by Andrea Allen
Trevor went to hide behind the bush for a moment as he reverted. Brenda slowly started to come to. Just as she came to her senses she was plainly riddled as shown as the scrunched up look on her face. She waited by the bush to see what was going to come out from the other side with a weapon from her belt held at the ready. “What are you doing back there…?” she asked, the words teetering on the edge of fear and excitement. He was in the middle of reverting back into his human form when he’d caught her peeking over the bush. Her sharp gasp seemed to ring in his ears and play over and over again, but he forced himself not to dwell on her reaction.
When he was again a man, he kept his lower half hidden in the bushes as he tried to put his pants back on. Brenda stood there in shock, not knowing what to say or how to say it. Trevor knew he had to be the one to break the silence, so he started by saying, “I’m sorry that I didn’t answer your calls.” Brenda didn’t respond. “I thought you were like the other women I’d been with who stood me up and… I was stupid.” She stayed silent, but managed to close her mouth. “And well… This is what I am. If you want to be with me, then you’ll have to know the truth about me, Brenda… I’m a…I’m a dragon. I’m this…hybrid…thing.”
Trevor looked away from Brenda, but to his surprise she came closer and reached a hand up to cup the side of his face. She placed a soft kiss on his lips and finally said, “I guess I know that extra something that makes you special now, don’t I?”
He blinked twice and asked, “You…you don’t mind?”
She didn’t reply, she only smiled. Fires lit up in Trevor’s eyes and he jumped into the air. Scales rapidly rippled across his skin, his voice deepening and he took Brenda’s hands in his. The claws now holding Brenda’s hands shook as Trevor roared, “We’ve got to make this official with a flight!”
In a flash Trevor was on all fours in front of Brenda. She was cautious at first, but ultimately climbed onto Trevor’s back. The black, jagged wings to her sides flapped up and down as Trevor ran across the park and ascended. They rose into the air together and Brenda screamed at the top of her lungs.
It was music to his ears for Trevor. It’d been so long since he’d heard the sounds of someone’s first flight. Excitement ran through him and made him go faster and faster. Shuddering sensations of Brenda’s cries mixed with the acceleration of flight made the dragon let out a loud roar.
The courtship ritual went on long into Brenda’s shift. They passed nearby towns and cities, lakes, they even went all over the very city in which they lived. Taking such flights had never interested Trevor before, but now that he had them to share with Brenda he couldn’t stop thinking about the next one. The plan played in the back of his mind, but Brenda finally had to get his attention by tapping his shoulder.
Confused, the dragon looked over his shoulder at her. “This really is lovely, Trevor, but I need to be getting back to work now…”
Trevor grunted out of sadness, but accepted the fact. At least I got to finish the courtship. Damn does it feel good to be mated again.
The dragon made his way back to the park and landed softly. He let Brenda off his back and changed back into human form. Brenda helped protect him as he scuttled around for his discarded clothes once again. She smiled a little while watching him, her hands on her hips and the other rangers nowhere in sight.
“So, um… Now that that’s done it’s official…” Trevor said as he came out of the bushes, his hands fidgeting with themselves. “You’re sure that you’d rather be with me more than any other guy, Brenda? There’s so much more for you out there and if you’re stuck with me you’ll probab—”
Brenda cut Trevor off by pressing her lips to his briefly. “Honey… I don’t care about what you are or any of that. I want to be with you.”
Tears welled up in Trevor’s eyes. “Brenda… I…”
“Hush.” She tapped him on the nose lightly. “Now get the rest of your clothes on before I have to get you out of here for indecent exposure. My break’s over, so… Tonight at six?”
Trevor nodded. “Tonight at six.”
THE END
Bonus 25 of 30
Soul Mates
Description
Rory wants nothing more than to put the past behind her. She ran off to New York city to become famous when she was eighteen-years-old to be discovered. But her only discovery was finding that city is cruel and expensive. She dreams of going to college and bettering herself while she waits tables and barely makes ends meet.
Michael Venture is a famous billionaire who uses his fortune to change the world. On the outside, he’s charming and refined, but he holds a terrible secret. He’s a being from another world sent to protect the Earth from monsters that want to take it for their own.
When Rory and Michael meet, she can’t help but feel that she knows him from somewhere and that feeling intensifies with each passing moment. Are they about to embark on a whirlwind love at first sight romance or are they soulmates meant to find one another over and over again?
Chapter 1
“Reports of a mysterious crime fight continue to come in. Witnesses report a man in a hooded jacket with tails coming to their aid during robberies, assaults, and other crimes,” the newscaster’s voice amusingly announced. “That’s right channel five viewers. What makes several of these cases strange is that they apparently involved deranged individuals, and some of the witnesses even described them as monsters. I guess it’s a good thing that this mysterious stranger is here to protect us all.”
“What is this, a living comic book?” Rory complained as she adjusted her waitress uniform in the reflection of the diner’s window. Her boss had the television glued to channel five for a solid week since the stories of the renegade hero started being covered.
