Dragons Prefer Blondes

by Candace Havens

  “Melanie,” he called to one of the nurses. “Have one of the healers over to look at the slide while I start on this shoulder. We may need their help on this one.”

  That’s what I liked about Dr. Posten. He didn’t mind mixing up magic with his own talents. He told me long ago that he’d do whatever it took to keep us alive.

  Someone else walked in, and I saw it was the mage Robert. I’d dated him for about a day five years ago, and he never seemed to forgive me for it. He was a good-looking guy, but a little shy for my taste. I was young and had tried to make out with him. I had no idea kissing was a big deal on his world. He was part Fae and part human but incredibly talented in the healing arts.

  Robby gave me his standard you-are-a-nasty-harlot look and then went about examining my arm.

  “Melanie has the slide under the microscope there,” Dr. P said, nodding toward the side room.

  Robby walked away and then came back. “Mira’s right. It’s a neurotoxin. I have something that will speed the healing, though I don’t think we’re going to be able to regenerate that tissue.”

  I cut my eyes to see where he pointed, but Dr. Posten’s hands were in the way. Regenerate? That meant I had dead tissue, which shouldn’t have been such a big deal. I’m a Guardian, and we heal better and faster than most people.

  As if she could read my mind—and let’s face it, she probably could—Mira moved to the other side opposite Dr. Posten. “Alex, you know I’m always honest with you.” Her eyes were a little watery. Oh my God. I really am going to die. Oh crap.

  “The skin around the wound is black; it’s too damaged to repair,” she continued. “In other words, you’re going to have a giant honking scar.” She frowned as if this were the worst thing ever.

  Tears of relief welled in my eyes.

  “Oh, hon, I’m sorry. I know. But it will be okay. I promise.” She leaned down and kissed my cheek. “There’s also a lot of muscle damage, and you may have limited use of that arm. The nerves, everything is black as can be.”

  If I could have laughed I would have. None of that was worse than dying.

  I don’t know where she’d been, but Mom walked in. “Tell me what’s going on?” She looked to Mira, who explained what had happened so far. Mom walked over to look at the slide and agreed with Robby.

  Then she stood at my head and chanted healing spells as she placed her hands on my cheeks. The magic wafted through my body, and I could feel it working. Sometimes I forgot how powerful she was.

  Robby turned to Dr. Posten. “Wait twenty minutes before you suture her. Use this just before you begin.” The healer handed him a pouch. “The spells Mrs. Caruthers is casting will also help. I’d suggest continuing those throughout the operation.”

  Operation?

  The doctor took the pouch and nodded. “Let’s get her into room three. I need some decent light,” the doc ordered. “We’ve got hours of work ahead of us, people; let’s move.”

  Hours?

  A mask came down over my face, and I was being lifted by several pairs of hands. Then everything became a big white blur.

  CHAPTER 27

  The next day I woke up with a banger of a migraine. I went to touch my forehead but couldn’t move my right arm. It wouldn’t move. For that matter, I couldn’t feel it.

  Oh, hell, they cut off my arm. A quick look showed that my shoulder was still there. I tried to wiggle my fingers and felt them move against my thigh.

  Breathing a big sigh of relief, I let the tears fall to my cheeks.

  “Why are you crying?” Jake was staring at me from the other side of the bed. He looked like he’d been raking his hand through his hair all night. His tie was loose and his shirt wrinkled. “Do you hurt?”

  “My arm.” I choked the words out. My throat felt like it was on fire.

  He put a straw to my lips, and I took a sip of the cool water.

  “They said you shouldn’t feel anything for a couple of days.”

  “I don’t,” I finally managed to say. “I thought they had cut it off.”

  “What?”

  “My arm. When I couldn’t feel it, I thought it was gone.”

  The realization dawned on him, and he nodded. “It was touch and go there for a couple of hours. Your body wasn’t cooperating. They had a tough time keeping you stable during the surgery.”

  “Huh. Well, I guess everything’s going to be okay.” I smiled at him, but his dark expression didn’t change.

  “Your dragons are going to get you killed.”

  The messy look made him sexier than ever. I reached out with my left hand to touch him, but he moved away.

  Damn. He’s really mad.

  “They aren’t my dragons, Jake. In fact, right now I can honestly say I hate the lot of them.”

  Standing by the side of the bed, he put his hands on his hips. “It’s your job, and it’s what you were born to do. But I can’t stand the fact that you have to constantly put yourself in danger. There are better ways to handle a situation than storming in with guns blazing.”

  “Wait a minute. My mind may be a little fuzzy, but I didn’t charge into anything.”

  His jaw jutted out. “That’s not the way I heard it. Your sisters told me everything. The council was handling the situation, but you insisted on fighting her. Ginjin’s mate. Do you care about him? Is that what this is all about?”

  I tried to sit up, but with one hand it was clumsy. The movement also made me feel sick. I refused to puke in front of him and willed my stomach to calm down. “Why are you yelling at me? I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not sure what my lovely sisters told you, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to fight Jene. She was a warrior, and there was no other way out of the situation.”

