The pain wasn’t worth it. He’d been a complete and utter fool. The beginnings of fire grew in his chest, and he had to will himself to keep it together before he burned down his house.
He tossed the crepe batter in the trash and went to his room. It smelled like sex and Mark. He threw open the window to let in fresh air. Automatically he got dressed for a hike in the woods. He needed to get out of this place, because it would take forever for Mark’s scent to fade away, and every new whiff of apples and smoke made Cyrus’s chest clench in agony.
Quickly he brushed his teeth, but in his anger, the heat came back. His toothbrush melted, and he swore as he tossed it in the trash. He could do nothing right today.
The freezing air outside was a comfort, and he hiked for hours. He avoided the pond that he’d thought Mark would enjoy. When he came to a clearing, he removed his clothes and shifted into his dragon form. He shouldn’t be doing this—it wasn’t safe, especially not now that humankind knew that the dragons were still alive and living among humans.
What a huge mess. Cyrus didn’t know what to do. Would the guys at the station suspect he was a dragon? He could hide it, probably. He’d take fewer risks, pretend to be more bothered by the heat.
But what he really wanted to do was still see Mark.
The problem was, Mark wanted to obliterate Cyrus and his kind from the face of the earth.
Cyrus shifted from foot to foot, stretching his wings. He wished he could fly, but now it was riskier than ever.
After a few minutes of enjoying the world in his dragon form, Cyrus shifted back to human. He put his clothes back on and returned to the house.
Once inside, he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sat down. The living room felt empty. The whole house felt empty. Cyrus flicked on the television for noise. The news was on, of course. Widespread panic in all the major cities, people freaking the hell out because of dragons.
An anchor came on, her voice serious but sugary sweet. “A new development in the dragon revelation. Scientists have already discovered a way to test DNA for what they’re calling the Dragon Genes, and a movement is forming of concerned citizens who want everyone to be tested and tattooed on their hands to show that they aren’t dragons.”
The view switched over to footage of a tiny woman trying to shout over an enraged crowd. She was saying something about basic rights and prejudice, but nobody was listening to her. Suddenly, she leaped, shimmered, and shot into the air as a dragon. The vengeful crowd fell back, screaming in terror.
Flapping her wings to hover above them, she growled, “We have not hurt humankind in five years. Many of us want to live peacefully. Let us live in peace.”
Two boys started throwing rocks at her, and she flew away.
“This isn’t the only instance of dragons voluntarily coming forward,” the news anchor explained. “A few other spokespeople have come up, revealing that they’ve been living quietly among us as humans. Already coalitions are forming to protect dragon ‘rights’…”
Cyrus muted, then turned off, the television. This was turning into a big fucking mess.
Mark
Mark winced at the bright sunlight coming from Jenny’s living room window.
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” Jenny sang, tying back the curtains she’d just opened.
He pulled a pillow over his face. His chest ached, and it took him all of two seconds to remember that his heart was broken. Cyrus. Cyrus had kicked him out two days ago, and Mark still wasn’t over it.
“You know,” Jenny said, “my mom had this song she would sing every morning when she woke me up. I can’t remember all the words, but it went something like, ‘Gooooood morning, good morning dear heart, I la-la-la-la—’”
“Stop, stop! I’m getting up,” Mark said. “Just don’t torture me anymore.”
Jenny pushed his legs aside and sat next to him on the couch. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Shitty.”
“Oh, honey.” Jenny pulled her brown curls up into a ponytail. “Maybe we should go somewhere today. No more sitting around and watching movies where people explode. What if we went sledding? That would be fun.”
“Sledding?” Mark shuddered. “That’s only fun for people who actually enjoy being cold.”
“Fine, we can go to the mall. You can help me pick out a Christmas present for my dad. He’s impossible to buy for, so that should take all day.”
“Jenny, I really just want to be left alone.”
“I can’t let you keep moping. It hurts me to see you hurting.”
