Dragon Awakened (17 page)

“Bastard!” she screamed, but instead of rushing at him, she took off toward the open doorway. She paused there though, and Cyn moved in front of Ruby. Now human, bloody, and stooped over, Magda smiled eerily as she flipped a switch that was high up on the wall and ran out of sight. No lights went out.

“Get out!” Cyn said, snatching up his clothing in one hand and Ruby's arm in the other. They shot through the doorway seconds before the building exploded. The force threw them several yards away, where they landed in the grass, naked and human.

He checked Ruby, relieved to see that she was stunned and bruised, but all right.

She pointed at the fiery building. “That thing we found, the one that's messing up the
Deus Vis
.”

“Gone.”

He shoved the shirt at her as she got to her feet. He slid into his pants, and they pushed their way through the hedges into the yard next door. The sounds of alarmed voices filled the air, and Cyn pulled Ruby out of view just as someone came running out of the house. Her body slammed into his, and he held her fast for a moment, soaking in the feel of her. Once the people ran out of view, she jerked away.

Smoke billowed into the air, filling it with the acrid scent of chemicals. They kept close to the hedges and made their way to the street. Sirens signaled coming police vehicles.

Cyn assessed her, his shirt coming down to her upper thigh. “Stay here in the shadow of the hedges. You're not indecent, but you'd definitely attract attention. I'll bring the car up, and you can jump in.”

Pink light streaked across the sky now. He crossed the street, probably looking like a man sneaking out of his married lover's house, and got into his car. A quick U-turn, and Ruby stepped into the car. Cyn turned down a side road just as two cop cars raced past.

She held her body stiff, shoulders straight. “They tried to kill me. They were our friends, and they were going to kill me just to protect his project.” She stared straight ahead, her eyes vacant. “She blew up the lab. Just…blew it up, probably to destroy the evidence. She was hoping we'd be gone, too. Maybe she was the supportive dutiful wife, trying to protect her husband's reputation. Not to mention her own.”

“Maybe.” Cyn let Ruby talk it out.

“
Mr. Smith
is dead. It's over.” A tremor vibrated in her voice. “No more d-demons. Or t-tulpas. Just Magda. I can handle her.”

Not if he could help it. “Yes, you can. You did well. You put your emotions aside and fought logically. That's what kept you alive.”

“I don't need emotions. I don't want to feel anymore.”

He fought not to touch her, tightening his fingers on the wheel instead. “Don't do that. Because once you bury them, it's hard to bring them back. And you don't feel anything, not joy or excitement or real desire.”
Until someone special comes along and rocks you out of your numbness.

And now he was feeling pain he told himself he'd never experience again.

They drove in silence, except for Ruby's occasional soft gasp as she tried to rein in her reaction to the adrenaline. He had to hold back words of comfort, because he knew she wouldn't want them.

“Do you feel my mother's energy?” she asked. “All those Dragons you killed and Breathed, can you feel them?”

“No, it doesn't work like that. If you kill Magda, you have to catch her essence at the moment of death or within seconds of it. Get nose to nose with her and Breathe deeply. Your Dragon will know what to do from there. If she's either old or murderous, you might be overwhelmed by the power you inherit.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

Twenty minutes later, he pulled up to the gates of the Yard. He opened the trunk and pulled out her bag. She took it, hefting it over her shoulder. Her eyes were devoid of anything when they looked at him. He had mastered that lack of emotion for most of his life. So why did hers gut him?

Her gaze drifted to his bare chest, probably to the bruises and scratches she'd inflicted. Only then did he see some flicker of something, though he couldn't figure out what it was.

“Do you want to hit me again?” He remembered the fire in her eyes when she'd talked of killing the man responsible. That was better than the deadness in them now. He spread his arms as he'd done in his office after handing her the letter opener. “Get it out of your system.”

She raised her eyes to his. “I don't want anything from you. I don't need the Dragon Prince anymore. I can handle myself, my power. I never want to see you again.”

Why did it feel as though she'd plunged that letter opener into his chest? He forced himself to nod, putting his mask in place. “Be safe, Ruby.”

He didn't leave as she turned away, punishing himself by watching her. She went in, relocked the gate, and walked into the Yard. Even when she was out of sight, he couldn't seem to move.

The sense of loss acted like the poison in a Citrine's tail, working its way from his legs, up to his chest, his throat, pounding in his head. He realized he hadn't breathed in a long time, maybe the whole time she'd been out of his sight. He leaned his forehead against the edge of the roof, grimacing from a pain he'd not felt before. His fingers even hurt. He realized he was gripping the metal and released them. Eight small dents marred the surface.