  I grunted. “Me and my dragons. You don’t understand anything, Jake. I’ve watched them rip a human into pieces with a swipe of the claw. It’s my job to keep that from happening, and sometimes I do have to charge in before I have time to think. This wasn’t one of those times. Yes, the council could have put off the challenge until another day, but that wouldn’t have stopped her from trying to kill. At least I could do what I needed to in front of witnesses.”

  My throat felt like I was swallowing glass, but I continued my tirade. “When you were off doing your CIA thing, did you think twice when you were in a tough situation? Did you wait to second-guess yourself before taking action?” I held up my good hand. “Whatever you do, don’t say it’s not the same thing.”

  Leaning back against the wall, he crossed his arms against his chest. “I would never say that. No one knows better than me what you do to protect humanity. You and your sisters are the first line of defense against other worlds. That isn’t what I’m trying to tell you.

  “I’m saying you were twenty seconds from dying. Twenty seconds—and it didn’t have to be that way. I read your mother’s report. All you had to do was stay quiet. So I ask, do you have feelings for the dragon warrior?”

  “Oh my God. That you can even think that pisses me off beyond belief.” I finally managed to lean back against the headboard. Frustration was quickly turning into anger. “I’m about to lose my temper.”

  He had a strange expression on his face, and I couldn’t get a read. “What you do is brave and wonderful, Alex. There is no one else like you. You embody what every warrior should be. I just can’t love you and watch you put yourself in harm’s way every day. It’s too much. You’re asking too much of me.”

  There was a long silence. I didn’t know how to answer that.

  “So what? You love me, but you don’t want to be with me?”

  “Want has nothing to do with it. I couldn’t stop wanting you any more than I can stop loving you.”

  I was ready to scream. I decided to lay it all out. “Stop it. You’re driving me crazy with these mixed signals. I love you, and I can’t imagine my life without you. What do you have to say about that, Jake?”

  Worry etched his face. He took my hand and held it tight against
him. Then his lips landed on mine in an I’m-taking-your-soul kind of kiss. I lost myself in him.

  When he stepped away from me, it took a moment for me to realize I was no longer in heaven.

  I opened my eyes, and the look on his face smashed my heart into tiny pieces.

  “I can’t do it.” His voice was still hoarse with passion. “I know how unfair this is, but I can’t lose someone else I love. I can’t—” His voice caught, and he took a deep breath.

  A mask came down over his face, and I knew that I’d lost him. The past would keep us apart. His past, to be specific, and there was nothing I could do about it. His wife had died, and he didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again. It ripped my heart in two, but I understood.

  A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. “You’re right,” I sniffled. “I can’t promise I won’t die today, or tomorrow, or thirty years from now. The truth is, you can’t make that promise either.”

  He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I kept going.

  “I can’t even begin to understand what total suckage your wife’s death had to be for you. I know how much you loved her. I see it in the house you built with her. I heard it in your voice when you talked about her. It was obvious that first day how you felt about her.

  “And it wasn’t fair what happened. Death is seldom fair, especially when it happens to the people we care most about.

  “But my guess is she was grateful for every moment she had with you. I know I would be.” I forced my legs to the side of the bed. The movement made me a little dizzy, but I suddenly needed to run. Or at least fly. There was no way I’d let him see me crumble.

  “I get it. Being with a Guardian can’t be easy. One of the first things they teach us is that relationships are difficult for people who have to protect the universe. I guess . . .” I hung my head for a moment. I hated that my teachers were right. “I love you, Jake. Nothing you can say, no matter how far apart I stay from you, nothing is going to change that.”

  It took a great deal of effort to shift my bandages so I could move my arm just enough to touch my tattoos and disappear into the night.

  Five minutes after my feet touched down at my home in Madrid, my sisters stood around me staring out into the ocean. The villa had a two-story portico that provided fabulous views, but I wasn’t interested. I felt numb.

  The combination of fighting with Jake and teleporting when I was nowhere close to being healed made me feel like I was about to pass out. A sob escaped me, and I turned for a giant group hug. “Don’t touch my arm,” I cried against Mira’s shoulder.

  “Gilly heard you guys arguing, and she called us,” Mira led me to a corner of the sectional sofa. “You’d better sit down; that was some serious crap you went through last night.”

  “I’d call him scum for yelling at a girl when she’s down,” Gilly said, “but he’s not.”

  “I know.” Another hiccup of a sob sounded like a rabid squirrel just before a truck hit it on the highway. Don’t ask me how I know that. “Well, that was weird.” I tried to laugh, but it was another weird croak.

  Claire gave me a sad smile. “He’s scared. You know Jake. He wouldn’t hurt anyone, he’s—he’s just been through so much. Gilly told me what happened to his wife. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. And you have to admit your almost dying three times in a week would be a bit much for anyone to take. Hell, we’re your sisters, and it’s tough on us.”

  I sagged into the seat. “I know. That’s why it sucks more. I can’t even be mad at him. It’s not his fault I’m a Guardian.”

  “No, but it’s not yours either. It’s what you were born to do, and that is tough for people to understand,” Mira said. “He’s also a little man stupid. Guys can’t help it. I’m pretty sure it’s in their DNA.”

