by Dyan Chick
The door slid open, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust to the light. Two people were standing framed by the doorway, and my shoulders dropped in relief.
"He says he's a friend of yours," Dima said.
"Nice to see you again, beautiful," Tavas said. He'd returned to his original form, designer suit intact, not a speck of dirt on him.
"Thank god it's you," I said.
"Who the hell is he?" Alec asked.
"Alec, meet Tavas."
Tavas stretched out his hand to shake Alec's, and I realized we were still holding hands. I dropped his hand and smiled politely at Tavas. He smirked at me, a knowing look that made me want to define my relationship with Alec.
The two men shook hands, and as I pushed past Tavas, he grabbed my waist. He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "And here I thought you belonged to James."
I glared at him and lowered my voice so Alec couldn't hear me. "We're just friends. And I don't belong to anyone, got it?"
"Whatever you say." He winked at me.
Pushing past him, I walked back to the living room. "What happened to you after the dragon? And how did you find us here?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not the one who found you." Tavas walked over to the couch and sat down. "You see, my business isn't exactly legal and me getting involved with a criminal isn't good for my image or whatever it is you say around here."
My breath caught, and fear shot through me. "You sold me out."
"We have to get out of here," Alec said, grabbing my hand.
"Wait," Tavas said. "They just want you, Morgan. And the tape. " He nodded at Dima.
"How do they know?" she asked.
"Hunters are hard to trick," Tavas said. "Even for a Fae."
Hunters. If they were waiting outside for us, there wasn't much we could do to get away. My magic could help, but would it be enough? I looked at Dima and Alec. They had both sacrificed to help me. If we tried to fight, it was possible we'd all end up dead. There had been too many deaths already.
"Fine," I said, picking up the laptop and closing it. "Nobody has to get hurt."
Tavas smiled and stood. "I'm glad to hear you're being reasonable. I told them you would be. They wanted to smash in all the windows and shoot to kill."
My heart raced as I handed over the laptop to Tavas. "The video is on there. She downloaded it from the cloud."
Tavas slid the computer under his arm and reached a hand out to me. "Shall we?"
"Can you just give me a minute?" I asked.
He looked at a gold watch on his wrist. "They'll bust in here in one minute and forty-five seconds if they don't see us at that door."
"Okay, I'll be there. Just give me one minute."
Tavas shrugged and took a few steps away, turning his back on us. That was as much privacy as I was going to get.
Alec and Dima moved closer to me, the three of us standing in an odd sort of huddle.
"You don't have to do this, Morgan," Alec said. "I'll help you fight. Why don't we take the car and run?"
I shook my head. "We'll never make it. And I don't want either of you getting hurt."
Looking down at Alec's pocket, I thought about how close we'd come to finding a way to clear my name and end all of this. Even if there were someone inside the police helping the killer, if the news cleared my name, it would be difficult to deny it.
"What will they do to you?" Dima asked.
"They'll take her magic," Tavas said, turning to look at us. "Sorry, sorry, privacy. I know. Twenty seconds, by the way." He turned back around.
"Uh-uh, we're not letting this happen," Dima said. She reached into Alec's pocket, making him let out a yelp of surprise, then she shoved the flash drive into her pocket. Without a word, she raced away from the living room and returned with another flash drive in her hand.
She pressed it into Alec's hand. "Just follow my lead, okay?"
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
"Making our last stand. And hoping we come out of it alive." Dima turned and walked over to Tavas. "She's ready, but we're walking out there with her."
Tavas clicked his tongue. "Aw, what supportive friends. Such a nice thing to do. Especially since one of you is an escaped convict and the other is the one who broke him out."
"Tavas, you really are an asshole, you know that?" I said. "What would James say?"
"Doesn't matter, James is going to be playing dragon for months, maybe even years. I'm sure he won't even remember his little mage fling once he's back in human form. For a guy who's been around for millennia, a day or two is like seconds. You'll be a fleeting memory."
The words stung, even if they were likely right. I shook my head, too angry to say anything.
Tavas swept his arm toward the door. "After you."
Fists clenched, I walked past him, ready to face whatever was on the other side of the door.
Dima opened the door for us, and I stifled a gasp as I stared out at four hunters standing in her rose garden.
"Really, you couldn't stand on the sidewalk like civilized people?" Dima said.
I noticed a trill in her voice that wasn't always present and I felt my lips curve into a small smile.
All four of the male hunters’ heads turned to Dima. And all four of them mumbled apologies while hastily backing away onto the sidewalk.
"You weak-minded fools," Tavas said. "She's a siren. Don't do what she says."
"Perhaps it's just that they have manners," Dima said, her voice like silk.
Even I found myself agreeing with her and had to shake myself out of it. I hadn't seen her come on this strong since we were teenagers trying to get out of a speeding ticket.
"Now, gentlemen, I know you have your orders, but would any of you be willing to do me a teensy-tiny favor?" Dima was standing near the hunters now, her hip cocked to the side, one hand adjusting the collar of the nearest man.
