Chapter 15

My boyfriend is a motherfucking dragon, and I'm about to crawl inside his massive claws––which I'm sure are sharp enough to spill my innards onto the pavement with a single flick––and fly to his house for late night snacks. This must be how cool kids in high school feel all the time. I wasn't one, so this level of swagger is completely foreign.

For once, I'm not even jealous that these are snacks I won't be able to eat. It's all about the flight for me.

"Okay, so what happens now?" I ask when we reach the clearing next to my bridge. "How much space do you need to shift?"

He looks around, his eyes squinty with the weed still in his system, and suggests I wait on the bridge. I don't walk. I skip onto the bridge and bounce on the balls of my feet as I watch Kyan stretch his limbs and get into position.

A low growl pierces through the night sky as the air kicks up around his body. Leaves and branches swirl as if caught in a twister, and I have to duck to avoid getting staked by a few big pieces. His bones crack, and his features turn distorted as he grows. From the bottom up, Kyan transforms from a larger-than-average, smoldering, sex on a stick man to a blue-scaled beast with black spikes running down his back and feet the size of snowmobiles. The ground shakes beneath me as the dragon, my dragon, turns to face me.

Fear is absent from my mind, which is a nice surprise. I didn't think I would scream in horror, but I figured I'd at least gasp. But he's just so goddamn pretty that I can't even move. Most of his body, particularly the middle, is the same cerulean blue as when he's unmasked, but the difference between his two forms is that the shimmer is so much more pronounced at this size. It's like this dragon covered himself in body glitter. And the colors. My god, there are so many shades of blue I never knew existed. Each one so seamlessly fades into the next that you don't even realize the tip of his wide, spiky tail is turquoise until you look back at the front of him, which is mostly navy blue. What if this is all a dream? I don't ever want to wake up.

He offers proof that it's not a dream with a soft snuffle through his humongous dragon snout, sending hot air and spit across my face.

"Aww," I say, laughing. "Hi, big fella." I offer up my palm for him to sniff. He doesn't. Instead, his black lips curl back to reveal hundreds of teeth as sharp and as long as swords. A purr rumbles inside his chest as his jaws open and his long, black tongue emerges. My high is still strong, so I'm at peace with the possibility of him eating me. If that's my ending, at least I spent the day having the best sex of my life first.

Although would being chewed and fully digested kill me? Unless he's consuming wood on a regular basis, and a sharp piece stakes me as I travel through his digestive tract, I don't think it would. Is there a chance I'd be resurrected upon exiting his body? Along with a pile of waste?

Ugh. Then I would wholeheartedly choose death.

The tip of his tongue is the circumference of my head, and as it gets closer to my face, I notice the rough bumps along the top. They're pretty big, and I'm guessing they'd take a layer or two of my skin right off, so I hold up my hands, prepared to negotiate. "I think you want to kiss me. Don't get me wrong, I love that idea. However, I'm worried about my skin. It's always been on the sensitive side. I'd heal quickly if you scraped it off, but maybe we avoid that tonight?"

I think he understands me because he slowly withdraws his tongue.

Worried I've offended him, I quickly add, "Would you settle for an organic cotton-covered arm?"

The tongue surges toward me, and as gently as a ten-ton alien dragon can, he swipes the tip along my forearm. Then he immediately turns to the side and spits. I suppose cotton isn't for everyone.

He unfurls his front claw, and I quickly climb inside, eager to fly through the air without being surrounded by strangers and being told when I can and can't use the bathroom.

Kyan gives no warning. He launches off the ground, and suddenly we're blasting through the clouds, and my stomach is somewhere in my throat. He keeps his claws tight around me, so I can only see through the slim crack between his talons, but Sudbury looks incredibly small. It's also whizzing by below us, and just as I start screaming with glee, we land in the center of a tarped-off area between trees.

