Chapter Eighteen (Newell)
I had the oddest dream that night.
I opened my eyes to warm sunlight on my face, a cool breeze blowing my hair over my eyes. I blinked a few times, then turned my head to see that I was lying in a field of tall grass and wild flowers that swayed in the wind. I frowned and slowly sat up, looking around. It was a wide open field that seemed to go on forever on one side while the other side was abruptly interrupted by a thick ever green forest.
I could actually smell the pine, the sweetness from the flowers, even the sunlight. I tilted my head, inhaling the scent deeply. I ran my fingers through the grass, feeling the softness of it. I slowly got up and when I lifted my head, Xed was standing there. I stiffened for a moment, surprised to see him in my dream.
"What are you doing out here?" Xed asked. I shivered at the sound of his lilting Mediterranean accent, interested that in my dream, he could speak even though he was on land. He looked completely calm and serene. Almost out of place, though, amongst all the grass and flowers. I also noticed that I didn't tilt my head as far back to look up at him.
I ignored his question and looked down at myself, feeling my heart clench tight in my chest. I fought the urge to bite my lip in pain.
I was in that body again.
The one from my other dreams.
I was taller. I was older. Maybe not as tall or old as Xed, but enough so that when people looked at me, they knew I was an adult. My hair was long, though. It fell to my waist in long straight black locks, my bangs a bit on the long side as well, hanging over my face. I reached up, brushing them out of my face before looking up to see that Xed had gotten closer. I stiffened at the proximity and went to step back, but he caught my arm and pulled me closer. My breath hitched in my throat.
Well, this was new.
"Newell, are you okay?" Xed asked softly, concern burning bright in his eyes as he studied my face. I blinked a few times, staring at him before I managed to find my voice.
"What was your first question?" I asked dumbly. A very faint smile touched his lips before he leaned over, kissing me on the forehead. An odd warmth spread through me at that, my heart fluttering in my chest. Despite it being a simple peck on the forehead, something about it felt incredibly intimate.
My heart squeezed in my chest, though. This wasn't real. This was a dream. Xed wouldn't really do this, and even if he did... My body wasn't right.
He'd have to crouch down in front of me to kiss my forehead instead of lean down a few inches.
"Why do you look sad?" Xed asked, the concern returning to his face. I swallowed hard, shrugging his hand off my arm and taking a full step back.
"I'm not sad," I muttered, folding my arms over my chest tightly, "I just don't like this dream." Xed stared at me for a while with mismatched eyes. The beauty mark in the far corner of his left eye only made him appear more exotic. His olive skin looked smooth and delectable, stretched over rock hard muscles and washboard abs. It was almost enough to make my mouth water.
Then I mentally slapped myself for thinking this.
Maybe Hunter was right.
I was gay.
Or maybe it was just Xed. I don't remember ever being this attracted to other men. While I knew Hunter was incredibly attractive in a rugged biker sort of way, I wasn't attracted to him. It was just a simple fact that he was handsome.
But Xed was different.
He made my body hot. My blood boiled like lava in my veins, rushing down to my groin, making me ache. I could actually feel my skin tingling. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to know what those hard muscles felt like flexing beneath my fingers. I wanted to sink my fangs into his throat, taste the hot foreign blood that rushed beneath his warm skin.
Goddess. I was horny as hell.
And my dream responded to the heat burning in my groin as dream Xed approached me, coming so close that I could feel his breath on me, the heat from his skin against mine as he ran his hands down my arms. I stared up at him, still awed that even in an average adult body, he was taller than me. He leaned down, his lips brushing mine, sending goose bumps flying over my skin.
"Your cheeks are pink." He murmured against my lips. I shivered. I wanted to touch him, I wanted to run my fingers over his rippling chest, bite him, feel him, but I wasn't sure what to do. Admittedly, I'd never had a sexual encounter that was voluntary. I'd had several people try and molest me in the past, but they never got past the sexual comments before I ripped their hearts out.
Otherwise, I was completely and utterly virginal.
