《The Queen of Spades》


 Prologue

    ¡°Jeriel? Help me.¡± Those were the last words I uttered as my body¨Cthis body¨Cslipped away from me. Jeriel is my soul, but this body I loved. I know that sounds harsh, but consider this for a moment. The woman who was this body, not only loved me, but she knew what I was. She accepted me completely in life, and in death. That love and compassion was replaced, in an instant, by pain.


    ¡°Pain¡­ what a way to come to.¡±


    She was not dead. Even if I wanted to escape this body, I was unable to. I couldn¡¯t speak, or move. Knowing that my love was suffering crushed my soul. I saw dark gray clouds, as rain fell from the sky. The agony was unbearable, but she was feeling it too.


    ¡°That thunder is your heart beating in my chest. Those crashes are the raindrops falling¡­¡±


    She was right. She heard what I did now. How? More importantly, why? I took this body to end her pain, now I¡¯m the one who is forcing her to suffer again.


    ¡°I can smell the metal in my blood, and the rain smells like a thunder strike. Are these your senses?¡±


    They were, and I was losing my fight to shield her from this. I wanted to cry, or scream, or take to the skies, but I couldn¡¯t. There was nothing I could do.


    ¡°Oh my god! She¡¯s been shot! Call 911!¡± a woman screamed as my vision faded in and out. I could still hear her voice. Her stringy, wet blonde hair and the gray frames of her glasses stuck in my mind like a photograph.


    ¡°She has green eyes. I¡¯ve never seen eyes like that before.¡±


    Before I could think on that, the woman whined in frustration, then sighed with hope. ¡°You¡¯re going to be okay. Hold on¡­.¡± she said, as I heard Jeriel¡¯s ringtone playing. Did I bring my phone? I never bring my phone. The scent of vanilla and sandalwood flooded my nose as the woman searched me, finding it.


    ¡°Jackie¡­ are you okay?¡± Jeriel''s voice said, all distant and tinny.


    ¡°Whoever you are, you¡¯ll need to call back. I¡¯m trying to call for help!¡± the blonde yelled into the phone, hysterical.


    ¡°Please don''t hang up!¡± Jeriel pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m a doctor volunteering at Mission Hospital. I know my friend needs help. Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been shot. There¡¯s blood everywhere! She¡¯s breathing, but there''s so much blood¡­.!¡±


    ¡°I have your location on an app on my phone, I¡¯m sending an EMT right now, okay? Can you stay with her please? Until I arrive? That woman means the world to me.¡± My remaining senses muddled together as the voices faded out.


    ¡°So the blood is ours? We were attacked?¡±


    ¡°We were, this body should be dead, but it lives, for now,¡± I thought. I hoped I could talk to her like she was talking to me.


    ¡°If we should be dead, why aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Human weapons cannot kill us, I heard in my head as the pain faded away to nothing. Just rest. We will heal from this. When our body is healed, we will remember¡­ and feast upon our adversaries once more.¡±


    ¡°Your words should frighten me, but they do not.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to fear, not even those who did this to us. I promised to stay with you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    The question pained me much more than the attack had. Fearing that I had lost her forever, I thought, ¡°Because you, my beautiful flower, have my heart.¡±


    I opened my eyes to find myself in a hospital room. Plastic and bleached linen odors bombarded my nose.


    ¡°Okay¡­ nose is in overdrive¡­¡±


    ¡°If you only knew¡­¡± I mused to myself.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re awake,¡± I heard, looking up to see a man, standing at the door. He was white, though his complexion spoke of endless summers spent outdoors, in the sun. He appeared to be a little over 6 feet tall. His hair was black and so short it was spiky. He wore dark blue slacks, a white button down shirt with a dark blue tie, and a khaki trench coat. He smelled of brass, steel and gun oil. Under that was a distinct smell. I knew that smell from somewhere. He was clean shaven, but I could smell that whatever blade he used was getting a little dull.


    ¡°How do you deal with it all?¡±


    I didn¡¯t have an answer for her, so I tried to regain some control over this form. ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, as I fought to look at him. I could feel again, somewhat. The pain was now a dull ache, and I felt my pulse in my face and back. I was weak, but could move some. This was good.


    Looking down, I realized something. All of my clothing has been removed, probably cut off. They had one of those flimsy hospital gowns draped over me, and tied behind my neck. It covered me somewhat, and normally nudity didn¡¯t bother me, but¡­ I was injured, weak, and vulnerable¨Cnaked as you will. I cringed, and whimpered, feeling powerless as pain shot through my face.. It subsided as I looked at him again.


    ¡°Detective John Static, Asheville P.D.,¡± he replied quietly, his left hand pulling the trench open to reveal his badge. Before I could reply to him, the door flew open, and a thin woman barged into the room. ¡°I¡¯ll come back,¡± he said, stepping through the open door.


    The woman looked at him strangely as the door closed behind him ¡°¡­Odd,¡± she said softly. She ran to the bed, taking my hand..


    When she did, several scents filled the room¡­ Lavender, passion-fruit and energy, if it could have an odor. I closed my eyes and tried to take it all in. This scent was familiar¡­ comforting¡­ home. Jeriel.. my soul.


    ¡°I can see her face through a cloud, old as time, That face.. that memory is fleeting¡­ but I remember her touch, her taste¡­ ¡°


    She was shorter than the man who just left, barely 5 feet tall¡­ but had more of a presence, as if her aura was twice the size of John. Her hair was the color of rose gold. Anywhere else it would have looked artificial, but on her¡­ it brought color to her alabaster skin and intensified the gold in her hazel eyes. Her face was long and angular, but with a softness to her chin. At first glance she seemed fragile, delicate, ethereal.


    She wore a white lab coat that threatened to swallow her whole. With a clipboard in her right hand, she sat on the bed beside me and sighed.


    ¡°Jackie, do you know what¡¯s going on yet?¡± she asked, melancholy seeping into her voice.


    Before I could try to answer Jeriel, my body''s thoughts came from our lips. ¡°Jackie¡­ Is that me? That doesn¡¯t sound right¡­¡± she stammered, as a tear streamed down my cheek. All of our thoughts and memories crashed together. My control was lost, through a fog that I could not see through. ¡°Every memory is just out of reach,¡± she sobbed. ¡°¡­ and I hurt too much to jump to grasp it. I know you, but I can¡¯t remember who you are¡­¡± Tears streamed down my face, burning as they contacted my wounds.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± I whispered to her thoughts. ¡°She is a part of us. Relax and tell her what you remember, because I have been disconnected from you.¡±


    Jeriel took our hand as she sighed softly. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she replied, looking down. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything before the attack¡­ wait. That¡¯s not right either. I remember the dense forest, the feel of the warm stone on my back¡­ the gleam of the sacrificial blade. I was a gift to Kukulc¨¢n¡­ but I am here now. I should have died twice now, yet I live. Why?¡±


    Before I could form words, Jeriel explained. ¡°Your body, your essence. She refused to let one who was so special to us perish to the wickedness of a false deity. Your soul ascended, so she took your broken body as her own. We love looking in the mirror and seeing you. She loves drifting through your memories of us. You were our friend, our lover, our heart. Look at me, child, and tell me I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    ¡°This connection feels so real. Is it all true? Is she family? A lover? My best friend? I feel¡­ that I could trust her with my soul.¡±


    She took over control of our speech again. ¡°This makes no sense. I keep hearing this weird voice in my head, and my sense of smell is off the charts¡­¡±


    Jeriel chuckled. ¡°You find her voice weird? Think, and remember her. You have her heart, as well as her nose.¡± I laughed to myself at the irony of it all.


    ¡°Hush, dammit!¡± she said, most likely to me, then faced Jeriel. ¡°What is going on? I feel like I''ve been in a daze for longer than I¡¯ve been alive. Speaking of that¡­ Why am I still alive? I was told I was attacked in the back and in the face? I don¡¯t get it. Wouldn¡¯t I be dead from that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I was thankful that the detective left. Science and magic don¡¯t mix well, Xochil.¡±


    ¡°You remember me?¡± she asked, astonished. This was good. She remembered her own name. ¡°It feels like an eternity has passed since I''ve heard my name on someone''s lips.¡±


    ¡°How could I not? You were the flower that stole my lover¡¯s heart after all. The heavens rang with the cries of our pleasures.¡± Jeriel blushed so badly that crimson was flooding down her neck. The memories she spoke of were like specters in Xochil¡¯s mind, fleeting, just beyond her reach. Before I could dwell, Jeriel composed herself and started again.


    ¡°First of all, the shotgun blast to the face was mostly superficial. Whoever did this wanted to ruin your appearance. You can heal it back, but not here. The others frankly make no sense. I looked at the x-rays. One grazed your spine, shattering bone, and was quite damaging, but the other lodged itself in a major artery. Either they were sloppy, or they expected you to not be human. The biggest issue now is that you should have bled out or be paralyzed. That¡¯s why I need to keep the humans away from you. The police don¡¯t like miracles, and don¡¯t like things they can¡¯t explain either. We need to get you out of here so I can work on you privately, but until we get those rounds out of you, they¡¯re not going to let you leave.¡±


    ¡°Humans¡­ huh? Wait, I didn¡¯t understand a word of what you just said,¡± she mused aloud, trying to make sense of this. ¡°...But I still have two of these weapons in me? Is that why I can''t remember anything?¡±


    ¡°No but¡­ If I try to explain, it would only serve to confuse you more¡­ which is bad.¡± Jeriel sighed again, and touched me on the forehead. ¡°You¡¯re going to rest now. I¡¯m going to talk to that voice in your head for a bit¡­ and get these bullets out of you¡­ okay?¡±


    I nodded as everything grew black again.


    ---V---


    It¡¯s been over two millennia since I have felt this disassociation¡­ this disconnect.. That was when I lost my last shell. WIll I lose this one too? Xochil gave me this body, as her last gift to me. After all this time, I can not lose her. through tear-streaked eyes I look up to see the other part of my soul, Jeriel, looking down on me.


    ¡°Jeriel¡­¡± I said, as I could feel Xochil asleep again.


    She smiled. ¡°Thank the Goddess my spell worked! Glad to see you are still in there.¡±.


    ¡°Barely¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°There is a problem,¡± I mumbled, trying to shake the numbing poison flowing through these veins.


    ¡°Indeed. You were attacked. Shot thrice. I don¡¯t think they knew what you were¡­ to leave you in this state.¡±


    ¡°I should have bled out¡­ there was blood everywhere¡­¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I was able to stop the bleeding, for now. Your heart refused to let her die¡­¡±


    ¡°But where did you get¡­? You know that this body¡­¡± she cut me off.


    ¡°I gave you some of my blood. Universal donor by design¡­.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Jer. Can we leave now?¡± I begged.


    Her face grew somber as she shook her head.  ¡°Quickly, before my spell fades. There''s a cop who wants to ask questions about the attack.¡±


    ¡°All I have is the scents, Jer. Will it help? And about this human¡­ is he the one whose scent still lingers in this room?¡±


    Jeriel nodded. ¡°He claims to be a detective. He¡¯s only asking about the attack. I worry that he might wish for more information than we are willing to give.¡±


    ¡°If I answer his questions, can you take us from this place? I cannot lose her final gift, Jer.¡±


    ¡°I know, my love,¡± she whispered as she wiped the tears from my face. ¡°Are you ready now?¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°Let him back in. I¡¯ll answer his questions, so you can take me from this place. I need to be whole again.¡±


    Jeriel nodded and opened the door, letting the man back in. ¡°Before we begin, detective. Jacqueline will be able to answer your questions now. Understand that the details she gives may seem odd. She still has two bullets in dangerous places and the pain meds will most likely affect her.¡±


    ¡°Odd? Okay, I understand. I will keep it simple.¡± He approached, pulling a tattered memo pad from a pocket, along with a pen. He walked to the bed. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    I took a deep breath. ¡°The one who injured me¡­ Stood taller than me. His steps were heavy and slow. He was covered in different scents.. so I can¡¯t tell you if he was hu¡­ ¡° I can¡¯t call him a human. Damn.


    ¡°If he was what?¡± John asked.


    I shook my head. ¡°Never mind. He¡­ smelled of waffle house grease and myrrh smoke. His revolver smelled more of rust than gun oil. It was a snub-nose, hammerless¡­ possibly a Ruger. He wore a white collared shirt that only had buttons down half the shirt. His pants were black denim. Sunglasses hid his eyes, and he had no hair on his head. I could smell the skin damage from a blade.¡± I closed my eyes for a moment. ¡°He was light complexioned¡­ he had high cheekbones and his jawline was sharp. The shotgun¡­ smelled more of new plastic and gunpowder than of metal and gun oil¡­ like it was new..?¡± I could hear how odd I sounded, but it was a struggle just to get my thoughts out. I squeezed Jeriel¡¯s hand to let her know that the spell was starting to fade.


    ¡°Hmmm.. Myrrh smoke? You give more details about his smells than his description.¡±


    ¡°Detective,¡± Jeriel began, squeezing my hand back in acknowledgement. ¡°This woman took a shotgun blast to the face. That trauma¡­ probably opened her other senses to fill in the pieces.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll check the local businesses and see if this guy shows up.¡± He looked at Jeriel. ¡°If you can get me those slugs, it might help us. I want to get this guy before he does this shit again.¡±


    ¡°Oh he won¡¯t. I will find him. Those who harm me don¡¯t live long.¡± I growled¡­ or tried to, rather, as the spell ended, throwing me back into the void I was in earlier¡­ only to see as an onlooker, and to whisper to Xochil¡¯s mind.


    ¡°This is our job. You just focus on getting better, okay?¡± John said as he headed to the door. ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, before you leave¡­.¡±


    John paused, with a hand on the door handle. ¡°Yes, doctor?¡±


    That made her smile. ¡°Jacqueline was just attacked in broad daylight. She is well known in several different circles in Asheville. What if her attacker returns to finish the job?¡±


    ¡°I can have a couple of uniformed officers put on the door.¡± he replied, starting to grow impatient.


    Jeriel placed a hand on his arm. ¡°Let me take her to my clinic. I have resources there that they just don¡¯t have here. Plus she¡¯d be more comfortable in familiar surroundings, and we can protect her better there.¡±


    I watched as Jeriel¡¯s aura enveloped the human¡¯s as her enchantment began to take hold. Jeriel was better at this than I ever could be¡­ Must be in her blood.


    ¡°Well¡­ It would keep down on personnel¡­¡± he said, as his face slowly lit up in revelation. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll go have an ambulance prepped for your transit.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, detective, and have a good day,¡± Jeriel said as John quickly left. As soon as the door closed, she turned towards the bed. ¡°Humans¡­ such fascinating creatures¡­¡±

 Chapter 1

    ¡°He¡¯s late,¡± Chaz said, as he absently wiped down the dark, lacquered bar surface.  This is my bar, ¡®The Queen of Spades¡¯, right off I40 in Asheville.  Chaz was huge, topping out at almost 7 feet tall, and built like a linebacker, with shoulders almost too wide to go through most doors and arms bigger round than my thighs. His completion was almost charcoal black¡­ with a red hue when the sun hit it just right.  Bald head and a VanDyke beard completed his appearance, as he stood there in a black t-shirt that looked about a size too small.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, sitting in one of the booths, sipping on water¡­ watching the front door.  The tables and booths are the same stained cherry wood color of the bar, and the speckled carpet that was supposed to be green and brown but look more like mud splotches than anything else.  I can¡¯t complain.  The renovation cost me little, and with the original owners just vanishing¡­ The property and business came to my possession really cheap.


    I¡¯ll take a moment to tell you about me and mine¡­ since I¡¯ve recovered, which seemed to take forever, though I was only bedridden for about 3 weeks.  Getting my fractured mind whole again and getting the steel out of a major organ does wonders for your pain levels, I assure you.


    By the way, I currently go by Jacquelene Tannin, and no I am not human.  Chaz isn¡¯t either.  I¡¯m a dragon¡­ crazy, right? And literally¡­as in a scaly winged flying lizard that is older than dirt.  How old, you ask?  I was a child when Nukhu or Noach took up his hammer and started on the ark¡­ and I mean that ark.  People refer to him as Noah now.  Strange how languages change in 5 thousand years.


    This body I now enhabit, Xochil, was a lover before her people chose to ritualistically give her life to the gods.  I¡¯ll tell you how I saw her for the first time.  She stood like the goddesses they worshiped as almost 4 cubits tall.  Today¡¯s terms have her at 173 cm, or 5¡±8¡±.  Her skin glowed like copper in the setting sun, and her waist-length hair was like a sheet of midnight sky, glittering with stars.  Her waist and hips curved like a delicious river, while her breasts sat upon her chest like luscious fruit, larger than my hand and sweeter than ambrosia.


    Although I turn a lot of heads, I don¡¯t mess with a lot of humans.  I find the scent of human testosterone quite unappealing to my libido.  I have been known to enjoy the entertainment of a human woman from time to time, fancy that.


    I matched Chaz¡¯ outfit, with my black t-shirt and curve hugging black jeans, as I looked at the door again.  ¡°This is annoying.  Has Jeriel called yet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± his soft voice reverberated.  ¡°She¡¯ll call when she lands... So calm down you damned lizard.¡±


    ¡°Shut it handle-head,¡± I chuckled as I looked at him.  He smiled, his eyes glowing red briefly.  Chaz is a demon, after all¡­ although besides the fact that he doesn¡¯t reek of sulfur, I honestly don''t know too much about him.  So why have we been close as thieves for the last three hundred years ?  We share a common enemy¡­ the angels.  After almost being wiped off the planet every million years since the birth of the planet and our transplantation here.. It gets old---fast.  Soon after the birth of the humans, one of the angels showed us how to take these frail forms and hide our scales.  It pissed them all off...bad too.  They kicked him and those who agreed with him from the heavens.  They called it a rebellion.  Before you go saying, ¡®Hey, that¡¯s not how the story goes!¡¯ just remember¡­ history is written by the victors.


    Before Chaz could return the snide remark, John and a short woman entered the bar.  The detective looked almost stereotypical in his khaki trench and blue slacks, while the woman, who was in what appeared to be rags, snuck to the bar, almost trying to hide from the detective. This woman was named Emily.  She was actually a cute woman¡­ 5 ''4 " with short brown hair and eyes so dark you could get lost in.  She had just a tad of curvature to her small frame, with her small breasts sitting high on her chest.  Today she looked like she had been in the same clothes for a week.  She reeked of sweat, sex and burnt plastic.  I watched her body tremble as she sat silently on a bar-stool at the far end of the room.


    John seemed to ignore the woman as he made his way over to my booth, passing an ¡®All firearms must be checked in at the bar¡¯ sign posted on a support beam.  He read it, shrugging as he slid in across from me.  ¡°So this is your place¡­¡±


    I nodded.  ¡°It is.  Now check your piece at the bar.  No firearms but mine here.  Says so on the sign.¡±  I pointed.  He ignored it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way in hell you¡¯re going to hold the police department to a weapons check.¡± he said, as a smirk crossed his lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so?  Watch me.  Done it before¡­  This used to be an old Hell¡¯s Angels hangout.  I don¡¯t take shit here.¡±  I gave him another look, and noticed stubble on his face that brought back memories of our first meeting.  I chuckled and said, ¡°That dull razor you have finally give up?  Bad detective, no doughnut.¡±


    He chuckled.  ¡°How did you¡­ what did you¡­?  Wow, I¡¯m shocked at how you¡¯re night and day different from when you were in the hospital.¡±  He stopped a moment, looking my face over, flabbergasted.  ¡°Damn, the last time I saw you, your face was hamburger. I¡¯ve never seen someone heal this fast. It is good to see you healing well, all jokes aside.¡±  He slid into the seat across from me.  ¡°So¡­ anything else you can tell me?¡±


    I placed a clear pill bottle with two bullets in it on the table in front of him.   ¡°Here are the slugs Jeriel pulled from my body, as you requested.¡±  I said.


    He looks at them intently for a moment.  ¡°They look like 9mm rounds.. steel¡­ that have had grooves etched into them.  Any clue what that white stuff is embedded in the grooves?¡±


    ¡°Jeriel told me there are traces of salt in those grooves.¡±


    ¡°Salt?¡± he asked, his brows furrowing.


    Chaz, from the bar, answered his question.  ¡°Salt is used in certain rituals.  The Catholic Church is fond of blessing everything.  Wiccans use salt too, but I seriously doubt it was a witch.  If you¡¯re looking for this Budala¡­ I¡¯d start looking at the church.¡±  His normally melodic voice was now hoarse and scratchy.


    ¡°So, did your attacker think you were a devil or something?¡± John said as he rattled the pill bottle   Chaz growled and walked to the back.  ¡°That was a joke¡­ who knows what goes through the mind of a hit man.  I¡¯ve been asking around about a new player with this M.O.   Hopefully ballistics can give us some answers, okay?  I¡¯ll come by If I have any new info.  Anything else?¡±


    I chuckled as I placed 2 handguns on the table.  One was a Glock and the other was a Beretta, and was heavier than the other  ¡°Oh, here.  Maybe you¡¯ll head to my rules next time.¡±.


    ¡°How in the hell?¡± John said, patting his underarm holsters, finding them empty.  ¡°You know the trouble you¡¯re in?  I should arrest you!!¡±  He was obviously pissed.  Good.  Maybe he¡¯ll listen to me now.


    ¡°And I said no firearms in my bar. At least I let you keep the knives and the taser.  I¡¯m not going to leave you unable to defend yourself.  We spent damn near a month  fishing out bullets and patching the holes in the walls.  So unless you want to pay me for any potential damage you might cause¡­ I have every right.¡±


    I watched crimson flow up his neck, and into his face. I didn¡¯t expect him to be this pissed off.  I needed to diffuse this a tad.  ¡°So¡­ how does that Beretta handle? It feels a bit heavy.¡±


    He looked at me for a moment, completely caught off guard.  That in itself made me chuckle.  The anger drained from his face as he fell into the talkative gun owner stance.  Good.


    ¡°It is a tad, but I had some work done to it.  If you make it to that range over on Busbee View,  I¡¯ll let you squeeze off a mag or two.¡±


    ¡°I know the place.  I got a guy there to rebuild my Sig and I take it up there occasionally.  Chaz has an Autorevolver that he carries.  Need to get him up there and get him better.¡±


    ¡°I can shoot, woman,¡± he growled, walking back into the room..


    ¡°Taking 6 rounds to drop someone does not say that you can shoot.¡±


    John chuckled, holstering his weapons.  ¡°An Auto revolver?¡±


    Chaz replied, ¡°Yeah, Italian.  Mateba makes it.  I have the .357 model.  Jac had some work done to it too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I had one of the recoil springs replaced so it could handle .38 special rounds¡­ but he is a fan of the .357¡­¡±


    Interesting.. an Auto revolver¡­ well that¡¯s news to me.. And I know my guns.¡±  He stood.  ¡°I¡¯ll hafta ask some of my buddies back home about it.  So you carry a Sig?¡°


    ¡°Yeah the  p220.¡±


    ¡°The .45 or the 10 mil?¡± he asked, giving me his full attention.


    ¡°The early P220 was a 9mm.  I picked up a crate of them for a song, all legal of course.  They¡¯re all on file somewhere in your station.  It''s called being responsible and reading up on what to do.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He nodded, shaking his head with a smile on his face..  I see, I see¡­ busting my chops.  Well anyways, if you can think of anything. ¡°Until then¡­¡± he said, sliding out of the booth, dropping a business card on the table.  He walked to the door, securing his weapons on his way out.


    Emily quickly walked to the table, her trembling transferring to the table as she leaned on it..  ¡°Miss Jackie¡­ Can I talk to you for a moment?¡±  She had a sweat sprinkled on her forehead and she was biting her lower lip slightly.


    ¡°I get you cleaned up and off that shit and you show back up like you haven¡¯t changed clothes in a week?  And back on Meth no less?  Now why should I help you again?  I was looking for you to come back the day I was shot.  I need a server to actually get this place running like I want to, but this makes me want to find someone else.¡±  I crossed my arms loosely over my upper chest.


    ¡°You were shot Miss Jackie?  That¡¯s why you weren¡¯t here¡­¡±  A tear slid down her grungy face.  I looked at her response, and that¡¯s when the scent hit my nose.  I could smell blood just under her skin, right under her ribs.  I growled softly.


    ¡°Did Raziel do this?.  I told him if he laid a hand on you again¡­ he¡¯d have to deal with me.¡±  My voice had raised, and more of the dragon¡¯s growl mingled with the words.  I was furious.


    Her eyes widened as she stepped back.  With a soft voice she mumbled, ¡°Raze is in jail.  They found a key of coke in the trunk. It wasn''t his, I know it wasn¡¯t! .  Miguel was supposed to step up but this new guy put him in the hospital and took over.  He had me on the street for the last few days.  My sister came looking for me and I snuck off between johns.  I had her bring me here, cuz no one messes with you.  She¡¯s still outside in the car.  Want to talk to her?¡±


    ¡°In a bit,¡± I said, with a sigh, as I fought to cover my face with my shirt.  I could not only smell these offensive scents, but I could taste them as well.  The more it made me want to hurl, the more it angered me..  ¡°Chaz¡­ ¡°


    ¡°No need to call Twinkletoes, he¡¯s almost here.¡±


    I turned around to look towards the bar.  Chaz was on his phone, texting away.


    ¡°Good.  Head outside and tell Emily¡¯s sister to go get her a couple changes of clothes and bring them here.¡±  I looked back to the woman still quaking.  ¡°Now.. you know your way to the apartment.  Go get yourself cleaned up.  I¡¯ll send Alec to look over your bruises when he gets here.¡±


    ¡°Alec¡­?  Will he go sparkly again?¡± she asked almost excitedly


    ¡°You witnessed that?¡± I asked.  This might not be the best idea, come to think of it.


    ¡°I did.  Reminded me of the sparkly vampires¡­¡± She almost swooned.


    ¡°Well¡­ damage is done I guess.  He¡¯s going to have to.  I need that shit out of your system.¡±  seeing the suffering that she had gone through calmed me down a tad, as I spoke to her in a soothing voice.  ¡°Go child.  Miss Jackie¡¯s got you now.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.  Thank you Madrecita.¡±  She took my hand and kissed it softly before heading back towards the bar.  Behind a false counter was a set of stairs that lead to a lower level. The previous owners of this place used the first sublevel as a VIP area, with a bandstand, some pool tables, and a second bar.  They also used it for club business.  I had it renovated into a livable space, with a kitchen. Living room, bedroom, and a decent bathroom.  I stay here during the week.  My house is about 45 minutes by air from downtown.  I can¡¯t fly out during the day¡­ so having a place to crash in town was a good idea.... Right?


    I stood, walking behind the bar to grab a wet towel to wipe down the tables.  Anger fed my draconian hunger, and I couldn¡¯t go hunting in broad daylight.  A bottle of Oban Scotch called out to me, so I grabbed it as well, breaking the seal and turning it up as I went to work.


    ¡°So he DID remember¡­¡± I mused, smiling slightly, as I looked at the now empty bar.


    ---V---


    I could see the remnants of the setting sun dipping below the layer of clouds as I sat on the roof.  I heard scraping behind me as I wrapped my arms around my knees.  I spend most of my evenings on the roof here¡­ it helps me clear my mind.


    It was Alec who was climbing up to me.  He could have flown up here.  Alec is Fae.  They were brought to this rock about the same time the dragons were, but the angelic court liked them at first.  I can still hear my mother cursing the fae for all they were worth, until the angelic court betrayed them too.  ¡®Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows¡¯ or so some old human writer once said.


    Alec was just a tad bit taller than me, but lean like a track runner.  His skin normally had a pale blue hue to it, and his shoulder length hair was bright green¡­ almost neon.  Glamour magic made his skin look human¡­ but he kept the hair¡­ a good dye job is hard to find.


    ¡°She¡¯s sleeping..,¡± he said softly, as he sat down beside me.  ¡°¡­Finally.  I had to dust her twice before she¡¯d go down.¡±


    ¡°She was that strung out?¡± I asked, softly.


    ¡°Among other things.  She had a broken rib that had started to set wrong.   I had to fix that too.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill whoever let that shit happen to her.¡±  I balled up my fists and slammed it against the shingles under me.  Tiny pebbles of shingle dust flew into the air, settling back down.


    ¡°This is way worse than when we got her from Raziel last time,¡± he sighed softly.  ¡°...But I think she¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    I turned to him.  ¡°Did she eat?¡±


    He nodded.  ¡°Oh did she¡­¡± he laughed.  ¡°I used up the groceries you had on hand.  I¡¯ll get some tonight.  You need to tell me when you get low.  A private client who isn¡¯t well informed isn¡¯t worth their salt.¡±  He frowned jokingly, wagging his finger at me.  I laughed.  ¡°Oh, more information for you.¡±


    ¡°More information?¡±  I looked at him, puzzled.


    He nodded.  ¡°I just remembered.  A Mister Stevenson called while you were in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Is he going to stop letting me hunt?¡± I asked.  Bill Stevenson is a cattle farmer that lets me fill my dragon belly for a fee¡­ no questions asked.  It keeps me from getting spotted in town.


    ¡°Oh, nothing of the sort.  I mentioned to him that we were opening the grill.  He said that he and his accountant could get together with us to set up a merchant account.  I made an appointment for tomorrow morning for that.¡±


    ¡°Good.  Can you handle it without us?  Chaz and I have business to handle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my sun-hued Mrywnae¡­ I¡¯ll be here early anyway to check up on Emily.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been called one of those in centuries¡­ beats being called a ¡®damned-lizard¡¯.¡±


    We would both chuckle.  ¡°My question is¡­ How long till we can full-open?¡± I asked, turning back to him.


    ¡°We still need vendors to get stock and supplies.  I can try to get that ball rolling tomorrow.  Mr. Stevenson might have someone he knows.  Keeping things local might add to the allure.  Once the meeting¡¯s over, I¡¯ll start showing the humans the ropes.  We need one more in the kitchen at least though.  A week or so¡­ maybe sooner?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I replied as he stood.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go check on her one more time before heading home, if that¡¯s okay with you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Alec, be careful heading home.¡±  He waved me off, as he leapt off the roof.


    I found myself alone once more.


    As I watched the final rays of sunshine bleed into darkness, I found myself tired.  I guess three weeks in a bed wasn¡¯t enough to fully heal this shell.  I hadn¡¯t seen my wings since the attack, and, even though I was tired, I still had enough energy to take my original body.


    Shifting between forms is like swimming to the surface from the bottom of a pool.  It can be tiring if either are too weak, but I as a rule make sure that never happens.   I closed my eyes, pushing my conscience towards the other side.  I felt the air warp around me, and opened my eyes in my scaled, dragon form.


    But this time, things were different.  Reality looks different through the eyes of a dragon.  I can see thermally, and my sharpened sense of smell helps this highly evolved brain image odors as well.  Jeriel said dragons have 4 brain sections, compared to a human¡¯s 2¡­ nice huh?


    I have the ability to see mystical, arcane energies in this form as well.  Doesn¡¯t help a lot as a human, but being a magical entity that can see ¡®Mana¡¯ as the humans call it is indispensable.


    ¡°My love,¡± I heard my humanoid body say, as we both stood in the void.


    ¡°Xochil,¡± I purred, nuzzling my snout  against her stomach.  ¡°How did this happen?  I have spent over a millennia hoping to hear your voice again.¡±


    ¡°When we were hurt, I thought I was losing my mind.  It had been forever since you talked to me.  I think it was because of the damage to our heart.  My body was forced to fight for itself, and without you at the reins, I awakened.¡±  She stroked her fingers through the scales on my face.


    ¡°I did not know.  In all of the bodies that I had been blessed with over the ages, nothing like this has ever happened.¡±  I sighed, cherishing her touch.  ¡°But, do you see?  I have kept my vow.  I will keep you with me forever.¡±


    ¡°The joy of spending eternity with my friend¡­ my lover¡­ my queen¡­ the Gods could not have blessed me more.¡±   Tears streamed down her cheeks.  A glowing light enveloped us both as the slight scars and imperfections in her face faded to flawlessness.


    ¡°I can now have my wish¡­¡± she whispered into my ear.


    ¡°What wish?¡±


    She chuckled as the glowing started to fade.  ¡°...that the Gods allow me to see the world through your eyes as you fly, as you see the earth through mine¡­¡±  She then walked away, as I saw my golden forn, and another.


    When I was younger, I spent time in northern Europe, what would be Nordic lands.  I had a special someone who was also a dragon, and a little younger than me.  We stumbled upon a mated pair of wolves, who had been attached and their litter killed.  Humans had done this.  We fed the wolves our blood, trying to heal them.  Their fur color changed.  It became more snowy, allowing them to hide more freely in the frozen landscape, and they lived longer.  They pair gave their lives protecting a human child from a bear.  To honor their sacrifice, my friend and I held a private ritual for the animals.  We found that afterwards, we were able to use them as a shell, like the Nephilim bodies.


