I pushed the earth I was standing on back into the ground and watched as everyone slowly went to get food, as if they were waiting for me to pull the rug out from under them. I let Georgie down as his aunt and uncle walked up, “Official taste tester? That’s quite a title, Georgie,” Mike said to him.
He nodded proudly, “I ate a-” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “What was it called again Amaya?”
“Banana,” I whispered back to him.
“I ate a banana today. It was so good! Have you guys had bananas before Uncle Mike?”
He chuckled, “I believe we have. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had one though. Would you come with me and point it out?”
Liza wrapped me in a hug, “Thank you so much for giving him today.”
I gave her a squeeze, “Anytime I’m in town, back home, I would be happy to take care of him, to ease the burden off of you and Mike.”
She pulled back, tears in her eyes, “Really?”
“Yes. Although I think we’re both going to be fighting my dad for time with him once they meet,” I said with a smile.
She laughed and her tears fell over, I wiped them away, “Thank you so much Amaya. You have no idea what this means to me, to all of us.”
I pulled her back in for a tight hug, “Now go get some food,” I said releasing her.
I took in the sight before me, looking to see if anyone didn’t have food or couldn’t get food. I noticed a few of the injured seated close together. I walked up to them, “Your maj-”
I cut them off with a raised hand and a smile, “Please call my Amaya. Do you guys have someone getting you a plate?”
“N-no ma’am. We were just going to wait until the crowd died down and go up,” one of them replied.
“What are your names?” I asked.
“Mine’s Caroline and this is Jeff and Katy,” Caroline responded, seeming to be the speaker for the trio.
“Jace, can you help me get some food for these injured dragons I’m with?” I mind linked him.
“Yeah of course,” he linked back immediately.
“We’ll get your food. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you, your- I mean Amaya,” Caroline said.
Jace and I got in line for the food, but everyone allowed us to skip ahead, so we did. Jace helped me load up two plates as he loaded up his one, and we headed back over to the trio. Murmurs erupted throughout the square as we set the food down in front of them, “Thank you Amaya, and?” Katy said.
“Jace, and it was the least we could do.” He replied, “Enjoy your meal.”
We walked back over to where the SEALs were waiting for everyone to get their food. I looped my arm around his waist and he threw his arm over my shoulder. He stayed tense for a little while but soon relaxed, “Better?” He nodded, “Good because we still have a lot to do.”
As we took our place with the SEALs I let go of Jace and walked over to Fox, “You’re really good at this.”
“At what?”
He gestured to the square, “Them, leading, helping, being a princess and queen.”
“Thanks. I mean it’s easy, just don’t be a major fucktard and your people will prosper.”
He laughed, “Yeah that usually helps. I’m sorry for being snappy earlier.”
“Yeah me too. I think one day we’ll get this figured out, but probably not anytime soon.”
“Can I hug you?”
I nodded and he pulled me into his arms. This wasn’t like our hug in my apartment which was tense, this hug was tight and Niamh started purring immediately, “You don’t have to ask every time.”
“I want to though. Especially considering we’re still a bit rocky,” I smiled into his chest.
As much as I didn’t want to pull out of his chest I did, “I’m going to run a perimeter check.”
“Are you sure you want to go alone?”
“It’ll be faster if I do it on my own. Get some food. I’ll be back soon,” I gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled up my hood and face mask.
“Be careful.”
“Always am,” I said before I walked out of the square and dissolved into the forest around the little village.
I found a few traps, which I quickly disarmed and moved on from, and then I caught their scent, hunters, about five miles from the village. I headed back to the square, most people had finished eating and were just chatting. I pulled my hood and face mask down and pulled up a block of earth. “Everyone, could I have your attention?” I paused, waiting for chatter to quiet down, “This is not meant to alarm you, but we have hunters incoming. They are about five miles out and will be here in thirty minutes to an hour.” Chatter started up again and their fear permeated the square, “I have a plan. We’ll get through this with no casualties.”
I relayed my plan to them and they started to put it into motion. “I don’t like this plan one bit, Amaya,” Fox said to me for what seemed like the fiftieth time.
“I’ll be fine. I can handle hunters.”
“Yeah but you’ve already done so much today. Aren’t you feeling tired or weak at all?”
