Dragon's Choice

by Juniper Hart

  Hale went down and came back up with that electricity. Aimed, unfortunately, at Cassia. She tried to dodge, but she didn’t stand a chance.

  Describing it as painful was the understatement of the year.

  The pain felt like her skin was ripping free of her body, that every cell on her body was on fire, and that she had jumped into a large barrel of hydrochloric acid. A scream of agony choked out from her hoarse throat, and she dropped like a ragdoll. No matter what she did, she couldn’t escape. The electricity followed her, inside her body and into her mind as though it was breaking her will along with her body.

  She writhed like a snake, batting at the lightning. Hale stared at her, eyes wild, angry, and crazed. His hands were pointed at her. Cassia couldn’t see Terran. He was likely behind her somewhere, coming fast. She met eyes with Hale, pleading with him to stop. He was killing her, and surely, the centuries they had spent together must have given him some sort of feelings for her. Even though he evidently despised her, he must not want to see her dead.

  Wrong.

  Green vines shot through the floors, snaked around Hale’s legs, and dragged him towards the wall. The rock wall formed hands and grabbed him. Before he could do anything, he started to get sucked into the earth.

  Then, abruptly, Terran was there with blood dripping down his face, hands out. “You will never hurt her!” he bellowed in an animalistic voice. “Never again will you touch her!”

  Hale snarled in rage and pulled free of one hand only to have another stream of rock come from the wall and wrap him up. “You don’t have the balls!”

  Terran stopped right in front of the crazed sorcerer and grabbed him under the throat. Hale bashed him with magic spells, all of which would’ve killed a human man.

  Terran snarled at him and exposed his dragon fangs. “Try me.”

  He threw Hale like a shotput into the wall. Hale had one brief moment to howl in rage before the wall gulped him down. The howling stopped. Hale was dead. The wall shifted as Terran moved him deeper and deeper into the stone surface, moving him down to the Earth’s core.

  Terran rushed to Cassia, dropping to a knee and lending her a supportive hand. He touched her as gently as he would a porcelain vase. His powerful fingers ran across her body as she shuddered from the fading electricity in her body.

  “Please,” he said, pressing his forehead against her shoulder with the urgency of a man losing something he cannot live without. “I beg of you…please be okay!”

  Cassia shivered and laid back on the ground. She coughed as her muscles contracted. “I’m okay,” she gasped. “I think.”

  She could do nothing but lie still and allow Terran to comfort her. She felt weak, and ripples of pain still coursed through her body, although the intensity of the pain was fading.

  The EDJ arrived minutes later.

  10

  It took Cassia about ten minutes to stop hurting and another ten to get the motivation to move. Finally, though, the EDJ’s paramedics convinced her to get checked out to confirm what she already knew: She was fine. She was safe.

  Terran took her to the couch where he sat down next to her. “I thought I was going to lose you,” he breathed.

  Cassia leaned into him. “So, what’s going to happen to me? I had nothing to do with it! The EDJ has to know that…”

  “I’ll pull some strings,” Terran promised. “Besides, it’s pretty obvious you had no knowledge of what happened. Hale has been causing problems for hundreds of years—much longer than you were with him.”

  “What about Sam, Ivan, and Igor?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out. All I know is that a lot of Hale’s people are in deep trouble.”

  “Do you know why? Why did he kill the Chancellor?”

  Terran sighed. “The same reason he hated me. The Chancellor blocked some of his unscrupulous business deals, which cost Hale a lot of money. Hale didn’t like people getting his way.”

  Finally, Terran got a message from his men outside.

  “Your friends are here,” Terran said after hanging up the phone. “My men tracked them down.”

  Cassia felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

  When Cassia’s friends were escorted into Terran’s home, Cassia ran to them and hugged them tightly.

  Cassia took Sam aside to talk to her privately. “Are you okay? You got out in time?”

  “About an hour before all hell broke loose,” Sam said. “Don’t worry. We’re fine. We were questioned, but let go when they realized we had nothing to do with Hale’s crimes.”

  “What a relief!” Cassia exclaimed.

  “What about you?” asked Sam. “Are you all right? Will you be all right? The EDJ will likely seize all of Hale’s assets.”

  Cassia looked back at Terran, who was telling a story about an assassin to the Russian brothers. The brothers looked absolutely fascinated. “I will be fine. I’m exactly where I need to be.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Sam. “It’s a big decision. You don’t want to rush into something like this.”

  Cassia smiled at friend. “Sam, I know how it looks, but I’m not rushing into this. I’ve known him for eight hundred years.”

  Epilogue

  Cassia was exhausted, but the nine months of waiting and the excruciating labor was worth it. Cassia and Terran both looked down at their daughter with enough love to fill the universe.

  She was perfect. Her rounded nose looked just like Cassia’s, but her eyes were the same vibrant green as her father’s.

  “I’ve never been so happy in my entire life,” said Cassia as her daughter wrapped her fingers around Cassia’s pinky.

  Terran kissed his wife’s forehead before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on the top of the newborn’s head.

  Should I go and grab Sam? She’s been pacing outside the door for hours waiting to hear the news.

