Chapter
Eight:
The Past
Selena Chimes leaned against the pillar, fitting her
slender frame behind it. Her breathing was slow, controlled and faint, even to
her own ears. But there was a louder puffing coming her way, footsteps
staggering and stumbling toward her. She smiled a bit, almost enjoying herself.
Rayne had allowed her to tag along on one of his duties, his rounds, and today
he had been assigned to bring in a shifter who was on the run. The werewolf
seemed to hold an awful grudge against the Prince for he kept trying to kill
him. Selena didn't understand it and she didn't want to. As long as she got to
watch Rayne at work.
She frowned. Now that she thought about it, in the
chase she had lost Rayne. One minute they had both been after the shifter,
taking their time to bring him down. And now? Now she was stuck behind the
pillar, listening as the werewolf crawled ever closer to her position. Maybe if
she could bring the shifter in herself she could finally have something to hold
against Rayne, finally show him she could take care of herself. Better than any
other half-breed out there.
Yes, she was definitely going to try.
A footstep scraped right beside her and she rolled
along the pillar, her fist rising. She caught him by surprise. The back of
knuckles smashed into his neck soundly and the werewolf staggered backward with
a broken gasp. He landed flat on his rear, black claws lifting to scratch at
his neck as he choked for a breath. Selena came to stand before him, looking
down at him. "Are you crazy?" she
demanded.
The werewolf continued to wheeze, shoulders lifting and falling with each strained breath.
"I mean, going after the prince?" she asked. And her
eyes widened. "Twice, might I add!
You have a certain death wish!"
The 'wolf's eyes rose to meet hers and they shone a
liquid silver, standing out amongst his black fur. His lips pulled back from
his sharp teeth and he hissed at her painfully, a hand dropping to the ground
behind him.
Selena shook her head. "Don't try anything." She
warned him, feeling a strange prickling along her spine, surrounding her horns.
Something was up, he was going to act she somehow knew. Almost absentmindedly
she shifted to her side, into a ready stance.
The werewolf snarled then and his body was suddenly
in the air. Chime felt herself follow him in slow motion, her head lifting as
he flew through the air. His foot was moving, lashing out and she instinctively
brought her hands down, blocking his attack but she never saw the claws. They
were just there and then she felt a burning along her cheeks, caught the faint
glimpse of blood spray. Her legs gave out under her and she toppled backward.
The 'wolf came at her again, dropping down on top of
her and his muzzle was in her face, his breath hot in her ear. She growled
angrily and grabbed him with weak hands, forcing a grip on his matted fur.
There was something warm sliding down her face toward her lips and jaw and she
knew it was her blood. Her cheek was stinging painfully and she suddenly wanted
him to hurt, hurt more than she did. Her right hand yanked backward, ripping
fur from his body and he howled, a shriek of surprise that turned into agony.
She felt satisfaction and it drove her on, moved her to buck under him. Her
knee slammed into his crotch and flung him off, forced him into a forward toss.
His weight lifted away and she managed a brief inhalation before whirling onto
her stomach and looking toward him.
He seemed to have managed a roll for he was standing
quickly and he risked a backward glance toward her, perhaps wondering if he
should finish the job.
Chime caught sight of movement from a pillar straight
ahead, passed the one the 'wolf was standing next to. And the figure turned
into Rayne. His face was dark, darker than she had ever seen it and his eyes
blazed furiously. Her own eyes widened as a flicker of fear coursed through
her.
He looked very mad.
The 'wolf turned, obviously having made up his mind
to forget about her. And by then Rayne was attacking. He was truly beautiful in
form, in stance. And he moved with ease. He darted forward, pulling up close to
the 'wolf and he jumped toward the pillar. His left leg landed against the
pillar and he pushed himself off lithely onto his side in mid-air. His right
leg swung out, catching the shifter across his face and the 'wolf's head
snapped to the side, something cracking audibly in the process. Rayne completed
his horizontal spin in the air, falling to his feet and bending his knees to
absorb the impact.
The werewolf fell to the ground limply and without a
word.
Selena stared, mouth open in shock. Her eyes drifted
to the shifter and all she could do was continue to stare. He wasn't moving at
all and something had definitely been broken in the attack. She looked at Rayne
who crouched smoothly beside the werewolf and checked him.
"Is he dead?" Selena whispered, swallowing painfully.
