Badass Dragons - Complete Set (27 page)

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

The sky came alive with a flash of
distant purple lightning as Jet’s broad wings dived closer to the earth, their
destination near. Cheryl knew where they were. She had spied the outline of his
dark, rocky castle several minutes ago. What was to become of them after they
landed, she didn’t know. The only thing that seemed important was to make sure
they were both on the same page. That they were going to work together as a
team. Cheryl wasn’t sure she could handle another betrayal…

Once they
were in the courtyard and Cheryl’s feet were safely on the ground, she turned
around to see Jet shifting back to his human form. As he did so, Cheryl was
very much reminded of his current condition. His clothes were still torn at his
waist and the blood and dirt that stained his torso was ever present. She
approached him cautiously, while he gazed back up at the flashing sky above
them.

“Are you
okay?” Cheryl asked him.

“He’s coming
for us,” Jet said absently.

“Who is
coming?”

He looked
down and into her eyes. “Synrith.”

“What can I
do?” Cheryl asked.

“Nothing, I
–” Jet began, but was stopped mid-speech. His knees buckled underneath him and
he fell, reaching out for Cheryl’s shoulder for support.

“It’s okay,”
she said. “Come on. Over here.”

Cheryl guided
him onto one of the stone benches, Jet breathing intensely. She put her arm
around him and sat down.

“There’s a
sword and armor in the chamber upstairs,” Jet croaked. “Fetch them for me.”

“Are you sure
he’s coming?” Cheryl asked.

“Yes,” Jet
hissed back at her. “Please get them.”

Cheryl nodded
and removed her arm from him. She stood up from the bench and moved around to
the back of the courtyard.

Once there
she retraced her steps to the bedroom upstairs where she and Jet had once upon
a time, had an encounter. Cheryl recalled that he rejected her. He cast her
out. The shame of her vampirism was too much for him to bear. At the time
Cheryl hadn’t even been really interested in him – her attraction to Synrith
was just starting to grow.

It felt like
a million years ago.

Resting on
top of a wardrobe against the wall, Cheryl retrieved a long silver broadsword with
a golden handle. Inside the cupboard there was also a coat of chainmail which
she forced underneath her free arm. She then hurried back to Jet who had fallen
off the bench, slumped in the courtyard.

“Jet!” Cheryl
cried.

She dropped
the sword and armor within a few feet of him and rushed to his side. Jet
grasped hold of her and tried to sit up.

“I’m okay,”
he said. “I’m just really tired.”

Cheryl helped
to drag him back to the bench. His neck rested against it.

“I brought
you a sword and some armor,” Cheryl said. “I found them by your wardrobe.”

“Thank you,”
Jet said.

Cheryl looked
back up to the sky. There was still no sign of Synrith.

“Are you sure
he followed us?” Cheryl asked.

“I’m sure,”
Jet replied.

“Did you see
him?”

Jet shook his
head. “I felt his eyes on us as we made our escape. The air around us … I felt
it move. He wanted me to know he would be coming.”

“Then where
is he?”

“I don’t
know,” Jet said, sitting back on the bench. “But he won’t be long.”

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

Synrith did not appear as soon as Jet
expected him to. A few minutes later Jet was able to stand again and Cheryl
help him with the chainmail and sword. Soon he was suited up and holding the
weapon tensely, waiting for his enemy to appear. Cheryl wasn’t sure if she was
supposed to stay with him afterward or if he’d prefer her to go elsewhere. Jet
had never been much of a communicator.

“Hey,” Cheryl
said, trying to get his attention. “Hey.”

Jet looked at
her sideways. His eyebrows narrowed.

“We had
something before you know,” Cheryl murmured.

Jet seemed
uneasy. “I know.”

“You remember
going to bed with me?”

“What of it?”

“I just,”
Cheryl trailed off. “I just…”

“Don’t.”

Don’t. That
was it. What he had to say. Don’t.

It sounded so
final.

“Why does it
have to be that way?” she asked. “Between us?”

Jet sighed.
“I don’t know what you want from me.”

“I don’t know,”
Cheryl shrugged. “Can’t we just be friends?”

“Fine.
Whatever. Friends.”

“That doesn’t
feel like friends to me.”

“Well that’s
because I don’t trust you,” Jet said. “And why should I? You have the blood of
a thousand demons running through your veins.”

“But it’s
still me,” Cheryl said. “I’m not a bad person.”

“Soon you’ll
be hungry,” Jet declared. “And then that hunger will lead to the murder of an
innocent.” He inhaled sharply. “It always does.”

