"The proposal has been made. A vote is required."
"Gold?"
"Yes," I say.
"Green?"
"No."
"Silver?"
"No."
My heart sinks as the vote goes against me. I meet the eyes of each Council Member as they are called on to vote hoping I might sway them somehow to my side.
"Blue?"
"No."
"Black?"
"Yes."
Dracul nods. "All votes accounted for. The motion fails."
***
The gun sits on the table in front of me. My office is empty. It waits. Sitting there, tempting me. Do I do it?
Tapping my fingers against the oak of my desk I fall into a rhythm. Tap, one click, tap, two clicks. Memory.
Sunshine lights her face. Her smile is so beautiful it lights up the room. She laughs and my spirit soars. My heart flies. My body cannot contain me. She turns towards me...
The gun is in my hand. I turn the chamber. Click, click. I've saved this for her.
I increase my step seeing she's waiting for me. The university grounds are covered with cherry blossoms drifting and blanketing the grass, filling the air with their light scent. Two students nod then walk away from her and she's walking towards me. Almost we're running into each others' arms.
"What are you doing here?" she asks as the distance closes.
One. Click. Two. Click. Three. Click. The bullets slide into their slots seating naturally and easily. Slowly the weight in my hand increases as each one takes its place.
"I couldn't wait to see you!" laughter escapes me.
I can't hold it in. Her hand reaches out, we touch, electrical sensation shooting through my skin.
CRACK!
The sound rings across the campus echoing off the brick buildings, resounding and rebounding here to there. Reaching my ears from multiple directions. Everything freezes. Her fingers in the palm of my hand. The smile fixed on her face. The small hole in her forehead, a trickle of blood runs down.
She starts to fall.
Marathe stands behind her. Crazed eyes. Pistol in her hand aimed. Smoke drifts from the barrel.
"NO!" I scream throwing the gun. It hits the wall with a loud clatter then skitters across the floor metal screeching against the hard tile.
I took it from her that day. I've held on to it ever since. Locked safely away, held in a special room. The gun spins on the floor round and round until the barrel comes to a stop pointing at me. Its black opening a dark eye staring at me. Pulling me down to her level.
I'm running out of options. I should have killed her then. I should kill her now. I stare into that dark eye and it stares back into me.
Focus! Focus, there has to be a way. Some other way. What have I not tried? I cannot give in. There must be hope.
Hope.
Logan is hope. He's gone too. A soft knock at the door. I stare at it waiting. Was it real?
"Enter!" my voice comes out a bark, harsher than I intended.
A servant walks in bearing a silver tray loaded with fruits and cheeses as well as a pot of tea. She lays it out on the desk. Her eyes widen slightly at the sight of the gun on the floor but she doesn't say a word. She lays out the food, pours the tea, then bows and leaves the room.
I stare at the food. The tea. Is she being fed this well? How can I eat when she may be hungry? Is she being tortured?
The smells assault my nostrils and my anger flares in response. I grab the tray throwing it against the far wall. Porcelain shatters as metal rings out loudly before clattering to the floor.
Turning back around the gun barrel is still staring at me. Frozen in my mind I see Jennifer just as she starts to fall. Marathe standing behind her smiling. That small puff of smoke wafting from the barrel.
I'm out of options. There's no other way left.
Chapter eleven
Jennifer
Logan leaps off the bed. The sounds of his screams echo around the small room drowning my own. He lands on the floor attacking it with his fists then stands and kicks at it with an unmatchable rage. My vision's blurred by tears.
I slam my fists against the invisible barrier, trying to get through. Elise's body slowly slides to the floor, blood pooling around her. Marathe stares at me. Splatters of blood cover her face and arms. She killed my daughter.
Logan yells again and there's the sound of stone cracking. I turn towards him and see he's still attacking the floor. The stone is now cracked, breaking the pattern inscribed there. He looks at me as his body starts to shimmer and grow. I move around to his side as he expands. The cell is not big enough to contain him. The ceiling cracks then he's pressing against the walls.