Mark bit his lip. He didn’t want to bring Jenny down, but he really didn’t want to go anywhere. Maybe it was time to get his own place. He still had access to the insurance money from the fire—he could stay in a hotel. The thing was, he loved Jenny and he knew it would hurt her if he took off.
“I can tell what you’re thinking,” Jenny said. “You think it’s better for you to stay in and mope, and maybe you’ve overstayed your welcome here. Not even true—neither of them. I adore having you here because you make way better margaritas than I make. And it is not better for you to mope because you had a shitload of fun at the bar the other night.”
“Right. And I met Cyrus.”
“And you had—and I quote—‘the best sex of your life,’ didn’t you?”
“Right. Followed by the worst heartache.”
Someone knocked at the door, and Jenny stood up. “Go take a shower and we’ll head to the mall. Help me in my hour of need, okay?”
Mark sighed, stood up, and shuffled to the bathroom. He’d just closed the door when he heard Jenny’s voice raise in pitch, as if she were arguing with someone. “Jenny?” he called.
“I told you, no,” Jenny said. “You messed things up, and this is really not a good time.”
A low voice responded. If this was one of Jenny’s ex-boyfriends, come to harass her, Mark would set him straight.
Not wanting to wait and risk that Jenny was in danger, Mark ran back to the front room, wearing only his pajama pants. He hovered protectively behind Jenny, ready to take out whatever asshole had come here to bother her.
But the person in her doorway was Cyrus.
“He’s hurting,” Jenny was saying to Cyrus. “If you really want to talk to him, you should call him like a normal person, not try to barge in here—”
“Cyrus,” Mark said.
Cyrus shifted his attention from Jenny to Mark. “Mark. I’m—I’m sorry.”
Jenny turned to Mark. “Do you want to talk to him or shall I send him running? I might be small but I’ve got a mean right hook.”
Mark bent down and kissed the top of Jenny’s head. “You are my knight in shining armor. Thank you. But I’ll talk to him.”
Cyrus
Cyrus stared in open admiration at the hard planes of Mark’s chest, at the way his six-pack dipped toward the waistline of his pajama pants. Two days without Mark, and Cyrus was going crazy for him. There was so much uncertainty in the world right now, but Cyrus was certain about one major thing: he wanted Mark more than he wanted to breathe. Whatever happened, he needed Mark by his side.
Mark raised his eyebrows at Cyrus. “So you wanted to talk?”
“Yeah.” Cyrus cleared his throat. “Do you want to, uh, put some clothes on? We could go for a walk.”
“Yeah, sure.” Mark closed the door in Cyrus’s face.
Cyrus deserved it. He maybe deserved worse after sending Mark away like he’d done the other morning.
The door opened again and Mark stood before him in jeans, a coat, and a pair of boots.
“I preferred the pajama bottom look,” Cyrus began.
“Don’t start. I think we have to be serious if we’re going to talk at all,” Mark said.
Cyrus nodded. “You’re right.”
He followed Mark down the hall and to the stairs that led to the rear of the apartment building. There was a parking lot to one side, but the other side was an enclosed courtyard w
ith a swimming pool that was currently covered for the winter.
Mark gestured to the courtyard around them, and Cyrus took in the details—a low stone wall, a series of bushes that looked scraggly in the cold, the blank expanse of concrete where pool chairs would normally be splayed out like human limbs, waiting to soak up the sun’s warmth.
“What are we doing here?” Mark asked.
Cyrus thought about his answer. He didn’t want to live day by day, not knowing love and being afraid of who and what he was. “I want to be with you,” he said.
Mark frowned. “It sure didn’t seem like that two days ago when you were calling me a cab.”
Ugh. Cyrus wished that had never happened. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“I know I was getting intense,” Mark said. “It’s just that, they killed my brother. If it weren’t for the dragons, he’d be alive. So I’m terrified and confused, and you just sent me away like, like, I don’t know.”