The shift back into his unmasked, two-legged form looks much less painful, and when the smaller Kyan emerges, he bows at the waist, holding out his hand. "I hope you enjoyed your flight this evening, Ms. Zhao."

"Mm, yes," I say, bowing too. "Five stars."

He wraps his arm around me, and we stumble into the house giggling. The light he turns on fills the entryway/living room, providing a soft glow to show off this massive, simply decorated space. The furniture and decor are very dude-like. Comfortable seating, muted colors, and lots of dark wood everywhere. The kitchen and living room occupy the same open-concept space, but with enough separation that it doesn't feel crowded. There's a long staircase to the second level on either side of the house, and on the main floor, it's clear that bedrooms exist on either side of the kitchen as well.

As I'm taking in the gorgeous mansion I find myself in, Kyan is making as much noise as possible in the kitchen. It doesn't seem intentional. It's more like when you're trying to be quiet in the kitchen and that's the moment the silverware ends up scattered across the floor.

"What are you looking for?" I whisper, trying to be mindful of anyone who might be asleep.

Kyan opens a top drawer, digs through it frantically, then does the same to the bottom drawer, but forgetting the top one is still out, he bumps his head. "Fuck!" he shouts.

That's when a child starts screaming.

After that, a lot seems to happen, and my mind has trouble keeping up. A man who looks like the grunge version of Kyan stomps down the hall toward us wearing a murderous expression. I determine this man is Zev, one of Kyan's brothers. They start yelling at each other, and the source of the high-pitched scream peeks out from behind Zev's leg.

"Ooh, it's a baby," I say in the same voice I use to talk to Felix. I'm filled with shame even before I'm done speaking.

Then a woman with luminous dark brown skin arrives at Zev's side and asks, "Who the hell are you?" She far too beautiful for having been woken up in the middle of the night and I'm a more than a little envious.

Trying to deescalate the situation and appear non-threatening, I wave. "Hi, I'm Naomi."

Kyan repeats, "This is Naomi." He keeps talking.

I decide to focus on my blood bottle, relieved that I'm full enough to lack even a snippet of desire to drain these two humans. This is why I always have it with me. "I'm his new assistant," I say, trying to be helpful.

The woman gives me the stink eye. "Okay, we get it."

Get what? Did I miss something? My hands clutch my bottle tighter. Stay quiet. Keep your eyes on the bottle.

The woman and her daughter leave. There's more shouting between Kyan and his brother, which leads to some shoving as well.

They're both dragons. Don't get involved. Let them sort it out.

When I look up again, Zev is glaring at me like I've overstayed my welcome, and Kyan is storming outside with a wine bottle in his hand. Confused, I hop off the barstool in the kitchen and scurry outside, trailing behind Kyan.

He empties the wine and throws the bottle against a tree, shattering it. I want to comfort him, but I'm not clear on what happened or why he's this upset. As soon as they started yelling at each other, I tuned it out. It felt like it was none of my business.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I finally ask as we step inside the hanging tarps.

"They just," he starts, shaking his head and looking so exhausted, I wish I could tuck him inside my claw and fly him somewhere safe. "They don't fucking respect me. At all." He throws up his hands in defeat. "Everything I do, and have ever done, has been for them. They wanted mates. They wanted families. I didn't. But here I am anyway, because I thought the least I could do was protect them."

He hasn't said much about his past other than the planet he came from, so I'm having trouble following the thread, but I listen and nod, because that's what he needs.

"So that's what I do," he continues. "I make it my sole focus to find a way to keep them and their families safe. My life's work is putting a system in place that punishes the criminals and avenges the innocent. I have to. It's the only thing that matters to me. Especially since law enforcement in this town doesn't fucking do anything."

I'm lost. Maybe I misheard him. "How does the company punish criminals, exactly?"

He waves a dismissive hand. "Never mind. Let's just go."

"Back to my place?"

"No, I have another idea."

