Madness Unhinged: Dragons of Zalara

by ML Guida

She tucked Frank’s blankets around him and wiped his hair off his ashen face. What if four hours was too long? What if an hour was too long? Helplessness dug into her heart like a pickaxe. “I hope Frank can hang on that long.”

  “He will.” He ran his hands down her arms, making her shiver.

  He tilted his head. “Let’s roll before we’re both behind bars.”

  Hoss lowered his head and crawled into the back of the cab. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. He looked like the Hulk, trying to fit comfortably in a refrigerator.

  She flashed him a sweet smile. “Comfy?”

  “Loads. Dragons always like to be squished into a trash compactor.”

  She laughed, then closed the doors.

  Agnes drove carefully out of the parking lot, making sure to look both ways. More cars zoomed down the street. She hesitantly glanced out the window to see if anyone recognized her. None of the cars slowed down. Satisfied they were safe, she pulled out onto the street.

  A police car whizzed past them, and she sucked in her breath. Her fingers clutched the wheel so hard her knuckles threatened to burst through her skin. In the rearview mirror, she watched the car turn toward the crime scene. Worse, the captain and Jeff were walking into the emergency room. Her career just burst into flames, but she didn’t care, not if she could save Frank’s life.

  Taking a deep breath, she kept her eyes on the road, especially since she was stuck behind a public transportation bus. Cars and trucks were bumper-to-bumper in the other lane. Even with her blinker on, no one made room for her. She rolled her shoulders and counted to ten to not lose her cool.

  Deal with it.

  She wasn’t going anywhere.

  A billboard of some ambulance-chasing attorney caught her attention. She smiled as she quickly called Kathy. Her phone rang and rang and rang, but no answer. Kathy always answered her phone in case a client was in trouble. Something was wrong.

  Agnes slammed her phone down on the seat next to her police special. Normally, she would have called Tom to check on Kathy, but since she was guilty of patient-napping––not possible.

  The rocking bus moved slowly but steadily. Agnes put on the brakes, and her gun slid next to her thigh, but her phone fell on the floor. Damn!

  Hoss pounded on the window.

  “Christ!” Her adrenaline spun out of control. She jumped, her knees bumping on the steering wheel. The wheel jerked out of her hands, and the ambulance drove up on the sidewalk. She swerved it back on the road. Sweat rolled over her. “What! Is Daihl…”

  “No. Sorry.” He motioned. “Keep going straight on this road.”

  She glared at him through the rearview mirror and gritted her teeth. He was damn lucky he wasn’t sitting next to her. “I know where Five Parks is.” She glanced over her shoulder. “How’s Frank?”

  “Still breathing.”

  For now, she thought. Still shaking, she gripped the steering wheel and re-checked the speed limit. Oh, crap!

  Red lights flashed behind her, and she held her breath as she pulled over to the side. Luckily, they raced past her.

  “They’re looking for us?”

  “Obviously. Definitely a man-hunt. Hopefully, it will take them awhile to discover we stole an ambulance. Tryker better get here soon.”

  “Even with light speed, it’s going to take him a couple of hours.”

  “Then we need to hide out until he gets here.”

  “Where? We’re in a red and white ambulance.”

  “Not if we park in an urgent care facility. Plus, if Frank gets bad, we can rush him inside.” She drove him to a medical facility near Five Parks. She parked the ambulance in the back.

  “You don’t think anyone will notice we’re out here?”

  “Do you have a better idea?”

  He shrugged. “No.”

  She got out of the front seat and joined Hoss in the back of the cab. Frank’s face was paler and his breath was shallower. Hoss’s knees were jammed up to his chest and his arms pressed to his side. She was squished between him and her brother’s bed.

  “He’s not doing too good.” She looked at the urgent care facility where there were doctors and nurses ready to help. “Maybe we should…”

  Hoss clasped both her shaking hands. “Do you want your brother to live, to walk again?”

  “How could you ask that? Of course, I do.”

