Chromium Dragon

by Terry Bolryder

  The guy with the knife turned to look at her, and Chromium saw the knife in his hand as Helen came forward.

  And all of his self-control vanished, the mental barriers restraining his physical power instantly breaking at even the slightest danger to his mate.

  Like a lightning bolt, he was between Helen and the man. The guy didn’t even have enough time to register his own surprise when Chromium’s fist connected with his stomach.

  There was a loud thud that Chromium barely noticed as the man launched off the ground, flying backward several dozen feet into the air. Thankfully, he landed in a large pile of discarded trash bags, sending them rolling in every direction.

  His friend, shock and horror on his face, stood there agape, stunned. When Chromium looked down at him, he ran as fast as his human feet could carry him, heading for the pile of trash and helping his stunned (but at least not dead) friend up and then away until they were both out of his sight.

  It had taken everything Chromium had possessed to not run the guy through with his sword. Or something worse.

  Then he turned and saw Helen standing behind him, staring wide-eyed in utter shock.

  Oh shit.

  He shouldn’t have done that.

  Chapter 14

  Helen stared open-mouthed as Chromium walked back to her, a look of consternation on his handsome face.

  She’d just seen him punch a guy into the next world, or at least launch him farther than any human should be able to do, and now, watching him move calmly toward her, it was hard not to feel oddly terrified.

  It was Chromium. She knew him. He was a good man. He’d stopped a robbery in front of her store before, and he’d made sure neither of them got hurt now.

  Yet… something was very wrong about what she’d just seen.

  “I… What are you?”

  He stared at her blankly, then glared at the taser in her hand. “What did you think you were doing interfering like that? I told you to go up and shut your door.”

  She harrumphed and folded her arms. “You aren’t the boss of me however much you seem to think so.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  She dropped her arms in resignation. “But seriously, I saw what you just did, and what I did isn’t what we should be talking about. You know, I’ve tried not to ask a lot of questions. I’ve tried to be faithful and not pushy and trust my gut about you. With one exception, I’ve always been right about people. I don’t want this to be the second exception.”

  “Why would it be?”

  “Because look at you! I mean, I knew there was something about you. Your hair, your eyes. You don’t look like you’re from this world, but I was never gonna judge that. And you say you can’t say where you worked, and I accepted that. Because honestly, how someone acts is more important than where they’re from.” She shook her head. “But I mean, I think we’re at the point where we really need to clarify some things. Because what I saw wasn’t human at all.”

  He lowered his head slightly, and she could see defeat in his eyes. It was something she wasn’t used to seeing. He always seemed to have the world in the palm of his hand.

  “I’m not what you think I am,” he said. “You’re right. I’m not trying to deceive you, but I can’t just tell you without—”

  “Without what?” She threw her hands in the air. “When were you going to tell me there is something seriously weird with you? When we were married and I was pregnant with an alien baby?” She put her hands in her hair. “Oh God, am I an idiot? I mean, I was making plans with you. I could really see something with you. Am I crazy?”

  He walked forward, trying to reach her, but she took a step back. “You aren’t crazy. There is something between us.”

  “I mean long term,” she said. “How can there be something long term when you’re like… that?”

  “It doesn’t change anything. I’m the same person I was at the movie, in the restaurant. In bed.” He gave her a meaningful look, and she flushed.

  But even the delicious moments in bed couldn’t erase the shock she was feeling.

  She’d gone as far on faith as she could. She needed answers. She folded her arms and looked at the ground, then at him. “Chromium. I need to know who, and what, you are.”

  “I’m your friend. A guy who is really into you.”

  “Who can send someone flying twenty feet with a single punch. Look, I’ve only seen things like that in movies. You have to tell me what’s going on.”

  “You won’t believe me.”

  “After that?” She laughed, trying to keep the edge of hysteria out of her voice. “After what I just saw, I have to.”

  He was looking very shut down, very nervous, and she walked over to him, touching his hand and quelling the fear that was still heavy inside her.

  It wasn’t fear so much of him, because she still knew that whatever he was, he was good to the core. It was simply the fear of something unknown, the expanding panic of realizing the world was so much bigger than she’d thought it was and the implications thereof.

  And wondering what an extraordinary creature like Chromium was really doing in her very ordinary life.

  She’d thought of him once as an angel, but she was pretty sure that was wrong.

  She didn’t think angels punched like that.

  “Just tell me,” she said, stroking his hand gently as she looked up into his eyes. “I’m not going to go off on you. Please. I think I deserve it.”

  He rubbed a hand over hers. “Not yet. I… can’t.”

  She let out a frustrated breath as she pulled her hand back. “I don’t understand it. If you aren’t trying to fool me, if you want something with me, why can’t you say?”

  He swallowed. “I just… It’s not up to me. But listen, I’m going to make some phone calls. I’m going to get permission. I’m going to do whatever I can to make it up to you. I will be able to tell you the truth, Helen, because you’re going to be mine forever. That much I can tell you.”

  She clenched her hands into fists, not knowing whether to be touched by the romance in his words or infuriated that he was still trying to control things despite not giving her any of the information she wanted. Needed.

