No Such Thing as a Dragon - Exclusive - GRP

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Personal Note I just want to thank you so much for your interest in this exclusive story. I wrote this with all my love and as a new author I aim to turn you into one of my raving fans! This story is a standalone. However, I plan to turn this into a series of books and expand the world further. Let’s go on a great paranormal romance adventure!

“Reading is the only thing I do by the book”.

Chapter One

Ozaryan

“Why do you enjoy hanging out with humans so much?” Feilong asked me for about the thousandth time. “I'll never understand how you can actually enjoy their company. I mean, they have their uses, especially when you have that itch that needs to be scratched. But how do you find them interesting or worth really engaging?” Feilong and I had been best friends since we were young. But as we grew older, he had become something of an elitist, preferring the company of other Dragonborn; refusing to mingle with outsiders at all. Many of my kind didn't mingle with the humans too much. Some were scared of being discovered, others were just loners by nature, and then you had the elitist who thought they were far above a simple human. I didn’t understand that attitude at all. I loved to watch and interact with them. They were just so very different from the Dragonborn in every conceivable way. I couldn't help but find those differences fascinating and beautiful. Though some would say our women were more exotic, I'd always found the human women to be incredibly attractive – an opinion that earned me no small amount of scorn from my people. But given my time in the world of man, getting to know the people

we were sworn to protect and defend, it shouldn't have surprised anybody to know that I'd found a certain human woman to be exceptionally attractive. It was something I kept to myself. I didn't want anyone to know about her because it was frowned upon to even think of humans as a mate, let alone act upon it. They were, after all, mere mortals and we were legends. Stories and myths told to children, passed down through the generations. While not immortal, we came fairly close to it. Whereas most humans lived much less than one century. I guess that was what made them and how they lived their lives all the more fascinating to me. But my brothers and sisters didn't see it that way. Where they saw weakness, I saw a beautiful fragility. Mortality was fascinating to me, though I couldn't explain it. Especially not to my fellow Dragonborn. “It's okay, Fei,” I said, using his nickname, “I don't expect you to understand. I never have.” “What's that supposed to mean?” he asked, looking – and sounding – offended. I shrugged, not wanting to argue I said, “It's just – I know I'm strange to most of you. I know I'm considered different among the Dragonborn. And I'm fine with that.” “Whatever makes you happy, Ozy,” he said. “Just don't get yourself in trouble.” “I won't,” I said. “Trust me. I'm just as passive observer. A student of

humanity.” That was because I had no idea how to even begin a conversation with a human– especially the one I wanted. But Fei didn't need to know that. It wasn't like anything was ever going to happen with her anyway. It was just a nice little daydream to have. And except for a smile now and then, I never interacted with her. And I probably wouldn't. It was better that way. For her safety and for mine. “Where are you going?” Fei asked me. “To get some coffee,” I said. “You don't drink coffee,” he scoffed. “Of course, I do,” I said. “I love the stuff. In fact, I can't get enough of it.” “Since when?” he called after me. I just kept walking not bothering to answer him. Yes, I was going to the coffee house, but it wasn't for the coffee. I drank it now and then, but personally, I couldn't stand the stuff. Too acrid. Too bitter. I was going to see her.

~ooo000ooo~

This was my territory to protect in my capacity as a Warden, and I

was there, just doing my job when I stopped into this little coffee house one day. Then, when I saw her, everything changed for me. Her fiery red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, held in place by a ballcap that had Perky Beans stitched onto it. I thought that even with the uniform and hat, and without any kind of makeup, she was beautiful. Freckles dotted her face, and to me, that was the most adorable thing about her. Dragonborn didn't have freckles, so I'd never seen a woman with them until I met her. And that was just one out of the millions of the unique things about humans that fascinated me. After seeing her that first time, I stopped in for a coffee every day, even though I would throw it out shortly after leaving the shop. The Dragonborn didn't really need caffeine, it didn't do anything for us. I never did understand how most humans couldn't seem to function without the hot, dark brew.

But that was why I usually got iced tea instead. Jessica had mentioned one time that she normally didn't serve iced tea in the mornings. But over time, it had become my usual. My routine. She'd come to expect me to stop in every day, and I usually did that as I patrolled my territory, looking for the enemy – the Shongtal. The Shongtal were shadowy creatures from my home world of Chondelai. Long ago, during the War of the Three Stones, somebody had unleashed them, hoping to use their dark power to carry them

to victory. The Shongtal double crossed that King and instead, fled through the Dragon Doors – mystical passageways between Chondelai and the world of man. The dark, dastardly creatures infested the world of man, inhabiting bodies – “possession” as you will– and feeding on their life force. Over time, they would use up the human's life force, leaving nothing but a withered husk, before moving on to its next victim. The world of man offered these dark beings an endless buffet on which to feed – and it was our job to exterminate them whenever we found them. It was the mistake of my kind that unleashed this menace upon the world of man. It was now our job – our sacred duty – to try and right that wrong. Luckily, my territory had mostly been free of the creatures for a little while. I liked to think it was my diligence and skill in eliminating them, but I knew it was a cyclical thing. They'd eventually return and infect my territory like a plague. With the Shongtal, you could never get too comfortable. Never let your guard down. They were always out there, always watching. And because they could masquerade in the skin of humans, they were sometimes difficult to spot – making my job that much harder. But if you really paid attention, there were always tells. Slight visual cues. Sometimes an odor. Sometimes the way they acted was just off. I'd heard of too many Wardens letting their guard down or not being vigilant enough and getting butchered by these beasts. I'd

vowed to never let that happen to me. Ever. *** “Welcome to Perky Beans, what can I get for you today?” she asked before looking at me. My voice caught in my throat. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. Once she looked up at me though, she gave me a warm, genuine smile. “Oh Ozy, it's you,” she beamed. “The usual?” “Yes, please,” I said softly. “Thank you.” To her, I was probably just this big, lumbering, giant. A giant that was unusually shy and reserved. Truth be told, only this woman could make me tongue tied, twisted up, and awkward as hell. Nobody else would ever consider me shy. Maybe I’m not the most outgoing person around, but certainly not shy. Jessica wrote my name on the cup, along with my order – it always made me smile that she remembered it – and passed it along to the other person behind the counter. I paid for my drink and tried to get up the nerve to speak to her for a change. But when she looked at me and smiled, I melted inside. I completely lost the few scraps of courage I'd managed to muster, dropped a five-dollar bill into her tip cup and kept on walking. She smiled and thanked me, and in that moment, I wanted so badly to tell her how her smile never failed to make my days a little bit brighter, but all I could

manage was a lopsided, awkward smile. I sat down at a table in the corner of the coffee house and scoped out the place, surveying the crowd, opening my senses to get a clearer picture. No matter where I was at, I always scanned for the Shongtal. I'd been doing it so long, it had become second nature to me. There were two girls sitting in the corner whispering and giggling to one another – they were both wearing UCLA sweatshirts and working on homework together. There was the line out the door of people eager to get their coffee and go – the usual for a weekday morning. Everything was perfectly – normal. I didn't envy them one bit though, poor saps. Sitting in a cubicle, shuffling paperwork, and stuck in the office job rut seemed to drain the life force from the humans faster than any Shongtal I'd ever met. A popular saying among the humans was, “it pays the bills,” but I wondered if any of them had tried to find a different way to do that – a way that wasn't so soul-crushing. As I scanned the crowd, one man stood out to me in particular – because like me, he also came in every single day. He'd stand at the counter longer than I would though, chatting Jessica up and she usually smiled and laughed at whatever he was saying. I tried not to listen, tried to ignore their interactions, but I knew from his drink orders being called out that his name was Aaron. He wore a business suit, every day. He was a good-looking man, reasonably fit,

and I couldn't help but notice that his suit had been nicely tailored. His hair was cut crisp and short and you could just tell he came from money. They flirted back and forth endlessly and I couldn't help but see the way Jessica stared at him. I'd have been lying if I said it didn't sting a bit, but what could I do? I couldn’t just go over there and sweep her off her feet. It wasn't like I could explain my job to her or who I really was.

Instead, I was forced to watch their flirty interactions every day as I sat there, drinking my tea, hoping that whatever happened, Jessica found happiness and the love of a good man. There was a piece of me that wanted to be that man, but I knew I couldn't. She deserved more – and better – than I could ever possibly give her. “Aaron, your drink is ready!” Jessica called out. He reached for the drink, but in the process, he also picked up a piece of paper that sat on the counter beneath his cup. Being that my senses were extraordinary and if I focused, I could extend them to do something like – eavesdrop on a conversation. It was terrible and I knew I shouldn't do it, but I couldn't help myself. I was – curious. “What's this?” he asked, looking at her with a used car salesman grin. “My number,” she whispered, tipping him a wink. “In case you

wanted to call me sometime or something.” Aaron seemed very pleased, as did Jessica. They both smiled at one another in that knowing way. It was the start of a relationship and I felt like a dagger had been stuck in my guts – and then twisted. Aaron was all smiles and light on his feet as he left, coffee and phone number in hand. There was part of me that wanted to follow him out and beat him down in the alley behind the shop. But I restrained myself, that wasn't my place. Interacting with people, technically speaking, wasn't my place. It was one of those things that just happened so most everybody looked the other way. I certainly wasn't the first Warden to be infatuated with a human – I'd even heard plenty of stories about Wardens taking human lovers. Lucky for them, those unions hadn't produced offspring, because if they had, things would get very complicated very quickly. “It's a shame, isn't it?” Fei slid into the chair across from me, giving me a bit of a start as he pulled me out of my thoughts. It wasn't easy to sneak up on me, but I'd been so caught up in my feelings that I'd let my guard down. A stupid mistake. “What's a shame?” I asked, clearing my throat. I casually turned my gaze away from Aaron and focused on Fei, wondering if he'd picked up on my crushing disappointment about

Jessica giving Aaron her number. “That the humans will never know all that we do for them,” he said. “But then, I have to wonder if they did, if they'd even have the decency to be thankful.” “Had an encounter, did you?” I asked, sipping my tea. “I did,” Fei said, his eyes lighting up. “With a group of them, actually. And it would have been nice to have had some help –” “You can handle it, Fei,” I said, laughing and shaking my head. “I have no doubt about that.” He shrugged. “I handled it, alright. All by myself. There are four fewer of those creatures running amok now, no thanks to you. It seems as if you'd rather sit here stewing in your – feelings – about that human woman – than out doing your duty.” “Was it in my territory?” I asked. “Well, no, it was in mine,” he said. “Then, it wasn't my duty,” I said. “And unless you called on me to help, how was I to know you needed me? And do not presume to lecture me on my duty, Fei.”

I glared at Fei, the irritation radiating off me like heat from the sun. I was growing annoyed, not just by his attitude toward the humans, but the fact that he was constantly needling me about mine.

“Relax, brother,” Fei said. “I was just giving you some trouble. No hard feelings.” I was on edge more than normal and I knew I shouldn't let it get to me. My emotions were – conflicted, to say the least. I knew there was no way in hell I should let myself get involved with Jessica. At least Aaron was human – even though he appeared to be something of a schmuck. “Ozy?” Fei said, waving his hand in front of my face. “Are you okay?” No, I really wasn't okay. But I wasn't about to explain it to him. I wasn't about to tell him why I was feeling so off and moody. “I have to get back to work,” I grumbled. “You should too.” “Hey, I just killed four of those bastards –” he said, a little too loudly and realized that a few people were staring at us. “– in our game.” They continued to stare and a few of them looked genuinely frightened. I cringed and wanted to kick Fei for his indiscretion. One of the strictest rules of being a Warden was secrecy. The humans could never know who – or what – we were. Could never know we were actually protecting them from evil in their streets. We were to be totally and completely anonymous. “Hello, people,” Fei scoffed at those people still staring at him “What did you think I was talking about? You think I actually kill things?”

Fei rolled his eyes and rushed out of the coffee shop with me, breaking into laughter once we were out on the street. “You need to be more careful,” I warned him. “I played it off well, don't you think?” I shook my head. “Whatever. It doesn't matter, just be more careful and guard your tongue,” I said. “I have to work in this area and interact with these people, you don't. I don't want anyone noticing me, if I can help it. And I certainly don't want them thinking I'm running around with a serial killer.” “Interesting. Because that barista inside seemed to notice you,” Fei teased. “She seemed to notice the hell out of you.” I stopped and turned to him. “Who? What do you mean?” “The redhead. She was looking you up and down, Ozy,” he said. “Didn't you notice? For somebody who doesn't want to be noticed, you're not doing a very good job of it with that one.” My heart lurched in my chest as Jessica's face floated into my mind's eye. As much as I wanted what he was saying to be true, I knew I shouldn't want it to be. The largest among them being, that if she were with me, she could very well get hurt. Maybe worse. And if that were to happen – I preferred to not even think about it. “She's human,” I said as if that answered everything. “Doesn't mean you can't have a little fun,” Fei said, winking at me. “Just can't let yourself get too involved with them. Nothing too

serious. But women these days are freer, they're better able to express their sexuality in ways like never before. It's the nineties, not the Victorian age anymore, brother – maybe she wants to have a lil roll in the hay with my man Ozy –”

“Shut up,” I said. “I'm not going to let myself get involved with the humans. It's too dangerous.” “Whatever. I was just pointing it out. Perhaps you should avoid that place then. Because people are noticing you, whether you like it or not,” Fei said, shrugging it off. He had a point. Maybe I should stop going to Perky Beans. Not like I really enjoyed the iced tea any way, I hardly drank it. I was simply trying to blend in, to act normal. And well, I kept going back because that seemed like a normal thing to do based on the fact that I saw many of the same faces day after day. But I had to admit – if only to myself –I kept going back because of Jessica as well. “Maybe you're right,” I said. “I'll pick a new coffee shop.” All things considered, it was probably better for everyone that I did. Jessica and Aaron could start their little life together or whatever it was that humans did. And I could move on with my life. I had a job to do, and spending time with the humans wasn't part of that contract.

I was there to protect them, not get involved with them. I was letting myself get a little too attached and that had to stop. So, no more Perky Beans for me. No more. If I felt the overwhelming need for coffee or tea – or to sit amongst and observe those I was charged with protecting – I would find someplace else to do it. It was probably better for everybody.

Chapter Two

Jessica

“Look at you go,” my best friend, Chelsea said and laughed as we shared a glass of wine at her place. “So, you finally went for it with Aaron, huh? What about the other cutie you had your eye on? What's was his name again?” “Ozy,” I said. “As in Osborne?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Like biting the heads off live bats?” “Oh, he's nothing like that,” I giggled, rolling my eyes. “Think tall, dark, handsome, and built like a football player. But he's really quiet. Like he hardly says more than two words to me at a time.” “Mysterious,” Chelsea said. “Yeah, I suppose,” I said. “But I don't think he's interested. At least Aaron actually talks to me, ya know? I don't know if I could date a man who didn't talk and just walked around brooding all day.” “Sometimes it's nice when they keep their mouth shut and get the job done,” Chelsea teased. “If you know what I mean.” Still laughing, I rolled my eyes at her. “I’m not like that, Chels,” I said. “I don't want to just sleep with a guy because he's hot. I want more than that. I want stimulating conversation and intelligent

discussions – along with great sex, of course.” “Well, if you meet a smart, charming, sexy man who's good in bed, you hold on to him, because that's a keeper,” she said. “But I don't think they actually exist. Or if they do, they're all gay.” “Whatever,” I said, still grinning. “I'm holding out hope for Aaron at least. He's charming and witty.” “But is he capable of those deep, stimulating conversations?” I shrugged. “Don't know yet,” I said. “It's mostly been quips and small talk at the coffee house.” “Has he called yet?” she asked. “Actually, yeah. He did,” I said, biting my lip. “He called right before I came over. We're getting together tomorrow night for a dinner and a movie.” “Well good for you,” Chelsea said. “At least one of us is getting some action. Or at least, has the potential to.” Chelsea had been my best friend since high school and we'd been through everything together. After high school, our paths separated, but we were as tight as always, our bond, unbreakable. Unlike me, her parents were paying for everything so she didn't have to work and go to school at the same time. Whereas I had to pick up as many shifts at Perky Beans as I could, just to afford school. And since I couldn't afford rent in Los Angeles, I was currently crashing on her couch.

Chelsea had been great about wanting me to live with her. But I knew I couldn't do that forever. I was impacting her social life – hard to bring a man around with your best friend asleep in the living room. She never said it – and I knew she never thought it – but I hated feeling like a burden on her. I knew the time would come – and probably soon – when I was going to have to make some tough decisions about my future.