    Though the Luna-Wolf looked awfully tempting, I needed some ¡°me¡± time.  Stretching my gold-scaled wings, I felt the building shift, the building yielding an audible whine as two and half tons of gold shifted off the roof.


    It was alec¡¯s idea to have the top floor of the bar and the roof reinforced with steel beams and joists.  He told the workers it was in case of a flood, so that it could hold a lot of people¡­ but mainly it was to make sure it could hold my heavy, scaly ass.


    It was more of an ungraceful jump, as I flapped my wings to help me glide to the ground.  I can take flight from a dead standstill, but it takes a lot of energy, and I don¡¯t want to actually damage the roof of my bar.  Landing behind the building, I curled into a circle, letting my relaxed wings drape over me like a blanket.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to surrender my bed, again, to that harlot.¡± I mused aloud.  It sounded like a low growl, but I don¡¯t care.  I could have shared the bed with Emily¡­ It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know her well enough.  Emily was injured, and coming off a chemical high, as well as a dust-high.  Alec¡¯s fae dust has healing properties, but is euphoric as well.  I don¡¯t like being with someone who is dust-high unless I can ride the high as well.


    I settled onto the ground, letting my muscles and joints relax, one by one, as I listened to Emily¡¯s heavy breathing as she slept.  Yes, dragon hearing is that good.  Once I finally relaxed, I tucked my snout under my left wing and joined her in slumber..

 Chapter 2

    Let me take a moment to explain a bit more about me and Xochil.  Xochil¡¯s body has everything a normal human has.  even a working beating heart, though it is my dragon core.  Dragons have a heart, our biological center, and our core, our mystical center.  Our mystical core can only be destroyed when our biological heart is destroyed.


    Since it¡¯s my core in Xochil¡¯s body, her body is no longer human, or no longer as human as her body originally was.  She was a Nephilim, the child created from the union of a human woman and an angelic father.  Whether the angel was righteous or fallen, it really doesn¡¯t matter biologically.  Add a dragon  to the mix and it can make things interesting, and¡­ problematic.


    For starters, dragons are always fertile.  That translates to any form I take.  Luna¡¯s attack left her barren.  That could be repaired with magic¡­ but being around other wolves in heat is not¡­feasible.


    It does mean that Xochil¡¯s body is always in heat.  Jeriel helps keep the ¡®procreation¡¯ urge at bay, which keeps the dragon/Nephilim pheromones under control.  Non-humans can smell it, though Chaz and Alec have never told me what it smelled like.  That might actually be a blessing, come to think of it.


    Being a dual-entity as we are, things get a bit complicated.  I share my consciousness and memories with this shell, and she shares her senses with me.  The senses are heightened by the draconic presence in the body, and, as we just found out, without my conscience to process those senses, it can be confusing to Xochil.. my ¡®Host¡¯ of sorts.  I¡¯d never encountered anything that could cause a break in those connections.


    Things went bad, quickly.  I could not share my memories and a part of my consciousness with her after the attack, which made me feel helpless.  I¡¯m a dragon, dammit.  We don¡¯t do ¡®helpless¡¯.


    The interesting part of having this highly developed brain is that most of the time it¡¯s all active, like a severe case of A.D.D.  Tonight, my mind needed a break, so I found myself in a dream.  I really dislike dreaming.  The past should stay where it is.


    It was late afternoon, and I was working on  preparing a new pelt for the tent.  I was a child, young in years.  My shell was young.. about six or seven.  I was still barely a hatchling¡­ and hadn¡¯t been flying but a couple of seasons at this point.  We lived on the outskirts of the oasis, away from the others.  We were different, and rumors were constantly being whispered about us.


    Although it was not that uncommon for a male to visit our tent from time to time, the man that showed up this day was different.  His robes were a blinding white, and his skin even appeared to glow with this same brightness.  His glow faded a bit as Mother called me to her.  I adjusted my wraps to look presentable.


    ¡°Child, meet Samael¡­ that is the name you are now going by, correct?¡± she asked.


    The man chuckled softly.  ¡°Samael is acceptable, yes.  Have you given the little one a name of the land?¡±


    Mother shook her head.  ¡°Without a name of the land, the other children cannot tease her.¡±  She then looked down at me.  ¡°This is the one who taught us how to look like the other people.¡±


    ¡°So he was the one who taught us how to hide.  I am grateful.¡± I said softly, trying to be respectful.


    Samael smiled and nodded, then looked back to Mother.  ¡°Have you heard of Lyllethia¡¯s whereabouts, perchance?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I heard some other angels saying that they had heard of her to the northeast, but that is all I know.¡±


    He sighed.  ¡°I see.  I will head that way then.  Every day without her makes my being ache.¡±  He stared off for a moment.  ¡°As payment for your knowledge, I will bestow upon you some.  The Holy Legion has a plan in the works to flood this entire basin.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had floods before, to the south¡­ though no one speaks of it.¡± Mother remarked.


    ¡°Not this bad.  They¡¯re just now preparing three different rivers to change their paths, and have it coincide with a sea storm and a massive tidal wave.  They say it would keep this basin under water for about 3 weeks, maybe longer.  They are trying another cleansing on your kind. ¡°


    ¡°Do they have a plan on keeping the people alive?¡± she asked.


    ¡°They¡¯ve marked one bloodline in this region to survive.  A young man named Nukhu and his family.¡±


    ¡°But that man is not of sound mind.¡± she laughed.


    ¡°He is loyal, and adamant about the original teachings.  The Holy Legion is grooming him as we speak.  By season¡¯s end, the Legion will be guarding the skies, preventing the escape,  So I suggest you leave as soon as you¡¯re able.¡±


    I looked up at him and asked, ¡°Why do you tell us this, why help us?¡±


    ¡°Those who help me reunite with my love are more valuable to me than all the riches of the world.  And I make sure to guard my riches when I can.¡±  Those words faded away as I felt the dream end, finally.


    ---V---


    ¡°Wow¡­ now this is a rare sight.¡± I heard a man say as I slid back into awakeness.  Sniffing the air revealed the scent of linen and leather, but no smell of flesh.  I opened my dual-lidded eyes only to blink them shut at the sight of massive amounts of arcane energy...holy energy.  An angel¡­ fuck.  Instinct drew my 40 foot body into a defensive form.  Smoke rolled from my nostrils as I prepared to roar at this being, only to realize that I knew this one.


    ¡°Hello, Jerome,¡± I snarled down at him.  He was just shy of 6 feet tall, wearing a white suit and black leather loafers.  He was a little portly, with his 6 inch flat top, faded to the temples, expertly styled  His black-pupiled eyes were clear and bright.  His skin was like polished mahogany.  He smirked as he crossed his arms.


    ¡°I tried to visit you in the hospital, but your little elf and a human detective wouldn¡¯t let me in the room.¡±


    ¡°That ordeal really messed me up, Jerome.  They were salt-etched rounds, and he smelled of myrrh.¡±


    He scratched his chin.  ¡°Cihuacoatl, I can assure you that whoever did this, they were not sent from any churches in Asheville.  The Choirs do know you¡¯re here¡­ but you and the silver beast are two of the few that they leave alone.¡±


    ¡°Comforting thought there, that¡¯s for sure.¡± I sighed, flying up to the roof, where my clothes were.  It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t take my clothing between forms.  Thankfully I only slip my clothes when I shift, unlike the shifters, who shred their clothes.


    Jerome flew to the roof as I resumed my human shape.  I grabbed my panties and started getting dressed.  ¡°Even if the Church is not involved, you do know how risky it is for me to interfere¡­,¡± he said, staring into the rising sun.


    ¡°I know¡­ and  I don¡¯t want to do that fighting in Asheville, either.  I¡¯ve watched this city grow up, and It does feel like home.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±  He knelt, feeling the texture of the shingles as he traced a large gash through one.  Damn, I guess I need to have the roof redone now.  He chuckled aloud for some reason, then looked at me.  ¡°So are you ready to share what you did to the biker gang that ran this place?¡±


    I was facing him, hooking my bra when he asked.  I spun it around, working it into place.  ¡°Nope, because unlike me, you cannot lie.  If I tell you and someone tells you to talk¡­ you¡¯ll be an angel.¡±  I grabbed my jeans.


    ¡°There¡¯s always the confessional¡­¡± he mused aloud as I just stared at him.


    ¡°Confessional, really?  How big of a fool do you take me for, Jerome?¡±


    He just nodded, looking down for a moment.  ¡°Can¡¯t blame me for trying.¡±  I sighed, rolling my eyes.  Good one there, buddy.  But.. that was an idea.


    ¡°Confessional then,¡± I said, sitting back down on the same roof I spent the previous evening on.  He sat beside me.


    ¡°I must make this legitimate¡­ Do you have something to confess, my child?¡±


    ¡°I do¡­¡± and after uttering those words, I heard everything around us go silent.  This was Angelic power.  I¡¯ve never felt this flavor of magic before, but my senses were alert as I looked at it, examined it, and learned it.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Please begin.  Only mine and the Creator¡¯s ears can hear us now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.  You remember the Welsh dragon I met as a child?¡± I started.


    ¡°The silver beat I mentioned earlier?  I do.  You spoke of your feelings for him when we talked in my living days.¡±


    ¡°Then, as you know, he resides near my mountain home, and is the leader of a werewolf pack that runs around there.¡±


    ¡°A dragon running a shifter pack?  really?¡±   Jerome was surprised


    I nodded.  ¡°When he arrived, their leader had been killed, and they were chaotic¡­ almost revealing themselves quite a few times. Razorback got the pack in order, and they started to thrive.¡±


    ¡°Until?¡± Jerome asked, trying to nudge the story along.


    ¡°Until Razorback found out that there was a sect of Hell¡¯s Angels hunting the werewolves.  Razorback enlisted my help, and while Razorback was helping his wolves defend their home, Chaz, Alec and I attacked their base.  Chaz and I fed well that day.  I allowed a couple to escape, to warn the others to get out of town.  Razorback and the others wiped out the rest, and I went to the state Hell¡¯s Angel¡¯s chapter and requested the deed to the bar.  They offered no resistance, even apologizing for the problems their members caused us.  They have a strict ¡°Leave non-humans alone¡± policy, and only made the request to retrieve their dead and their bikes.  I wasn¡¯t unreasonable at all.  After applying for a new deed in my name, I had Tony¡¯s drug unit go through the place.  ¡®Whatever you find that¡¯s illegal you deal with¡¯.. et cetera.   Afterwards, I started hiring people to renovate the place, and dug out an exit from the third floor.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± he asked as I remembered that I was still wanting to get dressed,


    ¡°Yep  you can drop the spell now,¡±  My ears popped at the pressure change and the sounds of nature returning.  I¡¯m no mage, ut that spell was remarkably simple.  It could come in handy.


    I felt his eyes on me as he spoke again.  Those weren¡¯t the eyes of a priest, or the eyes of an angel.  ¡°You know, it amazes me how comfortable you are in your natural form.  Back then I get, but in this day and age, it¡¯s almost unheard of.¡±


    I turned away from him, giving him a sexy sight of my butt as I slid my jeans over my hips and reached for my shirt.  ¡°Yeah, just wait til I tell your congregation that you were hitting on a naturist¡­¡± I chuckled as he faded from sight.  I stood there for a moment, staring at where he¡¯d been.  ¡°Still don¡¯t understand how he got recruited¡­¡± I mused, throwing my shirt on and climbing down, heading for a shower.


    Within the hour Chaz and I were pulling into the Flayre Dance club parking lot. If I had to go anywhere during the day that I couldn¡¯t walk to, either Alec or Chaz would take me.  I had a license and could drive¡­ I even have my own car.  I just never saw the point when I could fly.  Chaz, though, drove everywhere.  Today we were in his 71 Ford Mach 1 Mustang.  It was black, shiny, and could outrun most of the cars on the road.  He loved this car.   He turned to me.


    ¡°You sure you want to do this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I gave my word that I would not let Asheville turn into a cesspool like Charlotte or Atlanta.¡±


    ¡°But hell, Jac...  that was over 140 years ago.  You don¡¯t owe them anything.¡±


    I shook my head and got out of the car. I was in a denim blue scoop-neck t shirt with the ¡°Queen of Spades¡± logo on the sleeves.  Alec has these done up when I had the sign done for the bar.  The colored ones were more comfortable than the black, which did go with just about everything.  A pair of  blue low-rise jeans and a brown pair of hiking boots finished the look, with me adding a blue denim jacket to hide my gun.


    Against the humans I fought them with their own weapons.  Most of the time the Sig stayed loaded with Federal HST hollow points.  Good stopping power.  I had a couple of magazines loaded with different rounds, but those were for unique situations. There¡¯s a family up in south-central Virginia that has been supplying me with steel and silver rounds for as long as I have been carrying.  Steel is pretty common, and I could probably buy my fae defense off the shelf, but I¡¯ve been dealing with the Gallos for 30 years or better.  You go with what you know works.


    Today I had the Sig tucked into a blue JM4 Magnetic Quick Click and Carry holster, attached to my belt.  I have several, dyed different colors to match my outfits¡­ must be a female thing.  I tried several other holsters before the JM4, but they were too bulky and were harder to conceal.  This was the first one I found that I really liked.  It wasn¡¯t too bulky, could disappear under a shirt, and  left-hand accessibility was a must. .


    The dance club was set in an old warehouse, so it looked unimpressive from the outside.  We parked near the front doors, in an old asphalt parking lot that time had nearly completely reduced to gravel. They were technically open at 11 A.M., but there were only a couple cars scattered about, most likely staff.  Chaz beat me to the door, opening it like a good bodyguard.  When he carried, he never took any steps to hide it, with the exception of maybe putting a jacket on, which just showed that he had a gun under the jacket.  Chaz was the type who honestly couldn¡¯t care less about it.  Looking at his back as he stood there showed me that he wasn¡¯t armed today¡­ But I knew him and I knew.  Anyone else didn¡¯t.


    We went inside, with the smell of booze and sweat slapping me in the face. The setup reminded me more of a strip joint than a dance club.  It had been, but had been shut down.  The Serpents saw it as a way to legitimize, so they did¡­ with my help of course.


    The entrance led to a small room with a display case with various merchandise in it, with a stool and a cash register behind it.  Straight from the entrance was a set of double doors leading into the club.  Tito, their daytime bouncer, met us as soon as we entered, my eyes quickly adjusting to the darker, more subdued lighting.  Chaz simply took his sunglasses off..


    Tito Zavala was exactly as tall as I was, but was cut and chiseled into a fine body.  If I chased after humans, he would have been in my bed a year ago.  He kept his hair in a military cut, and his pencil thin mustache was trimmed close to his face.  The things I¡¯d do to this man¡­


    Tito served 4 years in the Marine Corps with his best friend¡¯s husband.  When his mother became ill, he transitioned to the Reserves, so he could take care of her.


    ¡°Jacquelene¡­¡± he said almost purring¡­ that latino accent heavy and thick.  ¡°Good to see you.  Mira and Stef said that they miss you and you need to come over for dinner some time.¡±


    ¡°Me?  Only met them once, in passing really.  How have they been?¡±   I didn''t think I made that kind of impression.  What did he tell them?


    ¡°They¡¯re good.  Mira¡¯s got this online web series thing going.  She can tell you all about it if you take them up on her offer.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to hook us up, aren¡¯t they?¡± I asked, putting my hands on my hips.


    He shrugged, giving me a half-smile.  ¡°Anyways¡­ I heard the Rodriguez girl has sanctuary with you again.¡±


    ¡°So you knew I was trying to pull her out?¡± I asked, fighting the growl that was creeping into my voice.¡±


    ¡°Si¡¯, Madrecita.  I was asked to take her to your bar, but my mother.. she fell and broke her hip.  I spent two days in the hospital with her.¡±


    ¡°You gave me your word you would help protect her¡­¡±  I was losing the battle with the growl.. quickly.


    ¡°Calm down zmej.  They¡¯re close with their family¡­ I get that.  Don¡¯t project¡­¡±  Wow, this was bad¡­ Chaz was trying to calm me down.


    ¡°Raziel knew I wanted her.  He knows that I have the power to pull anyone out of here I wish!¡± I finally growled.  I haven¡¯t been in the building for 5 minutes and I¡¯m already pissed.  This was not going to bode well.


    ¡°Raze knew, Madrecita.  He was totally down with that.  Hell, the day he got locked up he was headed to your place with Emily, he was taking her, since I couldn¡¯t.  He also said he needed to talk to you¡­ then Simon showed up.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know his last name.  He¡¯s Ralphie¡¯s cousin from Miami.  They¡¯re saying that he planted Raze¡¯s car and called the cops.  After he was cuffed and hauled off, he and Ralphie took control.¡±  He sighed.


    ¡°You were topped by two cabr¨®nes?  What the fuck?¡±


    Tito just shook his head.  ¡°Raze had been filtering out all the heavy shit after you threatened to kill him.  He was trying to clean things up.  Ralphie was his main slinger and was pissed that his cash flow had been chopped to hell.  Raze didn¡¯t want to go up against you Madrecita.  Hell¡­ none of us did.  We met a couple of survivors from that biker gang.  When we see two big burly guys literally pissing themselves at the mere mention of your name, we decided to make sure to stay on your good side.¡±


    ¡°Are the two cabr¨®nes here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Who, Ralphie and Simon?¡±  He then shook his head.  ¡°They¡¯re in Spartanburg setting up some high end runs.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to let that shit come into this city.  Did he have something to do with me being shot a few weeks back?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?  Someone tried to cap you?¡±


    I nodded.  ¡°I took two in the back and a sawed-off in the face ¡°


    ¡°Well¡­ whoever did it didn¡¯t know you were like Chaz.  Damn, Madrecita, you¡¯re like a Timex.. taking a lickin¡¯ and you keep on tickin¡¯...¡± We both chuckled.  ¡°You know who did it?¡±


    ¡°I wish I did.  I need to end them, quickly,¡± I growled.


    He nodded in agreement.  ¡° I¡¯ll get some of the chicas to ask around.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll be needing another employee or two soon¡­ a server and a cook.¡±


    ¡°I went to culinary school, Jacquelline, Take me.  I¡¯d much rather be cooking than in this cuchitril¡­¡±


    I might take you up on that,  Try you out and see if I can get you working for me.¡±  I winked at him and turned to the door.


    ¡°Promise?¡± I heard him yell as Chaz opened the door.


    We left, quickly making it back to the car.  I had to get away from Tito before I broke my own rule and bedded a human male¡­ again


    ¡°Jeriel will be back in a couple of days, you horny lizard.  Try to keep those pheromones in check until then, would you?¡± Chaz said as he rolled the window down.


    ¡°Shut it, you damned handle-head,¡± I growled as he started the car.  He turned left onto Deaverview road, settling into traffic as my temper broiled.  I know Asheville PD didn¡¯t like me stepping on their toes¡­ and most of the human conflicts resolved themselves.  I won¡¯t let this bastard challenge me though.  My dragon was craving blood, and the hell with the human law enforcement.  ¡°Send Chief Calahan an invite,¡± I said, staring out the window.  ¡°We need to go hunting.¡±


    ¡°Is it my birthday already?¡± Chaz said, chuckling.  He pulled his phone from his jacket and placed it to his ear.  A moment later he hung up.  ¡°No answer,¡± he grumbled.


    As we passed Deaver Park Circle, I watched a newer Lincoln Navigator turn behind us.  Looking in the rearview mirror, I watched an Ak-47 poke itself out of the passenger window,   ¡°We have a shooter!¡± I yelled as I pulled the seat recline lever, laying the seat back so I could roll over.  The Sig was in my hand, and I slammed against the door as he downshifted and punched it, whipping around a truck in front of him.


    A bullet hit the door mirror beside me as Chaz blew through a stop light, damn near taking the car sideways as we turned onto North Bear Creek.  As their next shot took out the back glass, I took aim and fired twice into their windshield.  They swerved violently, then shot back.  I ducked down as 3 rounds zipped over my head, punching through the glass behind me.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking the repairs out of that motherfucker¡¯s soul,¡± Chaz growled as the Navigator dropped back a couple of car lengths.  I landed 3 more shots in their grill, but didn¡¯t have time to celebrate.  The shooter hit one of our tires.  ¡°Hold on!¡± Chaz yelled, as the Mach 1 spun out.  The Navigator plowed into my side, and I soon found myself in Chaz¡¯ lap.


    The wreck pushed us onto US 23.  I forced the Chaz¡¯ door open, firing twice into the SUV as my feet hit the ground.  I black-haired man rolled from the passenger side, snuggling the AK against his shoulder.  Before he could fire, however, we were swarmed by blue lights and 6 police cars.  Instead of firing at them or running, he placed his gun on the ground and placed his hands behind his head.


    ¡°Well you get to have your meeting with the Chief now,¡± Chaz laughed, as we all were cuffed.

 Chapter 3

    I was escorted to a holding cell, in a small hallway with three cells on the right.  The first one held the one who was shooting at us earlier.  He wore a black silk dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.  His pants were gray, and his shoes were brown, and smelled of foreign leather and shoe shine.  As I passed, he held out his necklace tightly in his hand, closing his eyes.  I heard him sigh as the officer, A tall redheaded female who wore the name Madison on her name tag, fumbled with the keys to my cuffs.


    I said nothing, willing myself to be still as possible, in hopes of easing this woman¡¯s nerves.  I think it was safe to say that she was green, and dealing with people who were in an obvious gunfight was not on her top ten list.


    She got the cuffs off and got me in the holding cell without incident, and left the room.  I noticed a camera mounted on the wall at the end of the hall, but the flashy red light told me that we were being watched.  Damn.  Being on camera was not something I was fond of.


    I forced my arcane energies into the spell I learned.  ¡°Confession¡­¡± I uttered, as everything around fell into dead silence.  only the breathing on both sides could now be heard.


    ¡°Cannot me¡­ ¡° I heard, whispering on my left as I relaxed a bit.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this just beat all¡­¡± I exclaimed, sitting on the metal framed cot in the cell.  Everything was light gray, from the paint on the cinder-block walls, to the floor tiles, to the spackled ceiling, to the painted metal bars.  I could smell the iron through the paint, along with other scents I don¡¯t wish to mention.  The blanket on the cot was a scratchy wool, and the mattress pad beneath did little to protect you from the coils it tried to hide.


    ¡°Madrecita, is that you?¡± I heard from the cell to my right.


    ¡°Raziel?¡± I asked, recognizing the voice.  ¡°I thought you would have been taken to County by now.¡±


    ¡°So you know what happened.¡± he sighed.  ¡°My lawyer filed something, which got me brought back here for a hearing.  She thinks if I get convicted and sent to County, I¡¯ll never make it back.  But enough about me.  What happened to you?  Emily and I went by the ¡®Queen Of Spades¡¯ and it was locked up tight. Cops got me coming back to the Flayre.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been back a couple of days.  Someone put two 9mms in my back and buck-shot in my face¡­¡± I let my voice carry so that the man to my left heard it clearly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at us,¡± I heard from the man to the left.. an Italian accent  dripping from his words.  ¡°Sorry about earlier.  We did not know you were blessed.  We were informed that you and your bodyguard were both Diavoli¡­ which I can now see that you are not.  We¡¯ve only been in town about a week, getting things in order.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have been you, then,¡± I mused, aloud.


    ¡°You shot my brother in the shoulder,¡± he said, but there was no anger in his voice.  Was that¡­ admiration¡­?  ¡°Before today I hadn¡¯t met a woman of any kind who was ever able to hit either of us..  What was that, a Sig Sauer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.  And what¡¯s the deal with the AK-47?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Inexpensive, easy to acquire, and not hard to be good with.  My brother and I were trained on it.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡±  I said as I broke the spell.  The adrenaline was wearing out, and I felt a little sleepy.


    ¡°Do you remember¡­?¡± I heard Xochil whisper into my mind,  ¡°I think this will become my new favorite memory¡­¡± she giggled as I fell asleep.


    ~v~


    Before I could reply, I found myself in another dream.  It was early afternoon, and a large lake was below me.  I was flying, relaxing as the wind enveloped me.  I looked down to see my golden reflection in the lake¡¯s glass-like surface.  As I approached the banks of the lake, I saw a small herd of horses drinking.  I roared above them, startling them and sending them into a run.  I was in a slow glide¡­ moving just enough to keep me in the air. As the herd out-paced me.  I sped up, matching their speed, as this twenty-foot dragon flew with them for a spell.  They cut to the left, then to the right, as I laughed, trying to keep up with them.  The herd headed toward a small group of humans, starting to make camp.  Their raven black hair and deep bronze skin I liked, as I made a mental note to look for one later to model a new shell out of.  I cut sharply away from them, and towards the skies.  It was too early for them to know of my presence.

 Chapter 4

    I awoke to hushed voices coming from the cell to my left, and snoring from my right.  The Italian had company, and they were speaking in their home language.  If I wanted to, I could eavesdrop --I did know the language-- but I didn¡¯t care.  I¡¯d been here way too long.


    Before I had a chance to voice my discontent, I heard footsteps and a returning Officer Madison.  I then noticed that she was taller than me by a couple of inches.  It was uncommon to come across a woman who was taller than me, so I made a mental note of it.  I offered her my hands so I could be re-cuffed, as she did so and led me out of the cell, and into another room.


    The interrogation room was small¡­ without that big two-way mirror you always see on movies and television.  They had me cuffed to the table, as I relaxed, watching the red blinking lights of the 2 video cameras aimed at me.  The room smelled of Lysol and sweat, as my fingers took in all of the scratches and gouges etched into the metal table.  This was not where I wanted to be today.  My attention was drawn to the door as it opened.


    Chief Anthony Calahan stood about 6¡¯4, with his horseshoe balding hair trimmed short, causing a soft ring of white around his head.  He was built in his youth, but a gut had formed in his old age.  He was pushing 60, and it seemed like only yesterday that I met him as a beat cop in East Asheville.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re the last person I expected to see in here, Tannin.¡±  He shook his head, as his southern drawl echoed around the room.  I looked up to see Detective John Static walk in behind him.  He closed the door and both men sat down in front of me.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need these, Tony,¡± I said as I let my arcane energies flare, the cuffs unlocking themselves and falling to the table.


    ¡°How in the hell did you do that?¡± John gasped, as he looked to the chief.  ¡°Did I tell you that she got both of my guns from me when I dropped by for that follow up?¡±


    Tony chuckled.  ¡°Jacquelene Tannin has many, many secrets.  I met her damn near 40 years ago.  I got gray and wrinkles, and she looks like she hasn¡¯t aged a day.  I¡¯ve seen her dodge freaking bullets and she shoots better with my gun than I do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll make a woman blush like that, Calahan¡­¡± I said, batting my eyelashes.  I then leaned onto the table..  ¡°Now we need to talk.¡±


    ¡°What the hell happened, Tannin?  We don¡¯t have gunfights and car chases in this city.   This ain¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°We were leaving the Fayre, when a black Navigator pulled behind us off  Deaver Park.  The passenger pulled out an AK-47 and started firing on us.  We returned the favor.  I took out their radiator and they took out a tire.  The Navigator pushed us onto US 23 where y¡¯all got us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same story we heard from Mr. Douglas.  We picked up 2 assault rifles and 3 unregistered handguns,  Two Beretta 45 ACPs and a S&W 929.¡±  John clasped his hands together as he finished.


    ¡°Did you arrest Chaz?¡± I asked, hoping that they didn¡¯t make that mistake.  He didn¡¯t do well being arrested.


    ¡°Mr. Douglas kinda just disappeared after questioning.  I looked up and he was not there.¡±  John still kept that puzzled look on his face.


    ¡°Wait¡­ you found a  9mm revolver?¡± I looked at them,hoping to catch my former cell-mate in a lie.


    ¡°We have forensics looking over the guns.  We can¡¯t yet tell you if the 929 was the gun that fired those rounds at you.¡±  John said, sighing.  ¡°Other than that. there¡¯s not a lot we can tell you. They lawyered up as soon as we cuffed them.¡± He concluded.


    Tony continued.  ¡°They¡¯re brothers¡­ Carmine and Savio Serra.  All we know at this point is that their father is an Italian immigrant who was well known in Rome.¡±


    ¡°Vatican ties perhaps?¡± I asked, shaking my head softly.  ¡°That¡¯d explain the myrrh and salt etched bullets¡­¡±


    John started again, ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why.  Do salt-etched bullets kill better?¡±  I looked at Chief, a question in my eyes.  He picked up on it and nodded.  He banged on the wall and the red lights on the cameras went out.  Good. We could speak freely now.


    I looked in John¡¯s eyes, then looked back to Tony.  ¡°Do you trust him?¡±


    ¡°I do.  I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else in this room with you, especially since I need him to work on something with you.¡± Tony said with a serious look on his face..


    ¡°Well?¡±  John spat.


    ¡°Blessed ammo is used on beings that aren¡¯t human¡­¡± I said softly.  ¡°John, I¡¯m not human.   I¡¯ve never been human.¡±


    ¡°What?  You two are pulling my damned leg,¡± he uttered puzzled.


    Tony spoke up.  ¡°John, did you know that her birthday was a few days ago?¡± he said, crossing his arms.


    ¡°Well, no I didn''t¡­¡± John replied.


    ¡°Her one-hundred fifth birthday?¡± he followed up with.  Shit.  I never keep up with this.


    ¡°Wait just a minute¡­¡± John said,. scratching his head.  ¡°You¡¯re telling me that this woman here, who doesn¡¯t look a day over 25, is about to be a hundred and five?  Are you for real?¡±


    ¡°After she learned to confide in me, Jackie here told me stories of being present for the groundbreaking of the Biltmore House, and how Vanderbilt himself asked her to try to keep his land and the city of Asheville pure and wholesome, and not go downhill like Charlotte and Atlanta  That puts her older than that..¡±


    ¡°This is not the place for this, Tony,¡±  I sighed.


    ¡°Correct.¡±  He reached over and patted John on the shoulder.  ¡°John, we need to make sure that the fact that she¡¯s a non-human doesn¡¯t come up.  New paperwork and all.  I¡¯m too old for me to be learning all this techo-crap¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a trusted friend who is now a US Marshal.  I can call her up, see if she can help some.¡±


    ¡°Good, thank you,¡± I said to John, then looked back at Tony.  ¡°Now, since you¡¯ve helped me¡­ I have some information for you.¡±


    Tony and John both pulled out memo pads in roughly the same condition, along with pens to match.  ¡°Okay, whatcha got?¡± Tony asked.


    ¡°Get your drug units to hook up with the highway patrol.  New blood is trying to set up routes from Spartanburg.  I¡¯m hunting this new cat¡­ but we need to keep their shit out of the city.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this new player?¡± John asked, Tony patted his arm, shaking his head..


    ¡°The chief and I have a ¡®Gentleman¡¯s agreement¡¯¡­¡± I explained.  ¡°I will share with the police if it will save lives, but they will leave me alone to run this city the way I see fit.  He will be given to you once I¡¯m done¡­ Alive this time.¡±


    ¡°Who does she think she is, chief?  A mafia boss?¡± John asked, almost beside himself.


    Tony chuckled at him, while placing a hand on mine.  ¡°They call her ¡®Madrecita¡¯... and the city takes care of her as much as she takes care of it.¡±


    The two stood, leaving the room.  Officer Madison entered, escorting me through the precinct.  I wanted to help her relax, but I did tell Callahan that  I would not give his officers too much grief. I tried to pull my aura in, hoping that this ¡®gun-toting badass¡¯ would be seen as someone benign, unassuming, completely harmless.  Hoping that i kept everything calm, we stopped at a desk labeled ¡®Booking¡¯ where they gave me back my wallet, my Sig, magazine and all.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Thank you Officer Madison,¡± I said softly, actually looking at her.  Her pixy-cut red hair brought out a light sprinkle of freckles and really set off her green eyes and creamy white skin.  Another pair of green eyes.  Now I¡¯m intrigued.


    ¡°Call me April¡­¡± she said, with the barest of irish accents peeking through, as she walked away from me.  I looked down to my belongings again, to find a blank business card on the table. She threw a sway into her hips, which were a tad bit on the narrow side for her height, but was definitely not a deal breaker.  Upon flipping the card over it read, ¡®Call me.¡¯ and had her first name and phone number on it. I smiled, tucking it into my back pocket with my wallet as I walked to the front.


    ¡°Alec is on his way,¡± Chaz said as we headed out of the building.


    ¡°Your buddies at Angel¡¯s Tire gonna get the Mach 1 fixed?¡± I asked, looking at him.  He nodded.  ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they are well taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he said.  ¡°That car was the first thing that I could say I earned for myself.¡±  I could hear his frustration and anger.  He sighed, calming down a tad.  ¡°So¡­what do we know about those assholes?¡±


    ¡°Italians¡­ their father immigrated from Rome.¡±


    ¡°Great.  We have The Vatican coming against us now too.¡±  He sighed, shaking his head.