Rayne glanced at her and rose again, coming toward
her. "No." he answered quietly, bending toward her. His fingers touched her
chin and he raised her face up. A grimace crossed his face as he examined her
cheek. "I didn't kill him. Perhaps I should have." He murmured.
Selena shook her head. "No. No. It's fine. It's
over." She said and she sat up slowly, lifting a hand to her face. There were
four gashes across her face and she winced as they began to throb. She hadn't
felt it much when she had watched Rayne but now they were really beginning to
hurt. She looked at her hand as it came away and the tips of her fingers were
red with blood. "Ow…"
The corners of Rayne's lips tightened. "I knew I
should never have allowed you to come. What was I thinking?" he asked himself
rhetorically, and he brought a corner of his cloak to her cheek, rubbed at the
gashes gently.
Selena smiled at him. "You were thinking that if you
heard me whine anymore, you'd be driven insane. Remember?" she asked teasingly,
staring into his amber eyes.
He arched an eyebrow at her, still focused on
cleansing her cheek. "Hm. Yes. It's all coming back to me now." He answered in
a tone that told her he was clearly not enjoying the humor in the situation.
Selena swallowed a laugh. "Stop worrying about me,
I'm fine. You should worry about the 'wolf." She motioned behind him with a
dismissive gesture.
Rayne nodded, his hand dropping away, the cloak
fluttering around his legs. But he clasped her cold hand nonetheless and pulled
her with him as he returned to the shifter. "You did pretty good, actually." He
said after a moment. He bent, wrapping an arm around the 'wolf's waist and
lifting him up over his shoulder.
"Did I?" Selena asked him, fighting the pleased grin
that threatened to break over her face and blind her soulmate.
Rayne half-smiled. "Yeah. You did good." He nodded
again and began to lead her toward the First House. "Which surprises me a bit,
I have to admit-"
"Hey." She said, faking a scowl.
He laughed. "No, I mean that it surprises me because
here I was thinking you did all this and yet you hate the prince." He arched an
eyebrow at her as they walked, as he dragged the 'wolf's body over his shoulder
and Selena's hand in his.
Selena looked down as she strolled beside him. The
world was turning a hazy pink and she fought it because she knew if she let it
envelop all she would start mumbling and not making sense. "Well, hate is such
a harsh word…" she murmured. "I don't hate
him, I just don't…like him…much…"
Rayne smiled faintly. "Darling, you don't even know him." He reminded her gently.
Selena felt warmth in her stomach. He rarely used
terms of endearment on her but that just made her treasure the moments he did
even more. "I know…I mean, it's not likely I ever will." She shrugged. "But
you…you have this bond with him, you are so close to him. Why?"
He hesitated in answering her question, even slowing
a bit in pace to match hers. His eyes shifted over to glance at her out of the
corners and she was looking up at him, blue eyes wide. "Well," he said,
narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, "I was raised with him. He's my friend. Since
we were little kids. My mother was one of his personal guardians. My father
used to say she was the best of them all, and that was pretty good considering
she was a woman…"
The corner of Selena's lips quirked but she remained
quiet.
He exhaled in a soft whoosh. "So, yeah. Friends from
the beginning. My mother used to say he would be the one to change everything.
He would be the one to right it all, unite the people. Since he was young he
was…wise." Rayne cocked his head.
"He had a conscience and he was going to use it to bring peace between the
shifters and witches. It was prophesized."
Selena nodded, impressed. "Tall order." She remarked.
She raised her eyes to him questioningly. "So…what happened? Why are we all
still fighting?"
Rayne looked toward the First House, eyes catching on
the guards positioned at the doors. "His father was killed not too long after
and my mother, who was Guardian to his father, then became Guardian to the
prince. Someone out there thought she was filling his head with nonsense, that
there would be no peace because it wasn't possible. And then she was killed
protecting him." Rayne looked down at her, eyes still narrowed a bit. "She was
killed by one of our own and we still don't know who."
Selena was gazing at him, horrified. She had never
heard this, from anyone. She knew he had had a bleak past but this was worse
than she had expected.
He seemed to chuckle at her shock. "Not long after,
my father left me. Said he couldn't look at me without being reminded of my
mother. And the Prince took me in. When I became old enough I took over for my
mother and became his guardian. And here I am today." He concluded with a shrug
that almost upset the balance of the shifter on his shoulder.