Kyan doesn't provide additional details. He shifts into his dragon, I crawl into his claw, and he shoots us into the sky. This flight is much more enjoyable, as it lasts longer than two minutes. We fly over Concord, and I realize we're heading south when I spot 93 below us. When we land on the roof of the office, I'm prepared to protest and ask him to bring me home. I have no idea why we're here this late, but if he intends on blowing off steam by working, I'm out.

I cross my arms as he shifts back. "Why are we here?"

He holds out his hand, and his eyes are filled with sadness, so I take it and give him the benefit of the doubt. The door on the roof takes us down a stairwell that opens into…a closet?

I can't see anything since it's so dark in here, but the room feels small.

Kyan flips the light switch on the wall, and my eyes widen in shock. "You have a bedroom here?"

It's a small room, with nothing more than a queen bed and a nightstand with three drawers, but it's clean, and it's certainly bigger than the nook my bed is stuffed into, so it'll do for the night.

"Is that the only door?" I ask.

He smirks as he flips open a panel on the wall between the nightstand and the bed, and an entire segment of the opposite wall lifts into the ceiling like a garage door, opening into his office.

"You rich guys and your secret fucking doors."

He opens the nightstand and pulls out a black t-shirt and soft mesh shorts. "You're not impressed, then?"

"Well, I didn't say that." Of course I'm impressed. Every little girl dreams of living in a house with secret doors that lead to hidden passageways and dimly lit libraries. This isn't that, but it's still pretty cool.

I borrow one of his t-shirts and climb into bed next to him. We don't say much after that. The night turned heavy, and I just want him to sleep, leaving it behind once morning comes. His grip on my back and arm is tight, but not painfully so, and even when he drifts off, his hold doesn't loosen.

Soon after, I follow him into darkness, with the image in my head of the two of us in the middle of the sea when a storm hits. But in this vision, I'm not me. Instead, I'm a buoy, steadily bobbing above the surface as Kyan holds on tight. I can keep him above water as long as he doesn't let go. I know I can.

* * *

Halloween arrives, and it's not the fun, spooky celebration I thought it'd be. Kyan thought it was best for me to skip the party, since my introduction to his family got off to a rocky start. He said his sister-in-law, Vanessa, guilted him into attending even though he didn't want to, and I understood. Family is family.

In a petty form of protest, he bought a squirrel costume and told me he'd be wearing it to the party, and the shelled peanut he put in his pocket is to represent me, and how he'll be counting down the minutes until he can gobble me up once the party ends.

Since the confrontation with Zev, we've spent the week alternating between sleeping at my place and his secret room. I've noticed the suspicious looks Thea has started giving us at the office, but Kyan insists that all will be well, and I should just ignore it.

The only reason I can is because of the way things have shifted between Kyan and me. I've grown attached, and it feels like this could be something more than a taboo work fling. He makes me laugh, he loves my bird, and he's learned my body well enough that he can get me to come in under three minutes. Not that we're trying to beat the clock. The stamina of an alien dragon far exceeds that of a human man, and before I can catch my breath, he's ready for another round.

More than the incredible sex though, I genuinely like him. He's become my boyfriend and one of my best friends. We put each other at ease. I trust him, and there's no face I'd rather see before I close my eyes than his.

It's also the reason I'm standing in front of my trailer, waiting for Elaine to come outside so we can talk. I'm done with this spying charade, and I'm sick of living in fear. Fuck her and fuck Xavier. Let her call him. He'll have to get through Kyan to get to me, and there's no way he's getting through Kyan.

"Naomi, come here!" Elaine shouts from the door of the house. She's smiling. The sight makes my hair stand on end.

I don't want to have this conversation in the house. Wyatt and Mike are inside, and even though I don't think they'd gang up on me, I'm not certain they wouldn't. The yard feels like neutral ground, and I'd prefer it if those two bozos weren't watching as I tell Elaine to go eat glass.

"Can you come here, actually?" I shout back. "I need to talk to you."

