Midnight_Nightmare Dragons

by Terry Bolryder

  Normally, she liked obsessing over weird things, but there were so many piling up around Nathan that she hardly knew what to think about first.

  It would be best to just get some rest.

  She turned down a small alley that always creeped her out and walked carefully around the bags of garbage that were set beside overfilled dumpsters. She always held her breath for this part of the walk, but for some reason, she got an odd feeling as she did so.

  As she came out on the other side of the alley, it was already nearly dark.

  Perhaps that was all that was creeping her out. She usually finished work a little earlier than this.

  She just had to cross a small, empty lot to get to her apartment complex on the other side, so she looked both ways, crossed the street, and then started her walk across the vacant lot. Old, medium-height buildings rose on either side, and her apartment building was just a hundred feet ahead.

  She could hear the clack of her heels on the pavement and paused, listening for anything else.

  Save for the whistling of the wind through the alley behind her, she heard nothing. So why did it seem she was being followed?

  She quickly whirled around, unable to ignore the crawling feeling that there was something behind her, and heard a crashing nose from something in the alley. She took a step backward, eyes transfixed on the alley, as she saw a large shadow projected on the wall.

  It was oddly shaped. Were those… wings?

  And then the shadow, and whatever thing it was attached to, disappeared, crouching back into the alley.

  It took mere seconds for her to rush back to the apartment, running faster than she ever had on heels as she hurried to get back to the safety of her home.

  She didn’t hear anything following her, but she knew what she’d seen. Someone was there.

  She’d imagined the wings; she was sure. The shadow had looked off, and the person had probably been carrying something or had their cloak catch the wind.

  Probably.

  When she reached her door, she fumbled with the keys, kicking it with her foot and yelling for Sasha.

  But no one was home.

  Crap, Sasha might be working late today.

  When she finally got the door open, she practically fell into her apartment before regaining her balance and slamming herself back against the door to close and lock it.

  When she was finally safe, she slumped against the door in relief. She slid slowly to the ground and pulled out her phone, looking for an update from Sasha.

  “Sorry, working late at the library tonight. Chick flicks tomorrow?”

  Lillian sighed. She’d really been looking forward to seeing her roommate, and tonight of all nights, she didn’t want to be alone.

  She ran a hand through her hair and then slowly got to a standing position and walked into the kitchen. What had gotten into her, acting so paranoid like that? But then again, something really had been following her, unless some kind of bat was just a wizard at shadow projection.

  But no, she’d seen a man. A huge man. What if he was still out there? What if it was crazy Bill trying to pull pranks to scare her away from Nathan?

  Or a prank by Nathan?

  She shook her head because that seemed far-fetched. Then again, nothing had been normal since she’d met Nathan, and she’d never been followed before today.

  Perhaps he got off on making a point about women walking alone?

  She couldn’t think of anyone else who would want to follow her.

  She slowly walked to the door again, unlocking it and steeling herself to look out into the night, which was now fully dark. She kept her hand firmly on the handle, ready to shut it at any moment, but saw nothing.

  Just as she was ready to close it, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. It must have been stuck to the outside of her door, because in her haste to get in, she hadn’t noticed it.

  She picked it up slowly and gasped when she saw what was written on the front.

  If this was a prank, it was no longer funny.

  Chapter 7

  Back at home, Nathan paced, examining his bruised shinbone.

  He’d been following Lillian home without incident (because for some reason she tripped off insane protective instincts in him that made him not want to let her out of his sight) when she’d suddenly turned around and startled him.

  Despite still being invisible, he’d stumbled as he stepped back and run his shin right into a dumpster. He would heal quickly; that wasn’t the problem. It was just odd actually being caught off guard enough to be hurt.

  He rubbed his wrist, glad Lillian had gotten back inside her apartment safely.

  As soon as her door had closed, he’d taken off into the night, ready to fly back to his mansion.

  Right now, he was sitting in the study in near darkness, enjoying only the moonlight from his window and a glass of high-quality scotch.

  He didn’t seem to get the effect from it that humans did, but he still found it a soothing experience, if for no other reason than the burn in his throat felt like something.

  If their creator had only kept her promise to Nathan and his brothers, he could be feeling so many more things.

  But there was no point hoping anymore.

  At least he could see Lillian again tomorrow. Things were never boring with her around.

  His thoughts once again drifted to Dare and Theo, and he wondered how they were getting on. They had their own separate lives, separate residences, but perhaps now that they had all lost their reason for living the way they had, there was a chance for more closeness.

  The darkness in him scoffed at such weak thoughts.

  He turned his glass in his hand, letting the liquid reflect the moonlight, and then perked up as he heard his phone ring from the other room.

  He must have left it in his coat pocket, but who on earth could be calling? He strode over to the coat stand and reached into his jacket pocket to pull his phone out.

  Irritating things, phones.

