City of Dragons: Of Flesh and Blood

by Wilder, Adrienne

  The bathroom door flew open and Haley jumped. Deshi stared at her, his face pale, his eyes too wide. “Shit…”

  She said, “Help me!”

  “Haley, what the hell?” She took a step towards him but he held up a hand. “The glass. Stay there.” It crunched under his shoes. Deshi grabbed a towel off the rack and put it under her hand. “Hold that.” Haley obeyed. In one scoop he gathered her up and swung her over the shards. He carried her to the bed and sat her on the edge. The Prince reached over and flicked on a light. Her skin glittered with embedded slivers of glass.

  With a gentle touch Deshi pulled out the pieces. There weren’t many. Most of the damage was clean.

  He said, “What happened in there?”

  Haley struggled to answer him.

  “Haley?” Deshi looked up at her while he wrapped the towel around her hand. “Talk to me.”

  She opened her mouth, closed it. A shiver raced down her spine. “M-Medan.”

  Deshi’s baby blues widened.

  “Ah—Beautiful Deshi.” The Prince jerked back. “Afraid, little Prince? Oh yes, you are afraid.”

  Haley struggled to move her own body, but the best she could do was make a fist. Medan’s amusement tasted foul in the back of her throat.

  “Tell me, Child, do you think if I fed on your little Prince he would live through the experience? Or would he die screaming like so many before?”

  Haley’s teeth punched down and a hiss eased out of her throat.

  “Stop it! Medan, stop it!” Her voice…she had her voice. God of Man, if only she could claim the rest of her body. Medan was right, she was too tired, too weak.

  Medan looked at Deshi, and this time when she spoke her voice was calm. “Bring me Orin.” The Jersey City Prince didn’t move. “I will not ask you again, Deshi. You may be your Mother’s Son but I am Queen here and to defy me is to defy my law. Do not think I will not take pleasure in ripping you limb from limb.”

  Deshi scrambled to his feet and backed up to the door.

  Medan sighed. “And hurry. I grow bored.”

  Haley watched helplessly as Deshi ran out of the room.

  Chapter 30

  Farley perched himself on the edge of a busted crate and finished off his third rat. The thing tasted greasy, probably because it got most of its meals out of the Waffle House dumpster around back. At least they were well fed, and had plenty of meat. He sucked blood off his thumb.

  From his position in the alley Farley could see a pawnshop across the road. If the clock in the window was right, it was twenty past four. Inoata was late. From his position in the alley between the burned out abandominiums, he could keep his eyes on both ends of Middleton Street. The warehouse Inoata was due at was less than a hundred feet to his right. There was no way he could miss the Faerie when he pulled up. Unless of course Frankie had fried his brain with the ditch weed he’d been smoking and given him the wrong day.

  Definitely not a scenario Farley wanted to think about.

  Since the only thing Farley could do now was wait, he settled down on a patch of cardboard, pulled the hood up on his sweatshirt, and the sleeves down over his hands. Between the persistent cold and the even more persistent thoughts of Claire, he didn’t worry about falling asleep. Why did Humans always want to make Kin into something they weren’t meant to be? Couldn’t be? After all, it never worked out.

  The Jersey City Prince was a perfect example.

  Thing is, if Farley wasn’t careful he was going to find himself heading down the same one-way dirt trail. Claire’s taste, her scent… He scrubbed a hand over his face.

  Fuck it, he would not live that way. Pretending to be someone—something—h e wasn’t. Haley was right, he seriously needed to stay away from the office help. There wasn’t anything Humans had which made going through this worth it. In fact, after he nailed Inoata, Farley promised himself an all night binge in the Dens. A nice group of Kin and a warm place to sleep. Who could ask for more?

  He felt the hum of a diesel engine through the soles of his urban boots at the same moment the chug and grind reached his ears. Farley eased closer to the edge of the wall.

  A single headlight speared the night as a truck rounded the corner and crept beside the curb. With a few backups and pull forwards the box truck wound up with its rear shoved up to the loading dock of the building.

