Destined for the Dragon (Banished Dragons)

by Leela Ash

  Max snorted. “I doubt that very much. The truth is more likely to be that she is a desperate human who needs attention and validation from others because she does not fully value herself.”

  Carter was quiet for a moment, then glanced at Max. “Deep.”

  Max laughed and bopped Carter’s shoulder with his fist. “You will find your fated one. Thank you for returning the device to me tonight. It’s kind of a shame that she failed the second test, but at least we know better now rather than wasting any more of our time on humans.”

  “Right,” Carter said. “I’m glad you were in the area.”

  “Do you want to head back with me? I have some things to take care of. Being a father is a lot more work than they tell you it will be. Especially on Earth where there are no Elders to help you.”

  The mention of the Elders brought another pang of bitterness to Carter’s chest and he looked away from Max quickly before the man could read his features.

  “No, that’s okay. I want to get a bit of air before I head back to the house. There is a lot on my mind right now.”

  “Too many dates. Maybe we should start sending Gavin out,” Max said, his golden eyes gleaming playfully.

  The thought of the hyper-intelligent recluse being the one to venture outside the house to try to determine whether or not a potential descendant fit the bill brought a bubble of laughter to Carter’s lips and he nearly forgot his bitterness for a moment. Gavin was very intelligent and had taught everyone about the customs of Earth to his knowledge, but actually going through with social interactions was hard enough for him to do with his own kind, let alone with humans and potential descendants.

  “It’s all right,” Carter said with a low chuckle. “I don’t mind taking one for the team.”

  “Atta boy,” Max said, slapping Carter’s shoulder again. “I’ll see you later.”

  “You’ve been watching too many baseball movies,” Carter said, rubbing his shoulder. Max grinned.

  “It is customary for fathers to play baseball with their sons. I just want to learn the rules before he gets old enough to learn.”

  Max waved, and the two men parted ways. Carter took a deep breath. There was something odd about the night air. Something that gave him a pause. But it was probably just because he was on edge from the dates. He shrugged it off and continued on his way, doing his best not to think of the Elders and all that he had lost.

  3.

  Amy glanced at her watch. It was nearly 1am already. She would have to pick up her medicine and then head directly back home to sleep so she wouldn’t be late to work in the morning. It had been a long day; she had gone to the doctor’s office for an appointment, then took a drive to try to clear her head. It was hard to be in her position at times.

  By the time she’d come back to town, she had forgotten she had to run errands, and she had run into an old friend who had insisted she have dinner at her house. Time had slipped by and before she knew it, it was too late to go to the pharmacy.

  She would have to go to the 24-hour convenience store to get some over the counter stuff to help her out until she could pick up her prescription in the morning. Yet another reason she had to get some sleep. She hated not getting to work on time. She had always wanted to be reliable.

  It wasn’t that Rich would be upset if she was late. She just didn’t want Eric to start hating her any more than he already did. It was hard to be stuck with the added responsibilities of another person, and there was a lot that Eric had to do while they were short-staffed and Amy was sick.

  She was feeling better now. She had only been out of work for two days. She just wanted to try to pick up some of the slack for Eric. He deserved it.

  Amy was relieved when she found what she was looking for swiftly and managed to check out quickly. At least she would be able to get home faster. She should have been more careful about the time. It had been a while since anybody had shown an interest in her though.

  She was sick so often that most people didn’t really take her seriously, and she often lost friends and relationships because of it. It was a hard reality, but it was one she was used to at this point. So, when Sarah had invited her over, she had quickly agreed. Next time, she would be more careful. If there was a next time.

  “There she is,” a deep, grating voice said suddenly. Amy tensed up at the sound of it, every ounce of her intuition screaming at her to run.

  A deep growling noise froze her in place before she had a chance, and she clutched the small paper bag bearing her medicine tightly in her hands. She looked around for the source of the voice but saw nothing. Instead, she was jerked violently to the alley between the convenience store and the brick apartment building opposite it, and the growling grew far louder.

  “What do we do with her?” the same grating voice asked. Whoever was speaking sounded scary as hell, and Amy finally caught a glimpse of him. Her heart began to pound wildly in terror. The man had wild eyes and even wilder hair, and was looking at the ground with a wicked smile spreading across his face.

  Amy followed the man’s wild eyes fearfully, settling on the huge, hunched figures that were silhouetted all in black. The low growl that was released from the throat of the one closest to her brought a chill down her spine, and she glanced in terror at the man.

  Another man who looked similar to the first appeared out of the shadows.

  “The wolves. They will know what to do with her. They brought us here, after all. She is theirs to deal with now.”

  “Fuck,” Amy managed to squeak, stepping backward. She needed to find a way out of there, but there was no way. She was just getting over one of her strange bouts of illness. There was no way she would be able to defend herself like this.

  She felt a cool, wet nose against her hand and a surge of nausea consumed her.

  This isn’t a normal wolf.

  She didn’t know where the thought came from. It was more of an intuition. The wolf wasn’t just a wolf. There was far more to it. Something she knew but couldn’t quite articulate. Something that didn’t make any fucking sense.

  “Look, they’re testing her now. They will be able to tell whether or not she is one of the Golden ones.”

