by Eden Bradley
He shuddered. “I… I don’t know. I saw him grab you. You flinched. It pissed me off. I was going to get to you, but he just…”
“Garreth would never hurt me. He’d cut off a part of himself before he ever let such a thing come to pass.”
Scott glanced away. “Good to know.”
Should she congratulate him on finding some of his magic? He wasn’t happy, so probably not.
His gray-blue eyes turned her way, full of confusion and a touch of pain. “I’m on call at the station tonight. I need to go.”
“All right,” she whispered.
“Stop by?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
With a nod, he started his truck, then said, “You guys can stay at my house as long as you need.”
“Thank you.”
Scott drove away, leaving Calla feeling bereft and alone. Squaring her shoulders, she marched back into the house, shouting, “You stupid, pigheaded idiot!”
~ * ~
TEN
Scott drove into town, his mind on the happenings in his life the past few days. Never one to back down from the truth, he usually just rolled with the punches. But all this…
He pulled into the fire department and turned his truck off, then just sat.
Mystical creatures existed.
Okay. Accepted.
He was one of them.
Okay. Harder, but okay.
He had some sort of magical power.
Sure.
He could throw a man off his lover, send him hurtling across a room without even touching him.
It stuck in his throat, leaving a bad taste. Shaking his head, he got out of his truck and stomped inside the station. The other men on duty called out, but he strode to his office without a word.
Fred was asleep on the couch.
Scott slammed the door, waiting as Fred stretched and rubbed his eyes. The old man looked at him, then grinned. “You’ve finally found it.”
“Found what?” Scott grumbled, heading toward his desk.
“The Greek philosopher Empedocles once said there were two main forces in the universe, Love and Strife. To combat these, the gods made mortal protectors.”
“Hmph. Which means what, old man?”
“You’ve found your magic, boy. It’s about time, too.”
Frozen in place, Scott couldn’t even force his body to turn and face Fred.
“Ayup. Been waiting for this day. Now, you’ll be able to find your destiny like all magical creatures.”
Unable to move, Scott tried to say something, but there wasn’t exactly a standard protocol for such a situation.
Fred slapped him on the shoulder and Scott stumbled a few steps, broken from the iceberg. He spun to face the old man, noticing the strange yellowness of his eyes, the sudden youthfulness of his weathered face.
“What…”
“You’re just like your parents. Wonder which version though. Like Amy too. Not Steph though. I’ve never got the vibe from her.”
As his legs turned watery, Scott back-shuffled the last few steps and slumped on his desk. He didn’t care about the stacks of paperwork coursing onto the floor. The picture of his sisters caught his eye though.
He glanced at Steph, the youngest, now in California. Then at Amy. Feeling strange things he’d attributed to her pregnancy.
As Scott turned back to Fred, he realized even though he’d seen Calla shapeshift into a dragon, he’d not really believed in the whole thing. Certainly, at least, not the part about him being magical.
Not even when he’d seemingly sent her giant of a brother flying across the room with nothing but his thoughts.
But the sincerity in the eyes of this old geezer, a man he’d known his entire life, broke some barrier. A strange, pulsing something in his chest expanded, warming, as if a hidden part of him had come unlocked.
He didn’t know what the hell to make of it, but guessed belief was the first step.
The question was, how many steps were in this program?
~ * ~
As tempting as it was, Calla kept her stance in front of the door rather than grabbing a frying pan and breaking it over her brother’s head. “I’m going with you. Just try to stop me,” she shouted.
“You’re not going to do anything stupid or dangerous while I’m around,” he growled back.
“You know what? No one even asked you to butt in. Look at me. I’m fine. Eric is probably still holed up somewhere, recovering from the injuries I—me, all by myself—gave him. Now is the time to find him and you can’t cover the whole mountain by yourself.”
“You’re not—”
Calla screeched and grabbed her hair. “If you tell me one more time what I’m not going to do, you’re going to be seriously hurt, brother mine.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re as bad as Mam was.”
Calla ignored the piercing pain at his comment. “Either give me your keys or drive me into town.”
With a heavy, aggravated sigh, Garreth followed her out to his car. She slid into the passenger seat, gritting her teeth as he took his sweet time starting it and heading down the driveway. They were only a minute from town when Garreth pointed to a thin black line snaking into the sky.
“Hurry. Maybe we can catch Eric in the act,” Calla urged.
Garreth hit the gas, flying through town, careening around corners until they reached the fire. A restaurant engulfed in flames.
Calla got out, flattening against the car as a fire truck screeched up beside her. Scott sat in the driver’s seat. He shot her a worried look, then barked commands to the men.
People shouted, jumping around everywhere. Water shot onto the fire from a hose.
Then, from behind the building, the black dragon flapped into the sky. He let out an earth-shaking bellow. A taunt.
“Don’t you dare move from that spot.” Garreth raced around the building, then, a larger, blue dragon swooped into the air, chasing the black. Calla wanted to join them, but heeded her brother’s words. For the moment.
“How can we help, lass?” Fred said beside her.
