banged into my headboard. I moved forward a bit, to give them more space. I immediately checked my hair, curious to what I looked like. Short, blonde hair, white, plain T-shirt. Nothing fancy this time.
Mack grinned and then leaned in closer. “Okay, listen to me carefully. You are a lot stronger and smarter than you give yourself credit for. I know you can do this.” Mack’s gaze burned into mine. “You’ve overcome so much already. Think of this as one more step in your evolution. Just relax, let your mind wander. Don’t think about anything right now. Let yourself go. Find the dark corners of your mind. Don’t fight them, crawl into them.”
At some point, I closed my eyes. Something about his words and tone were hypnotic. I felt so desperate to get the camo working that I was willing to give his mantra a try.
“Are you there, Sammy?” he asked.
My eyes fluttered open. “Yes, I’m here.” But I wasn’t there. I was gone! Where my knees had been, I only saw my blankets. I could see
Mack, feel his hands still holding mine, only mine were gone.
I gasped. “Mack! It worked! I can’t believe I can do it now!”
He grinned at me, his eyes not quite making eye contact since he couldn’t tell where mine were.
“I had no doubt you could do it. Like I said, you’re a strong girl, Sammy.”
“I don’t understand how I did it though. I didn’t picture anything like my bed or blankets. I just relaxed and ‘crawled into my dark spaces’ like you told me to,” I said, still reeling at how odd this was. I stared at where my legs should be. With my keen eyesight, I could make out my own outline.
Mack squeezed my hands and then let them go. “You’re a unique creature. I realized when normal methods didn’t work, maybe your mind plays a bigger part than the rest of us. You need to relax, let go of all your fears. They’ve been such a part of you for so long that I think you’ve built some mighty walls in that pretty head of yours. I just wanted you to find your true self in there.”
“Thank you, Mack.” I instinctively reached out and touched his face. Not being able to see my movement, I caught the surprise in his expression when I made contact, my fingers brushing against his cheek.
“No problem-o. I’ll do anything for you, you know that.” His tone was chipper, almost too chipper.
“Thanks,” I repeated, withdrawing my hand quickly, not sure why I’d done it in the first place. Glad I’m invisible, so he can’t see how red my face is about now.
“So how do I get back to normal?” I asked.
“Crawl out of the dark places,” Mack said, throwing up his hands and chuckling. “Honestly, I’m not really sure with you. With me, I just think of my flesh, picture what my hands look like, and there they are.”
“Humph,” I grunted. “This might be a disaster. Maybe I’ll spend the rest of my life invisible, nobody knowing I’m even there.” I’d said it as a joke, but the words sent a ripple of fear through me. My body jolted, my insides screaming at me to do something to keep that from happening. I hoped Mack hadn’t heard the gasp that had escaped me.
His hands fumbled to find me, and I slipped my invisible hands into his.
“Sammy, now listen to me, girl. I’ll never let that happen. I know you’re scared, but you’re going to be fine. Look at our hands.” He held up his own, taking mine with his. “Picture what this feels like. My hands are warm; yours are cold. What would your fingers look like in mine? Skinny, white, bony, maybe gnarly and freckled.”
I smirked at him, and then realized he couldn’t see me. “Very funny.” But his words worked again. Maybe his teasing was enough to get me to relax, who knows. Either way, my hands instantly appeared, covered by his.
“Ah, there you are.” Mack grinned.
I lunched forward, hugging my friend. “Thank you, Mack.”
He patted my back. “I will always help you find yourself, Sammy. You don’t have to be scared, okay? Now you better get to sleep or Blake is going to kick me in the head.”
“What?” I sat back, not sure if he was being serious or not. You never knew with Mack.
He winked and scooted off the bed. “I’ll be right over here.” He positioned himself in the corner. “Now sleep, you must.”
“Yes, master,” I mumbled, grinning. I settled down into my covers and was surprised how quickly his words worked on me.
Chapter 29
“Look what I can do,” I boasted to Blake, but he kept lifting my bag up and down, staring at it. We were at our rendezvous spot, some place in the middle of nowhere, waiting for Mack to show. At some point while I slept, Mack must have returned home, because I woke up to an empty bedroom. Blake had shown up an hour later to pick me up.
Now he was hefting my bag around. I had no idea what his interest in it was, but I decided this was a good time to show him what I’d finally learned to do.
“Blake?” I said, hoping to draw his attention back to me, but instead he flopped my bag on his hood and unzipped it.
“Sam, you’re going to have to leave some of this stuff behind. I mean, we’re only going to be gone for two days. What do you have in here anyway?”
I stepped forward, not thrilled with the idea of him going through my personal things. He turned to me and held up the one thing I hoped he wouldn’t find. It had been an impulsive thing to add. I’d stolen them from Krista’s closet.
“Really?” he asked, a grin spreading across his face. “Not sure how well black stilettos will hold up in the sand, but I’m so game for these.”