  “Yes,” the first man agreed, that same sickening smile spread across his lips. “Then we will know exactly what to do. A pretty little thing, isn’t she?”

  Amy whimpered when the other wolf stood before her, its beady eyes flashing red as it measured her up. She had never felt more disconcerted in her life.

  “What’s going on?”

  A loud, clear voice suddenly rang out in the darkness and Amy’s heart thudded once again; this time, not out of fear but out of something else entirely. Relief, maybe? Gratitude? But there was so much more to it than that.

  Everybody snapped their heads toward the source of the voice, and a tall, handsome man stepped forward, his dark eyes flashing menacingly.

  “Be careful,” Amy said quickly, gazing at the man in a combination of fear and disbelief. It was hard to make out his features in the dark, but from what she could tell, he was astonishingly handsome. Then again, considering her present company, it probably wouldn’t be difficult for anybody to look good compared to them. “There are dogs.”

  “Wolves,” the first man corrected. A shrill laughter pierced the air.

  It was cut off suddenly by the sound of a blow striking the man’s face, and Amy’s bright blue eyes widened. The new stranger was fast. Powerful.

  The wolf in front of her growled, baring its teeth viciously. It had apparently decided what it wanted to do with Amy, and she knew that whatever it was wouldn’t be good.

  Her survival instincts kicked in then, surprising both Amy and the wolf as she lifted her knee hard against the wolf’s face. He was taken aback long enough that she was able to get her back away from the wall and sprint toward the alley.

  But the other wolf was hot on her heels, and she let out a cry of surprise when she felt it trying to nip at her heels. She
whipped around quickly, striking it with the bag of medicine. It seemed unlikely that it would faze the creature, but somehow, it was stunned by the blow. Amy stared at its dumbfounded face for a moment, her body alive with the adrenaline of the fight.

  She turned her gaze to the new man, her blue eyes widening when she saw the short work he was making of the creepy men. Although he was outnumbered, he seemed to be able to deal with them easily; his powerful body creating a flurry of activity that left the men lying in pools of their own blood on the ground.

  The first wolf that Amy had kicked was running toward them and the man let out a low barking sound that stopped it right in its tracks. The one nearest to Amy stopped as well, and she took the opportunity to strike it again before scrambling out of the alley once and for all.

  She ran down the sidewalk, pausing only when she realized that nobody was following her. Amy’s heart was pounding in her chest and she closed her eyes, trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened.

  “Are you all right?”

  The same soothing, deep voice sounded suddenly, in front of her now. when Amy opened her eyes, her entire body reacted to what she saw. The man was standing in front of her, his full lips pulled into a concerned frown. He had beautiful, narrow eyes, light, probably blue, but she couldn’t tell in the darkness.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said hoarsely. “We should call the police.”

  “I took care of it,” he said gently. “But I don’t think that these are the kinds of enemies the police are capable of dealing with.”

  “What?” Amy asked, confused for a moment. Then again, the police of Brookside were well known for their incompetence. They had gotten three innocent high school boys into a heap of trouble they hadn’t even deserved. It was all over the news.

  “You were really impressive back there,” the man said, smiling kindly. “Is it all right if I walk you home? I’m concerned.”

  “I’m not going to have to file a police report or anything?”

  The man looked around uncomfortably and shrugged. “Wouldn’t you rather be at home safe than stuck in the police station for another six hours?”

  He had a point. She had to work in the morning. That had been the whole point of being here in the first place. Take her medicine and let it help her sleep. Lord knew if it were up to her uncooperative body, she would never sleep during a flareup of her illness.

  “Okay,” she said finally. “But I didn’t walk here, so you could just walk me to my car if you want to.”

  The man nodded dutifully. Though something in his expression told Amy that he wasn’t entirely satisfied with this.

  “My name is Carter,” he said, sticking his hand out stiffly at her. He stared at her intensely as he waited for Amy to take it, and she did so cautiously, shaking it carefully before releasing it.

  “My name is Amy,” she said quietly. “I really need to get home. I’m very tired.”

  “You are sick,” Carter said matter-of-factly.

  “Yes,” Amy said. “I am often sick.”

  Carter seemed to consider this with distaste. “Are you getting better?”

  “For now,” Amy said. She waved the small bag of medicine in the air in front of him. “In the meantime, this will help. Come on.”

  Carter nodded, and they began the trek to her car in silence.

  4.

  Carter followed closely on the heels of the human, every inch of his body still very much alert from the fight. There was something strange going on. When he had come near the human, his totem had responded. It was hidden beneath his shirt, worn as a necklace, but he felt it growing hot when he came near her. When he had glanced down at it before attacking, it was glowing a soft green color. What was going on?

  “Thank you,” Amy said, her gentle voice piercing through Carter’s thoughts. It was a nice voice. Soft and kind. But he had seen the way she had handled those wolves. Even in her sickly state she had managed to get a blow or two in. And that was impressive. They were clearly not typical wolves. There was something else happening here. Something strange at play.

  “You don’t have to thank me,” Carter said. “They were going to hurt you.”