"Okay." I said stupidly. Xed smiled at that, then leaned in to kiss me again, but this time, his moist tongue tickled my lips open. He parted my lips with his tongue, sending hot chills through me as he kissed me. His hands cupped my face, rough and powerful as his tongue completely dominated my mouth.
The kiss itself was hot and demanding. It made my body ache. I couldn't resist and grabbed Xed around the waist, pulling him hard against me, feeling the hot pulse of his groin against mine. A moan slipped past my lips at the contact.
It felt so real.
It felt as if it were really happening.
I could feel the heat of lust pumping through my veins. My heart beating a harsh beat against my chest. I could feel the heat of Xed's body, the wetness of his tongue, the throb of his cock grinding against me.
The werewolves must have really pumped me up with morphine to give me a dream so realistic that it felt like it was happening.
Unfortunately, it ended all too soon because one minute, I was making out and on the verge of undressing with Xed and the next, I could hear Hunter's voice interrupting everything.
"Hey, sex bomb, wake up before you explode all over your sheets." My eyes flew open, my breath coming out in a harsh gasp as I stared up at Hunter, who was staring down at me with a raised brow. I blinked a few times rapidly, afraid that Xed would be sitting nearby and suspect something, but much to my relief, he wasn't here. While odd, I was glad I wouldn't have to see him after having such an erotic dream about him.
"Wow," Hunter commented, making me glare at him out the corner of my eye as I sat up slowly, grimacing in pain at the ache in my torso from my healing bones, "I don't think I've ever seen someone so horny before. You on viagra or something or does that not work on vampires?" I shot him a dirty look as I rubbed the back of my neck. I looked down, embarrassment burning my cheeks harshly at the wetness between my legs. I cursed under my breath, clenching a fist against my face in an attempt to hide my distress from Hunter, but it was impossible and he wasn't going to let me live it down.
"Where's the bathroom?" I asked bitterly, shifting so I could get out of the bed. Hunter made no move to help me and in fact stepped a few feet back up against the wall, pointing out the door.
"First door on the left when you walk out." He informed. I got up, moving quickly out of the room and into the bathroom. I was relieved to find a tub there, so I filled it up and stripped off my pants. I tossed them in the sink and soaked them before climbing into the tub.
A sigh of relief escaped past my lips at the feel of the warm water caressing my damaged body. I slumped against the side of the tub, watching the water ripple with my movements. A frown worked itself onto my face, however, as I stared at my reflection in the mirrors that went around the tub.
How inconvenient.
Who wanted to watch themselves bathe?
Normal people with normal bodies.
I sighed, frustrated as I cupped a handful of water and splashed myself in the face. I soaked my hair and leaned back against the tub, frowning at my reflection.
I hated dreaming. It always felt blissful, wonderful. I felt... happy. For the first time in years, I felt happy in my dreams, but it was only a dream. None of it was real and none of it would ever happen. There would never be peace. Xed and I would never be like that. I would never be like that. I could never be someone's first choice. I would never be anyone's choice. Not with a body like mine.
I clenched my fists, grinding my teeth together. My reflection bared its fangs. One second, I was glaring at my reflection and the next, my fist was colliding with the glass, shattering it to jagged shards that clattered on the edge of the tub, a few even falling in and cutting my ankle.
I stared at the busted mirror, then down at my fist, blood gushing from cuts, a shard of glass sticking out from between my middle knuckles. I frowned, reaching up and plucking the piece out, barely flinching at the way it stung my skin when it slid out.
The door to the bathroom flew open and I jumped, grabbing the shower curtain and throwing it shut to cover myself.
"What the heck is going on?" Drake demanded, coming to the tub, but I held the curtain tight.
"Get out!" I snapped. Drake scowled, reaching for the curtain.
"It's my bathroom. What did you--"
"I said get out! I'll pay for it later, just get out!" I snarled. Drake hesitated. He seemed surprised by my hostility before he finally left, slamming the door shut behind him. I frowned, waiting a few moments before letting go of the curtain, slumping back against the tub. I didn't move, just stared at the busted mirror. A few shards remained in place on the wall, several versions of myself staring back before I finally eased myself out of the tub. I ran some water over my bloody hand that was alreayd healing. I wrapped a washcloth around it and a towel around myself as I watched the water and blood drain out of the tub.
