Dragon Devotion Page 13

  Listening to him try and talk his way out of being gone for over half a day was not something she was going to waste her time on right now. He’d had his chance, and he’d blown it. Spectacularly. She’d made him promise one thing, and that was to never abandon her. It was a simple request, and yet he’d done it.

  And what did he expect after doing that one thing? That a simple phone call and explanation would make it all better? Did he not realize that this went deeper than that? He could have the best explanation in the world, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d gone somewhere else instead of come to her.

  She wasn’t his top priority.

  That hurt, being pushed to the side like that. Cast aside and told you weren’t good enough to warrant someone’s attention? Let alone the attention of someone you’d let yourself believe cared for you. The knowledge ate away at her stomach, a constant pain that had been amplified by the sound of his voice. She simply couldn’t listen to his message. Not right now at least. Maybe in a bit she’d do so, and then they could talk.

  When she was safely in another city, and unable to be charmed by his exotic features and delicious body. Then, and only then, would she consider listening to his message. If she ever did. It would probably just be easier to move on, to pack up and go and never look back, leaving it all in the past.

  Vanek had provided her with some seriously steamy memories that would probably haunt her on the lonely nights to come, leaving her hot and bothered and with nothing but herself to deal with, but so what? It was better than being hurt. Again.

  “Fucking asshole,” she muttered.

  “Pardon, ma’am?”

  Harlow looked up, seeing the cab driver meet her eyes in the mirror. “Oh, nothing. Just men being unreliable and disappointing me.”

  The cab driver, being a male himself, wisely said nothing and just nodded, focusing back on the road.

  “This one right here,” she said a handful of minutes later, pointing to the building on the left. Pushing some cash into his hand, including a decent tip for knowing when to stay quiet, she got out and walked over to the warehouse the city had loaned her. Their generosity had finally run out, and they’d told her she had two more days and then they would need her to leave.

  That was fine with Harlow. She’d be gone before the sun started to set, moving on to the next town, the next hopeful show. She’d decided not to sell the business, not yet at least. The biggest parade day of the summer was coming up in the next few weeks, and she hoped to be able to find a contract in one city or another for work. If nothing materialized by then, Harlow would list the company for sale.

  She undid the numerous locks on the door, shaking her head at the newness of it all. Vanek had told her the story of his frustration, and then his ashamed apology to the building owner and paying for the new door. It had made her smile at the time, but now she was over it. All it was, was another reminder of Vanek.

  Behind her the sun slid behind some clouds. Glancing up, she noted the dark gray of the sky. It was going to storm soon, and she was glad for the shelter of her warehouse. In the distance thunder rumbled. Perhaps it was going to be sooner than she thought. The light barely penetrated into the warehouse, and she flicked on the overhead lighting panels. The big bulbs took forever to brighten, meaning most of the warehouse would be gloomy in the meantime.

  Pulling out her cellphone, she closed the door behind her and hit the flashlight option. The flashlight lit enough of the space in front of her that she could get over to the first float. Besides the broken one, all of the others were packed up. Frames had been unclamped and lifted into their vertical transport positions so they could fit on the big-rig, a modified vehicle transport trailer.

  Holding the phone in one hand, she got her keys out in the other, shoving them into the ignition. This was it, the first step in getting the hell out of Barton City. With a flick of her wrist she turned over the engine. It coughed and rattled once, the headlights flashing into the darkness for a split second.

  They died at the same instant she saw something move in the shadows.

  Inhaling sharply, the hairs on her neck prickled.

  “Hello?” she called, beaming the little light from her phone around nervously. The lights overhead were still warming up, and it would be minutes yet before they shed any light on the floor of the warehouse.

  Desperately she turned over the ignition again, but the engine didn’t want to start. In the dark she thought she heard the sound of something scrape against the concrete.

  “Who’s there?” Her voice echoed crazily in the silence.

  Fear getting the best of her, she slipped from the cab after cautiously checking with her phone first. The light let her see a few feet in front of her, but after that the gloom took over and she couldn’t see a thing.

  Praying that she was dreaming, she started back toward the door, desperately wishing she’d left it open for the little bit of light it provided. There was a small exit light above the door that guided her way.

  Something sounded from off to her left and she screamed. Dropping her phone, she ran for the doorway.

  Halfway there something flew out and shattered the exit sign, plunging the warehouse into darkness. Harlow tripped in the sudden dark and went sprawling across the floor, bouncing and spinning, completely disoriented by the fall.

  The only light she could see was the dim glow from the bulbs in the ceiling, still far too weak to illuminate anything. Wishing desperately that she hadn’t packed up her workbench and its lights the night before in preparation for leaving today, Harlow started toward the exit again.

  She thought. She looked around, trying to find her bearings. The new sliding door didn’t have a window in it, unlike the old one, and when she’d fallen she’d gotten turned around. Was the door straight ahead of her? Or was it off to her left.

  Why weren’t the overhead lights coming on at all? They should have been starting to light up by now! Harlow was panicking, sure that she was hearing sounds coming from all directions.