  This close to the Dens there were no street lamps, so when the driver cut the lights the dark came down hard. With his natural sight the night became day and Farley’s brain could calibrate exact distance, speed, and size. Heat crawled over his skin and he slid through the darkness, moving like a dragon and nothing Human.

  A familiar high-pitched whiney voice hit Farley’s ears. Inoata was on his cell screaming like a bitch. Apparently Carlos was out on I-285 with a dropped transmission.

  Through the windshield Farley could see the warm glow of another Faerie. He scented the air. At least one of the two was armed.

  Inoata’s partner piled out of the passenger side with a flashlight and headed up the loading dock steps. Under the cover of darkness Farley moved closer while Inoata made angry circles beside the truck and his fuck buddy ran back and forth along the bay shining his light in the windows. When the other Faerie disappeared around the edge of the building, Farley cleared the distance. With one hard shove, Inoata’s face went head on into the driver’s side door. The sound was covered up by the rumble of the truck’s idling engine. The little bastard had all of two seconds to look surprised before Farley cold-cocked him and broke his jaw.

  A flashlight beam came from around the corner, followed by a brittle voice. “Hey, I think the side door is unlocked.”

  Farley grabbed the cell phone Inoata dropped and pulled him under the truck. He propped the Faerie against the tire. One eye on Inoata’s partner, the other on the phone in his hand, Farley jammed in a quick text to the internal emergency line.

  911-Middleton-LL

  A live load was serious. Disabling the shippers and securing the truck was never enough. This close to the Dens, if the people inside panicked the situation could take a header quick.

  As in total meat wagon. All you can eat buffet.

  “Yo, Inoata! You take’n a piss or what?” Fuck buddy spilled a few curses and came down the steps, his boy sized feet stomping across the asphalt. Farley watched his light swing back and forth, shoot down the alley, then lead the way back around to the driver’s side of the truck. “Inoata? You dumb ass…where the hell?” He stopped beside the door, then his teenage sized hand pulled a gun from under his coat.

  Farley was about to take him out like Inoata when two sets of headlights came from up the street and cut the darkness in half. Either that was the fastest response time the CFKR had ever had, or Inoata and his buddy were about to get jacked.

  The SUVs stopped, doors opened, and Humans and Faeries filed out with a chorus of guns being cocked. With that much firepower and double dosed aggression there was only one thing for Farley to do, which was to get as far away as possible as fast as he could.

  Inoata’s friend made a scared noise and tried to run. The first shot popped off the fender and he screamed. The second shut him up. Farley yanked Inoata up and over his shoulder and slipped around the other side, using the shadow of the truck to stay hidden. He tossed the unconscious Faerie into the floor on the passenger side and climbed in.

  The clutch did a bump and grind when he threw it into first. When Farley hit the gas another hail of bullets pinged into the cab, taking out the windshield and both side windows. The truck had barely made it into the road when an arm as big as Farley’s entire body came through the window. Fucking half-breed grabbed Farley’s arm and jerked him through the opening. The half-breed’s grip tightened, making his bones scream. As a halvsie it was all brute strength and very little speed or brains. Otherwise the half-breed would have never let Farley get close to his face. Farley twisted hard to the left, dislocating his shoulder, and went for the half-breed’s throat. Bl
ood filled Farley’s mouth, and then hit his stomach like the hand of God, lighting him up like the goddamned sun.

  Holy Fuck.

  The beast was a hot load. What had he expected? Half-breeds safe to eat were too valuable to use as bullet fodder. The halvsie went down. Farley would have gorged himself into burnout if the bullet hadn’t plugged him in the side. Roaring like a freight train and feeling like Superman, Farley charged the shooter.

  He jumped, ripping his calf muscles from his tibia, cleared the truck cab and came crashing down on the front of an SUV. Too fast for the Human eye to follow, he zeroed in on the weakest of the group as they scattered and Human flesh parted like butter under his chelae. Someone fired a shot and the bullet burned a hole through Farley’s ribs, shattering bone and piercing a lung. Thanks to the half-breed blood roaring through Farley’s system the potentially crippling blow was nothing more than an inconvenience. Riding the burn of the feed, Farley lunged, making the group scatter. Then he changed directions by thrusting off the side of the trailer.

