by Lynn Daniels
“It’s okay, I forgive you.” Ki’zander wiped the tears from Jo’siah’s face, then kissed his cheek.
He sat the boy on his feet, then bracing his hands on his knees, he looked him in the eyes, “Okay, Ki’zander, let’s don’t try that again, shall we? There’s not time for you to rest, I’m sorry. Even now, my lifemate could be fighting for her life.”
“Sorry, ‘Siah. I just wanted to help you get there faster.” Ki’zander looked crestfallen. Which only made Jo’siah feel worse.
“You did, and I’m proud of you.” Jo’siah was amused to see the small boy’s chest puff up with pride. “We’re close enough to the ocean that I can even smell the water. But now you must ride, and this time tell me before you feel like you can’t go on any longer, okay?”
“Okay, I promise.” He could see the determination on Ki’zander’s face, and he was impressed that one so young could be so mature.
They were tearing through the woods again, and he could hear the waves as they slammed onto the shore. A few micron’s later he could see the ocean through the dense trees, and with renewed hope he increased his pace.
Suddenly he found himself sailing off a cliff and toward the rocks below.
Chapter 7
Jasmine wasn’t sure how much further she would be able to go; her arms were aching from swimming for what felt like hours. Her body now felt like a giant ice cube, and her toes and fingers had lost all feeling long ago. The sun had risen, and the warm rays beat down on her head, but did nothing to warm her frame.
A movement from the hills above the ocean caught her attention. It looked like some kind of animal had just fallen off the cliff, which was really strange. She thought for sure most beasts had more sense than that. And this one really flew through the air, she thought perhaps something was chasing it? She felt sorry for the animal, she knew that with a drop like that, nothing could survive. “Poor little guy.”
~
Time was of the essence as he morphed into his human form, then reached for the child. Knowing that should he fail; the boy wouldn’t survive a fall from this distance. He watched in horror as the boy dropped away, just beyond his grasp. He flipped in the air, determined to at least get under the baby boy and brake his fall with his own body, he was determined to save him, willingly giving his own life for this helpless babe.
All at once a huge purple Mach, with iridescent blue and green scales interspersed, flipped in the air, his huge talons grasped Jo’siah just before he plunged to his death on the rocks below. He halted in the air, his mighty wings swishing through the currents, before he gracefully dropped them onto the sandy shore.
“That was close, ‘Siah! I didn’t think I would be able to save us in time.”
Jo’siah’s legs wouldn’t hold him, as he sank to his knees. He was certain his time to join the elders had arrived. His hands fisted the warm sand, his head hung as tears burned his eyes. Sitting up, he reached for the baby boy that had come to mean so much to him in such a short time and pulled him close.
“Ki’zander, you saved us. I…oh, I just don’t know what to say. Thank you, a thousand times, thank you!”
He wiggled until Jo’siah loosened his hold, then leaned back, with a big grin, “You know I fly, right?”
Jo’siah ruffled his hair as he burst out laughing through his tears, “Yeah, you can fly. Boy, can you ever fly!”
~
Jasmine watched as suddenly a giant bird flew out after the beast that had fallen off the cliff. She watched in fascination as it landed on the beach. She couldn’t see what kind of bird it was, but she was determined not to let it eat that poor animal that had fallen.
Her fatigue of a moment before forgotten, she stopped swimming and started yelling, “Hey you overgrown…um…hawk! Leave him alone!” She started slapping her hands down on top of the water. When she realized she still hadn’t gotten its attention, she swam with renewed vigor, as she continued to call out insults and threats.
~
Jo’siah looked up when he heard what sounded like someone yelling, “Did you hear that?”
“Yes, I think it’s that female out there, she’s yelling for something, and she sounds mad.” He pointed out toward the far horizon. There, he could make out something small, and it was swimming this way.
“Can you fly out there to get her? You could surely reach her faster than I could.” It was her, his lifemate, and he had finally made it to her. He couldn’t lose her, not when he was this close.