  She turned on her heel to go up the stairs to her apartment. He had some things to sort out apparently, and she needed some alone time in her room.

  Her heart couldn’t seem to calm down, and her brain kept playing back that second that had seemed to freeze in time when he’d sent that mugger flying.

  The immediate alarm as he saw that she’d seen it, that he’d been caught.

  The feeling that he’d been hiding something, that she’d been duped.

  And then she had to resist the urge to overwrite all of the wonderful moments between them as part of some scam.

  Because deep down, she knew Chromium was right. This didn’t change who he was. He really did care about her. She would give him a chance to explain it.

  But until he could do that, she didn’t think she could face him again.

  “Where are you going?” he called after her.

  She opened the door to her apartment. “Chromium, I really care about you. I’m not keeping any secrets from you, so I won’t hide that one. But I think I deserve to know who you are. So until you can tell me, please leave me alone.”

  Then, with a deep breath, she closed the door behind her, feeling like she was leaving her heart out there with him.

  As Chromium watched Helen storm into her apartment and shut the door, he cursed himself for being a quick reactor.

  He’d been doing so well at keeping up the appearance of the fight being a struggle, and then he’d seen the guy just look at Helen the wrong way and things had gone sideways.

  Now he had to either tell everyone at the mansion what had happened and get permission to tell her who he was or go on lying to his mate by making up some other kind of story about why he was supernaturally strong compared to a human.

  He rubbed at his temples, a
nervous habit, as he walked into his apartment and shut the door behind him. “Dammit.”

  He stopped short when he saw someone sitting on his couch in the darkness.

  He jumped back to the light switch, flicked it on, got into a fighting stance, and then—

  “Hello, Chromium. What are you doing in the human world?”

  Chromium gaped as Arsenic, legendary assassin and apparently overall busybody dragon, stood up from the couch and walked over to greet him.

  “Look what we have here.” Arsenic walked in a small circle. “An escaped dragon.” His vivid emerald eyes stared Chromium up and down. “You don’t seem sick to me.” He shook his head. “I knew Cobalt was lying.”

  Chromium stiffened, crossing his arms and leaning back against the door. “Fine. You caught me, so what are you doing here?”

  Arsenic cocked his head. “Why did you lie and hide things from your friends?”

  Chromium frowned, feeling slightly guilty. He’d never been particularly chummy with Arsenic, but they were indeed friends who had always had each other’s backs. As members of the dragon guard, they’d fought together, bled together, and he felt a bit bad about leaving them out of his life.

  But he hadn’t ever meant to get this caught up.

  He’d thought he had it all under control when he’d first started taking trips into the human world. He’d save a few lives, get some energy out, eat some tasty things, and get back before anyone missed him.

  He hadn’t expected to find his mate or for her to be in possible danger or to be unable to leave her side once he found her or—

  “Oh please, none of us could stand to be away from our mates once we found them,” Arsenic said, folding his arms. “We would have understood you. We had no idea you were sneaking out, but you know we trust you. We would have had your back.”

  Chromium felt ashamed because he knew Arsenic was right, but he wasn’t used to relying on his friends. He liked to be the one taking care of them, cooking for them, hanging out and doing his own thing as he liked without needing to bother anyone.

  Cobalt was the only one he’d allowed himself to really depend on, and sometimes he was uncomfortable even with that.

  “I’m sorry, Arsenic. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

  Arsenic let out a hoarse laugh. “Please, you didn’t hurt our feelings. But you could have gotten hurt. You and Cobalt should have known better.”

  “So everyone knows?”

  Arsenic took a seat on the couch, and Chromium came over to join him. Though it had been a shock to see the assassin, it was kind of nice to be with his friend. “I’m guessing they do by now. I knew Cobalt was up to something. That guy is such a bad liar—”

  “He is.”

  “So I snuck into your room, and when I didn’t see you there, I confronted him.” Arsenic smirked. “He admitted everything, and I think he was glad I found out because he didn’t want to blow your secret. But the poor guy seriously hates lies.”

  Just another thing for Chromium to feel guilty about. Letting down his cousin.

  “Hey,” Arsenic said, putting a hand on Chromium’s shoulder. “No one’s mad at you for what you’ve done.”

  Chromium was surprised by the contact, since Arsenic wasn’t usually one for touch. “Your mate is rubbing off on you.”

  Arsenic flinched slightly, and Chromium realized the legendary killer was blushing. He waved a hand. “Shut up. This is about you, not me. Anyway, Cobalt should be following up after talking to the others. They’ll decide whether or not to talk to the oracle. But honestly, Chromium, I hope this teaches you not to take on everything by yourself.”

  Chromium lifted his chin stubbornly. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve been fine all by myself.”

  “I don’t think so,” Arsenic said. “I saw your little fight out there, and I’m guessing your human knows about you. At least, she suspects something by the way she was yelling at you. I didn’t listen to any of that part because it seemed boring. But I did see you punch that guy obscenely hard.”

  “He was fine.”