    ¡°Actually, if they can be believed, they were only coming after you.  I was apologized to for not being a devil.  Just to make sure, I¡¯ll go talk to Jerome again.  He¡¯ll be able to tell us if this is the Vatican or something else.¡±


    ¡°That angel¡­ Really?  What the fuck Jac?  After all they¡¯ve done to us¡­¡±  Chaz tensed up, his hands clenched into fists.


    "It is a life debt,  Chaz¡­¡± I started, looking out into the parking lot.


    ¡°I swear¡­ Dragons and their damn stories¡­¡± Alec said from the window of a silver Ford Windstar that was now parked in front of us.  ¡°Come on.  I left Emily cleaning the dining room.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s she picking things up?¡± I asked, walking around the minivan to get in on the passenger side.  ¡°Also¡­ take me by the range.  Tony might come by.  I¡¯ll be able to speak with him more freely there.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I gotcha.  That¡¯s why Chaz got you another gun then.¡±  Alec nodded as he buckled his seat belt.  ¡°So¡­ Emily¡¯s sister was a waitress in high school¡­ so she was taught a few things,¡± he said as Chaz got in the back.  ¡°Can you two assure me that you won¡¯t destroy this van?  I¡¯m still making payments on it.¡±


    ¡°No promises there,¡± Chaz said, chuckling.  Alec cut his eyes at him before pulling off.  I spent the trip explaining to them everything that I found out, even telling them about my ¡®age¡¯ issue.


    Alec spoke up.  ¡°You should have told me,  Jac.  We have been dealing with stuff like that for about a century.¡±


    ¡°I honestly hadn¡¯t paid it much thought.  I have a shell that I can keep permanently now, so the age issue hadn¡¯t crossed my mind.  Well, they have Detective John Static on the case now.¡±


    Alec replied, ¡°Oh you mean the Titan¡­¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Chaz asked what I was thinking.


    ¡°Titan used to refer to the descendant of Titania, now it is used to refer to a human that has fey in their bloodline.  I don¡¯t think he has any latent powers or gifts¡­ his blood is way too diluted for that¡­ but it¡¯s there¡­ four or five generations back¡­ maybe more.¡±


    ¡°So that was that out of place scent I got from him when I first met him¡­¡± I mused,  nodding to myself  as we pulled up beside an old VW beetle.  And when I say old I mean old¡­ as in ¡¯engine in the back¡¯ old.


    Before I could say anything, Alec explained, ¡°That¡¯s Emily¡¯s sister¡¯s car.  I asked her to come by.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± I asked as we spilled out of the van and headed for the door.


    Alec started, ¡°Like I had just said, Teresa waited tables in high school.  Emily let me know this morning that her twin wanted to pick up some extra money, so I got her to come back.  That was okay, right?¡±


    ¡°That should work out just fine¡­.wait did you say twin?¡± I blurted as Alec and Chaz got out.  Chaz got into the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fill you in later,¡± he said as I rolled the window down.


    ¡°Good.  Have her drop by in the morning so I can meet with her.¡±  Chaz slung gravel as he put the vehicle in gear and sped off.


    On Target Gun Shop and Shooting Range is a friendly little place that has been around for 30 years or so.  Law enforcement frequent it as well, so it¡¯s a good place to pick up some info if you¡¯re looking.


    ¡°Jackie!  About time you showed up¡­ You know the purpose of  membership is for you to actually come by, right?¡±  This was Matt.  This salt-and-pepper haired man was a member of a shooting league, which meets here weekly.  Matt however seems to live here, which means he hears all the juicy stuff.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, just got out of the hospital.  Things got pretty bad up the street from the bar.¡±


    ¡°I heard about that shit.  The bastard is still walking around?¡±  Matt lost his wife and daughter to a drive-by shooter a couple of years back.  Since then he has been like a big brother to the younger shooters.  I don¡¯t have the guts to tell him that I''m way older than he is, and he is a sweetie.


    ¡°Where did you hear that from?¡± I asked, as my curiosity was getting me.


    ¡°Some reporter who found you.  Elaine Davis from the newspapers.  Short blonde¡­ glasses¡­ remember her?¡±


    Rings a bell, that¡¯s for sure.  Hey¡­ You heard anything about this new detective?  Static is his name?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, the greenhorn.  The locals don¡¯t know a lot about him.  He does his job, stays out of trouble, and Chief likes him.  Want me to ask around?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go out of your way.  Don¡¯t want to stir the pot.  Gossiping about cops is not a good thing.  Tony just wants him to work with me on something.  I didn¡¯t want a dirty cop at my back, you know?¡±


    Before Matt could reply to me, the door opened and Miss Elane Davis walked through.  Tousled hair, white button down shirt and a gray knee-length skirt that matched the frames of her glasses.


    ¡°You¡­ are you related to the woman who was attacked outside a convenience store about a month and a half ago?¡±  she asked, her hand still gripping the door handle.


    ¡°It¡¯d be best if we took this outside, don¡¯t you think?¡± I whispered to her, as I waved at Matt and walked out through the open door.  I made my way to a light green Honda Civic, parking my butt on her front bumper, waiting.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± she asked, placing her hands on her hips.  That vanilla and sandalwood smell filled my nose, along with another. Her scent.  ¡°Are you her sister?  Did she die?  Why is the police trying to cover this up?¡±  She is not human!  This keeps getting better and better.


    ¡°Cover up?  You¡¯re talking to me about a cover-up?  You¡¯re not even human, and you have the gall to talk to me about a cover-up?  Gods that¡¯s rich.¡±


    ¡°So you are her then¡­¡±  Her face flushed with anger, then faltered.  ¡°Wait¡­ I¡¯m not human?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t smell human.  I can¡¯t place your scent, but as long as I¡¯ve been around,  I know the smell of humans.¡±


    She thought for a moment, regaining composure.  ¡°I¡¯m working on a story¡­ Is there anything you can tell me about your attack?   Why you were targeted?¡±


    ¡°Miss Davis,¡± I started.  ¡°I am known in Asheville for several different reasons, none of which I feel comfortable talking about with the press.  It¡¯s why I will not even give you my name.¡±  I sighed, then continued.  ¡°As for you, I¡¯d be willing to bet you that you were raised by a single mother, and you know very little, if any, about your biological father.  If you were raised by a father figure, either he is your stepfather, or he adopted you.  Furthermore, I¡¯d  go as far to say that no one in your family can give blood to you, because it¡¯s so rare¡­but I¡¯d bet you any amount of money that I could.¡±


    ¡°I seriously doubt that,¡± she said, crossing her arms under her breasts.  ¡°What blood type are you?¡±


    ¡°AB-Negative,¡± I replied softly, relishing in the look of shock that flooded her face.  Before I could follow up, A police car pulled into the spot beside the Civic.  Detective Static, got out, a smile forming on his lips as he walked up.  That snapped Elaine from her stupor.  She quickly jotted a number down on a scrap of paper that she dug out of a small, gray clutch purse, then stuffed the paper into my hand before walking  to the drive side of her car, getting in quickly.


    ¡°I was hoping to meet you here,¡± John said, as I followed him back inside.


    ¡°Oh you did, did you?¡± I smirked as I walked up to the counter.  Matt was leaning on the counter.  ¡°Hey Matt, grab me 4 boxes of Magtechs, will ya?  9mm.  The boss here?¡±


    ¡°Nah, the little lady is running the shop today.  Want to let her know you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°If you wish.¡±  I pulled out 5 twenty dollar bills, placing them on the counter.  ¡°Have her ring things up when she comes back out.¡±


    ¡°What about the change?¡± he asked, handing the bullets to John.


    ¡°Tell her to keep it.¡±

 Chapter 5

    I looked down at the last box of bullets, unopened, as John wiped the sweat from his brow.  ¡°I thought Chief was joking,¡± he said.  ¡°Damn.. it¡¯s going on six.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t, but we won¡¯t talk here.¡± I sighed.  ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re about to close up.  Take me to the bar?¡± I said softly, my ears straining to hear someone else.  I gathered the safety glasses and headphones while John grabbed the box of bullets, all the trash and a small bucket full of our spent brass. We went through the shop, dropping the trash in the bin and everything else on the counter.


    The building was dark as we pulled up.  I knew Emily was in the apartment, but the conversation wouldn''t disturb her downstairs.  I cut the lights on, after making my way across the room and behind the bar.  I grabbed a cheap bottle of single malt, two glasses, and a metal lunch box from behind the counter.  I walked to a table,where John had found a seat, and joined him, pouring two glasses.  I slid one to him.


    ¡°Thanks.  What¡¯s in the box?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re about to find out.  Hand me your guns.¡±  I held my hands out.


    ¡°No this shit again¡­ Where do you get off?¡±  Great.. He¡¯s pissed off again.


    ¡°Just shut up and hand them over,¡± I said, sighing loudly.  I opened the box to reveal solvent, a soaking tray, small tools, cleaning cloths and gun oil.  ¡°I¡¯m going to clean your weapons you dumbass.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said as he just¡­deflated.  ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I take meticulous care of the guns I use.  A part of me expects others to do the same.¡±


    ¡°You going to clean your guns now, too?¡± he asked,


    I shook my head.  ¡°Tomorrow or the day after.  I¡¯ll clean mine, and Chaz¡¯s guns.  It¡¯s a weekly thing for me.  But the slide on your Glock is getting a little gunky.  And I¡¯d hate to see the Barreta¡­¡±


    I had the Glock halfway disassembled by the time he spoke again.  ¡°So you aren¡¯t human¡­¡±


    ¡°Nope, not even close.¡±


    ¡°How old are you then?¡± he asked, watching me work on his gun.


    ¡°If I said, ¡®Old enough to remember the Biblical flood¡¯ would you believe it?¡± I replied


    comically.


    ¡°Not sure, did you see it?¡± he fired back, with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°Actually we didn¡¯t.  Mother and I left the region before the ark was even started.  The


    flood killed a lot of us, though. It was another ploy to rid the world of us.


    ¡°Rid the world of sinners?  Demons?¡± he asked, now hanging on my every word.


    ¡°No.  To rid the world of dragons.  We¡¯ve been brought to near extinction countless times


    since the birth of this planet and our transplantation here.  Since the birth of man, we have had the ability to walk around like humans, and able to hide from our oppressors.¡±


    ¡°Wow.  It¡¯s almost too hard to believe. So is this body of yours that old?¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°It is not.  This body was that of a Mayan priestess, sacrificed to a false deity.  I was granted it about 300 years before the Christian movement started in the Middle East.¡±


    ¡°So Christ was real?¡± he asked, thoroughly enjoying this.


    ¡°No clue.  Was on this continent when all that went down.  I heard stories, rumors and the like, but nothing definitive.¡±  I sighed, staring down at John¡¯s Glock.  It was cleaned, oiled and ready for him.  I handed him the magazine, and the gun itself, then started on the Barreta.


    ¡°Now, my turn for questions,¡± I said softly, looking at him.


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±  He smoothly slid the magazine home, chambered a round, and set the safety, before returning it to its home.


    ¡°What¡¯s your story?¡±  I said, pausing to look at him.


    ¡°Just a South Carolina momma¡¯s boy, I guess.  I worked as a mechanic to pay my way through school, then joined the academy after graduation.  I worked my way up to SLED, then had a case that went badly.  It was a drug bust¡­ but they wouldn¡¯t go down.  I emptied my Glock into one, and it didn¡¯t even seem to notice.  We¡¯re trained to save lives, but bringing these monsters down just felt like murder.  head shots.. like in a zombie flick.  I had a friend that had just gone to work for the US Marshal¡¯s office, and she pulled some strings to get me here, under Chief...¡±


    I worked on the gun as he spoke.  His silence drew me back to his face.  His eyes were glazed over.  He was reliving the trauma again.  I placed my hand on his to bring him back.


    My tone was then subdued.  ¡°Tony is a good cop.  always has been.  He wasn¡¯t wrong.  I¡¯ve been in Asheville since its beginning.  I had been playing vigilante when he caught me and brought me in.  He was this wet behind the ears beat cop with a sense of justice.  I started out as an informant for him, which let me continue as I was.  Not too long after we met, street gangs started moving into Asheville, looking to take over.  I was just orienting myself with the local groups when all hell broke loose.  I helped run the other gangs out of town, and helped Tony with some key arrests.  That helped him move up a little, but the rest was all him.¡±


    ¡°So you are involved with the Serpents?¡± he said, a scowl now forming on his face.


    ¡°Yes and no.  This gang is being pushed into going legit...  getting off the streets and making an honest living.  There are practices I have a problem with, which they don¡¯t do.  heavy drugs I have a problem with.¡±


    ¡°But not¡­¡± he started as if asking a question.


    ¡°Pot is becoming more legal, and I have no issues with it.  Also, You cannot stop those who enjoy sex as a profession.  I make sure those who are in that business are well taken care of, and are given legit options if they decide other employment¡­ just like the girl who came in with you the other day.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯d admit to aiding and abetting prostitutes?¡± he fired back.


    ¡°First, I¡¯d admit to nothing.  I get the children off the streets, and give the women who want out of the life a better alternative.  If an honest adult wants to make money on her back, why not?  I¡¯ve ¡®dealt¡¯ with the poor excuses of flesh who tried to put children on the street corners, and make sure that the escorts that do work have high school diplomas and access to health care.  The health care thing is something new I¡¯m trying to get in place.  I can get some on Government plans, but I want to do more.  Hence this place.¡±


    ¡°So you plan to use this place as a front for the prostitution?¡± he asked, crossing his arms.


    ¡°A front?  Really?  Like I would need a way to launder money.  I want to give them a job, with health benefits.  I¡¯m trying to get the people I need to actually run this place.  Which reminds me.  I need to find me a bookkeeper.  Handle payroll and stuff.¡±


    He laughed, cheerfully.  I didn¡¯t intend to amuse him, but this did ease the tension between us.  ¡°So they call you Madrecita?  ¡®Little mother¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It loses something in translation, I guess.  It¡¯s a term of respect and endearment that the Serpents the 80s started using after I started helping them.  It stuck.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± he said, glancing at his watch.  ¡°I need to get going,¡±


    I followed him to the door, locking it before heading downstairs.  Emily was buried in the covers, nestled on the edge of the bed, muttering a children¡¯s rhyme in her sleep.  I disrobed, took a few minutes to braid up my hair, and crawled into bed.

 Chapter 6

    The bed was empty when I awoke, then jumped into a quick shower before heading upstairs.  I was bombarded with techno music as I shuffled over to the coffee maker.


    Alec slid a well sweetened and creamy cup of addiction into my eagerly waiting hands. As I sipped my preferred breakfast, I watched Emily mirror what reminded me of her doppelganger.


    Sure enough, they were born identical twins.  Teresa had the same face and curves as her sister, but the similarities stopped there.  Teresa had her hair dyed black, and her arms were covered in tattoos.


    ¡°I can see that you¡¯ve never met my sis, Madrecita¡­¡± Emily chuckled as she looked up from the table she was wiping.  Emily looked night-and-day different than she did when I last saw her.  The color of her skin was a light toasted color versus the gray hue it did before.  The dark circles around her eyes had faded, and she now smelled of jasmine and femininity¡­ much better.  She got into my bath wash again¡­ I¡¯ll let it slide.  She was in a pair of tan capris, and wearing a ¡°Queen of Spades¡± shirt.  It was about a size too big, and when she looked up from the table, the lack of a bra was quite evident.  Her sister was in a white A-shirt, with a black bra obviously beneath it.  As she approached, black cargo pants and a pair of black combat boots, scuffed and tied at the ankles, came into view.


    I nodded, holding my hand out, greeting the new person.  ¡°Jacqueline Tannin¡­ Nice to finally meet you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.  I¡¯ve been wanting to meet the notorious Madrecita.¡±  Teresa took my hand to shake, and my perception of time slowed down.  This was an angelic gift¡­ she was trying to read my thoughts and memories.  How the hell?  Arcane power¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.


    I answered her probe with a memory of the dream I had of the lake.  That memory was one the most beautiful images of me that I can remember.  Take that human!


    ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± she whispered, as she jerked her hand from mine.  Her eyes became the size of golf balls, as she placed the same hand over her mouth.


    ¡°You tried to read her, didn¡¯t you?¡± Emily fired off, slapping Teresa on the shoulder.  She quickly crossed her arms, with a scowl firmly planted on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Teresa whispered.  ¡°I just had to¡­ I needed to make sure that who Emily was with was not going to hurt her.¡±  she stumbled to a chair, which she fell into, then looked up at me.  ¡°You weren¡¯t a rider on that¡­ creature...were you?¡±


    I shook my head, smiling.  ¡°Nope, I was not a rider.  If you want to see if that memory was for real,  let me know.  We¡¯ll go out back and I can show you both¡­¡±


    ¡°Show us what?¡± Emily asked, still upset.  Teresa whispered into her ear, and Emily gasped.  ¡°?La drag¨®na?  ?Me tomas el pelo?  Ay Dios m¨ªo¡­¡±


    Chaz replied.  ¡°Not kidding.¡±


    Alec propped his elbows on the bar and said,  ¡°You wanna hear something that is really gonna send you two for a loop?¡±


    Emily replied, ¡°Um¡­ sure.  What?¡±


    Chaz kept the conversation going.  ¡°You two are the only humans in the room. Jac is the oldest one here... but only by a few centuries to me.  Alec is the baby of us.¡±


    ¡°Holy hell¡­ this is definitely a lot to take in.¡±  Teresa sighed as Emily grabbed one of the chairs beside her sister and parked herself..  ¡°Do the rest of the Serpents know?¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Guillermo knows, but that¡¯s it.  It is something that we¡­¡± motioning to Alec and Chaz, ¡°...would like to keep under wraps.¡± I said with a nod. The others nodded in turn.  As I looked around the bar, something sparkly caught my eye.  ¡°But enough of that.  I see you blinging the tables¡­¡±  I ran my hands across a plastic crystal strip on the edge of the table in front of me.


    Teresa replied.  ¡°Numbering tables.  Makes it easier when we get busy.¡±


    ¡°Listen to her.. Saying ¡®when¡¯ we get busy¡­ I like that,¡± Alec chuckled as he walked to a booth in the far back.


    ¡°Everyone gather ¡®round,¡± I said as I followed.  I slid in, sitting so I could see the whole room.  ¡°Employee meeting.¡±


    Emily slipped into the booth beside me, and Teresa slid in across.  Confusion like large signs covered their faces.  Alec pulled up a chair while Chaz just stood.


    Alec spoke first.  ¡°Mr Stevenson was extremely helpful.  He got us all set up, from frozen foods to fresh produce.a vendor, as well.  I took the liberty of placing orders with everyone.  FSI will be here tonight around eight, and the other will be here in the morning.  Everything is moving right along, Jac¡­ though having a  dedicated cook will help us handle things better.  If you want me to, I can call my family.. Get some advert out.  We can start working on a client base.¡±


    I looked at Teresa and Emily.  ¡°I¡¯d like to be opening in the next couple of weeks.  Do you think you two will be ready by then?¡±


    ¡°Um.. well.. damn,,, huh?  Hell, Madrecira, I dunno,¡± Teresa stammered.  ¡°Why ask us?  This is your business.  I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Simple.  I need trustworthy people to handle the day to day running of the bar.  Raziel spoke highly of Emily, as long as she could stay clean, and I like what I¡¯m seeing in you.¡±  I looked at Teresa, as jaws dropped around the room.  ¡°I don¡¯t want this to be just another Serpents hangout.  I want it to be one of the ¡®in¡¯ places in Asheville.¡±


    ¡°Shit.  Talk about lofty expectations¡­¡±  Teresa was completely taken aback.  ¡°Um.. Damn.  Well.. to be honest, I don¡¯t know.  I have my degree to think of.¡±


    ¡°What are you majoring in?¡±¡± Alec asked.


    ¡°Business.  I was thinking I could wait tables to help pay for the rest of my schooling.¡±


    ¡°Alec, couldn¡¯t you get her some scholarship and grant money?¡±  ¡°I winked at Teresa.   ¡°It¡¯s kinda his thing..¡±  I whispered, looking at him.


    He shifted in his seat, before returning my gaze.  ¡°If that¡¯s what she wants, of course¡­ but  Jac.?  I know you have some out of the box ideas¡­ but think for a minute, okay?  Is this what you want to do?  Truly?  Like she said, this is your bar.  If this is the path you want to take,. we got you¡­?¡±  He looked at the twins.


    ¡°And well, up until 10 minutes ago,¡±  Teresa started.  I thought this was just going to be a part-time gig to help put some cash in my pocket.¡±  Teresa started.  ¡°This new information is a big pill to swallow¡­ Sister?¡± she stopped and looked at Emily for a long minute.


    It was interesting.  I¡¯ve never really seen the interaction between twins before.  This level of non-verbal communication I only attributed to  the non-humans.  Fascinating¡­


    Emily was the one who continued.  ¡°We¡¯re in.  Alec was telling us how his friends are helping The Serpents going legit, so consider this  payback for you helping us.  You¡¯re our Madrecita.  Raze¡¯s father told us about how when you were running the gangs out in the 80¡¯s,   So it''s our turn to look out for you.¡±


    This actually caused me to blush,  I glanced at Chaz and Alec, who both nodded at me.  Chaz actually smiled.


    ¡°Good.  If we are going to do this.. there are some things we need to get done.  Teresa, since you are getting the schooling, I¡¯m putting you in charge.  We will need DHHS to inspect before we can open.  You and Alec can start getting things ready for that.  Emily, I¡¯m looking to you to get Tito over soon.  I want to hire him as a cook.. but I want to see if he is actually as good as he boasts.  As for me¡­ I hafta try to get Raze out of jail.¡±


    ¡°Why, besides the obvious?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°I need the name of his money-man¡­ and dealing with The Serpents in the past I know he keeps that person¡¯s identity close to his chest.  If I can get him out¡­ maybe he¡¯ll share.  We need an accountant.  A good one.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Teresa asked.  Why not just try the papers, or online?  You can find some good help online.¡±


    ¡°I want to work with people who know me,¡± I said frankly as Alec stood, grabbing his phone.


    He looked at me, grinning like a child.  ¡°We¡¯ll keep it clean,¡± he said as he headed to the kitchen.

 Chapter 7

    I sat looking at an IHOP menu, waiting for Chief Callahan to arrive.  We normally would have met at a Waffle House, but after the attack¡­ their trademark scent did nothing but turn my stomach.  So IHOP it was.  I was staring out the window at the signs for the vet hospital and Popeye¡¯s Chicken.  You¡¯ll never catch me there though.  For chicken, it¡¯s either the Colonel or Bojangles¡¯.  If I want Louisiana Fried chicken, I¡¯ll go to Louisiana.


    ¡°Sorry I took so long, traffic was a nightmare¡­¡± Tony said, sliding into a chair across  from me.


    ¡°I had no problems,¡± I said jokingly.


    ¡°Then maybe you can teach people how to make a left turn off Smokey Park.¡±


    I nodded to him as our server, a young woman named Suzi, approached the table for the 9th time now.  At least she was persistent.  I ordered a Ribeye, rare with fries and a side of chicken strips.  Tony ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a coffee, black.  What is the deal with cops and black coffee?  I had my  drink, though my Mtn Dew was getting low.


    After she had left, I started.  ¡°Tony, I need a favor.¡±


    He sighed, canting his head to the left.  ¡°I was afraid this was going to be one of those meetings.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± I said, raising my hands as a form of surrender.  ¡°I¡¯ve tried my best to stay out of your way.. and keep my below-board activities away from your jurisdiction¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know¡­ I¡¯m just tired.¡± he blurted out as Suzi returned with his coffee and another soda for me.  Good girl.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, then drained my old cup, handing it to the server.


    ¡°Nancy wants me to retire¡­ and there¡¯s no one ready to take my place.  Every time I think about training up someone, they either screw up badly or transfer.  It¡¯s hectic.¡±


    ¡°I understand.  I¡¯ll do what I can to help.  I¡¯ve had your back since the beginning, you know that.  But¡­¡±  I lowered my head, feeling the tension build up in my neck.  I really did hate doing this to him.


    ¡°I need a favor¡­ as in a ¡®I don¡¯t like it¡­ it¡¯s too risky.. and I¡¯ll just hafta trust you¡¯ favor.¡± I said, leaning on the table to face him.


    ¡°Okay, spit it out. Tannin¡­ before I dump this coffee in the cleavage you are trying to tempt me with,¡± he said, chuckling.


    ¡°I need Raziel Delgado,¡± I said bluntly.


    ¡°Hell no,¡± he shot back.  ¡°We got him on one of the biggest drug busts in years.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve had narcotics trailing him and his for over a year with nothing, save a little grass here and there.  Ever wonder what happened?¡±


    ¡°I trumped it up to luck, or trying real hard to keep under the radar¡­¡±


    ¡°Remember about 19 months back, when that big meth lab exploded?  It made the news.¡±


    ¡°I do, everyone was surprised that no one died in it,¡± he replied, then turned to smile at a returning Suzi.  She had food.  She¡¯d actually be cute with her auburn-brown pig-tails and her dimpled smile if she didn¡¯t have the air and scent of a high-schooler.


    I thanked her softly as she left again.  I started back up.  ¡°I did that.  I then told Raze and his crew if I found out they were running that shit again, it¡¯s be their house I blew up.¡±  I looked down at my food for a moment.  ¡°They started praying to their deities and swearing on family-members¡¯  graves that they¡¯d clean up their act.  They¡¯re going legit, Tony, until this new cat comes up from Miami and starts to fuck it up.¡±


    ¡°The best I can do is let things get lax on a transfer and have him run.  He¡¯s too high-profile.  That might give you a week tops, if you¡¯re lucky.  I¡¯m only entertaining this because I know you will bring me this new player¡­ and it will help me go out with a bang... or...¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡± I said, with a piece of steak ready to go into my mouth.


    ¡°Or is this your way of telling me ¡®discreetly that Raze is going to disappear and you want me to treat it as an escape¡­?¡±  He canted his head again, grabbing his burger and taking a large bite of it.  I just smiled as sweetly as I could, and winked, then consumed the chunk of red meat dangling from my fork.   ¡°Dammit Tannin!  I hate it when you put me in a spot like this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it either¡­ but I need Raze to draw these guys out.  And besides.. have you pulled any prints off the drugs you confiscated?  Or found out where they were made? Or cut?  The Raleigh routes have been shut down for some time now.  You still have Charlotte, but the only thing decent coming out of Charlotte these days is heroin.  Meth is being cooked locally, but coke is coming in from out of state.¡±


    ¡°You know an awful lot about drugs to not be involved with them,¡± he said, now munching on a fry.


    ¡°I have to.. to know whose ass to kick when I find it in my city.¡± I said plainly, slicing another piece of steak.


    The table was quiet for a while, before I spoke again.  ¡°So Nancy¡¯s pressuring you to retire, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.  With Amy getting married, we¡¯re dealing with an empty house again.  She wants to go traveling.¡±


    ¡°Anywhere in particular?¡± I said, snagging his mayonnaise packet for my fries.


    ¡°Right now, she just wants to get out of the city.  ¡®Somewhere quiet and pretty¡¯ she says.¡±


    I thought for a moment.  ¡°Why don¡¯t y¡¯all two head up to my place for a few days?¡±


    ¡°I thought you lived at that bar you¡¯re fixing up?¡± he said, draining his coffee cup.


    ¡°Silly, I''ve told you already.  I have a house built up in the mountains.  It¡¯s a two story Colonial with a wine cellar in the basement.  It has power, but has 2 fireplaces and a wood-burning furnace.  There¡¯s a pond out the back door.  I have some fishing gear there.  I bought that because Chaz and Alec said they like to fish, but they never have.  I prefer to hunt more than fish.  Just ignore any wolves you see.¡±


    His eyebrow raised, then shook his head, smiling.  ¡°Sounds good.. a fishing trip would do wonders for my stress levels¡­ and Nancy would love it¡­ but I¡¯d hafta run it by her.¡±


    The wheels started to turn as an idea formed in my head.  I nodded a couple of times to convince myself.  ¡°Tell you what.  I am planning to have an RSVP event at the bar before we open.  Get some chamber of commerce members, a reporter or two.. maybe a food critic and some government suits in for a meal.  Having the chief of police there too would paint a good image as well¡­ considering the history of that place. You can bring the detective and that cute Officer Madison too,¡± I said with a smile at the end.  ¡°Though, choosing the best people for the most impact might pose a problem.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I know this upstart at the CT who I¡¯ve started working with for PR.  I¡¯ll give ¡®em a call and send ¡®em by tomorrow about midday.  That work?¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡± I said aloud, thinking that now I just hafta actually plan this shindig.  The rest of the dinner was quiet.  I left a $100 bill on the table and left, following Tony out.  He gave a slight wave as I saw the Windstar sitting in the parking lot.


    Alec started as soon as I closed the door.  ¡°Raze is at the apartment.  Emily and Teresa got him some clothes.  How did the chief take it?¡±, he asked, pulling out of the parking lot, turning left on Old Heywood Rd.


    I shook my head, chuckling.  ¡°As well as could be expected, I guess.  Any problems?¡±


    ¡°It took a bit for Sinnan to get the video feed altered,¡± he said with a grumble.


    ¡°I thought y¡¯all had stopped using her?¡±


    ¡°We had, but Deuce was called back to Court, and no one else is even close to Sinnan in skill.  It¡¯s fine though, as far as the video shows, he just walked straight out of the precinct and got into a white cargo van.¡±


    ¡°Good.  On a different note¡­ I kinda have an idea about the bar¡­¡± I said, looking out the window.


    ¡°Oh shit.  The last time I heard, ¡®I kinda have an idea¡¯¡­ I got to watch you and Chaz decimate a bar full of bikers with your bare hands,¡± he chuckled.


    ¡°Okay.. it¡¯s not that bad.  I want to have a RSVP pre-opening, with some big wigs from the community.  Government suits, a reporter or two, even a local food critic, and well Chief and his wife.¡±


    He was silent for a minute, which had me nervous.  How bad did I screw the pooch this time?  He pulled on the on-ramp to I40 west, and spoke again after he had merged into traffic.  ¡°Actually that is a good idea.  Positive publicity is always good.  Who else are you thinking of inviting?¡±


    ¡°That I don¡¯t know.  Chief said he¡¯d send over a reporter he uses for PR to help put together a guest list.  You think we can pull off a TV crew?¡±


    ¡°Possibly.  I¡¯ll actually call Sinnan and get her to help.  With Chaz being..well¡­ Chaz, the police there keep you safe enough to disappear so the cameras don¡¯t catch him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true too.  Tito doesn¡¯t have a record and isn¡¯t recognized as a Serpent, so that works to our favor as well,¡± I said with a nod.


    ¡°My only concern is Emily, I don¡¯t think she has a record, but she is recognized as a streetwalker.  But¡­¡± Alec paused a sec, scratching his chin.  ¡°That could work to your favor.  Second-Chance employment is trending right now.  The right interview could make us golden¡­ no pun intended.¡±


    ---V---


    I silently slipped down the stairs to find a man in the living room towel-drying his spiky black hair, wearing nothing but a pair of camo boxers.  ¡°Raze,¡± I said softly.  He stood about 5¡¯4¡±, was slim, but not skinny.  He had muscles, but they weren¡¯t as defined.  Gym would chisel him out nice, though.


    Apparently he didn¡¯t hear me because when he turned around, he saw me, and let out a very feminine ¡°EEP!¡± and jumped away from me about a foot.  I chuckled as he tried to regain composure.


    ¡°And I was trying to not startle you,¡± I said.. heading towards the bedroom.


    ¡°Sorry Madrecita, I didn¡¯t know you were there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, stopping at the closed bedroom door.  ¡°Emily asleep?¡±


    ¡°Si¡¯.  hasn¡¯t been down long.  She fell asleep telling me how you have been helping her out so much.  More than what I could have¡­¡±  There was a twinge of regret in his voice.


    I opened the door, leaving it open so we could talk.  I went to the vanity, grabbing an oversized shirt that read, ¡®Keep calm and pillage on¡¯ and started to undress.  I had my back to him for his sake, but I wasn¡¯t trying to hide anything.  ¡°Don¡¯t fret.  We all do what we can.  It¡¯s all you can ask for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±  I heard him sit on the couch.  ¡°Why did you have me broke out?  You know I¡¯m in deep shit now.¡±


    I let my pants, shirt and bra drop in a corner as I walked back into the living room, pulling the shirt on.  Yeah he got an eye-full but I don¡¯t care.  ¡°Let me worry about that.  It was my idea, and I¡¯ll deal with the ramifications of it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.  But¡­ Why did you?  You know Simon¡¯s going to be coming for me when he finds out I busted out.  He can¡¯t take over if I am still in the loop.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons right there.  I want Simon to come looking for you.  In order to get to you, he has to go through me.  I have permission to hunt this human¡­ although¡­ ¡°I pouted.  ¡°He needs to be alive when I turn him over to the cops.¡±


    ¡°You sound like a Diabla.  Are you really like Chaz, as the rumors say?  I know you helped my papa back in the 80s.. so I know somethings up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say this.  One.. I am not like Chaz but I am not human.  And two¡­ I am no angel.  So does that answer it enough for you?¡±


    He nodded, relaxing into the couch a bit, as I took the plush chair to its right.  ¡°You said that Simon was one of the reasons why you busted me out.  What are the others?¡±


    ¡°I need the name of your money-man.  No one I¡¯ve talked to said they knew who it was, but that y¡¯all did have one.  I need someone to handle the books when this bar opens.  Someone I can trust, or at least get loyalty out of.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why no one knows who my money-man is.  That¡¯s because we technically don¡¯t have one.  You see, I have an accounting degree from UNC Chapel Hill.  Papa said that if I was going to be in the family business, I would need to learn how to handle the family business.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.. strangely I can picture him saying that,¡± I said with a slight smirk.