  “Then, trust me.”

  She blurted, “That’s a two-way street, which you keep thinking is only a one-way.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  She yanked her hands free. “You keep telling me to believe in you. You even convinced me to risk my brother’s life, but I really don’t know anything about you except for your mission and the Orion. I need more, Hoss. I need you to be real. To know that I made the right decision with Frank.”

  “Do you really think this is the time to deal out secrets?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “According to you, we have a couple of hours before your medical space ship gets here. How else would you want to spend the time?”

  He leaned closer and ran a finger down the outline of her breast. “I can think of one way to reduce your stress.”

  His breath brushed over her, heating her skin and making her squirm. The cab grew smaller and stuffier. She shoved him away hard. “You’re not serious, are you?

  He bumped his head on the ceiling. “Ow.”

  She flicked her hand. “I can’t even move. It’s hotter than hell in here. My brother’s half-dead. And you want to have sex?”

  At least he had the decency to look sheepish. He rubbed the back of his head, mumbling. “Hey, I was just trying to break the tension.”

  Not caring one bit, she pulled her thick hair off her neck just to feel a tiny bit of cool air on her sweltering skin. “Can you please contact the doctor to see where he’s at?”

  He rubbed her back. “He’ll get here in time.”

  She rested her head in her hands. “Easy for you to say.”

  He whipped open his communication device. “Tryker, how long before you reach us?”

  “Three hours.”

  He closed it.

  She jerked her head up. “What do you call that thing anyway?”

  “It’s a telicator.”

  She grabbed the device out of his hand. “Looks just like a cellular phone, but lighter.”

  He carefully removed the telicator from her hands as if she were a small child about to break it. “It’s a little more powerful than anything on Earth.”

  She glared. “I realize that.” She slammed her palms on her knees. “This is so frustrating just sitting here sweating. Daidhl could be anywhere stalking his next victims.”

  “Relax.” He gently massaged the back of her neck. “We already know two on the list–you and Kathy.”

  Her coiled muscles unwound so she could think. She sat straighter. “That reminds me. I need to check on her.”

  The phone rang. “This is Kathy Strong, attorney at law. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll return your call as soon as I can.”

  Agnes left a message. She brushed her thumb over the screen of her phone. “I hope she’s okay.”

  “Does she always answer her phone?”

  “No, not necessarily, especially if she’s in court or meeting with a client.”

  “I thought she was in protective custody.”

  “She is. That’s what worries me. She should have picked up. Wait, you could go change into a dragon and check on her!”

  He shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “In the parking lot, I tried to transform into a dragon, and I couldn’t. I think the human blood prevented me from changing.” He clasped her hand. “Listen to me. Daidhl is more powerful than me. We have to be damn careful––especially you.”

  She bristled. “I can…”

  “No, you can’t.” He squeezed her hand. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.�
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  She narrowed her eyes. “Stupidity is not part of my vocabulary.”

  He slowly released her hand, but doubt remained in his eyes.

  Prickles ran down the back of her neck. Kathy was in trouble. Her gut instinct shot into overtime. “Shit, now, what do we do? I know Kathy’s in trouble. She needs our help.”

  “You need to calm down. What would you normally do?”

  She took a deep breath. “Investigate. It’s just so hard when people you know are threatened or hurt.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you? Sometimes I’m beginning to wonder. Or are you just saying that to make me feel better.”

  “Back to secrets again. I lost my parents when I was a kid. Does that help?” he snapped.

  She winced then reached for his clenched fist. “I’m sorry, Hoss.”

  “Don’t.” He yanked it back, bristling up like a cactus. “See, talking doesn’t help.”

  “Okay, I get it. Let’s review the case then.” She pulled out her iPad.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Looking at Jack the Ripper’s next victim, Mary Kelly. She was found in her apartment gutted like a deer. She was his last known victim.”

  “Was he caught?”