“Did you lose
someone? To –”

Jet planted
his sword in the soil and turned his body towards her.

Cheryl
realized she had upset him.

“I’m sorry,”
she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to –”

“It was
someone I loved,” Jet said. “More than you’ve ever loved anybody. And that’s
all you need to know.”

“What do you
know about my feelings of love?” Cheryl stammered.

Jet grimaced.
“I know enough that if I were to tear at your chest and pull from it your heart
– it would dead, and empty and black. Your last beat was a long time ago.”

Cheryl
inhaled. His words disturbed her. She had wanted to confide in Jet, just as
they had been before. She wanted to try. To give him her all.

But he still
didn’t trust her.

And now she
was utterly alone.

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

“Something isn’t right,” Jet said
breaking the silence. “He’s taking too long.”

Jet looked
anxiously around them as though one of the shadows were suddenly about to come
to life. Cheryl bit her teeth together.
Maybe he’s never coming,
she
thought.

“Good
evening.”

Both Jet and
Cheryl whirled round to the courtyard’s entrance.

A tall figure
was approaching them.

Jet rushed to
pull his sword from the earth.

“No combat is
required,” the voice said calmly.

Cheryl put
her hand on Jet’s shoulder, easing him. She realized she recognized the voice.

“Reiko…?” she
called out.

He emerged into
the half-light.

“Please,” he
said. “I mean no harm. I only wish to talk.”

Jet growled
angrily and charged in his direction.

“Jet!” Cheryl
cried.

When he came
into contact with the shadows Reiko had been, swinging his sword blindly, Jet
struck only the air. Cheryl turned around to see that Reiko was standing behind
them.

“Remember
who’s heart belongs to me, dragon,” he said calmly.

“Fuck you,”
Jet cursed and charged back over to him.

Reiko quickly
entered the castle from the side and Jet chased him, hot in pursuit.

Cheryl stood
her ground, unable to come to terms with what was happening.

Tap, tap.

She turned to
see Reiko was tapping her shoulder.

“What?” she
blurted out. “What is it?”

“It’s time
for you to leave him behind,” Reiko said.

“What?”
Cheryl gasped. “I can’t do that.”

“He doesn’t
love you,” Reiko said. “The two of you together will bring only pain.”

“How did you
find us here?” Cheryl demanded. “Have you seen Synrith?”

Reiko nodded.
“I was a fool to have disobeyed him. But then, he threatened our lives. That
was mostly Sophie’s doing. Thankfully the Master is seeing much clearer now.”

“What are you
talking about?” Cheryl shouted. “He’s going to run havoc on society? Is that
what you want?”

“It’s our
destiny, Cheryl,” Reiko said. “You’ve chosen your side.”

“Is she
coming?” a female voice cried out.

Cheryl turned
to see Cassandra approaching from the entrance.

“I’m talking
to her,” Reiko said.

“We don’t
have time,” Cassandra said. “Are you with us or not, Cheryl?”

“Who is
‘us’?” Cheryl asked.

“Synrith is
waiting for you just over the hill. As is Sophie. Your man and your sister.
We’re your friends.” Cassandra tossed her hair back. “Or would you prefer to
remain here with
him
?”

Jet jumped
out of one of the windows facing them, and landed in the centre of the
courtyard.

His body
shook and his feet wobbled after landing.

Reiko put his
arm out to shield Cheryl from him.

“We’re taking
her,” he said. “Don’t try to stop us.”

Jet stared at
the three of them as they backed away. There was hatred in his eyes.

“She doesn’t
love you,” Cassandra said to him. “Just as I don’t love you. You’ve already
lost her, and you’ve already lost me. There’s no use in trying to fight it.”

“What’s she
talking about?” Cheryl asked Reiko.

“Nothing,” he
muttered. “Cassandra used to be his girlfriend. Before…”

Cheryl opened
and closed her eyes. It was now that she understood.

Now that she
understood Jet’s hatred towards the vampire kind.

As they back
away into the shadows of the courtyard entrance, Jet still made no attempt to go
after them. Reiko’s grip across her chest was loosening. Their feet were
finding firmer ground.

Cheryl
glanced behind her and saw Synrith standing upon the hill before the trees.

Behind him
were the dragons, and vampires and wolves of the land.

Behind him,
was Sophie, just as Cassandra had said.

“Cheryl,” Jet
called out.

Cheryl
stopped.

Reiko tried
to move her but she wouldn’t budge.

“Cheryl,” Jet
repeated.

She pushed
Reiko away from her and walked back into the entrance.

Their eyes
locked.

“If you choose
me now,” Jet said, “then I will trust you.”