    ¡°Thankfully with things going more and more legit, my work has become a lot easier.  The Flayre is making good money, as long as I can keep it clean.  You were right.  Keeping things ¡®Above Board¡¯ as you put it helps me sleep at night.¡±


    ¡°I said it would.  I¡¯d like to put you on payroll as our accountant¡­ help further legitimize any income you have.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Madrecita.  You know I¡¯ll do anything I can.¡±  He yawned and stretched.  ¡°So How are we going to handle Simon and Ralphie?  They¡¯re supposed to be back in a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°They might be longer than that.  I kinda sicced the Highway Patrol on them¡­¡± I chuckled.  ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll do our work for us.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± he said, laughing.


    I nodded, chuckling myself.  ¡°I did.  Dropped that little tidbit to Chief Callahan when they locked me up.¡±


    ¡°What actually happened?  You weren¡¯t there when Emily initially got her walking papers¡­ then Simon¡¯s shit lands me locked up.  I hear you were shot, then shot at¡­ Shit like this doesn¡¯t happen in Asheville.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?  I¡¯ve been trying to keep this out of this city for decades.¡± I sighed, pulling my legs into the chair, then pulling my shirt over them.  ¡°If they can be believed, the ones who shot up Chaz¡¯ Mach 1 were after him, not me.  I should have seen it coming.  It¡¯d been too long between hunters¡­ one was bound to surface eventually.¡±


    ¡°Demon hunters?¡± He asked.


    I nodded.  ¡°You heard the guy apologize for shooting at me.  Whether he was honest or sincere still remains to be seen.¡±


    Raze shrugged.  ¡°So what about you getting shot?¡± he asked.  ¡°What¡¯s the deal there?¡±


    I sighed, shaking my head.  ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.  It wasn¡¯t a mere amateur, he knew how to mess me up good.  Had me bedridden for the better part of three weeks.  He royally fucked me up.¡±  I looked straight at him.  This one the police won¡¯t find.  You mess with me and I will take it to your ass.  You mess with mine and I will devour you¡­¡±


    ¡°Now I know where Papa got that slogan from.  That¡¯s The Serpents¡¯ creed.¡±


    ¡°I said that while you and your dad were shoulder to shoulder, facing down a pack of crips from New York.  We were trapped, and he had taken one on the leg.  Not bad, but it made gaining ground not possible.  I heard them advancing, as I took a bullet to the shoulder, which just pissed me off more than anything.  I uttered those words, then your father saw exactly what I was, and exactly what I meant too.  One escaped, and well the crips suddenly had no interest in Asheville after that.¡±


    ¡°Wow.. some literal OG shit.  Papa never really told any stories about the gang wars of the 80s.  Only that it got ugly, and you helped.  He got things legal enough to keep the feds off his back, and that was it.¡±


    ¡°On paper that was about it.  There were some pretty bad skirmishes, that being one of the worst.  That was the only time I had to resort to extreme measures to handle things¡±  I yawned softly, feeling tired again.  It¡¯s always like this when Jeriel¡¯s gone.. like she pulls more from me when she¡¯s away.


    I stood.  ¡°The couch folds out to a sleeper.  I¡¯ll need to confine you to the apartment for the time being.  Emily will look in on you throughout the day.¡±


    He nodded, as I made my way to the bedroom.  Emily was asleep with her back facing the room, so I slipped onto the bed, with my back against her, and drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 8

    Until now, I¡¯d never had a problem with how Emily slept.  I awoke to her perky breasts trying to smother my face as she was literally wrapped around me, legs and arms.  I pushed and wiggled myself loose, then grabbed a towel and headed for the shower.  Not a fan of spending the day smelling like horny human.


    I stood there, letting the hot steamy water pound on my skin as I tried to wrap my head around what was happening.  I¡¯m being shot at, again¡­ I¡¯m breaking people out of jail¡­ I¡¯m about to start up some serious shit with the churches, again¡­ well I hoped that it wouldn¡¯t come to that.


    I was concerned that Jeriel was still gone.  We have a connection.  She can tell if I¡¯m hurt, and I can do the same.  I know she is well, probably busy with her doctor stuff¡­ but I did miss having her here.  I have needs.. though she has never begrudged me scratching certain itches while she was away.  I know she does the same¡­ but it¡¯s different when you have a lover that knows your body better than you do, that can meet your needs before you even need them.


    After about an hour of bathing, washing my hair and taking care of some personal upkeep, I was now staring in the mirror as I had the hair dryer going.  If I didn¡¯t get it dry, I was going to play hell getting a brush through it.


    I watched a still groggy Emily walk into the bathroom, as she handled some morning maintenance of her own.  Sitting on the toilet, she looked over to me.  ¡°Did you sleep in here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t want to hear Raze¡¯s girl bitch,¡± I answered loud enough for her to hear over the dryer.  I had inhuman hearing¡­ she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Oh. Okay.  So you were that big warm pillow I dreamed about¡­¡± she said as she wiped some sleep from her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, if I wake up again with those breasts in my face like that, I¡¯d might be tempted to take a bite¡­¡± I said with a laugh.


    I got a reaction I didn¡¯t expect.  Her face flushed and she covered her chest¡­ her breath quickened and her pupils dilated.  Oh¡­.shit.  ¡°Please¡­ Not that Madrecita¡­ They¡¯re sensitive.. that would¡­ oh no¡­.¡±


    I cut the dryer off, and put it in a drawer under the sink.  ¡°I was messing with you.  I didn¡¯t intend to get you hot and bothered.  Remember, the apartment has on-demand hot water and a shower head that removes.. if you would have a need for that.¡±  I winked at her as I walked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me.


    Walking to the bed, I noticed a full change of clothes, and could hear the washing machine running in the kitchen (I have a washer and dryer hidden in a closet) as I  heard the door to the staircase close.  Alec had been here.  He does so much for me.


    I walked into the living room as I was threading the JM4 into my belt loop.  Raze was still asleep.  At least he didn¡¯t snore.  Finding my gun and a new bottle of gun oil, I headed into the bar to start my day.  Alec was sitting on a stool behind the bar, fiddling with his phone as I found the half-empty coffee pot on the bar in front of him, along with a cup and some sugar and Coffee Mate.  Xochil loved sweets, so my coffee is a way of letting her indulge herself.


    Armed with my breakfast, I grabbed a dry cloth and my cleaning kit from the counter--no doubt left there for me-- and headed to a table to start the ritual.


    Like I told John, this is a weekly thing for me, whether I fire it or not.  I¡¯m always afraid that if I skip a week, it¡¯ll jam and I¡¯ll be left with a paperweight in a gun fight.  My other guns I don¡¯t clean as often.. usually every couple of months to keep the oil fresh, but the Sig gets the good treatment.  I find it relaxing, and can do it blindfolded.


    I watched Chaz walk through the door as I was putting the last screws into the Sig.  He had his Charlie Brown coffee mug in his right hand as he made a beeline for the coffee, setting the Mateba on my table as he passed.  After a while, he just stopped arguing with me.


    ¡°Long night?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he said, finishing off the coffee.  ¡°Was helping my boys work on the Mach 1.  Ran into a punk trying for a quick payout.  So¡­ since I fired it¡­¡±


    ¡°See? that wasn¡¯t so hard now, was it?¡± I asked, jokingly.  Before, it had been like pulling teeth to get him to let me clean it.  I guess you can teach an old demon new tricks.


    The auto revolver I was not so intimate with, but I still could break it down and clean it.  Alec was like many other fae and preferred his throwing daggers, and he was more meticulous with his daggers than I was with my Sig.  He said if they weren¡¯t kept up the way he did it¡­ they would be slower.  I never argued¡­ Even I have difficulty against his daggers.  And I know I¡¯m good.


    I was reloading Chaz¡¯ gun as I heard a knock on the door.  Chaz jumped up, took it from me and answered it.


    ¡°Um... hi.. um¡­ Damn you¡¯re huge.  Hey¡­ I¡¯m here to speak with a Jackie Tannin about some PR stuff?  I¡¯m from the Citizen-Times,¡± I heard a female¡¯s voice say.  Chaz was just too big to let anyone see what was on the other side.  He moved, to let the woman in.


    She was about five foot six with blonde hair and blue eyes, but she looked average¡­ too average.  She had curves but not too much.  Her chest and butt had definition but, again, not too much. Her head canted back and forth as she walked  too.  She was the spitting image of Elaine, but her hair was the tell.  She was wearing a wig, and a cheap one at that.  This person was putting on an act.


    ¡°Damn, another zmej¡­¡± Chaz growled as Alec perked up, putting his phone down.  Chaz had picked up on it before I did?  Wait¡­ she smelled like a human.  Not male or female, just human.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she said, coming to a complete stop, putting her hands on her hips and canting her head to the right.


    Chaz closed the door and walked to the bar.  ¡°You can drop the act, dragon, there is no one human here.¡±  Now that assumption I would not have made¡­ but it made sense.


    She stopped for a moment, looking around the room, sniffing.  Alec replied this time, ¡°Are you looking to get dusted, hatchling?¡±


    ¡°Now ye listen here ye hex-winged sprite!¡± the woman yelled, her neck and face flushing red.  This got a laugh out of us three, as she fumed at all of us, the air coming out of her nostrils turning ice cold.  I watched for a moment the ice crystals forming in the air.


    ¡°Maybe you should dust her, Alec,¡± Chaz said, now in his melodic normal voice.  ¡°It¡¯d definitely put her in a better mood.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it has been awhile for me¡­ How about you dust us all good, so we can get high as kites and really have fun?¡± I remarked, watching the anger fade to astonishment, to pure confusion.  ¡°Well don¡¯t just stand there with your face hanging out, youngling.  Pull up a sit down and tell Cihuacoatl about yourself,¡± I added, as she took a seat.  Alec brought a glass of water and set it in front of her.


    She was wearing a white button down blouse, with gray slacks and a matching gray blazer.  She was in tennis shoes--no socks-- and had a modest purse with her, also gray to match the clothes.  ¡°Do you make it a habit of harassing people who come into your bar?¡± she asked, her arms crossed.   She crossed her arms under her breasts, mounding them up and putting them on display.  At the moment they didn¡¯t attract my attention.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Only the non-human ones that can get through the door.  I¡¯m warded against angels, of course,  What is your name of the land?¡± I asked, testing to see if she was as young as she appeared.


    When she looked at me puzzled, Chaz explained, ¡°She means your human name.  Wow.  You are as young as you seem.¡±


    ¡°I was ushered out of the city when Nero burned Rome. Only being out of my shell a few days.  It was a month after that I was shown how to adopt a golem.¡±


    ¡°Are you one of Azhdaha¡¯s brood?¡± I asked, digging a little.


    She cringed a little, looking down.  ¡°She was my grandmother.  You know she died trying to make up for what she did in the past.  The damned angels threatened to shatter all of her eggs and slay her betrothed if she didn¡¯t lock the crescent down!¡±  Desperation rolled from her words as this one pleaded with me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened there after Mother and I left.  I knew my grandfather lived through it, and that Aerhas went north after the basin flooded and  adopted a different name, after being welcomed by who would evolve into the Persians.  I also know that she was one of two of the old Wyrms still laying eggs¡­ my mother being the other.  But yeah¡­ I do have you by about 3 millennia.¡±


    She nods.  ¡°I see.  Oh, my name''s Cassandra Jameson, but you can call me Cassie.  Now for the reason why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Of course.  A guest list for this upcoming event.  I want to have a reporter there, and also a news crew to show up.  Will that be an issue?¡±


    ¡°Not as long as I am said reporter,¡± she replied with a wink.  She looked around, counting.  ¡°Now we have 14 tables¡­ so that gives me a rough idea how many we can get.¡±


    ¡°Count on 13,¡± Alec said, speaking up.  ¡°You don¡¯t know if we will have a smartass show up with his whole family expecting free food.  We¡¯ll be set up to handle at least 30 with food and supplies on hand.


    ¡°Good point,¡± Cassie replied.  ¡°Now the two uniformed officers that will be here won¡¯t be taking a seat, will they?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯ll mingle, and be good little cops at the bar, which will be open by the way.¡±  I answered that one.


    She nodded again, pulling two pieces of paper out of her purse and two pens.  Both hands went to work taking notes.  She sat writing for about 2 minutes straight before she looked up.  ¡°Chief and his wife in attendance?¡±


    It was my turn to nod as she scribbled some more, then folded up the paper and tucked it, with the pens, back in her purse.  ¡°So when do you want to do this?¡±


    Alec answered, ¡°Let¡¯s plan for next Friday.  We still have some training to do and we hafta get some inspectors out.¡±


    ¡°That works.  I¡¯ll get Roland Ashleigh to come in as your food critic.  He¡¯s not overly harsh and gets along well with others.¡±  she thought a moment, then stood.  ¡°I can handle the invites for you, I know this guy who does a stellar job with this stuff.¡±


    Alec leaned on the counter.  ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°This non-human named Trevor¡­ amazing craftsmanship¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?  Is this guy, about my height, always in a tux, has a buzzed head that is sherbert orange?¡±  Alec asked, intently.


    ¡°That¡¯s him!¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°Trevor is my cousin, well cousin by marriage.¡±  He looked to me.  ¡°Trevor¡¯s Sinnan¡¯s husband.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ do you go by Alexandros?¡±  she asked.


    ¡°Alec actually but that is my given name, yes.¡±


    She chuckles.  ¡°Haha!  I was told that if I ever came across a non-human with lime-green hair that answers to Alexandros.. to tell him that Trevor said that ¡®you still owe him five bucks.¡¯.. there I told you.


    ¡°Oh great.. he¡¯s playing this?¡± he mused.  ¡°Tell him, when you see him, that I said, ¡®I won¡¯t give the five bucks back until he admits that my ass still looks better.¡¯  Hehe.¡±


    She laughed loudly, snorting at the end.  ¡°Okay¡­ I don¡¯t get it but okay..¡¯


    ¡°It was a lot funnier back in the 80s where homophobia was running rampant amongst the humans.¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± she said.  ¡°I see now. Anyways, I need to get going.  I¡¯ll be back a day or two before the event so we can iron out seating arrangements and the like.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I said as she almost ran to the door.  As she left, an older gentleman walked in.  He noticed the sign, and took his blazer off, revealing an under arm holster with what appeared to be a Heckler and Koch  I knew it was there, and he wasn¡¯t brandishing it.  He sat across from me, laying the jacket on his lap, then putting a briefcase on the table.


    He glanced over to Alec, and with a New York accent, said ¡°Johnnie Walker Blue-Label, Neat., make it a double.¡±  Alec looked at me, puzzled just for a moment, then poured the man¡¯s drink.  He brought it to the table, sitting it on a cork-wood coaster.  The man took a sip and sighed happily.  ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin ¡®bout.  A scotch served the way God intended.¡±  He points to Alec with his thumb.  ¡°Keep this guy around, will ya?  A good bartender is priceless in a dive like this, trust me I know.¡±  He takes another sip, as pleasure trickles into his expression.  ¡°So I hear my boys have given you a little headache.  After hearing what happened, you don¡¯t expect me to surrender the piece, do ya?¡±


    I look directly at the man.  ¡°Mr. Serra I presume.  What do we owe this visit to?¡±  His hair was black, streaked with gray.  He wasn¡¯t that tall, but he was large, almost imposing.  His suit smelled like wool, and fit like a glove.  He had an olive complexion, with hands that nearly swallowed the snifter he drank from.


    ¡°Directly to the point, I like that.¡±  He slid the briefcase towards me.  ¡°This should be enough to cover the repairs to your Mustang.  Does 40 grand sound about right?  It should cover what my boys did to your machine.  You don¡¯t go and fuck up a fifty year old piece of American automobile history, am I right?.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight,¡± Chaz growl, walking to the table.  He was met with glowing white eyes from Mr. Serra.


    ¡°Oh wow¡­ They were definitely out of their league there.  You¡¯re Testament-class, right?  My boys are lucky to be breathing,¡± he replied, wiping his brow for emphasis.


    ¡°I was driving,¡± Chaz chuckled as he grabbed the briefcase and walked back to the bar.


    ¡°There, that debt is paid.  I¡¯ve told my boys time and time again, If you are going to take a job, get it from Rome, not from some church you know.  It¡¯s a good way to get killed.¡¯  He drained his glass, and motioned to Alec for a refill.  Alec nodded with a smile, walking over and pouring him another.


    ¡°Let me tell ya¡¯s a story¡­ It was 1983, and I was just getting to the Big Apple, and was trying to make a name for myself.  I had gotten a few businesses, nothing mama would condone, but it was money.. and it was mine.  This other¡­ let¡¯s call them ¡®organization¡¯¡­ came in with their blue bandannas and their cheap weapons, trying to take away my lively-hood.  Then I hear they get called to Asheville of all places to reinforce their people here.  It was funny.  They just never came home.  I later heard through some sources of mine that this foxy little native American and a no-name latino gang wiped the floor with them like they were nothing.  So I send a couple of guys here¡­ to test the market a bit. They show back up here less than a week later saying that Asheville is off limits.  That any group that heads down there doesn¡¯t come home.¡±


    He sipped his drink again.  ¡°So.. with my opposition gone, I started doing well enough to convert some of the operations to things more¡­reputable. I thought it prudent to take this opportunity to thank you in person.¡±


    I look at him for a moment¡­ trying to see an angle.  ¡°If I inadvertently took out your rivals in the past.. then I¡¯ll just say I was happy to help.  What I did was to clean up my city, not because I expected anything in return.  Though, paying recompense for the car was honorable and appreciated.¡±


    Mr. Serra nodded at that.  ¡°Regardless of your intent, I am successful because of you. I would like to return the favor, if I could.  Like I tell my boys, you always settle your debts, ya know?¡±  He took the snifter in both hands and looked me in the eyes.  ¡±So I hear that someone tried to ruin your day¡­ about a month back.¡±


    Well, if he was offering to help¡­ What could it hurt, right?  ¡°Two steel 9mm rounds, grooved, with salt.¡±


    ¡°The grooves, were they circular, or did they run down the sides?¡± he asked, scratching his nose.


    ¡°The latter.¡± I replied quickly.


    He thought again for a moment¡­ a gold ring tapping against the glass he still clutched absently.  ¡°Sounds like a fae hit...spelled.  So you know, Vatican blessed rounds have circular grooves in them¡­ and metal compresses upon impact most of the time to get rid of the evidence of the blessing.  Iron harms the fae¡­ and priest-level blessings most fae can shrug off, am I right?¡± as he looked directly at Alec.  Before anything else could be said, he remarked, ¡°Do ya think that I would come into here without knowing what I was dealing with?¡±


    He chuckled, as he shook his head, looking back at me.  ¡°I might know who did this.  I can handle ¡®em for ya real cheap¡­¡±


    I shook my head.  ¡°No thanks¡­ But¡­ If info on this ass were to fall into my possession¡­ It would make me happy.  Ya¡¯ know¡­ sleep a little better.¡±  My dragon was agitated, and I couldn¡¯t stop the manifestation.  I felt my eyes turn reptilian as wisps of smoke exited my nose.  I looked at him and said, point-blank, ¡°They got a jump on me before.  Now it¡¯s my turn.¡±


    He nodded cautiously as he finally realized what I was.  He stood, carrying his jacket over his arm.  He tossed Alec a $50 bill on his way to the door.  Before he opened it, he said, ¡°Thanks for not givin¡¯ my boys what they deserved.  They¡¯re the only family I have now.¡±  The door opened, and he left.

 Chapter 9

    Chaz met me outside in a light metallic blue Lotus Elise.  He looked funny in the front seat of the convertible, almost appearing too big to fit.  This vehicle was technically mine.  I bought it, had it tagged and insured, with everything in my name and up to date,but rarely will you see me behind the wheel.  I¡¯ll take it to the mountains if Jeriel and I decide on a day-trip, but normally it¡¯s more relaxing to just fly, especially when you feel the skin of your lover pressed against your scales.


    ¡°Narcavis says he needs you to work tomorrow night.  He has to be on a flight to Chicago by 8,¡± He said, dumping the clutch and spinning both rear tires.  The rear end of the car shifted to the right slightly, before it gained traction and sped out of the parking lot.


    ¡°Take it easy on the car, handle-head!¡¯ I barked, hitting him on the arm as he shifted into second, chirping the tires again.  I sighed loudly.  ¡°You.  Are.  Hopeless.¡±


    ¡°You have to blow the carbon out the motor or she¡¯s gonna run like shit.¡±  He commented, as he started behaving himself after reaching highway speed.


    ¡°You always say that,¡± I snapped, as thoughts filled my mind.  ¡°Where we headed off to, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Angel¡¯s,¡± he said, as he reached down, touching the briefcase beside my leg.  ¡°They said they need to get some parts, and, well, money is helpful.  Besides, it¡¯s just down the road.¡±


    ¡°Then why have me ride with you?¡±


    ¡°Alec and I¡¯ve been talking¡­¡± he said as we pulled into the freshly-tarred parking lot of Angel¡¯s Auto Repair.  He paused, pulling my phone from his pocket, then tossing it at me.  ¡°Call April.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°You forget.  I saw how you reacted to her at the police station.  Besides, we¡¯re tired of smelling horny dragon.  Take care of it.  What about¡­?¡±  As if the fates heard my thoughts, my phone rang, surprising the daylights out of me.  I dropped the phone, which sent me scrambling to the floorboards to grab it.  Chaz laughed loudly as I finally got it and answered it.  It routed through the van¡¯s radio as he walked towards the garage with the briefcase.  Gotsta love modern tech.


    ¡°Jackie, you there?¡± I heard through the speakers and melted.  It was my Jeriel!


    ¡°I¡¯m here baby¡­ why aren¡¯t you home?  I was just thinking of you¡­¡± I purred, a yearning filling my voice.


    ¡°I know.  Things have been hell here at LMC¡­¡±


    I interrupted.  ¡°I thought your class was in Myrtle Beach.  What are you doing in Columbia and not playing in the surf?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Chie asked me to come up here and help.  They had another COVID flare up that they wanted me to help with.  They¡¯ve been pulling in doctors from across the state.  It¡¯s that bad.¡±


    ¡°Shit, and the news had all but stopped talking about it too.  I thought it had faded out.¡± I sighed, looking out the window a sec.  ¡°So any clue as to when you¡¯ll be home?¡±


    ¡°First of next week at the earliest.¡±  I really didn¡¯t want to hear that.  I had needs dammit!  ¡°Look, babe, I know you¡¯re hungry.  I can feel it gnawing at you from here.  Get you some take out, and I¡¯ll cook for you when I get home, kay?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?  What about your needs?¡±


    ¡°Look, my love.  You go have some fun.  I found this African-American entree that I¡¯ll be sampling tonight.  I¡¯ll tell you all about her when I get home.¡±


    ¡°You better, my Sylvan Mistress.¡±  Alec rolled his eyes at our typical banter.


    ¡°But of course, my Draconic Queen¡­¡± she replied. ¡°Gotsta go.. love you¡­¡± and she hung up.


    I sighed, handing my phone back to Chaz as he got back in the car. I do hate carrying a phone.  I¡¯d leave it at the bar if it wasn¡¯t in Chaz¡¯ or Alec¡¯s pocket.  I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d break it, and I do make it a point not to carry a purse.


    ¡°So¡­ April in particular?¡± I asked, as he ended a call of his own.


    ¡°Tito will be coming by today, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to invite April over for a date.¡±


    ¡°But.. I hadn¡¯t even mentioned her to anyone yet¡­¡± I said, defensive.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to.  Alec¡¯s noticed your pheromones flaring up every time you pulled out her card to look at it.  So bad that even he could smell it.¡±


    ¡°Shit.  I didn¡¯t¡­¡±  I watched the scenery pass by for a moment.   ¡°It shows that bad¡­  damn.¡±


    I felt myself relax into the seat, as some of the worry and concern melted away.  I started patting my pockets, trying to remember where I put April''s business card when Chaz, at a stop light, showed me my phone again..


    ¡°I thought this would happen, lizard-breath, ¡° he grumbled, dialing the number and handing it back.  It started ringing through the speakers, and before I could wonder if I wanted the call to be private, April picked up.


    ¡°Madison,¡± she said, sounding like a cop.  Well she was one.. but it was that typical greeting you always hear.  Why would it be any different?


    ¡°April, it¡¯s Jacqueline.¡±  I gave my voice a softer tone, hoping that it would lessen things on her end.


    ¡°Oh¡­ hello!¡± she replied, as you could hear the smile spread across her face.  ¡°How are you?  I was wondering if you were ever going to call.¡±


    ¡°I am getting better by the minute,¡± I replied, adding a sultry tone to my words.  ¡°I am well.  I know this is short notice, but are you free tonight?¡±


    ¡°I can be.  What you need?¡±  I heard a chair squeak in the background.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m trying out a new cook for the bar, and was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner?¡±  My voice was shaky.  Why in the hell am I nervous?  Hopefully April wouldn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°Hell yeah,¡± she shot back, apparently without thinking,  ¡°Um.. what I meant was, I would love to.  It beats leftovers and Netflix.  What time?¡±


    I looked over to Chaz, who was holding up an index finger, a thumb and an open hand.  ¡°How¡¯s seven sound?¡±


    ¡°Dreamy.  I hate to cut this short, but Chief just dropped off a stack of paperwork.  I¡¯ll see you at seven.¡± and a click ended the call


    . ¡°There, handle-head, happy now?¡± I said, glaring at him.


    ¡°At least Alec isn¡¯t here can you picture that?  Him singing ¡®Jackie¡¯s gonna get lucky¡­ Jackie¡¯s gonna get lucky¡­¡¯  Actually that does sound comical.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, looking out the window.   ¡°Ya know, for someone who just celebrated their fourteen-hundredth birthday, Alec can be so childish¡­ ¡°


    Before I could follow up, my phone rang again.  Chaz shrugged.  ¡°Hello?¡± I said.


    ¡°Madrecita?  It¡¯s me, Emily.  Alec isn¡¯t here and there¡¯s someone here asking for you.¡±


    ¡°Do you recognize them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the man who runs our church, Padre¡¯ Jerome!¡±


    I ended the call, and drug Chaz to the car uttering one word¡­ ¡°Shit!¡±


    ~v~


    Jerome was leaning against his black Lincoln as we pulled up.  He almost looked ridiculous.  He was wearing a light blue polo shirt with the loudest pair of multicolored plaid slacks I had ever seen.


    ¡°So how do you know the Padre¡¯?¡±  Emily asked, as Chaz and I got out of the car.  She then whispered, ¡°Is he non-human too?¡±


    I nodded to her.  ¡°His family were taken by the Arabs from north Africa in the early 700s.  One of their ships got caught in some weird currents and sunk just off  the coast of what now is Brazil.  Most of the adults were killed, but Jerome was just a little child.  He was raised by the Mayans to be a Shaman.  He grew up without having to kill anyone, but since he was of African descent, they wouldn¡¯t let him take a wife.   Now here¡¯s where things get messed up.  My mother was currently being worshiped as one of their patron deities, and she decreed that the outlander was to be a sacrifice to her.  She and I fought over it.  She was playing the typical goddess of war and I was and still is against us being worshiped like that.  He was recruited by the Legion right after the battle¡­ which pissed us both off¡­ and I came up this way after that.  She and I have only talked once since then.  Jerome has kept up with the humans, but he has helped me out as much as they¡¯ll let him.¡±


    ¡°Oh how I¡¯ve missed your stories, Cihuacoatl¡­¡± Jerome said, smiling sheepishly.


    ¡°So¡­ when¡¯s tee time?¡± I joked, pointing to his pants. He stood straight and faced me, surprised at my comment.  Emily was leaning on the car beside him, giggling.


    ¡°Um.. four. One of the Arch-Diocese is an avid golfer.  I was instructed to show him mercy on the course,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Well I seriously doubt you¡¯re here to discuss your short game, considering that you¡¯re short already.¡± I spat.  Dammit I need to get ready for my date!


    ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡±  He reached into his car through an opened window and retrieved a manila envelope, which he handed to me.  ¡°This is from Mr. Serra.  He has been strongly advised to use a liaison when dealing with you.¡±


    ¡°What, the Vatican trying to keep him on a tight leash?¡± Alec asked, walking up..


    ¡°They¡¯re afraid that your influence will corrupt one of their faithful.  Ever the cautious ones¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Roman bullshit, Jerome and I know you can smell it too,¡± I fired off.


    He merely raised his hands in the air.  ¡°Don¡¯t shoot the messenger¡­¡± he said, almost pleadingly.


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t shoot messengers,¡± I refuted.  ¡°They make too tasty a morsel to ruin with lead and gunpowder.¡±

 Chapter 10

    Chaz led the way as I followed him into the bar, with Alec and Emily right behind me.  As I headed to the false counter, Alec chuckled, ¡°We need to hurry if we¡¯re going to pull this date off.. but..¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± I asked as Emily joined him in laughter.  Chaz just shook his head.


    ¡°There are people down there,¡± Alec explained, regaining some composure.  Knowing his brand of humor, I took this opportunity to showcase some of my other arcane skills.


    I am not what you would call a witch, or a mage, but I do tend to use ¡®magic¡¯ quite a bit.  Dragons are magical creatures, so it kinda runs in the blood.  I have found that if I use arcane energies to start to form-shift, that I can walk through walls without too much of an issue.  It is draining, mainly because I¡¯m not flowing into my dragon, but it is feasible, in a pinch.  Here was said pinch.


    Alec let out a loud, ¡°HA!¡± as my body began to shimmer, fading into what looked like a ghostly apparition.  I then floated down the stairs, and through the door, as if it was not there.  I stood in a dark corner for a moment, to see what was going on.


    Teresa was kneeling across someone¡¯s lap, topless.  I took in all her tattoos, admiring the tribal designs and the dragon that snaked across her spine.  As I moved to the side of the couch, I saw she was on Raze¡¯s lap, who was playing with her breasts as she threw her head back, moaning.  As he moved his hands to her pants, I got a good look at the henna design that flowed from her cleavage and under her breasts like lace.


    ¡°Nice sternum ink,¡± I said, softly as I willed myself back into existence.


    They both jumped, as Teresa let out a shriek.  Her arms quickly crossed, hiding her nudity.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry!  I¡¯m sorry!¡± she chanted.


    ¡°No need to hide good artwork, Teresa,¡± I said, as she looked at me, stunned.


    ¡°How long have you been there?  I didn¡¯t hear you come in.¡±  Raze¡¯s expression was downright fearful.  He undoubtedly started this.


    ¡°Long enough to get you in deep shit,¡± I said, crossing my own arms.  ¡°Now both of you, out.¡±  I pointed at the door, which was still locked and dead-bolted.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t find my shirt,¡± Teresa said, as she slid backwards to her feet, panicking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, out.  Teresa, you¡¯re cute.  Love the ink, but you¡¯re going to need to put in a lot more work than this for me to let you see my breasts.¡±  It was then she found her clothes, as they both made a beeline for the door.  Raze fumbled with the locks for a moment, but they did finally make it out. I stood there for a moment, laughing loudly.  I knew they heard me, and I was glad they did.  At least they knew I wasn¡¯t that angry with them.


    I don¡¯t know why I prefer showers to baths.  It might be because of the warm rains of the south that I fell in love with over a millennia ago.  No telling.  It wasn¡¯t long before I heard the door to the bathroom open.  Into the shower hopped Alec, undoubtedly wearing a pair of swim trunks and a shower cap.


    ¡°Your hair¡­¡± he said, and didn¡¯t need to say anything else.  Within moments  My scalp was nice and sudsy, as he had one of his brushes working the jasmine-scented shampoo through my hair.  If I had done this.. it would have taken me an hour or better.  He was simply better at it.  ¡°Turn,¡± he soon commanded, and I did as instructed.  He maneuvered behind me to rinse my hair.  ¡°I¡¯ll use some spray conditioner once we get it dry.  We have to get you looking hot for your lady friend.¡±


    ¡°You need to quit¡­¡± I joked as he then moved back in front of me.  He grabbed a pair of tweezers, and started working on my brows.  ¡°Ow!  What are you doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Jeriel sees you differently, Jac.  I¡¯m tidying you up a bit.  Taking a blade to the usual places is also advisable.¡±


    ¡°Let me primp myself my way¡­¡± I blurted as he stepped out of the shower, slapping my butt with a wet hand.  ¡°Oh, you bitch!¡± I yelled as he grabbed a towel, laughing.