  “No. There’s all sorts of speculation on what happened. He got arrested for another crime or he himself was murdered or he left London. This is strange. According to my research, after the 1888 murders, there were two murders that happened a year later. The other two murders were of Alice McKenzie and Frances Cole, but there’s arguments on both sides on whether or not these were Jack the Ripper killings.”

  “The real question is what side is Daidhl on.”

  “I know. I’m calling Kathy again.” She called again. “Answer damn it! Answer!”

  “Aren’t the police guarding her?”

  “Yes, but you saw what happened in the parking lot.”

  “If you want we could drive there.”

  She glanced at Frank’s pale face. “He could get hurt again.” If he did, he wouldn’t make it.

  “I’ll protect your brother, I swear.”

  His voice was so confident, but Frank’s heroism had put him in this position.

  “Hoss, Daidhl said he was stronger than you. It’s because of the blood transfusion, isn’t it?”

  “I think so.”

  “Will Tryker be able to change you back to your normal self?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  She drummed her fingers on her knees. “Your doctor isn’t going to be here for another three hours. I just can’t sit here, either. Not if I can save Kathy’s life. Let’s go check. Wait. You asked the doctor to bring some files on the Mistonians. Why? I thought there were no weapons here that could kill them.”

  “There aren’t, that I know of, but I remember hearing something about two humans that were able to destroy one. I’m not sure if the story was true or not. I asked Tryker to bring everything we had on the incident.”

  She moved her shaking hand to her gun, wishing she could pump him full of lead, wiping his sneering smile off his face forever. But so far nothing the department had done effected the bastard. “So, there’s a chance we can destroy him.”

  “Yes, but it’s a slim one.”

  Her hope wavered. Daidhl had the annoying knack of beating them at their own game, but one thing she learned in the field––a suspect’s overconfidence led to their downfall. “But it’s all we’ve got. Let’s go check on Kathy.”

  “You’ll drive?”

  “Obviously. When this is over, you’re going to learn how to drive, Mr. Drive-a-phobe.”

  “I’m not afraid.” His stricken face said the exact opposite.

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, I believe you.”

  “Daidhl could be anyone there–even Kathy.”

  The thought of Kathy smiling and revealing sharp-pointed teeth made her shiver. “That’s a lovely thought.”

  Another win for Daidhl.

  19

  Daidhl flew up to Kathy’s balcony after Hoss and his mate departed. They’d checked on Kathy and left.

  Stupid mistake.

  Arvada was slowing down with the setting sun. People were driving home from work. Below, there were two cop cars and most likely cops camped outside her front door. But their little attempts to stop him would be useless.

  Tonight, Kathy would not escape him. He was tired of playing these hide and seek with her. He took out a blade out of his jacket and quietly entered the apartment.

  He frowned. Damn! A man sat on a leather couch, holding a gun in his hand. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Most likely, Hoss’s curvy detective had insisted he’d be inside. The cops were moving up their protectiveness of his prey.

  He could easily ambush the man, but he wanted time with Kathy. He didn’t want to be rushed like he’d been with Annie Watkins. If he killed him, he ran the risk of alerting the other officers.

  He needed to be patient and come up with a plan. He sat in one of Kathy’s patio chairs and studied the man through the patio door as a plan formed in his head.

  He was about to open the door when the Zalarian’s telicator started to beep. A Zalarian ship was entering the Earth’s atmosphere, trying to contact the now dead navigator and Hoss.

  The man grabbed his gun and slowly got off the couch. He pulled back the blinds with his weapon drawn.

  Daidhl smiled as the fool relaxed and headed back to his roost. Before the telicator could beep again, he carefully opened it.

  “Hoss, are you there? This is Tryker.”

  “I read you. Where are you?”

  “Less than fifteen minutes from your coordinates. How is your mate’s brother?”

  “He’s still alive, but barely.”

  Impressive. Not many humans would have survived his attack.

  “Do you have the information I wanted on the Mistonian?”

