by Jaime Rush
She shook her head. “I tripped and hit the side of the door.”
He knew that was a lie, too. “Tell me what’s going on, Vee. You don’t want me to remember my past. Every time I try, you dissuade me.” He brushed his finger over her lip again. “I feel like I did something terrible. Like I was a bad person.”
“You weren’t. Aren’t. Things are complicated right now, and it’s dangerous for you to remember. You described your memories being like a broken mirror, and that’s probably accurate. I’m afraid that if you try to remember, you might go into those blank spots and not come out. Or that maybe the rest of the shards will fall out.” Her hands flattened, pressing gently against him. “I’m scared to lose you completely. So right now I want you to stay in this reality.”
“You’re in danger.” The words came out before he could consider them. He grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Someone’s trying to kill you.”
He saw the flash of a memory, a man sneaking up on Violet while she was crying, lifting his dagger. It rocked through his head, making him jerk back. He heard her calling his name from far away. The memory was a tiny slice of mirror in which he could see the fight. He felt her shaking his body, bringing him back.
“Kade, you can’t go there!” she was saying, studying his eyes as though they might pop out of his head.
He blinked, wobbling on his feet. “Me. It was me sneaking up on you. With a knife!” He held out his arm. “My dagger. What the hell, Vee?” He gestured to his head. “This happened because I was trying to hurt you, didn’t it? I tried to attack you, your brothers beat me…” Nothing more came.
“You’re trying to make sense of things that aren’t going to make sense to you right now. Listen to me. We play…games. Sexy games. Like the mud wrestling. Sneak attacks. That’s all it was.”
She was lying to him. He knew it, felt it. She wouldn’t have been crying if they were playing sex games.
He pulled her hand closer, looking at a delicate gold wire and stone ring that wasn’t a wedding ring, and then released it and went into the living area. “No pictures of us or our wedding.” He went down the hall to “their” bedroom and snapped the light on in the closet. “No men’s clothing.” A dress. He remembered the little girl’s dress though. Confusion pounded in his head. She’d followed him in, now gripping the doorframe, her eyes wide. “We’re not married, are we? It was a lie to…what?”
“Keep you sane, Kade. It was a lie to keep you sane.” She choked on a sob, clutching at her upper chest. “If you go to the real memories, you will go insane. You might hurt yourself. Or me. I broke into the Guard prison to save you. Me, Mia, my brothers. We took a huge risk, but we did it.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “I will not lose you now.”
“She’s still lying to you, Kavanaugh.”
They both spun to find Ferro standing behind Violet. She screamed and stumbled away, Catalyzing instantly.
Ferro kept an eye on her as he faced Kade. “You’re right. You are not married to her. As a Vega, marriage is frowned upon. You were assigned to terminate her. Then you lost your memory, and she’s playing you. She’s a very dangerous person. You have to take her out.”
The shard that contained the memory of him sneaking up behind her trembled, reverberating in his brain, and fell with a shattering crash. He clutched his head, groaning in pain as he sank to his knees. He got a glimmer of another shard, of Ferro…
“Kade!” Violet screamed.
He bounded to his feet, watching Ferro’s Dragon smash her bed and shove Violet through the window.
Ferro followed through the broken opening, his claws gripping her throat. “You will die,” he gritted out as they landed on the ground.
Kade launched himself out the window, too, cutting his hand on the broken glass. Shards, like his memories. He instinctively started to jump into the fight…except he didn’t know what side to fight on. Violet, who lied? Who was a Guard target? His target. He must follow through on his orders.
Violet used her strong legs to shove Ferro off her. He rolled but instantly got to his feet. Violet was on hers, too. Blood dripped down her deep amethyst scales. Her wing was crumpled, probably enough to render her flightless. Ferro sent a stream of black mist at her, and it wrapped around her throat and dragged her toward him. She clawed at it, digging her feet into the ground and leaning her weight back.