I debated whether just staying in the bathroom or not, but it would waste time and I needed clothes.
I reluctantly left the bathroom to find Drake out in the hallway. He turned to snap at me, then went silent when he saw my hand wrapped in the washcloth. He frowned at it, then looked at me. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Do not walk in on me when I'm unclothed." I told him flatly. He scowled.
"We're both males. It's nothing I haven't seen before, I assure you--"
"Unless you make a habit of looking at small children, I assure you that you have not seen it before." I responded heatedly. Drake was silent for a while and seemed to reconsider his rudeness before he cleared his throat.
"I take it you'll need clothing." He said at last.
"Yes."
"I'll see what I can find. In the mean time, your Cajun friend went out to find the dragon boy with my patrol and your merman is making breakfast."
"Xed is making breakfast?"
"Yes, and by the smell of it, it's something good. I never thought I'd see the day when a merman could cook better than a werewolf. Either way, give me a few minutes to find you clothes and you can join us for breakfast." Drake explained, then walked away. I frowned, but returned to the bedroom anyway to dry off. I peeled the washcloth off my hand, relieved to find that it had already healed.
And speaking of healing, my ribcage, though still achy, seemed to be mostly healed to the point where I no longer cringed in pain each time I took a step. I dried off and sat on the bed with the towel around myself until Drake returned with a pair of jeans and, thankfully, a regular long sleeved blue shirt. Once he left, I changed and left the room.
Sure enough, Drake had been right and the air was filled with a thick, homemade meal scent. From the smell of it, I guessed biscuits and gravy. I entered the main room, seeing that I was correct as Drake helped Xed set the table. Of course, my place was exempt from the meal and only a tall glass of blood called to me. I went straight to it and sat down, taking deep gulps of O positive. I licked my lips as Drake went to fetch Vini and Xed took a seat beside me at the table.
I glanced at him as he looked at me for a moment. Looking at him reminded me of my dream and I quickly looked away, avoiding eye contact as I sipped at my blood. I could tell Xed was curious about my reaction, but I said nothing as Drake returned with Vini.
Vini looked exhausted, his eyes puffy from crying. He wore one of Drake's shirts and his boxers, but nothing more. His auburn hair was touseled from rolling around in bed. I almost felt pity for him and his loss. Almost.
They sat down silently and everyone began to eat as I drank the rest of the blood in my glass.
"So how did you end up in the area anyway?" Drake asked after a while. I frowned, glancing at him as I ran my finger around the rim of my glass.
"Visiting an old friend and we got tangled up." I answered briefly. Drake hummed thoughtfully at that as he swept his biscuit through his gravy and took a bite.
"Odd for a fugitive like you to be casually visiting friends. Shouldn't you be finding a way to shake the world off your tail?" He asked. I snorted.
"I don't have time to sweet talk people into thinking I'm one of the good guys. I'm a criminal and I know it. I'm not going to smile into the faces of my enemies unless I'm crushing their spinal cord under my foot." I replied flatly. Drake smirked at that before it disappeared slowly.
"And you're not curious as to why me and my people won't turn you in?" He asked. I shook my head, licking blood from my finger.
"You have your reasons, reasons I don't care about. I only want to get this investigation over with and continue with my trip." I said. Drake nodded in understanding and went to say something when a feral scream ripped through the air. Drake was on his feet instantly and so was Vini, who ignored Drake's order to stay put. Xed and I also got up and followed Drake out of the cabin as we came into the clearing to see Drake's patrol and Hunter return.
Hunter was holding the dragon child over his shoulder, the boys ankles and wrists bound with rope.
It was as Xed had said, the child was feminine and small. His long golden hair was pulled back into a braid, his silver eyes flashing dangerously. He bared a pair of thick, sharp canines as he thrashed around in Hunter's grip, stark naked.