  Another hail of bullets sprayed the brick wall above his head, and store front windows erupted raining glass. From the back of the truck there were high pitched adolescent screams.

  Kids.

  The trailer was full of kids.

  The gun men surged forward, surrounding Farley, and he opened up to the Shift.

  As with feeding and sex, he burned hot and the torrent of heat erupting from his skin wavered the air and boiled the dampness from ground. It took only seconds but it could have been an eternity of pleasure. Farley’s mind came back with clarity as the high octane blood he’d taken from the half-breed was sucked up by the metaphysical surge powering his true form.

  The Humans chasing him threw it in reverse. Farley saw the Faerie get the crossbow from the back of one of the SUVs, but it was the screaming panicked gunmen he attacked. Farley’s chelae kicked up furrows in the asphalt, lighting up the night with sparks as he delivered death by teeth and claws.

  Another shot plugged Farley in the hip, piercing his scales and lodging in the thick muscle of his thigh. He exhaled a belch of flame, turning most of them extra crispy in a matter of seconds. The screaming and thrashing which followed hit his senses like the scent of sex and he was on them, slinging bodies until they weren’t much more than tattered bits of bone and clothing.

  This is who I am.

  Farley spread his wings and roared, blowing out windows and setting off car alarms. The sound of Humans dying excited him until the boney frills around his neck and wings rattled in a sharp thrill like pennies in a can. The sound enticed panic and the remaining flesh posse scattered.

  Off in the distance a wail of sirens caught Farley’s attention. When he turned his head the Faerie behind the overturned Excursion took his shot with the crossbow. A white hot pain punched through Farley’s neck. He keened, and the air around him set fire with scent of phosphorus. Magic.

  Farley slapped at the shaft sticking out of his throat, but every time he got a grip on the thing it would flare, sending a surge through his body which felt like ice being dumped in his veins. The magic made short work of his resources and to keep from burning up he had to Shift.

  Cursing himself for his own stupidity, Farley tried again to get the arrow out. In Human form it didn’t burn when he gripped it, but when he pulled the son-of-a-bitch out it felt like he’d ripped out his spine. Blood sprayed and Farley clamped a hand over the wound. Heat boiled under his palm as his body healed. Wailing sirens joined shouting voices. The Faerie dropped his bow and threw up his hands, and a Human hiding under the truck came out under the threat of being shot.

  “In the truck!” Did they hear him? How could they over all the noise?

  Everything moved in a series of fast-forward bursts. All the while Farley’s muscles hummed and twitched. It wasn’t a lack of fuel, but the afterburn of way too much, thanks to the loaded halvsie.

  A wave of red hair swept near Farley’s face, and something touched his forehead. He flinched, expecting cold iron, but it was a hand. Farley’s night vision slid away and he tried to recognize the woman kneeling beside him.

  She said, “Hey there, Farley.” A blanket landed across his body.

  “T-Terry?” His eyes kept blinking like there was a short in his brain. She turned away for a minute and yelled something. When she came back her eyes were firm but worried.

  But then Terry always did have a soft spot for dragons. She said, “Tell me how to help you.”

  Farley amazed himself by being able to speak. “Just get me some place safe.”

  Chapter 31

  The hot water came so fast and hard out of the showerhead Orin felt like he had his face under a geyser. And he still wanted it hotter. But that kind of heat would have melted the pipes.

  He fumbled for the soap but only found the shampoo and emptied the entire thing over his head. Orin scrubbed it into his skin, trying to remove the stench of the day. Only, soap wasn’t going to remove this kind of foulness and he knew it. Deshi was right. He was an asshole.

  An arrogant, self-centered asshole to be exact.

  Orin leaned back and let the water slap him across the cheeks, twisted his head one way then the next. The roar of water rattled his skull so hard and loud he couldn’t hear himself breathe.