Kade started to move up behind her but froze. He knew this feeling. He focused on the shard that had fallen, and it felt as though it were cutting right into his brain with its sharp edges. He could see all of them now, thousands of shards with a sliver of a memory in them. His boat. Mia as a child bawling over their father’s death. How Kade thought he should cry, too, but couldn’t. So many to search through.
“Kavanaugh, get her!” Ferro commanded.
The command brought him back to the present, to Violet running away. Kade jerked into motion, tackling her. As a human, his size was nowhere near enough to stop her. He felt his dagger fill his hand, crackling with magick. Yes, that felt right.
She turned as he lifted his dagger, the point aimed at the kill spot just beneath her chin. All he had to do was drive it up into her brain.
“No, Kade, please!” She shook him off as the point touched the tender area, and he hit the ground and rolled. His body knew what to do, at least, using the momentum to get him back on his feet.
Ferro barreled toward a tree, but Kade couldn’t see Violet. His gaze went higher, and there she was, naked and human, climbing a large oak tree like a damned Fire Elemental. He saw the rope, and another memory flickered through his mind: Jessup swinging from one of those ropes and knocking him into unconsciousness. Another memory that corroborated what Ferro had told him and contradicted her version.
She clutched the rope, ready to either assault Ferro or get away. Kade sent a bolt of magick at the rope, severing it the moment she started to swing down. She screamed as she fell, hitting the ground hard.
Finally, this was almost over. So why didn’t he feel triumphant? Ferro raced over, throwing a “nice job” his way.
Violet Catalyzed and struggled to get up, but Ferro pinned her with his body. His tail swished in the dirt, something Kade had seen Dragons do when they were about to go for the kill. Like a cat when it was ready to pounce. His dark wings stretched out on either side of him, the sign of an ecstatic or triumphant Dragon.
He remembered that.
“Kade, go,” she said, her eyes pleading with him. “He’s going to kill you, too.”
He’s a bad, bad man.
He saw a shard of a white room, of Ferro standing nearby. He tried to hold on to it, but it fell away. All he had was what he knew. Violet had lied, Ferro was his commander, and he was Vega. He followed commands. He killed when necessary.
“She’s trying to play you,” Ferro said. “Just like she’s been playing you since you got here.” Ferro turned back to Violet, leaning close to her face. “You have caused me a lot of trouble. Cost me a lot.” He flicked a glance at Kade. “And now I am going to have the pleasure of killing you while I look in your eyes and taste your fear and sorrow.” Ferro extended one curved claw, nearly three inches long, and aimed for her kill zone. He brought it down slowly, torturously.
Everything Kade knew fled, leaving only what he felt for that Dragon on the ground. The woman she was. Shards reflected memories of holding her in bed. Her Breathing into him, healing him. His need for her, so raw and real. And even now, after he’d attacked her, she was warning him to get away.
He felt…love. Like his heart was going to burst, like he would die with her. That unleashed a flurry of shards in his mind, smashing into each other as though they were caught in a whirlwind, singing like wind chimes.
“Ferro!”
The Dragon jerked toward Kade, who was approaching. “She has caused me a lot of trouble, too. I want to kill her.”
Violet let out an agonized sound, garbled beneath Ferro’s weight.
“No.
She is mine. But you can cut off her head when I’m done if that makes you feel better.”
The dagger filled Kade’s hand as he stepped close, planting his bare foot on her hand. “I suppose that will have to do.” He lowered the dagger as though in deference—and rammed it up into Ferro’s kill zone, twisting it.
Ferro gasped, and his eyes rolled back. Kade kicked him so that he wouldn’t fall on Violet. She spun and moved away.
Something in the air changed, electric and angry. He swiveled around to face the ethereal image of a Dragon deity. Only his head was visible, looking into their dimension through a window of sorts. Kade readied his dagger and his magick, though he’d heard fighting a god was useless. He moved in front of Violet, blocking her as much as a man could for a Dragon. She stood mesmerized; he couldn’t blame her. He’d never seen one of the gods either.
The god moved to Ferro, who was gasping, his lifeblood pouring out of the wound. He lifted his hand to him, claws curled inward. “Drakos, save me.”