    ¡°Then hurry your fine ass up, then.  Tito just pulled up.. and April will be here in less than three hours,¡± he said, closing the bathroom door.


    ¡°Can you keep him out of sight for a few hours?¡± I asked Tito, as I motioned to Raze, who was sitting on a stainless steel counter.  The bar¡¯s kitchen had a propane-over-charcoal grill in the middle, with a wide industrial hood to accommodate two grills.  I had one removed, replacing it with a flat grill/two burner combo and an industrial oven.  There was a steamer and a steam table, to the right, leading towards an emergency exit, and a giant mixer to the left, along with the sinks (a three compartment dish sink and a hand-sink, which was new) and a few counters scattered about.  It appeared to have no organization at all, but Alec had been setting things up.  He did things sometimes that made no sense to me, but there was no point in arguing with him.  It wouldn¡¯t change anything.  I was sitting in a chair in the middle of the kitchen, in  white bathrobe, while Alec worked through my hair with a blow dryer with a diffuser tip.


    ¡°Si¡¯, that should not be a problem,¡± Tito replied, as he sprayed some oil on the heating grill, the flames flaring up just a bit.


    ¡°So who is this April?¡± Raze asked in a teasing manner.


    ¡°She¡¯s that red headed cop from down at the precinct,¡± I replied, my hands drifting to my hips.  ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing¡­¡± he shot back, his hands waving a surrender.  ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve only seen you with the lolita and well Emily¡­ the other night.¡±


    ¡°Emily and I did nothing, you lech¡­¡± I said with a chuckle in my voice as I mockingly hit him on the arm.  ¡°You were on the couch and I needed sleep.  Besides.. too clingy¡­ I woke up feeling like Linus¡¯ blanket.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Raze said looking at me¡­ lost.


    ¡°Dude,¡± Tito said, now scrubbing the grill grates with a large wire bush.  ¡°You know Snoopy?  Charlie Brown?  That boy with them that has that blanket¡­.?¡±  He looked at Raze, waiting for him to connect the dots.


    It took a moment.  ¡°Oh.. that dude¡¯s name is Linus.  Okay¡­ I got you.  Damn, Madrecita¡­ I¡¯m sorry.  My girl gets like that after sex¡­ That¡¯s why I usually go home afterwards.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why she¡¯s just ¡®your girl¡¯ and not your wife.  You know your pops wants you to settle down, right?¡± Tito said before I had a chance to.


    ¡°Not as bad as Mama¡¯,¡± he laughed, shaking his head.  ¡°Every Sunday she has this different chica at dinner, and spends the whole time talking about how good her family is, or how nice and smart she is¡­ it gets old.¡±


    I asked, looking up at the plain white clock hanging on the wall, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take Roanna with you to dinner, then, or maybe Teresa¡­?¡±


    Tito busted out laughing as Raziel shook his head.  ¡°Mama¡¯ hates Roanna more than she hates you, Madrecita.  Went as far as to call her a whore and a devil to her face.¡±


    ¡°She never called me a whore,¡± I said, finding what he said amusing as well.  ¡°I was called the Queen of Babylon. So I guess that¡¯s close enough.¡±


    Tito wiped his hands on a gray apron that read, ¡°Kiss the cook, bitch!¡± as he turned to face us.  ¡°Alright, I¡¯m about set.  The potatoes will be out of the oven soon, so I¡¯m good whenever¡­¡±  He was interrupted by a knock on the outside door.  I looked to alec and froze.  I wasn¡¯t even dressed!


    Alec is, as I said, fae¡­ and is better with magic than some people are with breathing.  I stood, as the bathrobe simply flew away.  Before the guys could get a good peek, I was clothed and ready to rock. I nodded to him, then ran out into the bar, towards the door.


    Teresa had set things up really nicely.  She had taken a beer bucket, filled it with ice, and stuck a bottle of wine in it.  There were two wine glasses, along with a candle, unlit, sitting in the middle of the table.  It was nothing to flare a smidgen of arcane power to light the candle on my way to the door, which I had reached by then.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I answered the door wearing a baby blue bustier top and a matching skirt that came down just past my knees.  Alec had done my hair up in a double twist ponytail, secured with a light blue ribbon, though it still amazed me that he could pull all off this off that fast..  It didn¡¯t quite match the clothes, but I doubt it¡¯d be noticed,  I had a white pair of sandals on my feet, which to be honest, over the ages.. It was something I ust felt comfortable in, if I wasn¡¯t barefoot.  The Sig was secured under the table, which was covered in a deep red tablecloth, so if I needed it, it was there.  For some reason I found myself nervous opening the door.


    April was standing on the other side of the door and she took my breath away.  She is in a black power suit, with a deep, v-cut blazer that revealed a black push-up bra that had her c-cup breasts mounded up and ready for attention.  Looking down showed her wearing a pair of black pumps, with a three inch wedge heel, as red polish teased through the semi-opened toe.


    She stood there a moment, clutching a large leather purse behind her.  ¡°You¡­ look amazing,¡± she whispered, as her eyes drifted over my body as mine did to hers.


    ¡°You too¡­¡± I purred, as I stood there beside myself for a moment.  I quickly moved to the side.  ¡°Come in¡­ I have our chef still here.  I didn¡¯t want to order for you.¡±


    As we walked to the table, she stood behind my chair, helping me sit.  I have been with women in the past that have been more assertive, more alpha, but April was acting like the perfect gentleman, something that I hadn¡¯t experienced to this degree from a woman before.


    She grabbed the corkscrew from the table and reached for the bottle, taking a moment to read the label.  She glanced at it for a moment for she gasped in shock.  ¡°1863?  We¡¯re drinking something from 1863?¡± she asked, coughing.  ¡°It looks like a new bottle though.¡±


    ¡°Alec¡¯s family got a few bottles of this for me.  They painstakingly re-bottled them, mainly because they knew I would probably destroy the original bottles if I tried to open them.  So this is from my private collection, and would never serve something like this here.¡±


    She opened the bottle, pouring two glasses of a liquid that more resembled brandy than wine.  She then took a glass of it to her nose, and inhaled, moaning towards the end.  ¡°That is insane.  I feel like a queen drinking this.  I hope the food is as good as this¡­¡± she said, jokingly.


    Right on cue, Tito walked to the table, wearing a black, button down shirt and black slacks.  He had his hands behind his back as he said, ¡°You mentioned food?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± April said, jumping slightly at his sudden presence at the table.  ¡°What are my choices?¡±


    ¡°I brought some chicken with me, but found some beef in the cooler.  It looks kinda¡­odd.. but I think I can trim it into a couple of steaks and they¡¯ll be okay¡­ if you would be interested, of course.  I bought stuff to throw together a light salad, and just pulled some baked potatoes out of the oven, if you wish.¡±


    ¡°If you think the steak will be good, then that¡¯s what I want. Medium, with the potato, butter and sour cream, and a salad, dry.¡±  April then looked at me.


    ¡°The same, medium rare, with the potato, but no salad,¡± I said softly as I took a taste of the wine.  My eyes rolled into the back of my head at its exquisite flavor...  Alec truly outdid himself this time.  I reminded myself to share it with the crew and with Jeriel, whenever she decided to come home.


    Curious as to my expression, April tasted the wine as well, as Tito walked back to the kitchen.  ¡°Holy Merryweather!  So this is what heaven tastes like.  So rich, so intense, so¡­ indescribable¡­  I¡¯ll never forget this night¡­ that is for sure.¡±


    I smiled, sitting my glass down, placing my hand closer to the middle of the table.  Her hand landed on top of me, quivering softly.  Was she nervous?  ¡°Are you okay?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Well, I never expected you to call me. I went out on a limb, and hoped I wasn¡¯t barking up the wrong tree.¡±  She paused for a moment.  Her words and her body were telling different stories, that¡¯s for sure.


    She continued.  ¡°It¡¯s just.  I had an idea of this evening, and a part of me was hoping it would go a certain way¡­ and this is completely different.¡±


    ¡°Different.. bad?¡± I asked, looking into her eyes.  I was being careful here. Something was off but¡­ I had a need that I had to fulfill.  I didn¡¯t want to rush or push too hard.  This was her consent, not mine.  I decided to relax a bit, and let things flow.  ¡°How about loosen up by telling me a little about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Well I have two siblings, my older adopted sister and my younger half sister.  We left Ireland so we all could go to University here.¡±


    ¡°What did you major in?¡±


    ¡°I went into Criminal Justice, while Elaine and Cassie went into journalism.¡±


    Wait¡­ April and both green-eyed women I had recently met were sisters?  Or were the two I met different people?  I couldn¡¯t pull any different scents from her.  ¡°Why the different path for you?¡± I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.


    She sighed looking down.  ¡°Well When I was growing up, I had a father who decided that when Eve¡¯s curse first affected me, that I was a woman and decided to treat me as such.  If I could stop that from happening to someone else, I would.  So I decided to become a cop.¡±


    I found myself trembling in anger.  I¡¯ve devoured many a man who did that shit to children.  ¡°What happened to him?¡± I asked through gritted teeth.


    ¡°The constables wouldn¡¯t do anything, but my neighbors found out what he had done. He was found one morning in the fields dismembered, but no one in the town heard nor saw anything,¡±  She sighed, and the hints of a smile snuck into her expression.  ¡°Soon after, Cassandra came to live with us, and Mother got pregnant with Elane,  Mother died birthing her, and Cassie raised us.¡±


    I took her hand,  ¡°My apologies.  I was hoping to give you a wonderful evening andI ruined it by having you re-live the pain of your past.  I feel terrible,¡±


    ¡°Oh no, you haven¡¯t.  Being here with you, this is romantic. I¡¯ve never had a date that started this beautifully.  This is bordering on perfection.  Only a couple of things could make it better¡­¡± she started as Tito walked back into the room, carrying 2 plates.


    ¡°Is this one of those things?  I think Alec called it ¡®dry-aged¡¯, but I¡¯m not sure.  Never dealt with it before, but Alec spoke highly of it.  It did turn out to be some beautiful ribeyes, almost as beautiful as the ones blessed enough to enjoy them.¡± he said, with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re shitting me,¡± she said, watching the plates as he sat them down.  He bowed and left the room.  ¡°You never said dry-aged¡­¡±


    ¡°I had never tried it, but two of my friends said I needed to¡­ so I had them set it up for tonight.  I wanted it to be a surprise¡­¡±  I looked down and away, like I had done something wrong.  It was a ruse, of course, but I needed to keep her in this.


    ¡°Jacqueline, you¡¯ve done everything perfect.  It¡¯s me that has doubts about what is to happen tonight.¡±


    ¡°Doubts?¡± I asked, picking up a knife and fork, slicing into my steak.


    ¡°Let me explain.  When I first saw you in cuffs, I had written you off as dangerous, but it was a splash of flavor I wanted to taste.  When I slipped you my number.  I was going to ask you out, but I lost my nerve.  Then you called me and I got so worked up.¡±


    She started to blush.  ¡°I¡¯m not one who lets things get physical on a first date¡­¡± she said, slicing a piece of steak for herself.  She then looked at me, with her fork held up.  ¡°I was hoping that it would.  I even was prepared for it¡­¡± she said, blushing.  She put the steak in her mouth and moaned loudly.  ¡°Amazing¡­ this is by far the best steak I have ever had!¡±


    I tried it as well¡­ as a purr escaped my throat.  Remember¡­ I have a draconic sense of taste, so the flavors stacked upon themselves.  The char of the charcoal.. the richness of the aged beef, the nutty funky sprinkle of the dry age¡­ with the salt, pepper and garlic powder¡­ made a party in my mouth.  I savored the bite as long as I could¡­ then took another one to savor as well.


    After what seemed like forever, but was probably about five minutes, I looked to her and her half-eaten steak.  ¡°Did you say you were prepared for this evening?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± she replied, blushing again.


    ¡°Well, how prepared are you?¡±


    ¡°You really want to know?¡± she said, slowly and hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, reaching for and taking her hand, which was trembling.


    ¡°Um¡­ well¡­ I have a strap-on in my purse,¡± she almost whispered.


    ¡°¡­And you were hoping to use that tonight?¡± I purred¡­ letting my arcane energies mingle with my pheromones¡­ just a taste for her first time.  I finished with a seductive, ¡°¡­On me?¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ I am.  Oh God, what I am I doing?  I¡¯m sorry.  I haven¡¯t had a date in almost a year.¡±  She was almost to the point of tears when she asked, ¡°Am I being too forward?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Before this goes further, there is something you need to understand.  I have a regular lover.  She is away on business.  We are open with each other, and have no secrets.   She has urged me to find companionship in her absence.  I wanted you to know beforehand, so that there was no misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°I understand.  My thoughts are going crazy¡­ I have a need¡­ would me using this on you be a problem?  Well¡­ would it?¡±


    I flipped her hand over, lightly tracing the creases with my fingernail¡­   ¡°Shhhhhh¡­ Not at all¡­ If you remember one thing¡­¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±  Her nervousness melted away, replaced by the smell of her excitement.  I let it mingle in my nose as I stared directly in her eyes and said, ¡°Turnabout¡¯s fair play.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Her kiss was deep and devouring as we pushed into the bedroom of the apartment, slamming the door behind us.  She pinned me to the wall, continuing the kiss with all its fervor as her knee worked its way between my legs, causing the skirt to ride up and reveal nothing beneath.  I took just a second to take in the room.  There were lit candles on the nightstand, and the wall lighting had been dimmed.  Someone had worked to set things up here¡­ and it wasn¡¯t me.  I didn¡¯t need the lights¡­ but it set the mood.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t wearing any panties?¡± she asked, gulping down breaths of air as I fiddled with the buttons of her blazer.  It soon found it¡¯s way to the floor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say you weren¡¯t the only one hoping for things to go horizontal tonight..¡± I said as she lifted the top over my head, as my breasts settled against her bra.


    ¡°Those look delish¡­¡± she whispered as she stepped back, grabbing my left breast in her trembling hand.  She leaned down, slurping the taut and aching nipple into her mouth, jerking a gasping moan from my lips.  My hands found her breasts, quickly finding the front hook, and relieving April of her bosom¡¯s restraint.


    As she moved to my right breast, my hands kneaded hers, letting her large- areolaed nipples take some teasing torment from my fingernails.  This had her shivering, and I used that to seize a little control.. pushing her breasts together.  I was barely able to take both of her nipples into my mouth, but I did it¡­ and instantly had her moaning.


    I then took my left hand and opened the fly of her slacks.  Into her pants I probed, sliding past her panties to find a moistened crevice that begged to be explored.


    ¡°No.. no.. Oh GOD!¡± she yelled, as the moisture felt like a river, as she ground her hips against my hand.  I clamped my teeth down on her nipples, causing more moaning to escape from her lips, as she panted for air.  She placed both arms on my shoulders to keep her footing.


    She stepped out of her shoes as I led her to the bed, yanking off her slacks and panties as she flopped down, her eyes fighting not to cross.  ¡°Looks like I get dessert,¡± I purred as I stood over her, wearing nothing but my skirt and sandals, which were promptly removed as she watched.  Her groin, as I had suspected as I started, was devoid of hair, as I stalked to the bed, nestling my head between her opened legs.. just for a quick taste.  The smells of musk and honey bombarded my nose as I slowly drew my tongue across the hidden opening, finding out that she did taste as good as she smelled.


    Some probing with my tongue led me deeper, finding a fleshy nub that pulsed to her heartbeat.  I teased it with my lips, drawing it into my mouth, as a floodgate of juices drenched my face.  To torment just a tad, I stopped completely, and knelt on the edge of the bed, looking at her.  ¡°You have had this need for some time, huh¡­.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± she panted, with a longing look on her face.  ¡°Way too long¡­¡± she reached towards me in desperation, her body still quaking from the effects of her second climax.


    I laid down beside her, as I started nibbling on her neck from the side.  I reached down, sliding one finger into her depths, and then another¡­ flexing my wrist like a machine.. slowly getting faster and faster.


    ¡°Oh Jackie¡­ keep that up¡­right there¡­.¡± she hissed as I moved from her neck to her ear.  The moisture around my fingers increased, but not enough to my liking.  I slid back down, keeping the fingers in motion, but teasing her clitoris with my other hand.  She quaked hard enough to shake the bed as I kept up my onslaught, pushing her orgasm for as long as I could.  After several long moments.. she stopped shaking, save for some slight trembling.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, laying my head on her groin, watching her squirm at the sensations as I gently blew across her skin.  ¡°You are so receptive¡­¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been with someone who could hit my spots that well in years¡­ that was¡­unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t wear you out¡­¡± I said, sticking my lip out in a feigned pout.


    She shook her head as she moved, grabbing her purse from the far corner of the bed.  When did she do that?  I didn¡¯t even remember her bringing it in with her.  I guess we were having too much fun.


    I scooted up so I had a pillow under my head, as I watched her intently.  From my view I couldn¡¯t see what she had in purse, as that soon became the furthest thought from my mind.  ¡°Are you a screamer or a moaner?¡± she asked, her face mere inches from my groin.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°A growler,¡± I replied as I watched her face disappear between my thighs.  A tongue across my flower sent sparks all the way to my nipples, which tightened up in response.  My hands drifted there¡­ as I massaged my breasts.. letting the sensations trickle across my skin.


    A buzzing sound piqued my attention as a vibrator of sorts found the entrance to my depths.  She moved it slowly up and down, as the thousands of micro-sensations had my pleasure building.  I threw my head back as I heard a chuckle, and the vibrations became more intense and more focused.  I had experienced an artificial phallus before, but this motorized toy was totally new to me, and my body didn¡¯t initially didn¡¯t know how to react to it.


    It figured it out really quickly as I felt my head explode suddenly.  Growling like a wild animal, I pushed against the vibe, riding out the climax and yearning for another.  Before I could catch my breath, another wave of pleasure crashed into me, almost pulling me off the bed.  My eyes flew open as I moaned this time¡­ grasping the bed-sheets for dear life.


    It was then I felt this vibration stop, as she stood up on her knees.  She had the vibrator, a phallus-shaped device, still in her hand.  She retrieved a harness of sorts, fastening it to her like a pair of panties, then attached the vibe to it.  Before I could question what she was doing, she scooped my legs up with her arms, and leaned forward, slipping the still buzzing vibrator into me.


    What had started as a intimate session was quickly turning into an unbridled fuck, and I didn¡¯t care.  The strap-on was not as big as some I¡¯ve had¡­ but it was bigger than I was expecting, and I gasped as she buried it deep.  Her hips went into motion as I growled.. the vibrations flowing through my depths¡­ taking my pleasure to the skies again.  This time, when the orgasm hit me.. it didn¡¯t want to stop.  Wave after wave crashed into me.  The lighting was hazy as the sights of the pink artificial cock pistoning into me and sweat dripping heavily from April¡¯s face had me enraptured.


    ¡°Roll me over,¡± I growled, as she started to slow down, and I lost my climax chain.  She obliged with a nod, mounting up and thrusting into me once more¡­ this time, much deeper.


    It had been a century or better since I had been with anyone large enough to bump my cervix.  It was a sensation I had come to enjoy on occasion¡­ but this dragon had been so long without.  When she bumped it the first time, it threw me into the orgasmic abyss again, and I started thrusting my hips against her to keep it going.


    She struggled to keep a grip of my hips as the slapping sound of skin against skin filled the room. My tussled hair fell off of my head by my right shoulder.  There were two things I wanted tonight.  Jeriel was too small for it, but April wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep a grip on your hips,¡± she said frustratingly as I looked back to her.


    ¡°I know.. let me show you how to make it work,¡± I growled, as the pleasure I wanted I wasn¡¯t getting.  ¡°Take my hair, and wrap it around your wrists,  Trust me, it¡¯s long enough, and you won¡¯t pull it out.¡±  I flipped the long mass of hair onto my sweat-mottled back and she did as instructed.


    My head was yanked back as the pain on my scalp was mild, but was exquisite.  I reached back with my right arm.  ¡°Take my wrist!¡± I ordered, and she did so diligently.  When I reached back with my left, she grabbed it too, and started thrusting her hips once more.


    April pulled tightly against my arms and hair, pulling my chest off the bed as she was able to find a hard and fast rhythm again.  My breasts swayed, my swollen nipples rubbing against the linen as they moved, adding more to this pleasure cocktail.  It seemed to take forever for my climax to build back up, but when I found release, it left me shaking in her grip.  I found myself thrashing against her grasp¡­ moaning, ¡°More¡­More¡­¡± as April was happy to oblige.


    After another mind-numbing orgasm, April dropped my arms and hair, collapsing on my back.  ¡°I can¡¯t keep up, anymore¡­¡± she panted, slipping the vibe out of me.  I flipped over, and crawled to her, paying close attention to how the harness was attached to her.  I removed it, putting it on myself, and then took the crumpled up top-sheet and attempted to dry her and me off.


    ¡°My turn¡­¡± I said, looking at her.  She was shaking her head, before she could open her mouth in objection, I moved to the head of the bed, bringing her with me.  I leaned against the headboard, pulling her into my lap.  I lifted her up enough to penetrate her with the dildo, but instead of bouncing her against my lap, I flexed my hips, having her grind against the straps and me.


    She kissed me softly as her hips got the idea, as I watched her stomach muscles move her body against mine.  It was slow, powerful, sensual.  I held her, using my right hand to massage her breasts as I nibbled on her neck, from her larynx to the bottom of her chin.  Soft moans and gasps escaped her lips as she seemed to melt in my arms.


    I felt her body tense up as she sighed softly, tremoring as one final climax flowed through her.  She then collapsed into my embrace, closing her eyes and panting quietly.  I laid down with her, sliding the now non-vibrating piece of soft plastic from her, as she lazily poised her head on my breasts.


    ¡°I finally understand what the Cutting Crew meant¡­¡± she said, barely above a whisper.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, stroking my fingers through her now tacky hair.


    ¡°I just died in your arms tonight, she whispered, closing her eyes again.  Her breathing slowed into rhythmical pattern of someone sleeping, as I closed my own eyes.

 Chapter 12

    I woke up abruptly to find myself sitting in a chair in the middle of the bar.  I was in a bathrobe, smelling like... well¡­ me, and¡­ flowers.  My head was splitting like a cord of firewood, and the sounds of Emily and Teresa moving about the room was loud¡­ too loud.  I¡¯d been dusted.  Damn.


    ¡°You dusted me in my sleep didn¡¯t you?¡± I growled at Alec, who was spaying some floral concoction on my hear, then brushing it through.


    ¡°We had to,¡± Chaz replied, in his gravelly voice.  ¡°The bar smelled like a damned brothel.¡±


    ¡°Emily and the others didn¡¯t need to get out of morning Mass just to be bombarded like that.  Non-human¡­scents¡­ can affect humans in a different way, ya know?¡± Alec added as he spritzed more stuff on my hair.  That scent and him brushing my hair was making my headache fade, putting me in a better mood.


    He continued.  ¡°We got the bed linens in the wash, and flipped the mattress.  Chaz ran a bath and I got you cleaned up.  I didn¡¯t mess with your hair.  It was funny, watching Chaz hold you upright in the tub by your hair so it didn¡¯t get wet.  I would have never gotten done if I took the time to wash it all.  You do need me to touch it up again, though.¡±


    ¡°Split ends?¡± I asked, cringing.


    ¡°Yeah but it¡¯s to be expected.  This time It¡¯s not that bad.. a couple of inches.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡±  When I first met Alec, it took him fourteen hours to get my hair looking ¡®presentable¡¯ even for the time.  Since then he¡¯s been the one who has always taken care of my hair¡­ even letting me use fae products to help repair it when I fucked it up, which I always do.


    ¡°Did you run April off when you got here?¡± I asked, the question coming to mind.


    I watched Chaz shake his head.  ¡°You were alone when we got here, just after five.


    ¡°I see.¡±  I wonder when she left?  Doesn¡¯t matter, really.  ¡°Well y¡¯all got here early.¡±


    ¡°Chaz was with Raze and Tito, making sure they behaved themselves.  I came in early because I knew the place would need to be tidied up after your date.  Tito did at least pick up the plates and put the food away, though putting a 150 year old wine in the fridge wouldn¡¯t have been my first choice.¡±


    ¡°That wine reminds me of when I was a little girl¡­¡± I told him, as he had moved around for me to see him, his hands and brush working on my tips.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I chose it.  That and I thought it would make a better impression than a 5 year old bottle of ¡®red¡¯¡­¡± he added as he attempted to make air quotes with his hands  He then blurted out.  ¡°I was just doing this not 24 hours ago.  Hey Chaz, bring me that blue toolbox behind the counter, will ya?¡±.


    I looked up to see John walking into the bar.  The morning sun came right through the door, casting a long shadow as he entered.  This time he headed straight to the bar, placing his Glock and Beretta on the counter.  A woman following him asked, ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯re law enforcement,¡± as she closed the door behind her.


    He pointed to the sign, which had the woman chuckling.  Chaz grabbed the toolbox, then looked at the guns.


    ¡°Whatever guns Jac cleans are considered her guns.  The sign says nothing about you carrying her guns¡­¡± he growled as he brought the tackle box to Alec.  John holstered his weapons, shaking his head.  ¡°Now your piece needs to be checked.¡±


    The woman was in a beige button down blouse, and a navy blue skirt that came down to her ankles.  She had a shoulder holster, sporting a Browning of sorts.  I did a lot of research on guns when I decided I was going to start carrying.  I fired a couple of Brownings and did not like them at all.  I fell in love with my Sig, though the Smith and Wesson Shield M&P would have been my second choice.


    Seeing the gun drew me to this woman''s face for another look, as I could swear I knew her from somewhere.  While I thought about it, she and John made their way to where I was sitting.  I decided to comment on John¡¯s monotonous choice in wardrobe.


    ¡°Did you watch too many 80¡¯s cop shows growing up?¡± I jeered, canting my head to the right, stifling a laugh.


    ¡°What?  I have a new tie¡­¡± he said, feeling the need to straighten the blue striped piece of fabric.


    ¡°He¡¯s been in that same boring ass getup ever since he made detective,¡± the woman said, as she winked at me.  ¡°Now how long are you gonna stare at my wrinkles before you remember me, you old lizard¡­¡±


    Before I could come back, she started again, turning to John.  ¡°Now check this.  I¡¯m a rookie uniformed cop in Somerset County, Pennsylvania when we get a call to a downed plane.  September 11, 2001.  We roll up to see the carnage.  As I¡¯m doing a perimeter sweep, I stumbled across this massive ball of gold scales partially buried in a hillside.  I watch, losing my mind as it shrinks to reveal this woman, naked as a jaybird.  Come to find out when the passengers were fighting the terrorists, she got knocked out of the sky by the damned wing.  While I¡¯m trying to write up all of this in my report, this catholic priest shows up, and tells me not to even mention it.  Later that week I got to interview Jackie here and I am told a lot more than I wanted to know.  Taking it to my grave though¡­ that¡¯s for sure.  No one would believe me if I did tell them.¡±


    ¡°Sandra Evans,¡± I said, smiling brightly.  She feigned a bow and sat down in the booth


    John pulled up a chair,  the confused look neve leaving his face,.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know you knew her,¡± he said, almost accusingly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t recognize the name.  It has been better than twenty years.  It all came back to me when I saw her, though.¡±


    ¡°The years have been kind to you, Sandra,¡± I said, as Emily brought three bottles of beer and handed them out.  She then went back to the bar.  I added, ¡°I did owe you a beer when I saw you again.¡±


    ¡°That you did.  So John here tells me that you¡¯re getting a little too long in the tooth for the state to look the other way, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Hafta keep up the appearances for the humans¡­¡± I said, sighing.  She chuckled as John shook his head.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°How can you be so casual about this, Sandra?¡± He asked, pointing his beer at her.  He turned it up, then looked at me.  ¡°Just when I thought I had my head wrapped around something, shit like last night throws me for another loop.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he yammering on about?¡± Sandra asked.


    ¡°Did he tell you what happened?¡± I asked.


    ¡°About the dead girl and the shifter?¡± she asked.  ¡°He did.  Apparently you lost the bastard.¡±


    ¡°I guess John¡¯s not comfortable with not being at the top of the food chain,¡± Chaz said softly.


    ¡°Well for you it might be common, but for me it kinda freaks me out.  Let me guess, next you¡¯re going to tell me that fairies and devils are real too?¡±


    I nodded.  ¡°Well now that you mentioned it, Alec is a Fae and Chaz is a demon.  You knew that I was not human, John.  Where is all of this coming from?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, I just.. It¡¯s hard to digest when you¡¯re sitting in a room with religious stories and fairy tales.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Johnny boy, calm down.  They put on their pants one leg at a time, just like we do.  They pay their taxes, just like we do¡­¡± she stopped and pointed her bottle at me.  ¡°You do pay your taxes, right?¡±


    I laughed.  ¡°Yes I pay my taxes.  Ninety percent of the time I¡¯m just like everyone else, with the exception of the fact I¡¯m older than dirt and I can fly¡­¡±  I sipped my beer, shaking my head in amusement.  ¡°Now¡­ how are we gonna get me young again?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s a lot easier than you¡¯d think.  Since more and more non-humans have been coming out of the woodwork.  The Federal Government has created a group to handle such affairs.  They¡¯re actually talking about making a registry¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way in the nine hells that I would put my name on a non-human hit-list, Sandra.  I¡¯ve got too much coming at me right now as it is.  Putting us on a list, will lead to us being seen as varmints and then it¡¯s open season on the dragons.  The angels have been trying this since the Crusades.  I still fight it to this day.¡±


    ¡°Now this is why we need those like you in this, Jackie.  The non-humans don¡¯t have a voice.  We don¡¯t know their concerns, their needs, their issues.  You¡¯re seen as the thunderhead on the horizon, as we wonder if we¡¯re going to get hit hard, or it¡¯s gonna blow past us.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Alec said, gripping my hair tightly.  He could tell I was upset.  ¡°We have been here on this rock a long time, and I mean a very long time.  There are some who can tell you if Noah had acne or not, and some who can tell you if Napoleon¡¯s belly button was an innie or an outie (it was an innie, I know) or could even tell you what Lilith''s hair color was.  Do you think we lived this long if we were prone to kicking the hornet¡¯s nest?¡±  He paused a moment for emphasis.  ¡°The fae are the closest to humans, and have been more intertwined in their history far more than the other non-humans, save the elves.. but they just get a bad rap all around.  I know some prominent fae in government that would be willing to help you out, minus the register.  I¡¯ll send you their way.¡±  He sighed.  ¡°Sorry Jac, I can''t do this now.  Maybe tomorrow.  I¡¯m too antsy to do this and have it look good for tonight,¡±


    ¡°So, you have a hot date tonight?¡± Sandra jeered.


    John chimed in.  ¡°I think that was last night.  Remember Officer Madison at the station?¡±


    ¡°You mean the red-head who was all floaty and blushy?¡±  Sandra asked.


    Alec joined the fray, calming down a bit.  ¡°Now we did not witness anything, but there was 200 year old wine, dry aged steak, and the strong need to do laundry this morning.  But we can understand, with her partner out of brown, that this old dragon has a need or two¡­ but enough of that.   Now I have a laptop behind the counter.  If you can log into your Marshal site, I can get Jac¡¯s age doctored and we can have a wondermous day.¡±


    Sandra sat there for a second, taken aback.  ¡°If you can do it so easily, why can¡¯t you just do it yourself?¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s an easy one.  With you here I don¡¯t have to do something illegal like hacking your database¡­again.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give them some time.  John, come with me.¡±  While Sandra and Alec worked on making me legal, I led John down to the basement.


    ¡°You have two basements?¡± he asked as we headed down the second set of stairs.


    ¡°Like I''ve told you.  This used to be an old biker bar.  the apartment used to be a VIP lounge, with its own bar, bandstand and the works  This level was for the more nefarious dealings.¡±  I gave a thick stone door a push, leading into my personal sanctum.


    John sighed in awe as he saw shadowboxes containing gold coins,  ¡°Wow, you are like the fabled dragons, surrounding yourself with loot.¡±


    ¡°Well you are somewhat mistaken.  Those coins, although gold, aren¡¯t authentic.  The oldest one is less than 50 years old.¡±


    ¡°Not authentic?  They look like really old gold coins to me.¡±


    ¡°Let me explain.  Throughout the ages, I have collected relics of the past.  Mainly ancient coin stamps.  Greek, and Roman coin stamps are the most common ones I¡¯ve found.  I did happen to acquire a pre-Caesar stamp.  I¡¯m looking for the stamps for the Lydian Lion coin, that¡¯s like my holy grail.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± was all John could say, as he entered the room.  Outside of my mountain home, this is my sanctuary,   I have projects here that help me clear my mind.  John stopped at one.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking at a reproduction of one of the first silk looms ever built.  It¡¯s not done, though.  building it from memory.