  Daidhl’s smile faded. Hoss tried to use the entrapment cage on him once before, and it almost worked. What were in those files?

  “I do, but if the entrapment cage won’t help you, I’m not sure this will.”

  Daidhl hesitated. Could the incompetent Zalarians have found a way to kill him? They were just a bunch of flying lizards. The Kamtrinians had sworn their technology was inferior.

  “We’re on our way,” Hoss said.

  Daidl closed the telicator. Hoss and his mate would be busy trying to save her interfering brother. No one would be able to disturb him. Hunger burned in him to taste fear. It had been delicious. He wanted so much more. Let the Zalarians try to save the human. He needed to feed.

  Drawing on the Zalarian super speed, he thrust open the door and slashed the man’s throat before he could fire a single shot. He grabbed the cop’s radio and cell phone, stuffing them in his jacket.

  He whistled as he walked down the hallway to Kathy’s bedroom. He opened the door to find her sleeping on her bed, her brown hair tumbling over her face.

  He quietly shut the door. “Let the fun begin.”

  20

  Hoss got out of the back of the ambulance. Dusk had centered over the fields, the air turning cooler.

  Agnes raced over, looking around wildly. “Where are they? I thought you said they were here.”

  “They are here.”

  “What? I don’t see anything. You said they would be here.”

  The Orion’s medical ship, the Centarus, materialized.

  Agnes covered her mouth. “Oh, my God.” She looked up at him. “They’re here.” Tears swelled in her eyes.

  He wrapped his arm around her waist. “I told you Tryker wouldn’t let you down.” He gave her a kiss, wanting to take away her pain until someone cleared his voice.

  Tryker looked at him. “You have a patient for me?”

  “Yes, yes.” Agnes pushed away from Hoss. “He’s in here. Please, hurry.” She climbed into the ambulance.

  Tryker leaned close. “She’s quiet beautiful, Hoss. A little curvy for your taste.”<
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  Anonghos grunted, not ready to admit anything yet. Too much was at stake to discuss mating. Who was he kidding?The permanence of a true mate terrified him.

  Hoss slowly followed Tryker, who pulled out his medical transrecorder. Tryker aimed the device at Frank. “I’m not going to lie to either of you. It doesn’t look good, but let’s get him on board the Centarus.”

  Agnes nodded, but didn’t answer. She cast Hoss a look of pure hate. He flinched. If Tryker couldn’t heal Frank, she’d never forgive him.

  He’d been so confident that Zalarian medicine was far superior from humans, but nothing on this mission had turned out the way he thought. Too many women murdered, an agent down, weapons useless.

  On board the Centarus, Tryker motioned for the doctors to take Frank into the operating room.

  Agnes cleared her throat. “Doctor, what are my brother’s chances?”

  “To be honest, he has a fifty fifty chance. His vitals are very weak. Our treatment is more aggressive than yours. I hoped he’d be stronger.”

  Hoss went to put his arm around her shoulder, and she ducked. “Will he walk?”

  “If he survives, he’ll walk.”

  Agnes bit her lip. “If I would have–”

  “Let me be straight with you,” Tryker said. “The doctors may have saved his life, but he wouldn’t have walked.”

  “Are you so sure about that, Doc? Sounds like to me I’ve been fed one big tale after another. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go and salvage what little career I have left.”

  She turned to leave.

  Hoss clasped her arm. “Agnes?”

  She whirled around, like a black hole, slamming her fists onto his chest repeatedly. “You said he’d live.”

  Her force didn’t hurt him physically as much as it hurt his heart. He’d broken her trust. For not wanting to end up like his dad, each time she hit, a crack split on his iron wall.

  Tryker grabbed her fists. “Stop. This isn’t helping your brother.”

  “Let go of me.” She twisted and stamped on his feet.

  “Tryker, let her go,” Hoss said wearily.

  Agnes jerked her wrists free. She walked away with her shoulders braced. A loud shrill of sirens broke the tension.