“I warned you not to go after her.”
“I know. I’m…sorry. Save me, and we can kill both of them and be done with this.”
Both of them?
“Your rage and ego have become a liability. I believe I’ll take your power now, before someone else does.”
“But why?” Ferro screamed. “I can gather more power. We need as much as we can get if we’re going to keep you from dying.”
“I was going to kill you and your Carnelian woman anyway.” The words seemed to strike a physical blow on Ferro. “I omitted one detail: gods can’t Breathe in healing power like Crescents can. We take it at your peril. But only when you offer. And both you and Onyx have offered.”
Violet lunged forward, knocking Kade aside and crouching over Ferro. He saw her inhale a fine black mist as she held Ferro down. Her scales glowed, luminescent.
“No!” the god shouted, and Kade readied himself to protect Violet from her impulsive act. Drakos Breathed fiery spikes that petered out once they passed the opening of the window. His Dragon face was contorted with anger and frustration. The window slammed shut so violently that the ground shook.
Kade turned to Violet, who collapsed on the ground, naked and human. The tattoo wrapped around her waist glowed, flashing brilliant colors. Ferro also Catalyzed back to human, something Dragons did upon their deaths. He no longer had his black dragon tattoo on his chest.
Kade dropped down beside Violet, who was taking such deep, gasping breaths that he was afraid she’d pass out. She clutched at his hand, staring into his eyes. “Red…Lust.”
She’d taken too much power at once. It could overwhelm Dragons, sending them over the edge of their humanity. They became engorged with bloodlust. Kade only knew one way to stop it—killing the crazed Dragon. No, damn it. He would not kill her now.
“Whistle,” she whispered, her body trembling now. Sweat covered her skin, glistening in the dying light. “Help.”
He closed his eyes and searched his fractured memories for what that meant. Whistle. The Fringers whistled, their second language. But he didn’t know how…
He did. She’d taught him. He shot to his feet and made the sound the way she’d shown him. The night they’d fought the Carnelian. Another memory clicked into place, pulling at his brain like having his fingernails yanked out. He whistled again and again, searching the woods for signs of her brothers. Anyone.
She arched, clutching her stomach and groaning.
“Will Catalyzing help?” he asked.
“Have to hold on to human.”
He sat beside her, pulling her into his arms and holding her so tight he could feel her trembling right to his bone. She was so hot, her skin damp with perspiration. His nose touched hers.
She had kept him here, sane and whole; he would do the same for her. “You’re an amazing woman, Vee. Watching you fight Ferro, taking the power intended for Drakos, hell, you’re as strong and brave as any Vega I’ve ever known.” She nearly smiled at that, but pain seized her again.
He heard footsteps, saw a flash out of the corner of his eye. Before that could register, two Dragons flew through wide swaths between the trees. They landed and became two naked men in a split second. Ryan and Jessup raced over, their worried gazes on her.
“She Breathed Ferro, to keep the Dragon god from taking his power. It was too much. Ferro has killed a lot of Dragons, one every day for three months.” Kade wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he had a vague memory of seeing a calendar.
Jessup gestured for Kade to step away. He didn’t want to, but he relinquished control. While they Catalyzed and worked on healing Violet, Kade watched and paced. Damn, he was so tense, he saw light flashing out of the corner of his eye.
Flashes. He focused on their origin. Smitty. Hell. The man was perched on a lower branch snapping away with his camera. He’d seen it all, Ferro and Violet and maybe even Drakos.
Smitty climbed down from the tree and took off. Kade raced through the woods after him, catching up quickly. Smitty was terrified, looking behind him, tripping on roots the way people did in horror films. He fell, sprawling out on the ground, and Kade crouched over him.
Smitty rolled to his side and screamed. “Who are you people? What are you people?”
Kade grabbed hold of him by his bony shoulders and waved his hands over Smitty’s bulging eyes. Green light emanated from his palms, washing over the man’s face.
“You don’t want to come back to this property anymore,” Kade said in a calm, low voice. He wanted to throttle the guy for taking him away from Violet. “There are no Dragons here, no gator apes, nothing.”