“You'll meet someone, Chelsea,” I said. “You're beautiful, and going to college to be a freaking doctor for God sake. You're just busy right now. Soon, though. I know it.” While Chelsea was going to UCLA, I was still stuck at community college. At one time, we both wanted to be doctors – surgeons. But at the moment, I was in a program studying to be a nurse. Because I wasn't sure I could afford college at this rate, much less medical school. I was on the slow and steady path, while Chelsea was going full-time, taking as many classes as she could and spending what little free time she had either with me or studying. “So, what does this Aaron guy do?” Chelsea asked. “Is he a student? Does he have a job? I need details, lady.” “Well, he's a little older –” Chelsea side-eyed me. “How much older are we talking here?” “Not much. Maybe a few years?” I said. “He graduated from

college about two years ago. Business major. Works in finance – a boring desk job from the sounds of it.” “But he makes good money, right?” Chelsea asked. Shrugging, I said, “I guess so?” “Maybe you can find yourself a sugar daddy,” Chelsea said with a sigh, as if she thought that would be a good thing. It was odd to think we were best friends. All things considered, we were two totally different people from vastly different backgrounds. She was fairly well-off, a little spoiled and very much into living the pampered life. She wanted to be a doctor because of the prestige and money that came with the title. Not because she necessarily liked medicine, or even people, for that matter. I, on the other hand, found medicine to be my calling. It was a driving passion in me and every day I wasn't getting closer to that goal, it killed me a little more inside. “I still think you should talk to Ozy,” Chelsea said. “Tall, dark, handsome and mysterious sounds sexy if you ask me.” There was no question about that – he was sexy alright. With his large build, toned and fit body, and dark hair that fell to his shoulders, he was the epitome of sex appeal. Not to mention, those dark eyes of his seemed to have fire behind them. It was like when he looked at me, if the light hit them just right, they seemed to glow. “Hard to get anywhere with a guy who won't talk to you though,” I

groaned. “Besides, I don't think he's interested. He's probably married or has a girlfriend already. Or maybe gay – there's this one guy who hangs with him at the coffee house sometimes. Hot guys like him always have someone already, there's no way he's single.” “You never know, Jess,” Chelsea said. “Unless you ask.” She had a point, but I was already going on a date with Aaron. Might as well see where that took me. Besides, she was right – Aaron probably made good money, had his life together. I got the feeling that what you saw was what you got with Aaron. Not that it was a bad thing. A little stability could go a long way. Especially in a relationship.

As for Ozy, I knew next to nothing about him, except his name, of course– and even that could be fake. About the only thing I did know for sure was, that he was gorgeous and never failed to make my heart race and my stomach do flip-flops whenever he walked in. “I dare you to talk to him tomorrow, Jessica,” Chelsea said. “I triple dog dare you.” “Chelsea, I'm going out with Aaron tomorrow, I can't –” “He's not your boyfriend yet, you owe him nothing,” Chelsea said. “Besides, aren't you curious? I bet you are. I can see it in your eyes.” I was curious – that was the problem. “We'll see what happens, Chels,” I said. “He probably won't even talk to me anyway.”

“That's why you need to talk to him first,” she said. “Take that bull by the horns, girl.” I laughed. “Maybe,” I said. “We'll see what happens.”

Chapter Three

Ozaryan

The next morning, as I walked past Perky Beans, I hesitated, and considered stopping. I glanced inside, the line was as long as usual and there was the familiar redhead up at the front counter, taking orders and flashing that smile that I found so engaging. I noticed that she was there almost every single day. I wrestled with the urge to walk inside and order my usual. The pull to step in was nearly overwhelming. But my duty as a Warden came first and could not be compromised. I looked at her once again, feeling a yearning deep within me, but I gritted my teeth, lowered my head and walked past the shop. I'd patrol out in another part of town, away from Jessica. Let her live her life and forget about her. Yes, that's what I'd do. She deserved more. Better. She deserved a life I could not offer her. It would be unfair and selfish of me to impose myself into her world. Walking away was better– and wasn't protecting her like that part of doing my job? I could content myself with that. As I walked past the shop, I heard the door open, but paid no attention until I heard someone call my name, or rather, my nickname.

“Ozy!” I stopped, turning around to come face-to-face with Jessica. She was smiling and there was a light in her eyes that made my heart skip a beat. “Where are you going?” she said, handing me a cup of iced tea. “I had it ready for you this morning and you're just going to walk on by?” I stared down at our hands and noticed that they came ever so close to touching. I longed to see if her skin was as soft as it looked and fought the urge to reach out and touch her. I tore my gaze away from our hands and looked back up at her and into those emerald green eyes. “I ummm, well, I'm late for work this morning –” “What do you do?” she asked. No one had ever asked me that question before and I was taken aback by it. To be honest, I wasn't even sure how to answer it. I couldn't tell her I was the Dragonborn Warden over her territory and that I was protecting human-kind from evil creatures of the night. Not unless I wanted to sound like a stark-raving mad lunatic. So instead I said, “Security.” “Security?” she asked. “As in like – a security guard?” “Yes,” I said. “Just like that. Exactly.”

She stood there a moment longer, staring up at me as if she wanted to say more, but neither of us said anything. The silence between us became awkward and I honestly wasn't sure what to say to fill that void. I wasn't exceptional when it came to social interaction to begin with and we had so little in common. But as she stared up at me with those large, beautiful eyes, I could tell she wanted to keep our conversation going. She truly wanted to keep talking to me. “How do you like it here? At the coffee shop?” I asked. “Oh, it's fine I guess,” she laughed. “It pays the bills, anyway. How do you like your job?” Again, no one had ever asked me how I liked my job. It was a position I'd trained hard for. I'd had to undergo and pass a series of trials – mental and physical – that were more grueling than anybody in the world of man ever had to endure. The trials themselves could kill you – had killed a number of would-be Wardens. It was not something to take lightly or do on a whim. Anyone who trained to become a Warden had to have a burning passion for it, otherwise, they wouldn't make it. Being a Warden was an honor; the greatest honor of my life. I knew that some became Wardens simply for the prestige of the title and the perks that came with it, but for me it was more than that. It was deeper. For me, it was visceral. Even if I were free to explain it to her though, how would I go

about doing that? “I like it well enough,” I said. “I suppose.” “That's good,” she said. “I'm only working here until I finish up with school. Which I'll hopefully do. Someday.” “Oh, that's good,” I said. I racked my brain, trying to come up with something to say because really had no idea what to talk to her about. I was lost. I felt sure she wanted me to ask more about her, but I had no idea where to start. Yeah, there were a million little things I wanted to know about her, but I was having trouble putting to words everything that was in my head. I opened my mouth to say something when the door opened again and this time, a man who usually hung out in the back, stuck his head out and glared at me. “Jess, we need you inside, please,” he said. “Break time is over.” “That's my boss,” she said, rolling her eyes so only I could see her. “I guess I better go back in.” I reached inside my pocket to hand her the cash, but she stopped me. “No, Ozy. This one's on me,” she said with a smile that was warm and genuine. And for a moment, I forgot where I was. I stared at those lips, her dimples and wanted to kiss her. But I hesitated, knowing it would be

wrong. “Thank you,” I said and when she turned to go back inside, I stopped her. “Jessica?” She looked back over her shoulder at me. “Yes, Ozy?” A million things went through my head in that moment. I wanted to ask for her phone number, ask her to possibly meet up later. I wanted to spend time with her. Wanted to talk to her. Get to know her. But I knew I couldn't do any of those things. Sure, we could sleep with the humans if we wanted to – casual sex with our charges was generally frowned upon, but were always overlooked. It was pretty much expected that Wardens would have human lovers, though it was something that wasn't talked about or discussed. It was like an unspoken tradition. The only hard, fast rule was that there could be no children born of a union between Dragonborn and human. That sort of indiscretion carried consequences. Taking a lover was one thing. It was casual, free of emotional entanglements. But I knew that with someone like Jessica, I'd be in trouble. I couldn't just sleep with her and leave it at that. I knew me well enough to know that I'd fall in love with her. And if that happened, I'd be in deep trouble. “I probably won't be coming around much anymore,” I said. “So, no need to make my tea for me ahead of time, though I do

appreciate it.” Her face fell, and I could tell that bothered her. Maybe even hurt her. Had I said it in a rude way, maybe it would have made it easier for her to brush me off and never think about me again. But I hadn't and that seemed to open the door for her. “Why's that, Ozy?” she asked softly. “Everything okay?” No, everything isn't okay. I'm a Dragonborn Warden who's meant to protect humans, not fall for them. But I screwed up. I'd let myself get too emotionally invested in you. “I just think I'll be busy, that's all,” I said. “Maybe check out some other places.” She nodded. “I understand,” she said, her voice dripping with sadness. “If I don't see you again, Ozy, have a nice life, okay?” “You too, Jessica,” I said quietly. “You too.”

Chapter Four

Jessica

With Ozy apparently a non-possibility now, I still had my date with Aaron to look forward to. I tried to push the strange, but mysterious dark-haired man out of my mind. The entire conversation with him had been – weird. But then, what in the hell had I expected? The guy never said two words to me otherwise, and there I was trying to chat him up out of the blue. Maybe he thought I was stalking him or something – which would seem to explain why he no longer wanted to come into the shop. But again, Aaron, seemed like a nice, put-together guy. He appeared to have his life together and all. After all, that's what I needed, what I wanted. I wore a slinky black dress – one that showed off a little skin without going overboard. I didn't want him to think I was coming on too strong or was going to be easy. But I did want to look sexy as hell. It had been so long since I'd gone out on a date I'd almost forgotten how to do it. My hair was pulled up in a sleek twist, with tendrils around my face. And proving that I was going all out, I even wore makeup. I was surprised to find that I still had any, but there it was, in one of the boxes I'd tucked away in a corner. Most of it was old, but still

appeared to be in pretty good shape. Plus, Chelsea helped me out a little in that department so I could have a fresh face, thick lashes and shimmery eyelids. When Aaron knocked on the door, my heart skipped a beat. I was nervous as hell and fought the tiny urge inside of me to not answer the door. To just pretend I wasn't home and avoid going out on a date altogether. But I gave myself a mental kick and forced myself to walk to the door. This was it. I opened the door for Aaron and smiled. He looked cute, as he always did, with his sandy blonde hair and baby blue eyes. Typical boy next door. My mother would love him, I thought. Anyone's mother probably would, honestly. On the surface, he seemed to be the dream son-on-law in every way – at least from what I could tell. “Come on in and let me grab my bag, we can leave in a bit,” I said, ushering him into our freshly cleaned apartment. Chelsea had gone out for the evening, letting me have the place to myself. I'd told her it wasn't necessary, but she smiled, winked, and said “Just in case.” “You look – wow,” he said, and I blushed as he looked me up and down. “I don't look quite the same as I do in a Perky Beans uniform, huh? I actually have a figure!” I teased.

“A very nice one, I might add,” he said, then blushing. “I mean, not that you're just your body, it's just that I mean – okay, I'm going to shut up now.” Laughing, I told him, “It's fine. It's nice to be noticed sometime. So, thank you.” We talked for a few minutes before leaving, and headed to dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant. The food was fancier than I was accustomed to, but eventually, with the wine flowing, we started talking. And I had to admit – it was nice. Very nice. And we ended up losing track of time. “Oh no,” Aaron said, looking at his watch. “The movie starts in four minutes – and we have at least a ten-minute walk to get there. Interested in seeing anything else?” “Honestly?” I said. “I'd be happy just to find somewhere nice to sit and talk some more.” I considered inviting him back to my place, but I was afraid that might sound wrong. I didn't want to come off like I was offering up sex. It had been a little while, but I wasn't about to have sex on the first date. Things were going well – better than I imagined they would. I was enjoying his company and saw potential there. I didn't want to screw things up by moving too fast. “That sounds great,” he said, picking up the tab. “I know a cute little coffee house nearby –”

Cringing, I joked, “It's not Perky Beans, is it? I spend enough time there already.” And together, we both laughed. He just shook his head with his cheeks flushed and an embarrassed look on his face. “I wasn't thinking,” he said. “I'm sorry –” “It's fine,” I said, taking his hand and staring into those baby blue eyes. “Let's just go for a walk and see where we end up.” “That sounds wonderful,” he said. Yes, yes it did.

Chapter Five

Ozaryan

“We've seen an uptick in Shongtal activity over the last few days,” Anshe said as he looked over the gathering of his Wardens. “So be extra vigilant. I fear they're planning something. Something big.” Anshe was the King of the Lightning clan, and had been for as long as I'd been alive. Which was a very, very long time. He knew more about the Shongtal than any of us did, and even this news worried him. That he was concerned made me supremely nervous. When the King was worried, there was usually a reason to be afraid. “Any idea what it might be?” Feilong asked. “Not at this time,” Anshe said. “And it could be nothing. It could just be them being restless. I have nothing concrete to go on, I just have a bad feeling about this.” As did I. We were quiet as we left our meeting with the King. All the Wardens in attendance were a little subdued, lost in our thoughts about what the Shongtal could be planning. “What do you think they're up to?” Fei asked me. “Trying to start a war? Do you think they're going to try to expose us to the humans?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. But it makes things extra dangerous for us, that much is certain,” I said. “Be safe out there.” We said our goodbyes as we went through the Dragon Door, to our respective territories. It was early morning, as usual when I strolled that part of my territory. And as usual, Perky Beans already had a line out the door. I stopped outside the shop, struggling with the idea of going inside again – for old time's sake. It had been a few weeks since I'd last set foot inside the shop; since I'd last seen Jessica. I wondered how she was doing, how things had gone with Aaron – secretly hoping they'd gone nowhere. But I reminded myself that it was none of my business. I started to walk past the shop when the warning bells inside my head started to go off. There was a Shongtal nearby, I could smell it. Being that we were in a busy area in the middle of the day, there wasn't much I could do about it though. I'd have to wait until, preferably, the sun went down, but that was still some ways off. Knowing there was nothing anyone could do, as long as he was surrounded by people in broad daylight, was probably why he felt so safe out in the open. We would never attack in those conditions and only carried out our fight in the middle of the night. We couldn't risk being seen, couldn't risk exposing ourselves to the humans. And the Shongtal knew that. Which sometimes seemed to embolden them. My gaze narrowed in on the human husk it was wearing – a tall,

skinny man who looked unassuming. As I watched it, the creature must have sensed my presence as well. His body stiffened as he stood inside the coffee house and then he slowly turned toward me. Pulling back his lips in a toothy snarl, he looked purely evil in that moment. He looked like the shadowy creature I was sworn to kill. He knew I couldn't attack him. But I could follow him. I broke my rule and stepped inside Perky Beans, my eyes focused on the man. Jessica was behind the counter, as usual, and when she saw me, she called out. “Welcome back, Ozy!” she said. “It's nice to see you again.” I stood in line and acted normal, keeping my eyes on the husk the Shongtal was wearing since he was standing close to the counter. I didn't want to cause a scene or risk anybody getting hurt. I had no idea what it was even doing there. It wasn't like the creatures needed to eat and drink – they survived off the life force inside the meat suits they wore. “Look who finally decided to come back to us,” Jessica asked as I stepped up to the counter. “Your usual?” “Yes, please,” I said. She wrote my name on the cup and handed it to her co-worker to be made. I paid and tipped her like usual, and she smiled at me. God, how I loved that smile. “So how have things been?” I asked.

I tried to avoid drawing too much attention to myself and decided that I might as well play nice. Besides, I was curious about her – especially about her and Aaron. I knew it was petty but I was. I also had to mask my feelings for her in front of the Shongtal. They would do anything to cause us pain and if this one knew I had an emotional attachment to Jessica, I had no doubt she'd be a husk by sundown. And I wasn't about to let that happen to her. There was no way in hell I was going to let her become food for those creatures. “Great, actually,” she said, seeming a little extra perky today. But she didn't go into details, because we weren't close like that. “And you?” “Good,” I said. “I'm good, thanks.” And by good, I meant about as good as ever – no better or worse than usual. I cut my eyes to the Shongtal, giving it a look that said I knew what it was and would deal with it. “Well,” I said. “I suppose I better let you get back to work.” “Yeah,” she said, sounding a little disappointed as I walked away. I sat down not too far from where it was seated and took a sip of my tea. “Ozy,” it hissed at me. “As in Warden Ozaryan?” “That's the rumor.” “Yeah, where have you been, Ozy?” it asked me.

I didn't answer. No need to talk to that creature. I just needed to keep an eye on it. Make sure it didn't do anything – rash. “We've been waiting for you,” it said again. “I heard you hung out here, but I almost gave up on you. Until today. What brought you back?” “You did,” I said matter-of-factly. “Because I could smell you from a mile away.” Changing my daily routine meant I hadn't walked by the Perky Beans on my morning patrol around the city. I avoided the temptation. But today, I was happy I'd come this way. Otherwise, I'd have missed this clown and that would have been very bad. I shifted in my seat a little to let it see the hilts of the curved daggers in my belt – daggers that had cut down hundreds of creatures just like him. Maybe thousands. The creature just smiled at me. “Don't you want to know why I was looking for you?” it asked. “Not really,” I shrugged. “I don't find you all that interesting. But if I had to guess, knowing your kind like I do, I'd assume you were just looking for a fight.” “No, not at all,” it said. “In fact, I was hoping we could talk. Work out a deal of sorts.” “A deal?” I laughed, shaking my head. “We will never work with the likes of you.”