“Nope. I’m a dragon, dear. It takes a lot to tire us out.”
He finally sighed, “Okay but just remember I didn’t like this plan if anything goes wrong.” I smiled and gave him a peck on the lips, “Oh no you don’t.” He grabbed my chin gently so I could still get away if I wanted and pulled my lips back to his. His lips crushed mine in a demanding kiss, and his hand moved from my chin to my hair; tangling itself in the strands of blonde hair. His other hand moved to my butt, giving me a firm squeeze and pulling me flush against him. My hands found their way into his hair and I tugged a little on what little hair he had from his military cut.
I broke the kiss and nibbled my way down his jaw again; fighting back Niamh. I latched onto the spot where I would mark him and gave him another hickey. I gave him a quick kiss on the lips, “I have to get out there.”
He nodded, his eyes still filled with lust, “Be careful.”
“I will,” I rested my head on his chest for just a moment then pushed off him. He gave my butt another squeeze before moving both of his hands to my head and giving me a kiss on my forehead.
I pulled my hood and face mask back up and headed out into the square. I sat on the ground, and created fog to make a wall between the buildings and where I wanted the hunters to go. It also helped carry their scent to me when they got close, and soon I saw them as well as I could smell them. “I don’t like this H. It’s not usually like this.”
“Shut it, P,” another voice growled.
I sniffed the air; I caught four different scents in the air. Finally when they were close enough for them to actually see me, I lifted the fog that surrounded me. “Holy fuck. It’s The Ghost,” I smiled under my mask. The one speaking tried to turn and run but his buddies wouldn’t let him. “I’m not looking to die. Let me go.”
“If you weren’t looking to die, you shouldn’t have become a hunter,” I said and he froze his movements long enough for the two holding him back to throw him toward me.
“We have an agreement with Joseph. You-”
“Had an agreement. Joseph is no longer in charge here,” I responded, cutting off the one that seemed to be the ringleader of the four.
“Come on, we outnumber her. We can take her, and then we can take whoever and whatever we want,” the ringleader said and advanced toward me.
I laughed and they paused, “Oh no, please, give it your best shot,” I motioned them forward, but they looked at each other, doubting their abilities.
I could see the wheels turning as the leader weighed his options. He decided his best course of action. He pulled out his gun and shot. I bent the bullets and settled my head on my arm with a yawn. “I-Wh-Ho-” He stammered.
I stood up and stretched, “It doesn’t matter. So are we going to do this?”
The leader made the first move; I smiled under my mask. He threw a punch that I dodged easily. I threw some hits of my own, toying with him. Soon enough the others joined us trying to give their leader the upper hand. I took down two of the four easily, inflicting as much pain as possible before killing them. The one that tried to leave before this started watched me kill his buddies and tried to run again. I stopped him by bending the ground up and catching his feet and then his hands, bringing him to his knees. “So you are one of those filthy dragons,” the leader said with a smile.
“How many of us have you killed?”
A cruel smile crossed his lips, “Not nearly enough,” I growled. Undeterred he advanced and pulled a syringe out of a pocket. He barely got it in as I moved around too much for him to get it exactly where he wanted it. “That was a lethal dose. I hope you enjoy the fire that runs through your veins.”
He began punching and kicking me. He got two good shots in but I overtook him and slowly began breaking his bones one by one. He screamed each time a break happened. He soon began begging for mercy, “Why should I give you mercy? What mercy have you shown my people?”
Once I felt he had paid the price I snapped his neck. Finally I allowed myself a moment to feel the effects of the lethal dose of oil. It was burning its way through my bloodstream, I started to feel faint. “Jace, one of them got a syringe of a lethal dose of oil in me. I can feel it and I think I’m-” everything went black.
Fox’s POV
“Fuck!” Jace shouted before pushing his way out the door. I followed him out pushing through the same path.
“What is it, Jace? Wha-” We came upon the aftermath of what she had done and I was shocked by it.
Jace found his cousin’s body and took off her hood and face mask. “Fox are you here to help or to gawk?” My gaze snapped to him and I nodded, “Then get your ass over here and fucking help.”