I'm between a wall and his rear leg. His scales are cool and smooth rubbing against my exposed skin. He moves and I shift with him. Loud cracks sound repeatedly then the ceiling is falling in massive chunks. I duck down as a piece hits me in the head.
Dizzy, I crawl towards safety. I'm underneath him. His legs strain with effort pressing up then dust and stone falls all around accompanied by the sounds of destruction as the ceiling gives way.
Men start shouting and then there are screams. The screams don't sound like men they sound like scared little girls. I crawl out from underneath Logan. The wall between our cells shakes as he slams himself against it. Cracks form. One step back then he rams into it again and pieces of it start to fall.
Marathe stands on the far side gesturing with her hands, her mouth moving. Green energy shoots from her hands to the wall, spreading out across it. Some kind of reinforcement magic. Elise lies at her feet. Rage fills me drying my tears. I drop to the floor and slide underneath Logan again. The wall on the far side has a hole next to the door just big enough I slide through it.
Logan must know I've left the room as it fills with flames from his breath. I slide down the hallway to the cell door next to ours. I grab the handle, praying it's unlocked. I pull, expecting it to resist, but it opens silently. Kneeling I pick up a chunk of rock then slide into the door.
Marathe and the two guards are focused on Logan. They don't notice me. One step. Two. Closer. Closer. I swing with all my might. The rock rises over crashing down at her. It connects with a satisfying crunch on the back of her skull. Marathe drops to the ground blood spilling from the wound.
"Crap!" one of the guards swears turning towards me.
The other catches me by surprise with a fist. Something cracks and I'm sure he broke my jaw. Stars fill my vision as I stumble backwards. I come against something solid and slide down. Logan breathes fire and the guards are cursing again. Something else cracks loudly, stone hitting stone. The wall must be down.
I blink hard wiping tears and dirt away from my eyes. A scream starts but is cut short. I clear my eyes just in time to see one of the guards cut in half by Logan's sharp teeth. The other is pumping round after round from a shotgun at Logan but nothing is stopping him. He steps forward carefully placing his feet around our daughter's body. His head whips towards the guard faster than a creature that big should be able to move and then that guard is broken too.
Purple beams of energy hit Logan on either side and he roars. His massive head shakes side to side resisting the assault. I struggle back to my feet. My jaw throbs and swells. Marathe is on her feet again, the energy beams flow from her hands to Logan.
He stomps forward shaking the room. The ceiling in this cell is intact limiting his movement. He seems to resist pushing up against it, I assume for fear of hurting me. I have to stop her. Trying to stand my legs shake, quivering so hard I start to go down again.
STAND!
I yell at myself. Pushing all my will to rise. Grabbing a fresh chunk of stone I slide along the wall. Hoping she won't notice. Have to get behind her. Have to save Logan. Have to kill the witch.
A mental switch flips. I'm going to kill her. I've never contemplated killing another person. I never would've thought myself capable but now I know I am. I'm going to. Maybe tha
t's all it takes for anyone. The right push at the right time and we're all killers inside.
The stone supports me, cool against my back. Logan's roars cover any sound I make as I move. I'm almost there. She hasn't seen me yet. I'm going to make it. One step away from the wall. My legs wobble but I'm up. One more step, raise the rock, both hands this time.
Marathe turns towards me. The smile on her face breaks the splatters of my daughter's blood that covers her.
"Not this time!" she says and purple beams explode from her eyes slamming me into the wall.
My head cracks. I can't open my eyes. Everything is black. As I fall into it Logan roars one last time.
Chapter twelve
Archer
The door opens quietly but I hear the click of its mechanism. Remy doesn't seem to take up much space. He's able to walk up behind you in most circumstance and with most people without them ever being aware he is there. It's almost mystical though he claims it isn't.
"Archer," he says informally. "The people are scared. They need direction. They need your leadership."