“Not all of your kind,” it replied. “Just you. I was hoping we could work something out – just the two of us.” “The answer is no,” I pitched my voice low to keep from being overhead, but said firmly. “I'm not interested in doing anything that doesn't involve killing you.” “Even if it entails your darling friend there,” it snarled. “Jessica is her name, is it not?” “Jessica? What in the hell does she have to do with anything?” It was difficult, but I kept my voice low, watching Jessica to make sure she hadn't accidentally overheard me. “Well, if you don't work with me,” the creature said. “I have a plan for your little friend –” “Go to hell,” I said, turning to face him directly, which seemed to please him. With my hands clenched into fists that I rested on the table, I spoke as calmly as I could since I didn't want to draw any attention to us. “Or rather, go back to hell or where ever it is you're from. You don't belong here and I don't take well to threats. And when you're alone – and trust me, we will get some time alone – I will kill you. There's no deal you can offer that's going to change that.” “Very well,” it said, shrugging and picking up a newspaper in front of him. “Except, even if I'm dead, your little Jessica will suffer.” “What makes you think I care?” I asked. “My job is to protect all people from your kind. Not just her.”

“Oh, I happen to know you have a little something extra in you for her,” I said. “Shut up,” I hissed, resisting the urge to grab one of my blades and cut him down. “Don't you want to know how I know you have feelings for her?” it asked. “How?” I growled. “Because we have those closest to her,” he laughed. “And when we inhabit a human, we become privy to all their thoughts. To everything they know. Apparently, you haven't been as secretive with your desires for her as you thought. People have seen you watching her, checking her out. People that belong to us. People she trusts.” My mind spun in a million different directions, wondering who it might be. Wondering who might be the Shongtal husk. I couldn't afford to let it see me stressed out. I had to maintain my calm and my composure. I had to act as if Jessica were no more important to me than anybody else. “Yeah? Ever think that maybe the perceptions of the person you're inhabiting are wrong?” I asked. “You're privy to their thoughts, which are their opinions and perceptions. Doesn't necessarily make it true.” As I spoke, I tried to figure out who it was. There was Aaron, of course. But who else? I didn't know Jessica well enough to know who

was closest to her. Could they be employees at the shop? I extended my senses but nobody else carried that Shongtal stink. But maybe they weren't there today. I scanned the rest of the crowd but came up empty. “I tend to think that this is very true and very accurate,” it said. “If I weren't, I wouldn't be sitting here bringing you this offer.” “You've not made an offer.” It looked at me, a malevolent grin on its face. “You stop hunting us. Let us feed freely,” it said. “And Jessica will be fine. We won't touch her.” There was nobody else I could think of. For as long as I'd been going to Perky Beans, I'd never caught even the barest trace of Shongtal. So, it couldn't be one of the employees. It had to be somebody else. Somebody else who knew something about the shop and its patrons. Which meant, it had to be Aaron. “So, do we have a deal, Ozaryan?” it asked. “Or will I have to kill that sweet little redhead and feast on her soul?”

Chapter Six

Jessica

“I figured we could eat in tonight,” he asked. “Pizza and a movie maybe?” I held the phone to my ear as I walked around the room. After a long day of work and then midterms, honestly, that sounded ideal to me. “Oh yes, that sounds wonderful, Aaron,” I said. “Thank you.” “Anything for you, baby,” he said. We'd been dating for a few weeks, and things were good. Very good. So good that I probably shouldn't let seeing Ozy again bother me. But damn after seeing him earlier, I couldn't stop thinking about him. He was so attractive, and maybe Chelsea was right – maybe I was drawn to his mysteriousness and unpredictability. Nothing was a mystery with Aaron. I already felt like I knew everything about him. And what I didn't know, I could usually guess. Because he just seemed so – normal. Not that it was a bad thing, but I sometimes wasn't sure if I was settling because it was comfortable or if maybe this could turn into something real. He was a good guy after all. He just didn't have that mystery or dark appeal that Ozy had.

“Jess?” Aaron said. “Earth to Jess, you there?” “Uh yeah, sorry,” I said. “I'm really tired, so I zoned out for a minute. What did you ask me?” He laughed. “I asked what you'd like on the pizza? I'll call and order it now, so hopefully it'll get here right around when you do.” “Oh umm – pepperoni is fine with me,” I said, shaking out the fuzz in my brain. “Thanks, sweetie. You're the best.” “No, you are,” he said. “I'm so not getting into this now,” I laughed. “Or else I'll never get over there. I need to head out soon, before it gets too late.” “See you soon, Jess,” he said before hanging up. Chelsea was sitting across from me, grinning from ear-to-ear. As soon as I hung up the phone, she raised an eyebrow. “Going over there again tonight?” she asked. “And I'm guessing you won't be back again either?” “Probably not,” I said. “I'll probably just crash over there.” “I'm losing my best friend to a guy,” she said, pouting and pretending to wipe a tear from her eye. “Oh hush,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You're the one who encouraged me to start dating him in the first place.” “I know, I'm just teasing, girl,” she said. “I'm happy for you. He sounds like a really good guy.”

“He is,” I said, sighing as I said it. “You didn't sound too excited.” she said, a note of concern in her voice – she almost sounded like my mother, which made me laugh. “Well, it's just –” I started. “It's just – what?” I started to tell her why I had my doubts about Aaron. He was a good guy. Stable. Normal. And this was all probably just me being silly. He was perfect in a lot of ways and there was no reason I should complain. “You're still a little crazy about Ozy though, huh?” Chelsea said. “Give it a break, girlfriend. He's not into you, I was wrong about that, obviously. And besides, Aaron is and he's sexy as hell and everything you always wanted in a guy, so – what’s the problem?” “I know, I know,” I said. “And you're right. I'm just being stupid.” I reached for my overnight bag and hugged Chelsea before heading for the door. “I'll see you tomorrow,” I said. “Be good, okay?” “Me? Good? Ha!” I playfully smacked her on the butt, shaking my head as I left. I loved her. Before Aaron, she had been my entire life. As much as I envied her, and even though she could drive me crazy from time-totime, she was my best friend. Like a sister to me. Always kept me in balance and made sure I wasn't taking life too seriously. She was the

yin to my yang. There was absolutely no way she'd ever lose me. Not to a man. Not to anybody. No way in hell. No man is worth that much to me. Nothing is.

~ooo000ooo~

“Well lookie here,” Aaron said as he opened the door. “Look who finally decided to show up.” I knew he was teasing, but for some reason, it felt like maybe there was a little more to it than that. There was an edge to his voice. It was subtle, but I was sure I'd heard it. He looked at me, but I didn't see any trace of anger in his face – but that subtle note to his voice had struck me funny. “Wait, are you mad at me?” I asked. “Nah, just teasing, love,” he said. “Pizza got here ten minutes ago. I guess I shouldn't have ordered ahead after all.” Again, there was something weird to his voice when he spoke. Something that said his jokes were a little more serious than he was letting on. Something wasn't right. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was there. I wasn't just hearing things.

“Aaron,” I said sternly, standing in the doorway. “Seriously, are you upset that I took too long to get here? Because something's up. You don't sound normal.” “Come on in,” he said, shutting the door behind me. “Let's eat.” “You didn't answer my question,” I said. “I left right after we got off the phone together, literally just a few minutes. Just enough time to grab my bag and go.” No need to mention the conversation with Chelsea, because honestly, it wasn't any of his business. He wasn't my keeper, nor was he my father. Aaron rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Let's just eat and watch the damn movie.” “Whatever? Watch the damn movie?” My eyes were wide now and anger was coursing through my veins. “You have never taken that kind of tone with me. What's going on –” “Maybe it's because you don't know me that well,” Aaron said with a shrug. “But hey, here's an idea. Maybe we can get to know each other more if we can actually sit down and eat.” As he talked, he reached around and hugged me, grabbing my ass in the process. It was rough and awkward and I didn't like it. I planted my hands on his chest, pushing him backward. “What in the hell is wrong with you tonight?” I asked, seriously perplexed.

Aaron closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not saying a word. And just as I was ready to walk back out that door and leave, he opened his eyes and smiled. He held his hands out to me, which made me take a few steps back, staying just out of his reach. “Listen, I'm sorry, Jess,” he said, his voice sounding more like normal. “Rough day at work. I was only kidding and it came out wrong because I'm already tense. I didn't mean it the way it sounded.” I wanted to believe him, because up until that point, he'd been a great guy. There hadn't been any sign of aggression or anger issues. And he never swore around me. Over the last few weeks, he'd been nothing but a gentleman – up until just a few minutes ago. “Alright, apology accepted,” I said, still feeling tense and wary. He moved out of the way and together, we walked into his living room. The pizza was on the coffee table and several movies were laid out as well. “Figured I'd give you a few options,” he said. “Wasn't sure if you'd prefer a comedy or a romance, maybe a drama –” Now that was the Aaron I knew. Kind. Considerate. We settled in and picked a comedy, just something to lighten the mood a bit. I didn't feel like talking much, especially since he was already on edge. I knew I was on edge too, because I was exhausted. I didn't need to make things worse.

Before long, I found my eyes growing heavy and Aaron motioned for me to lay down on him. Placing my head on his chest, he stroked my hair back from my face as he stared down at me. “I'm sorry, Jess,” he said. “I really am –” “Hush,” I said, pressing my fingers tip his lips. “It was our first fight. I'm sure it won't be our last.” “God, I hope not,” he said, kissing my fingertips. I drifted off to sleep in his arms, feeling better about things.

Chapter Seven

Ozaryan

“What did you say?” Fei asked. After my encounter with the Shongtal in the coffee house, I'd confided in him about what the creature had proposed – leaving out the part about my attachment to Jessica, of course. That was exactly why we didn't mingle with the humans, it was too easy to get attached. “What do you think I said?” I asked. “I told him to go to hell.” “Well, I knew you wouldn't make a deal with it, but seriously – what was it thinking? What made it think it had the leverage to make that kind of a deal?” “Beats me,” I said. Even though I knew what kind of leverage it thought it had. It wanted to use Jessica against me, thinking it had me over a barrel. “I bet you enjoyed that kill,” Fei said. “Yeah.” I left it at that. Fei didn't have to know I didn't have the balls to kill it – not yet at least. I wasn't making a deal with the creature, but I was letting it think I had. I considered telling Fei, but I wasn't sure he'd understand.

And if I went to the King, he'd see through my story and ask what the creature had over me. I would have no choice but to admit my feelings for her. I had to do this alone. And I had to work fast in order to save Jessica. Later, when I was walking my territory, I stopped by Perky Beans and glanced inside. Jessica wasn't working the counter. Knots clenched tight in my stomach as I walked inside and a guy whose nametag said Richard greeted me with a smile. “Welcome to Perky Beans, what can I get for you today?” “Is Jessica off today?” I asked. “No call, no show,” Richard said. “What a shame too. She'd been here forever.” “Wait, she just didn't come in?” The hair on the back of my neck stood up. “No call, nothing? And she was supposed to be here?” “Yeah, something like that,” Richard said. “Hey, do you want to order anything or not? There's a line starting to form and I'm the only one here, so if you could –” I looked behind me and saw that a few more people had drifted in. But with my stomach in knots, wondering what had happened to Jessica, I had to ask a couple more questions. “Do you have a phone number,” I asked. “Or an address for her?” “I don't think I can give that information out, sir.”

“A last name? Anything? I believe she may be in danger!” I shouted, slamming my fists into the counter, causing it to crack. The poor kid just stared back at me with a terrified look etched upon his fac. His cheeks had colored and he looked like he was about to cry, but he finally managed to open his mouth and speak. “Murphy. Her last name is Murphy,” he said. “All I know is she lives with her best friend, Chelsea, nearby. Like down the street. At the corner of 115th, I believe. That's it. I really hope she's okay. She's so nice. And pretty. But mostly nice –” I turned and walked from the coffee shop, wishing I could shift and use my wings there in the city. But with it being daylight, I had to rely on my feet to get around. The good news was that she lived nearby – a few blocks away. If the kid was right. As I ran down the street, to the corner of 115th, I stopped at the apartment complex right on the corner and looked at it, opening my senses, searching for Jessica – or the Shongtal. I couldn't sense anything outside, but knew that didn't mean anything. I walked inside, scanned the mailboxes for any sign of a name or a hint as to who lived where, but there was nothing. Nothing but the scent of a Shongtal. I could smell it all the way down in the lobby of the building. Following that odor, I took the stairs two at a time until I reached the fifth floor. I followed my nose until I got to the apartment it seemed to

be emanating from – 506 – and yes, there was obviously one of them in there. Was I standing in front of Jessica's apartment though? Did that mean the roommate was the husk and not Aaron? I didn't know, but I was damn sure about to find out. I knocked, and at first, there was no answer. I knocked again. “Jesus, who's knocking this early in the morning,” a voice called out. Female, but not Jessica's. The door swung open, revealing a girl who was bleary-eyed and had hair sticking out in a million different directions – like she'd just woken up. “Jess, did you forget your keys again,” she asked, rubbing her eyes before finally looking up and seeing me. “Oh, hello there. Sorry, I thought you were somebody else.” I said nothing, but forced my way into the apartment and pushed it to the ground. With the creature stunned temporarily, I kicked the door shut and jumped on top of it, pinning it to the ground. Of course, it tried to pretend to be human and scream, but it was too late. My hand was over its mouth. It looked at me, its eyes narrowing, but the hatred for me burned brightly. “Tell me,” I said, breathing heavily into its face. “Where's Jessica? What did you do with her?” The creature bit me, hard. I winced, didn't get off it. Instead, I

balled my hand up into a fist and drove it into the stomach of the husk. It gasped for a moment and then looked at me with a malicious smile on its face. “I don't know what you're talking about, Warden.” I backhanded it, rocking its head to the side. And for the first time since we'd met, it showed its true colors by snarling at me. “Again,” I asked. “Where is Jessica?” “She's fine, you idiot,” it said. “Your deal with my master is in place. We're not going to hurt her. We have no desire to so long as you hold up your end of the bargain.” “Oh yeah? Then where the hell is she?” I snarled. “Because she didn't show up at work today?” I wanted nothing to do with the creature – nothing but to watch it die a painful, miserable death. Out of the corner of my eye, something drew my attention. I turned and saw a photo of the creature's human form, with Jessica, in a picture frame that said BFFS. Best friends forever. Which meant that this was probably Chelsea. Her roommate. The creature I spoke to was right about picking those closest to her, and there I was, facing her best friend. Only it wasn't really her best friend. Not anymore. Replaced by something more sinister and evil than anyone on this planet could ever imagine. “She's with her boyfriend, moron,” the creature said, spitting at me.

“Probably too busy screwing him to show up to work.” She was with Aaron. I'd suspected he'd been inhabited by the Shongtal, but I wasn't sure. I couldn't be sure of anything. But I needed to find out where they were at. I need to find out if she was okay. If she was safe. If I found her – I could protect her. I could kill the creatures and be done with it. No deals. Nothing of that sort. I wasn't about to let them run free in my territory while I looked the other way. The rage in me burned brighter than the fire that flowed through my blood. I was Lightning Clan and not somebody to be trifled with. The Shongtal were going to learn that. Very soon. As soon as Jessica was safe, I was going to have a field day and put a big dent in their numbers in my territory. “Where is that?” I asked. The creature shrugged. “Don't know, don't care.” I knew that was crap. Nothing these creatures said could ever be trusted. They lied as easily as they breathed. But there was also no way I could make it talk. I stared into the girl's eyes, knowing that girl – Chelsea was her name – wasn't the one looking back at me and I wanted to destroy it. I slipped my dagger out if its sheath, holding the curved blade firmly to its throat. “If you kill me, the deal is off with my master,” it hissed.

“There never was a deal to begin with,” I said. For the first time, I saw fear in its eyes. But only a flash, until it snarled at me. “Kill me and Aaron will kill your sweetheart,” it said. “How about that?” I winced at its words. It was a risk I had to take. Looking around the apartment, I thought I might find something – his last name, a phone number, something that would tell me where to find Aaron and Jessica. But if I let the creature go, it was a certainty that it would run and tell the others. Besides, I couldn't leave it inside of Jessica's best friend. I couldn't do that. “I'll find her,” I said. “I'll find her and save her; don't you worry about that. I'd be more worried about yourself right now, because I'm this close to slitting your damn throat.” It grinned at me and then opened its mouth. Its screams – or rather, Chelsea's screams – echoed throughout the apartment, and I prayed no one would call the cops. At least not before I was done finding out what I needed to know. I needed to get to Jessica, and I needed to get to her fast.

Chapter Eight

Jessica

“What time is it?” I murmured, rolling over to face Aaron, who was in bed next to me. “Don't worry about the time,” he whispered, kissing me softly. “Just sleep, Jessica.” “I have to be at work –” but my voice trailed off as sleep took hold of me once more. I knew I was tired. I'd felt completely drained the night before. Exhausted. But this was not like me. I didn't even know what time it was or how I'd gotten into Aaron's bed in the first place. But it was so cozy and warm, I didn't want to leave. So, for whatever reason, I didn't fight it. I just gave over to the soothing hand of sleep. Even though I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, I needed to be at work. But I pushed that away – nothing else mattered in that moment besides sleep. “There, there,” Aaron said in a soothing voice. “There you go. Just sleep.” I don't know how long I slept, but a loud knocking woke me up. It startled me and I sat up, my heart racing. I stared wide-eyed at Aaron who once again, told me to go back to sleep.