  But he was surprised when he saw Lillian’s name as the contact. He’d given her his number on the note where he’d written the passwords, and he’d stolen her number when she’d taken a break to go to the bathroom, but he’d never really thought she would call.

  When he picked up, she sounded breathless. Angry.

  “Nathan?”

  “Yes?”

  “Just what are you trying to pull?”

  He walked back into the office with his phone to his ear and set his scotch on his desk so he could focus. He took a seat on the couch by the window and looked out. “I’m sorry, what are you accusing me of now? Your accusations are so numerous that I’m having a hard time keeping track of them.”

  “Shut up,” she said. “The note. On my door.”

  He sat up abruptly. He’d been prepared to be accused of following her, if anything, but he knew nothing about a note. Sure, there’d been something on the outside of her door, but he’d assumed it was a regular human flyer advertising something.

  “I left no note.”

  She was silent. “I think I’m in trouble, then.”

  “I’ll come get you.”

  “I think something was following me on the way home, and then I found this note and—”

  “Stay right there,” he said sharply, running to the front entry and pulling on his coat. There was no time to call his town car, so he would take his personal vehicle.

  He jogged to the garage and grabbed the appropriate keys, then got in one of his more conservative Jags. “Don’t even set a foot out of the door ‘til I get there.”

  Her voice was quiet, a bit sullen. “You don’t need to come riding to the rescue. If it’s not you, I should probably call the police. Let them figure it out.”

  “I won’t be responsible for you being targeted by my enemies. So stay put and just wait for me, woman.”

  He heard a snort of either amusement or frustration on the other end of the line and let out a breath of relief. He c
ould tell she’d decided to wait for him.

  “Fine. Bossy. But you don’t even know what the note said.”

  “I’ll know when I get there. Stay put.” And then he started the car and peeled out into the night.

  * * *

  When Nathan arrived in front of her apartment, he parked and then quickly got out and went up to her doorway, knocking briskly.

  “Lillian, it’s me.”

  She opened the door, looking around the chain suspiciously. “What if you’re the one who left the note after all? What if you really are bad, Nathan?”

  He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Have you seen anything while you’ve been around me that would lead you to think so?”

  She shook her head, looking slightly abashed. “Look, I’m just used to people who have power trying to abuse it. It’s nothing personal.” She slowly undid the bolt and gestured for him to come in.

  He did but stayed only in the entryway. “We’re going to my place.”

  “What? Why?”

  “So I can keep an eye on you. Go ahead and get packed because you’ll be staying with me for the duration, until we figure this out.”

  “But, but—”

  “No buts. You’re my employee, and it’s my responsibility to keep you safe.”

  She raised an eyebrow. Her dark curls were adorably out of place, and he could tell she’d actually been scared by her experience, which just made him want to pull her close.

  Which was a disgusting reaction for a nightmare like him to have.

  “I’m not your actual employee. I’m not even sure what this thing really is, but it’s not for real. It’s temporary.”

  “It won’t be if someone hurts you,” he said, walking closer as she folded her arms around her and backed away. “I promise you I could never hurt you. Do you want to bring someone with you? Someone who could watch your back and make you feel more comfortable?”

  He didn’t know why, but he really would offer anything to protect her, including bringing a complete stranger into his home.

  She thought about it, her eyes darting to the side. “My roommate. Sasha. I’d have to talk to her about it.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Not home. She’s working late. And I’m not even sure she’d want to go along with this crazy idea to not stay in my own house.”

  “She would if she thought you were in danger, right?”

  She had to nod at that. Good, he was getting to her.

  “Where is the note?”

  She walked into the kitchen and grabbed it off the table. He noticed the apartment was small but homey. He took the note and sat in one of the chairs by the table to read it.

  Each letter was cut from a different type of font, as if from a magazine or book.

  “What, is this person a serial killer from the eighties?”

  “Ha-ha,” she said, looking unamused as she took a seat opposite him.

  He was surprised by how normal this felt, them together in a cozy kitchen, sitting across from each other. Talking.

  Then he focused back in on the note, and when he finished it, he could feel rage burning up his spine, overcoming even the ever-present darkness.

  “Who would send this to you?” He threw it back on the table in disgust. “I know you’re a journalist, but who would possibly want to go this far?”

  She picked it up, and he fought the urge to grab it and tear it to pieces so she never had to look at the nasty words again. “I honestly don’t know. I’m a journalist, yes, but I mostly do puff pieces. Stuff like how someone is trying to shut down the local animal shelter.” She eyed him warily. “Your piece is kind of an exception.”

  He couldn’t help swelling up a bit with pride. “So you are obsessed with me.”

  She snorted. “No. I’m not. But yeah, what do you make of the note?” She held it up and read it aloud, as if still trying to make sense of it. “‘Watch your back, bitch. I’m on to you.”

  He shook his head. “No idea. Could be crazy Bill or someone who saw us together and was weird about it. I don’t really know. But it could be someone who is after me, and they saw you associated with me and saw you as a weak spot.”