  “Not yet,” said Cassia. “We have waited so long for this moment. I don’t want to share her with anybody quite yet.”

  Terran smiled widely. “What should we name her?”

  “Gila,” said Cassia.

  As she said the name, the newborn’s opened her eyes, as if expressing her approval.

  “That’s beautiful,” said Terran. “What does it mean?”

  Cassia smiled. “Eternal joy.”

  THE END

  Part II

  Water Dragon

  By Alexis Davie

  1

  Coral loved finding her victim for the night.

  When she was out clubbing, she would watch for him: the swanky, handsome, seemingly perfect rich guy. They usually had a very particular drink in hand, thinking it would make them look sophisticated, and they would hit on the attractive women around them. They knew what they were doing, or at least they thought they did. That’s what made them so gullible.

  This was the first time Coral was going to go through with her plan—a plan she’d imagined so many times in her head. She had to keep reminding herself that whatever guy she chose tonight deserved what was coming to him.

  The man across the bar was the perfect victim. He was tall and handsome, with a fitted, bold blue sports jacket that matched his startling blue eyes, which looked at all the ladies throughout the room. He had a strange suaveness about him, like he expected to always have a beautiful woman on his arm and own a sports car that cost more than some people make over a lifetime. A flash of his wrist showed that he had expensive tastes in watches.

  Oh, yeah.

  Coral had found her man. He had everything she was looking for. She judged him from across the room, trying to determine what kind of drink he was into. All men seemed to have a favorite drink. It was always fun trying to guess what, exactly, it was. It wasn’t like buying the correct first drink was everything, but Coral was convinced that it was important to get a good head start.

  She made a decision on the drink: a Manhattan. She ordered two. Her victim looked like the kind of man who dined on top-
shelf alcohol, so it was good that Coral knew a thing or two about whiskey.

  The club was the picture of elitism and sexism. Expensive? Oh, definitely. You could go in there and drop a thousand dollars without even trying. It was an exclusive club, one of the dozens that Coral had wiggled her way into with only her looks. Tonight would be different, though—she wasn’t going to chicken out.

  The servers, who were all gorgeous women, were the only thing Coral hated about the club. They walked around in short skirts and shirts that covered no more than a swimsuit. Of course, the women looked great, she wasn’t jealous of them; it just meant she had more competition.

  The bartender brought Coral her two drinks. Time to prepare for her advance. She wore her battle suit: a sexy dress that showed off her breathtaking body. It was green, a bold statement piece that matched her eyes. She wasn’t a big fan of heels but guys loved them for some reason, so she wore four-inch stilettos. She looked down to check out her chest and shifted her dress around to make her breasts even more voluptuous, and then she brushed her blonde hair out of her face with just one playful curl around her eye. She grabbed the drinks.

  Time to get rich.

  She moved in a direct line to the stranger. Ugh. He was probably the most classic example of a womanizer Coral had ever seen. A hot brunette server walked past him. He turned to look at her as she did, as if he had considered slapping her ass before thinking better of it. People like that drove Coral absolutely nuts. Her slender fingers tightened around one of her drinks. She forced a smile on her lips. She had to play it right.

  The stranger wasn’t looking at her when she walked up, so she bopped her hip against his to get his attention. “Hey, stranger.”

  He turned to her. For a moment, he had fire in his eyes. Then he saw that the person who had hit him was not only a woman, but a knockout woman, and the corners of his mouth turned up in an easy smile. “Hey,” he said, his voice suave and confident.

  “I bought you a drink,” Coral said while batting her lashes.

  She thought about saying something such as, Oops! I got too many drinks and now I’m looking or someone who’ll help me. But it sounded too stupid, and besides, she thought a direct approach would be better.

  “Interested?”

  The man eyed one of the drinks she was carrying. “What is it?”

  “A Manhattan,” she answered.

  He gave her a funny look before nodding in admiration. “Good guess.”

  “I’m Tara,” Coral said. She had always liked that name.

  She handed the man his drink, making absolutely sure that her fingers slid against his knuckles. Rule one of flirting: make physical contact. It’s a big deal. In case he was an idiot and didn’t realize the drink was a sign of her being interested, the contact drove it home.

  “Kai,” he said in return.

  The way he noticed the contact, and yet coolly played it off, was impressive. She was looking at a pro.

  “Pretty name,” she said, and she meant it.

  Coral engaged in small talk, but she had a feeling that she wasn’t dealing with the typical womanizer. He was smooth—too smooth.

  Maybe he’s going to try to rip me off, she thought.

  Her guard was up. When he thought she wasn’t looking, she saw Kai check out her body from head to toe. He made skin-to-skin contact at least five times, but played it off as an accident or part of their natural interactions.

  He’s faking a genuine interest in me! He must know that I know he only wants to sleep with me.

  Although she still planned on stealing his wallet and that expensive watch, she felt a touch of admiration for him. Well, admiration wasn’t the exact feeling. She was impressed, while simultaneously disgusted, with the fact that he was such a pro.