I turn. He stares at me and the mind behind those eyes evaluates everything. I shake my head negative.
"What leadership can I offer them? We are out of options. I have no choices left."
"There is always a way Archer," he says.
"Is there? Really?" The fire roars to life burning. "And what way is there Remy?"
I leap to my feet closing the distance between us in a long stride. I lean in to him, my lips pulling back from my teeth. It takes most of my will to resist the urge to shift.
"I saw her!" my voice cracks. "She was right there and did I help her? NO!"
My fist is flying faster than I think. I'm going to break that stoic, emotionless face of his and find the pain hidden underneath. He catches my fist before it lands stopping the blow but not without effort.
"Archer, this does not help."
I stare into his dark eyes willing him to fold before me. My arms shakes as I strain to move past his hand and land my blow. The fire rages higher and higher then it dies in a fast whoosh. I step back shaking my head.
"You're right," I say as I walk away from him. "Damn it."
"Archer."
I stop pacing and turn towards him.
Remy stands there without saying another word. Slowly he walks towards me. I arch an eyebrow uncertain what he is doing. He gets close then wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace.
"You've been as a son to me," he says. "We will get her back. This time or the next, we'll figure this out."
I’m like a kid again. Remy's always there. Hard, stern, only rarely has he shown me affection. I accept it, needing it more than I care to admit.
"I can't lose her again," I whisper.
A popping sound ends the moment. The light scent of lilacs fills the air. I growl turning, I know that scent. That sound means...
"Marathe!"
She smiles standing here in my private study. In front of her she holds a carved, oak box. She steps forward, the long midnight blue dress she wears flowing out behind her. The low cut of it shows off her chest which heaves up and down. Too well I know her wiles.
"Hello Brother," she says.
The fire threatens, I push it down but it's not easy. The dragon wants to roar and destroy the enemy. I have to remain calm, remain in control if I want to get Jennifer back alive.
"Why are you here Marathe?" Remy asks covering and giving me a moment to compose myself.
"Is it so unrealistic I would want to see my family?" she asks. "We were close once Archer."
"Enough of your games Marathe," I say. "What do you want?"
"Want?" she laughs. "As if you care or would acquiesce to my wants! Would you acknowledge our son as your rightful heir? He is your only natural born child and by rights the throne is his."
The edges of my vision turn red. She becomes the center of the world, all my attention focuses on her and I want nothing more than to slap that smile off her face. My nails dig so deeply into my palms that the first trickles of blood start to flow. Her lips move and I know she's saying some fresh lie. I can't hear her words over the roar in my ears. The pounding of my heart in my chest sounds in time with the roar of the fire inside. A growl escapes my lips as I step forward.
A hand on my shoulder stops me. It’s Remy. He shakes his head. Subtle. His strength flows into me from his hand pushing back the red, taking fuel from the fire.
"... this gift," Marathe says.
She steps up to the desk that stands between us then moves back to her position half way across the room. She stands just behind the gun that still sits on the floor. Uncalled for the image is there again, the look in her eyes standing behind Jennifer.
Remy reaches across the desk pulling the box closer to us. It scrapes as he pulls. Some papers fall from their stack but he doesn't lift it to avoid them just moves it through. He handles it gingerly as if uncertain of what might happen. Muttering, he stops it on the edge of the desk.
He opens the box slowly.
"I have to accept that your heart and hers are bound together," Marathe says.
I stare at her, confusion spinning around me. The lid lifts and there it is. A heart lies in the silken interior of the box. A human heart. I look from it to Remy. Remy moves his hand over the heart a purple glow pulsing from his fingers. The moment he closes his eyes I know the answer.
"NO!" I scream.
Remy nods without opening his eyes. "It is ... her DNA."
As I turn back to Marathe everything goes red.
Chapter thirteen
Archer
The dragon is in control. I know what I'm doing. I see it. I feel it. I can't stop it because I don't want to. We don't talk about this state. It's taught in whispers, never out loud, never in public.
