by Amelia Jade
“I see. Well, I’m sure if you present the deed to the mountain that a compromise can be worked out.”
He almost sneered at her slimy politician response.
“There will be no compromise,” he rumbled, his voice darkening. “The mining must never resume. Ever.”
Beside him Hollie went to elbow him again but he blocked it with his arm. He was done listening to this scheming weasel. She was the same as politicians from ages before, always trying to play both sides against each other so that she could emerge on top.
“Well, if you have proof of ownership of the land, now would be an excellent time to produce it,” Mayor Mcallionn said, her eyebrows lowering as her face darkened at his abrasive tone.
“It is mine,” he repeated.
“You don’t have any proof?”
“What proof do you need? I am stating that the mountain is mine, I have the right to it. Is my word not good enough?”
Beside him Hollie was freaking out, trying to force him to calm down, but by now thunderclouds were forming in his eyes as he watched the mayor trying to formulate a response that would work to her advantage. His mind flashed back to five centuries earlier when he had dealt with Baron Esteban, and watched the man go through the same song and dance, his face reflecting the same emotions.
Some things, it appeared, never changed.
“I’m sorry, Sid, but no, it’s not,” Mayor Mcallionn said apologetically. “We need something that is tangible proof, more than just your word. A signed deed or other document from a government, or previous owner. Something…anything really. Otherwise what’s to prevent me from saying that I own the mountain, and not you?”
“But you don’t,” he said angrily, getting to his feet. “It is MY mountain, and you mustn’t dig or drill or mine or anything upon it!”
“At this point, there is nothing I can do to stop it.” The mayor paused. “Unless you have proof.”
His fist slammed down into her wooden table, leaving a giant crack from left to right. At the last second he’d gotten his anger under control to prevent his blow from shattering the desk. Doing that could send chunks flying any direction, including at Hollie. No matter what he did, her protection was of the utmost importance to him, and he needed to keep that in mind.
“My proof is my word. You have insulted me by calling me a liar.”
Obsidian saw the wheels turning in the mayor’s eyes, trying to see if she could twist the situation around to benefit her, he was sure, but in the end she came up with nothing.
“I’m sorry, Sid, or whoever you are, but I can’t do anything.”
“Very well,” he said, his voice filling the room despite how low he spoke. “Then I shall.”
He turned and strode from the room, Hollie coming after him after saying something, probably an apology, to the mayor. He ignored the secretary and moved to the elevator. He stabbed the button, breaking the little glass cover and destroying the light. The doors still opened with a ding however, indicating he hadn’t caused any permanent damage.
Which was unfortunate. He wanted to unleash himself upon this little town, Drake’s Crossing. To show them who their true master was. To call down the fire of the mountains like in the days of old! His breath would burn houses to the ground and he would fan the flames of destruction with his wings as the townsfolk ran in terror. They would know his name and flee his wrath like he was the god of war Ares walking amongst them! The power filled his hands and as he stepped into the elevator he prepared to unleash hell.
Hollie jumped in at the last second as the doors in front of him were closing, her eyes burning bright with an anger so vivid it caught even his attention.
“You ASSHOLE!” she screamed, putting her hands on his shoulders and shoving as hard as he could.
Sid flew back, rebounding off the back of the elevator and heading straight toward her.
SLAP!
Her right hand came out of nowhere and connected perfectly with his cheek. He was ready for the second one, however, and caught her wrist.
“You can’t do this!” she said angrily, pulling her hand away.
He let it go. “No one can stop me.”
Hollie shook her head. “Sid, Sid, not Obsidian the Destroyer or whatever you fancy yourself. But Sid, please, listen to me. You cannot do this! If you reveal yourself, they will come after you.”
“Who?” he rumbled. “Who would dare challenge me? I would destroy them all, leave them a smoking ruin!”
She rolled her eyes. “The government. The military. They have weapons that will kill even you. I see it in your eyes, Sid. It’s the same look you had back in your cave, when you wanted to kill everyone.”
“It is my mountain,” he maintained.
“You sound like a child having a temper tantrum because you aren’t getting what is yours.”
“They must not dig any further,” he stated.
“Why? What is so damn important about them continuing to dig there?! Please, tell me! Help me understand, Sid.”
He clamped his mouth shut.
“Are you just pissed that people intruded on your so-called property, all because you’ve been snoozing away the centuries?” She stepped back and out through the doors as they reached the ground floor, shaking her head.
Sid followed, trying to keep his temper under control for the sake of Hollie. The last thing he wanted to do was push her away. He needed her. Needed her more than she knew. So how was he supposed to keep her, if he couldn’t tell her?
“No.” The single word came out sharply, and he knew he’d hurt her. But this was his problem to deal with, and one that he hoped to keep hidden and buried away forever.
“Well, what do you want to do next? I’m open to suggestions that don’t include you killing a bunch of innocent people just trying to make a living.”
That’s what I’m trying to prevent.
“We need to visit the mountain.”
Chapter Sixteen
Hollie
She felt like checking to see if her ears were plugged with wax or something.