I can see her scowl from here, but she ends up closing the door and walking down the driveway.

Before I can get a word in, Elaine blurts, "Check it out, I just learned how similar my singing voice is to Katy Perry's." Then she starts singing, and dear Lillith, it's horrendous. Her voice only sounds like Katy Perry if Katy Perry had been kicked in the throat by a donkey and chose to make a bunch of honking sex moans instead of singing her actual lyrics.

"Wow," I say, nodding with my teeth clenched. "So great."

She clears her throat. "Anyway, what'd you want to talk about? Do you have some new info for me? Burton won't get off my ass, so I really need something juicy. As in, week-old-baby-with-virgin-blood juicy."

Gross. It's time to end this.

"Yeah, I'm not doing this anymore," I tell her. "Every lead I followed turned out to be a dead end. The basement is just an office. I went in and that's all I found. He's an alien dragon shifter, like I said, but it's not like you can expose him without exposing us, so that doesn't hold much weight."

Her face twists into a hateful sneer. "That's it? You're just giving up?"

My hands start to shake at my sides, so I ball them into fists, hoping she doesn't notice. "Yup. That's it."

She chuckles and takes a step toward me. "You think you can tell me when you're done with an assignment?" I back up as she continues moving closer, stumbling a bit when I go from grass to pavement.

The longer I remain quiet, the angrier she gets. "Are you hearing me? Is English your second language or something?"

Is that…is she being racist? If so, it doesn't even make sense. "Elaine, I'm from Seattle."

"I run this cell, and you're a fucking toddler."

I notice her front teeth are smudged with red lipstick, and I know what's about to happen is going to suck, but that provides a little slice of comfort for me.

"You don't have any say in what assignments you do or don't take."

Now she's shouting, and any minute, Wyatt and Mike are going to come outside to see what's going on.

"So unless you want to abandon your pathetic sippy cup lifestyle," she stabs her finger into my chest as she backs me up against the side of my trailer, "and start sucking blood like a respectable fucking vampire, you do what I say, when I say it."

Stay strong. You knew this would happen. She's dumb and a coward. The chances of her calling Xavier to beg him to take me back are low. Call her bluff.

Pushing off the side of my house, I get into her space, lift my chin high, and shrug. "I'm not doing it. Call him if you want. It changes nothing."

Her hand shoots forward, and her fingers wrap around my throat as she lifts my feet off the ground. She smiles as her acrylics dig into the sides of my neck. I feel the skin break and it's becoming harder and harder to breathe. The only relief I get is when she hurls me across the driveway. My back hits the tree first, and agonizing pain slices through me as I curl in on my side, hoping the injury heals before she tries something else.

Those hopes are dashed as her kitten heels clack across the pavement, and she yanks me up by my hair. My back is still fucked, so I can barely get to my feet, and the second I do, she shoves her fist into my stomach, stealing any breath I had away from me once again.

I hear male laughter in the distance. It seems Wyatt and Mike have joined the chat. How lovely. Apparently, the bond I thought Wyatt and I shared by being former sex partners is meaningless to him. He has no problem watching me get my ass kicked.

Falling to my knees, I wheeze as I focus on breathing through my nose. If I can do that, I might be able to bob and weave until Elaine gets bored. She's way stronger than me, so I won't win a fight against her, but I'm fast. Please let that be enough.

She goes to kick me in the ribs, but I see it coming and crawl sideways to avoid the blow. Missing the kick makes her wobble in her heels, and I take that as an opportunity to roll toward the side of the trailer, where an old rusty lawn chair has been collecting leaves for years. Wincing, I reach for the chair and grab it by the legs. When Elaine rounds the corner, I heave it upward, and the back of the chair slams into her chin, causing her to land on her back.

The soreness in my spine starts to dissipate as I keep moving around the outside of the trailer. If I can keep her at a safe distance, she'll have no choice but to chase me around this trash heap until moonrise.

