Mick fell against her, sliding into her with a hard jolt, knocking them into a dizzying spin. He clung to her, digging his heels into the ground, rolling and pulling her up with him.
Nina flew into the air, her face a mask of fury as she torpedoed toward Hildegard, aiming for her midsection and smashing into her, making her lose her grip on the egg.
The egg sailed across the bleak sky as fireballs pelted the air, narrowly missing it.
Nina roared her anger as Darnell yelled, “Everybody spread out!”
Marty, Wanda, and Casey fanned out, trying to anticipate where the egg would move next, but the back draft of arid wind blew it around like a beach ball.
Mick grabbed Tessa by the waist and began to run, picking up speed, grunting in her ear until she heard his wings unfurl. He spread them wide, pumping against the current. “Grab the egg, Tessa!” he yelled as they flew so close to it she almost had it in her grip.
Tessa strained, screaming out her frustration when they just missed it, the shiny surface slick against her fingertips.
Pieces of eggshell began to fall beneath them, small bits of gold swirling to the ground. She fought her terror, clinging to Mick as he circled back around.
And the vibration continued, seeping into her pores, tearing her focus to shreds.
“Look out!” Wanda screamed from below just as Nina lost her grip on Hildegard, taking a blow so hard to her head from the woman that Tessa cried out.
Nina hurtled downward while Hildegard rose upward, shooting through the air like a beautiful cannonball, her gaze on the egg, which was still bouncing about like a helium balloon.
Darnell and Casey lobbed fireballs upward with angry bellows, and Frank was suddenly on his feet, running under them, sending up weak fizzles of electricity. Wanda and Marty dragged Nina to her feet, and through it all, Tessa kept one eye on the baby, all her energy focused on reaching the egg before the vampire. “Faster!” she yelled up at Mick.
The hot wind washed over her, her eyes watering, her body aching, but moments before Hildegard threw a lithe arm out to capture the egg, Tessa spewed a roar, fire flying from her mouth and knocking the vampire out of the way.
The egg sailed almost over their heads, but Mick drove upward, his soaked shirt pressed to her back, his breathing heavy. Her fingers reached upward toward those precious toes, stretching, straining, latching on to the heel of the baby’s foot and pulling it toward her.
Tessa pulled it to her chest, tucking it close, running her fingers over the small foot as Mick zoomed toward safety.
“Go over the gates!” Nina bellowed, running beneath them, waving her arms. “Get the fuck out!”
Seconds before they almost hit the top of the gates, Hildegard proved she wasn’t so easily conquered.
She blindsided them, jarring the egg in Tessa’s hands, almost sending it flying back into the air. The vampire began to ram them, her beautiful body slamming into Mick’s side over and over.
“Go long!” Mick yelled to Nina, who was back in action, whipping toward them. His voice was full of pain, his grunts increasing.
Nina changed direction, backing up, her eyes fiery, her face a mask of concentrated fury.
“On three, throw the egg to Nina, Tessa! Just like when we used to play football with Noah,” Mick said in her ear.
Tessa gulped, caressing the hand that had pushed its way through the shell, fighting a sob at letting the baby go. But Nina would protect it. She had to believe it was the safest place for the baby.
Mick squeezed her waist to encourage her. “One, two, three!”
Tessa raised her arm, launching the baby through the air toward Nina, watching as if in slow motion as the egg hurtled across the distance between them.
And landed directly in Hildegard’s hands.
Nina’s howl of anger rocketed through the sky as she barreled toward Hildegard.
Tessa screamed her frustration, howling her anguish at Hildegard’s smug smile.
But a blinding flash of light zigzagged between Hildegard and Nina, so bright, so painful that Tessa could barely see. She threw a hand up to cover her eyes, wincing at the pain throbbing in her skull.
Then there was the voice, all around them, like an ethereal surround sound. “Catch the egg, Nina!”
Both she and Mick floundered, his wings stuttering, her mouth falling open.
“Catch it!” the voice sang.
She knew that voice. She knew it better than her own.
Noah?