    He looked around some more.  ¡°So the bikes here were left from the old tenants of this place?¡±


    ¡°Actually, no.  The Triumph is mine.  1975 Triumph Trident T160.  A good friend brought it back from England.  I¡¯ve retrofitted it from the ground up, and I love it.¡±


    ¡°So you ride.  My best friend from school rides.  Never got into it, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°If you want to learn, I know people.  I¡¯m not the best one to teach you, sorry.¡±


    He scratched his head.  ¡°It¡¯s fine.  So what¡¯s the story on the other bike?¡±


    ¡°The Road King is my gift to him.  I¡¯ve chromed it out, added the fat back tire, and am customizing the tank.¡±  I walked over to a work desk, and picked up a primer-gray gas tank, partially covered with gold scales¨Cmy gold scales.


    He walked over to me.  ¡°Oh, wow¡­ Talk about tedious.  I take it, those are your scales?¡±


    I actually felt my face heating up.  ¡°My facial scales, yes.  They¡¯re the smallest scales I have that I can do this with.¡±  I found myself whispering.


    He looked puzzled.  ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.  it¡¯s just...  I do hope he likes it¡­¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± he asked.  I nodded softly, holding it out for him.  He ran his fingers across the pattern of dime-sized scales, gasping.  ¡°They¡¯re soft..? Like feathers?  I never could have imagined a dragon having scales like this¡­¡±


    ¡°The scales on my face and wings are softer.  The ones on my wings are more leathery, and frankly easier to work with than these.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡± he started to ask, as my thoughts went to him¡­ one of two males to ever capture my heart.  John¡¯s words trailed off.  Without me saying anything, he knew.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said as he took the gas tank from my hands, setting it back on the table. He started again, after giving me my moment.  ¡°Thanks for the tour.  Sandra probably thinks you kidnapped me for some nefarious acts.  She¡¯s always trying to hook me up with someone.¡±  He walked back up the stairs.  I pushed the massive stone door shut, then passed through it.  ¡°So that¡¯s how you secure the place.¡±


    ¡°Those who are looking to rob me can¡¯t get in¡­ and those who can get in won¡¯t find anything in there worth stealing.  Oh, you mind dropping me off by the Flayre?  I DJ there on occasion, and I¡¯ve been asked to sub in tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing..¡±  Jorn replied, with an unfamiliar look in his eye.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m going to need to grab a bite before I head in, so Wendy¡¯s?  I¡¯ll buy.¡±


    We were walking back into the bar by this time.  Chaz heard what I said.  Alec was in his element.  A herd of elephants could stomp by and he wouldn¡¯t notice.


    Chaz looked at Alec and shook his head.  ¡°I¡¯ll get Twinkle Toes in gear.   Meet you at the club.¡±

 Chapter 13

    John and I sat in the Wendy¡¯s parking lot as he passed me my food.. two classic Triples, plain with extra cheese and a Sprite and a large chocolate Frosty.  He got a Jr. bacon cheeseburger and some nuggets¨Cno drink.  I opened my burger as I watched the cars go by on Biltmore avenue,with a black minivan leaving the Shell station, waiting to cross into traffic.


    ¡°You could have volunteered to take me there,¡± he said, chuckling as he pointed across the street.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a patrol car.  City pays for your gas.¡±


    ¡°No.. LJS.   I love seafood.¡±  He chomped on a nugget.


    I shook my head.  ¡°If you¡¯ve eaten as much seafood as I have in my lifetime, you¡¯d soon grow tired of it.¡±


    ¡°But I thought you were a dragon that could fly and just catch whatever you wanted to eat.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, unwrapping a straw and shoving it into my Frosty.  It¡¯s technically soft-serve ice ream, but being able to drink a Frosty through a straw is quite the attention getter.


    I then replied.  ¡°Oh, if it was only that simple. Coastal villages were easy to slip into and out of.  There were times that I could go out and hunt, but most of the time growing up it was do what you could to hide.¡±


    ¡°Were humans that hard on your kind?¡± he asked, unwrapping his sandwich as I took a bite of mine.


    ¡°Not as bad as you¡¯d think.  With the ability to look like anyone you could imagine¡­ Blending in with the humans is easy.  Hiding from and defending yourselves from the angels is a different matter.¡±


    ¡°Angels?¡±  He stopped mid-bite.  ¡°I thought angels were religious myths¡­ or benevolent beings doing God¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°For the humans, maybe.  Our kind have been systemically hunted down to near extinction many times throughout our history here.¡±  I took out my anger on my Frosty, fighting for that cold, chocolatey goodness.  Once I won, I turned to him.  ¡°Ever wonder why the dinosaurs are classified by ¡®periods¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± he answered with s shrug.  ¡°Hadn¡¯t put a lot of thought into it.  But if they were dragons¡­ that proves your case.¡±  He scratched his head for a moment.  ¡°Wait¡­ but you can walk around as human now.¡±


    ¡°But even that, in a couple of ways, is due to the angels.  An angel showed us how to take a human shell, and even the body itself isn¡¯t completely human.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Huh?  You look like a human.  Also, the doctors I talked to didn¡¯t find anything non-human when you got shot¡­¡±


    ¡°First of all, it was because of Jeriel that the doctors didn¡¯t find anything.  Secondly, this body was special.  It had a human mother, but the father was an angel.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a second.  So is that how they explain the creation of Jesus?¡±  His voice held emotion, almost anger.


    I sighed, choosing not to react.  ¡°I have never met that person.  wasn¡¯t even on the same continent when He lived and died.  Every dragon I¡¯ve met that told the tale said the same thing.  Christ was conceived without sex with anyone¡­ human or angelic.  The Creator of this planet is the only one who could have pulled that off.  He was not like this body.  He was conceived solely at the behest of the Creator.¡±


    My explanation brought a smile to his face.  Was not hoping to get into a theological argument today.  ¡°So, how do you classify that body then?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Ever heard of the Nephilim?¡± I asked, as I finished my first burger, reaching for the second.


    ¡°Hold on.. Old Testament.. Goliath the giant.. wasn¡¯t he one?¡±


    ¡°I have little doubt.  The entire world in those days was being populated, not just the Middle East.  Those who were larger than the norm, or were stronger, or had powers, most likely had an angel, most likely a fallen one, as a dad.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about things like Stonehenge? and the wiccans?  Salem Mass¡­ etc?¡±


    Stonehenge is a funny thing.  You ask the humans, and they can¡¯t answer.  You ask the fae, and they swear it was the dragons when the two races started to get along again.  You ask the dragons,  they swear it was the fae.  I wasn¡¯t there,so I can¡¯t answer.  The Salem witch trials¡­ well the truth about that is out already.  The witch hunts in Europe were more aimed at us. Nephilim bodies are uniquely set up for dragons to use.  They¡¯re able to handle mystical or magical power.. they are half angelic after all.  They are also resistant to aging and disease, and  don¡¯t begin to stink and rot after death.  Cremation or ¡®last rites¡¯ does remove the divine, so it can return to the earth.  The thing is, until the 20th century, removing the head of a Nephilim made it impossible for a dragon to inhabit the body.¡±


    ¡°Burning at the stake and the guillotine make sense now.  So the humans joined the angels in the hunting of your kind?  I thought Christ taught love and forgiveness?¡±


    ¡°He did.  Many things changed during the Annis Domini, including the attitude of many of the angels.  They pretty much stopped the brutal hunts for our kind¡­ for a time at least.  The angels still set on hunting us turned to the humans, and well, it went from there.¡±


    He finished his last nugget, shaking his head.  ¡°I would love to hear you sit down and talk with my mom.  She would find all of this fascinating.¡±


    I laughed.  ¡°I¡¯d have to ask permission first.  The angels do their best to protect their Christian flock, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Hold on.  How did you know my mother is a Christian?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Simple.  You were taught the stories, and you believe.  I may have issues with the angels, but I do believe in the Creator, and He wouldn¡¯t have saved the dragons, or the fae for that matter, from the destruction of their own world if He was not the loving sort.¡±

 Chapter 14

    It had been over a month since I had DJed at all, and now I¡¯m being asked to sub for Narkavis Williams, AKA Pharaoh Silk, A local celebrity and one of the fastest rising stars in hip-hop music.  Narcavis grew up in Brooklyn, and was able to learn from some of the greats.


    In the early nineties, after the fiasco in Asheville, Jeriel was in school at FSU, getting her second doctorate.  There I fell in love with turntablism, with some heavy hitters showing me how to make magic with my fingertips.


    We met up about seven or so years ago as he worked on transitioning to adulthood.  He fell in with The Serpents, but was one who busted his ass to stay clean and away from the illegal shit.


    When the Flayre opened, he started out as what he called a sound designer¡­ basically someone who played music.  He got more confident and started cutting things up not too long after, as hearing him woke up that part of me.  We¡¯ve had loads of fun cutting up and scratching records.  We even did a turntable version of dueling banjos for a televised event.  The crowd loved it and it made him famous, though he has always played at the Flayre when he could.  If you asked him, He¡¯d describe me as a rival, though I see him more as a musical peer.


    The thoughts of DJing again started to excite me.  I had to fight my way back to reality as John pulled into the parking lot at the Flayre.


    Chaz met me at the door.  ¡°Alec has your DJ clothes and sent me out to get your foot locker.¡±  I kept the vinyl records I liked to DJ with in an old cedar chest.  Narkavis laughed when he first saw me with it, until I was pulling out records that he had never seen or used before.  I got respect, after I slapped his hands for trying to sample my collection.


    I walked into the club at a quarter to five, as Roanna opened the doors for me quickly and without even a prompt.  ¡°You spinnin¡¯ tonight?¡± she asked as I nodded, patting her on the shoulder.  She was dark complexioned, five-foot six, and had a typical boy-band haircut.  She was also built like she hit the weights as much as Chaz did.  The tan employee shirt did precious little to hide the muscle definition, or her a-cups either


    I passed the bar as I headed to the DJ station.  The barkeep was Angie, a sort, light-skinned girl, barely 21 with enough pudge to hide her curves and a face that acne hadn¡¯t yet decided to let go of.  ¡°Madrecita!¡± she yelled, as I got a little closer.


    ¡°Hello Angie, slow day?¡± I asked, merely trying to be friendly.  Exposure to her quickly grated my nerves for some reason, so I tried to keep things short.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Chaz?¡± she asked, and finally it made sense to me why she bugged me so much.  Her inflections and reactions told it all.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be here in a bit.  Want me to tell him to come over here?¡± I said¡­ just testing the theory.  She fell right in.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do that?  Awesome¡­ he¡¯s so big and fine¡­ I swear I¡¯ll make him leave his girlfriend¡­¡±


    ¡°Tone the desperation down child. Not attractive.¡±  I left her beginning to fume as I finally made my way to the DJ station.  It was raised about a foot or so, and was large enough to hold two setups (Narkavis and I found out in the past), about seven foot square.


    Narcavis was there, talking to a pale-skinned person with a shaved head.  Their wardrobe was quite neutral, but I saw the world through my sense of smell most of all.  This person stopped me before I could get too close.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± I was asked.


    ¡°Ray, she¡¯s cool.  Ray, meet Jacqueline Tannin, AKA DJ Maya Gold.  She¡¯s the spinster who will be subbing for me later tonight.  Jackie, this is Ray, my roadie and lover for the past year.¡±


    ¡°Lover?¡±  I thought it a great time to mess with him and find out some info as well.  ¡°What can Ray give you that I couldn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Well, sex for one¡­¡±  he blurted out flatly.


    Ray blushed deeply.  ¡°So you didn¡¯t sleep with him?¡±


    Narkavis answered for me.  ¡°It wasn¡¯t for me trying, that¡¯s for sure.  But, if you met her girlfriend, you¡¯d understand.  I swear she looks like a china doll come to life.¡±  He then glared at me.  ¡°Don¡¯t steal my Ray from me, okay?  If you want to bounce with her, I have to be involved.  No backstabbing or stealing my girl, shit, aight?¡±


    Ray was a female, identifying as one too.  She glared at him, hitting him on the arm as I laughed.  ¡°Thank the Goddess.  I can only take so much flirting,¡± I said, putting my arms around them both.  ¡°Seriously though.  Glad to see you happy with your lover.¡±  I looked at Ray.  ¡°Take care of him, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh I will, Narkavis is my world,¡± she replied with a smile.


    Narcavis pulled us close together.  ¡°Ray, remember when I told you that there were people with special gifts?¡± emphasized with air quotes.


    ¡°Uh.. duh¡­.¡± She spat in reply.


    ¡°Well Jackie here is one of those people.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, so what special gifts do you have?¡± Ray asked, her hands drifting to her hips.


    ¡°Well for starters I initially wanted to ask our preferred gender, because your appearance differed from your scent.  I could smell the estrogen in your skin.  It¡¯s like a perfume that I can smell and recognize.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda messed up though.  You can scent people like a hound.  Anywho¡­ I¡¯ll go and get the in-house set up while you get the Serato ready.¡±  She walked off as my head jerked towards him.


    ¡°You got a Serato?  Alec was talking about that awhile back..¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real nice.  You can cue up your loops and switch out or mix in real time.  The magic is tn the controller.  I went with the Pioneer DJ DDR-SR2.  I just like the feel of it.. though it took me a minute to figure it all out.  Roland has a controller out.. I know you swear by Roland.  I think you¡¯d like it.¡±


    ¡°Alec and I¡¯ll check them out the next time we head to Charlotte. Does it have that vinyl feel?¡±


    He shook his head.  ¡°There are some setups that do, but not this one in my opinion.  I mean I like it and Serato makes all the difference¡­ but to me that¡¯s one of the things it took me awhile to get past.¡±


    ¡°I gotcha.  I¡¯ll stick to my setup for now.  Chaz has started setting up some beats for me.. and I¡¯m running the Rhythm Performer now.  Alec has his laptop hooked in there somehow.  I let him handle all of the tech stuff¡­ but he did show me how to run beats off of it, if I want to run something on the go.¡±


    ¡°You dropped the 808?  I know the world is ending now,¡± he laughed.


    Speaking of my table, I have what I call a modest setup.  I have two Technics SL-1200 turntables, turned ninety degrees, in what I¡¯ve heard called ¡®Battle Style¡¯, with the tone-arms at the top.  I have then fed into a SH-DJ1200 mixer, still called the ¡®Championship¡¯ mixer.  It¡¯s simple and I learned on this setup.  I have a Roland TR-8 Rhythm Performer to add depth to my mixes.  Alec loves it.


    ¡°Well I need to get to work,¡± he said as Ray walked back up.  ¡°Oh.  I told Alec when I talked to him.  Make sure you spin in some country tunes.  They¡¯re running that Rodeo Promo and we¡¯re supposed to try to cater to the crowds¡­ Okay?  Talk in a bit.¡±  I left him to see Alec walking through the doors, carrying a backpack.  I made my way over to him.


    ¡°Chaz bringing my music in?¡± I asked, taking the pack as he handed it to me.  I slid my left arm through a strap and onto my shoulder it went.


    ¡°Yeah, though he should have been out here by now.¡± he remarked, looking around a moment.  ¡°I threw some new lines on the laptop, and set the left side of the locker with the discs they¡¯d work with.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ this was so spur of the moment.  I didn¡¯t have time to set up.¡±  I patted my shoulder.  ¡°So what did you bring me?¡±


    ¡°A blue tube top with orange cargo pants.  Think Clemson Orange.  I got you a white ball cap and a pair of aviators.  Total retro look.¡±


    ¡°Retro, so did you bring the Chuck Taylors then?¡± I asked, chuckling.


    ¡°Nah, I brought a blue pair of Airwalks.  I thought the skater vibe worked better.  After talking to Pharaoh, I debated on bringing cowgirl boots, denim and flannel¡­ but I wanted you to be comfortable out there.¡±


    ¡°You need to behave!¡± I chuckled, hitting his arm.  ¡°Thanks Alec,¡±  I draped my arms around his neck, giving him a good squeeze.


    He returned the embrace.  ¡°Now hurry before you miss his set.¡±


    The entrance to the employee side of the Flayre was right past the end of the bar.  Back there had a break room with a microwave, a fridge and a table with some chairs, and a lounge, which was much larger and had a couple of couches and a wall- mounted TV.  Normally there¡¯s no one in the lounge this time of day.  It¡¯s busy so the employees are working or home.  Tonight was different, however.  I should have figured something was up when I saw Tito grabbing a glass as I walked past.


    I walked into the lounge to find a very naked Angie kneeling on the edge of one of the couches, with her fingers clamped onto the back of it so tightly her knuckles were turning white.  She was panting and moaning, as she turned to look at me, mascara lines running down her face.


    ¡°She said she was on her break,¡± Chaz said, casually in his gravelly voice.  His jeans were around his ankles, as his hands gripped the barkeep¡¯s hips.  I took a quick moment to approach and give Angie a look over.  She was not one I would find attractive, but I find beauty in many things, even pudgy young women.


    Chaz¡¯ thrusts were sending ripples up her body, as I watched her breasts flop against the back of the couch.  I reached out and grabbed one, giving it a squeeze.  It did have some firmness to it, though her weight was not going to be kind to them as she aged.  ¡°You need to start hitting the gym, or these will be knee knockers before you hit thirty.¡±


    If she replied to it, it was lost in her moans.  I walked back to Chaz, watching his enlarged staff punish her thoroughly.  He looked at me.  ¡°I wanted her ass, but she couldn¡¯t deliver¡­ so this had to work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bit shallow by the look.  Youth or inexperience?¡±


    ¡°Any deeper and I''ll damage this one.  Some women just can¡¯t handle the fifteen inches of terror¡­¡± he chuckled as I walked over to an adjacent couch, and started undressing.


    ¡°Well, is my table ready?¡± I asked, unhooking my bra and letting it slide down my arms.


    ¡°Just about.  Alec wants to change the needles¡­ said something about your last jam not sounding right.¡±


    ¡°It sounded just fine to me.. so it must be an Alec thing¡­¡± I mused, as I grabbed the tube top and started working into it.


    ¡°But he has the laptop hooked up and loaded, so you¡¯re good there.¡±  It was then I started to hear a squeak from the other couch.  Chaz must have increased his rhythm.


    I turned around to watch him as I finished dressing.  Don¡¯t get me wrong, Chaz has a nice ass, and we have had sex in the past, but I prefer more intimacy with my sex, and from witness and experience, all Chaz knows how to do is fuck.  It¡¯s enjoyable, and it curls my toes, but that¡¯s all it is.


    I slipped my feet in a brand new pair of blue sneakers and grabbed the backpack, now filled with my old clothes, and tossed it back on my shoulder.  ¡°Don¡¯t be all night, Angie does have a shift to finish.¡±


    ¡°We still have twenty four minutes,¡± he said, looking at his watch.  ¡°As for work, if she can¡¯t walk when I¡¯m done.  That¡¯s her fault.  She attacked me.¡±


    I had to laugh.  ¡°You getting attacked,¡± I chuckled, attempting to gather some composure.  ¡°Now that¡¯s rich.¡±


    A thick bass line thumped on my chest as The Tractors¡¯ famous chorus blared through the club.  Closing the employee door, I watched some line dancing as I walked back into the club.  I stopped at the bar, leaning with my back up to it.  Tito, behind me said, ¡°You want anything?¡±


    ¡°A brown derby, a seven and seven, a little light, on the rocks and a draft for Chaz when he gets out here..  You got someone to call to replace Angie tonight?  She¡¯s in the back¡­ really utilizing her free time.¡±  I made fists then did the thrusting-hips-sex gesture.  He laughed at me,


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.. she¡¯s always screwing during her lunch break.  Raze is getting tired of it.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he let her escort then?¡±


    ¡°Just because she¡¯ll fuck anything that walks doesn¡¯t mean people are willing to pay for the experience.¡±  Tito let out a dry chuckle.  ¡°Anyways, she¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, though?  Chaz has a hold of her¡­¡± I said, turning to grab drinks.


    He shrugged.  ¡°Well She¡¯s gonna hafta finish her shift regardless.  I don¡¯t have anyone to call in.  With Raze ¡®MIA¡¯ and the rodeo in town, things here are a nightmare.¡±


    ¡°The rodeo?  Narkavis was saying something about that too.  I thought this place didn¡¯t get any of those crowds.¡±


    ¡°Last year we didn¡¯t.  Raze decided to radio advertise, so he sent out commercials trying to cater to everyone.  He even went as far as saying ¡®half cover with a rodeo stub.¡±


    ¡°Ah hell¡­ but I haven¡¯t seen this place jumping like this.  Good luck!¡° I said,


    I went to walk away, but was grabbed by my shoulders and led to a stool.  ¡°Sit,¡±  I heard Alec say, as I felt a brush go through my hair.  ¡°What did you think of Ray?¡± he asked as I sat there, sipping my drink while he worked.


    ¡°She¡¯s nice¡­ looks like a good fit for Narkavis.  You?¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Really techie.  But she doesn¡¯t feel human to me.¡±  He started gathering my hair up to put it in a ponytail.


    ¡°She smelled human, and I was respectable.  They appear to compliment each other¡­ and he¡¯s happy.  That¡¯s what counts.  So, did you get the needles switched out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.. I heard a little bit of drag during the end of your last set.  So I replaced them.  The old ones I left just under the turntables in case of emergency.¡±


    ¡°I have better ears than you do, and everything sounded fine,¡± I argued


    ¡°But I have a better ear for this stuff.  Did I ever tell you about when we lived across the street from Pyotr Tchaikovsky?¡±


    ¡°Too many times to count,¡± I groaned, as he snatched the ball cap from my hand, feeding my ponytail through the hole in the back.  Once it was happily on my head, he walked off, heading towards the back.


    ¡°Who?¡± Tito asked, sounding puzzled.


    ¡°The guy who wrote the original music for the Nutcracker ballet,¡± I said, looking at my glass, now half empty.  ¡°It¡¯s strange, though.  None of his family have ever mentioned living in Russia¡­¡± I stated, draining my glass, then leaving it on the bar as I started towards the DJ station.


    It¡¯s easy for me to get lost in music.  That might stem from the Mayan festivals of the past, but it¡¯s true today.  I floated through the people on the dance floor, flowing like a serpent with the rhythm of the bass line, so me associating myself with this group was a good fit, huh.


    The instant pressure of headphones against my ears snapped me back to the present.  ¡°What the hell?¡± I yelped, turning to see Alec leading me towards the DJ station.


    Ray was rolling away Narcavis¡¯ rig as I looked at mine, just sitting there, like a lonesome puppy waiting for someone to play.  He pushed the headphones back.  ¡°I¡¯m gonna plug you in now.  I have what he wanted cued up for you.  The laptop¡¯s on standby and the Rhythm Performer¡¯s hot.  Now knock ¡®em dead!¡±  He smiled, connecting a 6.25 mm jack to my headset, then jamming the other end of the wire into my EQ.  The GLI also feeds into it.  I was suddenly live, as I looked at the shit-eating¡¯ grin of Narkavis.


    ¡°Today you guys are in for a real treat.¡± He said over the mic, as the music faded out.


    ¡°You that eager to lose again?¡± I bantered back at him, uncertain as to what he was referring to.


    I looked at the ¡®tables and almost wanted to throw something at him.  Alec had records cued up on both turntables.  The white labels both read, ¡°Close encounters, tone cuts¡±.  These were not my records.  They were Narcavis¡¯.


    He covered his mic and said to me, ¡°Those are better tone samples than I used last time. I wanted you to use them.¡±  He then spoke into the mic.  ¡°You slaughtered me last time, so this time I brought help.¡±


    I nodded and addressed the crowd.  ¡°Look at this!  Instead of taking the L gracefully, like a REAL man, he comes back in here talking the same trash, now saying he needs help.  So who is this ¡®help¡¯ you brought in?  Who is going to avenge your ass-whipping?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ would be me,¡± an unfamiliar voice said as I watched a tall man in a cowboy hat walk towards me, mic in hand.  He had what I thought was an odd shaped guitar case, until he sat it down, and opened it, removing a shiny banjo from it.  The crowd went crazy. I pushed a button on the EQ to talk to the other headsets.


    ¡°Who is that?  And what in the hell have you gotten me into Narcavis?¡±


    ¡°That is the banjo player from the bluegrass group that played at the rodeo earlier tonight.  Once I got confirmation that you were going to be here.  I had my agent pull a string or two.¡±


    ¡°So you actually want me to spin our little gig against an actual banjo picker?  Are you trying to hurt me?¡± I growled.


    ¡°It¡¯s all in fun.  It¡¯s actually being televised, and there¡¯s a fundraiser involved too.  The money raised here will be donated to the Shriner¡¯s Hospital in the name of the winner.  So play along, Jackie.  Have fun!¡±


    He¡¯s gonna be the death of me, I swear.  All I could do was do my best.  I cut the open mic on.  ¡°So let me get this straight.  You want ME.. your turntable queen, to duel this gentleman, with a real banjo?¡±


    The crowd said, ¡°Yeah!¡± But it was a dismal response.


    ¡°Do you think he can keep up?¡± I yelled back.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± They were starting to warm up a bit.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡± I yelled, as they yelled louder.  I taunted the crowd two more times, working them to a fever pitch before I nodded to the gentleman, in his black Stetson, black button down shirt, jeans and cowboy boots, who had to actually start this groove.


    Let me take a minute to explain how this originally sounded. We based this off of the dueling banjos clip from the movie ¡®Deliverance¡¯. Narcavis was banjo and I was the guitar.  I added some clapping into it for depth, and in that battle I won.  Doing the set against a real banjo was trying really hard to throw me for a loop. As I sound- checked my cues, he plugged in the five-stringed instrument and looked to me.


    ¡°Relax,¡± he said to me, as I slid  the headphone ears back.  ¡°I¡¯ll tempo it a little slow to start¡­ and can cover a little if you have an issue.¡±


    I nodded, re-seated my ears, and made eye contact with him.


    As the way we had originally done it, the tone cuts started this show.  A few slow notes filled the club, as I tried to get into the groove with this part of the gig.  I mean, I was the one who taught Narcavis the tone parts, and it was easier than my norm¡­ but it felt like a new pair of pants.  They fit, but feel¡­ odd..  He gave his response slowly, his picks clear and sharp.  I did like the way these samples sounded with the banjo.  Could I keep it up?


    I playfully bounced back, as I made a funny face at him at my ending.  The beginning, well for us at least, was supposed to be light and fun.  He followed flawlessly, adding the intro riff to ¡®Sweet child of Mine¡¯ to the end.  I was impressed. He then gave a big and bad pose to everyone.  I stopped and clapped for him, which warranted a laugh from the crowd.


    My next cuts marked the challenge, as I had to answer this.  I matched the lead in, adding some classic ¡®Layla¡¯ in to hammer it home.


    ¡°¡±Oh, it¡¯s on!¡± we heard him say as he picked it back up.  ¡®Smoke on the Water¡¯ was the closer this time, and it drew applause from the crowd.  Don¡¯t forget that he has an actual instrument and I have 5 tones cued up on two turntables.  This was getting competitive, fast.  I rebutted, playing with the tones a moment before settling into ¡®I Can¡¯t Get No Satisfaction¡¯.  I know it was off, but it sounded close enough to get the audience to sing along.


    He clapped for a moment, nodding to me, then made this grand gesture of getting an idea.  He pointed the neck of the banjo at me, answering the duelling call, ending with the intro to ¡®Enter Sandman¡¯  . I was running out of trick cuts, fast.  ¡®Pour Some Sugar on Me¡¯ was my answer, though I could hear me botch it.  Apparently I was the only one who noticed it.


    He winked at me and I exhaled in relief.  The showboating was over and we could get into the heart of this jam.  Things began to speed up, as the tempo increased, until it was full on.  Of the various levels of this track, this one was easier.  Tone-cutting was something that I did well.. as in ¡®Better than Narcavis¡¯ well.  That and this sample had five tones.  I was pacing off of the real deal, so that did make a difference.  I did what I usually did, sped the platter speeds to seventy-eighty RPM, and had it spinning during the set.  The tones¡¯ section being near the beginning of side ¡®A¡± (meaning that it was closer to the outer edge of the record, where they had been placed) just made it that much easier.


    I noticed fingers on the Rhythm Performer as some high hats and a deep bass sequence added to the composition.  I took a quick moment to look up and around.  We had line dancing, and people clapping to the beat.  Even my challenger was tapping his heel to the music.  He was getting into it as much as I did.  As I focused back on the turntables, I sensed arcane energies coming from him.  I answered in kind, sprinkling just a dash of my own mana into my mix, and the result was amazing.


    As the set drew to a close, and the last instrument versus instrument stand-off, I had to slam the left mixer slider down (and off).  The brand new stylus (the fancy name for a record needle) snapped off the housing and flew through the air.  I had to finish on the right table, though the sync of the two was really helping me out a ton.  As we built up and dropped the finale, cheering drowned out the sound of the right turntable arm dragging against the record.  Both needles had broken.  I wanted to scream at Alec SO bad.


    A local radio personality grabbed the mic and was talking more to the recording than anything else as the banjo player approached.  I left Alec to fix my babies as I took my headphones off and met with him.


    ¡°Ace McDugall, nice to jam with you.  That was insane.  I¡¯da never even thought of putting that together with a DJ.  How did you come up with it, Miss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Jacqueline Tannin¡­ a pleasure.¡±  I shook his hand.  ¡°The concept started out as a parody.  Narcavis, or Pharaoh as you call him, wanted to have fun with and pick on the bluegrass classic.  I remember listening to and enjoying bluegrass music in my youth, so I told him that if he wanted my help on it, it needed to be tasteful and respectful, even if he disliked the genre.¡±


    ¡°Well that is amazing.  Hey I know someone who knows someone.  You think that we could, I dunno¡­ figure out how to get this from y¡¯all and recorded?  I think we could make a buck or two.¡±


    I gave him a ¡®cat that ate the canary¡¯ grin.  ¡°I dunno, there, Ace.¡±  I fist-bumped his shoulder lightly.  ¡°Are you sure that any deals would be nulled if you get caught weaving the arcane into your music?¡±


    His eyes grew to the size of golf balls and he coughed, leaning close to me.  ¡°How did you know?  You can¡¯t be older than I am¡­ a few centuries at the most.¡±


    Great, a fae.. and an ignorant fae at that.  I was going to mess with him a little.  ¡°Ace... you from Asheville originally?¡±


    ¡°No.  Moved her in the early 1920s,¡± he replied with a nod.


    ¡°Then you had to have seen the weird scrape marks on one of the roofs of the Basilica, right?¡±  Here¡¯s the bait¡­


    ¡°Yeah, I have actually.  They kind of look like scales marks of some kind.  So I take it you¡¯ve seen them too?¡±


    Ha.. I got you.  ¡°I made those marks.  I was flying back from my home in the mountains when this fog had settled over the city.  I tore out 5 scales on that roof.  Thankfully my lover was able to retrieve them before the humans found them.¡±


    I stood there, watching Ace pick his jaw up off the floor.  ¡°I heard the stories, but never believed that dragons were real.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re from a Court family?¡± Alec asked, walking up to us.  Narcavis was on my table, testing out the needles, and keeping the music up.  I thought he had to leave early?  He did this on purpose, that ass.  He is SO screwed¡­.


    ¡°Yeah, We¡¯re not as active in the Court these days, though,¡± Ace answered.


    ¡°That explains It,¡± I remarked.  ¡°The Court was and is still too tied in with the angels.  They aren¡¯t going to speak of the damned, like the demons, the fallen, the dark fae, or even the dragons.¡±


    ¡°Damn, they sound like some religions I¡¯ve dealt with,¡± I heard, startling me as I turned my head left to see Ray speaking.  Ray was here?  Ah shit.  I covered my face.


    She continued, explaining.  ¡°Calm down, will ya?  I sorta¡­ dated¡­ a dark fae when I was in University..¡±


    Alec asked, ¡°What do you mean, sorta?¡±


    Ray sighed.  ¡°I fooled around with one of my professors.  He dropped his glamor during intercourse.  Let¡¯s just say I learned a lot that day.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me that you haven¡¯t discussed it with Narkavis¡­.¡± I pleaded, taking her hands.


    ¡°He doesn''t speak of his past lovers, so I don''t either. We¡¯ve agreed to focusing on the future, and the past¡­ well¡­ needs to stay there.  Have you told him anything about the fae or about you?¡±


    ¡°He knows I¡¯m different, and that¡¯s it,¡± I stated, looking up.  ¡°Speaking of which.. I guess I¡¯m going to have to get him off the tables if he¡¯s planning to make his flight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.  He¡¯s a groomsman in his cousin¡¯s wedding.  I¡¯ll be driving up tomorrow at some point.  I¡¯ll get him to give you a call when it¡¯s all said and done.  I¡¯d love to catch lunch sometime.  Ciao!¡±  She walked off, dragging Narkavis with her.