When I looked at the clock, it said it was closing in on one in the afternoon. Adrenaline rushing through my veins, I jumped out of bed, but Aaron grabbed me and pulled me back into it. “What are you doing?” I said. “I need to get to work?” I rushed around, looking for my clothes, but I was dizzy and still felt very sleepy. The knocking on the front door got louder, until eventually there was a full-out crashing sound coming from the front room. It sounded like somebody had kicked the front door in. I was confused – and my current fuzzy-brained state only added to that. I had no idea what was going on. How I'd managed to sleep until one in the afternoon – or anything else that was going on. I knew I should have been scared by the sound of the door crashing in, but for some reason, all I wanted was to go back to sleep. “Dammit,” Aaron said, in a voice that didn't sound exactly normal. “I'll be back. Don't leave, you hear me? Just get back into bed.” “What's going on?” I asked. “I said, don't leave,” he said, his voice unusually abrupt. “Stay here. Don't move.” Aaron rushed out of the bedroom before I could ask any more questions. I looked at the bed and felt the urge to crawl back under the covers. I was content to stay there, especially not knowing what was happening in the other room, but then I heard a voice. A familiar voice.

“Where is she?” Was that – “She's not here.” I heard Aaron respond. “Don't lie me, I know she's here,” he growled. “Where is she?” Yes, it was – it was Ozy. Then I heard a crashing, screaming and noises unlike anything I'd heard before. Scary sounds, hissing, growling and screeching. It sounded less like two men fighting, and one man fighting an animal. I walked to the door, still feeling woozy. I held onto the bed, then the dresser, to hold myself up as I made my way to the doorway. Who was he looking for, I wondered? And why all the noise? What was happening out there? As I made it to the doorway, I was met by Ozy. He looked at me and I saw his face fill with utter relief. “What's going on?” I asked, feeling unsteady on my feet. “Ozy, how do you know Aaron?” Ozy hesitated, then looked at something behind him and back at me. “It's a long story, Jessica, and you're not going to believe me anyway,” he said. “But trust me, that man isn't your boyfriend. That's not Aaron. At least not anymore.” I wasn't sure how I hadn't noticed before, but he had blood splattered on his face. Was that Aaron's blood? I started to wobble on my feet, and Ozy reached out to help me,

but I pulled away, suddenly fearful of the man who'd come into the coffee shop nearly every day. The mysterious man I'd been drawn to. Was he a killer? “You've been drugged,” he muttered. “And we need to get out of here, now. Before it comes back with friends.” “Before what comes back?” I mumbled. “What are you talking –” But before I could finish, I saw what he meant. Aaron was behind him, but he wasn't alone. Others were with him. Others who frequented Perky Beans. Familiar faces. I shook my head, convinced I was dreaming. I had to be. There was no way this was happening. There was no way this was real. A dream was the only way to explain what happened next. Ozy pulled out a blade – long and curved, and looked at me. “Look away, Jessica,” he said. “You're not going to want to see this.” But I didn't move fast enough. I watched as Ozy spun quickly, his blade leading the way. I watched as he cut the head off Sam – a guy who came in every few days and ordered the same black coffee with just one packet of sugar. He was a simple, sweet guy. And now he was dead. I tried to scream, but the sound caught in my throat. My heart was thundering in my chest and I was shaking so hard I felt like I was having a convulsion. As Ozy looked back at me, his eyes glowed red

as if there were fire in them. He looked like a demon of some kind. He looked evil. I backed away until I bumped into the bed, and then crawled back on it, putting my back against the headboard. Part of me wanted to cover my head, to pretend this wasn't happening to me. To go back to sleep and wake up in a normal world, with my boyfriend snuggled up next to me. The white carpeting in Aaron's house was stained red with blood, and for some reason, that's all I could stare at. I tried to tell myself it wasn't real, even as the sounds around me became too much for me to handle. I clapped my hands over my ears and tried to shut it all out. To go someplace in my mind that wasn't there. I looked back up in time to see a shadow, something I couldn't explain, flying toward me at lightning speed. I screamed, and Ozy lunged at it, slicing through it with his blade until it hissed and disappeared. I stared wide-eyed, not sure what I'd just seen. A ghost? A demon? What? What in the hell was that thing? “What was that?” I asked, my voice trembling as hard as my body. “Oh. My. God.” That's when I saw Aaron – and yet, I could tell by his eyes that it somehow wasn't Aaron. He was bloody, staggering, and looked like he was about to die. Ozy looked back at me, shook his head. “I'm so sorry,” he said. “Just know that this is not Aaron. This is not

your boyfriend, Jessica.” He turned back around and drove the point of his blade into Aaron's chest. Blood poured out of him as he screamed in pain, his eyes locked on mine. It wasn't Aaron. It couldn't be. It wasn't until his screams stopped that I realized I'd been crying out along with him, begging for it to stop. Begging to just wake up from this nightmare. But as Ozy wiped his blade clean, I knew – I knew it was all real. “We don't have much time,” he said. “There will be more of them coming soon. And we need to get you out of here. I can come back later, with backup, but for now –” “Aaron –” was all I could mutter as I stared down at his lifeless body. Staring at the hole in his chest and the pool of blood around him. “Oh God, Aaron.” Ozy reached for me, and I wanted to fight. I wanted to get away from all of this – including him. But I had no fight in me. Ozy said I'd been drugged and the way I felt, I believed him. They made me so very tired and unable to resist, I collapsed into his arms. Ozy picked me up like I was as light as a feather. “Where are you taking me?” I asked him. “Somewhere safe,” he said. “Somewhere far away from all of this.” He ran out of the apartment, but instead of going downstairs, he went up. To the roof. Once there, he looked at me and then looked

around. He looked worried. But he also looked resolved. “You're going to see something you never thought possible, but please, Jessica, don't freak out,” he said. “I'm going to save you, so come with me. No matter how scary I might look, come with me.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “I'm not human, Jess,” he said. “I'm a – it's a long story, but basically, I can change. I can become a dragon –” “Whoa, wait, no – okay, I'm done,” I said. “This is getting too weird and I'm seriously ready to wake the hell up now –” As I was figuring out how to either wake up or escape from the roof, I watched as Ozy looked up and held his hands out. I watched as he became something else before my very eyes. My eyes grew wide and a yawning pit formed in my belly as he literally transformed into a dragon. A freaking dragon. A mythical animal that wasn't supposed to exist – and yet, there it was. Standing in front of me. The creature – Ozy – turned his eyes to look at me and I couldn't breathe for a moment. I heard footsteps on the stairs leading to the roof where we stood. More of what had been in Aaron's apartment maybe? My options were pretty limited at the moment, and Ozy was looking at me, waiting. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked. Ozy looked toward his back, as if trying to tell me something, and

a moment later, I realized he wanted me to literally come with him. As in climb onto him. Ride on his back. “Not only can I not believe this is real, I can't believe I'm doing this –” I said, but he nudged me, helping me on my way. And as soon as I took a firm grip, he took to the air. Screaming at the top of my lungs, we flew away. Me, riding on the back of a dragon – a dragon who'd once been one of my favorite customers. I still wasn't convinced this wasn't all a dream.

Chapter Nine

I didn't even know how long I had slept before my eyes abruptly opened. I was suddenly awake, alert and half-expected to see Aaron beside me in bed and an alarm clock ready to go off so I could head into work. I'd expected that I was waking up from one of the most profoundly bizarre dreams I'd ever had. But instead, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar bed in a strange room. “Where am I?” I asked, sitting upright in bed. The surroundings were nice. Incredibly nice, in fact, with décor that seemed more fitting of a Renaissance faire than an actual bedroom. The bed I was in was surrounded by four tall posters and blood red curtains, shielding out the sunlight. Pushing it back, I saw that the walls were made of stone and in the corner, there was a fire in a fireplace, keeping the place warm and cozy. And of course, there was Ozy, sitting in a large, plush chair by the fire, reading a book. As soon as I saw him, I remembered everything that happened. Or at least, what I thought had happened. If I'd been drugged – as Ozy had said I was – my memories couldn't be trusted. But I thought that one thing was certain – I'd watched Ozy kill my boyfriend.

“Jessica, you're awake,” he said, sounding relieved. “I wasn't sure what he used on you –” “Who?” I asked, still confused over whose side I was on. “Aaron,” he said. “You mean the man you killed? My boyfriend?” My eyes filled with tears at the mere mention of his name. As much as he'd bored me, and as uncertain as I was about a future with him, he was still a good man. Or at least I thought he was. Nothing seemed right anymore. Ozy's eyes softened as he looked at me. “I'm so sorry,” he said. “I tried to convince it to leave his body, but I failed. I had no choice –” “It? Leave his body? What in the hell are you talking about, Ozy?” I asked. “None of this is making any damn sense.” Ozy sighed, staring at his hands, and for the first time, I heard him talk. Really talk. I saw him for who he really was – and in my mind, that was a crazy man. Had I not seen everything myself, I would have thought he was a lunatic. Still, because I'd seen everything, I had trouble reconciling it all. Even as Ozy explained it to me, piecing together the events, I shook my head, trying to deny them. And yet, there was some small part of my mind that whispered to me that what I was hearing was true. I'd ridden on the back of a damn dragon. Could evil spirits be any stranger than that? Any more far-fetched?

“So, he was possessed?” I said. “Like by a demon?” “Something like that, yes,” Ozy said. “And you tried to convince it to leave,” I said. “Why didn't it?” “They can choose not to leave their host, there's nothing I can do,” he said. “I can't force a Shongtal to leave its human husk. Besides, I fear he was too far gone anyway.” “Too far gone?” “Yes, I fear the Shongtal –” he cut himself off and cringed at his own words before even speaking them. “See, these creatures live off the life force of their human hosts. And most often, they use the life force of the human up until they die. Once they've sucked the life out of one host, they move on to another, and then another, and then – well, you get the picture. Just like the one that was coming for you.” I remembered the shadow, and how Ozy had cut through it with his blade. “It was trying to inhabit you,” he said. “If it had, I wouldn't have been able to help you.” “So, these things had Aaron? And the others? Just to get to me?” I asked. “But why? Why come after me, I'm nothing special –” Ozy looked away, as if he knew something I didn't. Hell, he knew a lot of stuff I didn't. But I could tell he really didn't want to talk about it. Given what I'd gone through though, there was no way in hell I was

going to let him off without giving me some answers. He owed me that – at the very least. “Spill it, Ozy. I need to know the truth,” I said. “Or at least your version of the truth. I need to understand and try to figure out what in the hell I'm going to do next.” “They weren't after you,” he said quietly. “Not really.” “What?” I asked. “Then who?” “They were after me. You were merely bait.” “Bait?” I scoffed. “Why would I be bait? I'm nothing to you.” But as Ozy looked up at me, I saw something in his eyes that told me different. Something that took my breath away. In his eyes, I could see the truth – that he cared about me. “You mean, all those times you came into Perky Beans –” “I don't like tea that much either,” he admitted. “I usually poured most of it out.” “So, you came in to – see me?” I asked softly. “But why didn't you ever say anything?” “Because you're beautiful,” he said. “And because your smile always made me happy. Does it have to be all that complicated? As for why I didn't say anything, I did it to protect you. For all the good that obviously did.” I was taken back by his admission – that I meant something to him.

Or at least, someone out there assumed I did. And the fact that it worked – well, partially at least since it seemed Ozy had come out on top – shocked me to no end. “So, let me get this straight,” I said after a few moments, once I could find my voice again, “These creatures, whatever they are, they wanted to get to you. So, they worked through me because you like my smile? None of this makes sense.” “Of course it doesn't,” he said. “Because you're human and this is all new to you. I'm sure it must sound nuts and be overwhelming. But believe me, Jessica, these beings are very bad news and I just wanted to keep you safe. That's all. I wish no one had to get hurt, but that's out of my hands. I'm a Warden and my job is to protect humanity and destroy the Shongtal.”

“So, did you really turn into a dragon?” I asked after a few moments. He smiled, but looked away to hide it. There was more to this mysterious man than I'd ever imagined. He was cocky, or at least he seemed to be when it came to that. He was proud of the fact that he could become a Dragonborn or whatever it was. He was proud that he was a – Warden? He enjoyed it. Took a fierce pride in it, that was plain to see. “Yes, I did. Because I'm a Dragonborn Warden,” I said. “Meaning I

walk between two worlds – yours and mine – and can shift between human and dragon on command. Ordinarily, I would have never let you see me shift. But we were in a desperate situation. Humans can never know we exist or that our purpose is to protect them.” My jaw nearly hit the floor. I still couldn't believe it, even though I saw it with my own eyes. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it all. He'd been right when he said it was overwhelming. I just didn't know what to believe. “And where am I – your world or mine?” “This is my home. In LA,” he said with a grin. “My home is specifically warded to protect us against the Shongtal. They cannot enter here. I brought you here to keep you safe while I find the rest of those involved in this plot and clean up this mess.” “Will others have to die?” I asked, suddenly thinking about all the people who'd died already. “Possibly,” he said softly. “Probably, if I'm being honest. I try to spare as many humans as possible, but we can't let the creatures inside them live. They're dangerous to humankind as a whole.” “I understand,” I said, feeling terrible for people I didn't know. “Anyone else I care about in danger?” Ozy leaned forward and put his face in his hands. My heart sank as I realized he was preparing to break some very bad news. And I wasn't sure I could take any more heartache tonight.

“Chelsea –” “No,” I begged, tears coming to my eyes. “Please, no...” Before I knew it, I was sobbing uncontrollably, shaking, crying and screaming, as if somehow that would make it all go away. Ozy rushed to my side and pulled me close. I didn't even think about being afraid of him – I just felt so safe wrapped in those muscular arms. I let myself fall into the embrace and my tears flow. “She got away,” he said, whispering softly. “She's still alive, and I will do everything in my power to keep her alive, Jess. I swear to you. I will do everything I can to talk the creature out of her.” Which sounded great, except for the fact that there was no guarantee he could save her. It was a promise to try, to do everything he could, but there was still no guarantee my best friend would be coming out of this alive. I shook my head, feeling a hundred different emotions at once – and none of them good. I did my best to shut them all away, to lock them in a box, and simply be numb to everything. “I'm coming with you,” I said, wiping my eyes with my hand. “Jessica, no –” “I have to,” I said. “If this is the last time I see Chelsea, I need to say goodbye.” In reality, I wanted to be there to make sure Ozy kept his promise to do his best to spare her. And I'd try to keep her alive too. He

mentioned convincing the creatures to leave their bodies – perhaps we could work something out. Make some sort of deal or something. I didn't know what I could do, but I was going to do everything I could for my best friend. I looked up at Ozy, “Do you have a best friend?” I asked. He cringed, nodding but said nothing, obviously knowing where this is going. “And would you do anything to save him?” I asked. “If you could?” “Of course.” “Then you understand why I have to go with you. Why I have to help you try to save my best friend,” I said. If I don't, I'll live the rest of my life wondering – what if? And I can't live with that. I simply can't. I won't, Ozy.” Ozy frowned, he so badly wanted to fight me on this. But deep down, he knew he wasn't going to win. I was going with him. Whether he liked it or not.

Chapter Ten

Ozaryan

“So, is your name really Ozy, or is that a lie too?” she asked. “It's a nickname,” I said. “And I haven't lied to you, Jessica. Not about anything.” “Uhh, how about being human?” “I never told you I was human,” I said. “You merely assumed that. Not like I could come up to you and say, 'hi, my name is Ozaryan and I can turn into a dragon, would you like to grab dinner sometime?” “Well, that would be one hell of a pickup line –” “I was trying to stay away from you, Jessica. Trying to keep you out of the middle of all this,” I said. “The less I spoke to you, I thought the less likely you'd prod into the parts of my life you're not supposed to know about.” “So, you're not really shy either?” she asked, giving me one of those stunning smiles. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her. To feel her soft lips against mine. But I knew the timing was horrible. And that it would have been bad. Very bad.

“We should go,” I said, pulling away from her. I comforted her when she was sad, but even that felt more intimate than it should have. I couldn't allow myself to get too close. It was dangerous. It was foolish. Everything that had happened proved to me that I couldn't afford the emotional entanglements. That nothing good would ever come of them. “The sooner we find Chelsea, the better our chances at saving her,” I said. She nodded. “Of course,” she said. “Are you feeling well enough to stand on your own?” I asked. “Whatever he gave you was strong. He wanted to keep you asleep for a while apparently.” “Apparently so, but yes, I'm better now,” she said. “I also needed the sleep, badly. So that didn't help matters, I'm sure.” I wanted to ask her more about her life, but knew we didn't have the time. We had a mission, this wasn't the time to play twenty questions. That, and I still needed to keep my distance from her. “How do you move between the worlds?” she asked. “Through the Doors,” I said. “Just like you would move through rooms in your home.” “Like regular doors?” “Pretty much.”