“I’m sorry, what? Did you not just hear the mayor? There’s nothing that can be done, Sid. You slept too long, you screwed up. Now you have to deal with the consequences. Besides, it can still be your mountain, just…with a train tunnel through it.”
He snarled angrily and turned away from her. For a dragon that wanted nothing more than to burn everything down, if her evaluation was correct, he was doing a remarkably good job of not taking it out on her.
“That’s not the issue,” he ground out. “We must go.”
Hollie considered the idea. Perhaps there would be some good coming out of letting him go and see his mountain. It irked her that she still hadn’t received a phone call from her work asking where she was, but at the same time, perhaps Eduardo and Mikey had been listened to after all. She doubted it, but it didn’t matter. As long as she was with Sid, then none of the mining could occur.
“If we go up there, you will promise me that you will not kill anyone.” She walked around until they were standing face-to-face. “Look me in the eyes.”
He reluctantly pulled his golden-brown orbs off the wall and focused them on her. “I promise I will not kill anyone unless they attack me.”
“What? No, not good enough.” She crossed her arms. “Because if you do something that forces them to attack you, you’ve got an out. No. Do better.”
“Fine,” he hissed. “I will also not do anything to provoke anyone besides telling them to stop mining, and that the mountain belongs to me. There, is that good enough for you? Or do you wish to question my word as well?”
Hollie sensed that to Obsidian, a dragon of indeterminate age, the importance of his word was far greater than it would be to someone from her own time period. He seemed to put great stake in it, and if she wanted to get through to him, it was becoming more and more clear she needed to understand that fully and completely.
“I do not wish to question your wor
d,” she said seriously. “Instead, I am seeking to hear it, in terms that I agree with and that make me comfortable. You have never broken your word to me, but you’ve never been forced into a situation that would make it difficult to keep. I suspect that this will be tough, so I seek assurances.”
As she spoke his expression changed, from one of anger to something resembling newfound respect, if she read him right. Hollie focused on that, making sure she filed away this little tidbit of information. Speaking to him in a language he understood seemed to get through his anger better than any other avenue she’d tried so far.
“You have my word, Hollie-Annabelle,” he spoke formally. “I simply wish to go and make my plea to those up there. I will not stand by and be attacked, however, nor will I suffer anything against you.”
She frowned. “I still don’t understand why you’re expecting problems though, Sid. The miners are just normal people, like me.”
His laughter came so swiftly and powerfully she shuffled back slightly at his outburst.
“Hollie, you are anything but normal,” he said, his voice full of steely confidence.
Blushing, she motioned toward the door. “Come on then.”
Sid fell in step with her.
“I don’t understand.”
She glanced at him. “Don’t understand what?”
“You acquiesced so swiftly there. I…truthfully I expected more of a fight. I wish to know why.”
“You’re so cute when you talk all formal,” she informed him. “As for an answer? I could say it’s because flattery will get you anything. But really, you gave me your word. I have to trust it.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like I could stop you if you did anyway. So I have to hope you’re being truthful, and if something does happen, I’m coming along in case I can do something to prevent needless death.”
Sid was quiet the entire way back to her car. “You are definitely not normal,” he said softly as they climbed in. “You are remarkable. I will strive to never let you down,” he vowed.
There was something strange about the way he spoke, but Hollie just put it down to him giving more meaning to sayings like that, compared to how people these days just tossed them around like they were candy. “I promise this…” and “I would never do that…” etcetera. Meaningless.
But not with Sid. Then and there Hollie decided she was going to do a better job of living up to any vows she made, in an attempt to hold herself to his lofty standards.
***
The trip up the mountain was uneventful.
“What is that noise?”
She pulled the car to a stop inside the Heartline Drilling base camp. Sid had his door open and was halfway out of it before she’d even put the vehicle in park.
“Slow down!” she called, chasing after him.
“That sound,” he said angrily, jogging toward the tunnel entrance. “That sounds suspiciously like drilling.”
“What noise?” Hollie couldn’t hear anything. Apparently his hearing was far more acute than hers too. Was there anything he didn’t have an advantage in her over?
“You lied to me.” The hurt in his voice was evident.
“I don’t understand. What did I lie about?”
He swung around to glare at her. “You lied about the drilling. You told me that because you weren’t there, that they couldn’t proceed.” He jabbed a hand down the open hole in the mountain. “Yet they are drilling. I can hear the rock being ground up under your machinery.”
Hollie took a step back. “Listen, Sid—Obsidian—I give you my word that to the best of my knowledge, what I had said was true.”
“Then how are they mining?!” he roared, the noise loud enough to bounce off some of the buildings.
Someone, Jason, she thought it was, came out of a building and saw the two of them standing there.
“Hey Hollie!” he called. “Wasn’t sure we’d be seeing you here today, what with Adam back and all.”
She frowned. “Adam is back? But he has a broken leg!”
“I dunno. They seemed extremely eager to get back to work, and when word spread that you were off on some harebrained quest about a guy who owns the mountain or something they brought him back and—ack!”
