by Leela Ash
“I understand, boss, it’s just that the others get what they deserve right away. Sometimes they get more than they deserve. I just want to know that I am on their level.”
“Just because you can play human better doesn’t make you better. In fact, it lowers you. Why do you think you fit in with the humans? Because you’re just as stupid as they are. Now get the hell out of my sight before you regret opening your mouth to me. I will consider how to reward you for your efforts on my own time. I am not the kind of person who gets pressured, is that understood?”
The hot dog vendor let out a high-pitched sigh and bowed to the man.
“Of course, boss, I just thought…”
“I don’t care what you thought. You’re in this position because you rarely think at all. Now leave. I need to exchange some words with the Golden one before we proceed with the ceremony. Is that clear?”
The hot dog vendor nodded and left the room, and Amy felt a new surge of fear consume her. She almost felt safer with the hot dog vendor present. Now that she was alone with this unpredictable creature, she was terrified.
“So, I see that I have finally gotten my hands on you, Golden one,” he said, his eyes flashing. “You will address me as King Wayne, and there will be no compromising that. If you wish to speak, you will ask me permission to speak. Once granted, then you can empty your little mind to me.”
Amy felt a surge of rage course through her at the belittling comment. She may be weak and ill much of the time, but one thing she wasn’t was unintelligent or small minded. In fact, her intelligence had always been one of her greatest strengths. She had wanted to be a doctor for crying out loud. Why should she let anybody belittle her intelligence? Even this ugly monster in front of her?
“Permission to speak, King Wayne,” Amy asked, not waiting for his permission at all. “But if I’m not mistaken, you need me for something. I don’t think that insulting me is going to be the best way for you to get what it is that you want. So please, refrain from treating me like some stupid little human that is lower than you and try some respect.”
The words blurted out of her mouth before she could stop them, and Amy froze in fear as she awaited the creature’s reaction. He was gaunt, almost skeletal in formation, but when his lips twisted into a sadistic smile, she found herself surprised. He didn’t seem angry. He seemed amused.
“A feisty one. That is how we can differentiate the Golden ones from the humans. I am glad that you have passed this test. You are going to be quite useful. You give yourself away, Golden one. But that is to your own detriment and to my satisfaction. We must prepare you for the ceremony at once. Only then will you be fit to board my vessel and be transported.”
“I don’t even know what’s going on or why you want me,” Amy said, with a desperate sigh. “I don’t even know what being a golden one means. All of this is really confusing. Why can’t you just explain to me what’s going on?”
She had found a bizarre strength of will that was buried deep within herself. How she was able to look to this terrifying creature and speak with him as if they were equals was beyond her ability to comprehend. And yet, this was what she was doing and where she was that. And it felt comfortable to her. This confidence. The strength. It had always been there, but now, somehow, this freakish man had brought it out of her. It was almost the same as how she had felt when fighting off the wolves. The wolves that this man had sent upon her. What did it all mean?
“Now, now, you will get your answers in time. Right now, it is my turn to speak. You understand, Golden one?”
“No, I do not understand. I don’t understand any of this. That’s why I am asking. Can’t you just tell me at least one little thing? What the hell is a golden one?”
“The less you know the better,” the creature said. “I do not owe you an explanation. I owe myself the satisfaction of garnering your power to propel my cause forward. If you are allowed to remain as you are, then those obnoxious, self-righteous people are going to take you as their own. You are going to be taken against your will either way because of where you come from. Do you really not know anything about your history?”
The creature’s eyes glittered darkly as he studied Amy as if appraising her somehow.
“I don’t really know anything. I know my grandmother has disappeared because we have a similar illness. I know that there are rumors about my family and that everybody thinks we’re weird. I know that I don’t belong here. But I still don’t know why. I’m not even surprised that something this crazy can happen to me. Crazy things are always happening, and they’ll probably always continue to happen. And until you tell me or something, I guess that’s just something I have to accept.”
Amy raised her hands into the air desperately, frustrated by the entire situation. She was getting sick and tired of everybody treating her as if there was something wrong with her. It was almost flattering to be treated as if she were a coveted item, no matter how messed up it happened to be. It was better than being treated like a disease.
“Your ability to accept the inverse is quite commendable,” the creature said. “I suppose that I can let you in on why you are going to be useful to me. It is all part of the ceremony, anyway. You’re going to have to cooperate. If you do not, then things are not going to end in your favor. I have no mercy for the likes of you. You do-gooders have been ruining the fabrics of the universe ever since you came into existence. And I would love nothing more than to be the one who single-handedly destroys you, once and for all.”
Amy froze her brow and stared at the man. He sounded insane.
“Did you escape from some kind of asylum or something?” Amy asked, looking the creature up and down. Maybe he really was human after all. There were all kinds of diseases that could make a man look this way. Just because she didn’t know any of them off the top of her head didn’t mean it wasn’t possible.