He pushed himself to get into the car. Then he had to force himself to drive away. He had a Dragon bitch to hunt down. He was still Ruby's sworn protector, even if he never saw her again.

Friggin' Hidden. She was done with it.

Friggin' Cyn. She was done with him, too.

Ruby dropped her bag on the floor and sank down next to the pile of photographs. She hated him. H-A-T-E-D him. “I hope you're hurting, Cyntag Valeron. I hope you are suffering at least a fraction of what you've put me through.”

Then why does your heart ache?

She'd fallen in love with the man who'd murdered her parents. That was bad enough. The worst part was she still wanted him.
I suck.

She could smell his scent, his essence permeating her. Well, of course, she was wearing his shirt! She wrestled out of it and threw it across the room. The pictures on the floor were of happier times, and yet, now she knew her father had been doing something that endangered people. Had he known before Brom warned him? Had he resisted destroying his work at first? She would never find out.

She stumbled into her bedroom, catching her reflection in the mirror over her dresser. Her beautiful red Dragon seemed to be looking at her with sympathy.

“I'm stuck with you, aren't I?”

It shifted, the tip of its tail wiggling.

“I guess I can live with you.” She pointed at it through the reflection. “But you can forget the black Dragon. Forget any Dragon. If I can't date… Mundanes, then I'm not interested in dating. I was doing fine before. I didn't need a man in my life then, and I don't need one now.”

Something thrummed through her though: need, desire.

“Stop it.” She dropped onto the bed. Emotional and physical fatigue, along with a night in a car, caught up to her. She was bruised, achy. Achier in her heart than in her body.

She tried to recall Mon's fairy tale, how Garnet had gone on after the Dragon Prince died. Sleep claimed her as the final battle played out in her mind. A sound scratched at the outer edge of her dreams.

Probably nothing. Or Fergus. She sank back into sleep.

Garnet and her army bided their time, gathering intelligence on the comings and goings of the Shadows and where they had stationed guards. Her heart ached at learning how many of her people had died, how many were now slaves to the Shadows. Thinking of her slain husband and Opal, her fury grew.

More refugees joined them. Their army gathered, timing their attack for the end of the guards' shift, when they would be the most tired, but before the new shift arrived. Each troop brought their particular skills to battle as they rushed forward. The Deuces pounded the Shadows with fiery orbs. She'd told the Dragons how the prince had defeated the Shadows when he had rescued her. She fought, too, cutting down monster after monster as she remembered how they had killed her parents. The battle raged for hours, and eventually they brought down the Shadows and their ruler.

In the aftermath, she was heralded as a savior, more beloved than any queen. She helped clean the rubble, restoring her castle and the kingdom to a semblance of its former beauty.

A fortnight later, she stood at the Great Room's window, looking out at her lands. A dove alighted on her finger, rubbing its head against her palm. She knew all would be well.

Until the next battle…

P
urcell held Magda as she sobbed in his arms. She'd collapsed the moment he'd opened his door, and he'd barely managed to guide her to the living room. Her broken report about what had happened at the lab was slowly seeping into his brain. First, how this would set them back. Second, that Darren was dead. And Purcell had never once thanked him for his work, praised him for his accomplishments. Guilt lanced his grief.

“You should have alerted me when you knew Cyntag and Ruby were outside your house. I could have helped.”

Magda loosened her grip on him and sat up straight on the couch. “I told Darren we should let you know, but he wanted to handle it himself. He always felt inadequate. I probably didn't help, comparing him to Justin years ago. To you. I think he needed to prove himself. But Darren doesn't have the magick you do. He did his best, but in the end, it wasn't enough. My fighting skills are a bit rusty, I'm afraid. I wasn't enough either.”

“You destroyed the lab.”

“I couldn't defeat them, nor could I run off and leave them there to take evidence. I felt it was the only solution, and I thought it would kill them.” She let out a ragged sigh. “But they escaped.”

Purcell nodded. “I suppose it was the best decision in the end. But Justin's early prototype was there.”

She shook her head. “I didn't see it or I would have grabbed it. I assumed it was here.”

“No, I only have his second, smaller prototype.” The only two things that Justin wasn't able to get his hands on that fateful night. Early attempts, they didn't pull in
Deus Vis
but did hold minute amounts of it. Darren had been using them to re-create Justin's work. “I'm glad I didn't give into Darren's whining about leaving the actual reactor at the lab.”

“He was angry that you wouldn't let him keep it, seeing it as proof that you didn't trust him. But you would have been proud of him. He fought well. And he hid your involvement, taking responsibility for everything.”