“Huh. Who'd have thought –” she said, staring at the room around us.

I wanted to try and talk her out of going with me, but knew that she wasn't having it. I'd been fighting the Shongtal for ages. I knew just how dangerous they were. But she was determined. And the fate of a loved one was hanging in the balance. I know in her place, I would refuse to be left behind. So, rather than risk her doing something stupid on her own, I thought it better to be able to keep an eye on her. But there were going to be some ground rules. I turned and looked her in the eye, trying to convey exactly how serious I was. “This is dangerous,” I said. “Very dangerous. People very well may die. And I don't want you to be one of them. So, if you're coming along, you will do exactly what I say, when I say it. That's the deal. If you don't want to take that deal, you can stay here. And I'll have somebody babysit you to keep you from doing something foolish.” She looked at me and I saw a grim determination in her eyes – one I hadn't seen before, but I wasn't surprised that Jessica had a core of steel inside of her. I'd always had that impression. And now I was seeing it live and in the flesh. “Deal,” she said.

Chapter Eleven

I had to admit, I loved watching the expression on her face as we walked through my house. She was like a kid in a candy store, eyes wide, taking in all of the things I had collected through the centuries. In fact, I was so caught up in watching her, I didn't even notice that we were holding hands. As soon as I realized it though, I took my hand back. She looked at me, almost like she was surprised by it as well, but neither one of us said anything. I cleared my throat and looked away, the air between us taking on the distinct aroma of awkwardness. “Huh,” Jessica said, staring at the buildings around us. “So, one minute, I'm in the most gorgeous museum I've ever seen, the next minute I'm literally in the crappiest basement in all of LA. Nice.” She was laughing, so that was good. And I couldn't help but laugh either. “Truthfully, I never really thought about it,” I said. “But you're right, this place is pretty crappy.” We were standing in the basement of my building for no other reason than I wanted to show her one of the Dragon Doors. I knew she was still having trouble believing everything – not that I blamed her. It was a lot to process. We'd made sure to acquire the land on which the Doors sat, and we'd built up around them. Though our buildings were usually quite

stunning, I guess I hadn't thought about the basement. Scratching my head, I looked around and realized that my kind hadn't done much with it. It literally was a room with four grayish white walls and no windows in the middle of downtown LA. In the middle of the room though, stood one of the Dragon Doors. It was a tall, rectangular doorway between our two worlds. It hovered a couple of inches off the ground and glowed and swirled with multicolored lights. I'd always thought of it as kind of a kaleidoscope – the shapes and colors in the doorway were perpetually changing. In a way, it was beautiful in its own right. Jessica looked at it, the glow of the Door reflecting off her smooth, milky skin. She was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen and it was killing me to not be able to reach out and touch her. “So, stepping through that will take you to your home – what's it called again?” she asked. “Chondelai,” I said. She nodded. “Chondelai,” she said. “I'd like to see it.” “One day,” I said. “Perhaps I'll take you there.” “I'd like that,” she said. The more she talked, the more I liked her. She was funny and charming, and was handling all of this like a pro. Most people would have broken down. Others would have simply given up. But there she was cracking jokes and laughing, even as we

prepared for a battle with creatures that should have terrified her. Or maybe they did and she was able to channel that fear into something more productive. “So where do we find these creatures?” she asked. “Or rather, how can we find them? Do they have a hangout, something that gives them away –?” “Umm well, not really a hangout,” I said. “But I can smell them.” “Smell them?” she asked. “What do they – never mind. I don't need to know.” We left the building and found ourselves on the busy street, not too far from Perky Beans. “Now I see why you stopped in every morning,” she said, staring wistfully at what was probably her former place of employment. “Maybe they'll take you back?” I said. “It's not really your fault. You were drugged.” “Good luck proving that,” she said. “I broke a cardinal rule. On a Monday morning, no less. I left them high and dry.” “Richard seemed to be doing an okay enough job,” I teased. “Oh God, Richard. Poor Richard,” she laughed. “So, is that how you found me? Richard told you?” “Well, he told me where you lived. From there – I encountered Chelsea, or rather the Shongtal inhabiting Chelsea's body,” I said. “And after she escaped, I searched the place until I found your

address book –” “Man, maybe you should work as a PI. You'd make a killing here in LA,” she said, winking at me. “I have a good job,” I said. “And I'm doing fine on my own, thank you.” “Looks like it.” “What's that supposed to mean?” I laughed. “You pretty much live in a castle,” she said. “A freaking castle. I'm so jealous of you right now –” “It's not really a castle,” I said. “Just an apartment building.” “You saw my place,” she said. “You could fit our whole apartment into your bedroom. So yeah, that's pretty much a castle to me.” I laughed and shook my head. I was having fun with her, all things considered. I couldn't remember a time I'd laughed as much as I had with her. And when she looked up at me with her green eyes, I did the one thing I told myself I couldn't do. I kissed her. It was a quick kiss, because as soon as I realized I'd stolen a kiss from her, I backed away. But she was having none of it. She pulled my head back toward her and pressed her lips to mine. It wasn't the chaste little peck I'd given her. No, this was a full-on kiss. She held me close and we stood

there, like two horny teenagers, making out in the middle of a downtown sidewalk. Once she finally came back up for air, she chuckled. “I've been wanting to do that for so long,” she said. “You have no idea.” “Really?” I asked. “Really,” she said. “Every time you came into the shop, I would try to get you to talk because I found you attractive, but you never showed any interest in me whatsoever. I couldn't get two words out of you on a good day. But Chelsea insisted you were into me, said that you were just shy –” “But now you know the truth about me, Jess. About what I do,” I said. “We can't – I mean, seriously. We can't be together.” “Why?” she asked, giving me the most innocent look I'd seen as if she genuinely didn't understand. “Because we can't. It's a Dragonborn rule,” I said. “We are not supposed to get involved with humans. Emotional attachments are discouraged –” “But why? Who makes these rules?” Yes, I liked her. I liked her a lot. But this wasn't the time for this discussion. Especially not since I caught the scent of something musky. Something evil. Something dark. The Shongtal. “We can talk about that later,” I said. “But right now, we have a

creature to catch.” That caused Jessica to stop talking. She stiffened up and looked around, then back at me and mouthed, “Do you smell one nearby?” I nodded. I just needed to find it. Looking around, I was half expecting to find Chelsea – which would of course have made it all easy. But nothing could ever be very easy, could it? Instead, we were face-to-face with the scrawny guy who'd tried to make a deal with me. Its smile was wicked and cruel. And it took everything in me to not plunge my dagger into its chest right then and there. “Hello Ozaryan,” it said. “We meet again. And ahh, I see you found your lovely Jessica. That's wonderful. What a shame about her boyfriend though –” “Shut up,” Jessica snapped. She lunged toward the creature, but I grabbed her, holding her in place. She was no match for the likes of that thing. “We had a deal, Ozy,” it said. “You broke that deal. Now you have to pay for that.” “I never made a deal with you,” I growled. “Just because I didn't kill you that day in the coffee shop, or track you down later, doesn't mean I agreed to anything. You assumed that. I only kept you alive until I could save her.”

“Well pity that,” it said. “And here, I thought we might be friends.” I laughed. “If you really thought that, then you have a lot to learn,” I said. “Because I plan on killing your kind until my very last breath.” “Then, why don't you?” it said. “Right here, right now. Why not fight me here in the middle of Los Angeles. Humans do love a good show, don't they?” When I didn't make a move on him, he cackled. “I thought so,” he said. “So with that said, I'm going to head out and check in with Chelsea. That girl has got a beautiful body and I can't wait to –” Before he finished his sentence, I plunged my blade deep into his side. He stared down at it, then at me, in disbelief. Its eyes were wide and a thin stream of blood poured from the corner of its mouth. “You bastard,” it said as the familiar red lights flared in its eyes and it fell to the ground, limp, lifeless. Of course, there was now a bleeding man in the middle of the sidewalk – and I was standing there holding the knife. People were stopping to stare, others stopped to scream. And I knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before the cops showed up. And I couldn't be there when they did. I'd acted rash and impulsively – stupidly. I'd let emotion cloud my judgment and now a real shitstorm was heading my way. It was Jessica though, who snapped me out of it by taking my

hand and pulling me away. “We have to go, now,” she said. “Can you shift?” “Here? Now?” I asked, staring at the crowd that was forming. “How about down there –” she pulled me toward a dim, gloomy alleyway between two large buildings. “Come on, Ozy,” she said. “We need to go. We need to fly the hell out of here before the cops show up, so do your thing –” “They can't see me,” I said. “You weren't so worried about that the other day, on the roof.” She was right. “Because that was to save you,” I said. “I had no choice.” “Well now you need to save yourself,” she said. “And help me save my best friend. So let's do it.” I could possibly get away with it. Maybe if I stayed hidden behind the buildings or shot up high enough to get myself into the clouds... I heard the sound of sirens in the distance and knew time was running short. “Do it, now! Ozy!” But I didn't shift. I did the next best thing. I took Jessica's hand in mind and we ran for our lives.

Chapter Twelve

Jessica

We ducked into my apartment building, which was down the street from where Ozy had killed that creature in broad daylight. I didn't feel bad though – not after what it had said about Chelsea. We made it there just as the sirens were reaching the scene of the crime. The first thing I noticed was the mess. Everything had been thrown around, as if there had been a fight – which according to Ozy, there had been. “She got away, from you?” I asked. I saw him take out several of the creatures at once without even breaking a sweat. So, to think that Chelsea somehow had gotten the upper hand on the likes of him was mind-boggling. I didn't believe it. And now that I saw the shape our apartment was in, it became a little more real to me. I couldn't figure out how she had gotten away. It didn't add up in my head. “Well, perhaps I didn't tell you everything,” he said, picking up a broken lamp and putting it back where it belonged. “I might have let her go. Or maybe, more like, I didn't try so hard to kill her. Because I could tell you two were close and it reminded me of my best friend. I went easier on her than I do most of the Shongtal and she got away.”

He could have killed her. He’d had her but let her go. I smiled as I watched him try to pick up the rest of the broken things around my apartment. There was something sweet about him, something unique. He was this big, rough, tough warrior type. But there was also an underlying core of softness and gentleness to him. “So, you had no problem killing the guy I was dating, but you pulled your punches when it came to my best friend,” I said. “Interesting.” “I had to kill Aaron,” he said softly. “He didn't give me much of a choice. It was either him or you – and that was an easy choice to make. I wasn't going to let him kill you.” “That makes sense, I guess,” I said softly. I picked up the picture of Chelsea and me from our senior prom. It had been a totally different time for us – another lifetime, really – and we’d been through so much since then. It really hit me for the first time that I could lose her today. Tears filled my eyes as I thought about that, and of course, Ozy was there to put his arm around me. He tried to comfort me, but this time, tried his best to keep his distance at the same time. “I just can't imagine losing her,” I said. “If I lose her, I'm alone in this world.” He pulled me closer, letting me rest my head on his chest, letting me cry. For a few minutes, at least, and then his body stiffened up

and he started to look around. “What is it?” I asked. “I think Chelsea is here,” he said. “On her way up the stairs now.” A few moments later, the door swung open, and sure enough, it was Chelsea. Or at least, it looked like Chelsea. But it took me all of a second and a half to realize that something wasn't right. “So, I figured you'd run and hide here,” she said, staring at Ozy. “Especially after that little show in the streets. Real cute, that.” “Well, your boss did say that LA loves a good spectacle,” he growled. “Right before I killed him.” I couldn't reconcile what I was seeing. To me, this was Chelsea. My best friend in the entire world. But inside her was a monster. Was it too late for her? I couldn't see any sign that Chelsea was still in there. But then, I wouldn't have really known what to look for anyway. “Chelsea, please,” I begged. “Please, give me my best friend back, I'll do anything.” “Anything?” Chelsea asked, walking toward me. Ozy pushed me back, stepping between me and the creature coming toward me. “It's not your friend, Jessica. It might look like her, but you're talking to a monster,” he said, “Hello pot, it's kettle,” it laughed. “Speaking of monsters, did he tell

you what he is, Jessica? He's a literal killer –” “As if you don't kill the people you feed on,” Ozy spat. Chelsea shrugged. “Survival of the fittest, what can I say? Maybe if you Dragonborn hadn't let us out –” “What's she talking about?” I asked. “It's a long story,” he said. It was the same line I'd heard from him countless times already – and it continued to be stories I was never told. I was going to have to rectify that. Whether he liked it or not, I was now part of his world. But now wasn't the time to argue or ask for more details. “Just leave Chelsea's body,” I said. “Please, go somewhere else and we won't harm you.” “Jess –” “Please, Ozy,” I stared up into his eyes, begging and pleading with him. “We need to save her.” He choked down his pride and nodded, looking at Chelsea and agreeing. “I'll honor that promise,” he said. “If you're willing to take it and leave the girl unharmed as well.” Chelsea seemed to ponder that deal. “I've seen what he can do to you guys,” I said. “With just his blade. Take the deal or you're dead meat otherwise.” “Not exactly,” she said, smirking at me. “We're not exactly

helpless.” The look in Chelsea's eyes was so filled with hate, it sent shivers down my spine. I was suddenly thankful for Ozy's body between us, as if that could make all the difference in the world. “Leave her body,” Ozy commanded. “And do it now.” “If I don't, you'll have to kill her,” Chelsea said. “Tough choice, Warden.” Without warning, Chelsea rushed at him, drawing a blade I didn't even know she had from her belt. She swung it at Ozy, but he somehow blocked it with his own dagger, the ringing sound of metal filling our apartment. As she tried to regain her balance, he grabbed Chelsea's hand and spun her across the room. She hit the wall with a grunt and looked at him with undisguised hatred before launching herself again. “Jessica, get down,” he said. “Now.” I took cover behind the couch, as Chelsea swung her blade again and again, with Ozy blocking the cut each time. She growled at him and drove the point of her blade at his chest. Ozy spun out of the way and grabbed her arm, driving his fist into her stomach. She let out a whoosh of air and doubled over, gasping. Breathing heavily, Chelsea remained bent over for a long moment. But then, in a blur of movement, she came up swinging. Ozy danced out of the way – but wasn't quite quick enough. The tip

of Chelsea's blade cut along his thigh, opening up a gash that made him grunt. As if he were enjoying it, Ozy gave her a small smile and drew a second blade. He took several steps toward Chelsea, spinning and waving the daggers around, giving her a show. And she was apparently so focused on the whirling blades, she never saw his foot coming. Ozy delivered a kick to her midsection that was powerful and it knocked her clean off her feet. She landed on her back with a thud and a dazed look on her face. “Idiot,” he said as he straddled her chest, putting his dagger to her throat. “Chelsea!” I cried out as I rushed out of my hiding spot. Ozy held the blade to her throat. It was over. There was no getting out of her position alive – and the creature inside Chelsea knew it too. It stared back at me with dead eyes, knowing I was its only hope for survival “Ozy, please!” I cried. “Do something!” “I can't,” he said. “It's not willing to leave her body, I have no choice, Jess –” “What if I gave you a new host, huh?” I asked, feeling sick to my stomach even thinking about what I was going to say. “What if I took her place –” “Jessica, no,” Ozy growled, losing focus for the briefest of moments

and nearly losing his hold on Chelsea who continued to struggle in his grasp. “You can't –” “Why can't I?” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. “It's my life. It's my body, Ozy. And honestly, without her, I'm alone in this world. I'd rather not live like that.” “You don't know what you're saying –” “I'll take it,” Chelsea said. “I'll take that deal. Swap bodies. This one can live, and I'll take hers. It's a mighty fine body too, I might add.” “No,” he growled, digging the edge of his blade into Chelsea's neck. But the creature was jumping on the opportunity and was already leaving Chelsea's body. A shadow appeared over my best friend and she took a breath so deep, it sounded as if she hadn't drawn breath in days. And when she saw Ozy above her with the blade at her neck, she screamed. Ozy removed the knife and Chelsea sat up, shaking and visibly freaked out - not that I could blame her. I closed my eyes and prepared for whatever was about to happen. I'd made the deal and would honor it. It was more important to me that Chelsea live. I knew that the creature would take hold of me, leaving Ozy no choice but to kill me. But, at least Chelsea was alive. She was alive and would be okay. I could hear her now, crying in shock. “It'll be okay, Chelsea. It'll be okay,” I muttered.

I opened my eyes just in time to see the shadow coming toward me. Lurking behind it though, I saw Ozy. He rushed toward me, plunging the knife into the shadow – barely missing me in the process – and there a hissing sound and a loud shriek – whatever that thing was before me died a very painful death. “We don't make deals with them,” Ozy growled as he wiped his blade clean. Chelsea was alive. I was alive. And that thing was dead. We were all going to be okay. In the heat of the moment, all I wanted to do was run to Ozy and kiss him – so, that's what I did. I jumped into his arms, causing him to drop his blade as I planted my lips on his. He was surprised, but didn't fight it. He kissed me back, pulling me closer to him. “Really, you guys?” Chelsea asked. “You're going to do that now?” Chelsea was back, and God, I'd never been so happy to hear her voice. Pulling away from Ozy, I ran over to her and hugged her tighter than I'd ever hugged someone in my entire life. Everything was going to be okay again.