  Even though she had never trusted men, Kai’s charm still made her genuinely laugh. He was funny and witty. The conversation flowed naturally. When she had tried to pull off stealing from these types of arrogant men before, she instigated the conversation and then listened through thirty minutes of them bragging about themselves and how big they were below the belt through poorly articulated allusions that were supposed to be funny, but ended up being simply crude and unappealing.

  The handsome stranger kept flipping the conversation back on her as though he was hanging onto every word she said. Even though she suspected it was a scam, it was a pleasant surprise.

  Soon enough, Coral was ready to drop the mic. Time for the ego booster.

  “So,” she said, “a man like you has to be pretty important, right?”

  She purred that last part, like the idea of wealth and power turned her on for some reason. Contrary to what most people thought, she didn’t care about money. When she found the man who was perfect for her, the last thing she’d care about was the health of his net worth. She’d met plenty of rich men, and one thing she knew was that money didn’t make the man. Instead, she’d care about his hopes and dreams, and whether or not their values aligned. Hopefully, she wouldn’t still be stealing when she met the perfect man, because that was definitely out of alignment with her values. But, a girl had to do what she must to survive.

  Coral didn’t believe she was a bad person. She felt that the type of men she preyed on deserved it. Oftentimes, they were out cheating on their wives or were used to taking advantage of people. She saw her actions as a way to give them a taste of their own medicine. She knew these types of men too well. Of course, this was going to be the first time she was actually going to steal from someone. She had planned to do it so many times before, but she always felt too guilty, and ended up sneaking out of the nightclub to go home.

  Coral’s father had left her family when she was just an infant. As a single mom, Coral’s mother tried to get a job and pay the bills, but then she couldn’t afford daycare for Coral. Eventually, her mother resorted to prostitution. Coral watched the men leave every night, and it disgusted her. As a young child, she began to harbor a bit of resentment towards men. Not all of them, of course. But most. She had learned what to look for in her victims from watching the rich men who paid for her mother’s services. She decided her only victims would be the type of men that used those who were desperate and then left them after they’d had their fun.

  Coral’s mother had died when she was sixteen, and ever since, she’d had to fend for herself. Stealing was a last resort and her only way out of her current situation. Even though she justified her actions by telling herself that this man deserved it, deep down, she harbored a great amount of guilt.

  At no point in her life did she aspire to be in the position she was in, struggling just to get through the day. After her mother died, her foster parents were abusive, and she was kicked out the day the government checks stopped coming, after she became a legal adult. Every month it was the same balancing act to avoid getting evicted. She just didn’t have the education or experience to get a job that paid enough to cover rent, food, and other bare necessities.

  Aside for her dress and one pair of designer shoes, she didn’t own much that had any value. She’d sold most of her clothes to pay the rent recently, and she was not going to accept hand-outs. She’d lost her job last month when business was slow. After she was let go, she applied to dozens of jobs, but nobody was hiring. She was punctual and a hard worker. If only someone would give her a chance!

  Kai answered her question with a sly smirk, but no words. He was playing her.

  Men usually liked to talk about their self-perceived importance, so his coyness threw her off her game.

  Kai finally broke the silence. “Tell you what. It’s late. Why don’t we head back to my place? I can show you around.”

  She glanced down shyly and twirled a curl of her hair. “I’d love that.”

  He reached out for her hand. She gave it to him. His skin was abnormally warm, like he had a fever.

  “Your hand is so warm,” she said. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Absolutely,” he assured. “I’m just w
arm by nature.”

  More like hot, she thought to herself. Double sided meaning there, both of which were true.

  “Oh,” she said. “I almost forgot! I have to get something from my car.” She met his eyes and felt a tingle in her heart. He was good. “Be right back. Wait for me!”

  “No problem.”

  She didn’t actually have a car. She just needed some fresh air and a second alone to decide if she was actually going to go through with robbing him. Trying to avoid wiping out because of the heels she was wearing, Coral walked out to the parking lot.

  I got him, she thought. Or did he get me? She wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter in the end.

  Either way, she planned to steal all the cash and valuables she could in his house before he woke up. He had nothing on her. He didn’t even have her name. The great thing about guys like him was that they would rather shoot themselves in the foot than admit they had been ripped off by a woman they’d picked up at a bar. Or at least, that’s what she hoped.

  She stood outside, convincing herself that what she was doing was right.

  Abruptly, the light was blocked out by a shadow towering above her.

  “Shit,” Coral cursed under her breath.

  She turned to see the two men she was hoping she would be able to keep avoiding: Earl and Josh, the men who had been ripped off by her ex-boyfriend. They always seemed to find her. They were big men. Enormous, really. Coral had always thought they looked like rhinos in street clothes.

  “Hey, guys,” she managed. She suddenly felt rather small. “Have you found Chase yet?”

  Chase was her ex-boyfriend, a man who sold drugs and stole from his dealer. When he found out he’d been caught, he had run away, leaving Coral to face the wrath of the dealer’s cronies.

  “The boss is getting pretty tired of your shit,” Earl growled. He had a cigarette in his mouth. He took a draw and exhaled a puff of smoke into Coral’s face. “Give us the money.”