* * *
THERE was a sudden stillness as the air seemed to evaporate. Colors faded, then brightened; a pleasant hum rang out as Tessa and Mick floated to the ground with Nina not far behind them.
Hildegard dropped like a rock, her gorgeous body plopping from midair to land in a graceful heap amidst the rubble, her hair splayed out behind her like a golden fan.
Mick fell to his knees, his face a mask of pain, his chest expanding, pulling air into his lungs. Tessa ran to him, throwing her arms around him as Casey and Darnell secured Hildegard and Marty and Wanda ran for Nina and the egg.
“I love you,” she whispered, pulling Mick’s ravaged body to hers. “I’ve loved you forever. I don’t care what Noah said to you. I don’t know what it meant, but I love you and there’s no one I want to be with but you. Do you hear me?”
“I didn’t mean it,” someone said from behind.
Tessa gasped. No. This was another trick. She refused to be sucked in.
“Tessa? This isn’t a trick. It’s really me.”
Mick’s eyes rose as she turned around, both of them rising to their feet.
She stared directly into the eyes of her brother, seeking, searching for the demon behind those eyes. Surely it couldn’t really be Noah.
He rocked back on his brown loafers. The same loafers he’d always worn and Mick had made fun of him for owning. Noah pointed upward, his eyes so warm and inviting. “That light that blinded the vampire? Me.”
Tears began to flow, streaming down her cheeks. He sounded just like Noah. That rich, chocolaty voice that had always soothed her when she was a kid. “How?” she managed.
He folded his hands in front of him and smiled. “Let’s just say a little birdy told me you needed my help, and we’ll leave it at that.”
Tessa’s heart filled then, brimming with an emotion she had no name for. “You saved the baby?”
He smiled his crooked smile. “You all did, T. I just helped.”
Mick finally spoke, the grumble of his voice low and husky. “You’re up there?” he asked, the words coming out like a croak—like he’d worried it had been any different.
The peace on Noah’s face was like nothing Tessa had ever seen before. “I am, Mick, and it’s beautiful. So unbelievable, man. I can’t wait till you get there. Mom and Dad are there, too. They miss you, Tessa. They miss Mick, too. I miss you—both of you.”
Without hesitation, Tessa walked into his arms, her sobs cracked and hoarse. “I’m so glad to see you, Noah. I miss you so much. I miss you so, so much.” He smelled just like Noah. If this wasn’t Noah, if this was some cruel trick, she didn’t want to know right now.
For now, she just wanted to hug her brother.
“I know you miss us, T. That’s why I’m here. You have to move forward now. Without me and Mom and Dad. You’ve isolated yourself, and it worries us.”
She knew what he said was true. She knew she’d hidden from her loss, maybe even as much as Mick had. She’d buried herself in work and cans of soup while Mick had buried himself in anger. “How did you know?”
He shrugged, his wide shoulders lifting and dropping. “I see sometimes. Mom and Dad see and tell me. So you have to promise me, with the baby and all of these new friends you’ve made, you’ll move on, Tessa. You’ll form new bonds, hold on to these new friendships you’ve made. Not just for you, but for the baby, too. Please.”
The thought of letting go of her grief felt like letting go of the only attachment she had to her
family, like leaving behind a favorite blanket, worn from love.
“Your grief interferes with remembering all the good stuff, Tessa. I promise you, if you stop letting your sadness eat you up and leave you so empty, all the good times we had as a family, all those memories, will fill you back up again.”
Tessa gulped back another sob, knowing these were probably some of the last words he’d speak to her until they met again someday. She nodded against his chest, squeezing her eyes to fend off more tears. “I’ll try.”
Noah set her from him, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. “You’d have done it a lot sooner if I hadn’t said what I said to Mick the night I died, and that’s the other reason I’m here. To apologize.”
Mick stayed silent, but she heard him breathing, knew he was struggling.
Noah approached Mick with slow steps. “I didn’t mean what I said that night, Mick. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing that I can’t ever take back, but I didn’t mean it.”
Mick, torn, ragged, looked into Noah’s eyes, and for the first time, she saw the pain, the raw, agonizing pain he’d suffered because of Noah’s words. “Why, Noah? Why would you say something like that to me? We were like brothers.”