  “They were,” Amy said, shuddering slightly. Whether it was from the cool night air or from the frightening memory, Carter couldn’t be sure. “But you stopped them.”

  Carter nodded. “I’m glad that you are okay.”

  Amy nodded. “I’m okay. I’m also tired. This is my car.”

  She stopped in the parking lot of the convenience store, her eyes lingering on the darkness of the alley. She stared dubiously until Carter spoke again, hoping to distract her from the negative thoughts she was sure to be feeling.

  “Are you a good driver?” Carter asked bluntly. “Most humans are not good drivers.”

  “Humans?” Amy asked, raising a brow. “What are you, an alien?”

  There was a teasing smile playing at her lips, and Carter returned it. “Sort of,” he replied, surprised by how easy it was to fall into a joking manner with her. It had been hard for him to be lighthearted since his descent to Earth. Why was it so easy to let his guard down around this human?

  “If you say so,” she said with a soft laugh.

  “You will be safe,” Carter said, seeming to sense an unspoken need in the human to be reassured. He apparently wasn’t far off the mark, because when he spoke, Amy’s face grew serious and still. “I will make sure you are home safe.”

  “I don’t know how you’re going to do that,” Amy said. “Because no matter how grateful to you I am, I’m not putting you in my car. I need to get home, and hosting a stranger is at the bottom of my to do list. I don’t owe you anything.”

  For some reason, instead of being angry, Carter’s face broke out into a smile. She was feisty for a sickly woman. He nodded to her in approval.

  “I think that is a wise choice. But don’t worry. I can do my best to ensure your safety anyway. You don’t have to let me in your car. I won’t do anything to harm you.”

  Amy gazed at him and then got wordlessly into her car.

  “You’re kind of strange,” she said quietly.

  “Thank you,” Carter said. “I do not want to fit in to a place like this.”

  This seemed to strike Amy as very funny and she burst into a fit of quiet, subdued laughter. She seemed to have forgotten the situation for a moment, and then turned her attention back to the alley. She was still thinking about the attack. Still afraid.

  “I won’t let anything else happen to you,” Carter said, more firmly this time.

  Amy’s eyes snapped to Carter’s, and he noticed that in the bright white light of the convenience store window, her eyes were a beautiful soft blue [LR1]color. It reminded him immediately of his totem. It was not glowing hot any longer, but he felt a strange stirring as he drew the parallel in his mind.

  “I don’t know how you can promise that,” Amy said. “But I appreciate that you want to.”

  Carter nodded. It was true. There were some promises that couldn’t be upheld. But tonight, he was going to do everything in his power to watch over this human. She was already ill. The last thing she needed was another strange attack to prevent her from finding the peace she needed to heal. If healing for a human like her was possible. Carter recoiled inwardly. Humans were such filthy creatures at times.

  “I do. Good night then, Amy.”

  Amy looked at him strangely, then another smile broke out across her face. “Good night then, Carter.”

  She rolled the window to her car up and Carter stood in the parking lot, staring at her as she began to drive away.

  Little did she know, but he was going to keep his promise.

  He looked around quickly, knowing that the men in the alley were long gone, before crossing the street. It was darker here, and he took off at a sprint to follow Amy’s car and keep a watchful eye on her to make sure she made it home safely.

  ***

  “So how was your date, Cart
er?”

  Carter scowled when Gavin approached him. All he wanted to do was shower and go to bed so he could stop worrying about what might become of Amy. There was something strange about the whole situation and he couldn’t shake it, no matter how hard he tried.

  “It was just a date,” Carter said, glowering down at his hands. Why couldn’t he just be left in peace to digest the night?

  “Tell us about it,” TJ insisted, coming out from the kitchen. He cracked open a beer and handed it to Carter, then returned to the kitchen to grab one for himself.

  “Thanks,” Carter grumbled. Maybe talking about the date would help to distract him from the obnoxious nagging worry in his mind that Amy was going to find herself in more trouble. The strange situation was a lot to try to wrap his head around, but he felt like he had to think about it before speaking of it to any of the others. He had a lot to figure out for himself before letting them in on his thoughts.

  “What was she like?” TJ asked. “Was she a potential descendant?”

  “Without further testing, we can’t know for sure. She certainly wasn’t my fated mate,” Carter said with a heavy sigh as he sank down onto the couch. “These human customs never make any sense to me!”

  This brought a small round of laughter to the room. TJ and Gavin sat down.

  “They would if you were raised here,” TJ said pointedly.

  “I really don’t think so,” Carter said, shaking his head.

  Gavin nodded. “Carter is very analytical. He probably would still struggle even if this were his native culture.”

  “Thanks,” Carter said sarcastically. Thinking about the date was making his bitterness toward humanity come back in full force.

  Gavin laughed. “There is nothing at all wrong with being a skeptic. In fact, it is a mark of wisdom.”

  Instead of feeling better, Gavin’s words made him feel far worse. He had been in training to become an Elder for this very reason. He had always been marked with wisdom beyond his years. And now that he had been betrayed, that wisdom had turned on its head and left him in a deep pit of bitterness. Nothing on Earth could absolve that. He hadn’t even managed to feel genuine amusement until he and Amy had been laughing together in the parking lot…