"I'm sure we could help you out, miss, after we take care of the mage," one of the hunters said.
"Oh, see, that won't work for me. I need to get to the channel six building downtown to see an old friend, but my car isn't working. I'm afraid it's a matter of great urgency."
"I could take her," the hunter in the back said.
"No, I'll take her," another said.
"Enough of this," Tavas lifted his hand, and all the hunters doubled over, gripping their temples.
Dima's features flashed into her true Siren form for a moment, showing her fangs and gills, then she pulled herself together and took a step back from the crumpled hunters.
When they stood, one of them shoved Dima away. "Demon Siren, we'll deal with you later."
"Now that we're done with that," Tavas said. He handed the laptop to the nearest hunter. "I believe you'll find what you need here."
"Alec, run. Get that video as far from here as you can," Dima called out.
Confused, I turned to see Alec, who was still holding the flash drive Dima had given him. He looked down at his hand, and a look of recognition crossed his face, then he ran.
"It's a fake," the hunter holding the computer said, throwing it to the ground. "Get him!"
The hunters took off after Alec, leaving Dima, Tavas, and me standing in front of her house.
Alec was already two blocks away before the hunters were moving. Vampires could outrun just about any other creature, and even with his lack of energy from the sun, he was faster than any of the hunters.
"Dima, you're a genius," I said.
"Where's the real one?" Tavas asked.
I knew it wouldn't do any real harm, but my temper got the better of me, and I pulled back my fist, then punched Tavas in the face as hard as I could. It wasn't a smart choice. My knuckles were singing with pain as I pulled my hand away.
As I shook out my injured hand, Dima stepped up to Tavas and kicked him right in-between his legs. The Fae made a squeaking noise before falling to his knees.
"Let's go," Dima shouted.
I followed her to the garage whe
re she typed in the code on the exterior opener. As soon as the door was wide enough for me to duck under, I bolted in and hopped in the passenger seat.
Dima slammed the door as she started the ignition and backed out so fast, we just barely missed hitting the garage door as it continued its ascent.
She wiggled in her seat and pulled out the real flash drive from her pocket, handing it to me. "Do not let anything happen to this."
I took it from her. "I don't know how to thank you."
"I'm sure I'll think of something," she said.
The car raced through the neighborhood and Dima tore through stop signs. She was driving like a woman possessed, weaving in and out of traffic on our way to downtown Realm's Gate.
26
My heart sunk as Dima navigated around debris and holes left in the ground from the rampaging dragon. The city was a disaster. How would it even begin to recover from such destruction? The worst part of it was that I felt responsible. Then, I remembered that I didn't release the dragon, or place it for me to find, or even bring it to our realm in the first place. If anyone was to blame, it was Tavas.
"How could Tavas do that?" I asked, not expecting an answer.
"Do what? Being a sneaky Fae?" Dima asked. "What did you expect? And how the hell did you end up trusting him in the first place?"
"He and James struck a deal, he was to help me and then James would help him," I said.
"The dragon shifter that you may or may not be in a super complicated relationship with?" Dima asked.
"He was just helping me." Though, I had wondered if he'd stick around for a while afterward.
"The Fae are tricky. He had a deal with James, human James, not you. Once James shifted, my guess is that Tavas saw his contract as null and void."
"When did you get so smart?" I asked.
"Look, I know we have our differences, but this is bigger than you can handle on your own. You're going to have to let people help you on this one." She swerved around a fallen tree. "But not the Fae. No more Fae, agreed?"
"I think I learned my lesson on that one," I said.
"Let's just get this clip to the news, then we'll try to figure out who set you up in the first place before they can come after you again," Dima said.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat, feeling defeated. I was so focused on clearing my name, I didn't stop to think about what the result might be if I was successful. Whoever did this had a reason. None that I could think of at the moment, but they went to a lot of trouble to set me up to lose my magic after finding out I had dragon blood. None of it made any sense. "Who would do this anyway?"
"No idea, but we're not there yet. One thing at a time," Dima said. "You know what I think?"
I didn't answer the question, and Dima didn't tell me her thoughts. Because at that moment, we pulled into the parking lot where the channel six building had once stood to find it was no longer there. In its place was a pile of bricks, smoking metal, and shattered glass.
Dima put the car into park. I stepped out, feeling numb as I stared at the distraction. People were running past us screaming and in the distance, I heard the sound of emergency sirens. Smoke billowed up from the building, and some of the surrounding areas were still on fire. Ashes rained down on us from the sky. This wasn't from the last rampage. This had just happened.
"Please tell me it's a coincidence that the building we said we were going to was destroyed after we said we'd be going there," I said.
Dima was staring open-mouthed at the sight in front of us. "This is not a coincidence."
"I didn't think so," I said. This time, the destruction was my fault.
Somehow we made it back to the car and drove away from the scene of mass confusion. Dima adjusted the dial on the stereo, turning it to the news station. The reporter confirmed that the attack had just taken place within the last ten minutes. It likely happened just minutes after we left Dima's house.