My good luck doesn't last long. As I peek around the corner, she sneaks up behind me, getting me into a headlock.

I have no more moves. She tightens her arm around my neck until I can no longer stand upright. I claw and scratch at her to let go, but she's wearing a fur coat and there's no exposed skin I can bite.

She screeches into my ear, and at first, I think it's an intentional form of torture, but then her grip loosens, and I fall on my ass. Panting heavily, I crawl on my hands and knees until her wrenching cries sound far enough away that I can safely turn around.

Elaine's sitting in a puddle of mud, clawing frantically at something lodged in her right arm. Wyatt and Mike race to her side, lifting her to her feet. It's a stick. A stick is coming out of her arm. How did that even happen? Did she fall on it?

Once Wyatt yanks the branch out, her pained expression morphs into fury. Her gaze lands on the roof of my trailer.

Felix.

He starts cawing loudly, almost as if he's laughing at her.

"Fucking trash bird!" Elaine yells. Then she takes off her shoe and throws it at him.

I curl in on myself, refusing to watch in case it hits him.

His continued caws tell me she missed, and they're quickly followed by about a dozen more. Several crows peek over the edge of my roof, high in the surrounding trees, and along the power line at the end of the driveway.

He brought friends. Within seconds, those friends start dive-bombing my cell mates.

Elaine, Wyatt, and Mike hunch down as the crows start to form a black cloud around their heads, flying in a tight circle as they continue their torment.

"He got me!" Wyatt shouts. "I felt his beak on the back of my head."

Mike bellows like a cartoon elephant who's just seen a mouse as he waves his hands around his face, trying to keep them away.

The three of them huddle together as they race back toward the house, but not before Elaine yells, "We're not done here."

Once their backs are turned, I hurry inside the trailer, throw some clothes and blood in a bag, grab the last jar of peanuts from the cabinet, and run toward the bridge. I don't bother calling for Felix. He saw me leave, and he knows where I'm going, but more importantly, he knows what's in my hand.

In the middle of the clearing, I pour the peanuts on the ground and spread them out. Then I look up. I see some of the crows. It seemed like there were hundreds back in the driveway, but maybe the rest were in the trees. Felix lands on the ground to my right. My eyes fill with tears as I stroke along his feathers. "I owe you, buddy. You showed up just in time."

He leans into my touch, and I know I have to make this quick before I start sobbing, and Elaine comes looking for me.

"I'm heading out for a little while. I don't know when I'll be back, but as soon as I can, I'll bring you and your friends more peanuts, okay?" It's not like he can talk, but I feel the need to provide more information. "I'll be at the office in Manchester for now, with Kyan. I'd take you with me, but this seems like a better place for you. Your friends are here, and I don't think they'd let me bring thirty crows into work, even if I explained your heroism today."

Looking up, I feel the need to address the rest of them. "Thanks for, uh, stopping by today. Keep an eye on Felix for me, yeah?" My gaze returns to him. "I'll be back. I promise."

Then I run, and I don't stop running until I cross the border into Manchester. I cut through the trees next to the highway and sigh as my feet reach cement. I walk the rest of the way to the office, and since I don't have my own keys, I take the elevator to the roof, and the stairs to the secret bedroom.

Once I'm settled, the perfect joke comes to me that I wish I had thought of when I was still face-to-face with Elaine. "Bitch, you just got murdered!"

Eh, I suppose it's not that funny.

Hours later, my phone buzzes.

Kyan: Officer Burton was killed at the party. Freak accident. Charlie's ex, Nia's father, is a politician who was cozying up to Burton recently. He's also dead. Killed miles away. I'll tell you everything later.

Is everyone okay? Charlie and Nia? Are you?

Kyan: Technically fine.

Technically?

Jesus Christ. What a mess. It's hard to process the news with such little information. And what little I have sounds bizarre.

Kyan: I don't know what's going to come from this. We need to prepare for the worst.