Purcell rubbed his fingers across his lips as he considered that. “So Ruby and Cyntag might think they've thwarted me and destroyed everything.” Maybe his son was smarter than he'd given him credit for.

“Ruby knows that Cyntag killed her parents. I was so hoping to break that news to her, since I couldn't believe she would work with him if she knew. She's angry at him over it though. Her eyes flamed when I mentioned it.”

Purcell ran his fingers down his beard. “A wedge between them may give us an opening. If we get rid of her, he may back down.”

She twined her fingers in her hair, her mouth stretching into a frown. “He won't. I could see his devotion to her. He'll come after us even harder.” She stared at nothing for a few moments before focusing on him again. “But revenge won't be his only motivator. Thanks to Brom, they must know the consequences of our success.”

Purcell reached for the cigar that he'd set in the ashtray when Magda had banged on his door. “I have an idea, but it will mean widening the circle of the Chosen.” And inviting another Dragon in, not something he was fond of doing. Purcell figured about fifty people could survive on the
Deus Vis
the reactor emitted. There were not many vacancies left.

She gathered his free hand in hers. “Am I still one of the Chosen?”

Her fear of being excluded shadowed her eyes. And filled him with a rush of his own power.
He
got to play god, in a way, choosing other early generation Deuces and esteemed members of the Concilium or Guard, along with their select family members.

He patted her hand and pulled out of her grip. “Of course.” She didn't know that she was the only Dragon thus far, and only included because of her affiliation with Darren. But Purcell would live up to his word. The Deuces he had chosen were purists like himself. None would be mating with Magda.

She stared past him, wiping away her tears. “The last thing Darren said…”

“Was what?”

Her smile was as vacant as her eyes. “That he was willing to die for me. That's the kind of man your son was.”

Purcell couldn't imagine his son being so noble. “You should return to your home. I imagine both the Mundane and Crescent authorities will be investigating. We'll come up with a story. You were out, your husband was concocting something in his lab and accidentally blew it and himself up. Who knows what kind of crazy thing he was working on? You don't, certainly. You can play the grieving and shocked woman well enough. After all, you did a good job just now.”

They'd saved thousands of Crescents. Cyn should feel good. Relieved. Well, if he could focus his thoughts on all that and not Ruby. Of course, that would be easier if he wasn't patrolling the road that the Yard was on.

He picked up his cell phone and fought the urge to call Ruby's number. Instead, he called Kade. When he didn't answer, Cyn called another Vega he'd served with.

After Parker answered and Cyn identified himself, he said, “It's great to hear from you, but I can't talk right now.”

Cyn could hear noise in the background. “You wouldn't happen to be investigating an explosion, would you?”

“Yeah, I sure am. An outbuilding, blown to bits. You know something about it?”

“All I can say is look closely at the woman who lives there.”

“She just returned from an errand and found this. She's all broken up but she's cooperating. We're questioning her now, but she claims to have no idea what her husband was doing when he blew himself up.”

“I'd detain her for as long as you can. Check out her story.”

Cyn signed off. Ruby should be safe for a little while at least. As exhausted as he was, an uneasiness twisted his stomach. Once Magda was taken care of, he would have no reason to contact Ruby again. The thought burrowed into his chest.

He called Glesenda. “Hey. Everything normal?”

“We don't have any uninvited guests hanging around, if that's what you mean.”

“I'm not coming in today. See if Dave can teach my cane class this afternoon.”

“Is it because of that chick? And the demons?”

“No, that's over. We took care of the guy behind the demons, and the
chick
is not in my life anymore.” He felt a stabbing pain at those words.

“Too bad about the chick. She fired you up. It was good to see you like that.”

He grunted in response.

“But,” she continued, “there's no need for a substitute teacher. Six of the students have canceled, along with a bunch for the other classes. There's some bug going around. I even feel run-down, and I never get sick.”

“Have any Mundanes called in to cancel?”

“Hmm. Now that you ask, no, only Crescents. Pretty strange, don't you think?”

He couldn't tell her that everyone would be feeling better soon without explaining, so he said, “Go ahead and close early, get some rest.”

Which is what he should do. The uneasiness was getting stronger, though, and his Dragon was downright agitated. Something didn't feel right.

In Brom's prophecy, and thus Moncrief's stories, Garnet and the Dragon Prince defeated a huge monster. And he and Ruby had—the tulpa. In Moncrief's version, the Dragon Prince died, but that was obviously his spiteful addition. Garnet had returned to her kingdom to find it still under siege by the Shadows. From Ruby's description, they sounded like demons. Garnet and her army went on to defeat them and all was well.