Chapter Thirteen

“Thank you, for everything,” I said. “Especially for bringing me here. You won't get in trouble for this, will you?” “Maybe. Probably. I don't care though,” he said, looking down at the ground as we walked toward his home. His home in Chondelai. He'd kept his word and had brought me to this other world. A world so vivid and bright –so beautiful. With tall snow-capped mountains, a sky that was a deeper shade of blue than I'd ever seen, and endless fields of wildflowers and grass that were so bright, Chondelai was what I would have called heaven. It was amazing. I still couldn't believe a place like this existed, and yet, there I was. Walking through a field of tall grass so soft, it felt like stalks of velvet against my skin. I took Ozy's hand in mine, and while he stiffened slightly, he didn't pull away. “So, you said you'd explain the rules about why you can't be with humans,” I said. “Care to elaborate on that?” “Not really,” he said with a laugh. “It's boring and I'd much rather enjoy my time with you than arguing about things I simply can't change.” “So, if you're with a human, will you be executed or something?” I

asked. “No, nothing like that. It's just strongly discouraged,” he said. “And when things are strongly discouraged in my culture, they tend to not happen. For good reason.” I stopped before the large stone building that was his house. “You do have a castle,” I said. “You have a freaking castle.” He laughed and shrugged. “It's a small castle though.” We walked up the stairway to his house, and he held the door open for me. I walked inside, feeling like a princess entering her palace. A girl could get used to that, I thought. I even had a handsome prince beside me – who could ask for more? As soon as we were inside his house, however, I decided to try a different tactic. Since talking about it wasn't getting us anywhere, I thought acting would be the best course of action. I turned and pressed him against the door, kissing him as hard and as passionately as I could. And just as I'd thought, he couldn't push me away. His hands were tangled in my hair as I ran my hands all over his body. He was toned and hard beneath his clothes as I ran my hands along the firm angles and planes of his body. For so long, I'd admired his body from afar, but there he was – up close and in the flesh. I worked at the buttons of his shirt, and he pulled back a bit, trying to stop me. But I stared up at him, giving him my best bedroom eyes. “I just want to touch,” I said.

“No touching,” he laughed. “Because I know where that will lead. Believe me when I say I want you so badly, I can hardly control myself. But we can't. I can't.” “Then why should you try to control yourself?” I asked. “Strongly discouraged doesn't mean we can't. We just need to make sure we're not caught, right?” He laughed, and I could see the yearning and desire in his eyes. I knew it was taking every ounce of control he could muster to not take me to bed right then and there. But I saw small cracks in his resolve. I just needed to keep applying a little more pressure. “The problem with giving in is, I can see myself falling in love with you,” he said. “And that would be bad. Very bad.” “Why would it be bad?” I asked, my heart nearly skipping a beat. “Because I feel the same about you.” “Because, we really shouldn't be together –” “Shouldn't, but again, it's not technically illegal, right? Just frowned upon?” “I guess so,” he muttered. As long as Ozy wouldn't get in trouble, I wanted to make it happen. So I continued working at his buttons, while pressing myself against his body. I felt his erection against my belly, and from the feel of it, he was rather well endowed. Not that I was surprised for a man – or rather, a Dragonborn – of his stature.

“Tell me you don't want this and I'll stop,” I said, gently kissing down the length of his neck. His breathing alone told me that yes, he wanted this. He wanted this as much as I did. Removing his shirt, I ran my hands over his perfect abs and chest, feeling the chiseled muscle beneath my fingertips made me shudder in anticipation of what was about to come. I cupped his erection in my hand, stroking him through his pants, and that was it. He let out a low groan, and threw his head back. Before I knew what hit me, he'd picked me up and carried me to his bedroom. He placed me down gently on the bed, laying on top of me, kissing my lips, my neck, and down into my cleavage as he ripped off my shirt. I wrapped my legs around his waist as we ground ourselves together through our clothing, relishing the sensation of our bodies being pressed so close together. And as he kissed me, it struck me that there it was. There was that passion I'd been dying to see from him all along. And now that I'd gotten him started, he was on fire. With one hand, he ripped off my pants. I had no idea how he'd managed that feat, but there I was, naked before him. He took in the sight of me, looking up and down the length of my body as if I were a majestic painting in a museum somewhere – a priceless artifact that few people were privileged enough to lay eyes upon. The way he looked at me, with the burning hunger and lust in his

eyes, only made me wetter for him. “Please, Ozy – please!” I removed his pants, and found that I was right about him being well endowed. As I gripped and stroked him, I found it hard to believe we'd be able to make love, given our respective sizes. Maybe that was why they discouraged being with humans – perhaps our bodies couldn't handle them. I quickly dismissed the thought though. I reasoned that it was just my nerves talking. He looked at me with unvarnished need and I gripped him even harder, stroked him even faster. He kissed me hard, cupped my breasts, and let out a slow moan as I stroked him. “I want you, Jessica,” he said softly. “I always have.” “You can have me,” I said. I looked again at his size and wondered if I was going to be able to take him all the way inside of me. But I told myself again that it was a case of nerves – only because I'd never been with somebody so large. The moment he pressed himself into me, my body opened up and accepted him willingly. I cried out as he stretched me open, and with one thrust, we were together. United as one. He stared into my eyes as he rocked his hips, settling into a rhythm that sent waves of pleasure washing through us. I moaned and called his name as he plunged himself deep into me.

Our bodies worked in perfect harmony, bringing about a pleasure unlike anything I'd experienced before. As I dug my nails into his shoulders and cried out again, I thought that was what it felt like when you truly connected with another person. For so long, I'd been searching for a feeling like that – and he'd been right in front of me. “You're so beautiful,” he said to me, taking one of my breasts into his hand. He sucked on my stiff nipple as he slid himself deeper inside of me, which caused a ripple effect throughout my entire body. I shuddered against him, writhing and feeling like I was going to explode with bliss at any moment. He ran his hands up and down my thighs as he continued pumping his hips, driving himself deep into my opening. He kissed me, sucked on my breasts, and I felt like my entire body was on fire. It was like every nerve ending in me was humming with electricity. “Jessica,” he said. “You feel so good.” “You feel amazing.” I felt the pressure building up low within me and knew that he was going to make me come soon. He drove himself even deeper into me, his movements beginning to become a little more urgent. More frantic. His breathing – like mine – was becoming labored and his face took on a sheen that said he was in total ecstasy. The wave broke, sending me into a powerful orgasm, and Ozy was

right there with me. He stared into my eyes as he moaned, filling me with his warm, wet seed. We kissed, grinding our bodies together, relishing the sensations working their way throughout us. Even as he throbbed and pulsed inside of me, he drove himself deep one last time and I cried out, calling his name over and over again as I held onto him for dear life. “Yes, Ozy – Yes!” And when the orgasm finally subsided, Ozy collapsed beside me and pulled me in close. We were silent for a long moment, allowing our hearts to slow and our breathing to return to normal. But a feeling of peace and contentment – satisfaction even – hovered over the bed we'd just made love in. Resting my head on his chest, I felt happy. And I never wanted this to end. “So why aren't we supposed to do that again?” I asked, looking up at him and laughing. “Because lightning didn't strike us down or anything. So, I think we're good. Don't you?” He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled. “You really want to know?” he asked. “Yes, I do actually,” I said, propping myself up on my elbow to meet his gaze. “I'm very curious why we're not supposed to be together. In what sort of insane, archaic society does that makes sense?”

“Because a long time ago, there was a legend among my people,” he said. “The legend said that if a human and a Dragonborn procreated, that child would have special powers. Powers that could damn two worlds – yours and mine.” “So theoretically speaking – what would happen if I got pregnant?” I asked. “Theoretically? Our child could keep us apart forever – humans and Dragonborn,” he said. “The legend states that the child of such a union could be used to seal the Doors for all eternity. We'd no longer be able to use the Doors to enter your world – or get out of it.” “Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because in my experience, I've found that most legends tend to have a lot of crap in them. There are a lot of legends that are really far-fetched and ridiculous.” Then again, dragons and demons and whatever else I witnessed over the last few days were all pretty far-fetched, but whatever. I saw all that with my own two eyes. It was real. A child that could close the Doors between our worlds? I honestly didn't know – but it simply sounded like a scare tactic to me. Ozy shrugged. He seemed to be thinking the same thing I did. “Yeah, it's a legend, but who knows if it's true? Some of my friends have broken the rules because they don't believe in them either. But it's interesting to me that even with all of the rule breaking that happens, there is not a single child of both worlds. No Warden has ever produced an offspring with a human woman. I find that – odd.”

I shrugged. “Not necessarily conclusive evidence of its truth though.” “No, it's not conclusive,” I said. “But I tend to live by the laws of the Dragonborn. Always have.” “Well, maybe it's time for you to learn to enjoy life a little more,” I said. “Maybe, it's time for you to loosen up a bit.” “Maybe so,” he said. “Because if I have my way,” I said, giving him a salacious grin. “I'm going to enjoy you over and over and over again.” He smiled at me but I could tell he was concerned. But I could also tell that he wanted to build something with me every bit as much as I wanted to build something with him. Something good. Something stable. “This could be dangerous for you,” he said. I nodded. “I know,” I replied. “I know what I'm signing up for.” “Do you?” he asked. I gave him a grin. “Not exactly, no,” I said. “But I know there's nothing I can't handle with you by my side.” He kissed me deeply; then pulled back and looked at me. “And that's where I wish to remain – by your side. Until the end of time.” Our life wasn't going to be anything near conventional – but I was looking forward to it all the same.

THE END I’m thankful and grateful that you finished my book. Your support means the world to me. My aim is to bring you amazing books that will grab you and take you on an amazing adventure across the universe. I hope you enjoyed this exclusive prequel. Please check out the first book from this series on the next page.

Saved by a Dragon Prologue Many Centuries Ago... The world around me seemed like it had erupted in flames and smoke. Everywhere I looked was fire. Destruction. Death. The world was littered with bodies that had been ravaged. Torn open. Split apart. The War of the Three Stones had been raging for what seemed like forever – but in reality, had been just over a year. But the war, being waged between three of the major Clans – Fire, Ice, and Sand – had ravaged our world of Chondelai. And for what? There had been very little gain for any of the Clans. Nobody had gained or lost territories. Nobody had pushed any of the Clans’ major houses into exile – or wiped them all out. We'd been fighting, killing, and dying for over a year with no real gain. I stood upon the ramparts of the castle, looking out at the land below. What had once been lush, green, beautiful land, was now scorched, and dying. Everything below seemed like it was on fire and through the smoke, I watched as the winged shapes of my brothers swooped and dove, cleaning up the last of the stragglers – the air around me vibrating with the deafening roar of dragons, and

the pained screaming of men –bringing this skirmish to an end. It had been a small force from the Sand Clan who'd tried to storm the castle. They were simply testing our defenses, seeing if this war of attrition had weakened us enough to justify sending a bigger force. It was a tactic we'd all used. And to that point, all our defenses remained stout. Sooner or later though, one of the Clans was going to have to break if this damn war was ever going to end. “Jyta, what are you doing up here? It's not safe.” I turned and looked into the face of my best friend, Klont. He was a good man. A good soldier. I valued him above all others. “Relax, brother,” I said. “The men are cleaning up the last of the Sands. I'm as safe here as I am anywhere.” I turned and looked back out at the world below. I was the King of the Fire Clan and Commander of the Golden Legion – my clan's fiercest warriors. Klont was my second in command. My right hand. There was nobody in our entire army I would have rather gone to war with. “A scout just returned,” he said. “The Sands are bringing in reinforcements. They'll be here any minute.” I nodded and sighed. Clearly, we weren't done fighting for the day. “Gather the men,” I said. “Have them ready.” “Right away.” I watched Klont turn and walk away to round up the men. I turned

and looked at the carnage on the field before me. Our once beautiful world, torn asunder by greed and unchecked ambition; I felt nothing but revulsion and disgust. Chondelai had been a beautiful place once. A paradise. But we'd gone and destroyed the whole thing. Even when this war ended, I had no idea how long it would take the scars from our fighting to heal. Or if they ever would. More than that though, I had to wonder what kind of world Chondelai would be once the war was over. That, I supposed, depended upon who won. I sensed the beast before I saw it. Looking up, I saw the massive dragon descending from the thick columns of smoke before me. The beast was right on top of me and getting lower. I was just about to shift into my own dragon form, ready to fight, when I noticed that the Sand dragon was alone. If this was all the Sands had in the way of reinforcements, they were in a world of trouble. I was curious. Curious as to why one of the Sands would choose to show up – alone. I held myself back from shifting, trying to quench the fire and lust for battle that burned through my veins. The dragon descended, lowering itself onto the ramparts of the castle, and shifted into his human form. We stood about ten feet apart from one another, staring at each other in silence for several long moments. “I'm not sure whether it's the height of bravery or the depth of

foolishness for you to come here alone,” I said. “I am Uldor,” he said. “Commander of the Scorpion Brigade and I do not come to fight. I come to have a conversation with you, your Majesty, nothing more.” Uldor was tall, a head taller than me, and had long dark hair. With his broad shoulders, powerful arms and a thick, wide chest, he radiated power and strength. I wondered how I would fare against him in hand to hand combat. Wondered if I even stood a chance against him in our dragon forms. Klont and half a dozen other warriors arrived on the ramparts, still armored, carrying spears and swords. I held my hand up to stop them from advancing. “Lower your weapons,” I said. My men did as they were told, but Klont stepped up beside me, sheathing his sword. He gave me a look that told me he wanted to say something, but he wisely held his tongue. “What is it you want, Commander?” I asked. “Why do you come to my castle alone? Especially after your raiding party killed two of my men. Your raiders were wiped out, by the way.” He sighed and looked to the ground, shaking his head. “They were instructed to relay my message,” he said. “I had heard they did not do that and acted on their own – which is why I am here of my own accord.”

“You Sands have killed a lot of our brothers and sisters,” Klont hissed. “Give me one reason why we should not strike you down where you stand.” Uldor looked up and I saw the flash of anger and defiance in his eyes. “We've killed no less than you of the Fire Clan have,” he said. “War is a terrible, terrible thing that costs many lives. Far too many of them. But let us not compound that tragedy or dishonor our dead with hypocrisy.” Klont looked to me but fell silent. I looked at the man before me, my curiosity only growing stronger. It was quite a risk for an enemy to show up uninvited – and alone. The fact that he was one of the Sand's key commanders only compounded that risk. It made me wonder what was his real agenda. “Speak,” I said. “What is it you want?” “I am taking the risk I am because some things are more important than our living or dying,” he said. I smirked. “I can't think of anything more important to me than living, Uldor,” I said. He eyed me carefully, his expression inscrutable. Unreadable. I found myself intensely curious about what the man was thinking. “Is your life more important than the lives of all of the dragonborn living in Chondelai?” I cocked my head and looked at him. “What are you talking

about?” “King Wotul,” he said. “He's gone mad. He's going to break our world if he is not stopped.” I cocked my head and stared at the man, not sure what he was going on about. Wotul had been the one who'd started the war and had taken to killing the other dragonborn with such zeal. I knew his greed and lust for power were insatiable – but breaking the world? “I don't even know what that means, Uldor,” I admitted. The man looked at me with an urgency that bordered on madness himself. His entire body was tense – though not like he was about to strike. His madness was born of fear. But what could he possibly fear so badly? “The Shongtal,” Uldor said, his voice low, intense. “He's speaking of releasing the Shongtal to aid him in his fight.” I felt a knot form in my stomach and constrict painfully as he spoke. I looked to Klont who stared back at me with wide eyes, reflecting the fear I was sure were in my own. “A – are you certain of this?” I asked. Uldor nodded and then looked away, hesitant to speak for a moment. But then I saw his jaw tighten and his hands clench into fists at his sides. “I know this because I accompanied my King to a meeting with Wotul,” he said. “An alliance was discussed for the purposes of

defeating you.” I chuckled and shook my head, though Klont tensed up beside me and placed his hand on the palm of his sword. I clapped him on the shoulder giving him a look of fierce pride. “I shall take that as a badge of honor, Commander,” I said. “That the Ice and Sand Clans would need to marshal their forces together to defeat us. I think that speaks very well of my army – and its commanders.” Klont gave me a grim smile, but I could see him puff up just a bit. It was indeed a mark of honor that we had stood against the attacks of our enemies and had repelled them all. That they would need to combine their forces to defeat us spoke very well of my soldiers. But I had to let that moment of pride pass by quickly. There were more important – and more disastrous – questions to be answered yet. “What of the Shongtal?” I asked. “How do they factor into this?” “Wotul believes that he can harness their powers,” he said. “He believes that he can control them, bend them to his will. That he can augment his army with them.” “That's madness,” I said. “Lunacy.” “It's an act of desperation, my lord,” Uldor said. “Wotul knows he cannot win this war on his own.” “A war of his creation,” I seethed.