  “Yeah, that was lucky. But what are you going to tell your mate? How were you planning to figure that out on your own? How were you planning to show up at the mansion to face the oracle?”

  Chromium stayed silent. His whole life, he’d protected others. He’d always been in the background, watching, listening. Guarding.

  Depending on his own mind and his own strength. Being known as the one who didn’t talk much. The one who never needed advice or help.

  And now he did.

  “I’m sorry. I thought I could handle it. I didn’t think far enough ahead.”

  “It’s okay,” Arsenic said, giving him another small pat on his shoulder. “We all become idiots when we find our mates.”

  “So now what?”

  “I sent Cobalt a text update about what your mate saw. Now I wait with you to hear from Cobalt on what to do next,” Arsenic said, kicking back and putting his feet on the coffee table. “Because I can tell you’re nervous as hell.”

  Chromium sagged in relief. As shocking as it had been for everyone to suddenly get involved in his business, it was kind of nice to not be trying to handle everything on his own while sneaking around.

  Now that the lies and sneaking were out in the open, he could focus on what to do next with his mate, because the last thing he wanted was to lose Helen.

  Arsenic’s phone rang, and he picked it up, then handed it over to Chromium. “They want to talk to you.”

  Chromium picked up the phone, trying to push down his trepidation. “Hello?”

  “Hey.” It was Zinc. “Sorry to get all up in your business.”

  “It’s fine.” Chromium had to smile at how human they were all sounding now that they’d found mates. “It’s good to hear from you. And to not have any more secrets.”

  “It’s okay, man,” Zinc said. “Look, you’ve always been loyal and a perfect guard, and I should have known you were going stir crazy at the mansion. It’s not fair to you to just sit around while everyone is happy, and I explained that to the oracle when I made your case.”

  Chromium’s heart stopped for a second, lodged in his throat. Everyone knew. The oracle knew. “And?”

  “And she gave you permission to go ahead. As long as only your mate knows. Be careful how you tell her, though.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Follow your heart,” Zinc replied. “You’ve always had a good heart, Chromium. Here, Cobalt wants to talk to you.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Zinc. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yes, you will.”

  Chromium was unsure what he meant by that, but he waited for Cobalt to pick up the phone.

  “Hey,” Cobalt said apologetically. “Look, I’m sorry it all got out, but I think it’s for the best.”

  “I do, too,” Chromium said. “And I love you, man. I’m sorry for putting you in that position.”

  “Did you just apologize? Without me asking you to?” Cobalt sounded incredulous. “Wow. Well, apology accepted.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Chromium said. “No, seriously. Don’t mention it.”

  Cobalt laughed. “So we’re okay?”

  “Of course we are.” Chromium slanted a glance at Arsenic. “Some people just can’t stay out of their friends’ business.” When Arsenic scowled, Chromium gave him a smile. “And I’m glad they didn’t.”

  “Okay then,” Cobalt said. “Oh, and since Zinc didn’t mention it, we all want to come to the restaurant and meet your mate. So when things are good there, tell us. And don’t hesitate to call for backup if you need us either.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Love you.”

  “You, too,” Chromium said.

  “Ugh, so much mush,” Arsenic said, rolling his eyes. “Get it over with already. I have to go home.”

  “Bye,” Chromium said. Then he hung up the phone and handed it to Arsenic. “There you go.”


  Arsenic slid it in his pocket. “So you’re fine if I go, then? You don’t need anything else?”

  It was Chromium’s turn to touch his friends shoulder. “No, I’m fine. Unless you want a hug…”

  Arsenic’s eyes widened as he dodged out of Chromium’s grip and opened the door. “No thanks. As I said, no more mush. Seriously, what have we dragons come to?” And with that, he disappeared into the night, still muttering until he was out of hearing range and cloaked.

  Chromium looked around his apartment and let out a sigh of relief. He could go to his mate. He could finally tell her everything. And then they could live happily ever after, after all.

  Hopefully.

  Chapter 15

  Helen changed the channel with a sigh. Why did it feel like there were only sci-fi movies on tonight?

  Sure, the idea of sexy aliens was hot, but that wasn’t supposed to happen. Not in real life.

  She heard a knock on her door and tensed up. Already, her heart was hammering.

  She walked out into the living room and saw Chromium’s large shape taking up all the space in front of her door. She hoped he was finally ready to tell her everything, because otherwise, she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t trying to be cruel to him, but he couldn’t expect her to wait any longer.

  When she opened the door, she could see relief on his face, an expression that was more open than any she’d seen thus far.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Can you tell me who you are?”

  He nodded.

  “And you aren’t human?”

  He looked chagrined and ran a hand through his white-blond hair. “Can I just come in?”

  She held the door open for him, then shut and locked it once he was inside. She walked to the couch and motioned for him to take it. Then she took the chair across from him. She was trying not to be guarded. After all, this was a man she’d just enjoyed a really nice date with. Who’d defended them from muggers.

  Who’d always been a good friend and, if she were honest, a lot more.

  She was going to give him the benefit of the doubt.