“I’m scared, she sounds awfully mad.” Ki’zander started backing away from the water.
“What’s she going to do to you? You’re a Mach, she’s just one small female.” Jo’siah reached out and gripped his hand to keep him close.
“You don’t think she’ll try to burn me?” Frightened eyes looked up at him.
“If I’m correct, and I think I am, she’s like Felisha.” He smiled down at the little boy, then ruffled his hair as he assured him.
“Not Doshna, not Mach?” He looked doubtful for a moment.
“That’s right, do you remember how helpless she was?” He knew if he didn’t convince the boy, his female would drown.
A concerned look passed over his face, followed by determination.
A moment later the large Mach soared through the frothy waves toward the small woman who looked like she was drowning, by the way she was flailing her arms around, and the screams coming from her. He just hoped he got to her in time.
~
Well, it looked like she got its attention, now what was she going to do? There was nowhere to go, and certainly nowhere to hide. As she watched the bird get closer, she realized just how big it was. That was no hawk, nor eagle, it was the biggest bird she had ever seen, and it was coming after her.
Treading water, she looked for somewhere she could escape to, but there was no other place. She could only pray that she would be able to get away once it had her back over dry land.
The dark shadow of the beast hovering above fell over her, as sharp talons reached down. Her screams were so intense, her throat ached, and she fought with what little strength she had left. Her fists slammed against the meaty flesh of its chest, while she reigned down blows, one fist connected with its eye, causing it to fall back. She realized if she could just claw out an eye, maybe the animal would leave her.
The cries coming from the beast let her know that she was doing some damage, but not enough to cause it to turn away. She was pulled from the water and carried to the beach, where she was dropped to the soft sand, and into the arms of a man, a very naked man. She started screaming again, fighting off the arms that had come around her, when she heard a baby crying.
She stopped fighting immediately and turned to find what could only be a child of three or four, sitting behind her, wailing in pain.
She pushed away from the huge man, slapping at his arms as she crawled toward the baby boy. “Come here, sweetheart! What’s wrong?”
Ki’zander watched as the vicious woman tried to get him again. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes, where she had tried to claw them, and his tummy still hurt from where she had punched him.
“Help me, “Siah! She’s not nice like Felisha, she’s mean, and she hurt me.” His cries came louder, and he fell to the ground sobbing and rolling around holding his stomach with one hand, and his eyes with the other.
Jasmine sat back on her folded legs, who was the baby talking about? Who would hurt a baby, and why did he act so afraid of her?
The man behind her admonished, “How could you? He’s just a baby! Is this how humans treat their young?” Jo’siah reached out and pulled Ki’zander into his arms, then started rocking him.
Jasmine’s jaw dropped, she looked around just to be sure. Yes, he was talking to her. “I haven’t laid a hand on him! I was fighting a dragon —”
“A dragon? Oh, dragon is your word for Mach. So, you mean like a little baby dragon?
“Hey, Ki’zander, shift. Just like last time. Do you re
member? You’ll feel better, I promise.”
The boy pushed back, rubbing his red eyes, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. A moment later, his little head laid down on Jo’siah’s shoulder. The sobs changed to hiccups, his little body shuddered, and his breathing quieted.
Jasmine watched the pair. She crawled over and pushed the dark curls away to reveal the small boy’s face. He sucked on his thumb; his little body racked with the sobs, that a moment before had ripped her heart apart. Then she saw the long scratches which started above his eyes and continued down his cheeks.
“But that can’t be. It was a dragon. I…I would never—” She looked at the condemning eyes staring back at her.
“He’s a baby. He was trying to save you, and what did you do? You punched him? Tried to scratch his eyes out? He was afraid, he thought you would hurt him, but he came anyway.”
He shared in the guilt, because he had convinced him to go out there. He prayed he hadn’t lost the boy’s trust. He had suffered enough in his short life, and Jo’siah was determined to make his life better, somehow.