“I’m scared, too,” Cyrus said. At least he was being honest about that part. He was fucking terrified. “I don’t know what any of this means—I don’t know what it means that the dragons are out to the world again. And I don’t know exactly what it is between you and me. It’s strong, though, I know that. Do you feel it, too?”
Mark paced back and forth, kicking at the snow. “Yeah, I feel it.”
“I just, I feel like we’re meant to be together.”
Mark nodded, but he looked miserable.
“I had something serious before,” Cyrus said. “Back when I lived in New York. Great guy. We’d been seeing each other for a year, and we were talking about moving in together.”
“What happened?” Mark asked.
“I couldn’t—I got too scared. There are dark parts of me that no one can know about. And I didn’t think I could trust him with that, even though he was so understanding and he really loved me, I could tell. At least he thought he did. And I thought I loved him, too. But at the same time, I knew that if it came down to it and he learned more about me, and if I ever felt like I just couldn’t hide from him anymore, that he’d take off running.”
“It can’t be so bad,” Mark said.
“You have no idea. And I don’t want you to. But I want to try, and I completely understand if you aren’t on board with it. I just want you to know, up front, the things that hold me back in a relationship.”
“I’m—I’m tired of hurting,” Mark said. “The only time I’ve been really, truly happy is when I’m with you.”
Cyrus’s heart raced. “So you’re willing to give this a chance?”
“Yeah. I guess I am.” Mark looked up at Cyrus then, and their gazes locked.
“If you trust me with this, then I have hope that someday I’ll be able to share my secrets, those dark parts of myself, with you.”
“I hope for that, too. You’re so special, Cyrus, and I don’t think you realize what a great guy you are.”
“I was an asshole the other day,” Cyrus said, “but I’ll work for however long it takes to make things up to you.”
“No more cab rides home by myself the next day?”
“Never again.”
Mark nodded. “All right.”
“So you’ll go out with me? Dinner, tomorrow night?”
Stepping forward, Mark pulled Cyrus into a hug. For the first time in two days, Cyrus felt cared for and protected.
“Yes,” Mark whispered. “Yes, I’ll go out to dinner with you.”
Mark
At the hospital the next day, Mark waited in line with the other nurses. They’d arrived early to take the dragon test. The corridor was crowded with other people waiting for the test, too. Members of the public had been informed that the hospital was a testing center, and overflow from private physician facilities had come here.
Mark stamped his feet, feeling impatient. He was here to show his support for the testing movement. Everybody would prove they were fully human and get tattoos to show the rest of the world that they were absolutely pure, that they weren’t the enemy. The idea of having ink done didn’t thrill Mark, but he was willing to make the sacrifice to remind himself and others that he was on the side of humanity.
Dolf was in line behind him, as well as a few other nurses he was sort of friendly with. Sharise, however, eyed them from the counter. “I don’t agree with what y’all are doing,” she said pointedly.
“Aw, Sharise, why not?” Dolf asked. “It’s not hurting anyone.”
“Reminds me too much of a time in history when people tried to say one kind of person was better than another.” She snorted. “Oh wait, did I say ‘a time,’ singular? How about all the times when that happened. It never worked out well for anyone.”
“But that’s talking about people,” Dolf said. “We’re talking about dragons. Not the same, at all.”
Jenny, at the counter behind the testing station, gave Sharise and Dolf a dirty look. “It’s not time to be talking about this,” she said in warning.
Sharise processed paperwork for the next person up to be tested and said loudly, “Besides, a dragon could just as easily go somewhere and get the same tattoo.”
“No one would give it to them unless they had the paperwork,” Dolf argued.
She snorted again. “Unless they have a dragon friend who happens to be a tattoo artist.”
Mark threw his hands in the air. “I’m still getting the test done, Sharise, so leave me alone.”
“Putting a mark on you—a permanent mark—is like saying you bear the sign of goodness, and all dragons are evil.”
“That’s enough, Sharise,” Jenny said. “We have a job to do. Let’s just do it.”