“Oh, you could say so,” the monster said with a bitter nod. “I have escaped the dredges of hell. A hell unlike anything you could ever conceive of. However, you are going to be a very useful instrument in helping me to achieve my goals.”
Amy prickled. “I would rather help myself to achieve my goals. What kind of goals do you think I’m going to help you with?”
“Oh, not the kind of goals you probably have in mind,” the monster said with a low chuckle. “Anything that you can do to help me is only going to help me. And you are probably not going to like what happens when we start with the ceremony.”
Amy frowned. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Ah, now that I can tell you. We are going to drain you, my dear. We’re going to drain you completely. And the essence that we are able to farm from your being is going to be utilized in crafting the destruction of the do-gooder races throughout the universe. All the obnoxious shifters are going to be destroyed. Because we are able to destroy you. And without you, how will they exist?”
He chuckled deeply. Amy felt sick to her stomach. She had no idea what was going on, but she was starting to get some small semblance of what this man believed to be true and possible. He was probably just some whack job that Rich had led straight to her by talking about all the strange things that happened in her family. None of this could possibly be real. Could it?
“I don’t help anybody exist,” Amy said, shaking her head frantically. “I can’t even help myself exist. I am sick all the time. I need other people to take care of me. I’m a burden on everybody and everything around me. Why do you think that I’m anything special? None of that makes sense. It’s all insane. You are fucking crazy!”
The creature let out a deep laugh that quaked his entire being and Amy took a step backward, her eyes darting around the room for any possible escape. Lining the walls were three different guards, each of which looked as sinister and terrifying as the creature before her. They were holding large weapons, unlike anything she had ever seen before. But she knew that they would hurt if they were turned on her. Her stomach fluttered in f
ear and she cringed as one single thought floated to the surface of her mind. Carter.
Carter would be able to help her. She should have sought him out when she had the chance. Now, it was too late and whatever these men wanted to do with her was going to happen, whether she liked it or not. And whatever that was, it didn’t sound pleasant. In fact, it was downright horrifying. They were going to drain her? Did that mean they were going to have her bleed out or what? She was terrified.
“Actually, I think the crazy thing about this whole situation is that you don’t even know how important you are. This is to my benefit, but I can’t help but feel kind of sorry for you. You’re no better than a petty, stupid human in that sense. You don’t know your full potential. All of us have something great within that can be unlocked and unleash a surge of influence throughout the universe. But neither humans nor the Golden ones on this planet have any clue as to your own power. And it makes it so easy to pluck you up off the street and use it for myself. How sad for you. How sad for your kind. How sad for the shifters who have gone about making this universe an unbearable place to live for people like me.”
“You’re not a person,” Amy snapped. “You’re a monster.”
The creature, King Wayne, grinned. “That may be,” he said, his features snapping back into a serious expression. “But I am the kind of monster who wins at this game. And you are going to lose. You can bet your life on that.”
17.
It was late into the evening by the time that Carter finally stopped walking. His legs were aching, and he was furious. All he wanted to do was to shape shift into his dragon form and make this task a little easier on himself. He could tell that Amy was in danger, but he could also tell that she was still alive. It was rumored that when a dragon shifter’s fated mate was killed, it was known to their mate immediately.
A sense of desperate loneliness would wash over them and remain in place for the rest of their lives. Their purpose would be diminished, and it was customary for other shifters to take them under their wing and give them direction to help them through the painful process of losing the one they loved.
Carter couldn’t allow that to happen. And so, he was beyond relieved when Amy’s scent was found all over a vehicle that he finally stumbled upon. It was a van, one that food vendors utilize. The bastards must have taken her right off the beach. Carter felt a surge of fear crash over him. Why couldn’t they just pick on somebody their own size? Why did they have to try and hurt Amy? It had to be the enemy. But which one? He hadn’t recognized the wolves. Though Gavin had made it clear that he had some idea of what was going on with them.
Maybe Carter should have waited to speak to Gavin more about what he was confronting. But the urgency he felt to protect Amy had taken over all his faculties. There was no other course of action in Carter’s mind. He had to take care of her. He had known suddenly and without a doubt that she was in danger. And now, it was confirmed.
But the van was abandoned. It was left at the side of the road, its doors thrust open and all the supplies stripped from it. Maybe it had been robbed during the time it had been sitting there, but Carter couldn’t be sure. It didn’t even matter. What mattered was that Amy was no longer there. But she had been.
Carter let out a low growl from the back of his throat as he scanned his surroundings with his purple-hued eyes. He needed to know that Amy was safe. That she was going to be able to make it to the next day. That he was going to be able to confess his feelings and apologize for the way he had treated her. Why had he discounted her as a potential? The descendants came in all sorts of shapes and forms, the Elders had made that much clear.
He had been so stupid to discount her as a mate, even after he had allowed the dragon within himself to speak a small claim on her body. What kind of a man was he to claim her and leave that way? It was wrong. He hated himself for it. And he was going to make up for it. He had to.