Chapter 8
They sat around a blazing fire on the beach. Jo’siah had left for a few minutes, then returned with some kind of animal that looked a lot like a rabbit, but not quite. The baby boy lay in the warm sand between them sleeping.
She couldn’t believe everything that was happening. She was sure she must have hit her head when she fell out of the boat, and this must be some kind of dream, or hallucination. None of this could be real.
“So,” Jo’siah wasn’t sure what to say to her. He knew she had been through a trauma, and he didn’t know how she would react to finding out he was also a shifter. All she had done since he returned was to sit and stare into the flames. She had finally accepted that Ki’zander could change into a Mach, when he had managed to wake him up enough to shift, so he could heal. She had screamed and ran away. She only came back after he had shifted into a small boy, and then fallen asleep. Now, every time he moved, she jumped and watched him until she was sure he wouldn’t become the beast again.
“You know, he’s still the same little boy when he becomes the dragon?”
She looked away from the flames, and turned her unfocused stare toward him, almost as if she had forgotten he was there. Finally, her eyes came into focus, and she sat back and gave him a look that conveyed her disbelief. “Except I’ve never had to worry about a toddler eating me for lunch.”
“He’s still a boy! Just a little baby boy!”
Ki’zander whined in his sleep, and curled himself into a tiny ball, as if trying to make himself smaller.
Jo’siah lowered his voice, “There’s your vicious dragon.” He sneered; how could this be his lifemate. “Do you hate all that are different than you?”
“You know what!” She practically screamed at him.
Ki’zander sat up and started crying, he was frantically looking around for the threat. He suddenly noticed Jasmine, let out a scream, then dove into Jo’siah’s arms. He clung to the shelter he found in Jo’siah’s embrace, while his gaze never strayed from the danger that he perceived her to be.
She couldn’t stand the thought of this baby boy being afraid of her. She reached for him, just wanting to offer comfort. Instead the boy cringed and started screaming again. Which brought back the painful memories of her own childhood and the feelings she experienced when she was ripped from her mother’s arms. She felt like a hypocrite, all of her good intentions meant nothing if this was how she would treat an innocent child.
Jo’siah turned away, trying to keep him from seeing her. “See what you’ve done?”
He felt her small hand on his shoulder, her long blonde hair tickled his neck as she leaned into him.
“Please, Zander, don’t be afraid. I promise I’ll never hurt you again. Please? I’m so sorry. I’ve never seen a dragon before, and…well your dragon, um…Mach was just so big and fierce! Any normal person would be afraid.”
“You think my Mach’s big?” His large red-rimmed blue eyes peeked out from behind Jo’siah’s shoulder, evidence of tears on his little cheeks nearly broke her heart.
“Yes, I do! Why it’s the biggest Mach I’ve ever seen!”
Jo’siah looked over at her, “You just said—Ouch!”
Jasmine glared at Jo’siah, then smacked the back of his head, “Will you please!”
She looked back at the small boy in his lap and held her arms out. She gave him a smug look, when Ki’zander crawled into her embrace. “Yes, the biggest!”
“And you were scared?”
“For my life!” She nodded her sincerity, with exaggerated emotion, her big eyes rounded.
He laughed, “I wouldn’t hurt you. You’re like Felisha, you would burn.” He sniffled, as his eyes misted again, “I miss Felisha.”
“Oh, Zander why don’t you tell me about her?”
“You called me Zander!”
“Is that okay?”
“Nobody’s ever called me that. Does that make me special?”
“Oh, baby boy, you’re the most special little boy I’ve ever known.”
He laid his head against her chest, “I like you, too.” A moment later he was sleeping.
She looked back at the gorgeous man sitting inches away, his long dark hair, flowing down his back in waves, with streaks of reds and gold. His strong arms were folded across his massive chest. A light dusting of hair covered his well-defined pecs. She followed the line of hair down his washtub abs, and further to — “So, why are you naked?”