Uldor nodded. “Be that as it may, if he does what he believes he can do, it will be the ruin of us all.” “Madness,” I said again. “Nobody controls the Shongtal. Nobody. It's why we sealed them away in the first place, so long ago.” Uldor nodded. “My King agrees with you, my lord,” he said. “It's why he is asking for your help. Wotul must be stopped before he can destroy Chondelai. Time is short and we must get to the Ice Castle before he can complete the ritual.” I turned and looked at Klont – who looked every bit as suspicious as I felt. My guards stepped forward, tense and alert, keeping their eye on the man as Klont and I stepped away to speak. “You realize this very well could be a trap,” Klont said. “He already said he was colluding with Wotul. This rush to get you onto a battlefield of their choosing? It stinks to me.” I nodded. “The thought had crossed my mind, yes,” I said. “There are many questions yet unanswered.” “You can't seriously be considering this?” I sighed. “If I do not, and Wotul truly is going to release the Shongtal, we're all going to be dead anyway and Chondelai will be destroyed. You know this as well as I do.” “My lord –” I shook my head. “We cannot sit by and do nothing, Klont,” I said. “Not if the fate of Chondelai truly is at stake. I am going to lead the

army. You are to stay here with a detachment. In case this goes – wrong – you are to assume the throne, Klont.” He gripped my arm and looked at me earnestly. “No, my lord,” he said. “You are the rightful King of the Fire Clan. Our people need you. If this is to be done, it will be my honor to lead the army.” I gave him a small smile. “It is my duty to our people to ensure that the Shongtal are never released upon this world. My duty,” I said. “And you are the best man I've ever known. I know that with you in charge, the Fire Clan will continue to live on and flourish.” “Jyta, no,” he said. “You can't –” I gripped his forearm and gave him a smile. “I can. I have decided,” he said. “Protect our people. That is your duty. And if I fail to return, sit the throne and lead us back to glory.” He looked stricken as I stepped away and turned to Uldor. I looked around at the land one more time, reinforcing my decision. The world was on fire, but if the Shongtal were released, it would be so much worse. Klont had been but a child the last time they walked free, so he didn't remember who – and what – they were. Didn't remember how purely evil they were – and couldn't quite understand that, that kind of evil must never be allowed to be free. I was young, but I was there. I remembered. And I vowed, on that day, that if I had to give my life to ensure it, the Shongtal would never see the light of day again.

~ooo000ooo~

I swooped in low, opening my jaws, and delivered a massive fireball straight to the gates of the Ice Castle. The wood and steel, weakened by the barrage of our combined forces – Fire and Sand – shattered. The gates exploded, sending shrapnel into the sky. The way was open. For having had such a depleted army, the Ice Clan had put up a fierce resistance. But they were overwhelmed by the combined strength we threw at them. With battles between dragonborn still raging in the sky, I landed before the ruined gate – half a dozen of my warriors behind me. Uldor and his small contingent landed twenty yards away and we all shifted back into our human forms. Our supply dragons, backs loaded with massive packs, landed on the field of ice, allowing my men and I to armor ourselves and claim our weapons. We could not go into the depths of the castle in our dragon forms – we had to go in our human skins. Armored and ready, our supply dragons lifted off and flew away to their place of cover to wait for us to need them again. “Are you ready?” Uldor called out to me. I nodded grimly. “Let us be done with this.” Uldor and I led our men into the castle, all Clan loyalties

temporarily set aside. If we were successful in defeating Wotul and keeping the Shongtal sealed within their prison, there was going to be much work to do to rebuild Chondelai. I had spoken with the King of the Sands and he had assured me that once this was over and Wotul was deposed, we would work hard to restore Chondelai to its former splendor. That we would end the war and find a way back to the peace and harmony that had ruled our world for millennia. Then find a way to deal with the greed and unchecked aggression of those like Wotul. But first, we needed to end the threat to our world. Decisively. For, if we failed in that endeavor, everything else was moot. Perhaps it was a sign of just how depleted Wotul's forces were that we encountered very little resistance as we strode through the castle. In fact, we hadn't seen a single soldier after we'd set foot within the stone and ice walls. Tapestries depicting great victories and scenes of battles hung upon the walls. I had never been inside the Ice Castle and found it to be quite a beautiful place. The ice blocks within the walls glowed with an inner light that shone blue. It was elegant without being overdone. The Ice Castle emitted a soothing quality, its vibration within the air one of tranquility – which was so at odds with the reason we were there. The Fire Clan was known for its hot temper and intense passions. The Ice Clan was supposedly the Clan of intellect and

reason, the Clan who were more deliberate and thoughtful. Waging a destructive war for personal gain seemed so out of character for the King Wotul I'd known long ago. I had to wonder what it was that had driven him to the precipice we found ourselves standing upon. What had changed within him? At the end of a long corridor stood four armed and armored soldiers. Seeing us coming, the drew their swords and walked toward us. The soldiers who'd accompanied Uldor and I rushed past, the metallic sound of them drawing their own blades echoing in the empty corridor. As the battle was engaged in front of us, I sensed the movement behind. Moving in unison, Uldor and I spun around, drawing our blades in one smooth motion. Four of Wotul's soldiers moved in, blades at the ready. Uldor and I separated, to give ourselves space to move as well as to split up the soldiers. Two followed him and two followed me. I could see that they were young. Probably not very well trained yet. But I could see that maniacal zeal in their eyes that said they would lay down their life for their king in a heartbeat – which was about as much time as they had left in our world. As the two soldiers rushed at me, I pointed at the torch on the wall and then at the soldier rushing at me, his sword raised high over his head. A fireball erupted from the torch, catching the soldier square in the chest, igniting him instantly. His sword fell to the stone floor with

a clatter as the flames consumed his body, his agonized screams echoing up and down the corridor. The second soldier, with an angry scream, brought his sword down in a murderous arc. I got my own blade up at the very last instant, barely avoiding having my skull split open, steel meeting steel with a high-pitched ring. The soldier foolishly tried to press his advantage, tried to drive the edge of his blade into my face – and left himself completely vulnerable to attack. My breathing was labored and I gritted my teeth – the young dragonborn was strong – as I tried to fend off his attack. Using my free hand, I grabbed the long, curved dagger that hung at my belt and drove it upward, the point of my blade slicing through his armor like it was nothing. The young man's eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open – the strength in his sword arm vanishing instantly. Blood streamed from his mouth, spilling upon my armor as his body grew limp, his lifeforce leaving him. I pushed his lifeless husk backwards, where he fell upon the burning corpse of his companion. I looked at the two bodies, said a silent word for each of them, and then turned at the sound of ringing steel. Uldor had already dispatched one of the Ice warriors, his body lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. But the second soldier was proving more difficult. Blood streamed down Uldor's cheek from a gash that had been inflicted during the course of his fight. The Ice warrior hacked and slashed, pressed his advantage, and

had Uldor backing up, giving up ground. But he looked determined. Had that glint in his eye that marked him as a true warrior – he was enjoying the challenge this young dragonborn was giving him. I considered stepping in and ending the fight, but knew that Uldor would see it as a sign of disrespect. He was a warrior. A fighter. If he was going to die, he wanted to do it with a blade in his hand or on the field of battle somewhere. He would not take kindly to my interfering with his fight. Our other soldiers had concluded their skirmish and a quick count showed me that two Sand fighters had been lost as well as one of my own. They stood gathered around the steel doors, waiting for us. I could see they were enjoying the spectacle of Uldor and the Ice warrior locked in mortal combat. The Ice soldier hacked at Uldor's blade again and again, driving the man to his knees. I feared that he was about to lose his fight when he looked up at me, shooting me a wink. A ruse, then. With the younger soldier continuing to wail on the blade Uldor kept above his head for protection, he slipped a dagger off his belt and drove it straight through the younger warrior's foot. The Ice warrior threw his head back and howled in pain, ceasing his attack. Getting back to his feet, Uldor drove the point of his sword into the other man's throat, cutting off his screaming with a wet, gurgling sound. Blood came rushing out of the wound like a river and he fell to his knees before pitching forward onto his face, the pool of blood

spreading out beneath him. It was over. His breathing labored, Uldor looked at me and grinned. “Tough little bugger, that one.” I nodded. “Well done,” I said. “You're a crafty fighter. I'll have to keep that in mind.” He shrugged. “Hope you'll never have to use that bit of knowledge.” “Me too.” We strode up the corridor and our men pushed open the steel doors, leading us into a large, circular stone chamber. In the center stood one of the Dragon Doors – a magical doorway that connected Chondelai to another world, allowing us to move back and forth freely. Though, I had never set foot into that other world in my lifetime – nor had anybody else I knew. They were antiquated and the feeling I got was that there was little of interest on the other side. Why the Doors had been constructed – or how – I never knew. They were just a relic. A historical artifact. A mystery from our past that would forever remain unsolved. The doorway pulsed with bright, swirling colors, hovering several inches off the ground. Off to the side of the large chamber stood King Wotul within a circle of symbols that had been carved into the stone floor. On a table before him stood a box – the box. It was

known as the Blychora and was the prison for the Shongtal. “Wotul,” I intoned, my voice echoing around the stone chamber. “Cease what you are doing.” He looked up at me, a predatory grin upon his face. “And why would I do that?” he asked. “Everything I want and desire is right here before me in the Blychora.” “The destruction of our entire world is there in the Blychora.” He shrugged. “Might it be the same thing?” I took a step forward and froze in my tracks. My eyes widened and I felt my heart racing when I saw what lurked in the shadows behind the madman. There was no mistaking it. It's tall, slender frame, it looked like a shadow – a shadow with the substance of a man. Its silver eyes sparkled and glowed with an inner fire. And when it looked at me, I could feel the intense hatred coming off it like heat off a fire. There was no question at all. It was one of the Shongtal. It all made sense to me now. Why Wotul was acting so out of character. Why he'd waged a pointless war. With the Shongtal whispering poison into his ear, of course Wotul had gone mad. But how? How had it escaped the Blychora? “You are not yourself, my lord,” Uldor called, noticing what I had. “This – creature – is making you do things you would not normally do.”

Wotul shrugged. “Or perhaps it has helped me become who I was truly meant to be.” The Shongtal looked at me, daring me to attack. Though they were shadow-men, they could be killed like any other man – so long as your blade was silver. “Wotul, do not do this,” I said. “If you release the Shongtal, you are going to bring about the destruction of Chondelai. You know this.” “Yes, that is the point,” he said. “For once Chondelai is destroyed, it can be rebuilt in my image. It can be built in a way that pleases me. And you will all serve me. You will all worship me and call me the Great King.” I looked at Uldor and could see that he was tense. Nervous. Of course, he would have been a fool not to be. The Shongtal were nightmares. They were stories told to unruly children to keep them in line. But they were also very real. The stench of evil emanating from the shadow-man standing behind Wotul was powerful. Overwhelming. “Do you really think the Shongtal are going to let that happen, Wotul?” I asked. “They nearly destroyed Chondelai once – what makes you think that by setting them free, you are going to have the chance to rebuild our world?” “Because we want no part of your world any longer,” the Shongtal said. “Chondelai has run its course for us. There is nothing for us here any longer.”

“They will move on to another world,” Wotul said, glee in his voice. “And leave me this one to do with as I please. After they wipe out the rest of the Clans, of course.” “You can't believe that, Wotul,” I said. “Of course I do,” he replied. Gripping my sword, I stepped toward him, Uldor at my side. But the Shongtal raised its hand and the carved symbols in the floor started to glow white. Then when we reached the edge of the circle, it was like we ran into a wall – a wall we could not see. I banged the hilt of my sword against the invisible barrier and it sounded solid enough – but there was nothing that could be seen with the naked eye. Uldor and I exchanged a look, panic beginning to creep across both of our faces as the reality of the situation began to hit us. If we couldn't get to Wotul, we couldn't stop him. He was going to be free to release the Shongtal. The dark creature seemed to intuit our thoughts as it stared at us, its silvery eyes sparkling in the darkness, and it laughed. “Finish it,” the Shongtal said. “Finish the ritual. Free my brothers and sisters and this world will be yours for the taking, Wotul.” Uldor and I banged on the invisible wall, shouting to Wotul, begging him to stop what he was doing. To consider the consequences of his actions. But he looked up at us, a fever in his eyes, and the lust for power and control etched into ever feature on

his face. Wotul began to chant in a tongue I did not recognize – it had to be the old tongue, a language that had long been dead. But he seemed to speak it like it was his native tongue – no doubt, a “gift” from the Shongtal. His voice began to rise as a wind came out of nowhere, swirling around the chamber. The light from the markings on the ground glowed brighter, more intense. I squinted my eyes and stared through it, looking at the Shongtal and noticed that the light didn't seem to touch it. The creature remained blacker than midnight even though the light from its carvings on the ground were as bright as the sun at noon. And the Shongtal stared back at me – seemed to be staring through me – and it sent a chill to the very core of my being. “It's opening!” Uldor shouted to be heard above the keening wind. I shifted my attention to the Blychora and saw that it was shaking. Quivering. In the seams of the box, I could see it glowing. It glowed with the light of a star, bright and intense. The box seemed to be shaking and rattling harder on the table as Wotul's voice grew in volume and intensity. As I watched, the lid of the Blychora didn't just open, it blew of its hinges. As the lid sailed upward, it seemed to disintegrate, falling back down to the ground as nothing more than a pile of dust. A moment later, a column of what looked like thick, black smoke, shot out of the open box. The cloud pooled at the ceiling of the

chamber, swirling around like a thunderhead about to break and lash the world beneath it with lightning and rain. And perhaps, we were about to face a storm. Perchance, Chondelai, as we knew it, was about to be wiped out of existence. As I continued looking at the cloud above our heads, I could feel the hatred and malevolence that radiated from it. It was a deep, ominous feeling that hovered over our heads and one that just made me feel – greasy. Slicked with a greasy sweat. Everything about that cloud just felt – off. Wrong. Evil. After what seemed like an eternity, the column of darkness stopped coming out of the box and it all hovered above us, swirling like a maelstrom, flashes of red and white appearing like lightning behind the clouds. I looked to Wotul who stared at it admiringly, like it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. The Shongtal behind him stepped forward and though there was no expression on his blank face, it seemed amused by something. “My brothers and sisters are free,” it said. “And we have you to thank for that, King Wotul. Great King.” The sound of sarcasm in its voice was unmistakable – but Wotul didn't seem to hear it. Didn't seem to notice it. He was too engrossed in the swirling darkness above us. Something bad was about to happen – I just didn't know what. “We leave Chondelai to your stewardship,” the creature said. “Make of it what you will. And do with its – people – as you see fit.”

Slowly, as if waking from a dream, Wotul looked at the Shongtal and cocked his head. “We have work to do yet,” he said. “You promised –” “I promised you the world,” the creature laughed. “And so, it is yours. Enjoy your new world.” One moment, the creature was there. The next, it had turned into a cloud of smoke and had shot up to join the swirling mass on the ceiling. Without warning, that swirling, malevolent mass of smoke shot forward and disappeared through the Dragon Door, gone to whatever world lay beyond. Wotul fell to his knees, absolutely stricken. He looked at the Door as if he expected the Shongtal to come roaring back through to fulfill their promise to him – but deep down, knowing that it wasn't going to happen. He'd been double-crossed and he finally knew it. With a body that was trembling and naked fear in his eyes, Wotul turned to us. “Mercy,” he said softly, his eyes shining with tears. “I beg of you. I knew not –” “You knew exactly what you were doing,” Uldor said. I looked at the Doorway, wondering what was on the other side. Wondering what world the Shongtal had gone to pollute. To infect. And what the ramifications for us – for Chondelai – would be. I turned back to Wotul and looked at him with undisguised

contempt and disgust. I looked to Uldor and nodded. “This ends now,” I said. We both stepped forward as Wotul screamed in both rage and helplessness. Our blades pierced his body, snuffing out his life force in a wave of blood. I had no idea what was going to happen with the Shongtal loose, but our part seemed to be over. At least, for now.

Chapter One Ozaryan Twenty-Three Years Ago...

The night was dark and the storm outside was fierce. Lightning lit up the night sky and rain came down in sheets. It was an ominous night. A deadly night. Deadly, because I knew they were out there. They were coming, for me, for Jessica, and for our child. If I hadn’t killed that Shongtal out in the open in L.A., we could have still been there. Still been protected by the warding spell. There was no such protection here in Chicago. Jessica's screams of agony were pure torment for me. She was in pain and there was nothing I could do about it. Running back to the bedroom, I stood in the open doorway as Jessica gritted her teeth and screamed again. Chelsea sat at the edge of the bed, watching Jessica, encouraging her, and doing everything she could to make my wife comfortable. Which, given the fact that she was birthing our child, wasn't easy. And Jessica was having a hard time with this birth. Unions that produced offspring between Dragonborn and humans were extremely rare. Human bodies were not equipped to deal with birthing a Dragonborn child.