Selena swallowed thickly. "I am so sorry." She
whispered, her hand tightening around his. "If I had known, Rayne, I would
never have asked you-"
He nodded. "It's all right." He said soothingly. "I
figured it was time I told you anyway. Some day soon." His lips tightened into
a line and he paused for they had reached the marble steps. "Wait here a
moment? I'm going to bring him in and then be right out." He said and he
released her hand to examine her face once more. "It's healing. There's the
pool, wash it a bit and I'll come back and see how it is."
She nodded. "All right. Don't be long." She said quietly and she watched him as he swept up the steps and vanished into the tall doors.
The
Present
Chime awoke suddenly, gasping
for air and Thea's hand closed around her wrist. "Hey. Hey." She whispered
calmly. "It's ok. It's just a dream." She said, rubbing the dragon's arm.
Chime looked at her, turning her
head along the airport seat. She exhaled loudly, a quick breath and then
nodded, swallowing. "Yeah. I'm ok." She said softly. She blinked to clear the
sleep from her eyes. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked, squinting.
Thea frowned. "About two hours.
Maybe a bit less. We'll be landing soon." She added. "Maybe you should stay
awake now?"
Chime glanced toward the seat in
front absentmindedly before nodding. "That's probably for the best. I don't
think I'll get anymore sleep after what I just dreamt." She looked back at Thea
quickly. "Did you see?" she asked.
Thea smiled a bit sadly. "Yeah.
I hope you don't mind." Her smile became a teasing grin. "He's so cute." She
laughed.
And Chime laughed with her.
"Yeah, he was." She agreed. And then in a murmur, "Arrogant little…"
Thea was nervous. But not nearly
so much as Chime. The remainder of the flight had been uneventful as they had
hoped. And now the airport was full, people bustling about, rushing to claim
their luggage. But Chime and Thea had no baggage. All of Chime's things had
been burned in the house. The clothes she wore were things she had borrowed
from Thea and Blaise. And Thea's things had all fit in a duffel bag.
They would have to do major
shopping, Chime decided.
"Okee-dokee. Uh, garage." Thea
murmured, looking around. "Second floor." She was stiff, rigid with anxiety and
she stood close to Chime, so close they shared the same air.
Chime inhaled to control herself
before lifting her hand to the girl's shoulder. "Easy, Thea." She said
soothingly. "You have to calm down."
Thea swallowed, her throat
working and she linked an arm through Chime's almost fearfully. "I'll calm down
once I see a familiar face." She looked around again and Chime had the urge to
laugh. But that would have been unkind. Chime was unafraid. She was
half-dragon, one of the strongest creatures on earth. She had nothing to worry
about. Thea on the other hand…
"Ok. Let's go." Chime said,
pulling Thea with her as she began to stroll along. They began to weave through
the crowds, following the directions to the garage. And under her breath, low
enough only for Thea to hear she hummed the theme to Mission: Impossible,
causing Thea to giggle.
They followed the signs to the
escalators and began to ascend.
"So, Chime…" Thea said, obviously
looking for a topic and the one that came to mind seemed to be better than
nothing. "How old was Rayne when you met him?" she asked. And then she rambled
on, "I mean, it's not like he can get older, he's probably still beautiful
wherever he's hiding himself but when you first met him, how old-"
"He was twenty-four." Chime
answered, glancing over her shoulder nonchalantly. She squinted a bit,
momentarily letting herself remember him. "Yeah, twenty-four. I remember the
Prince was a year older than him." She murmured.
Thea was nodding, looking up
toward the top of the escalator which was a bit far off. "Twenty-four. That's a
good age. Not too old. Not too young. Or, well, yeah, he's still young but not
as young as me, for example…"
Chime arched an eyebrow,
bringing herself back to the airport and it was at that precise moment that she
caught sight of the man. Tall. Dark. And familiar. Disturbingly familiar. She
narrowed her eyes to near slits and wondered why he looked so familiar. Someone
from the long-gone past?
He looked up from his position
at the base of the escalator and their eyes met.
A memory rose, hitting Chime
between her eyes. Smoke. Gasoline. A flame coming to life between cupped
fingers. And finally, fire everywhere. She realized she was stiff, eyes wide in
fear and she watched as the man moved forward toward the escalator, shoving his
way onto it.
