Dragon Kin

17

Victor

Jake walked beside me, being in no hurry to go through that front door. I didn't blame him. He didn't know everything was dead inside. At the door he stopped and I reached forward and opened it for him. I didn't care what he did at this point, as long as he didn't try to go for Alicja or the van, he could do whatever he liked.

The scene was as I imagined. Fifteen, no — seventeen bodies, lay on the floor or draped over the couch and chairs where they fell. Each of them with hearts or throats ripped from their bodies.

The amount of blood was sinister.

Jake began shaking. "Oh no," he whined.

"Ah, Jake! There you are. Fred told me you'd be along," Ocean said, as he appeared coming out of the kitchen.

"Ocean?" Jake began, and then Ocean speared his hand through Jake's chest, cutting him off, and yanked out his heart.

Jake fell, dead before he hit the ground. Ocean dropped his heart and used his shirt to wipe the blood off his hand.

"What the fuck, Ocean?" I said, stunned. His scent, being as light as it was, always clean and slight as cool linen, was hidden from me by the blood sprayed everywhere. "What have you done?"

"Ended it, my friend. Now, we can get the hell out of this place, and go back home. I'm looking forward to a soak in the hot springs, and a couple of Fae cuties to spend time with. These human women just aren't up to the challenge, if you know what I mean."

"I wanted them alive, Ocean. That was the whole point."

"Well, like that song says, can't always get what you want. But you can get what you need. And what you need is to get back home. People are waiting."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, my voice growing into a roar. Furry burned through my blood like a poison. "What gives you the right to...!"

"The Regent!" he roared back, cutting me off. "Remember him? The person in charge until you accept your throne? I'm under orders. Not that you give a flying fuck about those."

He walked past me, toward the door. I spun to grab him by the shoulder and he turned back, palm lifted and flat before his lips, then he blew a fine brown and red dust into my face.

Instantly the rage drained from my blood and it became difficult to breathe. The powder felt and smelled like battery acid in my nostrils. I grasped at him, while falling to the floor. My limbs were heavy, heavier than I could lift. I tried to speak, but could only cough.

"That paralysis part will wear off quickly," he said, his voice calm, secure, while wiping his hands together briskly several times. "But your vision is going to be shit. Enough to see your way to following us, at least I hope so, for your sake."

Us? I thought, trying to keep my thoughts clear.

"I'll be snatching up little Alicja and taking her across. Be sure to reach the Way door, before it closes. You're in no condition to fly."

I'm going to kill you, I thought at him, but the rage wouldn't come. I coughed, choking and struggling against the dead weight of my limbs. He betrayed me. All this time, and he...

Ocean stepped outside. In seconds I heard the side door of the van slide back.

"Ocean? Where is Victor? What are you doing!?" Alicja's voice raised from concern to panic. "Let go of me! Shit! Ocean, stop!"

She fought, and struggled, but she was no match for a half-demon adversary.

The Morrigan, I thought to myself. Of course. That's why he reacted like he did when he found we were bonded. She had to stay with me, and she had to come back with us. Standing orders.

As predicted, the paralysis wore off less than ten seconds later, though listening to Alicja struggle and fight against Ocean made the time feel like weeks. Her voice in panic physically hurt the hollow of my chest.

I got to my knees. Then to my feet. Stumbling outside, I saw the two of them heading for the tree line across the meadow.

I fell going down the stairs, rolling into the dirt and smacked my head against the bumper of one of the cars. Getting to my feet, I stumbled after them, knocking over one of the motorcycles.

"Ocean..." I wheezed. My voice was constrained by whatever concoction he blew into my face. "Ocean... get back here."

Falling again, I got back up and started ripping off my jacket as I continued after them.

Alicja continued to struggle and even kick at Ocean, which was as useless as it looked. She didn't know that, but she was finding out quickly.

"Victor? Ocean won't let me go! Victor!?" she called.

My heart wrenched to hear her scream. The clean mint scent of her fear filled my head, and still I couldn't manage to rage.

I tore off my shirt, and tried to force myself to change. If I could change, it might clear out this dust from my body.

Struggling, I couldn't summon the hard emotional rage required to force my body to transform. It was there, I could sense it, but it was out of reach — as if behind some kind of glass wall. There, but untouchable, unattainable.

Ocean and Alicja reached the tree line, and he summoned a Way Door. Mana waifed and then congealed into a bluish-orange line, then the line divided, becoming a Way.

"Ocean! Don't!" I called, my voice returning.

"Hurry up Victor. Don't dawdle."

Urgency now pushed me forward. Self preservation. If the door closed, then my brain, and hers would fry shortly after. And as Ocean said, I couldn't fly. I could barely walk. And the only chance I had of opening my own door, was in flight.

I stumbled faster. When I fell, I clawed and struggled to my feet, pressing ever forward with all the power I could summon.

Alicja's voice turned to panic and her struggles became feral. She screamed and clawed and kicked. She raked his face with her nails, and bit at the hand holding her arm.

Ocean pulled her into the door, and they disappeared. "No! Don't do this to me!"

"Ocean, you fucking bastard!" I roared, still several yards away from the door, which was dimming as I watched.

Fighting the poison, I ran forward, and nearly fell inside the door. I couldn't stop now, however. No, you didn't stop inside the Ways. You pressed forward. Even if you were dying anyway, you pressed forward. You didn't want to fall prey to the beings inside. Dead or alive, that would not be pleasant.

Darkness and swirls of gray. I stumbled forward. My feet beneath me felt like they were at the end of someone else's legs. I couldn't feel when my foot stepped onto the ground. And now I couldn't tell where the ground was. Somehow I managed to keep moving forward.

Then it was bright, and blue, with a sea of green grass pouring out to the horizon. The air that filled my lungs opened them, as if they had atrophied while on the other side, but were able to fill to capacity now. The scent of field grass and earth. The scent of fear, trailing before me, taking on a pickle note mixed inside the clear mint.

I was home.

Fuck.