I snatched the shoes from his hands. “Well, I didn’t know what it’d be like there. Sue me for thinking it might have a restaurant or two.” I prayed my irritation would hide how mortified I felt.
In the movies, the girl always has a little black dress and heels…
“Why are you going through my bag, anyway? Its private property, you know,” I snapped, trying to grab it from him. He swung it out of reach.
“You are right. There are a few restaurants. Good thinking.” He grabbed the shoes from my hands and shoved them back in, “Okay, those are coming. And so is this.” His eyes widened, his fingers holding up silky, black material.
Darn it, he found the dress I’d stolen too.
“Look at you packing for our romantic getaway,” he cooed, his eyes dancing.
I slugged his arm. “You just changed my mind about what I want to bring. Now give me back my bag.”
His smile only deepened. “Oh, don’t get all huffy. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just, we’re going to be flying for a while, and with you being the stubborn girl you are, insisting on carrying your things, this is going to get to heavy. I’m only trying to help, honest.”
“Oh.” I suppose I hadn’t thought about the weight of it all. And I had just told Blake in the car that I would be the one toting my bag. “I’ll be fine. I’ll take stuff out.”
Blake zipped up the bag and threw it over his shoulder. “Nope, I’m carrying this now. There’s no way I’m letting you take that swanky, black dress out. Or those heels.” He winked at me. “Now, what were you about to show me?”
I tucked my hair behind me ears, still feeling flustered by Blake going through my bag and insisting on being chivalrous.
“Okay, fine, I give,” I said. “But I get to carry it for a bit, okay? Even if it’s only twenty minutes.”
“My little mule.” He gave my chin a nudge with his knuckle.
Argh… sometimes he nettles me to no end. Half of the time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to slap his face or kiss it. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind.
“Okay, hold on. I have to find my center.” I giggled a little at how silly that sounded.
“Take your time,” he said, no longer smirking. His eyes watched me intently.
I morphed into a damsel, glad I’d pilfered a few of Jocelyn shirts, since she liked the more open-back style, anything to show off her shoulder blades. I’d found them too revealing and cold, but now, they were very convenient since stripping my shirt wasn’t exactly an option for me, like it was for the boys. And after last night, I’d realized I couldn’t rip through every T-shirt I own.
Something tickled my arms and back. I glanced down and saw long, blonde hair. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to my damsel side. I closed my eyes and focused on what Mack had said. Find my dark, quiet place and crawl in.
It took a second, and I wasn’t sure if I’d done it, until I heard Blake exclaim, “Sweet!”
I opened my eyes, expecting to see him, but he must have camo’ed out, because I was left with nothing but his scent. Then his hands landed on my face. At first softly, feeling for my contours, and then slipping down to my shoulders and then behind my waist. His lips landed expertly on mine, as his hands pressed on my lower back, bringing my body closer to him. It was a strange sensation, kissing someone you couldn’t see, only feel. It awakened all my other senses, heightening the taste, the sounds, the feel of Blake’s mouth pressing down on mine.
“Hey you guys, I may not be able to see you what you two lovebirds are up to, but I can hear all too well, remember,” Mack said, appearing close to us.
I jerked back so fast, embarrassed and terrified by my own actions. Blake ditched the camo before I did. I took a minute to recompose myself, smoothing down my hair—since it had decided to be waist long again, it needed some taming—and letting the heat fade from my face. Thank heavens for Mack. I’m going to have to learn how to control my damsel self.
When I finally reappeared, both boys ogled me.
“What?” I asked, instinctively glancing down. I saw why their eyes were like saucers; I no longer was in jeans or my sister’s shirt. The long, blue gown was back, shimmering, and hugging my hips.
“What the heck!” I groaned.
“Must be that special blend,” Mack said with a whistle.
Blake shrugged his shoulders. “Just one more thing to ask Tonbo about.” He stepped closer to me. “But in the meantime, you do look breathtaking, my dear.”
“Ugh,” I grumbled. “How the heck am I supposed to fly in this getup?”
Blake wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. “You did it before, remember. Only this time, you know you’re not dreaming.”
Since I wasn’t as a strong a flyer as the boys, the flight took closer to three hours. It blew my mind that a dragon or damsel at top speed could reach four hundred miles per hour. Mack had tried to explain the math behind it at one of our rest stops. Something about how a dragonfly, which is only a couple of inches long, can fly up to fifty or sixty miles per hour. He then had gone into the metaphysics of it all, completely losing me. All I took away from it was since we are between five and six feet tall on average, we can go that much faster.
We made our last pit stop in Santa Barbara and since I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d be left wearing if I morphed back—the blue dress had come out of nowhere—Blake bought us some sandwiches at a deli, and we ate in a park back in the trees, out of sight. Being anxious to get to the island, I gobbled my food and then was left to watch the boys finish theirs. They seemed relaxed, chatting about island stuff, but I couldn’t focus.
Hidden Monster (The Monsters Among Us Book 1) Page 18