Noah’s face was filled with remorse. “Jealousy is an ugly thing, man.”
Mick stood still, not a single muscle moving. “I don’t understand.”
Noah’s sigh reverberated around her head. “Because I loved you, too, Mick. Just like Tessa. I’ve loved you since we were kids,” Noah said, his voice hushed and barely audible.
Tessa looked up then, wiping the tears from her eyes, unable to keep her surprise off her face. How could she not have known something like this about her own brother? Pieces of their life began to flit through her mind; explanations for some of the things she’d found odd began to add up. Things she’d never let her thoughts linger on because what he was confessing had never even occurred to her.
He’d hidden all these years, and Tessa’s heart broke for him. He’d never truly lived his life.
Noah’s shoulders slumped. “I tried to tell you a million times. I just could never come out of the closet. I was a coward, and in that cowardice, I said something rash. Something stupid I couldn’t ever take back. I knew you loved T, Mick. I’ve always known, I guess. But the thought of you with her while I had to watch . . . it hurt. So I said something shitty, and I totally planned on explaining it to you, but I died before I could. So for the last three years, I’ve watched the two of you fight and be angry because of something I said, because you were trying to honor the last stupid thing I said to you. And now I’m here to make it right.”
Mick swallowed hard, using his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know. If I had known . . .”
Noah’s smile was gentle when he placed a hand on Mick’s shoulder. “You would’ve what? Not loved Tessa? That’s crazy. Look, buddy, this was on me. I could’ve told you, but it wasn’t just about me telling you I was gay. I knew you’d handle that fine. But how would you have handled how I felt about you? We had an amazing friendship for a million years. I didn’t want to blow it all to hell. But I was getting frustrated with my life—with my damn secret—and the night you told me how you felt about Tessa was the last straw. No fault of yours, that’s just where my head was. But I’m here to tell you I was wrong. I was wrong for keeping you two from being together because of my baggage. No one is better for T than you, Mick. No one.”
Tessa fought another sob for her brother—for his pain.
“You wanna know how I know no one is better for you, T?” he asked.
She nodded, still unable to process his words. “Sure.”
“I heard a little something about dragons and their true mates. According to my sources, when a male dragon finds his mate, he throws off some kind of magical hormone. That’s how you turned into a dragon, too, Tessa. Because you’re Mick’s mate, and whatever magic he had when he turned, he aimed it all at you because you’re his one true mate.”
Everything clicked then, the last piece of the puzzle falling into place.
Mick pulled Noah into a hard hug that made Tessa’s heart clench so tight it hurt. “I’m sorry, Noah. I miss the hell out of you, and I’m sorry.”
Noah slapped him on the back. “Don’t be sorry. Just be happy, and promise you’ll take good care of my baby sister and the little one.”
“Always,” Mick whispered as Tessa grabbed his hand. “You can always count on that.”
Marty and Wanda came up behind them, putting their hands on both Tessa’s and Mick’s shoulders. “We have to get out of here before the egg hatches,” Wanda said gently. “I’m afraid to take a chance that if we stay much longer, we’ll only have more trouble.”
Noah held up a hand. “I’ve got this part of it covered, if you don’t mind. I’ll handle her.” He pointed to Hildegard, who’d now awakened and was spitting-mad. “She won’t trouble any of you ever again.” He snapped his fingers, and Hildegard was gone—just like that.
And there it was again, Noah slipping away from her, leaving, and the empty ache returned full force. If Darnell and Casey could live on earth as demons, why couldn’t Noah live on earth as an angel—or whatever he was? “Come back with us,” she pleaded in a voice full of more unshed tears. “You’re going to be an uncle. You don’t want to miss that, do you?”
Noah ruffled her hair, his eyes bright. “No, I sure don’t. But I can’t, T. I have to go now. I’ve been here longer than I should anyway. We’ll see each other again someday. Promise.”