    Slipping into my space, I cut my eyes at Alec, hearing a track by Orbital lead in as Narkavis walked away.  ¡°Both of your new needles broke on me¡­¡±


    ¡°Look. Jac.¡± Alec started, pacing his hands on mine.  ¡°I didn¡¯t want the old ones to do that on you.  I was trying out a new supplier¡­ trying to save a little.  Your coffers ain¡¯t as full as they used to be, ya know.¡±


    ¡°I am opening the bar to basically put clean money in yours and Chaz¡¯ pockets.  I keep up with guns to give me a way to deal with humans on their terms.  I monitor the affairs of The Serpents because of honor, and I promise I made.  This is one of the few things I do just for me.¡±


    ¡°And what you just did on camera was brutal on your equipment.¡±  he looked up to me, and cringed back from the glare that hadn¡¯t stopped.  ¡°I will¡­ let you keep up your gear, okay?  Is that what you wanted to hear?¡±


    ¡°Yes!  Thank you Alec, for being so understanding¡­¡±  I heard the ending of the Orbital song playing, and cued up some Space Motion, cutting in a transition.  I looked up to see Alec gone.


    I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the music.  This was something that, to me, transcended humanity.  I loved listening to Grandfather¡¯s descriptions of the music of our kind, when the Earth was young and we soared the skies freely.  From the festivals with the Mayans, to the elaborate symphonies I was invited to during this country¡¯s youth¡­ They always hit me the same.  Even in its astral home, I could feel music in my scales, in my claws, in my soul, not just in my corporeal form.  Me being to actually create that sensation, even if it is, like here, a reproduction¡­ is so soothing¡­ relaxing, as long as it¡¯s not a contest of speed and will against another, hehe.


    For the rest of the evening I was just a dance party DJ, stringing songs together¡­ adding some extra bump¡­ basically keeping the music going.  My rig made that easy, especially with Alec¡¯s OCD level organization.


    Now don¡¯t get me wrong.  I love turntablism, with it¡¯s scratching, sampling, and the other technical feats that can turn the ordinary to jaw-dropping, like earlier for example.  A part of me wishes I¡¯d get an invite to the DMC DJ Nationals.  Another part just doesn¡¯t want the attention.


    I always make sure my set ends about an hour before last call.  It gives me some time to come back to reality before heading to the apartment, or flying out to the mountains.  It was Friday after all, and when Jeriel was in town, we¡¯d leave from here.  Tonight was clear, and a full moon¡­ it would have made the flight truly breathtaking.  Alas, I¡¯d be in town this weekend.  Even though I had talked to Jeriel briefly, it wasn¡¯t enough.  My carnal needs had been sated briefly, but I missed her arms, her touch, her warmth.  I was one lonesome dragon.


    Tito was manning the bar as I approached, with him sliding another brown derby and a plate of chicken strips to me.  ¡°Did she ever come back?¡± I asked, chuckling, as I shoved a piece of that golden crispy goodness into my mouth.  It took me some time, but I finally got the cooks here trained on the ¡®proper¡¯ way to make a chicken strip.  If food is a requirement, then taste also becomes a requirement, don¡¯t you think?


    Tito chuckled as he watched me eat.  ¡°Yeah, she just left.  It was funny watching her finish her shift bow-legged, but she had been told not to pull that shit¡­¡± he said, as Asheville¡¯s favorite detective walked up.  He looked almost unrecognizable, in a black Def Leppard t-shirt and blue jeans.  It was surprising.  April peeked out from behind him, a blushing smile beaming from her face.


    ¡°You know I did a scratch-tune of them earlier,¡± I said as Tito slid them both a beer.


    ¡°We heard.  That was insanity, Tannin.  And here I thought stealing my guns and showing me up at the range were your only talents¡­¡± he mused, with a smile on his face.


    ¡°She stole your guns?¡± April asked, concern in her voice.  I shrugged, as they both started laughing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget being a smartass,¡± Chaz growled as he patted me on the shoulder, grabbing the bar stool beside me.  ¡°Wicked set earlier.  You should have brought the heat a little earlier though.. but with both of your needles snapping like that.. it¡¯s good you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that totally pissed me off too.  Thankfully Alec never throws away ANYTHING, so he was able to put the old ones back on so I could spin.¡±


    ¡°Wait.. That¡¯s why you jumped to the other turntable?  The record needle broke?¡± April asked, leaning on the bar to look at me.


    ¡°Both needles snapped.  Alec just put them on too.  ¡®New needles¡¯ he said.  ¡®Old ones didn¡¯t sound right¡¯ he said.  Pisses me off¡­¡±  I then looked at her, surprised.  ¡°Wait, you were here during that?¡±


    John replied, ¡°Madison and I both were.   I went home to change after dropping you off and told her you were DJing here tonight.  she got all excited, and demanded that I give her directions.  I offered to pick her up, but she said she wasn¡¯t planning on going home.¡±


    April punched John¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°It sounds bad when you put it like that, Static.  I just didn¡¯t want you being stuck here all night.  I wanted to spend time with Jackie, that¡¯s all I was saying.¡±  As she placed her arm around me, an odd scent filled my nose.  There were too many scents close to me to filter it out, but it didn¡¯t belong.


    I looked at Chaz and tapped my nose.  He nodded, scenting as well¡­ and with a nose that is rumored to be able to smell sin, I trusted his nose as well as I trusted mine.


    He held four fingers to his face, then made claw gestures with both hands.  ¡®Werewolf¡¯ he said, but he was referring to a shifter in general.  I tilted forward, looking up the bar as he turned around.  I saw a bald man, wearing sunglasses and a white long-sleeve shirt, at the other end of the bar.  I whispered to Tito, ¡°?Cu¨¢nto tiempo ha estado all¨ª?¡±  Basically, how long has he been there?


    ¡°Since I got here,¡± he said, not catching on to the fact I was trying to not draw attention.  I looked down the bar again, to see that man looking at me and April.  He stood suddenly, and bolted for the door.


    ¡°Chaz?¡± I asked as the Sig slid down the bar and into my hand.  I spun off the bar-stool, giving chase.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± John said, pulling the Glock from the small of his back.  April had a S&W in her hands, as she looked at us, defensive.


    ¡°That¡¯s the asshole who shot me!¡± I shouted back, as I rushed to the door.

 Chapter 15

    As the cool night air hit me in the face, I looked across the parking lot at my assailant.  ¡°Come to try again?¡± I taunted, staring down my gun at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh,¡± he yelled back at me.  ¡°With your human body, you think you can taunt me?¡±


    ¡°Human?¡± April asked, sounding puzzled.  Her scent didn¡¯t match her voice.


    ¡°Well you can¡¯t take your other form in front of the police, can you?¡±  he shouted.  ¡°Besides, I¡¯m blessed.¡±  The three of us watched as this man bent over, his clothing splitting as he howled in pain.  Within seconds a white wolf had taken his place.  He ran off into the darkness leaving me pissed.


    ¡°Why  didn¡¯t you shoot him?¡± John asked, shock flooding his face.  I looked at April, who was surprisingly calm about all of this.  Why is that?


    Chaz was the one who answered him.  ¡°We don¡¯t have the ammo on hand to hurt a shifter.¡±


    Before John could come back, I looked at him.  ¡°Bring any spare clips you got over to the bar in the morning.¡±  I went to say something to Chaz, but he was already on the phone.


    ¡°Alec wants to know if Razorback¡¯s werewolves are involved.¡±  he said in a melodic voice.  Good to see that I wasn¡¯t the only one getting pissed.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure.  He¡¯s at a family reunion, and why would he come at me like this?  We can check with his pack though.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you are a dragon, a mob boss AND you know a werewolf pack?  How many irons DO you have in the fire, anyways?¡±  A simple chime came from his coat.  He fished out his coat and checked his phone.  ¡°I¡¯ll fill in Sandra, and see if she can help.  I don¡¯t know how many clips I can get a hold of.¡±


    Either April didn¡¯t hear John, or she knew more than she was letting on.  Something fishy was going on here.


    ¡°Jac, sniff¡­¡± Chaz said, the glow of his eyes illuminating his face.  His words drew my attention to it¡­ blood.  I ran towards the scent, anger starting to build.  He wasn¡¯t here for me, he was here for something worse.


    The moon darkened everything to shades of gray, but my dragon senses gave the details the night was trying to hide.  It was a body, laying in the knee high grass just outside the parking lot.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± John asked, his phone in hand.


    ¡°Elaine Davis.  The woman who found me after I was shot.¡± I answered, looking at John.  Chaz was scanning the area as I continued.  ¡°John.  Don¡¯t call this in.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell not?  We need to get her to a hospital.  Get all the evidence we can on this bastard!¡±


    Chaz was the one who replied.  ¡°Her wounds were not made by anything human.  Also stop to consider that it was only the heart that was removed.  This was ritualistic, and the victim.. not quite human either.¡±


    I looked up to see April standing beside me, trembling.  Tears freely slid down her face as she started to sob.  ¡°Not her¡­ no.  I did what they asked¡­  did everything he asked of us.  He was to leave us alone.  I can¡¯t¡­ Sister.. I¡¯m sorry.¡±  She ran back to the club, the air heavy with her pain and regret.


    ¡°Luna¡­ I¡¯ll use Luna to hunt him¡­¡± I told Chaz, who was posting up behind me.  Ever the good bodyguard.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Wait, my love.  First, let me take her¡­¡± I heard in my mind.


    ¡°Are you sure?  Why my flower?¡± I whispered softly.


    ¡°A body made for a dragon¡¯s heart,¡± Xochil said to me, which I repeated aloud.


    ¡°But.. I promised you.  I am keeping my vow,¡± I said, again, aloud.


    Xochil replied, ¡°Let us heal her, prepare her.  Then someone else could share in the same blessing as you have given me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the corpse is whispering to you now¡­¡± Chaz sighed, pulling me out of my conversation.


    I shook my head.  ¡°Xochil is.  She wants me to prepare the Nephilim for a host.¡±  I faded between forms, as my dragon arms took her gently into the astral plane.  John had made it to his car by this point, so he didn¡¯t see anything more that he couldn''t explain.  Good.  Less work for me.


    I saw the wolf sitting there, waiting.  ¡°Luna, it¡¯s time to hunt.¡± Xochil growled in my head.  and all three of us were in agreement.  My clothes fell to the ground as my lupine form leapt into reality.~v~


    A wolf¡¯s nose can smell a scent up to a mile away.  Adding dragon to the mix makes it even sharper.  I followed the scent of this shifter as if he was right in front of me.  He led me south, across side streets and through subdivisions. Was he trying to get to Patton Avenue?  I40?  Where was he going?


    Twisting and weaving through the trees had me puzzled for a moment, until it clicked for me.  He had yielded to the beast¡­ he was a shifter after all.  But something was off.  I¡¯ve hunted with werewolves before, but his paths and patterns were more human than wolf.  What was going on here?  Why would a wolf avoid a path that he could go through that his human couldn¡¯t?


    His scent led me to the back of the Goodwill Store, where I once again got flooded with the scent of myrrh and Waffle House.  Add the smell of marijuana, stale sex and auto exhaust, and the barrage of scents had become painful to Luna¡¯s nose.  My dragon could follow it further, but I couldn¡¯t stretch my wings here.


    As I laid on the cool asphalt, thinking of my next move, the air of someone familiar floated in from the woods behind the building.  ¡°I am going to regret this¡± I mused to myself as I darted towards the aroma of a friend.


    I clawed at the back door of one of the many houses on Arthur Rd.  The lights cut on as Ray, wearing a white sports bra and a pair of light blue silk boxers, answered the door.


    ¡°Cute¡­¡± I managed to say through this canine muzzle as I darted into her house the first chance I got.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± she yelled as she ran for me, leaving the door open.


    ¡°Narkavis¡­gone?¡± I growled, realizing that this was the first time I tried to speak as luna.


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡± she replied, as I usd this instance of confusion ro return to a more familiar form.  This time was more violent, as my human form fell to the linoleum tile floor of her laundry room with a thud.  I was covered in sweat, as my hair did give the illusion of modesty.


    ¡°Hello again, Ray.¡±  I hadn¡¯t had this level of fatigue switching forms before.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!  How in the hell did you get here.. like that?  You¡¯re a werewolf?  Wait¡­ you can¡¯t be.  Werewolves don¡¯t shift that clean.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear what I was earlier at the club?¡±¡±


    ¡°I walked up to hear you talking of the Fae,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ complicated.  I have two forms prepared for me.  This one, and Luna¡­¡±


    ¡°The arctic wolf.  Beautiful breed¡­ I wish I could have one as a pet.  But¡­¡± she sighed, defeated?  Her voice troubled me.  ¡°I know of only two types of creatures that have that clean of a shift.  One is a specific shifter, and the other is¡­ a dragon.  Which are you?  And why the secrecy?¡±


    It was my turn to sigh.  ¡°The knowledge of non-humans¡­ I only wanted to protect Narkavis from it.  The less he knew¡­ the safer I can keep him.¡±


    She stood there, for a moment, staring.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  You truly are beautiful, in this form and the wolf¡­  So what happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to explain, but can I get off this floor and not naked first?¡± I asked, my view following her curves upward.  From this view, there was no doubt, she was a woman¡­ a beautiful one.

 Chapter 16

    ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± Ray started, sitting on the edge of a black leather loveseat.  The carpet was beige, high shag and almost felt like fur under my feet.  A massive television took up an entire wall, as the whisper of a ceiling fan spun overhead.  The walls themself were off-white, as pictures of Narkavis, Ray and their family scattered about the room.  My eyes settled on a picture of me, Narkavis and Jeriel, standing outside the Flayre.  I remember when it was taken.  It was his birthday, and we had so much fun that night¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied, snapping back to the present.


    ¡°You were shot, but not killed.  Your attacker is a shifter, who killed the sister of your plaything, because Jeriel is out of town.  You went after him, but lost the scent and ended up here?¡±


    ¡°Well it sounds crazy when you put it that way,¡± I said, chuckling as I snuggled into the pink terry cloth bathrobe I was in.   ¡°Look, I am sorry if me coming here was a problem.  I couldn¡¯t run or fly back home.  If you let me use your phone¡­ I can get a ride home.¡±


    Ray shook her head, as she thumb-raced on her cell.  ¡°Narkie¡¯s already called Alec so they know you¡¯re safe.  Did you eat at the club?¡±


    ¡°I did, but after everything¡­¡±  I sighed.  ¡°Look.  I¡¯ve known Narkavis for a long time, but I feel like I¡¯m intruding.  You¡¯re going on a trip to meet him in Chicago, right?  He¡¯s already in the air¡­¡±


    ¡°Well about that,¡± I heard a male say as the front door opened.  Narkavis stood there, bags in hand, and looked at me, dejected.  ¡°Jackie, about Chicago¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay,  Will your cousin be okay without you there?¡±


    ¡°There is no wedding.  We weren¡¯t even heading to Chicago.  We¡¯re on the run.¡±


    I jumped up, with my bathrobe opening up.  If he saw, I didn¡¯t care at this point.  ¡°Why in the hell didn¡¯t you tell me you were in trouble?  Huh?  What happened to ¡®family first¡¯? ¡® Carrying the load together¡¯, huh?  What the fuck?¡±


    Ray responded.  ¡°First of all, We didn''t want you involved.  It¡¯s why he¡¯s been distant from the Serpents.. You know about their no shifter rule.  Secondly, you are a good friend.  There¡¯s things that we didn¡¯t want you exposed to,  Since we¡¯re supposed to be ¡®just human¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡°Supposed to be?¡± I asked, as Narkavis started to chuckle.  I looked towards him, surprised.  ¡°Narkavis?¡±


    He turned to face Ray.  ¡°I cannot hide it from her, not anymore, my love.  Not from a dragon¡­¡±


    ¡°But you¡­¡± she began, as she started to cry.  ¡°We swore that we would leave that life.  You promised me that we could be happy and human.  You promised!¡±  She ended up sobbing, screaming between breaths.


    ¡°The dragons know who we are now.  I cannot pull our heads out of Seiryu¡¯s mouth now, dear lover.   She said that her blood would find us and slay us for our desertion¡­¡±  Narkavis dropped to his knees, defeated.  I hoped to hide under her nose.. but¡­.¡±


    ¡°You are making no sense, Narkavis.  My first question, strangely enough, isn¡¯t what in the hell you are talking about.¡±  I stood, my fists clenched by my side.


    ¡°Then what is tt?¡± Ray asked, trembling on the ove-seat.


    ¡°How in the hell do you know my mother?¡±


    Narkavis sighed.  ¡°See?  She even admits to being of her blood.  She¡¯s surely here to devour one of the few Zanto and Kitsune left.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Are you out of your ever-loving mind?¡± I yelled, now knowing that my mother had her scheming hand in this bullshit.  ¡°First of all, I, until about 5 minutes ago, honestly thought you were both human.  Second, you are like a brother to me, Narkavis.  Why would I eat you?  And thirdly, and this is what gets me.  You knew I was a non-human?  You both did?¡±


    Ray broke into tears, as the glow of 4 fluffy tails faded into view.  ¡°We both were brought to America as kits and were raised here.  My mother before she was killed told me of Seiryo¡¯s prophecy, but I didn¡¯t know who the harbinger would be.  When Narkavis and I met, he told me of you, and then together we knew you were not human. Our skulk, or group works better when we¡¯re together.  We thought to stay human, so that you wouldn¡¯t find us to eat us.¡±


    ¡°You smell human.  Oh hell, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± I sighed painfully.  ¡°You both stayed in human form for so long, haven¡¯t you?¡±  I caressed Ray¡¯s face, as I reached out to take Narkavis¡¯ hand.  ¡°Listen to me, please.  My mother does not dictate my actions, nor does she have the authority to command me to kill anyone.  You may be a skulk of two, but Narkavis, you are mine.  My friend, my brother, my brood.  No one will do anything to you without going through me.  You mess with me, and I¡¯ll take it to your ass.  You mess with mine, and I will devour you.¡±


    I soon found myself sitting on the same love-seat, eating a carry-out plate of Waffle-house food.  A patty-melt, a ground beef patty with grilled onions and gooey cheese on grilled wheat bread.  I had them add a large breakfast sausage patty for even more flavor.  The double order of hash browns were just to my liking¡­. Lots of ham, two more slices of cheese and chili.  Although the smell of Waffle House on my attacker was sickening, my appetite and cravings overruled it all.


    What I found the most odd was Ray and Narkavis.  They were the most relaxed that I had ever seen them.  He sat on the floor, like always, dozing off leaning against my legs.  Ray was stretched out on the couch, her head in my lap.   She started to whimper softly, though her face and body told me that she was not worried or agitated.  Dragons purr, if you can believe it.  I started purring, which led to her snuggling closer to me, still whimpering softly.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± She asked, as my fingertips rubbed the surface of her head.


    ¡°I need to run by my pack tomorrow.  This werewolf I was tracking tonight didn¡¯t act right.¡±


    The whimpering stopped.  ¡°I¡¯ve had run-ins with wolves.  How so?¡± she asked.


    ¡°First, I¡¯ve never heard of the term ¡®skulk¡¯ outside of some game Alec plays¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re foxes,¡±  Ray stated proudly.


    ¡°That¡¯s what first came to mind when I saw the tails, but wasn;t sure.  Well then, you know how you react when running through the woods?¡±


    ¡°¡±You mean¡­ when we give control over to our beast?¡±  Narkavis asked.


    I continued.  ¡°He avoided routes that his beast could pass.  He acted as if he was a wolf with the awareness of a human.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that when you take that wolf form?¡± Ray asked, sitting up to look up at me.


    ¡°First of all, my natural form is a beast.  When I share Luna¡¯s shell, I¡¯m like in the passenger side of a car, but I have all the controls.  When she runs, I let her run.  I have all the senses.. but as I depend on my instincts in the air, I depend on her instincts in the run.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you mean¡­¡±  Ray mused.


    Narkavis bolted up.  ¡°Wait, you lead a shifter pack?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a wolf pack near my mountain home.  I¡¯ve known and I¡¯ve run with them for many years.  I don¡¯t lead it, but am a high ranking alpha in it.¡±


    ¡°Let us come with you,¡± Natkavis mentioned.  ¡°The Zanto and Kitsune are masters of disguise.  We can imprint any 4 legged animal, and well, you don¡¯t know how much you need a group family until you are forced to abandon one.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know how this will go without him there, but..¡±  I mused to myself.  I was debating with myself.  ¡°Fuck it.  .Come with me tomorrow.  We¡¯ll see.  It may come down to beast politics, and you will have to show your true form.¡±


    Ray sighed, snuggling into my lap.  ¡°I trust you, so that makes me feel safe.¡±

 Chapter 17

    I sat in a chair in the middle of the bar, again¡­ another shower, hair washed and all.  Alec walked to the table, setting his blue tackle box down.  ¡°So the pack is going to look after Ray and Narkavis?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Chaz grumbled.  ¡°Lizard-breath here cheated.¡±  He had a manilla envelope in his hands.  ¡°Damn, it even smells like them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t knock it.  It¡¯s not like we¡¯re coming up spades thus far.¡±  I growled in frustration as the door opened, revealing Sandra once again.  Although I could tell by scent that her clothes were clean, her outfit was the same as last time.


    Alec had a pair of scissors in hand as she stepped to the table.  ¡°Not your locks!¡± she howled, feigning horror.  ¡°Just kidding.  Ever consider Locks Of Love?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± I said, as Alec started working my tips with the scissors.  ¡°Was afraid that they would find out that they had fifteen hundred year old hair.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you were older than that?¡±


    ¡°I am, but that¡¯s how old this shell, this humanoid body, is.  I have a place I take my hair to.  A fae stylist who does weaves and extensions.  Speaking of which, Alec, You think we should?  It¡¯s been awhile.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dark fae.  I refuse to answer on principle alone¡­ but yeah¡­ it¡¯s getting to be a pain in my ass to keep up with.¡±


    I looked up to Sandra.  ¡°What brings you back?  Didn¡¯t get enough of the non-human gossip?¡±


    She smiled weakly.  ¡°Sorry to hear about last night.  I want to help out, I do. But they¡¯re calling me back to DC,  I just wanted to drop off your new credentials.  Birth cert, passport, Business license, and driver¡¯s license.¡±


    Chaz looked through the stack of papers she dropped on the table.  ¡°So you¡¯re from Monroe, Wisconsin, born to Elsie and Greg Tannin, November 1st, 1995.¡±


    ¡°That puts me at a believable age¡­I get to ¡®blame it on good genes¡¯ I guess.¡±


    Your paternal grandmother was full-blood Dakota, and your mother¡¯s people were from here, hence you being here.  It looked like you had already routed your last name to Brazil, so it was easy to patch it in.¡±


    ¡°You went through a lot of work doing this,¡± I noted, as I cringed at the sound of the scissors going through a large section of hair.  ¡°Hey, wait.  It¡¯s Saturday.  How did you get all this done so fast?


    ¡°Alec did most of it¡­ I just pointed him away from red flags along the way.  You also forget I work for the government, so I do have some tricks up my sleeves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s much more challenging when you have to do things legally AND discreetly¡­. there.  It will look better once you wash and dry it again.. but I¡¯m done.¡±


    I flipped my head back and forth as I saw how short he had taken it.  Not overly so, but it was reduced to a modest length.  ¡°My head feels lighter, too,¡±


    ¡°Ya think?¡± Alec smarted off, holding up a coil of hair, tied with a black ribbon, that was nearly as big around as a soda can.


    ¡°Shit!  I think if my hair was that thick, I¡¯d shave it off.  Damn¡­¡± Sandra exclaimed, as she tapped on the stack that Chaz dropped back on the table.  ¡°Don¡¯t forget to destroy your old records, okay?  Take care.  John will be by a little later.  Saturday¡¯s his day with his mom.  I¡¯d stay longer but I do have a plane to catch,¡± She yelled as she ran out the door.


    ¡°She¡¯s a bit high strung, for a human¡­¡± Chaz commented, as he looked at the door.


    ¡°...For a human¡­¡± I reiterated, as a chuckle overtook me.  My eyes glanced over to the envelope Jerome had delivered, reducing my chuckle to a sigh,  I stood, heading to the apartment.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Alec said, walking to the bar for a broom and dustpan.


    ¡°When John gets here, send him down.  We need to go through that¡­¡± I groaned, pointing to the envelope in question.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Alec said, grabbing a broom.


    ~v~


    ¡°What time is it?¡± John asked, looking at the nearly empty coffee pot


    ¡°Going on 3.¡± I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose.  ¡°You can crash here if you want.¡±.


    ¡°You got Church, detective?¡± Chaz asked from the staircase.  He looked like he was asleep, but Chaz never sleeps.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Was going to, before all this shit happened.  Working a case¡­ the story of my life.¡±


    Alec chuckled.  ¡°Hey Jac¡­ if it¡¯s an issue, we could get your angel friend over¡­¡±  The spontaneity of his joke and the fatigue cause all of us but John to burst into laughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re friends with an angel?  after everything you¡¯ve told me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.  He¡¯s the one I got all of this info from, indirectly.  I¡¯ve known him almost as long as I¡¯ve had this body.  I also knew him when he was alive, so there¡¯s that.¡±


    John made his way to the couch.  ¡°I¡¯m gonna grab an hour or two.  It¡¯s all blurring together at this point.¡±


    ¡°Knock yourself out.  I¡¯m gonna gather all of this and get it upstairs¡­¡±   He was asleep before I finished my sentence.  I looked at Chaz.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been running too long without any recharge.  I got you¡­¡± he said as I collapsed on the bed.  You¡¯d think after millenia that I''d remember that Xochil¡¯s body does not have the level of endurance that my natural form does.  I slipped into the Astral, and all three of my forms cuddled together¡­ Xochitl snuggled up to Luna, and I wrapped around them both, like a mother protecting her eggs.


    ~v~


    Coffee.  The scent drew me from slumber.  I¡¯d fallen asleep?  Meditation went wrong.  I didn¡¯t like that.  Things could have went¡­


    ¡°I told you I got you,¡± Chaz growled as I sat up too quickly.  Oh hell.. Two Chaz¡¯s.. trippy.


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± I asked as a headache ripped through my skull.  ¡°I¡¯m going to rip his fucking wings off..¡±


    ¡°Give him some slack, lizard-breath.  I told him to.  That body was about to drop.  It needed rest.¡±  He grumbled.  ¡°Also, The humans are on their way back.  They actually made it to their Church thing.¡±


    I got up and headed upstairs to find Alec standing there, with a cup held out for me.  As I took it, the mingling of Coffee, chocolate and caramel tempted my nose and quelled my anger.  ¡°You¡¯re forgiven, this time¡­¡± I muttered before taking this wonderful concoction to my lips.  He may get on my nerves, but Alec did make some wonderful coffee.


    John headed to the nearly empty coffee pot, as she moaned like a zombie.  ¡°I''ve been staring at the same thirty-five pages for the past two hours.¡±


    ¡°What do you make of it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly photo-copied photographs of that damned shifter, in various places, along with some receipts.  Here¡¯s a photo of a black mustang, along with a description that matches the big guy there.¡±


    Chaz walked over to the tables pushed together, with papers and pictures scattered all over it.  ¡°That¡¯s my Mach 1,¡± he growled.


    John continued.  ¡°Here¡¯s the license plate number and your normal routes.  This is info for a hitter.¡±


    ¡°There''s also this,¡± I said, picking up a piece of paper I¡¯d earmarked last night.  ¡°Listen to this¡­ Target, Five-six to five-eight, long hair, appears feminine.  Frequents bank on blah blah and often seen walking to BP gas station, where he buys Mtn Dew and random candy bar¡­ never same candy bar twice in a row.¡±  I looked up to see John sitting back down, with two cups of coffee.


    ¡°If that is supposed to be me¡­¡± Alec started.  ¡°I¡¯d like to know what makes me feminine¡­ and that gas station always has new chocolate bars to try out.  Still looking for one I like better.¡± He filled the pot with water from a spray bottle behind the bar, and started another pot.  ¡°If this is a hit list, then these dudes are sloppy.  I mean ¡®sloppier than the demons¡¯ sloppy.¡±


    ¡°I heard that, you overgrown sprite,¡± Chaz bellowed, as sat down, leaning it against the wall, feigning sleep again.


    As he said that, I looked at the photos scattered about, and something caught my eye.  I grabbed the photo and looked at it once again, this time with focus.  I pointed at a woman seen walking away from my attack, just out of focus.  ¡°John, look at this.¡±


    ¡°If you insist¡­¡± he said, just blurting out an answer without really taking another look at it¡­ then he stopped and looked closer.  ¡°Wait a damn minute.  That looks just like the woman we found killed. Here¡¯s more.  Look here, at the perp¡¯s hand.  Money was exchanged.¡±


    ¡°Elaine hired her own killer?¡± I asked in disbelief as I heard the entrance door open. ,


    ¡°Looks like it.  Here¡¯s a picture  of her giving a stack of money to the shifter.¡±


    ¡°Let me see that,¡± April said as she walked up, looking over my shoulder.  ¡°That¡¯s Cassie.  It¡¯s the hair.  They look a lot alike, but Cassie can¡¯t grow out her hair¡­¡±


    ¡°Because she has a golem body¡­¡± I surmised.  ¡°I turned to her.  She stood, solemn-faced, in a red chiffon top and blue jeans.  She was holding a large Bojangles¡¯ bag.


    John thought aloud, ¡°So that''s why I have seen you two together so much at the station.. How does this all tie together?¡±


    ¡°Need help?¡± April asked.  ¡°I brought food.  Look, there¡¯s something¡­¡±  As if scripted, her phone rang.  She fished it out of her pocket, as she set the bag on another table.  As she  looked at her phone, her shoulders slumped.  ¡°It¡¯s Cassie.¡±


    ¡°Answer it, put it on speaker, and I¡¯m she¡¯s not here at the moment.¡± John whispered as April pushed the button, and sat her phone on the table.


    ¡°Madison¡­¡± she said, with a loud and authoritative voice.


    ¡°April, where are you at?¡± I heard through the speaker.


    ¡°I¡¯m at Tannin¡¯s bar looking over some paperwork with John¡­why?¡±


    ¡°Is she there right now??¡±


    ¡°At the moment, she¡¯s freshening up.¡±  I gave April a thumbs up at her remark.


    ¡°Oh my god, April¡­ I need help.  All this shit has gone sideways.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± she replied.


    ¡°Sam has gone off the deep end,  He¡¯s gone crazy, forcing me to do something really bad.  He¡¯s going to kill me.  How much do you know about Jackie and what she is?¡±


    ¡°I know she¡¯s not human.  What is she?  Shifter? Fae?¡±


    ¡°No, sis.  She¡¯s a dragon, like me.  Sam has it in for her and some silver beast¡­bad.  He said he¡¯s hiding Elaine because the assassins failed to get the others out of the way...  and now he wants me to attack her directly, or he¡¯s going to kill Elaine and you too.¡±


    ¡°When?  I need to get John out of here.  He¡¯s not involved¡­¡±


    ¡°Dusk tonight. Look, I need to go.  He¡¯ll kill Elaine if he catches me.¡±  The call then ended.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve gots some ¡®splainin¡¯ to do¡­¡± John said.

 Chapter 18

    ¡°Jackie, John,¡± April began, tears streaming down her face.  ¡±I don¡¯t know what to do.  Sam called me when we arrested you.  He told me to find out some info for him. I sent him a copy of the police report and I thought that was it.  I gave you my number  because I was interested¡­ or so I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°So you just used her?  What about sleeping with her?  Was that just a part of this plan of theirs?  You don¡¯t know how disappointed in you I am with you right now, April.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that.  I was attracted to her¡­ and that perfect date¡­ she made me feel like I was the most important woman in the world.  Besides, when her lover returns, how am I going to compete with her?  I¡¯m¡­ only human.¡±


    ¡°How did this start, April?  Can you answer that at least?¡±  I asked, softly, taking her trembling hand.


    ¡°Sam.  He said you¡¯re at the heart of this, Jackie.  You¡¯ve crossed him and now he  has a score to settle.¡±  She sighed loudly.  ¡°I was planning to take Elaine and walk away from all of his, but when I saw Elaine¡¯s body there, exposed, decimated¡­ dead.  All I wanted to do was run away.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell Cassie about Elaine?¡± Alec asked, munching on a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit.  I grabbed one and started eating as well.


    ¡°Cassie, a dragon, fears Sam¡­ like ¡®fears for her life¡¯ fears him.  Who could strike that level of fear in a dragon?¡±


    ¡°An angel,¡± I growled.