  “Man stupid?” Gilly laughed. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Mira leaned forward. “There are certain things that take guys a while to get over. One is the death of someone who they’ve gone all-in with their hearts. Another is that women really are their equals.”

  “I wouldn’t call Jake sexist,” I interjected. “The guy is in no way a chauvinist.”

  Mira smiled. “He is when it comes to you. All he can see right now is the pain he’s experienced time and again. Every time you come back almost dead, he’s having to relive what happened with his wife. It’s got to be like torture for him.”

  I hadn’t thought of it that way.

  “What he needs to realize is that you are obviously impossible to kill.” Gilly laughed when she said it.

  Claire hit her arm. “Don’t jinx her.”

  Gilly rolled her eyes. “You know what Arath and I’ve been through. If anyone’s sexist, it’s him. He’d keep me locked in a closet or chained to the bed if he could.”

  “TMI!” Claire made a face and put her hands over her ears.

  “As I was saying,” added Gilly, “he had to come to terms with the fact that if he’s going to love me, he has to live with the job. It’s what we do. We still argue about it all the time, but every day he gets a little more used to it.”

  I pursed my lips. “You know, I keep going back to those early lessons. Damn, we couldn’t have been more than six or seven when they rammed the fact that relationships didn’t work for Guardians down our throats. Look at what happened to Aunt Juliet.” She’d fallen in love with a demon years ago, had her children stolen from her, and was forced to live apart from the man she loved.

  “Yes,” said Gilly, “but you know what Arath and I’ve been through. He rules another world, and I live here. But love makes it work.”

  “If you say love conquers all, I’m going to punch you,” I warned her. “With my good hand.”

  She laughed. “Nah. I’m not an idiot. Besides, you hit hard. But I do think love is a good start to finding a way to be together.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think I’m meant to be loved. Not really.”

  Mira snorted. “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”

  “Don’t hold back.” I wrapped my good arm around my knees. I meant what I said. Love was messy, and I just wasn’t cut out for it.

  “Everyone deserves love, and you are no exception,” Mira continued. “Look around you. I’m not talking about us.” She pointed to my sisters. “We are a given. But everyone who works for you loves and adores you. There are friends of yours around the world and in the universe who would do anything for you.”

  I sneezed, and Claire handed me a tissue. “My God, Al, think of all the people you’ve pulled out of the gutter and given a second chance. Those guys would take a bullet for you any day of the week.”

  “And how many women can say that Death has a thing for them?” Mira added. “Graves definitely has a soft spot for you.” I’d never thought of it that way. I wondered if, when I did die, it would be Graves who took me to wherever the hell it was I was supposed to go. I hadn’t seen him yet, so I guessed that was a good sign. But if he had a thing for anyone, it was my dear redheaded sister.

  I laughed. “Well, there is that.”

  I sat up. “It just hurts, you guys. I love Jake so much, and I know he loves me. It feels like it’s just right there, and it’s falling like sand through my fingers. I can’t hold on to it. It makes me think that maybe the universe is telling me it’s not the right time. Or maybe that love just isn’t in the stars for me.”

  Gilly sighed. “You are allowed to be sad and to whine as much as you want, but don’t use the universe as an excuse, Al. We’re fighting an evil like no one has ever seen before, and we have to fight for the good things in our lives. You’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. We told you, Jake needs time, but he’ll come around. We’ve all seen how much he loves you. That’s something he can’t shove up on a shelf, no matter how man stupid he is.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I want to believe you’re right.”

  She put a hand on my knee and squeezed. “I am. Now
do you have the makings for a Bellini in there?” She pointed toward the bar. “I could really use one.”

  CHAPTER 28

  “Damn dragons are wearing me out.” I pulled my hair into a loose chignon and then realized I’d have to redo the hair once I put on my dress. The glistening red gown was so tight that the only way to get into it was to shimmy. “I don’t have a brain tonight.”

  “Alex, take a breath. We have a whole three minutes to get there.” My sister Gillian’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. “Lucky for us, we have these.” She pointed to her tattoos.

  “Where is the limo picking us up?” I pulled the dress over my head, thankful for the tight but long sleeves that covered the new scar on my shoulder. The puckered wound would eventually heal and leave a smaller scar. Dr. Posten was pretty much a genius when it came to plastic surgery, but there was no way it would look decent in time to hit the red carpet tonight.

  “We don’t have to worry about the limo. We’re going to teleport to the penthouse at the Renaissance and just walk over. Claire wants us to go green, which means giving up the big, gas-hogging cars for premieres.”

  “And remind me why we’re doing this again?” I turned so she could do up the zipper in the back.

  Gilly gave me a hard look. “It’s your fault. You set her up with that actor. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been roped into viewing this brain-dead action film. I hope that we at least get some decent cocktails and some popcorn.”

  “Hey, you never know. It might be good. Besides, we haven’t spent any time together the past few days.”

  She touched my good shoulder. “I know. My demons have been keeping me busy.”

  I laughed. “More like their king.”

  “Him, too.” She didn’t bother to deny it. “All set?”

  After another quick look, I decided to keep my hair down. With the shaggy ends and new blonde color and the dark red mini, I looked very rocker chick chic.