All did not feel well here. If something was truly wrong, Brom should be sensing it. Demons were supposed to return to the Dark Side if their summoner died. Any demons here to do Darren's bidding should be gone. Including the parasitic demon. Cyn headed to Brom's and took the back way in again, getting no answer when he called Brom's name. As he entered the house, he saw no sign that the man had been back. But he did see that the ribbons were still fracturing.

A beep caught his attention, and he followed it to an answering machine. The loud deep voice sounded familiar. “Hey, Brom, it's Jay. I've got some elements to try based on the new information you gave me. I'm going out to the edge of the Sanctum's Field where the
Deus Vis
is similar to Miami's to run some experiments. Since that's in the wilderness, I'll be out of pocket until tomorrow tonight. Hopefully I'll have an answer, because if you're right, we've only got until sometime tomorrow to figure this out.”

Jay. Sanctum. Cyn knew exactly who he was, and it made sense that Brom had consulted him again. According to the date and time on the phone, Jay had called this morning. Cyn programmed the number into his phone and headed back to his car, his mind spinning. He needed to find out what Brom had told Jay. And he needed to find Magda and get his hands on whatever was fracturing the
Deus Vis.
It obviously wasn't destroyed.

No demons.

Those words flashed in his mind as his feet sank into the sand on the way back to the car. He tried to figure out why it bothered him. No demons should be a good thing. In fact, it had been great that Darren hadn't summoned any to help during their final altercation. And
that's
what bothered Cyn. Someone who could summon demons possessed stronger magick than bubble orbs.

Had they killed Mr. Smith? Cyn needed to find out for sure. His former boss and mentor would be heading to work about now. Maybe Cyn could catch him.

Fernandez was, indeed, walking to his car, wearing his dark blue suit, a travel mug in hand. He was already watching as Cyn's car pulled down the long drive. No doubt he recognized the car.

Fernandez set his mug on the roof and waited for Cyn to get out and walk over. “Everything all right? No, I'm assuming not, since you're here. Not to mention that you look like hell.”

They shook hands, and Cyn smiled. “I earned it. I have a question, off the record. What did Mr. Smith look like? A general description will suffice.”

Before Fernandez could say anything, the front door opened, and Celia stepped out. “Cyn! I thought that was your car.” She was still wearing a robe, her complexion pale. “It's been so long.”

“I'm sorry about that. I wish I had time to visit.”

Her wistful expression tightened his chest. Ward orphans, back before they created institutions for them, were taken in by a Guard officer and his family. Similar to foster care, only there was a solid commitment to raise the child, train him in the Crescent ways, and then push him to join the Guard. When Cyn had quit, he'd had to quit them, too. He couldn't take the chance of inadvertently revealing the truth about why he left. But he did stop by from time to time and always sent cards and gifts.

She waved away his words. “I can't anyway. I've got the flu.”

The flu. Like all those other Crescents. “Good to see you, Celia. I hope you feel better.”

When Celia closed the door, Fernandez turned his troubled expression back to Cyn. “Smith. He looked older, which means he's old. Early generation Crescent, I'd guess. White hair and neatly trimmed beard. Distinguished, typical Deuce coolness. Arrogant. You want to tell me what's going on? Maybe I can help.”

Darren wasn't Mr. Smith. Which meant Mr. Smith was still alive. Still out there hunting Ruby. Cyn called out, “I have to go,” as he ran to his car. He tried Ruby's number, but he didn't expect her to answer if she knew it was him.

He jumped in his car and tore away to the Yard.

Something was forming on the page of the open book in the female Crescent's living room. The demon watched for a moment, feeling the magick in the book prickle across its skin. A three-headed monster appeared line by line. Very small stick figures were next, standing in front of the looming monster.

Selwig closed the book and searched the living space. It liked going through her things. What joy, tormenting Crescents by moving their things around, punching them in their sleep and creating mystery bruises. But it was not here to have innocent fun; its mission was even more exciting. The demon didn't like Dragons, having seen his comrades slaughtered by them over the years. Now, fittingly, this demon had been freed from prison to kill one.

A song began to play. Selwig followed the sound to a flat square sitting on the table. The screen read
CYN
. The song ended. It followed the scent of the woman to the open doorway. She lay sprawled on the bed, naked.

A demon of sin would do other things to her. Being a harbinger was much better, with the ability to take any kind of physical form.

A fire Elemental tried to dart past, but Selwig stomped its foot and stopped the pesky creature. Its gaze flitted to the woman's sleeping form. Ah, so it meant to warn her. The demon bared its fangs. The Elemental did, too, but it recognized it was way outpowered and backed away.

The woman stirred and rolled to her side. A second later, her eyelashes fluttered open. Selwig took form and approached her.