    ¡°So your ¡®Life-debt¡¯ buddy has his hands in this?¡± Alec asked, reaching for another biscuit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Jerome is directly involved.  Although he¡¯s feather-winged, I do consider him a friend.¡±


    ¡°Your loss,¡± Chaz scoffed.  ¡°Hey human,¡± he said, his voice melodic and clear.  I watched April freeze, then sway back and forth softly.  It¡¯s a rare treat to watch Chaz work like this.  Beautiful, yet terrifying.


    ¡°Tell us of the assassin, and is he alone?¡±


    Suddenly, the trance that April was in ended.  She looked around, lost for a second, then began.  ¡°Shaun O¡¯Duffy.  He has a shifter group, bears.  He asked Sam a few times if he could bring his brethren in on this, but was denied as far as I heard.  At this point, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see them in all of this at this point.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Bears¡­ it makes sense now,¡± Chaz growled.  You want me to call in the wolves?¡±


    ¡°No.  The Angels and old fae created the bears to hunt the wolves¡­¡± Alec added.


    ¡°So we¡¯re about to face shifters and the big guy himself said that y¡¯all aren¡¯t geared up for shifters¡­¡± John rebutted.


    ¡°Madrecita? Special delivery from Virgina¡­. and I''m busted.¡±  Raziel said as he ran into the bar, carrying a wooden box.  Emily was behind him as April and John turned towards the noise.  Emily was trying to no avail to hide Raze, who was frozen in place.


    ¡°Ammo crate?¡± John said, walking over to him.


    ¡°Silver¡­¡± I remarked asAlec straightened up  the papers.  I waved my hands. flaring my arcane, and I suddenly had in my possession John¡¯s Glock, his Baretta and April¡¯s S&W.  I dropped them on the table, spitting the magazine out of the Glock first.  ¡°Em, close and lock the door.  John, get that crate open.  I got 9mms, .45s, and .357s. ¡°  I started emptying the magazine in my hand.  ¡°Raziel?¡±


    ¡°Yes Madrecita?¡± he said nervously.


    ¡°This bar is Sanctuary.  They can do nothing to you here.  Now relax and help me reload these guns.¡±  He nodded as Chaz placed my Sig and his Mateba with the others.  ¡°You¡¯re arming up too, Chaz?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to need another gun since the human woman is to be using yours.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± April paused, looking at us.  ¡°You¡¯re going to fight?  We need to get out of here John.  What can we do against a pack of shifters?  We¡¯re human¡­¡±


    Alec spoke.  ¡°So what if you¡¯re human?  I¡¯m not a demon, or a dragon, but this is my family.  Cihuacoatl is preparing to risk her life to go against a dragon, and an angel.  She¡¯s not only fighting for her life, but everyones.  Look around.  The little one can¡¯t even fight, but she¡¯s doing what she can¡­ speaking of¡­ what are you doing, Emily?¡±


    She looked up from the table.  ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot about guns, but I¡¯m handing them the same size bullets they hand me.  I will do what I can for Madrecita.¡±


    ¡°See?  Now I know you hate going against your sister, and you are afraid of the angel¡­ but we do what we can do,  He walked over to the bar, and opened a concealed door on the front.


    ¡°Aah,¡± I replied.  ¡°So that¡¯s where you secured your knives, huh Alec?¡±


    ¡°I said I''d keep them out of unworthy hands,¡± he remarked, his skin fading to blue.  Before anyone could remark, he said, ¡°I need the mana I use for glamor to fight with.  Sorry for the appearance.¡±


    ¡°Now, let''s get everything locked and loaded,¡± I said calmly as I placed my Sig and April¡¯s S&W in her hands.  ¡°I will make sure that your sister does not die, okay?¡±  She looked up from her hands to my face with tear stained eyes.

 Chapter 19

    I felt rather than heard the first roar outside.  The ground felt like an earthquake as John and April jumped for the guns.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± John asked, as a roar was heard this time, as it shook the building.  I took off towards the door at a sprint, with the others in tow.  Chaz was casually removing his shirt as I reached the door first.


    ¡°Handle-Head, Get a move on!¡± I yelled, as I stopped for a moment with John and April.  ¡°Now you two, listen to me.  Shifters are stronger than you, faster than you, and harder to kill than you.  Please be careful.  Chaz and I are heading to the skies.¡±  The door flew open, as the cool evening air slapped me in the face.


    ¡°Shifters? skies?  I guess this is my initiation¡­¡± he yelled as I started pushing through to my scales.  My clothes fell to the ground as the air around me cracked, yielding to my face.  I didn¡¯t have the speed ro get fullt\y airborne  yet¡­ This was not good.


    I felt myself being picked up.  Without warning, he threw my big scaly ass in the air and my wings flapped to compensate.  I looked down to see what appeared to be a dark red creature with a curved set of onyx bull¡¯s horns.. curved at the tips.  Below his waist looked like a tornado¡­ as he effortlessly ascended.  My massive form was thrown like a ragdoll upward.. though it took no time to right myself and swoop down to retrieve the demon who just set me flying.


    ¡°I better get a soul out of this, you damned lizard,¡± he said in a melodic voice that coated the air.  If I had been human¡­ that voice would have enraptured me, like it did April earlier, or worse.  I felt him shift slightly as waves of demonic energy flowed around me.  The metallic ring of two swords being drawn answered my question as the energies subsided.  Chaz felt most comfortable fighting with two distinct swords¡­ the Murasama, the original cursed sword that led to the entire collection of the blacksmith¡¯s swords being banned or destroyed¡­ And the Kusanagi, supposedly found in the body of an eight-headed serpent.  In Chaz¡¯s hands, the spirit of that serpent comes to life, coating the blade with the venom of eight different vipers.


    I quickly drew my wings in, rolling to the left to dodge a blast of ice and frozen air, as I wrapped my tail around the demon instinctively, protecting my rider.  See I told you I knew how to fly¡­


    A painful roar escaped my snout, taking a spiked tail to my underbelly.  I spread my wings, flapping furiously to gain lost altitude.  Now I saw my attacker, an ice-blue dragon almost half my size.  This had to be Cassie.  I just knew it.


    I belched a sticky spew of molten fire and mana at my assailant, who rolled to the left, trying to dodge my onslaught.  I got her tail, which warranted a shriek, and brought her rider into view.


    He lit the skies with four glowing, feathered wings and robes that looked of pearl cloth.  He had a flaming great-sword in his right hand, as the massive light tried to hide his long, golden locks and almost ghostly white skin.


    ¡°We have an angel!¡± I growled, as Chaz poised to jump.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s sacrilege if I ever saw it.  You take care of the whelp, the feather-brain¡¯s mine!¡± he howled as I watched him barrel towards the two, blades out and ready.  The angel met him in the air, and their clash sounded like thunder to my large, reptilian ears.


    Cassie¡¯s frigid breath caught me in the shoulder, leaving my right arm numb, as I fought to keep the circulation going in my right wing.


    ¡°I have to slay you, you unholy drake!¡± she roared as she dove towards me for another strike, but this time I was ready.  Straightening myself out, I rolled again, this time to let her pass under me.  As I righted myself again, my hind legs found her wings, taking us into a dive.  Using my wings to give us downward momentum, I pushed us to go faster, barely dodging a frosty blast to the face.  Moments later I drove her into the grass-covered ground below us, cringing at the crunching sounds as I felt the bones of her wings shatter and crush under my weight.


    With my snout I grabbed her neck, right below her head, and slammed it into the dirt.  ¡°Yield,¡± I roared, letting go of her for a moment.  She squirmed under me, fighting to get loose as I slammed her head into the dirt again.  ¡°Yield, or be devoured, ¡° I growled into her ear, as her body went limp before me.


    ¡°I¡­yield,¡± she painfully said, as she closed her eyes.  Good.. I really didn¡¯t care for the flesh of my own kind.  Dragons had a code, regardless of where we were reared.


    As streaks of light filled the skies, I was drawn to Chaz and the angel.  I¡¯d never seen him fight an angel of this caliber, which had me a little iffy.  Watching the heavenly host go flying to the ground by a swing of Chaz¡¯s swords eased my concerns.


    I  looked back towards the bar to see a large pack of bears, or would that be a sleuth of bears?  locked in battle with John, April and Alec.  Great.  Things are about to go sideways and my mind¡¯s wandering again.  Shit!


    I heard April say, ¡°I can¡¯t have much ammo left!¡± to Alec as he spun into a pair of bears trying to box the fae in.  Pure blood fae were immune to shifter blood, so he I didn¡¯t worry about.  The humans did worry me.  Thankfully they hadn¡¯t froze and were fighting like their lives depended on it, which it did.


    ¡°What is she doing here?¡± Cassie screeched beneath me.  ¡°They¡¯re going to kidnap her.. just like they did Elaine¡­.¡±  She then went limp.


    One of the bears pounced on John, as they started rolling on the ground.  I saw two flashes of light as he fired twice into the beast.  This was followed by 3 clicks as he dry-fired, then the pile got still.


    I carried the non-moving dragon Cassie closer to them as I looked over to see if John was okay.  Alec was there, his entire body covered with claw marks and gouges as he bent down, to roll the bear off of John.


    As he did so, this bear and the other two that Alec fought melded into their human forms.  All the bodies were male, and the one who was pulled off John had two bloody holes in his chest.  I looked to John to see a massive gouge in his left shoulder.  Shit.  That¡¯s enough to infect him.  This was not good.


    I looked across the parking lot to see April approaching, leaving 5 crumpled bodies behind her.  Seeing Her draconic sister there, she ran to us.


    ¡°She lives, April,¡± I said as softly as this form could.  ¡°Please¡­ stay with her.  John is also hurt.  I need to go check on Chaz.¡±


    Bright light caught my eye as I saw Chaz form,, back in his human form, standing over the body of the angel, with both of his blades pointed at him.  I leaped towards him as I saw a group of angels, close to twenty, shimmer into view, surrounding him.  I¡¯ll be damned if they attack him with me doing something about it!


    Of anyone I could have ever thought of being there in attendance, Jerome appeared, walking towards Chaz.  He was in his white suit and his leather shoes, while the rest were in battle robes.  He looked towards me.


    ¡°Hello Cihuacoatl,¡± he said, smiling up at me.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked with a growl.  I was in the form of a dragon, everything comes out as a growl¡­ makes a real good impression.  ¡°Better yet, what are all of them doing here?  Waiting for their turn against my friend?¡±


    He wagged his finger at me¡­ which I have always hated.  ¡°Nothing of the sort.  Everyone here right now won¡¯t be too much of a challenge of one of Solomon¡¯s summonings, that¡®s for sure.¡±  Chaz replied with a nod.  See? He can be respectable when he¡¯s shown his due.


    ¡°Then care to tell me what¡¯s going on?  Why I have a field of dead shifters, bears no less, and a crippled whelp dragon, and¡­¡± as I pointed my tail towards the circle. ¡°¡­This?¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Jerome sighed.  ¡°Camael here had gone rogue.¡±


    ¡°Hold up a moment.  This is one of the cleansing angels?  This is one of the angels I have been running from for five thousand years?¡±


    ¡°You are correct.  He is one of the older sects, reluctant to let go and embrace some of the post-Cristo practices.¡±


    ¡°You mean that group who are more about peace and harmony,¡± Chaz said, his blades now touching Camiel¡¯s chest.


    Jerome nods again.  ¡°Gusion, you are correct.  When Camael went rogue, it was written that he would be resigned to the fate he chose when he made his decision.  The angels here are not here to attack you, dark one, but to witness that his fate has been fulfilled.¡±


    Chaz nodded as his swords disappeared.  He reached down, picking up the defeated angel up by his robe, holding him up, his feet softly dangling beneath him.  Then, Camael¡¯s wings started to fade from view.  The other angels murmured disapprovingly as Chaz hissed at him, dark smoke wisping from his eyes.  The moment Camael¡¯s four wings disappeared, two pair of black-feathered wings started to appear on Chaz¡¯ back.


    ¡°What the hell?  A child of Lillith can¡¯t do that..¡±  I mused aloud as I looked at the defeated angel.  Suddenly, its scent changed¡­ or rather, a scent appeared on him¡­ the scent of human.


    Chaz then reached down, picking up the flaming blade, still on the ground.  ¡°To the victor go the spoils¡­¡± he uttered as it set his arm on fire.  As the energies of the blade fought against Chaz, he walked to me, grasping the tip of the sword.  He knelt, presenting the blade to me.  I watched, astonished.


    The angel standing just to the right of Jerome stepped forward, nodding to me.  He spoke in a melodic voice that dripped with power.  I shifted back to my human shell to be able to handle it without my ears bleeding.  ¡°The Dyrnwyn is a holy weapon from the land of the Scotts.  Its flame is said to consume anyone who isn¡¯t pure, or acts in an unholy manner.  You can see that it attacks the fallen angel who is simply holding it.¡±


    ¡°Fallen¡­ angel? Wait just a damn minute. For the last 300 years, I was led to believe that you were a Child of Lillith.  Now I find out that you are a Fallen?¡±


    ¡°I never lied to you, I simply never contradicted your initial impression.¡± Chaz said, softly.


    ¡°So, all of Solomon¡¯s 72 are fallen angels?¡± I asked, with my hands on my side.  I was surrounded by non-humans, save Camael, but I didn¡¯t care.  Never was the modest type.


    Jerome nodded, matter-of-factly as I reached out, taking the sword from Chaz.  Its flame flowed up my arm, like it did Chaz, but this time, the flames twirled around my arm like a ribbon, as the heat faded from its touch.  ¡°Dyrnwyn likes you,¡± Jerome said, smiling.


    I felt a blanket on my shoulders as I turned my head to see Alec.  He was still covered in gashes and drying blood.  ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered to him, looking down at the blade, which vanished from view.  I could feel it like a bird on my shoulder.. there whenever I needed it.


    As I looked over to Chaz, still sporting his wings, I noticed that the heavenly host was gone.  Good riddance.  Alec sighed heavily, actually leaning on me for support.


    ¡°You gonna live, you stubborn sprite?¡± Chaz said, again in his gravelly voice.


    ¡°Yeah, handle-head, I¡¯ll live.¡± Alec looked to me.  ¡°John¡¯s gonna live too.  He¡¯s almost completely healed, so you know what that means¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.  Thankfully we have plenty of time to prepare him for the worst.¡±  I turned, pointing at Camael, who was slowly making his way to his feet,  ¡°What do we do with this brand new human?¡±


    He spoke, slowly.  His voice was utterly¡­ normal.  ¡°I will do penance for my crimes.  I will give to your police the one who attacked you, at my instruction, as well as give, in a human account, of my part in all of this, even how the ice dragon played her part in it as well.¡±


    ¡°Leave the fledgling out of it, mortal.  Dragons handle dragon affairs.¡±  I had turned away from him before I had finished speaking.  ¡°Chaz?  You were promised a soul¡­ he has one now.¡±


    I headed toward said dragon as the air around the fallen creature fogged up.  The fog cleared as I got to her, revealing her human shell, cuddled in a ball, weeping into April¡¯s arms.  There was massive scarring on her shoulder blades, but I had a feeling that her tears were not from pain.  I sat on the cold ground, pulling them into my lap.


    ¡°The scars on your shoulders¡­ is that from having a golem shell?¡± I asked.


    She nodded, sobbing.  ¡°We¡¯re all alone now.  Sam said he¡¯d be with me forever¡­ said he loved me¡­¡±  Her tears felt like tiny shards of ice as they slid off of her face and onto my skin.  ¡°He had Elaine killed too.  He told us he had her hidden away¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been alive two thousand years and you still haven¡¯t learned to not trust the angels?¡±  These words caused her to sob louder.  ¡°Shhh, little one.  Jackie¡¯s got you now.  Jackie knows you have that big dragon heart breaking right now, but there¡¯s another big dragon heart right here, to make it all better¡­¡±


    ¡°How can you do this, and say that, after all we did?¡±


    ¡°Because we all make mistakes from time to time, Cassandra, even big old dragons who almost got to see Noah¡¯s ark  Besides, you and April aren¡¯t alone.¡±


    The sun escaped from the horizon.   I uttered a prayer in draconic, as the astral plane opened, and I watched my Dragon enter the world with me, carrying Elaine¡¯s body with me.


    Cassie gasped.  ¡°April told me she was dead,.. that they had killed her.  I thought they would have and destroyed her body.  At least she can be laid to rest.¡±


    My personality shifted to my scaled form as Xochil occupied the human form.  ¡°You have been sheltered for so long, haven¡¯t you, dragon?¡±  She smiled at Cassie.  ¡°Step into this world again, dragon.¡±  Xochil looked over Cassie¡¯s body, finding the letters etched into her form, making her golem form.  Xochil drug her finger across the letters etched into her skull, fading them out.  Cassie¡¯s body turned to dust just as The dragon emerged.


    ¡°Not my shell!¡± she roared, as I laid Elaine¡¯s body at the other dragon¡¯s feet.


    Xochil replied, ¡°Shhhh, dragon.  For you this has been prepared.  This vessel, You have loved her, yes?¡±


    It was at that moment that Cassie really noticed Elaine¡¯s body. She lowered her baby blue snout to her, sniffing it, as tears escaped her dual-lidded eyes.  ¡°They would have destroyed her.. that she was gone forever.  She¡¯s lifeless, but she does not have the smell of death on her,  Why?¡±


    I answered her.  Elaine¡¯s father was an angel.  That made her a Nephilim.  She was mortal, just like a human, but only the rites of an angel can destroy the body.  I can only assume that Camael¡¯s plan was to use that to further control you, or as a weakness with which to slay you  But after today that will not be possible.``


    Xochil spoke again, ¡°Do you wish to share your heart with her?  The one I can feel that you loved?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that Elaine¡¯s body could be my new shell?  No more golems?  Would I be able to hear her voice?  talk with her again?¡±


    ¡°For a while, yes.¡± I answered.  ¡°She will share her knowledge, and her memories with you..  You will share your senses, your aura, and vitality with her.  This bond¡­ Will you accept it?  I have explained it to Elaine, and she does, happily.¡±


    ¡°You explained it to her?  How?¡±


    Xochil chuckled.  ¡°This body is half angelic, after all.¡±  She smiled as she approached the icy dragon.  I lifted her into the air, as she shoved a glowing hand into the ice dragon¡¯s chest.  There was no blood, but she removed a large, glowing heart from the dragon.  Cassie crumbled, gasping and growling in pain.


    Xochil began to chant.  She was repeating an incantation older than time.  I translated it for the sake of April, Cassie, and surprisingly, Jerome.  I knew he had been there from the beginning of this, but he would not stop this.


    ¡°The rising sun, the morning sky, Share your light with me.  I hold a heart of the sky, and entrust it to the child of the winged ones, now of the Earth.  As scales guard the skies, so shall this body guard the earth.  You have given us a gift, and a gift we give unto you.¡±


    Xochil shoved the glowing heart into the lifeless body of Elaine.  The glow soon enveloped her entire body.  Cassie gasped as she heard it.  a heartbeat.  It started out soft, quiet, but grew louder and stronger.  Color began to return to her pale, lifeless flesh.


    Cassie approached cautiously, watching in astonishment when Elaine¡¯s body took in a long, ragged breath.  She released it as fast as she took, with a loud scream echoing through the air.  She sat up with a start, looking at the Ice-blue dragon.


    ¡°Cassie, is that you?¡± Elaine said as Cassie lowered her snout to her.


    ¡°It is, my  dear sister.  You have returned to us.¡±


    ¡°I returned to you?  You¡¯ve returned to me, big sister.  It feels like I have your hugs in my chest.  Is what Jackie¡¯s body says true?  Will we be together forever?¡±


    Cassie replied, purring.  ¡°Yes.  no more clay, no more malice¡­ no more bad boyfriends.  Jackie said she¡¯ll keep us safe.¡±


    ¡°I believe her,¡± Elaine said, as they both faded away.  Elaine¡¯s body reappeared, though this time her eyes were different colors, one green, the other ice blue.  A bandaged and human-colored Alec walked up at this time, as April helped her to the bar.


    My dragon faded back away as Jerome approached.  I knew he was watching.  He¡¯d never been witness to Lucifer¡¯s gift.  ¡°So why is that so wrong, Jerome?¡±


    ¡°It was beautiful, like the ascension of an angel.  If I am allowed to speculate, I believe that the fear that this causes lay in the fact that the dragons have this power, to show love in a way that transcends death.  That and not give the angels a way to clean up their messes.¡±


    I caught him staring at and taking in my body, again.  ¡°So what do you do, Jerome?  You were human once.  I know you have needs.¡±


    ¡°Would you believe a vow of chastity?¡± he asked, batting his eyes.


    ¡°Hell no, considering  how your eyes wander, even now.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve considered a lover or two, over the years.  I choose those who are barren, though.  less damaging that way.¡±

 Epilogue

    Two weeks later, Jeriel, Alec and I found ourselves sitting in an upscale Italian restaurant named Angela¡¯s, staring at the menus.  The scents of starched linens, fresh herbs and many different meats provided a pleasant atmosphere as well as a building appetite.


    ¡°You know, this is my first time in New York City.  Overall, I¡¯m impressed,¡± I said with a nod.


    ¡°Are you certain we¡¯re safe here?¡± Jeriel asked, placing her right hand on mine.  She was in a teal silk jacquard wrap midi dress.  The color of the dress brought out the rose highlights in her hair, and it was almost sheer enough to share her secrets with the world¡­. almost.


    Alec, to my left, was in an italian-cut tuxedo, sporting a green bow tie and cumberbun that perfectly matched his hair.  He definitely could make an entrance.


    I was in a white, backless, long-sleeved dress.  My stiletto-heeled shoes, and nails matched Jeriel¡¯s dress, while my make-up and the beads braided into my hair were emerald green.    We wanted to make a statement, and with the heads that turned when we walked in here, I was sure that we succeeded.


    ¡°Thank you for visiting us, Miss Tannin and company.  Mr. Serra has spoken highly of you.  May I offer some Bruschetta to start things off?  Mr. Serra recommends the spaghetti ala carbonara with the 2016 Barbera d¡¯Alba.  He said to tell you that it¡¯s ¡®to die for¡¯.¡±  We glanced at each other, then handed the young gentleman in a white shirt with a black clip-on tie and black slacks.  He was brown-haired, and seemed to be happy to be here.  It¡¯s nice to see people who enjoy their jobs.


    He soon returned with the Bruschetta, which smelled divine.  The olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes.. fresh parmesan¡­ I¡¯m a lover of meat, but the scent of this¡­ sent me to the moon.  I was on my second slice when the waiter poured a sample of wine into a glass.  I handed it to Alec, He knows more about wine than I do.   He did the swirly, sniffy tasting thing that you do, then smiled at the waiter, who  blushed slightly.  Glasses were poured for all of us.


    As the waiter walked away, my phone rang.  Alec pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to me.  I answered.


    ¡°Hello lizard breath,¡± I heard Chaz say.


    ¡°Well hello handle-head.  What¡¯s up.?  How¡¯s the bar?¡±


    ¡°The bar¡¯s jumping.  Been full all night.  Look I have some info¡­¡±  he growled.  He wasn¡¯t happy again.


    ¡°What has you growling now, besides me up here?  We¡¯ll be flying back tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Not that.  The police got SImon and Ralphie Chavez before we could.  To make matters worse, Simon got extradited back to Miami, but Ralphie rolled on him.  They fessed up to planting that shit in Raze¡¯s car..¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s free and clear?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not exactly.  He still has that deal with breaking out.  He turned himself in.  Thirty days¡­¡±


    ¡°That sucks.  John and Tony can¡¯t do anything for him?¡±


    ¡°That was them doing something for him.  He was facing 6 months.  Speaking of Tony, he and his wife left for the mountain house today.  I told them you¡¯d be there soon.  Finally, you know Guillermo Delgado?¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s Raze¡¯s dad.  What about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be in town the first of next week.  He has something important to discuss.  Didn¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Any word of that damned shifter?¡±


    Chaz sighed loudly.  ¡°The fae Alec had me work with haven¡¯t been able to find him.  We can do more when you get back.¡±


    I looked up to see movement across the restaurant.  ¡°I understand.  Hey, we¡¯ll talk later,¡± I said, then ended the call and tossed the phone back to Alec.


    Not long after, Mr. Serra approached, with 4 waitresses behind him.  He looked almost harmless in his white chef¡¯s outfit as he sat across from me, as plates were set in front of each of us.  I looked at the waitresses, all dressed in the same uniforms as their male co-worker.  Their only differences were their ponytails and the curves that, well, a man doesn¡¯t have.


    ¡°I was surprised when you replied to my offer, though the lack of your friend¡¯s presence does not.¡±  He chuckled as the waitresses left.  The waiter poured Mr. Serra a glass of wine, then left as well.


    ¡°We thought that it would not be ... .tactful,¡± I replied, choosing my words.  ¡°This looks and smells wonderful though.¡±


    Mr. Serra beamed proudly.  ¡°Carbonara is one of my favorite dishes to make.  The flavors of the Pecorino Romano and the Guanciale make love on the hints of black pepper.  Here, have a taste.¡±  He gathered some creamy noodles and a couple pieces of meat from his plate on a fork and fed it to me.  I could not argue.  Garlic, rosemary, a rich creamy cheese, the pepper¡­  I was officially in heaven!


    ¡°Oh, my¡­ I swear I could eat this every day¡­¡± I almost moaned.


    ¡°Why did you serve off of your plate, Mr. Serra?¡± Jeriel asked.  Her words were soft, and to those casually listening, would have sounded timid.  There was an undercurrent of  displeasure, almost anger, in her voice.


    ¡°No disrespect, Lady Jeriel.  I wanted her to taste it as it should taste.  Hers is different.¡±


    Different, he said?  I tasted my dish, and it didn¡¯t taste the same.  It tasted gamey, unrefined, and an odd taste that took a moment to identify


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°It has the undertones of¡­¡± I whispered.  The seasonings finally yielded the hidden flavor  Human.  I was eating human.  Mr. Serra smiled as the realization took over my face.  I don¡¯t have too much of an issue consuming humans.  I make it a practice not to, but in the slight chance this was who i thought it was, i would have no problems.


    ¡°I have a butcher who sometimes does things that my mother wouldn¡¯t be proud of, but after we found Shaun O¡¯Duffy in an airport in Charleston, West Virginia I chose to prepare a present.  The rest of the kill is in a meat truck, headed to your friend¡¯s home.¡±  He raised his hand, snapping twice.  ¡°This, however, I thought would make a nice housewarming gift.¡±


    I was handed a large box by the waitress who delivered my food.  I then got a whiff of her, and noticed the scent of clay.  She left soon after.


    Opening the box almost took my breath away.  In the box was a brown bear¡¯s head, along with its pelt.  ¡°How did you¡­?¡± I started to ask.


    ¡°It was alive, in its wereform when it happened.  They told me the head was tricky, but I wasn¡¯t there. ¡±


    ¡°So Chaz and you plotted this together?¡±


    ¡°After we located and captured him, of course.  He said he¡¯d take the body of your attacker in exchange for the souls of my sons.  I thought it a more-than-fair trade.¡±


    ¡°So what does the Vatican think of this development?¡± Alec asked, as Jeriel ate silently, watching everything.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really been close to Rome in years, but now they¡¯ve washed their hands of me.  My sons still have ties, but family first.  Right?  So how are things on your end?  I heard you threw a black tie pre-opening event.  How¡¯d that go?¡±


    I found myself opening up.  I could feel a divine air, but decided not to fight it for tonight.  We were guests, after all.  ¡°It went a lot better than I expected, to be honest.  I didn¡¯t find out until later that Ronald Ashleigh, the food critic we had there that night, was the host of ¡®Asheville Foodie¡¯ a weekly segment on the evening news.  He had taken some of the video footage and spun it into his segment. He described us as ¡®A fresh taste of the divine that everyone needs to experience at least once in their lifetime.¡¯  After I saw that, I gave the staff a nice bonus.  They deserved it.¡±


    ¡°Take care of your staff, and they¡¯ll take care of you.  Mama would always say that.¡±  He added.


    I ate more of the pasta before continuing.  ¡°We only had one little hiccup at the event.  Asheville¡¯s commerce secretary busted into an allergic reaction at the table.  Thankfully my new general manager had an Epi-pen and was able to settle things down.  No one, not even the reporter who helped set it up, knew she¡¯d react like that. She went to the hospital, but was apologizing throughout the whole ordeal.  She did give me the name of a couple of local gluten-free manufacturers, and I passed those along to Alec.She also mentioned some vegan and non-meat alternatives as well.  Those I¡¯m not sure about¡­ we dragons love our meat, ya know? ¡°  I smiled at my little joke, but the smile faded to sadness.


    Mr Serra saw my face and paused.  ¡°Something not so good happen, I take it?¡±


    ¡°This entire ordeal was orchestrated by an angel, did you know that?  He had a family and a shifter pack wrapped up in it.  The nephilim sister was killed, the adopted dragon sister was deceived, and the red-headed cop sister was used to get close to me, which she did, biblically.  After everything went down and the angel was handled¡­¡±


    ¡°By your friend, no doubt¡­¡± he added.


    I nodded, continuing.  ¡°Needless to say, April, the cop, turned in her badge.  I¡¯ve offered to help her make amends, but with everything that¡¯s happened to her, she¡¯s lost.  It¡¯s sad.¡±


    ¡°Was she infected?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No.  My detective friend was.  He¡¯s preparing for his first change.  We¡¯re hoping he chooses wolf or fox.  I¡¯m close to a local pack, who has volunteered to take him in.¡±  I sighed, shaking my head.  ¡°So many lives have been destroyed or turned upside down because of the damned angels¡­ it¡¯s fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Sounds about right.  In my youth, the Vatican had given me some assignments that destroyed families, even villages., but claimed that they were ¡®Divine Will¡¯.  Back then I believed I was doing the right thing.  As I grew older, I tended to see things from a different set of eyes.  So there¡¯s no love lost between me and the Vatican.  I never claimed to be a saint, and I still do things that my mama would not be proud of, but there comes a time you gots to look out for your own.  Angel¡¯s aside, God¡¯s will be done.¡±


    My phone chirped an alert.  Alec handed it to me, but Jeriel took it, since i was eating.  She looked at it briefly, then showed me a message.  ¡°Of course they can come overI,¡± Jeriel whispered, giggling, as she clutched my hand. ¡° But don¡¯t forget.  Zeva wants to meet you too.  Now, back to the subject..¡±


    Jeriel¡¯s dreamy face instantly grew somber as her eyes fell on Mr. Serra.  ¡°Pardon me for being curt, but you doing all of this¡­ can we assume it was not solely out of charity?¡±  Jeriel asked, grabbing her glass.  all of our plates were empty, save mine.  I finished up as she took the floor.


    ¡°You have to respect a woman with a sharp wit,¡± he said, chuckling.  ¡°I¡¯ve learned to never negotiate from a place of weakness, but I honestly did this for a chance to ask a favor.¡±


    ¡°What favor?¡± Alec asked.


    ¡°Despite what you¡¯ve seen and heard on the news, everything here in New York is turning to shit, and I¡¯d love to move my restaurant to some place nicer¡­ quieter.. like Asheville.  I¡¯m not looking to make it rich, but I do enjoy serving my mama¡¯s food.¡±


    I placed my fork on the empty plate, raising my head and eyes to meet his.  ¡°Just open a restaurant?  That I can handle.  You leave your old life and your sons here, though.  There¡¯s only one ¡®off-books organization¡¯ in Asheville and they answer to me.  If you can accept those rules, and one other, I don¡¯t see an issue.¡±


    ¡°What other rule?¡± Mr Serra asked.


    ¡°The non-humans you¡¯ve collected come here, and get put under my umbrella,¡± I interjected.


    Jeriel looked at him, sneering.  ¡°Don¡¯t think we wouldn¡¯t be able to tell.  You have dragons and fae here, and I''m picking up on at least 2 elves.¡±


    I picked where she left off.  ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to exploit those who outlive you.¡±  There was a group of 15 or so employees now around the table.  Apparently the energies we three were giving off drew them to us.


    ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t exploiting them, sheesh.  I treat my staff real good.¡±  He started to mutter, ¡°Now I can see how you earned your nickname.¡± he said, quietly.


    ¡°What, Madrecita?¡± Jeriel asked, looking around.


    ¡°No,¡± a soft feminine voice said as her voice came from my right.  I looked to see it was the same waitress that served me, and brought me the box.  ¡°From the stories we¡¯ve all heard about you, we started to call you the Brood Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Are there shifters among you?¡±  Alec asked.


    ¡°There were rumors of some, a few years back, but they were hunted mercilessly.  After the hunters left, there were no shifters left in all the boroughs.  That¡¯s why we are more prevalent here.  No shifter competition.¡±  The female bowed her head softly.


    I looked from her to Mr. Serra.  ¡°Asheville is my home.  If you can abide by the law, or my rules, then you are welcome.    You mess with me and I will take it to your ass.  You mess with mine and I will devour you¡­¡±