“Where’s the bad guy?” Joe said, pointing to where Moratu’s body had lain. “I shot the freak out of him. He had a hole in his head. No way did he get up and do a runner!”
I cast my eyes about. “If he’s still nearby, the police will find him. But,” I added, realizing with weary anger what had happened, “we heal fast.”
The sirens were even louder now and the squad cars and fire engines had arrived at the east gates. I looked around at the corpses, the blood-drained remains of the sacrifices. But it was too late to do anything about that now.
I took Joe’s hand in mine. “C’mon,” I said. “Let’s get out of here.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I FINISHED READING THE REPORT and tossed the newspaper to one side. I was relieved the police were satisfied they’d solved the case and weren’t still looking for a murderer. There was no mention of any survivors, wounded or otherwise, so it seemed Moratu had gotten away again. The forensics had decided there had been a mass suicide, and they put it down to members of one of the many end-times cults that had risen in the City over the last few decades.
Grandma called me down to the kitchen. The doorbell had sounded earlier, so I guessed we had company. It was a week after the incident at Highgate and Joe and I hadn’t seen each other since then. He’d texted me to see if I was all right, but I’d been short with him. If he’d hoped we might meet up I’d disappointed him. It had broken my heart, but I’d done it anyway, for his sake.
I dragged a brush through my hair and took stock of my appearance in the mirror. My wounds had healed. I looked the picture of glowing health. My skin was clear, my eyes bright, and my hair full and shining.
Dragon blood has its advantages, I guess.
If they could bottle this stuff, they’d put Neutrogena, L’Oréal and the rest out of business overnight. But the thought made me shiver.
You can be so weird sometimes, Lia.
I opened the kitchen door and my heart jumped when I saw Joe, resting against the dresser in his usual laid-back fashion, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his pants. My cheeks flushed, and I diverted my gaze. Grandma was just putting a pot of tea on the table.
And there was another guy sitting there, too. He was tall and drop-dead gorgeous. Even covered by his winter jacket I could see he had a well-developed physique. Who is Mr. Hot? I thought, flashing him a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Lia.”
He pushed his chair back and stood, stretching out his hand. I noticed how hairy he was. As I shook his hand, I felt the thick strands sticking out from his cuffs brushing my skin. “My name is Lupus,” he said in a thick Eastern European accent I couldn’t quite place. “I am very pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I said. I raised my eyebrows at Joe, the awkwardness between us already passed, and he nodded.
I sat at the table and Joe came and joined us. Grandma poured tea and opened a tin of cookies.
“You must be the Alpha,” I said.
Lupus seemed bashful. “Yes,” he replied. “It is so.”
“Well then, I should thank you. Without you…”
But he raised his hand, dismissing the praise. “I did what I had to do, that is all,” he said.
“How are they?” I asked. “The girls? Are they…?”
Lupus sighed. “They are okay,” he said. “They have been registered with the City Council and assigned to clans. They are receiving counseling and free medication while they learn to manage their new nature. It will not be easy for them, but they will adapt. They may even come to enjoy their new state. It is not entirely without advantages.”
“But their families?”
“It will not be easy. These things take time.”
“If I’d only believed Joe at the beginning and made better decisions, I could have prevented this happening at all. I could have saved the girls.”
“You did everything you could. Hindsight is an exact science, Lia,” Grandma said. “You mustn’t blame yourself.”
“But…”
“Lia,” Joe said. “You risked your life to save the girls. And they will be okay. Different, but okay. And you saved the world, remember?”
“I guess,” I said. “But the others. The ones he sacrificed. I didn’t save them.” I couldn’t shake the heavy weight from my heart. Something had lodged itself in there, like a bullet. There was a new wound and no amount of Dragon blood could make it heal.
“What about Dan?” I said.
“I spoke to his parents,” Grandma said. “He is shaken, as you might imagine. But he saw little; nothing that demands a supernatural explanation. He got mixed up with bad company, that’s all.”
“I should see him.” I’d said it before, but Grandma had suggested I should wait. Maybe now was the time.
She smoothed the tablecloth down with one hand. “Perhaps not…” she said.
“But…”
She looked me square in the eyes. “He’s very upset, Lia. His mother told me he’s said he doesn’t want to see you again.”
It was like a punch in the gut. But I shouldn’t have been surprised. How did I think I would ever explain to him what I’d been doing? Had I imagined that I’d be able to make things up to him and get our relationship back to normal?
Lupus checked his watch. “Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Stone,” he said. “I must go.”
“You are welcome,” Grandma said, smiling. “And thank you so much for calling. We are very grateful to you.”
“And I to you. Should you ever need help again, you know where you can contact me. Goodbye Mr. Summers, Ms. Stone.”
“I’ll show you out,” Grandma said, getting up and opening the door.
Once they were in the hall, Joe leaned forward and took my hand in his.
“Lia,” he said. “About what happened in the cemetery? I mean after I shot Moratu…”
My heart lurched and blood pounded in my neck. I snatched my hand away. “I don’t want to talk about it, Joe.”
He tried to take my hand again. “Lia, please…”
“Thanks for your help, Detective,” I said. “But I have to go.”
I jumped up from the chair and ran from the room, almost knocking Grandma off her feet as she came back.
At the top of the stairs I pelted along the corridor into my room, slammed the door behind me, and threw myself onto the bed. I covered my head with the pillow to mask the sound of my anguish. There were voices in the kitchen, and a few minutes later, I heard the door open and close, followed by the sound of Joe’s Jaguar starting up, then crunching away across the gravel.
A few minutes later there was a gentle knock at my bedroom door. “Lia?” Grandma said. “Lia?”
I ignored her, and at last she walked away.
*
That night, when the house was still and silent, I crept down from my room, and out into the frosty darkness. Standing in the middle of the lawn, I slipped from my night clothes and stood naked, looking up at the waning moon. For a few minutes I stood there, my inner fire keeping me warm, gazing at the cold, cold disk of light above me.
Then I stepped forward and shifted, surrendering to the now familiar changes; the re-patterning of newly awakened DNA, the supernatural increase in my metabolism as my cells grew and changed, multiplied and regrouped until I stood majestic, tall, my scales iridescent and steaming in the moonlight; a Dragon.
I flicked my tail across the grass, rolling my long neck, flexing my glistening claws. Then I stretched out my great wings, and pushed away from the earth and all its sorrows. I soared up, and up, and up into the sky; above the city’s lights, and beneath the infinite stars.
###
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Austin worked in theater and television before becoming a full time writer. He’s always loved storytelling, adventures, mysteries, mythology, magic, animals, technology and science, and so all those things tend to appear in his stories. He’s usually busy writing the next adventure, but you can connect with him on Twitter.
Austin’s Twitter handle is @AGHackney
He also blogs about writing and other stuff here:
Austin’s Blog
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
Wolf Moon: Lia Stone: Demon Hunter - Episode Two (Dragon-born Guardians Series Book 2) Page 8