We are creatures of two natures, our human side and our dragon side. Control is taught to us from the moment we exit our mother's womb. It's ingrained, reflexive, the natural state. No one wants to admit that we can lose that control. That the animal side, the dragon, can take control. Then the human side, your conscience, is trapped. Lost inside yourself.
I snap at Marathe, massive teeth closing, almost I have her but she disappears just as my jaws close. Frustration roars out of me shaking the walls.
Pain. Something hits my flank. My long neck allows me to look behind without turning around. Remy stands with his hands thrust forward as another purple bolt shoots from them.
"ARCHER! NO!" he yells.
My roar pushes him back against the wall then I'm running at the windows crashing through. Falling. My wings spread out seeking the currents, flapping, gravity pulls hard as they beat against the air trying to find purchase. Muscles strain to overcome the laws of physics until an updraft catches under and I'm flying. In moments I'm above the clouds and soaring south.
I bend the space between my destination and myself. An instinctive ability in dragon form, inherent to our magical nature and part of how we avoid discovery. I'll be over South America and my target in moments instead of hours.
Our Queen!
The dragon speaks to me conceding that small respect. Or I think it. No one has lost control like this in my lifetime. It's a rumored state, mystical and mythical at the same time. Am I the dragon? Are we one or not? My purpose is his purpose. I will rescue Jennifer. I don't care about philosophical questions.
I let the fold in space go and my target is below. The pyramid hidden deep in the jungles. They run as I approach. The time for subtlety is over. Inhaling I gather air then exhale a long stream of blazing fire. It hits the running men and they ignite as well as large sections of grass and the jungle. A Gold's breath weapon is a thousand times hotter than napalm and just as adhesive.
Alarms are sounding. Parts of the temple slide aside and guns emerge from the new openings. One is bigger than the rest, that's where the defenders will come. The guns aren't meant to stop me, they're a distraction, putting flak into the
air but not able to pierce my scales.
Banking around I inhale again melting one of their turrets. Positioning will be key, when the first defender emerges I'll need to attack him before he can get airborne. Block their exit and keep them from achieving overwhelming numbers which is their best hope. I climb higher and higher. Wind whips against my face, shrapnel explodes against my flanks, my wings push me up.
There's movement in that exit just as I judge I'm high enough. I fold my wings in and drop, gravity takes hold relishing its grip on my body pulling me down fast. A defender's head, neck, and front legs emerge. He looks up at me just before I hit and there’s fear in his eyes. I spread my wings wide, the force of the air slamming against them creates a popping sound. My teeth clamp down on his neck and I tear, shaking my head side to side as hot blood fills my mouth. He screams but there's no hope for him.
Another defender behind him tries to force his way past his compatriot but is blocked. I let my grip go and breathe into the opening. Hearing their cries makes my heart sing. They took Jennifer, they took Logan, let them feel my wrath!
I climb back up into the air leaving the dead soldier to block their exit. As I gain altitude, some of the defenders leave the temple in human form and shift. Four of them are climbing into the air. Now a true battle will be engaged.
A song plays in my heart, singing of battle and of death. If I cannot save her this time then I will end this cycle with my own blood spilled. Let this be my final stand if it must, but my wife and my friend will know freedom before I fall!
The roar of my challenge causes my attackers to pause. Seeing their hesitation I drop towards one of them. Extending my claws as I drop, I pull up at the last minute raking across his back but the other three are a well-trained unit. While my attention is on one, they come at me from all sides.
Burning pierces my scales and the first drops of my blood fall to the ground. It does nothing to slow me only further infuriates the fire inside. Where my blood hits the ground it sizzles and ignites any tender close to it, causing small fires to start around the earth below us.
Loving Two Dragons (Awakening Cycle Part 3) (BBW Dragon Shifter Paranormal Romance) Page 5