  “Please stop this!” she called, horrified at the warble in her voice.

  Something scritched on the concrete floor behind her. Stumbling again, Harlow pushed herself backward on her hands and feet, trying to back away from the sound.

  Scritch.

  Then silence.

  Scritch.

  It was coming closer. She screamed again and got to her feet, hands out in front of her as she yelled for help. Her hand grasped something and she realized it was her phone. Picking it off the ground she turned it over, the flashlight still on, though it had been facedown. Holding it up in the direction of the noise, Harlow’s entire arm shook violently as she saw the menacing creature emerge from the shadows.

  It was all black, and moved forward with a lurching, humping sort of walk-movement that evoked her worst nightmares. It was a faceless abomination that came closer, making no noise at all. Harlow screamed and tried to back away, but it stayed pace with her easily, coming closer as her back hit something.

  She jumped, but the cool metal of one of her floats told her that it wasn’t another creature.

  “Go away!” she shouted, her arm barely able to hold the phone up to watch as it came closer, the skin rippling in anticipation now that it had her trapped. She wanted to both vomit and run away as fast as she could at the sight of it.

  An arm extended toward her, its point aimed at her chest.

  Harlow curled into a ball, frozen by fear.

  Behind them the sliding door clanged open and the warehouse filled with light, outlining the shadow of a man.

  Chapter Twenty

  Vanek

  His eyes instantly pierced the darkness, seeing the Outsider looming over his mate.

  “GET OVER HERE!” he roared, calling upon his fire and flinging it at the creature.

  A flexible tendril of flame wrapped around the beast. Vanek pivoted and yanked on the fire-whip. The creature flew through the air toward him. He let it go, dismis
sing the whip as soon as the Outsider was airborne.

  Instead of waiting for it to come to him, he ducked aside and rushed forward to Harlow’s side.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” he panted, the effort of the fire-whip leaving him a little lightheaded. “But you didn’t answer your phone.”

  “That’s because I’m mad at you!” she snapped, focusing on his voice immediately. “You left me. Abandoned me! I told you not to do that, and then you went and did it, and—”

  The words died as he covered her mouth with his, kissing her for as long as he dared. Vanek’s ears were focused elsewhere, listening as the Outsider extracted itself from the crumpled wall of the warehouse where it had impacted.

  “I’m sorry about that. I was going to tell you the truth last night, but this thing ambushed me on the way there.”

  “Yeah. What the hell is that thing?” she asked, suddenly remembering the creature. “And what the hell did you do to it? Do you shoot fire? Like that spider guy?”

  He smiled. “Not quite like that. I told you, Harlow, I’m a dragon.”

  “Right.”

  “I was in a hospital bed all night and today recovering. Otherwise I would have been here at your side and kicked this thing’s ass already.”

  Behind him the Outsider shuffled forward and Vanek rose to meet it, turning his back on Harlow, aiming to keep himself between it and her no matter what.

  “Well, can you kick its ass now?”

  “Yes,” he said, a quiet fury building in his voice. “This time I’m not going to get sucker-punched. This time I’m going to be ready for it. And this time it’s going to wish it had never messed with Vanek the Crimson.”

  He strode forward, sword forming in his right hand, whip in his left. The fire flickered and cast its light across the warehouse, providing more than enough light to see by. Above him the warehouse lights had gone dark again. The Outsider must have done something to them, he figured.

  “You shall not pass!” he challenged, slamming the sword into the ground and drawing a line. Sparks flew and the concrete melted away under the intense heat of his red-orange blade. In its wake a black gouge remained, nearly six feet long. Vanek stepped up to it and readied himself.

  He wanted to change into a dragon, but the energy just wasn’t there. His earlier ordeal with the Outsider had left him weakened, and only the fact that Harlow was in immediate danger was keeping him on his feet. The effort was taxing him heavily, and his face was strained with exertion. Sweat beaded on his forehead and started to drip as he waited.

  Across from him the Outsider regarded him cautiously. Vanek wasn’t sure how he knew, since it had no face or features that he could see, but yet somehow he knew it was evaluating him, cautious to act. After all, it had hurt him badly the day before, and yet here he was seemingly ready to throw down and do battle with it.

  At last it determined that it must be little more than a façade, a show of nonexistent strength, and it came forward.

  Vanek prepared himself to protect his mate, sacrificing his life if it meant she could escape to safety. But first, he would need to fully occupy the monster’s attention.

  A black arm flicked at him with blinding speed and he barely got his sword up in time, dismissing the whip and using two hands to counter the Outsider’s immense strength. It still hammered him down to one knee, but his arms never gave. With a roar he pushed back, rising to his feet and lashing out with a booted foot, hitting it square in what would be the sternum on a human.

  The black armor cracked under the mighty blow and it flew backward ten feet, landing on the ground. A casual sweep at the floor lifted it to its feet however, and on it came. The two clashed over and over, each time Vanek finding a way through, keeping it from crossing the line.

  He wasn’t winning though, and each time it became a little harder for him to stop the creature. It was toying with him, and he knew it, but there was little else he could do. Until Harlow regained her wits, he had to stop it. No matter the cost.