“Sid!” she snapped as the dragon-man snatched her coworker up by the neck, holding him easily in the air. “Put him down. Now!”
Sid glanced at her, then glared at the man as he opened his fist.
Jason dropped to the ground in a heap. “What the fuck?” he shouted, pushing backward away from them.
“Hollie does not have a rabbit brain,” Sid growled. “She is one of the smartest women I have ever met, and you’ll treat her as such.”
“Yeah, sure, man. Whatever you say,” Jason agreed, holding up his hands to indicate peace.
Hollie motioned for him to go, and he didn’t think twice, turning and bolting back toward the building he’d just emerged from. She didn’t wait to see him go. Instead she rounded on Obsidian just in time to wipe the smirking grin from his face. “I thought you told me that you wouldn’t provoke anyone?” she snarled angrily, blood pumping through her system as she focused on him. “Is your word not worth anything anymore? Are you just another liar like all the other men?”
She was starting to have second thoughts about him. Perhaps he wasn’t the man-dragon she’d assumed him to be. It was a shame, because he had a really nice ass, but if he couldn’t stop from physically harming people any time they said something he didn’t completely like, he wasn’t the man for her.
The reaction to her comments was almost the exact opposite of what she’d expected. Defiance, anger, and casual dismissal is what she’d planned for, and what her next words had been pre-planned to confront. Instead. Sid’s shoulders sagged in defeat.
“I am sorry,” he told her. “I…He insulted you, and I just saw red.”
She wanted to smile, but instead kept her features schooled into a calm, neutral expression. That his actions had been borne out of a protectiveness toward her was almost endearing, but they had crossed a line.
“Do you know where you erred?”
Sid smiled ruefully. “Was it the part where I put my hand around his neck, or the one where I lifted him from the ground?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get sassy during an apology, mister. It’s not polite to—”
A warm hand stronger than steel slipped across her mouth. Hollie started to protest when Sid’s face registered to her eyes. He was no longer focused on her, but instead on the tunnel entrance. She closed her eyes and listened, trying to pick up on whatever it was he could hear, but there was nothing. Her hands were free however, so she lifted them palms up, questioningly.
He licked his lips, and Hollie’s eyes grew wide as she realized something. Obsidian was nervous! What the hell did he have to be scared of? She’d seen him ready to take on any and all comers just an hour ago. Now he was afraid of something? Her eyes slammed back to the tunnel entrance. Whatever it was, it was down there.
“The mining,” he said quietly, backing away from the entrance, using his other hand to lift Hollie and carry her with him. “It’s stopped.”
She struggled free of his grip. “I’m not an icicle,” she said in an equally low voice, moving to keep him between her and the opening.
Hollie was strong-willed, not stupid. If whatever was coming had Obsidian on edge, she should be downright petrified.
“What are you hearing?” she asked as he twitched.
“Yelling. Lots of yelling.” He paused. “And—”
Whatever he was going to say next was lost as a shadow as black as midnight in the country swept out from the tunnel and came toward them with an angry roar. Obsidian pushed her to the ground and they ducked as massive talons dug into the earth just beyond them, missing her by inches.
Something hot and wet spattered across her arm and cheek. She tasted copper and suddenly knew what it was.
“Sid,” she yelped, rolling over. “Are you o
kay?”
But he was already upright, his face tight. “Stay near me,” he commanded.
She looked around frantically, but the shadow was nowhere to be seen. Moving quickly, she slipped behind Obsidian, gasping at the huge rents in his back. “You’ve been hurt!”
“I’m fine. Keep your eyes open for Nyx. He is swift.”
A thousand questions ran through her mind all at once. The biggest one was “Who the fuck is Nyx?” But before she could answer, the building in front of Obsidian simply disappeared in metal shards, most of which came flashing at them. She screamed and ducked, holding up her arms in a futile attempt to protect her face.
The sound of rain hitting a metal roof thundered around her, assaulting her eardrums as she clapped her hands over them. The noise was terrible, but even as she braced herself for pain, nothing came. Looking up, she saw great wings of bronzed leather curled tightly around her.
“Enough!” Obsidian shouted, the sound amplified tenfold as it emerged from his dragon’s mouth. “Nyx, cease this destruction.”
“I think not, little brother. It is time to play. I’ve been locked away for too long!”
“The world is different now! Things have changed immensely. It has been six hundred years, Nyx. Please, come here and let me show you what has changed. We cannot just waltz around in these forms anymore. It’s not safe.”
There was deep booming laughter from somewhere to her left. She turned to face it, but the membrane of his wing prevented her from seeing anything that was going on, so Hollie was forced to simply listen.
“It’s not safe for whom, Obby? You?”
The concept of dragons grinding their teeth together in frustration had never been something she’d considered. But now she was rather positive that’s what Obsidian was doing.
Obby? Now that’s something to file away if we get out of this. She made a mental note of that, and also the discrepancy between how long Sid had been asleep, and the extra hundred or so years he’d just told his brother that he’d not been around. Had he kept his brother imprisoned here for a century before falling asleep? Hollie wondered what the story behind that was.