  Her eyes flashed, the green there appearing brighter, like moss. “I’m not weak.”

  “I didn’t say you were weak. I said you could be my weak spot.”

  Her mouth opened slightly in shock. “What?”

  “I mean, I’m so strong that compared to me, you would be weak. Therefore, if someone wanted to attack me, you would be the weak spot.”

  She swallowed nervously and shuffled in her chair. “But why would anyone think you would care if something happened to me?”

  He stared at her, aghast. “You think I wouldn’t?”

  She shook her head.

  “Well, I would. I do. I’m here, aren’t I?” He tried to keep the frustration out of his tone, but it was difficult. He was tired of her always thinking the worst of him, and he was tired of not understanding why it bothered him, since he already thought the worst of himself.

  She was just a human that was continually amusing him, but he didn’t intend to let her out of his sight until she was safe.

  And maybe even not then, if the darkness had anything to say about it.

  “I just… I’m not your responsibility. I do appreciate you coming over, but I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t think you had something to do with it.”

  He stood and pulled his chair closer to her, turning it around so he could sit with his chest facing the back and looking her dead in the eyes. “Really? So you wouldn’t have called if you were in trouble, even if I was unrelated?”

  “Why would I?”

  She didn’t trust him. The frank truth of it in her beautiful green eyes infuriated him. Perhaps because he didn’t completely trust himself either.

  “You are under my protection. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She bit her lower lip, playing with it in a way that made dark heat build inside him. She made him want to do things, made him crave things he’d never craved before.

  She was fascinating.

  “Isn’t it your fault I’m in trouble, though? Since you think it’s one of your enemies after me?”

  He nodded. “All the more reason to take care of you.”

  “And you say Sasha can come with me?”

  “Yes, tomorrow if you want. I promise not to ravish you tonight.”

  She laughed. “I’m pretty sure you have your choice of willing women to ‘ravish’ if you want to. I’m not too worried about that.” But a little dart of her eyes to the side said she wasn’t certain.

  Interesting.

  “Then we’ll go to my place and discuss the rest there.” He stood and held out a hand, surprised when she took it. She released it when standing and fidgeted for a second, looking up at him.

  “Thanks for coming, I guess.”

  “You’re welcome, I guess,” he said, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

  “I’ll go get my things.” And then she dashed up the stairs and vanished from view, leaving him with only the sounds of her rummaging through her drawers and the thought that tonight, for the first time, a human would sleep under his roof.

  * * *

  “I still think it’s a little odd that I’m sleeping here.” Lillian looked around the huge front entryway and, for the first time since he’d met her, seemed a little lost.

  Nathan hung his jacket on the coatrack and rolled up his cuffs as he walked forward over the sparkling marble and into his large kitchen. He gestured for Lillian to follow him and took her to a small hallway on the other side of the room, down which would be her guest room.

  When he opened it, she let out a gasp as she walked in. “All this for me?”

  “For any of my guests,” he said sharply.

  “Ah.” Her brown-green eyes twinkled as she walked in and put her bag on the bed. “I’m only doing this to get a better scoop on you, you know.”


  He folded his arms and glared down at her. “And after today at work, I’m sure you’re starting to see there’s no scoop to be had. Though, I’m happy to allow you to try. It’s entertaining.”

  “Great,” she said. “I’m entertainment.” She sat on the bed, bouncing a few times, and then sighed. “I told Sasha where I was, just so you know.”

  “Since she’s going to be joining us, I’m assuming you know I don’t think that’s a problem.”

  “Right.” Lillian bounced a bit more. “I still think this is weird.”

  “Do you want to stay alone at your place?”

  She shook her head.

  “Do you have any other options?”

  “No.”

  “Then it’s settled.” He turned to walk out of the room, still unnerved by the events of the night and feeling the pull of the hunt, but stopped when he heard her clear her throat.

  “Hey, you aren’t going to bed yet, are you?”

  He turned around to face her. “Yes. Why?”

  She groaned. “It’s only like nine. You’ve gotta be kidding me.” She flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “You’re this billionaire, and you go to bed like you’re in prep school?”

  “No, I—”

  She sat up abruptly, sending her curls in all directions. Her green eyes were shrewd. “Or is it you have some sort of illicit nighttime activities that you don’t want me to know about, so you’re pretending to go to sleep?”

  “I told you I would need my time to myself after midnight. I know it doesn’t seem like it to you, but I do work long, hard hours, and I need my rest.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said playfully. “You need your booty, you mean.”

  “I’ll have you know I don’t ‘need’ any booty,” he said sharply. Recently, the only “booty” he’d been thinking about was hers.

  But it wasn’t a need.

  He needed to be able to hunt occasionally. He needed to be able to protect her. He didn’t need a woman in his bed.

  Connections to humans could only cause complications, and he’d done a good job avoiding them in the past. Then again, he’d had a purpose to live for then. Things were different.