  Going on the counterattack he drove the Outsider back, summoning up his energy reserves and pouring them into the blows. Five steps. Ten. Fifteen.

  And then abruptly, just like that, it planted its rear foot and stopped his next blow cold, the impact making his forearms tingle.

  Uh-oh.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Harlow

  She was trying to process what she was seeing.

  Vanek was there, and he was using fire to battle a creature that made no sound and attacked faster than any human she’d seen move. The two of them slammed into each other over and over again, though neither seemed to be getting the upper hand.

  A dragon. That’s what he’d said he was. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that, and now that he could wield a sword of pure fire, Harlow was forced to wonder about the accuracy of that statement. Still, where were the wings and the snout, the massive, scaled beast? That was a dragon as far as she was concerned. This was just impressive strength and magic. Real magic, not illusionist trickery. Even this far away she could feel the heat of his blade, and that was a tough thing to fake.

  Then there was the strength with which he seemed to hit the creature, sending it flying through the air. It seemed unnatural to her, far too strong for a human.

  Hope soared in her chest as Vanek went on the offensive, driving it backward with seeming ease. He was going to do it, he was going to win! Then abruptly the black monster stopped his attack cold, holding him still.

  Uh-oh.

  It lashed out at his chest and Vanek hurtled through the air, slamming into the side of one of her floats. The metal simply collapsed around him as he plowed deep into the center of it, damaging it far worse than the one they’d tried to repair. Anger at this snapped the world back into focus.

  “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” she screamed at him.

  “I’m sorry!” he said, extricating himself from the wreckage by simply tossing the vehicle aside. “I’ll buy you a new one to replace it as well.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Of course.”

  “And why would you do something like that?”

  “Well, firstly, because I wrecked it.” Vanek’s sword came up to block a blow as the blackened creature attacked him again. This time he got the upper hand and ducked under its arm, his sword morphing to a weaving rope that wrapped around the center of the beast.

  Vanek growled and hauled on the line, the effort flinging the creature across the floor, buying him some time. She gasped as he fell to one knee, his lungs heaving, and his face lined with the strain of the fight.

  “And secondly,” he said while panting, “is because I love you, and you’re my mate.”

  Saying the words seemed to empower him slightly and he rose to his feet, once again with sword in hand.

  Harlow fell back, the mangled wreckage of her float completely forgotten. Emotions pummeled her brain as words she’d never expected to hear blasted through her strongest defenses, reaching her inner being and striking home. Her defensive shell was peeled back like the skin of an orange, leaving her vulnerable and shaken.

  I love you.

  The rest of his statement was lost, mere background static to her compared to the import of those eight letters, in three distinct words. It awoke a heretofore incomprehensible response within her that stunned Harlow with its intensity. Her hands trembled, legs weak-kneed and knobby, unwilling to support her weight. She sank back down to the ground.

  It had been years since someone had said that to her. She’s mostly shunned anything serious, running away before it could reach that point. Now, in the darkened warehouse with both their lives on the line, Vanek had finally managed to push past her defenses—blow them apart, more realistically.

  Wait a minute.

  “You chose now to tell me this?” she yelped at the same time that his sword flared brightly, sparks exploding like fireworks as he blocked a flurry of blows from the creature.

  “I tried to call you to e
xplain,” he gasped, sounding exhausted. “But somebody refused to answer their phone!”

  Harlow’s jaw snapped shut. Shit, he was right. That was frustrating.

  “Well, I didn’t know,” she said lamely.

  Vanek growled, smashing the creature backward with a ferocious blow. Once more the sword morphed into the whip and he sent the matte-black monster bouncing across the floor into the side of the half-repaired float that they’d worked on together.

  “You’re ruining my business!” she shouted at him as he closed, the whip hardening into the sword as he sliced apart the float in an attempt to kill the creature.

  “I’ll buy you all new floats!” he roared, hammering down furious blows on his foe.

  “Your timing is horrible, you know this, right?”

  Vanek couldn’t reply as a long-bladed black arm-sword combination flashed up and blocked his blow. She watched in horror as it came at him with both its left and right arms, black-bladed swords weaving and attacking him from all sides. One connected to his ribs and he howled in pain, lashing out with a right fist that rocked the creature backward, buying him precious seconds, though it appeared to sap some of his energy upon contact.

  Fear slithered its way into her open heart at the sight. Not concern for herself, no, but ice-cold terror that she might lose Vanek before she told him how she felt. The truth of how she felt. All at once Harlow realized why she’d been so crushed by his disappearance the night before.

  It wasn’t because she’d been ditched, though that did hurt. No, it was something she’d refused to tell herself until now, a truth that she’d been running, even internally, unwilling to confront it. He couldn’t die. Not now. Not before she told him how she truly felt about him.

  That his feelings were echoed in her.

  “I’m trying over here,” he said, darting around one of her undamaged floats, putting it between him and the creature, buying him a moment of respite. “It wasn’t really my choice, you know.”

  “You need to finish this thing off,” she said.