Tessa grabbed his hand, more tears falling to her torn shoes. “Please, please stay, Noah. I don’t know if I can stand—”
“Yes, you can,” Noah said on a smile. “You can do this, T. You will. You have to, for the baby and Mick. I know you’ll be well taken care of. Won’t she?” He looked to the women and Darnell.
Nina answered him, and when she did, Tessa’s ears picked up on something she’d never thought the vampire was capable of. Tenderness. “I’ll make sure your sister always has us. We’re a big paranormal mess, we’re chaos times eleventy-billion, but we all love each other. Tessa and Mick and mini-dragon won’t lack for family support.” She paused a moment, making Tessa turn to look at her and find her pale face full of emotion. “She won’t lack for some crazy, effed-up love. She’ll have more than she’ll know what to do with,” Nina said hoarsely. “Swear it.”
Noah smiled, handsome, perfect, beaming warmth and love. “Thank you, Nina.” And then he looked over her head at the others and Mick. “Thank you, all.”
He began to fade, then shimmer, much the way Frank had back at the store, his image becoming pale and filmy as he let go of Tessa’s hand. “I love you, T, and you, too, Mick. Be happy. Be really happy,” Noah said, the words becoming a whisper, whooshing through her ears.
And then he was gone.
Tessa almost fell to her knees, but it wasn’t in loss or even sorrow. It was in gratitude that she’d had those final moments with Noah. Moments she’d needed to heal.
Nina clamped a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back against her lean body and giving her a tight hug. “You’re a badass, kiddo. Just thought you should know.”
Mick pulled her into his arms, his sigh of relief seeping into her bones. “I’m sorry, T. I never had a clue about any of it. I loved him, so I wanted to honor his last words. I didn’t want to do something he seemed so dead set against.”
Tessa reached up, cupping Mick’s face, her eyes searching his. “Please don’t be sorry. I get it now. I understand, and Noah was wrong to want to keep us apart. But it’s over. Let’s just start this whole thing over, okay? You, me, the baby dragon. Begin again.”
Mick pressed his lips to hers, making her knees weak with his kiss. When he pulled away, he brushed the hair from her eyes. “Then let me start over by saying I love you, Tessa Preston. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “I
love you, too. Always,” she whispered. “From the moment you yanked my pigtails on the bus.”
Marty gave Wanda her shirtsleeve to wipe her eyes, pulling Mick and Tessa into a hug with Casey and Darnell, who invited Frank to join them.
“We have to go, honey. Now. Right now. You don’t want the baby to hatch here, do you? In Hell?” Marty asked. “Let’s get moving. We have a long trek back to the portal.”
The baby. She was determined to do this right, just like Noah had asked. “Then we’d better move.”
Nina handed Tessa the egg, where now not just a foot and a hand had pushed its way out, but another set of five toes. She smiled up at Mick, excitement and fear mingling into a ball of joy.
As they all began to consider the long journey back, Tessa suddenly remembered Frank. “Frank!” She spun around to find him hanging back at the opening of the gates.
Tessa looked to Darnell and Casey. What happened from here? Was he allowed to come back with them? Did his obligation to Hell mean they had to leave him? Nope. Wasn’t gonna happen. Where she went, he went. For good.
Darnell, his clothes plastered to his big body, sweat pouring from his face, grinned. “He’s good to go, if he wants to an’ all. I’ll help. So will Casey. Can’t fix what’s been done, but we can teach ya how to fly low, Frank.”
Frank looked unsure, tentative, his eyes watering.
Tessa handed the baby to Mick, holding out her hand to Frank, her smile inviting and warm. She hitched her jaw toward the gates. “C’mon, minion. Where I go, you go.”
Frank took her hand with a quiet, happy smile.
“So, to help the time pass more quickly while we head back to the portal, let’s sing, huh, Frank?”
Frank groaned like she’d just asked him if he wanted to eat newborn kittens for lunch. “Must we?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Look, so I messed up some words a couple of times. Don’t be such a stick in the mud. Now, c’mon. Sing with me, Frank! ‘Pennsyyylllvaniaaa!’” she yelled to the tune of everyone’s chuckles as they headed out of the gates and back toward home.
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The Accidental Dragon Page 23