But he wouldn’t be able to do that if he wasn’t even able to find her first. Carter set his jaw, his [LR5]eyes seeking out any clue of Amy’s whereabouts. Yes, the place was deserted, but they had to take her somewhere. Were they underground? The wolves had only been spotted at night, so maybe they were in hiding from the daylight.
With this thought in mind, Carter began to scan the area in earnest, following Amy’s scent until it ended abruptly in a patch of earth. Was this the place? It had to be.
Without thinking twice, Carter began shape shifting into his dragon form. He wasn’t going to wait any longer. He had a feeling that time was running out, and the danger Amy was in was mounting every second. There was nobody out here to see him shape shift. He was safe according to the wishes of the Elders. Now, he was going to find his mate and he was going to protect her at all costs. No matter what that meant.
Carter began digging through the dirt and was surprised when he burst through a shallow wall and found himself in a winding labyrinth of tunnels. He had never seen anything like it and scanned the ground, only to discover that there were iron tracks laid out. What was this place? It looked human made, but it was also deserted.
He didn’t have time to worry about it and quickly did his best to hone in on Amy’s location. He wished that she was speaking or making some sort of noise that he could hear, but for the time being, she was either too far away from him to detect the sound, or she was silenced. He hoped that the former was more likely, and closed his eyes, trying to gather up as much of his will as possible to seek out his fated mate and destroy whatever obstacles were in the way of her safety.
Carter began moving, slowly and laboriously through the tunnels. His dragon form was huge compared to the narrow and constricting area that he was in. But he didn’t dare to shape shift back into his human form. He was more powerful this way, and if any interesting enemies began to approach, he would be able to take care of them with one puff of his breath weapon. The Sun Dragons didn’t take any prisoners when it came to the safety of those they cared for. And Amy’s situation would be no exception. Even if the narrow tunnels were a bit confining for Carter’s taste. Still, that didn’t matter. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure she was safe. Even if that meant he was uncomfortable for a little while.
“Shit! It’s a dragon shifter! Somebody get the boss.”
Carter whipped around at the sound of the voice echoing through the tunnel just in time to catch sight of three of the same scraggly looking men that he had encountered when Amy had been cornered in the alley. He let loose a torrent of fire from his lungs and one of the men yelped as the others tried to scramble out of the way. Heat filled the tunnels and one man dropped while the others did their best to escape. Carter lunged forward, tackling one of them. Unfortunately, another slipped through a small crack that he was far too large to reach through.
Damn it. That meant that they were going to be ready for him.
Carter tried to shake it off and bounded through the tunnels quickly, his heart pounding with urgency. He needed to find Amy. He needed to know that she was safe.
Suddenly, the tunnel broke into a wide room and there was a staircase leading up, to where, Carter couldn’t be sure. His eyes darted around the room skeptically, before, finally, he decided to climb the stairs and see what he might find.
He had never been in a place like this before. It reeked of humans, but also smelled like magic. Whoever the boss was, he was close by. And the others were going to be coming for him soon. If he was outnumbered, he wasn’t sure what Amy’s chances of survival may be. He was hoping that he would have the advantage.
Once Carter broke out at the top of the stairs, he took in a sharp breath. Wolves. Hundreds of wolves. Caged and growling at him. An alarm suddenly began to sound and the metallic clink of the cages unlocking filled the room. The doors swung open and Carter cursed inwardly. This was going to hurt.
18.
“I knew that this would look good on you, golden one,” King Wayne said with a sneer.
Amy looked down a
t the tattered gown she was wearing. It was stained with blood, and she felt a surge of nausea consume her. Somebody had worn this before her and the results had definitely not been good.
“It’s a little tight,” Amy complained, shifting restlessly in the gown. “Don’t you have anything else I could wear?”
King Wayne laughed and shook his creaking head. “No. I’m afraid not. The ceremonial garb has to be the same at all times. It is a special fabric that we brought back from a very long way.”
“How long?” Amy asked, her stomach dropping. She was beginning to sense that there was something far more sinister going on here than simply being abducted by a bunch of freaks who had escaped from a high-security mental institution.
“Oh, you know. Somewhere out in the galaxy. I don’t know the location from this point. But we will get there again, soon enough. Especially with your help.”
“I’m not going to help you. Not willingly,” Amy said, jutting her chin out. Anything that she could do to distract this creature from whatever was about to happen, she would do. She would give him as much shit as she possibly could. He seemed to be enjoying the attention, and it was delaying the inevitable. Even if it wasn’t going to prevent it entirely. She was buying herself some time.
“Oh yes, I don’t expect you to do any of this willingly. That’s half the fun,” King Wayne said with a deep chuckle. “Do you think that I would do this for my own health if I didn’t have a choice? It’s quite a waste of time, if you ask me. The ceremonies are very long-winded and drawn out. But once you have gone through it, then we will be able to harness the power within you and take you back to the ship. You’ll never have to deal with these petty humans again. You’ll be too busy functioning as a battery for a machine. That will help us to destroy those dragons come once and for all.”