She knew she should probably look at his face while she waited for his answer, but she just couldn’t seem to pull her gaze away. Not even when the object of her interest started growing.
Chapter 9
There it was, no more putting it off, time to tell her about who and what he was. Her fear of Ki’zander was a reminder of what could happen when she discovered he could also shift into a big scary beast. Would she faint, or die of fright, neither prospect was good. He was terrified to lose his lifemate now that he had found her.
“Where you come from, do people turn into — other things?” He tried to approach the subject in a non-threatening manner.
“Yeah, my boyfriend did that.” She was looking down at the little boy in her arms, only half listening to him.
“I didn’t know about that, Felisha seemed so surprised when we did it.” Maybe this would be easier than he thought. Felisha never told him they had shifters where she came from. Maybe it was just Mach she was afraid of.
“So, what are you going to turn into when I least expect it? Serial killer, psychopath, or just plain asshole?” She looked up at him, her lips pressed together in a tight line.
“I know not what those things are, except ass hole. That’s a very strange thing for someone to turn into. Although, that is a word I am familiar with, Felisha seemed to say it often.” Now he just felt irritated, there was still so much he didn’t understand about humans.
“Really? That tells me a lot, in and of itself.” She started rocking the boy in her arms, almost instinctively.
He knew he would have to be more specific. “What I was referring to is an alternate form.”
“Oh, you mean like werewolves. People who can turn into animals.” She wasn’t sure where this was leading, but she felt just a smidge of tension at the direction this was going.
“Yes, like that!” His face lit with excitement, maybe it wouldn’t be such a surprise after all.
“Only in the movies, or maybe in some books. I’ve read a few where some really hot guys turn into dragons. Is that what you’re talking about, like Zander here?” She nodded down at the young boy.
“Yes, like Ki’zander.” It was starting to piss him off, why did she insist on shortening his name? Did she not know the importance of his full name? And how it indicated his rank?
“Tomato/tomato. We’re still talking about this little baby boy, right?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Yes.” Jo’sia
h was happy she was starting to understand, although he wasn’t sure what tomato/tomato meant.
“Then don’t be an asshole.” She glared at him; the guy just didn’t have a clue.
“I think I’m starting to understand this ass hole concept. It’s an insult?” He crossed his arms over his massive chest, which brought her attention to the bulging muscles.
“Bingo! Give the man a cigar!” Her eyes jerked up to his, while a grin split her face.
“You speak very strangely. Nonetheless, here, in Mach’doshna—”
“Wait! What do you mean, here?” Her heart stopped for a second. She was pretty sure that wasn’t a real place.
“Here.” He waved his arms around, “This world, Mach’doshna.”
Jasmine reached over and pinched herself, then jumped when it hurt. “Okay, what’s going on?” She started looking around, sure there were some hidden cameras somewhere.
Jo’siah followed her line of sight, as he tried to figure out what she was looking for. When she finally stopped looking, he decided it was time to tell her why she was here.
“It seems the Goddess has shown favor on me. She has brought my lifemate to our world, because I have been unable to find one on my own.”
“Okay…” She looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms, kissed the top of his head, then began to slowly ease him down on the ground. He started to stir, and she rubbed his back, making shushing sounds. When she was satisfied that he would be alright, she stood up, never taking her eyes from Jo’siah.
“Well, listen, I’m going to go see if I can find a phone, and call the police. I need to report Marcus, for what he did. You and Zander have a good life.” She had started backing away.
“Phone?” He wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but he was pretty certain she had every intention of running away. He had a feeling she didn’t believe what he was saying, and he could only think of one way to convince her.
Jasmine was in dire need to get away from these people. Marcus must have drugged her, and she had been hallucinating when she saw the dragon. Except now she found herself surrounded by crazy, and she had someplace else to be, and that wasn’t crazyland. Too bad, he was pretty stacked!