As she glanced around, Calla realized only three people were still moving, rather than rooted to the spot and staring at the dragons fighting in the air. Her, Scott, and Fred.
His eyes were lit with a knowledge and wisdom she’d only ever seen in old magical beings. The old man wasn’t human either. This place was looking less and less like just any mountaintop town.
“Get them to spray the water at the black dragon.”
A whoosh of red fire sprayed across the parking lot, almost hitting the car and fire truck.
“Garreth!” she screamed.
He raked claws along Eric’s back, pushing the fight farther from the humans still frozen in place.
To Fred, she said, “Get them moving.”
He hustled through the crowd. At his touch, firemen shook their heads as if coming out of a daze. Soon, everyone was rushing about to get the fire put out. Another hose plopped on the ground. The firemen quickly unrolled and hooked it up. A heavy spray of water hit the snarling, bellowing dragons above them.
Garreth roared as Eric drew farther back, squealing in pain. Then, he got his claws into her brother’s delicate wing, tearing it open. Garreth spun toward the earth.
Before thought stopped her, Calla ran behind the building, stripping her clothes as she went. She shifted, lifting into the air to get between her fallen brother and the Other.
She snapped at his legs, scratching his belly, forcing him away from Garreth.
Below them, her brother snorted and trumpeted commands for her to leave. She ignored him, and her internal instinct to follow the command of a dominant. Calla would not leave him, or this town, to the mercy of the black dragon.
They fought, with claws and teeth and tails. The stench of blood filled the air, mixing with the smoke. A heat built inside Calla’s throat and she snorted to get it out. Pure red flames shot from her snout, enveloping the black dragon’s ta
il.
He screamed with fury and dove toward the front of the building, trying to get to the humans.
Calla followed, slipping through the air effortlessly. She roared, shooting more flames, feeling an ecstasy almost as good as sex to have finally come into her fire. The mating must almost be complete. It was the only explanation for this power racing through her.
Eric headed straight for Scott. Blue flames licked the ground at his feet.
Calla bellowed, pushing herself faster. She dug her claws into Eric’s back, trying to lift, divert him from her lover. Then, Garreth joined them in the air.
Eric shook her off and turned with a fury. His blue fire touched her chest and pain made her scream. Claws raked the side of her head, ripping her ear.
She fought back, but he pushed her closer to the earth. Garreth tore into his side with his own claws and teeth, driving Eric off. Something scraped against her side. Trees. Caught.
She crashed through branches, hitting the dirt. Above, Garreth grumbled out an order not to follow, then chased after Eric’s retreating figure.
Her body shifted. After a few minutes, she could think again. Calla tried getting to her feet, but her legs were too shaky. She slumped back, staring at the gray sky, breathing deep until the pain became tolerable.
Something crashed in the trees, heading straight for her. Calla searched the ground, digging through fallen leaves for a weapon. Small sticks, a few rocks. Finally, her fingers clenched around a hefty rock and she drew it closer.
But it was only Scott, storming through the trees, looking for her, tightly gripping the blanket he held. He stopped when he saw her, a scowl showing how fiercely protective he was feeling at the moment.
A small grin touched her lips at the sign of his concern.
~ * ~
ELEVEN
Scott swayed, dizzy with relief seeing Calla alive and mostly uninjured. She dropped a rock to the ground, then pushed herself to stand. With a short cry, she fell back onto the leaves.
He hurried to her side. “Fool woman. Your brother could have handled it.” Scott glanced into the sky. Thankful nothing was near.
“I will protect him, and you.” Her glare raked at his pride.
“Damn it. I’m the guy. It’s me who’s supposed to be doing the protecting.” The urge to strangle her was as strong as his desire to kiss her senseless.
“And you will. But until you learn what you are, guess what will happen.”
Scott jerked back, stomping a few steps away. “Do you remember when you told me how you hated the overprotectiveness of your family?”
“Yes.”
“Do you truly think I’m different?”
“Unfortunately, no,” she replied wryly.
Scott met her amused gaze. “Come on,” he said, wrapping her in the blanket then picking her up in his arms and carrying her toward the restaurant. The relative safety of other people.
She inhaled sharply.
“Where are you hurt?” he asked.
“Nowhere you can see. I ripped a wing.”
Despite the fact that it was hard to wrap his mind around such a thing, he accepted it. “I don’t suppose you want to go to a hospital?”
“No. There’s nothing they can do for me. I’ll heal on my own.”
“Fine,” he grumbled.
“Did you see which direction Garreth and Eric went?”
“Not really. They headed west, but could turn any time.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Do you have any old mines, caverns, anything like that around here? Specifically to the west?”
“No.”
“By around here I meant up to a hundred miles or so. We dragons are fast.”
He stopped, staring at her. “Actually, there is an old geode mine in the next county. It’s about fifty miles as the crow flies.”
“Or as the dragon flies,” she replied with a pert smile.
The tension building inside him became unbearable to keep fighting. He gave in to it, leaning down to press his lips to hers.
“Mmm, it’s about time,” she whispered, her voice needy.