I went to my knees and checked for a pulse, “It’s weak. What did they give her and what’s it likely to do?”
“It’s snapdragon oil. It’s poisonous to us in high doses. She has an immunity to it, so it doesn’t burn her skin or suppress her dragon, but it’s still effective in large doses apparently.”
“Wait, you’re human?” A voice sounded behind Jace.
We turned toward it and saw one of the hunters caught in a very awkward position on the ground. Jace growled and his eyes turned to slits as he started to get up but I caught his arm, “She needs you now, and him later. She probably did that to question him about a camp. Leave him alone and help her.”
He looked at me a little startled as his eyes returned to normal. He shook his head and looked back down at Amaya, “She’s going to seize any minute now,” as he finished she went into a seizure. I supported her head and he held the rest of her body to make sure she didn’t hurt herself. It ended as quickly as it began, “Right, now put her on her side and get behind her.”
“Behind her?”
“Yep, behind her. Trust me,” we rolled her onto her side and I moved so that I was behind her. Soon enough she started puking, purging everything in her stomach, which wasn’t much since she wasn’t able to eat. Jace sniffed the air, “Her body is getting rid of the oil or the oil it can, which goddess willing is enough for her to bounce back.”
Amaya’s POV
I awoke quickly but knew it had to be a dream because my mother’s scent was all around me. I looked around, I was still in the village, except there were no hunters, there was no one. Then I saw her just inside of the fog. I ran to her, “Mom!”
“Amaya, my darling, we have to stop meeting like this,” she said, embracing me.
“I know. The hunter injected me with a lethal dose of oil. Am I dying?” My voice cracked on the last word.
“No, my darling, you’ll survive,” she pulled back from me and looked me over, assessing me. She wiped the tears from my cheeks, “Tell me what you think of little Georgie.”
I laughed a tear soaked laugh, “He’s a handful, but he’s got a good heart. He’s going to be a great person when he grows up. What do you think of him since you’ve been visiting him?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
She gave me a sly smile, “He told you about that, did he? His grandmother was our healer, and his mother our healer in training. That’s why Joseph sent the hunters after his parents. His mother was healing people in secret and Joseph couldn’t have that,” she said in a bitter tone, “Georgie is a gifted healer, maybe even more so than Kachina. He just needs guidance and training.”
“Lavi will help. Kachina too. I’ve been wanting to ask, can dragons form bonds, mind link bonds, with the were species without breaking the bonds that person has with their pack or clan?”
“It’s not usually done unless there are mates overlapping, but you should be able to create the bond like you did when you created it with Josie; a cut to the finger or palm on each hand and mixing the blood. It shouldn’t break the bond,” she wrapped me in another tight embrace, “It’s time for you to get back, my darling. You’ll be a little weak, but a shift will cure you of that.”
“Love you mom,” I said, giving her a squeeze.
“Love you too, darling.”
I slowly opened my eyes and was met with my mate’s shimmering green eyes. I reached up to touch his cheek, “Hey, I’m okay. I’m going to be okay.”
He let out a humourless laugh, “Shouldn’t I be comforting you?”
I sat up and he handed me a water bottle. I smiled my thanks before taking a drink, “Considering I just scared you by getting shot up with enough oil to kill three dragons, no, I think we’ve got it right.” I looked around, “Where’s Jace?”
“He’s trying to get information out of the hunter you left alive.” I started to get up, he grabbed me, “Woah, woah, woah. What do you think you’re doing? Take it easy. You need to stay down, Jace can handle getting information just fine.”
“It’s my job. I need to shift anyway to get rid of the effects of the oil completely. Help me up, would you?”
He stood and looked skyward for patience before putting his hand out for mine. “You need help, like professional help.”
I smiled as he pulled me to my feet, I was instantly lightheaded and wobbled slightly, but Fox latched onto me making sure I didn’t fall or faint again. “Thanks.”
“Mhmm. Thank you for proving my point that you shouldn’t be on your feet yet.”
“Yeah yeah. I’ve got other shit to do. Jax and Alanza get out here would you. Please,” I said knowing they could hear me. I didn’t wait for them though, I walked toward Jace’s faint voice with Fox’s arm firmly around my midsection for support.
Author: Kailan Counahan 