Thea was still rambling on.
"Eric isn't that much older than me, but then again he will eventually become
older." She said, chatting cheerfully. "We'll both become older but that's ok
because he'll be with me and-"
Chime found her voice, her blue
eyes still caught on the man below. They were close to the top and he was just
at the bottom. "Thea…" she whispered faintly, and she swallowed. "Are you a
fast runner?" she whirled, gaze straying to the top of the escalator. The top
floor didn't seem to be as full as the main. They would have more cover below.
Thea was confused. "Am I a fast
what?"
Chime reached out a hand to her,
still focused on the top of the escalator. "Give me your duffel bag." She
ordered, adrenaline kicking in. She spared a quick glance at Thea and the witch
pulled off the duffel bag in bemusement, handing it over wordlessly. "Good."
She mumbled. "Now you and me are going to hop over this rail here onto the down
escalator because if we don't we're going to get killed."
Thea was staring at her with a
frown.
"Do you understand me?" she
asked, turning to look toward the man below once more. He was shoving his way
forward, ignoring angry replies and retorts from the humans surrounding him.
Chime swallowed once more, felt the thick ball force its way down her throat
and she spun to face Thea. "Do you understand?!"
"Yes." Thea answered in a
whisper, face paling.
Chime gave her a reassuring
smile. "Good." She nodded. She placed her hand on the rubber rail of the
escalator. "Because here we go."
And with that she was moving.
The duffel bag was secure around her shoulder, the strap crossing down over her
breast. She pressed her weight down on the rail and then shoved herself up,
lifting her legs. Her body swung directly across the space between the up and
down escalators and she landed on the down escalator, ramming into people and
stumbling a bit. "Sorry!" she apologized quickly, "Sorry." And she looked
toward Thea.
Thea was having difficulty. She
didn't swing so much as climb. Her footing was a bit off but she managed to
throw herself over onto the down escalator, staggering off balance. A young man
even reached out, helping her safely.
"Thanks." She said to him with a
breathless smile as Chime climbed up a step toward her. And then the witch
stared at the young man, a frown crossing her forehead.
The dark stranger was halfway
up. Chime turned, pushing herself as far back to the side of the escalator as
possible, keeping a wide bridge of distance between herself and her stalker. A
woman came down beside her, looking down toward the bottom of the down
staircase nonchalantly. She covered Chime's view of the man and Chime breathed
a sigh of momentary relief. She reached a hand toward Thea and pulled her down
next to her, keeping her close. She felt worked up, ready for anything. But in
the far corner of her mind she hoped that the man would have enough sense not
to attack in a crowded airport. Beside her Thea had finally turned her
attention away from the young man who had helped her and Chime exhaled. Thank
the Goddess, now was not the time to be checking out guys.
The man rode up as they came
down and just as they almost came to head, the woman blocking the NightWorlders
from each other whirled, reaching up and clamping onto Thea's collar.
"What the f-" Chime uttered in
surprise.
The woman was dark as well,
black hair cut short, a strange gleam shining in her deep, chocolate brown
eyes. She pulled Thea down roughly, small hands locking onto her shirt, as the
man came up directly opposite them.
Thea cried out, staggering, and
her feet came off the floor.
Chime blinked once before
shifting into offense. She stepped forward, her arm snaking around Thea's arms
and chest and she yanked the girl back, her grip strong. Thea yelped as she was
hoisted back but the woman wasn't releasing her and her shirt tore, the tear
resounding through the suddenly quiet airport.
Chime clenched her jaw, shoving
herself in between the woman and Thea and she pushed the witch away carelessly,
leaving the woman with handfuls of Thea's shirt. The woman threw the cloth
pieces aside and opened her mouth wide, hissing. Chime swung once, her knuckles
smashing into the woman's perfect, sharp teeth and without a second thought she
threw herself forward, ramming into the woman. The force flung the woman,
picking her up neatly and sending her hurtling back across the railing and into
her partner who was directly on the other side.
Murmurs of shock and disbelief
rose from the crowd.
"Come on." Chime said under her
breath. And then she was shouting it, "Come on!" and she grabbed Thea's wrist
and yanked, climbing down the escalator. The people parted for her, allowing
her to pass and staring at them as they hurried by.