Mark shuffled forward as the line moved. Maybe Sharise had a point, but it wasn’t his place to make that decision. He wanted the test to show whose side he was on, and what that meant for the dragons who’d been hiding in plain sight, well, he couldn’t care too much about them. If they were really all that harmless, why hadn’t they come forward before now?
How could dragons be harmless, anyway? They were the reason Eli had died. Eli had been trying to help people because the dragons had caused tsunamis and floods. Everything bad in Mark’s life was the direct result of the dragons trying to hurt people.
Jenny smiled at him when he reached the counter. “Sharise can’t talk you out of this?” she asked.
“Nope.”
“I suppose I can’t, either?”
“Et tu, Jenny?” he asked with a grin, but it still hurt that she didn’t agree with him.
“I just think that this whole blood test and tattoo thing, so soon, is like stating your allegiances before we even have all the information. That’s all. But I understand your decision.” She hugged him hard, and he hugged her back.
“Thanks, friend.”
Because Mark was a nurse, he didn’t have any hang-ups about blood. Still, he wasn’t crazy about having his own blood drawn. While his blood flowed into the little vial, he thought about his upcoming date with Cyrus. Dinner, Cyrus had said. Maybe afterward, the two of them could walk around the park in the center of town. Mark had heard that the city put up twinkle lights everywhere to give it a festive feel.
“You’ll have your results tomorrow,” the lab technician told him. “Good luck.”
He sniffed. He didn’t need good luck; he just needed to be able to get that tattoo and tell the world whose side he was on. Humanity’s side.
***
Choosing clothes to wear for the date was nearly impossible. Mark had gotten a few new things after the fire, because everything had smelled so strongly of smoke even after Jenny had so kindly washed them for him. But there wasn’t time to get anything new for going out. Mark frowned because it didn’t feel right. He and Cyrus were going to make a real effort at a relationship, but already Mark was at disadvantage.
Jenny came home, nudging the door closed behind her. “Got you something,” she said.
“Tell me it’s a whole new wardrobe,” Mark g
roaned.
“Ha. Close, though.” She tossed him a shopping bag.
Opening it, he felt a smile form on his face. An auburn sweater was inside. He reached in and caressed the soft fabric. “This is perfect! Normally I don’t do reds, but this is just, oh, Jenny, thank you!”
There was a knock at the door, and Mark rushed to pull the sweater on. “He’s here!”
Mark started for the door, but Jenny stopped him with a laugh.
“Hang on there, cowboy,” she said, holding up the kitchen scissors. “I need to cut your tags off.”
“Oh, right.” He chuckled. “How much do I owe you for the sweater?”
“Not a penny. Consider it a thank-you gift.”
“A thank-you? For what? I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
She smiled. “You have no idea how much it means to me to see you finally meeting someone and falling for him. I’m so grateful.”
They hugged, and then he was at the door, drinking in Cyrus’s large, muscular form with his gaze.
“Hi,” Mark whispered.
Cyrus smiled. “Hi. You ready?”
Mark gave Jenny another quick hug and followed Cyrus down the hall. “Where are we going?”
“You like Thai food?”
“Love it.”
“Then that’s where we’re going.”
***
The restaurant was tiny and family-owned. The walls were a deep blue and covered in dozens of gilded mirrors. It made the place feel like a palace. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” Mark said. “I just never even noticed it.”
“Zane, one of the guys at the station, told me about it.”
“The red-haired guy you were with the other night?”
“Yeah. I asked him where I should bring a date, and he suggested this place.”
After they ordered, Mark sipped his Thai iced tea and asked, “How’d you get into firefighting?”
“Good question,” Cyrus said. “Truth is, I never put a lot of thought into it. Mostly I wanted to do some good in the world. Save lives. I’ve never been particularly scared of fire, and I like the schedule, so it felt natural.”
“You sound like my brother,” Mark said. “He wanted to help people, too.”
The Dragon’s Flight: Gay Paranormal Romance Page 10