“Don’t listen
to him, Cheryl,” Cassandra hissed. “He’s lying.”

Cheryl
glanced back at the desperate vampire.

She knew who
was lying.

He was
looking at her from that distance, he was looking at her and he was offering
her something.

A final
chance to be happy.

A chance that
was real.

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

“CHERYL!” Master Synrith screamed
into the wind behind her. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

She pushed
past Reiko and Cassandra who were trying to restrain her, and reentered the
courtyard. Her eyes never left the dragon that was facing her.

Once she had
made it out of the shadows, her vampire kin stopped pursuing her. She walked
slowly across the gravel towards Jet, and once there she stood beside him,
ready for whatever was going to come at them.

Then she felt
Jet’s fingers glide into her hand.

She held
them, and they both squeezed at the same time.

She felt a
feeling she’d been longing to feel.

But just as
their moment was leaving, Synrith’s dark shadow could be seen storming towards
the courtyard entrance. Eventually he made it to the edge there, Cassandra and
Reiko standing either side of him. Sophie was also standing behind him.

Other than
that, they were alone.

“What are you
doing, Cheryl?” Synrith called slyly. “Come back here. I want to talk to you.”

“No,” Cheryl
said, shaking her head. “You had your chance.”

“How can you
be so foolish?” Synrith said. “Jet Strongarm is no match for me. He will surely
die here. Do you wish to die with him?”

“I won’t be
your slave!” Cheryl squealed.

“I don’t want
you to be my slave,” Synrith said. “I want you to be my Queen. Both you, and
Sophie.”

“Bullshit,”
Cheryl said. “You’re just being disgusting.”

Synrith shook
his head. “Very well. But you’ll be sorry once this is over.”

Cassandra and
Reiko immediately began to advance towards them in the courtyard.

“No,” Synrith
called to them. “This is my fight.”

They froze.

Synrith
walked past them, the ground crunching under his boots.

He withdrew
the magnetic green sword at his belt and pointed it in Jet’s direction.

“Are you
ready to die then, Jet?” Synrith taunted.

“Yes,” Jet
snapped back. “But it won’t be tonight.”

Jet let go of
Cheryl’s fingers and raced forward to strike Synrith’s sword.

As soon as
the forces between them collided, it was enough to send them both reeling back.
And then they were at it again. Their moves against one another so quick
Cheryl’s eyes were almost unable to keep up with them.

Then she
noticed Sophie was moving towards her.

Cheryl began
to back away.

“Please,” she
said.

Sophie glared
at her and revealed the ball of light in her hand. She launched it in Cheryl’s
direction. Cheryl ducked and rolled out of the way of it.

Sophie chuckled
to herself and then started firing more balls, one after the other.

Cheryl kept
backing away, her reflexes barely dodging each one.

Before long,
she was coming to the interior wall.

“Stop it,”
she cried at her sister.

“Make me,”
Sophie said.

She launched
another ball, this once striking Cheryl in the stomach.

Pain radiated
throughout her body. As she slumped she could still see Synrith and Jet
battling one another. It was hard to tell who had the upper-hand.

“Enough,”
Cheryl shrieked as Sophie hit her with another ball.

She fell face
up and could see her little sister towering over her.

“I love you,”
Cheryl said. “Don’t do it.”

Sophie knelt
beside her. Her eyes were tense. Wild with emotion.

Reiko and
Cassandra appeared over her shoulder.

“Don’t kill
her,” Cassandra said. “Save her for Synrith.”

Sophie
scowled and returned to her feet.

Cheryl’s
vision blurred a moment, as she strained to see across the courtyard towards
Jet and Synrith, who were still fighting one another. Synrith was on his knee
and Jet was repeatedly slamming his sword into his.

“You can’t
win,” Synrith roared at him. “You’re just making it worse for yourself.”

Jet finally
cut through Synrith’s blade, slicing it in two. He stabbed his sword into
Synrith’s chest and the Master Dragon fell over.

“No!!!”
Sophie cried. “What have you done?”

Jet turned
back to them, grinning. He threw his sword into the gravel and walked beyond
them.

“Run away,
vampires,” Jet growled at them. “Run far from here.”

Cheryl
managed to sit herself up. He was looking at her now.

And they both
knew he had won.

He had
finally won.

Synrith was
dead.

Wasn’t he…?

“AARGH,” Jet
suddenly cried out.

Cheryl
watched in horror as his sword slammed through his chest.

Jet collapsed
in a quivering ball, as Synrith withdrew it.

He was
standing on both feet, alive and unharmed.

Jet hadn’t
won after all.

He had lost.