Noticing me standing in the doorway, Chelsea gave Jessica's hand a squeeze before coming out to join me in the hallway. She was a talented doctor and one of Jessica's closest friends. I trusted her with my wife's life. And when she looked at me, her face grim, I felt my heart stutter. Felt the knot in my stomach grow tighter. She closed the door to give us a little bit of privacy. “How is she?” I asked. Chelsea shook her head. “Not well,” she replied. “She's in agony. Birthing this child is taking a severe toll on her. We really need to get her to a hospital, Ozy. I don’t have the equipment here to deal with this.” I sighed and shook my head. Getting her to a hospital was out of the question. Humans were a curious and intelligent species that had a way of asking questions and learning things they shouldn't. It was why we usually used midwives as opposed to going to hospitals. It was part of my mandate as Warden, to ensure the secrecy of my kind. Nobody was to know we existed. Nobody was to know that our charge was to protect them. And most especially, nobody was to know what it was we were sworn to protect them from. What it was my kind had unleashed upon their world. “We can't, Chels,” I said. “I'm afraid to move her. I'm afraid it would kill her.”

She nodded. “It's possible,” she said. “But not moving her and forcing her to give birth here might do the job too.” I paced the short hallway, fear twisting my insides. Stay here and she might die. Move her, and she might also die. I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't. And it was complicated even further by what I knew was out there. What was coming for us. I gritted my teeth. At least here, I could stand and fight. And maybe, if I got lucky, I could win the day and save us all. But to do that, I was going to need help. A lot of help. “Listen, Chels,” I said. “There is a lot going on that you don't understand. And I don't have the time to explain it all to you, so I'm going to need you to trust me. When this is all over, I promise I'll explain everything. But right now, I just need you to listen and do as I say. Our very lives depend on it.” Chelsea looked at me with wide eyes and the color blanching from her face. But to her credit, she simply clenched her jaw and nodded. This wasn't her fight and she could have chosen to walk away, but she hadn't. And for that, I admired her. Not to mention, couldn't thank her enough. I outlined my plan and her role in it. She remained silent and listened – though I knew she had a million questions she wanted to ask. Her eyes grew wide when I returned from our bedroom with my sword in hand. I handed her an ornately carved dagger, its curved blade glinting in the dim light of the hallway, the ruby in the eye of

the dragon's head handle, seeming to pulse with an inner light. She held the weapon and looked at it – then at me. “A silver blade is the only weapon that will kill them,” I said. “You’re not talking about-?” Chelsea asked, a slight tremor in her voice. My smile was grim and tight. “The Shongtal,” I said. “They are coming for my child.” I gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” I said. “I know it will be hard for you to face these creatures again, but it is essential that my child stay safe, no matter what. Are you clear on the plan? Understand what it is I am asking you to do?” She nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Though, I have to admit – I'm a little freaked out here.” “I understand,” I said. “But right now, we need to stay focused. They will be here soon and – we need to be ready.” Jessica let out a scream that was pure agony. Chelsea looked at me for a moment longer, before turning and running into the bedroom to attend to her. I glanced at my watch as a blast of thunder sounded like it was tearing the sky open. All things considered, the Shongtal couldn't have picked a worse night to attack me. As part of the Lightning Clan, I could harness and use the power of the storm to my benefit. And I intended to do just that. But knowing that I would have the power of the storm on my

side, they seemed to be waiting until the peak of their power – midnight. The Shongtal were creatures of the night. I'd fought thousands of them over the years. There seemed to be a never-ending supply of them in the human world. It was why we Wardens were here in the first place. It was our mistake that had inflicted this upon the world of man. And it was our sacred duty to protect them from it. I walked to the window and looked out at the street below. Standing there, in the rain, beneath the street light was a man. Tall and thin – gaunt and sickly looking really – he stood across the street from our apartment looking up at the window. He was Shongtal, there was no question about it. And he was waiting for midnight – as well as reinforcements very likely – before making a move. I looked at my watch and saw that we still had a couple of hours yet – assuming I was right about the timing. I stood at the window, thinking about everything that had happened. I remembered that when Jessica told me she was pregnant, I freaked out. Then when she told me there was no way she was going to give the baby up, I freaked out a little bit more. I'd done all the research I could about human-Dragonborn offspring but there wasn’t much to go on. I'd told Jessica – everything – and let her make the decision. Besides knowing how difficult it was going to be, she chose to keep our child. It was a part of us. A physical manifestation of our

love, she'd said. Over the next few months, I started to grow excited about the prospect of our having a child together. About being a family. The life of a Warden could be a very lonely affair. Sure, there was no shortage of women who wanted to sleep with me, but I wanted more than that. Craved it. Wanted the companionship that came from a solid, stable relationship. I found it – and even more than I'd ever dared hope for – in Jessica. As the months of Jessica's pregnancy wore on, I'd done a lot of research about our offspring, curious about what a Dragonborn/human hybrid would be like. But it was during the course of that research that I'd discovered a nugget of information that chilled me to the core. It was just a little slice of our lore, but it had caught my attention in a big way. And had terrified me. The Shongtal had long been trying to find a way to close the doors between Chondelai and the world of man. They wanted this world for their own. Wanted to be free to ravage and pillage as they saw fit. They sought to keep the Dragonborn from interfering with their plans for this world. I wasn't sure what their plans were, but knowing the Shongtal like I did, I knew it wouldn't be good for humanity.

According to the lore, because a child born of a union between Dragonborn and human had a foot in both worlds, that child was special. Unique. It could be used to slam the Dragon Doors forever. All it required was the blood and life force of the child. And there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen. Jessica's screams echoed throughout our small apartment at the same time a tremendous clap of thunder shook the building. But then she fell silent and I felt my heart jump into my throat. Turning from the window, I rushed down the hallway and threw the bedroom door open, trying to prepare myself for the worst. But when I walked into the bedroom, I found Chelsea sitting on the edge of the bed, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. For sitting upright in the bed, looking exhausted and in pain, was Jessica – a small wrapped bundle in her arms. Jessica looked up at me, her smile almost too big for her face, and tears rolling down her cheeks. “Is – that –” I started to ask. Jessica nodded. “Say hello to your daughter,” she said, her voice weak and raspy. I stepped forward and looked at the small girl in Jessica's arms. She handed my daughter to me and I held her close to my chest, marveling at her beauty. She had her mother's eyes and delicate features. There was honestly, almost no physical trace of me in the

baby. But that didn't bother me in the least – our little girl was sheer perfection as far as I was concerned. I sat down next to Jessica and handed the baby back to her. We sat there, side-by-side, just staring at this wonderful little blessing. Our child. A child I feared I would never get to see grow up. Not with what was coming for us. I was tough, a strong fighter, but I didn't know what the Shongtal had in store for us. Or how many there would be. I'd tried to summon reinforcements, but so far, had heard nothing in response. I closed my eyes, holding back my own tears, and said a silent word, begging for help to arrive in time to save us. When I heard the clock in the living room chime though, I knew time had run out. It was midnight. The time of night when their power was the greatest. I looked to Jessica and Chelsea, both looked absolutely terrified – not that I blamed them in the least. “It's time,” I said. “You both know what to do, yes?” They looked at me and nodded, both growing paler by the second. I leaned down and kissed my child on the forehead, relishing the feel of her soft skin upon my lips. And when I looked into Jessica's eyes, I saw the love for me burning hotter than the sun. I leaned forward and kissed her, trying to put every ounce of my love for her behind it. I stood up, adrenaline shooting through my body and setting my every nerve ending on fire when I heard the pounding on the door.

They were there. I walked out of the room, picking up my sword as I made my way down the hall, my tension growing with every step. I stood in the middle of the living room as the pounding on the door continued. “Ozaryan,” came a voice from the other side of the door. “We know the child is in there. Give it to us and we will spare your life.” I closed my eyes and opened myself to the power of the storm outside. A booming crash of thunder shook the building and I felt my power growing as I absorbed the storm's energy. “Ozaryan” came the voice again. “Last chance. Give us the child or we come in and take it.” Gripping my sword tight, I summoned the power of the storm that was building inside of me. Lighting erupted from my fingertips, the windows in the room shattering and the front door exploding outward. Knowing there was but one way to kill a Shongtal, I stepped to the ruined doorway to look for the creature to put an end to it. It was already rising from the smoldering ruin of wood. Moving swiftly, I lanced out with my sword, the tip of my blade slicing through the body of the man it was inhabiting. It screamed with a fury that rivaled the storm outside, but red light burst from its eyes as the demon inside the body died. It was then that I noticed half a dozen more standing on the steps

leading up to my door, waiting as if they'd expected what I'd done. I backed into my apartment, sword at the ready. Six to one – not great odds, but I had to play the hand I was dealt. “Come on then,” I said. “Let's finish this.” “Anxious to die, Warden?” A tall, thin woman stepped through the doorway, a predatory smirk upon her face. She was followed by five men of varying heights and weights – the Shongtal apparently weren't picky when it came to picking the bodies they took control of. I supposed it didn't matter. Their power didn't come from the bodies, it came from them. They were infused with a demonic power that was frightening in its capacity for destruction. “I'm feeling magnanimous tonight, Warden,” the woman said. “So, I'll give you one more opportunity. Give us the child and we'll be on our way. Nobody needs to die here tonight.” She turned and looked back at the body of the man I'd run through and smirked. “Well – nobody else, anyway,” she said. With my free hand, I summoned as much energy as I could and flicked my wrist, sending two silver throwing stars at the men to her right. Both hit home, sinking deep into the flesh of the creatures. Both screamed and clutched their heads, but the damage was done. Red light burst from their eyes and they fell to the ground, as dead as

the man in the hallway. The woman looked at me and sighed, shaking her head. “It did not have to be this way, Warden.” That left four of them. Still not great odds, but better than before. To nullify the advantage they had – as well as to prevent any of them from slipping down the hallway behind me – I stationed myself just inside the archway that led to the bedroom where Jessica was. If they wanted her, they were going to have to go through me. A task that I'd just made a little more difficult by forcing them to fight me one-on-one. They rushed at me, but because of the narrowness of the hallway, they had no choice but to wait their turn to get a shot at me. The first man stepped forward, a heavy broadsword in his hand. He raised it and brought it down in a murderous arc that surely would have split my head wide open. But I danced backward, just out of reach, and the edge of his blade buried itself in the wooden floor. Before he was able to rip it free, I stepped forward and drove the point of my blade into the man's throat. His eyes opened wide and he opened his mouth to scream, but all that came out was a wet, gurgling sound. The red light erupted from his eyes as the demon inside of him died. I pulled my sword free and stepped back, allowing the body to slump to the floor. “This is entertaining, but it's all for nothing, Warden,” the woman called to me. “I will only summon more of my warriors.”

“Then summon them,” I said. “I can do this all night.” The man before me moved aside and I wasn't able to react in time. A knife shot out of the darkness of the living room, burying itself up to the hilt in my side. I grunted in pain as the blade tore through my flesh. I felt warm blood rolling down my body and then felt that something was wrong. My skin burned and there was a strange sensation coursing through my body. “In case you wondered,” the woman said. “The blade of that dagger was coated in a rare poison. It's deadly to the Dragonborn. Or so I'm told. You'll have to tell me if that's true or not.” “W – where did you get it?” I gasped. It had been only moments, but I was already feeling lightheaded, my vision starting to blur and grow fuzzy around the edges. I tried to shift into my dragon form – an act of sheer desperation – but found that I couldn't. Whatever the poison was, it had me locked in my human skin. “Doesn't matter where I got it,” she said. “It only matters that it's effective. And judging by the amount of sweat pouring off you, I'd say it is.” I was dying. There really was no other way around it. I felt my body growing weaker with each passing second. Knowing that I was about to die, I wanted to see Jessica one last time. I stumbled back to the bedroom door, barely strong enough to hold onto my sword. When I got to the doorway, I threw it open, stepping inside clumsily,

and then closed and locked the door behind me. The Shongtal were in no hurry – they knew they'd won. I sat down on the edge of the bed, swaying and unsteady. Jessica looked at me with tears in her eyes. She knew what was about to happen. “I – I'm sorry,” I said. “I tried to protect you and I failed.” She laid her hand against my cheek and through her tear stained face, gave me a small smile. “You did not fail, my love,” she said softly. “And if this is how it has to be, at least we'll be together at the end.” Her strength and courage, even in the face of her own looming death, set a fire in my belly. I may not have much longer in this world, but I was going to make the Shongtal pay. I leaned forward and kissed Jessica, knowing it would be the very last time our lips met. Standing up, I waited. The Shongtal were gathered on the other side of the door. More had come and they crowded into the hallway beyond the door. I could feel their dark malevolence growing and multiplying. But I had a surprise for them. Using as much strength as I could muster, I raised my arms, summoning the lightning outside. I spoke a few words of an incantation I knew and outside, the thunder boomed with the intensity of a cannon. It was what came next though, that brought a

smile to my face. I closed my eyes and I could sense the bolt of lightning as it shot out of the clouds overhead, streaking for the apartment. It came through the blown-out windows and straight down the hallway – incinerating the bodies of the Shongtal standing outside my door. At least, some of them. And judging by the intensely agonized screaming I heard coming from the hallway, that bolt of lighting had done damage to a good number of them. It wouldn't kill them, but it would ruin the bodies they'd stolen enough that they have to go and find another. The bedroom door burst inward and the woman stood there, clearly unamused. Half of her face was scorched and the smell of burnt flesh accompanied her. Three or four of her minions crowded into the room behind her. I looked to Jessica and found that rather then terror, her face was set in an expression of grim determination and resolve. She clutched the swaddled bundle to her chest protectively, as if she was daring any of the Shongtal to take it from her. And when one of the woman's minions reached for Jessica, she buried her silver dagger into his chest. The demon screamed and fell dead upon the bed, the red light in its eyes fading to nothingness. The woman looked at Jessica and then at me, slightly annoyed, slightly amused. “Your woman is feisty,” she said. “I like that. But it's time to end this

game.” She turned and in one smooth motion, drew and hurled a dagger that hit Jessica in the forehead with a loud thump, the blade burying itself deep. I watched in horror as Jessica – the love of my life – slumped backward on the bed, her eyes rolled back, her mouth hanging open. She was dead. Gone. Forever. I screamed out and using the last of my strength, raised my sword as the woman grabbed hold of the bundle in Jessica's arms. Two of her minions stepped forward and drove their swords into my midsection. Their steel hissed as it entered my body and I groaned in agony. I used the life force within me to charge myself, sending a bolt of electricity up through the swords, electrocuting both of the Shongtal fighters. They screamed and flew backwards, hitting the floor with a thud. The woman though, howled in rage as she realized that she'd been duped. The bundle she'd taken from Jessica contained nothing more than another blanket. I smiled wide, knowing that my child was out of her reach, gone with Chelsea just as I'd instructed. I'd failed in my duty to protect Jessica, but at least I'd managed to protect my child – and protect the world I'd sworn to serve by denying the Shongtal. It was the one thing I took comfort in as I felt my life force ebbing. The last thing I saw was the woman turn to me, rage flashing through her eyes as she approached, the light in the room glinting

off the edge of her blade.

Chapter Two Astrid Present Day...

I set the alarm and exited my shop, locking the door behind me before closing and locking the gate . You could never be too careful, after all. Though a bookstore wasn't the likeliest of targets for would-be thieves, you just never knew. My bookstore – The Attic – had been open for a little over a year now, and it was doing pretty well. It encouraged me – and made me happier than I could say – that people still seemed to love the written word. Books were my life. Always had been. Within the pages of a good book, I could lose myself for hours, traveling to faraway worlds, meeting brave and dashing strangers, and having grand adventures. Basically, within the pages of a book, I found lives that were everything my own life was not. (Continued in Saved by a Dragon…) United States Other Countries The doorways stand between two worlds – do they hold the keys that will unlock their survival as well as their passion?

Astrid lives a normal, unremarkable life. She owns and operates a bookstore, has a small circle of friends, and avoids social interaction like the plague. She's alone most of the time, but that's how she likes it. It's routine, there are no unexpected surprises – or chances of being hurt. All of that changes though, when a chance encounter with a mysterious man turns her world upside down. Suddenly, nothing is routine and unexpected surprises are the norm. Quint is a Dragonborn Warden, a guardian and protector of humanity. He takes his job as a sacred responsibility and is singleminded in his determination to wipe out the evil Shongtal where ever he finds them. But when he meets Astrid, he begins to change. His priorities begin to change That singlemindedness slowly gives way to something else within him. Astrid and Quint stir something deep within one another and it's a primal call that neither can deny – nor do they want to. But will they survive the coming fight to indulge in those primal passions that have set their minds and bodies ablaze?

Saved by a Dragon features a curvy redhead who comes into her own, becoming a regular spitfire and a tall, built Dragonborn shifter – both with a hunger for passion and insatiable desires. This book is a standalone, no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happy ending! United States Other Countries