He kissed her again, his pain and worry infusing his desire with a need to control, to dominate. She moaned, her nails raking the sides of his neck. Shudders ran through him as lust drove into his cock.
Tightening his grip, Scott turned her to face him more fully. Her tongue teased his lips, licking the corners of his mouth, then dipping inside to run along his. She drew his lower lip into her mouth and sucked, her teeth lightly scraping along his skin.
His groan came out against her lips. He wanted to lay her down in the cool air of the forest. To savor the taste of every inch of the woman in his arms, to drive his tongue into the sweetness of her own desire.
Yet, the intensity of how much he wanted Calla was beginning to become a concern. Sure, he’d lusted after women before. But never like this. Hell, he’d happily stay in bed with her for a week, doing nothing but fucking until neither could stand. And yet, he wasn’t sure even that would calm his raging desire.
A small part of him said the week would be just fine if they only held each other and talked. Which was the scariest part of all. Because this thing with Calla had a time limit.
She would leave soon. So there was no point in getting emotionally attached. Unfortunately, he suspected he might already be doomed to heartache.
Calla ran her hand along his jaw. “What are you thinking so seriously?”
“Nothing,” he answered.
When they reached the back of the building, Scott helped her dress. They emerged to see Scott’s crew milling about. A shout went out when someone spotted him.
Fred hurried over. “Take her home. I’ll handle the others.”
With a nod of thanks, Scott slid Calla into her brother’s car, then headed for the driver’s seat. After getting in, he hesitated with his hand on the keys. “Fred knows.”
“Knows what?”
“Everything. Said he knew you for a dragon the moment he smelled you. Knows about my parents, and me. My sister. Only one though, Amy. She’s pregnant and been experiencing some strange things I chalked up to hormones. Fred also said something about us being soul mates before he raced out of my office like a spooked horse.”
“Interesting,” she said, leaning back and playing with the seatbelt. “So what did he say about you?”
Scott turned back to the steering wheel. “He wouldn’t say much.” Thinking about it wasn’t getting him anywhere. Finally, he turned his mind to more practical matters. Like getting her to safety.
“Can you stop by the department so I can get some things from my truck?” she asked.
Scott nodded.
“Are you all right?”
He asked the question burning his tongue. “Do you normally do such things? Fight other dragons, risk your life?”
Huddled in the blanket, Calla looked like a waif. Slowly, she shook her head, never breaking their gaze. “Usually, no. I’m just your normal arson investigator. But there are… Others.”
Scott started the car and headed for her truck. “What are the Others?”
~ * ~
Her gaze unfocused, she turned to stare out the windshield, a tremor shaking her body.
She didn’t like talking about the Others. Scott reached over and took one of her hands, giving comfort she so badly needed.
He was brave and courageous, willing to take on anything, even a dragon if need be, without any guarantee of winning. Some might call that foolhardy, but to Calla, it was a sign of everything wonderful in a man.
“Since the dawn of time, magic has existed in creatures, and in the earth itself,” she began. “Destiny guides magic, finding each creature’s perfect mate. When the two meet, and share a touch beneath the moonlight, the mating burn begins. Desire, lust, fills both. Undeniable, and unwavering until satisfied.”
Scott slammed on the brakes. “What?”
Calla glanced behind them, but
luckily, they were alone on the road. “Drive,” she told him.
He nudged the car to the shoulder, and repeated his question in the same incensed tone.
“Look, do you want the whole story or not?” she demanded, feeling a prick of anger.
“Is that what is between us? This destiny thing?”
Squirming uncomfortably beneath his greener than normal gaze, Calla nodded.
“So, it’s not that you’re intensely attracted to me. It’s this mating thing?”
“Well, it’s both,” she answered, exasperated at the silliness of his question.
He stared at his hands. “So sex makes us husband and wife in magical terms?”
“Once the joining is complete, yes.”
“And how does it get done?” he demanded, his voice deceptively low.
“I assure you it requires the willingness of both parties.” She turned to face him fully, grappling with her seatbelt. “Look, I’m not trying to trap you into anything you don’t want. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
With a soft sigh, Scott put the car back in drive. “But I’m not a dragon.”
“So?”
“Different species and all that?”
“Can I finish my story? It will answer most of your questions.”
When they reached her truck, Scott refused to let her get out. Instead, he grabbed everything she wanted, throwing her bags in the back of the car. Then he turned back onto the highway, this time heading home.
“Tell me the rest.”
“As I was saying, about a thousand years ago, something in the magic changed. Most think it was because the numbers of each kind of creature were so low. Suddenly, different species were able to mate and bear children. Normally, the children share all characteristics of their mother. This perpetuates the species. Sometimes, the child will inherit a few traits, magics, from their father as well.”
“That defies all laws of biology.”
“So? We’re not talking science here. The key word is magic after all.”
He snorted, waving a hand at her to continue.
“On a rare occasions a child is born who looks like their mother, but without the magical abilities of either parent. They’re Other. Destiny will never find them a mate. They will never be accepted as one of us, yet they are not human, either.”