“Who knows,” her coworker, Max, who worked in the kitchen called out. “I’ve got this theory that some rich philanthropist is behind it. Good Samaritan billionaire by day, vigilante of justice by night.”
“I think you’ve been reading too much Batman,” Rory replied with an eye roll. At that moment the news segment changed to a story about how British billionaire Michael Venture had recently moved to New York City and was already putting his money to charitable good. “...or not.” She corrected, feeling a bit guilty that she was watching the segment instead of cleaning tables, but the diner was dead.
Michael Venture's face was young, he might have been thirty years old at most. “Must be nice,” Rory despaired. The girl was trying to save up for college and was failing miserably. She had been one of those eighteen-year-old girls who went to New York to be in the big city and get discovered. She was twenty-three now, practicality and desperation taking over. She took any job she could so she could earn a degree, but with rent and other things, she just couldn’t get ahead.
“Rory, I’m cutting you. Go home.” Her manager swept in from the back room and made her jump out of her skin.
“No please! I need the money.”
Her manager looked around the empty diner. “There’s no one here, Rory. You can watch TV on your own time.”
Fighting the urge to glare at him, she grabbed her sweatshirt and keys and hit the street. “Maybe I should have gone into stripping after all.” It might have given her a reputation, but she’d be much more financially stable.
She was two blocks from home when she noticed someone following her. Rory cursed because she did not have the energy to deal with a wacko. This was the one thing she missed about the Connecticut suburb she grew up in. She never needed mace.
“Hand over the money and nobody gets hurt.”
Rory fought the urge to panic, but also tried to not make a situation worse. “Leave me alone,” she pleaded, “I barely have enough to make my rent.”
“Me too, sister,” the mugger said as he approached her in a ski mask. “That’s why I’m robbing you.”
Rory heaved a sigh, she was too bitter about everything wrong in her life to cry. She reached into her pocket and pulled
out her tip money. “Here. That’s all I have.”
The man snatched it from her and counted it. “Good, good, what else do you have?”
“Nothing!” Rory exclaimed. “I’m practically broke. I gave you all the money on me and you have the nerve to want more?”
The mugger pointed his pocket at her like there was a gun inside it. “I can think of something else you can give me…” Even though she couldn’t see his face, his voice insinuated terrible things. Rory stared at the mugger with wide eyes. Was it really coming to this?
Just when Rory was convinced that she was going to get raped or killed, someone came to her rescue. They kicked the mugger out of the way and when the criminal went to use his gun, his hand was frozen like he was paralyzed. The assailant brandished an umbrella at the mugger and Rory thought she was losing her mind because she could have sworn she saw a white light spinning out of the tip of the umbrella as it opened and closed.
“What the hell is this?” the mugger asked.
“Ge out of here!” the stranger exclaimed, “But not before you give that girl her money back.”
The mugger dropped the money before he dashed into the darkness. It was then that Rory noticed the jacket with the tails and underneath his hood, the man wore a mask over his eyes.
“You’re that guy from the news.”
He nodded and offered her his hand. She couldn’t see all of his face but she noticed his deep blue eyes behind his mask and he had dark brown hair that was cut in a short but stylish way. “Yes, I am,” he replied and Rory noticed his accent right away. She thought of the news segment she watched in the diner and didn’t know whether to laugh or check her temperature.
“Are you Michael Venture?” Rory asked.
The man looked at her dumbfounded before he grabbed her roughly by the arm and drew her close to him so he could whisper in her ear. “How do you know who I am?”
Rory was shocked that her hunch had been correct. “I saw you on the news. It seemed obvious that you have multiple coals in the fire.” She put her hands on his gripping fingers. “Thank you for saving me.”
The man seemed to relax a bit. “You needed saving. That’s why I’m here.”
Rory furrowed her brow, trying to understand. “I’d ask why, but I probably should get home before another mugger gets the chance to rob me.”
The masked man smiled faintly for a moment before he stopped her. “Actually, I have a proposition for you.”
Rory’s mind instantly went back to the worst-case scenario, of what the mugger had been insinuating. Why the hell had she left her mace at home. “Proposition... besides seeing your face on television I don’t know you from Adam!”
“Give me a chance,” Michael Venture assured, “You can trust me.”
Chapter 2
He led her to fancy car with blacked out windows. Rory felt dirty as she slid into the passenger seat. Michael Venture removed his mask and Rory took in his unobstructed face. He was handsome and the more she looked at him, the more familiar he seemed. Maybe it was because she just saw him on television but something made her feel nostalgic.
“Where are you taking me?”
Michael looked at her. “Wherever you want.”
“My apartment,” Rory answered, still not sure how she felt about being alone with him. “After you tell me about this absurd proposition.”
“Very well,” he began. “When that man was attempting to you, I overheard that you are in need of money.”
Rory felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Yeah... getting cut at the diner doesn’t help.”
“Well I have tons of money and I would love to help you out.”