"It's Tavas," I said. "The whole thing was him. He left the dragon for me. He tricked us all."
I grabbed Dima's arm, squeezing harder than I should have. "He's controlling the wild dragon."
"That's impossible," Dima said. "Nobody can control a dragon."
"He can. He said that he raised her from a baby. That he could get her to listen if she got close enough. He's choosing the targets."
"What does he want?" Dima asked.
"I have no idea," I said.
The reporter talked on the radio, but I wasn't listening. I was running through the last several days in my head. What had happened? Had I ever met Tavas before? Was there a reason a Fae would want to see me behind bars, or worse, without my magic? Was this somehow connected to the mysterious Dragon-Bloods? What did James have to do with this? Or Jimmy? Were they just collateral damage? Was Alec safe?
I needed to get out of my head, step away from the situation. Right now, all I could do was worry about those who weren't with me at the moment. Turning my attention to the sound from the radio, I listened to the report.
"...using the hashtag save the realm, hundreds of viewers have shared their support for their fellow citizens in this tragic time. Business and private homes alike are opening their doors to displaced citizens."
"Did you hear that?" I asked.
"Hear what?" Dima glanced at me. "I wasn't paying attention."
"The hashtag."
"Oh, yeah, that's nice. People helping people," she said.
"That's what we need to do," I said.
"What, open up my house to survivors?"
"No, post the video to the web, use the hashtag. Skip the media. Do it ourselves." Ten minutes ago, I thought all was lost. Now I was practically giddy at the possibilities.
"Why didn't we think of that sooner? Once it's out there, it's going to be so much harder to erase. We can upload it everywhere." My mind raced as I considered how human social media would react to the video of Dima turning into a full-blown siren.
Realm's Gate had its own social media platforms, but posting things to human media wasn't unheard of. Humans just ignored it, assuming it was edited or CGI.
"Too bad he broke my computer," Dima said. "We need something that'll read that flash drive."
"Library?" I asked.
"If it's even open," she said.
"We're already on the run, do you think breaking a window is that big of a deal?" I asked.
She did a U-turn in the middle of the street, swerving around another car that promptly laid on its horn. "Library it is."
Two streets later, all the traffic came to a standstill. I rolled down the window and tried to peek around the cars in front of us. "I can't see on my side. Think there's an accident?"
"Not sure," Dima said.
We inched forward, and the cars were forced to merge into two lanes, the third lane closed down. "Must be an accident," I said more to myself than her. Even as I said the words, I didn't believe them. Something just felt off.
It was another five minutes before we moved far enough to see the end of the line. And the barricade. "Shit. It's a check-point."
"And I highly doubt they're looking for people who had too much Fairy wine," Dima said.
"What do we do? There's no way we aren't both on the list," Dima said.
"Yeah, sorry about that," I said. My actions might have been the result of a lunatic Fae trying to do who knows what by framing me, but I'd dragged her into this mess.
"You have the flash drive," Dima said. "I think you're going to have to run."
"I can't," I said. "There's no way they won't notice someone get out of the car and run. Can you Siren them?"
"I know you did not just say that," she said.
"You know what I mean. Can't you just use your magic?" I asked.
"What about yours? Does this dragon blood come with any special powers? I mean, now would be a good time to break those out," she said.
The car in front of us rolled forward. There were only three cars in front of us now.
"I don't know. I only learned I even had dragon blood a day ago. How would I know how to use it?" I yelled at her, my frustration seeping through with every word. I knew it was misplaced, but I didn't have anyone else to take it out on.
The cars moved again. Two in front of us now.
"This has to be the worst day of my life," I said, looking over at the car next to us. "You have got to be kidding me."
"What?" Dima followed my gaze to the news van parked next to us. "No shit. Well, that's convenient."
"They're set up to broadcast, aren't they?" I asked.
"They can't while in motion like this, but they can pull over easy enough," she said.
"I'm going to need you to create a distraction," I said slowly, feeling guilty for asking more of her.
She let out a long breath. "Of course you are." Dima put the car in park and turned off the engine. "You will owe me for the rest of your life. You do realize this?"
"I know."
She opened the door and stepped out of the car. I watched for a second, unsure of what she was going to do. Then, she ran toward the cops screaming. "Help me, please, help!"
The police stationed at the blockade turned toward her, several of them leaving their positions to run to meet her. The side door on the van next to me slid open, and someone popped their head out, looking for the source of the disruption.
As fast as I could, I threw open my door, slammed it and jumped into the van. In the shock of gaining a passenger, the man in the back just stared at me. I reached behind him and slid the door closed.
"Hey, you're the girl they're looking for aren't you?" he said. "Hey Janet, it's that girl. Call it in."
"Don't call anyone, Janet. If you know what's good for your career, you'll wait until you get the story from me. I promise you an exclusive. Then, you can call whoever you want."
27
"You want me to call the cops?" Janet held her phone in her hand, a finger poised over the screen, ready to dial.