Smitty nodded, his eyes blank. Deuces couldn’t implant memories the way Caidos could, but he could suggest things.
“You will go directly home and give up your quest. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“You saw nothing out of the ordinary, other than a lightning strike that came out of the blue and hit you.” Kade took his camera, sending enough magick to short out the circuitry and fry the memory chip. Then he handed it back. “Go now.”
The man walked casually, as though he hadn’t just seen Dragons fighting. Kade ran back to Violet.
Mia was there now. How had he missed her? She searched his face. “Kade?”
He passed her, though, focusing on Violet, who was still on the ground, flanked by her brothers. They were all in Dragon form now, her brothers Breathing into her. He felt so damned helpless. He looked up to the tree where he’d shot down her rope. The seared end swung in a breeze; the rest of it lay coiled on the ground. Gods, he’d almost killed her. He clutched his head as more pieces came together.
“Kade, are you all right?” Mia asked.
“Stop bugging me, sis. I’m going to be fine. I’m worried about Vee right now.”
She smiled. “You kinda sounded like the real Kade just then.”
The real Kade. Who was he, anyway? More memories came together. The one who slid down banisters and flouted the rules? The one who lived to be a Vega?
Violet mumbled something, though her eyes were closed. Jessup and Ryan stood, Catalyzing to human again.
“We need to get her inside.” Jessup leaned down to Violet. “Catalyze back to human, Vee.”
She mumbled again, shaking her head.
Kade knelt beside her and gently shook her arm. “Come back to human, babe. That’s an order.”
She became a naked and dirt-smudged woman, hard scales becoming soft skin. Her brothers moved in, but Kade scooped her up in his arms. “I’ve got her.” He had her, and he’d never let her go.
He could scarcely keep his eyes off her as he walked into the house and laid her on the couch. The bedroom was a mess. The whole place smelled like marinara sauce.
“Turn off the stove burners,” he said to Mia.
He pulled the blanket down from the back of the couch and laid it over Violet. She wasn’t trembling anymore. Her brothers’ healing Breath had erased the cuts on her face and body.
He sank down beside her. Memories twisted around each other. He held her hand, stroking her fingers, and let them come. The recent past was the clearest. Why the hell they were in the mud naked and making love, that he’d like to know.
She opened her eyes, but it seemed to take a few moments to get her focus. She smiled, soft and sweet. Her eyes were hazy, like she’d woken from a long, deep sleep.
“Kade?”
“Yeah, babe.”
That made her smile even more. “Are you really back?”
“I can feel the memories weaving together. I think it’s going to take time to make sense of what I’m seeing.” He brushed his hand down her cheek. “The important parts are intact. Close your eyes and rest. I’ll be right here.”
When Violet’s eyes drifted shut, he turned to Mia. “The orderly in the psych ward worked there when our father broke out that prisoner. He told me her name.” He tried to pull it out of his memories. “Wither. Widow. No, Willow. I want to find out more about her.”
Jessup stepped closer. “Did you say ‘Willow’?”
“Yeah. She claimed she’d been kidnapped as a child by a member of the Concilium.”
Jessup looked over at Ryan. “Remember the Murphy girl who went missing, what, thirty years ago?”
“Yeah, Willow. I always thought the name was silly since we don’t have willow trees around here.”
Kade traded a look with Mia. “So she was telling the truth about being kidnapped. Our father trusted his instinct and had the guts to try to break her out of prison, just like you all did with me.” He heard the relief in his voice. “He died doing the right thing.”
“Maybe they put the Black Bore Orb in her mind, too,” Mia said.
Kade frowned. “Black Bore Orb?”
“It’s what Ferro put in your head that fractured your memories.”
His head hurt just hearing about it. He was in no hurry to remember that. Kade watched Violet sleep while he told the others that Ferro and Onyx had been killing people to save Drakos. He rolled that name around in his head. It resonated. And it wasn’t good. He remembered a painting in Ferro’s office. “Drakos is a member of the Tryah.”