Rory felt a strange mix of emotions at his offer. While it would significantly help her, she couldn’t help but feel like one of his charity cases. Then she couldn’t help but wondering when this was going to take a turn for the worse and grabbed onto the door handle in case she needed to make a getaway. “Well that’s nice of you, I guess. What’s the catch?”
Michael Venture looked at her intently. “You were able to see through my disguise, you knew who I was. I need someone to assist me in my crusade. Someone to help me differentiate my affairs.”
“Are you asking me to be your assistant?” Rory asked with an eyebrow raised.
“If you want to consider it that, yes,” Michael Venture answered.
“You aren’t going to ask me to have sex with you for money?” she clarified.
“Why on Earth would I do that?”
Rory shrugged. “The mugger assumed I would do that, why not you?”
Michael Venture didn’t look offended but his expression was strange. “I’m a nice guy?”
Rory wasn’t sure why she was sharing this but she said it anyway. “I promise it’s not for crack or even to pay my rent. I’m trying to go to college.”
He smiled at her. “I know.” Before Rory could ask him how he knew that, he continued, “You can still work at the diner if you like but I’ll expect you at my apartment every day and I will pay you whatever you need to live comfortably and attend college.”
Why would Rory waste her time at that dead-end diner if she could have everything provided for her? She would work her ass off if that was what it took to make him pay her everything she needed so she could better herself. “I’ll try it,” she agreed. “But if things get weird, or if you try to put a move on me, I’m out of there. My diner job might be gross and pay crap but Max and my boss would never hurt me.”
“Very good.” Michael Venture agreed. “I will take you home, unless you want to go somewhere else.”
Rory shook her head. “With the night I’ve had, it’s probably best that you just take me to my apartment.”
He put the car in gear and began to drive away from the alley way. For a while Rory didn’t say a word. She took in the car's leather seats, sleek exterior and all the buildings that whipped by. The more time that passed, should couldn’t help but think of the strange light coming out of his umbrella. Had she imagined it?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
Michael Venture still had his eyes on the road but he nodded. “Sure.”
“How did you get the umbrella to shoot that light out of it? It was a really cool effect.”
He smiled at her but didn’t answer right away. “You told me that you didn’t want things to get weird.”
Rory furrowed her brow for the second time since meeting him. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“You may not like what I have to say,” he explained. “You’ll be quitting your job before you even start it.”
Rory thought of the people who came into the diner, the dangerous walk between it and the diner, and the way her uniform always felt grimy no matter what she did to clean it. Surely she could handle any eccentric quirk that Michael Venture was going to tell her. That he dabbled with magic tricks to scare away the bad guys. Maybe he used his money to buy state of the art weapons like Batman or Iron Man. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Okay,” Michael answered. “It is true that by day I am a very successful businessman. I am the president and founder of a security company that helps people all over Europe. I am in the process of getting things started here in the United States.”
“That’s very interesting,” Rory admitted, “but it doesn’t explain how you had a beam of light coming out of your umbrella.”
“I’m getting to it,” he assured. “By night I run around New York City protecting people. I don’t have a name for myself yet. Maybe that is something you can help me with. I used to do it back in England too, but I knew I had to come here. That the threat was moving.”
“The threat?”
Michael nodded. “I’ve been at this for a very long time. How old do you think I look?”
Rory thought it was a strange question to ask. “I don’t know, thirty?”
“That’s very kind of you,” he replied. “Ready for things to get weird?”
; Rory grabbed onto the door handle extra tight. “I guess?”
“I’m not from England and I’m not thirty. I’m over five-hundred years old and come from a place that is light years from light years away from here. My form changes every eighty years or so. You could say that I’m immortal. I don’t die, I become a different version of myself. If that makes sense. My job has always been to protect life forms from evil. This time it’s picked Earth to antagonize and destroy.”
“Are you saying that you are an alien?” Rory asked.
“Yes, Rory,” he replied, “I am.”
Chapter 3
“Stop the car,” Rory demanded. “Stop the car now.”
“You wanted to know why I was able to do what I did to the mugger. I used my powers. I couldn’t just start with that without explaining everything else.”
“Yah, but I wasn’t expecting that. I thought you were like that guy from Iron Man!”
Michael Venture looked at her incredulously. “You realize in that story that he was kidnapped by terrorists and had an electromagnet built inside of him, right? That’s believable, but being an alien from another world isn’t?”
“I’m actually more concerned how you know my name when I haven’t told you a thing about me. But yes, you confessing that you’re some sort of ageless extraterrestrial crime fighter is only a slightly secondary shock.”
For the first time all night, Michael looked nervous and like he didn’t want to share the truth. “I tell you what. If you come to work for me and you stick around for a while, I’ll tell you why I know who you are.”
The sensible part of Rory knew to run. That this was crazy but just like she looked at him when he’d taken off his mask, something gave her pause. Something told her not to run away. There was a reason why she’d crossed paths with him tonight. “Okay,” she murmured. “I have no idea why I’m trusting you, but something is telling me that you aren’t going to mug me or worse so fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”