  The Jersey City Prince was right about something else too. Orin was willing to throw Haley under the bus to get Rehbek’ah out of his life, but wouldn’t let her tend to him. Putting her in danger was unforgivable and yet he still didn’t know what else to do.

  Haley didn’t deserve this, Orin knew that, but the fear of Belonging made it impossible for him to tell her to go home. Even with all his internal control, when it came right down to it he was helpless against Females. They all were.

  Way too many Kin were like Deshi and failed to realize it.

  Orin scrubbed himself until his skin ached. The worst of the damage the Athens PD did to him was gone. His right knee was still swollen and there was a nasty black bruise across the top of his foot, but eventually it would fade. If he’d let Haley feed him he would have been completely healed. Not to mention, he would feel better.

  His breath came out in a shudder and water poured over him but did nothing to wash away the guilt. As much as Orin wanted to let Haley feed him, he couldn’t live with her knowing what he really was. It was just safer. At least that’s what he told himself. Maybe one day he’d actually believe it.

  Orin was about to start another scrub down when the bathroom door flew open and the curtain was snatched off the rod. Deshi was as white as the marble.

  He said, “Haley’s in trouble.”

  Orin slapped the water off, grabbed a towel and threw it around himself. He followed Deshi to the other bedroom where Haley sat on the edge of the bed, with her head down and her right hand wrapped in a towel.

  “What the hell happened?” As Orin crossed the room, he caught the glitter of glass all over the bathroom floor. “Deshi?” He looked at the Prince who was frozen in the door way. Orin stopped in front of Haley and knelt down. The white shirt she had on was soaked in green ichor and there was a streak on her face like she’d brushed her hand across her cheek without thinking. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, and her breath went in and out so fast her bottom lip trembled. Orin lifted a hand to brush the hair back from her eyes but stopped as his instincts rang five alarm bells.

  On a quick intake of air, Haley froze and her eyes peeled wide. “Hello, Orin.” A smile spread over her face. It was her mouth, her eyes, but what Orin saw was Medan.

  His hearts jackhammered against his ribs and he stumbled back. “Christ!”

  Medan rolled her eyes. “Please, Orin. Do not insult me.”

  “Haley?” He said her name because he hoped she was still in there.

  A frightened mask wavered across the cruel expression. “I can’t make her leave.”

  “That’s because she needs to feed.” Haley’s eyes and the Queen’s gaze moved over Orin’s
body, hitting every nasty scar and black bruise visible. “You shouldn’t have denied her, Orin. The offer of a Female to share her blood.” She clicked her tongue. “I am so disappointed.”

  He growled. “You know why I did it.”

  Haley’s dark brown gaze bled to gold. “I do not care about your fears, Orin. I do not care about your feelings for Haley, Deshi, or any of the fucking Chetrah who walk on the face of this earth. What I care about is the survival of my own. Rehbek’ah is a direct threat to that. Her stupidity could cost us all dearly.

  “In two days she will mature into a Queen and the remaining three stages of her RHage will rise. After that, stopping her will mean the destruction of this town and everyone in it. Athens will be nothing but a burned out crater.” And the tone of Medan’s voice said she was prepared to make it happen.

  Orin’s legs folded. “What do you want?”

  “What do I want?” He voice went high and took on a sing song lilt which could only mean very bad things. “Why, Orin, you’re the one who asked Haley to help you.” And when she said help, it felt like a blade to stab and twist with.

  Yeah, he’d asked Haley to help and he’d even been willing to let her. But staring at Haley now and knowing he was looking at Medan, Orin was struck by his own horrible memories of the African Queen and being controlled like this. Forced to do things he didn’t want to do. God of Man, what was he thinking?

  You weren’t thinking. That’s the problem.

  “This was a mistake.” He blinked several times and scrubbed his face with his hands. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this. I’ll figure out another way.”

  “You speak as if I am giving you a choice.” The Queen’s tone dropped twenty degrees. “Rehbek’ah’s stupidity cannot go unchecked. While you may like to imagine Haley is here because you asked her to be, she is here because I need her to protect you. The Queen of Athens wants to own you.”