"Lucy, I'm home!" Hunter called to us, making Drake curl his lip in repungence. It seemed Drake didn't appreciate Hunter's sense of humor. We approached as Hunter none-too-gracefully tossed the boy into the dirt as the patrol surrounded us in a circle to make sure the child couldn't escape if he broke his bonds.
"Don't toss him around so roughly." Drake scolded. Hunter gave him a droll stare.
"Be greateful I brought him to you alive. I live to kill things like this." He answered. Drake glared.
"He's a child."
"He's a dragon."
"But he's still a child."
"And Bambi was a deer, but I'd still eat him."
"You're sick."
"You're unattractive."
"I wouldn't bother arguing with him," I told Drake, who was on the verge of strangling Hunter, who just smiled innocently, "It's like arguing with a brick wall.... No. I take that back. Brick walls are highly intelligent in comparison." Hunter scrunched up his nose at that. Drake shook his head, then frowned down at Starling, who bared his teeth at us.
"Starling," He said, making the dragon boy hesitate at hearing his name, "Were you near the village yesterday morning?" Starling scowled, obviously not understanding what Drake meant.
"I don't know," One of the wolves in the patrol muttered, making us look at him, "We found him hiding out near the wetlands and his home was covered in blood, Drake."
"And he had skin caught under his fingernails." Another wolf chirped.
"And, we found this." Another wolf came forward and approached Vini, who stiffened. The wolf reached into his jean pocket and withdrew a small pentagram necklace on a gold chain. Vini pursed his lips, tears welling up in his eyes. He managed to say nothing as he took the necklace with trembling fingers, staring down at it before clenching it in his fist and holding it tight against his chest. Drake gazed at Vini sadly, leaning over to openly kiss him on the temple.
I noticed that, despite Drake being their alpha, half the wolves curled their lips in disgust at Drake's affection for his mate. Of course, they made sure Drake wasn't looking when they did so.
"Then I suppose Starling was the one who killed Tony." Hunter said at last, looking down at Starling, who bared his teeth at Hunter before spitting at him. Hunter looked like he was seconds away from decapitating him. I frowned, however.
"Let me see his nails." I said suddenly. Something about this was far too suspicious, too easy. Hunter raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue with my command as he snatched Starling up by the back of the neck and pushed him toward me. Starling wobbled with his bound ankles as he stood in front of me. He frowned, but didn't snap or snarl at me. I held my hand out for his hands. He wrinkled his nose for a moment, then obeyed and held his hands out to me.
I studied his fingernails and the skin underneath. I used my fingernail to scrape out the dirt and blood from under his fingernails. I studied the crusted blood on my fingernail, sniffing at it.
It wasn't the same blood.
I remembered the acrid scent of Tony's blood and this blood was sweeter. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was deer blood, not wolf blood.
"This isn't Tony's blood." I said aloud, dropping Starling's hands. Starling cocked his head at me as if maybe he understood something I said. Drake frowned and a few other wolves scoffed at my statement.
"How do you know?" Drake asked.
"The smell," I replied, "Blood is my food. I know the difference between different blood types and this is not Tony's blood. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is deer blood."
"But how do you explain the necklace," The wolf I recognized as Stone demanded in annoyance, "Why would he have Tony's necklace?" I looked at Starling, but he didn't seem to understand what we were saying... and he kept staring at me in a way that made me uncomfortable. The last thing I needed was to be added to a dragon's lunch menu. I cleared my throat and looked at Hunter, who frowned.
"Well," Hunter said slowly, "He's a kid. Kids like shiny things. Maybe he saw it on the ground and stole it. Dragons like to collect things."
"Or," Drake said slowly, "Maybe he got it from the culprit?"
"Someone must have framed him." I concluded.
"But who?" Vini asked in a soft voice. I frowned, glancing at the other wolves, who all frowned. A few shifted uncomfortably as if catching onto my meaning.
Starling didn't attack Tony. Neither did Xed. Which meant one of these wolves had done it. Why? I wasn't sure.
But I did know one thing.
I wasn't going to be able to leave this village anytime soon.