"Who were they?" Thea asked
breathlessly, glancing over her shoulder. The man and the woman were still
disentangling themselves from each other up above.
"Losers." Chime growled.
They reached the foot of the
escalator and Chime's head snapped up as she became aware of nearing footsteps.
She risked a quick glance and saw them. Guards. Security for the airport. She
looked back around, hesitating helplessly, and she didn't know where to go. The
fastest way to the garage was along the second floor but there was absolutely
no way she was going back up there. And precious seconds were being lost as she
stood there and contemplated frantically.
"This way." The young man from
earlier said, hopping down behind them. It was the same one who had assisted
Thea on the escalator.
Chime whirled on him, pulling
Thea behind her automatically. She raised a hand to him, warding him off
warily. "Stay away-"
"No!" Thea suddenly cried. "No!"
she shook her head and began to pull Chime's hand. "We can trust him! It's
Galen!" And happiness mixed with relief was blossoming on her face.
Chime narrowed her eyes into
slits. "He could be my freaking father for all I care, Thea-" she began and she
glanced over her shoulder toward the security guards nearing.
The man, a handsome one with
fiery, golden hair and piercing green eyes reached out and caught hold of
Chime's extended wrist. "I'm part of what was Angel Rescue." He explained in a
hurry and he swept passed them, tugging on Chime.
Chime only followed when Thea
did, peeking once more behind her at the guards who were closing in. "This
wasn't part of the plan." She called to the young man but she began to run,
instantly catching up to him, the forward swing of her arms propelling her
onwards. Thea was pulled roughly along by the both of them and she squeaked
disdainfully.
The man, Galen, motioned toward
the NightWorlders who were making their way back down to the main level quickly
and gracefully. "Neither were they." He said, weaving through the crowds.
The sign up ahead read 'Garage'.
"How did they know?" Thea
demanded emotionally and her hand tightened on Chime's wrist as they sprinted.
"You got me." Galen answered
her, calling back to her. "You're just damn lucky I decided to get out of the
van." He released Chime's hand and raced ahead, rounding a corner. Chime caught
a small shift in the lean muscles under his T-shirt. A shape-shifter perhaps.
Most likely.
Galen, she thought to herself as
she tried to keep him in her sights. He was unbelievably fast, even for a
shifter, his body lean with rippling muscles and smooth skin. And again, she
asked herself, Galen. Why was that name so familiar? Galen. Galen. Galen-
Drache.
Chime's jaw dropped open and she
nearly stumbled and went sliding across the floor. "No way…" she uttered
dumbly, slowing despite herself. It couldn't be, the shifters wouldn't allow
that of their prince. And yet he matched the description. Galen Drache, the
young Prince of the First House of Shape Shifters. Gold. Green. Elegant. Royal.
The one who had united the witches and shape-shifters with the Witch Child
present.
Of course. If he had helped the
Witch Child before, helped her stay alive, why not remain her guardian and
protector? He would be used to her, the way she worked.
Galen came to a skidding stop
and looked around quickly.
The Prince of Shape-Shifters was
an Agent of Circle Daybreak. Chime wanted to laugh at the thought. But as the
young man led them out into the orange-lit garage she found the revelation more
shocking than humorous. It was definitely not terribly funny at the moment.
The Dragon Prince would never
have become something like that.
A black van came up on shrieking
tires, stopping directly before them. And an unfamiliar man leaned across the
passenger seat toward the window and motioned toward them. "Let's get this show
on the road!" he shouted.
"Did you get the plate?" The
asked Chime under her breath as she finally caught up.
And indeed she had. 23H-TC7.
Galen opened the side sliding
door of the van and looked at them, waiting. Chime shoved forward, practically
flinging Thea into the darkness of the back compartment before throwing herself
in. And then the door slid shut behind them both, enveloping them in total
blackness. There was the sound of the passenger side door slamming shut and
then the van was moving, jerking about and correcting itself roughly after a
moment.
A small panel in the front slid
open, shedding bright light into the dark compartment. Galen glanced in,
smiling reassuringly. "Please excuse the bumpy ride, there may be some
turbulence." He said.
"We're in a van, Galen!" Thea
laughed happily, nearly glowing with her relief. "You were supposed to use that
line on the airplane!"
Chime glanced from Thea to
Galen, who made a face at the witch and she knew things would be all right. For
the moment.
